13 10 291 https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/79db3901636e66547a59cb114c2f2312.pdf d302e0833b11377763a877a7bfd7d137 PDF Text Text J u ly 1 3 t h - J u ly 2 6 t h 2 0 1 8 | Vo l . 2 1 I s s u e 1 2 ( N o. 3 8 5 ) advocating justice | building community Did City Promise Central Avenue to FC Cincinnati? | 5 This Issue is sponsored by Bromwell's Harth Lounge INSIDE THIS ISSUE Read the Writing on the Wall | 3 Youth Opportunities Paint a Brighter Future | 9 Religious Peacemakers: Reverend Alan Dicken's Ministry | 4 Photo Essay: Cincinnati Pride 2018 | 9 Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 H LOCAL From The Director: Human Value ow do you prove the need for something we actually all already know we need? People and organizations regularly ask what the solution to homelessness is. And we always say housing is the solution. In reality people know that humans need a place to live; a place to safely sleep, privately use the bathroom, tend to bodily needs, plan, decompress, relax, build energy, cook, safely eat, raise children, privately argue, privately rejoice, for some, to have sex, spend quiet time with friends and family, strategize, to store food and clothing and be warm, cool and dry. We all need a place to be that can be private. Not having such a place degrades health and has the potential to decrease one’s lifetime. This isn’t complicated, it’s simple and we all know it. So perhaps the question isn’t how do we prove that people need housing. So, instead there are really two questions: how do we prove that people are experiencing homelessness because we don’t have enough housing that everyone can afford and how do we prove that everyone has equal value and thus must have equal access to housing? The first question; how to prove that homelessness is caused by a lack of affordable housing, exists because many people who have access to housing want to believe that people J u l y 13 - J u l y 2 6, 2 0 18 | N o . 38 5 JOSH SPRING Executive Director Josh Spring Credit: Homeless Coalition experiencing homelessness either chose to experience it or they made irresponsible decisions or they have a personal deficiency that limits their access. In the mind of the thinker, she or he has found a way to justify a lack of response because she or he believes people who choose homelessness or are irresponsible don’t deserve assistance. Sometimes this thinker says this in a nicer way; she or he doesn’t want to enable a person to make these bad decisions. Often this person will say that the third category of people in their mind, people with personal deficiencies, should receive assistance because they didn’t choose to have the illnesses or deficiencies they are facing and will express pity for people in this category. To combat this common way of thinking by people who are housed about people who are not housed, we explain that homelessness is a systematic problem, we show how economic, societal and legislative decisions create and sustain the lack of affordable housing. We explain that when millions of different people in different places, at different times all experience the same problem, it is simply illogical to believe that the problem is individual. We explain that people do not choose homelessness and that when people have access to housing that is sustainably affordable and access to what people need to live, that people tend to stay in that housing. We work with people who have in the past or who currently are experiencing homelessness to tell their own personal stories which also reveal not only the personal hardships homelessness causes, but further reveal the systemic causes of homelessness. We show statistics and analysis. We prove time and again that homelessness is systemic. These presentations, talks, and discussions are very important and powerful. The mindsets of some of those in attendance change. Empathy and understanding are built (Continued on page 4) WHERE ARE WE HEADED AS A NATION? PART III BILL WOODS What are the reforms that exist today for activists to support in order to renew democracy in this country? That is the question I posed at the end of Part II of "Where Are We Headed As A Nation?" The challenge, I noted, is to work toward rebuilding a political and governmental system that diverse citizens can believe is striving to live up to the concept of "we the people." One reform that is fresh to those of us who worked successfully to pass an Ohio Constitutional Amendment this May establishing a fair process for drawing new Congressional district maps is redistricting. Because of the extreme gerrymandering of legislative districts that took place in many states after the 2010 Census, redistricting reform has taken center stage for activists and groups such as Common Cause in recent years. One approach that has succeeded in California and Ohio is launching a Contributing Writer statewide, citizen ballot initiative that creates a fair process for district map making. Another strategy focuses on challenging unfairly drawn districts in the courts. This process was making great headway in a number of states until a June decision by the U.S. Supreme Court made this approach somewhat iffy. Opponents of extreme gerrymandering in Wisconsin won their case in the Federal District Court, and this decision was then appealed to the Supreme Court. After hearing arguments last fall, the High Court released its five to four decision several weeks ago. The majority said that the plaintiffs had failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove their grievance, and therefore sent the case back to a lower court without taking any stance on the legality of gerrymandering itself. This finding of the Court seems to leave room for a future ruling against gerrymandering, and legal scholars believe that the North Carolina case provides a compelling example of how extreme gerrymandering violates voting rights. Nevertheless, the recent resignation of Justice Kennedy and his possible (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, Bill Woods, Dr. Mark Mussman, Tony Castrucci, Michael earl Patton, Peter Block, Saad Ghosn, Ricardo Taylor, Stacia Hollander, Kim Green, Willa Denise Jones ----------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: Dr. Mark Mussman, Michael Earl Patton, redstatevirginia.com, Saad Ghosn, Tony Castrucci, 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. �3 LOCAL Read the Writing on the Wall No. 38 5 | J u l y 13 - J u l y 2 6, 2 0 18 DR. MARK MUSSMAN L ongtime readers of Streetvibes will be quick to point out the lack of “person-first” language in the graffiti: “Kill The Poor!” You may also find offense to the statement as well. When I passed this graffiti, about a block outside of Overthe-Rhine’s northern edge, many thoughts swirled through my head: “Who wrote this?” “Is this ironic?” “Are they advocating for violence?” “What’s with the quotation marks?” How should I take this statement, on the side of a seemingly abandoned building, on the edge of a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood? What do you, Streetvibes reader, make of it? In my mind, “Kill The Poor!” Staff Writer are using tactics to disempower and displace people who live in poverty and people who are experiencing homelessness. Through overpolicing, over-programming of public spaces, raising rents, evictions, privatizing parks, high price points, etc., gentrifiers are gleeful at the removal of “the poor” from private and shared spaces. With a blind eye to history, they believe that if we just remove blight, land values will rise. On the other hand, those who live in poverty, with little means to invest in the already disinvested community, year after year, generation after generation, see how industrial complex. We see how school districts separate students based upon family income, and how hospital outcomes are determined by zip codes. Even more shocking is that your life span may be dictated by the street you live on. If “Kill The Poor!” is not a rallying cry, then perhaps, it becomes a statement of solidarity — one that is possibly revealed by the quotation is the true war on poverty. And it’s costing us millions upon millions of dollars — even locally, just in policing and healthcare costs alone. For example, I bet you’d be hard pressed to find someone whose life hasn’t been affected by jail or cancer here in Cincinnati. I have to remind myself: it’s not like this everywhere. Small setbacks are major when you are experiencing homelessness. Having a relatively small ticket could lead someone down a path to losing everything very quickly, if they don’t have the means to cover the cost. We have seen how evictions cause Monopoly Man with Dollar Sign Forehead Under LOL Graffiti Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman The World Needs More Color Statement Found on Streetcar Pole on Race Street Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Graffiti reads Kill The Poor! Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Graffiti on Pleasant Street Reads Mourn Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman waivers between a rallying call for gentrifiers and a statement of solidarity. On one hand, gentrifiers policy, and structural violence kill them. We see how poor families are separated by the military and prison marks. America’s war on poverty was inequitable and it didn’t seem to lift people out of poverty, but rather created a permanent underclass. The true war on poverty is seen in the cutting of housing options and funding, the loss of healthcare, the loss of affordable education, the loss of civility among the police and fairness in the courts, the loss of clean air, clean water, and clean food. This THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED poverty. This means people will have less money for their child’s education, or even food on the table. When our own city can’t muster enough political will to spend even 1.5% of our budget on human services, it makes you wonder what our priorities truly are. And, what do those priorities say about us as a city? Are we to (Continued on page 12) �4 F LOCAL Youth Opportunities Paint a Brighter Future ollowing our three-part mural photo essay series, I sat down with the some of the people behind the paint to talk about ArtWorks, their experiences, opportunities, and the vision they have for the city. Amy Scarpello is the Youth Workforce Development Coordinator. Streetvibes: What programs have the youth development aspect involved? Scarpello: That’s all of our workforce programs. Our signature program is our apprenticeship model. We have programs after school in fall and spring, but our biggest push is in the summer. All of our programs are eight weeks, but in the summer, they get a full week of paid orientation. It varies each year, but they get financial literacy training, empathy training, learn about public art and mural making, team building, and focusing on personal skill sets that will help them be prepared and successful for jobs. Throughout the summer we have speakers, art opportunities, and portfolio reviews to help build skills further. Streetvibes: Who makes up the workforce? Age, socioeconomic status etc. Scarpello: For our apprentices we work with ages 14 to 21. After that we have opportunities for junior teaching artists and professional artists that will mentor them. We employ 50% low income youth and build our teams to be diverse. We look at gender, class, race etc. We try to make sure each team has a balance and opportunities to meet people you otherwise might not. Streetvibes: How does someone get involved with one of these programs? Scarpello: We have a recruitment event at the beginning of each year. Our apprentice and teaching staff JOSH SPRING (Continued from page 2) and sometimes a person shares what they have learned with other people at it spreads or we gain another opportunity to present. Sometimes people become advocates and work alongside others for systemic change. We will continue to provide public education because it is effective, and we believe that armed with the truth, some people will choose to pursue real resolve to homelessness. Some people take these truths back to their places of work and worship, their homes, friends and families, community councils, decisions of what companies they patronage. This can affect both personal interactions and, over time policy and societal decisions. The second question, how do J u l y 13 - J u l y 2 6, 2 0 18 | N o . 38 5 TONY CASTRUCCI Contributing Writer applications open in early February and then in March we have an opportunity for everyone to interview together, we interview about 400 youth apprentices over the weekend. People can volunteer as well and help with interviewing. Everyone has such a cool story and these 14-year olds are way more professional than I was at that age, and from that roster we pull people from throughout the year. Streetvibes: What kind of opportunities do the workers receive and how are they compensated? Scarpello: In the past we payed minimum wage, but this year all of our apprentices will be payed a living wage at 10.44 / hr. That would have been amazing for me in college and these are kids making bank which is fantastic. The apprentice program is the major opportunity for them. Our projects change each season, but many have a public art outcome and we also have our Hero Design program which is another sort of signature program where our apprentices will work with younger kids going through hard times, working with them one on one making capes and engaging in a ceremony to empower them as super heroes themselves. Streetvibes: What do participants of these programs usually do after it is over? Scarpello: There are a lot of returning apprentices who come back to work with us year after year, we don’t really have much data on this but many of our best apprentices move on to college and do great things. Being able to execute a giant project really empowers them to move onto the next step in their professional development, to see it so public in the city and have ownership over it is very powerful. Streetvibes: Can you give me a we prove that everyone has equal value and therefore must have equal access to housing is even deeper. The truth is that even if it were correct that there are three groups of people experiencing homelessness: choosers, irresponsible people and people with personal deficiencies, which to be doubly clear, is not remotely correct, but even if it were, these descriptions ultimately wouldn’t matter because everyone has the same value and if housing is a necessity, everyone must have equal access to it. It is really that simple. There should be but one prerequisite for housing: are you breathing. That is it. So now the question can be asked, well how do we do that as a society? The answers to this question involve prioritizing the needs of people over the excess and profits of a few. But to answer rundown of the Adopt-an-Apprentice program? Scarpello: It’s an opportunity where you can fund an apprentice from one day to the whole summer. As sort of a thank you to the contributors at the end of the year they receive an apprentice card and a handwritten note from them thanking you for your contributions. Streetvibes: For those who get into the programs do you think it’s the parents or the kids or a mixture of both that help connect them to it? Scarpello: I think it’s 50/50. We do a lot of direct recruitment working with schools telling them about the applications before the program opens. I think you can tell the individuals where it’s more the parents pushing them to do it, but I can tell you in the last week I’ve gotten six or seven calls from apprentices or people looking for jobs in that age range seeking it out for themselves. They’re super excited to participate. Streetvibes: I also sat down with Josie Masset, an Apprentice and Biggie Award Winner. Streetvibes: What got you interested working for ArtWorks? Masset: My older brother is in photography and he got a medal in the scholastics art competitions six years ago and everyone who medals in scholastics gets a mail out from ArtWorks and my mom said, “this doesn’t sound like something he’d want to do but it sounds like it’s something you’d want to do.” I applied the first year I was old enough to which was at the age of 14, and I did not get in because it was the first time I had ever interviewed for a job or done anything even regarding jobs. I knew I wanted to do it, so I applied again the next year and got on a three-day project. It was an artist from South Carolina and it was an interactive art piece. After that I the question simply, morally, we have to do it. And how do we convince people of this? Well, we don’t have to convince everyone. We organize people experiencing the problem to fight collectively for the changes necessary to end homelessness and we shed light on truth and offer opportunity for people to join in. We increase our numbers and our strength until the current dealers of access and opportunity succumb and we force a change and then another change and another and another and another, bringing in new people the whole way, never changing our stance or our story; re-evaluating strategy when we lose, building each other up and pushing onward and upward. We must have in our heads a vision of a place where the humanity of everyone is not denied directly or indirectly. We must picture this place. What THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED wanted something longer to work on, so I applied again next year but I had a trip in the middle of the summer, so I would have missed too much time, but at the end of the summer Kroger decided they wanted a mural at their Oakley location. Around midAugust they called me needing two apprentices and I said, “of course.” We had about three weeks to paint a 1,500 sq. ft mural. It was on parachute cloth and got installed later. We worked out of a store front and had to Macgyver the whole project, but we did it. I applied again the following year and it was the first time I was on a full-size mural. I was also on another one last year, and now I’m on the Music Legend Card Deck mural. We’re working with Justin Green who is an artist at Shake-It-Records. They want to make a deck of baseball cards but for Cincinnati musicians, illustrating all the people who were born in Cincinnati or spent a lot of time here. Streetvibes: What are some of the positives and negatives in your experience working for ArtWorks? Masset: Positives. They give you a tremendous amount of guidance on things people don’t usually get guidance on when it comes to art. If you take art classes, they show you how to make art, but they don’t show you what it’s like to be an artist and all the stuff involved with marketing yourself. They don’t tell you about the millions of jobs that aren’t just an artist or graphic designer. There’s so many weird niches that nobody knows about. You get to meet a lot of the artists filling those weird niches. It’s nice because starting so young you otherwise don’t meet all the people in the Cincinnati art scene, especially if you’re not from downtown. When you start working for ArtWorks they know everyone in the whole city because the community is so small. They welcome you into that, even as somebody who would normally be too young to be comfortable talking to 25-year olds who are opening businesses and making moves. The (Continued on page 9) do the streets look like, what are the looks on peoples’ faces walking down the sidewalks, what do the homes look like, what are the priorities of the people and systems in this place, how are those present working to maintain this value of human life? None of this is meant to be fluffy, feel-good talk. If you are going to construct a building well, you need to have a vision of what it will look like inside and out when it is done. We are constructing this place and just like when constructing a building, we have to remove obstacles, demolish previous structures or impediments and build new. Once the vision is reality, it doesn’t mean that everyone present will buy into this cornerstone of human value necessitating equal access, but structure will have been built to keep the power in the hands of the many who do. �LOCAL Did City Promise Central Avenue to FC Cincinnati? 5 No. 38 5 | J u l y 13 - J u l y 2 6, 2 0 18 T MICHAEL EARL PATTON o be clear, I am referring to Central Avenue, not the bigger, better known, and close-by Central Parkway. Central Avenue runs behind St. Peter in Chains Cathedral and Cincinnati City Hall. It goes north, past Ezzard Charles Drive, Taft High School, Cincinnati Police District 1 headquarters, Stargel Stadium, Liberty Street, and to Dayton Street. As the name implies, it is an important street and connects several places in the West End and downtown. The question is, did the city administration promise to vacate part of Central Avenue so that the new soccer stadium could be built on top of it? We have all heard of the deal with Cincinnati Public Schools to sell Stargel Stadium to FC Cincinnati so they could build a new stadium on the site. But the existing stadium is relatively small, seating about 3,000. The soccer team is talking about something that would seat maybe ten times as many (the final size is still to be decided). It is a question of width. There is not enough room to squeeze in a new, much larger stadium into the existing footprint. To get more room, FC Cincinnati needs to build on the existing Central Avenue. The picture is from the FC Cincinnati website (https://www. fccincinnati.com/stadium) and shows the area of the new soccer stadium site. All the annotations except for the outline of the new stadium area, which is shown on their website, are mine. These include the identification of Central Avenue and Central Parkway, Music Hall, buildings to be demolished, and the width of their current locale, University of Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium. Because a soccer field is a little larger than a football field, when Nippert is used for soccer it holds less than when the Bearcats play -32,000 fans. That is about the upper end of what is being talked about for the soccer stadium. Yes, the team could pack more people into the end zones, but that would hardly present a good experience for the fans. And the width of the stadium does not take into account any plaza, such as at Great American Ballpark, where fans can gather and meet before entering the stadium. It is unlikely that the stadium would be built with its main entrances at narrow sidewalks which the fans would reach after crossing Contributing Writer Central Avenue. It was while photographing the buildings to be demolished that I heard that the new stadium was to extend over Central Avenue. A little bit of checking and I realized that this made sense. The question is, when will this be announced? It is not in the ordinance approving the Fussball Club Cincinnati Memorandum of Understanding, 76-2018, at least not in any clear language. On page public infrastructure improvements mentioned in the preamble to the ordinance, $34,896,800. This was clearly based on something, and I requested to know what that was. One of the things included in that number was demolition, specifically: “(a) Completely demolish all existing structures on the property being acquired, including but not limited to: 1415 Central Parkway, 1507 Central Parkway, 1515 Central All in all though, this sounds like the city has agreed to vacate Central Avenue so that FC Cincinnati can use that land, and probably part of 15th Street, too. Not to mention part of the parking lot of Police District 1. What are the police going to use instead? And how much will that cost? To make matters worse, that $34,896,800 included the cost to “remediate hazardous substances in accordance with a to-be-completed remedial action plan, including but not limited to hazardous soil abatement.” Readers of Streetvibes might remember an article by Alan Smithee where he thought that the reason FC Cincinnati wanted Stargel Stadium was because it was already used as a stadium. Thus there is no Soccer Stadium - annotated Credit: Michael Earl Patton 4 of the MOU it states “[t]he City will consider selling City-owned parcel(s) and right-of-way necessary for the Developer’s development of the Project Site.” Elsewhere the project site is described as being between John Street and Central Parkway. Although it is not mentioned by name, Central Avenue lies between the two. Was it always intended to be included in the deal? It looks like it. I was photographing the buildings to be demolished because I had done a public records request regarding the estimated cost of the “Breakdown Stereotypes” Parkway, 1500 Central Avenue, 1504 Central Avenue, 1510 – 1514 Central Avenue, 316 W 15th Street, outbuilding on Police District 1 lot, and cell tower equipment building” and “(b) Demolition of roadways and sidewalks [emphasis added], lighting, signage, fencing, and other miscellaneous fixtures” The city’s development agreement with FC Cincinnati contains a concept sketch of a soccer stadium sitting squarely atop Central Avenue – but this is not a final design. change of use and probably no need to do any environmental remediation. Isn’t it nice of the city to commit to remediating any hazardous waste everyplace else? And using our tax dollars to do so? I myself would rather the money be used to fund needed human services and especially to fully fund the Winter Shelter, but this choice was not presented to the taxpayers. It looks like Alan Smithee was right! The hidden costs just keep mounting up. “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 Mark Mussman at (513) 421.7803 x14 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �6 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED J u l y 13 - J u l y 2 6, 2 0 18 | N o . 38 5 �JUBILEE CAMPAIGN Follow the Money No. 38 5 | J u l y 13 - J u l y 2 6, 2 0 18 W hen asked, most every citizen in Cincinnati expresses the desire to create an economic system that rests on a level playing field and gives each of us control over our economic lives. Call it social or economic justice, call it a working democracy. The challenge is that we have so far been unable to create this. Measures of available housing, sustainable income, food security, infant mortality have not moved much. All of these issues are heavily impacted by who controls and is engaged in land development and the enterprises that sit on top of it. If we want more balanced economic outcomes, we need to look at who owns the land, the buildings, the enterprise and who makes the decisions about these. When making these decisions, especially when public land and public funds are involved, which is almost every time, how do we find a more just way to care for the common good and have the neighborhood and its residents play a more powerful role in this unfolding? Right now, when it comes to development, we are very dependent on functions of governance: planning departments, neighborhood councils, elected officials, zoning groups, mayors, and architects. We depend on the interests of investors, realtors, banks and financial institutions. We are very well organized to serve the private good, which is fair enough. This, however, is part of a long trend which has discounted the value of the common good in service of the private good. Granted there is public value to many private development ventures, but these are collateral benefits which are used mostly to sell the project. What is missing is a process where all players, including neighbors, citizens and residents have easy access to a complete picture of the business venture, the major stakeholders, historical data about the kind of deal being proposed, early information about schedules, plans, partners and community structures which go into every development. Without this insider information we will never be have an equal voice in assuring that development using public assets will indeed serve the common good. The process clearly is out of balance when we come to the common good. We as a community BILL WOODS (Continued from page 2) replacement in the fall by a rightwing ideologue makes reformers extremely pessimistic about future Supreme Court decisions. Following PETER BLOCK Contributing Writer do not have the relevant data early enough, and in the right hands, to act as equal partners in protecting the common good. We find out about plans too late. We don’t know the real economics of putting a development here or there. As a result of this lack of timely information and the absence of a process that endows neighbors and residents with a full seat at the table, it gets bloody. Politics, advocacy, stories of historical wounds, and a procession of celebrity speakers, local and national, are paraded across the stage. Witness the FC Soccer Stadium in the west end as a recent example. There is, however, enough good and land that is part most projects. We, as a culture, give a lot of attention to the questions of justice and equity in prison reform, minimum wages, social safety nets, role of the church, return on not-forprofit programs, denuclearization, import taxes, gun control, programs to end poverty and where the next world cup will be held. What we give comparatively little real attention to is the land. We are captured by the conventional wisdom that every piece of land should be subjected to its “highest and best use.” This is the language of the Urban Land Institute and most experts in this domain. We buy this argument of “best Serving the common good? Credit: redstatevirginia.com will and common interests among us to change this. Meeting with a City Councilman on the subject of development equity, it was easily agreed that: We want balanced development. We need to both attract investment and better the lives of residents. We want wealth creation for marginalized or economically isolated neighborhood residents. We need a development process that is based on trust. Explore what change in policies, capacity building, and neighborhood cooperation is possible. It is worthy of a long-term effort. Who among us would argue with this intention. The challenge is that in this domain of development, there is little trust and little transparency. We have not given priority to a process that is visible and accessible to ordinary citizens, namely what to do with the land, what is put on it and who benefits from the wealth and value it creates. And what is the real return of the public money, variance the example of California and Ohio, at least four statewide efforts to enact redistricting reform by ballot initiatives will take place in the fall. Once again, reformers are concerned about a more right wing Supreme Court eventually ruling that state legislatures and not citizen initiatives and highest use” in our decisions about how and when and who decides about devoting public money, land, tax forgiveness and zoning flexibility to private developers and enterprises. The agreements are made in private and then marketed to the community under time pressure. What is decided in relative privacy are decisions about what is really in the interest of the common good. There is little measurement and public data about what are the real outcomes of this process of development. What have been the public outcomes of historical transfers of public assets to private hands. There are people working to change this process. Peaslee Neighborhood Center has been working on an equitable development rubric to make this shift. Their work begins by questioning the set of assumptions that we take for granted: -Private development brings jobs, housing, tax base, and economic opportunity to struggling neighborhoods. are the mechanisms for determining how representatives are elected as stated in the Constitution. Although such a Court decision is possible, this approach is currently the best way to organize diverse citizens to preserve fair elections. The impact of "big money" THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 7 -Partnering with the private market is the best way for the city to acquire enough power to meet its development needs. - If we ask too much of private development it will go elsewhere, and we will lose out. The rubric offers us a starting point for shifting our thinking about creating development that serves the public interest. You can contact Peaslee Center at jennifer.arens@ peasleecenter.org. To question our assumptions, as they are suggesting, we need to make visible, without political or social ideology, how, when, what and why public land, assets and money are placed on the table in the domain called “development.” We need transparent data to inform and make it easy for residents and those who care for the commons to get involved early and with a voice. Much of this data may be available, but you need to be an investigative reporter to ferret it out. We have been sold a bunch of developments and stadiums, all with the promise of jobs and prosperity. How has that worked out? For whom? With the prospect of good data and leveraged partnership, we can have a real impact on the billions of dollars spent in our city on development. There is a path to restoring the commons. As mentioned earlier, we have been out of balance with the privatization of the commons for a long time. I am writing this article to invite you to participate in creating a development equity open source platform. Crowd sourcing with the intent of following the money involved in supporting the interests of the common good in development in Cincinnati. The point is to aggregate data about how the commons vs private investment is occurring. This, to me, is the essential point of leveraging to reduce the economic inequality that exists in our city. It is not an argument against people of means, or real estate investors. It is a call to come together and build an historical and early information public data base, collected from all citizens the moment they have new information. We all can benefit from a better process. The development stakeholders all have an interest in the common good for they are neighbors and residents also. This can be done without any party treating the others as an enemy. There is something we need to do together, because the goal of equitable development is on everyone’s agenda. If you are willing to help build this platform, please email commonvoice2028@gmail.com. on politics and government is the elephant in the room that has done the most damage to democracy. Due to several Supreme Court decisions that equate spending money to freedom of speech and to money's (Continued on page 11) �8 RELIGIOUS PEACEMAKERS "Divinity of Diversity" and "Multi Faith Enriching" Are the Mottos of Reverend Alan Dicken's Ministry J u l y 13 - J u l y 2 6, 2 0 18 | N o . 38 5 "G od is on the side of the oppressed," says Reverend Alan Dicken. "In the Christian tradition Jesus came not as a ruler or a conqueror, but rather as a vulnerable infant, and he spent his time with the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the persecuted... That's what his ministry is about." Dicken is the pastor of Carthage Christian Church, a Disciples of Christ Church founded in 1832 in the neighborhood of Carthage, North of Cincinnati. He has been ministering there for the past 5 years. Born in a middle class white family, he was exposed to religion from childhood, both his parents belonging to a long tradition of Disciples of Christ followers. He initially disliked going to church and attending services, but this changed when, at the age of 10, he and his family relocated to Cincinnati and joined the then Tylersville Road Christian Church in the Mason area. "The new church had a youth group, a band that played upbeat SAAD GHOSN Contributing Writer music, a beautiful sanctuary with natural light; all was appealing to me," he states. With the youth group, Dicken went to church camps and on mission trips, discovering other parts of the world and other communities quite different from his. It sharpened his awareness of diversity, also his exposure to social disparity. "These were informative and profound experiences," he says. "They opened my eyes and made me feel better about my relationship to others, to my faith, to God." Dicken attended Sycamore High School and was there further exposed to diversity, not only the ethnic and racial diversity due to the large number of Jewish and Asian students, but also his first encounter with gay individuals. "I sang in the school choir and befriended a couple of gay students who were slowly opening up," he says. "I realized how difficult it was for them; also how little I knew about them and the discrimination they faced daily." This determined him not only to be accepting of them, but also to always be open about and supportive of LGBTQ issues and rights. At age 16, a youth minister planted in Dicken the idea of joining the ministry. The suggestion appealed to him as he felt it was a field he would relate to and at which he would be good. He had already been enjoying the religious courses offered by his church and, wanting building relationships and working in partnership. "In Honduras, I was part of 'La Comisión Cristiana de Desarollo' (Christian Commission of Development) and partnered in mission with local people and organizations who already did work in this country and knew what was needed," he says. "I was a gobetween between them and the community, serving as a facilitator to make programs happen, such as educational, medical, church mission-related, etc. I also helped translate whenever needed." What is the DISCIPLES OF CHRIST CHURCH (aka the CHRISTIAN CHURCH): The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the US in the Reformed tradition with close ties to the Restoration Movement. It grew out of two movements seeking Christian unity that sprang up almost simultaneously in western Pennsylvania and Kentucky – movements that were backlashes against the rigid denominationalism of the early 1800s. The Disciples celebrate the Lord's Supper. Through Communion, individuals are invited to acknowledge their faults and sins, to remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, to remember their baptism, and to give thanks for God's redeeming love. Communion is open to all who confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, regardless of their denominational affiliation. The Disciples practice believer's baptism in the form of immersion. Their one essential is the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and obedience to him in baptism. The Disciples have three key beliefs that set them apart from other Christian groups: 1. Autonomy, as they have no denominational creed, giving them total independence to determine their own doctrine. As a result, their local churches vary widely in their beliefs from liberal to conservative 2. Ecumenist Philosophy, with a long heritage of openness to other Christian traditions having come into existence as a 19th century protest movement against denominational exclusiveness. They try to bridge gaps by reaching out to other Christian denominations. In 1977, they engaged with the Roman Catholic Church in an official international dialogue, to explore the possibility of realizing full visible unity in Christ. And in 2007 they were instrumental in the establishment of  Christian Churches Together in the USA (CCT), an orgnization that brings together Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox, Evangelicals and Pentecostal Christians to seek to make a common Christian witness in the United States. 3. Welcoming LGBTQ  As they state, part of the Disciples' mission is to answer God’s call for justice, particularly in the areas of care for the earth, the challenges for women and children, poverty and hunger and immigration. They seek to do this work in cooperation with other people of faith. In 2015, there were 497,423 baptized Disciples members in 3,267 congregations in North America. Rev Alan Dicken to further his knowledge in that area, decided to go for undergraduate school to Bethany College, in West Virginia, a private, liberal arts college affiliated with his denomination. In 2009, he graduated with a BA degree in Religious Studies. "At Bethany, my faith understanding expanded," says Dicken. "I explored church history and learned critical analysis and nuanced interpretation of the Bible..." During his three years at Bethany, Dicken had little to no engagement with peace and justice issues, other than openly supporting LGBTQ rights. He was, as such, an active part of the only Fraternity on campus which admitted and assisted avowed gay students. Right after graduating from Bethany, Dicken did a one year internship in Honduras, part of the international global ministry that Disciples of Christ and United Churches of Christ offer jointly. In preparation for it he took courses on white privilege, on the various models of missionary work contrasting those coming from above and imposing their values to those based on Credit: Saad Ghosn After Honduras Dicken joined Union Theological Seminary (UTS), in NYC, for his Master in Divinity. An ecumenical, non-denominational and strongly academic school, UTS was also strongly focused on social justice. Dicken was exposed there to the teachings of James H. Cone, founder of the Black Liberation Theology; they helped him reframe and reshape not only what church is about but most importantly what it must be actively doing for social justice in the world. This was also compounded by a 1 year school internship he did at a Disciples of Christ church located in the Upper East side of NYC. "I loved the church which was open and welcoming to everyone," says Dicken. "It was diverse in gender, race, socioeconomic status, age, sexual orientation... and people attending were from all boards of society." "There was also a banner on the front of its building saying: Divinity in Diversity. This became as well my own motto," he adds. (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. 38 5 | J u l y 13 - J u l y 2 6, 2 0 18 PHOTO ESSAY Cincinnati Pride 2018 9 TONY CASTRUCCI Contributing Photographer TONY CASTRUCCI (Continued from page 4) best parts are meeting the people who are living what you’re probably going to live and get advice on stuff that’s going to be a thing for you at some point. Negatives. There’s not really that much. Working on murals is exhausting. The office is so small that the staff there has to juggle a bunch of jobs and sometimes it can be hard to communicate or know what’s going on. For example, Amy Scarpello is in charge of the entire youth workforce this year, so she has to do every mural and every project around the whole city so sometimes it takes a couple days to get messages through; she has to do so much. The only other thing is that since we’re a non-profit we definitely have main donors that provide money, space, or resources, and because of that sometimes projects have to be compromised because of how the board runs. My last mural was Faces of Homelessness and the artists focus on equality, environment etc. and we still got that message across to a degree, but it took a really long time to approve the final design because of the conflict between people experiencing homelessness and gentrification, and a lot of our donors are proponents of gentrification to an extent. The artists were fed up with going through so many iterations of their design they didn’t really care by the end what was on the sign. Streetvibes: How did growing up from a teenager into college age working for ArtWorks impact you personally? Masset: The first year is terrifying, you’re 15 and like “I don’t know what to do and I don’t know if I can do this. This is a real thing that’s going on a wall that’s going to be here forever.” You’re mostly focused on doing a good job, and it’s great because for a lot of kids it is their first job and an extreme form of accountability. What you’re doing is permanent and everyone is going to see it. The second year is when I started to realize how much Cincinnati still has to offer. When I was younger anytime I was downtown for the Red’s games or something it was just empty I assumed Cincinnati was just kind of done. ArtWorks showed me that they’re investing in the community and help us meet all these other people that are still invested in the community. It’s changed where I think about where I’ll be after college. I don’t know if I’ll always be in Cincinnati but I’m much THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED more interested in sticking around because I know people who are doing really interesting things. That’s really important to tell people when they’re young because a lot of them leave for college because they don’t think there’s anything to be done or no opportunities in their eyes, but in reality, once you meet people you start to get it. A lot of kids that I’ve talked to that work for ArtWorks have parents who are not thrilled about their kids pursuing jobs in the arts because they don’t think they exist. There are plenty of people I’ve met who tell me, “Yeah my parents will flip out if I tell them I’m going into the arts.” I’ve also met people who have worked for ArtWorks long enough that they’re changing their majors to (Continued on page 12) �10 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED J u l y 13 - J u l y 2 6, 2 0 18 | N o . 38 5 �No. 38 5 | J u l y 13 - J u l y 2 6, 2 0 18 BILL WOODS (Continued from page 7) long-term impact on both major parties and their candidates, doing something effective to remedy this blight on democracy is gargantuan in scope. The public financing of political campaigns remains one practice that partially levels the playing field for candidates, and it has been implemented in states such as Arizona, Minnesota, Maine, and Connecticut, and cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, Austin, and Santa Fe. Meanwhile, setting limits on individual and organization contributions to campaigns is another reform that usually complements public financing, and it is in place for Congressional elections as well as in many states and cities. Because of the Court's 1973 decision in Buckley Versus Valeo, public financing cannot be imposed on candidates, and those who opt out can spend as much as they want on their campaigns. Buckley upheld contribution limits, but it also stated that no limits could be placed on an individual candidate's spending of his or her own money. Nevertheless, DR. MARK MUSSMAN (Continued from page 3) assume that people in our city want to help those who are experiencing homelessness, or should we look at how money and energy is allocated to see what we truly value? We must reexamine our institutions. At times like this, when I’m struggling to gain a deeper understanding of the graffiti within the context of gentrification, I feel the need to challenge my own assumptions. I think of the prolific SAAD GHOSN (Continued from page 8) When in his 3rd year of seminary the 'Occupy' movement happened, Dicken participated in it, adding his voice to its various activities. It was, however, a year later, in 2014, with the fatal shooting of 18 year old African American Michael Brown by white officer Darren Wilson, in Ferguson, that his real activist involvement materialized. With another ministry friend of his they drove down to Ferguson and spent 3 days affirming their presence and support of the protest going on. "We just wanted to be present in solidarity," he says. "We wore our religious garbs and stoles, marched with the protestors, held signs, prayed with people, blocked highways..." Dicken was disappointed, however, that there were few people of faith, especially few faith leaders, visible in Ferguson. He returned there 2 more times, wanting each time to intentionally manifest his support and his stand in the name of his faith. A few months after his graduation from UTS with a Master in Divinity, Dicken was ordained LOCAL 11 examples of elections taking place in states and cities that possess these reforms show that candidates who accept public funding have been able to defeat opponents who amassed larger amounts of money through private contributions. The Citizens United Court decision in 2011, however, created further obstacles to the effectiveness of these reforms. The majority opinion gave personhood to incorporated organizations, while further stating that these groups could spend unlimited amounts of money to advocate for policies and candidates. Furthermore, if they kept their operations separate from the actual campaigns of individual candidates, their funded activities were not subject to any of the limits in place for those running for office. This decision was a game changer, because it allows corporations or incorporated groups established by billionaires such as the Koch brothers to mount huge war chests that can overwhelm candidates that they oppose. This is not to say that public financing and contribution limits are not worthy reforms, but the Supreme Court has greatly reduced their power to limit the influence of "big money" on elections. Thus, besides attempting to prop up these reforms, activists need to be championing long term efforts such as overturning the Citizens United and the Buckley Versus Valeo decisions. What then looms as daunting tasks for reformers are mounting grassroots campaigns in all fifty states to pass an Amendment to the Constitution. A number of organizations have formed with that goal in mind. A coalition that is solely focused on amending the Constitution is Move To Amend. It has a presence in a majority of the states and also in many cities. It also has written an amendment that specifically over turns Citizens United and Buckley Versus Valeo, and it has collected over 400,000 signatures from supporters across the country. Move To Amend's proposed amendment states that only "natural persons" can have rights protected under the Constitution. Denying the current precedent that links free speech with spending money, the proposal says that federal, state, and local governments should regulate campaigns to ensure that money does not create an unfair advantage for candidates. It also stipulates that all campaign contributions and expenditures be publicly disclosed. Despite the good groundwork done by Move To Amend and other organizations, amending the Constitution is a huge undertaking. Much education still needs to happen, and an incredible amount of citizen organizing will have to take place in all fifty states. Somehow a majority of Americans will have to be convinced that such an amendment is critical to saving democracy. An immediate activity for activists is taking steps to protect and enhance voting rights. With the fall campaign just around the corner, the goal should be to organize some grassroots efforts to help citizens overcome obstacles that could prevent them from voting. A second goal is to organize those same citizens to oppose existing and future efforts to block certain voters from casting their ballots. [Part IV of this series will examine some of the effective ways groups such as Common Cause and the League of Women Voters plan to work on protecting voting rights in the months ahead.] 20th Century American orator, author, and playwright, James Baldwin, who challenged America to think differently about race and economics. In true James Baldwin fashion, on the 1968 Dick Cavett show, James Baldwin made a powerful statement as a counternarrative to the idea that he (and the civil rights movement) exaggerates the dangers of American racism: “I don’t know what most white people in this country feel. But I can only conclude what they feel from the state of their institutions. I don’t know if white Christians hate Negroes or not, but I know we have a Christian church that is white and a Christian church that is black. I know, as Malcolm X once put it, the most segregated hour in American life is high noon on Sunday. That says a great deal for me about a Christian nation. It means I can’t afford to trust most white Christians, and I certainly cannot trust the Christian church. I don’t know whether the labor unions and their bosses really hate me — that doesn’t matter — but I know I’m not in their union. I don’t know whether the real estate lobby has anything against black people, but I know the real estate lobby is keeping me in the ghetto. I don’t know if the board of education hates black people, but I know the textbooks they give my children to read and the schools we have to go to. Now this is the evidence. You want me to make an act of faith, risking myself, ...on some idealism which you assure me exists in America, which I have never seen.” a Disciples of Christ minister and joined Carthage Christian Church as its pastor. He promptly made it open and affirming to the LGBTQ community and worked at increasing its diversity. Its membership is now quite diverse comprised of white and people of color, black, asian, hispanic; young and old; openly gay individuals... The church also participates with other congregations of Carthage in inclusive services. Every Thanksgiving, for instance, celebratory events are held in partnership with San Carlos' Catholic Hispanic church, New Jerusalem Baptist Temple led by Damon Lynch Jr, and a Nigerian immigrant church in the neighborhood. Different preachings, different music, and different church experiences are all brought together for the occasion. Carthage Christian Church is also increasingly becoming a community center for the area where different resident activities are held and various services offered. A Seniors group and a Narcotics Anonymous one meet regularly there. It also includes a food pantry and serves free meals every Friday to members of the community or from elsewhere; this is done in rotating partnership with other churches of the neighborhood (New Jerusalem Temple, Wyoming Baptist Church, etc.), each taking responsibility for a given week; also with Temple Shalom 4 times a year. All these activities include and are sometimes facilitated by lay members of the congregation. The church is also involved in the Amos project, hosting its meetings and supporting its activities; also in MARCC, the Metropolitan Area Religious Coalition of Cincinnati. When ICE decided to deport Maribel Trujillo Diaz, an Ohio Mexican mother of four and a Catholic lay leader who has been living in the US for 15 years, a candle light service was organized in the church and was followed by a vigil walk throughout the neighborhood. This prompted a multifaith movement called JustLOVE that Dicken, in partnership with the leaders of Temple Shalom, the Clifton Mosque, the Clifton United Methodist Church and the Shiloh UMC in Price Hill, co-started. The purpose of the movement is to bring people together to share their experiences, connect by love, and work for justice. Dicken and members of his church also participate in solidarity with the Immigration Sanctuary movement; they march every year in the local Pride parade; they held a candle light vigil in response to the Orlando shooting; and after Ferguson, offered Black Lives Matter regular faith services to help its activists heal. "We do our own individual work but also we plug in the various peace and justice movements in the city," says Dicken. "Social justice, diversity, multifaith sharing, and community building, are at the heart of our ministry." Dicken's faith has evolved over the years. It is now strongly connected to and at the service of the "diverse" other. It also seeks enrichment from other faiths. Over the past 5 years as Pastor of Carthage Christian Church he has contributed to the building of a "congregation open and affirming to all of God's Children regardless of political opinion, economic status, educational background, cultural identity, age, race, mental or physical ability, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other human division." Dicken has also embarked himself and his congregation on a constant path for social justice. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �12 ‘T STREET VOICE The Thin Line Between Love and Hate he differences between love and hate: Love comes naturally, whereas hate has to be learned.’ Now after ingesting the above statement you have seen enough of life to know the difference! If, you can read, then you know/understand the difference and the variance of the above statement. That thin line between love and hate! Usually we act or present ourselves from our understandings or, the beliefs from what we are taught! Ah! These ideas from our parents/ communities, the ambiguities of their learning/understanding, is dumped on us, or perhaps instilled in our thinking!? The thin line emerges itself with the reality of the moment, J u l y 13 - J u l y 2 6, 2 0 18 | N o . 38 5 RICARDO TAYLOR Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer or, perhaps from our ego’s, as too what we would benefit? However, or for any matter, it is like they say, or want you to believe! It is what it is. How absurd is that!? Although love and hate are natural emotions for our species the difference is how they delineated. Too often we have those ideas twisted. Hating what we should love and loving that which we should hate. Too often it is too much inference of material; way too short on ideas of reality or mentality. Our paradigms allow us to become stagnant in our learned and believed ideas and we start hating just because! The fact that our paradigms are a derived set of values directly related to our learned experiences allows no questioning as too whether our beliefs/actions are directed by any thing but truth! We hate because we are taught to hate! In our natural state of creation, we are imbued to love; love ourselves, our neighbors, our environments, etc. That learned and practiced emotion of hate comes from outside and if we are to curtail it we have to get back to our natural state and erase that thin line between love and hate from our make-up and personal existence! The reality for me is that most hate comes from that self-hate which many people have, and really don’t have an idea that they hate themselves, and therefore need to project it elsewhere. This again comes from outside, in so that envy is instilled through negative learning again from those affiliations of family and community. Now, I am no philosopher or psychologist, yet I am convinced that if we as individuals can take a look at ourselves without comparing ourselves to others and change some of our negative beliefs and practices our views of others will also change and that thin line between love and will diminish and help to create a healthier and better world for all. My Life STACIA HOLLANDER I’ve lived in Cincinnati, Ohio for 42 years and have worked legally for over 14 ½ years. I have 6 kids and love each and every one of them no more than the first to the last (as in all relationships, there’s ups and downs). In this day and time, my ways of living have become stressful, homeless and even somewhat jobless. With the help of the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition I can at least survive somewhat off of the papers that I sell. Even to this day TONY CASTRUCCI (Continued from page 7) arts because of their experience. ArtWorks pushes that there is still plenty to be had, especially with their creative enterprise development that we hear about, such as Big Pitch or kick starters. They not only show us jobs in the arts but prove it and act as a provider for them. It’s nice to see people pursuing what they care about instead of just following where the money is because nobody’s really happy doing that. They show us that art is a legitimate thing that people need. I have arguments with my friends sometimes who say, “Well that’s just not something I can do,” and I ask them what’s the point of making money if you’re literally unhappy all the time? It’s a matter of lifestyle choice and they present you that option that people don’t even think about, that you can enjoy your life, and that changes how your entire life functions because you don’t hate going to work every day. There was a time when I said I always want to do art, but I’ll have this fallback, and it’s really heartening to see that it’s a fully legitimate thing that people do, and even if you’re not rich you can make it Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer and time I am still wanting to obtain my own apartment and a steady job. I’ve come along way; I used to be on oxycodone for a little over six years. Now at this day and time I’ve been clean now 11 years June 6. Don’t believe it’s easy for me, even when I’m stereotyped as a heroin addict, crack head or even a prostitute. I do still have urges, but I’ve reflected work and live really happy lives. Streetvibes: What are your future plans for your career and artistic ambitions? Masset: It’s hazy right now. I like animation a lot, but I lean toward more traditional methods. I like the physicality of making work more than computers. I like making physical art in general, even other than animation. I’m selling work at Second Sunday every month. It’s a mix of studio art stuff, and I’d like to work on animation or illustration but I’m not sure what I want to do with it. I might go to grad school at the Art Academy because I never realized how nice the Art Academy is and most of the professors are local and really care. I’d love to reach out to a bunch of people I know through ArtWorks and try out different things, such as graphic design, screen printing etc. There’s all kinds of stuff that has blossomed out of the rebirth of art in Cincinnati. I don’t want to move yet, it doesn’t feel right. Most people move for a stable corporate job but that’s not what I want to do. I’d like to stay here, somewhere I can afford and hop around through freelance work and see where it goes. Streetvibes: What do you think ArtWorks impact on Cincinnati is? to the 11 years I’ve gained and truly don’t really miss the years I used. Today I can see my losses. Only “if”! And we all know what that “if” can cause, “Total Destruction”. I’ve been homeless for 2 ½ plus years. Even being ignored and stereotyped, I continue to strive and do what’s right rather than picking back up and losing everything that I love and believe in me, and even my own life. This is why I keep it moving and keep my prayers up. Because some day, Masset: ArtWorks main goal is to beautify the city. You notice it more when you’re working on a mural, but you see how it makes a neighborhood feel valued. We painted one on the Arts Annex in Kennedy Heights and people would walk by and shout “thanks for beautifying our neighborhood!” The past couple of years they’ve been targeting neighborhoods that are troubled or outside of the main core of the city and it really makes people feel like they haven’t been forgotten. This year they’re doing a bunch of murals in Avondale, partnering with Cincinnati Police, and there’s one that’s on a corner where tons of crimes are reported, hoping that art will lessen crime and people’s negative behavior. I think it helps because even if you don’t really care about art in the traditional sense you see something that’s new and people put up in your neighborhood without trying to get something for themselves out of it. The last couple years they’ve been doing work with refugees in Camp Washington with Wave Pool. ArtWorks has this mix of really old traditional people that are on the board or are members of wealthy companies that are donating to us and branching them to people THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED some way, someone will help me for who I’ve become and want to be. who wouldn’t be very comfortable talking about these subjects. Now people who are more conservative might allow things they wouldn’t have before. It’s slowly bridging ideas into more liberal forms of art, like now it’s not just “here’s a pretty mural”, it can be stuff that has more meaning or be more controversial, even though I don’t see how helping people experiencing homelessness is controversial. It’s been about us learning more about these issues and feeling more invested in them. It’s easy to look forward because of guilt when you’re walking by, but you never really think about the fact that these are real people, living real lives, and you should at least treat them with the respect that everyone deserves. That seems so obvious, but a lot of people don’t think about it like that. They’re moving more into real issues instead of just beautification, last year in East Walnut Hills all their mini-murals were about the community and bridging gaps, making everything in English and Spanish. Beautifications great, and it’s awesome that they employ youth, but I think it’s even more important that they make people feel welcome where they often clash. STA HOLLA SINCE �13 STREET VOICE No. 38 5 | J u l y 13 - J u l y 2 6, 2 0 18 LIVING BY GOODNESS THE GREAT CIVILITY DEBATE Each day God gives us life For Trump, it was his least nasty slam. 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 Congressman Lamb, he said is a sham. Now his tweet-attacks most of the time, Do not usually take the form of a rhyme. The Donald's more likely if abusing you, To say you're possessed of a low IQ. In reviewing all his tweeted-out drivel, There isn't a chance of his being civil. BILL WOODS Contributing Writer another day Living by goodness makes one feel WHO DO YOU LOVE good And thankful for Gods good grace TO BE ABLE TO REMEMBER THE WAY ONE HAS LIVED THEIR LIFE KIM GREEN Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer TO BE ABLE TO REMEMBER THEIR OWN HAPPY DAYS AND DAYS WITH STRIFE TO BE ABLE TO REMEMBER SO MUCH AFTER SO MANY YEARS TO BE ABLE TO REMEMBER MORE HAPPY TIMES THAN YOU REMEMBER TEARS TO BE ABLE TO REMEMBER SOME FACES NOT TO MENTION SOME PLACES TO BE ABLE TO REMEMBER THEN UNDERSTAND WITHOUT SUPPORT I HAVE NO BASIS TO KNOW I HAVE NO POWER OVER THE WORLD BUT I HAVE POWER OVER ME TO KNOW HOMELESSNESS, TO BEG, TO PLEAD FOR HELP AND NOBODY SEES TO KNOW WHEN IT’S TIME TO MAKE A CHANGE FOR YOURSELF AND LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND TO BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND KNOW THAT ONLY YOU CAN MAKE YOU SHINE WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �PUZZLES 14 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 155 Across Down 1. Conifer 1. Endure 6. Dull pain 2. A great distance 10. Possess 3. Rend 14. Aflame 4. Harvest 15. Literary composition 16. Translucent mineral 17. Relish 18. Snare 19. Jamboree 20. Surgical instrument 22. Run or flow slowly 24. Monotonous routine 25. Hawaiian garland 27. Legal guardian 29. Vociferous 34. Australian flightless bird 35. Starch resembling sago 36. Lifeless 38. Perform without preparation 42. Hobble 43. Divide or separate 45. Information 46. Subject matter 48. Worn in ancient Rome 49. Level 50. Darn 52. Sobriquet 54. Part of the inner ear 58. Metallic element 59. Lyric poem 60. Transparent optical device 62. Leotards 67. Small stream 69. Small mouselike rodent 71. Several members considered as a unit 72. Whimper 73. Object of worship 74. Reddish brown dye 75. Air pollution 76. Bulbous plant related to onions 77. Chirping sound J u l y 13 - J u l y 2 6, 2 0 18 | N o . 38 5 5. Harbinger 6. Pertinent 7. Line made from twisted fibers or threads 8. The courage to carry on 9. Eating apple 10. Domestic swine 11. Separated 12. Relative duration of a musical note 13. Uplift 21. Requirements 23. Large American feline 26. Feckless 28. Happening without warning 29. Sodium chloride 30. Group of three SODOKU PUZZLE NO 285 - MEDIUM 31. Cut of beef 32. Mischievous 33. Claw 37. Dactyl 39. Molten rock 40. Detail 41. Nemesis 44. Implied or silent 47. Cubicle 51. Beetle 53. Chess piece 54. Army unit 55. Abhorrence 56. Stringed instrument 57. Positively charged electrode 61. Wild plum 63. Developed 64. Sharpen 65. Melody 66. Tiff 68. Section of a journey 70. Moose PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 385 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 154 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 284- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �RESOURCES No. 38 5 | J u l y 13 - J u l y 2 6, 2 0 18 Central Access Point 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children Bethany House 557-2873 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 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 Other Resources FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 Salvation Army 762-5660 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 131 E. 12th Street 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 215 E. 14th St. 45202 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 Goodwill Industries 771-4800 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. 579-8547 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 1125 Bank Street 45214 Shelter: Men Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men Shelterhouse 721-0643 1223 Main St. 45202 Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 411 Gest St. 45203 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 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 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 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 591-2246 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 Shelter: Family 15 First Step Home 961-4663 Hamilton/Middletown 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 St. Raephaels 981-4200 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Joseph House (Veterans) Northern Kentucky Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both 471-1100 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 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 Brighton Center Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP 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 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 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 VA 977-6800 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 Food/Clothing Health 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 961-0600 Center for Respite Care 621-1868 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 You can support our mission and spread the word about your business. For more information contact Justin Jeffre at 513-421-70803 x 12 or email streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 386-7899 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 1730 Race Street 45202 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio $100 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 Want to advertise in Streetvibes? Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 859-491-8303 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-572-6202 Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky 634 Scott St. 41011 859-291-4555 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 UpSpring 363-3300 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 $150 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED for 26 issues and a $50 donation �16 J u l y 13 - J u l y 2 6, 2 0 18 | N o . 38 5 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. 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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 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 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 2/2011 VICTOR MUMPHRY WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 WINNIE RICE SINCE 7/2017 QUEENACELASTINE SINCE 7/2017 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 VIOLET COLLINS SINCE 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 2018 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 13-July 26, 2018 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From the Director Where are we Headed as a Nation? Pg 3: Read the Writing on the Wall Pg 4: Youth Opportunities Paint a Brighter Future Pg 5: Did City Promise Central Avenue to FC Cincinnati? Pg 6: How to Respond to Panhandling Pg 7: Follow the Money Pg 8: Religious Peacemakers Pg 9: Photo Essay Pg 10: GCHC Pg 11: Bill Woods Continued Dr. Mark Mussman Continued Saad Ghosn Continued Pg 12: The Thin Line Between Love and Hate My Life 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 13-July 26, 2018 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Bill Woods Dr. Mark Mussman Tony Castrucci Michael earl Patton Peter Block Saad Ghosn Ricardo Taylor Stacia Hollander Kim Green Willa Denise Jones Redstatevirginia.com Tony Castrucci Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Bill Woods Central Avenue Cincinnati Diversity Dr. Mark Mussman FC Josh Spring Kim Green LGBTQ+ Michael Earl Patton Peter Block Photography Pride Redstatevirginia.com Ricardo Taylor Saad Ghosn Stacia Hollander Tony Castrucci Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/df2bab7a6d8fb3638201789ecbf80627.pdf d6b6d0ce952783a21441338c471bef4c PDF Text Text July 14th - July 27th 2017 | Vol. 20 Issue 41 (No. 360) 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 The Right to be Upset | 8 Protesters line Vine Street calling for justice and a retrial of Ray Tensing. PHOTO BY A.J. NEWBERRY M The Right to be Upset ost of the ways we socialize and engage in politics have radically changed since the rise of social media. Some of it good, some of it bad, but on all ends, public engagement has remained trapped in the same trap of echo chambers that plagued the presidential election. The need for conversation is constant. Voicing support or dissent for news articles with friends or online is one way to start a conversation, denigrating protestors with character jabs as they walk by is not. Mainstream media does it too, favoring discussions of the president's lack of political correctness (which a large portion of the country has shown is exactly why they elected him and should be respected as their decision), leaving citizens ever the more uninformed about issues and people affected. No, protests are typically not a great time to start a conversation with those involved. People protest because they haven't been heard, weren't taken seriously, or are being oppressed. Protests should be observed as peacefully as they are carried out. Consider viewing them as a shout for help, asking the public join arms and demand justice for group's cause. People protest because they are upset, and watchers who try to denigrate or even calm them down should understand that their interaction is futile and cumbersome: If more coversations were had, there wouldn’t have to be a protest in the first place. Few people in Cincinnati are defending Ray Tensing's actions, and most upper-middle class people will acknowledge that American life is wrought with institutional racism and/or classism. Acting upon this knowledge, however, remains stalled. The great questions for our generation are how will we eradicate poverty? Reduce prison populations? Drug-related deaths? And end violent interactions where ignorance may at all be to... (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: Love and Resistance: Moving Tom Dutton's Work Forward | 3 Local: Dear Tom, | 3 Local : Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Homes | 5 Local: WCC: Striving for a Better Future| |7 Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org �2 LOCAL How Many HSAC Members Does It Take To Screw Up A Human Services Funding Recommendation? T he Human Services Advisory Committee (HSAC) is a group of local individuals who volunteer to collectively look over grant applications for city Human Services funds. They then study the details and proposed outcomes of these proposals and decide which programs to recommend to City Council for funding and at what dollar amount, within the limitations of funds made available by City Council. For the last several years the United Way has done a good job of staffing this process and then administering and following the dollars. The United Way works to facilitate a process that fits within the Human Services priorities as decided by City Council. For the last couple years the three primary priorities have been: removing barriers to gainful employment, reducing homelessness and violence prevention. Deciding what programs to recommend for funding and what J u l y 14 - J u l y 2 7 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 0 JOSH SPRING Executive Director organizations to not recommend is difficult because the need in all priorities listed and priorities not listed far exceed the dollars made available by City Council, especially considering that Human Services has been operating at a deficit for about fourteen years and even at its best before the deficit was only 1.5% of the city’s General Fund. Members of HSAC are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed through majority vote by City Council. In case you haven’t heard, we are in the midst of an opioid/heroin epidemic. In fact, we really have been in the midst of an addiction crisis for a very long time: heroin, alcohol, crack, cocaine, pills, etc. I’m sure you have heard this and more than likely you have seen it in some fashion or experienced it personally or had someone you know experience it. We know about the regular overdoses. We know about the regular deaths. We know about the heroin laced with elephant tranquilizers. We know about people who have been in the horror of addiction for a long time and we know about the growing numbers of people being captured by the disease of addiction. For over thirty years the City of Cincinnati has provided funding to the Center for Chemical Addictions Treatment (CCAT). CCAT provides detox and recovery services to people suffering from addiction. They provide in-patient and out-patient services. They provide services to the families of people dealing with addiction. They provide ongoing recovery services and a recovery community. They save lives, for sure. Last year through Human Services, the City granted $180,000 to CCAT. Even these dollars were not enough to take on the full problem. So, in the midst of everything we know to be true, would you believe that HSAC (Continued on page 11) THOMAS A. DUTTON: A Working Paper O ne of the privileges of working with Tom Dutton for the last decade was being on his editorial board. Editorial Board… that already sounds too formal for Tom’s liking, but those who knew and worked with Tom will know just what I mean. And they might nod and agree that it was great sport to write and edit with Tom. It was sport that demanded mental and linguistic agility, yet it was fun. It was exciting. And it was a team sport. The match began quietly—a paper was handed to you with the red Center for Community Engagement sunflower/fist/baseball glove logo and a title like: Econocide Overthe-Rhine; From the Continuum of Care to Strategies to Care Less: From Anna Louise to the Drop in Center; Do You Have a Sign?; District 9 Overthe-Rhine; Indian Reservations, Trojan Horses and Economic Mix (https://blogs.miamioh.edu/cceotr/papers/). Looking back at the titles of these varied pieces, this subtitle was common: A Working Paper. The implication of Tom’s subtitle is that the work is never complete. As such, there is always opportunity JOHN BLAKE Contributing Writer for collaboration and community building. When I first got one of these working papers from Tom, not long after our Residency Program began in 2006, it felt to me like the serve by a man who was more than adept with a ping-pong paddle. Be ready… here it comes…. But the racquet sport analogy quickly falls short. This editorial board was more of an ultimate Frisbee team. (“Ultimate” was another sport Tom loved and excelled at). There were many players with different skills, and everything was happening in real time. If you want to be part of the action, you’d better be (Continued on page 11) 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: Derrick Hudson, Iolanda Barton, Patricia J. Brown, Larry Johnson Maintenance: Pete Roper CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, John Blake, Mary Clare Rietz, Rachel Radina, Michael Earl Patton, Robert Park, Dr. Mark Mussman, Bill Woods, Nick Shellenberger, A. J. Newberry, Bobby Morris, Steve Sunderland, Willa Denise Jones, Bill Woods, Kim Green 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. Thomas Dutton kickin it with Ms. June Credit: Miami University Center for Community Engagement Archive THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �No. 36 0 3 LOCAL | J u l y 14 - J u l y 2 7 , 2 0 17 Dear Tom, MARY CLARE RIETZ N Contributing Writer ight before last, you visited me in that dream. For the other folks here, I’ll tell it: I was on one side of a kitchen; across, I could see the sink, countertops and window. There were students there too. A largerthan-life crystal plate suspended vertically in mid-air, with your name, Tom Dutton, etched in handwriting in the glass. Before I had time to do anything more than see it, that beautiful translucent thing dropped to the floor and shattered into many shards. I felt panicked, and deeply saddened that I’d not been more present, had not experienced it more mindfully when it was still whole. I surveyed all the broken pieces at our feet. Then, I was on the other side of where the plate had been hanging, now with a different perspective on the room. There was a wooden tray, hand-built, also suspended mid-air, and the students and I were making a piece of art, a collage of sorts, with the broken shards of your plate as a base, and fat, pink, 4-sided ceramic pieces. I was both leading, and working collaboratively, with the students. You wooshed through, striding with your long legs from one side of the kitchen to the other, then out. Even though you entered and exited quickly, on your way through you said, “I’m not leaving until…” Until what? The next morning I remembered it was “until you get it,” or “until it’s done.” My story of you is ordinary, in that it’s the story of so many of Thomas Dutton leads Highlander School Credit: Miami University Center for Community Engagement Archive Thomas Dutton leads Highlander School Credit: Miami University Center for Community Engagement Archive us: You generously mentored me through a process of conception, vision, and struggle to enact. When the idea came to me for a mapsbased art intervention to challenge the dominant renaissance narrative in gentrifying Over-the-Rhine, Bonnie Neumeier was the first person I talked to. You were the second. We hadn’t met before then, though I knew you and your work through mutual friends, sister and fellow activists. But from that first conversation on, your commitment to supporting me and my work was generous and unwavering. You let me and neighborhood collaborators use the MUCCE space as our meeting place, monthly for almost a year. You and John sent students to a design charrette to help me come up with how to make that crazy mobile kiosk I wanted to build to take around the neighborhood, to prompt people to think about how Over-the-Rhine is mapped, and how that relates to power and privilege. You and John said yes to students who wanted to LOVE AND RESISTANCE: Moving Tom Dutton’s Work Forward I f you’ve never been to the Miami University Center for Community Engagement, located in the storefront at buddy’s place at 13th and Vine Street, I encourage you to stop by this fall. It’s a powerful space of resistance located in the heart of what some refer to as the Gateway Quarter, a portion of Over-the-Rhine that has been gentrified and essentially become what MUCCE founder and director Thomas A. Dutton referred to as “an urban playground for the White elite.” While many programs, organizations and people have been pushed out of the Gateway Quarter, buddy’s place remains and is home to a program that was created a little over ten years ago to help students develop a critical consciousness about urban communities. The Miami University Over-theRhine Residency Program was created in 2006 through a collaboration of members of the Over-the-Rhine RACHEL RADINA Contributing Writer community and Tom Dutton. The Residency Program was designed to move beyond community service and advocacy and instead aims to teach students how to walk alongside community members in the struggle for justice. Residency students take a class called, The American City Since 1940, which has been co-taught by Tom and Bonnie Neumeier a long time community member, educator, and activist.  The class meetings are held at the MUCCE in buddy’s place on Thursday evenings. This building holds a special significance to the community and the Over-the-Rhine People’s Movement, symbolizing struggle, solidarity and hope.  buddy’s place is named after long time community activist buddy gray [buddy gray preferred his name in lower case letters], who was tragically killed in 1996.   buddy was one of the founding members of many of the social service organizations that still exist in Over-the-Rhine and the surrounding area.  Located above the Center for Community Engagement are 20 units of affordable supportive help me build the mobile kiosk, to building it there at the Center and using the Center’s tools. You offered to serve on my thesis committee if I anticipated trouble garnering support. You directed funding to publish and distribute multiples of a booklet I’d made documenting the project; the last interaction we had was me giving you your copy, and, incredibly, you thanking me. All this, and I was not even a Miami student(!) but in the graduate fine arts program at UC DAAP. Most significant of all these gifts: You reminded me again, and again, what I had stated as my vision, the radical and disruptive original goal of the work. Though the project did challenge the perceptions of many who participated, it never did hit that target full on. I’m not leaving until you get it. I’m not leaving until it’s done. Last night, several hundred people hit the streets in Over-the-Rhine to call for a retrial for the murder of (Continued on page 12) housing specifically for folks who have recently experienced homelessness.  The building was built brick-by-brick through the work of volunteers and members of the Over-the Rhine People’s Movement who cared deeply about the community long before the new wave of development took place. The (Continued on page 12) Tom Dutton, with Janis Dutton, participates at Highlander event at Peaslee Credit: Miami University Center for Community Engagement Archive THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �4 LOCAL Property Tax Reappraisals and TIFs J u l y 14 - J u l y 2 7 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 0 MICHAEL EARL PATTON P roperty owners in Hamilton County recently got notices of updated appraised values as determined by the Hamilton County Auditor’s office (www.hamiltoncountyauditor.org). The appraised value of my house in Oakley went up – a lot – but probably in line with recent market sales in my immediate area. I’m not real happy about the 24% increase because I have no plans to sell now and the immediate effect will be higher property taxes. I have written before about property tax abatements and the abuse of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) schemes which tend to raise our taxes even more. With the recent reappraisals and new information published by the auditor’s office, it is a good time to revisit the subject. Cincinnati and other municipalities are allowed to grant property tax abatements and use tax increment financing according to the Ohio Revised Code. The default period for which these abatements can run is 10 years, but under certain conditions such as the approval of the school board, they can run for up to 30 years. A property tax abatement is a forgiveness of property tax, in whole or in part. Tax increment financing is a means of still collecting that portion that is forgiven as a tax and using it instead for a project in the immediate area or even for the same property which had a part of its taxes abated. That portion is now called a PILOT, for Payments In Lieu Of Taxes. The difference is that the money is not used for things like police, fire, parks, and schools; instead the money goes back directly to the immediate area or project which paid it. Cincinnati often uses this money to assist certain (favored) businesses by helping to pay for parking garages or lots. An example is the parking lot by MadTree Brewing in Oakley, almost half of which was paid for through an area TIF fund. While in theory those parking spaces are for the general public, in practice MadTree is the Contributing Writer Anti-Pipeline posters and literature being shared Credit:hamiltoncountyauditor.org only large business in the immediate area. Other bars and restaurants in Oakley are several blocks away. While they probably could use more parking spaces close by, they were not so favored. And what is surely rubbing it in for them, part of the PILOT money used for the MadTree parking lot comes from those other businesses. The county auditor, Dusty Rhodes, recently looked at the amount Mr. Rhodes makes the point that the amount of tax exempt property is increasing faster than the total property valuation, from 9.5% in 1991 to 23.8% in 2016. Of these tax exemptions, the amount granted by local governments has also increased, from 5.2% in 2005 to 9.4% in 2016 (he does not give the percentage for 1991, but it was probably close to zero). TIFs are included in this portion. Mr. Rhodes also notes – Graphic representation of a monetary squeeze on the wallet Credit: Michael Earl Patton of tax abated property in Hamilton County. The accompanying graph is taken from a March 9, 2017 note that is linked on the auditor’s home page. and this was a surprise to me – that the total property valuations actually went down slightly from 2005 to 2016, from $70.9 billion in 2005 to Otto Warmbier and foreign policy ROBERT PARK I f we want to understand how the Otto Warmbier family tragedy could happen, we need to examine some history. Bad foreign policy has consequences that can go on for generations. This was not about what a young man did or didn’t do; it’s not about an irresponsible tour company, and it’s not about a rogue state with an unfamiliar pathological political culture. It’s about a global disconnect that started 75 yrs ago or more and Contributing Writer continues, getting worse. Over thousands of years the Korean peninsula was invaded repeatedly by mostly Chinese imperial armies of various dynasties but in the 20th Century, it was the Tsarist Russian and Japanese occupiers that needed repelling. Korea along with parts of China, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries became the near colonial territories of the Japanese empire that eventually partnered with Nazi Germany creating the Asian theatre of World War Two. That’s where another policy of capitalist greed started us down the path we’re now on. The United States had the Monroe Doctrine that said Central and South America were ours, other empires need not consider participating there. When the Japanese said they had their own Monroe Doctrine for Asia, the U.S. objected and intervened… Hence Pearl Harbor and the East Asia venue of WW II. We could perhaps THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED just $69.4 billion in 2016. This helps explain why property taxes have been increasing. Since the total property valuations went down slightly at the same time the amount of tax-exempt property increased, that means that the property tax base shrank. Unless the total amount to be collected goes down, that means that the amount of tax collected per dollar of valuation has to go up to compensate. Mr. Rhodes calls this trend “disturbing,” and it is clear that as it continues, more and more taxes will be coming from a continually shrinking tax base. I am not as sanguine as he, I call the trend “alarming.” Any new property taxes are on top of the increases that are already set in place. Last year, in the September 23 – October 6 issue of Streetvibes, I wrote another article on TIFs. Called “Sneaky TIFs,” it explained that because the base valuation of TIF property was frozen, more and more of the tax burden would be borne by non-abated properties as inflation caused property values to increase. That point is still valid. Even if the total valuation of the county doesn’t increase this time (although over 30 years it is a safe bet that it will during that period), if the total valuation of Cincinnati properties increases, my taxes would go up. So I am facing tax increases due to two trends: 1) more and more property is being abated leaving the tax base smaller and 2) the sneaky increase caused by inflation and a shifting of the burden unto non-abated properties. Maybe if abatements were granted according to a fixed formula that would apply to anyone and everyone who qualified, and we residents and taxpayers all knew and agreed about it, this could be justified, but such is not the case. Or maybe if they were granted for those who struggle to make ends meet, who have to decide how to allocate their income among the basic necessities (not luxuries), they could be justified, but that is also not the case. I am one of the very few who write about these abatements. I plan to cover more of how abatements are not transparent in my next article. I am motivated because my wallet – and maybe yours, too -- is getting squeezed. explore what other policies might have defended the Japanese colonies against Imperial Japan without the obvious ulterior motive, but our track record in the Philippines wasn’t good (stole that country from Spain). So in WW II, very active and effective resistance movements developed throughout Europe and Asia that were critical elements in defeating Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. In Korea political forces including adherents to socialist and “communist” ideas from Europe organized a peoples war of liberation and successfully freed their country from rape by Japan (figuratively and (Continued on page 12) �No. 36 0 LOCAL Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Homes? | J u l y 14 - J u l y 2 7 , 2 0 17 5 DR. MARK MUSSMAN Staff Writer W hat do you think about the ArtWorks murals throughout the city? Have you ever participated in an event that involved one or more murals? Have you ever connected with one in a meaningful way, or do you just see them as frivolous art? Sometimes, as with most art, there is more than meets the eye. This summer’s new projects are no different. A while back, a pro-education, anti-gun mural went up at Christ Church Cathedral’s downtown location. Prominently displayed on 4th Street was a mural with men holding giant pencils. The pencils were placed were guns once were in the photo, as you can see in the image from episcopaldigitalnetwork. com. To some, the image was controversial, and the artists ICY and SOT were asked to do another mural They have family in Baltic states and scattered around the world, but they knew that coming to America would change the way they are able to do their artwork. I had the pleasure of taking them on a social justice walking tour of Over-the-Rhine to help inform their new work. During our walk, I asked them a lot of questions about their work, their transition to American life, and their life before coming here. They were forced into political prisons, treated without humanity, which ultimately informs the work that they do. They marveled at our architecture, and how much things had changed since they were here just 3 years ago. They said Over-the-Rhine looked unfamiliar to them. Their first design attempt at the new mural fell flat. The Homeless Coalition was asked to bring a speaker to the incoming ArtWorks Mural with Added Hands Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Where's Waldo Hands in Mural Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Where's Waldo Hands in Mural Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman this summer here in Cincinnati. Iranian-born, New York Citybased artists, ICY and SOT are two brothers who have endured the wrath of their home government, and are now considered refugees in America. Apprentices (high school students who work through the summer to paint the new murals). ArtWorks was happy to let me know that they are doing a new mural to combat the stereotypes of people experiencing Mural Work on the Recovery Hotel Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman homelessness. The other goals of the mural were very lofty, but great goals: raise awareness about homelessness and get people to engage in the fight for affordable housing. We stood by these goals, but not the design. The initial design was simply a shirtless African-American man with windows painted into his body. One of my colleagues remarked that it was more a semblance to slavery than housing issues. Others thought that if we want people to see and act on homelessness, then putting windows on a person’s body instructs people to “look through” rather than “see” them. Through a series of random events, ArtWorks heard about our concerns and invited us to meet with the artists when they came in town – which led to my tour. During our hour walk, we showed them the mural projects that missed the mark. One of them is on Vine Street, which shows landmarks in the neighborhood. When residents asked to have humans in the mural, ArtWorks placed some disembodied arms in the mural to try to assuage the community. We talked to the artists about how this is not a solution, but a missed opportunity to hear and react THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED accordingly to community voices. Today, the mural work continues on the side of the Recovery Hotel, on the 1200 block of Vine Street. The mural will be opposite the Cincinnati Strong Man mural, and will contain several, clothed persons with ambiguous racial backgrounds. We know that African Americans are over-represented in homelessness because of the continued legacy of American racism, including redlining and other, more contemporary, barriers. It will also include a couple small surprises that tie it to the neighborhood, as well as, signs to raise awareness about homelessness. Strategies to End Homelessness is the sponsor of the mural, which is on an Over-the-Rhine Community Housing building. Along with ArtWorks, these two organizations had final approval of the design. Strategies wrote that the new mural will include people who have experienced homelessness here in Cincinnati. As we are 40,000 units short on Affordable Housing, I can only hope this helps us in our goal to create a local Affordable Housing Trust Fund. �6 LOCAL Dear Indigent Care Levy Committee: J u l y 14 - J u l y 2 7 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 0 STEVE SUNDERLAND M Contributing Writer y name is Steve Sunderland, PhD. I am director of the Cancer Justice Network, one of the new programs requesting funds from the Indigent Care Levy. I have just retired from the University of Cincinnati as a former dean, professor of social work, and a professor of education. For the past two years I have been leading an organization that seeks to change the health outcomes of indigent people. I would like to take a few minutes to describe why I believe that Indigent Care Levy needs to take a direction toward reducing mortality for indigent people in Hamilton County. The best way to do this is to reduce the amount going to the hospitals by $5 million dollars and direct these monies to programs that can improve the care and lives of indigent people. Imagine you are an indigent adult in Cincinnati. You suspect that something is wrong with your health since you have recently seen blood in your stool. You arrive at a free dinner and hear about a cancer prevention program at a local church. You do not know exactly what cancer is, or how it develops. You do not have a physician. You do not know if you are eligible for Medicaid or the ACA. At the dinner you hear from a physician that cancer kills more indigent people in Hamilton County than any other place in Ohio. You are confused about what you should do since you have no money for insurance and usually do not go for medical care. You meet at the dinner a navigator, a person who volunteers to take you to a health center to find out if you have cancer and, if necessary, to treatment. There is no cost. Do you take their invitation to find out? Or, do you eat your dinner, leave for home, and continue to worry about your health. The above story faces thousands of people each day in Hamilton County who are indigent. Not knowing about cancer in specific, or healthcare in general, these individuals will wait until some physical event forces them to the emergency room. Too often they are told that they came "too late" for treatment, the cancer “Breakdown Stereotypes” has progressed to a stage that is untreatable. Cincinnati's indigent are dying at record state numbers, often in silence and out of the public's eyes. (1) What is the Indigent Care Levy doing to change this situation? The recent consultant's report documents that indigent care is going on at both UC hospital and Children's Hospital. Both hospitals show great success in their funding, improving their assets, and in their unrestricted funds. Both hospitals seem to have no difficulty in obtaining their low Community standards. Neither hospital depends on the Indigent Care Levy for anything but a very small part of their budgets. And, UC Hospital and Children's Hospital have public processes for access for indigent people. What the report skips over is what either hospital is doing to reduce mortality from chronic diseases. The report, and the hospitals, do not tell us how many people are unnecessarily dying because they have not learned about how the hospitals could help them with their cancer, their diabetes, their heart disease, or any serious illness. The report does not note that life expectancy around UC Hospital and Children's Hospital is 20 years less than other places in Cincinnati. (2) With the start of the ACA, the report concludes, the two hospitals have greatly improved their financial condition but we, the citizens, do not know where this money was spent in any detail. And, the report does not detail the ways in which the Community's health needs have been addressed in specific programs of education, prevention, or health service delivery. I suggest that it is time for the Indigent Care Levy to alter its payments to UC and Children's Hospitals until the hospitals indicate precisely where they are working to lower mortality rates for the indigent in Hamilton County. Hospitals need to be held to a community standard that directly interacts either with patients in serious conditions and/ or with partnership agencies that have targeted the reduction of their serious chronic diseases. The tax paying public that supports the Levy would be happy to know the details about how the hospitals are making a life changing difference in the county in general and in neighborhoods in (Continued on page 11) “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 �No. 36 0 LOCAL STATE PRE-EMPTION LAWS THREATEN CITY GOVERNMENT'S ABILITY TO GOVERN | J u l y 14 - J u l y 2 7 , 2 0 17 7 BILL WOODS Contributing Writer C incinnati City Government and other cities across Ohio just escaped the passage of legislation that would have stripped them of their authority to regulate lead paint and lead in general. Although the proposal passed in the Ohio House, Republican Senators amended the language of the Budget a Bill to eliminate this local ban. Nevertheless, this type of state legislation to take away the home rule powers of cities is now a trend in Ohio and many other states. In the June 2nd Streetvibes piece, "Get The Lead Out," the article stressed the health hazards, especially for children, posed by legislation that would prohibit local regulations dealing with lead paint. The State's assault on local government powers was only briefly mentioned. Recent research on the actions of state governments reveal a pattern of curbing city home rule authority over a number of issues. This pattern marks a reversal of good government practices that began in the Progressive Era during the first decade of the 20th Century. Although cities were initially entities of the state, home rule charters evolved during this period that gave city governments the authority to enact legislation to deal with local issues such as public safety and health. Based on the evidence that cities confronted an array of unique and difficult problems, the concept of home rule concluded that local officials on the scene were best suited to solve them. Now states take action to limit this local control. Known as pre-emption laws, they began to be enacted in recent years as Republicans gained control of a majority of state legislatures across the country. They also coincide with the polarization of politics and the rightward shift of the GOP. Cities remain a stronghold for Democrats, and local governments often regulate business or the use of guns - both off limit issues for Republican ideologues. Although the local lead regulation ban did not pass, Ohio already has a number of pre-emption laws on the books. Along with twenty-three other states, Ohio made raising the minimum wage off limits for local ordinances. Further evidence of the influence of business lobbying on Republican legislators are the prohibitions of any local regulations concerning fracking that exist in Ohio and six other states. This trend of limiting and weakening local government authority is both ironic and alarming. WCC: Striving for a Better Future NICK SHELLENBERGER I n April, the Woman’s City Club of Greater Cincinnati had their annual speaker forum. Maria Hinojosa, an award winning broadcast journalist reflected on her experiences with the immigration system in this country. Many of the women in attendance also shared their stories, similar to hers. It was a joyous occasion and one that shows the true power of the Woman’s City Club. The Woman’s City Club of Greater Cincinnati or WCC is an organization that educates, empowers and engages the citizens of Greater Cincinnati to participate together in promoting the common good. The WCC is one of the longest serving organizations for women in the country, recently celebrating its centennial. The WCC is very active in community outreach. Last month, WCC had an open forum at Fountain Square to discuss equality issues that women face. In attendance were organizations that often work closely with the Woman’s City Club, such as the Woman’s Crisis Center and the Urban League. The Woman’s City Club tackles an array of issues that directly effect women ranging from education and housing to health and workplace matters. Another topic that is on the mind of its members and many people around the world are environmental issues. Recently Susan Noonan, Vice President of Programs, spoke publically about the growing concern of climate change. Contributing Writer Susan Noonan. A leader in gender equality. Credit: Woman's City Club “Environmental issues are also women’s issues” she said. President Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris Agreement last month, which was a worldwide coalition fighting to stop climate change. It was a ground breaking achievement for global politics but President Trump didn’t see it that way. The Woman’s City Club anticipated this decision by the President and hosted a forum focusing on climate change. Environmental leaders Commissioner Denise Driehaus, Nachy Kanfer of the Sierra Club, Dr. Parr of UC, and Jacqui Patterson of the NAACP touched on THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED It is ironic because it occurs at the same time that both the federal and state governments are cutting funds and eliminating programs that cities have come to depend on. If city governments decide to widen their scope to make up for these losses, they may be threatened with further preemption laws. The alarming result will be the inability to address critical problems and to govern effectively. Citizens need to be aware of and ready to challenge these pre-emption laws. Since state government is the least known level of government to the public, this civic responsibility will take some reorientation and work. Nevertheless, in these troubled times in U.S. public life, informed civic activism is more critical than ever before. ---------------------------------------- a number of themes that can help environmental progress in the area. “At the most basic level, natural disasters and resource shortages as a result of climate change hit poor communities first. Women make up an estimated 70 percent of those living below the poverty line globally,” Noonan said. “Climate change is a concern to women, children and families, and we need women in various leadership roles to drive climate conversations and action.” The passion of the Woman’s City Club is evident but they are also tireless in their effort. Cincinnati is one of the few midwestern cities with a CEDAW ordinance. The CEDAW is a human rights treaty that brings attention to a range of issues concerning women’s human rights. This is a big step in eliminating gender discrimination and it’s due to the relentless work of the WCC. “The first ordinance, the City of Cincinnati is sharing the cost of a gender study of city government including workforce, policies, contracts, boards and commissions and budgets to achieve greater equality.” Noonan said. “The second ordinance is a task force to review and make recommendations of priorities to eradicate discrimination based on gender on an annual basis.” The WCC is making strides in gender equality for the residents of Cincinnati. They are raising important issues, bridging gaps between communities, and passing groundbreaking legislation. If one could have a fraction of the passion that these women do, one could conquer any obstacle. ---------------------------------------- �8 A.J. NEWBERRY (Continued from cover) blame. Liberals crushed by the election PHOTO ESSAY The Right to be Upset Photo Credits: A.J. Newberry J u l y 14 - J u l y 2 7 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 0 results ought to start listening to the conservative and leftist working class who are in the streets and upset. Conservatives must reject inflammatory policymakers that make the rich richer and offer solutions that are simply band-aids. Everyone needs to listen to people THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED who have been driven to protest. If we don’t, it’ll end with both sides in the street, while our leaders hide in the bunker. �No. 36 0 | J u l y 14 - J u l y 2 7 , 2 0 17 PHOTO ESSAY THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 9 �10 LOCAL J u l y 14 - J u l y 2 7 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 0 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 0 | J u l y 14 - J u l y 2 7 , 2 0 17 JOSH SPRING (Continued from page 2) decided to cut every penny of the $180,000 from CCAT? Well, believe it. They did. Their cited reason was that the programing at CCAT does not adequately meet the priority of “removing obstacles to gainful employment”. Is your head now shaking and/or are your eyes rolling? So today, 07-12-2017 we end up in City Council chambers. As you may recall, we successfully advocated for an additional $350,000 to be restored to Human Services. Today the decision needed to be made as to what the priorities of these dollars would fund. And we entered a space we have been in many times in the JOHN BLAKE (Continued from page 2) ready to run and get muddy with the likes of Jonathan Diskin, or Bonnie Neumeier, or Lian Hurst-Mann, or James Fraser, perhaps Dr. Tammy Schwartz, Mary Burke Rivers, Chris Wilkey, or Alice Skirtz, or his longtime editor-in-chief Janis Dutton. It might be a roster of collaborators from Miami University and Overthe-Rhine and the world beyond. Be ready. The disc/document might come from any direction, and Tom was always in the action, running alongside, encouraging you to be in the conversation. In ultimate Frisbee speak, Tom was often the one to “lay out”, but just as happy to assist. Typically, the working paper did not miraculously spring from the Head of Dutton—that brilliant, inquisitive head topped with that amazing hair. The fount of Tom’s work was observation, discussion, and conversation with others. It developed quietly and over some time. This approach was rooted in Tom’s work as a collaborator with the community and the academy. Grounded in Paulo Freire’s dialogical method, communication was key STEVE SUNDERLAND (Continued from page 6) particular. For example, why doesn't either hospital have an outreach program that educates people at churches, health fairs, community meetings, and other groups about the importance of early testing, regular physician visits, and new ways of paying for healthcare? In the area of reducing cancer mortality, for the indigent, why doesn't the hospitals partner with community cancer resources and strengthen the prevention education? Funding the many programs of the Indigent Care Levy, the report makes clear, cannot be done under the present dollars if the same guidelines are followed. What is needed, especially at this time of anxiety about federal programs, is an Indigent Care Levy that moves to a network or partnership model aimed at reducing mortality and increasing 11 LOCAL past, a space that until now this Council, coupled with our advocacy efforts, have been able to avoid: pitting us all against each other for desperately needed funds. This was not the intention of City Council, but its where we were. Should the dollars go to violence prevention or should they go to removing barriers to gainful employment or should they go to reducing homelessness or should they go to responding to the heroin and addiction epidemic, or a mixture thereof? While this was the question debated this morning, none of the actual programs or organizations were against each other. We all know that these issues are all connected and have the same general root causes. In the end today, Council decided to split the dollars in half: half to violence prevention, a quarter to the Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Outreach Programs (UMADAOP) and a quarter to CCAT. This means that CCAT is still missing approximately $100,000 and undoubtedly UMADAOP needs far more funding. Truth be told, the city can find a way to do all of it. This should not be an either/or conversation. Adequate funds need to be made available to each priority and more. The money could be found to fund each priority. Corporate welfare is certainly funded at much greater amounts with much less outcome evaluation and much less need to fight for the funds. Instead of making this editorial page longer in order to address various pieces of legislation and processes that need to be instituted by the city, I will pose one more question: The Mayor appoints the members of the Human Services Advisory Committee and City Council approves them. If in the midst of such addiction and death, HSAC decided to cut addiction services, do we have the right people on HSAC? Democracy is about finding a path to make decisions, but one of those decisions should not include who lives and who dies. Because no matter what struggle a person is facing, that person’s life matters above all. to understanding and for the cocreation of knowledge. For Tom, to write was not to bestow. To write was to engage. Students often provoked the papers. “This feels like a discussion paper,” Tom would announce sometime about mid-semester, after volleying issues and ideas with students in his Thursday afternoon American Cities course at the Center for Community Engagement. Over the course of the Residency Program, the outline would grow and the analogies would come, often drawn from concurrent popular culture, film, or a correlation to a larger, more universal edict made plain in the political terrain of urban Cincinnati. At other times, the work came from outrage over a policy- local or national- or a clear recognition of some inequity that needed to be frankly called out. Tom did not mind calling it out. He put a spotlight upon systemic injustices that are often overlooked and used his privilege to fight the good fight alongside community members, colleagues and students. Sometimes it was some overt policy or practice, but Tom was best at noticing some prejudice that was veiled behind a policy, civic action, or redevelopment proposal, and guiding us to recognize what might be missed at first glance because we couldn’t quite discern it through the hype. These papers were work. And they did work. They were meant to rally and get people to engage, to look at the world in a different light. That was the game plan. For Tom it was sport, but for the purpose of uncovering oppression and working towards justice. It was effort, but not without the joy and exhilaration of gathering around a point with collaborators, making the concept clear, articulating a latent truth that would make the world, if not Overthe-Rhine, a more just and inclusive place. The best editing sessions for me were across a table from Tom with the working paper between us. Tom was there with multiple pairs of hardware-store-bargainrack reading glasses (red pair on the bridge of his nose, purple pair nested in his hair). The working paper, with arrows, bubbles, and Tom’s cursive in the margins-- “this needs to change to make it more forward thinking”; “systemic patterns of development that exclude….” Tom was best on paper, and preferred not to track changes on the computer screen. It was more visceral to print out, edit with a cool pen (Tom loved pens), and then input the changes. As if the point would come with more clarity in that real moment at the table as we honed a phrase or shifted the order of paragraphs or haggled over the perfect adjective. As you might imagine, it is difficult and odd to complete this piece and not have Tom Dutton here to edit. However, recalling the process of working papers with Tom, I’m reminded of the importance of writing as a key element of discourse, discourse being the key element of citizenship. Putting it on paper is a commitment, and it requires bravery to put forth a position that might be unpopular in the face of a neighborhood “renaissance”. Tom did just that, and he did it with humility, wisdom, wit, integrity, and athleticism. prevention through outreach by the partner agencies. Changing the Levy's funding of both hospitals, reducing their allotments by 5 million dollars, sends a signal to the hospitals that these funds have to be accounted for in the struggle to reduce mortality. It also signals to agencies that want to work on prevention and treatment that their work has assumed new importance. Finally, it communicates to the tax paying public that these funds, precious because they can be life saving, are needed now more than at any other time. The mechanism for designating funding to the hospitals and the programs should include the following criteria: A. All funding to any program, including the hospital, will need to be directed toward reducing mortality from serious chronic diseases affecting the indigent. Proposals will show how programs are going to implement toward this goal. (See the Cincinnati Health Departments' "Top 10 Causes of Death in Cincinnati, 2001-2007." In Why do we die?: City of Cincinnati Mortality Data Project Summary. N. Maseru and C. Jones. March 2011.) B. All programs funded by the Levy must not be double funded by other hospital or agency funds. Medicaid already funds hospitals for working with the indigent in many cases. (3) Levy funds should go to efforts that are needing funds. C. A Community Evaluation of Health Outcomes Board will be established to review progress on a twice a year basis. Budgets for programs will be modified based on reviews. D. Hamilton County Commissioners should publish a public report on how Levy dollars are used and how effective they are in reducing the health crisis facing the indigent. 1. Cancer Mortality Rates for Women and Men. 2008-12 Trend Data. State Cancer Profiles. National Cancer Institute. Center for Disease Control. There are about 20 more deaths for black men and 20 more death for black women than the U.S. Per 100,000. References: THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED [John Blake is the Coordinator of Community Projects at Miami University Center for Community Engagement in Over-the-Rhine.] 2. Hamilton County Public Health. "Does Place Matter?: Health Equity in Hamilton County, August 2015. Page 22. 3. E. Rosenthal. " An American Sickness: How healthcare became a business and how you can take it back. Penguin Press. 2017. Pages 4950. ---------------------------------------- �12 LOCAL MOVEMENT TO IMPROVEMENT J u l y 14 - J u l y 2 7 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 0 BOBBY MORRIS T 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. MARY CLARE RIETZ (Continued from page 3) Sam DuBose. We marched from Findlay Park at Vine and McMicken, through the neighborhood, paused at Rothenberg School, and ended in the so-called “Gateway Quarter,” heart of the gentrification, right there on Vine between 13th and 12th. Dozens and dozens of police were present, first pushing people back from the RACHEL RADINA (Continued from page 3) history of struggle and resistance continues in this sacred community space. There are many people who are deeply involved in the work that is happening at buddy’s place and we invite you to become a part of this work as well. It is through a deep sense of love that we come into this work.  A love for people, a love for community, a love for one another as comrades in the struggle for justice.  Recently, the program has experienced the loss of Tom Dutton, our beloved, dedicated director. He passed away at home on June 13 after an 8-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Although he will no longer be with us physically, he will always be with us in spirit and the love he poured into this program that helped ROBERT PARK (Continued from page 4) literally, with the “comfort women” seized for the Japanese occupying army). Some of the future ruling class of Korea sat out the war in the U.S. as exiles, like Syngman Rhee, waiting for the U.S. to clean things up for their return. The resistance movement had a different vision for post-war Korea and so civil war commenced. Yes there were communists, yes they asked for help, and got it, grudgingly. Mao had just dispatched U.S. favorite strongman Chiang Kai Shek (and Japan) from mainland China and had plenty of problems without getting into another war. Contributing Writer I have to say I’m sad in a way 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. street to the sidewalk, then seemed to give up, drop back, yielded the space. We shut that street down with our people power, calling for justice. It was frightening and exciting, deadserious and empowering. You would have loved it. As the protest ended and the crowd dispersed, I looked over and realized: There it had been the whole time, there YOU were – the Center, holding ground, a witness of protest, present with the people. 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. I’m not leaving until you get it. I’m not leaving until it’s done. Since you died, and we gathered at buddy’s place to celebrate your extraordinary life and work, I’ve been thinking: We each have something of you now, to carry forward, express, act out. We did before you died, too. You gave each of us so much as teacher, mentor, colleague, friend; husband, father. But now I see that as your fire died down, there were embers left, hot and strong, and they’re in each of How can this be? This can be because 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. us. We carry those now. We fan them, breathe them to life with our lives, our work, our vision for things you cared about and taught us. I’m not leaving until you get it. I’m not leaving until it’s done. [Mary Clare Rietz is an artist and community organizer.] ---------------------------------------- shape and bring it to life is a history that will live on forever. Another who prefers the lower case, bell hooks puts it this way: “I am because the story is.” Without Tom the students from Miami University would never have come to understand the powerful counternarrative that the People’s Movement embodies in the contested space of Over-the-Rhine.  Tom’s work, through love and dedication to critical consciousness raising and standing in solidarity with community people and organizations, has led us here, ten years into a program that has changed the hearts and minds of many. What an honor to have known and walked alongside such a caring, committed human being.  Our hearts are heavy, but at the same time full-we will move this work forward to honor our friend and to keep this important and necessary work at the forefront of our struggle for justice. Some people model love in such a way that we are forever changed by them. It isn't always obvious, it's subtle, ever present, humble, gracious, uplifting, confirming...so many things that it's hard to put into words. How powerful to impact so many just by merely modeling love. I wish we could all be a little more like that. Tom had this special gift. Tom personally taught me how to be an activist and an academic at the same time without losing my soul. No easy task, but he did it with grace, courage, conviction, love and humbleness. He also helped build my confidence in regards to my ability to do this work and he always believed in me, never doubting my ability for a second. I am part of a legacy of critically conscious and engaged scholar-activists that Tom taught, inspired and stood in solidarity with in the fight for justice.  I will always hold his spirit, love and dedication to this work close to my heart.  “The teacher is of course an artist, but being an artist does not mean that he or she can make the profile, can shape the students. What the educator does in teaching is to make it possible for the students to become themselves.” --Paulo Freire.  Tom, thank you for inspiring so many of us to become better versions of ourselves and for welcoming us into this important and necessary work. Love & solidarity comrade, we will move the work forward. For USSR it took repeated pleas from Kim Il Sung but eventually they provided what turned out to be superior air cover with their brand new MIG-15 jets. Both China and USSR entered the war after the U.S. installed Syngman Rhee along with the military support needed to make him their strongman in Korea. Left to themselves, the Koreans would have resolved the situation – and Rhee would have lost. An earlier 1950s version of Vietnam after defeat of the French (1954) would have resulted. Maybe both Korea and Vietnam could have become countries like Yugoslavia, another country where the resistance forces of WW II (under revolutionary Josip Broz Tito) took power and somehow avoided being puppets of any empire. Instead, the 1950s capitalist war mongers dominating the U.S. ruling elite opted for more war. Internal U.S. military assessments during the Korean War (Koreans call it “the American War”) lamented that they had destroyed every conceivable target north of the current demilitarized zone. All infrastructure was eliminated in the air war. U.S. battleships, naval dinosaurs, pulverized villages 20 miles from the sea with 2000 lb artillery shells. Over 2 million Koreans died from war, famine and weather because the U.S. ruling class wanted their guy in power there. Just like Vietnam. Much later under a progressive government, the “South” Koreans who had been bullied into sending troops for the next U.S. war, in Vietnam, issued a formal apology to Vietnam, understanding firsthand what the consequences must have been. The current political culture of North Korean is a direct consequence of the U.S. assault on Korea. Horrible experiences enable unsavory political results. We have Trump, they have Kim Jong-un (both have bad hair). Which one will cause more disaster? Koreans say they could have sorted it out themselves (Thanks for ruining our country). THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED [Rachel Radina, Ph.D. is a visiting professor of teacher education at Miami University, and program coordinator for the Urban Cohort.] ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- �No. 36 0 | J u l y 14 - J u l y 2 7 , 2 0 17 Living By Goodness 13 STREET VOICE LIFE GOES ON, BUT Even with Trump, Each day God gives us life How merciful our creator He gives us a wonderful start Life has to go on. We buy the groceries, And we mow the lawn. But as we do dishes, To live life with breath In our lungs and a beating heart Or put food on the table, We can't escape feeling The country's unstable. Living by goodness and by grace Thank you God for another day BILL WOODS Contributing Writer WHO DO YOU LOVE Living by goodness makes one feel good TO BE ABLE TO REMEMBER THE WAY ONE HAS And thankful for Gods good grace LIVED THEIR LIFE TO BE ABLE TO REMEMBER THEIR OWN HAPPY DAYS KIM GREEN Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer AND DAYS WITH STRIFE TO BE ABLE TO REMEMBER SO MUCH AFTER SO MANY YEARS TO BE ABLE TO REMEMBER MORE HAPPY TIMES THAN YOU REMEMBER TEARS TO BE ABLE TO REMEMBER SOME FACES NOT TO MENTION SOME PLACES TO BE ABLE TO REMEMBER THEN UNDERSTAND WITHOUT SUPPORT I HAVE NO BASES TO KNOW I HAVE NO POWER OVER THE WORLD BUT I HAVE POWER OVER ME TO KNOW HOMELESSNESS, TO BEG, TO PLEAD FOR HELP AND NOBODY SEES TO KNOW WHEN ITS TIME TO MAKE A CHANGE FOR YOURSELF AND LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND TO BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND KNOW THAT ONLY YOU CAN MAKE YOU SHINE WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �14 PUZZLES J u l y 14 - J u l y 2 7 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 0 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 129 Across 1. Heroic tale 1. Painful muscle 2. Having little money or contraction few possessions 6. A flat float 3. Starch resembling 10. Young girl sago 14. Main artery 4. Unusual 15. Fiend 5. Cause to go crazy 16. Dull persistent pain 6. Steal 17. Large hard-shelled 7. Highly excited fruit 8. Mendicant 18. Seethe 9. Bank employee 19. Unit of language 10. Jurisprudence 20. A large fleet 11. Fruit of the oak 22. Festivity 12. Physical gesture 24. Floor covering 13. Marsh plant 25. Reported information 21. Mentally perceptive 27. Retaliation 23. Declare or affirm 29. Cease to flow solemnly 33. Propel with oars 26. Take without 34. Cover with stone or permission concrete 28. Sheep 35. Seeweed 29. Health resorts 37. Scrawny 30. Consideration 41. Hotshot 31. Allege 42. Overhang 32. Fairies SODOKU PUZZLE NO 259 - MEDIUM 44. Device for shaping 36. Tranquility metal 38. Redact 45. Spread by scattering 39. Prima donna 48. Unauthorized 40. Period of time disclosure of 43. Subsist on a information meager allowance 49. Examination in the 46. Make a mistake form of 47. Person under the an interview protection of another 50. Rodent 49. Invective 52. Curved oriental saber 51. Slow and apathetic 54. Small bird 53. Unwholesome 58. Radiate atmosphere 59. Vat 54. Austere 60. Vertical fall 55. Food processed in a 62. Minister of religion blender 66. Desiccated 56. Dwell 68. Object used on stage 57. Comparative of bad 70. Strainer 61. One of the two ends 71. Make new of a magnet 72. Small island 63. Having lost all 73. Conventions moisture 74. Acute 64. Finished 75. Relatively thick from 65. Bird structure top to bottom 67. Spanish gentleman or 76. Warning signal nobleman Down 69. Liveliness and energy PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 350 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 128 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 258- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 0 RESOURCES | J u l y 14 - J u l y 2 7 , 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 621-5300 961-1983 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 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 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 421-0065 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 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 $100 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 J u l y 14 - J u l y 2 7 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 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. 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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 July 14-July 27, 2017 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page The Right to Be Upset Pg 2: How Many HSAC Members Does It Take to Screw Up A Human Services Funding Recommendation? Thomas A. Dutton Pg 3: Dear Tom Love and Resistance Pg 4: Property Tax Reappraisals and TIFs Otto Warmbier and Foreign Policy Pg 5: Is A Picture Worth a Thousand Homes? Pg 6: Dear Indigent Care Levy Committee Pg 7: State Pre-Emption Laws Threaten City Government’s Ability to Govern WCC Pg 8: The Right to be Upset Pg 9: Photo Essay Pg 10: GCHC Pg 11: Josh Spring Continued John Blake Continued Steve Sunderland Continued 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 July 14-July 27, 2017 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Rachel Radina John Blake Josh Spring Mary Clare Rietz Michael Earl Patton Robert Park Dr. Mark Mussman Bill Woods Nick Shellenberger A. J. Newberry Bobby Morris Steve Sunderland Willa Denise Jones Bill Woods Kim Green Miami University Center for Community Engagement Archive Woman's City Club Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF A. J. Newberry Bill Woods Black Lives Matter Bobby Morris Dr. Mark Mussman HSAC John Blake Josh Spring Kim Green Mary Clare Rietz Miami University Center for Community Engagement Archive Michael Earl Patton Nick Shellenberger Otto Warmbier Photography police brutality Property Tax Protests Rachel Radina Robert Park Steve Sunderland WCC Willa Denise Jones Woman's City Club https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/3ef2bd0f6885627309b2386691f10a2f.pdf 0553b2729b0a06d34ee5cb0fcacc2a28 PDF Text Text Northside Parade Page 3 Golden Wanton Page 7 July 15-31, 2010 • Issue 181 • One Dollar ADVOCATING JUSTICE • BUILDING COMMUNITY Championing the Workers’ Rights Workers hope to unionize window manufacturer By Paul Kopp O Workers picket Champion Windows, where a union vote will be held this month. Jon Hughes/Photopresse. ne moment during a recent rally outside Champion Windows and Doors in Sharonville could be seen as an example of the crisis haunting the capitalist system, as the rising tension between factory workers and management escalates. The factory’s shifts are changing and Charles Amos, a former Champion factory worker, is walking along the side of the road, talking to many of his former co-workers as they leave or arrive to work. Suddenly another car leaving the factory complex speeds up, heading straight for Amos – finally swerving at the last second to avoid hitting him and a few other former workers and union organizers close by. Amos and the others identify the driver as one of their supervisors at the factory. Amos is perhaps the most spirited protester in attendance. Holding a sign showing the salary of Champion owner and CEO Dennis Manes, square footage of his home and other personal information, Amos stands close to each passing car, repeating variations of the same sentiment to each driver: A change is going to come. See CHAMPION P. 4 The Trail of Tears, Trail of Death U.S. policies are killing migrant workers By Janice Sevre-Duszynska " The U.S./Mexican border es una herida abierta (an open wound) where the Third World grates against the First and bleeds. And, before the scab forms, it hemorrhages again, the life blood of the wounds merging to form a third country – a border culture.” – Gloria Anzaldua, Borderlands/La Frontier: The New Mestiza. Sonoran Desert folk say that before one dies in the desert – from extreme heat and dehydration – he becomes delusional. He strips off his clothes and covers himself in the sand, heating himself up even further. As his body gives way, scorpions, spiders, insects, snakes and other animals invade as the huge turkey vultures swoop down and begin their meal. Since 1994, with the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and U.S. border policies that channel migrants to the deadliest part of the Sonoran Desert, it is estimated that more than 5,000 migrants from Mexico and Central America have died on the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona/Sonora. Many succumb to unbearable temperatures above 110 degrees. Others are never found as they dissolve into that which is part of the desert. Activist march in support of migrants. Janice Sevre-Duszynska On May 30, in an act of solidarity with migrants and to raise awareness of their plight, people from across the country and world participated in the sixth annual Migrant Trail Walk, a 75-mile, sevenday trek from Sasabe-Sonora to Tucson. “Today, as we celebrate the 520th weekly community vigil, 10 years of bearing witness to the human casualties of the deadly border policies of militarization and enforcement imposed on border communities, we cannot help but continue to ask when this madness will stop,” said Kat Rodriguez, coordinator of the Tucson-based Coalicion de Derechos Humanos (the Coalition of Human Rights), a non-governmental organization. The continued increase in the recovery of skeletal remains indicates that more individuals are being funneled into more isolated and desolate terrain of the Arizona-Sonora border, the organization reports. See TEARS P. 4 �2 The Vibe By The Numbers 33 million The amount, in dollars, of a levy voters approved in Seattle for affordable housing (see page 11). 1990 The year Jerry Judge took a writing workshop that changed his life (see page 16). 5,000 The number of migrants estimated to have died crossing the Sonoran Desert to Arizona (see page 1). 10.5 The Cincinnati unemployment rate, as a percentage of the labor pool (see page 6). 10-14 The number of unfair-labor charges against that a union might file against a window manufacturer (see page 1). 100 The number of days a 1,000-year-old egg is buried before being served (see page 7). 215 The number of the ballot proposition by which California voters legalized medicinal marijuana (see page 6). A few The number of months Stephanie Meinberg has been buying Streetvibes (see page 14). StreetWise By Gregory Flannery Editor 3CDC and the Stench of Death All non-profits are not created equal. In fact, some exist for the purpose of maximizing the profits of others. Take the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC) – please! Created by Cincinnati City Council and the corporations that rule the city, 3CDC is now embarked on taking over Washington Park and turning it into a playground for patrons of Music Hall and the new urbanists who move into condos developed after 3CDC kicks out the poor. The transition will be complete after 3CDC, with the help of Mayor Mark Mallory and Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls (remember when she was considered a “liberal”?) succeed in kicking out the Drop Inn Center, many of whose residents like to sojourn in the park, along with those residents of Over-the-Rhine who haven’t yet been forced out. “Despite neighborhood outcry, 3CDC has removed the only Over-the-Rhine deep-water pool and the basketball park from the plan and added a dog park that was not asked for,” says Josh Spring, executive director of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. “Now 3CDC plans to remove dozens of historic trees, eliminate the street parking touching the park while creating their own parking garage below the north end of the park. To make matters far worse, 3CDC has presented no plan for where people will go while the park is shut down for up to 14 months. The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless has demanded that a portion of the park remain open at all times, that construction be staggered or that a temporary alternative site be named. The fact is that in a neighborhood made of concrete, if there is no place for people to ‘legally loiter’ conflict will increase. Neighborhoods need parks and nature. People need buffer zones between themselves and concrete and business and sometimes other people.” City council recently approved funding for the Great Park Takeaway. Now the dead themselves are objecting to the takeover. Seems 3CDC will have to come up with a plan for dealing with the remains of the people buried on the land that now houses Washington Park. Stay tuned. Yes, it’s come to this: In its pursuit of profit, 3CDC will dig up human remains. One Killed, One Spared The state of Ohio is now on track to execute more people in a single year than Texas, long the nation’s premier death-dealer. In May Ohio poisoned – the polite term is “lethal injection” – Michael Beuke, after having kept him in a cage for 27 years. But in June Gov. Ted Strickland granted clemency to Richard Nields, commuting his sentence to being caged for the rest of his life. The Ohio Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union urges people to call Strickland’s office at 614-466-3555 or governor.info@governor.ohio.gov to thank him. While you’re at it, you might ask how it is that Strickland – a Democrat, an ordained minister and a former prison psychologist – can sleep at night after approving the poisoning of human beings. Judging the World Judge Mark Painter of Cincinnati, the only American on the United Nations Appeals Tribunal (UNAT), has returned to Cincinnati after the court’s second session, held for two weeks in New York City. Its first session was in March in Geneva. The court orally announced decisions on the cases July 1, in the General Assembly Hall. A synopsis of the decisions will be posted on the UN Web site later this month. The UNAT is the highest court of the new internal-justice system, which was instituted in 2009 to provide access to independent and professional courts for staff members and management. The judges were elected by the General Assembly. Cases included disputes over promotions, discipline, pensions, contract matters and many other issues. These cases continue the development of the UN internal law. Painter served as a judge in Hamilton County for 27 years, 13 on the Municipal Court followed by 14 on the Court of Appeals. STREETVIBES July 15-31, 2010 Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by people who are or once were homeless, in exchange for a $1 donation, Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Address: 117 East 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 Phone: 513.421.7803 x 12 Fax: 513.421.7813 Email: streetvibes2@yahoo. com Website: www. cincihomeless.org Blog: streetvibes.wordpress. com Streetvibes Staff Editor Gregory Flannery Art Director Lynne Ausman Graphics/Layout Nick Swartsell Veronica Glass John Peet Casey Salsinger Vendor Coordinator Jeni Jenkins Contributing Writers Michelle Dillingham, Samantha Groark, Margo Pierce, Paul Kopp, Jeremy Flannery, Michael Henson, David Heitfield, Corey Gibson, Jeni Jenkins, Saad Ghosn, Lew Moores, Larry Gross, Eli Braun, Jesse Call, B. Clifton Burke, Michael Fanning Photography/Artwork Aimie Willhoite, Lynne Ausman, Anne Skove, Vinit Murthy, Jon Hughes Proofreaders Lynn Baker Jeremy Flannery The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati through coordination of services, public education, grassroots advocacy and Streetvibes. 27 The number of years the state of Ohio kept Michael Beuke in a cage before poisoning him (see page 2). 6 The number of days “Scabs” went without medication in the Hamilton County Justice Center4 (see page 13). We are proud members of: The United Nations Appeals Tribunal. Courtesy UN. �STREETVIBES July 15-31, 2010 Photo Essay Celebrating Independence in Style Northside has the most vibrant Independence Day celebration of any neighborhood in Greater Cincinnati, featuring progressive social and political causes. This year the neighborhood marched and held a rock 'n' roll carnival July 3, a festival of freedom, social justice and equality. Photos by Jon Hughes/Photopresse. Follow Streetvibes www.facebook.com/streetvibescincinnati twitter.com/streetvibesnews streetvibes.wordpress.com 3 �4 Local News STREETVIBES July 15-31, 2010 Championing the Workers’ Rights CONTINUED FROM P.AGE 1 “We are going to get back in,” he says. “I was fired, he was fired, she was fired (pointing at others standing around him). We’re going to get our jobs back, but I’m not coming back. I’m going to make it better for the people that will be coming back.” Unfair practices Champion has since called Amos and offered to rehire him, and he has accepted, even though he said he wouldn’t be returning. Despite the working conditions, he likes his job and is humbled by the lack of job options in this economy. He says he will continue his support for workers’ rights and the unionization of the factory workers. “The workers at Champion Windows and Doors are trying to self organize”, says John Bielak, a regional organizer for the International Ironworkers Union, who is assisting the Champion workers with their unionization process as well as with their workers’ rights issues. He says Amos was terminated on the spot for incorrectly cutting one piece of glass while another worker, who is friendly with the management, cut 35 window frames wrong and is still working at Champion. “There are a lot of things going on in there with the management with the workers’ rights and the way they are being treated – basically changes in policy against the workers, trying to hamper them and coerce them not to go union,” Bielak says. Bielak, who has been assisting the workers since March, says they have 10 to 14 complaints of unfair labor practices against Champion, which the Ironworkers Union is helping them file with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Bielak and other union representatives have been meeting with the NLRB to set an election date for Champion workers to decide if a union will represent them. The election is scheduled for July 21. To someone driving past the factory entrance, the scene might have looked like a picket line, but in fact it was more of a protest. This is because most of the workers, even though they support the union campaign, are flying under the radar for fear of losing their jobs, according to Bielak. The few workers in attendance are mostly those who have recently been terminated. “I got hurt on the job,” says Robert Jones, who worked as a welder. “I came back and they fired me.” Jones broke his knuckle and missed three weeks of work. During the time he was gone, he signed a union card and began joining the protests outside the factory. When he returned, he says, he was told he was being let go because he missed too much work. “I had a doctor’s excuse and everything,” Jones says. Sarah Jones, his sister, was let go under similar circumstances. She missed two days of work due to an illness, which sent her to a hospital, and was let go shortly after returning. Sarah Jones says she called and left a message on the company’s voicemail saying she was sick. Her supervisors told her that they never received the message. Like her brother, Jones had also begun to openly show support for the union. ‘Pins and needles’ Bielak says that individuals who are no longer working for Champion will still be able to vote in the union representation election; but under NLRB rules, the company has the right to contest their votes. Those who feel they have been terminated due to their union activities can get their jobs back, but it is a long process. In the case of Champion, the workers will take their complaints to Bielak, who will file a complaint with the NLRB. If the board decides in favor of the workers, they will receive all the wages they missed plus interest, reinstatement of insurance benefits, as well as in anything else that was lost. It’s what they call “Make them whole,” Bielak says. Overall the problem workers seem to have with the company’s management seems to be with they way they treat their employees rather than a dispute over wages. “How can you have a supervisor who jumps on grown men and cusses them out on the floor, and then when someone says something back to him he fires them?” Robert Jones says. Jones and his sister say that, if the union wins the election, Champion will need to make a lot of changes before they would consider going back to work at the factory. Also present at the rally is Brandon Wilson, another former Champion employee, who shared an experience similar to Amos’s. Wilson says he was written up for leaving his station to use the bathroom after his work was finished, and written up and suspended yet again for using the bathroom a second time, even after he informed his supervisors it was an emergency. He was eventually let go for getting adhesive stuck to 15 pieces of glass. Wilson had also been an open supporter of the move to unionize. He was fired in early June and has since found employment elsewhere. Wilson says he has never worked for a company that is run like Champion. “It’s more like a sweatshop,” he says. “You are on pins and needles every day when you walk into that place.” Numerous attempts were made to contact representatives of Champion Windows and Doors. Inquiries were directed to CEO and owner Dennis Manes, as well as the company’s employee relations department, both of which have not returned messages. A message left on the company’s Web site was also not returned. The Trail of Tears, Trail of Death CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “This ‘Funnel Effect,’ which has been documented by the Binational Migration Institute, has shown that the practice of sealing traditional crossing points ultimately pushes migration into the deadliest areas,” Rodriguez said. “The extent of this crisis is not known as the numbers of human remains recovered in neighboring states are not available.” 282 ribbons In 2006 I participated in the weeklong walk as a member of the Christian Peacemaker Team and BorderLinks, an interfaith educational community in Tucson. Our trek was nothing like the gauntlet of death that migrants face. The 130 of us who participated were accompanied by support vehicles and unlimited amounts of food, water and medical attention provided by interfaith communities. Still, it was challenging to walk many miles each day in the unrelenting sun. ”Where are you from?” asked a U.S. Border agent. After showing him our drivers’ license, we symbolically gave up our identifications -- as migrants do -- by placing them in a metal box. As we crossed the border into Sasabe-Sonora, Mexico, we gathered in a church to pray and be blessed on our pilgrimage by the local priest. As in the Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson, the body on the cross in the Catholic church there was of Christ as an indigenous migrant refugee. Twelve people picked up three coffins, remembering the women, men and children who have died in the desert. Tohono O’odham Indians Maria and Jim, a married couple, blew a sage incense Migrant Trail Walk, 2006. Janice Sevre Duszynska. blessing through an eagle feather to each one of us. In their consecration, they evoked the Grandmother and Grandfather and displayed a string with 282 ribbons -- one for everyone who died in the borderland in 2005. Then we each took a wooden, white-painted cross. I chose one of a “desconocida,” an unknown woman who died in the desert heat that year. On the other side was the word “Presente.” What we held up in our hands represented the life and death of another human being. As we wandered farther into the desert, we felt haunted. All around us were signs of our migrant sisters and brothers, Christ the refugee: bandannas, discarded clothing, shoes and boots, baseballstyle caps, cowboy hats, ski caps to keep warm on cold nights, blankets, paper refuse from fastfood places and more, including an uncountable number of empty gallon jugs, many with ropes tied to them. To keep hydrated, we were to drink two to three gallons of water each day. A migrant would need around eight gallons of water to barely See TEARS P. 5 �STREETVIBES July 15-31, 2010 5 Local News The Trail of Tears, Trail of Death CONTINUED FROM P.AGE 4 survive the desert and cross over. It’s typical for migrants to cross the border at dusk, when the night vision surveillance doesn’t catch them and the buster lights haven’t been turned on. They often travel at night under the Milky Way while the whirligig sound of searching helicopters pierces the quiet desert sky. They journey until the early morning, when they’ll lie low in the unforgiving heat of the desert bush where rattlesnakes are common. The Border Patrol watches them on radar in their office through cameras called “cherry pickers,” which resemble the machines in the movie Return of the Jedi. Their heat sensors can detect movement thousands of times smaller than what we see. Migrants must face the desert’s many trails, where it’s easy to lose one’s way. There are quick floods called “washes” 2-10 feet deep in the canyons and fierce “dust devil” storms that swirl for 20 minutes at a time. If they are caught by the Border Patrol, migrants face the possibility of mistreatment. Beatings have been reported, and withholding of water and food at detention centers is not uncommon. During the week of our walk, the bodies of six migrants were found in the desert. Desert folk say that, for each body found in the desert, many others will never be found. On the Sunday morning after we trekked our last 6.7 miles into Tucson, some of us participated in a “die-in” in front of the Border Patrol office. We mourned the “dead” as if they were our migrant mothers, fathers, children. To leave is to suffer “The nearly 2,000-mile border between the United States and Mexico has long been a zone of conflict and change, a cultural crossroads where First and Third Worlds meet,” said the Rev. Delle McCormick, a minister of the United Church of Christ and director of BorderLinks. “Many patterns of international economics and politics that affect all of our communities can be seen in sharp focus in the borderlands.” The creation of a “free trade” zone along the border in 1965 began the flood of U.S. manufacturing plants to Mexican border towns. In 1994 the enactment of NAFTA exacerbated the difficulties. As a result, cities along the border have exploded as migrants, not able to find work elsewhere in Mexico, move north to find work along and across the border. Today serious health problems, massive poverty, disintegrating families and environmental degradation are the unintended and often unrecognized legacies of this “development.” In addition, serious immigration problems have escalated. “To leave one’s land is to suffer,” said a coffee farmer from Chiapas, Mexico, who now works for Just Coffee, a cooperative of coffee growers. He told us that, since the passage of NAFTA, hundreds of thousands of coffee farmers in Chiapas and other parts of Mexico have been forced to leave their lands because of the fall in coffee prices. After NAFTA, the price of 90 pounds of coffee fell from $150 to $35. Then there are the middlemen who take their cut. The farmers could no longer support their families and needed to seek fair work. The U.S. response to the increase in migrants crossing the border has been to increase the militarization of the border. Now migrants must cross in more remote and dangerous areas of the deserts; this has increased the number of migrant deaths.  Miguel Pickard, a Chiapan economist from the Center for the Economic and Political Investigation for Community Action who spoke to us and participated in the walk, said we should be asking why this is happening. What is causing Mexicans who do not want to leave their land to do so? Pickard said the main reason is NAFTA. NAFTA promotes a “savage, no-holds-barred capitalism” in which more jobs are being lost, he said. Since 1994, under NAFTA, Mexican farmers no longer receive subsidies for growing their crops. However, U.S. and Canadian farmers still do. Cheap, highly subsidized corn and other crops from the United States and Canada are allowed into the Mexican market. Mexican farmers cannot sell their crops and make a profit –- or compete with the open market. This is what drives Mexican peasants from their farms. Then a Mexican family must develop survival strategies, so they send a family member –- son, brother, husband or wife -– from the land into the cities. If a job is not available in the cities, they continue on to the United States. Before the border became tightened and militarized, Mexican migrant workers were able to work in the United States seasonally as needed and then return to their families in Mexico. Now the migratory pattern has ended. It is too expensive to return because of coyotes and the militarization of the border, Pickard explained. “Under neo-liberalism, the wealth is concentrated in the hands of those designing the free trades which are more than just agreements,” Pickard said. “NAFTA and the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) have not been designed or voted on by the people but by ‘business types.’ As a result of their passage, the rich have gotten richer, and the middle class and poor have gotten poorer.” Pickard explained that other countries such as China, South Korea and India operate with tariffs on imported goods that have allowed their economies to grow. Argentina got out of the World Bank so it could put tariffs on imports to protect its industries. NAFTA, however, is part of a paradigm shift that began in the 1980s, according to Pickard. It did away with tariffs that protected infant Mexican industries and agricultural products and kept out foreign competition. The result in a country like Mexico – which is not on the top of the development slope – Is that the local economies are destroyed. Before, this was not permitted. “NAFTA has frozen countries on the development path, and Mexico has gone down the last 20 years into a more relative and absolute poverty,” Pickard said. “The solution is to do what many academics are saying and what is already happening on a global scale: Open the borders now and eliminate barriers so that the movement not only of goods and capital is allowed but also of people for labor. Why does one person have to die responding to the natural supply and demand of labor?” In March, at a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committe, former President Bill Clinton apologized for forcing Haiti to drop tariffs on imported subsidized rice during his presidency. This destroyed Haitian rice farming and severely damaged its self-sufficiency. It appears he was regretting CAFTA and NAFTA. Time to Revive Good Manners Rude behavior is good for no one By Will Kirschner There is a lot on our plates lately: the oil spill, the Iraq War and the economy are all things the average American worries about. However, I have a solution that will help alleviate at least some of our worries: courtesy. Courtesy is not just holding the door open for women; it extends to all areas of your life. Not checking your e-mails during a presentation is not just the courteous thing to do, but could help you get business for your company. Courtesy pays dividends; however, it is surprisingly a dying concept. One example of how seldom people think with courtesy is the recent Miami University sorority event at the Underground Railroad Freedom Center downtown. If you have not heard, these “future leaders” arrived so inebriated that they did not all make it through the door before they got sent home in cabs. Some who got in then pro- ceeded to trash the bathrooms, tried to urinate on a historic slave house and snuck in large quantities of alcohol, according to a memo sent by event coordinator Rhonda Miller to the sorority. This was after one of the other Miami Ohio sororities got in trouble for trashing a lakeside event center. As a college student at the illustrious party school, Ohio University, I feel qualified to offer some insight into why some people no longer act with any decency. So many of the students feel they are entitled to do whatever they please with no consequence. Whoever gets in their way will just get trampled. Ask any full-time resident of a college town and they certainly will be able to tell you all about the problems they have with the students. They have to live with students who only think of themselves and how they can get as drunk as physically possible, no matter the consequences. Just diagnosing the problem is not enough; the cure is more complicated. It really does start with nurture and how parents treat their children. More and more parents are coddling their children and making them feel like the center of the universe. While it is important to make sure your kids know they are important, it is equally important that they do not think they are so important they do not have to be courteous to others. All too often you see parents bending to the will of their young children, and they begin to believe the world revolves around them. It can easily be seen how this translates straight into the behavior exemplified by the sorority, because no one ever told them they were not the most important people out there. The situation is more complicated by how the media feeds this self-attention frenzy, with the bevy of “reality” TV programs out there. One needs to only look at MTV’s newest hit, The Jersey Shore, to find examples of people being rewarded for their selfishness. Young people see them boozing heavily and creating havoc at bars, and they want to party like them. A culture is created in which, if you are not partying hard, then your not partying at all. Changing a culture that lacks common courtesy is going to begin with us. Courtesy is infectious: If we start putting others first, they will repay the favor. Courtesy might not catch the first time someone is exposed, or even the second; but sooner or later they will start wanting to share the good feelings with someone, and then it will start to spread. Interested in volunteering with Streetvibes? Contact Greg Flannery at 513-421-7803 x 12 or by e-mail at streetvibes2@yahoo.com �6 STREETVIBES July 15-31, 2010 Local News Church Group Lobbies for Jobs Calling for creativity and government help By Corey Gibson ing for job opportunities. “People think of striking out on their own,” lack of employment opportunities is a Stern said. “That way they can create their own, matter of concern for people of faith. and get ahead and have some of that dignity.” That’s why the AMOS Project, a faithTerry Jones, a convicted felon and father of two, based coalition striving to solve many social has been doing whatever he can to provide for problems in the Cincinnati area, held a panel his family. His solution for fixing the job crisis is discussion June 30 about ways keeping young people off the that jobs can be brought back to streets and educating them to Cincinnati. “There are no jobs in Hamilton earn money the right way. The panel consisted of people County or in the rest of Ohio. “We need to bring promise from all walks of life. Some were They just disappeared. And back to the city,” Jones said. mothers, others were fathers. Kristina Schnister, a single what we need is a national Some were convicted felons, jobs program called the Local unemployed mother of two, while others had master’s degave the most moving examJobs for America Act.” grees. Yet they all stood for the ple of how unemployment has same thing. They wanted to be affected many people in the employed and they wanted to help others who Cincinnati area. were not employed. “I have been turned away for being over-qualKen Stern, one of the panelists, is the commuified as many times as I have been for someone nity garden director for Findlay Market. He started with yet a higher education than myself,” she said. a program that would help people grow their own Schnister, crying, continued on with confession vegetables in urban gardens and take the vegetaabout her inability to buy presents for her children bles they did not want to keep for themselves and on their birthdays or being able to buy the food sell them at Findlay Market. she wants, because food stamps have regulations “People are working in the gardens and creating about the food that can be bought with them. a business opportunity for themselves,” Stern said. Although she was a case manager for the third “We are creating our own opportunities by taklargest social-service agency in Ohio, she still caning a different chance and creating our own hope. not find a job. We have four goals. One was to provide locally “It has been extremely difficult two summers grown, healthy and nutritious food in the central in a row to tell my kids we are not going to have a city. Second was to help people have access to this yearly outing, that we will not have a vacation, that nutritious food. Third was to help people become we may not even have money for their birthdays,” gardeners and help create a business opportunity, she said. and the fourth was to contribute to revitalizing With nearly a 10.5 percent unemployment rate Over-the-Rhine.” in Cincinnati, this story is one that can be heard all Yet Stern sees that many jobs have been lost. around the Tri-state area. Yet like all the people in The manufacturing jobs that might have been the room, Schnister is determined to find a job. available in earlier decades are not there anymore. “You wont see me melting in the couch from He believes people need to be creative when lookself-pity?” Schinister said. “I will be out there try- A ing to change things for people such as myself.” The final panelist, Pamela Franklin, treasurer of the AMOS Project, finished the discussion with an uplifting speech about banding together as a community and pulling through these tough times. “We all must band together as a whole to make things better,” she said. “Those who are eating cannot relate to those who are not eating.” Her message about thinking together and changing the way democracy has treated the middle class resounded strongly throughout the room. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) sent a letter to AMOS and to the panel discussion. It extended his gratitude to the AMOS Project and declared his appreciation for getting out the word about the Local Jobs for America Act, introduced by Brown, which he said would create 1 million jobs nationwide and over 26,000 for Ohioans. Paul Graham, director of the AMOS Project, endorsed the bill. “There are no jobs in Hamilton County or in the rest of Ohio,” he said. “They just disappeared. And what we need is a national jobs program called the Local Jobs for America Act.” Yet the AMOS Project and all the people that came out to support the group did not stop there. They went to the streets of downtown Cincinnati and began a rally, chanting, “Tell me what democracy looks like. This is what democracy looks like” and “What do we want? Jobs. When we do we want them? Now!” The group marched to the offices of U.S. Rep. Steve Driehaus (D-Ohio) and U.S. Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) to deliver over 1,000 job applications to each. Outside the offices were crowds of people wearing “I need a job” T-shirts and holding signs that protested the fact that there are very little job opportunities in Hamilton County. The Weedy, Wild Wild West California prepares to tax legal marijuana By Coulter Loeb “ Wanna buy some weed? Wa-wanna buy some weed?” a shaking, stumbling man wearing a leather jacket and a small cap holds out a small baggie containing less than an eighth of an ounce of the green herb in a small California Park. “It’s some of the good stuff,” he insists. Having been informed less than 30 minutes earlier by local street vendors that drug pushers had been using my current location, Berkeley’s People’s Park, to push meth-sprayed cannabis to unsuspecting citizens, I politely declined. I had heard of the methods dealers use to get customers hooked on drugs, but the feeling of culture shock remained as the man stumbled away toward another group of youth. In Berkeley, Calif., cannabis use has been all but legalized. Citizens smoking pot on the street is seen as just another one of the locale’s cultural curiosities. In addition to the shady man in the park, locals mention a local black-market dealer by the name of “Aquarius.” With access to one of California’s many legitimate and legal medicinal marijuana dispensaries, he hangs out with his two dogs on Telegraph Avenue, giving anyone who can pay “the good stuff.” He is spoken of as a friend among the community and provides a safe, affordable product to Berkeley residents. Sitting in a small metal chair on the sidewalk in front of a busy coffeehouse, “Sam” holds a lit marijuana cigarette as one might hold a Camel: publicly and nonchalantly. “It’s just become such a part of the culture and every day life here. Sure, you kind of have to look out for the cops if you don’t have a (medicinal marijuana identification) card, but people smoke on the street all the time,” she says. An orderly market As of June, California’s policy makers had hammered out many of the policies surrounding medicinal cannabis ever since it’s statewide legalization in 1996. But being the “leader in all things counter culture”, as High Times editor Dan Skye says, the state has continually explored how medicinal cannabis might be implemented into public policy. In some areas, such as Berkeley, the unregulated black market has reached the point that pot has become a part of the community. It can be seen being smoked on the sidewalk and is smelled everywhere. It also means that nearly anyone can tell you where to get some. In Berkeley, the lack of regulation and enforcement policies has led to a new weedy wild west, where the majority of the non-marijuana card carrying public is on their own to find good, untaxed sources of cannabis. But for the majority of California, a system of order and control is emerging from the chaos. In the 14 years since California’s legalization of medicinal cannabis, public opinion has slowly shaped the policies surrounding the state’s initially controversial medicinal marijuana dispensaries. Patients’ rights groups have lobbied for the availability of safe, reliable sources of medicinal cannabis and have won a number of measures easing restrictions on the legal cannabis market. California voters passed Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, with a 56 Marijuana plant. Coulter Loeb. percent majority. The proposition stated chiefly that the state would ensure and protect the right of any California citizen deemed by a doctor to be able to benefit from the use of cannabis to acquire and medicate their ailments by using medicinal marijuana. In 2005 the Oakland city government decided to pass a measure regulating how the medicinal cannabis industry would function in the city. It made cannabis the Oakland Police force’s lowest priority See WEED P. 10 �STREETVIBES July 15-31, 2010 7 Dining Cakes, Jell-O and Ale in Fear It’s a buffet, but is it really Chinese food? By Michael Fanning Entering Buddha's House of the Golden Wanton is like entering the Forbidden City in Beijing, except there’s a roof over everything and they serve orange Jell-O. It’s a buffet restaurant that opened in the last year or so, and I was wondering how it stacked up against several hundred similar buffets in the Tri-state. The building itself was, painted white and yellow when it became the Wanton, was obviously a Pizza Hut about a year and a half ago. The refitted interior is a strange mixture of varnished fauxopulence and just plain incomplete. What look like chandeliers from an Arabian oil magnate’s house hang from the corrugated metal ceiling. You can still see the wiring. However, as long as you don't look up, you will not be disappointed. Plastic jade dragons adorn the partitions between the booth seating and the custom made wooden tchotchki racks in the windows holding faux treasures from the Ming Dynasty. Everything is gleaming and new. I’m dying to know how much it cost to gut and remodel the place in this manner. It must have equaled whatever they shelled out for the building in the first place. But why spend so much on an interior only to have no ceiling? Bizzaro. The Wanton is close to where I work, and I’ve brought my co-worker, Kelly, who is our resident sushi expert. I base her qualifications on the fact that she just got back from her first vacation to Japan, and she’s a big fan of My Neighbor Totoro. She will come in handy soon. Beijing pizza We are led to our booth, and in a moment are greeted by our waitress. When I say “greeted,” I mean this in the fashion of two boxers “greeting” each other before a long brawl. Our waitress orders us to the buffet. We move quickly. The staff are all young, and their English skills are certainly limited – not much beyond, “Is Pepsi OK?” They have the bodies of figure skaters, a remarkably attractive bunch. The food selections at Chinese buffets are pretty much the same: fried rice, sweet and sour chicken, pepper steak, egg rolls, as well as purely American fare like pizza, fried clams, stuffed mushrooms and the like. The standard desserts are present as well. Orange Jell-O, tapioca and bananas with a mysterious red sauce poured over them. I strongly suspect this is the same sauce on the sweet and sour chicken; and in the name of good journalism, I put some on my plate. Kelly and I make it back to our table, and I compare our selections. Everything I have is brown and fried. Everything Kelly has is green and organiclooking. I know full well that my eating will be my demise. When I’m dead, they will find an entire order of crab Rangoon lodged in my chest. On this first round I got pepper steak, fried rice, crab Rangoon, orange Jell-O, a slice of pizza and some white gelatinous stuff that I’m assuming is a coconut-flavored dessert. It looks just like a hunk of hard-boiled albumen. They had crab legs at the buffet as well but these crabs looked to have had muscular dystrophy in life, so I avoid them. Kelly got rice and what I think is a pile of bamboo. There is no mystery to me as to why women outlive men. The banana dish is not bad, really. The red sauce cannot be tasted and therefore is just like eating a banana. The orange Jell-O is actually pretty gross, and I’m not sure how they screwed that one up. The white albumen is next. I say to Kelly, “Here goes.” She gives me a team-spirited thumbs-up. I am completely mystified. It does taste kind of coconutish, but it isn’t pudding; it's too firm. I swallow and give Kelly a blank smile. I have no idea what I’ve just eaten. The real test is yet to come: the sushi bar. I Chinese Food or American? REUTERS/Natalie Behring haven't had much sushi, and Kelly is along to guide me through the ins and outs of it. As I eat my brown, fried selections, Kelly looks at my plate and says, “Mmmm, that looks good,” but I know she really means, “I bet you live to see 43 tops, maybe 45 if you would stop licking your plate.” On a side note, my dad just got vanity tags for his new Avalon that say, “4 BYPASS.” Killing the whale As we munch, I observe the other patrons of the Wanton seated near us. The crowd is mostly what you would expect in a buffet: It is a bovine horde. A man close to me that must weigh upward of 400 pounds. I’ve never felt pity for a piece of furniture, but his chair certainly has mine now. The chair reminds me of Joe Morton’s last line in Terminator 2, “I … don't … know … how … much … longer … I … can … hold … this.” Then he explodes. A heated argument between two employees suddenly erupts next to me and Kelly. While shooting menacing glances at the table she’s been waiting on, a server is unleashing a Chinese diatribe at a young woman who has been sweeping the floors. I certainly don’t understand what they are saying, but I can’t help but think she's inciting the sweeper to join her in an all-out assault: “If we take them now, when they are full and sleepy, we can roll their fat flesh off of the back dock. I can’t watch anymore.” A male server at a table close to us doesn't appear to be any happier than his cohorts. I observe him take a round of beverages to his table. He hands a bottled beer to a guy and then quickly runs around the partition wall to the left of our booth. The customer twists off the top of his beer, and it erupts everywhere with foam. It has obviously been shaken. The server behind the partition jumps up, laughing and pointing at the beersoaked man. “Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, you beer exprode!” he yells. As I finish my pizza, I wonder what the origin of the staff's general surliness could possibly be. I remember a restaurant when I was in France 10 years ago. Our waiter was not a happy chap. My wife and I were accompanied that night by a local Parisian, a former college roommate of my wife’s. I asked our friend if she could explain the young man’s grumpiness. She simply shrugged and said, “Can you blame him? It is a subservient job.” I guessed this made some sort of sense at the time and figured that, if the French think this way about busing tables, why not the Chinese? Then another thought dawned on me. I was surrounded at the Wanton by a bovine horde being served by grace- ful, beautiful, healthy, well shaped people. That in itself must be unappealing to them. Then another thought: the food that Chinese people eat seems to be some of the healthiest worldwide. What I now have on my plate, as we all know, is not authentic Chinese food, but rather American cuisine with soy sauce. From what I’ve observed, Chinese people tend to eat rice and vegetables and other healthful, colorful things – not the deep-fried mess before me. All plates in my sight (not including Kelly’s) are full of brown lumpy things, and lots of it. We are forcing the staff to defile their own healthy cuisine to pander to us, the bovine diabetic horde. Then we force them to watch us shovel it down our gullets in quantities that would kill a blue whale. This might rub me the wrong way, too, if I were Chinese. We are forcing them to become accomplices in our own unhealthy lifestyles. It must be disturbing to them. What the staff here must talk about after work! You would probably hear, “Wow, you see fat man, table 43? He have ass like Liberty Bell. His wife eat whole pizza, then eat table!” Ready to jump Only once have I had authentic Chinese food. It was many years ago when I had a girlfriend who worked at a small Chinese-owned and Chinesestaffed toy company. We were invited to a dinner hosted by her boss. My girlfriend and I were the only Westerners in the group. It was a wonderful experience, the food was incredible and didn’t in any way resemble the food I was eating now. The people were delightful and the experience would have been completely great were it not for one small item. You might have heard of the Chinese “delicacy” called the “1,000-year-old egg.” Well, they served these at the dinner party. I decided to be intrepid and try one. I will try to describe it. This is an egg that has been covered in a mixture of wood ash, quicklime and salt, then buried in the ground for a about 100 days. After this time has passed, it is not used to ward off evil spirits, but rather eaten. The shelled egg is slick and a terrifying translucent black. I set one on my plate and looked at it as someone about to base-jump for the first time looks downward from the top of a radio tower. I observed the Chinese guests around me at the table; all eyes were directed my way. I knew that, despite the fact that this was their “delicacy,” deep down they know it’s fucked up. It must have taken decades of cultural conditioning to get used to this See CAKES P. 12 �8 STREETVIBES July 15-31, 2010 Vendor Voice Go Vibrant Cleo’s Joke Corner Events to help you on the way to heathly living By Aubrey Bowman Streetvibes Vendor If you were on Fountain Square June 21, you got the chance to get healthy via a new initiative called Govibrant – Making Healthy Living Easier. Some of the many organizations involved include the United Way of Greater Cincinnati, the American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, Cincinnati Health Department, Artworks and other organizations dedicated to healthy living. This is a brand new event, designed to make Cincinnati a healthy city. Govibrant wants to serve as your one-stop spot to connect you to health and wellness events in Cincinnati. Their goal is the catch phrase, “10 Better in 10 Challenge: Try to Get Healthy with Healthy Activities in 10 Weeks.” Visit their Web site at govibrant.org for more information. Here are some upcoming events: Until 7/23/10, Cancer Society “Paint it Pink,” acscan.org/cincinnatipaintitpink. Aug. 7 Lady Distance Classic Run/Walk, fleetfeetcincy.com/calendar. Aug. 28-29, MS150, Kimberly.Neff@nmss.org. Aug. 30, Cancer Society Golf Classic, 888-22276446, ext. 4213. Sept. 5, Cheetah Run at Cincinnati Zoo, cincinnatizoo.org. Sept. 12, Sunflower Revolution, sunflowerrev. com. And remember: “Don’t Go Through Life with No Vibes.” What do you call on an octopus that’s down on its luck? Squid Row. Art by Anthony Williams Intoxication By Willa D. Jones Streetvibes Vendor Intoxication is being drunk if only just for a little while Intoxication can become a bad habit with a crooked smile Being high and intoxicated all alone can make no sense Being homeless, a panhandler plus drunk can be a bad defense Fear of not knowing what your next move will possibly be Can be intoxicating without a drink, please believe me The fear of failure constantly day in and day out Can be an eye-opening experience to make a change, no doubt Once you realize there is another way to live life every day To work, maintaining your money and then a place to stay Things start to fall in order eventually surely but slowly And you start to change your ways each day ever so boldly Intoxicating thoughts will not be able to hold you back Knowing that with the help of God you can get back on track So don’t stay intoxicated by the fears of the world today Ask God to help, read the Bible and never forget to pray. “Feed Me, Seymour, Feed Me All Night Long…” Whimsical Sun-dried Tomato Pesto with Penne Serving Size: 5-6 bellies 2 cups fresh basil leaves, chopped, with stems cut off 1 cup pine nuts 3 cloves fresh garlic ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil and 4 oz. sundried tomatoes – or 8.5-ounce jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional) 16 oz. penne pasta • Prepare the pasta according to package instructions, cooking al dente. • Combine basil, pine nuts, garlic, oil and sundried tomatoes in food processor until well blended. • Transfer the pesto to a large serving bowl and add the pasta, toss well to coat evenly. • For added zest, mix in the grated Parmesan. • Season with salt and pepper to taste. • Voila, feed! Sundried Tomato Pesto. Jeni Jenkins. By Jeni Jenkins Staff Writer I made this dish on a day when I had less than 30 minutes to throw something together for a community potluck. The date had completely slipped my mind and there wasn’t time to run to the grocery. After racking my brain on what to make, I stepped out on my porch, and my former neighbor handed me a bundle of fresh basil leaves from her garden. I told her my dilemma, and she suggested I make pesto, which I had never made before. She told me how she makes hers and, to my surprise, I had the ingredients on hand. I ran inside and tossed everything in my blender (I didn’t own a food processor). After taste testing, I whimsically threw in a jar of sun-dried tomatoes that I had purchased months. To my surprise, it was tasty. I mixed the pesto with some pasta and rushed over to the potluck that had already begun. A bit worried about its reception, I placed the dish on the table and got into line. By the time I got to my dish, the entire bowl had been devoured – which means I didn’t even get to enjoy the fruits of my own labor. Since then I’ve made this dish several times for other potlucks and it’s always a hit. This is a perfect summer dish, and I enjoy it with salad and bread. �STREETVIBES July 15-31, 2010 9 �10 STREETVIBES July 15-31, 2010 Issues The Weedy, Wild Wild West CONTINUED FROM P.AGE 6 Francisco, the Terra, had been reserved. Massive stuffed baked potatoes had been prepared. Vendors had lined up at a chance to get a booth at the First Annual 2010 High Times Medicinal Cannabis Cup. Dan Skye, editor of High Times, remarks on the significance of the event. “The industry has advanced to the point where new industries are cropping up all the time,” he says. “You see this all the time when something reaches its tipping point – all these industries come forward to serve both the consumer and the cultivator. It’s evolving”. It’s evolving, all right. On the entrance floor, new types of smoking devices, LED grow lamps and entire prefabricated hydroponic grow boxes sit with smiling vendors idly standing by for anyone who happens to make eye contact. The occasional cannabis plant stands defiantly tall and healthy among the tables and wares. Continuing down the stairs into the second part of the convention, anyone in attendance is greeted to a smell familiar to most of those there: Somebody's smoking some pot. If anyone were unlucky enough to arrive on this and stated that the city would work toward creating a tax structure and enforce regulation over medicinal cannabis. By 2007 medicinal marijuana had been legalized for 11 years. The courts had already defined parts of how California’s growing medicinal marijuana community interacted with the state, but the majority of marijuana’s legal issues remain in the grey. State laws still contradict federal laws. No one knew how the free-market cannabis industry would look. Then Richard Lee, a 33-year-old marijuana activist, decided to place an ad in San Francisco’s East Bay Express. Inspired by a visit to a cannabis college in Amsterdam, Lee had decided to test the lines around commercial medicinal marijuana. His ad, declaring, “Cannabis Industry Now Hiring”, promoted a trade school whose classes aimed to introduce standards to the fledgling industry on a commercial level. It taught students how to legally open a medicinal marijuana dispensary. After an initial public reaction of 200 phone calls in the first week, 20 students assembled in a small storefront on 15th Street in Oakland. Soon, the waiting list for classes grew to three months. As students began to apply what they had learned, “there were a couple rogue agents that just threw up a pot shop,” says Salwa Imrahim, executive assistant to Oaksterdam University’s founder, Richard Lee. Before the city had time to react to the rogues, “16 more popped up in the area, and the market supported it”. The city, facing the debt generated by several local renovation projects, decided that there might be a taxable market in the sudden crop of mediIt’s all but legal in Cailifornia. Coulter Loeb. cal cannabis dispensaries. “The city decided to permit (the dispensaries), second section any time between 3 and 4 p.m. the and that’s how they would control them, without first day, they would then enter the mass of people shutting them down entirely,” Lee says. jammed shoulder-to-shoulder, trying to get past Four dispensaries were established to sell the many displays of medicinal cannabis and a game show booth where free cannabis is given medicinal marijuana to patients with a doctor’s away every hour. The mass of people was there for recommendation. the third portion of the convention: the Prop 215 By 2009 Oaksterdam University had outarea. grown its storefront’s walls and had moved to its In front of the entrance to this special section, a 30,000-square-foot headquarters. Satellite camsign says: “Cash Only. Medical Marijuana Recompuses had popped up in Los Angeles, Ann Arbor mendations.” Anyone who had paid the $35 enand California’s North Bay. trance fee could pay for an on-site doctor’s consulThis growth continued across California, where tation. The doctor would provide either a one-year several municipalities decided to adopt structure recommendation or, if he believed a more detailed and taxation guidelines for medicinal cannabis. medical history was required, would give a 30-day There are currently 563 dispensaries across northtemporary recommendation for the price of $99 ern and southern California, according to dispento any U.S. citizen, regardless of the state on their saryguide.com. driver’s license. The inevitable convention Those who receive recommendation also receive a green wristband and are directed toward By last month, June 19-20, things had grown to a door leading to an adjacent, open-air parking the point that High Times had decided to throw a lot in the inner city. A doorman checks their wrist little industry convention, showcasing the state bands, and they are allowed to freely roam about of the medicinal cannabis industry in California. the Prop 215 section. Modeled after the High Times Cannabis Cup, Having grown up in Cincinnati, where mariheld annually in Amsterdam, this was to be the juana still remains in a state of prohibition, I first event of its kind anywhere inside the United immediately noticed that something was differStates. ent about the Prop 215 section. The pipes, bongs, A small space just next to the Bay Bridge in San bowls, balloons, vaporizers, joints and blunts were as varied as the people smoking them. Massive, 12-foot balloons grow from one end of the lot, full of THC-laden vapor from a line of cone-shaped machines constantly provide samples to anyone who asks. Innovative new smoking devices are passed among complete strangers. Even on a windy day, anyone in the parking lot has at least a contact high from simply being outside. A paper tube the size of a small telescope, a medicinal megablunt, begins to circulate around the crowd for over an hour, leaving a cloud of smoke in its wake. The San Francisco Fire Department stands by to deal with those who collapse in the afternoon sun and respond to five medical emergencies during the event. Sporadically, a stretcher can be seen working its way through the mass of people, an EMT with an oxygen mask close behind. Coughing is heard from every direction. Billions for the state And money is everywhere. Booths line up along either side of the lot and sell medicinal marijuana to any patient with a green wristband. $20 and $50 bills are constantly in exchange between vendors and visitors. Every patient is smoking, and every patient is smoking cannabis taxed by the state of California. “This is huge state income tax here” Skye says, “You have all kinds of taxes here. As far as I know, California is broke. New York is on the verge. Isn’t it time we start looking at something that will allow states to balance their budgets?” Many of the movement’s earliest members are present, speaking to the public about issues such as patients’ rights, responsible use and government responsibility. Legal experts also give advice to anyone with a question. It has come to the point that, in November, California will have near-complete legalization on the state ballot. If the measure passes, anyone in the state of California “will be allowed to carry up to an ounce of cannabis and be allowed to cultivate up to a 5x5 foot crop for personal use,” Imrahim says. The measure would also leave the decision of whether or not to permit dispensaries in a given area up to the local county or municipality. According to a recent statewide Field Poll, a majority of 56 percent of California’s citizenry support legalizing and taxing cannabis to generate public funds. In the past 14 years, cannabis laws in the states have transformed from total prohibition to allowing a fledgling industry to take root on the shores of San Francisco Bay. Thousands of medicinal marijuana patients in the state of California stand on the verge of complete freedom to medicate freely and grow their own medication. California’s tax regulator, the Board of Equalization, estimates that there is a $1.4 billion unregulated black market for cannabis in the state. Tourism and spin-off industries would be expected to generate $12-18 billion yearly for the state, according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, a California-based pro-legalization lobby. California stands capable of hosting the only potentially multi-billion dollar cannabis tourism industry in the United States, where anyone over the age of 21 can whip out a bowl in Golden Gate Park to smoke a bowl of Vortex or Cali Gold, this year’s winners in the sativa and indica categories. States suffering from budget deficits will take notice. Millions of bloodshot eyes stand fixed on the upcoming election. For an audio slideshow, visit coulterloeb1.sites. livebooks.com/data/web/publish_to_web/index. html. Call 513-421-7803 x11 to learn about Streetvibes subscriptions �STREETVIBES July 15-31, 2010 Housing Issues 11 Best-Laid Plans Sometimes Work Seattle’s plan can help affordable housing here By Michelle Dillingham Contributing Writer About six months ago Affordable Housing Advocates (AHA) established its Policy Agenda for 2010, which helped prioritize its advocacy goals for the year. AHA’s policy agenda includes the following goals: • 1) Provide targeted advocacy for affordable housing to local elected officials, • 2) Advocate with the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) on such issues as encouraging full Housing Choice Voucher utilization and thoughtful selection of CMHA’s executive director, • 3) Educate community leaders and citizens on affordable housing, and • 4) increase the amount of affordable housing. Last month AHA completed one of its strategies under “public education” by distributing the report, “State of Affordable Housing in Hamilton County: The Crisis.” In the after-glow of this accomplishment AHA members turn their attention back to the policy agenda and find plenty to do. Arguably, one of the most difficult goals is number four, to actually increase the amount of affordable housing in Cincinnati. In an effort to seek out best practices in other cities, I stumbled across a compelling report out of Seattle, Wash. The City of Seattle Planning Commission published its “Affordable Housing Action Agenda” in February 2008. Although Cincinnati and Seattle are different in many ways – for example, Seattle has almost twice the population as Cincinnati – the lack of affordable housing, homeless numbers and other data such as affordability turns out to be quite similar to AHA’s report. The Seattle report lists some successful efforts that are underway to provide affordable housing, one of which was a voter-approved 2002 housing levy that diverted $33 million out of Seattle’s Office of Housing toward affordable housing. This levy was overwhelmingly supported by voters again in the 2009 election. (OK, maybe we are not so similar.) What is particularly interesting in Seattle’s report is that each of its strategies includes suggested language that would amend the city’s Comprehensive Plan. For example, Strategy number 3 is: “Encourage the use of Incentive Zoning Programs.” Proposed language for the city’s Comprehensive Plan: “Consider using an incentive zoning system that requires affordable units, regardless of whether a developer takes advantage of the bonus or not.” Another strategy I found particularly interesting is Strategy number 7: “Work to expand housing choices, including accessory dwelling units, backyard cottages, also known as detached accessory dwelling units, and cottage housing citywide.” Implementation strategy: Promote backyard cottage programs in areas well served by transit, particularly around light-rail stations.” Wow. Reading this strategy prompted me to research the “backyard cottage” concept, and I found it so interesting I plan to cover it in the next issue of Streetvibes. Stay tuned. Cincinnati is currently engaged in developing Plan Cincinnati, “a comprehensive document that will serve as a long-range plan to guide and manage growth, protect the environment and influence future development in our city.” I encourage you to take a look at proposed language changes to Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan as we consider our own plan and how we can ensure affordable housing is included in our future. You can see AHA’s report at ahacincy.org. You can find Seattle’s report at seattle.gov/planningcommission/docs/SPC_AffordableHousingRpt.pdf. Is Graffiti a Crime or an Art Form? By Brian O'Donnell Contributing Writer Self-described Robin Hoods are at the forefront of what they describe as the biggest counter-culture movement since punk. Exit Through the Gift Shop showcases graffiti and explores the meaning of idealistic self-expression and its relationship with commercialism. This documentary is the directorial debut of notorious street/graffiti artist, Banksy. Despite the film’s exposition of the dangerous work of pasting 10-foot murals multiple stories above busy streets, the film is less about the history of street art and more about what constitutes art. Regardless of whether or not Banksy can be trusted as an honest filmmaker, Exit Through the Gift Shop shows how any hirsute individual with enough passion and the right endorsements can make himself into a millionaire. Thierry Guetta , a Frenchman whose face is framed by unruly sideburns that wrap into a mustache, seems to annoy everyone he meets with his somewhat eccentric penchant of filming everyone and everything. Through filming his cousin, known only as Space Invader, Guetta finds himself wholly immersed in the world of street art – or what police organizations worldwide refer to as “graffiti.” Director Banksy doesn’t seem too concerned with the facts. The history of street art is glossed over, and those involved go by monikers and wear masks or have their faces blurred. Banksy himself is interviewed, though there is no way to tell who is actually talking, as his face is obscured by a hood and he speaks with a distorted voice. Exit Through the Giftshop chronicles Guetta’s rise from amateur filmmaker to documentary filmmaker to street artist to pop-super-artist as he meets and films the perpetrators of the street art movement, culminating with his meeting the elusive and infamous Banksy. However, don’t expect a film about Banksy and his somewhat anti-capitalist persona accompa- nied by his exploits in stenciling his art on a wall in the West Bank separating Israel from Palestine. It’s not even a movie about the modest beginnings of street art as it gains acceptance as legitimate art, though that story could have benefited the picture. Banksy, whom the movie purports to be about, takes a side seat to Guetta, who becomes a mainstream success using the expression of a counterculture movement. Guetta copies the street art style made famous by people like Shepard Fairey, who is famous for the iconic two-tone Obama campaign poster. Hiring a team of artists to create his ideas, Guetta manufactures an art exhibition at Banksy’s behest and sells millions of dollars worth of art under the name Mister Brainwash. It’s almost as if Banksy is playing a joke on the unwitting Guetta. Or maybe the audience is the unwitting participant. Neither documentary nor mockumentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop can easily be seen as a kind of joke mimicking the sardonic commentary of Banksy’s own graffiti. The movie becomes one about the art world and Guetta, who is instantly born feet first into it while other characters will never make money off spray painting private property. Or it could be a simple prank on us and Guetta. As Bansky puts it, “It’s not Gone with the Wind, but there’s probably a moral in there someplace.” Want more Streetvibes? Check out the Streetvibes blog http://streetvibes.wordpress.com �12 STREETVIBES July 15-31, 2010 Dining Cakes, Jell-O and Ale in Fear CONTINUED FROM P.AGE 7 thing. It’s like Westerners with our cheese, I guess. We eat it and enjoy it and don’t even think about it being a byproduct of a mucous membrane. I understand the whole idea of cheese makes the Japanese recoil from it like a cobra. Anyway, I tried the 1,000-year-old egg. It can only be compared to eating the eyeball of a long dead sheep. It was revolting. I scored many points with the Chinese crew that evening but ruined my chances of putting my mouth anywhere near my girlfriend that night. The food at the Wanton is not authentic Chinese food. Nor do I imagine most patrons want a foreign experience when they come. I remember going to a Japanese restaurant downtown a few years ago. That’s the place where a Japanese chef cooks the food in the middle of your table, which has been converted into a cooking surface. I am interested in foreign cultures of most types and looked forward to a “Japanese experience.” I also wanted the chance to work on my limited Japanese language skills. When the chef arrived at our table, I was crestfallen to find that Miguel, our chef, was from Mexico. Not only was I not going to practice my Japanese that evening, but I suspected the tempura might have a Tex-Mex spin to it. “What part of Japan are you from?” my motherin-law asked. “The south side,” he responded. The palace escape The time has come for Kelly and me to hit the Wanton’s sushi bar. We fill our plates with about six pieces each. All are a different type and I look forward to Kelly explaining them. We sit down and I begin the interview. Me: So, Kelly, you’re a sushi expert, right? Kelly: I never said that. Are you going to finish your orange Jell-O? Me: Tell me what you’ve got on your plate there. Is that sushi? Kelly: Of course it is. There’s a lot of different types. Most of it is American-style sushi. Me: How can you tell? Kelly: Because the outermost layer is rice and not nori. Nori, she explains, is the “compressed algae” wrapped like a rubber band around the sushi and holds it together. American sushi, she explains, is typically wrapped in an outer layer of compacted rice. Me: Now, sushi is Japanese, right? Kelly: Yes, and it is weird in a Chinese restaurant. They’ll probably serve pierogi next week. Me: Do Chinese people eat sushi? Kelly: Not really. Me: Where did the idea of sushi come from? Kelly: Well, according to Japanese lore, there was an empress who was driven from her palace when it was attacked. Before she fled, she grabbed some food to take with her, namely rice and fish. She climbed up a tree to hide from the invaders and ate the rice and fish compressed together. And thus was born the greatest appetizer since calamari. Though possessed of a dancer’s physique, Kelly puts away the sushi like a Japanese submariner on furlough. If I didn’t mention it before, I’m paying for lunch. Me: So, having just gotten back from Japan, how does the Wanton’s sushi measure up? Kelly: It's not bad, I guess, but the spider-roll is a travesty. A spider-roll, she explains, is sushi made with an entire deep- fried soft-shell crab. It is soft because it is caught while molting. The Wanton’s SpiderRoll is made with a fried shrimp sticking out of it. On my plate A Chinese boy stares at a statue in Beijing. REUTERS/Guang Nin. it looks like a shrimp-shaped Me: Mine says, “You are doomed.” boat sunk in a lagoon of white rice. The tail sticks Kelly: Hey, that would make a great title for this straight up. piece: “Cakes and ale in fear!” Kelly: There’s an alarming amount of avocado in I remind her that she is the sushi expert and to this sushi as well. There are no avocados in Japan. leave the writing to the pros. There’s also no carrots in sushi but that hasn’t Me: Well, thank you for your information, Kelly. It stopped the Wanton’s kitchen from adding them. was a fun and informative interview. We conclude that this is strictly American sushi Kelly: Whatever. Give me your Jell-O. and go with it. Kelly tells me that sushi restaurants We roll ourselves out of the restaurant and know are everywhere in Japan, common as McDonald’s, we'll accomplish little else at work that day, our and can be very inexpensive. bodies busily digesting. As we cross the parking Kelly: In Japan, a buffet restaurant is called a “Vilot, Kelly says, “I feel like I should be wearing a cow king.” bell.” Me: Why is that? I thank her again for her expert opinion on the Kelly: Because you eat like a Viking. sushi and think about what I have just observed at Or a Delhi resident, I think, looking around. Buddha’s House of the Golden Wanton. It was not Me: What’s that orange stuff on that sushi there? Kelly: That’s orange Jell-O. Chinese culture I witnessed. I feel the urgent need Me: Jesus, they put orange Jell-O in the sushi? to go back and explain ourselves to the young Kelly: Uh, no I think that was on my plate already. Chinese staff. I want to say, “We're not all like this. We are given our bill with two fortune cookies on a Americans have redeeming qualities! little black tray. Fortune cookies are, of course, an I try to think of redeeming American qualities, and American invention. Kelly reads hers to me. the first things that come to mind are – no joke – Kelly: “It is better to have beans and bacon in corn dogs and Arby’s curly fries. peace than cakes and ale in fear.” Streetvibes vendors keep 75% of sales. Consider helping Streetvibes with our publication costs by making a tax-deductible donation or by purchasing a subscription. Streetvibes is the activist newspaper, advocating justice, building community. Your gift is tax-deductible and will go to producing the paper every two weeks. Started in 1997, Streetvibes is distributed by homeless and formerly homeless vendors who purchase the paper for 25 cents and sell it for $1, keeping the 75 cent profit. Make checks payable to “Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless” I want to support Streetvibes and the vendors. $25 Please return your contribution to: GCCH 117 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Name: Address: E-mail: $50 $100 $150 Other $ _______ �13 Poetry STREETVIBES July 15-31, 2010 Jail Haiku - the Verse Things I Saw Sent back to stay in C-pod. She pays back with moon. Always something new Even though nothing happens. I’m given one pill. Jail chaplain visits. We talk. It’s so good to see Alice Gerdeman. Kelly sleeps here now. So fast Keisha had to move, Barely had time to say, “War? Stop!” She’s at Talbert House. She’ll get out in half the time. She’ll miss Friday’s show. Library visit Because Greg is with the press M. Logan brought in. Five minutes later Angry female CO says Why are you in here? Marilyn explains She was brought here by a guard. “Chaplains sit by pod!” When we reach the pod I’m told I have guests waiting Diane and Janet? A protest in support of Barbara Wolf. Andrew Anderson By Barbara Wolf Sticky Holding Cell Women talk about their kids Laughter hits cement Edinburgh Clouds, three spires Haggis? Bologna and cheese Loud muffled orders Speaker system out of whack I’m moved to first floor Awakened by a pink sky Keisha and I talk about life I walk with Sandy The TV is way too loud No caffeine… headache Keisha and I listen as Chaos turns into silence Michael talks through glass He leaves without looking back e-mails many friends They are turned away, each one Except Deborah Jordan. Deborah, glorious. Bright light on all night Headache for three entire days. No sleep, no sleep. Cough. Keisha talks of me Says I am an activist And nice to be with. Jacky says, “You’re an activist? Tell me how to organize.” New York is from New York. A D-pod porter.. she’s smart. Coretta Scott King. Midnight. Tall, dark, loud. Many find her difficult. She feels she’s a man. The eater gets moved to A. Did not clean. Kicks door loudly. They talk to Judy. All the people in her head. We play (jump) checkers. I’m an atheist. Jesus doesn’t help Midnight. She’s moved from our pod. We are served “Cat Food” I picture a cat sniffing. It turns, walks away. Roof top. Loud music. Judy moves from space to space. “Scabs” yells at column. When the visit ends I return to my cell tired. Buzz. Another guest. A priest has stopped by We talk about mental health He leaves two bibles. They sweep the floor, mop with bleach. Locked in, I watch sky float by. Sun is up so bright, Horizon has disappeared Window dirt tells tales. New cellmate, Kelly. Deep resonate, rhythmic breath. It puts me to sleep Locked behind orange door. Walk in circles on gray floor. What do beige walls say? Five guards come to move Scabs out, she gets them to let her move. If we need something, … not their job to wait on us, it’s to watch us wait. No meds for six days. “They might be in tomorrow.” Energy seeping. Noise is outrageous. Pod has become rude teen camp Yelling in the vents. Dred tells of H-pod chairs. I want to get that on tape. Friday has arrived The Contact Center visits Jacky is amazed.. Amala visits. We talk until the phone cuts… E-mail from Iraq. One toilet, two beds, Little sink, hanging orange peel. Ah, sweet smell of orange. ..needs to organize I’d given her their numbers She’s thrilled to see them. 6 o’clock. Dinner. A shout, “Ms. Barbara, they’re here!” air sucked out of pod. Wednesday 4, shakedown Salt packets tossed in pod We remake our beds. Woosh. Window Banging. Shouting. Fifty.. sixty people there. Midnight’s moved… Too loud. Only I liked her singing 4 to 6 a.m. Looking up.. Waving, waving down from peace filled holes amazing transfer. Pushy porter fired. �14 STREETVIBES July 15-31, 2010 Art and Letters Artwork by Anne Skove Letters to the Editor Poignant and Moving To the Editor: I work on Ninth and Main, and for the last few months have become somewhat loyal to the Streetvibes vendor at Court and Walnut. I find myself looking for him, only buying the paper from him, always trying to make the effort to say hello and be honest with him (when I don’t have cash, or when I’ll return with some). I like him. Last week he handed me the paper (which I’ll admit I don’t actually read all that often), and made quick mention to “check him out on page 11.” It’s only today that I’ve finally gotten around to it, and his article absolutely blew me away. Truly. As a writer and an editor, my life revolves around words. As a reader, they are my passion and my salvation. Riccardo’s words floored me, so beautifully and artfully were they written. His message and its delivery struck a very deep chord, and I’m shamed to admit I was more than a little surprised and how intelligent and eloquent he was. Yet another case of making simple assumptions, of people in certain situations, or of a certain gender, or race … and finding them utterly incorrect. So moved was I by his article that I shared it with a co-worker who also knows of Riccardo (and who wanted to know after reading if I’d sent my “comment” e-mail yet). In fact, it was all I could do not to jump up from my desk, in my air-conditioned building, at my very safe and stable job, and run out right that minute to talk to Riccardo about his article, call him by name (now that I know it), look him in the eye and tell him how good, really good his writing is. I look forward to doing just that the next time I see him (perhaps tomorrow?), but I also wanted to take a moment to say thanks, to you, Streetvibes staff and vendors, for doing something so good, so real and so positive. And for giving me an opportunity to get to know a fellow human being just a bit better. And for getting to read his poignant and moving words. And for making me think. Stephanie Meinberg Cincinnati Have something on your mind? Want to comment on an article or vendor? Let us know: 117 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvibes2@yahoo.com If you like what you read, but don’t live in the Cincinnati area, you can subscribe to Streetvibes. Call us at 513-421-7803 x 12 to learn more about subscribing to Streetvibes. �15 Resources STREETVIBES July 15-31, 2010 Need Help or Want to Help? Shelter: Women and Children 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 FreeStore/FoodBank Central Access Point Bethany House 381-SAFE 557-2873 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 4600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 St. Vincent de Paul 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224 Salvation Army 762-5660 241-1064 562-8841 872-9259 357-4602 352-2902 352-6363 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Mental Health Access Point Mercy Franciscan at St. John 558-8888 981-5800 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214 131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter Health Resource Center Homeless Mobile Health Van McMicken Dental Clinic 458-6670 977-4489 Treatment: Men Other Resources Shelter: Men Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 921-1613 Center Independent Living Options Emmanuel Community Center 961-2256 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 Prospect House Justice Watch 241-0490 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 Starting Over 1419 Elm Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Treatment: Both 761-1480 1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237 Drop Inn Center 721-0643 471-1100 221-3350 3330 Jefferson, Cinti, Ohio 45220 Housing: CMHA Excel Development OTR Community Housing 721-4580 632-7149 381-1171 114 W. 14th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Tom Geiger House Dana Transitional Bridge Services Volunteers of America Anna Louise Inn 621-5300 961-1983 OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 St. Francis Soup Kitchen Churches Active in Northside 241-2965 Hamilton County ADAS Board Recovery Health Access Center Sober Living Talbert House 946-4888 281-7422 681-0324 641-4300 People Working Cooperatively The Caring Place United Way Women Helping Women Off The Streets 351-7921 631-1114 211 977-5541 768-6924 St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry 863-3184 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 Advocacy Northern Kentucky Catholic Social Action Community Action Agency Contact Center 421-3131 569-1840 381-4242 859-491-8303 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 579-8547 241-9400 421-1108 363-3300 421-2437 621-1868 Women’s Crisis Center VA Domiciliary VA Homeless 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. Legal Aid Society Ohio Justice & Policy Center Faces Without Places Stop AIDS Brighton Center ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 Health Center for Respite Care 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 535-2719 591-2246 771-4800 751-0600 721-4811 Hamilton/Middletown 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 961-4555 751-0643 381-1954 421-5211 Food/Clothing Lord’s Pantry OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 351-0422 381-6672 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 Joseph House (Veterans) 217 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Interfaith Hospitality Network Lighthouse Youth Center (Youth) AA Hotline CCAT Goodwill industries Healing Connections Mary Magdalen House 1223 Main St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 2728 Glendora Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45209 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 381-0111 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 First Step Home 961-4080 621-5514 214 E. 14th St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 661-4620 Shelter: Both Anthony House (Youth) 1308 Race St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Treatment: Women 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Mt. Airy Shelter 241-2600 241-2563 Crossroad Health Center 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 381-2247 859-491-3335 859-559-5011 859-572-6226 �16 Artists as Activists STREETVIBES July 15-31, 2010 Poetry that Keeps the Door Open Jerry Judge’s unexpected outcome “ Poetry found me and gave me a different voice,” says Jerry Judge, a Cincinnati poet who started seriously writing only in his mid-forties. “I was having strong feelings about many issues and not a good way to express them adequately. Poetry worked for me; it gave me a powerful tool to get them out.” While growing up, Judge loved to read; he wrote a few short stories for his own pleasure, also on high school and college assignments; he even published a couple in his twenties. He also occasionally wrote poems in an attempt to impress girls. His academic career, however, took him into business administration and then social work, a field he has worked in ever since. Initially and for a long time he held a demanding and stressful job in public child welfare; it consumed most of his time. For the past nine years he has been a caseworker for Big Brothers/Big Sisters, a mentoring program that pairs kids with adults who serve as their role models. In 1990, deciding to slow down professionally, Judge took a writing workshop. This is when he discovered his strong affinity for poetry; he has been writing it since, publishing his poems in various magazines, in seven chapbooks to date, participating regularly in writing groups and in public readings. “With poetry everything came out – my thoughts, feelings, fantasies, joys, worries, questions,” he says. “Each poem would take me on a different discovery path, put me in touch with unexpressed or unexplored parts of myself, and the outcome often unexpected.” A rtists ctivists as By Saad Ghosn Contributing Writer As a result Judge wrote about fatherhood, family life, relationships, death, social issues, politics. His poems on justice, peace and wars, also abounded even though hard to come because of all the feelings and pain involved and all it took to dig them out. Judge did not shy away from them, however; he wrote many over the years, pertaining to the violence of wars, the futility of innocent deaths, the inflicted ravages of youthful demise, the hypocrisy of warmongers. He recently put them all in a chapbook he titled, Night Talk in the Barracks. “It was important to let them all out together in a book,” he says, “They were clearly stating my anti-war perspective, and I was loudly saying: ‘This is me.’ ” “Cleansing for Americans,” one of the poems in the book, satirically addresses the attraction Americans have for violence and their self-destructive use of might and weapons when facing the problems of the world. Through his words, Judge progressively overlapped bombs with flags, with church, and transformed an apparent ode to violence into a sarcastic American prayer: “We will wave our flags and bomb./We will attend church and bomb./Bombs will cleanse./Hallelujah!/ Forgive us our sins./Hallelujah!/Bombs. Bombs. Bombs.” In “Deep In The Heart,” he treats of money, greed and wealth, of their self gratifying role in Jerry Judge. Photo by Saad Ghosn. triggering and shaping wars: “How right to have a in anti-war activities, rallying with similar minded President/dedicated to the super rich./At straobjectors in Austin, Texas, writing regularly for the Fatigue Press, an alternative press for military tegic points across America,/certain men will men. Whenever he feels a peace and justice issue pause and contemplate/their wealth. The gleam needs to be heard, he is always prompt at writing from their smiles/will light the skies of Afghaniletters to the editor or to congress, participating in stan and Iraq.” His poem, “No Forwarding Admarches and demonstrations. dress,” goes back to the Gulf war. Its title evokes In Cincinnati, Judge has also been instrumental death, loss of contact, abandonment, reflective at strengthening the voice of other poets, encourof Judge’s feelings at the time, sorrow mixed with aging them in their writing and publishing. He anger and a sense of isolation. Images of violence is an active participant in the Cincinnati Writers coincide with the insensitivity to violence when Project and the Greater Cincinnati Writers League, it affects others and the callous detachment from groups that meet regularly to read, review and crireality when TV announcers play only the out-oftique poetry, develop writing skills, foster learntouch advertisers. It also reminds of Cincinnati ing, at the same time mentoring emerging poets City Council’s proposal to outlaw begging by the and forging relationships. homeless in order to not inconvenience downJudge will continue writing poetry, as it is his town merchants. Judge closes on all these feelings voice. with the image of empty eyes, a metaphor for the “I would like to write more about homelesslost soul of society, a statement he felt applicable ness, about progresto our country. sive issues I have Judge reads his podeep feelings for, the ems in public whenBy Jerry Judge environment, childever he can, sharing his hood, warfare, climate feelings and powerful warming,” he says. “Also I should have known at the stadium. images with varied about poverty, domestic audiences. Quarterback’s neck snapped. violence, child abuse; “I feel the need to Fifty thousand frenzied fans cheering dissident poetry that inshare my poetry, to tackler dancing flamenco over still body. volves me from within, have someone else that is universal. I learn hear it or read it,” he I should have known from television. a lot when I write. Poetsays. “I want it to make Clean-cut announcers foaming at mouth. ry keeps the door open an impact. When I feel American flags undulating as and lets me wander, like strongly about someIraq’s people are blown into scraps. an explorer, inside my thing, I have to voice it, own territory.” and my poetry comes to I should have known from City Hall. Judge also wants his my rescue. It becomes To protect downtown merchants poetry to trigger action my conversation, my an ordinance was passed in himself and in others. communication. I use forbidding begging. He wants it to clearly it to trigger awareness, and loudly state his thinking, to plant a I finally knew when I opened the curtains beliefs, to reflect who he seed.” on the other side of his eyes. is. He always carries in Judge has also been Void. Empty. his wallet “As a Man,” a an activist for peace No forwarding address. poem by David Ignatow, beyond his poetry. whose last lines say, "I When in his early am haunted by the poem/yet to be written/that twenties he enlisted to avoid being drafted to I may live as a poem/when I die as a man." This Vietnam, he soon became a conscientious objecwould also be his wish. tor, ready for imprisonment if not discharged. Awaiting court decision, he actively participated No Forwarding Address Artists as Activists is a regular column highlighting Greater Cincinnati artists who use art as a vehicle for change. Saad Ghosn is the founder of SOS Art. Ghosn can be contacted at saad.ghosn@uc.edu. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2010 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource July 15-31, 2010 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Championing the Workers’ Rights The trail of Tears, Trail of Death Pg 2: Street Wise Pg 3: Photo Essay Pg 4: Championing the Worker’s Rights Continued The Trail of Tears, Trail of Death Continued Pg 5: The Trail of Tears, Trail of Death Continued Time to Revive Good Manners Pg 6: Church Group Lobbies for Jobs The Weedy, Wild Wild West Pg 7: Cakes, Jell-O and Ale in Fear Pg 8: Go Vibrant Pg 9: The Voice of the Street… Pg 10: The Weedy, Wild Wild West Continued Pg 11: Best-Laid Plans Sometimes Work Is Graffiti a Crime or an Art Form? Pg 12: Cakes, Jell-O and Ale in Fear Pg 13: Jail Haiku-the Verse Things I saw Pg 14: Arts & Poetry Pg 15: Resources Pg 16: Poetry that Keeps the Door Open Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource July 15-31, 2010 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gregory Flannery Lynne Ausman Nick Swartsell Veronica Glass John Peet Casey Salsinger Jeni Jenkins Michelle Dillingham Samantha Groark Margo Pierce Paul Kopp Jeremy Flannery Michael Henson David Heitfield Corey Gibson Jeni Jenkins Saad Ghosn Lew Moores Larry Gross Eli Braun Jesse Call B. Clifton Burke Michael Fanning Aimie Willhoite Anne Skove Vinit Murthy Jon Hughes Lynn Baker Jeremy Flannery Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF affordable housing Aimie Willhoite Anne Skove Arts & Poetry B. Clifton Burke California Casey Salsinger Corey Gibson David Heitfield Eli Braun Government Graffiti Gregory Flannery Jeni Jenkins Jeremy Flannery Jerry Judge Jesse Call John Peet Jon Hughes Larry Gross Lew Moores Lynn Baker Lynne Ausman Margo Pierce Marijuana Michael Fanning Michael Henson Michelle Dillingham Migrant Nick Swartsell Paul Kopp Photography Saad Ghosn Samantha Groark Seattle Veronica Glass Vinit Murthy Workers Rights https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/fdafad13d654995db5d8042f1b70ccdd.pdf 493998e99b07fe1b59e0875daf7bcc91 PDF Text Text Sexy, Yummy, Veggie P. 8 Art to Save Our Souls P. 3 Will it Be Moved? P. 11 STREETVIBES $1 July 15 - August 2, 2009 • Advocating Justice, Building Community • Issue 157 A Streetcar Named ‘Democracy’ NAACP wants voters to decide By Paul KoPP Contributing Writer The Cincinnati Chapter of the NAACP wants citizens to decide on a proposed streetcar plan approved by city council. The plan calls for the construc­ tion of a 3.9-mile long street­ car line around downtown and parts of Over-the-Rhine, with a connector leading to uptown neighborhoods at the top of the hill. The city hopes the streetcars will create new jobs, business and economic growth. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peo­ ple (NAACP) wants voters to decide. The NAACP has circu­ lated petitions for an amend­ ment to the city charter that would require a referendum Streetcars of varying designs and styles are seen in many large American cities. to determine whether a major transportation project, such as In addition to the $200 million cost to build the tions to make sure voters get to decide. streetcars, should be approved. The NAACP says it “All we are demanding is a vote,” says Christo­ streetcar system, operating costs will cause a furhas already submitted sufficient signatures to put the pher Smitherman, president of the NAACP. “They ther $60 million dollar issue on the ballot but is continuing to circulate peti­ seem to fear people voting on this issue.“ imbalance, Smitherman See Streetcar, p. 4 Making More Than Pizza Q&A with the head of Venice on Vine By angela Pancella Contributing Writer Rina Saperstein is executive director of Power Inspires Prog­ ress, which operates Venice on Vine, a restaurant and employ­ ment-education program at 1301 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine. What is Venice on Vine? The restaurant's purpose it to sell good food and be a com­ fortable place to visit. We're about more than just pizza. Be­ cause we're an employment education program, we are helping our employees gain a work history and job skills so they can get out and get a better job. What are the requirements to work here? One of our eligibility criteria is that our employees have to be from inner-city Cincinnati. Right now we have people from places like Avondale, Price Hill, Camp Washington. A fair num­ ber come from Over-the-Rhine. A fair number are from tempo­ rary homeless shelters and transitional housing. Other criteria: You must be over 18, you must want to work, you must want to make chang­ es. We're not a part-time or See Pizza, p. 7 Venice on Vine teaches local residents more than just preparing delicious pizza. Photo by Andrew Anderson. �2 The Vibe By The Numbers 6 the day in July when a radio commentator talked about ordinariness as a virtue (see page 5). 7-14 the ages for kids to learn meditation at a Tibetan Buddhist monastery (see page 14). $200 the cost, in millions, of the proposed streetcar system (see page 1). 72 the number of hours the Navy put a sailor in the desert to prepare him for torture (see page 5). 4 the number of American Indians portrayed on a T-shirt protesting European colonization (see page 3). 3.9 the number of miles covered by a proposed streetcar system for the city of Cincinnati (see page 1). StreetSense STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 By Kayla ThornTon Contributing Writer Fun with Sexually Transmitted Diseases Infertility, brain damage, heart disease, birth defects, cancer and death are among the benefits promoted by CityBeat’s new twist on alternative journalism. “Dear Maija,” a column by Maija Zummo, CityBeat’s listing editor, serves up a twenty-something version of advice that is irre­ sponsible at best and, at worst, down right creepy. Her July 1 column isn’t only offensive; it’s dangerous. “I have herpes and I hate it,” Rock and a Burny Place writes. “I’m very good looking, and men always hit on me, but I feel as though I shouldn’t go home with them because they might get her­ pes from me and then get pissed about it. I’ve thought about trying to get someone to emotionally rely on me enough that I could tell him the truth and then take those drugs they advertise on TV and just try not to give him herpes, but what if I get sick of his neediness?” Zummo responds, “Don’t take yourself so seriously. Some people (you, condom companies, etc.) act like STDs aren’t a joke, but the truth is they are — all of them except AIDS, which isn’t funny. Another joke is that most guys in Cincinnati already have herpes. I’d say that one out of four guys you meet at a bar, especially a bar downtown, will have herpes. So you have a one in four chance of sleeping with someone who’s already infected, which cancels itself out. You and this new herpes-riddled suitor could even laugh about each other’s outbreaks and playfully make fun of each other’s genital sores. (I told you STDs were funny!)” the street on which Mark Shears often sells Streetvibes (see page 6). 20 the number of dollars that keep addicts from getting help (see page 10). 47 the percent of employees being laid off by Hamilton County of Jobs and Family Services (see page 12). Address: 117 East 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 Phone: 513.421.7803 x 12 Fax: 513.421.7813 Email: streetvibes2@ yahoo.com Website: www. cincihomeless.org Blog: streetvibes. wordpress.com Streetvibes Staff Yeah, funny. Fun with Fake Pills Editor Gregory Flannery The “one in four” chance of hooking up with a herpes-infected man apparently is a guess, something not checked with the health department, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) or any other medical professional. Art Director Lynne Ausman Here’s another little ditty from the CDC that Zummo didn’t bother with: “Young people (ages 15 to 24) have fives times the reported chlamydia rate of the general population.” That demo­ graphic is a big part of CityBeat’s readership – people who need sound advice on safe sex. In­ stead, this is what they get. Zummo goes so far as to recommend a specific prescription drug for treatment. “ … if you aren’t a gambling sort of woman, I’d suggest either a) getting a Valtrex prescrip­ tion or b) stealing an orange pill bottle and writing ‘Valtrex’ on it,” she writes. “Then the next time you’re at a bar trying to lure some muscled hottie in light-colored jeans back to your place, just ‘accidentally’ drop the Valtrex bottle out of your purse. Eventually you’re going to find a guy who looks at the bottle and makes the following positive conclusions about you: 1) you’re easy, 2) you have herpes and 3) you care about managing your outbreaks, which he’ll see as both responsible and attractive. So my advice is … get a Valtrex prescription and start going to downtown bars.” But she doesn’t stop there. Fun with Date Rape 12th Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by people who are or once were homeless, in exchange for a $1 donation, Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. “Even if you don’t find the right guy with herpes, there’s still a 50 percent chance you’ll get roofied. Either way you’ll get laid.” For the uninformed, a “roofie” is a slang term used to describe a powerful sedative that’s slipped into a person’s drink – usually a woman’s – in order to knock her unconscious in order to rape her. Also referred to as a “date-rape drug,” some are GHB, Rohypnol and Ketamine. Could all of this be dismissed as an attempt at satire? The column isn’t so labeled. A staff writer (without a medical degree) offers medical advice, suggests date rape as a “positive” way to get laid and encourages theft in response to a question about spreading herpes to unsuspecting men. Isn’t that funny? The CDC has brought about the decline of many STDs though education and awareness. It combats the uninformed and dangerous misinformation spread by sixth-grade kids and now, sadly, a newspaper, CityBeat. Instead of helping to end a health epidemic, the paper gives instruc­ tions on how to keep it going. If the forum were a publication with a reputation for authentic satire, such as The Onion, this could be dismissed. But in a newspaper trading on its reputations for award-winning journalism (as CityBeat Co-publisher John Fox did in the same edition in which this column appeared), this kind of writing crosses so many journalistic and ethical lines it’s unconscionable. StreetSense is an occasional column written under pseudonyms to prevent the authors from losing their jobs. Contributing Writers Lew Moores, Margo Pierce, Paul Kopp, Jeremy Flannery, Michael Henson, David Heitfield, Alecia Lott, Larry Gross, Stephanie Dunlap, Suhith Wickrema, Georgine Getty, Angela Pancella, Jaisha Garnett Photography/Artwork Andrew Anderson, Paul Kopp, Aimie Willhoite, Lynne Ausman Proofreader Jennifer Blalock The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati through coordination of services, public education, grassroots advocacy and Streetvibes. We are members of: �STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 Art Review Art for the Mind and Spirit 3 An exhibition for the socially conscious and unafraid By Margo Pierce Contributing Writer A Buddhist monk, an un­ description of Janie, Jackie employed writer and a doc­ and Jody, my body stiffens: It’s evocative, laden with meaning that the artist brings in addition tor walk into an art exhibit, “My recent art has been an to that of the viewer. Awareness and thoughtfulness are as much on and what follows is as sur­ exploration of the mentally display as swaths of paint and clay sculptures. real as that unusual mix of ill or brain-diseased self as people. One reason might it relates to how we as inbe that this isn’t a madedividuals see our identities for-TV-movie art show with wine and cheese and people dressed in diamonds and how society as a whole views us.” and Dolce & Gabbana. This exhibit, at the Art Academy of Cincinnati in Over­ Is art supposed to consider those unpleasant and uncomfortable things that we The-Rhine, is described as “a community art show and event of sociopolitical don’t discuss over dinner when the entire family has gathered and young ears are expressions for peace and justice.” SOS (Save Our Souls) Art has images of present? Why not? Who said it has to just be about flowers and pretty landscapes controversial comedian George Carlin hanging with collages supporting gay that make us feel happy or connect us to pleasant experiences from our past? marriage and a drawing of former Vice President Dick Cheney going off a cliff These pieces make me think, challenge my preconceived notions, inspire re­ in a wheelchair. actions I couldn’t anticipate. This art gets to me. The first piece in the exhibit, Waiting for the Wolf, is a life-size statue of a The use of words stands out to me, the writer. As a woman, it was also an­ young girl wearing a red velvet cape. Nothing unusual about that, until you get noying. Man, mankind and humanity – nowhere did I see womankind. At the closer and see the child is covered in pieces of egg shell. Her body is a collage of top of Who Are the Founding Fathers by Tom Phelps is a picture of four Native broken fragile white bits with only the eyes of a retail store mannequin intact. American men in full feather and animal-skin regalia positioned in front of the The artist, Kymber Henson, four dead U.S. presidents on focuses her work on the fragil­ Mount Rushmore. The center ity of childhood and the hor­ of the piece is a T-shirt with rors many children witness, a row of American Indians according to Saad Ghosn, the on horseback done up in war doctor and artist who orga­ paint and full “riot” gear of nizes SOS Art every year. The bows, arrows, guns and other exquisite detail of those tiny weaponry. “Fighting terrorism pieces so carefully placed is since 1492,” the T-shirt says. remarkable, even beautiful, No indication is given that, until my mind registers the prior to the arrival of Europe­ ironic symbolism, the shatter­ ans, women served as the head ing implications of innocence of most American Indian tribes lost in the red cape of Little or that white men refused to Red Riding Hood. acknowledge their positions Henson offers a chilling of power and respect. description of Waiting for the Words are as powerful as Wolf. images, so when Ghosn says “My piece relates to the “patriarchy” when describ­ vulnerability of childhood, ing one of the nine panels of whether it's a child who suf­ his woodcut I react internally. fers from incest and feels help­ A circumcised penis poking less or any child at the mercy down out of the sky dropping of human traffickers or serial globs of semen onto a land­ pedophiles," Henson says. scape of people below isn’t ‘The Observer’ by Saad Ghosen. Photo Saad Ghosn. Sexual assault, physical something I would have cho­ violence, malnutrition, aban­ sen to illustrate the missing donment, under-funded public schools, waking up sick in the middle of the night feminine. My mind rebels at the male focus on the missing feminine. As I stand alone, juvenile detention, addiction and a host of other terrors flood my mind, on his right and the monk on his left, he explains that a portion of The Observer until it’s too upsetting to look at that piece of art that probably took hundreds of illustrates his frustration with the negative impact male domination has had on hours to create. A voyeur, I want to look. An advocate, I have to tear my eyes our culture. It was another piece I didn’t feel comfortable discussing with a away because there’s nothing I can do about all of that standing in an exhibit. monk. But is that true? Walking the classroom galleries, my head already swimming with thoughts That is the power of SOS Art. It’s evocative, laden with meaning that the art­ and reactions, I take in the pictures: One is “two victims of war,” depicting the ist brings in addition to that of the viewer. Awareness and thoughtfulness are as killer and the killed and the obituary pages of the New York Times post 9-11-01 much on display as swaths of paint and clay sculptures. – many faces smiling, some not. What does the monk think of this first piece after hearing about the varied The walls are covered in controversy, suffering, anger, hope (more Obama ways in which adults tell him they suffered as children? I wonder but I don’t images than I was prepared to count), fear, passion. I felt surrounded by the ask. Besides, he’s already moved on past the next several pieces and is asking most important issues of our time, uncensored. Ghosn is right: The art school is Ghosn about a picture. the perfect place for this exhibit because he isn’t forced to choose which images The lobby gallery is the first of three – the other two are upstairs – and I’m must be left out because of being politically incorrect or offensive – the stan­ torn between intrigue and anxiety. If this is just the beginning, what’s to come? dards are content and quality. As a feeling of being overwhelmed starts to grow, I hear my name called. Af­ ‘Art gets to me’ ter looking at Peace Men, a sculpture by Gloria McConnaghy – a happy Buddha in the center – we move down the hall to look out the window at the end. An “I want to go to the place where I am nothing and everything.” This statement artist several stories below is painting a mural on a brick wall. The painting is of by India Ayre is part of a painting called Present Moment by Lisa Vaughn. people painting: a pretty picture in the real world devoid of controversy. Wandering empty classrooms with art on the walls – some nubbly with paint and compositions made of three-dimensional objects – I keep my hands in my For a better world pockets, restraining my fingers from touching. The casual setting makes me want to believe it’s OK to feel those pieces, unlike a museum with guards and SOS Art isn’t just an opportunity for like-minded people to gather, bemoan squawking radios. I’m not visually impaired, a reasonable excuse for wanting the current cultural climate and go home feeling depressed and disempowered to touch in order to experience. But not being able to touch makes me feel I’m by the impossibility of significant change. A schedule of events that engages missing something. people in conversation and inspires action is part of the two-week exhibition. Then I see a series of three paintbrushes caked with white paint, each con­ “Movement Inquiry Workshop,” directed by Ethan Philbrick – performer, mu­ tained in a box, like a shallow diorama, hung in a trilogy. I can’t touch those even sician, dancer, filmmaker and educator – is an “interactive performance focus­ if I were allowed, but I can still feel their stiffness. As I read artist Kurt Storch’s ing on themes of social justice, accountability, See Art, p. 9 �STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 Community News 4 No License to A Streetcar Named ‘Democracy’ Look Real-estate agent peeked, but was it a crime? By gregory Flannery editor Climbing a ladder to look into a vacant house is trespassing even if there is no sign saying, “Keep Out,” and even if the person taking a peek is a real-estate agent, according to a July 2 ruling by the Ohio First District Court of Appeals. In a scathing dissent, Appeals Judge Mark Painter said the conviction was silly. “Evidently being short on criminals, we are now reduced to convicting realtors for looking at foreclosed houses,” he wrote. Acting as his own attorney, Michael Janson appealed his con­ viction in Hamilton County Municipal Court. When a neighbor saw Janson climbing into a vacant house, he called the sheriff’s office. Janson stayed until the deputy ar­ rived and admitted he’d looked inside, saying his mother was interested in bidding on the property. The deputy arrested him. “As a realtor who specialized in foreclosures, Janson could have arranged a legitimate viewing of the property without the necessity of climbing up a ladder and look­ In addition, the ing in a window without any kind of authoneighbor who called rization,” the appeals the cops on Janson court ruled. had mown the vacant Ohio law doesn’t re­ property’s lawn. Why quire signs forbidding wasn’t he prosecuted people from entering for trespassing? other people’s property without permission, - Judge Mark Painter the ruling found. In his dissent, Paint­ er sneered at the convic­ tion, straining to find any sign of criminal conduct. “The defaulting owners had vamoosed,” he wrote. “Who knows if it were even possible to get permission to look at the house? So he stopped there and peeked in the window (accord­ ing to his testimony), using a ladder that was leaning against the house. For this he was arrested, taken to the hoosegow, pre­ sumably in irons, and made to post bail. He was then made a convicted criminal. Janson was no burglar. When the neighbor called the law, he waited for the officer to arrive. Where was the crime?” If anything, Janson did the owners of the property a favor, Painter argued. “It would be more reasonable to assume that the owners of the house, having defaulted on the mortgage, would have been more than amenable to a realtor checking the house out with a view to bidding on it — the higher the bid, the less the default­ ing owners owe,” Painter wrote. In addition, the neighbor who called the cops on Janson had mown the vacant property’s lawn. Why, Painter asked, wasn’t he prosecuted for trespassing? Although trespassing is one of the least serious criminal con­ victions in Ohio law, the way this case was handled brings to mind great injustices in classical literature, according to Paint­ er. “Someone should have had the common sense to dismiss this case before it came to trial,” he wrote. “Failing that, the trial judge should have thrown it out. Failing that, this court should do the right thing. But all failed. And a 52-year-old lawabiding citizen is dragged through the court system and made a convict. Michael Janson must feel like Jean Valjean — except that Valjean actually committed a crime. Janson is not guilty of a crime. His misfortune is that he lives in a county where he would be convicted anyway.” (continued from page 1) says. The NAACP believes that, even if the city receives federal funding, taxes surely will be increased, he says. “Once they interject our money, it’s something differ­ ent. (City council) forgets the money they are talking about isn’t theirs,” Smitherman says. “If there is one thing I understand, its money. I’m a stockbroker.” Construction costs for the project total $128 million, ac­ cording to Meg Olberding, a spokeswoman for city man­ ager. Money for construction Seventh and Walnut in downtown Cincinnati could one day be will come from capital fund­ a streetcar stop. Photo by Paul Kopp. ing, which can only be used for long-term projects, she the route, the streetcar sys­ devleopment of the streetcar, says. Taxes won’t increase, tem will help close the budget they will be responsible for but instead the city will pay deficit. It is the city’s general its upkeep, which Monzel for the project using revenue fund that has a deficit – but the says the city estimates will from various sources, one be­ city never planned on using cost roughly $3 million a year. ing the sale of Blue Ash Air­ that money for the streetcars, “They are hoping to get half of port. The city also expects to she says. Their hope is that that in fares, but what if they receive funding from the fed­ the streetcar will replenish the don’t get half of that in fares?” fund. Monzel says. “Their business eral govern­ plan is a little weak. One of “It’s been ment. The city says proven in two my big fears is we are going “The city taxes won’t different stud­ to be on the hook to maintain has found ies that street­ this thing.” increase, but $61 million cars bring Monzel says city officials dollars,” Ol­ instead the city don’t almost 3-to-1 realize the strength of berding says. will pay for the grassroots opposition to the return on an “We need $57 project using investment,” streetcars. million more, revenue from “There are people out there Olberding and that is various sources, says. who are saying, ‘This is a proj­ what we are ect that is going to impact one Chris Mon­ one being the presenting to zel, a Repub­ neighborhood and there are the federal sale of Blue Ash lican, is the 50 other neighborhoods out government.” Airport. only member here that need funding, that Smither­ of city coun­ need economic development man, a city cil to oppose projects but they don’t need a councilmember from 2003­ the plan. He says he supports streetcar,” he says. 2005, says the city budget is Mayor Mark Mallory and already looking at a $20 mil­ the NAACP’s proposed char­ lion deficit for 2009 and $40 ter amendment because he city council members in sup­ million for next year. He also believes that voters should port of the streetcars didn’t says he warned his colleagues decide on any project of such respond to e-mail and phone at City Hall of the under-fund­ a large magnitude. He also messages seeking comment. ing of the city’s retirement believes the streetcar system Some council aides directed will require new taxes. He questions to the city manager fund, but they didn’t listen. “Will city council, the compares the issue to the sales and Cincinnatians for Prog­ mayor, the manager – all of tax for the Reds and Bengals ress, a pro-street car lobby, them – continue to ignore this stadiums, which voters ap­ neither of which responded. Councilman Chris Bortz – financial crisis in July 2009 proved. “For such a massive project, who, Smitherman says – owns by pushing the building of a $200 million streetcar that we something bigger than Paul property along the proposed cannot afford to operate?” he Brown Stadium, it just makes streetcar route, was one of sense to have a vote,” Monzel those who couldn’t be reached. says. In addition to more taxes, says. “(City council members) Tracy Schwetschenau, Bortz’s Smitherman speculates that supported the vote on the sta­ chief of staff, says he doesn’t the city will layoff 600 work­ dium sales tax, but now when have a Blackberry to access ers, which is about 10 percent it comes to this, you say ‘No, his city e-mail, but she’d give no, no, we don’t want to put him the interview request if he of its staff. visited his office at City Hall. Olberding acknowledges that on the ballot.’ ” He also believes the opera­ With council out of session the city’s budget problems but says that, by spurring eco­ tional costs for the streetcar this month, things are pretty nomic growth through new will be a potential problem. slow there, and they are happy businesses and housing along Though the city does plan to about that, Schwetschenau receive capital funding for the says. Missed an Issue? Check out the Streetvibes archive at www.cincihomeless.org/content/streetvibes �STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 Issues None Dare Call Him Lawrence 5 Larry Gross and the art of the ordinary By gregory Flannery editor A commentator on National Public Radio on July 6 la­ mented “the elevation of ordi­ nariness to a virtue.” He was referring to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin but made me think of Larry Gross and his new book, Living Out Loud. Gross doesn’t commit the vice of elevating ordinariness but he does celebrate it – when he isn’t busy shaking his fist at it or trying to improve it. Full disclosure: I wrote the introduction to the book, and some of the essays mention me. See? Ordinariness. What’s extraordinary about Gross’s work is his deter­ mination to extract meaning from the chaos around him. Bus rides become occasions for moral intimacy, outrage or wonder. Bars, preferably What’s extraordinary about Gross’s work is his determination to extract meaning from the chaos around him. Bus rides become occasions for moral intimacy, outrage or wonder. Bars are where his muses hold forth. Far from trying to pretty up the grit that makes up the characters’ innards and their environs alike, Gross studies them as a naturalist would, cataloging the latest act of discourtesy or gentleness that he runs across. filled with smoke, are where his muses hold forth. Far from trying to pretty up the grit that makes up the characters’ innards and their environs alike, Gross studies them as a naturalist would, cataloging the latest act of discourtesy or gentleness that he runs across. “I have a willingness to talk to anybody, and I think that opens you up to encounters you wouldn’t have otherwise,” he says. “I also think by mak­ ing eye contact – which a lot of people in this town won’t do – you’re letting yourself in for it a little bit.” The dig at “this town” is intentional. Most of Gross’s essays first appeared in CityBeat, where he has also pub- See Larry, p. 13 Larry Gross, author of ‘Living Out Loud.’ Photo by Andrew Anderson. Heroism and White Guilt Shower lessons and other kinds of torture By DaviD heiTFielD Contributing Writer his age and weight (rocks in his pocket) to enlist in WWII, was a prisoner of war. “Nothin' Whenever I'm out drinking to talk about,” he said, and we with Republicans, the script never talked of it again. I have usually calls for an interven- his Purple Heart. He never tion – not about my drinking, really talked about the times of course, but he was shot, about my evil either: “Just There was a hot political views doin' a job.” box, there was – that ends in The marwaterboarding, a predictable keting tool of there was lots stalemate, fol“Support Our of slamming lowed by someTroops” exists people against one offering me as a politically walls. a hearty handcorrect piousshake and a ness to hide drunkenly sinthe ugly side of cere “Thank you for serving conservative White Guilt. So, our country.” I'm here to help. It makes me throw up a Thirty years ago I vollittle in my mouth. And that's unteered for the Navy and not necessarily the drinking, worked as a Korean linguist either: I get the same gassy for four years. While America feeling when I see a soccer was a different place then – mom driving like hell while my high school had a smoktalking on her cell phone, her ing lounge for students – and barely-controlled SUV sport- the service was peacetime, ing a “Support Our Troops” maybe I can give you a few bumper sticker and a ribbon. things to think about so that Or over the recent Fourth of the next time you feel the need July weekend, which televi- to shake a vet's hand to thank sion has now turned into a him for his service, you'll first “Support Our Troops” holiday. wonder just where that hand So now we support our troops has been. on Veterans Day and of course Memorial Day and of course Cut vertically the Fourth. On Thanksgiving, we are thankful for our troops. I was enticed into the miliAt Christmas, we remember tary by an attractive woman those stationed overseas for I met at a party who was attheir sacrifices. tending the Naval PostgraduI was 30 when I found out ate School in Monterey, Camy late father, who lied about lif. She told me Monterey was about the most beautiful spot on earth, and there was a language school there, and I should look into it. After my recruiter sold me on the idea that joining the military and wearing the Navy cracker jacks uniform would result in “getting more pussy than you can shake your dick at,” my choice was between delivering pizza to Miami Univer­ sity coeds who, at their most generous, would piss on my townie face, or I could go into the world and procreate. I was put on a train to Chicago for boot camp at Great Lakes. One area of boot camp that they don't tell in movies is the emphasis on personal hygiene, because they assume many of the recruits have been too busy being heroes to learn how to clean themselves: how to brush your teeth; how to shave (always use cold water after the shave to close your pores); how and when to shower (use Zest soap so there is no residue to clean up before an inspection), stuff like that. Company 079 was soon marked as a company that would not go through formal graduation ceremonies, so we became something of a company of rejects. Our laundry officer, from the Bronx, was expert at procuring drugs (blotter acid was popular in the day) and other contraband. I remember one night I was on duty when a kid slit his wrists. As medics were carrying him out on a stretcher, his drill instructor was screaming about how he had failed him, that if he wanted to be successful in this life he had to learn to do things right, and the next time he took a razor to his wrists he should cut vertically, down the arm. Boot camp was where I, and many others, heroically took up smoking. Smokers got frequent breaks called “smoke and Cokes,” when you could buy a soda and smoke a couple of butts. A few weeks into boot camp almost all of us were smokers. After boot camp came lan­ guage school at the Presidio of Monterey, which overlooks the Monterey Bay Peninsula. It was not only just as beauti­ ful as I'd been told, but it was California in 1979, before AIDS and even before herpes was a big concern. One friend of mine, an Air Force linguist named Pam, had a list of her sexual partners and had hoped to make 100 before she even thought of getting married. I don't know if she ever made it, because she flunked out. A friend I'd made in boot camp, who held a master's degree in something, told me during the flight to San Francisco that he was gay. He taught me about fine dining, quite the experi- See Heroism, P. 6 �Issues 6 Heroism and White Guilt STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 (continued from page 5) ence for a kid for whom “eating out” was a hamburger at the Red Barn; and also introduced me to San Francisco, which included things like “fisting” bars and other avenues for anonymous gay sex. He flunked out, too. For me, it was mostly a year of partying. Beer was cheap, and so was the sex, being pre-AIDS California. We had strippers on base once a month, and they soon added male strippers as well, with the idea that the females would get drunk and worked up and want to screw and it was good for morale all around. I made many friends. One guy, who also flunked out, introduced me to his “oneone-one” theory, which meant going down to Carmel beach, under I believe the ninth and 10th fairways at Pebble Beach Golf Club, and drink one beer, smoke one joint and eat one Quaalude and then enjoy the day. My closest friends were other people from the Midwest, as we could discuss our heroism, but there was quite the assortment of characters, including the high-school dropout with a 170 IQ, or the guy who specialized in cultivating legal ways of getting high. Silly torture Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape was a program started by the Air Force at the end of the Korean War. All we knew going in was that it involved getting tortured for a couple of days. This program was for people who might be in danger of getting captured by the enemy and is generally reserved for air crew and Navy SEALs. I was originally scheduled to fly when I got to Korea, so this is why I was sent there. I'd love to tell my personal story about surviving SERE school, but I don't have one to tell. I failed the swimming test before deployment. I honestly don't remember if it was intentional on my part or not; I do recall I wasn't crazy about the idea of getting tortured, although I'm also not a very good swimmer. Still, failing the swim test set me up for several months at Coronado, where I had nothing to do but call in at 8:30 a.m. to check in, then spend the rest of the day at the beach being a hero, while they changed my billet from a flier to a land-based analyst, which takes an inexplicably long time to do in the military. While I hung out in beautiful San Diego, I also got to meet a good number of people going into and coming out of SERE training. The gist of what I heard was this: First, there was a period of sleep deprivation and starvation, about 72 hours in the desert. After you were exhausted and weak came the capture and 24 or so hours in the POW camp. The rules were skin could not be broken and no blood drawn, but anything else was fair game. The “guards” wore vague Eastern Bloc uniforms and spoke in an exaggerated Slavic accent. There was a hot box, there was waterboarding, there was lots of slamming people against walls. Just when you thought it was all about to end, one of the guards gathered ev­ eryone in formation, brought out a Bible, told their captors in the fake Slavic accent that there was no God, no hope, only the all-knowing Commu­ nist Party to answer to, with various people telling me that the Bible was either spat upon or pages were ripped out, I guess depending on the mood. At this point, a number of otherwise strong young men would just break down and start crying, and then the cav­ alry charge would blare out, the captives would be “saved” and the ordeal ended. The most memorable story came from a guy I'd befriended about a week before he participated in SERE. He was a very pragmatic guy, a little older than most of us, and he saw this all as a silly game for some sadistic military play. During his POW session, he explained to his captors that he was sick of the silly games and he would tell them whatever they wanted to know, because he was tired and hungry and this was all kinda stupid. At that point, the Slavic accents were dropped by the guards. “We're not gonna torture you if you don't want to take part in that,” he was told, “but let me tell you what a sorry American you are.” There, after days of weaken­ ing from the lack of sleep and food, they told him stories of heroic POWs of the past, and what they had to endure, and they did so selflessly. Whatever it was, it worked. He came back a totally changed man, having been shamed into a gung-ho soldier from that point on. He described his own past personality as “cowardly” and vowed never to allow that to happen again. I don't know about the effec­ tiveness of torture for eliciting information from enemies, but it seems to be very effective in inducing conformist ideology on our own people. This is the first of a series. The Hustle Man Selling wares, time and ‘Streetvibes’ By JereMy Flannery Contributing Writer When living on the streets, you try to survive with the means at your disposal. Mark Anthony Shears sells his time and acquisitions. “People call me ‘the Hustle Man,’” he says, “because I wash people’s car windows, detail cars, and if anyone gives me clothes or other things for the FreeStore, I try to sell what I can first to get by.” Streetvibes is another item Shears sells to earn a living. He would like to attempt writ­ ing for the newspaper some­ day, he says. “I read the paper first so I know how to sell it better, to get to know the city better and know the conditions of the poor and homeless,” he says. Shears has been homeless on and off for eight years, he says. He started selling Streetvibes in December 2008. He uses a gentle yet fearless ap­ proach when selling the paper. He shakes hands with a pastor and two people in the middle of a conversation on 12th Street and shouts to a man be­ fore he escapes in his car. He sells a few copies to people standing on the sidewalks of Main Street and greets oth­ ers. He sells a copy to a man in a coffee shop and to some­ one working at Art Beyond Boundaries. He pitches sales in other stores along Main Street, but gets no bites. “I know a lot of people down here and they say, ‘That Mark Anthony is a good guy’ because I wash people’s car windows, and if people get their cars busted into, I try to find out who did it for them,” Shears says. “Some people will offer me some money but let me keep the issues so I can sell them to someone else.” Shears is a U.S. Army vet­ eran who served with an army task force in Honduras in 1988, he says. He has never received benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, he says. He studied photography at Central Texas College and earned a massage therapy license in Killeen, Texas, he says. His fall into homelessness began in New Jersey, he says. “I was living in New Jersey and was contracted to work for People Express Airlines, and I had a one-night stand and got a woman pregnant,” Shears says. He then moved to Cincin­ nati, where he was robbed of $500 meant to pay for child Mark “Hustleman” Shears is a ‘Streetvibes’ vendor and Army veteran. Photo by Andrew Anderson. support, he says. He served six months for non-payment of child support and has faced homelessness on and off ever since, he says. �STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 Q&A Making More Than Pizza 7 (continued from page 1) Venice on Vine is open Monday-Friday 10:30am - 8pm for Carry Out or to Eat In Need to grab ‘n go? Order ahead by calling (513) 221-7020. second job, we're a place you Another part of daily activi- kids?’ you have to say, ‘No, I come because you want to ties: After you've worked here have to go to work.’ If the paget in the workforce full-time six to nine months, we expect role officer wants to meet with e v e n t u a l l y. you during You do have work hours, We want people to have some successes to be physiyou have to they can talk about when they leave here. cally capable say, ‘Can we of doing the make it a dif­ - Rina Saperstein job of a resferent time?’ taurant, too. ” Your emThat means lifting 25 pounds, you to be active in job hunt- ployer's expectation is that working in hot and cold en- ing, to go to job fairs, take part you will prioritize work over vironments … and you have in mock interviews. We're one all, but everybody else exto be willing to do every job place where we don't mind if pects you to prioritize them. in the restaurant. You have to you look for a job while you're Learning how to survive in a make pizza, clean the bath- on the job! work environment is learning rooms, be on the cash register. What are some of the barri- to juggle that sense of prioriYou also have to participate ers your employees have faced ties. I say, “You don't have to in your educational develop- in looking for work? love your job, but you have to ment. All of our employees Many of the people here act like it.” work with tutors and all in have had issues of addiction We want people to have different ways. One person and are in recovery. Many some successes they can talk might be working on computer people – not all – have been about when they leave here. skills, another person might be incarcerated. For some, that's We don't want people to have studying for her GED, another minor. For others, it can be a to tell potential employers, might be saying, "How am I major barrier to employment. “Well, I had a job for a month going to start my small busi- Several people can no longer and then I left that, and then I ness?" Another person may be work in health care, for exam- went to another job and then I learning to read. In whatever ple, because of a conviction, left that one too.” The people form it takes, educational de- and so they are completely who work here can say, “I'm velopment is a requirement of changing the field in which working right now, and last the job; it's not an option. they'll work. Other people week, this happened on the You also have to show up here never grew up in an envi- job and this is how I solved for work every day; we're ronment where work was val- it.” We want people to have pretty strict about that. ued and so they never learned accomplishments and then What are the work days the skills necessary. Think to be able to talk about them like? back. How did you get your with pride. There's a big barPeople work 20 hours a first summer job? Usually rier, though, and that is there week – a four-hour shift five it's from someone you know. are very few entry-level jobs days a week, so there's plenty There can be a big barrier if in the inner city. People have of time to do whatever else people don't have connections transportation issues when you need to do in your life. to the work force. ... Even if there are jobs out in the subEvery person has an assign- the skills required in the job urbs on schedules that don't ment, which rotates every do not require a high school work with the bus lines. three weeks. If you're starting education, the employer will Also, we're creating classes new in that job, you shadow still say you need to have a of people who are unemploysomeone else. After you've high school education. able, especially considering done it for a while, somebody A lot of people lack knowl- the number of people with a then shadows you. You're re- edge of employers' expecta- conviction record. That's a se­ sponsible for your tasks. You tions. I tell people starting rious policy issue. I'd say local learn by direct supervision, here, “Be aware that when your employers have to step up. If shadowing and teaching. sister says, ‘Can I drop off the you walk into a place and you Venice on Vine is located at the corner of Vine and 13th streets in Over-the-Rhine. Rina Saperstein, executive director of Power Inspires Progress. Photos by Andrew Anderson. see a help wanted sign, say, “I know a program that could provide you with employees that have proven they have a work ethic. They can take control in a tough environment.” That would be my plea. You have to find your own value in work because it's not going to come externally; it's not always going to be bread and roses. I've seen a lot of people have a sense of pride and accomplishment. It's a really big deal when they hit their one-month or threemonth anniversary. They understand the value of that. What has surprised you at Venice on Vine? I'm surprised by how many people here are victims of violence and how that shapes their lives. I just think about the level of grief they must carry. Someone may have a son who's paralyzed, or her children's father was murdered, or his grandchild was shot. It's constant. It's like, “How can I expect people to come to work and concentrate on the pizza?” Every time you see a report of a shooting in the paper, somebody here knows them or it's somebody's family member. It's so easy to draw the lines between “us” and “them,” to think, “We're the law-abiding, good people.” But all those people are somebody's nephew, somebody's son, or somebody's gonna end up here later when they figure out they don't want to be part of that world anymore. We have people who do a wonderful job. It's not easy when 14 people walk in wanting to eat within 15 minutes. And there's constant turnover here; everybody's always training, nobody's ever fully trained. (Our employees) show up for work every day for very little pay. That's incredible dedication. I have really enjoyed getting to know a lot of the people here. We do form a community. I'm happy when people have moved on and are doing well and that does happen. What are your goals for Venice on Vine and Power Inspires Progress? I want people to come here (because) they want a good slice of pizza. It helps if they are a little tolerant, if they know we're not fast food. But we still have to put out the food. We can't run the program unless we can satisfy the customers. We make half of our money from sales. That was a really important goal, and I'm really proud we did. Our donations are huge to us and our big fundraiser in September is a quarter of our budget. (At nonprofits) we're always telling people, "You've got to work for your money, you can't de­ pend on handouts," and so we do the same. But we can't sur­ vive on just what we can earn. (Our employees) are still go­ ing to need food stamps, and we're in the same boat as the people here. It used to be the trend in non-profits to talk about selfsufficiency, but the reality is interdependency - it's resourcefulness. �8 Recipe STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 Sexy, Yummy, Veggie Your tour guide into the steamy side of vegetarian cuisine Lazy Vegetable Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce For the dipping sauce: ½ cup natural peanut butter (chunky or smooth) 1 tbsp minced garlic ¼ cup tamari or soy sauce ¼ cup water (more if needed) 1 tbsp rice vinegar 1 tsp Asian chili paste 1 tsp sugar 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves by AleCiA A. lott Contributing Writer The fact that I’m a vegan doesn’t mean I love salads. In fact, I have to force myself to eat them just like everyone else. At many casual restaurants, they’re simply a glorified steak or chicken sandwich sans bread. Once all the ani­ mal flesh and secretions are omitted, all I am often left with is wilted lettuce and maybe a few pale, measly wedges of tomato and scraps of carrot. Olive oil and vinegar – yawn – might be the only dairy-free dressing option. How depress­ ing. When I make salads at home, I enjoy them because I can throw in my favorite stuff: beans, bell peppers, artichoke hearts, nuts, dried fruit, olives. That said, salads are labor-in­ tensive and dull, with all the prep work, the green leafy healthfulness. Many of my favorite foods – French fries, sushi, chips ’n’ guacamole, samosas – have many fun things in common that salads lack: They are finger foods that don’t require utensils. (I use chop- 1. In a small bowl or food processor, combine everything except the cilantro until well blended. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Add more water if sauce is too thick. 2. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Stir in the cilantro just before serving. This sauce will keep for up to 5 days. Photo by Andrew Anderson. sticks to eat sushi because they’re fun, but sushi is traditionally a finger food.) There is a dipping sauce involved, which makes everything in life better. With the exception of the fries, they are a touch exotic, whereas big ol’ leafy salads are a very American thing. Today’s recipe, colorful Vietnamese-style spring rolls, combines the nutritious, crunchy virtuosity of a salad with the dip ’n’ dunk, otherworldly appeal of my favorite fare. The ingredients and measurements are simply a guide- ! ? t a h W y a line. You can fill them with whatever you like; and if you are lazy like me, you can just use pre-sliced veggies. The toughest part is dealing with the spring roll wrappers, which are made of delicate rice paper and can be found in the Asian section of most supermarkets. You might have to practice a few times but soon you’ll be a pro. If you don’t want to make the dipping sauce, just buy the yummy Thai Kitchen Peanut Satay Sauce, as I do. I told you I’m lazy! For the spring rolls: 8 spring roll wrappers 1 cup shredded red cabbage ¾ cup shredded carrots 1 cup broccoli slaw 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips ½ cup fresh bean sprouts ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro 1. Dip a wrapper in a shallow bowl of warm water to soften. Carefully place it on a clean towel briefly to blot, then place it on a cutting board or flat work surface. 2. Place a small amount of each ingredient on the bottom third of the wrapper (the edge closest to you). Pull the bottom edge over the filling and tightly fold in the sides. Dab the top edge with water and tightly roll up. (You can cut the roll in half if you wish, but that will make it messier to eat.) 3. Place the roll seam-side down on a serving platter. Re­ peat with remaining wrappers and filling ingredients. 4. Serve with small bowls of dipping sauce. Berta’s Art Corner S When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist. – Dom Helder Camara ________ Become a fan of Streetvibes on Facebook! “Vertical Wrap” Government Square, Downtown Cincinnati �STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 Art Review Art for the Mind and Spirit 9 (continued from page 3) and social responsibility.” Sally Lawson-Bailey leads chanting and meditation. “Immigrants and Immigrant Right Issues: a Local Perspective” is a panel dis­ cussion facilitated by Dan La Botz, historian, followed by a potluck meal, mu­ sic and the documentary film, The Cats of Mirikitani, “an intimate exploration of the lingering wounds of war and the healing power of community and art.” Live music and poetry readings are interspersed throughout the schedule, with poets scheduled to read the night we visit. They are all published in For A Better World: Poems and Drawings on Peace and Justice by Greater Cincinnati Artists. After the visual stimulation it’s hard to just listen. My eyes wander over tattoos, clothing, hair and looking for what people do while they listen. One woman knits. Unable to follow the words I hear with my eyes open, I follow along with the poems in the book Ghosn autographed before handing it to me. “I want to see the tables turned, George Bush stopped at the border Incoming, stripped of his cowboy boots and jeans, His counterfeit dignity….. Five hundred detentions per day, in this land where we are free to ignore the truth, the home of the brave and patriotic bumper sticker. (excerpted from Mohammed’s Return by Karen Arnett) My fingers flip pages, not as satisfied as they would be trailing over bumpy paint, but content to wander. The black/white/gray drawings paired with each group of poems feel stark. But maybe that’s the point. So many fight to protect their right To gluttony, ease, ignorance and spite The right to be crude The right to eat any food They desire. It sits and expires While others subsist on handouts And sound-outs, and closeouts “Get your nose out”s and “Mind your business”s Are fired like arrows at those who care Enough to say, “Wait, stop there ‘Waiting for the Wolf’ by Kymber Henson. Photo by Bill Howes. And just think.” (excerpted from Lines by Celeste Brott) This is the monk’s favorite so far, the poet’s thoughts clearly communicated on paper and in voice. The bios of all contributors reveal contributors from ages 9 to 85. At the be­ ginning of the reading, the moderator thanks Ghosn for giving local poets an opportunity to publish and be heard each year. Not one to read poetry, I’m not aware of the lack of a market or audience, but given how infrequently poetry gets the spotlight and the low value place on cultural pursuits, it makes sense. I’m glad to be present, to witness the creativity. Poet (and Streetvibes columnist) Michael Henson takes the stage and de­ mands attention with a seemingly spontaneous presentation of an engaging piece. He doesn’t sound rehearsed or hesitant – he’s excited and pulling us along with a happy and energetic cadence. What follows is A Poem for Esme and the reason for the gathering is driven home with somber silence between spoken lines. Two women close to me cry and hold hands – friends of the fam­ ily of Esme Kenny? Peace and justice are complicated concepts to understand but their lack seems obvious as the death of a young girl. Inspiring action to address the lack is important and essential. ‘Present Moment’ by Lisa Vaughn. Photo by Saad Ghosn. Throwing around words Only shows we’re lazy Letter will fall on deaf ears And empty heads. If words could change the world, Mouths would be gods And language would be magic. But we’re thrown words around Long enough. The world doesn’t need more words, The world needs action. And we need the world. – All Talk by Christopher Patterson SOS Art was May 29–June 7 at the Art Academy of Cincinnati in Over-the-Rhine. Smaller exhibitions will run throughout the year at various locations. To receive updates about where and when these shows will take place, e-mail Saad Ghosn at ghosns@ucmail.uc.edu �Column 10 For Want of Three Items Why not just help any addict who asks for it? Twenty dollars. A photo ID. A piece of mail with your name and address on it. These three items are what you will need if you want to go into detox at a center I won’t name because good people work there trying to do their best with the circumstances they are given. If you lack any one of them, you will be turned away. If your photo ID is not from the state of Ohio, you will be turned away. And the piece of mail needs to be a bill or some other of­ ficial piece of mail – not just a letter from your aunt – or you’ll be turned away. A homeless certificate, completed by one of the en­ tities legally authorized to issue a homeless certificate, will stand in for the ID and the piece of mail. But not the $20. When I took My Friend (I won’t name him either) over to the detox center, he had none of them. I thought everything had been set up with emergency-room social services. We had a 9 o’clock appointment and I picked him up at the hospital in plenty of time. But when we got there, the receptionist asked, first thing, “Do you have a photo ID, $20 and a piece of mail?” I had the $20. I was ready for that. My Friend got out his photo ID, but it was a Kentucky ID, so it didn’t count. “I don’t live there no more,” he told her, but it didn’t matter. So did he have a piece of mail? It took a moment for My Friend to register the question. He looked befuddled (he was, after all, befuddled). He searched through his wallet and came up with nothing. “Do you remember I told you, ‘Bring a photo ID, $20 and a piece of mail’? ” My Friend did not. He had been drunk or on Valium for the past 48 hours, so he was lucky to remember anything at all. So there we were. It had taken hours of work by a num- 20 minutes. Twenty minutes was too long to wait. My Friend was sent away. He got in later that day. They released him three days later and he went right back to the bottle. I don’t know if they offered him a treatment referral and he refused or if there were no post-detox treatment available. ***** Twenty dollars. A photo ID. A piece of mail with your name and address on it. Try to remember, if you ever end up homeless and addicted, to hold onto these three items. When you’re beat down and crazy and addled and you don’t by MiChAel henson know whether to live or die, but you’re willing to ber of people to get My Friend give it just one more shot, just to this point, but we were be sure you can prove who stumped for lack of an ID and you are. a piece of mail. It would be a shame to We tried to explain that ever treat the wrong person. My Friend was homeless. So It would be a shame to de­ where was his homeless cer- tox someone under false pre­ tificate? tences. It would be a shame to Time was running out here. save the wrong life. My Friend was about to lose ***** his spot to the next person on the list. We figured out that My Friend had a homeless certifiWhy is addiction differ­ cate on file and that we could ent from any other disease? get someone to fax it over in When My Friend fell down ammered H STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 Michael Henson is author of Ransack, A Small Room with Trouble on My Mind, The Tao of Longing and Crow Call. This column is part of a monthly series on poverty and addiction. and broke his arm a few days later and it got infected, he showed up at the emergency room door, broke as ever, with the same Kentucky ID and no mail in hand. No one at the ER bothered about his out-of-state ID or his lack of mail or $20. They treated him. And I know it wasn’t cheap. It involved at least three days in a hospital bed and plenty of antibiotics and a whole team of doctors and nurses. What we say is that addic­ tion is a disease like other dis­ eases. What we do is to treat it like a moral failing. Why do we set up barriers to treat­ ment? Why do we set up stan­ dards for the addict we do not have in place for anyone else? ***** What if it were simple? What if you could just show up, shaking, miserable, bowels trembling, vitals spiking, hope nearly gone, numb in mind, barely able to think, much less think straight, without ID or mail or barely a dollar to your name (that you can’t prove is yours)? What if you walk up to a facility where they said to you, “We don’t care who you are or where you come from. We can see you’re sick and we’re happy to help.” But they don’t. Maybe they say that to cli­ ents with hefty wallets and good insurance, the people who still get mail from Netflix or the phone company, who have their $20 handy. But they don’t say that to the people I take to detox, who tend to have a lot of burnt bridges but not a lot of money or official mail. But let’s imagine they could welcome anyone who showed up. Would that be a bad thing? What if we had the funding to cover beds for every addict who shows up in need? And what if we would follow up detox with treatment at what­ ever level is appropriate? And what if there were supportive case-management services available to help the addicts get their IDs and addresses together? Would there be a downside? If there is, I don’t see it. But why do I even ask? Is there a single governmental entity at the federal, state, county or local level ready to put the money behind a real effort to prevent, intervene or treat chemical dependency or provide support for the strug­ gling addict? We can have an extended debate on whether to buy an­ other boat for the Hamilton County Coast Guard. But we don’t talk at all about how to rescue My Friend. Health Food in Times of Peril A celebration of books and characters By Jaisha J. garneTT Contributing Writer The potato peel pie sadly only exists in the pages of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a novel by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows but it's probable that the ingredients would have been something like this: 2 pounds of potatoes 2 cups raw, grated potato peelings 1 cup of water 4 medium sized beets, strained and chopped The main ingredients of an epistolary novel set in 1946 that celebrates the power of books to inspire and strengthen readers in times of darkness are equally simple: 1 island under German occupation 1 roasted pig 7 founding dinner guests An armful of books Infinite letters of correspondence 1 amiable protagonist named Juliet Ashton Juliet Ashton is a young writer, a lover of all things literary, in her early thirties. As the novel opens, she is on tour promoting her book, Izzy Bickerstaff Goes to War, a collection of newspaper columns published in the newspaper the Spectator during World War II. Though the book is a success, Juliet admits to her editor that she is disgruntled at the thought of having to write another book as Izzy Bickerstaff – she doesn't want to be seen as a "light-hearted journalist anymore." Still discontent with her career, short on ideas and dispirited by the deprivation left behind by the war, she receives inspiration from a letter by a stranger on the British island of Guernsey. Dawsey Adams is inquiring about the other works of Charles Lamb, briefly speaking of living on Guernsey during the German occupation and the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Juliet's curiosity is inevitable, and so a correspondence with Dawsey begins: "Why did a roast pig dinner have to be kept a secret? How could a pig cause you to begin a literary society? What is a potato peel pie – and why is it included in your society's name?" Here's how the literary society came to be: A pig kept in secret from the German soldiers spurs a spontaneous dinner party. The guests lose track of time and find themselves sneaking back to their homes one hour past curfew. Unfortunately, the German patrol officers are alerted and begin questioning the guests. Under the pressure of the moment, Elizabeth McKenna confesses that the group had just been at a meeting of the Guernsey Lit- erary Society and that the dis­ cussion of Elizabeth and Her German Garden had been so absorbing that everyone lost track of time. What started as a lie to save themselves grew into a strong society of friends united by their love for reading. Readers learn that the society is still quite active, meeting every fortnight, and the quirky potato peel pie is still served, though the Germans have since left their island. Such an extraordinary tale couldn't help but spark Juliet's frequent communication with the rest of the Guernsey resi­ dents. Long-distance friendships begin to form and soon Juliet decides to visit the is­ land. But the visit turns into an extended stay, and research for an article in the Times spans into something greater when Juliet decides that her next book will be based on the residents of Guernsey and their life during the German occupation. Over 20 different voices are portrayed in this novel, yet it never feels disjointed. Each letter is another piece of the story. It takes a while, however, to get used to the ever changing point of views, matching the characters with their back-stories. The novel stands as an en­ tire story and does not feel fragmented. The overarch­ ing love for all things liter­ ary and the darker undertone of war connect to bring a story that speaks of life and strength. The story possesses ounces of English character, and both sweet and sour love stories wind quietly beneath the heavier story lines, con­ juring up scenarios that could fit flawlessly into the pages of any Jane Austen novel. Lighthearted without being cliché, humorous, warm and poignant to its very core, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society charms with every page. �STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 Editorial 11 The Drop is Dead, Long Live the Drop Lies, damned lies and TV news By georgine geTTy Contributing Writer was. I hear it from homeless people and social service pro­ viders. I hear it from people who love the Drop Inn Cen­ ter and people who hate it. I heard it from my hairdresser, my massage therapist, the lady bagging my groceries and the baristas at any coffee shop in town. My general rule is to wait sent to the Homeless Coali­ tion listserv, Clifford stated: “Please be aware that this “The Drop Inn Center is story is not accurate. We have closing,” it’s said with certain­ received no communications ty, urgency – the kind of voice from anyone at City Hall re­ garding forced relocation or that someone uses to tell you a celebrity is dead. threatening our funding. In “Oh yeah?” I say. Inside, I fact, we have been actively involved in a city-initiated roll my eyes. “Absolutely.” process called “Homeless to Homes,” which They’ve heard is attempting to it The new School for Creative and provide holistic, from: Performing Arts (SCPA) knew exactly collaborative so­ A. So and so who their neighbor was when they took lutions for home­ who works at less individuals the Drop Inn on their beautiful new building and the in Cincinnati. Center school has made no statements about The process was B. A blog concerns with the Drop Inn Center. initiated by Rox­ C. A politi­ anne Qualls, and cian the initial report D. A local celebrity at a cocktail party. until I hear it three times from was approved by City Coun­ And the punch line? people I trust and then call Pat cil.” And yet, there that story “There’s no way that they Clifford, executive director of are going to let the Drop the Drop Inn Center, and ask sits in cyberspace. When you Inn Center stay next to that him if it’s true this time. He google the Drop Inn Center, school.” always patiently explains that after its home page, WLWT’s Set aside the fact that the it is not, unraveling where the article is the first to pop up. new School for Creative and rumor might have started. He’s Not a retraction to the article. Performing Arts (SCPA) been hearing from me more Not a mea culpa. The article. knew exactly who their neigh­ and more frequently over the Maybe WLWT could no bor was when they took on past few years. their beautiful new building But this last time, I didn’t and that the school has made even wait three times. no statements about concerns “The Drop Inn Center is with the Drop Inn Center. Set closing.” aside the fact that SCPA stu­ “Oh yeah?” I said. dents volunteer regularly at “Yeah. I saw it on the news, the Drop Inn Center – not just on the feed at the bottom. It next door, but actually in the said the city bought them a building. Set aside the fact new location and will hold that the Drop Inn Center lived their money until they move.” next door to Washington Park Good golly, “they” have re­ Elementary School for around ally stepped up their game. 30 years with no problem. Set On June 24, WLWT (Chan­ aside the fact that people ex­ nel 5) reported, “The city's periencing homelessness are largest homeless shelter not drooling pedophiles wait­ could lose its funding unless ing for the opportunity to prey it moves.” The on-line report upon school children. that followed its run on tele­ Set that all aside. vision states that the Drop Inn Who are “they?” And how Center is located across the did “they” come to have street from SCPA and that city enough power to take out an officials are buying them a autonomous, fiscally responsi­ new building due to concerns ble non-profit agency? I hope about the students. The Drop Inn Center doesn’t want to “they” never come after me. “You know. Developers.” move, the article concludes, Oh, I know developers. but the city will cut its fund­ I’ve been hearing about the ing if it doesn’t. Drop Inn Center’s imminent A call to Pat Clifford. He demise since before I even had no idea where the story knew what a Drop Inn Center came from. In a later email Are you interested in helping with Streetvibes? Are you a writer, poet, artist or photographer? If so, contact Greg Flannery 513.421.7803 x 12 or email streetvibes2@yahoo.com The Drop Inn Center is at the corner of 12th and Elm streets. Photo courtesy of Drop Inn Center. longer resist the appeal of the rumor. Maybe they had reached a critical mass of hearing it so many times from so many people that they just couldn’t help themselves. But there’s an old saying that goes, “What you don't see with your eyes, don't witness with your mouth.” That’s the kind of thing you usually say to your kid. It’s not the kind of thing you should have to say to a major local news source. Each night the Drop Inn Center opens its doors to around 250 people who are having the worst night of their life. They take those folks and move them from hopelessness, addiction and despair and into housing, employment and hope. Don’t they have enough to worry about without having to make a formal statement every day assuring us all that they are still alive? �STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 Issues 12 Social Workers, Liberate Thyselves The cost of political apathy By suhiTh WicKreMa Contributing Writer Yet when the Hamilton County Department of Jobs and Family Services – the department that issue food stamps, provide day care vouchers, protects abused Imagine what a Cincinnati City Council meet­ and neglected children, protects elderly people, en­ ing would like if city council were in the process of forces child-support orders, provide cash assistance laying off 47 percent of the police department. The to the very poor, helps people to join the workforce council chambers would be packed to capacity with – is about to lose 47 percent of its employees, there is only a murmur of protest. uniformed officers, their family Why is that? members, neighborhood vigilante Those of us who work at the De­ groups and ordinary citizens. Funding is partment of Jobs and Family Servic­ Imagine what the school board always about es see ourselves as social workers, meeting would look like if Cincin­ political power nati Public Schools were in the pro­ advocates for the poor and injured and influence. We cess of laying off 47 percent of its and as a part of the helping profes­ social workers employees. The school board meet­ sion. On a daily basis, we motivate seem reluctant ing would be packed with teachers, our customers and other profession­ their spouses, students, parents and als to do tasks that they might not to develop this ordinary citizens. political power and want to do. We facilitate meetings Do you remember the Hamil­ with people who might have oppos­ influence. ton County Commission meetings ing viewpoints to a given problem when the commissioners propose and develop a consensus solution. to reduce the sheriff department’s Given these skills, one would budget? The hearing room was filled with sheriff’s think we would be able launch a successful cam­ deputies, their spouses, their kids, their parents and paign against these decimating cuts. However, we community members. have been unable or unwilling to organize and pres­ Do you remember what the city budget hearings sure the politicians to stop the hemorrhaging at our looked like two years ago, when council members work place. People in the helping profession seem proposed to close down a number of city health cen­ inherently incapable of organizing into a political ters? The hearing rooms were full of health depart­ force. ment employees, health care advocates, consumers, Funding is always about political power and influ­ and ordinary citizens, all waving socks: “SOC – Save ence. We social workers seem reluctant to develop this political power and influence. This malady per­ Our Clinics.” The clinics were not closed. When the city manager suggested selling the Cin­ meates the entire human service/social work profes­ cinnati Water Works, threatening the quality of our sion. The reluctance of social workers and helping water and union jobs, workers, union leaders, civil professionals to demand a valued place in this soci­ rights organizations, consumer advocates and or­ ety has baffled me. dinary citizens initiated a petition drive to stop the Over the years I have come up with many differ­ sale. ent explanations for why members of the helping Across 1. Singers 4. Public affairs channel 7. Majestic 10. In a menacing manner 11. Ethnic defense body 12. Conforms to 16. Article 17. Duplicate 20. Take flight 21. Annulus 22. Bring ashore 23. Snakelike fish 24. Not so much 27. Passed with flying colors 29. Gibbet 30. Confederate general 32. Show failing mental faculties 33. Fencing position 35. Obnoxious 36. Former South American civilization 37. Foul 38. Support for injury Down 2. Persia 3. Turn 4. Star sign Crossword profession are unwilling or unable to organize and demand respect. Explanation one: Women dominate the helping profession. Misogyny still prevails in our culture. The de-valuing of a profession dominated by women is just a reflection of this misogynistic culture. I do not find this theory convincing. Women domi­ nate the teaching and the nursing professions. Teach­ ers’ unions have become a force to reckon with. The power of the California Nurses Association has be­ come legendary. Teachers and nurses have gained by this organized action – the median income of a teacher with over 20 years experience is $58,000. The median income of a registered nurse with over 20 years experience is $63,000. The median in­ come of a social worker with 20 years experience is $41,000. So, the misogyny of our culture does not appear to be a determining factor in the economic subjugation of the helping profession. Explanation two: Social workers are overworked and underpaid, thus not having any surplus time or energy to organize. This is circular reasoning. If so­ cial workers were well organized, they would not be underpaid and overworked, but we cannot organize because we are overworked and underpaid. At one time, teachers and nurses were also over­ worked and underpaid. Somehow, members of these two professions found time to organize into strong unions, giving them political power and influence. This translated into better pay. Explanation three: The tolerance of low wages by social workers has been explained by saying that so­ cial workers see their work as a “calling,” thus will­ ing to work for low wages. A recent Government Accountability Office report estimated that the turn­ over rate among child-welfare workers is between 30 and 40 percent. It See Social Workers, p. 13 Sudoku Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits 1 through 9. 5. Inadvertent mistake 6. Not supple 8. Expression of agreement 9. False 13. Worse 14. Flirt 15. Detect 17. Stride 18. I will comply 19. Small picture in a larger one 24. Lieutenant Colonel (2,3) 25. Tastelessly showy 26. Blackballs 28. Submit 31. Go out 33. Fraud 34. Enclosure The fundamental goal of a Sudoku puzzle is to use the provided numbers, or givens, to discover which numbers logically fill in the empty squares. The only rule of Sudoku is that each of the nine rows, each of the nine columns, and each of the nine 3x3 subsections must contain all of the numbers from one to nine, and each number consequently can occur in each row, column and subsection only once. Solutions on Page 15 �STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 Community News 13 Social Workers, Liberate Thyselves (continued from page 12) is hard to believe that this many people would leave their “call­ ing” on a regular basis. I do not find any of the above arguments convincing. I am not sure if there is a simple answer to explain the apathy of social workers. However, I would like to offer the following reasons as significant contributing factors. Factor one: We social workers have started to emulate some of the characteristics of the people we serve – blaming At one time, others and social conditions without taking responsibil­ teachers and ity for one’s situation are a nurses were common characteristic of the also overworked troubled people social workand underpaid. ers encounter. In social work Somehow, jargon this is known as the members of these “victim stance.” We social workers blame two professions the county commissioners, found time to the legislature, the governor, organize into the union and the society for strong unions, not valuing social work and giving them social workers. We blame ev­ eryone else for our condition, political power without doing anything to cor­ and influence. rect it – the “victim stance.” This translated Factor two: We, social into better pay. workers have become victims of our own rhetoric: "You cannot change others or the world, you can only change yourself." This is a mantra said by many social workers to their clients. It is this kind of selfcentered, individualistic thinking that has made us sit at our desks and passively watch while our co-workers’ livelihood is stripped away from them. Social workers function as agents of social control to main­ tain the status quo. We use concepts such as “victim stance” and “you can only change yourself” to keep the poor in check when the poor question social inequality. We, appear to have internal­ ized these concepts of oppression. If you are interested in organizing social workers, counselors and human-services workers into a political force, contact Suhith Wickrema at 513-281-4441 or Suhith@iac.net. Cincinnati’s City Hall. Every other year when City Council decides on the bi-annual budget, health clinics, city pools and human-services funding are the first to be cut out to balance the budget. None Dare Call Him Lawrence lished cover stories and news stories – work he takes seriously. But no one, including Gross himself, takes seriously his blogs, whose content over the years has sometimes been pornographic, often absurd and usu­ ally grumpy. Fellow bloggers and letters to CityBeat have chided him for being too critical of Cincinnati. His grievances includes the failure rate of downtown restaurants, unfriendly strangers, bedbugs, newspa­ per racks left to deteriorate after a paper has gone out of business, holiday signs left up too long, di­ rectional signs pointing to a skywalk that no longer exists and the predominance of iceberg lettuce in salads at so many meals. The complaints are his favorite response from readers, Gross says. “I love getting hate mail,” he says. “I don’t know what that says about me but I love to ruffle feath­ ers.” It says a lot about him, in fact. Gross doesn’t spare his own privacy – or, for that matter, other people’s – in his essays. He doesn’t hesitate to risk alienat­ ing girlfriends or being banned from bars because of what he writes. “People say, ‘You write so personally. You write about your brother, you write about break-ups.’ I fig­ (continued from page 5) ure either a person is going to like me for that or not like me for that,” he says. “At least they’re going to know me.” Asked if he views writing as therapy, Gross ob­ serves that many successful writers have drunk heavily and suffered depression. “I think writers are a little nuts,” he says. “I think it makes them more creative.” Does that include the person interviewing him? “Yes.” Gross left a long career as an accountant to take up writing full-time. Writing was always what he wanted to do, but family members discouraged the risk, he says. “I’ve been talked out of it all my life. Finally I get to do what I want to do,” he says. “I want to die slumped over my writing desk. For me, that would be the perfect way to go.” Gross is finishing a novel and wants to write a col­ lection of short fiction after that. The great bulk of the essays in Living Out Loud are true accounts of people he has seen, he says. “You just can’t make this stuff up,” he says. “This is stuff that just happened.” The prostitute at the Laundromat. The amateur preachers on the bus. “People have told me that weird people are at­ tracted to me,” Gross says. “I’m always attracted to people who are a little off-center.” His stories are often like that. “The Birthday Gift” is about a man who leaves his 16-year-old son at home with friends to do what they want. He won’t watch and he won’t interfere. The father goes to a bar and takes up with a woman he thought he’d ear­ lier had an affair with. Asked to criticize his own work, Gross says, “I think I’m kind of the Jack Webb of writing – a little too clipped at times, not descriptive enough. Sometimes I think it’s just the facts. I sort of rush it. There’s not a lot of extra. It’s just to the point.” Like his upbringing: a farm boy in East Enterprise, Ind. Like his name: He’s no Lawrence. “You can look at my driver’s license,” he says. “It’s Larry. That’s what’s on my birth certificate.” Ordinariness might not qualify as a virtue. But it can hold fascinating stories. Living Out Loud is available at amazon.com and can be ordered at any bookstore. �STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 Vendor Voice 14 Time By MacK l. russell sr. streetvibes vendor The essence of time is so mysterious. The wonders, the experience, and it’s endless. Is time truly appreciated or is time depressed? Is time the beginning or the end? Do we humans understand time or is time a thing man counts upon a clock? Does time begin when one is born or when one dies? After all, who deter­ mines the mystics of it all? At times, time will keep you impatient, wondering from hour to hour. Then there are times when time comes roaring at you like a cheetah en route to clutch its prey. No one knows exactly what to do with time. In times of misfortune, time never seems to be right. But in times of good fortune, time is always right on time. We humans curse time, and we also give times its praises because we know not what time truly is. Whether we know it or not, time is truly a god because in time there is the beginning and the end. Like when one is born, we rejoice upon their arrival, and when one lies on that dreaded state of death, we have sorrow, for that person’s clock loses its tick, and that is something no battery can reset. What is time? Not even a prisoner knows, Although one may experience a lot or a lapse in time. Time waits for no one. We go through life never expecting time of our own end but some of us expect one day in time it will surely come. And know that brings about thought and questions. But who am I or you to question time, and what difference will it make? Time, mine, yours or the world’s, it matters not, Because time is not to be claimed. One must use the time given on this earth as best as one can, and when the end comes, accept thy fate for what is known in and of this world we leave behind, time and all. Be All You Can Be: A Peaceful Planet Person By BerTa laMBerT streetvibes vendor The army recruits for death and mayhem. It hides its interest in sloganeering. Appeals are made to youth’s desire for self-improvement. Wouldn’t it be grand to be all you can be? Years before this slogan is broadcast, folk artist Mary Ann Lederer paints a picture. It is hung in Mac McCrackin’s Presbyterian church in the West End. Ba­ sic elements are head portraits of three or four or so and a super-imposed phrase, “Be a Peaceful Planet person.” Not incidentally, Gordon Maham is fond of responding to inquiries from guards, police and military folk alike: ‘I represent the peaceful planet people.” In good time the author, I, Berta Lambert, suggest a combination of the slogan and phrase: “Be all that you can be. Be a peaceful planet person.” A banner has been made for me and my allies, but bumper stickers and buttons and such are yet to appear. Cleo’s Joke Corner Why did the army draft all the babies? Because they wanted to build up their infantry. What’s Happenin’ July/August Events Benefits: IHN Golf Outing. Flagg Springs Golf Course. $75 for individual, $300 for team of four. Benefits Interfaith Hospitality Network. July 24. 9:30am. Contact Betsy Wones to play, 4711100. Jazz in July ‘09. The Phoenix. $25. Benefits CILO. July 24. 5:30-8:30pm. RSVP: 513-241-2600. 20th Annual Bocce Tournament. Sharon Woods Fern Hollow. Bring desert to share. Benefits Our Daily Bread. July 26. 11am5pm. Northside Community Yard Sale. Benefits Churches Active In Northside. August 8. 9am-2pm. http://northside.net/sale for more info. Activities: JUST Community Youth Leadership Institute. July 19 - 25. Visit http://bridgescincinnati.org/programs/iyli.html. $50 (includes lodging, meals, transportation and t-shirt). Compassionate Communication of Greater Cincinnati. Integrating Nonviolent Communication into Every Day Life. July 17 at 9am or July 18 at5pm. at New Thought Unity Center. 513-300-6832 or susan@stiglercreative.com. Kids’ Meditation/Yoga Camp. July 18, 2-5pm. Ages 7-14. Gaden Khachoe-Shing Monastery (3046 Pavlova Drive, Colerain Twp.) Register at gsl@ganden.org or 513-385-7116. Parents welcome. Health Care Reform Informational Forum. August 3, 7pm, First Unitarian Church in Avondale, Hosted by Women’s City Club. US Rep. Steve Driehaus (D-Cincinnati) will speak. �STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 Resources 15 Need Help or Want to Help? Our Daily Bread Shelter: Women and Children 621-6364 Health 535-2719 591-2246 Center for Respite Care 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Central Access Point Cincinnati Union Bethel 381-SAFE 768-6907 St. Francis Soup Kitchen Churches Active in Northside 557-2873 FreeStore/FoodBank 681-2365 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 762-5660 St. Vincent de Paul 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Bethany House 3600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224 Salvation Army 562-8841 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214 131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter Crossroad Health Center 241-1064 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 872-9259 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 1419 Elm Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Justice Watch 241-0490 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 Treatment: Men Mt. Airy Shelter 661-4620 784-1853 721-0643 921-1613 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 961-2256 Treatment: Women First Step Home 961-4080 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 2728 Glendora Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45209 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 Treatment: Both 721-0643 AA Hotline CCAT 471-1100 221-3350 Joseph House (Veterans) 1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237 Drop Inn Center 217 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Interfaith Hospitality Network Lighthouse Youth Center (Youth) Housing: CMHA Excel Development OTR Community Housing 351-0422 381-6672 721-4580 632-7149 381-1171 241-2965 Hamilton County ADAS Board Recovery Health Access Center Sober Living Talbert House 946-4888 281-7422 681-0324 641-4300 Advocacy 114 W. 14th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Tom Geiger House Dana Transitional Bridge Services Volunteers of America 961-4555 751-0643 381-1954 Food/Clothing Lord’s Pantry OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry Catholic Social Action Community Action Agency Contact Center 421-3131 569-1840 381-4242 1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Franciscan JPIC Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 721-4700 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 621-5300 961-1983 OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45202 558-8888 981-5800 NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach 458-6670 977-4489 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. Legal Aid Society Ohio Justice & Policy Center Faces Without Places Stop AIDS Other Resources Center Independent Living Options Emmanuel Community Center Peaslee Neighborhood Center Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart Goodwill industries Healing Connections Mary Magdalen House People Working Cooperatively The Caring Place United Way Women Helping Women 241-2600 241-2563 621-5514 381-0111 771-4800 751-0600 721-4811 351-7921 631-1114 211 977-5541 Hamilton/Middletown 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 3330 Jefferson, Cinti, Ohio 45220 357-4602 352-2902 352-6363 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Shelter: Both Anthony House (Youth) Health Resource Center Homeless Mobile Health Van McMicken Dental Clinic 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 DIC Live In Program Prospect House Starting Over 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 381-2247 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Mental Health Access Point Mercy Franciscan at St. John Shelter: Men Charlie’s 3/4 House 621-1868 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 579-8547 241-9400 421-1108 363-3300 421-2437 St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry 863-3184 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY Women’s Crisis Center VA Domiciliary VA Homeless 859-491-8303 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 859-491-3335 859-559-5011 859-572-6226 If you like what you read, but don’t live in the Cincinnati area, you can subscribe to Streetvibes. Call us at 513-421-7803 x 12 to learn more about subscribing to Streetvibes. Puzzle Solutions �16 Double Take STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” - John Lennon Photos by Aimie Willhoite. Streetvibes staff spent the Fourth of July at the Northside Parade and Festival. Top Left: Josh Spring, executive director selling papers. Bottom Left: Greg Flannery, edi­ tor, talking about Streetvibes. Top Right: Jeni Jenkins, education coor­ dinator sprays colored hairspay for the kids. Bottom Right: Justin Jeffre stopped by the Streetvibes booth to buy a paper and get a free temporary tattoo from Lynne Ausman, administrative coordi­ nator. The residents of Fay Apartments in East West­ wood demanded that their voices be heard. City council listened to various points of view and ultimately voted 6 to 3 to give developers a loan to renovate the com­ plex and ultimately save the homes of 700 fami­ lies. Council members in favor of renovation were Roxanne Qualls, Greg Harris, David Crow­ ley, Laketa Cole, Leslie Ghiz, and Cecil Thomas. Those against were Chris Monzel, Jeff Berding, and Chris Bortz. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2009 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource July 15–August 2, 2009 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: A Streetcar named ‘Democracy’ Pg 2: The Vibe Pg 3: Art for the Mind and Spirit Pg 4: No License to Look Pg 5: None Dare Call Him Lawrence Heroism and White Guilt Pg 6: Heroism and White Guilt Continued Pg 7: Making More than Pizza Pg 8: Sexy, Yummy, Veggie Pg 9: Arts & Poetry Pg 10: For Want of Three Items Pg 11: The Drop is Dead, Long Live the Drop Pg 12: Social Workers, Liberate Thyselves Pg 13: Social Workers, Liberate Thyselves Continued Pg 14: Time Pg 15: Resource Guide Pg 16: Double Take Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource July 15–August 2, 2009 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gregory Flannery Lynne Ausman Lew Moores, Margo Pierce Paul Kopp Jeremy Flannery Michael Henson David Heitfield Alecia Lott Larry Gross Stephanie Dunlap Suhith Wickrema Georgine Getty Angela Pancella Jaisha Garnett Andrew Anderson Paul Kopp Aimie Willhoite Jennifer Blalock Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Aimie Willhoite Alecia Lott Andrew Anderson Angela Pancella Arts & Poetry David Heitfield Democracy Drop Inn Center Georgine Getty Gregory Flannery Health Food Jaisha Garnett Jennifer Blalock Jeremy Flannery Larry Gross Lew Moores Lynne Ausman Margo Pierce Michael Henson NAACP Paul Kopp Social Workers Stephanie Dunlap Streetcar Suhith Wickrema Venice on Vine https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/18b23788289514fa2decec4eacac149d.pdf e533a1c60c6c5ce66f1d029d491861ca PDF Text Text Land Grabbers Threaten Newport Reside nis This Public Housing Community would be sold for Riverfront _ Development if Newport Leaders have their way. Photo by James Heath . by Gregory Paylon Newport City Officials are saying that 202 safe, sanitary and decent public housi,ng units on the riverfront must be demolished. The residents have to be moved from Booker T. Washington, McDermett, and Peter G. Noal Housing Projects. . Newport Housing Authority paid Cornerstone Housing to come up with a plan. This plan was paid for with money from the Housing Project Fund normally used for "The Mayor has lold Mr. Slade Iba/ he 'doesn 'I wanl any public housing in Newpor/ 111 repairs. Cornerstone has tried a series of falsehoods to attempt to justify the "necessity" of demolishing this public housing neighborhood in the way of gre~d and development. Cornerstone said, "The city must destroy its public housing because federal funding to maintain and operate it will soon be eliminated." Cornerstone said Newport must demolish the housing because conditions are so bad that the units are "unusable for housing purposes" · and cannot be made habitable. Cornerstone said, "The housing must be destroyed, and the land taken, not to make anyone any money, nor to allow economic development, but for the resident's own good." . A spokesperson in the community that opposes this plan is Kenneth Slade. Mr. Slade is banding together 'with other residents in trying to fight the city. But t he ball is rolÍing and the power of eminent domain is coming. Through the power of eminént domain, the government can remove land from private use to augment the -supply of public land or to modify land use through urban renewal programs. The units at Newport are well maintained and managed. The project has been rec6gnized three years in a row as outstanding by the Department of Housing and Urban Develop. ment. Millions of dollars of taxpayer money' have gone towards improvements and modernization in 1990s. Continued on page 3 No Charges to be Filed Against Driver in. Homeless Accident by Donald Whilehead In the June issue of Streetvibes we reported on a terrible accident. The accident involved Reginald .Winstead, a homeless man that was run over and dragged six blocks by a young driver. The driver, a Clif1.vn resident on her way to an Over-the-Rhine nightclub, was unaware that she had run over a human being, she allegedly thought she ·had run over trash. The young lady, according to statements given to officers at the scene couldn't stop because she was afraid of the neighbor- · hood she was driving through. We are happy to inform you that at this time Mr. Winstead is now recovering ata relative's home, having been released from the hospital. Mr. Winstead has little recollection of the events preceding this terrible accident. His last memory of the night was eating dinner .at the Drop lnn Center between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. on the night Ín question according to the City Prosecutor's office. Unfortunately, Charles Rubenstein from the City Prosecutor's office, claims that there are no grounds for criminal charges against the driver of the automobile. As unbelievable as it may sound, however, Mr. Rubenstein said there were grounds to bring charges against Mr. Winstead! lt seems that the fact that he was wearing black and was in the street justifies being hit and dragged six blocks. The Homeless Coalition is shocked at this nqnchalant attitude and lack of investigation and is seeking a City Council inquiry. We are anxious to see the final police report, which -is due out in the very near future. There remains many _unanswered questions · about this incident and vve will continue to pursue them. Community Councils Face Soviet-Style Takeover .- by Tom Mulroy For twenty,five years or so the interests of the residents of the 51 Neighborhoods comprising Cincinnati have be represented by their local community councils. But sornetimes the interests of residents get in the way of the interes~ of rich outside developers. lf a Community council opposes "progress" the developers want, it's railroaded out of the way as quickly as possible...for god's sake, there's money to be made. Such a conflict arose between the Overthe-Rhine Community Council and big development money. The big developers decided to replace the Community Council with a puppet group called the Over-the-Rhine Coalition. The city council was anxious to clear the way for the developers ... so anxious that they voted $150,000 to the Over-theRhine Coalition before that group had adopted bylaws, incorporated as a n~>n-profit ,corporation, or even fulfilled the minimum legal requirements for contracting with the city. · This money was provided for unspecified organizational and planning activities Councilman Dwight Tillery very aptly stated befare the vote "We want this train to get out of the station as quickly as possible." So the Over-the-Rhine Community Council the residents of Over-the-Rhine - have been officially relegated to the status of a dissident obstructionist faction unwilling to work under the "umbrella" of the Over-the-Rhine Coalition. The reason that the Community Council has consistently -opposed the Coalition is that the Coalition is dedicated to the implementation of the Urban Lancl Institute Plan for Overthe-Rhine. The study calls for Over-the-Rhine to become a "mixed income" neighborhood in Continued on page l / .~ �STREETVIBES 1 The Tri Stote s Homeless Grapevine Pagel STREETVIBES Community Takeover: Continued The Tri State's Continued from page 1 Homeless Grapevine Streetvibes, the Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine, is a newspaper written by, for and about the homeless. lt is compiled by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Vendors buy the paper for 20 cents and~then sell it for a dallar donation to get back on their feet. AII vendors signa code of . conduct before being given a badge. The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a group of shelters, · agencies and individuals committed t<Y ending homelessness in Cincinnati through coordinating services, educating the public and grassroots organizing. The Streetvibes Cornmittee meets monthly to plan our issues and increase circulation. lf you are interested in helping or hav~ a comment, please call 421-7803. Staff Pat Clifford, Coordinator , Donald Whitehead, Outreach Coordinator Frank Corrino, Vendor Support Ron Carter, Vendor Support Photographers James Heath Writers Kathryn M. Boyd F.J.C. Ron Carter Pat Clifford Denise Crew Brian Davis Harold Dopman Chris Engle Becky Kashersky Sheree Kelly Ari Halpern Mike Henson · Bob Hungerf~rd Derek Landers Tim Mcnish Tom Mulroy Gregory Payton Tess Russell Wait Carolyn Whitehead Donald Whitehead Lynn Williams which 20% of the populatíon has añ income below the H.U.D. low-income threshold for Cincinnati of about $24,000. The current average income in the neighborhood is about $7,000. So the plan would cause the displacement of virtually the entire current population of the area with no provision for relocation. The Community Council has been faulted by City Council for not approaching the Coalition and becoming a part of the process. However the Cincinnati Ordinance concerning Community Councils (Ord.2201989) clearly states " ... it is the intent of Cou11cil that only neighborhood councils or organi- · zations meeting the requirements ...above, shall be deemed by Council as representative of a , neighborhood in connection with neighborhood issues such as zoning issues, formulating or commenting on proposed development . plans, funding requests, or objections to liquor permits." .Clearly the Coalition should have ap- proached the community -council with their plans. Not that the council could have legally done much more than disapprove of the ULI plan and convey their own recommendations to City Council. lnstead the Over-the-Rhine . Coalition began collecting money from developers, paying consulting fees and hiring out-oftown planners six rnonths ~efore they carne to the attention of the Over-the-Rhine Community Council. Eventually the Cominunity Council was informed that the Coalition's '!leetings were public and there was nothing to keep ~ommunity _Counci! members from attending. So if the railroading of the Community Council proceeds as planned, the residents of Over-the-Rhine will soon be represented by a board of Directors consisting of five nonresident developers, five nori-resident representatives of institutions such as the Cincinnati Symphony, aríd five residents needing no affiliation to any local group. This replaces the system specified in Ord.220-1989 in ~hich a community -council was required to consist almost entirely of residents. The current legitimate Over-the-Rhine . . Community Council meets monthly (the Jast 0 Monday of each month at Nast Trinity Church on Race Street). The ULI Coalition intends to hold a public meeting once a year presumably to re-elect the fifteen board members. AII decisions in the interim will . be made by the board ... a system most closely resembling that venerable democratic institution - the Soviet Presidium organized by -Nikita Kruschev to help him bring progress to the Soviet Union during the l 950's. The ULI Coalition pr~vides such a superior model for an organization representing community concerns that the City Council is currently rumored to be drafting ordinances that would eliminate obstacles to progress líke the community councils as defined in Ord.220-1989, replacing them with Sovietstyle "coalitions." I guess the idea that the residents óf a neighborhood should have a forum from which to express their opinions is obsolete.. .like the buggy whip or the Bill-ofRights. Over-the-Rhine Community Council President Nannie Hinkston rallies for Community Council rights. Photo by James Heath. Streetvibes Vendar .Code of Conduct Volunteer Editors · Marvin .Abrinica James Heath Barb Hobe Chanda Marshall Tom Mulroy Kimberly T enai · · Reler slories or ipquiries lo: Streetvibes e/o Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless 1506 Elm Street Cincinnati, OH 4521 O (513) 421-7803 fax (513) 421-7813 e-mail: homecoal@primax.net http://cinci.com/gcch _ .(.:UUV 1 ;j::IJí ! (, Each vendar has to sign the following code -to be able to sell the paper. 1. Streetvibes will be distributed for a $1 voluntary donatiQn. 1 agree not to ask for donations more than $1. 1 also understand that I will be able to keep 80 cents of each dallar-collected. Future issues of Streetvibes will be purchased from the Homeless Coalitio~ for 20 cents. · 2. 1 agree that I will never distribute Streetvibes while under the influence of drugs or alcoh.ol. 3. 1 agree that I will not ask for donations after 12 midnight. 4. 1 agree to treat others with respect. 1 will not use abusive language or force someone to give a donation. 1 will not give a "hard sell" or make someone feel threatened. 5. 1 agree that I will not supply copies of Streetvibes to persons who are not registered distributors. 6. 1 agree not to deceive the public by saying that· I am collecting for a not-for-profit · charity or that I am collecting for the "homeless" .in general. 1 will be honest in stating that all the profits from the sale of Streetvibes will go to the individual vendar. _ · 7. 1 agree that I will not contest territories with other distributors. 8. 1 understand that Streetvibes strives to be a self supporting paper created by people who are homeless or formerly homeless. To help in this effort, 1 will try to spread the word and write stories if possible. 9. 1 understand that the failure to comply with any of the above statements will result iQ me no longer being able to distribute Streetvibes. �STREETVIBES The Tri State•s Home/ess Grapevine ...~~. Page 3 , wo,man Charged · Urban for Sleeping in Plunge Car Teach es by Oonald Whilehead Homeless Rea Iities· Rose Mae Williams, a 33-year-old mother of three, was recently charged with child endangerment. Ms. Williams was charged after authorities learned that she-and her three children had been living in an automoóile. Police were informed by a passerby, who had seen the family in Burnet Woods on severa! occasions. Ms. Williams was released on her own recognizance and is scheduled to appear July 3 to answer these charges. Ms. Williams, aécording to her family, seemed to be hindered from finding other shelter by her reliance on an entity she referred to as the "Supreme," whom she believed would help her find a . home. Her whereabouts at this point are unknown. Efforts to fin.d her and offer support or guide her to counseling or other services have been fruitless. Her family believes she may still be living in the very same car that was allegedly home to her and her children for the past two months. Ít is unfortunate that people like Ms. Williams find themselves in this very troubling sit"ation. To her credit, Ms. Williams was not only able to continue to-send her kids to school, but to send them to school clean. The children have been placed in the care of their grandmother, Della Williams, who has pledged to do all she can to help nurture them until their mother is able. Sadly, with welfare reform, public housing changes, lost Section 8, joblessness and many other assaults against the poor, there is a suspicion that this is not the last time this kind of thing will happen. In this case, ~here seems to be underlying issues. However, women and children are already the largest growing sector of the homeless population. In the 1993 Homeless Study conducted by AIR, lnc., 30% of Cincinnati's homeless population was children, · which is higher than the national average of 27%, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless. Sorne advocates for the poor say that instead of charging.victims in the war against the poor, we should be charging the politicians who make it necessary for people to have to live in cars . . Newport Cont. Participants of the Cincinnati Urban Plunge with Michael Stoops of the National Coalition for the Homeless. Photo by James Heath. by Ari Ha/pero and Tim Mcnish Defined ~Y the National Coalition for the Before stepping into his J~gLiar, he tossed usa Homeless (NCH}, an urban plunge is "when warm, freshly baked ·1oaf of French bread and economically privileged people dress down, wished us a good day. Others, homeless and · empty their wallets and spend time on the non-homeless, told us where we could go for streets as 'poor' people." For over twenty food, shelter, anda job. Sorne even gave years, NCH has assisted people in taking to suggestions on where_to go to "kick the drug the streets for one to seven days. We did a hab_it." plunge in Cincinnati to gain insight into the There was a strong sense of community world of homelessness from the perspective within the homeless population: Many indiof ~omeless people. We posed as homeless viduals at the shelter knew each other and men and were seen as homeless, but we did appeared to be friends. Many asked -about our not truly experience homelessness. We hada personal situation and invited us into their comfortable home, friends, and family to social circles. On our last day, we walked return to in forty-eight hours: around with a homeless friend we had met in Our experience was powerful, educathe park. We were invited into and played a tional, and enlightening. From talking with game of basketball at the Salvation Army. former plungers, homeless, and formerly Upon leaving, we felt like we were deserting homeless people and reading about the plunge, · our new friend . .We were on our way back to we expected ill-treatment from the nonColumbus while he remained in Cincinnati withoµt a home. homeless population. Fo~er plungers expressed feeling invisible. As we walked the An enlightening experience occurred streets, panhandled, and loitered in public ·when we met a man who lived alone in the places, it was obvious that passersbys noticed W!Joded area outside of <:;indnnati. In the us, but seemed uncomfortable because we pouring rain at his camp in the woods, he were different. explained his views on homelessness and We did not sense the negative vibes we possible remedies. He said he would not share were expecting. In fact, we were beneficiarles his views with others besides us. He said he of several acts of kindness. Less than two · felt voiceless. lt gave us insight into the feelings hours into our plunge, a middle aged African of hopelessness of one homeless man, feelings American women, holding a pizza, began to get that we would not experience in two days. on a city bus. She saw us sitting on a bench, The two days we spent as homeless men cold and wet from the rain. She stepped off in Cincinnati were intense and educational. the bus and gave us her pizza, two ·dollars, and The urban plunge allowed us to see and directions to a shelter. experience the world of homelessness from a The next morning, after spending a different and more i'ntimate angle. We would sleepless night in the shelter with two hunencourage .others interested in experienciiig dred fifty other homeless men, we asked a well this intimate view of homelessness to contact dressed, middle aged white man for sorne Michael Stoops at NCH at 202/775-1322. bread he had just purchased at the bakery. 1 Chose Honest: Part Three Continued from page 1 by Gregory Paylon The Mayor, a champion of development, and the other members of the Newport Housing Authority Board have voted to demolish: The Mayor has told Mr. Slade that he "doesn't want any public housing in ·Newport." Mr. Slade also let him know many of the tenants are elderly, disabled, poorly educated, without stable work history, and have poor credit. lf Newport's proposal goes as planned, it will enrich the city and private development at the expense of everyone else, you the taxpayer and the above residents. Your prime real estate north of 4th str~et, near the site for the proposed aquarium, will be the site of many evictions. So once again, big business, big developers and your leaders roll on over small people for the sake of the profits from conventioneers and tourists. My name is Gregory. lt has been a while since part I and part 11. In part II told you 1 was given the ·opportunity to sell Streetvibes newspapers. Since then my life has changed for the better. 1 have made new _friends; 1 should also say more. 1 have learned more about people helping others in giving and sharing. When I wake up everyday now, 1 give thanks to The Main Man (God}, to readers, a~d to my customers. My customers are, and have been, important to me. You have given your heart and have been a part in helping me be a better person and worker in our society. 1 feel I am a part of this society. 1 try to write and share about what I have learned. Since I have been selling and you have buying, 1 want to share the joy that you have made possible. 1 felt joy when I went to the Salvation Army _and bought sorne shirts and a suit. When I wore that suit to church it felt new. 1 didn't look out of place when people passed or ·1ooked my way. They didn't even know I was homeless. When the offering plate passed, 1 remembered you, the customer, and I shared a little more. 1 sell my paper and I answer the questions and talk about homelessness to my customers. And thanks to you, 1 look a little kinder to the eye. 1 now know the most important part of the body, the center, that holds the source of emotions, feelings, spirit, and ·1ove. lt is the H EAR T, the most important, not only to the body, but to our nation and to this wonderful city. 1 THANK YOU from the bottom of my HEART for helping, teaching, giving, encouraging, and sharing your heart ~ith this vendor of your paper, STREETVI BES. �STREETVIBES 1 The Tri Stote s Homeless Grapevíne Page 4 The End of Nature Ficlion by Michael Henson The old woman must have noticed that You don't know what they are gonna do to his hair was wet. She smiled at him as he went yo u." past her to the magazine rack, and with a He had found an article he wanted. He · sudden loudness that broke the library hush, sat down with the b~oks he needed and she said, "These storms come up real fast in . started to read. He had figured to keep the city." . nodding as she spoke. Then he could finish She was sitting at a table with a book the article and start o n the wo rk of his paper. open in her hands, a slim book, possibly a book The woman looked up suddenly from her of poems. The title in large letters on the front book and glared past him. "Don't you worry cover was The End of Nature. me," she said. He turned around to see where "lt's not raining hard,llhe said in a whisshe was looking. The gray-bearded librarian per. He was partial to odd old ladies who was on his way over. She was looking him talked loud in librarles. He had hoped that by dead in the e_ye. talking quietly he could tone her down. "Nobody's worrying you," the librarian lt did not work. She went on, "lt said. "But .y ou're worrying other people." wouldn't do to go out in the rain and get "1'11 go to a resta·u rant and talk," she said. soaked." People at the tables· around were Her voice was all the louder then, but she turning to look. One of the librarians, a man made no move. "You can't talk to strangers. with a graying beard that flew out at the sides, . • You'II end up in jail. 1'11 go to a restaurant and watched with a sidelong, critica! eye. drink a cup of coffee, and nobody'II talk there, "You'd get sick," she said. She was you bet." looking at her book closely, but widely. lt was She threw the open book toward the notas if she were reading it, but as if she were librarian. The pages flashed at him like the studying it,like a painting or sorne sort of chart wings of an angry bird. lt fell to the floor just fÓr she kept on talking just as loud. "Then you' d have to go to the doctor and give him She lhrew /he open book loward /he your money. You'd lose everything. He can't do nothing to you when you are healthy. _No." librarían. The pages 1/ashed al him She shot a sharp blue eye at him. "No, like the wings ot an angry bird. you wouldn't just let anybody start to talk to you. You· could end up in the Workhouse. as a security guard carne up behind her. He You don't want to end up in the Workhouse, · touched her ·on the shoulder and said, "Come do you?" on, ma'am. Let's be qúiet and go." He shook his head~ "No, 1 sure don't," he She shouldereq the bag and went off whispered in a soft, library voice. "I sure muttering with the guard at her elbow. Her don't." He was standing at the magazine rack complaints flew beMnd her on the street. and ·thumbing through the latest National For a time, the library was silent with the _ Geographic. white noise of the air conditioning. He tried to "No, of course not. These people come settle down with his books. Then, into the up to you and just talk your ear off. There's white silence, other sounds fell like lea.ves in a nothing you can do but try to get away from basket: the crackle of plastic covers, the shuffle them. They'II talk you to death, these strangof pages, the wooden noise of books being ers." She was talking into her book again. stacked onto shelves, the flack of newspapers, "You let any stranger talk to you, yóu'II go th·e hushed clap of feet on the linoleum, the · crázy. · They'II throw you in the Workhouse. geo111etric whisper of two students working math,· the costly chink of money being counted at the desl<, the bearings of the book cart, the hum of the fan in the copier, and like a small explosion, the voice of the librarian paging, "Stokowski. Stokowski." lt made him crazy, and he could do no work. STREETVIBES T-Shirts! Try These Summerti me Activities for K:ids by Carolyn Whilehead . Below are more inexpensive activities that you and your children may enjoy during the sumrner. • Visit Spring Grove Cemetery, on_e of the oldest and most beautiful cemeteries in the Uriited States. lt has many historical , features. During your visit, talk to your child about life and death. • Pi_ck a foreign country and then visit your local library. Check out books and videos about that country. Prepare a meal that would be p-o pular in that country. • Vis·it one of the local parks that you have never visited before. Most can be reached by the Metro. • Sho p at Findlay Market. • Visita senior center and read to one of the seniors. • Visit the local fire station and police d épartment. • Visit Bicentennial Commons. lt ,is free during the summer. There are many activities that you and your family can participate in. • lnvest in a zoo membership. They have year-round activíties that are worth the investnient. • Bak~ cookies together and share them with someone in your neighborhood. • Make sure that you spend sorne special time with each of your children everyday. • Relax and enjoy being a parent! Only $5 each! Find these words in the puzzle: July Word Search STREETVIBES lh e Tn Stat e 's Homeless Grapevme 100% While Colton Shirls XL or XXL Your choice ot purple or sky-blue logos T-shirts are available at our office at 1506 Elm Street. Please stop by and see us. s s s D E L R E H N A L E V E V I T L I V I N I G T e o w N A o E L R G M e T E T R N R A R E E .T. w o N M E A K F y E I D p I A A A M p T E A E E p -v R R A T L L u o o e e A L G E E R H E T I N u M M Land Community Well Treatment Living Wage May Lava Fatherless ltem Motherless Greet Peace Eviction Ten Cleveland Out Medica! Known College Green Read Here Sorne Paper words may be Unity included in Men other words. Eat Ace Age 1 �STREETVIBES D The Tri State's Home/ess Grapevine . Page 5 An Uncensored Account of .Living on the Streets of Cincinnati by Bob Hungerford · where. 1 was there twice when trunk loads of and ~anction it for its inappropriate, unprofesThis article was written for Street Vibes. · sional béhavior. food were delivered and then went out the However, it is far different from p~eviously back door; 1 never saw any of this good stuff Prior to leaving the VA hospital, 1 talked published articles, which were so sugar coated being served. 1 was given a fresh ice cream with a social worker at the VA, who to'ld me and so far from reality that they could have sundae, one of the goodies, for helping unload that I had to stay at a homeless facility for a been written by the lord of illusions. the trunks. 1gave it to a little girl standing week. During that·period, the VA could offer 1 was a. 50-year-old homeless vet from outside the Drop lnn Center, waiting -to get in me no cash or other survival assistance. This · Elmira, NY, when I entered the Post T raumatic With her mother. is supposedly the VA's test for true homeless~ Stress Disorder. (PTSD) 6-week program at Like other BS in other Street Vibes ness. lf you sleep in your car in their parking the Cincinnati VA Medica! Center; 1 was a articles, you can't ¡ust show up at .the Drop lot, then you are not considered homeless. Vietnam vet who didn 't have anything to do lnn Center and get"in and get somethi'ng to eat So on a cold day in May, 1 w_as released with the Veteran's Administration for 30 years, or a plac·e to sleep. They ·have scheduled hours from the VA hospital, hoping to get into the . so I am not familiar with the ins and outs of for their_services. The inforrnation posted on Hamilton County Mou.n t Airy homeless things. 1 was in 'Nam in 65-66 and crashed in · -the walls of the Drop lnn Center leaves a lot to The shelter. However, they had no openings. '69 while still on active duty in the Navy. lt be desired. The staff apparently l<nows what intake worker there tried to get me into sorne took about IO days for my wrists to heal, and- 1 the ever-changing rules are and therefore of the better homeless shelters, but they were spent 15 m·inutes with a Spanish doctor. The also full. So there I was in Cincinnati with ·only · assume that ali the homeless also know the Navy sent me back to work, and for the ·next rules. 1 tried to find out if I had any mail, but a couple of dollars and my worldly posses3 1 years, the PTSD worked me to mental and there is only ,a certain time (unknown to me) sions in the back of my 12-ye~r-old Suburu, physical exhaustion while it destroyed every~hen they will tell you if they have mail for wfilch was almost out gas. 1 had not a clue as thing around me. My best description of you. 1 saw absolutely no indication of any to what ·I needed to know to survive. myself at that time is that I felt like a used-up, counseling whatsoever. At this point, 1 was secure i~ the knowlsqueezed-up tube of toothpaste. Not much 1 had to quit taking my VA anti-depressant edge that with skilled representation and in was le~ of me. medications because I had to be alert ali night · eight years, 1 might see the disability benefits 1 have a lot of technical expertise and to be prepared for wherever the attack might · that would allow me to fulfill my aspirations of senior level management experience, but 1 come. Though my nerves were frazzled, 1 had hc!ving a room and a computer of my own. 1. can't seem to locate my own ass to help to stay there to meet VA criteria. 1 slept in my might have a place where I can be by myself myself. Somehow, I ·am every bit as much a car or in the park during the day if it wasn't too and spend my waiting hours on the computer lost soul as those addicted to drugs or alcohol cold. 1 walked endlessly. In five days my weight or _ l ooking out the window, just observing and although my drug of choice is food. 1 eat all dropped from 279 to 251 . My feet were a not participating. One of the many aspects of that I can get my hands on to fill this huge blistered mess from walking in a drug and my PTSD is that I end up arguing with virtually emptiness in me. _ crime infested area of the city. 1 have never everyone around me. So I do best ¡ust alone The VA staff is courteous and knowledge~ been involved with illegal drugs, and so I am in a room. able within their realm of responsibility. But The homeless centers are,·grouped on outrageously ignoran~ of much of this activity. my advice to other vets who need help is to am sad to see that so mud, of the population is the fringes of downtown Cincinnati. With no talk to those here who have dealt with the VA hooked forever, hustling or working and money and never having evén been there, for years. That's the only way to get a true spending their last begged, borrowed or stolen where and how do you p_ark for freer In this understanding of just what's really happening. cent for booze or drugs. neighborhood, you need luck to still -have a car A good deal of the services that you receive On Monday morning, 1 meta fellow out in in the morning. depends on your knowledge of available front of his home, during one of my endless 1 went to the Drop lnn Center because services and how to apply for them. There are walks, who began to show me the ropes of theVA social worker said that I could get a many sources of useful information, and my being homeless in downtown Cincinnati. bed there. That was also where I was to meet story is just mea:nt to be a starting point. My point in this discussion is that you her the following Thursday. At least I could The fact that I had PTSD and was homeshol{ld not depend on the VA staff s word or park out front for free wh~re I could see my less is extremely devastating to me. 1 can help their good intentions, but check things out for car. others, but I have a great deal of trouble asking yourself. lt is impossible to stay up ali night at is the skid row of Ciñcinnati. This place for help for myself. 1 was assured that I could the Drop lnn Center, be scruffy and stinking lt is a true mark of shame for an otherwise get into the homeless program at the Veteran's and apply for a job; How do-you begin to great city. Dinner and supper are watery Domiciliary in Fort Thomas, KY. However, prepare a resume there or buy paper and soup, macaroni salad, stale bread or doughduring my fifth week of t~e PTSD program, 1 envelopes to mail out ·applications or leave a a drink. 1 have always been skeptical nuts and had an interview at the DOM. 1 was totally number? The system is geared for call-back about eating someplace that was openly filthy. _ focused on the PTSD program, and the social people with homes. With no base, no address The facility openly discriminates against men worker totally cut me apart at the interview. 1 and no phone, it's hard to get started. 1 went by giving women much better facilities. was totally unprepared for the questions asked · back to the VA, and with the help of the Women get a bed with clean sheets while of me, and I lost iny temper at the meeting. director, 1 !'ciS able to get a conditional accepmen get bare mats laid out right next to each lt was to my later understanding -that 1 tance to the DOM at Fort Thomas for a few other around a gymnasium floor. There are failed because I did not have a written plan weeks later. ; no sheets, pillows or blankets. You sleep in prepared (1 was unaware of this requirement In the meantime, 1 reapplied to Mt. Airy your clothes while people urinate or puke on until the meeting), that I had too much educafor the third time and was fortunate enough to you. tion and functioned at too high a management be accepted. lt is a day and night improvement There is constant screaming and yelling level to be given more training. Most impor-over the Drop lnn Center or other church both inside and outside of th~ shelter. In a tant, 1 was not drug or alcohol dependent. My centers on Elm Street. The Mt. Airy staff is week, 1 hadn't been able to go into the office addiction to food is not recognized as an , courteous and professional. Counseling and there once. addiction by the DOM committee even though further help is also available. Sorne of the What services the center provides, if 1 far surpass the VA standards for being obese. facilities are antiquated , but the guys make do any, is unknown. Different Drop lnn Center 1 also failed because I had filed a VA disability and are glad for what they have. people on different days bark out different claim, which is grounds for ·exclusion from 1 had a scheduled conference with Steve orders to the pitiful mass, huddled there in their homeless program. , Knight, who doubles as the social worker and confusion. Many homeless prefer to sleep in The Fort Thomas, KY, DOM admittance director of the Mt. Airy. facility. lt is obvious the park, in alleys or abandoned buildings committee is ethkally and morally disavowing that Steve is a caring, intelligent person, who is rather than subject themselves to the condithe posted professional standards of the VA. right for the job that he is so skillfully performtions at the Drop lnn Center. Needless to say, 1 was devastated by the Ft. ing with extremely limited resources. Steve The street rumors run wild abóut the Thomas VA facility's heartless treatment of me. considered what was in my best interest, and corruption in the Drop lnn Center's opera1 have officially requested that the true profestion. Allocated funds supposedly go elsesionals <?f the VA in_vestigate this commi1t~~ Contin q~d on page I O _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _ _ _...,! "'.- ~. ~,-,, .,,. �STREETVIBES 1 The Tri State s Home/ess Grapevine Page 6 City Council Actions Show the Demise of Democracy by Tess We the people of the United States, in order to form a more periect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquillity, and provide for the common good of ali ... Jhe constitution of the United States was framed in 1787 and was carried into effect March 4, 1789. 1 am grateful to Deedee for reminding me of "democracy" and our need to consciously bring it back into ur vocabulary a~d our daily . lives. Democracy is a noun and is defined as follows: · 1. Government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them or . by their elected agents under a free electoral system 2. A state having such a form of . government 3. A state in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them rather than by elected representatives 4. Political or social equality; democratic spirit 5. The common people with respeé:t to their political power . A noun is any member of a class of words distinguished_chiefly by having plural or possessive endings, by functioning as subject or object in sentence construction, and by designating persons, places, things, states, or qualities. · June eighteenth was a beautiful day in Cincinnati. lt was four o'clock on Plum Street and the meeting was an hour late; it was over in fifteen minutes. 1 walked away feeling empty, appalled, disheartened and sad for the "common people" of Over-the Rhine. · The city of Cincinnati's City Council Finance Community (CCCFC) had just agreed unanim·ously to grant the ULI/OTR Coalition one hundred fifty thousand dollars. Curiously, when the vote was taken, no one spoke, nor did t· see a nod of the head, raised eyebrow, . hand waiver or another life-like motion from any of "our" revered Council Members. IT WAS A DONE DEAL. Andwe think that organized crime has "clout" in this nation!!! Blatant apathy of the CCCFC right in front of my eyes! OH! How naive I am, have been, and hopefully shall never be again. We the people, we, for the common good of ali. Six months from now, in December, will we have forgotten the feelings of this day? Will we forget that the ULI/OTR Coalition is to report back to the CCCFC on the status of their notfor-profit pursuits, by-laws, search for an executive director, and where the one hundred fifty thousand dollars went? Do we, today, remember the privatization of University Hospital? How many children are hungry? Where the boy's mom is who's working the graveyard shift- he's assigned to his aunt's care- will she feed him? Can she afford to 'feed a growing pre-tee'!. boy? And the mother who's children get on her nerves, she berates and hits them and so do 1! Our nation is in a mess. Like the rabbit, the drum and the battery, it keeps going and going and going and going ... ________ r coupori :...:.,_ 1 ~ f'-'t • , "IVV Welfare Reform Reality Check by Kalhryn M. Boyd This is not the Thirties, Forties or Fifties. This is the Nineties. · One third of the population is on sorne kind of drug or another. lf your neighbor-was a drug dealer, would you want to leave your child or children in their _care? Many people are illiterate. lf you were one of these people, would you want to be forced off public assistance in two years, if you were unable to get your G.E.D. in two years? With the present unemployment rate being what it is, where does this leave the people on assistance? Where are ali the jobs? Three year time limits will hurt a lot of people with . children. Walk a mile in our shoes before you . vote on House Bill 408. Given the fact that strollers must be folded before you get on the bus, how does a woman get to work and back safely? Women are not made to lift heavy objects, nor are they octopi. So how do you carry a stroller, two or three children, diaper bag, and extra clothes and food for you and the children? Many lowincome people have to depend on the bus to get where they are gotng. They have no other transportation they can depend on. This is what reality looks like in the life of low-income people. Let me take you for a walk down the road of reality. First day: You go to welfare to apply for assistance. They tell you to come back tomorrow, aftér you've sat there for hours waiting. You go back home wondering where you can borrow the money to get there again the next day. Not only do you need money for yourself to get there. Now you need bus fare and food money for you three or four children while you are waiting to be seen. This is the last of the month and everyone you know is out of money for now. So you have no way to get back the next day... which means yóu have to wait until the next month to go back. Meantime, your food supply is nearly gone. - The nearest food pantry is not in walking distance. Next day; next person: You're in a wheelchair and you have chronic asthma and severe cerebral palsy. Due to your health problems, you are in and out óf the hospital. While you're in the hospital, your worker tefuses to interview you while you're there. After you get out of the hospital and you call · to reschedule your recertification date, your worker wants you to come the next day, asking if your family can bring you. When you do make. it to the office with the walking dog, the worker freaks out on you. The next time you .get ,rescheduled for recertification, you're ""' .,yc, 1 ·1 re in. truct1on!: to· .. · !. 1acv' · back in the hospital and can't keep the ap, pointment. So your worker cuts you off. ·Closes your case on you. · Another day; another person: Due to an argument, you separate form your spouse. The spouse takes ali but $150 from the joint account in the bank. Dueto the fact that you don't have enough money to cover all your expenses, you end up living with your spouse's family, until you can afford you own place. Meanwhile, you're pregnant with your second . child ,and you have to get on assistance real soon, so you will have an income. to live on and later, when you have the baby. However, when you complete the welfare packet that they give you and return it, the caseworker loses the packet and tries to blame you for it. . STREETVIBES Editorial Page This means that your grant increase to buy supplies for the baby is delayed and, at tl1e same time, your land_lord is threatening to evict you. This is after you are forced to move away from your mother-in-law's to keep her from · bei ng evicted. Another day; another person: Dueto having a relative staying with you and y~ur being on SSI and food stamps, the relative is added to your case number for food stamps and health care. When the relative moves out, your caseworker has you and the relative come in for recertification on the 8th of the month. She tells you that your case number is going to be changed, because of a major mixup on your éase. You're asked to bring a bank statement, showing that an old checking account has been closed. The relative is asked to bring in a bank statement, showing that the joint account with her spouse is closed also. You take the statement in the next day, and the worker tells you they already found the statements. Since the caseworker has to change the ctlse over, this means that you have to get a new I.D. made. You go to get your food stamps and find out that you are cut-off! (This happened to a real person, who is ,an insulin dependent diabetic.) Continued on page 7 �STREETVIBES The Tri Stote's Homeless Grapevine Continued from page 6 Each of these stories is what happened to real people. Welfare reform does not take into account how complicated life is for real mothers, trying to work, get child care, find adequate transportation to get to child car.e to work to child care to grc;;cery store, and trying ·to earn a G.E.D. at the same time. Trying to keep up with all the complications of the welfare department, all the notices they send. Being cut-off by the welfare department through mistakes and harassment by caseworkers. Welfare reform must provide a . safety net for mothers with children. Please vote "No" to three· year time limits! This is only a short walk down the path of reality. There are millions and millions more miles to go. Please take a walk in our shoes . . Don't make it harder on us. An Open Letter to a Public Official • Anonymous Dear Public Official: Y<?u told me to call you yesterday. We agreed on 4:30 p.m. as the time. 1 was willing to call whenever it suited you because 1 wanted an answer to my inquiry and I didn't · know how long it would take you to find that answer. You weren't "in" at 4:30, so l'm writing this to explain something to you. - People have all different kinds of accidental properties, which is one way of putting it. Sorne people háve yachts and prívate airplanes. Now imagine this. Someone, ·who has private air transportation, has a meeting in Dallas, Texas, tomorrow morning. You need something from him and he says to you, "You can stop by in Dallas tomorrow morning." You really need that thing and don't have a prívate airplane. You then take severa! hundred dollars out o·f the bank and pay for any flight that gets you to by Brian Oavis Dallas the next day. After you get there, you Debate is still taking place on two bilis find out the guy left early for a meeting in (House Bill 408 and 215) in the Ohio House Miami. The secretary doesn't know anything regarding changes in the welfare system. A about the matter, but she can call in a few number of themes have emerged, which will hours. You can also come back in a day or probably become law in the near future. two, and she might have sorne information for There will probably be a 5 year lifetime you _then. limit on the receipt of benefits. With 3 years None of this is doing you any good, is it? on then two years off and a final two years of In fact, it's costing you what you can't afford. eligibility. l'm almost sleeping' on the street. 1 don't There will be a severe shortage in the have a telephone. 1 don't even have a house to number of slot_s available_for child care, espeput a telephone in. Like you, 1 don't have a cially for low-wage or S? called working poor private plane. 1 have to go through all kinds of families. rare activities to accommodate you. This isn't The local county commissioners will have because you're smarter than me or prettier direct responsibility for .oversight of the than me (even though you may be both), but · program. There will be local goals that the because what you take for granted- a mocommissioners will be expected to meet. lf mentarily accidental thing, a telephone paid for the goals are not met the county could be · with public money-is something I don't have. sanctioned wit~ repeated offenses. There are · There's a free telephone at a lovely place, rewards for counties that reduce the number which is a ten-block round-trip hike. lt's of people using the welfare system of cash pouring down rain .outside. There's a threewhich can be-used fo( any purpose. minute limit on calls, which really doesn't give families who do not engage in work me time to sit on hold while you finish chatting related activities (30 hours a week) will be with your girlfriend or boyfriend. There's sanctioned, which would involve reductions in _ always a line of people waiting to use that the food stamp program. 1O hours of this telephone, and it is not open at 4:30. 1 do use requirement can involve education activities. the telephone if I can. There is debate around sanctioning a family by Now prívate businesses frequently removing them from welfare for 6 months if employ dummies who think that because they they continue to not engage in work activities. have a telephone, a car or·a set of false teeth, lt is expected that Medicaid eligibility will everybody should have them. These dummies expand to include all children of families can't understand that there's no bus service to earn,ing less than 150% of poverty. that wonderful job that they know about in the next county, so I can't work there. Now please get it straight. There is no house. That's what homeless means. There's no housing. There's no telephone, no car, no · closet for business clothing, no refrigerator for lunch, no front porch for newspaper delivery, Venice Pizza 221-7020 no bed to sleep in when it's convenient for Venice Pizza at 2801 W. McMicken is an the labor pool operations. mployment program that offers part time onThere is a high school diploma. There is he-job training where individuals have an an America citizenship and maybe a VFW pportunity to further develop their skills and membership. There are 52 job applications ave an experience in food service. The group filled out somewhere. There is a good credit s non-profit. rating and a clean police r~cord. Present this co'upon and receive $1 off That isn't necessarily true of everyone, ny large pizza. One coupon per visit. Minibut it isn't sound policy to assume it isn't true um free delivery $8. Call for area and times. . of everyone.,, 1 would appreciate it if I heard no ot good with any other 'coupon. •-·- · more instructions to '"e-ali back!' . o¡¡ page .., Expires 7/31/97. Changes in Welfare Program .Pass Legislature Page 7 STREETVIBES Letters Should I Be Homeless? by Ron Carter Should I be homeless? 1 have come in contact with plenty of people who were and are homeless. Not because they can't find a job but because they refuse to work for a low paying job. · So they would rather walk the streets bragging about what they once had; even begging, borrowing, and stealing to get by. This lets us know that every one that is - homeless really shouldn't be homeless. Sorne don't realize that taking that low paying job could be their way back to financia! independence.. Only a chosen few of us have the , opportunity to start at the top; which is not always a good thing because everyone can't handle success. You read every day or hear on the news about sorne celebrity that has done something crazy that may cause them to lose everything. They can't take the pressures that come with success so they, too, become · homeless and living on the street. · A few years ago, 1 was employed at a chemical dependency center. From time to time we had sports figures and ali types of people with very good paying jobs whom had became chemically dependent _come and visit. lt happened because they had everything and they were just bored. Personally, 1 would love to be bored with having everything I wanted. Every homeless person has a reason for b~eing homeless- sorne good, sorne not so good. What ever the reason is, you can overcome it if you really want to. Sorne people think they are doing the person, or the pers_ons, that is trying to• help them a favor by having a problem. While I was employed at the treatment center I heard sorne of our clients tell me and sorne the other staff members that if it wasn't for thetn having a problem, we wouldn't have a job. When I heard this I just politely told them, no, 1 wouldn't have that job there, but 1 would have a job somewhere. Because there is a job for everyone that wants to work. lf you want to work there is a job for you. lf you want help there is help for you also. Minimum wage or every little bit helps towards a better lifestyle. AII you need to do is stay away from · anything and anybody that may bring you down. lf you haven't tried real hard tó get your life back together, give ita shot. 'I think you will feel a lot better about yourself. lt's up to you. $1 Coupon Support Your Local Vendar Tell A Friend About Streetvibes �/ STREETVIBES The Tri S~ote•s Homeless Grapevine WORD ON THE by Sheree Kelly Through my eyes I see plenty of violence and also pain sunshine, clouds, and lots of rain People never trying to listen or trying to understand me l'm h~man too, can't you see Why do you mistreat me? So you can hear my cries · l'm special also through my eyes. He Was Homeless by Ron Carler He lived on the str~et and had nothing to eat. He slept on the ground ali over town. The clothes that.he wore were ali ragged and tore. · The friends he once had now gone and that made him sad. So he began to mend his ways and this took several days. · · Now he is doing all right and .no sleepiñg on the streets at night. He can walk the streets with his head held high. Speaking to everyone as he passes them by. He now feels great and you can too. · Just let my little poem inspire you. A Sn·ake by F.J.C. A SNAKE IS A SNAKE YOU CAN KILL WITH A RAKE THERE IS THE HUMAN KIND HE IS SL Y AND HARD TO FIND A CARD UP HIS SLEEVE TRUSTED CANT BE HIS HIDE HE CANT HIDE, GETS BY WITH A LIE HE IS NEVER DIRECT LIKEAN INSECT HIM WE DON'T NEED BECAUSE OF HIS GREED A SNAKE IN THIS FORM WE VIEW WITH ALARM HE IS HARD TO DESCRIBE HE HIDES IN Dl~GUISE Page B Over-The-Rhine STREET Poetry Through My Eyes -. .Anonymous Rel~tively · by Derek landers -... Relatively Speaking . he was husband to my mother's · mother and the son of another Reich polished.boots and martial mannerisnis were his yet he knew no order Relatively Speaking he was my father's father and the son of a péople dispossessed from their homes and heritage held hostage by the geography of North America and the ties of the delta bayous he knew pain Relatively Speaking she was wife to my father' s father and the daughter of a kid napped .Áfrican women and a Frenchmen's contempt for that women's humanity Jim .Crow she'd come to know she knew not who she was Relatively Speaking 1am their mongrel progeny 1 span the waters of their existence uniting four continents and no one Relatively Speaking 1am alone . ' our eyes look the Same by Oenise Crew As I meet and greet with others 1see our eyes look more the same black, white, brown and yellow no matter what your claim so tired and full of life as we leam to deal with pain and strife we go on our way struggling to know what to say 1see our eyes look the same they glimmer when we hug and meet in photos and countless memories 1see our eyes look more the same . a,nd we greet and embrace by name our eyes lóeilc"·rrtor e'tfle s atTieº \',!!E ·:t.;r; 915 a step outside of the walls which crumble in who could commit their lives to this who could leave it after being a witness a city bureaucrat demands you produce more hoping you'II pay less attenti_o n to the needs · of people hoping you'II stop talking about justice a historian professes to know your community although he has only driven through although he has no clue of your life, your struggles :a music man has a dream to build a place for the rich while you live in a shelter to teach you a trade, assuming you are no good a consultant group will plan your future , you can't be involved in the planning you are not the subject ·o f the future a city will build 2 new sports stadiums a shelter will expand for the homeless a jail will expand for poor convicts an activist is killed he was never treated fairly injustice erupts like a volcano who will who will who will -who will who will who will who will who will own take a stand take the challenge give their life be the scapegoat be the target be hated give endless care be the prophet of a future not their Bad Bills Composed by JEDI Women in U/ah in response lo /he passage ot HR2 Sung lo /he tune ot "Dad Boys" (Theme trom Cops) Bad Bilis, Bad Bilis, What you gonna do? What you gonna do when they e-vict you? B'ad Laws, Bad Laws, What you gonna do? What you gonna do with time limits t~o? Bad Bills, Bad Bilis, What you gonna do? What you gonna do when they discriminate against you? Bad Laws, Bad Laws, What you gonna d_o? What are ali the immigrants gonna do? Bad Bills, Bad Bills, What you gonna do? Welfare to work, but there's no home for you? Big Bill, Big Bill, What you gonna do? Don't let this bad bill pass on through! ·,:-iu., .,mh ¿Jint, .. ;.,,~e 1 gn ,.-.. ::;,n n v n ...•>IJc!'.••:;J-:: iitb to sz•,n sd1 :ru.-_,fiol.Jc;.~J '"Hí, .1.6~'{ �STREETVIBES 1 [he Tri Stote s Homeless Grapevine CLEVELAND HOMELESS GRAPEVINE Needle Exchange Returns · by HaroJd,Oopman May Day 1997: lt's a C/eye/and kind of May Day with hard falling rain sometimes mixed with sleet and gusting winds intense enough to turn a person into a kite. The corner of East 105 and Morrison· moves - delib~rately this morning . Ken Vail, founding Director of Xchange Point, Cleveland's much maligned "roving harm reduction" "needle exchange program happily ignores the • weather, opens the trunk of his car and removes a special black box used for disposing · bio-hazardous materials. The box will soon contain used "points" or dirty needles and syringes that could have been used by an HIVThe Northeast Ohio Coalition for the infected drug user. Homeless lost its appeal to the U.S. Federal "Always make sure the bag sits up like Appeals Court in_February to sell the paper on this," Vail instructs Chris, a college educated the streets of Cleveland free from the City's recovering Heroin addict who has been clean requirement for each vendor of the Homeless for 137 days. A formally homeless white man GrapeYine to buy a $50-$100 vendor's license. in his late 30's Chris adds credibility to the NEOCH with the assistance of the American program from the drug injectors point of Civil Liberties Union asked that all 13 judges in view. the Sixth Circuit reconsider the decision of Ken Vail had just proven that you CAN three ·conservative justices. This appeal was beat City Hall. lf you have a good program, an denied. indomitable spirit and are willing to work day The next step is an appJiqition before the and night for months, you can overcome United States Supreme Court on July 9, 1997. official lack of vision and ignorance. The ACLU and NEOCH intend to appeal to The City of Cleveland, reversing its the U.S. Supreme Court. position, was in the procf.:?ss of issuing a joint At this time the injunction against ticketpress release with Xchange Point, announcing ing vendors of the GrapeYine that the U.S. an agreement on terms ~or the resumption of District Court issued is still in force. Until a needle exchange. Armed with a copy of the final decision is made in the courts, the Grapefirst draft of the agreement he quickly servine vendors will continue to seJI the paper. viced his first client, copying the cliénts ID ~number from his Xchange Point ID onto a daily log sheet and adding "2 points in-2 points out". "Now, Ken. As long as I got this card on me, the police can't ~o nothing. Right?," asked the client. "They shouldn't as long as you're clean," The Citizen's League Research lnstitute of assured Vail. "lf they do, we'II stand behind Cleve!and, under the direction of Michael you. But, if you've got dope on you .... " Eugene has released a study of the region (Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lo✓rain, Medina·, Portage, and Summit counties) against H other regions including Detroit, Columbus, and Cincinnati. The survey compares Gre~ter Cleveland to other regions in 9 areas including education, labor, environment, health, government . ' infrastructure, the marketplace, ameniA consortium of housing advocates and ties, and community. , non-profit development companies released a · This is a competative analysis of the study about housing on the West Side of region against other areas to determine why Cleveland in late March. The study found that your competitors are ahead and then to learn 12.5% of the total surveyed units were vacant, how. to improve this region by studying their and only 1.1 % of the total rental market was circumstances and approaches. The study actually vacant and available on the ~pen ratés the Cleveland area against other regions market for rent. 15.4% of the landlords in competition with Cleveland. . reported that the units were vacant because The area of community ranks indicators they were unwilling to risk hassle or damage. such as poverty, infant mortality, crime, and They found that 27% of the units surdiversity. Keep in mind that the region inveyed had 3 bedrooms or more, while 17% of eludes two of the richest counties in Ohio the vacant units had 3 bedrooms or more. with Medina and Geauga represented. The 90% of the units actually available for rent study shows that Grea~er Cleveland ranks were one and two bedroom units. The group better than mo$t in the community section. found that 41 % of those looking for housing The study found the region strong in charireported that finding both decent and affordtable giving; low_crime, and ·housing ownership able housing was the most difficult challange. and costs. The region is below the median on Finally, a person has to earn 150% of the poverty rates, income inequality, hate crimes, federal minimum wage to afford a two bedand costs for home renters. The study found room unit on the Wes·t Side at $350 per that the region is in the bottom one-fourth of month. the regions surveyed in perce~tage of the The group recommends: population on food stamps and public assisEffective new short-term initiativ~s need tance, disposable income, and religious capital. to be identified and implemented to increase The Homeless GrapeYine will feature the number of family-sized low-income rental statistics from the rating the region study units that are actually on .t~e market throughthroughout the rest of this year. Grapevine Remains .in Legal Limbo Study Ranks CleVeland Area Page 9 "I know," the man finished the sentence, "l'm on my own." The mayor's press release states: "Currently in the Greater Cleveland area, there are 1,015 individuals diagnosed with AIDS and an estimated five to eight tho~sand living with HIV. Since the start of the epidemic, 2,274 individuals have been diagnosed with AIDS in Greater Cleveland." In response, the City of Cleveland issued an emergency order two years ago to allow a needle exchange program to operate a "stationary program" at the Free Clinic. A station-. ary program allows users to exchange u.sed needles for clean ones at a specific site. Vail, who was Director of the ·program, wanted to expand it to include a "roving" program, which would travel to various locations through out the city's neighborhoods; but, he ran into conflict with the Free Clinic and was asked to resign. He refused and was fired. "The problem is that when a heroin addict needs dope and doesn't have a clean needle he'II use a dirty one. Whether or not he can contract AIDS really isnit an issue," said Chris, explaining the need for additional programs. "In other cities," Vail added, "up to ten different needle exchange programs co-.exist." Vail, formed a non-profit agency, Xchange Point and stared a "harm reduction" program. "Practicing harm reduction is more than just exchanging needles to prevent the spread of AIDS," explained Dr. Joy Marshall, medical advisor of Xchange Point and former director of the Free Clink. "We talk to people about safe sex and other health problems. We tell them about drug treatment programs that are available." When Xchange Point complied with City regulations, the City revised the rules. Police surveillance and threats of prosecution folContinued on page I O Study Sheds Light on Near West Side . Hous_ing Realities out the West Side. Major attention needs to be given to further empirical investigation of the issues raised by the results of the study. Policy and planning issues need to be identified and addressed as a result of these finding by governmental, community-wide, and neighborhood based organizations. Short term recommendations included: .. Developing a campaign with both the public and private sectors to increase the availability of low-income tax credits to urban areas. ·Conducting in-depth surveys of owners of vacant units to determine what would assist them in putting units on the rental market. Cultivating new partners, i.e., management firms, hotel and motel industries, architects, etc. to bring new ideas to the table. Deve,loping different, cost efficient housing and ownership models for West Side low income people, i.e. manufactured housing, condos, co-ops, row houses, housing parks. Developing programs which improve the capabilities of landlords and tenants. �STREETVIBES The Tri State's Home/ess Grapevine Needle Subscribe to Streetvibes Exchange Continuad Subscriptions to Streetvibes can be purchased for $12 per year. Please send a check to the below address and the paper · will be mailed to you each issue. Your subscription helps keep our paper alive. Continued from page 9 lowed and Vail was forced to cease exchanging needles. Vail took his case to the media-to anyone who would listen. He faxed press releases and made phone calls. Articles soon appeared in The Free Times, The Home/ess GrapeYine and other publications. Originally, The Plain Dealerwas against needle ex~hange. But, they eventually reversed their position and ran·a feature article a~out Vail, and Xchange Point along with a coverphoto of Vail in The Sunday Magazine. "No one event changed my mind about the program.'' said Phillip Morris, Plain Dea1er editorial writer, "lt was a gradual realization that needle exchange_programs, including Xchange Point's program; were good and would help to slow the spread of HIV." At the end of the hour, Vail took inventory of the day's activities. Three people had exchanged four needles, one had requested a needle cleaning kit and one perso_n carne by for free condoms. "lt's a start", said Vail, wiping rain from his still happy face. "Nobody knew we were coming today. By the time we come back, the word will be out on the street and a lot more clients will be here." Coming to Cleveland during th~ summer of 1998 will be The Harm Reduction Coalition's 2nd National Harm Reduction Co·nference. Over 1500 participants from all · over the world will convene here to discuss the latest advancements in harm reduction philosophy. Page 10 Streetvibes 1506 Elm Street Cincinnati, OH · 4521 O The Drop lnn Center serve~ over 250 homeless people each day. Photo by James Heath. Please make checks payable to the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless--Streetvibes. lf you have any questions, call the office at 421-7803. Homeless -on the _Street Continued Continued from page 5 he asked me if I would write an article of my opinions on the homeless of Cincinnati and the Mt. Airy Shelter. The Mt. Airy shelter needs only a little to do a lot, and there just aren't the coúnty funds available. Their laundry facilities are at capacity. They need donations of magazines, used novels, and high school textbooks. A few used color TV's and VCR's would allow the shelter to take advantage_of Ci~cinnati library's huge tape selection and local industries training films. The men here have a lot of idle time that could be put to better use; they could use exercise equipment that may be collecting dust elsewhere. The men could use a decent voice mail system that would allow residents to be individually contacted by area employers, so they could get back to work Internet- ~apable computers would be a tremendous tool to help the residents gain comput~r skills · and apply for jobs. Charitable donations not only help the Cincinnati community in general, but they also _allow individuals to feel better about themselves while writing the donations off on their income taxes. There are lots of win-win combinations available. Cincinnati is really into refui:-bishing its houses and buildings into awesome creations for all to behold. Why not consider a similar approach to its homeless problems? To me, Cincinnati has demonstrated that it is a people region, caring about each other. When is the last time that you invited a homeless person over for a Saturday shrimp on the barbie? You might get sorne truly interesting conversation. Everything I Ever Needed to Know, 1 Learned From Being Homeless by Russe/1 Wail Everything I evE;_r needed to know, 1 learned from being homeless. Life's funny that way for me. . Faced with homelessness a few months ago, 1 felt sure l'd finally come to the end. 1 felt that, having -stared into the abyss too long, the abyss had finally reached up and grabbed me. 1 never thought I could ·come back from losing everything, let alone learn much. That's what I get for thinking. •- Simple lessons, which 1'11 probably muck up with a bunch of three dollar words. The first lesson concerned truth. The dominant emotion 1·experienced at first was shame. 1 felt like I owed the world an apology for what I' d become. Shame takes an incident or drcumstance and wraps it around me as my identity. lnstead of feeling foolish for spilling ·a glass of milk, 1 identify myself as a fool anda milk spiller. That's what homelessness and indigency first did to me. Thus, my first lesson: · There is no shame in being homeless. This is something that happened to me, not who I am. l'm nota bad or worthless person for not having a home or a job. My mental illness, my addiction, my lack of job skills - none of these was my fault. Shame and blame act on the human mind like poisons act on the body. -They paralyze and destroy. They keep me from seeing the truth. The simple truth I carne to see was that worrying about fault and blame kept me from taking responsibility. T reating and medicating my ·mental illness and my addiction are my responsibility. Learning a job skill, getting an education - my responsibility. 1 am responsible for making my life better. 1 am responsible for asking for help. Sometimes, society seems really out of whack. Our values only revolve around money and profit. People don't care enough obout each other. But true as these things . may be, 1 cannot afford to waste time blaming others for my problems. That attitude only fosters a victim's ;,,entality. Victimization is a trap I don't want to get caught in. So it's vitally important that I accept responsibility. But I must be careful not to accept the unacceptable. lf political and social forces conspire to tramp on me and my community, 1 am responsible for raising my voice in opposition. lf people within my neighborhood jeopardize the community, l am responsible for standing against them too. 1 have a vote and I must use it. 1 have an obligati<;>n to demand protection and security . of my elected leaders. To accept the unacceptable and allow it to flourish is to condone evil. Condoning evil leads me back into being dehumanized. 1 ama human being and I want always to keep that in mind. 1 am not an animal. Nor do 1 have any business living like one. Animals sleep outside an<:I forage through garbage to eat Animals struggle to stay alive any way they can. Animals live hand-to-mouth. _Unfortunately, so do humans. Jus_t because people sleep in parks and eat from dumpsters and live from shelter to soup kitchen doesn't mean it's supposed to be that way. We were created to do more than just get by. The shelter cannot become my home. The shelter ought to be a way station as I progress toward a better life. The day I call the shelter my home marks the day I finally give up. · Victims give up. Victims get ove·rwhelmed by the negativity around them and give in to it. · Being negative is too easy. lt demands nothing. lt also pays nothing back, with interest. Treating people with kindness, respect, compassion, dignity and love takes more strength and strivers. Striving for excellence, for positivism and perseverance means struggling, hard work and keeping the faith. That struggle will always be rewarded. The r~ward may not be in cash and material wealth. lt may come as contentment Continued on page 1 1 �STREETVIBES 1 The Tri State s Home/ess Grapevine STREETVIBES Obituaries Alan Lynch 9/23/51 - 6/13/91 Alan Lynch died a vié>lent death at the hand of a "friend". He was stabbed to death in an argument that started _overa can of Vienna sausages. Alan was a Native American that spent most of his life outdoors sleeping under the stars. What we remember most about Alan was his great smile and friendly attitude. He would give you the shirt off his · back, b~t had a tendency to be a little wild when he was drinking. .Alan was survived by a son, Paul, who is also homeless. Alan, you are loved and you will be missed. --by Becky Kashersky · Everything 1 Know -About Life Con-tinued ,, Page // @ Henry .Robinson 1/3/41 - 6/14/91 . One could have called Henry a winomany did. Just another alcoholic tanked up on cheap wi.ne, sitting on the wall around Washington Park, greeting passersby with a jovial word _and a smile-or hurling extraordinary abuse. One day, he fell off that wall, ánd never got up; his death bed being the sidewalk he knew so well. Others might see him as an example of the injustice of a society where one is driven to drink by poverty and hopelessness, then left without affordable housing or alcohol treatnient. lndeed, even a well respected social service agency once took over an SRO he li ved in, and evicted him because Henry didn't meet the "service criteria." The greatest injustice, 1 believe, was that he worked, -including the day he died. Yet the fact that he "gota job" didn't end his homelessness . Still others might call him a fool who spent his ali his hard earned money, ~ven an inheritance, ·on Wild lrish Rose, ''choosing" his 1 ~~-~~~ life; who turned down an array of social . workers and_missionaries with " 1 don't need help," "I gota job," "I gota place." These · words were used as shields defending pride, \ yet all these labels , and more, that we place on Henry, were woefully inadequate. For only God truly knows Henry; just as he knows us better than we know ourselves. We are ali winos and fools, victims and perpetrators of injustice, who both bless and curse the passersby that God brings us daily-just like Henry. Only when we ~n forget labels and begin to view all people of any social station with the same unconditional lave God has for Henry, will homelessness come to an end. Henry knows this now, for now Henry has a home. --by Christopher Engle Apart ments Available Franciscan Aparlmenls: Safe, affordable and decent housing is available in the Over-the-Rhine area through the efforts of Franciscan Home Development Continued from page I O (FHD). These éfficiency, 1,2, and 3 bedroom with myself and satisfaction with what l've apartments are located throughout the Over- done. Still, I' d rather be content and feel good the-Rhine and Pendelton areas. Currently, FHD owns 26 buildings with 17 i apartl'Tlents about myself than have an apartment full of stuff and an empty soul. Hard work and a " for residents who cannot afford market-rate loving attit!Jde will be their own reward, just as housing. Many of the apartments have been selfishness and cynicism become their own pu-n ishment. · rehabilitated with spiral staircases and a variey · of sizes. A Resident Advisory Council of FHD For me, any work is better than begging. J.-:~:.!;!;!J;,::.¡:~..z:;:.___ _ ___,;:;;_-==~=-'....,.~-....1 residents has been vocal in the community and Panhandling ought not be_a crime, but it remains turrent on community issues affecting · should be offensive to me at a personal levél. lf 1.beg for money when I could work for it, 1 everyone in this area. descend again into the unacceptable. Begging is We particularly have sorne very nice efficiency and one bedroom apartments. Main settling for whatever I get. Day labor may suck, but my dignity is •Worth the hassle. Street, Vine Street, Wes,t McMicken and West When dignity ceases to have meaning, 1 have Clifton Avenue loéations are avaiable at On WAIF 88.3 lm again lost sight of what it means to be human. $185.00 per mohth plus utilities. These Sadly, many have gane too far into the apartments are equipped. The Homeless Coalition has a live radio inhuman. Many of my friends will not be able program which can ~e heard on WAIF radio to save themselves. Sorne don't even seem to on the second Saturday of each month at want to be saved. Sorne truths are hard, and noon. The show is co-hosted by Mary Burke, this . is one of the hardest: Not everyone will Pat Clifford and Donald Whitehead. The show make it, 1 believe it is important to make the mixes talk focusing on the stories in t~is paper _ effort to help others up with me. But I can't and eclectic musical selections. Here are the sav~ everyone. 1 will have to stand by, helpless next show dates. at times and watch people fall apart ór get crushed by the weights -of their problems. WAIF 88.3 fm This is always horrible, but when it -becomes Saturday, July 12. noon to I pm inevitable, the best I can do is get out of the Saturday, August 9, noon to I pm Women on Track . way. 121 Ezzard Charles Orive My be.s t is ali I have to give sorne day~. hllp:1/cinci. coin/gcch Wesl Eód Cenler My best will not seem good enough. lt will be. Wo'm~n on Track is now holding But it won't feel like it. Sorne days the best 1 sign-up far 6 week sewing classes on can do is kéep ·my mouth shut. 1 can only Wednesday Evenings, 6-8 pm. Do you reach for progress. The day I get it períect will enjoy working with your hands? Are you probably be a few days after they plant me. interested .in employment? We have a Sorne days I will break every guideline I just pleasant environment and friendly people. wrote down. Som~ days I will miss every No previous experience needed. Ali are opportunity to better myself orbe helpful. welcome. Sorne days I will be a stark, raving hypocrite. We have just added a searchable inter0 Streetvi bes · Radio Ho·ur L.earn ·10 Sew! Potential Future Employment! Streetvibes Online Sorne days l'11 d.rop the ball or run it into the other team's goal by mistake. Sorne days are better than others. i I sg.ttq no -b9vndoo:) face for our Streetvibes articles. Websuríers can index our stories by date or subject. Please visit our site. Cal/ Teresa iJI 381-5882 or 333-0288 �STREETVIBES 1 The Tri State s Homeless Grapevine Page 12 Vendar Support Profile: Ron C rter Streetvibes TV Schedule Ron Carter is the subject of Streetvibes' July profile. Ron is part of our vendor support program. Ron carne to Streetvibes through the AARP program, he carne to us with a wealth · of knowledge. His former occupations have included barber, Production Worker for Coca Cola and Export Control Worker for the U.S. Department of Commerce. His education includes Cincinnati Barber College, Cincinnati Metropolitan College and MTA School of Electronics. Ron also served in the Marines as a Military Policeman (MP) anda small Vfeapons instructor. Mr. Carter also worked asan associate at C.C.A.T.. Ron's hobbies include repairing electronic equipment and singing karaoke. Ron has been a wonderful addition tó Streetvibes. He always goes the extra mile for vendors and anyone else who visits our office. Ron never comes to the -Check us out, _ We're on TV! Streetvibes is produced at the facilities of Cincinnati Community Video. Slreelvibes TV June Vendor Supp~~f Worker Ron office empty handed, there is always something someone can use in his hand. "I like my job because of the people I work with and the fact that I can help people," says Ron with his infectious smile. Tlíe feeling is mutual--we like working with him, too. Each ticket includes: July 26th Scrimmage Georgetown, KV Homeless Fundraiser Bus Trlp This year's Scrimmage on July 26, 1997, promises to be exciting. This is the first scrimmage to be held at the new training camp in Géorgetown, KY. We have a package which will let you enjoy the event in style. · 1. Bus T rip from Sycamore Plaza to the Bengals' New Training Camp in Georgetown, KY · · . 2. Box Lunch provided by the Kroger Company 3. Meeting with Coach Bruce Coslet includin a pre-game analysis and question and answers 4. Preferred Seating in the New Training Stadium 5. Return Trip to Sycamore Plaza Why drive an hour and search for the new field, fight for parking, pay for an overpriced meal, sit in the back and then drive an hour back home? We will arrange the trip so you can just sit back and have fun! Tickets for the entire day cost $50 each. Proceeds go to the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Ho'meless. lf you wish to pay by check, send a check payable to the "Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, 1506 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 4521 O. Tickets will be mailed to your home. - Cal/ Our Holline Number al 659-6184 to Pay by Credil Card! A second installment of our Faces of Homelessness which focuses on people who have experience9 homelessness and have survived. Guests were Glen Collins, Darlene Guess, Gregory Payton and Don Sawyer. Music was provided by the Streetvibes Ba.nd. Channel 10 Thursday, July 3, 9 am Monday, July 7, 6:30 pm Sunday, July 13, 4 pm Slreelvibes TV Ju/y This show will focus on Youth and Homelessness and will include both providers ,;1nd homeless youth themselves. Channel 7 (58 Basic in most of ~amilton County) Monday, July 14, 7 pm live Channel 10 Sunday, July 20, 4 pm Thursday, July 24, 9 am Still Needed Air Conditioner Donated Frequent Flyer Miles So Vendors Can Attend Street Newspaper Conference in Seattle This September, Call for lnfo Copier Utility Shelves Lamp for Vendor's Lounge Pic:ture or Poster Frames TV and VCR tQ Show Streetvibes Episodes to Groups Volunteer Copy Editors and Stories ' Need Help or Want to Help? lf for sorne .reason you find yourself homeless, contacta Coalition Member Agency for Shelter, T reatment, Housing or Services. lf you have any questions, feel free to call the Homeless Coalition at 421-7803. SHELTERS: Women and Children Alice Paul House (abuse) 241-27S7 557-2873 , Bethany House Salvation Army 762-5660 Welcome House 431-8717 SHELTER: Men City Gospel Mission Garden Street House Joseph House (veterans) St. Francis- St. Joseph House Mt. Airy Center Volunteers of America SHELTER: Both Caracole (AIDS) Chabad House Drop lnn C~nter (singles) Friars Club Haven House (Hamilton) lnterfaith Hospitality Network Lighthouse Youth Center St. John's Temporary Housing HOUSING CMHA Excel Deyelopment Mi ami Pu rebase OTR Housing Network ReSTOC Tender Mercies (Mental 111) Tom Geiger House TREATMENT: 241-5S25 241-0490 241-2965 381-4941 661-4620 381-1954 761-1480 . 821-5100 721-0643 · 381-5432 863-8866 244-7226 721-4S80 241-9683 241-0504 369-0004 381-0954 721-8666 961-4555 Women O.D.A.A.T First Step Home 241-7343 921-7324 TREATMENT: Men Charlie's 3/4 House Prospect House Starting Over TREATMENT: N.A. Hopeline A.A. Hotline C.C.A.T. Talbert House Transitions,-lnc. 961-4080 .651-6446 784-1853 921-1613 751-3260 Both 820-2947 861-9966 381-6660 684-7956 491-4435 VA Domiciliar-y 559-5011 OTHER SERVICES . AIDS Volunteers of Cincinnati Appalachian ldentity Center Churches Active in Northside Cincinnati Health Network · Community Action Agency Contact Center Emanuel Community Center Freestore/Foodbank Hamilton Ce.Mental Health Bd. Hamilton Co. TB Control Health Resou'rce Center Homeless Mobile Health Van House of Refuge Mission Legal Aid Society Madisonville Ed. & Assistance Ctr. Mary Magdalen House Oral Health Council Our Daily Br~ad Peaslee Neighborhood Center T ravelers Aid United Way VA Homeless Program Women's Crisis Center 421-2437 621-5991 S91-2246 961-0600 S69-1840 381-4242 241-2563 241-1064 621-7149 632-7186 3S7-4602 352-2902 221 -3 679 241-9400 271-5501 721-4811 621-0248 621-6364 621-5514 721-7660 721-7900 S59-6656 491-3335 '-c:n tmuee¡ ~u pa,-.e .1. � 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 1997 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 Language A language of the resource English 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. Text Any textual data included in the document - 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 1997 Vol. 1, issue 6 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness 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 1997 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-sa/4.0/88x31.png" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a<span> </span><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a>. Relation A related resource - Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource - Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context - Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant - Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project (curated by Katelyn Lusher) Description An account of the resource Issue covering: urban development public housing community councils homeless narrative welfare reform needle exchange Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kathryn M. Boyd F.J.C. Ron Carter Pat Clifford Denise Crew Brian Davis Harold Dopman Chris Engle Becky Kashersky Sheree Kelly Ari Halpern Mike Henson Bob Hungerford Derek Landers Tim McNish Tom Mulroy Gregory Payton Tess Russell Wait Carolyn Whitehead Donald Whitehead Lynn Williams addiction Ari Halpern Becky Kashersky Bob Hungerford Brian Davis Carolyn Whitehead Chris Engle community council Denise Crew Derek Landers Donald Whitehead F.J.C. Gregory Payton Harold Dopman housing Kathryn M. Boyd Lynn Williams Mike Henson OTR Over-the-Rhine Pat Clifford policy reform Ron Carter Russell Wait Sheree Kelly Tess Tim McNish Tom Mulroy welfare https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/dea0e4ff67cb51640222986f247d5816.pdf 1c040bfd54ba4a20ef7133583163d3c5 PDF Text Text Lincoln Court residents get 'HUD' -winked View of Lincoln Court complex 'Stigma' of poverty at core of redevelopment By Ma/aka Sanders The Lincoln Courts Resident Council (LC RC), t he official representative of the residents of Lincoln Courts, has finally signed off on Cincinnati Metro­ politan Housing Authority's (CMHA) application for a HO PE VI Grant, a federal grant that would provide funds to "redevelop" that area, with some particular goals in mind. And what goals are those? Well. as with any agreement, that depends on who ·you ask. C MHA states its "Overall Objectives of HOPE VI" for the Lincoln Courts area in it's "Redevelop­ ment Application Summary." In it they say that they would like to, among other things: Reintegrate public housing physically, socially, and economically into "our" neighborhoods, lessen "concentration of poverty" and increase income Contents CleYeland News Portman Plan Welfare News Visible Homeless Hope VI Arts & Poet!}' Nationwide News Housing Conference Prisoners News San Diego Sleep-in Teen Role Model letters & Editorials Crossword & Games Azerbajian Update TB Information Vendor Profile Page2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Pages Page6 Page 7 Page 7 Page B Page9 Page9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 16 mixing throughout the neighbor hood, and stimulate "neighborhood redevelopment'' and overall eco­ nomic development opportunities for all residents. And why is this needed now? Well, in the summary. after making reference to the current Lincoln Court stairways. " ...that have become breeding grounds for drugs. vandalism. prostitution and other illegal activities," it's con­ cluded that, "The redevelopment will afford public housing residents the best opportunity to shed their stigma, blend directly into the broader community and actively pursue self-sufficiency." And how do the residents feel about being "reintegrated?" Their attorney. John Schrider Jr. of Legal Aid. said that· it "remains to be seen" whether or not the socioeconomic background of most residents of the area will be changed much after development. "CMHA is governed by the Uniform Relocation Act and HOPE VI regulations. I think that they (the residents) are satisfied with the agreement and will be very satisfied once the project is completed." To find out how the residents felt, the LCRC surveyed 450 of the 700 families that currently reside in Lincoln Courts. Schrider says that about half of those surveyed want to move (to other units with only year-long Section 8 vouchers that won't necessarily be renewed) and that half want to stay-­ but can they? Currently there are 886 p ublic housing units. HOPE VI calls for: I00 partially subsidized apartments, 50 market rate apartments, SO partially subsidized houses, SO ma_rket rate houses, 250 public housing units. Elementary math shows that the loss can be counted two ways: I) the plan only calls for SOO total units of housing, a net loss of almost 400 units 2) the plan only calls for 250 units of affordable housing units (the only type of housing, by the way, where there is a severe shortage), a net loss of 536 a ffordable h o u sing units as all of the units, remember, are affordable right now. Such a loss is staggering to the 4.000 households who are on the waiting list for Section 8 vouchers now (according to HUD 5/98) because of the already severe deficit. But is this a loss for current Lincoln Courts resi­ dents? When asked, Schrider refers to the Memoran­ dum of Understanding signed recently which stat es, "No resident living in Lincoln Courts at the time of the HOPE VI applicat ion or thereafter will be required to permanently relocate off site unless he or she desires to do so." Schrider said that "400 rental units will be made available to current residents for as long as they want to stay. This is a binding agreement. We don't know how serious C MHA is about it's goals for mixed income housing." It seems the LCRC. headed up by Marquicia Jones. herself a C MHA employee, is going along with the plan because they think the new housing w ill be for them. Though CMHA's stated plan is to remove the " stigma" of poverty in that area by removing the poor people there (though their tone is openly hostile). Lincoln Courts' residents remain hopeful C MHA and the government will do the right thing. So, we have another situation where the government wants a piece of oc.cupied land where the occupants don't mind sharing. So. the governmet promises to do so fairly. And well, we've heard that before. Cincinnati Coalltlon partners with NCRC In Treasury Program By Mal}' Ann Gleason, Director of NCH As you may know, Electronic Funds Transfer is an initiative of the federal government to convert the process of sending recipients of federal cash pro­ grams (Social Security, SSI, SSDI) funds in the form of a check, to making electronic transfers to financial institutions (banks, credit unions, etc.) in the recipients' names. The Treasury Department is concerned that some vulnerable populations may have difficulty understanding, accepting. or effectively utilizing the electronic transfer process since they are so used to receiving a check in the mail. One of the vulnerable populations is those who are or have been homeless. The Treasury Department has awarded grants to four groups nationally to assist in making this change to e lectronic transfer work effectively for targeted populations. The National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) is a subcontractor with one of those groups - the National Community Reinvest­ ment Coalition (NCRC). !'NCH will identify local partners who have the capability and desi re to 'Treasury' continued on page 5 �STREETVI BES The Tri State's Homeless Grapevine STREETVIBES The Tri State's Homeless Grapevine Streetvibes. the Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine, is a newspaper w ritten by. for and about the homeless. It is compiled by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Home­ less. Vendors buy the paper for 20 cents and then sell it for a dollar donation to get back on their feet. All vendors sign a code of conduct before being given a badge. The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a group of shelters. agencies and individuals committed to ending homelessness in Cincinnati through coordinating services. educating the public and grassroots organiz­ ing. The Streetvibes Committee meets monthly to plan our issues and increase circulation. If you are interested in helping or have a comment, please call 421-7803. Staff Donald Whitehead, Director Jimmy Heath, Coordinator Brett Zwolinski, Vendor Support Ron Carter, Vendor Support James Hobbs, Vendor Support . PhotoeraJ>her Jimmy Heath Writers Te' Tro Amaru Maryann Bravo Dan Cahill Ron Carter Pat Clifford Denise Crew Brian Davis Dan Gibbons Jimmy Heath James Hobbs Lynn Kilbane · Paul Linden Judith Mendriski Steven Michael Aaron Pitchford James W. Pryor Steven M. Rutherford Mark Salter Donald Whitehead Lynn Williams Sonny Williams Brett Zwolinski Ed/tonal Pol/1:y: Streetvibes accepts all letters, poems, com­ ments or editorials. We will print every­ thing we have room for, giving preference to those who are homeless or vendors. Please send all material to the following address: Streetvibes c/o Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless 1506 Elm Street Cincinnati, OH 45210 (513) 421-7803 fax (513) 421-7813 e-mail: homecoal@primax.net http://cinci.com/gcch Quote of the Month: 11 Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest. 11 Mark Twain Page 2 News From Cleveland's Grapevine The (Cleveland) Homeless Grapevine Celebrates 5th Anniversary cians in 1995. The paper provided in-depth reports about the death of General Assistance in Issue I0 (May/June 1995) by analyzing the GA program and fi ndings fro m research studies. In additio n, all State Senators and Representatives from Northeast Ohio were surveyed about their role in the elimination of GA. A copy of Dennis Kucinich's speech to the state House of Representatives was also included. The Adult Emergency Assistance voucher program was uncovered as a bad alternative to GA. Issue 14 (March/April 1996) exposed the program as experimental, haphazard, and arbitrary. The article explained how the program was seriously lacking in planning and fraud controls. One-time grants were awarded without standard criteria. Clients were not By Jean E. Taddie told what the eligibility requirements were and they felt the system showed favoritism to people who were Five years ago. the first Homeless Grapevine liked by the agencies distributing the money. Issue 11 issue was created in partnership with the Northeast (August/September 1996) reported that in spite of the Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH). Since fact that distributing agencies fai led to distribute all of then, The Homeless Grapevine has focused on giving the money, a new pool of money totaling $625,382 a public voice to homeless and formerly homeless · was given o ut in September, 1996 with minimal citizens. It has also provided a forum for activists, improvements to the program. concerned citizens, politicians, and service providers. The Homeless Grapevine has reported stories Volume I, which was named The NEW of fraud by agencies trying to make money off Homeless Grapevine, premiered Spring 1993. The homelessness. Issue 13 Oanuary/February 1996) idea of The Grapevine, however, began two years uncovered WeShare, a telemarketing scam that put before. The newspaper was first created in 1991 by homelessness and low-incon:ie people on telephones the residents of Project HEAT Shelter "Site E." which soliciting more than $I million a year. The donations at the. time was located in a temporary Classroom were supposed to go for job training and other building of Cleveland State University. The shelter programs to help homeless people. Instead, roughly residents received guidance and production assis­ 90% of.the donations went to administration costs, tance from a Kent State University student who was which included paying workers less than minimum working on his thesis research. Unfortunately, the wage. WeShare v.:as investigated by FBI and fledgling newspaper did not survive. Channel 3's Paul Orlowski. One of the founders has After about a year-long suspension, The since been jailed for harassment. Grapevine re-started production with the financial Another agency, Project Homeless, was uncov­ and technical support of NEOCH. Throughout this ered in Issue 16 Oune/July 1996). The agency five-year, 28-issue partnership, The Homeless Grape­ solicited donations by telephone, mail, and promo­ vine has focused on homeless involvement and public tional events and claimed to provide a wide variety of education. Brian Davis, Editor of The Grapevine and services to alcoholic and destitute clients. The director of NEOCH has been with the paper since Grapevine investigation found only limited food Issue 7. He explains,."We are a journal about local distribution, no shelter, transportation or rehabilita· poverty issues. We provide a unique product that tion services that were claimed. The organization was you can't find anywhere else in town." investigated further by the Ohio Attorney General. Each Grapevine issue focused around a central Throughout t'.he past issues, The Grapevine theme. Early issues were written and produced include.d the perspectives of many homeless and mainly by homeless and formerly homeless people. formerly homeless people. Issue 26 (April 1'998) and They shared their opinions, experiences, and poetry. 27 (May/June 1998) focused on shelter lift:, as told by These issues told the stories of individuals such as the people who live it. Shelter residents doled out homeless children, displaced workers, and shelter praise and criticism for different shelters and service residents. As time went on, The Grapevine contin­ providers. The organizations were also provided an ued to feature stories, poems and artwork by home­ opportunity to respond. "We received a big and less men. women, and children. The paper also consistent response from readers who told us they added more stories about important local poverty really liked these articles," Davis explains. issues. Over the past five years, The Grapevine has "Vendor licensing has been a big issue that has used a wide variety of writers to express their gone all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court," explains knowledge and opinions of local poverty issues. Davis. The story. which was first covered in Grape­ Grapevine staff, volunteers, and vendors want to vine Issue 7 (September/December 1994). revolves continue and expand this tradition. Stories and input around the City of Cleveland's policy for vendor's from the homeless community will continue to be permits. After several Grapevine vendors were emphasized. "In the future, we want to feature more ticketed for not having a $50 vendor's permit, the stories from runaway children and kids who are living American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit in shelters," explains Davis. "Ideally, we would like to against the City of Cleveland claiming this policy create a newslette.r that covers stories specifically for violated the First Amendment right to Freedom of homeless readers." If The Grapevine could consis­ Speech. tently cover the costs of t his newsletter, shelters and The ACLU won in district court on May 3, other sites could distribute it to clients for free. 1995 (Issue I0). Unfortunately, the U.S. Federal Appeals Court reversed the decision on February 3, 1997, the Court refused without comment to hear Facts About Homelessness in Ohio and the appeal, thereby upholding the City of Cleveland's licensing policy. The Grapevine reported the Cleveland: Supreme Court's ruling and the local response in Issue 24 Oanuary, 1998). Even though the City of *locally we find that in Cuyahoga County Cleveland had not officially worked out a policy for alone 20,000 people go homeless each Grapevine vendors, some were ticketed by police. year. Grapevine readers respondect enthusiastically to this issue. Davis noted that The Grapevine received cash donations from around 40 people and organizations, * The Ohio Coalition for the Homeless a figure he says is four times more than average. estimates that 140,000 people find The Grapevine has focused reports on welfare themselves homeless each year throughout reform since the issue became popular with politi­ the the state. �I 1 STREETVIBES The Tri State's Homeless Grapevine Portman plan treats Inmates for addiction by Biii Straub, Post Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Rob Portman, one of the leading anti-drug voices in Congress, has unveiled legislation intended to enhance treatment programs in the nations' jails and prisons. "Our prisons should be places where drug problems are solved not created," said Portman. R­ Ohio, of Terrace Park, co-chairman of the Task Force for a Drug~Free America created by House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga. "This legislation combines national leadership with innovation by state and local authorities to get prison inmates into treatment programs rather than sending their drug problems back to our streets." Portman said 70 to 80 percent of inmates wind up behind bars because of drugs or alcohol. "More than half of the parole violations are directly related to drug or alcohol .abuse," he said. "We're never going to get out of this revolving door unless we treat people who are incarcerated." , The legislation would create a model program within the criminal justice system. The idea, Portman said, is to reduce drug abuse. drug-related crime and costs associated with incarcerating those involved with drugs. It must be formulated so it can be easily replicated by state and IC?cal govei:nments. Grants will establish!five local and five ·state ~ Page 3 treatment programs with the funds going to court supervised treatments and treatment alternatives to jail for non-violent offenders, in-jail treatment pro­ grams and supervised early release programs. A recent Federal Bureau of Prisons study, he said, shows that inmates who receive treatment are 73 percent less likely to be rearrested as opposed to untreated inmates. Portman introduced the proposal during the annual meeting of the National Association of Drug Cou rt Professionals, which brought 2,000 experts, including Hamilton County Drug Court Judge Deidra Hair, to Washington. Citing Hamilton County's success, Portman said, "Now it's time to take the underlying principles of the drug court concept and apply it to the rest of our criminal justice system." Homeless Fundraiser Bus Trip •t ~ •. This year's Scrimmage on August 1, 1998, promises to be e~citing. Tbis.,is the ~econd scrimmage to be held at the new training camp 1'1 ·Ge_o~get9wn, KY. We have a package which will let you enjoy the event'if! style . . 0 ., r ' Each ticket includes: • .Bus Trip from Dick Clark's American Bandstahd Gri1l :Parking_ lot to the· Bengals New Training Camp in Georget9wn, i¥ritucky ' Leaves at 10 am. ~u· : Box Lunch provided by the Kroger Company '"" ~ Meeting with Coach Bruce Coslet including a pre-game analysis and question and answers ·t Preferred seating in the new training stadium ·.: Return Trip to Dick Clark's American Bandst~d Return around 5 or 6 pm. J ' • ) l 'l. H , ,­ We will arrange the trip so you can j~st sit back and have fun! Tickets for the entire day cost $50 each. Proceeds go to:the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homel.ess a 68 member agency dedicated to ending homelessness in Cincinnati. Call our Hotline Number: 659-6887 to pay with your credit card. Tickets will be mailed to your home. If you wish to pay by check, send a check payable to ~he "Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless" to: Bengals Scrimmage Bus Trip 1506 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45210 Please include your phone number and the number of tickets you are ordering. Co-sponsored by the Cincinnati Bengals, the Cincinnati Enquirer, Kroger's, Airtouch Cellular and WBOB Radio 1160 AM. Grea1e:I Cincinnati Coalition For ', The Homeless 1 I ' �STREETVI BES The Tri State's Homeless Grapevine STREETVIBES Welfare News OHIO EMPOWERMENT COALITION'S BILL INTRODUCED educating the public and legislators on the effects of sanctic1ns. Please contact us if you yourself have been sanctioned or terminated. Your story will be kept confidential unless you give us permission to share your story with the public. Contact the following OEC member coalition in your area: Contact Cen~er/Cincinnati Welfare Rights Coalition: 513-381-4242 Miami Valley Full Employment Council, Logan Martinez: 937-274-7003 Empowerment center of Greater Cleveland, Showa Omabegho: 216-241-5926 Columbus Organizing Project, Mark Stansberry: 614-231-9654 State Org. of Client Advocates, Shirley Peoples: 614-252-2160 Summit County Welfare Rights Organization, Theola Anderson, Mary Stephens: 330-438-8954 Hancock County, Sharon Weis of Hope House: 419-425-4673 Trumbull County Welfare Rights Organization, Geneva Reid: 330-392-7678 Highland County Welfare Rights Organization. Terry Kessinger: 513-875-23 17 By Lynn Williams On June 23rd, the Ohio Empowerment Coalition's Emergency Repeal of Sanctions policy was introduced as a bill at the Ohio House. The bill has been renamed the "Welfare Corrections Bill." Rep. Tom Roberts of Dayton and Rep. C.J. Prentiss of Cleveland are the sponsors. Co-sponsors include the following Representatives: Sam Britton of Cincinnati, Mark Mallory of Cincinnati, Vernon Sykes of Akron, Dale Miller of Cleveland, Charleta Tavares of Columbus, John Bender of Elyria, Dale Allen of Dayton, Darrell Opfer of Oak Harbor, and Vermel Whalen of Cleveland. At the June 23rd press conference which Rep. Roberts and Rep. Prentiss held, members of the Ohio Empowerment Coalition spoke out fervently for the need to change the harsh sanction policy. Some of our members were sanctioned themselves and spoke about the painful ordeal they went through under sanction, scraping by to pay bills. Carla and Jay Pitzinger spoke about what their family went through under sanction. Carla stated. "At no time did a sanction help us become more self­ sufficient. It only drove us further into debt. I was punished because I made a decision to miss work a couple days to take care of my disabled husband and my "Special Needs Child." Her husband has a spinal cord injury and is confined to a wheelchair. Rosalind of Hamilton County spoke about how she has completely given up on trying to get any help from 'The Department" because of frustration with all the endless paperwork requirements. Her sanction first began with not being able to _provide a birth certificate for one of her children. The endless round of red tap frustrated her so much that she gave up trying. She is now scraping by on small jobs and living below poverty level. She and her children receive no supports such as food stamps or Medic­ aid, and frequently go without necessities of food or medical care. She is fed up with how she was treated by caseworkers. She may be one of the statistics of recipients who leave the welfare rolls for a job (although temporary, unstable jobs that pay below poverty level wages), but nonetheless her life and her children's lives have not improved because. of it. A sanction did not move her towards ··self­ sufficiency." Rep. Prentiss stated, "The current system of sanctions is unforgiving...We need to remember that the goal of welfare reform is not simply to drive down the number of people on the welfare rolls...The goal of welfare reform is to lift families out of poverty and into self-sufficiency. Taking assistance group's benefits and potentially undermining the quality of life of children whose mothers lose their cash assistance, food stamps, childcare, and job training will not accomplish this goal. The only impact will be to further qepress recipients and children's standards of living and undermine our long term goal of success." The Ohio Empowerment Coalition urges our members and other concerned citizens to continue IMPACT OF WELFARE . REFORM: An Advocate for Poor Women By James Ramage, The Chronicle of Higher Education The world of poor. single mothers can be bleak: a house with no power and no heat, and children who are sick or malnourished and have only one caregiver to rely on. Those are images that Gwendolyn Mink fears are lost in the current debate over welfare reform, ·with policy makers sparring over what percentage of welfare recipients must have a job by next year, and after that, and the year after that. Ms. Mink, a professor of politics at the Univer­ sity of California at Santa Cruz, argues in her new book, Welfare's End (Cornell University Press), that the continuing movement to overhaul federal and state welfare programs is stealing important civil rights from poor women. Meanwhile, she singles out traditional women's-rights organizations, along with white, middle-class feminists and some Democrats, as having not fought hard enough for economic and social justice for those on welfare. " I want to awaken people to the adverse consequences of the new laws," she says. "and to shift the emphasis of the discussion over to those who are burdened most by them." 'WORKING' CAREGIVERS Considering the current political climate-in which a Republican Congress and a Democratic President agreed in 1996 to restrict welfare benefits and have shown no signs of returning to welfare as we knew it-Ms. Mink makes some arguments in Welfare's End that may be hard to swallow for the politicians and voters whose attitudes she hopes to change. She writes that women who have children are "working" caregivers, and should be paid as such by federal or state agencies. Those paychecks would allow women to pay for day-care costs, so that they could choose to work outside of the home. Ms. Page 4 Mink also suggests overhauling federal Survivors' Insurance, which distributes the Social Security benefits of deceased workers to their spouses and young children. She argue.s that such insurance should be expanded to include all single parents, allowing them to focus on raising children. Ms. Mink believes that welfare is the guarantor of poor women's equality, and she is skeptical of attempts to change the system. "Why we end welfare dictates how we end it,"· she writes. Many politicians want to reform welfare not to improve the economic status of women, she argues, but because they see recipients as wastrels who ought to be employed. By Ms. 'Mink's lights, the primary obstacle to such progress for single mothers and poor women is the sweeping federal welfare overhaul of 1996, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (known as P.R.A.). It put time limits, employment requirements, and other condi­ tions on those who receive welfare benefits. One criterion that angers Ms Mink is that single mothers who want benefits must establish contact with the biological father of their children. Lawmakers believe that fathers should help raise the children, providing financial and paternal support. But that requirement, Ms. ~ink says, forces welfare mothers to deal with-and perhaps become depen­ dent on-men who may have been physically or emotionally abusive to them and their children The law also demands that most women work outside of the home in order to receive benefits. That stipulation. the professor says. values "wage earning over caregiving" and also serves to push women into financial dependence on the children's fathers . As both a political scientist and a political activist, Ms. Mink is especially disappointed with what she sees as the failure of white, middle-class feminists and members of th~ Democratic Party to unite as advocates for economic and social justice for poor. single mothers. She argues that such issues as abortion rights and domestic violence bear on the minds of middle-class people more than does welfare reform. What's more, she sees many women's rights groups supporting solutions, such as child care and access to jobs; that she says won't solve the financial problems of the poor. single mothers who may have few job skills. Ms. Mink was attracted to political movements in the early I970's as a student at the University of Chicago and then at the University of California at Berkeley. She was drawn to civil-rights groups and their opposition to restrictions on welfare entitle­ ments, limits that she saw as depriving poor women and mothers of what she calls their "individual rights." She spent years working with poor single mothers, learning from them as they grappled with one welfare reform after another, one day to the next. Subscribe to Streetvibes S ubscriptions to Streetvibes can be p ur ­ c hased for $12 per year. Please send a check to the b elow address and t he paper will be mailed to you each issue. Str eetvib es I 506 Elm Street Cincinnati, OH 45210 Please make checks payable to t he G reater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless--Streetvibes. If you have any questions, call 421- 780 3. �5TREETVIBES The Tri State's Homeless Grapevine Page s ------ now and then is when a bulk of the outreach work will need to occur to "get the word out" to those who currently get checks about what this means, what their options are and why electronic transfer may work more effectively for them than receiving a check. We will use homeless service and housing providers as principle conduits to reach the individu­ als who a~e the current, actual recipients of the checks. The Vlslble The following is a list of responsibilities required of local partners: .. Folks sleeping on park benches and on the street during the summer Is on the Increase In Cincinnati. Welfare reform measures and the scarcity of affordable housing continues to push people Into the street. This bench in Washington Park faces the entrance to Music Hall, an enclave for the city's privileged. Hope VI Scam (Lesson In Deception?) By Steven Michael Recently, Lincoln Courts gave a function in the parking lot behind the Public Relations Building on Cutter. The event was supposed to update the residents on the " Hope VI Project for Renovations" that is projected for the Lincoln Courts Projects. There were games for the children, prizes. free food ... hot dogs, hamburgers. and soda there also. There was Bingo, where prizes were awarded in a drawing. Residents went around and got a card they gave you to fill out with stars and dots. You put the cards in a box they held for the drawings at the end of the event. Prizes were VCR's, 19" televisions, fans, a glass set, bicycles, etc. This is where the deception began. Lets start with Bingo. You were only supposedly allowed two cards. Some people had four to six cards. The lady issuing the cards must have previously checked the Bingo balls and cards because she knew exactly what cards to give to who ever she wanted to win. The same people kept winning. The Bingo game was fixed from the beginning; she held the winning cards and gave them to a selected few. You could see right through the scam. The prizes for the drawing for the other prizes . was the next big scam. The box for the drawing held cards that were supposedly selected at random. Selected at random means to take 3 to ~ cards at a time, put them down on the table, and read the names of the people you are familiar with? You still didn't know who the other cards' names were that she held up under the box. This was very disgusting seeing this going on right in front of your face. "Hope VI" is supposed to place residents in a selected apartment until the renovation process is finished. Well, I hope and pray they don't select the residents the way the parking lot function was run or a lot of people are in for a rude awakening. I "hope" this doesn't happen. MEETING WONDERFUL PEOPLE IN A STRANGE TOWN By Maryann Bravo I came to Cincinnati six months ago. I did not know anybody. I wondered how I was going to meet people. Well. I have met some wonderful people. As the days went on. I got a chance to know them better day-by-day. I have met Donald at the offiice, where I went to get some STREEVIBES papers. He is a good man... he is warm, kind, and good-hearted. I have met Lisa at the Drop-Inn Center where I stayed. Lisa is like my big sister I never had. Betty is a wonderful person. Jimmy is wonderful and kind. Jennifer...she has helped me find a place to live. You never know where you will go, but wherever it is you might just meet wonderful people like I did. My higher power has helped me meet this kind of people. 'Treasury' from page 1... I. Assign specific staff to work on the EFTITP and designate one person who will serve as the contact person for the lead partner - the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC). 2. Disseminate EFT 99 information to ind i­ viduals and at public locations throughout your community. 3. Identify. contact, and encourage other homeless organizations to participate in the in-touch ­ program and provide them with EFT 99 materials (which will be sent to you by NCRC and/or the Treasury Department). 4. Contact public officials, media, and other highly visible spokespersons in your community to request their assistance in announcing/advertising public education events about the ITP. 5. Design and implement .in-touch activities in your communities. This means making presentation /sending information to local homeless providers and coalitions. shelters, public housing ~omplexes, transitional/permanent housing facilities, day centers, health centers and other service sites that directly reach individuals who are/have been homeless or are very low income. 6. Encourage support for the EFT '99 initiative and promote full awareness by beneficiaries of their options with regard to how they receive their funds, by asking homeless shelter/housing/service providers and local/state coalitions to inform benefidaries of the pending changes. Use your own newsletters, fliers, posters, public service announcements (radio/ TV), in addition to direct contact with beneficiaries to "get the word out." 7. Provide a written monthly progress rei::iort to NCRC outlining your outreach activiti~s. num.ber of organizations publishing fliers/posting notices so that beneficiaries can see them/learn about their options (including approximating total circulation) 8. Attend two regional meetings (first one is July 20th) in either Birmingham or Chicago, ex­ penses for which will be paid for by the Treasury Department. and identify others form your state who should be invited to attend this meeting which will focus on how to effectively implement outreach programs. 9. As possible and desirable, work with local financial institutions to have them part icipate in creating successful outcomes for the EFT initiative, and preferably at no cost to the individual receiving the federal funds. Each local partner will be compensated a total of $5,000 to be paid out on a monthly basis after the monthly reports have been received and as long as you meet your designated responsibilities. We look forward to working with you to implement an effective outreach/information program that will benefit those who are recipients of federal cash programs. Please call with any questions you may have. Thank you. participate in this EFTITP in a way that insures solid outcomes for currently/formerly homeless recipients of federal cash programs. To determine your capability and desire to become a local partner, please find below a list of responsibilities required of local partners. As you may know, October 14th has been designated as the day on which individuals who currently receive checks form the federal government will be asked to sign up to receive their funds via elec­ tronic transfer. starting in January, 1999. Between �STREETVIBES The Tri State's Homeless Grapevine Missing You Denise Crew Mother's Honor By Denise Crew Don't cry little one I am here to protect you These children can't hurt me With mean words, I am sorry they hurt you How you must love me To cry so hard And look sad so long Filled with tears I draw you near And hold you, Until your pain is gone Tell me all about it Then sleep, for tomorrow will come Hopefully you will have forgotten All the mean things The hard words, that punch you around But remember, when you grow to be a man My. touch, my ~~rds ' ' And how warm The moment was here With your mom Anonymous i feel like running wild in a pasture, feeling the wind against my skin, pretending that i'm the child of the wind­ hence just as wise, just as knowing. just as silent, but expressive­ and just as free make believe but it's only a paper moon. Sometimes I don't understand what I'm to do. I wrote a letter yesterday, And I mailed it off to you. Inside the letter went my heart which is aching Almost to the point of breaking. You called while I did shower. I tried to reach you for an hour But there was no answer there. You told me you had to go. I told you I had to stay. We vowed in love we would remain. Could it be, I'm now insane. I'm glad I have you for my friend. I worry that our love will end. Will the distance take its toll On this poor and battered soul. To me you say there is no other. You want and need me as a lover. So I sit and pine away Waiting for the very day When the pain will go away And I can stop missing All the things I _count as blessings. Summertime By Denise Crew My Sons First Line Party ,Reading One day I'll know summertime To rest in his book crate I see in my mind again and again (unforgettably) How I saw into his soul Through the wonder in his · eyes A small peaceful face Set in a blind trance As the poetress read her verse She touched him, made him go With her, to a far off place Where he could wander and dream How wonderful it must be To veiw the world so innocently Listening, and living · Through the prose of the poetress . By Denise Crew By Brett Zwolinski An unrhymed Japanese verse form of three lines containing usually 5, 7, 5, (or 7, 5, 7) syllables respectively. Please Submit your suggestions for monthly Haiku to Brett Zwolinski at STREETVIBES. Now, this month's Haiku: . beneath silent fears weeping willows lean and loom the moon cries...madness Things of Cincinnati By Steven Michael The seven hills that surround a valley There are factories and mills and clumped alleys It has a southern atmosphere from long ago That has touched my past with fun and soul A steadfast dream Came true at last We all knew that It would be a task A river flows along The edge of the city That people come there to view The busy night lights And its solid hues Caught between a Mason Dixon line The thing that made her shine With Buckeye trees That stand so proudly These are the things of Cincinnati Tilted houses run along slanted slopes Vivid occurrences of new hopes. A square that pours gleaming lights Towering above all to see a queen who has become More refined That we all knew it was time. Round arenas where spectators can gather To hear and see its special matters The zoo that's been rated Above so many The people pour there In so plenty A vine that stretches north and south A Washington park on Race too see The things of Cincinnati. 1 Jason HAIKU Page 6 There is one more mouth to feed Put another potato in the stew Add an extra carrot or two After dinner call your house Let them know you are fine Safe right here with me and I I more of mine. I know you cannot go home The air is too thick to breathe now Let it air and Figure out What the mess was all about When mother calls you Do not shout She too has lots Figure out · A mother's love will never die Believe me, I would never lie STREETVIBES Sweatand T-Shirts! Only $5 for T's, $10 tor Sweats. STREETVIBES TheTri State's H omeless Grapevine 100% White Cotton Shirts and long Sleeve Sweat Shirts Xl Purple logo T-shirts and Sweat Shirts are available at our office at 1506 Elm Street. Please stop by -and see us. �STREETVIBES The Tri State's Homeless Grapevine Poor people to spotllght human rights vlolatlons In .the Capltol Washington, DC - On Monday. June 29 at 12:00 PM, poor and homeless DC residents joined by local union members, students and anti-poverty activists w ill hold a tribunal in front of the White House to highlight human rights violations in the nations capitol. Demonstrators will testify about the impact of welfare reform and other cuts affecting poor and working people, calling attention' to how ~' the resulting hunger, homelessness, and poverty constitute violations of the United Nations' U niversal declaration of Human Rights. T he rally is part of a national campaign spearheaded by the Philadelphia-based Kensington Welfare Rights Union (KWRU) to reaffirm the Universal Declaration of Human Rights' guarantee of basic economic human rights like food, housing, health care, education, and a job at a living wage. T he Declaration was ratified 50 years ago by the United States. "This campaign forces us to take a good hard look at the human rights abuses in our own commu­ nities and to o rganize to stop them," said Jessica Alvarez, a rally organizer with the Latino Leadership Institute. " It's unacceptable that here in one of the richest cit ies in the richest country on the planet. people can't meet basic needs." The White House rally comes near the end of a month-long·tour of the U. S. by the Freedom Bus, whose poor and homeless passengers are carrying the message of KWRU's Economic Human Rights Campaign '98 to thirty cities nationwide. Freedom Subscribe to Streetvlbes Subscriptio ns t o Streetvibes ca n b e purchased for $ 12 pe r year. Please send a check t o the b e low a dd ress a nd the pap e r will b e m a iled t o yo u each issue. Streetvibes 1506 Elm Street Cincinna ti, OH 45210 Please m a ke che cks paya ble t o the Greater Cincinnati Coali­ t ion for the Ho m e less-­ Streetvibes. If yo u have any que stio n s, <..&II 421 -7803. Bus riders have documented thousands of violations of the Universal Declaration of Human rights. Local campaign organizers have spent recent months collecting documentation of economic human rights violations to present to the Freedom Bus riders upon their June 29th arrival. At the rally, participants will place the documentation into a coffin in reminder of the toll violations have taken. The Freedom Bus riders will carry this documenta­ tion to ?New York City. where on July I. KWRU and its supporters will present the collected documentation to the UN. "We're throwing into sharp focus the ugly picture of what is happening in out city and country-deepening poverty amidst extreme wealth." said Clark McKnight. a local campaign organizer and child counselor at Community of Hope. "The documentation helps show the world what is happening to poor people in our communities, and we as poor people are doing this documentation ourselves. We are learning to be our own leaders and representatives." emphasized McKnight. Speakers at the rally w ill discuss the damage to their lives and communities caused by the recent confluence of budget cuts, welfare and immigration reform, and educational failure in Washington, DC. Testimony will be presented by McKnight; Je~ica Alvarez. a grassroots organizer;· a mother on public assistance; a Vietnamese refugee and DC Public ' School student; a formerly homeless poet; a Nicaraguan immigrant and school teacher; and Michelle Tingling-Clemmens. a founding mem ber of the W elfare Rights Union and a board member of DC Hunger Action. Also featured will be Cheri Honkala, KRWU Director> and the only welfare recipient to testify b~te ~opg~s~ iu"ri~gh"earings for the 1996 welfare 'eform bill. • • "The message is clear: poor people are staking a claim to a ~etter life," said Doria'ti Bell, a • campaign organizer J.,iMi the Dt' Elonom1c Human Rights Committee. Housln·g Counsellng Conference ­ September 14­ 15, 1998 (, COHHIO (Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio) will be sponsoring a statewide Housing Counseling conference on September 14 and I 5, 1998 at the Crowne Plaza in Columbus. The conference will explore standards that make sense for housing counseling organizations, best practices. developing methods to increase funding, and pre- and post purchase counseling. Participants will include housing counseling organizations, lenders, banks, Fannie Mae, and state and federal governmental agencies. Invited speakers for the conference will include representatives from Fannie Mae, Karen Hill of the American Home Ownership Education and Counsel­ ing Institute from W ashington, DC, local and out of state counseling organizations and representatives from major Ohio banks. Registration will begin approximately at 9:30 am on Monday. September 14, and will conclude around 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 15. Registration fees will be $60, which includes lunch both days, a reception Monday evening, a continen­ tal breakfast on Tuesday and the materials. Rooms at the Crowne Plcua have been reserved at the special rat of $60. Registration materials will be available in late July or early August. If you have any questions or want to make sure you receive registra­ tion materials, please call COHHIO at 614/280­ 1984. Page 7 WILLIAM R. WALIACE, D.D.S. 5258 MONTGOMERY RD. NORWOOD, OH 45212 Telephone 1513) 531 ·2338 AKOT ITE R <'LASS J•RODUC T I ON Disc-Jockey Service CLIFFORD JONES (513) 761-3464 (513) 230:6353 ... i i i payroll and human rcsource'managementJ • 'Ii~ TRANSCON EMPLOYMENT COMPANY' 3qr. • A ng Ie E . S t r u n k , C E O i.1 h I :;-, 1·888-841-7900 P.O. Box 12545 (513) 841-5~50 Cincinnati, Ohio 45212 Fax: (513) 84lll-5545 angie_strunk 0 msn.com Friends and Neighbors of Over-the-Rhine An Organization Seekin Justice for People in II Cincinnati's Most Endangered Community Subscribe to STREETVIBESI For only $12 per year you can have STREETVIBES delivered to your home every month. National and Local Stories on Issues regarding homelessness and the poor. News, Information, Personal Stories and more, written every month by homeless and formerly homeless persons... Send Check or Money Order for $12 to: Street vibes C/ O Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless 1506 Elm Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45210 �STREETVI BES The Tri State's Homeless Grapevine TO THOSE IN THE STRUGGLE In Struggle, By James W. Pryor I've been a prisoner off and on in the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (O.D.R.C.) since 1979, all resulting from parole violations, no new crime committed. However, I am just now becoming fully aware of the severe oppres­ sion existing within it's system. There are many areas in which this oppression is expressed, or carried out by the O.D.R.C. First, we can look at the inadequate medical care that is provided for prisoners. An example would be the u:iqualified medical personnel that treat the prisoners. We as prisoners have no other choice but to be at the mercy of these individuals and the treatment they offer. ft has been statistically proven that prisoners utilize prison medical facilities more frequently than individuals on the outside utilize public medical facilities. The quality of the care prisoners receive indicates that it is grossly inadequate, and yet the legislat~re wants to charge him for this same type of medical treatment. The type of medical treatment received coupled with the deplorable conditions that the prisoners are forced to live in are the major cause factors for the poor health of the prisoner. Yet. it is played up politically as a ploy to obtain further funding by the O.D.R.C. when these expen­ ditures could be eliminated by offering adequate medical care in the first instance. Secondly, another area in which the prisoner is oppressed and forced to be passive is through the adult parole authority and the fear of retaliation. The fear of retaliation keeps the majority of today's prisoners from fifing complaints. grievances. or civil complaints concerning the mistreatment they receive. I've seen prisoners attacked and sexually assaulted by their fellow prisoner and even mal­ treated by the correctional staff. Yet, the prisoner will ~ay nothing because of the fear of retaliation. This form of abuse creates today's passive and submissive prisoner on the outward appearance, but is actually a volatile situation waiting to explode. We must consider the hope the prisoner has placed in expecting to see an uncallus parole board, possibly receiving a parole, and returning home to his family and friends . A parole would take him away from the deplorable conditions and.situations he is forced to face on a daily basis. One example of this form of passive oppression comes in the false hopes created by the possible legislative enactment of Senate Bill 182 which augments no real changes or creates no form of commitment by the adult parole authority. The crucial moment in the prisoner's life is his hearing before the adult parole authority which will determine whether or not to se t his sentence and whether or not to grant a parole date. The adult parole authority is under no legal o b ligation to set the time and in practice it does not do so until it is ready to grant parole. By keeping the prisoners in perpetual sus­ pense, never knowing from year to year what portion of his sentence he will serve, the adult parole authority maintains maximum control over the prisoner for the entire period of his incarceration. Do you think that an executive branc~ of the Government (the same government who incarcer­ ated you in the first place) is going to change policies, guidelines, or anything else that would relinquish the maximum control they have now by keeping you in constant suspense? Lastly. another way the O.D.R.C. keeps adequate control over the prisoner is through mismanagement. This is evidenced by their failure to follow their own policies and procedures. They maintain no set of policies or procedures in which they adhere to. What may apply to one prisoner does not apply to the next. This also helps them create a balance of strife and tension between the . prisoners. just as they do with a limited number of phones. televisions, recreation equipment, or any other product used to keep the prisoner passive. This allows them to control you when they threaten to take away these little luxuries, just as it does when you fight among yourselves over them. This keeps you too busy to challenge the inadequacies of the administration. The answer I believe. is to change where necessary the ways in which these institutions are organized and managed. Poor prison conditions are produced by poor prison management. Cruel and unusual conditions are the product of failed management.. And the reverse is also true: prisons where prisoners can "do time" without fearing for their lives or being pressured by their peers for sex, money or drugs; without fear of retaliation by the AP.A. and where there exist standard policies that are adhered to; without fear of being abused physically or emotion­ ally by their officers and abandoned to their educational (or other basic life skills) deficiencies, these are the products of sound prison management. An example is the severe lack of educational programs and security that exists within the Ohio prison system. The administration and correctional staff are improperly trained and cushioned in their jobs. No group of prisoners is unmanageable and no combination of political, social, budgetary, architec­ tural, or other factors makes good management impossible. Difficult, yes; fatiguing, always; thankless. mostly; impossible, never. Even overcrowded maximum security facilities can be improved simply by changing the ways in which they are organized and managed. However. the O.D.R.C.'s AP.A, psychologists, case managers, and unit managers seem. to be unmotivated individuals who muhge their con­ sciences or "weak egos" by patronizing what they would call us prisoners, such as disadvantaged people or human waste, as they portray in their actions. And whom they solicit for their own personal gain. The mind-boggling arrogance of these individuals is utterly beyond my belief. but it truly exists within the State of Ohio and it's prison "industrial system.'' MEDICAL CO­ PAYMENT Submitted by Sonny Williams for the Ohio Prisoners' Rig hts Union In Senate Bill 11I of the I22nd General Assembly at lines 8,097 to 8,099 is a very broad sentence in which to implement the Medical Co­ payment for medical services in all the State Correc­ tional Institutions under the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections. This very broad sentence will effect every inmates health and well being, and life in all the State of Ohio, especially those with health problems. Inmates only receive an average of $16.00 to $18.00 state pay per month to purchase Hygiene and necessities, which the state fails to provide. The majority of inmates come from the lower incom~ class, therefore receiving what little money their families can provide. Now every inmates family is being forced an additional burden on them in order for their loved ones to receive adequate health care by paying once through their hard earned tax dollars and now again by money which they will send their loved ones through the mail. DRC was crying to the legislatures to pass the Page a Medical Co-payment law, and the law makers allowed it to be amended to Senate Bill I I I along with 4 other issues, when the Ohio Constitution Article fl. section IS(D) specifically states that all Bills are to be of one subject. See State ex rel. Dix vs. Celeste ( 1984). I I Ohio St. 3d 141. The Medical Co-payment did NOT pass by itself two years ago for these same reasons and issues. Senate Bill I I I passed because of the other issues contained within the Bill. not Medical Co-payment. Therefore. Senate Bill I I is in complete violation of the Ohio Constitution Article II, section IS(D), One subject rule. Due to the very broad language in Senate Bill I I I, line 8,097 stating, "Any user fee or co-payment for services at a detention facility, including, but not limited to, fee or co­ payment for sick call visits." DRC is charging for anything and everything they can, when they know very well that our income is so limited. DRC is charging for dental (even each tooth). medications, foot doctor, X-rays. which is creating worse health problems for us inmates. If someone is sick or has the flu and cannot afford the Medical Co-payment, that inmate will not seek medial attention, thus spreading it to the rest of the inmate population. Or if I go and get treated for the flu, as I can afford it, then I will again catch the flu by someone who refuses to seek medical attention, thus wasting my $3 .00 for nothing. Mental Health is charging $3 .00 for Stress Management Classes. and Anger Management, which in turn will effect society, because no inmate will pay $3 .00 for stress management, when we only have so little in which to buy our hygiene, coffee, and smokes, which are addictive. This takes away rehabilitation that the tax paying citizens are paying for and want to see be done. The same amount of people in Mental Health are still employed regardless of Medical Co-payment. Senate Bill 11 I, effective March I I. 1998. Since then a lot of inmates are refusing to go to the inmate hospital due to this $3.00 co-payment to receive adequate treatment, or paying and being refused to see the physician by orders of the nurse abusing their authority and refusing to listen to the patient violating standard code of ethics. Now. due to this new law to save a little bit of money. it has created a severe problem. THE WEEK AFTER THE CO-PAYMENT STARTED. A WHOPPING 27 INMATES DIED THROUGHOUT THE STATE. Is this the legislative intent of Medical Co-payment? DRC and the medical staff are stating that we have to pay for anything that is not life threatening, or that they do not have a chronic clinic for. If our symptoms are not chronic, then we have to pay for it. But they are refusing to use anything prior in our medical fifes which shows that our symptoms are persistent. other than blood pressure, epilepsy. and diabetes. The definition of Chronic in the Webster's II New Riverside University Dictionary 1994 is: ::.L...Qf long duration: 2. Subject co a habit or disease for a lengthy period. syn: continuing. lingering. persistent, prolonged. protracted." Therefore, DRC is misconstruing lines 8,097 of Senate Bill 111 and charging for almost everything. when they should only be charging for one time only "SICK CALL VISITS." The doctors that we are provided with, who receive excessive salaries of hard earned tax payers dollars, seem to have a chronic (persistent. continu­ ing) habit of failing to listen to the patient as re­ quired by the Ohio State Medical Board's code of ethics. Therefore, we are forced to pay for someone who will not even listen to us, thus creating unethi­ cal and more severe medical problems for inmates throughout Ohio's prisons who are required by law to provide adequate medical care, and adequate living standards. Inmates can not obtain nor purchase products such as Band-Aids, Hydrogen Peroxide, Disinfectants to help kill the germs in here, thus spreading germs everywhere. Our showers are cleaned with soap and water, not Limeaway.or C.LR. cl~aners. The soft scrub cleaner was taken away because it was messing the locks up by getting in the �STREETVI BES The Tri State's Homeless Grapevine Page 9 . 'Medlcal' continued from previous page keyholes. . I ask for an investigation by your office and the State Inspector Generals Office. If you would contact them as well to look into the health violations occurring within DRC regarding medical co-payment, thus creating worse health conditions a we are required to even serve more time under the Truth-and­ Sentencing of 85% of our sentence, and bringing DRC below adequate living standards within Ohio's prisons. I ask that you share this letter with other law makers to show them what Senate Bill 111 , O.R.C. section 5120.56 is causing. I request that you will consider repealing the Ohio Revised Code. section 5 120.56, or make it a more precise and accurate definition of the Medical Co-payment standard's here in Ohio's prisons. The language of the statute is too vague and broad. Thank you for your time and consider­ ation of this request. and I appreciate anything and everything that you do to help us here with this huge problem affecting all the inmates regarding our health care. It should be about saving live~. not money. SAN DIEGO CONCOURSE SLEEP-IN ENTERS 3RD MONTH Noith American Street Newspaper Associati on San Diego- The People's Establishment, a San . Diego City Hall concourse encampment that has drawn more than I00 people each night, has entered its third month of protest for year-round shelter. The self-managed encampn:ient began on march I 5th when three emergency winter overflow shelters in that city closed down. Protest organizers estimate that approximately_2,000 people are sleeping on the street because the shelters are full. According to a recent US Conference of Mayors report, 78% of requests for shelter in San Diego are unmet. Protest organizers say local shelters are referring turnaways to th~ir encampment. Roger Scott, an organizer of_ the protest, says the encampment is demanding year-round transi­ tional housing and the establishment of-a safe area for people to sleep. "There are a lot of handicapped and mentally ill people staying in the encampment right now," said Scott, "and a lot of people have earned back their self-respect and dignity." The encampment is entirely self-managed, and has formed it's own Board of Directors along with several committees that keep the camp running. Scott estimates that more than 2,000 people have stayed at the camp. "The City is very concerned," said Scott. "and they're getting to the point where they're so mad they're going to try to get a court order to get rid of us. I refuse to give up hope though, because I think the Good Lord is going to get us transitional housing." TEEN A ROLE MO.DEL AT CLUB by Edward de la Fuente, The Cincinnati Enquirer Just past'the top of the stairs inside the entrance to the LeBlond Boys and Girls Club in Over-the-Rhine is a wave of children, of all ages and heights. ready to overwhelm anybody who has just made their way up. This is Donnell Kelly's world. This, outside of school. is the T_OSt important part of this 16-year­ old's life. Everyone at the club knows it and respects him for it. "What's up, Dante?" Donnell s:iys to a small . boy standing iJ"!;'i hallway as Donnell pa...sses by. The two high-five the child unable to suppress a smile. Now that school is out, this is Donn-ell's day job. A member of the club since age 7, he spends the entire afternoon there. As a junior·scaff member, he watches over·'the younger members. As a participant in the club's .Big Buddy cpn2gram. he serves as a mentor to one of the club's children ... As one of six youths randomly se.lected in a nationwide cont~st, Donnell will participate as a ball boy during the World Cup soccer match between Chile and Cameroon on June 23 in Nantes, France ... 'The experjence of going to France, that's what's exciting to me," he said. "it's a once-in-a­ lifetime dream." Donnell, who just finished his freshman year at St. Xavier High School, was nominated for the Coca­ Cola sponsored contest by the Boys and Gir~s Club Support Your Local Vendor... Tell A Friend About Streetvibes! after earning the chapter's "Yo.uth of the Year" award for the second straight year. The determination that earned him that distinction also prevails at his Over-the-Rhine home, where he lives with his grandmother, Ellen Varner... "He's seen both the good and the bad of this area," Mrs. Varner said. " He chooses the good route. He's never out late. He goes to school, he goes to the club, and then he comes home." 'There are a lot of kids here who want to be just like him," said Sharon Montgomery, unit director at the LeBlond club. "T hey see that Donnell's going to a private school and they ask me how tJ:iey can do that" ...Donnell passed the sc;hool's entrance exam with ease. Meanwhile, Miss Leroux found that asking people to help pay Donnell's tuition was surprisingly . easy. "I hardly had to ask." said Miss Lerou-x, the primary donor. "It was a neat thing to be a, par t of. People really want to help children in the i ~ner city. They were so excited to be a part of it" ­ ., ' Free legal help .... suffers by Richard Carel/I, The Associated Press WASHINGTON - The Supreme Cour t, by the narrowest margins, endangered multi-state programs that for two decades have provided the nations poor with up to $ 100 million worth of fr.ee legal help each year. Voting 5-4 in a Texas case, the justices ruled Monday that the interest earned from short-term trust accounts lawyers hold for their clients are the private property of those clients. While a big victory for the protectors of priv·ate property. rn?st such clients likely won't see a dime of enrichment. And the decision could be a huge setback for providing legal servkes for the poor. "We're probably 90 percent home," said Richard Samp, the lawyer for the conservative Washington Legal Foundation that challenged the programs' constitutionality and sued to end them. �' STREETVI BES The Tri State's Homeless Grapevine . ·· . Page 10 Vying For Rights WORDS FROM With Animals? THE iEVANGELIST... Dangers Of Blood Banks ~.· I think someone should know about the dangers of going to blood banks. Frorn seeing my roommate's arms, I can bearwitness that after going to blood banks over five times, there would be dark spots made on both arms. After approximately five months there would be indentations made in the arms that never go away. My advice after five times is to use emery boards and soap...(in a later letter)... Hello. My name is Aaron Pitchford. I've got something to share with you. I'm signing in to you because I1told you that people know blood banks for life as the'at;lvertisements·go on T.V. But they are deeper tltciW.that! I would prescribe a few times as long as it d~esn 't start to make holes. What I am relating to .you is that blood banks could be very addictive. I went a few times and I saw other people...they have C1ark marks. When it be like this, use an emery board, rub on soap, and it will replenish the skin to its natural skin color, not Ambi! So, Aaron is signing off now and God bless you. ~lie Dear Streetribes: c. I have previously sent you articles asking that you consider printing them. There have been j rumors that you may have printed one. Would you kindly send me a copy of the paper in which the article was printed? Furthermore, I have done bits of research on education and rehabilitation. There is a criminal justice program that does extensive research on it, who· has given the right to me to have anything of theirs reprirted. Therefore, after I compile this, would you please consider printing it? It's a great benefit to be able to create awareness of some of the social ills. Also, I would like to thank you for whatever considerations you give my submissions. Ypur time . and cooperation has been greatly appreciated! Sincerely. James W. Pryor (Editors Response: Dear James, yes we have received your letters and yes we have published one story in June's edition of STREETVIBES. We are· happy to receive any suggestions you have for upcoming editions of STREETVIBES. In fact, we encourage this activity and opportunity for those whose voices go unheard to be heard via our media. As you said, "It's a great benefit to be able to create awareness of some of the social ills." And look for this quote along with your recent letter to us in the Editorial Section of the July issue of STREETVIBES: we have added you to our mailing list and you should expect to commence receiving STREETVIBES on a monthly basis. Consider your submissions a blessing to those whose voices goes unheard.) Hello. My name is Aaron Pitchford and I am writing a story similar to the story about the article entitled "Dog Shelter Welcomes Homeless People?" (STREETVIBES April '98). ,Let.me share with you how I was thrown out of a shelter because of kicking a cat. First. I never kicked the ~at. I raised my foot in a playful manner to maybe make him bite my shoe or paw it. I have been written up in the shelter resident manager's log for inciting a riot for turning over a picture and knocking over some paneling purposely. Nobody knocked over a picture or pan~ling. Quoting the statement, befo!'e I sig11 off,_ on page ten in May's STREETVIBES "Editorials and Letters," "Dogs and animals tend to get more love and care than humans ..." I am not no stupid liver!!! Slave La.bor i . .i Conti n.ued ...J t : Editors Note: In the Jur!e' 98' issue of STREETVIBES, there was an article written by Dan Cahill. Dan wrote, "The· Governor re~~ntly signed into law Senate Bill Ill. This is an opp~~sive piece of legislation that will have a":. negative fmRitct on many aspects of the criminal (in)justice syst~..." . ')S The June 98' iSsue of SfEETVIBEtS was mailed I I G to Dan Cahill at the Orient Correction~ Institution (OCI) in Columbus, OH. Da'r?_·has be~~ receiving STREHVIBES for about two yea'rs no'w at tbe OCI unde-r the exact same conditions. On June 26th, 1998 we received an env~lope acco,mpanied only by th~ June 98' issue of STREETVIB~S. 'Sonny Williams said that OC/'s explanation_'or such • -~1 behavior was a result of the senders qgdress (GCCH). Sonny was '/nfo~inea" _the ad<!Jess need be from the publisher, "ST~EETV/BES:" ~~$n though Dan Cahill has been receiving the palf'¥. from GCCH now for about two years. It Is interesting to note that this questionable scree'!ing by th~pc1 has only occurred with Dan Cahill since his arqc,Je appeared in June 98' STREETVIBES. There existed no accom­ panying letter of explanation, Such an approach · towards communication seems awkward and evasive. Wliat is going on behind the confines of "our" prison system here in America. Gradually, the prjson systems in America are being turned over to the private industry where the government grants money to be used at their discretion. What does the privatization of this system entail...what does it mean? The public, "we the people." have somehow indirectly played o role in imprisoning ·convicts through the "balances of power." It therefore follows that the public, not the private sector, . should play a role insuring the proper maintenance of our prison systems. Prisons are set up to serve the purpose of protecting the general public's freedoms. So, why is the prison system being transferred into the private sector's hands? justice is the servant of truth and fairness and as such should work to elucidate rather than veil the activities lurking behind the bars of "our prisons." .... Free Dyslexia screenings for children The Literacy Network of Greater Cincinnati will conduct free screenings for dyslexia from July 20 to July 31. The screenings are for children who have reading problems and will be entering grades 2-4 in the fall. After-school classes for those students who qualify will begin in September. For more information, call the Literacy Network of Greater Cincinnati at 621-7323. "Open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to the poor, and the needy, .in thy land." Deut. 15:11 By Rodney Sutton, Sr. Many are wondering what services will be provided by A Way of Life Ministries, and when th'ese services will be available. Well. A.W. 0 . L. Ministries plans to provide services for youth who are at-risk because of economic status, geographical location, and ethnic background. There will also be lim ited services for the homeless a~d families. Services for youth will be such programs as summer camp through the YMCA and .other Christian oriented programs as they are developed and sponsors become available. The YMCA Camp Felicity Program has already' • begun and I will be working with representatives from the Ca"mmunity Councils in Low;~ Price Hill, the West End. Over-The-Rhine, and the · Fa~ ·Apartments to send the maximum .:n umber of kids ages 11-14 to camp this summer. ~ · There is a plan to begin a Kids 'Bibi'~ Club in August in conjunction with the State ~venue Church of Christ. More jnformation wilL~e 1 forthcofn ing. • - ~ . ") Services for the homeless and famil1es will primarily be consulting and referral-servi.ces to assist those individuals and families :,.;~o~~ve spiritual needs. However, we do plal"! to nold Alcoholic Victorious Meetings and Bible Studies for individuals and groups. and some par.e'Oting and chemical dependency seminars. Nevertheless, A.W.O.L. Ministries and the services which it will provide to our community can not exist without the help of those who are financially able to support us. We are a, small ministry. but without your support the needs of the at-risk youth. the homeless, and dysfunc­ tional families will go unmet; therefore, V(e ask that you bless us according to the measure which God has blessed you. We are still in need of folding chairs, tables, a podium. and miscellaneous items which can be used in our ministry. • · - - .,,_ ••f A.W.O.L. Ministries c/o Evangelist Rodney Sutton. Sr. 2305 W. 8th Street. Cincinnati. OH 45204. And if you have any questions or would like to volunteer your services. please call 251­ 4101 or 210-4181. Help Wanted Now Hiring Floor Staff and Maintenance Drop by or Call Drop Inn Center Shelterhouse 217 West 12th Street Over-The-Rhine 721-0643 �____,_ -- := :::::: ,,.. STREETVI BES The Tri State's Homeless Grapevine Streetvlbes Crossword 8 by Paul linden 9 10 11 14 . ·:· ~~~:.:!·. · ·.·_·.··· Page Sera mble 11 . by Ron Carter Try to unscramble these related wo rds: TRMAK EANELSWGR REKOGR WYHTIRFTA VREOC SASER NNYPES SESYPLA MWTARAL MSSA 17 Answers on page 15. 38 39 40 'A~erbaijan' 42 page 12 48 51 April 1, 1995 Across 1. Cold and damp 4. lnfonnal talk 8. Autos 12. Tunnoil 13. Sharpen, as a razor 14. Upon 15. By means of 16. Colorful agate 17. Scotia 18. Gloomy 20. London river 22. Biblical fruit 24. Medicine bottle 25. Taurus' symbol 26. Cash drawer 27. What person? 30. Memorable age 31. Mannequin 32. Concealed 33. Endeavor 34. Lyric poems 35.Heed 36. Foolish prank 37. _in , interferes 38. Emotional 'rush' from 41 . Wise one 42. Garden tools 43. Black 45. Food fish 48. Heroic 49. Highway · 50. Exist 51 . Longs (for) 52. Nimble 53.. Signer's tool _ Down 1. Knock sharply ,2. Fruit beverage 3. Repartee, puns, etc. 4. Routine task 5. Goose call 6. Some 7. Woven fabrics 8. Artifical waterway 9. Tiny particle 10. Wander about 11. Health resorts 19. Totality 21. Corridor 22. Help in crime 23. Feline murmur 24. TV picture 26. Small fry 27. Foamy wave 28. Clue 29. Chances, as in a bet 31. Drudge j s _Tankard 36. Phonograph records 37. Toss back and forth, as words or Jdeas 38. Those people 39. Wish 40. Harness strap 41. Fly high 44. Punch: slang 46. Native metal 47. Lair Answers to Crossword on Page 13 Subscribe to Streetvlbes Subscriptions to Streetvibes can be purchased for $12 per year. Please send a check to the below address and the paper will be mailed to you each issue. Streetvibes 1506 Elm Street Cincinnati, ~H 45210 Please make checks pay­ able to the Greater Cincinn~ti Coalition for the Homele ss-­ Streetvibes. If you have any questions, call 421-7803. Community Celebration. live Music! Every Sunday -6PM Free of Charge Nast-Trinity United Methodist Church 1320 Race St. Cincinnati 721·1339 also fears she may have tuberculosis, which is intensified by the measles- she fears it will result in pneumonia. The Mom is also sick. It is a pathetic situation. One half of the families income.is Ayten's begging. So. now, as if they did not already hav too little. their income is cut in half. The reason. of course, Ayten is malnour­ ished. is because they did not have enough money to buy them food . Now they have half of that. Yesterday, Jill and I went shopping for them and bought a bunch of food for them. We spent clo se to $90.00 at the doctor-visit plus anitbiotic. Ayten and Elshan are probably as likely to be exposed to Hepatitis and whatever else is out there as anyone. and their little imn:iune systems are probably not able to withstand much-especially without a decent diet, you should see how skinny they are. W e are going to get them as many immunizations as possible-but all this costs money and you know that the amount we have is pretty limited. If you two think of it. pray. I will keep you updated on everything. I love both of you. Chad Update: Ayten and Elshan's health is begin­ ning to stabilize. Chad took Ayten to the doctor and bought her antibiotics. He continues to bring salubrious food to those who are ill or in danger of becoming ill. The doctor said that Ayten is fortunate Chad brought her on the day he did. Chad and his American friends continue in their benevolence, making visits to the doctor to acquire vaccinat~ons and medications for their refugee friends. COMEDY CORNER "Seen Us" Trouble by Ron Carter A Man died and went to hell... The Devil asked, "what happened to you?" The man replied, "I had seen us trouble." The Devil said, "what did you say?" T he man repeated, "I had seen us trouble ­ I was coming out of a Hotel with a woman and her husband seen us." (Do you want to know how the · husband found out? Yes, I knew you would, well, it was like this: A Pig Squealed!?) �-- AMARU'S FA.REWELL ADDRESS By T11'IT0 Amam, The Xavier Newswire After three years of writing for Perspectives, the reviews are finally in. First the good: "His articles always allow me co take time and think ." "I like them." "He makes me understand concepts never imagined." And now the bad: "Why does he spell America with three K's ?" He's immature." "Doesn't he hate all white people?" "He's very hostile and violent; what's this 'Peace or Rest in Peace' crap anyway ?" "Is the 'Hit Squad' a black thing?" "Is he the black guy with the funny hair?" Throughout my quest of writing I've always sought to enlighten and/or educate people while denouncing ignorance (the lack of knowledge). Unfortunately, I have long since discovered that there is not a middle ground when pleasing the audience. You can either write to please everyone or write about what you feel is real" (much respect to the editor) . Since I cannot please everyone, I've always chosen to write about what's real- what affects our "Xavier family" and the world around us. When­ ever I submit an article and impose on a reader's time, my goal is to make that person think and, if capable, take some positive action to resolve the problem or give credit where it's due. Provoking positive thoughts and problem-solving actions is always at the top of my priorities. The comedy is best left in the capable hands of Jeff Davis. (Business tip: Philadelphia sewer water nationally rated #I.) With so many positive attributes. why am I viewed as such a radical writer? Is it because I speak up instead of shutting up when discussing controver­ sial issues? Is it because I provide the readers with the uncut truth? Well, if at any time the truth has caused some discomfort. have a period pill (Motrin) and deal with it. Why should I be termed a menace to society because I ask "Why is that" like Chris Parker (KRS-1 of Boogie Down Productions F Should I ignore being harassed by safety and security and mistaken for a bum (now there's a reason to always carry Xavier identification )? And should I over look how Jeffery Dahmer brutally killed and digested minorities only to receive lifetime sentences, while Gregory Resenover (a black male) of Indiana murdered a white police officer to receive the death penalty? Or should I be overjoyed that the prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Susan Smith of North Carolina for the murder of her four month and eleven year old sons, and forget how the townspeople were ready to lynch the allegedly black car jacker? Furthermore, am I supposed to believe that the federal government who so dislikes black activists now appears unconcerned whether the most influential black man alive, Minister louis Farrakhan, lives or dies after the government 's involvement in the murders of Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X. and Martin L. King? But don't get me wrong; everything is not always in black and white. My mind transcends the specific to comprehend the injustices of everyone. For instance, why is it that people of all races and religions are leaving AT&T because they support homosexual rights? Better yet, why did the city of Cleveland, Ohio deny Farrakhan a forum solely due to his political and religious beliefs, while allowing Reverend Billy Grahai:n a similar forum months . before? And why is it that women acquire the same occupations as men, but are paid less? Also, if you truly believe that Christopher Columbus discovered America, allow me to enter your home and discover some items. Why is' it that from our births to our deaths we taught that Jesus Christ was of pale skin (white), blond or brown hair (depending on the ... • artist) and blue eyes? In fact: the Bible states Jesus had "skin of bronze" and "hair of wool." but when confronted with the truth, our pastors, popes, priests, fathers, and nuns maintain it doesn't ma(ter. Is it my writing of the truth or is it T e'tro, the black person, you have a problem with? We were all sent to college to gain useful knowledge. Xavier presented us with the opportunity to form a basis of communication between various cultures, which can only result in a much needed understanding of all races. religions, and people of different backgrounds. In doing so. we are expelling the massively negative stereotypes that place shackles over our minds. Should I be viewed negatively because of my skin color, because of my background, and because I've brought valuable understanding and diversity to the "white picketed fences"? Besides, doesn't our beloved institution preach and practice diversity, or is that conducted in the same manner in which Amerikkka practices democracy ? My solution is to stop writing for Perspectives. I hope my man Soren and John McHale will continue to enlighten and educate those whom I couldn't. As a black person, my goal to put some heat under the melting pot can never be accomplished as long as people know who I am and discredit my writing by stating. "He's just another angry black person." Am I angry? Yes. I'm angry that ignorant stereotypes, prejudices, and racism exist. And just because a person's parents are closed minded doesn't mean that he or she has to follow in stride. There are good people of all races and back grounds who've proved that two racists (negatives) can make a non-racist (positive)-ask "Cleaver"; she can verify this. In addition. when attempting to figure me out .you more than likely miss the content of the article. Thus, for the analyzers, my mind is more laced than shoelaces and more complex than a j!gsaw puzzle with no pieces. Peace, farewell and may the next person to denounce ignorance be white. A LETTER FROM AZERBAIJAN CONT... Tuesday, June 9th, 1998 The following letter is actually a follow-up letter from last month's issue of STREETVIBES. Mom and Brett. Hey, I have some not so good news about Ayten and Elshan. Earlier in the week we were talking to Ayten and Elshan's M9m and she told us that Ayten is really sick. They thought it was "guzulja," what we call rubella. We went to visit her and-she is terrible. She is BURNING UP with a fever and her Mom doesn't know what to do. and so when we got there, she'd not eaten or DRANK ANY­ THING in 2 WHOLE DAYS. Her Mom and older sisters have no idea what they are doing. they think that cold water is bad for her as well as putting a cold rag on her head-so she just sits there and dehydrates and burns up. You can see how serious this is. We got her to drink a little bit-keep in mind she is already malnourished and has absolutely NO access to medicine. etc.. and lives in this tiny, little, always dirty house (as seen in June edition of STREETVIBES). One Year Ago Today Jesse Passed Away (6-22-97) By Maryann Bravo When Jesse passsed last year I struggled hard to try to build a n.e w life. It was not easy, but I took it one day at a time. I left Lousville, Kentucky and went to Trenton, New Jersey and left there and came to Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati, Ohio is where I was gong to stay and get my life back together. When you have some one close to you and you are sharing life with that person and that person passes, it's so hard to have life without that person. but you get a life of your own. I prayed to God to help me through the tough times that I had in my life. I have made a good life for myself here in·Cincinnati. All I did was take it one day at a time and my life is full again because I had patience and I knew one day that all my hopes and dreams that I had with Jesse will never come true. But after all, my hopes and dreams are coming true one day at a time: I. I believe in my higher power 2. I trust my higher power. IF YOU WRITE POETRY AND WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOUR WORK IN STREETVIBES, CALL 421-7803 OR FAX US AT 421-7813 Ayten and Elshan {right) with Chad Zwolinski. Photo by Brett Zwolinski We went back the next morning and con­ vinced her Mom to let us take her to a western doctor here. So. Ayten, Elshan, their Mom, Jill, Nicole (Chad's college friends) and myself all went early yesterday (Friday) to the doctor. The doctor was very worried about her. She believes it to be measles, which can result in death- how much !110re so in a child w°ithout medical care, malnutrition, etc. She said if she'd known how sick Ayten was, she (the doctor) would not have had any children in her office for atleast 2-3 hours after Ayten left. As if this is not sad enough in itself, consider how contagious measles are. Elshan will likely get it, if he doesn't already ·have it. He also is malnour­ ished and will need to go to the doctor. From listenting to Ayten's chest and what not, the doctor 'Azerbaijan' cont. on page 11 �- - - - -- good health. TUBERCULOSIS How would I feel if the T B germs grew without stopping and became TB d isease in the lungs? By Lynn Kilbane, RN, BSN; Clinical Coordinator HCTBC You would feel very sick. tired all the time, and generally run down. Most often a person has a cough that lasts more than three weeks and will often cough up blood. A person with active TB may also experience night sweats, weight loss. fever, and shortness of breath. An unexplained weight loss of twenty pounds o r more in a sho rt time is a major concern. You may have seen recent news articles about TB. It is an old disease that continues to rear its ugly head. The purpose of this article is to answer the questions most frequently asked about TB. What is Tuberculosis? Mycobacte ri,µm Tuberculosis is the name of the germ which can cause TB infection and disease. T uberculosis can grow anywhere on or in a person's body. How does the doctor know it is TB and not just a ·"bad cold?" A positive skin test is prese nt in most persons who have active TB. in addition to the symptoms mentioned above. The chest X-ray will show the growth of TB in the lungs. The nurse will ask you to cough up phlegm into a jar so that the lab person can look at it under a microscope to make sure that the problem is indeed TB. How do you get TB? 'Mac' at Homeless Memorial Remembrance, Washington Park, December '9 7. Photo by Jimmy Heath McCRACKIN'S W·ITNESS By Kyle Childress (Nacagdoches, Texas Newspaper) I read in the recent issue of the ·d eath of Maurice ("Mac") McCrackin. Your words and memories sparked my own ("Hea rts & Minds.'' by Jim Wallis, March-April 1998). He was an amazing man who in my brief enco unter with him made an important impression upon me. I remember the Peace Pentecost of which Wallis wrote-Mac's quiet refusal to cooperate with the authorities and how they quickly separated him form the rest of us. When we were in the holding cells in the basement of the courthouse. a couple of marshals dragged Mac into the cell, twisting his fingers and thumbs backward trying to force him to cooperate and punishing him at the same time. Mac was crying and telling them to stop but never giving in. We were all loaded on buses and taken to the D.C. jail under the intimidating care of the U.S Marshal Service and then crowded into more holding cells just inside the jail. waiting to be officially fingerprinted and processed. Just down from me were several guys shooting up last-minute drugs. We waited and waited. Finally. the front door opened with che two mar shals dragging in Mac. Still they were bending his fingers and thumbs. Still he was crying for them to stop. st ill he would not cooperate. They dragged him to the fingerpr int cable and w hen he would not voluntarily put his fingers on the ink stamp-pad. they fo rced his fingers into the pad by fu rther twisting and bending them. At the same time. the holding cells had erupted with cries and sho uts from the other prisoners. The guys near me, who had been so inte nse o n their drugs, were jumping up and down screaming ac the marshals and yelling for Mac not to give in to them. One fellow climbed up o n the bars shouting "Hey man! Do n't give in! Don't let them break yo u!" He jumped back down onto the floor near me and said, "Hey man, w ho is that old guy. anyway? He's something." I told him that he was arrested fo r protesting the U.S. support of terrorists in Central America and that he was a preacher who had spent his life fighting for peace and justice. The fellow looked back th ro ugh the bars at Mac and said, "He's a real man." I will never forget w hat he said about Mac and what it means for the church. There I was. a middle-class white preacher having a conversation with a young African-American from a very different kind of life on the streets of D.C. W hat could I say to him? What could the Amer ican middle-class church say to him? Nothing. But Mac could say plenty. In fact, he had alr eady said plenty. The germ can only be spread by someone who has it growing in their lungs. When a person with T uberculosis disease in their lungs coughs, sneezes. or laughs, the germs float in the air. If you are nearby and share the same air space. you w ill breathe in the TB germs. A healthy person's body will fight the infection. The germs are able to grow easily if yo u have an illness such as Diabetes, Cancer, or o ther chronic disease or conditions which would put your body in a run down state. Even a healthy person can get the disease if a large number of germs are inhaled. You cannot get TB from sharing a cup o r food with someone (you may get a "strep th roat" o r another infection - but not TB). · How is TB disease treated? Can it be cured? Yes, TB can· be treated and cured. It requires that you take 3-4 kinds of anti- TB medications for 6­ 12 months! This is a long t ime! W e t ry to stop the spread of TB as soon as possible because people often have difficulty remembering to take their medication for such a long time. The clinic's job is to make sure that persons with TB are on the correct medicine and taking it as prescr ibed by the doctor. Sometimes. the nurses will take medicine to a person every day until they complete treatment ­ just to make sure they receive the ir medication correctly. How common is TB? The number of persons with TB in the United States is decreasin.g. TB ra tes co ntinue to be high if you are a homeless person. immigrant. drug or alcohol abuser, living in a prison, if you are HIV positive, or have a disease such as AIDS which would cause you r body co be "run dow n." These groups of people have two things in common. They often stay crowded in group living situations with "shared air" space. The other factor is that these persons' bodies are very stressed due to disease, running their body down with drug use. or living witpout proper nourishment and comfort. What happens w hen a person has active TB disease and do·es not take their medication correctly? A person will not get better as fast, or at all, when medicatio n is take n incorrectly. That means the person is still contagious and can infect many more people. Not taking all of your medication at the right time may actually help the germ to become "stronger." When this happens, the first drugs given may not work at all. This is called drug resistance. Other medicines may have to be used. This means If I have some of che germs in my body. does that mean I have TB disease? 'Tuberculosis' cont. on-page 14 NO! A person can have some of the germs living in their body (TB infection) and not have it in their lungs (TB disease). When the body is strong. it can fight off the TB germs and not lee them grow into disease. A TB skin test shows that the germs are present in che body. Because your body has "walled off' the infection you will not fee l ill and cannot spread the germs to anyone else, but will have positive skin test. A chest X-ray is done at this time to make sure you do not have active TB of the lungs. O nce it is determined that you have· o nly TB infection and not disease, it is often - -- -- - - - -- - - -­ - - - - - - -- -- - - , r ecommended that you take TB medica­ 5 6 9 10 11 1 2 H A A R S R A tion once a day for six months to kill the 12 remaining germs. You and a clinic docto r A D 0 N T 0 P will make that decision together. Remem­ ber- once your skin test is positive, it is 0 V A always positive; even after you take the medication! Answers to Streetvlbes Crossv1ord from Page 11 ... W hy should I take medication w hen I am not sick? 25 B U 30 The germs can, and often do become active if yo ur bo dy becomes stressed and weakened. Yo u can prevent the remaining germs from becoming active by taking anti- TB medication (most often you would be given the medication called INH). Taking the medication keeps 90% of people completing their medica­ tion from ever developing the disease. The medication must be taken as directed by the physician. Monthly visits are recommended to monitor o ur continued E R 42 H 48 E 0 D E p N D 0 0 A R E R R E N 51 y E N l \ -T I �Klotter Street Steps deteriorate, closlng continues to outrage OTR Residents Update and photo by Jimmy Heath Despite protests from community leaders and local activists, the City of Cincinnati used taxpayer money to install a chain link fence across the Klotter Street steps, closing the steps to public access. Residents along this r ight-of-way on Klotter Street cited crime and easy access for criminal activity as reasons for demanding the closing of these steps. Many residents. that are now denied access to the steps, and community leade rs feel that some Klotter Street residents were motivated by racism and · elitism. While Klotter Street residents continue to seal off their community from 'those people' in the neighborhood below them, crime statistics in Over­ The-Rhine continue to be the wors t in the city. Should Over-The-Rhine close and deny access to its public streets, alleyways and right-of-way's as a crime fighting measure? Believe it or not. some say yes! Plans and discussions are being made to close a number of alleys in OTR. Walking is a comf'!'l<:>n mode of transpo rtation for many residents of OTR. Closing public walkways and other means of access is not the answer to crime. When .looking closely at viable alternatives to closing the Klotter Street seeps (such as crime awareness and Block Watch. im­ proved lighting, and increased police pre-sence) the choice to close the steps altogether. and at taxpayer expense, seems a poor one. The City. by this action, has effectively endorsed isolationism for its more privileged residents. City Council has promised to look at this issue, and revigw the crime statistics again after one-year. Howevg r:. the steps are already beginning to deterio­ rate jusm few weeks after being closed. 'Tuberculosls' cont. from page 13 . 01:: ., () the persen !s ill longer. This is why the TB clinic tries -so1very hard co make sure people are taking their me.lilicine every day as ordered. . Hpw can we protect ourselves from TB? F,irst and foremost, w e can try to take good care of ourselves by eating healthy meals and trying to decrease our stress as much as possible. This is a very difficult task for homeless people and that is why the homeless are vulnerable to this rotten disease. If the TB clinic knows you have been exposed to someone with active pulmonary (lung) Tuberculo­ sis w e ~ill do everything we can to notify you. Meanwhile, a yearly skin test can tell you from year to year whether or not you have been exposed to someone with active TB. If your skin test becomes positive- take the medicine if it is offered to you! A yearly X-ray for those persons who have positive skin tests is a good idea if you are homeless and staying in a shelter. Turn your head when you cough and use tissues to catch sneezes and coughs! Encourage others to do the same! Watch yourself and others closely. If you or someone you meet develops signs and symptoms of TB. tell them to come on down to the TB clinic. We are here to help! What is the role of the Tuberculosis clinic in Cincinnati? The clinic does skin testing to identify TB infection, chest X-rays, laboratory tests, provides medications. physicians, and follow-up services for the prevention and treatment of Tuberculosis. We are a resource center for inforf!lation and teaching regarding Tuberculosis-. We are here to serve you' Let us know how we can help' • AT THERE ARE FRIENDLY FACES I() EVERY TURN IN OUR CLINIC! WE WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO WALK YOU THROUGH THE CLINIC! IT IS SIMPLE AND EASY AND WE TRY REAL HARD TO BE QUICK! Questions or concerns? Please call if you have any questions or concerns- 632­ 7 196 3 Clinic hours - Monday througb Friday: 8:00am - 4:00pm , NO APPOINTMENT NEED~IO FOR SKIN TESTING TB skin tests are free to those persons unable to pay: .all treatment for positive skin tests and for active TB disease is free . Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority Looking for a place to call home.?"' Call the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority Affordable rent that never exceeds 30o/o of your income ... Many buildings equipped with security systems ... Units located on buslines and near stores, schools, hospitals, banks Rental units are available in these family and senior communities: Avondale Hopple Street/Fairmount West End Winton Place For more information, call 421-8190 today. �STREETVI BES The Tri State's H_Ometess:c;riipevine ANNOUNCING A new Group at AVOC... For Heterosexuals living With Aids FREE POLITICAL PRISONERS by Sonny Williams Early this year 27th, hundreds marched in front of the White House to demand the freedom of political prisoners in the United Scates. We have two political prisoner's in the Ohio Prison System that should be supported: Dan Cahill at Orient Prison and John Perotti at Lucasville Prison, If you are interested in writing these prisoners, write to: Ohio Prisoner's Rights Union P.O. Box 1746 Cincinnati, Ohio 45201-1746 Are you looking for a broader knowledge of the challenge of living with HIV/ AIDS? Would you like to meet people who share similar experiences and hear their coping strategies? Are you looking for peers with whom ou can discuss and plan for the future? Where: AVOC "Gray Room" When: 1st and 3rd Thursdays 6:30 PM to 8:PM More information: Susan or Judy 421-2437 Band Lookin~ for Work Streecvibes (the band). We like to party. R&B. Oldies, Blues/ Jan, Reggae. Helping chc homeless to help themselves through free enterpriie. Ca.II 421-7803. for.sale ~~·· Native Am erican cookies: orders being accepted: R. C. Janus. (Fax) 891 -8663. Office work~r seeks 20 · 30 hour sit down job on bus line, within 2 miles of the river in ·either Kentucky or Ohio: non-medical terminology. non-filing cabinet office work: social services. sales. public information. crafts. and other background. some computer experience: contact Box 2. Streetvibes. IS06 Elm St., Cincinnati. 4S2 I 0. Laborer Looking for a laborer? Has worked at Riverfront. Is willing to do any kind of work. Call Sonia Craig at the Drop Inn Center. 721 ­ 0643. Eld e rly or Children Looking for a community oriented job dealing with elderly or children. 3 year ourteach worker/ counselor aide at YMCA. 13 years typing. Computer and cashier experience including Windows. Lotus. Any Word Processor. Call Anjail Madyun at the Drop Inn Center. 721-0643. Degreed, su ccessful grants administrator/writer seeks commissioned, free lance position as same: ten percent commission per award. Contact J. Janus, Jr. (Fax) 891 -8663. N ative American-Hispanic female seeks sit down, slow­ paced industrial FACTORY position: physically challenged. (Fax) 891-8663. Scramble Answers from page 11. .. K-Mart Walgreens Kroger Thrlftway Revco Sears Pennys Payless Wa/mart Sams STRE.E.TVIBE.S provides Classified Ads free to low income job seekers. Others may place ads for only $I p er line. Call 421-7803 for info. Streetvlbes ·Vendor Code of Conduct Each vendor has to sign the following code to be able to sell the paper. I. Streetvibes will be distributed for a $1 voluntary donation. I agree not to ask for donations more than $I. I also understand that I will be able to keep 80 cents of each dollar collected. Future issues of Streetvibes will be purchased from the Homeless Coalition for 20 cents. 2. I agree that I will never distribute Streetvib~s while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. 3. I agree that I will not ask for donations after 12 midnight. 4. I agree to treat others with respect. I will not use abusive language or force someone to give a donation. I will not give a "hard sell" or make someone fee l threatened. 5. I agree that I will not supply copies of In Memory of 11 Mac 11 Who Believed ·In Human Rights For Everyone & Who Founde d Justi ce Watch •.. Because 'Everyone' include s Prisoners and Former Prisoners . COME MEET WITH US STARTING Olf2/5/98 ::r Streetvibes is now accepting Classified Ads for items such as Help Wanted. Items for Sale, Apart­ ments for Rent and other non-personal items. The rate is only $1 per line, approximately four words per line. Classified ads are due by the 20th of the month. People below the poverty level will be allowed five free lines for six months to advertise their skills or products to our readers. Otherwise, payment must be received before the ad will run. No refunds will be made. Also, if there is an error, riotify us after the first printing. You will be given an extra month of ad time. Mail the ad copy to: Streetvibes I 506 Elm Street Cincinnati, OH 45210 o r fax it to 421 -7813 - ~~·~~ 1s Streetvibes to persons who are not registered distributors. 6. I agree not to deceive the public by saying that I am collecting for a not-for-profit charity or that I am collecting for the ··homeless" in general.. I will be honest in seating that all the profits from the sale of Streetvibes will go to the individual vendor. 7. I agree that I will not contest territories with other distributors. 8. I understand that Streetvibes strives to be a self supporting paper created by people who are homeless or formerly homeless. To help in this effort, I will try to spread the word and write stories if possible. 9. I understand that the failure to comply with any of the above statements will result in me no longer being able to distribute Streetvibes. Sale s Re presentat ive Looking for position as sales representative or rn:rnagcment. Has good bookkeeping. typing and supervisory skills. Ha s experience in retail management. customer ser.Yice and sales. Is available to work immedia tely. Call Dea Ha rris at S52-93S I. Restaurant Worl< Responsible o lder man able to work any shift. Would prefer worl< as a busser at a rescaurant as well as work as a dishwasher or cook. Is vl!ry dependable and available immediately. Please contact Wiley Powell at 831-8404. Baby S itte r Need a babysitter! Former child-care worker with day­ care experience. Call Mary Ann at 665-4375 or pager at 610-8527 Contineency Fee Lawyer Not afraid of Catholic Church or PUCO. Send office hours and name of law school on let.terhead paper to 11 I I Elm Street. No. 432. Cincinnati, OH 452 10. Streetvibes Radio Hour On WAIF 88.3 fm The Homeless Coalition has a live radio program which can be heard on WAIF radio on.the second Saturday of each month at noon. The show is co-hosted by Mary Burke, Donald Whitehead and other monthly guest hosts. The show mixes talk focusing on the stories in this paper and eclectic musical selections. Here are the next show dates; WAIF 88.3 fm Saturday. July 11th. 1998, noon to I pm Streetvibes ! Advertising in Streetvibes is a chance for businesses to help a good cause while promoting themselves to 4,000 concerned people each month. The rates are shown below. ***Business Card Size 2" x 3 I /2" $I 0 per month ***Two Business Card Size 4" x 3 112" $20 per month A check o r money order must accompany the ad copy. We reserve the right to deny any ad, especially those which p.-omote alcohol or tobacco products. You will receive a full refund should your ad be denied. For larger ads. call the number below. Ads are due by the 20th of each month. If you need assistance in preparing your ad or have any other questions, call th e Homeless Coali­ tion at 421-7803. Mail ads with payment to: Streetvibes I 506 Elm Street Cincinnati, OH 45210 .~ �-~· .,. . r VENDO R PROFILE: Streetvibes TV If you have any ideas for future STREETVIBES TV shows please contact our office at 421-7803. We always enjoy hearing from our veiwing audience. Ideas should address subjects related to homeless­ ness and poverty in our city. We are always inter­ ested in viewer ideas, so please give us a call ... The Streetvibes TV Show is produced at the facilities of Cincinnati Community Video. Some viewers might not see the show appear at the right channel or time during the next couple months as W arner Cable changes programming and channels. Streetvibes Wish l ist Streetvibes TV July Schedule Maryann Bravo Maryann, STREETVIBES Vendor of the Month, talks about her experience here in Cincinnati.' I came to Cincinnati six months ago. I didn't know anybody. I ~ondered how I was going to meet people. Well, I have met some wonderful people. As the days went on. I got a chance to know them better. I have met Donald at the offiice, where I went to ge~ some STREEVIBES papers. He is a good man... he is warm. kind, and good-hearted. I have met Lisa at the Drop-I nn Center where I stayed. Lisa is like my big sister I never had. Betty is a wonderful person. Jimmy is wonde rful and kind. Jennifer...she has helped me find a place to live. You never know where you'll go. but wherever it is you might just meet wonderful people like I did. My higher power has helped me meet theses kinds of people. This month's LIVE SHOW w ill feature a review of various job training and life skills programs aimed at assisting homeless persons in shelters gain self­ sufficiency. Scheduled.guests will include shelter personnel and directors of these successful pro­ grams. Cha nne l 1 LIVE CALL-IN SHOW, July 20th at 7PM. Re broa d cast D a t es fo r Show on Cha n­ n e l 10: Saturday, July 4. 19..9 8, 4 PM Friday, July I 0, 1998, I I am Friday. July 17. 1998, 11 AM Monday. July 27.1998. I 0 PM Saturday, July 25, 1998, 4 PM Streetvibes is published monthly on a shoe­ string bu dg~t. We depend heavily on the goodwill of many volunteers and donors. If you can help out with some of the items on our wish list please give us a call... >Adobe Photoshop Software for IBM to save scanning costs >35 MM Film for Sueetvibes photo's >Laser Printer >VCR to Show Streclvibes TV Show Episode s to Groups and Vendors B r o adcast sch e dul es are s ubject to c h a n ge - c ons ult your loc al TV dire ctory. >Advertisers to help support the paper > Fax Machine ~nJhere >Office Supplies Your - Vendor: 80 cents Dollar Printing and Production: 20 cents - SHELTERS: Wome n and Children Alice Paul House (abuse) 241-2757 YWCA T ransitional living Prog. 281-5770 Bethany House 557-2873 Salvation Army 762-5660 Welcome House 431-87 17 SHELTER: Men City Gospel Mission Garden Street House Jo'seph House (veterans) St. Francis- St. Joseph House Mt. Airy Center Volunteers of America 241-5525 241-0490 241 -2965 381-494 1 661 -4620 381-1954 SH ELTER: Both C<1racole (AIDS) Chabad House Drop Inn Center (singles) Friars Club Haven House (Hamilton) 761-1480 821-5100 721-0643 381-5432 863-8866 >Compute r fo r- Streetvibes layout and writ ing ~ Goes Call 421-7Z03 if you ca n h e lp! Streetvibes has a minimal overhead cost so that the vendors can keep as much of the proceeds as possible. If anyone selling Streetvibes claims to be collecting for a private charity, please call our office at 421-7803. Thanks for your suppor t. Need Help or Want to Help? If for some reason you find yourself homeless, contact a Coalition Member Agency for Shelter, Treatm ent. Housing or Services. If you have any questions. feel free to c:ali the Homeless Coalition at 42 1-7803. >Supplies for Vendors Lounge (coffee , cups, etc.) · h H osp1ta · 11ty • N etwor k 1nte rfa1t L'1ght house y outh C enter St. Jo h n,s T emporary H ousing · HOUSING CMHA Excel D evelopment Miami Purchase OTR Housing Network ReSTOC Tender Mercies (Mental 111) Tom Geiger House TREATMENT: Wome n O.D.A.A.T First Step Home TREATMENT: Me n Charlie's 3/4 House Prospect House Starting Over T REATM ENT: Both NA Hopeline A.A Hotline C.C.A.T. Talbert House Transitions, Inc, YA Domiciliary O THER SERVICES AIDS Volunteers of Cincinnati Appalachian Identity Center ~ .,_.... ... . -~"""'...... . 244-7226 961-4080 651-6446 721-4580 632-7149 241-0504 369-0004 381-0954 721-8666 961-4555 241-7343 921-7324 784- 1853 921-1613 751-3260 820-2947 861-9966 381-6660 684-7956 491-4435 559-5011 421-2437 621-5991 ..... - .. ~-- - ··----·....----.. ---- - .. -... ' .-·· -·~ ---- · Beech Acres 231-6630 Center for Independen t living Options 241-2600 Churches Active in Northside 59 1-2246 96 1-0600 C incinnati Henlth Network Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381 -4242 Emanuel Community Center 24 1-2563 241-1064 Freestore/Foodbank Goodwill Industries 771-4800 Hamilton Co.Ment:i l He;:i lth Bd. 62 1-7149 632-7186 Hamilton Co. TB Control 357-4602 Health Resource Center Homeless Mobile Health Van 352-2902 House of Refuge Mission 22 1-3679 241-9400 Legal Aid Society Madisonville Ed. & Assistance Ctr. 271 -5501 721-4811 Mary Magdalen House 621 -0248 Oral Health Council Our Daily Bread 621-6364 Peaslee N e ighborhood Center 621-55 14 Travelers Aid 721-7660 United W ay 721 -7900 YA Homeless Program 559-6656 Women's Crisis Center 49 1-3335 � 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 1998 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 1998 Vol 2, issue 19 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Lincoln Court residents get 'HUD'-winked Cincinnati Coalition partners with NCRC in Treasury Program Pg 2: Cleveland News Pg 3: Portman Plan Pg 4: Welfare News Pg 5: Visible Homeless Pg 6: Arts & Poetry Pg 7: Nationwide News Housing Conference Pg 8: Prisoners News Pg 9: San Diego Sleep-In Teen Role Model Pg 10: Letters & Editorials Pg 12: Azerbaijan Update Pg 13: TB Information Pg 16: Vendor Profile Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project (curated by Katelyn Lusher) 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 1998 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Te' Tro Amaru Maryann Bravo Dan Cahill Ron Carter Pat Clifford Denise Crew Brian Davis Dan Gibbons Jimmy Heath James Hobbs Lynn Kilbane Paul Linden Judith Mendriski Steven Michael Aaron Pitchford James W. Pryor Steven M. Rutherford Mark Salter Donald Whitehead Lynn Williams Sonny Williams Brett Zwolinski Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <div class="results-preview"> <div><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-sa/4.0/88x31.png" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a<span> </span><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a>.</div> </div> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" style="border-width:0;"></a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Aaron Pitchford addiction Brett Zwolinski Brian Davis Dan Gibbons Dan Cahill Denise Crew Donald Whitehead HUD immigration James Hobbs James W. Pryor Jimmy Heath Judith Mendriski Lynn Kilbane Lynn Williams Mark Salter Maryann Bravo Pat Clifford Paul Linden poverty protest redevelopment refugees Ron Carter Sonny Williams Steven M. Rutherford Steven Michael Te' Tro Amaru the visible homeless vendor profile welfare welfare reform https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/3aa4c4558598c697fdc3e2fc6649af82.pdf 1056289dec908186faf496065f2524db PDF Text Text LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL GRILLS CHIEF ON FATAL SHOOTING OF HOMELESS WOMAN Associated Press - Saturday, June 5, 1999 LOS ANGELES (AP) - · In a closed meeting with the City Council, Police Chief Bernard Parks said two of 13 people who witnessed the fatal police shooting of a mentally ill homeless woman have contradicted the officers' version of the incident. One witness told investigators that the woman was shot in the back, and another said the woman was shot while: she was on the ground, according to a "confidential fact sheet" presented to council members by the chief. However, police officials have said most of the other witnesses and physical evidence, such as the autopsy report, don't support those assertions. Margaret Mitchell, 54, was shot May 21 when she allegedly attacked two bicycle officers with a screwdriver. Mitchell was black. The officer who fired the shot, Edward Larrigan, 27, is Hispanic and his partner, Kathy Clark, 29, is Asian-American and Hispanic. The confrontation erupted when the officers stopped Mitchell to check on whether the shopping cart she was pushing was stolen. During the closed session Friday, council .members grilled Parks on the shooting, which some police critics claim was racially motivated. Parks, who has dismissed the notion that the incident was fueled by bigotry, explained the LAPD's policies on the use of force and how officers are trained to handle homeless and mentally ill people. Investigators are still searching for a motorist who was stopped by a motorcycle officer across the street from the shooting to determine if he witnessed anything, the chief said. "I think everybody finds that to be quite disturbing what has happened," Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas told the Daily News of Los Angeles. "It is not a very pleasant matter at all. And I think it cannot be established at this time that it was a good shooting." Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg would not comment on what was discussed at the meet­ ing. However, she did wonder why Mrs. Mitchell was even stopped by the two officers. "There was just a lot of concern that there appears to be a position taken by the depart­ ment that if you have a shopping cart that this is a criminal matter that should be pursued," she said. According to the fact sheet, Mrs. Mitchell refused to stop when asked by officers. The officers "attempted to verbalize and calm her" but she "became angry and armed herself" with the screwdriver, according to the fact sheet, contents of which were published in Saturday's Los Angeles Times. A motorist stopped to try to get her to drop the weapon. When Larrigan tried to get him to stand back, Mrs. Mitchell fled. The officers pursued. "Suddenly, Mitchell stopped, turned ... toward the officers and again threatened the officers with the screwdriver," according to the fact sheet. She was told to drop the screwdriver, but she did not. To "avoid being stabbed," Larrigan crouched down and fired one round at Mrs. Mitchell, the report said. The shooting remained under investigation by police, the FBI and the U.S. attorney's office. Priced Out in 1998: The Housing Crisis for People with Disabilities In the state of Ohio, a person receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits receives $750 per month, or $4.69 per hour. A person receiving SSI benefits in Ohio earns on average, 32 percent of the area median income. In terms of housing affordability, a person receiv­ ing SSI benefit in Ohio pays just over 39 percent of their monthly income to rent an efficiency apartment, and nearly 47 percent of their monthly income to rent a modest one-bedroom apartment at the area Fair Market Rents (FMR). In Ohio, though it requires less SSI income as a percent­ age of rent than any other state in the country, people are still forced to pay more than 30 percent of their total monthly income for rent. Unfortunately, Ohio is one of the better states in terms of housing affordability for people with disabilities. Ohio is the only state in which SSI benefit exceeds 30 percent of the area median income. To put that into perspective, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines households with incomes between 30 percent and 50 percent of the median income as Very Low Income Households. The remaining 49 states and the district of Columbia have SSI income as a percentage of median income ranging from just over 12 percent to just under 30 percent. HUD defines households with incomes below 30 percent of the median income as Extremely Low Income Households. According to the Social Security Admin­ istration Office of Research, there are an esti­ mated 4.38 million Americans with disabilities -The Grea~er receiving Supplemental Security Income benefits. On average, these 4.38 million Americans receive $515 per month in SSI benefits. If you break that down, this monthly benefit equals just $3.22 per hour -or almost $2 below the federal minimum wage of $5.15 per hour. With incomes this low, it should come as no surprise that millions of Americans with disabilities cannot afford a place to live. Rather than spending 30 percent of their monthly income on rent per the federal govern­ ment for housing affordability, people with disabili­ ties are forced to spend an average of 69 percent of their monthly SSI income to rent a one bed­ room apartment priced at the US Department of housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rent. In March of this year, the Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc. and the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Housing Task force published Priced Out in 1998 in an attempt to document the nature and severity of the housing crisis for people with disabilities most in need of housing assistance. by looking at several key factors including the fair market Rents for some 2,646 housing market areas, and each state's SSI benefit rates for individuals living indepen­ dently, Priced Out in 1998 concludes that millions of Americans receiving SSI benefits are too poor to obtain safe and, decent, and affordable hous­ ing. The report also found that: -People with disabilities receiving SSI benefits are among the lowest income house­ holds in the country. The national average of an individual with a disability receiving SS I is less than 25 percent of the typical Area Median Income for one person in that particular commu­ nity. -Ther~ is not a single housing market area in this country where a person with a disability receiving SSI benefits can afford to rent an efficiency apartment. This finding is based upon current federal housing affordability guide­ lines for very low income households, which suggest that no more than 30 percent of monthly income should be spent on housing costs. -In 125 housing market areas throughout this country, the cost of a one-bedroom apartment exceeds a person's monthly SS I income. using current FMR's as the standard for modest rental housing costs, nowhere in the United States can an SSI recipient rent a one-bedroom apartment for less than 50 percent of his or her monthly income. -The national average cost for an effi­ ciency apartment is nearly 59 percent of monthly SS! income, while the national average for a one­ bedroom is almost 70 percent of monthly SSI income. People with disabilities receiving SSI 'Disabilities• cont. on page 8 ... Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless �_. STREETVIBES STREETVIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine THE. TRAVELER by Donald Whitehead Streetvibes, the Tri-State's Home­ less Grapevine, is a n~wspaper written by, for, and about the homeless, social justice and poverty related issues. It is published once a month, 12 issues a year, by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Vendors buy the paper for 20 cents (to cover printing costs) and then sell the paper for a dollar donation. The vendor keeps the profits. The Streetvibes Vendor Program gives our vendors an opportunity to get back on their feet. All Streetvibes vendors are given an orientation and sign a code of conduct before being given a badge. A case file is developed on each vendor so that we may track and help facilitate the vendors' move from poverty to self­ sufficiency. The Streetvibes Newspaper Plan­ ning Committee meets monthly to plan our issues and increase circulation. If you . are interested in helping or have a com­ ment, story or editorial that you would like published please call 421-7803. The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a group of shelters, agencies and individuals committed to ending homelessness in Cincinnati through coordinating services, educating the public and grassroots organizing. Staff Donald Whitehead, Director Jimmy Heath, Coordinator Ron Carter, Vendor Support Gina Miller, Rapid Exit Program Photographer Jimmy Heath Writers Te'tro Amaru Malik Amilcar Dan Cahill Ron Carter Sheila Crowley Brett Estell Jimmy Heath Steve Long Shepard Andrew Martin Rodnet Sutton Donald Whitehead Lynn Williams Editorial Policy: Streetvibes accepts all letters, poems, comments or editorials. We will print everything we have room for, giving preference to those who are homeless or vendors. Please send all material to the following address: Streetvibes c/o Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless 1506 Elm Street Cincinnati, OH 45210 (513) 421-7803 fax (513) 421-7813 e-mail: homecoal@primax.net web page: http://cinci.com/gcch Webster defines recovery as regaining something that we once had. The road to recov­ ery is paved with many obstacles. Most ob­ stacles are manageable with the help and support of others. Recovery from homelessness is paved with many obstacles. Those obstacles are also manageable with the support of others. At the National Advo­ cacy Summit on Homelessness in Washington D.C in May, I had the opportunity to chair a workshop entitled "Finding The Power Within Yourself." There were many stories of people overcoming the toughest bf obstacles on their road to recovery. The stories in the workshop had a common theme; each person who found the power within themselves, found it with the help of another human being. In my own personal recovery, assistance has come from many different places. One of the things that I am most grateful to have recov­ ered is the ability to have personal relationships that are unconditional. Throughol!t my struggles I have re-established relationships with family, friends and acquaintances. Sunday was Father's Day and I experienced the inseparable bond between a father and his son. A bond that transcends all obstacles and even the addiction' itself. To a small child time spent with daddy is still wonderful in most cases regardless of Daddy's imperfections. I am so grateful to have a second chance to give my son the greatest gift that any parent can give, it isn't games or clothes or anything material, it's time. Recovery is a series of new relationships. I remember the many friends I had before addic­ tion forced me into a solitary confinement in my own mind, oblivious to the outside world. The separation from those relationships is the com­ mon denominator in most homeless peoples' stories. While there are addicts that become homeless and mentally challenged individuals that become homeless, the link between them, the children (27%) and others (victims of natural disaster, people that suffer from domestic violence, prolonged illness or paycheck abuse) is the lack of a support system, no listening ear or consoling hand, no extra couch or rollaway bed, no loan to make it through the storm. One of the most important things we do at the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homelss is education. Through our Speaker's Bureau we bring homeless people and their stories to the general public. One of the first question people have is how they can help. The homeless population has many needs food, clothing , money, affordable housing, just to name a few. While many hearts are willing, a lot of people who would otherwise give, lack the resources to do so. One resource we all are capable of giving is our time and our hearts. Just knowing some­ one cares is sometimes that little push that a person needs to get to the next level and over­ come one of the many hurdles that life presents us with. The fight to end homelessness has changed even in the short time that I have been involved. There are so many attacks from so many sources that huge victories are few and far between. The idea of individual victories are so important for an advocacy community fighting formidable odds. If you are reading this column you probably have a genuine interest in the Page 2 welfare of the homeless population. If we each make a commitment to take one homeless person to be a friend, imagine the impact! If each church member that helps to minister to the poor invited that person to their congregation, imagine the impact on that person and the impact on that congregation. Making a homeless person your friend cannot lessen the impact of Hope VI demolition or 'opt outs' from Project Based Section-a housing or the refugees from weltare reform, but it will have a positive impact on the life of that one human being. As I write about recovering relationships and beginning relationships I am compelled by sadness to talk about a suspended relationship. Four years ago I was thrust in to a community of guys linked by what many would consider failure. Failed careers, failed dreams and failed relation­ ships. We came from different walks of life; from Price Hill, Avondale, Over-The-Rhine, Indiana and as far away as Chicago. We came with different motivations;. job, court, health, marriage problems and others. We were ultimately searching for the very same thing; recovery. In the end the recovery we found was far more than just the end of active addiction. It was the ability to be parents, loved ones, spouses and friends. When we left we took different roads; jobs, family and tragedy took us in many directions. Some I have never seen again, at least one has passed on, some I seldom see. There is one that I have become permanently linked with. On September 1st, Jimmy Heath begins his stint as a Mickey Leland Hunger Fellow. To be chosen as a Hunger Fellow is a very competitive process. Being chosen takes a multitude of talent and integrity and a great deal of commitment. They could not have chosen a better person. For two years, Jimmy and myself have worked side by side. We have created some sustainable programs that will outlast both of us. We have developed a bond that goes far beyond a simple co-worker relationship. A friendship is the unconditional kind that usually only exists in families. How did I know that those two angry guys we were four years ago would become a contented team working side by side to battle injustice. A sort of Batman and Robin teamed together to end homelessness. Some of the people we went through the six months program with at the Drop-Inn-Center didn't make it. Just think of the possibilities if they would have just had a friend. Good luck and God B·less you, Jimmy. Thanks For Being a Friend. PS You come Back Now You Hear!! DC Initiative Spending Caps Harrassement Suit The Broken City Arts & Poetry National News Comedy Corner HUD Report Evangelist Prison News Back in Time Welfare News Panhandling Scramble Letters & Editorials Streetvibes Etc. Campus Shepard Classified Ads Streetvibes Radio TV Schedule Page4 Page4 Pages Pages Page6 Page6 Page6 Pagel Page 7 Pages Page9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 1S Page 1S Page 16· c:• • �STREETVIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine Page 3 MENTAL ILLNESS CITED IN SHOOTING By Shashank Bengali Mercury News Staff Writer Ten years ago, Clarence Dorsey's medical insurance ran out on him. And on Tuesday evening, time ran out for the homeless schizo­ phrenic when he threatened a police officer in Oakland. The officer shot and killed him. On Wednesday, Dorsey's family said the 31-year-old had a chemical imbalance but was "harmless" and should have posed no threat to the officer, Alameda County Sheriff's Deputy Glen Pace. However, an initial Oakland police investigation cleared Pace of any wrongdoing. Investigations by the Alameda County District Attorney's Office and sheriff's department are still pending. The incident reflects both the difficulty of obtaining medical insurance for mental illness and the problems of dealing with the mentally ill in society, family members said. But such cases are still unusual, according to a spokesman for the homeless shelter where Dorsey had spent many recent nights. In his experience, police encounters with the homeless rarely turn violent, and officers are generally very understanding. "This is the first time I've heard of anything like this," said Ray Ysaguirre, who knew Dorsey by face. The shelter, Oakland Team Ministries, is just yards from the shooting site - and the fatal shot rang out during a Christian service inside. Pace shot Dorsey once in the upper torso when Dorsey moved toward him and made a movement that simulated drawing a weapon. Dorsey was allegedly tampering with a parked car in the 500 block of Seventh Street in Oakland and ignored Pace's repeated orders to stop, police said. Earlier scuffle Hours before the shooting, Dorsey had been released from Fremont City Jail, where he had been held during the afternoon for resisting arrest anq scuffling with an officer. "I never knew him to act up like that," said Dorsey's grandmother, Elsie Jones, who spoke to him on the phone just minutes before he was shot at 7:30 p.m. "He called and we told him to come over for dinner," Jones said. "He said he would." Dorsey's father said his son might have just wanted a place to stay. "I think he was trying to have the officer take him in," Clarence Dorsey II said. "He probably just wanted a night of shelter in jail." The younger Dorsey had become a regular at the Oakland shelter, Ysaguirre said. "He used to eat, come to our nightly religious service and spend nights here," he said. Dorsey had also called Fremont's Central Park home, and was familiar to several of the city's officers and park rangers, a police spokes­ man said. His arrest record dates at least to December 1996. His family said Dorsey had been homeless since the age of 21 , when his medical insurance ceased to cover treatment for his mental illness. · 'Shooting• cont. on back page ... From left to right, Rev. Malachi Tobin, Clifford Jones, Laura Gushue, Rev. Mason Barker, and Dr. Larry Hill, Director of the Cincinnati Health Department Dental Program. photobyJimmyHeath The Homeless Dental Program Receives Recognition Dentist Laura Gushue of the Cincinnati Health Department and Dental Hygienist Clifford Jones of the Greater Cincinnati Oral Health Council were given appreciation plaques from Storehouse Ministries for their'continual support in providing quality service and programming to the Ministries' residents. Rev. Mason Barker and Rev. Malachi Tobin presented Laura and Clifford with the plaques. The Cincinnati Health Depart­ ment Dental Director, Larry Hill, witnessed the ceremony along with a few other advocates for the homeless. The Homeless Dental Program, which is sponsored by the Federal Government, Cincin­ nati Health Network, Cincinnati Health Depart­ ment, and United Way, has been in operation since 1989. Besides clinical services, the program provides on-site education. Their presence out in the community does make a big difference. Storehouse ministries acknowledged this with a wonderful ceremony. The dental program caters to the homeless population, people in emergency and transitional housing. Oral Health Care priorities are essential in the successful development of change agents' protocols (social, mental, and/or physical). The Homeless Coalition understands this phenom­ enon, by which the Homeless Health Committee evolved, providing seminars on current health issues as they relate to the homeless. Many other agencies utilize the program by setting up an educational series for their clients and resi­ dents. A little knowledge can go a long way. Congratulations to the Homeless Dental Program and continued success. A BIAS IN POLICY; A BIAS IN COVERAGE by Eunice Timoney Ravenna No matter where on one stands on the issue of US military intervention in Kosovo, all must agree it has national attention. The New York Times average coverage includes pages of articles and pictures of the horror of war. Even the Cincinnati Enquirer (not known for its expertise in world news coverage) includes a few lines on the bombing sites and the return of the refugees. What seems clear to both propo­ nents and opponents of the NATO intervention is the interest most Americans of European descent have in issues that effect the "home­ less". What seems to be a concern is the subconscious (perhaps I'm Naive) racial bias which is underlying this American interest. Genocide is hardly a new household word. We ought to remember recent news flash reports of Congo (Zaire), Rwanda, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Angola and who is intervening in peace accords in these African sites - not the UN, not NATO, not the USA, but indeed - Libya. The most notable disparity between news coverage of recent history can be seen in a comparison of Kosovo and Rwanda. We all remember the news accounts of the slaughter of Tutsis and Hutus peoples, but according to Barbara Reynolds of the Cincinnati Herald, "never did the media humanize the African story in the way it is doing minute by minute in Eastern Europe." (The Cincinnati Herald, May 15-May 21, 1999) I am certainly not advocating bombing in either situation; but rather advocating; facilita­ tion, mediation, diplomacy and humanitarian aid. For as Gandhi said, there are three choices; fight (violence), flight (cowardice and avoidance), and active non-violence. But American foreign policy only recognizes the first two. In Rwanda we as a country chose flight; in Kosovo we as a country chose fight; in both we leave with the blood of many innocent defense­ less people on our hands. I end with the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant." �-.......----­ STREETVIBES :;.:::::::::::=-===:c::::=~ -------~:::;o:::==::;::~~-.-.,,,..- The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine • .. .. ~ Page 4 BUDGET D. C. INITIATIVE ADDRESSES SPENDING HOUSING FOR MENTALLY ILL CAPS THREATEN HOUSING.AND HOMELESS PROGRAMS WASHINGTON - At the first ever White House Conference on Mental H~dith , the Clinton-Gore Administration today announced two new initiatives to increase housing opportu­ nities for Americans with mental illness. Tipper Gore, the President's Mental Health Policy Advisor and a well-known advocate for people with mental illness. chaired the White House Conference on Mental Health, where the initiatives were discussed today. One initiative will help create more Safe Havens where homeless people with mental illness can stay and get food, clothing and showers. An estimated 25 to 33 percent of the roughly 600,000 Americans who are homeless on any given night suffer from severe mental illness. The .second initiative is a series of three televised awareness and training sessions led by Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo, designed to help staff from HUD and groups that get HUD funding to fight housing discrimination against people with mental illness. "A safe, secure, and healthy home is important to the well-being of everyone in our nation," Cuomo said. "These initiatives will open our eyes to housing discrimination against people with mental illness and open the door to equal rights in housing for these Americans." The Clinton-Gore Administration's Fiscal Year 2000 budget proposes increased spending on HUD programs to help Americans with mental illness, including: 100,000 new housing vouchers to provide safe, decent housing tor people in need ; expansion of tenant-based voucher allocations through the Section 811 program to give people with disabilities a broader choice in where they live; $7 million more for the Office of Fair Housing (to $47 million) to better respond to cases of housing discrimination, including those involving mental health disabilities; and an increase from $975 million to $1 .02 billion for Continuum of Care homeless assistance, which provides housing and services to homeless people, including many with mental illness. Here are details on each initiative announced today: SAFE HAVENS HUD, together with the Department of Health and Human Services, will provide rn­ depth training for non-profit organizations, local government officials and other interested members of the community on how to develop and operate more Safe Havens. Safe Havens serve as refuges for homeless people with severe mental illness who have been unable to access or participate in traditional housing or supportive services. The Safe Havens provide for basic needs such as food, showers, clothing, and shelter. They will give homeless people a chance to adjust to life off the streets and to transition to permanent housing. Started by HUD in 1994, there are now 104 Safe Havens. · A new guidebook put together by HUD and HHS called In From the Cold: A Tool Kit for Creating Safe Havens for Homeless People on the Street will serve as the textbook for the training. The guidebook, unveiled for the first time at the conference, contains valuable advice and specific ideas on creating and operating Safe Havens to assist homeless people who are mentally ill. AWARENESS AND TRAINING SEMI­ NARS HUD will conduct a series of three tale.­ vised national awareness and training sessions led by Cuomo to reduce the stigma and dis­ ·crimination in housing against people with mental illness. The sessions will be broadcast via satellite to HUD's 81 offices around the country for HUD employees, employees of thousands of organizations that receive HUD funding, and others. Often, people with mental illness are denied housing outright by landlords and because of their disability are harassed by neighbors so much that they decide to move. In Fiscal Year 1998, 565 complaints alleging discrimination based on mental disability' were filed with HUD and its state and local govern­ ment partners. An unknown number of com­ plaints are also filed with private fair housing groups, which are not required to report their statistics to HUD. The first session will explore how people with mental illness experience discrimination in housing. The remaining two sessions will teach participants how the Fair Housing Act and other civil rights laws can help end that discrimination. HUD will link the themes of its two broadcasts so that those being trained about Safe Havens will also become more aware of the needs of people with mental illness and receive informa­ tion on Fair Housing and other discrimination issues. OTHER INITIATIVES In addition, HUD has a number of other initiatives designed to help people with mental illness remain in their homes. Among the most prominent is the Continuum of Care program, which uses a comprehensive approach to provide emergency, transitional and permanent housing and services to help homeless people become self sufficient. Since it was launched by the Clinton-Gore Administration in 1994, the Continuum of Care has more than doubled the funding devoted each year toward solving homelessness to approximately $900 milliqn annually. Homelessness assistance, much of which helps those with mental illness. is a significant portion of the over $1 .1 billion HUD spends to meet the housing needs of people with special needs in its proposed budget for the next fiscal year. HUD also operates additional housing programs to help people with mental illness and disabilities, including: Section 8 Rental Assis­ tance for People with Disabilities, which has $88.5 million in available funds for about 10,000 Section 8 housing vouchers; the Mainstream Program, which is a $48.5 million, five-year program to allocate 1,600 vouchers for people with disabilities; the Designated Public Housing program, which is a $20 million, one-year program to meet the housing needs of people with disabilities; and Rental Assistance for Applicants to Private Assisted Housing, which is a $20 million program for 4,200 vouchers to provide rental housing to people with disabilities who do not receive assistance because owners of private, assisted Section 202, 221 (d)(3), and 236 housing establish selection preferences for elders. Another program overseen by HUD to assist mentally ill and disabled people is Service Coordinators in Multi-Family Housing, which will allocate $5 million to allow multi-family housing owners to provide elderly and disabled residents with support services allowing 1hem to live independently in their own apartments. HUD has also funded the construction of housing in 544 developments under the Section 811 program to help people with chronic mental illness live in community settings. Federal programs that serve homeless and other low-income people are facing the prospect of dramatic budget cuts that would result in the loss of critically needed housing, health ser­ vices, and job training for countless Americans. These cuts would happen because when the country was running a high deficit, Congress initiated spending caps- in a bill called the Balanced Budget Act of 1997-to limit spending for all non-defense federal programs whose spending levels are determined each year by Congress. (The programs are in what is called the discretionary side of the budget.) Congress, in its Fiscal Year 2000 budget resolution, has called for a 20 percent across-the-board cut in discretionary spending for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 1999. To implement the resolution, more than $20 billion will need to be cut from last year's budget. (However, Congress elected to increase the defense budget.) Congress should now raise the budget caps because America's healthy economy has outgrown any need for these cuts. It is now possible for us to continue funding housing and social programs and make greater payments toward the national debt. Even though the economy has grown steadily in recent years, millions of Americans still live without adequate housing. health care, employment, food, or child care. Many members of Congress are interested in maintaining the caps in order to find money to pay for tax cuts for high and middle income earners-However, the tax cuts come at the expense of funding that helps provide basic necessities for the nation's most vulnerable and poorest populations. In May, the House and Senate established next year's funding levels for each federal budget account. The overall amounts are "allocated" to each of 13 appropriations subcom­ mittees, which then must distribute the alloca­ tions among the hundreds of federal programs under their jurisdictions. Two of the subcommit­ tees of particular importance to homeless people-Veterans' Affairs (VA)-Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Labor-Health and Human Services (HHS)­ Education-were especially hard-hit in the allocation process. Labor-HHS-Education programs could be cut by as much as $11 billion and VA-HUD programs by as much as $9 billion. If the caps remain and allocation formulae are not adjusted, funds for the mainstream and targeted programs that directly impact homeless people (such as Section 8, HUD McKinney, the substance abuse block grant, and Health Care for the Homeless) could be heavily reduced or eliminated. Discretionary spending cuts will affect housing programs, job training, commu­ 'BUDGET' continued next page... �STREETVIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine The Broken Citv... Cincinnati's Washington Park, Music Hall in the background. The plan to relocate the Drop Inn Center and develop Cincinnati's Music Hall into an art's campus will impact many homeless persons who rely on the Center for services and a chance to get back on their feet. OFFICER WINS.BIG IN HARASSMENT. SUIT Federal jury finds San Antonio police policy targeted downtown homeless by THADDEUS HERRICK, Houston Chronicle - San Antonio Bureau SAN ANTONIO- On the legendary Alamo Plaza, under the shade of the leafy live oaks, tourists abound. But look closer and there are others: bearded men pushing shopping carts, barrio kids dressed as gangsters and tattooed punk drifters with safety-pinned eye­ brows. It was this often unseemly lot that Onofre Serna, a veteran San Antonio police officer, says he was ordered to harass in hopes of driving away. And it was this order that led Serna to challenge the San Antonio Police Department in federal court, arguing that his objections to the harassment policy led to retaliation against him. Last week, a jury awarded Serna $500,000, convinced by him and several other officers that the police department did order its foot and bike patrol to cleanse the downtown area in the interest of tourism. "San Antonio police officers were ordered to selectively enforce the law," said Serna's lawyer, Bruce Mery. "Officer Serna stood up and said, ' Wait a minute, this is not right.' " Though the judgment was not even half the $1.2 million Serna sought, it comes as a major blow to the police department. More impqrtant, perhaps, it highlights the difficult balance the city must strike in sustaining its No. 2 industry, worth more than $3.5 billion in annual economic impact, and lending a helping hand. But the ruling against San Antonio also represents a huge victory for a rank-and-file cop who seems to have been motivated by little more than his convictions. Not until Serna was transferred from the foot and bike squad to the overnight patrol, or "dog watch," did he file suit. Making Serna an even more unlikely champion of the homeless is this: He was shot in the chest by a drifter 11 years ago in an alley near San Antonio's St. Anthony Hotel, an incident in which his partner was killed. Serna, 38, testified that at first he believed the foot and bike patrol was doing the right thing with potential troublemakers, demanding identification from patrons in certain bars, snatching caps and bandannas from suspected gang members and forcing the homeless from downtown. But then, said Serna, who joined the force in 1984, "I realized we were harassing people." The city of San Antonio denies the police issued orders to rid downtown of the homeless or any other group. Nor, the police department says, did it retaliate against Serna after he lodged his protest in the summer of 1995. An appeal is under way. 'We feel there was no retaliation or violation of any rights of Officer Serna and believe there is no evidence to support this verdict," said Police Chief Al Philippus. Serna declines to discuss the case, citing his need to restore his relationship with the police department. But his surprising victory has given hope to two other officers who are chal­ lenging the city on the same grounds. The policing issue is a dicey one for San Antonio, which is not believed to have a home­ less problem as serious as cities such as Austin or San Francisco. Still, nearly 8 million tourists visited San Antonio in 1997, making the tourism industry second only to the military. But just how to deal with drifters, the homeless and others who may discourage downtown tourism is a vexing question. While the city says it encourages a progressive, preventive approach to law enforcement1 critics say the police continue to haras~. "The attitude among the police officers is that you can do anything you've got the guts to do," said Mery. "You can get in their faces, jack Page s 'em up, move 'em out." More troubling still, Serna contends in an affidavit that the police targeted Hispanics, stating that his former supervisor, Lt. Harry Griffin, told his officers, "If you see these Mexicans hanging around downtown drinking, give them a ticket." The kids who hang around Alamo Plaza say the police harass almost anyone who appears threatening. Rain McGregor, a 22-year­ old with green hair, military fatigues and combat boots, says he has been ticketed for jaywalking when crossing the street with tourists, whom the police ignore. "It doesn't matter who you are," said McGregor, who says he is homeless. "What matters is what you look like." More than nine police officers testified on Serna's behalf, arguing that between 1994 and 1996 they were ordered to crack down on the homeless and assorted groups of kids. But almost as many officers testified for the city. Even Rudy Garza, a homeless man in downtown San Antonio, vouched for the cops. "They never bother me or tell me anything," he said. "They're out to protect us." James Flores, a veteran officer with the downtown foot and bike patrol , says the squad may have seized a bandanna or two or moved a drunk from a merchant's doorway but that the police have helped make downtown a safer place for pedestrians. "We're proud of what we do," Flores said. "But all of a sudden , we're getting dragged through the mud." Griffin, the supervisor, was transferred after an internal report revealed that he had management shortcomings. But because the Serna case focused more on the question of retaliation than law enforcement policy, the debate over the harassment Griffin allegedly ordered may never be resolved. Nor is there likely to be agreement over whether the police currently harass the home­ less, drifters and the barrio kids who hang out downtown. But Mery, Serna's lawyer, is adamant. "It may be more discreet," he said, "but it's there." 'BUDGET' continued from page 4 ... nity and economic development, education, public health , and countless other social pro­ grams. Because we have more than enough money to continue to fund valuable social programs and to pay down the national debt, Congress should raise. the spending caps and focus on meeting the basic needs of the millions of Americans who still live without adequate housing, health care, employment, food, or child care. STATUS: The House and Senate Appro­ priations Subcommittees are now beginning to mark-up their respective Fiscal Year 2000 appropriations bills in keeping with the limited allocations. Several subcommittees, including VA-HUD and Labor-HHS-Education are post­ poning their mark-ups until the overall federal budget picture improves. ACTION: Please contact your two Sena­ tors and your U.S. Representative and urge them to take action to raise the caps on domes­ tic discretionary spending so that critical hous­ ing, health, and other safety nets are not evis­ cerated. Call the C?pitol Switchboard at 202/224­ 3121. Ask the operator to transfer you to your Senator's or Representative's office. When you reach that office, explain that you are a constitu­ ent and ask to speak with the staff member who handles budget issues. �STREETVIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine Walking in the WORD ON THE Clouds STREET By Brett Estell Arts & Poetry GHETTO GYPSY by Malik Ami/car You want to Annihilate my Habitat so That you can Live in luxury, Leaving me A fruit without A tree. The pain, the poverty, There're too much For my cranium, But still You have money For your Stadium. It is said that it Is easier for a Poor man to Enter the gates of Heaven, than It is for a Rich man To walk through The eye of a Needle. But w ho will Be the messiah For the weak and The Feeble. Comedy Corner by Ron Carter News Flash When the man that wrote the song 'The Hokey Pokey' died, the funeral home had a problem trying to put him in the casket. Because, when they put his left leg in... well, there's no need to go on, you know the rest of it..... Page 6 STREETVIBES Nationwide My eyes see colors of light while soaring in the clouds with wings of flight fish running up the rivers neon clouds are bright empty trees showing the signs birds singing a sweet lullaby flakes and flurries forgotten sounds and sights Lost in the darkness of what's wrong don't know what's right the sun and the moon collide an eclipse turns it into night the moon was masking my bright light bushels of lost pain hiding behind dark clouds my vision so distraught emotions struck like lightening bolts at random nobody knew how to be taught but finally I was found as I was brought from the sin of the past a loving caress was felt calmness filled me within sights and sounds were heard were given a chance to shine desires filled the mind what once was a heart as black as coal but blessings from above gave tidings to my soul foliage of emotions ' begun to vine all the green earth looks so divine clouds parted from the sky haze lifted from the rays the sun broke through to shine paving the way for a beautiful white dove whistling words of encouragement love, patience, and tolerance of others must be ou r code daily work in progress our shoulders can be weakened by the load fear and anger slip away clouds are like the waves, between the low and high tides of life not always knowing where to step some waters having more treacherous depths creatures of all shapes and sizes sense the wake they circle around like vicious sharks predators on the take waiting for you to make that first mistake for a rainbow in the sky can't subside lights up the coral reefs in the ocean's tides flushing out the past issues lose their vitality working on the present has to be my Father's ability the worries of tomorrow should never be the sorrows of today colors of life fill the streams it no longer has to be a dream we can have heaven on earth if we just believe. POINT OF VIEW by Sheila Crowley, President National Low Income Housing Coalition A drama is playing out in Minneapolis that demonstrates what may be the most complicated dilemma in contemporary housing policy. Church leaders, residents of the traditionally Black Northside neigh­ borhood, and housing advocates halted the demolition of 25 units of public housing by stopping the bulldozers with their bodies. It was an unplanned act of civil disobedience, according to the Reverend Paul Robinson of the Community Covenant Church, one of the participants. They learned the day before that the demolition, which was not supposed to occur for nearly a year, was about to take place, and rallied community members to stage a protest at the site. Several people were arrested , but several more got a hearing with the mayor who called a moratorium on the demolition until a resolution to the conflict can be worked out. The demolition was part of a court ordered deconcentration of a 770 unit public housing complex, as the result of a lawsuit by the locC!-1 NAACP and Legal Services. In the words of one local ob­ server, the controversy is "advocates pitted against advocates." One side is motivated to overcome the decades long adverse effects of govern­ ment sponsored residential segregation. The other side objects to the destruction of what they see as viable housing for poor people, when the vacancy rate in Minne­ apolis is 1%, only one in seven vouchers holders can find a place to rent, and 100 Black families were literally on the street when a motel used as transitional housing recently was shut down. Both are noble, but competing, goals. Which value should take precedent - undoing discrimination or providing affordable housing? It is an absurd choice that we should not be put in the position to have to make. The conflict would be substantially reduced if the city and the public housing authority had been able to carry out the other provisions of the > �STREElVIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine court decree to build new housing. The 770 units were to be replaced by an equal number of hardunits of public housing, as well as some 900 certificates and vouchers. Some of the new housing is to be on the current site, but most is to be built in small numbers throughout the multi-jurisdictional metro area. Over 400 units have already been demolished, but only 40 new units have been completed in four years. All 770 units are supposed to be on line by 2001, a highly unlikely possibility. Two explanations are offered for the delay. One is that the PHA has a difficult time operating in other jurisdictions due to the cumbersome nature of the public housing legal and funding structure. The other is that new develop­ ment is thwarted by NIMBYism. Moving ahead on demolition, while failing to make progress on new construction, is a legiti­ mate complaint, and elected officials should be held accountable for the imbalance. However, the story in Minneapolis is more complex than a mismatch between promises and deeds. The citizens of Northside are also challenging the basic assumptions of a policy of deconcentration. Reverend Robinson questions if dispersing poor folks will make them less poor. He knows that they are being uprooted and propelled away from their community, and send to places where they are not "em­ braced." The crisis created by competing goalS has at least one positive attribute. The depth of the housing crisis in Minneapolis is front page news, and generating much public discourse and community outrage. Hopefully, the tension will force some action. THE STATE OF THE CITIES 1999, HUD Report President Clinton has issued the third annual State of the Cities report, which finds that most American cities are prosper­ ing with strong economies. However, the report says too many cities have been left behind and face major challenges. "The State of the Cities 1999"­ prepared tiy the Department of Housing and Urban Development-also finds that some older suburbs are experiencing problems once associated with cities. In addition, the report says a new survey indicates that most urban and subu rban officials agree they must develop regional solutions to the common problems facing their communities, and cites the historic opportunity for more cooperation between cities and suburbs. I The State of the Cities report contains these major findings: Finding #1 : Thanks to a booming national economy, most cities are experi­ encing a strong fiscal and economic recov­ ery. However, too many central cities are still left behind and continue to face the challenges of population decl ine, loss of middle-class families, slow job growth, income inequality, and poverty. Page 1 remain forever: to add, subtract, multiply, or divide. Jesus Christ came so that we might have life, and that more abundantly (John 10:1 Ob). This should be our intent also. Every new meeting should be an opportunity to add and to multiply something good in someone's life. Finding #2: Some older suburbs are experiencing problems once associated with urban areas - job loss, population decline, crime, and disinvestment. Simulta­ neously, many suburbs are straining under sprawling growth that creates traffic con­ gestion, overcrowded schools, loss of open spaces, and other sprawl-related problems, and a lack of affordable housing. Finding #3: There is a strong consen­ sus on the need for joint city/suburb strate­ gies to address sprawl and the structural decline of cities and older suburbs. We now have an historic opportunity for cooperation between cities and counties, urban as well as suburban, to address the challenges facing our metropolitan areas. "I believe we ought not to leave any­ body behind when we go into the 21st Century," President Clinton said. "I want people to believe it can be done in thei r neighborhoods, in their communities, rural or urban." The State of the Cities concludes that the Clinton Administration's 21st Century Agenda for Cities and Suburbs would help communities left behind become partici­ pants instead of spectators in the Nation's booming economy. The Agenda is a broad range of initiatives in the President's pro­ posed Fiscal Year 2000 budget designed to promote economic growth, job creation, expanded homeownership, and affordable housing opportunities. For more information or to request copies, visit the HUD USER web site at: http://www.huduser.org/publicationsl pollegltsoc.html. WORDS FROM THE EVANGELIST.. ~ Brothers and Sisters, I ask you to look back over the course of your life, picture the many people you have met along the way. Now ask yourself; did that person add to, or subtract from, your life? Did you add to, or subtract from, their lives? People come into our lives for many reasons some come for a season, others Call ou r 24 hour Prayerline with prayer requests and for an update on current programs and activities. If you are in need of food, clothing, or financial assistance call for our free referral services (681-2400). If you would like to make a donation or contri­ bution our address is 1810 Powers Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45236. Remember our Lord Said: "It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:25). Come out Friday evenings at 7:30 PM and experience the power of praise, prayer, and preaching of Helping Hands Outreach Ministries "Friday Night Power Station". May God bless You and keep You, and His love shine upon you. In His Service, Pastor/Evangelist Rodney L. Sutton, Sr. Subscribe to Streetvibes! Subscriptions to Streetvibes can be purchased for $12 per year for 12 issues. Please send a check to the below address and the paper will be mailed to you each month. Streetvibes 1506 Elm Street Cincinnati, OH 4521 O Please make checks pay­ able to the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless-­ Streetvibes.· If you have any questions, call 421-7803. E-MAIL STREETVIBES: STREETVIBES@JUNO.COM I �STREETVIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine Dear Streetvibes, Greetings - I received your letter, picture, and the stamp envelope. We cannot receive stamps or stamp envelopes through the mail here. I'll explain more in detail on a later date ­ I'm in a hurry to catch the mail lady. And on the $3, I will get back with you on that too. Sincerely, WA Ngengt Texas State Prison Lovelady, Tx PRISON TENSION RISES OVER SENATE BILL 149 By Steve Long and Dan Cahill This month (June 1999) State Senator Louis Blessing introduced Senate Bill 149, which prisoners had been led to believe would be a piece of legislation that would reform the Ohio Parole Board and remedy the unjust disparity between old indeterminate sentences and the new determinate sentences. For example, under indeterminate sentences prisoners were given a maximum indefinite sentence of 1O to 25 years for a first degree felony. The same offense under the new laws (Senate Bill 2, which went into effect July 1996) carries a maximum of 10 years. The difference is that under the indeterminate in the 1970's and early 1980's prisoners had a reason­ able expectation of being paroled after serving the minimum of ten years if good behavior was displayed over the course of those years. From the mid 1980's until now the parole board changed its policy as part of their "get tough on crime" attitude, and began making prisoners serve their entire maximum sentence, or close to it. Ironically when Senate Bill 2 was passed into law, politicians crowed about it being "tough on crime," when actually they reduced the amount of time to be served for many offenses in an effort to reduce the prison population. Now prisoners with indeterminate sentences are being required by a parole board that is out of control to serve 2 to 5 times the amount of time as prisoners sentenced under the new determinate sentences. This is the "disparity" which has stirred up a great deal of tension and anger among prisoners. Even Judge David E. Cain stated in a May 1999 article that appeared in BAR briefs; "Officials in the Department of Rehabilitation and Correc­ tions are quietly fearful that the unfairness to 'old law' prisoners is causing enough anger so as to endanger the safety of prison employees ­ from correction officers to nurses and secretar­ ies." When Senate Bill 149 came out prison­ ers learned that it does absolutely nothing to remedy this disparity, and actually makes it worse by abolishing half-time reviews for life sentences, first and second degree offenses, and any offenses of violence. This harsh law if passed would only apply to indeterminate sentences, who are already serving far more time than those prisoners under determinate sentences. We now learn Senator Blessing hopes prison reform groups will lobby for some insig­ nificant amendment to Senate Bill 149, that will do nothing to remedy the disparity, and claims that the parole board itself will lobby the Gover­ nor to veto any legislation which would contain mandatory language, or mandatory guidelines that would bring about parity and remedy this obvious injustice. His bill does call for term limits for members on the parole board, but that is meaningless because it does not resolve the· problem of disparity. The prison crowding problem is a direct result of the parole board not releasing those prisoners who are eligible fur parole, and who have served far more time than prisoners under the new sentencing law, and their actions are costing the tax payers hun·areds of millions of dollars each year. The parole board 'is protect­ ing their jobs far into the next century by deny­ ing paroles and keeping pri'soners under indeter­ minate sentences in prison far past what is fair and just. The expanding prison system is drawing money away from school budgets and social programs. It is an obvious waste of tax payers' money and a detriment to our entire society. As prisoners, we oppose Senate Bill 149 vehemently, and we ask prison reform groups and the general public to oppose it. We will not settle for any legislation that does not com­ pletely resolve the unjust disparity at the heart of this issue. Senate Bill 149 is an effort at appearing to remedy the problem without actually doing so, and has the effect of throwing gasoline on an already explosive situation in the prison system. We are asking concerned citizens to contact their local legislators and express opposition to Senate Bill 149, and demand a bill that will resolve this injustice that politicians created! STREETVIBES PRISONERS NEWS IS THE WRITINGS OF PERSONS INCARCERATED IN OUR JJATIONS JAILS AND PRISONS. SEND YOUR COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS TO: >STREETVIBES @JUNO.COM or mail to: >STREETVIBES 1506 ELM STREET CINCINNATI, OHIO 45210 or fax to: >(513) 421 -7813 Page a 'Disabilities' cont. from front page ... benefits paying this much of their monthly incomes for housing costs are considered to have "worst case" housing needs. To make matters worse, people with disabilities are experiencing this housing affordability crisis while the overall number of federally-subsidized apartments is intentionally being reduced. Due in part to "elderly only" housing legislation passed in.the early 1990's, owners of federally-subsidized apartments can literally shut people with disabilities out of the housing market. This effective "net loss" of affordable housing for people with disabilities only serves to intensify matters. In 1996, it was estimated that by the year 2000, some 273,000 apartments in federally-subsidized housing buildings will no longer be available to persons with disabilities. Unfortunately, this estimate seems to be all too accurate. As of 1998, as many as 200,000 of these apartments had already been converted to "elderly only." These statistics are sobering. T hey serve to illustrate the sheer scope and magnitude of the housirig affordability crisis faced by millions of Americans with disabilities. Without safe, decent, and affordable housing, people with disabilities continue to live at home with aging parents, in crowded homeless shelters, in institutions or nursing homes, or are forced to choose between seriously sub-standard housing or paying most of their monthly income for rent. If you are interested in receiving a copy of this report, you can contact either the Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc. or the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Housing Task Force via the following: The Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc. One Center Plaza, Suite 31 O Boston, MA 02108 (617) 742-5657 http://www.tacinc.org The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Housing Task Force Washington DC (202) 785-3388 http://www.c-c-d.org Subscribe to Streetvibes Subscriptions to Streetvibes can be purchased for $12 per year. Please send a check to the below address and the paper will be mailed to you each issue. Streetvibes 1506 Elm Street Cincinnati, OH 4521 O Please make checks payable to the Greater Cincinnati Coalition -for the Homeless-Streetvibes. If you have any questions, call 421-7803. �STREETVIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine BACK IN TIME DROP INN CENTER HISTORY: FROM APRIL, 1985 The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless Health Committee Presents: Practical Health Concerns: A seminar for Shelter staff Topics: Communicable Disease, Appropriate first aid and TB September 9th, 1999 (Thursday) Time: 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM Location: TB <Control Conference Room 184 E. McMillan Street 946-7618 For more Information Call: Clifford Jones - 621-0248 (This letter was written to Drop Inn Center supporters by buddy gray in April of 1985. The City of Cincinnati was threatening the Drop Inn Center by attempting to make changes in the zoning laws that would force relocation of the Center. Threat of closure and relocation has threatened the Drop Inn Center during its entire existence...ED.) Dear Supporters, The time - long awaited - is upon us now. The Over-the-Rhine Comprehensive Plan, after 4 1/2 years 'of hard work, comes to City Hall for a vote May 3rd and 10th. Last Thanksgiving you rallied to support us - some 250 stro-'ng at City Hall - when the City Housing Department threatened Drop Inn's very existence with a 'replacemenf shelter in the West End to ~~rve 35 people at a $350,000 price tag. At tha~same time, City Planners were preparing to zone Drop Inn out of existence with office zoning. The re-zoning hearings had been set for December: 1984. But after the big rally those hearings were delayed and delayed. At Thanksgiving time City Leaders vigorously denied such zone changes were afoot. Now those very City planning Commission hearings are set for May 3rd and May 10th at 9:30 A. M., Page 9 to be held in City Council chambers, 3rd floor, 9th and Plum. In June, City Council gets final vote. During the delays, developer forces have organized an opposition to the 0-T-R Plan. They oppose the Plan's call to protect the existing 5,520 low-income housing units currently occupied by approximately 12,000 of our people, and they oppose the Drop In c .enter. We need your support. Despite the Over­ the-Rhine Planning Task Force's unanimous vote by residents and businessmen to zone the Drop Inn R-7 (residential) the City Planning Director is proposing the Drop Inn site as 0-1 (office). The picture is clear. Across Central Parkway behind us is the old French Bauer building just opened as office condo's. Behind us is the YMCA, which evicted 427 single room occupancy (SRO) tenants to make a fancy health spa. Next door to us is an interior decorating office condo which is just beginning. In these votes just ahead, Drop Inn Center and our low-income neighborhood as a whole face our biggest challenge - and potentially our biggest hope - in ten years. If Drop Inn is re­ zoned for offices, it is the beginning of the end for our shelter. Furthermore, Drop Inn has been a beacon of hope and symbol of resistance for our low-income neighbors who have struggled to stay in their homes nearby. Without the Drop Inn Center having been firmly rooted, the gentrification and disp1acement of the Washing­ ton Park area of Over-the-Rhine would already be in high gear. Without the protection of the 5,520 low-income housing units, displacement will continue. Without the revitalization plan for Over-the-Rhine, housing, business and public areas will continue to deteriorate. WE NEED YOU TO COME AND SPEAK OUT Support- the passage of the Over-the­ Rhine Comprehensive Plan - The protection of 5,520 existing low­ income housing units -the residential zoning for Drop Inn Center PUSH TO SEE THIS AS A CITY ACTION PLAN, not a document to sit on the City Hall shelf. Thank you for your support. buddy gray for Drop Inn Center House Manager Position Open St. Francis-St. Joseph Catholic Worker House . STREETVIBES TV SHOW is produced by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless and broadcast from the studios of Cincinnati Community Video. Each month STREETVIBES TV explores issues of poverty, homelessness, and civil rights with guest panelists and studio participation. If you would like to be a member of our studio audience, call the Coalition office at 421-7803. The Catholic Worker House, a small shelter for homeless men, is searching for a House Manager, whose responsibilities include the daily operations of the House, conducting the administrative and clerical operations, acting as a public face, and setting goals for the House. The ideal candidate will have experience with the homeless or in another human service field and show a commitment to others. Please send resume and cover letter to Catholic Worker House, PO Box 10118, Cincinnati, Ohio 45210 �STREETVIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine STREETVIBES Welfare News UP AND OUT OF POVERTY by Lynn Williams Women who earn a four year college degree have a 95 to one chance of needing to rely on welfare in the future. Without that college diploma, a woman stands a five to one ·chance of needing welfare. According to a report by Jobs With Justice, nearly all of the jobs that pay livable wages or higher require a college degree in this country. The report states that most of the,iobs that recipients are going into are entry level positions and jobs that, lacking further education and training, will never lead to a higher salary at a livable wage level. A woman who works a full-time, round the year job at minimum wage ($5.15/hr.) earns only $10,300 gross income. Deduct taxes and she earns even less than this amount! She is extremely likely to lack health care insurance. If she is in poor health, or needing medical treatment, medical bills could easily eat up a minimum wage budget. (see article on Health Care for Working Parents in Poverty) ·with a minimum wage job, a family of three is living almost $3,000 BELOW THE FEDERAL POV­ ERTY LEVEL! Unless they are one of the lucky families with a Section 8 certificate or other housing voucher, market rate rent and utilities will drain a significant portion of the family's income. Families living at or below poverty level could easily end up on public assistance; if a crisis hits, they will not have savings to cushion them 'til they're back on their feet. {If their time limit for welfare is used up they won't even have this option.) This paints a pretty dismal picture, but there is something to be done about it. If we are truly serious about lifting families out of poverty, we must: 1. raise the minimum wage to a livable wage for all workers 2. allow welfare recipients to count class & study time for a G .E.D. and college degree as their work requirement. This is much more far­ sighted than kicking women off now for tempo­ rary or l9w-pay, "no future" jobs. If a recession hits us, the recipients in entry-level jobs will be the first fired or laid off, probably without unem­ ployment compensation. According to economist Rebecca Bl:rnk in Glass Ceilings and Bottomless Pits , "It would be foolish for work/welfare programs to assume that women who find jobs will make steady economic progress toward substantially higher wages. Some welfare recipients will be able to follow this model particularly those with. more education), but this is unlikely to be the typical Page 10 experience among women who lack high school Therefore, I had time to go to college. Many diplomas or even among those who haye a high other people will not. school degree." My biggest fear concerning the current S.S. 123 currently in the Ohio Senate welfare reform legislation is that too many would change state welfare policy to allow for people will be forced to obtain minimum wage two years of full time college to be counted as jobs that will serve to keep them in their impov­ the work requirement for recipients. Currently, erished state. I believe it's time to find long­ only one year (or 1040) hours are allowed in this term solutions to this problem. I believe that manner. In addition, S.B. 123 would require every welfare recipient should be afforded the welfare departments to promote and clearly opportunity for long-term education and, in display this information in a "campaign". As it is some cases, this should be mandated. What now, many recipients in Ohio are not informed some people iri the general public and political arena forget is that the new welfare reform laws that they can count college hours for the first impact children in a very negative manner. year as the work requirement. This is a well­ kept secret! Rather than teaching them and their parents the The Ohio Empowerment Coalition believes appropriate way of obtaining long-term self· sufficiency, these laws push for immediate S.B. 123 is a step in the right direction. How­ employment. It is common knowledge that ever, it should allow for additional years of without a high school diploma and/or college college and study time to count as the work degree, the chances of finding a job that pays requirement. This would allow a recipient to • over $5.50 an hour decreases dramatically. concentrate on her studies and successfully complete a four year degree. College is work This leaves a person like me to wonder what is going to happen in another five years, when the and it should be counted as work time with a recipients are booted off the program. Will their farsighted thought of its importance in moving children starve to death? Will they be able to families off of welfare {but not thrown off) and out of poverty. afford even basic necessities? What will be society's responsibility if these things happen? The following story from Jennifer of As for myself and my family, we will continue to Findlay, Ohio is the story of a woman who has a bright future because of getting her degree. advocate for the rights of poor people and the "I am currently receiving public assistance need for continued public assistance for those through a local welfare department. I began people who simply. may not be capable of receiving assistance about six years ago shortly helping themselves." following a divorce. Never in my wildest dreams did I im~gine that one day I would become a single mother of three children. Then the unthinkable happened. My ex-husband quit his job and moved out of state. He has not seen our children since that time, nor has he paid any When almighty God created the heavens child support. • and the EARTH he gave man dominion over his After the initial shock of this dilemma wore glorious creation. Man has God-ljke qualities; off, I started working minimum wage jobs while but we have major faults, envy, greed, and still obtaining welfare benefits. I was hoping at jealousy. the time that the extra money from work would Everything in nature will reach their help feed my family. However, another disap­ destination. Almost all living creatures have a pointment came my way as I discovered that my place to call home. An ant has an anthill, and a benefits had decreased since I was earning an bird lives in a nest. So if we are the most income. It seemed the more I made, the further complex living entities: why are we straying behind I became. I knew there had to be a way away from the natural order in which the univer­ out of poverty somehow, but didn't know what sal law prevails? steps I would need to take. We were granted this enormous power. Finally, after two years of working low­ Power to build or destroy, and even to oppress. paying jobs, I decided to attend college. I was As citizens of the human family I was born with scared at first, since nobody in my family had God-given inalienable rights, so should I have gotten a four-year degree. In any case, through less equality than the next person? higher education I was able to face those fears Ghettos, slums, projects, are man made, and continue on with my studies. It was a very and so is the epidemic of homelessness. difficult road since I was attending college full­ America is the greatest nation or:i Earth; the time, working part-time, and raising three word great doesn't always mean good . The children alone. The truth is I didn't think I'd United States has conquered almost every make it. Many times I went without food and/or realm of impossibility; so why is it hard to sleep in my quest to get off of the public assis­ nurture and protect the very source of your tance program. strength that put you in a foothold as the leading I officially graduated from school last week world power? with a bachelor's degree in social work. I am The people are the might and the founda­ currently looking for employment in my field, but tion of this body. Every empire fell because will be free from public assistance very soon. It they ignored the little things, and little things add is a very rewarding feeling to know that I will up. Poverty, homelessness, and the internal always be able to raise my children without neglect of our citizens is the cancer of this assistance from the state. I am very grateful for country; ignoring the sickness won't solve the all of the help that I received, but consider affliction; it will only cause our demise. myself one of the lucky welfare recipients. I was able to rise above my circumstances in hopes of Malik Ami/car creating a better life for my family. However, · many other welfare recipients may not fare as well. I began receiving benefits before the state enacted the five-year limit on assistance. .\ :"< >T 111·: ~ (. L. \:--'::' I' ~~Ul)I . (·TI<>:"' Disc-Jockey Service CLIFFORD JONES (513) 761-3464 (513) 230-6353 �STREETVIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine PANHANDLING GETTING A CLOSER LOOK BY CITY by Raymond McCaffrey/The Gazette Colorado Springs · On an exit ramp off Interstate 25, Leon Mann appeared to be as much a symbol of the changing face of the city as the bumper-to­ bumper traffic before him. Cardboard signs in hand - "Every Body NeE?ds Help Sometimes God Bless You & Me," another that read simply "Homeless" - Mann stood motionless at the side of the road, careful not to violate the personal space of the motor­ ists escaping the gridlock on the interstate. "I've had people threaten to kill me," Mann said. Although Mann looks innocuous - he's a slight man with a gray beard and weathered face - his begging seems to elicit as much controversy as, say, bumper-to-bumper traffic. 'The best thing to do is stand here, and they just stick it (money) out the window," Mann said. "On a good day, you can make $40." As Shakespeare might have said: To give or not to give, that is the question. "I figure if they've come to this, they need help," said one young mom, who handed Mann some money as she drove by in her sport-utility vehicle, windows open, a load of young children inside. "Hell no," growled an9ther motorist, a man in a Jeep. "It's like a stray dog. If you feed them, they keep coming around." The subject of panhandlers is such a hot­ button issue that the City Council, at the request of Police Chief Lorne Kramer, is considering an amendment designed to crack down on begging. The proposal, scheduled to be discussed at Monday's City Council meeting, would restrict solicitation at certain intersections and along certain roadways where such activity presents a traffic and public safety hazard to both the motorists and those involved in such activity, Kramer wrote in a memo to City Manager Jim Mullen. "We were getting complaints from motor­ ists about ... aggressive panhandling," said Springs Police Lt. Rich Resling. "We tried to look at some ways we could alleviate the problem," he said. Those concerns also have made their way to members of the City Council. "There is a concern for the perception of safety, and there's the perception of what kind of a place is this where people are out there with cardboard signs at the end of ramps," Mayor Mary Lou Makepeace said. "My personal opinion is I don't like it. ... I know it makes me feel uncomfortable. I know it makes many women feel unsafe, and I think it projects a poor image of our community," she said. The plan comes at a time when community leaders have been trying to improve services for the needy, including setting up a sort of campus near downtown for such individuals. The city has had a sizable homeless population for years. According to the 1990 census, there are roughly 300 homeless people in Colorado Springs, the majority of whom live in shelters. However, the sight of panhandlers by the side of the highways is relatively new. "It's become a nationwide phenomenon," Resling said. "It's become - for lack of a better word - 'trendy.' They can literally work their way coast to coast. I think it's been the most preva­ lent in the past five years .... Now we have a record population that is here full time. They work (the roadways) full time. They work in shifts." Who exactly these people are is subject to debate. Some, like Mann, who lives under a bridge, are from out of town - he said he's .from Dallas. According to Debbie Mitguard, director of the Red Cross Shelter, which houses more than 200 homeless people each night, the panhan­ dlers typically are not residents there. "I think many of the folks I've seen on the highway exits and the freeways have been around for a long time," Mitguard said. "Typically they're folks living on their own somewhere.... It's a pretty elusive group." Some actually are residents of the commu­ nity. "Certainly everybody who's homeless doesn't do this," said Steve Handen, a former Catholic priest who helped start the Marian House soup kitchen and still works with the homeless. , "And many many people who do it are not homeless, but they're low-income." Many of the panhandlers are disabled, Handen said, primarily due to mental illness. It's not that they can't find work; they're just not able to. "There are jobs available. We're at an incredible moment in Colorado Springs history where there are a lot of jobs. A lot of those people are disabled," Handen said. Handen, though, is not as upset about the phenomenon as others. "We like to call them independent lobbyists for private-sector fund­ ing," he said. "If somebody gives somebody a buck, it doesn't make the giver poor or the receiver rich. It just may make the day easier for both of them." Scramble H1TTHE BULL'S EYE WITH OUSING IN A by Ron Carter HURRY! Try to unscramble these re­ lated words: if you're in the mai:ket for a new apartment, call Cincinnati's . affordable alternative ... CMHA ! CMllA communities are budget-friendly, are located in neighbor­ hoods across Hamilton County, and are near the places important to you ... jobs, churches, hospitals and stores! With CMHA's Housing In A Huny Program, you can be made eligible to be housed in 5 days or ~s. TNANCICNll AHIOGCC SBTITGRPU WEN OKYR FNICRALOAI LDFIROA OAZIANR AIDAN IN NELVELDAC Don' t miss this opportunity! Hours: Mon.-Sat., 8:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Page 11 Location: 163 5 Western A venue Call CMHA at 421-8190. Answers on page 15. Mr. Carlyle':;; l11 c. (513) 721-6770 • (51 3) 874-4141 All About Tuxedos & Gowns Phone: 921-123 1 STATE AVENUE SALVAGE HISTORICAL BLDG . MATERIALS EARL (CHARLIE) MATTINGLY - ,, 1958 State Ave. Cinti., OH 45204 6600 B D1x<e Highway (Diplomat Village) F;urfield. Ohio 45014 All About Tuxedos - Checkout 203 E 7th Street C:r>c1nnat1, Ohio 45202 STREETVIBES a!ffil1l?D©1:fa!rnif..114» Classifieds on Page 15 Pager 5 t 3·670-6782 T64 Montgomery Road Norwood. Ohio Cellular 5 t 3·582· TUXS http://www/netwc rk1000.com/ALLtux/ "The Outfitters of the Stars" �STREETVIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine STREETVIBES Editorials & Letters· Page 12 NORTHEAST OHIO COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS 2012 West 25th Street #717, Cleveland Ohio 44113 •!• (216)241 -1104 June 14, 1999 Cincinnati Street Vibes Letters to the Editor An Open Letter to Cincinnati: We, in Cleveland, have heard ofthe proposed Arts and Education Center which will displace the Drop Inn Center shelter. While we feel this is regrettable, we understand the need to have a strong vibrant arts community over the need to have an entry point to a self-reliant life style. As residents ofCleveland, we have a great deal of experience with the displacement oflow income housing and services by entertainment facilities (Jacobs Field and Gund Arena). We are offering the assistance ofthe Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless in Cleveland to help with the Drop Inn Center move. We are willing to send you a couple of teams of shanty builders who can help homeless people displaced from the Drop Inn Center build temporary structures. We are enclosing a picture ofTyrone, one of our team leaders, and his handy work. Ed. Note: Letters are still coming in con­ With shanty builders, you will not need to relocate such a big facility. Our shanty builders are cerning the Greater Cincinnati Art's and Educa­ quite proficient and can probably help set up a shanty for many of the 250 current residents. tion Center board plan to relocate the Drop Inn Center. Cincinnati's largest homeless shelter, in These shanties may not be pretty, but they are useful. They represent the entrepreneurial independent spirit that it so important in Cincinnati. These shanties can go under freeway order to make way for an expanded arts cam­ overpasses, next to dilapidated buildings, or in small unused spaces next to schools. We can pus. STREETVIBES encourages all concerned spread these temporary shelters throughout the community so that one neighborhood is not citizens to write to Erich Kunzel, Cincinnati Pops burdened with a high concentration of shanties. The beautiful part ofthis project is that the Conductor and the driving force behind the plan are cheap and can be placed in urban, suburban, or rural environments. shanties and voice your concerns about the impact that this will have on Cincinnati's defenseless We can have teams in Cincinnati in 30 days. I am sure that the City of Cleveland will pay for the homeless community and the Drop Inn Center. cost oftransportation to your city for many ofour shanty builders at no cost to your social service Please write in support of the Drop Inn Centers organizations. Our city leaders are happy to get rid ofthe shanty builders, but I am sure that your right to not be moved from its present location. community will embrace these self-motivated, independent-minded workers. Our shanty leaders Write to: Erich Kunzel 1241 Elm Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45210 Send Copies of your letter to: Drop Inn Center Attn: Pat Clifford 217West12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 4521 O Streetvibes 1506 Elm Street Cincinnati, Ohio 4521 O Dear Mr. Kunzel, I am told you are leading a movement to relocate the Drop Inn Center to make way for a new $99.2 million arts complex. I love classical music, but I think the fact that there are home­ less persons in Cincinnati (or anywhere) is a scandal. I suggest the leaders of Cincinnati create a task force that will meet every day until this scandal is removed from our midst! In the meantime, the Drop Inn Center has been doing more for the homeless than these so-called leaders for twenty-six years now. It would be a tragedy to undo their work and displace the most vulnerable in what we con­ sider a civilized society. All of education should be dedicated to a level of civilization that assures at least the basic human rights of each human person. Although we have the refinement of evening dress and the fine arts, I think we are still at a barbaric level if we neglect the common good. I played varsity basketball and football in I could assemble their teams in two weeks, and we e~timate that they can significantly reduce the shelter population in six months. Sincerely, ~e==4 " <:::::> Brian P. Davis Executive Director, NEOCH high school and in college. I used to be a sports fanatic. But to build two new sports stadiums at public expense when there are still homeless people in Cincinnati has soured me on local sports teams. I hope I don't have the same experience with the arts. Peace, Rev. Benjamin J. Urmston, S. J. Xavier University, Peace and Justice Programs To the Editor: I would like to voice an objection to the relocation of the Drop Inn Center to make room for an arts and education center and new facility for SCPA. Art is not only about painting, per­ forming, music, sculpture. poetry, etc., but is also defined as a skill, and the practical applica­ tion of that skill. There is an art to living as a community; and the art of community is inclu­ sive. There is no reason why the Drop Inn Center and the proposed new arts center cannot peacefully co-exist, each being contributing, equal, and integral parts of the same area. The Drop-In-Center is a continually evolving social creation having the purpose of meeting basic critical needs of the persons it serves while also promoting creative solutions to homelessness and addiction through self-determination. It's present location is important because there, on 12th St. it serves as a hub and parent organization for other supervised close-proxim­ ity services it provides. These services include transitional housing and recovery programs. The Drop Inn Center is actively engaged daily in uplifting the spirit, offering opportunities, and encouraging persons to see and experience life in a different and more hopeful way. A real grass roots effort is being made there. Besides providing shelter, it is about new beginnings, tapping potential, and transcending personal realities. Isn't that what the creative process is all about? I am not against SCPA having a new and needed facility, or art centers and museums being built. In fact, it's an exciting prospect. What I do object to is all of that being done at the expense of the Drop-In-Center and the residents of Over-the-Rhine, offering them little or no choice. Further displacing citizens seems a narrow vision of the future and a direction to be avoided at all costs. This current proposal is only one of a progression of moves the city has made in an effort to 'upscale' our downtown area. I can't see where it has accomplished much in the way of enriching the majority of our population, seem­ ing to rather have a divisive, exclusive, and unregenerative effect. To me, either the Drop-Inn-Center OR a new arts center is a choice it needn't be 11eces­ sary to make. Sarah Gallant Cincinnati vf@pol.com (Vulcan's Forge) E-MAIL STREETVIBES: STREETVIBES@JUNO.COM I �STREETVIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine STREETVIBES Etcetera ... HOMELESS ALBANY RESIDENTS DESPAIR OF LEAVING LANDFILL By Marianne Costantinou of the Examiner Staff [Californ ia] ALBANY - On a landfill at the edge of the bay, a colony of 50 homeless people live with a million-dollar view and pennies in their pockets. But this is no ordinary homeless encamp­ ment, no cardboard city of nomads. Many of the residents have lived here for years. Instead of makeshift shelters of sleeping bags and pitched blankets and cardboard boxes, many have built their own versions of low-income housing: shacks of plywood, some with win­ dows, built-in kitchen cabinets and even carpet­ ing. One fellow has a working shower. A threesome who own a gasoline-powered genera­ tor have electricity, and watch TV and play movies on the VCR. But it is the veteran resi­ dent of eight years who really lives like a king, or was about to: He is building a two-story, heart-shaped castle made of concrete and stone, with an arched window for his unob­ structed view of the Golden Gate Bridge. The residents - some of whom claim college degrees and middle-class comforts in their past lives - say they've lived here blissfully among the overgrown brush and concrete hulks of demolished buildings, away from the pres­ sures of urban life. To them, the landfill has been a refuge and a source of pride. "I'm a Landfillian," said Dan McMullan, 36, introducing himself to Albany City Council members at a recent public hearing before pleading with them to let him and his homeless neighbors stay. But the city of Albany, tired of the head­ aches this marginal community has brought ­ from sanitation and crime issues to complaints from its tax-paying joggers and dog walkers ­ has banned overnight stays at the landfill. The landfill is to become a regional public park, part of the Eastshore State Park that stretches along the waterfront from Richmond to Emeryville. The homeless residents have until June 15 to go. The thought of leaving gives the home­ less a sense of despair. They love this place: its rugged natural beauty, its isolation from a judgmental wor1d, its sweeping views of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge and Mount Tamalpais. The landfill has spared them from an endless stream of doorways and shelters, and given them a place to call their own among their own. "You build something out of the wilderness and make something for yourself out here," said Robert "The Rabbit" Barringer, 47, who says he has an art degree from UC-Berkeley and goes to work most days renovating other people's houses. As they carve their own spots among the brush, go dumpster diving in town for lumber to build their homes, ferry their water from down the road, read by candlelight and cook by campfire, they say they feel like pioneers. "They make us out like we're derelicts," said McMullan, who has been homeless since 1984, after losing his right leg in a motorcycle accident. "The people out here are the most resourceful of the poor, the strongest of the poor. The lazy can't make it out here." The homesteaders have nicknamed their outpost The Freedom Colony, and have even designed a flag that hangs on a pole supported by twisted rebar. It is a U.S. flag minus its stars, edged with brown camouflage cloth. Written in the white stripes is a sentiment many hadn't felt in a while, until they came to live here: UR SPECIAL "It's pretty sad we have to go," said Chris­ topher Moser, 38, a former auto mechanic who repairs his neighbors' bicycles, the chief way of travel. "I feel at home here." Here, they are not homeless. "She's not homeless," said Eddie, 1o, overhearing a visitor and jumping to his mother's defense. "My mom has a home. That's her home over there," pointing to a plywood shack with a tarp roof. Katrina "Trea" Williams, 30, beamed and gave him a tight hug. "You tell your friends," she said, "your momma has a house with a million-dollar view." .Eddie and Williams' two other children live with her ex-husband. She visits them almost daily, driving her car, an old American gas­ guzzler she's held onto from her working days. But she also has another family, here at the landfill. Although each person is protective of his own space - visitors must call out into the brush and be welcomed before entering - there is a sense of community, especially in the area nearest to town, called The Plateau, where some of the newer arrivals live close together. Williams' boyfriend, "Stark" Mike Martin, 49, uses his generator to recharge residents' batteries for their radios and flashlights. And before the city installed portable toilets a few months ago, he dealt with the buckets of human sewage at one of the outhouses. Ashby Dancer, about 40, has built two houses for neighbors. "Hmmm, I gotta fix this door," he said , showing off his handiwork. "I'm the landlord."Lately, Dancer and McMullan have taken to grassroots politics to save the residents • from eviction: calling activist groups, organizing a rally, advertising for a lawyer. "They're making us homeless," said Dancer. "These are our homes. We're out of their faces. We're not in the street. We're not panhandling on their corners or sleeping in their doorways. We're not begging or stealing ... "This is bigger than just this piece of land. This is about homelessness in America. Every city in the nation should give homeless people land so they're off the streets and off the curbs and off the doorways. I built this one-bedroom all by myself for nothing, so I know there's such a thing as low-income housing if they want it. I know low-income housing is possible." To talk with many of the homeless here is to wonder how they got In this mess. City officials and homeless advocates familiar with the residents say that some suffer from mental illness, and that drug and alcohol abuse is common. Everyone has a sad tale. Often there is a turning point - an accident, a lost job, a failed Page 13 relationship - that sent them tumbling. Even those homeless for years still can't believe it. Sarah Teague, 32, who says she gradu­ ated from Louisiana State University, was a case manager for three years at a San Fran­ cisco homeless advocacy group. "I went from Yuppie to Tenderloin trash," said Teague. "If for some reason you fall from grace, the city can be very unforgiving." Unless you've ever been homeless, it's hard not to be judgmental, she said. Even when she worked with the homeless at the advocacy group, she couldn't really relate. "It didn't occur to me," she said, '~hat it would occur to me." Physically, the landfill - a peninsula jutting nearly a mile into the bay on the cusp of Albany, just west of 1-80, behind the Golden Gate Fields racetrack - is like a place that time has forgot­ ten, a wind-whipped jungle of untamed nature and construction debris. Three areas distinguish it. Closest to Albany is The Plateau. Moving out toward the bay, the landfill narrows to what is called The Neck. Then it balloons to The Bulb, a mass of dense vegetation where most of the veteran residents live in seclusion. A dumping ground until 1984 for leftover chunks of demolished buildings, the landfill will one day be a park. But that is years away, after much clean-up and planning, said Ned MacKay, spokesman for the East Bay Regional Parks District, and Ann Ritzma, the Albany assistant city administrator overseeing the landfill resi­ dents. For years, the handful of early homeless settlers had most of the landfill to themselves and were largely ignored by Albany officials. But last summer the population boomed to more than 100 as the homeless were swept from other encampments in Berkeley and Richmond. Several homeless said police told them to go to the Albany landfill rather than sleep in their doorways. With no running water or toilets on the landfill, sanitation and health became concerns for officials, Aitzma said. Drug use was also a worry. And there were increased police calls - including an arson fire set by a landfill dweller trying to kill two neigh­ bors. In this solidly middle-class town of 17,000, such crimes were upsetting, said Chief Larry Murdo, who views the landfill residents as illegal squatters on public land. Meanwhile, the completion of the Albany Waterfront Trail brought more joggers, dog walkers and bird-watchers to the landfill. Some complained to officials about finding discarded needles and packs of the homeless' dogs along the trails. And they felt reluctant to enjoy the wildflowers if it meant traipsing· through somebody's yard. After months of discussion, the city council in March banned overnight camping and gave June 15 as the deadline for the homeless to move out. The city called Bay Area social service groups to help the homeless find other housing, said Ritzma. But there is an acute shortage of shelter beds and low-income housing, said Alex McElree, 52, founder of Operation Dignity, an Oakland advocacy group which mostly targets homeless veterans. And those with substance abuse problems are unwelcome in shelters. I've never implied I could help everyone" at the landfill, said McElree. "It's not possible." "You're gonna see some of them in the door­ ways, yeah." D·Day is two weeks away. But few resi­ dents have any ideas what they will do. Even as they face eviction, some are still building. Moser and Paula Johnson, 33, who live 'LANDFILL' cont. on back page �STREETVIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine LIFE THROUGH THE EVES OF MY FATHER by Te'tro Amaru It's truly ironic that my father, who I once proclaimed to know nothing about and of life while I was in highschool, now maintains to be the foundation of my knowledge of and about life. As life continues to take me through its rollicoaster ride of ups and downs, my father continues to use his life's experience and wisdom to focus my energies in a positive direction. A quarter through life and I'm as contused as ever. What happened you ask? Could it be that I graduated from college but wasn't truly ready for the realization of the 'real world'? Or is this something that everyone goes through at my age? The uncertainty and haunting fear of becoming a thirty-something year old still depending on my parents for financial support and a failure within the game of life. Time and time again I maintain that life is what we make it as I secure myself within the ongoing wisdom of my father's testament "Success breeds success". Now at age forty­ something, a self-made man, successful entre­ preneur, and a grandfather, I feel secure within his wisdom and truly believe that if I am stead­ fast in my beliefs that I will overcome life's confusion and become successful as well. The tools have been implemented and the desire to accomplish my" goals in life have hardened within my mind. The only unanswered question is how. With the many talents and abilities that I possess it would seem an easy thing to figure out. However, life seems to sidetrack me and throw monkey wrenches into my plans ever so often, by way of female relationships, finance dilemmas, and most of all impatientness. At these moments in my life it helps to have a father as a best friend to turn to his wisdom and experience to refocus my desires. So on his day of days, Father's Day, we talked about life and discussed what he considered a normal di­ lemma that everyone my age goes through - the what to do now stage. I told him of my fears, my ho~es and dreams, and of what I was doing to fulfill them and the seemingly constant barriers that I wa~ running into within every positive step I took. His reply was simply, "That's life". Some things are so simple that it's hard to see at times. Which is kind of easier said than done when it comes to the predicaments of life. stt11, by the end of the conversation, I firmly came to the realization that it is better to do something than to do nothing at all. I could fail without a try and only thoughts of what I should do and not do. Or I could simply do the things that I do best, give it my all, and pray for a successful result in the end. And with those last thoughts and shared words between my father and I, life appeared settled (for now) and my desires refocused. There are a lot of things that I could do without in my life, but I do not know where I would be or who I would be without the guidance of my father. So as life goes on I remain strong and focus on achieving what I've set out to do regardless of the various barriers that my come my way. One day at a time, doing all that I can by taking one step at a time, with my friend and father forever by my side, life's mystery be­ comes elementary. There are a lot things that happen throughout one's life to make that person acquire certain thoughts and do certain unexplainable actions. But yet if we all remain focused on what we have set out to do in life it will make the rewards that much sweeter in the end. HOMELESS TEENAGER TO CAMPUS SHEPARD by Shepherd Andrew Martin I have shared this story to many college students over the years because it is a story how God can use anyone who commits his life into his hands. I am currently teaching the Bible at University Bible Fellowship. I would like to begin with the words from John 14:1 , "Do not let your hearts be troubled ; trust in God· trust also in me." ' My fathe·r tells me that I came out smiling and always laughing. I was the fourth child out of a family of seven. At the age of about five, my mother left my father. I still remember the day that yellow cab driver picked her up from our house. My dad was a painter and a roofer and he used to take all of us kids with him as he did his work especially in summer. I found myself paintin~ houses and climbing roofs by the time I was 7 or 8 years old. On Sundays, we would all attend a Roman Catholic Church together. We would go to many church functions where they fed us. During the pre-teen years, I discovered that we were poor and at times felt ashamed of it. I wanted to run away from home. I dreamt of many things my neighbors enjoyed, especially a two parent family. In my freshman year of high school, a soci.al service agency got involved with my family because we were living without running water, heat, and electricity at times. I used to sneak into an apartment complex down the street in order to take a hot shower. My dad did his very best to SlJpport us as well as many homeless people that he allowed to live in our house. But when I got a skin disease, a social · service agency stepped in to try to help us. The social service agency asked me if I wanted to go to an orphanage. A case worker took me to a boys home and showed me around. It had a basketball court, three meals a day, water, heat and electricity. I told the case worker I wanted to go. After living there for a while, I began to miss my family and the free­ dom I had at home. I hated all the rules at the boys home, and a few of the boys there beat me up. So I ran away. They decided to export me to another orphanage. Somewhere after my sixteenth birthday, I was allowed to go back home to my father. After being home for a few months I decided to run away from my life at home. ' I drove to Florida from Cincinnati to begin a new life at sixteen. In Florida, I found myself living on the streets. I slept on a beach and counted the stars. I found myself going to churches to beg for food, and hanging out with other home­ less people my age. One night I slept in an abandoned truck in a gas station to escape the cool nights. It was filled with straw, a nice place to rest to get away from the streets. On this Page 14 night I was awakened by many lights and speakers saying, "Come out with your hands up in the air." I was fingerprinted and received my own personal mug shot and sent to a juvenile detention center for boys. There I was humili­ ated and found myself in a cell next to a mur­ derer. For the first time, remember crying out to God, "Save me." I wept bitterly at my court hearing, where I was found to be innocent and they provided my plane fare back to Cincinnati. I had gone from a prisoner to a celebrity on a plane with the Tampa Bay football players. I vowed that when I got back to Cincin­ nati that I would straighten up my life. I got back with my old girlfriend and she became pregnant. I found myself drinking every night and sleeping wherever I could fined a bed. My son was the most precious thing on this earth, but I was still a teenager and still did not have a place to live or a proper job to take care of a family. Then my girlfriend became pregnant again and we had to give up our second son for adoption because we had no money. I could not handle all this so I dropped out of high school and ran away again. One night I was at a traffic light and a man pulled a knife on me and threatened to take my life. Up to this point, I only looked for a way to end my life. I could do nothing to help my son , so I felt deeply de­ spaired. I could not find any hope. In 1984 I was helping a friend fix the roof on a campus ministry. I was invited to study the Bible and learned that God was my creator. The Bible study gave me hope, healing and joy. Immediately, I began to teach the Bible to everyone I met. I graduated with a bachelor's degree in business. I have taught many stu­ dents the Bible, including my professors and employers. I can see now the hardships I went through were truly a blessing in God because he would send me back to minister to people who shared the same struggles in life. My son, who I abandoned in my past, came to many of my Bible studies over the years. and I recently watched him graduate high school with an honor in business. In 1993 on the most joyful day of my life, I married Rebekah and we have three children. God has truly blessed me. My wife and I work as nurses and teach the Bible. My father is a vendor for Streetvibes. Together we are striving to please God, who has become my loving and compassionate father, who has called us to himself. Subscribe to STREETVIBES! For only$12 per year you can have STREETVIBES delivered to your home every month. National and Local Stories on Issues regarding homelessness and the poor. News, Information, Personal Stories and more, written every month by homeless and formerly homeless persons... Send Check or Money Order for $12 to: Streetvibes C/O Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless 1506 Elm Street Cincinnati, Ohio 4521 O �I STREETVIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine STREETVIBES Announcements Live Studio Audience Wanted SECOND MONDAY OF EA CH MONTH AND IS BROADCAST FROM THE STUDIOS OF CINCINNATI COMMUNITY VIDEO, 2114 READING ROAD, FROM 7 TO BPM. STREETVIBES TV COVERS NEWS ON POVERTY, HOMELESSNESS AND RELATED ISSUES. CALL US AT THE GREATER CINCINNATI COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS IF YOU STREETVIBES TV WOULD LIKE TO BE A PART OF OUR LIVE STUDIO SHOW­ AUDIENCE. FOR MORE wouLD YOU LIKE TO BE A PART INFORMATION - 421-7803 OF OUR LIVE STUDIO AUDIENCE? Page 1s HOMELESS HOTLINES 10TH ANNIVERSARY AND YOU ARE INVITED... Where: Washington Park When: August 1st Time: Noontime Food - Live Music Information Call ­ 797-4344 SHOW IS TAPED LIVE ON THE STREETVIBES Classified Ads music Band Looking for Work Streetvibes (the band). We like to party. R&B, Oldies, Blues/ Jazz, Reggae. Helping the homeless to help themselves through free enterprize. Call 421-7803. LIVE IN NANNY NEEDED For 3 children, ages are 7 years, 29 months, and 28 months. Call Mamie L. Brown at 481-1183 for more infomation. Streetvibes is now accepting Classi­ fied Ads for items such as Help Wanted, Items for Sale, Apartments for Rent and other non-personal items. The rate is only $1 per line, approximately ten words per line. Classified ads are due by the 20th of the month. People below the poverty level will be allowed five free lines for six months to advertise their skills or products to our readers. Otherwise, payment must be re­ ceived before the ad will run. No refunds will be made. Also, if there is an error, notify us after the first printing. You will be given an extra month of ad time. Mail the ad copy to: Streetvibes 1506 Elm Street Cincinnati, OH 45210 or fax it to 421 -7813 •••••••••••••••• • •••••••••• STREETVIBES provides Classified Ads free to low income job seekers. Others may place ads for only $1 per line. Ca/1421-7803 for il)fO. · Scramble Answers from page 11... Cincinnati Chicago Pittsburg New York California Florida Arizona Indiana Cleveland Streetvibes Radio Hour Please "Tune In" To WAIF 88.3 fm! Support Your Local Vendor... Tell A Friend About The Homeless Coalition has a live radio program which can be heard on WAIF radio on the second Saturday of each month at noon. The show is co-hosted by Mary Burke, Donald Whitehead and other monthly guest hosts. The show mixes talk focusing on the stories in this paper and eclectic musical selections. Here are the next show dates; WAIF 88.3 fm Saturday, August 14th, 1999, noon to 1 pm Streetvibes! Advertise in Streetvibes! Streetvibes Vendor Code of Conduct Each vendor has to sign the following code to be able to sell the paper. 1. Streetvibes will be distributed for a $1 voluntary donation. I agree not to ask for donations more than $1 . I also understand that I will be able to keep 80 cents of each dollar collected. Future issues of Streetvibes will be purchased from the Homeless Coalition for 20 cents. 2. I agree that I will never distribute Streetvibes while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. 3. I agree that I will not ask for donations after 12 midnight. 4. I agree to treat others with respect. I will not use abusive language or force someone to give a donation. I will not give a "hard sell" or make someone feel threatened . • 5. I agree that I will not supply copies of Streetvibes to persons who are not registered distributors. 6. I agree not to deceive the public by saying that I am collecting for a not-for-profit charity or that I am collecting for the "homeless" in general. I will be honest in stating that all the profits from the sale of Streetvibes will go to the individual vendor. 7. I agree that I will not contest.territories with other distributors. 8. I understand that Streetvibes strives to be a self-supporting paper created by people who are homeless or formerly homeless. To help in this effort, I will try to spread the word and write stories if possible. 9. I understand that failure to comply with any of the above statements will result in me no longer being able to distribute Streetvibes. Advertising in Streetvibes is a chance for businesses to help a good cause while promoting themselves to over 5,000 concerned people each month. The rates are shown below. ***Business Card Size 2 11 x 3 1/2" $10 per month ***Two Business Card Size 4 11 x 3 1/2 11 $20 per month A check or money order must accompany the ad copy. We reserve the right to deny any ad, especially those which promote alcohol or tobacco products. You will receive a full refund should your ad be denied. For larger ads, call the number below. Ads are due by the 20th of each month. If you need assistance in preparing your ad or have any other questions, call the Homeless Coalition at 421-7803. Mail ads with payment to: Streetvibes 1506 Elm Street Cincinnati, OH 4521 O �STREETVIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine Page 16 Streetvi bes TV. 'Shooting' cont. from page 3 He tried to stay independent but never wanted to find a job, his father said. He still visited his parents - who are divorced but live near each other in Oakland - for meals a few times a month, or "when things weren't right with him," his father said. Last year, Dorsey's younger brother was killed in a drive-by shooting in Oakland. Dorsey's father s~id his son's size - 5­ feet-11 and about 200 pounds - may have seemed threatening to sheriff's deputy Pace, "but Clarence was sick. I think the cop behaved rashly." But police say Pace acted appropri­ ately. "In this case . . (Dorsey) immediately gave the impression that he was arming himself," said Oakland police Lt. Paul Berlin. "Based on interviews and what witnesses have .told us, (Pace) used the only option available to him." 10-year deputy This is the first shooting that Pace has been involved in during his 10-year career. He has been placed on a standard three-day leave of absence following the incident. Although police had cleared the officer, Dorsey's family was still searching for answers. "If they had arrested him and brought him in," Jones said, "they would have seen that he was sick and not dangerous." The Streetvibes TV Show is produced at the facilities of Cincinnati Community Video, 2114 Reading Road. If you w ould like to be a part of our live studio audience please call t he Greater Cincinnati Coalition f or the Homeless at 421-7803 for m ore information. Streetvibes TV AUGUST Schedule August's Live TV show will begin at 7PM, Monday, August 9th, and will be broadcast from the Reading Road Studio. The new show format includes a studio audience along with a guest panel discussion. Channel 24. LIVE CALL-IN SHOW. MONDAY. August 9th at 7PM. Rebroadcast Dates for Show on Chan­ nel 4: (Please check your schedule) Saturday, August 7, 1999, 4 PM Friday, August 13, 1999, 11 AM Friday, August 20, 1999, 11 AM Monday, August 23, 1999, 1O PM Saturday, August 28, 1999, 4 PM Broadcast schedules are subject to change - consult your local TV directory. If you have any ideas for future STR EETVIBES TV shows please contact the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless office at 421-7803. We always enjoy hearing from our viewing audience. Ideas should ad­ dress subjects related to homelessness and poverty in our city. We are always interested in viewer ideas, so please give us a call... Streetvi bes Wish List Streetvibes newspaper is published monthly on a shoe-string budget from the offices of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. We depend heavily on the goodwill of many volunteers and donors. If you can help out with some of the items on our wish list please give us a call... >35 MM Film for Streetvibes photo's >laser Printer >Advertisers to help support the pap~r >Good used or new Xerox machine >Office Supplies Where Vendor: 80 cents Printing and Production: 20 cents If for some reason you find yourself homeless, contact a Coalition Member Agency for Shelter, Treatment, Housing or Services. If you have any questions, feel free to call the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. SHELTERS: Women and Children YWCA Battered Womens Shelter 872-9259 (Toll Free) !-888-872-9259 YWCA Transitional Living Prog. 281-5770 557-2873 Bethany House 762-5660 Salvation Army 431-8717 Welcome House SHELTER: Men City Gospel Mission Garden Street House Joseph House (Veterans) Mt. Airy Center Volunteers of America 241-5525 241-0490 241-2965 661-4620 381 -1954 SHELTER: Both Caracole (AIDS) Chabad House Drop Inn Center (Singles) Friars Club Haven House (Hami lton) Interfaith Hospitality Network 761 -1480 821-5100 721-0643 381 -5432 863-8866 244-7226 Your olar Streetvibes has a minimal overhead cost so that the vendors can keep as much of the proceeds as possible. If anyone selling Streetvibes claims to be collect­ ing for a private charity, please call our office at 421-7803. Thanks for your support. Lighthouse Youth Center (Teens) St. John's Temporary Housing HOUSING CMHA Excel Development Miami Purchase OTA Housing Network ReSTOC Tender Mercies Tom Geiger House TREATMENT: Women O.D.A.A.T First Step Home TREATMENT: Men Charlie's 3/4 House Prospect House St. Francis- St. Joseph House Starting Over TREATMENT: Both N.A. Hopeline A.A. Hotline C.C.A.T. Talbert House Transitions, Inc. VA Domiciliary OTHER SERVICES AIDS Volunteers of Cincinnati Appalachian Identity Center 961-4080 651-6446 721-4580 632-7149 241-0504 369-0004 381-0954 639-7056 961 -4555 241-7343 921-7324 784-1853 921-1613 381-4941 751-3260 820-2947 861-9966 381-6660 684-7956 491-4435 559-5011 421-2437 621 -5991 >Supplies for Vendors Lounge (coffee, cups, etc.) >Computer for Streetvibes layout and writing >Subscribers ------- Call the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless at 421 -7803 if you can help! 231-6630 Beech Acres Center for Independent Living Options 241-2600 Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 Cincinnati Health Network 961-0600 Community Action Agency 569-1840 381-4242 Contact Center 241-2563 Emanuel Community Center 241-1064 Freestore/Foodban k 771-4800 Goodwill Industries 621-7149 Hamilton Co.Mental Health Bd. 632-7186 Hamilton Co. TB Control 357-4602 Health Resource Center 352-2902 Homeless Mobile Health Van 221-3679 House of Refuge Mission 241-9400 Legal Aid Society Madisonville Ed. & Assistance Ctr. 271-5501 721-4811 Mary Magdalen House 621 -0248 Oral Health Council 621 -6364 Our Daily Bread 621-5514 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 721-7660 Travelers Aid 721-7900 United Way 559-6656 VA Homeless Program 491-3335 Women's Crisis Center � 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 1999 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 1999 Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Los Angeles City Council Grills Chief on Fatal Shooting of Homeless Woman The Housing Crisis for People with Disabilities Pg 2: The Traveler Pg 3: Mental Illness Cited in Shooting The Homeless Dental Program Pg 4: D.C. Initiative Addresses Housing for Mentally Ill Budget Spending Caps Threaten Housing and Homeless Programs Pg 5: The Broken City Pg 6: Arts & Poetry Pg 7: The State of The Cities 1999, HUD Report Pg 8: Prisoner’s News Pg 9: Drop Inn Center History Pg 10: Welfare News Pg 11: Panhandling Getting a Closer Look by City Pg 12: Editorials & Letters Pg 13: Etcetera Pg 14: Homeless Teenager to Campus Shepard 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 1999 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Donald Whitehead Jimmy Heath Ron Carter Gina Miller Te'tro Amaru Malik Amilcar Dan Cahill Sheila Crowley Brett Estell Steve Long Shepard Andrew Martin Rodney Sutton Lynn Williams Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Arts & Poetry Brett Estell city council Dan Cahill demolition Dental Program disability Donald Whitehead Drop Inn Center Editorials & Letters Gina Miller HUD Jimmy Heath Los Angeles Lynn Williams Malik Amilcar mental illness National Homeless Summit prisoners news Rodney Sutton Ron Carter Senate Bill Sheila Crowley Shepard Andrew Martin Steve Long Te' Tro Amaru Teenage Homelessness the broken city The Traveler Travelers welfare news https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/349f8b5ddf01b70a2e586545955ef4f3.pdf 8291a057194ab4c5598d2eed2e7631fc PDF Text Text Laurel Homes Demolition Temporarily Halted ....by Susan Knight Agreeing to cooperate, however, did began moving forward, the developer was not mean that significant concerns about the suddenly switched. Donald Troendle, Executive Director of CMHA, said that there project did not still remain . In 1997, with had been a great deal of concerns with the HOPE V I funds , CMHA had , against adamant opposition from Shirley Colbert, · developer's performance and that this was ? necessary action. Laurel Homes residents demolished Building B on Liberty Street. Shirley, after this experience, knew that however, believe that the developer was resident involvement did not necessarily switched without any of their input because mean resident demands would be met. Laurel Homes. continued page 2 Then, as HOPE VI development The Laurel Homes demolition has been halted temporarily due to conflicts between Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) and Laurel Homes residents. HOPE VI, a federal grant used to "revitalize" dilapidated housing, was won two years ago by CMHA to redevelop the West End public housing communities. Initially, Shirley Colbert, president of Laurel Homes Resident Council, was tentative about signing on to such an agreement that would result in an influx in market rate units and less low-income units. However, Congress at the time made it clear that no further money wo~ld be allocated to public housing projects. As far as the federal government was concerned, public housing, as it had existed, was not worth investing in: high concentrations of poverty resulted in crime and drug infestation. The Laurel Homes Resident Council believed that HOPE VI would be the only opportunity to maintain any semblance of decent housing. Without money to maintain the buildings, the Laurel Homes community would continue to be in disrepair. And so, th e Laurel Homes Resident Council signed on the CMHA's HOPE VI development of Laurel Homes. Texas Executes Shaka Sankofa On June 10, 2 00, The West End celebrated Mac Day in honor of the late Rev. Maurice McCrackin's commitment to social justice and local communities. The jazz band "Is What" shown in this·photograph was one of many performers throughout the day. See page 18 for poetry about Mac. Local Reaction to Shaka Sankofa's Execution by Sonny Williams Shaka Sankofa (Gary Graham), convicted of murder at age 17, was executed by lethal injection on the morning of June 22, despite pleas from anti-Death Penalty advocates worldwide. On June 21 , 2000, I went to Fountain Square, the public square in Cincinnati, to get citizens' response to the impending execution of Shaka Sankofa (Gary Graham) in Texas. The first person said she supports the death penalty and Mr. Sankofa should die. The second person agreed with the woman and said the death penalty is needed ·for Shaka Sankofa. Ronald, who was visiting from Oak Park, Michigan, said that most people on death row are there because they were not economically able to afford a good lawyer to defend them. He said the death penalty is biased against the poor and Black citizens in this country. William, a Cincinnati resident, said that Shaka Sankofa should not die without his right to a new trial. He stressed that due process wasn't given to Shaka Sankofa in the Texas court system. An innocent man was executed at 8:40 pm on Thursday and George W. Bush has blood on his hands in this murder! For more information on the Ohio Moratorium, contact: Jackie Bowers, PAN - Ohio P.O. Box 1591 Marion, Ohio 43301-1591 The writer of this article made phone calls to other sources around the country, and he found this information: On June 7, 2000, Shaka Sankofa stated, "I think in Texas it's better to be rich and guilty than to be poor and innocent." According to Cheryl Lessin, spokesperson of the Revolutionary Communist Party (Cleveland Branch), "this really points to how seriously the government is hanging onto their facts that they are going to use the death penalty against the poor and Black people." ome �STREETUIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine Page 2 New Director at GCCH Streetvibes, the Tri-State's Home­ less Grapevine, is a newspaper written by, for, and about homelessness, social justice, and poverty-related issues. It is published once a month, 12 issues a year, by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Vendors buy the paper for 20 cents (to cover printing costs) and then sell the paper for a dollar donation. The vendor keeps the profits. Becoming a Streetvibes Vendor is a great way for homeless and other low­ income people to get back on (or stay on) their feet. Streetvibes vendors are given an orientation and sign a code of conduct before being given a Streetvibes vendor badge. The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a group of shelters, agencies and individuals committed to ending homelessness in Cincinnati through coordinating services, educating the public and grassroots organizing. Staff Alicia Beck Director Susan Knight Administrative Coordinator Tom Billman Streetvibes Editor John Halpin Assistant Editor Dan Marschner Streetvibes Intern Ron Carter Speaker's Bureau Tenant Organizing Warren Pei'kins Pat Mitchell Outreach Volunteer GCCHlntem Jamaal Coleman Mary A. Gaffney Receptionist Volunteer Reporter Sonny Williams Writers Susan Knight Tom Billman Rodney Sutton Ron Carter Lynn Williams Alicia Beck M. Emily Cragg Mr. Lee Grady Cook Sonny Williams Pat Mitchell Alanna Maloney Jamaal Coleman joani Lacy Bianca Wagner Erika Robers John Criswell Patrick Mosolf Ginger Brock Graphics Photographs by Berta Lambert, Grady Cook, Tom Billman, Sonny Williams..... Streetvibes accepts letters, poems, stories, essays, original graphics, photos.... We will print everything we have room for, giving preference to those who are homeless or vendors. Subscriptions to Streetvibes can be purchased for $15 per year. (Please make checks payable to GCCH) Please send all material to the following address: Streetvibes c/o Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless · 1506 Elm Street Cincinnati, OH 45210 (513) 421-7803 fax (513) 421-7813; e-mail: streetvibes@juno.com (text­ only) or homecoal@primax.net ( attached files} web page: http://cinci.com/gcch T hroughout my life, I've had the opportunity to go through many introductions. People always ask the same questions: what's your name, where are you fro m, where did you go to school, where do you live, and what do you do? I've developed the pat answers - the clean, crisp reply to polite conversation. My name is Alicia Beck, I'm the new Executive Director of the G reater C incinnati Coalition For T he H omeless. I'm originally from a small farming community in Central Illinois called Fairbury, but after many moves arourid the country, I have resided in Cincinnati, OH for the last few years. I attended Knox College in Galesburg, Illionis and received a B.A. in psychology. A couple years later I completed my Master of Social Work at the University of Kentucky. We gather all these bits of information and feel that we know who we are. When I started to write this, I knew that these all-important details must be revealed, but I also know that being the new director would take much more than degrees, location and the almighty title. People will want to know what my motives are, what I believe, and how I'm going to do my job. T he short answer to a long history of events that molded who I am includes personal experience of an unequal system, a passion for the truth, an admiration for those that led the way or mentored me (Dorthy Day, Jane Addams, Les Brown, and Mzee Lasana to name a few), and a commitment to my belief that all people are socially responsible for each other. I want people to know that I am passionate about what I do and that it is not just a job, but a way to lead your life. I care deeply about what happens to all members of our beautiful community and I will continue to provide a voice for those that do not have one in the halls of power. As I settle into my second month here at the Coalition, I look forward to continuing the strong tradition of preserving and defending the rights of the homeless, while building up the outreach efforts throughout the City of Cincinnati. I also look forward to meeting each of you in person to finally have a proper introduction. Yours in Solidarity- Alicia M Beck. Hello, my name is Jamaal Coleman and I am a student at Hughes High School on an internship with Xavier University. During this time, I will be working with the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless and assisting them in their newest project. We will be trying to get the community Laurel Homes, rrompage 1 the residents had too great of a voice in the development process. The debate has been very intense and the City has continued to postpone· the removal of Laurel Homes' historic designation until an agreement can be reached. Moreover, the 9 million dollar designation the city has allocated to the project is being withheld until an agreement can be reached. Amidst this crisis are further developments that threaten the West Community. Wednesday June 7th, there was a community meeting held by the City to discuss all the developments taking place in the West End. They are extensive. From a downtown YMCA to a Arts Consortium, West End development is taking off. Residents voiced intense opposition Wednesday more involved in politics and voting in the upcoming election. It's our belief that everyone, despite the background that they may have, should vote. Our ultimate goal is to have people from the lower class communities become registered voters so that they can voice their opinions as to who should run our government. I have promised Alicia and Susan that I will work to the best of my ability to get the job done. evening, much to the apparent suprise of City Planning. Residents claimed they were being pushed out, that the West End was going to be a place for the rich, not for the poor. Several asked about the connection between Mr. Treondle and the Olympic Committee, claiming that much of this revitalization is taking place because Cincinnnati and Nick Vehr hopes to bring the 2012 games here. Much more information has yet to acquired. CMHA has not provided Todd Portune with enough information regarding the relocation of West End residents for him to feel comfortable with releasing the 9 million allocated to the Laurel Homes project. City Council says they will continue to sit on this money until their questions are answered. In the meantime, residents will continue their relocation and continue to ask questions. Streetvibes exists as a forum for the expression of the views and opinions of our readers and supporters. The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Streetvibes staff or the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. ' �STREETUIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine global financial architecture." She says that "currency speculation and the derivatives market move over $1.5 trillion daily (compared to world trade of $6 trillion .......by Susan Knight annually), earning short-term profits for wealthy investors at the expense of long-term Streetvibes has briefly highlighted development. Many countries are beginning some of the concerns surrounding to implement "capital controls" ir1 order to globalization and the organizations that regulate the influence of foreign capital, and implement the policy of globalization: the grassroots groups are advocating the World Trade Organization, the World Bank restructuring and regulation of the global and the International Monetary Fund. The financial architecture. Citizens can pass local fundamental argument is that too much power city resolutions for the Tobin Tax: a tax of 0.1 is consolidated in a small number of people/ percent to .25 percent of currency corporations. This has resulted in policy that transactions which would (1) provide a places profits over people and the disincentive for speculation but not affect real environment. Free Trade is the term used to capital investment, and (2) create a huge fund rationalize actions that have proven with time for building schools & clinics throughout the to be extremely detrimental to the world's world." poor (80% of the global population) and our Canceling or reducing third world debt environment. Free trade is considered to be is also an important piece of the equation. a cornerstone to a successful and thriving Debt is paralyzing the third world. Much of capitalistic market. Barriers, it is said, this debt has been accrued as a result of US impede competition and thus limit intervention, especially in Latin America. development and progress. Critics of "free Debt reduction would provide countries the trade," however, believe there are opportunity to develop their own industry alternatives to our current set of global without the constraints of the World Bank economic standards that encompass the and International Monetary fund. Money well-being of everyone and everything. These could go to responsible product development alternatives have come to be known as "fair and not to paying of the interest of loans that trade." will take generations to pay off. Governments, including our own, Fair Trade Fair Trade is globalization with shou ld adopt a policy wherein the UN representation. Globalization as it currently declaration of human rights takes stands is based upon the involvement of precedence over economic rights. In other government elites and mu/ti-national words, human rights are to be considered a corporations. Instituting a democratic commodity to be coveted. Deborah James, also notes in her process in the development of economic and essay, "Ten Ways to Democratize the Global social policy is imperative for fair trade to be successful. Corporate accountability is also Economy," that women must be involved in an essential element to fair trade. This policy the economic decision making. Women, she could potentially affect profits; however, one says, "make up half the world but hold less could consider that if the GAP company's than five percent of positions of power in CEO took even as much as a 75 percent determining global economic policy and own pay cut, he would still be making 1O million an estimated one percent of global property." dollars a year. Maybe all his workers could Women in many respects come from a care potentially have a living-wage, health care giver perspective. Such a perspective may be valuable in determining the value put on and decent work conditions. human and environmental life. Deborah James, director of global It is also important for the World Trade exchange's fair trade coffee program, also Organization to allow for the unionization of cites the importance of "restructuring the labor. Labor unions are a very effective - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - means of prioritizing human rights. Allowing them to organize is essential to allowing people to have a voice in economic policy. The ultimate point: local communities have a stake in their environment, their lives and their children's lives. Autonomous communities who work within a fair trade system could be allowed to compete and prosper. Competition does breed progress. Multinational corporations do not encourage progress; they promote dominance. Dominance does not define a laissez faire society and it is not what Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations Fair Trade, the Alternative to Free Trade professes. Defence Minister Abdul Mohammed Ali, Over-the­ Rhine Resident, after bis arrest for disorderly Conduct in City Council Chambers, a result of bis persistent demands for an apology from the City of Cincinnati for the murder ofMichael Carpenter. His Jury trial is July 5, 2000 in the courtroom of Judge Cheryl Grant, 9:00 AM, 1000 Main Street. Protests will be taking place in Philadelphia, July 30th to August 3rd and in Los Angeles August 13th and 14th. Campaign finance reform as a means to ending corporate dominance will be a key issue in the upcoming protests. + Page 3 THE WTO'S HISTORY: "FREE TRADE" AND ITS LASTING IMPLICATIONS THE CLEAN AIR CASE CASE: On behalf of its oil industry, Venezuela challenged a US Clean Air Act regulation that required gas refiners to produce cleaner gas. The rule used the 1990 actual performance data of oil refineries required to file with the EPA (mostly US refineries) as the starting point for required improvements for refineries without reliable data (mostly foreign). Venezuela clamied this rule was biased against foreign refiners and took the case to the WTO. RESULT: A WTO panel ruled against the US law. In 1997, the EPA changed the clean air rules to give foreign refiners the choice of using an individual baseline (starting point). WTO Effects, continued page 5 TRIP Services: You Find the Job, They'll Find the Transportation TRJP, the Transportation Resources and Information Project, is a nonprofit organization designed to help the residents ofHamilton County who are low income or on public assistance to find transportation to and from employment. The Transportation Agents at TRIP will do the research to find out what transportation options are available for people to get to and from work and for families to drop children off at day care. If given enough notice, they may also be able to schedule transportation to interviews. The Transportation Agents begin the process by asking people a series of questions such as their home address, work address, child care address, work schedule, etc. All of this information can be taken over the phone at ( 513) 731-5030. This series ofquestions will register you for their services. The Transportation Agents then look at Metro, TANK, or Access buses; Vanpooling and Shuttling; Ridesharing and Carpooling; and finally Taxi services. They determine the best and least expensive way for you to get to work and provide you with that information. The Transportation Agents determine if a person qualifies based on ifhe or she has had a case with the Department of Human Servic;es in the past year or ifhe or she meet~ our low income criteria. After a person has given all of her information to the Transportation Agents, they begin to process her application. It takes between two and Trip Services. continued page 11 �STREETUIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine Page 4 "Don't Spend a Nickel on Mt. Olive Pickle!" by Erika Robers AFL-CIO organizer "Who you calling immigrant, pilgrim?" The slogan I saw so cleverly printed on a t-shirt at the IMF/World Bank protests came to mind two Saturdays ago as I leafleted at a Krogers in Blue Ash. As the sky threatened rain , Dick Wiesenhalh and I handed out information and talked to shoppers about the boycott on Mt. Olive Pickles. While many people were receptive to hearing about the plight of farm workers, what I remember most is the brief conversation I had with a young, middle class white man. After looking over the leaflet I handed him entering the store, he exited, asking me why I cared about Mexican farm workers. I answered that farm workers perform a valuable service in society - they put food on our table. And for 9oing this honorable work they are neither justly compensated nor treated like human beings. "If conditions are so bad, why don't these farm workers just leave and find another job?", he replied. "Well, for one th ing," I answered, "they are from Mexico. They come here desperate for work. They don't have the options you or I do to find another job." In fact, conditions in North Carolina cucumber fields are so bad that no one locally will take the job. The fed eral government has instituted a program called the Guest Worker program, or H2A, similar to the Bracero program during WWII which brought thousands of Mexicans to work in the fields while American men were fighting in the war. Guest Worker is a euphemistic term for what resembles indentured servitude. Workers are recruited in their Mexican home towns by labor contractors who pay their way to the states and get them a work permit to work in U.S. agricultural fields. The workers are allowed to be here to work without being guaranteed many of the worker protections and wage laws that protect U.S. citizens. The grower provides the workers housing and wages that at times come out to less than minimum wage. H2A workers are not free to leave and find a new job if they find the conditions too oppressive. They are contracted to work the season at one farm only. I anticipated his reaction, all too common to those of us who have grown up in an immigrant-bashing culture: that these Mexicans shouldn't be here anyway; what right do they have to take American jobs? So I added that in addition to the fact that no Americans want these jobs, he and I are both a product of immigrants. "Unless your ancestors were Native American or African , they came to this country as well in search of a better livelihood and probably faced similar negative responses when trying to organize for improved working conditions." Why are we as Americans so eager to slam the door behind us as soon as we get in? Farm workers in the North Carolina cucumber fields are organizing to improve their abysmal working conditions. Twelve hour work days am common for farm workers. They su ffer swollen arms and take painkillers to keep working. They face .>afety hazards, such as pesticide poisonings, that lower the average life expectancy of farm workers to 25 years below the national average. In fact, they have the highest rate of toxic chemical injuries of all U.S. workers. Many farm workers labor in temperatures that reach 11 Odegrees without adequate shade, rest or water. These are the conditions that caused the death of farm worker CHURCH LEADERS INSIST IT'S A MATTER OF FAIRNESS Bishop F. Joseph Grossman of Raleigh told a FLOG rally on the State Capital steps in 1998: "Farmworkers need to be partners around the table with growers and corporations so that the common good of all is reached ... we stand with our fellow workers as brothers and sisters." ... Sr. Evelyn Mattern, representing the North Carolina council of churches, said that: "After watching how farmworkers were mistreated for 25 years, it is an answer to my prayers that the FLOG Campaign is under way here in North Carolina." Raymundo Hernandez in 1995, who died from pesticide poisoning out in the fields of North Caroliha. A few years later in 1999, Camelo Fuentes slipped into a coma from heat stroke. There is no question why these conditions still exist: employer greed. While companies like Mt. Olive Pickle get rich off the sweat of Mexican farm workers, the workers themselves reap only 1 cent for every jar of pickles. The regulatory agencies like the department of labor that are supposed to be monitoring the farms and protecting farm workers have only 8 inspectors for every 21 ,919 farms. In 1997 , FLOG , or Farm Labor Organizing Committee, which represents 7000 farm workers in mid-western states such as Ohio and Michigan, began organizing in North Carolina at Mt. Olive Pickle, the South's largest pickle company. There are 7000 farm workers who pick cucumber pickles in North Carolina, which is second in pickle productions only to Michigan. While organized pickle pickers in Michigan and Ohio who have a union contract through FLOG make about $5.80 per 100 pounds of pickles, North Carolina pickers make only $1 .80 per 100 pounds of pickles. This wage comes out to less than the minimum wage. During the 1980's, Baldemar Velasquez, an ex-farm worker and the president of FLOG, initiated the Campbell's Soup boycott in an effort to organize tomato and cucumber pickers. Eventually in 1986 and 1987, the union won contracts with Campbell's, H.J. Heinz and a Vlasic pickle subsidiary. These contracts provide enforcement mechanisms for environmental, sanitation, health and safety requirements. The enforcement comes through worker control rather than some removed , understaffed regulatory agency. Through the boycott, workers won increased wages, improved housing, pesticide protections and daycare for migrant children. In the first six weeks of the tampaign to organize North Carolina pickle pickers, over 1000 farm workers signed cards pledging their desire for union representation. The number of cards signed now, three years later, is over 3000. While workers have overwhelmingly shown their commitment to forming a union at Mr. Olive, the company refuses to negotiate with them. Reasons cited by Mt. Olive include that the company doesn't directly employ the farm workers. They contract with growers who do the actual hiring of workers . However, Mt. Olive controls a great deal of the process the farmers use, such as what kind ofcucumbers to plant, what and how often to spray, and what price will be paid. FLOG wants to sign a 3 way contract that guarantees a certain wage instead of piece rate much like they've done in Michigan and Ohio. They want the growers to make more so that the workers will as well. Raising the wages of North Carolina farm workers through a negotiated contract levels the playing field so that no only do North Carolina pickers make a fairer wage, but those union farm workers in the mid-west don't find themselves out of a job in a few years when employers move all their business to the South to find cheap labor. Other reasons cited by CEO William Bryan are that a third party is unnecessary to settling internal problems and that Mt. Olive Pickle PICKLES, Continued next page . I �STREETUIBES PICKLE, continued has a long anti-union tradition. FLOC is not a third party. Workers are the union and they want to collectively bargain out a contract with the growers and Mt. Olive Pickles. And the second statement regarding their anti­ union tradition speaks for itself. A little over a year ago, in March of 1999, FLOC kicked off the AFL-CIO endorsed pickle boycott through a 4-day, 70 mile march from Mt. Olive to Raleigh, North Carolina. Through the efforts of 800 high school students in Toledo, Ohio, in March of this year, 19 Kroger stores pulled Mt. Olive pickles from their shelves in North-West Ohio. Over 200 organizations to date across the country have endorsed the boycott. Rallies and leafleting took place at stores that carry Mt. Olive pickles proposing to shoppers "Don't spend a nickel on Mt. Olive Pickle." These actions to commemorate the one year anniversary of the boycott in March took place in Atlanta , Ga. , Birmingham, Al., Knoxville, Tn., Miami and Orlando, Fl., and Charlotte, NC. Catholic Bishops in Toledo, Raleigh and Columbus as well as Cincinnati Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk have all endorsed the boycott according to the Church's teaching on human dignity. Columbus Bishop James Griffin points out that "We must never forget the fact that the economy exists to serve the human person, not the other way around." We need your help with this boycott. We are confident that the Krogers here in Cincinnati will follow the example of the north­ west Krogers' stores with a bit of pressure. Please write a letter to Kroger's area manager, Joe Buescher, urging him to do the right thing and take the pickles off the shelves. His address is: Kroger Co., 150 Tri-County Pkwy, Cincinnati, OH 45246. We also need help on our support committee. To help out call Steve Schumacher at 221­ 2822 or Dick Wiesenhahn at 984-1963. You can also visit FLOC's website at www.floc.com for more information . Through collective effort we can win this struggle and as Velsquez says, "Those who put the food on our tables deserve a life of dignity and that's what we intend to win in North Carolina." The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine WTD Effects, from page 3 Page 5 CARIBBEAN BANANA CASE The EPA acknowledged that the change CASE: The US argued that Eurpoean trade preferences for bananas from "creates a potential for adverse former European colonies in the environmental impact." .... Caribbean unfairly discriminate against IMPLICATION: Refiners from bananas grown by US Venezuela and other countries will use companies in Central the individual baseline option only if it gives them a weaker starting point, and America (Chiquita Banana). thus lets them sell dirtier gasoline in the US, which would deteriorate air RESULT: In 1997, a WTO panel quality. The WTO gives businesses a decided that European preferences for special avenue to challenge policies, like Caribbean bananas are WTO-illegal. the Clean Air rules, which have The EU proposed a new policy that the withstood domestic challenges. US claims still violates WTO rules. The US was granted authoirty by the THE BEEF HORMONE CASE WTO to impose $200 million in trade sanctions against European imports CASE: The US challenged a European until the EU changes the policy to suit Union ban on the sale of beef from WTO demands. cattle that have been raised with IMPLICATION: The Caribbean's tiny certain artificial growth share of the EU market for bananas is hormones. the major source of revenue and jobs RESULT: In 1998, a in some Caribbean nations whre WTO appellate panel mountainous terrain rules out other ruled against the EU crops. If Europe abandons i~ policy to law, giving the EU until comply with the WTO, some 200,000 May 13, 1999 to open its markets to small farmers in very poor countries hormone-treated beef. could lose their livelihoods. Officials in IMPLICATION: The ban on artifical small Carribbean nations worry that hormones applies equally to European implementations of the WTO ruling will farmers and foreign producers. If destabilize their economies and European consumers and governments democracies. The US drug czar noted are opposed to the use of artificail that the policy change could make hormones and are concerned about these countries more vulnerable to potential health risks or want to drug trafficking. promote more natural farming According to Caribbean womens methods, they should have the right to groups, 'The assured market for bananas enact laws that support their choices. has given thousands offamilies in the sub­ Instead , the WTO empowers its region of the Windward Islands a means tribunals to second-guess whether ofsecurity and has afforded us dignity and health and environmental rules have a self-reliance. The loss of this security "valid" scientific basis. through a sudden change in market opportunities would leave us without THE SHRIMP TURTLE CASE resources to build a future for our families CASE: Four Asian nations challenged and our countries. " Why is the US launching a trade war provisions of the US Endangered over a product it doesn't even grow? Species Act forbidding Perhaps huge campaign donations by the sale in the US o f . shrimp caught in ways · · · Chiquit;a CEO Carl Undner are a big reason. According to the Washington Times that kill endangered (8/25/97}, Undner gave more than half sea turtles. · a million dollars in 1998 in campaign RESULT: In 1998, a WTO appellate contributions to both parties. The giant panel decided that while the US is Chiquit;a plant;ations in Central America are allowed to protect turtles, the specific notorious violators ofworkers' health and way the US tried to do so was not the right to organize, but this has not allowed under WTO rules. The US government is now considering ways to prevented the Clinton Administration from pleading Chiquita's case. • • • change the law to comply with WTO. IMPLICATION: It is possible to catch shrimp without harming turtles by fitting shrimp nets with inexpensive "turtle excluder devices." US law requries domestic and foreign shrimp fishermen to use turtle-safe methods. The goal of saving turtles could be undercut by the WTO's second­ guessing of how US policy should be implemented, given the most inexpensive, effective means has been ruled WTO-illegal. Case studies are complements of "A Citizen's Guide to the World Trade Organization." �STREETUIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine The Stop the Clock Campaign has been receiving calls from people who think HB 578 expired when the Ohio Assembly adjourned for the summer. Happily, HB 578 is still very much a live biU and will not expire until December 31, 2000. Ofcourse, ifpassed, it will not expire at all but improve the lives of thousands of women and children in Ohio. As a reminder, HB 578: * Allows Ohio Works First recipients to receive public assistance for five consecutive years, or longer, if the federal law changes * Calls for a moratorium on time limits ifOhio "Who will be Exempted from the Cut-Offi" by Lynn Williams, 0 E C Ohio Works First allows 20% of the welfare caseload to be exempted from the time limit. It is left up to counties to decide what the categories are to allow for exemption. Counties are not required to exempt anyone if they so choose. Cuyahoga County , which h as the largest caseload in the state, has decided NOT TO EXEMPT ANYONE, according to Cuyahoga County Commissioners. Three thousand five hundred families are slated to be cut off on October 1 with five thousand four hundred families cut off between October 1 and December 1, in Cuyahoga County alone. And yet, according to Cuyahoga County Commissioners, "We need tough love." ("Cleveland Plain Dealer'', June 19, 2000) Coschocton, Holmes and Washington Counties also plan to NOT EXEMPT ANY FAMILIES. Surprisingly, Hamilton County has taken a more humane approach towards the time limits. Exemption categories include: Priority A: A parent or caregiver who has a serious physical/mental illness, verified by a physician. A parent or caregiver who is the caregiver of a disabled child, spouse, parent or sibling. Priority B: A person six or more months pregnant or caring for a child under three months of age. A parent or caregiver who is a victim of domestic violence, with evidence of residing in a domestic violence shelter, a protective court order or a police report. Page 6 The Ohio Department ofHuman Services is gearing up for their " mass change cut-off'. They are currently designing the "mass change cut-off notice" which will be mailed in late August to thousands ofpoor families informing them of their families' cut-offs. This will be a mass cut-off ofmothers and children. STOP THE CLOCK Campaign Update ... Lynn Williams, Ohio Empowerment Coalition . enters a recession. * Changes sanction policy by: A. Ending a sanction upon compliance with a pro-rated check from date of compliance & B. Restores the adult's portion of food stamps so that the household's food stamps are not reduced. The Ohio Assembly will be back in session briefly in September. There is a window of opportunity for the bills to be heard then. We must continue to work on building support throughout June, July & August to make this an issue for legislators to have to contend with in September. Even though it's summer, we cannot live easy knowing that this cut-off lies just ahead unless we wake up Ohio's legislators' sense of humanity and moral conscience . Summer Action to Build Support for HB 578: 1. Summer months are ideal for meeting locally with your area's legislators. They are now in their home districts. Urge them to endorse the bill now and vote for it when it comes up for a vote. 2. Get endorsements from community groups such as churches, unions, women's groups, civic organizations. 3. Write "Letters to the Ed itor" to your local newspapers. 4. Mark your calendar now to attend the Stop the Clock Rally at the Statehouse on September 12, Tuesday. The Rally is scheduled for 11 :30 a.m. For more information about the Stop the Clock Campaign call 513/381-4242. A teen parent who is enrolled and in good standing in High School and for up to 12 months after receipt of their HS Diploma/ GED Priority C: A parent or caregiver who has so many children (four or more, age 13 and under) that employment is not economically feasible. The parent or caretaker is 55 or more years of termination notices. Still, high numbers of families are going to be cut-off. Many children will fall deeper into poverty or be removed from their homes. It is important now more than ever that concerned citizens speak up loud and clear in support ofHB 578 before ODHS, with · the blessing of the Ohio General Assembly, axes assistance to poor families. age. A parent or caregiver enrolled & in good standing in an education or training program. Maximum extension allowed is one year. Priority D: A recipient who was not assigned a Work Activity as part ofher/his county self­ sufficiency plan. The exemption would last for no more than six months. As the numbers of families reach the 20% level, fewer & fewer exemptions will be allowed for lower priorities. If families that meet the Priority 1 category fill up the 20%, that will be the extent of exemptions. What is unfortunate is the fact that additional families who reach the time limit in later months will not have the opportunity to be exempted if the 20% limit is already filled. According to the OSLSA Welfare Task Force, counties that are allowing exemptions can exempt those families before the cut-off so they will not be terminated when everyone else is. Everyone else will receive a "mass change notice" informing them they are terminated. The notice will explain that they can appeal this decision if they think they fit the exemption category for their county. Originally the Ohio Department of Human Services had planned to terminate everyone, but because enough advocates for the poor "fought" this decision, it was changed. If no one had spoken up to resist this, all recipients would have received Words From the Evangelist A Place To Call Home Living Testimony Christian Center Paster Jackie Jackson who is the Director ofEvangelism for City Gospel Mission is moving his church to City Gospel Mission. So now the person who coordinated the carnival, block party, discipleship classes, and street evangelism will now be here with his church to love you full time. Services will be at City Gospel Mission at 1419 Elm St., Sundays at 10:30 AM. The first service will be on July 2, 2000. I will be there, so come join the Fellowship. I am still leading Bible Study at the Washington United Church ofChrist in Camp Washington, Wednesdays at 5:30 pm. Come study God's word and its meaning for your I ife today, and stay for the family dinner at 6:30 pm. Bring the whole family and be blessed. A.W.O.L. ministries is still providing Bibli~al Counseling, Seminars, and referral services. For inquiries and contributions, call 210-4181 or write P.O. Box 36065, Cincinnati, Ohio 45236. In His Service, Rodney L. Sutton, Sr. �STREETVIBES Class Inequality in American Education by Patrick "Tree" Mosolf Look at Cincinnati Public Schools today. Students are crowded into classrooms in buildings that are crumbling and in disrepair. Textbooks and supplies are old and limited in number. Corporate logos invade our schools' space and our students' minds. Levies to raise more money for the schools fail, while the district chooses to close down more schools. Teachers, counselors and principals are being laid off. Public hearings contain many frustrated speeches from citizens who are tired of the problems their children encounter at the schools. All of these are indicative of the troubles many urban school districts are facing. There are vast inequalities in the American educational system, which in turn reproduces the class differences in our society. T he role of corporations is present, yet not often pare of our discussion of schools. In order to make education work fo r all of our nation's students we must reaffirm our commitment to bring equal opportunity to our children. Before we look at the problems of the public system we must consider the whole education system, including non p ublic education. A simple way to look ar the whole system is m conceptualize it as having five parts. The first three, whjch will be of primary importance jn the discussion in this article, are l ) the urban school system, 2) the suburban school system, 3) and the private school system. The fo urth and fifth parts, which are not considered in this discussion, are the rural school districts, and home schooling. Recognition of these 5 parts allows us to understand more about the condition of urban public school districts like Cincinnati Public Schools. Separate and Unequal T he primary effect of both private schools and suburban public schools has been to draw money away from urban school districts. Wealthier citizens move away from the cities to get a better education for their children. This slowly erodes the urban public schools' tax base. The private school system also may contribure to a declining tax base as people whose children don't attend public schools may actively discourage the passage of tax levies co fund the public schools. Also, both of these parts of our educational system contribute to another problem for urban school districts. When some families move out of the district, and others send their children to private schools, who is left in the urban public districts? Unfortunately, a disproportionate percentage of the children remaining in urban school districts are poor or people of color. Many of the children attending urban school districts live in some of the most blighted inner city neighborhoods. As a result, the urban public schools have not only the task of educating the students, but also the difficult charge of handlin~ difficult social proble~s. O ur urban publi~!$Chool districts become ~ medium for handlmg problems like undersocialized and poorly nurtured children, child abuse, drug abuse, violence, homelessness, and teenage pregnancy. With this responsibility, The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine its no surprise that urban school districts have trouble helping studen ts develop into accomplished graduates. Education as Class Reproduction As result of these divisions in the educational system, there is vast inequality in the type of education children from different parts of society receive. T he phrase "separate and unequal" comes to mind. Not only is the type of education children receive vastly unequal, but it also serves to reproduce class and race differences in our society. Those students who can afford to go to private schools or live in the Tender Mercies Shelter Gets New Executive Director, Marcia Spaeth .. .By Pat Mitchell Recently I was approached by a woman while out selling Streetvibes papers. She asked what kind of help is provided for senior citizens who are mentally ill. I was baffled, but my answer to her was that I promise to check into this. Because I honestly couldn't answer her question even though I had recently referred a lady, "Debbie" to Tender Mercies. I wasn't quite sure what their program was about, so I decided to find out. After talking to the Chief Executive Marcia Spaeth and the Out Reach Case Manager Dennis Roger, I was amazed at the work being done there. Marcia Spaeth is the C.E.O for Tender Mercies, presiding only 2 weeks as their president. She started as a volunteer for 15 years working with Fr. Chris Hall, quit and then returned as a full time volunteer for 8 years. Rendering her services and starting a Meal's Program where people cook meals at home and serve to the residents 1 hot meal daily. She also started a fund raising agency to provide pay for a staff of 52 people who worked around the clock to accommodate there residents. What a great job .Marcia!! What a blessing you are to the Community. I also found out through talking with Dennis Roger, who is a Out Reach Case Manager, that Tender Mercies serves mentally ill homeless people from 18 years of age and up. Age is not a barrier. They have a Permanent & Transitional Housing Program going. The Transitional House provides 16 beds for temporary housing for those who can move from homelessness to independent Community living. The program provides case management such as Psychiatric consulting recreational activities, assists with benefits procurement, referral to community treatment professionals and provides educational and job skills with such programs as B.V.R. etc. Those who can afford it, pay 30% of their income for living quarter-S. The staff includes.Rod Edeing, Sara McNervey, and Dennis Roger: all are case managers. They are interviewed by Page 7 suburbs will receive a higher quality education. Consequently, they will be more likely to get highly professional jobs in business, as a computer programmer, doctor, lawyer, etc. The students who struggle in urban public school districts receive much poorer quality of education and thus are more likely co be employed in lower end positions like industrial labor, maintenance, low paying service jobs, if they are employed at all. T he effect of the U.S. educational system in reproducing class status across generations is perhaps one of its most CLASS INEQUALITY, continued page a staff and the staff decides which programs are acceptable. If there's no bed available, they are then placed on a waiting list. Their permanent housing program currently provides 150 beds for men and women. Their rent vari~s from $185-195 monthly for those who want and require shelter. It is a supportive and safe environment for as long as they live. If need be, they do have a resident that's been there for 15 years. They also give referrals for nursing home if the occasion calls for it. Tender Mercies exists to serve homeless people with histories of emotional and mentally illness. They have 7 locations, ..... (mostly close to 12th and Elm) . Thank you Marcia Spaeth and Dennis Roger for enlightening me. Now if I'm approached, either through selling papers or at our office (the Coalition for the Homeless), I can give a referral and know that a person will be properly taken care of. + + + The History of Tender Mercies During the late 1970's and early l 980's, three priests - Randy Lafo nd, Ed Slater, and the late Chris Hall - were working in Over-the-Rhine with homeless men and women. In 1985, after cwo . mentally-ill women they had helped find housing for were victimized and one murdered, the priests were further motivated to find an answer to a problem that was often overlooked - housing for mentally-ill homeless men and women. They approached a local building for free and guarantee that all apartments would be occupied and rent paid on rime. T he owner agreed, and the new venture was named Tender Mercies. Tender Mercies was organized as a non-profit corporation in March of 1985. Despite the religious motivation of the initiators, it was decided to keep the organization separate from any belief or denomination. T he trustees agreed that the mission of Tender Mercies would be to provide permanent housing for homeless persons with mental illness and that the goals would be tO promote and ensure security, dignity, and community for the residents. Today we operate and maintain seven buildings with over 50 professional staff members. �STREETUIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine Page B Congress Closes US Army· School of the Americas, ·GiVe~ .Okay to·open Clone l( , • SOA Protesters Sentenced to-. ·P rison ' l I ·. ·, COLUMBUS, GA -Ten protesters received sentences of up to 12 months in prison today (June 8, 2000) for their part in a November 1999 funeral procession onto Fort Benning property calling for the closure of the School of the Ame'ricas (SOA). Judge Hugh Lawson imposed the sentences · today in the US District Court in Columbus, GA. Congressional medal of honor winner Charles Liteky received the maximum sentence of 6 months in prison and a $5000 fine on each of two counts of trespassing for a total of 12 months in prison and a·$10;000 fine. Liteky stated, "I dedicate my time in prison to the victims of the SOA, living and dead. When I enter prison it will be as a prisoner of war, the war against the poor." Sr. Megan Rice, who served a 6 month sentence for her part in a 1997 SOA protest, was sentenced to 6 months in prison and a $5,000 fine. She was taken immediately into custody. Seven othe~s were sentenced to three months in prison and a $2,500 fine after stating that they would return to Fort Benning again and again until the SOA is closed. One defendant, who did agree that she would not return to the post was sentenced to 12 months of probation and $1,000 fine. The School of the Americas, training ground for more than 60,000 Latin American military troops, has been under intense pressure to close its doors. Documented human rights abuses by its graduates have included the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero and the massacre of 900 civilians · in the village of El Mozote. In response to criticism, the Pentagon has circulated a reform proposal that would re-name the school The Defense Institute for Hemispheric Security Coop'eration but offer no substantive changes. By a narrow margin, the House voted to accept this proposal last month. ' SOA critics call the changes cosmetic and contend that it is business as usual fdr the SOA. School of the Americas Watch staff have vowed to work harder than ever to close this School of Assassins. The protesters were not deterred by the sentences and will return home to continue their anti-SOA organizing until ordered to report to federal prison. "These harsh se.ntences will only energize this movement and call forth in ever greater numbers," said Fr. Roy Bourgeois, co-director of Soa Watch. WASHINGTON,' DC - By a 214 to 204 margin, the US House of Representatives voted Thursday (May ·18, 2000) to close the controversial Army School' of ~he Americas (SOA) located at Ft. Benning, GA. But in the same vote Congress approved.the Pentagon proposal to immediately open a clone. The new school, called the Defense'lnstitute for Hemispheric Security Cooperation, is a combat training school for Latin American soldiers. Like the School of the Americas, it will be located at Ft. Benning. Rep. Joseph Moakley.(D-MA) tried to defeat the Pentagon proposal with an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill. Republicans Joseph' Scarborough (FL) and Tom Campbell (CA) joined Moakley and James McGovern (D-MA) as co-sponsors of a .measure that would have closed the School of the Americas but halt opening of the proposed Institute until a congressional task force reported it recommendations. The House rejected the bi-partisan amendment. Critics call the Pentagon plan cosmetic - a name change with no attempt to address the growing public outcry and congressional concern over the SOA's link to human rights atrocities in Latin America. SOA alumni include death squad leader, Roberto D'Aubuisson, from El Salvador and Col. Lima Estrada, arrested in January for the assassination of Guatemalan human rights champion , Bishop Juan Gerardi. In 19~8 , assassins beat Gerardi to death with a brick just days after he released a human rights report critical of the Guatemalan Army. The bi-partisan task force called for in the Moakley, amendment would have evaluated the effect of US military training on the human rights performance of Latin American soldiers. Commando and combat courses have been core curricula at the SOA and critics believe that the training contributes to human rights atrocities. Salvadoran soldiers cited by a United Nations Truth Commission for the commando-style massacre of six Jesuit priests and their two women co-workers had just completed the SOA commando course. .• "Congress may have been fooled, but the people are not. The SOA has a new name, but the same shame. We will be at Ft. Benning by the thousands again this November, and we will be in the halls of the new Congress in January. We, will keep coming back until we shut down the "School of Assassins" -whatever they call it," promised Fr. Roy Bourgeois and Carol Richardson who head up the ten year effort to close the SOA. SOA Watch, PO Sox 4566 Washington, DC 20011. Contact: Roy Bourgeois, 706.682.5369- Carol Richardson, 202.745.0485- Jeff Winder, 202.234.3440 CLASS INEQUALITY, from pa.ge 7 compelling facets. In addition, because people of certain ethnicities such as African American and Hispanics are more likely to be distributed in the lower classes, these people of color are more likely to suffer f~om the inadequacies ,of the urban public schools. How ironic! The system ofpublic schooling, which w~ supposedly established to make sure that everyone · . had a fair chance to succeed, has been undermined by artificial geographic boundaries (between suburbs and citi~) and the prevalence of private school usage among upper middle class and upper class families. Corporations in Education The role of Corporate power in the public education is still obscure to me, although I have suspicions that their role is significant. Just as corporations play a prominent role in the U.S. political campaigns, so I would think their role in the educational system would be major as well. The biggest question is, how much do corporations pay in financing public education? Based on their control of much of 1 the U.S. political process, and the chronic funcling problems of the urban school districts, I th.ink their ponion of the funding pie may have been engineered to be rather small. Even qiough ,oorporate owners will be the ones to benefit from well trained and ~ell conditioned workers, 'much of the cost of paying for the . :pubHc S<;hools is shouldered by individual raxpayers. .1 One. h'nal ominous note about i:orporations in public education is the inva.Siqn of corporate logos and advertisements . into our public schools. Since public schools now so often must scrounge for funds, they sell naming rights to corporations; "Welcome to Cinergy's Walnut Hills High School !", a banner ·above the entrance to Walnut Hills might say in the future. Even worse is Channel One, televised educational instruction which features advertisements for corporate products as a significant portion of its programming. As ifAmericans do not already watch enough television, now our children's minds will be colonized at school, where watching corporate advertisements will be part of getting a good report card and trying ' to succeed in life. . When the public schools must sell naming rights and allow advertisem,ents into the classroom to get funding from corporations, who is really in power? A Change in Values Americans need to do some soul' searching about what we want public education to mean in our society. What ever happened to the ethic of "All for one and one for all" .? Will we continue to purposefully allow one segment of the students to suffer in poor" dysfunctional schools while .a nother segment attends well funded, harmonious institutions? I believe that all Americans should work together to make public education work for all of our students, be they middle class or poor, caucasian or African American, male or female. It is not fair for those who benefit from our best educational institutions to continue to turn a blind eye towards those inner city students whose chances are dimmed by being born in the wrong school district. We, as Americans should search our consciences to find redemption through a commitment to make public education work for all. • • • �STREETUIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine .........(This writer is terminally ill.) June I 0, 2000 Greetings My Brutha Sonny, I greet you in the name of our Creator and through the peace and power of the struggle. We must continue to embrace one another as a "Universal-Culture" in keeping the struggle alive. So as I come in extreme revolutionary, I greet you and all of my beloved "bruthas and sustas of multicultural with the Iron Clench Fist Salute" ... ... ..... .. ......ALL Power to the People! Hello Sonny. I am not sure how to present a letter of endearment, for the reason that this is my first presentation, but before I will make any attempt to awaken your conscious in a manner "we" both can appreciate, let me first and briefly state my purpose as well as my interest in writing. First of all, as you can see that my sin is Melvin D. Smith, aka "Smitty" if you prefer. More importantly as a "New Afrikan," my name is "Shaka Serna Umoja." I am a native of the greater Houston area which is where I am currently residing at this time. I am a 42 year old prisoner of want and I've been enslaved for 21 years in the jaws of slavery on the Eastham Unit Plantation. And while being confined in the belly of the beast, I've come to embrace the struggle for dear Life. Since being a representative of the struggle, I have chosen to represent the voice of the people in anyway I possibly can. I am a member of various outside organizations that call upon the empowerment of the "masses" of people collectively. I am up under the umbrella of NAIM, as most freedom fighters are. Now Sonny, I have chosen to become a member of PAN O hio Organization because I love you alls political views, especially the abundance of love and support everyone who are members has contributed. But more importantly, I'm very pleased with the support that you and your comrades have conrributed in helping bruthas and susthas of all races who are victims of a cy-ctem that advocates hate and injustice toward the human race. So I know what it's like trying to reach out to those who have been captured in the bowels of subjugation. So I must once again salute you for such a tremendous job in uplifting the conscious of the masses of people, in and on the outside. Because I have and do correspond with various people around the world, as well as with those who are incarcerated like myself. For this reason there are those who are in great need of friendship and companionship. So really, my function is to at least try to be there for d1ose I am now back at Lucasville - been back for four days, and I am holding a real ball-point pen in my hand instead of one of those rubber things we had to use at the supermax. It is such a relief to be out of that place, and that certainly says a lot, because since when can Lucasville, being the notorious.prison that it is, be said to be a relief from anything. This evening I went outside for the first time. I sat in the grass and talked with John Perotti as we enjoyed the fresh air and the evening sun. As time goes on, since being returned here, I am becoming more and more conscious of how Youngstown [supermax] dulls the senses. To now be around people, and colors, and on and on, it just flows and unfolds around me with such wonderment. That green door and those off white walls are not known to be the only colors of life. Gone now is the constant round of yelling and screaming and the kicking of doors and the slamming of cuffports. who are desperately in need of love and support. Even though I've had my ups and downs, I feel that I've been very blessed and successful in containing my "trials and tribulations" accordingly, so I try to deal with the empathy of my crisis by loving and supporting others as you have. Although a lot of my hurt comes from within, due to the dehumanization and criminalization of the judicial cy-ctem, whom I've like many more who have been victimized by the cy-ctem .. And I've been bitter for quite some time now, because it cost me 21 years of my life in prison. But in the process, I've only become stronger in my time and need for strength, and by the gift and grace of our Creator, I have been blessed physically, mentally, and spiritually so therefore I have "no" complaints other than trying to retain my freedom which I am hoping will be next year with the exception of parole, that is. Look bruthas, Sonny, it was such a great pleasure sitting here talking with you: I don't want to take up too much ofyour time because I'm sure you have more important duties that demand a great deal of your divided atten tion, so I won't hold you up any longer. But before I do let you up, I want to last of all stress that I do think that it is a wonderful idea to start PAN Ohio chapters within the prisons in various states. I am more than willing to help my bruthas start a chapter here on the Eastham Unit Plantation. So I can assure you that they will have plenty of support. And Sonny I would like to make one request, and that is can you please help me become a member of PAN Ohio O rganization? Although at this time I am indigent, but I will contribute whenever I can. I sincerely hope that our relationship is able to grow in a "Universal" way we can come to appreciate. Well my bruthas, I've completed my journey. I must move on to another destination. So until I awaken to the "eye of the east" to open up my heart again to search for tomorrow. You take care of yourself Most of all, stay strong, stand firm, and keep your Page g I think you.are familiar with how they demand that everything which is not consumed on your food tray be returned when they open the cuffport to pick up your tray. One morning last winter there was half an apple on my tray, and there were two seeds in the apple. I took those two seeds and enclosed them in a letter to my son. He is seven years old. My son planted those-two seeds from behind the green door about six weeks ago and they have both sprouted, taken root and are growing daily. It's to say that they cannot stop the cycle of life with those green doors. After my passing, in years to come, those two apple trees will give forth the wonderful taste of life known to me and my son, and to the awesome concept of the very essence of Youngstown I say - defeat that! I now await my first visit with my son in two years. Richard (Red) Armstrong Lucasville, OH Reprinted from the newsletter Impact, Youngstown Ohio head up ........ Stay beautiful and creative within. May the peace of power forever be your peace. Power to the People!!!! I now leave as I come, and chat is in solidarity and revolutionary with the Iron Foot Down, and the Iron Clench Fist Up .... Respectfully and sincerely yours, Servant of the People (NAIM), Shaka Sema Umoga Nia Melvin Smith Lovelady, Texas STREEMBES Prisoners News contains news about the justice system and the writings of persons incarcerated in our nation's jails and prisons. Subscribers within the walls receive Streetvibes free. If you want to support us in this effort, please sponsor someone on the inside by sending us $ 15 for a year's subscription Send your comments and questions to streetvibes@juno.com mail : STREETVIBES, 1506 Elm Street Cincinnati, Ohio 4521 o PEN PALWANTED Michael Benge, #276-821, O.S.P., 878 Coitsville-Hubbard Rd., Youngstown, OH, 44505 �1 • STREETUIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine Page 10 Death Pe.nalty ... _D o y9u have Questions? · - Nearly 3,500 people are on Death Row in the U.S. There are nearly 200 people awaiting execution in the state of Ohio. One-fourth of them come from Hamilton County. Does this m~ke you feel uncomfortable? RALLY Some common MYTHS about the death penalty: IT DETERS CRIME ... Except it doesn't. No available study t)as·shown that the d~ath penalty deters violent c rime. h, 10Q. .:e average murder rate per 100,000 people was 6.6 in death penalty states and 3.5 in no!} death-penalty states: IT IS L!=SS EXPENSIVE THAN LIFE IMPRISONMENT... Except it isn't. Various state governments estimate that a single death penalty.case, from the point of arrest to execution, ranges from $1 million to $3 million. Cases resulting in life imprisonment average ar.~ $500 090 each, in_cluding incarceration 4 cost. The execution of Wilford Berry in Feb., 1999 in Ohio cost between 5-10% of the states capital crimes section for five years. Life imprisonment would have cost nearly half as much. THE DEATH PENALTY IS FAIRAND JUST... Except it isn't. Those sentenced to death are not necessarily those whose crimes are the most atrocious. Instead, they tend to be those who are poor, people of color, and those whose victims are white. More than 90% of those on death row were financially unable to hire an attorney to represent them at trial. Additionally, despite the appeals process, mistakes are made. A 1987 study published by the Stanford Law Review found that between 1900-1985 twenty-three innocent people were executed. Since 1993, 80 people have been released from death row based on significant evidence of innocence. PUBLIC OPINION SUPPORTS THE DEATH PENALTY ... Or does it? Public support for the death penalty drops to 44% when people are given a choice of life imprisonment with restitution to the victim's family. What do chureh leaders say? Most major denominations have opposed execution. Execute Justice... ... NotPeople. Ohio State Capitol Building ---:- Thursday, September 28, 2000 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM,. COLUMBUS, OHIO, Broad St. & High St. CRITIC4L RESISTANCE: STOP THE P)JISON INDUSTRY COMPLEX • It's time to stand up and speak out . Some of the issues that will be addresssed at this rally are: The Pri;Son Industrial Complex (PIC) is the fastest growing industry in the U.·S. with more than two million people impri~oned and more than 7 million people under some form of correctional control. The only industry whose livelihood and future growth depends on its own failure. · · The economic and racist injustice of the Death Penalty. PIC '9lations ofUnited Nations standards for prisons. PIC's use ofprisoners for slave labor which has been directly linked to the World Trade Organization and the emerging Police State. State and National Political Prisoners. . Restorative Justice. Staughton.Lynn, a human rights activistfor more than 40 years, will b~ speaking out on the Lucasville 5, the Ohio Death Penalty and super maximum security prisons. Other speakers to be announced. Sponsors of this rally: Prisoners Advocacy Network-Ohio (PAN-Ohio),Anti-Racist Action, Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants-Ohio (C.U.R.E. - Ohio), Art & Revolution, Oberlin Action Against Prisons, Ohio-SORT, Kent Anarchist Black Cross, Justice Watch, Ohioans to Stop Executions, OSU Student Environmental Action Coalition, and th·e AFSC Ohio Criminal Justice Program. For more information contact: PAN-Ohio, P.O. Box 2)8453, Columbus, Ohio 43221, Phone: (614)2182297, E-mail: Pan0hio2@aol.com Dear Streetvibes, than mine were. As a result, since February I I am currently an inmate at Pickaway Correctional · have not been able to see anything. Also because of the strain on my eyes I have terrible Institution located near Columbus. I am serving a 10 headaches daily. I had to have another inmate month sentence and am writing chis in hopes chat you will write this letter for me. I did see an eye doctor print it so your readers can see what happened to one on April 12, but it has been eight weeks ago individual person in the court and prison system. and I still have no glasses. I quite going co the I was on probation for a minor misdemeanor drug-rehab classes and the N .A. and cocaine­ violation from Dayton. My probation officer violated me anonymous me~tings because I can't read the for arguing with him on the telephone and since I was literature or see the blackboard or films they looking at serving six months in the Dayton work house and I had a good job.and was working everyday, I didn't go show. I would like to know, what kind of rehabilitation is this? The only thing that this to the hearing. Naturally a warrant was issued. I do experience has done is caused me to lose my occasionally smoke crack. ·I was arrested six months later job, my career (I'm a college graduate), and I on a job site by the Green County (Sugar Creek) Police as haven't been able to pay my child support on I was in Green County for the Dayton probation my two small children for the last eight violation. I had a crack-pipe in my pocket and they months. l still have a strong desir~ to smoke arrested me and scraped a microscopic amount of resin crack. from the pipe. I was charged with "Possession of less than The one and only thing that has a gram of cocaine," a fifth-degree felony. I have been doing drugs for 30 years. I have always sustained t?e and pulled me through this whole experience is my faith in God and Jesus Christ maintained a job and paid my bills. I had never been and going to church services and the Bible· charged with any drug charge prior to this, ever: When I studies held here at P.C.I. went to court in Green County (Xenia), I begged the Thank you for your fine newspaper judge to send me to a drug-rehab program, as I have never and for making it available for inmates like me. been to any kind of drug-treatment program in my life. When I receive my copy I pass it around and .....However, he sentenced me to 10 months in prison. I all the inmates who read it enjoy .i t as well. have never had a prison record prior to this. Keep printing the truth, there needs to be My first day in prison the prison authorities took more papers like your fine publi~tion. away my glasses because one of the earpieces was broken. They fell on the floor and broke while· I was in the County Sincerely Yours, jail. However, I have seen at least three other men that are here in prison wearing glasses that are broken far worse Michael Doug/4s �STREETVIBES " The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine First Step Home: .Servi.ces for Women ........ by Ginger Brock First Step Home, Inc. opened its doors in 1993 to serve drug and alcohol addicted women. We are the only long-term, residential treatment program in Hamilton County that invites children aged 12 and under to live with their mothers during treatment. . In 1999, First Step Home opened • its Fulton Avenue house, just north of Eden Park. Sixteen women and their children reside at this location. March 2000 saw the re-opening of the original St. Michael's site in. the lower Price Hill, thanks to volunteers in Project Restore. Due to this expansion, we are now able to double our c.apacity, serving 32 women. After a women moves through the residential program and -.... achieves sobriety, she and her family have the option of moving to one of our transitional housing sites. Because the apartments are together, each woman has a network of support surrounding her, helping to prevent the chance of relapse . Our collaborative efforts with housing organizations in our . community help make this project a reality. First Step.Home's goal is for women to establish sobriety, making be.tter. and more productive lives for the.mselves, and creating more loving and nurturing environments for their families. For more information about First Step Home, please call Ginger Bock at 961-HQME. Trip Services, Page 11 from />age 3 seven days to complete the research. First, they research Metro, TANK or Access to see if that service is available to you.. .If it is, then the Transportation Agents call back with the roii!e numbers and times. If the.bus is not available, then they look into vanpooling. There are vans that run to different companies around the region and they see if they could place you on one of those vans. If a bus·or.van is n.ot available, then they see if they·can place you in a .carpooling or ridesbaring situation with someone else. Often you can b.e placed to·ride with someone else in a taxi. The Transportation Agents make the arrangements for you and provide you with the necessary information. If they cannot find transportation for you any other ~Y't they JI.lake transportation arrangements in a taxi, if one is availabl~. If a taxi is itot available, you are placed in a waiting list for the next open spot. TRIP does n.ot provide car repairs or bus tokens. They aiso do not provide free, school, medical, or shopping transportation. They exclusively serve residents ofHamilton County, and cannot guarantee the pick-up or arrival times nor that transportation is available. TRIP is not an e~ployment ~~ncy, and therefor~.they~iot find JObs. Van ndes are $1.50 each wa~•JJ · taxi rides are $2.50 each way. TRIP. can be reached between' 8:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, at (513) 73 1-5030. Their fax number'is (513) 73 1-5069. TRIP is located at Hillcrest Square Office Center; 1811 LosantivilleAvenue, Suite 420; Cincinnati, Ohio45237. The Campaign for Safer Neighborhoods organizes against toxic emissions in Hamilton ·County ......ByJohncri~well The negative effects of Cincinnati's industrial-based pollution on our area are evident. In the summer months, industrial emissions contribute to our air being dangerous for youth and the elderly. Chemical odors intrude into our neighborhoods or our vehicles while driving. The danger of chemical accidents affecting the community also looms as a possibility. Houses on Dana avenue in Evanston display new front facades, having been replaced after receiving damage from the devastating BASF plant explosion in July of 1990. Nationally, according to the Environmental Defense Fund, Hamilton County ranks in the top 20% of all counties in the country for pollution releases to air and water. The Mill Creek Valley, the most industrial portion of the City of Cincinnati, is the origin of most of these releases. Segments of this community area, in addition to · being the most polluted, are also the lowest income neighborhoods of the city. Portions of them are over 75% minority population. Many times neighborhoods like this, sometimes referred to as 'environmetaljustice areas', do not have the resources to organize an effective "good neighbor" or "polluter accountability" campaign. It is hard for residents to approach an industrial corporation about chemical odors or the safety of a near by plant. Led by ECO: the Environmental Community Organization and Ohio Citizen Action, the Campaign for Safer Neighborhoods, has been helping citizens do this. They have been involving a broad-base of citizens and community groups to work directly .with local industry to reduce Last year, the Campaign for Safer pollution and chemical accident dangers. Neighborhoods began work to reduce noxious and Over the last two years, this campaign has toxic odors from Willard Indus.tries, an aluminum been working with three local industrial facilities: foundry in Northside. Cincinnati Specialties Inc. in St. Bernard, Willard . Along with the newly formed group, Industries of Northside and Morton International in Northsiders for Cleaner Air, the campaign has met Reading. With the public outreach of Citizen Action, with a company representative twice, conducted research and involved Northside residents in this over 20,000 letters have been sent to officials of work. these companies encouraging them to work with This year the campaign has expanded its work the community and reduce pollution and chemical to iriclude Morton International, a manufacturer of accident dangefs. chemicals for the PVC plastics industry, Morton Also, representatives from the following has generated concern from community members participating groups have been meeting regularly in the following areas: with industry staff: Rivers Unlimited, the North • C':lflcer-causing air releases: a leader in our 10 Avondale Neighborhood Association, the Bond Hill county region. Community Council, the Community Action • Clean Water Act violations: 96 violations since Agency, the Miami Group of the Sierra Club and 1993. the Coalition of Neighorhoods. • Accidental chemical releases: four documented In August of 1998, this campaign started . releases of methyl chloride, considered a 'risk' work with Cincinnati Specialties, a manufacturer of chemical by the US Environmental Protection food flavorings, ·saccharine and rust inhibitors. Agency. Long-time citizen concerns with this facility have • A history of dumping on-site: this site has included odors, toxic air releases-and a history ~f bec-0me a priority for clean up. chlorine accidents. • Diesel truck fumes: trucks parked over-night Responding to citizen pressure brought by assail the neighborhood residents with cancer­ the Campaign for Safer Neighborhoods, Cincinnati causing exhaust. Specialties has: • Committed to build an on-site safety enclosure The campaign has had an initial meeting with building to prevent chlorine releases. company representatives and toured the facility. • Upgraded their chemical waste recycling. The work here has just begun. • Completed two projects to reduce odor If you know of an organization that would like emissions. to join this important work or you would like more Monthly meetings with facility management are information, please contact John Criswell at 513­ on-going to follow-up on these commitments and 541-0579 or john_criswell@juno.com. to address future problems. �STREETVIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine PENDING FEDERAL MENT AL HEALTH LEGISLATION BOGGLES THE MIND .... T Billman Senators Pete Domenici (R-NM) and Edward Kennedy (D -MA) have introduced the "M ental Health Early Intervention, Treatment, and Prevention Act (S.2639), in an effort to try and help homeless persons with mental illnesses. The bill authorizes a jail diversion program, which provides funds to communities to establish "mental health courts", similar to the "drug courts" now in existence, in an attempt to divert people into mental h ealth housing and support services. The bill also authorizes a Mental illness outreach and screening program, especially targeting homeless persons. Before 1960, before the patients' rights movement gained momentum, a "crazy" person could be kept behind locked doors in a institution indefinitely, with practically no legal recourse. Since then, hundreds of former mental patients, inspired by humanistic psychiatrists such as Thomas Szasz (through his books, i.e. The Myth ofMental Illness and The Manufacture ofMadness), and anti-drug therapy advocates like Peter Breggin, have turned t he tide against the unconstitutional imprisonment ofAmerica's social misfits. It is definitely true that conditions in prisons are deplorable and people accused ofminor crimes should not be there. But rather than admit the fact that the prison system itself needs to be entirely revamped , Family Advocate groups such as NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) wish to take the position that prisons are for real criminals, not for their sick, misguided relatives. So they wish to create systems which imprison their relatives in a kinder, gentler way, like through neuroleptic drugs. They are, of course, backed in th eir effort s by the p sychia tric drug manufacturers and the American Psychiatric Association (APA), both of whom have a vested interest in the increased use of forced treatment. If there were Mental h ealth empowerment centers where people were accepted without question and treated w ith resp ect, where the curative powers of mother nature were employed to h elp people gain insight into themselves, I would wholeheartedly back a bill which would divert those accused of minor offenses from the criminal injustice system .into more creative and compassionate alternative. parents and loved ones of those who have been killed, mistreated, and unjustly imprisoned, have formed recently to tackle the immense task of making prisons something other than revenge depots. A likely outcom e of "mental h ealth courts" is that increasing numbers ofpersons designated to be mentally ill will be rescued from the prison system only to be attached to something called Involuntary Outpatient Commitment (OTR) Some expatient advocates have called OTR "th e leash law" . In greater depth: From the Website of MADNation : "Involuntary Outpatient Commitment is the name gi,ven an expansion offorced treatment to include court orders requiring people diagrzosed with mental illnesses to comply with community treatment orders or face involuntary hospitalization. It is perhaps the biggest challenge to liberty and freedom that people diagrzosed with mental illnesses face today. IOC is only the tip ofthe iceberg, as, foeled by drug company money and the personalfortunes of millionaire pro-force fanatics, the campaign. to make us appear dangerous, unpredictable and violent is in foll swing. It is a battle beingfought notjust in the United States, but all over the world. We are seeing a world-wide demoniza.tion of people based on psychiatric disability that harkens back to the days ofthe eugenic movement. Its tools are IOC, mental health courts, and involuntary commitment statutes that go far beyond the ''dangerous to self and others" standard that held sway in the past. Coupled with a decrease in fonding for services that really work, increases in forced treatment may, if unchecked, return us to back wards and life long misery. " Sally Zinman of the California Network of Mental Health Clients: '1n a research study, the Well Being Project, produced by the California Department ofMental Health, 55% ofclients interviewed who had experiencedforced treatment reported that fear offorced treatment caused them to avoid all treatment for psychological and emotional problems. Non-compliance is the result offorced treatment; moreforced treatment is not a solution. Recovery and therapeutic relationships cannot exist in an environment ofcoercion. " • • • But aside fro m a few token , . . . . . - - - - - - - - - - -- - -- - - - - - - . , Consumer-run organizations, the mental Advocates and Supporters of Leonard Peltier Gather h ealth system is not a culture of outside the Hamilton County Court House, in vigil empowerm ent, but a revolving door awaiting the outcome of Leonard's parole hearing. warehouse, where people whom society has ostracized are channeled and funneled through the revolving doors of psych wards and social programs, not really for their own benefit, but for the supposed benefit of everyone else -- their parents, doctors, drug companies, a scapegoathungry society..... .. T his new Kennedy/Domenici bill is likely to give impetus to impending legislation which would reverse th e progress in mental patients rights which hundreds ofex-patients have fought hard to achieve. In addition, it will likely distract many from the recent upsurge in prison reform efforts. Many New organizations, many made up of the Page 12 LEONARD PELTIER REVIEWED FOR PAROLE United States Parole Examiner Refuses to Consider New Evidence by the LeonardPeltier Defense Committee Native American rights activist Leonard Peltier­ was reviewed for parole today (June 12, 2000) during a hearing held at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary in Kansas. The hearing was held to determine whether there is any reason why the Parole Commission should change their 1993 decision to deny Peltier parole. Today Peltier's representatives told the Commissionthat Peltier's health, serious family needs, and his positive program achievements were all reasons for the Commission to reconsider their denial of parole to Peltier..... The Parole Examiner refused to read areport from Dr. Peter Basch who, after reviewing Peltier's recent medical records, determined that problems with Peltier's health could result in "recurrent central retinal vein occlusion, stroke, heart disease, and kidney fail ure." The doctor also noted that several of Mr. Peltier's health problems had not been treated appropriately by prison medical staff. Attending the parole hearing were representatives for Amnesty International, the National Council of Churches, the National Congress of American Indians,and the Assembly of First Nations. Legal council included attorneys Jennifer Harbury, Carl Nadler, and former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark. Jean Ann Day, survivor of the Pine Ridge "reign of terror" also testified. The parole examiner did not respond to pleas from Amnesty International or the National Council of Churches, and he showed no interest in the eight parole plans offering Peltier housing and employment from various Native Organizations and tribes. Furthermore, the examiner refused to accept or consider the 10,000 letters collected over the last three months from US citizens, human rights organizations, luminaries and members of the international community supporting Peltier's release. Without deliberation or the consideration of any documents presented, the parole examiner recommended that Peltier's sentence be continued until his next full parole hearing in 2008. Those in attendance reported that the examiner wrote the denial while thepresentation was still being made. Peltier's defense council will continue to protest the Parole Commission's denial of parole to Peltier in federal court. Supporters will continue efforts to gain Peltier's release through a grant of Executive Clemency. Leonard Peltier was originally conyicted for the murders of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. However, formerly wi thhe ld documents supporting Peltier's innocence would later force the prosecution to admit that they could not prove who actually killed the agents. Despite this, Peltier has remained in prison for 24 years. Amnesty International considers him to be a political prisoner who should be immediately released. For more information, contact: LeonardPeltier Defense Committee, PO Box 583, Lawrence, KS 66044, 785-842-5774 www.freepeltier.org �STREETVIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine Page 13 ' Interview with a Cased warrior: Leonard Peltier Interviewed bY Ben Corbett........ ( Part I ) {abridged from the original transcript) " Why?" The FBI says it's a national security measure. They got their man, and they're dead set on keeping him. To them, he's a symbol reminding them of their own. self~hatred. A scapegoat for projected governmental shame and collective denial. To traditional American Indians, Leonard has become a martyr sacrificed to the battle for the freedom of Indigenous peoples around the globe. A Native catalyst uniting the struggle in the continuing war against genocide. To Peltier? "I am imprisoned for two consecutive life terms for being Indian." We hope that Leonard's own words will answer part of this difficult question. Bue more so, we hope they will challenge the reader to ask even harder questions. Questions about responsibility. About the value of justice. About the struggle for rights, Leonard's righ~. human rights, natural rights, our rights. About the meaning of "Freedom" and the cost of losing it on any level. BC: How do you feel about how things are going? LP: Well. .. I ·still can't see the light ac the end of the tunnel. These politicians are such sleazebags that you just don't know. You can't really get anything from a lot of chem once they get into power. They totally forget about all their commitments. The poor people elected them, and they forget about all the poor people. When C linton was running seven years ago, he was questioned by his campaign constituents, "What will you do for Leonard?" And he said, "I'll look into ic. " And here it is seven years lacer, and he still hasn't done anything. We know that the Federal Pardon Attorney in his first term recommended clemency. le went through Janet Reno's office. And it's been sitting in Janet Reno's office ever since. Numerous people have met with Clinton, and he knows about the case. Pe,ter Matthiessen met with him, Thom White Wolf, the head of the United Methodist Church has seen him several times. Clinton was on Pine Ridge last year, and he saw some of my supporters out there waving signs for my release. But Harold Salway (Oglala Tribal President] told me that when he and Clinton were by themselves, Clinton asked him, "Who's Leonard Peltier?" So it doesn't look that good for me when you got people saying those types of things, y'know? BC: I know you've been through this a thousand times, but what was the pressure like on Pine Ridge in 1975? LP : For 24 years now, I've been speaking about this continuously. I can only answer the same way I've always answered. There was a Reign ofTerror being committed against the Oglala people by their own tribal government. We know now that an agency of the United States government did an investigation, and before their funding ran out, they were able to investigate 64 deaths that were caused by Dick Wilson's GOON squads. People were living in fear. People were living in constant terror. That's the way it was. BC: What was the FBI's main reason for being against the American Indian Movement at that there? Who were they protecting? time? LP: Special interests - Dick Wilson, who was LP: Yeah. But not just AIM. There were a lot supporting special interest groups, mining of organizati~ns that were just as active. The companies, government agencies giving up United Tribes.df All Indians which I was one of I~dian land for minerals. It's a well known fact the fowiders was a very powerful organization. that the FBI has always supported big business · It's been in existence since 1970. It's just that it and big government. The knew they were , didn't take some of the actions that AIM did. getting close to the completion of the , AIM got the spotlight. Termination policy, which was planned for BC: After the 1975 firefight, why did they 1985, and they had to initiate inci4ents to need to pin the deaths on you? cause it co accelerate. Unfortunately for them, LP: What we figured ouc during the trials is it backfired. The world turned to the Oglala ,t hat they certainly didn't want to charge with support. ~omebody from the Pine Ridge reservation. So BC: How did the American Indian Movement . they tried to charge somebody that was get involved? considered an "outside agitator", which LP: AIM was requested by the traditionals and happened to be myself, my cousin Bob the Oglala people on Pine Ridge to come in Robideau, my friend Darrrell (Dino] Butler, and support them. To try and find some justice and of course Jimmy Eagle. I, myself, and my through the judiciary system. To help combat cousin Bob both have Lakota blood in us. discrimination, poverty, and the criminal We're not really outsiders either. But that's the way they tried to portray us. "Here'~ these outside agitators from AIM coming in and causing the deaths of their .agents." So they indicted us. And as it was, both Darrell and Bob went to trial in Cedar Rapids, and happened co be very fortunate of having a . judge that really had respect and honor for the oath he took, and he gave the(Jl as fair a trial he possibly could. There was a loc more evidence that he could have let in, but he'd seen it would have been coo damaging fo r the government. But he let some in, and it was -enough. The jury heard it and said, "Oh, wait a minute, something is wrong here. They didn't kill these agents." Remember, they were prosecuted as the shooters too. And if they were shooters, they did it in self-defense. The agents Williams and C oler were saying they were out there looking for Jimmy Eagle for kidnapping and robb~ry. This is what the FBI told the media and the world. But at the bottom, when the indictment was.found, the activity of their tribal chairman. That's why only thing he was indicted for was a AIM was there. And it was there upon request. misdemeanor for stealing a pair of cowboy Nobody in AIM went there and imposed boots. · themselves. · But what we think, and what I believe · BC : What was your role with AIM at that really happened, is they knew Dennis Banks time? was gonna be there. And we also know now LP : I was an assistant to Dennis Banks. A from Duane Brewer who was one of the bodyguard, if you want to use that term. I was GOON squad leaders, that they knew the basically just on'e of the organizers, really. Of Jumping Bull residence was an AIM course we protected Dennis. You certainly stronghold. They had planned assaults on the couldn't walk up to him and strike him with me Jumping Bull residence and another place in and a few other guys around. We were security, Kyle. The were all over the Pine Ridge but that wasn't really our function. Our reservation. They were planning - with function was to help organize events on the intelligence from the FBI, armor-piercing reservation. ammunition, sophisticated weaponry, and BC: When did the FBI start investigating you? funding - to assault these places. We also know LP:. That's hard to say. I haven't gotten all my there was a large mobilizatiOn of armored FBI files back from the Freedom of personnel carriers at different points aroun:d Information Act requests. But they've known the reservation getting ready to move in ....... about me since Fort Lawton in Seattle (1970]. ................... To be Contin~d in August I helped occupy the Fort Lawton military base about a year after the Alcatraz occupation. Reprinted by permission from "Turning the Tule: Those of us who were involved and arrested jounudof An.ti-RacistAction, &search & EJucation" had records kept with the FBI. I was very For more information, contact: People Against visible there, and I was very visible in helping Racist Terror (PART), PO Box I 055, Culver City the Indian community organize against the CA 90232, Tel.: 310-495-0299, E-mail: Vietnam War. There's documentation now that <part200J@usa.net> URL: <http:// proves that I was being watched at that time. people.we.mediaone.net/part2001/index.ht:ml> BC: This was all part of the FBI campaign as �STREETUIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine Page 14 IZtll Annual •Te-In ' -up f • tlla H - l e a ..... The Cincinnati Bengals and _ the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless are once again coming together for the 12th Annual "Tearning Up for the ... Homelessl", a fundraising ·event to benefit the Coalition's aid to homeless persons. This year's event will take place July 29, 2000 at the Bengal's annual camp scrimmage at Georgetown College in Kentucky. We will enjoy a picnic lunch on the way to the practice stadium, and after arriving in Georgetown, participants w i II have an opportunity to meet with Coach Bruce Coslet and team members for a pre­ season discussion. Then it's on to what we've al been waiting for, a preview of the season to come, as the Bengals battle it out during their annual camp scrimmage. We will depart from the parking lot at Dick Clark's American Bandstand in Kenwood at 10:00 am on July 29, 2000 and return about 6 :00 pm that evening. The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless would Iike to invite you to this exciting event. Ordering tickets is easy! To order tickets by mail, just fill ovt the order form and return it to .··.· . . the following address: The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless 1506 Elm Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45210 Or you can purchase tickets by phone by calling the confirmation about your tickets shortly thereafter. The deadline for ordering tickets is July 22, 2000 and tickets will be going fast. Don't miss out on your chance to have some fun for a good cause with the Coalition office at (513) 4217803 and using your credit card. You will receive a Cincinnati Bengals and the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homelessl . Please send me the following tickets: Adult tickets at $35.00 each (12 and under) tickets at $7.50 each - - Children's (children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian) I have enclosed $- - to cover the cost of tickets . Name: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ Address: _ _ _ _ _ _: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ­ Phone: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ I cannot attend "Teaming Up for the Homeless," but please accept the following donation: $ _ _ __ Please make checks payable and send payment to: The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. �STRffTUIBfS StreetScopes Happy Birthday CANCER! The sun-planet ofjoyful self­ expression, Mars planet of direct action and excitement, and Venus planet oflove and beautiful things are all piled up in your house of • new beginnings. Ready to party/ but, wait! Mercury the planet of thoughts it • and locomotion is also is also there · · and what's he doing? Uh-oh he's going backwards and yes friends the dreaded Mercury retrograde is trammeling through your sign this time around. Is it a good time to mail stuff- um no. Is it a good time to depend on messages left on answering machines uh uhn. Is it a good time to sign on the dotted line- mmm probably not. So what do you do? Well actually retrograde is not necessarily a bad placement for Cancer as it lends a nostalgic air of remembrance and an opportunity to do stuff you shoulda oughta already done. All in all it should be a busy but slowed down double checking thoughtful month for you Cancer. Paradox is the name of the game. Go ahead get exited about stuff but double check everything and please don't count on people returning phone calls! Leo There is a pile up of planets in what • the ancients called your house of selfundoing. Luckily modern Astrologers '19 take a kinder view of this house. ~ Really a good way to approach this month is with the m~st spiritual emotionally mature attitude you can muster. Go into the attic of your psyche and dean house! Check all your old habits and addictions and look them over- now is a great time to discard bad habits and replace them with more emotionally rewarding pursuits. Watch movies, read books and wait 'til mid-month when the planet of love and romance pays you a visit! Virgo Your acquaintance network, clubs and political groups will be all a buzz this month. You may already have every weekend booked with Masonic barbecues, m acrobiotic potlucks, and PETA rallies, but watch out: communication is not what it should be and you could easily show up on the right date in the wrong place or the right place at the wrong time. Double check and make sure you are as clear as you can be this month don't leave conversations to chance unless you are psychic. Catch up on chores you were supposed to do all last season and avoid new car purchase or other new ventures 'til mid-month. Stop the worry!-breathe deep now and stop skipping yoga class. Libra Career is a freak out this month. What would you say ifl told you it's your time to shine? Creativity is high, you are motivated and driven and people Mr. Lee's View It was literally in the 11th hour that I decided to put pen to paper and write this . .. article? A middle aged, African-American male with an up close and personal perspective on homelessness. In the time that has passed since I signed up to be a Streetvibes vendor, some very important "things" have been revealed to me. For instance, I am more interested in writing than selling papers. More important than the income I will earn from selling newspap~rs is the humility and sense of purpose that will be a by-product of I The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine Page 15 By Alanna Maloney: the UrbanAstrologer. seem strangely attracted to you in all things having to do with work. And then what if I told you it's also one of those months where you could send your office lover's note co the boss, the bosses strategy memo to the client, and the client's bid to your Mom- watch out for communication blunders that could make you screw the pooch. Scorpio Reflection and writing will serve you well this month. You can find excitement and illumination in educational and musical pursuits. How can these things not go in your favor? Study of philosophy and exotic travel plans could really spice up your love life. Again writing about past experiences to do with music, travel, law or education could really bring things co light. You are so lucky lately your family may offer to pay for a trip! S~ittarius This is a great time for you to pursue your psychic abilities. A psychic reading (hint hint) at this time would reveal more than usual. You could also have good luck channeling a female family member. You could sack away some cash or help your family with an inheritance. However communications with the IRS, the bank, or the insurance folks could get garbled before mid­ month. Triple check and then tape the stamp co the envelope! Capricorn Love life is where it's at this month Cappy! Spend time with your mate, get residual anger out of the way early so you can feel the love. Watch out though things from your past are rising to the surface and must be communicated. Don't let that lead to needless misunderstandings. Take extra time to make sure things are clear. Single Cappy should stick by dose friends this month as they may be the gateway to love. But, double check all dates times and places or you may stand someone up on accident! • Aquarius This month the focus is on your job Aquarius and it is a reminder that while • you are often a cool character you . actually prefer to work in an environment that feels like family- you also tend to work where you can care for people in some way. Jobless Aquarius could find work this month looking for places that feel like family, that feel like home. This month is also good for a complete health check up from a holistic practitioner, herbal doctor, or chiropractor. Pisces • Get out there this month and play a childhood sport you thought you had • forgotten. Get out to sunny places and work-out, but be careful of your back. "carrying the message." Neither this piece, nor any future pieces that I hopefully will write, will be my own story per se. At least that is my feeling at this time. Certainly anything I do write will be affected and crafted around my "up close and personal" perspective on home-less-ness. Homelessness is the hub. Emanating from this hub or center are practical basic survival issues. You know, the basic stuff: food, clothing, health care, mental health issues, employment, etc. (I love etc's.) There are also spiritual issues, emotional issues ... you know, Stuff!! I hope t0 write about some of this ... stuff. If I were more talented, or more Creativity action and romance are sparkling this month. Don't let miscommunication or too much nostalgia hold you back. Let new friendship blend with the old. Challenge in the next year brings great opportunity. Aries Okay Aries I know finishing things up is the bane ofyour existence, but the time has come. There are things that need to be done around your house or where you are staying. You have put them off long enough it has started to affect your emotional stability, and your self-esteem. A regular headache you could say. Unresolved issues with family could be resolved this month through counseling or journal writing. Then maybe they could help with those pesky chores! Taurus Get offyour duff and take that road trip you have been cogitating. Or is that a computer or a bike you were gonna get? Communication and motion are important, but wait 'til mid-month to sign on the dotted line. Please check your car out. Writing projects that have fallen behind could be caught up. Call your brother. • Gemini Luck is on its way. Life is filled with opportunity now. Don't overextend yourself (yeah, right!) and watch that gut! You should be able to make money hand over fist this month. Please save some! You put on a good show ofnot caring a whit for the green stuff, but the only reason you always blow it on shiny things is because you lack the security ofa nest egg. Even if its $20 in a whisky bottle under your bed knowing its there will help you keep your money in your hands where it belongs. Squeeze that Horoscope 'til it yelps! (This hdbit is repeatedfrom February because I think it bears repeating!]) Often we complain that Horoscopes are generalized. This is because they are! Each of us has at least 36 variables that make our astrological profile (birth chan) unique. Newspaper horoscopes can only cover 3 of these variables at most. You can, however, use a horoscope more t0 your advantage and bring that variable number much higher if you know your chan. If you have an interest in using horoscopes t0 your best advantage learn your rising (ascendant sign) and your moon sign from an astrologer, book, computer program, or the Internet. Then read those signs every month. This will give you a more personalized horoscope. Example: if your sign is Taurus, your moon sign is Pisces, and your rising sign is Leo; then you read Taurus to learn about your self­ expression (sun), Pisces for your emotional life (moon), and Leo (rising) for your social expression. T his will help to make horoscopes make more sense and bring meaning. Readings with Alanna: Tarot: Tuesdays from 9pm to Midnight at Sirwell's Coffee House 404 Ludlow Ave. Fridays from 8:30 PM to Midnight at Mullane's on Race Street. Astrology, Tarot, and Reiki: consultations and training are available by appoinanent through E-mail at psi_chic@hoanail.com. accomplished, I could carry the reader on a spiritual journey into a world he or she may never truly experience. Prayerfully, where my skill and talent fall short, my sincerity, faith, commitment and spirituality will take over. I believe that I do have something to say. I pray that God uses me to express the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of my brothers and sisters whose issues have brought, but not broken, them close to what would be, for most of our readers, a near hopeless state. Thank God, I ain't hopeless today. ... They call me Mr. Lee �STREETUIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine :age 16 ..:: OFFICIAL ENTRY BLANK I 0 $12 Race Day Registered llliiilllii~!iiiil 0 $18 Race Day with shirt 0 $9 Pre-Registered 0 $15 Pre-Reg. with shirt 0 $Optional Donation _ _ INFORMATION Pre-Registration: $15 with shirt, $9 without shirt All entries must be postmarked by Friday, July 14, 2000 Race Day Registration: $18 with shirt, $12 without shirt. Registration will be held at the Drop Inn Center beginning at 7:30 AM. All teams must pre-register. Awards: Special awards to first male and female overall runners and the winning team. Top 15% of each division based on pre­ registration. Age Divisions: Men and Women: 18/under, 19-24, 25­ 29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45­ 49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-69, 70/ over. Address _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ City _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _State _ _ Zip _ __ included 0 Thanks, but I don't need my race results mailed to me. __Sex__ Age (on 7/23/00) Day Phone _ _--,-_ _Eve Phone._ _ _ _ __ Race Division (check all that apply) 0 5KRun 0 5K Fitness Walk Q 160/over lbs. Run (women) 0 200-219 lbs. Run (men) 0 220/over lbs Run (men) 0 Wheelchair Entry Signature _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Date 0 Team Registrant (must COURSE Harrison Viaduct This is a relatively flat course that starts Findlay a nd finishes near the Market Downtown YMCA. It starts on Central Parkway and goes north past the rear of ~ ~ Music Hall to a tum around 7"" near Brighton Street. Upon ~ the return, athletes will go '< 14th past the front of Music Hall by turning left on 14th FINISH Street, and right on Elm 12th Street to the finish in Washington Park. START Elm Fitness Walkers: 29/under, 30­ 39, 40-49, 50-59, 60/over Weig ht (SK run only): Clydes­ dale (men): 200-219 lbs. and 220/over lbs. Weight (SK run only): Athena (women): 160 lbs. and over Wheelchair: (will start one minute before the runners) Teams: Participants are invited to form teams of three to five members. The first three finishers on each team are counted to rank the teams. The winning team will receive a prize. All teams must be pre-registered. Refreshments available after the race. Results: Mailed to all entrants within three days, and available on Drop Inn Center website: www.overtherhine.org/dropinn Directions: Take 1-75 to Ezzard Charles-exit. Go east on Ezzard Char1es and turn left (north) on Central Parkway. Immediately after Music Hall ~urn right (east) on 14th Street. Washington Park is on your right as you go straight on 14th St. Street parking is available around the park. Paid parking is available on Central Parkway across from the YMCA and the AAA buildings. To get to Central Parkway turn right on Race Street from 14th St. be pre-registered) Team Name._ _ __ _ Parent's Signature _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _Date (required if under 18) In case of medical emergency contact _ __ _ _ _ _ __ Phone._ _ _ _ __ Q WEB WAIVER: In consideration of the acceptance of my entry, I hereby waive on behalf of my heirs, executors and assigns, all claims of any nature arising from my participation in the Drop Inn' Center SK, and do hereby release the Drop Inn Center, Steve Prescott, and all sponsors, worker officials and volunteers from any claim whatsoever arising from my participation in this event. I agree to abide by all rules for participation and acknowledge that the Race Committee may refuse or return my entry at its discretion. I understand the risks for such a run/walk and have trained adequately in preparation. I HAVE NOTED ANY MEDI­ CAL CONDITION enclosed with this form. Thanks to Our Sponsors: Make Checks Payable To: Drop Inn Center, 217 W. 12th Street, Cincinnati, OH 45210-2201 . All entries must be postmarked by Friday, July 14, 2000 For more information, call Steve Prescott at 336-9242 or v isit the Drop Inn Center Website: www.OvertheRhine.org/Droplnn J ,J..- ---cd Musicby Panache ~J ,, e • ! n f i N E T '" NtNtJf~(/ Cmn.uw,tutCJlfJfU Cincinnati Central Credit Union Members ofthe Over-the-Rhine Steel Drum Band Spraying Systems Co.• Berge and Company,Ltd. Rohs Hardware VIBES www.thehungersite.com Help Solve World Hunger­ Free! Bv Dan Marschner A new site on the world wide web has made significant progress toward the goal of reducing world hunger: www.thehungersite.com. Visitors to The Hunger Site donate food to impoverished, starving people throughout the world. Since it's conception on June 1, 1999 by Indiana software designer John Breen, more than 65 million visitors have come to the site to donate more than 7,700 metric tons of staple food. The donated staple foods include rice, wheat, maize, beans, barley, and sorghum. The best part of the site is the fact that sponsors cover the cost of the food donations, at no cost to a visitor to the site. According to the Yahoo Daily Pick (June 10, 1999): "Do your part to end hunger. All it takes is one click." The site uses the resou rces of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) to distribute the food donated each day. The WFP was founded in 1963 and is the world's largest international food aid organization. The organization fed 86 million people last year in 82 countries. The sponsors who pay for the food contribute • cent per donation, amounting to ~ cup of food when cooked. In exchange, each sponsor has an advertisement on the site. According to the New Statesman (United Kingdom): "a company that advertises there is actually getting quite good value for its advertising budget by feeding the starving." Shoppers who buy at The Hunger Site's online store contribute more funds to the cause, and the site has a newsletter that helps to educate visitors about hunger issues. Another feature of the site that has generated much interest is the map that sits on the opening page of the site. The map graphically illustrates the prevalence of starvation worldwide by darkening a country every 3.6 seconds. The map represents the site's statistic that a death from starvation occurs every 3.6 seconds, and 75% of those deaths are children. The New Statesman (U.K.) argues that the map is quite captivating: "it's like watching Death on his tireless rounds, from India to China, then Indonesia, before scurrying across to Africa and South America." The map depicts very effectively how devastating the pr.oblem of world hunger really is. The site has generated worldwide acclaim, including the People's Voice Award in the Activism Category of the Webby Awards People's Voice Campaign this past year. International press observers believe that the site offers hope for the future. The Press Association (U.K. and Ireland) advocates: "the whole point of the site is collaboration, and worldwide cooperation... over time, with many people making a single donation each day, the organizers can gain enough income to make a sizable contribution of food in the Third World ... It would seem that if only one site was worthy of being bookmarked this summer, The Hunger Site would be it." This author encourages anyone who reads this article to visit the site regularly, tell others about it,_and help to address the issue of world hunger ­ it's a little effort that can go a long way. The Hunger Site provided all of the statistics and press reviews for this article. �STRffTUIBfS Poetry and Art The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine The following poem was written by an individual after he attended the Memorial Service for the Homeless, Covington, Ky., May 25"', 2000 : Friends Departed We Need Your Creativity! " , ' Urban blight is multi-faceted. It comes in the form of decaying buildings, once grand and cared for until the caring died. It comes in the shape of rotting ideals whose reality is never near the dream. Urban blight is a city cancer, curable, but difficult to treat while it spreads through the streets. It feeds off of reckless youth with their pumped up energy until there is nothing to be done, except to excise the diseased areas. I Urban ulight is a symbol of our t imes, god and the devil facing off under a street lamp. .... joani lacy To my friends that have passed, That fell victim to the streets, just another nameless face, forgotten by most With the dawning of a new day, To you I make this vow: That people will once again know your name And you shall not be forgotten. I wish to thank you, my friends, For the lives you've touched, Including mine. Our friendship, the times and memories we shared, I shall cherish. ,...... \ I I1 I ­ • 1 1 ./ Streetvibes. / do GCCH (Greater .- Cincinnati Coalition for -- the Homeless), 1506 Elm St., Cincinnati 45210 Phone- 513-421-7803, E-mail (text): to streetvibes@juno.com, E-mail (attached files, graphics): to homecoal@primax.net It's easy to pretend that evil doesn't exist; and it's simple to act as if there is no intention to ransack people. But the fact is, this economy is built on ransacking the people who work to benefit the people who do the deals. The fact is also, this economy is built on ransacking the environment to benefit the same class of deal-doers. And the fact is also, this economy is built on ransacking the children's education by teaching stupification, to benefit the same class of deal-doers. Turning the head another way is not the same as facing reality. What forces governance to face reality is the fact that small, insignificant people stand down, stand up, and stand for Justice, Fairness and Mercy, to hell with what laws are at work. Now it is recognized that death penalty cases are not working out of the need for safety; rather, they operate out of retribution. Now it is recognized that schools are incubators for rage and violence; yet, no one is willing to take that first step toward acknowledging responsibility. Now it is recognized that well-placed slander CAN in fact destroy the lives of activated, motivated and mobilized political adversaries so they cannot make aliving. And again, turning one's head makes the appearance of evil go away, for atime. But the time came-before-when the little people spoke up, because they had nothing left to lose. Watch. It is about to occur once again, that a nobody from nowhere will bring evidence, and then history will be changed forever. To you, my friend, I will not say good-bye, only Until next we meet For in my heart, you're still very much alive M. Emily Cragg <compania@hotmail.com> Homeless People's Network lheEUet Itried to domesticate the bullet, Totake her with me to school, To teach herthealphabet Ardraveta-8P3CK But she ismadeof black clay And stuffed with canned blood. I tried to domesticate the bullet, Totake herto the water-spring, To the fields ofdew. Butshe has C01Sl.Jl1lJtive lip; Thatloveto kiss the lipsofdeath Ton.mnageruvwred< And bb.vashesn oureyes I tried to domesticatethe bullet, To lead hertothetruth, To wash hSroopperwith perfi.Jrres And ~ta-g..inpcJMjef" 'Mtt1 S"Weets. But she refused to beunlocked,1. And remained drWing pus, Wrth poison in herbreath. ...........lraqui poet .. "' Send your poetry, writings or artwork to ....._ CITY CANCER Page 17 A Summer day on East 13th Street BERTA'S ART CORNER "Maestro Porho '~ bp Eric Reed Greiner -(In front of Music Hall)­ putting the Gent back in Gentrification. . .... �STREETUIBES The Tri-State's The March of Life: ·Rev. Maurice McCrackin Follows Jesus on the 1%y ofthe Cross .....By Anne Araya I want to walk as Jesus walked . . . . . . .The walk that led Him to the Tree. I want to give my all to Him. .... I want to set His children free .... free to love .... and laugh ..... and grow. So ....... off to the seminary I go ....... to begin upon the path that follows Him .... ... all the way to Calvary. Maurice McCrackin follows Jesus to the First Station: JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH In Iran, Mac saw his people there, "Heathen" they were called, ....... as if not quite "up to snuff" but....... as he looked into their eyes ..... he saw Jesus dwelling there - in them. He saw love for Jesus for each of his human kin. Returning to America, his heart is now prepared To know the love of God for all human kind. He came to Cincinnati to initiate his freedom ride ....... He strives to integrate the hearts of all for love of one another. He offers a vision of brotherhood amidst the clamoring throng but, they say, 'Mac is off his rocker' wealth and power is 'where it's at'! Mankind's good depends upon the dollar. He strives to do his best to alleviate the ills of a society based on greed and racism, war and glory, . . . . . . . in the marketplace. And so ........ Mac follows Him to the Second Station: JESUS TAKES UP HIS CROSS I will not pay taxes to manufacture bombs to kill one human soul. I will not cooperate with greed to kill the human spirit. I will accept my prison terms ....... to set His children free. Fast, I must ....... for they grow hungry ....... these children of the father. And so ....... Mac follows Jesus to the Third Station: JESUS FALLS FOR THE FIRST TIME The General Assembly said that I could no longer serve because of my concern for peace and hwnan dignity. But Mac continues to follow his Savior to the Fourth Station: JESUS MEETS HIS MOTHER I look into the sorrowful eyes of every mother struggling to love, feed, clothe, and educate her children ....... how can I turn back?! And so....... Mac follows in the bloody footsteps ofJesus to the Fifth Station: SIMON OF CYRENE IS FORCED TO HELP JESUS CARRY HIS CROSS I can no longer carry this burden ....... the weight of it grows heavy. Some are graced to see my heart ....... to share the burden with me. Mac can now go ro the Sixth Station: VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF JESUS He sees the blood-stained face ofJesus upon the faces of all ....... torn by oppression, war and poverty . . .abuse and mediocrity. ..... .. and so he wipes his Savior's face with cloth and voice and love. Although it seems so paltry...... he clothes with hat and glove the ones who have nothing in this country of "brotherly love". ·Homeless Grapevine Page 18 And so ....... Maurice follows Jesus to the Seventh Station: JESUS FALLS A SECOND TIME With unwavering faith and energy given to him by God ....... he marched ....... and fell marched ....... and fell. His voice cries out to free mankind .. ..... his heart loves with an unwavering love for the dignity of all. And so ....... Mac follows Jesus to the Eighth Station: JESUS MEETS THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM Stop the war games! Lord, I pray! and put my body where my heart is ....... off to the pentagon he goes ........to tell them they must stop playing games ofwar ....... for if they don't their children will be n more. Their answer was, and is, (and I guess, it always will be) imprison him.... .... we do not want to hear the truth. He must go on Two of Cincinnati's growing number ofpanhandlers, ...despite the walls of prison .. .insults of providing the valuable service of reminding us that men this materialistic rat race we are caught up in may not be . . ..... bruises, slander and cattle prodders. as real as we convince ourselves it is His hands work untiringly to end all racial strife, and free men from oppression. and the poor. He brings hope where there was no hope. So, save your speeches and accolades ....... He has the hands and the heart of Christ. Feed the hungry And so ....... Maurice follows Jesus to the Ninth Station: JESUS FALLS THE THIRD TIME My health is failing my eyes grow dim my ears are weak my heart is skipping beats I'm often cracked with pain. .... ... I must go on .... for the race is not yet finished! Mac follows Jesus to the Tenth Station: JESUS IS STRIPPED OF HIS GARMENTS Others now must help me dress and bathe I surrender my dignity to you, Lord ... .... I identify with You ....... as You were stripped ofYour dignity too. in many ways, I am helpless ....... as were You ....... but my march goes on ....... to live my life for You. Through all the joy and pain of my latter years, My will to serve You grows ever stronger ...... to "run the good race" until the end. Mac continues in the footsteps of His Savior to the Eleventh Station: JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS I surrender to this cross ... .... as did You to Your Cross too. My life totally laid down in love for You . . . and those whom you have given me to serve ... .... and this has made all the difference! Mac follows Jesus on the Tree of Calvary to the Twelfth Station: JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS My blood, united with Yours .. . . . . . spilled out for all mankind. I love You, Jesus a n d I go all the way to the cross with You ...... I joyfuly mount the cross. My Father's Will has won the day ....... I now know peace within me. Awards and honors Mac longs not for ....... but freedom and justice for the oppressed Shelter the homeless Love the unloved Restore dignity to the undignified Turn the weapons of war into ploughshares and pruning hooks. Mac follows Jesus to the Thirteenth Station: JESUS IS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS AND LAID IN HIS MOTHER'S ARMS Many have been Mary to me ....... nurturing .. ... .. loving and allowing me, even encouraging me, to pick up my cross to come to follow you, Jesus. Thank You, Lord, for all the many ways You have shared Your mother with me. Maurice is now ready to go to the Fourteenth Station: JESUS IS LAID IN THE TOMB In the darkness of the tomb the Power of God bursts through. The Power that resurrected Lazarus resurrects me, too. His Power is there for all. Please open up your hearts. His love is mightier than the bomb, no evil force can stop it. It breaks through all division ...... . red and yellow black and white ..... .. will see with His pure vision. All are one in the Hean of God. In Him, there is no division. Love and Peace and Harmony will flourish as we forgive all others. Breaking down all walls and revealing all as brothers. We must let go of fear that keeps some others from us . Jesus, help us go beyond the darkness that now surrounds us . ...... knowing You have been there too. . ...... Your Mercy never leaves us. �STREETVIBES Consignment store in Clifton will benefit clinic The Central Clinic, a mental health service agency, is hoping bargain hunters will shop at a new consignment store in Clifton. Just a Second Showroom, 344 Ludlow Ave., opened this month to sell lamps, silver and other furnishings with the proceeds to benefit Central Clinic programs. Items can be donated or sold on consignment. For more information, ca/1861-8666. Kids Get Dental Disease Prevention Free Since 1984, children in C incin nati inner city schools and more recen tly t he surrounding nearby countjes, have received dental care that didn't take a bi te ouc of their parent's budgets. In fact, t he d ental sealants they received have significantly reduced the number of cavities they would have had without this disease preventative measure. T he sealant is a plastic coating, which keeps disease-causing germs out of the bad teeth by sealing over their tiny hiding places. Most cavities start on the back teeth because they have many small crevices where bacteria and food can be trapped and cause decay. The procedure is used on four to 16 teeth; depending on how many permanent molar and premolar teeth the children have in place at the time of the visit. T he sealant application is free, thanks to the Cincinnati H ealth D epartment and the Greater C incinnati Oral H ealth Council, a United Way/ Community C hest agency that has provided dental programs to the underserved since 1909. Schools selected for participation must have at least 50 percent of their students eligible for the free or reduced meals program. That means that most of the children are from families with incomes less than 18.5 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. The school based program targets children in the second, sixth and seventh grades and all special education students. D r. Lawrence Hill, Dental Director at the Cincinnati H ealth D epartment and volunteer Executive Director of the Oral Health Council explained that cavities, gum disease, poor dental hygiene and other problems are also noted during the examination. According to Dr. Hill, "Close to 40 percent of eight year-olds examined in the p rogram have uncreated dental infections, whlch can lead to a variety of problems. M any of these children go to bed at night in pain. They can't eat, they can't sleep and frankly, kids in pain aren't going to be able to learn when they are in school." At the time the sealant program began 16 years ago there were 20 schools participating. Today the Oral Health Council's Sealant Program serves children in a total of 112 schools, 62 that are in the inner city. With the help of state funds, the program has expanded co 50 schools in the surrounding areas of Hamilton, Bueler, Warren, Adams, Brown H ighland and Clermont counties. During the 1998-99 school year, the organization provided sealants to more than 3,600 inner city children and 3,380 county children. For additional information abo1't the programs andservices the Greater Cincinnati Oral Health Co1'ncil offers, pkase call (513) 621-0248. The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine Calling all African-American Playwrights! The Procter and Gamble Dreambuilder Celebration is an opportunity to submit original scripts . The best script will be produced to be shown on television , and the writer will receive $1 ,000. The purpose of the Dreambuilder Celebration is to promote African­ American script-writers and to unite people of all races together in brotherhood , education, and opportunity. To be eligible, entrants must be current residents or student residents of Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky or Detroit, Ml and be African-American . The script must be original, unpublished, and submitted by the author(s) of the work. A playwright may submit up to three separate scripts. The deadline for the contest is July 71h, 2000 at 5:00 p.m. - so get to work! To submit a script, send the entry to: Ron Carter's Comedy Corner Here comes the Judge. Judge: Yes, it's me; and I don't mean to do anybody any good this morning. And just to show you what I mean, I'm going to open the Court by giving myself six months. And if I'm going to do six months, anybody that is found gulty has now got a darn good idea about how much t ime they are going to do. So, bailiff, bring in the first victim . . .. . .. Bailiff: Judge, this guy said he is the one who introduced you to your wife. Judge: What! My wife! Life Sentence, you son of a gun! .... From the archfve5 of Judge Pi9meat Markham Classified PLACE your help wanted, for rent, for sale items in Streetvibes Classified. Rate is only $1 I line, free for 6 mo. if you're below the poverty line. The Dreambuilder Advertise Celebration Scribe Award Contest WCPO-TV, Channel 9 500 Central Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Any questions? Please call 533-4340 or (513) 255-0717. Page 19 Extra! Extra! Support Streetvibes by Advertising to Socially Conscious Readers! Rates: about 2 bucks per square inch Check us out, We're on TV! The band of a child ..... Bianca Wagner, 7 Streetvibes Live Radio Hour Tune in to WAIF 88.3 fm! on the second Saturday of each month at 12:00 noon for The Homeless Coalition's Live radio program. The show is co-hosted by Mary Burke, Donald Whitehead and other monthly guest hosts. The show mixes talk focusing on the stories in this paper and eclectic musical selections. The Streetvlbes TV Show is produced at the facilities of Media Bridges (Cincinnati Community Video), 2114 Reading Road, Cincinnati Ohio. If you would like to be a part of our live studio audience please call the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless at 421-7803 June Schedule Broadcast Dates for June's Show on Channel 24: (Please check your schedule) Saturday, July 1, at 5 PM Tuesday, July 11 , at 10 PM Saturday, July 15, at 5 PM Tuesday, July 25, at 1OAM Thursday, August 3, at 10 AM Broadcast schedules are subject to change - consult your local TV directory. Streetvibes TU covers news on POVertY. homelessness and related issues. If You would like to be a Part of the audience. or if You have ideas for future shows. call us at 421 -7803 �STREETVIBES The Tri-State's Homeless Grapevine Page 20 Vendor 5POfli2ht: Streetvibes has a minimal overhead cost so that the vendors can keep as much of the proceeds as possible. H anyone selling Streetvlbes clalms to be collectlng for a private charity, please call our office at421-7803. Homeless but not Hopeless .....by Mr. Lee ~ I am a young African-American male in my early 30's. Most people see me as being quiet, studious, and shy. My Southern upbringing and religious beliefs have shaped my personality and my speech. I'm unmarried, have no children and struggle with dealing with new people. I'm fortunate to own a car, although my only job is my one week-end a month commitment to the Army Reserve. I have few relatives in this area, and those I do have I don't get along with. It is difficult for me to identify w ith the other men who live in the shelter with me. I don't drink, nor do I do drugs. I have "problems," but I'm not really in the mental health system. My life is not what I would like it to be, but I know that God is watching over me. Today, I am homeless but not hopeless. Wish_List Streetvlbes newspaper is published monthly on a shoe-string budget from the offices of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. We depend heavily on the goodwill of many volunteers and donors. If you can help out with some of the items on our wish list, please give us a call... 0 Advertisers and Subscribers a Supplies for vendor's lounge (coffee, tea, paper towels, cream and sugar, cookies, etc.) a Photography Help of all sorts for Streetvibes - film, developing, a digital camera... SHELTERS: Women 8l1d Chlldren YWCA Battered Womens Shelter 872-9259 (Toll Free) 1-888-872-9259 Bethany House 557-2873 Salvation Army 762-5660 Welcome House 431-8717 SHELTER: Men City Gospel Mission Garden Street House Joseph House (Veterans) St. Francis- St Joseph House Mt. Airy Center Volunteers of America SHELTER: Both Caracole (AIDS) Chabad House Drop Inn Center (S.ngles) Friars Club Haven House (Hamilton) Interfaith Hospitality Network 241-5525 241-0490 241 -2965 381-4941 661-4620 381-1954 761-1480 821 -5100 721-0643 381-5432 863--8866 471-1100 .....Jerome Johnson a Pentium or fast 486 Computers/compo­ nents (monitors, hard drives, etc.), for story-writing, editing, research, and homeless computer lab If you can help!, contact us at: Streetvibes, clo Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, 1506 Elm Street Cincinnati, OH 45210 ph: (513) 421-7803, fax (513) 421-7813 e-mail: streetvibes@juno.com Need Help or Want to Help? If for some reason you find yourself home­ less, contact a Coalition Member Agency for Shelter, Treatment, Housing or Services. If you have any questions, feel free to call the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. I am a new vendor and I would like to share my experiences as a vendor. Since I became a vendor I have met a lot of interesting people. I have met people from all different walks of life. I really enjoy being a vendor and I enjoy meeting people. Being a vendor gives me something positive to do with my life. . Lighthouse Youth Center (Teens) St. John's Temporary Housing 961-4080 651-6446 HOUS.NG: CMHA Excel Development Miami Purchase OTA Housing Network ReSTOC Tender Mercies Tom Geiger House 721-4580 632-7149 241-0504 369-0004 381-1171 639-7056 961-4555 TREATMENT: Women O.D.A.A.T First Step Home 241 -7343 961-4663 TREATMENT: Men Charlie's 3/4 House Prospect House Starting Over 784-1853 921-1613 751-3260 TREATMENT: Both N.A. Hopeline A.A. Hotline C.C.A.T. Talbert House Transitions, Inc. VA Domiciliary 820-2947 861-9966 381-6660 684-7956 491-4435 559-5011 end resume to: 1012 W h Street, NW, Suite 600 Wa~hington, DC 20005-3406 hone: (202) 737-6444, Fax: (202) 737-6445 mail: nch@ari.net. Web page: http://nch.ari.net eople who are homeless andformerly omeless are encouraged to apply. OlltER SERVICES: AIDS Volunteers of Cincinnati 421 -2437 Appalachian Identity Center621-5991 Beech Acres 23H3630 Center for Independent living Options 241 -2600 Churches Active In Northside 591-2246 Cincinnati Health Network 961-0600 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Emanuel Community Center 241-2563 241 -1 064 Freestore/Foodbank Goodwill Industries n1-4800 Greater Cinti. Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 Hamilton Co.Mental Health Bd. 621 -7149 Hamilton Co. TB Control 632-7186 Health Resource Center 357-4602 Homeless Mobile Health Van . 352-2902 House of Refuge Mission 221-3619 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Madisonville Ed. & Assistance Ctr. 271-5501 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 Oral Health Council 621-0248 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 357-5720 Project Connect- Homeless Kids 721-7660 Travelers Aid United Way 721-7900 VA Homeless Program 572-6226 Women's Crisis Center 491-3335 Women Helping Women 872-9259 � 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 2000 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 2000 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Laurel Homes Demolition Temporarily Halted Texas Executed Shaka Sankofa Pg 2: New Director at GCCH Pg 3: The WTO’s History: “Free Trade” and its Lasting Implications Fair Trade, the Alternative to Free Trade Pg 4: “Don’t Spend a Nickel on Mt. Olive Pickle!” Pg 5: Pickle Continued Pg 6: Welfare News Pg 7: Class Inequality in American Education Pg 8: Congress Closes US Army School of the Americas, Gives Okay to Open Clone Pg 9: Prisoners’ News Pg 10: Prisoners’ News Continued: Death Penalty Pg 11: The Campaign for Safer Neighborhoods Organizes Against Toxic Emissions in Hamilton County Pg 12: Pending Federal Mental Health Legislation Boggles the Mind Pg 13: Interview with a Caged Warrior: Leonard Peltier Pg 14: 12th Annual “Teaming up for the Homeless” Pg 15: Street Scopes Pg 16: Drop Inn Center 5k Run and Walk Pg 17: Poetry and Art Pg 18: The March of Life 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 2000 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Alicia Beck Susan Knight Tom Billman John Halpin Dan Marschner Ron Carter Warren Perkins Pat Mitchell Jamaal Coleman Mary A. Gaffney Sonny Williams Rodney Sutton Lynn Williams Alanna Maloney M. Emily Cragg Erika Robers John Criswell Mr. Lee Grady Cook Joani Lacy Bianca Wagner Patrick Mosolf Ginger Brock Berta Lambert Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Alanna Maloney Alicia Beck Arts & Poetry Berta Lambert Bianca Wagner Class Inequality Congress Dan Marschner Death Penalty demolition Drop Inn Center education Erika Robers GCCH Ginger Brock Grady Cook Inequality Jamaal Coleman Joani Lacy John Criswell John Halpin Leonard Peltier Lynn Williams M. Emily Cragg Mary A. Gaffney mental health Mr. Lee Pat Mitchell Patrick Mosolf Pickle Prison prisoners news Rodney Sutton Ron Carter School SOA Sonny Williams Street Scope Susan Knight Tom Billman US Army Warren Perkins welfare news WTO https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/f14f41947c0cc9b6380afaced96efe37.pdf 310fb467ea1eaf62c37d9ae946efbbfb PDF Text Text T E TRI-STATE'S HO)M£ LESS tiRA.PE\flNE BU~ FROM BAD6£D '\fENDORS ONLY' JU TER ~INCINNATI r Y 2001 $1 DONATION �( . JULY 2001 STREET VIEW MT. AIRY By Riccardo M. Taylor SHELTER TO REMAIN OPEN by Alicia Beck Th e cons.tantly changin g perception of the street person' s world is in and of itself a fascinating aspect of the reality of the street world. The detailed changes that occur on a constant basis are both unique in their own right, as well as unpredictable their m occurrence. The idea that • one's whol.e world can change in just a day or even a matter of Riccardo M. Taylor hours is a rea lity that only experience can prepare one for. To give an idea of what I am talking about you will have to bare the narrative I am about to te11. I would appreciate if our readers will keep an open mind realizing tha~ most of those who are subjected to the street life are without the strength or know how to change things. The recent change of season has brought about a new facet of the year round transitions that the street person sees. Although each season has its own needs in the way of survival techniques, the day to day reality ofsurvival is as pertinent. For those who live the life of the street there is no sense of pattern, in that the same thing always works out the same way. For instance, one day may be all right to panhandle whereas the next day may require a different approach (to obtaining money's, or what ever else may be need for the day's survival). The street person has to learn all the games and schemes of the iife'. One has to be able to lie, steal, cheat, or otherwise deceive or outwit his mark, if he is to succeed in obtaining what it is he has set out to get. The most prevalent tool of the street perso ns' cache is deception. Even so, the deception is not always practiced with malice or with intent of hurting anyone, but it · is perceived as a necessary option for the gainful survival of the street person. Trapped in a reality which can only be understood by those live in the street life, all seems right. It is often by any means necessary that the street person believes they can survive. Talcing an up front and personal look at a day in the life of the street person, let us share a day in the street. (Now here we are talking about those who are in the street and 1ive the fast life). After taking care of the preliminaries ie. Bathing, feeding, See View, continued page 19 porary assistance to over 700 men a year. Angered by the County's appar­ ent disregard for the needs of single men struggling out of poverty, home­ less advocates rallied support for the shelter. Advocates efforts paid off in the end when HCDHS recom­ mended to the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners that the shelter remain in county control. In a memo dated June 14th to the Board of Co11nty Commissioners, the HCDHS acknowledged that "Hamilton County has a commi_t­ ment to other local partners in this program (Mt. Airy)". The memo, as drafted by D~vid Krings and Don Thomas, also pointed out that "Tem­ porary housing helps homeless men take advantage of rehabilitative sub­ slance abuse and· mental health counseling. Mt. Airy is a unique component of the local Continuwn of Care Plan, which attracts outside funding for the homeless." However, despite these acknowlSee Mt. Airy, continued page 18 Recent budget cuts at the Hamilton County Department of Human Services (HCDHS) placed the future of Mt. Airy ~helter Cen­ ter for men in jeopardy. However, after considering the importance of Mt. Airy in the continuum of ser­ vices for homeless individuals and with protesters kno.cking on their door, HCDHS has decided to keep Mt. Airy open. On June lst, as administrators at the Hamilton County Department of Human Services continued to dis­ . cuss the impending cuts in their bud­ get, protesters led by the Greater Cincinnati CoaUtion for the Home­ less rallied outside HCDHS offices to garner support for the only county run shelter for homeless men. A few weeks earlier, homeless advocates had been stunned to find out that the long standing shelter had been slated for closure by Don Thomas, Direc­ tor of HCDHS. Mt. Airy Shelter Center has been quietly providing a sanctuary of rehabilitation for . Cincinnati's homeless since the late 1930's. Being virtually the only ser­ vice the Hamilton County Dep~­ ment of Human Services provides Protesters outside the Hamilton County Department of Human Services for men, the shelter provides tern- demand that.Mt. Airy Shelter remain county-run. photo by Jimmy Heath 1--------------------------------------------------------------------------------­ No walls, H OME AWAY FROM HOME Faces scarred bis future Home Dark Blue Clouds quickly overcast a sunny day His last unemploym~nt check Came knocking on his door an eviction notice followed like a hitchhiker Home Away from Hoine Called his brother made arrangements Stood for awhile Nothing felt his ·the water felt borrowed Like lint infringement settled in It was kind of his brother but he had to go and fine another way Home in a Shelter Unknown, crowded strangers sharing the same conditions a place to sleep to come in before curfew. depicted, there's no way out. Property up for grabs thieves' blades scarred jean pockets stole minimal street wages Couldn' t sleep Unfamiliar sounds haunted his ears Street lights reflected restless shadows roaming on ceilings and walls, seeking rest. Circles under his eyes, from guarding the night, one late night he left. Home in a Welfare Hotel Private rooms. Lobby secured. People needed a pass to pass a reason to visit. No stoves, no hot meals, that's the hotel's deal. Elevators skipped stops. Lead-poisoned walls next to children's beds. No neighborhood no neighbors ­ only skyscrapers shield his status. Home on the Streets Too hot, too cold. Memories of yesterday started to efface, his dignity begins to evaporate Hope has been adopted Living quarters: the streets Sleeping arrangements: the trains Bathroom: out of order Kitchen: at the comer He lies down to rest on a dead-end street. VICTOR M. VELEZ REPRINTED FROM " A QUEST FOR ANSWERS" Inside Streetvibes GCCH News Local Ne\vs National News Recovery Ne\\-'S Prisoners News Feature Section Editorial Page Art & Poetry l\:lental Health Veggie Vibes Page2 Page3 _, Page6 Page7 Page 8 Pag.e 10 Page 12 Page 14 Page 16 Page 17 GREATER CINCINNATI COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS �.' STREETVIBES JULY 2001 .. GCCH NEWS Page 2 would appreciate all the help he can get, so if anyone would like to sup­ T he Tri-State's port Streetvibes in any way, please by Dan Marschner tremely important, and Susan let him know at (513) 421-7803. Homeless Grapevine Knight's fiery activism fqrces this Jimmy, I know that you'll take this I hate farewe11s. I always forget pap~r. to consider who and what we paper to a whole new level of excel­ Streetvibes, the Tri-State's someone, and I never can express represent. Miss Mary Taylor and lence: Homeless Grapevine, is a newspa­ exactly what someone has meant to Miss Mary Gaffney are wonderful pei;: written by, for, and about To Mr. Lee, David Mitchell, me. However, on the occasion of my sources of support and encourage­ Booger Love, and all the other vi­ homelessness, social justice, and last issue as Streetvibes editor, I have ment, and without them the GCCH sionaries: keep dreaming about how poverty-related issues. It is the perfect opportunity. I can't ig­ would_crumble. These people in­ great a paper Streetvibes can be­ published once a month by the Greater Cin£{nnati Coalition for nore it. Here goes... come. You inspired me I am leavjng the Homeless. to search for ways to Streetvibes after an in­ Becoming a Streetvibes make Streetvibes better. credible year to live Vendor is a great way for home­ Your energy for the pa­ and work in Arica, less and other l9w-income people perh~lped maintain my Chile, for two years. I to get back o~ (or stay on) their enthusiasm. will be part of the Je­ feet. Streetvil:ies Vendors are To the vendors: keep suit\ToJunteers Interna­ given an orientation and sign a up the good work. My tional, a group of 80 code of conduct before being friendships with many volull:teers worldwide given a Streetvibes Vendor badge. of you are something who commit them­ The Greater Cincinnati rn always remember. selves to living in soli­ Coalition for the Homeless is a You are a very talented darity with impover­ group of shelters, agencies and group of people, and ished people. Al­ individuals committed to ending you never let things get though I know that my dull around the office. homelessness in Cincinnati experience with JVI is I hope that many of you through coordinating services, an amazing new cha1­ educating the public and ' - - - - - ­ use Streetvibes as a lenge, I leave with a Thanks to my mentor, Tom Billman 1 -and all the other people stepping stone to a betgrassroots organizing. heavy heru1. I wish that that made Streetvibes such a great experien~e. ter position in life. I didn't have to leave photo by Susan Knight Streetvibes' readers ap­ GCCHStaff an the people that made this year me to put my heart and soul preciate all your dedication, and I spired Alicia Beck Executive Director such a wonderful one. Rest assured into Streetvibes, and I can' t thank thank you for expanding my under­ Susan Knight Administrative that I will always hold your memory them enough. standing of homeless people. Coordinator dear. To Mr. Tom Billman, my men­ Finally, to my friends and fam­ Dan Marschner Editor First and foremost, to the read­ tor: thanks for teachiog me what this ily: thanks for believi ng in me. Mary Gaffney Receptionist ers. Without you, Streetvibes would paper believes. Tom was trye first Working at this paper is quite a Mary Taylor Receptionist th'an a pipe -dream. be little more GCCH staff member to'Concentrate rollercoaster ride, yet you encour­ Molly Lyons Americorps * Vista Your support of the. vendors has been exclusi vely on Streetvibes, and the aged me throughout the year. I was Sonny Williams Prison News Editor vital to the health of this paper. Also, newspaper significantly improved able to share my joy and frustration H. Lee Bowen Recovery EdHor Mental Health Editor your thoughts and suggestions about under his direction. Tom provided with you, and you let me rant about the paper have made Streetvibes into the flexibility to keep the paper all the insanity that surrounds home­ Writers a stronger and more relevant publi­ growing and expanding our reader­ Iessness in the United States. I Alicia Beck Riccardo Taylor cation. Thank you for supporting our ship base. Without Tom, Streetvibes would have collapsed in a matter of Dan Marschner Mr. Lee efforts to be the voice of homeless would never have become "one of hours without you. · David Mitchell Brian Garry and impoverished people in Greater the top ten street newspapers in the I will miss Streetvibes and every­ Dana Tetrell John Perotti Cincinnati. You chalJenged me to country" (Michael Stoops, North thing it represents tremendously. Pam Johnson Victor M. Velez improve Streetvibes, and the paper's American Street Newspaper Asso­ Streetvibes is just scratching the sur­ Sonny Williams Lemuel Israel continued success has resulted. ciation.) face of its potential. I hate to go, James Blackmon lyndigoh To the staff of the Greater Cin­ To Jimmy Heath, the former and but I am leaving convinced that the Edna Smith Ben Gilbert cinnati Coalition for the Homeless: future edjtor of Streitvibes: take paper is in good hands. I expect that Susan Hueskcn Steve Sunderland your patience with me has been cru­ good care of my baby. I am confi­ homelessness in Greater Cincinnati Anne Anderson cial to Streetvibes' success. Alicia dent that you will continue to im­ will be only a distant memory when Ronald Leroy English Beck's visionary leadership is ex- prove the paper. I know that Jimmy I return. Kim Ren~y Dumas Tuqman Bahir Taqwt1im STREETVIBES Time to Say Goodbye Streetvibes Vendor Code Each vendor has to sign the following code to be able to sell the paper. Photographers Berta Lambert Susan Knight Jimmy Heath Jerome Manigan Streetvibes accepts letters, poems; stories, essays, original graphics, photos .... We will give prefer­ ence to those who are homeless or vendors. Subscriptions to Streetvibes can be purchased for $15 per year. do Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH) 1506 Elm Street Cincinnati, OH 45210 (513) 421-7803 fax (513) 421-7813; e-mail: streetvibes@juno.com ~eb page: hUR:ll~incf.comtgccb .. distributors. 1. Streetvibes will be distributed for a $1 voluntary 6. I agree not co deceive the public by saying that donation. I agree not to ask for donations I am collecting for a not-for-profit charity or more than $1 . I also understand that I will be that I all?- collecting for rhe "homeless" in able to keep 80 cents of each dollar collected. general. I will be honest in stating that all the Future issues of Streetvibes will be purchased profits from the sale of Streetvibes will go to the from the Homeless Coalition for 20 cents. individual vendor. 2. I agree that I will never distribute Streetvibes 7. I agree that I will not contest territories with while undet the ipfluence of drugs or alcohol. other distributors. 3. I agree that I will not ask for donations after 12 8. I understand that Streetvibes strives to be a self­ midnight. supporcing paper created by people who are 4. I agree to treat others with respect. I will not homeless or formerly homeless. To help in this use abusive language or force someone to give a effort, I will try to spread the word and write donation. I will not give a "hard sell" or make stories if possible. someone feel threatened. 9. I understand that failure to comply with any of 5. I agree that I will not supply copies of the above statements will result in me no Streetvibes to persons who are not registered longer being able to distribute Str~etvibes. �' . : : I LOCAL NEWS STREETVIBES JULY 2001 Page 3 Cincinnati's Conspiracy Speech Read at City Hall by David Mitchell The powers that be are lying and concealing the truth because of their own illegal and unethical acts that they do not want to be made pub­ lic. Using the media to fulfill their own political agenda, placing the spotlight anywhere they can as long as it is not pointing directly at them. Diversionary tactics, misinforming the public, distorting our under­ standing with complete, fabricated versions of what has taken place during the last few months, and for that matter, this entire nation's his­ tory. Now I am a man caught directly in the middle of politics, only be­ cause of using my First Amendment right of ~reedom of Speech to al­ low the public to have access to the truth, rather than to a clever decep­ tion. They're holding a veil over the people's eyes. And, of course, there are always those things that even they do not record in written form because it is evidence that could later be used to incriminate them. Fabricated police reports and ly­ ing testimonies - these were proven in Cheryl Grant's courtroom when one of the protesters was found in­ nocent ofhis charges.· She said that there was no evidence of any crime being comrp.i tted. And so has been the case in a great number of the innocent people who have been ha­ rassed, beaten, and incarcerated. It is amazing how far the city's officials go to conceal the truth. In­ timidation and military tactics are some of their best weapons. Here are some facts about the supervi­ sion of the Police Department: Chief Striker, in 1980, while acting as an undercover drug en­ forcement officer, murdered an un­ armed man simply because he had his hands in his pocket. He was later exonerated and eventually pro­ moted to Chief in the footsteps of his father. Keith Fangman, President of the Fraternal Order of Police, by David Mitchell threatened one individual (during my rights as an American citizen. the TABD protests), "Give me a My name is David Mitchell. I We were maced and denied proper reason to break your legs." The am a reporter for Streetvibes news­ medical treatment. Dehumanized person responded, "Is. exerdsing paper, and I have some facts to speak and demoralized, I was beaten by my right to freedom of assembly a about here today. My story is simi- corrections officers in the injustice reason to break my legs?" Officer Iar to the story ofmany young black center; shocked with tasers, and vili­ Perkins, who was standin_g next to men in this city. I recognize that pro­ fied in the media. We were given Fangman, st~ted, " You do not have tecting fias its risks, but that is no extremely high bonds, subjected to any rights." excuse for Police Brutality. The con­ cruel and unusual punishment. Our Lieutenant Colonel Jankie, dur­ tinued use of excessive force by this constitutional rights cannot be ig­ ing April's protests, threatened me city's police force cannot go unpun­ nored. They will be acknowledged. ished. . I will not and this city will not live many times, saying he was going The harassment, murders, bru­ in fear of any police officers, cor­ to throw me in jail. Not to mention talization and incarceration of inno­ rections officers, or any federal, state the Mt. Adams protests, the day of cent people must be recognized. We or local authorities who are servants the March for Justice when he said the people are outraged at this hy­ themselves of the laws of this land. he was going to have me whacked pocrisy. I will not stand by and be They are here to protect and serve ­ and arrested. silent. The threats made by police, it is the very oath they have taken. Why are our rights being. ig­ · one of whom Lt. Colonel Janke, who They must act as officers of the nored? There are no public offi­ said he would have me "whacked people and not as Gestapos. Give cials who are above the law. These and arrested", to quote bis exact me freedom or give me death in the men are abusing their power, which words, and their intimidation and words written on the back of this was given to them by the people; in military tactics must stop. I was ar­ country's currency; that's all I feel turn it is the people they suppos­ rested along with another protester · the majority of those of you in power edly protect and serve. But not ev­ Saturday afternoon for exercising in this city are concerned with. eryone is receiving an equal administration of the law. The 550 cor­ ings from business to residential to porations that pay taxes directly the homeless, I have made personal back to themselves have been pro­ bylyndigoh contact. I feel like I am searching tected while innocent men, women for a few lost sheep in the midst of and children of all ethnic back­ The voices I hear in Cincinnati herds of goats. These things were grounds have suffered at the hands and the things I've seen. Just a por­ possible to experience because my of the police, acting as a modern tion of one servant's journey. My time has completely been God's day Gestapo. mind goes back to March 30, 2001 time. I have learned that there is no In an unjust system, complete about seven days before the death of such thing as time, just timing, and with an Injustice Center, the rich are two small children and one teenager. God is the Timer. The real war in being protected because of their That's three souls and soon after life is that people are scared to love wealth and the poor are left vulner­ there were the riots, something that each other because they don't know has caused this city and the people each other. Therefore there is no able because of their poverty. in it to take a very close look at them­ understanding and without these we This smoke screen of a FBI in­ vestigation just buys them more selves. We have many groups ac­ won't know how to love each other. time to ignore the ever growing tively living in the city, such as the It is time to throw away religion and number of problems between the angry, terrified, ready_to kill, thieves, pick up God. If tomorrow is not community and the police. They God fearing and of course the chil­ promised to any man then we don 't are discrediting anyone who they dren. From March 30 to present I have time to judge for all shall be believe is a political threat to them, have been blessed to see much. I judged. So that means you really . keeping lists of political activists. have walked all the streets from 3rd control your own destiny by the street to the city of Avondale, from choices you make. 50150 baby! The police have taken Polaroids; Reading Road to Linn St. Every Just a thought for the Fruit of the one of me was taken after I had been street, alley way, abandoned. build­ Mind! maced in Mt. Adams. I received confirmation of the 11sts from Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune who personally told me, "They do have their lists, don' t Cli££ord Jones they?" 1--------------------------­ Soul Searching (513) 761 - 3464 Social Security/SS! Denied? t. • @"C.'oO\.~C C>-~ail: jonesacV Call John M. Keegan Attorney at Law Practice concentrated in Social Security/SSI Disability Law NO FEE UNLESS WE WIN ~ (513) 651-9222 Office Voicernail ""·c~ c,~11 <1ticxchange· cF Are you a dedicated indMdual with a desire to educate the public about homelessness? Volunteer ·at Streetvibesi We need writers, photograpers, editors, webpage updators, any help you can provide. 4l FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION (5 13) .230-635 3 ww- Call 421-7803 for more infonnation. �STREETVIBES JULY 2001 Page 4 The first man (a Republican) The black man's face held his back, Bespoke revenge, Six humans trapped For on the faces around the fire As the fo·e passed from sight; by happenstance For all he saw in his stick of wood He notice one was black. in black and bitter cold. Was a chance to spite the white. Each one possessed The next man (a Christian-muslim­ a stick of wood , The last man of this forlorn group jewish-fundamental­ nondennominatinalist) , Or so the story's told. Did naught except for gain, looking across the way, Givi ng on ly to those who gave Saw one not of his Their dying fire in need of logs, Was how he played the game. The fi rst man held his back, . church/temple/mosque/hall For on the faces around the fire And couldn 't bring himself to give Their logs held tight He noticed one was black. The fire his stick of birch. In death 's still hands Was proof of human sin. The next man, The third man sat in tattered They didn't die looking across the way, clothes (from 12th and Republic) from the cold without; Saw one not of his church, He gave his coat a hitch. They died from the cold within. And couldn 't bring himself to give Why should he put his log to use To warm the idle rich. The fire his stick of birch. ZOE RANKIN l THE COLD WITH IN For all he saw in his stick of wood Was a chance to spite the white (police). The last man (Mr. small businessman/politician) in this forlorn group Did naught except for gain , Giving only to those (his customers/supporters) who gave Was bow he played the gan1e. Their logs held tight In death's still hands Was proof of human sin. They didn ' t die from the cold without; They died from the cold within. LETTER ' S FROM ANNA . The third man sat in tattered clothes He gave his coat a hitch. Why should he put his log to use To warm the idle rich. The rich man just sat back And thought Of the wealth he had in store, And how to keep what he had earned From the lazy, shiftless poor. TH E COLD WITHIN ...C INCINNATI Six Cincinnatians trapped by happenstance in black and bitter cold. Each one possessed a stick of wood, Or so the story's told. Their dying fire in need of logs, The rich man (East Side Executive) just sat back And thought Of the wealth he had in store, anc;l how to keep what he had earned From the lazy, shiftless poor. The black man's (George Abdul Anybrother) face Bespoke revenge, As the fire passed from sight; Are you listening Cincinnati? Do you feel me? Does Anyone know what time it is? Do you feel the love in the City? Well, I don' t know about you, but I'm having a little difficulty in feeli ng it. CREAT IVE LIBERTIES TAKEN AND POSSIBLY ABUSED BY MR. LEE OHIO BICENTENNIAL RMRNOTE CARDS THE GREATER CINCINNATI COALITION FOR THE HOMELI;SS, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE · O H IO NATURAL HERITAGE RIVER SYST EM D ESIGNEES, INDEPEND ENT RNERI WATERSHED PROTECTION ORGANI ZATIONS AND HISTORICAL SO CIETIES . T HROUGHOUT OHIO, AND '"·) .. RIVERS UNLIMIT ED PROUDLY PRESENTS A SPECIAL BICENTENNIAL PROJECT HIGHLIGHTING T HE SIGNIFICANCE OF RIVERS AND STREAMS IN OUR STATE'S HISTORY. _.., __ ...,. ___ _ BY ORDERING T HRO UGH THE COALITION FOR T H E HOMELESS , 50% OF YOUR CONTRIBUT ION WILL GO TO ASSIST OUR WORK! "'~~1if'... ... GO. ..._ _ _ FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE CARDS OR WHERE TO PURCHASE THEM LOCALLY, CALL THE GREATER CINCINNATI COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS AT (513) 421-7803 OR RIVERS UNLIMITED AT (513) 891-4592 . �STREETVIBES JULY 2001 Paxton Sings for the Environment and Cincinnati's Homeless On September 6, 2001 , Tom Paxton will perform at the 20th Cen­ tury Theater in Oakley. The concert is a jojnt fundraiser for the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Home­ less and Rivers Unlimited. Mr. Paxton's songs are known and loved around the world and have been re­ corded by hundreds of artists as di­ verse as Pete Seege r , W i I I i e Nelson an d Pl ac ido Domi n go. " Ramblin ' Boy,;' "The Las t Th ing on my Mind ," " Bottle of Wine ," "Goin' to the Zoo," a nd " Marvelous Boy" are just a few of his songs to have Cincinnati Coalition for the Home­ less will showcase art produced by homeless and formerly homeless in­ dividual s in Greater Cincinnati. Mr. Paxton's performance is part of a three-city concert tour planned for Ohio this September to benefit state and local environmental and social pro­ grams. Per­ formance dates are: Ci.nc i n nati , September 6; Co lumbu s, September 7; and C leve­ land, Sep­ te mber.· 8: The Cleve­ land concert wi ll be held at J(jva Audi­ torium at the Kent State Univer s i ty Center ( WKSU). The concert is cospo n­ by sored been ab. Earth Shares ·b d . Tom Paxton will perform at the 20th sor e rnto of Ohio, the th 0 1 t Century Theat~r on September 6, 2001 to Earth Day ~ t ~a ra- benefit the GCCH and Rivers Unlimited. d I l 0 fl . Coa lition, Nanci Griffith has said, " I think we Rivers Unlimited and WKSU -Pub­ are all born singing Tom Paxton lie Radio. songs." For young listeners, Tom has For information about tickets recorded several albums of his own call Rivers Unlimited at (513) 761­ songs and sold his sixteenth book to 4003 or the Greater Cincinnati Coa­ Morrow Junior Books: "The Story lition for the Homeless at (5 13) 421­ of the Sandman". 7803. As part of the event, the Greater The GCCH would like to thank this Starbucks location for their generous donation of coffee ru;id pastries. 3366 Erie Avenue East Hyde Park (513) 533-3402 Advertise to Socially Conscious Readers! Call 421-7803 for more information about how advertising in Streetvibes will work for your business Custom Sizes Available! LOCAL NEWS RIGHT TO FLY Walk with your head held up, don't look down, the paths th at you must travel are no longer for­ bidden, you have the right to fly­ make a sound, Open your.eyes see who your are, a work of art, fimuy structured with a strong mind and heart and the abilities to achieve, if something becomes a challenge, don't tum away-believe in your­ self and al that you can do, stand your ground, you hav~ the right to fly-make a sound, reach for new heights, don't a11ow obstacles to bind you down, spread your wings and fly-make a sound, if you have something on your mind, one step forward is an it takes s ay what you want to say-for the darkness of you sh al I prosper Some day, learn and earn, build yourself a future, plant some seeds and nurture th em well and a healthy garden will prevail, no one can bender what's meant to be, right to fly-right to be free, no matter where you ' re from or who you are-courage and hard work will bring you far, let the pride of you shine, because you already have the best weapon to fight with, your mind-no one can t~ke what's truly yours or hold you down, let your talents glow-for the power that you possess comes from within you, it's your right to fly-make a sound. None of us asked for or pur­ chased the handicaps that we bare, so therefore we shall not be held back. Page 5 Soul of my heart In dreams of my mind I pray to God Singing my song Pri ce of hope Loving thy self Glory Hallelujah Blessed in the name of Jesus Christ 0 Lord, King of Kings To come down from Heaven In thy name, 0 Lord I call upon you To save me Aod in the world of sin Of damnation Though I pray Repent Of peace in my Father's house Blessed are thy children Generations Of thy father and mother I stand before you Dare I sit On the throne of judgement RONALD LEROY ENGLISH Emotional hatred of sati sfaction from dealing with people's lies hatred made up of unpleased torment a man's personality of a woman's satisfaction of being alone Connected in heart, mind and soul From dealing with One another's life ln a world of people's life By helping them overcome their mishatred of belief in honor righteousness of trust their feelings of being involved of themselves to do the impossible and that is to go where some has gone before. KIM RENAY DUMAS RONALD LEROY ENGLISH STREETVIBES TELEVISION Streetvibes TV is produced Live, the Second Tuesday of each month, 7 - 8 PM, at Media Bridges, 2114 Reading Road, Cincinnati' Ohio. If you would like to participate in making an episode of Streetvibes TV, please call us at 421-7803. July $chedule Re-Broadcast Dates for May's Show on Channel 24: (Please check your schedule) Friday, July 13, at 5 p.m. Saturday, July 21, at 9 p.m. Tuesday, July 24, at 9 ·p.m . Friday, July 27, at 5 p.m. Broadcast schedules are subject to change ­ Consult your local TV directory. �STREETVIBES JULY 2001 Page 6 Scarcity of Resources Often Sends Woinen Back to Abuser by Angela Joyce reprinted from the Cleveland Homeless Grapevine A few weeks ago, I did a presentation on homelessness at a local high school. I always begin my presentations by asking students to tell me what type of person they think of whe n th ey think of homelessness; the response is always the same - male, African-American, older, mentally ill or addicted to drugs and alcohol. Women and children never enter the average person's mind when they think of the homeless; however, women and children are among th e fastest growing populations that are becoming homeless. According to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, si ngle women make up 14% of the homeless populatio~ and a 1998 U.S. Conference of Mayors survey of 30 American cities found that fam ili es compris~ 38% of th e homeless population. Women become homeless for the same variety of reasons that men do: drugs and alcohol, mental illness, low income jobs, failing health, lack of affordable housing, etc. There is never any one reason why people become homeless. However, one of the unique causes of homelessness fo r women is domestic violence. When a woman decides to leave an abusive relationship, she usually has nowhere to go. Lack of ·affordable housing and constantly full shelters often force women and their children to choose between living with an abuser or on the streets. Twenty-one percen t of -Cleveland's homeless population are fleei ng a domestic violence situatfon. I wanted to hear fir'st hand what it was like to be a homeless woman in Cleveland, so I spoke with three formerly homeless women about their experiences in trying to find shelter and housing. All three women who I spoke with became ho meless because they fled a domestic violence situation. Each of the three women, June, Marie, and Crystal, told me why she became homeless and what she went through to get housing. June's problem began with her husband's drinking and drug use. She f i n a 11 y decided that she could no longer live with hi s addictions and left. She was not prepared to leave, she had nowhere to go, but she' d had enough. June has a family, but she didn't want to be a burden on them, so she tried her luck on her own. June has horror stories of trying to find shelter: "Every place will tell you they ' re currently full and you need to try calling back in a couple of days." You have to be persistent and patient to get into a shelter. The shelters are always full, and even when you can get in you can only stay there for a limited till?e. June spent many nights sleeping in ho spital waiting rooms or bus stations. She commented: "As long as you don' t look homeless you can get away with it, but the moment yo ur appearance begins to slip, they'll kick you out." June finally got into the Displaced Homemakers program and later into a housing program. She is currently enrolled Poverty and Police Violence in Canada by Pam Johnson Toronto, Canada is the largest and richest city in Canada. It is also becoming the meanest city. The rate of homeless and poverty has been steadily increasing for the last J5 years. During what was called an economic boom in the 1990's the social safety net which includes a universal health care system has been steadily eroded. At the same time, corporations and banks posted record profits and the salaries of CEO's increased. Current estimates are that 6000 people are homeless in Toronto and that the number wilJ be 10,000 very soo n. Hous ing is the biggest problem facing the poor, the mentally ill, immigrants and anyone on a fi xed income. Since 1985 federal and local governments have gotten out of social housing. Welfare has been cut, programs for single mothers, day care and educational programs have been eroded. Hand in band with increased poverty and cuts to social services has been a rise in police brutality. Police increasingly harasses people thrown onto the streets. People are routinely swept from parks and other public spaces. Hostels and shelters are not able to deal with the demand- their funding is being cut. Police have kilJed a doze n unarmed people in the last 10 years, most were young men of color. Not a single cop has been indicted even when evidence indicates they did not need to draw their gun. The effect is that the poor are being criminalized and victimized because of their disenfranchisement by a system that rewards the rich. in college, continues with therapy, and is involved with numerous volunteer programs that help the homeless and victims of domestic violence. Marie also became homeless when she decided to leave h er abusive husband. She first spent two days on the telephone talkin~ with counselors and fi guring out her options. Fortunately, they were able to get her a bed at Angeline Christian Home within three days . . At that time, she was not o n 1 Y distraught from her h o m e situation but s he was also very ill and was in desperate need ofsurgery. She stayed a week and a half at the shelter and luckily the staff pulled some strings and was able to get her into transitional housing. "There would have been nowhere for me to go had they not pulled stri ngs for me. I hate to say it, but had I not got into tran sition al housing, I would have gone back to my husband." It was still a hard struggle after Marie was placed into transiti onal housing. She stayed there for fourteen months and she suffered from severe depression and was also recovering from surgery. "It was a hard struggle, b ut I gradually got better. Now I live in public housing, I'm attending bible college and I have a job." June and Marie were both lucky to find a spot in transitional housing, but the majority of women do not make it in. Crystal is ao example. Crystal also fled a domestic violence situation and had no place to go. She wasn' t able to find shelter, so she began working at the temporary labor agencies. Crystal was only qualified for the minimum wage jobs, so by the time taxes were taken out and fees accrued she would make about $30 per day. She would have to eat at a restaurant and get a cheap motel for the night. After this she had five dollars left each day, which was just enough to buy her bus fare for the next day so she could get up and do it all over again. "I would have to be at the temp agency at 5:00 a.m., otherwise you would risk not being sent out that day. It was this endless cycle and I was never even ten dollars ahead." Crystal eventually caught pneumonia and was hospitalized. She was released from the hospital after only two days. After being sick she tried living with friends and even other men, but it never worked out. She is currently living with her family and slowly getting back on her feet. It is not uncommon for women (especially women with children) to have difficulty finding shelter no matter what their reasons for bei ng homeless. The lack of shelter space for women and their children is a nationwide problem. The U.S. Conference on Mayors estimated that 32 percent of requests for shelter by homeless families were denied in 1998 due to lack of resources. In Cleveland there are 50 spaces for overflow/drop-in shelter, 288 spaces available for emergency shelter (the length ofstay is 30-90 days, an~ 252 units. of transitional shelter (length of stay four months to two years). This makes a total of 590 shelter spaces for over 2000 people per night. This reality is increasing being challenged in Toronto. One group, th e Ontario Coalition Against P<;>verty (OCAP), has been regul arly rallying to support the poor and pointing the finger at police brutality. They have been joined by young activists in the anti-globalization moveme nt and by trade unio n activists to keep police violence and poverty in the public eye through militant protests and unified campaigns. When a man was killed by 4 cops after a minor disturbance in a store, a coalition formed to push to bring the killer cops to justice. This coalition, which includes many different groups, has been very effective in bringing the injustice to people's attentio.n and keeping pressure on the police. When Torontonians heard that there was a rebellion on the streets of Cincinnati because police shot a black man, we understood. Many people were in sympathy with people on the streets who want to see real justice done- not the justice of a greedy system. In Toronto, people are increasingly taking to the streets to try to get what they cannot achieve through voting. Even though we are in different countries, out problems and issue are the same. Hundreds of Americans came to Canada in April, 2 weeks after the Cincinnati rebellion, to fight against free trade that's condemning people to poverty around the world. Hundreds of Canadians will be in Washington DC in September to challenge the World Bank/IMF. We need to build our solidarity across the border and continue to fight for a world for human need , not corporate greed. Submitted by Grady Cook. is �STREETVIBES JULY 2001 All I Want For Christmas is.. . tio n inn life~ To feel whole, loved and needed? To know what o ne's Wh at do people in *recovery purpose "in life, and to be fulfilled in want? No, not their two fro nt teeth. being you? To have enough joy and It was a cute sohg but people who love in your.life, that you sometimes are trying to recovery from life have some to share? To re'!Jlze, that_ threatening, chronic, deDilitating ill­ eveh in your w()rst state, som~one . nesses are seeking any number of "loves you, not in...spite of, but because personalized wants and.needs. Good · of? To "recognize th,at the whole of health; •a1j'~b ov.better job, a healthy creation would be incomple te-with­ relationship, a home; the list could out you? Whatever your infirmity go o n forever. I once read a book, or problem, joy and serenity are still the name of which escapes me, that achievable . suggested that most people in recov­ Maybe serenity is being reason­ ery really want serenity or peace. ably comfortable in your own skin. That thou ght immediately sent to I'm certain that it requires a little visit Webster. Serenity is defined as humility, a quality that I have fail ed the quality of state of being serene. miserably to maintai n most of my Serene is defined as 2. not disturbed _ life. or troubled; calm, peaceful , tranquil. I remember a line from the mini­ Sounds .... good doesn' t it? Unless series "Roots," spoken by Cicely you' re so me kind of exc ite ment Tyson where she remarked some­ freak, given the world that we live thing like, "they squat down behind in, who could not want peace? If two beiots, just like me ." Maybe you live long enough, you learn a humiljty is recognizing that we all few things. One, stress kills and two, got to "squ at down behind ·iwo money does not buy you happiness. boots," no matter our color, age, so­ (ls two enough to qualify as a few, cial status or education. I read that humility is not trying to be better well just in case here's another. Ev­ erybody beyond the age of 15 sec­ than or being less than, but just be­ o nds is recovering from something, ing equal to, a worker among work­ whether they realize it or not.) ers. When you boil it down, don 't we *Recovery is, in this sense, a re­ all want to be at peace with ourselves turn to health by the adoption of a and the world ? To be reasonably lifestyle based upon 12 step prin­ healthy and happy? To love and be ci ples. Abstinence from whatever loved? To be content with one's sta­ is causing dysfunction in the life of by Mr. Lee thP. The Life nPr~nn aiies. Wasting time, time which is a waste from the point of view of the By Riccardo M. Taylor smoker! Ah, the smoker! Do you want a glass or metal? Pop, crackle, Welcome to the glorious life of snap is on the scene. I want a blast.· abuse. AH, lets take a look at the Don't crumb me, I want a decent hit! great life of the abuser, what a plea­ Catch that wake up. Get your motor sure to live a life of misery. How running back and forth back and great it is to be one of the miserable. forth. Chasing the whole day. Can't Wine in hand waiting for the stupor sleep won' t eat. of intoxication. How great it feels Ah, what a pleasure. Broke, ev­ to have hangover, stomach reeling ery dolJar going to the dope boy! head throbbing spells of dizziness. Now this is the life! What a wonderful feeling ! To sm ell This is an addiction of a lifetime, like a distillery! Yeah, this is the life. following the cycle of nothingness. Day after day of stumbling, falls, Rushing to get nowhere. What can brufaes. blackouts; maintaining de­ be more pleasing? There is no rea­ nial. Sickness, heartache, yeah its soning, no sanity, no script, just a all a part of the life. wasting away of life . Yet this is the A j oint! How much pleasure life, the life of choice, or is there any to just sit around and giggle at noth­ choice? Can the only breakingpoint ing. Hallucinating. rejecting any be tragedy? Is there hope for the sense of reason or responsibility, lost lifers? T he only answer is "to be in a paranoid zone without bound- continued....". . ARE YOU AN ALCOHOLIC? To answer this question ask yourself the foll owing questions and answer them as honestly a~ you can. Yes No 1 Do you lose time from work due to drinking? 2 I~driaking making your home life unhappy? 3 Do you· dI"i~k because you are shy with other people? 4 Is drinking affecting your reputation? , 5 ·Ha.ve you ever felt remorse after drinking? 6 Have you gotten into financial difficulties as a result of drinking? 7 Do you turn to lower compariions and an inferior environment when drinking? 8 Does you drinking make you careless of your family 's welfare? 9 Has your ambition decreased since drinking? 10 Do you ~rave a drink at a defini te time daily? 1l Do you want a drink the next morning? 12 Does drinking cause you to have difficulty in sleeping? 13 Has your efficien cy decreased since drinking? 14 Is drinking jeopardizing your job or business? 15 Do you drink to escape from worries or troubles? 16 Do you drink alone? 17 Have you ever had a complete loss of memory as a result of drinking? 18 Has your physician ever treated you for drinking? 19 Do you drink to build up your self-confidence? 20 Have you ever been to a hospital or institution on accoun t of drink­ ing? If you have answered YES to any one of the q uestions, there is a definite warning that you may be an alcoholic. If you have answered YES to any two, the chances are that you are an alcoholic. If you have answered YES to three or more, you are definitely alcoholic. NOT OUT LOUD should be warned about before you meet, or did you hear that some­ times the people that you 've been taught to trust are the ones you should fear, you ' ve been taught to trust are the ones you sho uld fear, Not out loud a child is ab­ ducted-nowhere to be found , In the news and on the rad io broad­ casters announce, pictures posted state to state, town to town-soon forgotten , blank visions on a milk carton tossed on the ground. Not o ut loud. No! One will be­ lieve you when you say I told him no! But he did it anyway, violated in the bright of d ay, not out loud crimes are committed time after time, o ut of si ght, out of mind, when you stand accused of these senseless acts, guilty as charged Not this time, temporary insanity is the plea, "It wasn 't me" a mis­ educatio n of j ustice fo · all, to­ gether we stand-di vided we fall . Not out loud no one can know of the anger within you that causes you to lose_· control, no­ body knows of the wrongs you've . done, a man is dead-shot by you with a gun, hidden evidence, guilty on the run. Not out loud, no one knows the money you collect for your car, shoes and clothes comes from intravenously robbing desperate people of their souls, you thrive on the fact that they' re addicted to the venomous drugs you sell, the lig ht of luxury, as you walk blindly towards hell, Not out loud quie t and quick never mind who you ' ve just hit, careless behind the wheel , and al­ coholic is too numb to feel, Wake up! Were M add! D runk driving kills.1 Not out loud he's so dedicated and she'~ so he lpful and sweet, but are these the ones that you KIM R. DUMAS �STREETV IB E S JULY 2001 Letting the Fox Guard the Henhouse by John W. Perotti - Ohio's General Assembly, in an effort to use Ohio's $45.l Billion State B udget to advance their agenda, ordered the elimination of all staff from the state's Corrections Institution Inspection Committee (CIIC). The CUC is the pri son watchdog committee, consisting of a Bipartisan Panel of 12 eq ually divided, Republican and Democrat State Representatives and Senators, and a 6 person staff. The CIIC was created in 1977 by the persuasions of the late Senator C.J. McLin, a powerful Democrat from Dayton. His daughter, Senator Rhine McLin, is one of the 6 Bi-Partisa n Democratic Senators assigned to the committee. The committee was formed in the aftermath of a long seri es of guard on prisone r and prisoner on prisoner murders and assaults. Also marked for cutbacks are many administrators assigned to psychological treatment, educational programming and halfway houses that benefit prisoners and lead toward rehabilitation. This, after talk of guards being laid off which drew protests by their union representatives. What ' s ironic is the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections is getting a $60 million dollar budget increase, which is only 5% less than what they normally get. These cutbacks of rehabilitative programs, halfway houses, and staff for the CnC is a slap in the face to rehabilitative efforts and political efforts of the Democratic party. Having been in prison for over 21 years,lpersonallyhavewitnessed murders, assaults, human rights violations, and all the things I never dreamed of seeing inside a prison or in my own lifetime. The enc was formed in the wake of a series of incidents of pris oner corruption in Ohio, such as attempts at murder for hire by staff agains t c ertain prisoners, misappropriation of funds by prison officials, and even 'cattle rustling at Lebanon Prison by a Guard Captain. Thus, the DRC was held accountable by the CUC now, compared to their previous unfettered reign of corruption due to the investigations and reports issued by the Ohio General Assembly. As a result, the DRC has always complained of the activities of the CIIC and called them advocates of, or coddlers of prisoners, as well as a "thomintheirsides." Of course they would express this outlook!!! The CIIC's job was to expose corruption by DRC officials as well as make sure they follow the rules and regulations- by all their employees. So this would be a committee the DRC would . defi nite ly want dissolved, and through their political manipulations, probably did so! But as a convict, I have seen the efforts and intervention of the enc save lives and make conditions more tolerable for prisoners and p1ison officials alike . Even former Ohio Supreme Court Ju s tice Paul Pfeifer, who voted against the creation of the c ommittee, now serves as its chairman due to the good works of the committee. So now Ohio has no CJIC staff to research the operations of tbe DRC, akin to leav ing the fox to guard the henhouse, answering to no one. I'm no model prisoner, and the efforts of the CIIC literally saved my life on a couple of occasions, once when guards beat me severely, and once after a major heart attack a p1ison doctor refused to treat me for. So I, for one, will sorely miss this watchdog committee, as well as hundreds of illiterate and mentally ill disenfranchised prisoners victimized by the system. Too bad Republicans won't dismantle the Ohio Adult Parole Authority, who has been releasing repeat offenders and others who they know will return to prison, rather than deserving prisoners, as a result of the politics of prison that gives them job security. But that would be too much like Right. They wilJ probably enact legislation to have the APA oversee the DRC - the perfect bedfellows. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- -- - - - - - - - - - - -- ----------1 Jus' Curious?! How many more times are we to be buried before our time? Framed up. & chained up & placed behind enemy lines. How many more Stokelys to be snatched, Malcolms to be murdered & Khalids to be killed? How many martyrs to go unremembered? & How many more monuments won ' t be built? How many more Mumias, H. Raps, Sundiatas & Peltiers? How many more poli6cal prisoners? How many more fuckin ' years? How many more frame ups on Fred? And Merle Africas coming up dead? How many more revolutionaries in the cemetaries? How many more blood stained beds? How many more February 2ls, August 7ths and December 4tbs? How many more fallen comrades? How many more of us have got to go? ! How long before the Cinque Magees, Angola 3 's are to be finally unleashed? How many more Geronimos, COINTELPRO's & Shaka Sankofas To be drugged & body bagged on deathrow? How many more SET-UPS & WET UPS & FBI files? How many more Assara Shakurs to be forced into exile? How many more Khalfani Khalduns to be beat by prison goons? , And bad Nefroes named Goode will you let drop bombs on MOVE? By the way, should the Minnesota 8 simply sit back and wait, For you to muster up the courage to say that they'"e been framed by the state? How many more Sekous, Mutulus & Ojure Nurus'? Lucasv illes & Statevilles & Attica 32's How much injustice can you stomach? How much more can you take? How many more Bashir Hameeds, N.Y. 3's? Robert Hayes & Eddie Conways? How many more Zolo Agonas and Sister Ramonas? Will you sit back & let us be attacked for Fighting While Black? How many more Hugo Pinells to be beat down in jail? How many more resistors will you relinquish? How many more Herman Bells? How many more Maroon Shoats & Move 9's will you allow to be confined? How many FALN's, Deathrow IO's? How long will justice be denied? ,..-------------------------' buddy's place Permanent Housing for formerly homeless individuals at 1300 Vine Street. For more information, call Connie Martina or Agnes Mack at (513) 784-0800 SOFT SPOKEN (AFTER SPEAKING TO joE) Other voices muffled his whisper My ears got closer to become acquainted, to catch wounded words that formed a collage of his life. Had to block out other wandering voices seeking an attentive ear. " ... in jail twice," he continued " once for convenience." His mother, a teacher died younger than expected. Hiding in hi s father's shadow, he heard " you're no good for nothing" like a useo teabag. He believed him. The streets adopted him, cultivated his youth. They became intimate like body and shadow, both merging at night. With no street" signs to give directions, no moral to end the fable. Society could not tolerate the sins of his youth incarcerated at 19. His father died but he was not allowed to say his final farewell. His cell echoed his father 's gospel "you're no good for nothing." VICTOR M. VELEZ This selection from "A Quest for Answers, " a book ofpoetry by Victor Velez. To purchase a copy, visit www.xlibris.com or write to AnjeLisse Arts, P. 0. Box 137 Cincinnati, Ohio 45246. �STREETVIBES JULY 2001 . A Modern Day Slave by Tuqman Bahir Taqwuim In the Name of Allah: I am incarcerated at the Ohio State Penitentiary and am in need of some assistance. I have an out-date to be released on 5/4/01 and I remain still in a prison cell denied transportation by the staff. Furthermore, my own sis­ ter came to get me and she was de­ nied the right to take me home. 0 .S.P. is running a whore house with the accountant clerk. This woman is 35 years old, Black and very influential. She owns a co mpa ny th a t ma nufac tures bombs. She's a rich girl pushing her weight around. The lady is also a professional prostitute/criminal" record. This woman and I established a relationship with the help of a male Lt. and written permission from the Warden. For over 2 1/2 years this lady, not knowing her position or status in life, explained my life and case for be­ ing in prison. I asked her for some help, and one day after I had done all that I could without success! The lady interceded and legally assisted and actually set me free, and l was granted an out-date of 5/4/01. The staff took it personal that a staff member, a female of her stat­ ure and wealth had actually set me free. She stated that she wanted to retire as a prostitute, get married and have another son! This staff told her that she was the personal whore of OSP and unti l she satisfied the de­ sires of this entire staff on all three shifts that I would not be released from this mal aise that threatens to blight all coming years. She has arranged that no one can provide transportation nor can ·I be released to anyone other than her­ self. So they throw sex parties for 6-7 hours at a time each shift and I can 't be released until tomorrow, which never comes ... l am very short on family and have been bereft of my liberty for over 26 years. I have become a slave and held as bait in some sort of per­ verted sex parties in OSP. Every staff member at OSP has ber phone number and she's called several times on one shift stating that she's coming to get me, then one she arrives she's back in their sex cham­ bers until the next shift. On the other side of the coin, the lady has taken control of tnis entire prison stati ng that 1 belong to her, no one can re~ease me and I will re­ main here until she decides to let me out! It's a two-way street on being afoul! The lady is the only one who can take me out of this prison, but instead of fulfilling these duties she'll come in demanding sex. Then she goes off into some so rt of unsatiable craving and she loses fo­ cus of any and all responsibilities that are outside the sphere of her sexual imperfections. She comes to work from 8:00 to 4:00 pm if you wish to believe what's on the schedule; or, if ana­ lytical reasoning is your compass, I will give a clear depiction of her schedule. · She's here at 11:30 on 3rd shift. The walls aren't solid and their sex chamber is within the immediate sound of my ears. She' ll have sex until 4:00 am which is the time I am up for prayer. If she's informed, which is frequently, that I can hear her asLhe sliding door is opened, then she' ll break and run driving away only to crawl back within a half hour or when she is telephoned to return. This then continues until 7:00 am upon the changing of the shift. She will go on for some time before breaking to go home, shower and return for her workin g schedule. At this time she may throw a sex party for several hours and no one takes the responsibility (or can't take it) to make her pick me up. She's rich and powerful. This will go on until 2:30 p.m. when second shift begins to come in and then they contin_ue to continue this distorted fun game to hold my life in a prison cell. This woman has slept with the entire staff so frequently that they' re trying to push her away to set me free but she can' t get enough sex. Due to these imperfections she holds me in a state of modem day slavery Prisoners News contains news about the justice system and the writings of persons incarcerated in our nation's jails and prisons. Subscribers withinthe walls receive Streetvibes free. If you would like to support us in this effort, please sponsor someone on the inside. A year's subscription costs $15. Send your comments and questions to streetvibes@juno.com mail : STREETVIBES, 1506 Elm Street PRISONERS' NEWS in a prison cell. The lady is beyond imagination as the staff depicts her actions. For hours on end I hear the sounds of C.O.'s cheering her on, cursing her out for running out - or trying to encourage her to set me free. This e ntire staff from the Warden's office down is involved in a coi:ispiracy to bold me in OSP by either denying me appropriate trans­ portation or indulging in these sex parties. This woman has used her influ- . ence and sex to humble this entire staff to break the laws and hold me in prison while they have sex par­ ties. My concern is when will it come to an end, when will I be set free? The lady is not mentally or emo­ tionally stable as this activity has gone non stop for over 30 days. The staff at OSP are not responsible enough to care about the laws, their careers or their fami lies. They have no loyalties except to their own per­ sonal desires as I hear them encour­ aging her "Keep him until we're fin­ ished'', "lie can wait" and I still re­ main in a prison cell. It is clear that no one wants to properly initiate steps to open the doors to my freedom as the entire staff face the loss of their sex par­ ties and I am the victim of gross mis­ conduct. Every day this staff calls the woman for the sole purpose of sex, after she fills her desires and they fill theirs they agree she' ll come back tomorrow to pick me up, and again she lies ... This woman is also having sex with the inmates at the camp of OSP. Thus all these matters prevent her from filling her obligations. She has stated that if I don' t let her have her way she will keep me in this prison, and due to her posi­ tion nothing will happen to he r. She' ll just quit and I won't be re­ leased. She was given a responsibility to release me under her care. She is neglecting that duty and using her power threatening to deny me my freedom if I expose her ac­ tions. She's a professional whore and I can't be relea8ed and get over their lust for sex! Page 9 N EGATIVE THOUGHTS ANO ATTITUDES Negative thoughts and attitudes That's all I hear and see That's all I'm faced with day by day What's wrong with positivity Fancy clothes and a styled hairdo That's still alI for outward show It's what's on the inside that really counts Oh! How little people know So come off your "egotrippin" Thinking you're everything Come get high off life See what joy it can bring Oh dear Lord Please help me I pray To live life free Free day to day Not caring what people think or say As I walk with you on life's sweet/sorrow waY. Sha-lorn Shal-om L EMUEL ISRAEL I try to be brave But cannot stand the fever Malaria. Death Drops Low and Fast A misdirected bomb of phantom wings Daisy-cutters Stabbing earth-pipes protruding Five hundred pounds of molten plastic Peter looks: he sees; hears it crump; beside him, is showered with dirt will live forever, in this second of impact I was only bitten by a mosquito he was unaware the bomb was a dud the nurses, he says, are angels Though he can 't see them turns face to to the wall SONNY WILLIAMS VI ETNAM VETERAN 1967-68 FRO M DA NANG EVAC. , H OSPITAL 1968 PENPAL WANTED John Perotti #A 167712 OSP 878 Coitsville­ Hubbard Road Youngstown, . Ohio 44505 Caroll Pless #252-991 SOCF P.O. Box 45699 Lucasville, Ohio 45699 • �Page 10 STREETVIBES JULY 2001 A Thing of Beauty thanking go_d for no violence and praying that the violence gods were asleep. We entered the West End and found stunned people looking out of their apartments, then speakers just God. Here, in Cincinnati, the raggedy army of the people, last seen at Valley Forge, in Atlanta, on the way to Washington, and embracing the liberators of Berlin, marched in themselves, "Hi Dr. Sunderland, I'm Amy. I was in your grief class." The march was a thing of beauty, "Great march, Amy," I said. definitely a sacred experience for Amy replied with the truth of the those who attended. The day started day: "Yes!"; old friends clasping out with heavy rain falling and by themselves in hugs of joy, and the time Stef (my wife) and I got to stopping, one black friend Fountain Square, 11 o 'clock, a sight saying to Stef and me: "This hug mist was falling on a crowd of about of a white person by a black I 000 people. An Over the Rhine person will not be on evening Drum and cheerleader group, kids t. v.", and we laughed at the truth from 6-16, were performing as the of that insight. We wondered rain fell more heavily. The crowd who was so co mmitted to thickened as the rain increased and making violence the only story we heard the many speakers saying of the day; marching for a few the same important message, over minutes in utter siJence, as Ms. and over again: "Thank you for Leisure laid a wreath at the site turning out. Keep the faith, keep on of her son's death. Who can say marching, don't be scared off; don' t enough about this woman, this be afraid to confront the police and eloquent peace advocate, still the mayor, and don't be afraid of the standing but bowed a bit, under police." The mos t impressive the great pressure of the city, her Angela Leisure, mother of Timothy Thomas, was one of the speakers at the photo by Jerome Manigan speaker was Ms. Leisure, mother of new "friends" who have taken March for Justice on June 2, 2001. the deceased Timothy Thomas. In a her grief as the battle cry for saying their "truths," and then, like the only formation that made sense, driving rain, she lit up the crowd justice. They have added yet another the form of happy justice: the blue an exhale, it was over. with her faith in justice, her prayers burden, clearly superhuman, to a jean, the black shirt, the flag waving, I realized today that I have been of the city, and her hope that no one person, who shows every reason to marching for justice since and the flag of multicolored hope. Sadly, the politicians had fled; 1959, as an undergraduate, and this was one of the best only citizens were there, initially, as marches because I had strangers, but, w~th the cleansing learned so much about how power of the rain, the dissipation of little and how much marches the fear of violence, and the great can mean. Is there ·a better numbers of black and white heroes, community experienc~? Is it the citizens.became a One, a Force, not a form of prayer that a step in the parade of Gratitude. We touches the deepest element had teachers, now long gone, and we ·of the heart, that connects were teachers, here and now, and we with some old, perhaps will be guides, tomorrow. The city ancient rite, of striding, became a city of citizens and the together, arm in arm, hand in possibHities of connection became alive with hope. 1 hand , against the brutes, The Center for Community whomever and whatever they at Peaslee are, and irrespective of their Photography real power. The marching Neighborhood Center will exhibit an "of the people," Sandburg eclectic mix of color and bl~ck and always reminded us, Lincoln white photography by Jerome The Bucket Boys led the procession from Fountain Square to Laurel Park. . photo by Jerome Manigan knew, and every de spot Manigan , Stre~tvibes reporter/ knows as well, is a march in photographer. The exhibit opens _with a reception oli July 9 at 6 p.m. else ever has to experience what she believe the old cliche that we all memory of the elders, for the For more info contact Manigan at children of today, for the race has gone through these post two know is false, but she claims: "God unborn, and for a fading hope in a jmancoh@aol.com. doesn't give you a heavier burden to months. Following the speeches, the sun carry that you can carry." God, emerged, and a line formed with Ms. can anyone say with justice and Leisure at the center, and off we clarity how much this woman's D~ll!rr;;;r" marched in brightening sun, down ccy for peace has meant to this Vine Street to Liberty. Then in full city, how much th~s woman, sunlight, we marched to Laurel Park more than any one person, has in the West End where the "Rev. "saved" this city for another Maurice McCracken Celebration" day. A day when a step of took place amidst drums, smiles, and justice will be seen and felt in ~ the good cheer of a march that was city in a way that only those ~who knew how close to a blood · safely endured. . Stef and I were in a good place, bath we were, can come to her feeling the building ~pirit of the side and say, with some sense march, being in front with Ms. of the miracle of talking to her Leisure, and, looking back, at the in peace, in the reality of peace, thousands of black and white, old the simple words ''Thank you." and young, families and singles, and And then, with full drums, whomever wanted to join the police sirens, police bandwagon, marching in respect, helicopters blades whirlings, l chanting the traditional, "No Justice, we proceeded, arm in arm, Organizers estimate that 3,000 people of all ages and races filled Fountain No Peace," with memories of MLK. shaking hands with strangers, Square to support the March for Justice. photo by Jerome M,anigan Students corning up and identifying feeling the joy of the moment, by Steve Sunderland �. .. ' ~ STREETVIBES JULY 2001 We Called Him Mac by Brian Garry si.de. He would ALWAYS listen. He never questioned my motives or me. He had the utmost confidence in me, Deform, he and buddy gray and in my ability to discern and self­ some others went -up to Columbus examine. He always thought the best and slapped an eviction notice on of me and even if! knew my motives Gov. Voinivich's office door. They weren't on the highest level, he started carrying out the furniture. believed that they were. His Love They did this to show the effects of for me challenged me more that any cutting people off welfare. Cutting words ever could. His love for me people off welfare in the challenged me to love more deeply, government's cold and cal1ous way more sincerely, more caringly. His Page 11 orange, blue, green and red hair and wore the most "interesting" clothing. I don't think that he or Vivian l(jnebrew or Alice Lefker or Pol1y Brokaw ever even noticed. They saw the person inside me. Viv.ian introduced me to every one at the church, took me to her house, fed me, joked with me, took me under her wing, loved me. I am forever grateful for these aforementioned Living Saints. I once sat him down after church to confess that I had gotten a girl pregnant that I didn't love. All he said to me was, "Now that you've told me I don'tknow what to say." That was the only time that I saw him speechless. He knew he could not judge me even though he had the highest expectations for me on this path of living for others. I'm not perfect - far from it. But in his eyes I am perfect, complete. Created by God, and God don't make no Junk. He was the most LOVING During the night of December 30 h, 1997 Rev. Maurice Findlay Mccrackin passed peacefully into the nearer Presence of God. That next morning he had plans to protest the Death Penalty at the Federal building. The night before, a sign was made especially for ­ him that read " Killing by the State is also murder". He was 92 years old. We called him Mac. People flocked around Mac, not because he tried to have them do so but because they were drawn to him from near and far. When his eyesight was failing, I would read his mail to him. He received hundreds of letters from over the country and all over tbe world from people who felt about him the exact same way that I did. man I've ever experienced. For Mac, Love was no effort at all. They all felt that he \Vas It was his life. As a matter of their best friend. Some of ~hem were dignitaries, Brian GaITy, one of the organizers of the 2001 Mac Day Celebration in Laurel Park. fact he said that there is no way · so me were political photobyDanMarschnertoLove,LovelStheWay. There activists, many of them were caused many people to be evicted. is no way to be kind, being kind prisoners. Anyway, while he was in the jail up love and always thinking the best of is the way. He was the .HUMBLEST. there he said that of all the places meconvictedmetoalwaysdobetter. Mac 's political views were When you met.him and called.him that he.bad bee_n locked up behind }I~ wasn' t into that tough love shit. perfect. That means I agree with Rev. Mccrackin, he would say "Call bars that those cops in Columbus That's why I always felt that I could them. As he said, he came home one me Mac." He would never take the hurt him the worst. I was incensed, go to him and talk to him about Sunday and told his brother "the Preacher gave a great sermon honored seat. He said that today", and his brother replied ifhe had it to do over again, "Oh, you agreed with him did he would not become a ya?" I'm telling you about the Reverend. He thought that Mac I knew. I follow to this it separated people from people . When some day his outlook on the world ­ preferred to call him the government, the evil Reverend, he would oblige system, the wrong system of rich and poor, civil without comment. He was disobedience. Mac was in the the most humble. I never saw him personally public eye. . He put his "body offended if someone was on the line" and was arrested for ·putting his beliefs into rude or nasty. I don't think practice. There are many he even noticed at all, much people with the same political less become angry with them. I'd see people who beliefs. The difference between him or her and Mac were paid to take care of him treating him roughly was that his personal LOVE for and I'd mention it to him each individual was so strong. _ _ and say that I wanted to He was incredibly caring, he 11 report ~ soc1·al J.ust1ce, · one of the many information . . booths at Mac Day 2001 made you ~eel that you were . it. He said he hadn't The Quakers ior the most important person in noticed and that he was glad · photo by Dan Marschner ·d ' · , . . that I di n t report it. He d be rn the seized by rage. I seethed and had the world. His political stances ho spital, and you know h<;>w visions of creeping up there doing ANITHING. I talked to him about were deeply important but his ideals hospitals don't always pay the best something to those cops that hurt ALL my problems, not just the would mean nothing without his attention. to people who don't have him. I said, "Mac, I want to kill problems you think a preaclier would deep underlying outgoing love for an ~dvocate? I'd go·to the nurses them". Without the batting of an feel appropriate. He nev.er once .everyone. station to check on some information eyelash, without a millisecond of judged me. Concarning judging, he ,_....__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ for ~nt that h~ was supposed to get or ask thought, Mac said, "Kill what they quoted George Bernard Shaw: "We 'This for this or that, but he told me do." So I've been trying to do that have been judging and punishing "please don't do that, it has to be a ever since. ever since Jesus told us not to and I persona~ relationship~ -that between He was the KINDEST. Lo, he defy anyone to make out a me and the people at the hospital". and John Henry "Be l(jnd" Simmons convincing case for believing that He didn't want me getting in even started a group called BE the world has been better than it between him and his relationship to KIND: Boosting Everyon e's would haye been if there had never ~te: $15 business c.ard siz.e them. Knowledge, Integrity, Nobility and been a judge, a prison, or a gallows C.a\\ 41--l -1S0'3 to spea" wit.h Once he was arrested in Dignity. Hewasalwaysonyourside. inallthattime."Whenlfirststarted our Advertising Manager I Columbus. During the Welfare He never even looked at the other going to his church, I had pink, 1 '5paGe Advertise in 5freefvibef).. �' I I I I . " (' ; ,/ ; " ~ • • * STREETVIBES JULY 2001 Page 12 ~* NASNA Appeal by David Mtichell My name is David Mitchell and I am a reporter for Streetvibes Newspaper which is a monthly publication put out by The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. I became inter­ ested in writing at an early age. As I got older, I realized the power of not only the spoken word but the written word as well, and that ·it is my calling. To work with my hands this thing which is good to give to those who are in need. What better thing couild I give ,them than the truth. life has really been a I • . · ' f..:_' .• .t . • • , ~ struggle but what I believe is in ~~~~~~~~·~-:s~·,:~~~:~ ~.~l:~:~~ ~ the end it will all be worth it. I .A...~·--:.... ~~·...,_ '• truly ~an t t omakea d.ffi . ~.:,!;;. ·*·~·~~~~:~t.~ 1 erence m w~.:_~~--.L.~~::;_~~::.:;';!.::i.;;..:.:..:..:._:.----------------~.....-.~;..=. people's lives. I want them to be "Georgie-e-e .. . you wani that cool !Jew missile defense system, aware of whats really going on, you 're going to have to make some room on your toy shelf." instead of them being brain­ washed by the propaganda that Mx .... · . ,. ,_.. .. if To all who wish for justice and peace in Cincinnati most of which I have been very active in, but it is not enough. . - Hello. My name is James There are many ways to Blackmon. I am 21 years old, and approach the situation at hand, but have been a resident of Cincinnati eventually I believe we must unite, if not on all fronts, at least wii:h our my entire life. I have lived in several neighborhoods, including , similarities in mind. Ignorance is too high a price to pay for peace. Delhi, Westwood , Clifton, Price Hill, Mt.Washington, North Open up your minds and hearts to Fairmount, and others. I currently what everyone els~ is saying in Cincinnati, you'll find that most of reside in Over-The-Rhine, and have what you hear is tjghteously said. lived there for three years now. I To those who sit in our city don ' t have much of a formal council,·grow up and remember that education, and I don' t come from a prestigious family, so don't expect you are there servi ng all of the residents of Cincinnati;. not just Wish List those who have large amounts of political and social influence. The Streetvibes newspaper is published monthly on a shoe-string reasons vary from councilmember budget from the offices of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for to councilmember as to why you the Homeless. We depend heavily on the goodwill of many guys aren't doin g your jobs volunteer~ and.donors. Sorne of the more pertinent needs of correctly, but it has become quite the GCCH include: clear .to me that the council has become a royal court, complete o Advertisers -Classified and unclassified with a political jester of sorts. I o Supplies fot vendor's lounge (paper towels, cream and sugar, don't understand why you can't snacks, etc.) unplug your egos from your ears and remove the government o Office and Cleaning Supplies blindfold from your eyes and see o Photography Help - film (400, 800, 1600), developing that we are suffering and hear the . cries for change. You took the jobs help, digital and/or film camera(s). that you have believing that you o Computers/components for Streewibes story-writing, could help create a better city for ' editing, research. us, yet now you are looked upon as the epitome of what is wrong with o Free standing metal or wooden shelving the city. I believe you should see that something is eerily wrong with If you can help!, contact us at: Streetvibes, do Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, that picture. I read last week's edition (June 1506 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45210 21, 2001) of CityBeat. It essentially ph: (513) 421-7803, fax (513) 421-7813 states that mayor Luken promises e-mail~ streetvibeS@juq.o.com See Justice , continued page 19 ' by James Blackmon me to have an amazing background. for the last ten years, I've been subjected to experie ncing and seeing a multitude ofprejudices and injustices against all people, not just any one race or class. For this reason, I believe that we as human beings must focus on more than one aspectofachievingpeaceandunity. I believe that a big part of this is awareness and education, neither of which is being applied in the amounts needed for change in this city. Don' t get me wrong, there have been small bursts of activity, most of the corporate based me­ dia are pu~hing. That's why the independent media means so much to me, because it's one of the last channels that they don't control. The reason that I have written this lett~r is to.request you( help. N.A.S.N.A., the North American Street Newspaper Association, is holding its annual meeting this year in San Fransisco. I have been invited to go. The only thing that is standing in my way is my cur­ rent financial situation. You see I'm a homeless man, but I like to consider myself a sojourner. Try­ ing to make it to the promised land one step at a time. I'm fo­ e used now more than ever on ac­ complishing goals that are impor­ tant to me, like establishing my­ self. I've really been working hard to do this even with these amazing obstacles that have arisen in my path. That's why going there is so important to me, because it's where I want to be and where I should be. I've been informed that my room and board will be taken care of when I get there; all I need is a plane ticket. I really feel that this could be a positive learning experierence for me, and I could benefit a great deal. Thank You for your time and for taking this into consider­ ation. Sincerely, David Mitchell Streetvibes exists as a forum for the expression of the views and opinions ofour readers and supporters. The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those ofthe Streetvibes staff or the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. �STREETVIBES JULY 2001 EDITORIAL SECTION People and Morality by Jole Alfassa . Reprinted from Massachusetts' Spare Change When was the last time you caught yourself thinking something weird? I mean, all of the sudden you find yourself thinking the op­ posite of the way you used to think about a particular subject. The suc­ cess of street papers has proven that a lot of people think differently than they used to about homeless mat­ ters. For instance, a lot of people would drop change into a cup or send off a few bucks to one organi­ zation to deal with the matter. Now hundreds of thousands buy street papers from coast to coast. Shel­ ters all -over are trying to get people jobs. This is in contrast with an at­ titude that previously ex.isted for decades. As it turns out, it's for the better. Another issue is kids and mur­ der at its most macabre. Children killing each other for personal rea­ sons and inflicting terror on the people of this country. A child of how to communicate knows little I rage, and this can lead to violence or crime. That's why we try to in­ still principles and offer alternatives to our young as they grow older. Oftentimes, however, there isn't quality communication going on. Then the child has no knowledge of how to vent frustration and an­ ger. When children become excom­ municated from the support system they need, things can be dangerous. They need to unload and they need someone to blame. Too often they blame their peers, leaders and teachers. We then end up with a bloody aftermath ·that has repeated itself several times in recent history. Then come the morals of how to deal with these misguided kids. We have to decide. whether to treat them as adults or kids. What would be your choice as to how to treat a teenager? The kid might have killed a few class­ mates and a couple of teachers. Do you give the kid a few years in a kiddy prison or life in an adult prison? After all, if the chi Id was a few years older he or she might have gotten the death penalty in states that have one. Would yo~ be able to push the button on a fifteen­ year-old kid? Morality is quite the animal of personal feelings and how we em­ ploy them and work them into .our lives. The old saying "One man's trash is another man's treasure," is played out through morals, for one's morals may disgust others or scare them. While some make the art of war a profession, others would say that those people enjoy killing. And so the struggle goes on to better our society and appeal to ourselves and the world. We do it en masse and as individuals. We help as well as heal each other with our morals. Let me ask you this: Where is the morality in letting our fellow Americans die on the streets, home­ less? I have experienced this di­ lemma from both sides of the coin and it still perplexes me. Some people believe that a person who is homeless is that way because he/ she wants to be. In some cases, they may be right in that type of think­ .m g. In. most cases, ' though , do people really enjoy homelessness? There are dozens ofreasons for end­ ing up homeless. I have yet to bump into a person that grew up aspiring to be a professional homeless per­ son. Our society has tried to roman­ ticize homeless people by such methods as "Clem Kidd1ebopper" on the old Red Skelton shows. For those of you too yol!.ng to know what I'm talking about, Clem was a "hobo". He was clumsy and funny and wore a top hat and possessed a stick with a scarf on it, which was supposed to hold all his worldly possessions. ~ere was the· mo­ rality in that? I believe it was pre­ sented this way to make us feel bet­ ter about homelessness. How do you feel when you see a person dig­ ging through garbage cans for food or panhandling? Where does your morality take your mind? Homelessness should not be an American tradition; it's a tragedy! Only our morals will be able to change this situation. If you don' t like what you see, then do some­ thing about it. See you on the streets. Page 13 Parents Say the Darndest Things By Dana Terrell purpose? Then on Friday June 3rd, 2001, during a peaceful march , On Thursday May 3P1, 2001, I was reading a front-page article of there were some flyers being handed out. One had on the front the Ci!Jcinnati Enquirer: "Teens cover ''We Demand Amnesty For Had Role in a Hate Crime, All Prisoners of the Cincinnati Prosecutor Says" by Marie McCain. "A 15-year old boy whose Rebellion". (Written by a group in Columbus and Chicago). That's mother says he was 'caught up' in pure crap; those people are the moment... He (the victim) was criminals no matter how you look in the wrong place at the wrong at it. It's true, the police have been time," Ms. Montgomery said of wrong for killing the very citizens Robert Stearns, the 34 year old they swore to protect and to serve, Louisville man who was attacked, but what about those who choose dragged from his truck and beaten. to kill police officers or to support Where is Mr. Stearns' justice? How such actions in the songs they sing. fair would it be to say that Timothy They are all just as gul.lty of murder Thomas was just in the wrong place as the cops who have killed our at the wrong time, or that Officer young men . The people that Roach was "just caught up in the participated in the rioting are also moment" when he pulled the trigger criminals for breaking in and and killed Mr. Thomas? Two stealing from stores and shops that wrongs don't make a right, no had nothing to do with the shooting matter how you look at it. on April 7th . Furthermore, it is a The boy's mother, Valerie direct attack on the civilization as Montgomery of Over-The-Rhine, a whole; the killing of the police pleaded for leniency and then officers who are there to protect us apologized for her sons actions all, both black and white, Hispanic saying, "I send my apologies to him and Asian, in short , our and to his family." "I can appreciate communities. The police who did Ms. Montgomery's love for her the shootings deserve to be held children; I am a father of seven accountable for their actions, and children aQd a granddad of a 7 year so should those who chose to loot old, but she is teUing violators of and steal and assault innocent the law that it's OK to break the law, people. it's OK to pull people from their There are both good and bad vehicles and beat them up. Buffalo in life, no matter the race or Chips!" sa id Mike Smith after occupation. Once again I say that reading the article. This is appalling!" the laws are there to protect ALL its citizens and we cannot s.it idly Our laws are there to protect by and let some suffer while others the citizens of this United States of benefit from these laws. We as a America, ALL citizens ... people MUST put an end to the civilization in general. What is the hatred and the bigotry and make all purpose of it all if we allow some those take re·sponsibility for their to benefit from the laws and others are penalized by it? What's the See Parents, continued page 19 "Your herd is due for another downsizing. Should we f<O by seniority or earlv retirement?" �·Page 14 STREETVIBES JULY 2001 MAC Mac is my father, like no other man can be. He's also my mother, he touches me so gently. He speaks to me kindest words, with the most H igh Love, And often reminds me, That there are higher laws above. He treats me higher than a prince, President or king W hen I take him my problems, The TRUTH he does bring. Now, we sat down to donuts and milk, One fine s ummer 's day, Next to a church that was all painted Grey. We sat under the tree, In a cool sutnmer's breeze. Funny, that tree's name was called, heaven And as I had finished, the last drop in my cup, What do you think Mac did? He jumped up With hurting leg and all, He jumped up and did ask :. ' Let me get you some more, How 'bout another glass?' The impression of this day will always last. In my heart, His hospitaJity is so very RARE, Like a fine gem or crystal The love, in his H eart, His Empathy and Care They wrote about Mac and others I guess, When in the scriptures Jesus confessed, That the Children of God, called PeaceMakers, are BlessED. He didn't mention ' til later that we'd all be arrested. I actually hate being tortured by cops But follow ing in Mac' s steps, I got a tiny taste of what he got, Like stun-guns, broken fingers , I should ' ve expected To be beaten and kicked, Thrown down and rejected, By the World, as the WORD brings If we were of the world, we'd be treated like Kings (and Queens)., He teaches that religion means "Let Freedom Ring". And that if we don' t stand for something, we' ll fall fur anylhing. One thing I've noticed , when Mac disagrees, Is he can change one's mind, Without making enemies. How H e does this is, completely astounding ­ When I try to do this, people just get confounding. Sometimes I feel I must speak quite strongly Even if later, I find I'm wrongly. Then, I promptly admit my Error Say I'm sorry and leave myself in God's Care. Better to say something, And appear to be brash Than it is to say nothing, And let the moment pass. Mac bas a friend named Vivian They both taught me to speak, M y heart freely, to everyone, Not to be like a sheep. For, aIJ the time, I must speak my feeling, Tho' it may offend For Jes us offended many, So the Bible it contends. Mac always said, before every action, I should ask myself, What would Jesus D o? before taking the task. And tho' my words mus t sometimes cut to the quick, l should try to speak them with love. For Jesus said, be cunn ing as a snake, And gui1e1ess, as a dove. Mac, you are my strength, my guidance to the goal, Whenever I am with you, I feel, so very whole. To make a better world, leave it better than when I came M ac has always shown me, That helpin g people, should be my aim. Speak my truth with love and strength , Tho' it may hurt a few. ·1 In the end, I will be happier, And I know, you will be, too. To be honest with myself, And the people all around It's an inside job, and serving God better, That is where I'm bound. There's no other Mac. There's no doubt about that! But, truly, I'm with him even tho' we're apart. For truly, I carry him, here in my heart. He's left some indelible impressions So deep in my soul Impressions that tell me giving, and sharing, that's life's true goal. With kindness, true meekness, H un)ility and things, He speaks truth to power, Be it to presidents or kings. Whenever I have a problem, it's him I go to Seeking solace and peace Like so many others do. Only a quarter to use his rest room, Is a very cheap price. Whenever I'm over there, with Him, Eating red beans and rice. When I'm with him, he acts Like there's no one else in the U niverse. I ' most never see him get curt, angry or terse. As if no one else has troubles or cares, He is my best friend, he is always there. UN11Y The more I try to be something else The less I begin to be If I would just learn how to be myself Then life I would truly see Although people want me to be; Juse what they want me to be The bottom line is they must seek For truly I have come to learn To learn that the righteous Live and the wicked bw·n Everlasting life for you; Everlasting life for me The key to finishing thi s race · Is simple unity In the Lord we are free... lyndigoh Write to: Dear Iyndigoh at Streetvibes 1506 Elm Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45.210 with your thoughts, teelihgs/ '6riv6ttie8 and we 'll take a ride on the Streetvibe to bring i'i · to Light WALKING FOR PEACE IN CINCINNATI Ok! My people lets tie our shoes up Get ready to walk for peace We are walking for our justice Things are about to change around here That's why we all gokon our walking gear Walking for peace in Cincinnati Every color can join we believe in equal opportunity This is going to be a peaceful demonstration Issues that the black community are facing Cincinnati we are not just talking the talk We are here to walk the walk. ANNE ANDERSON SUBMITTED BY GRADY COOK And when, perhaps maybe, there's some­ thing I need to hear, Then the truth he so gently speaks into my ear. Some think Mac's a Prophet, a Saint, a Holy Man, He is all that and more to me, and if he can do it, then we all can. BRIAN GARRY "Sanctuary - A Safe Place for All Beings" Paintings·by M ary Ann Lederer of Cincinnati Opening Reception Sunday, July 8, 2001 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Exhibit and sale through August 3 Mullane's Cafe 723 Race Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 381-1331 591- 3003 Join me in celebrating my 601h Birthday �STREETVIBES JULY 2001 The startled sight of looted chaos tear gassed into my friend's eyes hopeful before, now broken windows to the soul hang hollow, darkened and full of tarnished silver sad sorrow buckshot metal pellet blasted and imprinted with violent onlooker surprise bloody mace tears dripping from newly aged faces sagging and tom with a city reeling in an outburst of paranoid fear and undiluted anger: jaded and callous glass break rebellion against oppressive heat of city's streets paved with tears of die suffer aimless wonder grieving loss our sirens and cries of faithless prayer a mayor's call to restraint this city bums beneath the light of full moon beneath stars' light born before the ancient ruins even built like our american ancient clock towers and church spires that hang hazily in broken shattered testament to beating hatred pouring and boiling in unfocused mob rage against perceived oppressors in beamers and volks with cell phones and blonde hair now bloodied now broken and calm spoken voices Page 15 instead stayed on his feet was kissed with the lead muzzle shot of scared officers misdeed I am torn in half disgusted and relieved I don't understand but I see beat white man like me who hears in middle class corridors the burden of "if only they would behave" everything would be okay in sickened shame disgust I eye white jacketed doctor educated in ignorance asshole for his eyes and suburban pesticides in his brain with contempt while my friend bleeds from behind his ear I don't know you don' t know why these kids are fighting in the street and I don't know why some poor kid who didn' t drop Venturing the streets for answers to satisfy, justify an urge, to rest with the understanding about oblivious questions walking the streets. Questions ride the trains, with no maps Living in makeshift homes . made from natural resources of city dump, live in once-upon-a-time glamorous hotels which care for people's well fare, sleep on steam of subway grates like a Sunday barbecue BEN GILBERT SUBMITTED BY GRADY COOK DOWN AND OUT Look a man pushing his Kroger cart Another carrying a cardboard box Clothes all tom and dirty They own no keys for apartment locks This man a clean white shirt Pants with razor sharp creases Holds his head high with pride This is where the differences cease For both walk the streets at night Having no place to call their own Circumstances have befallen them That left both without a home One chooses a path to follow To write his own destiny Using resources as stepping stones Showing the spirit can be free Streetvibes helps us upward This is truly without a doubt Just because we are homeless We need not be down and out Questions roamed the piers, harboring their souls to rest gathering belongings in abandoned buildings amid recyclable material in huts, with no picture of the Last Supper. Questions hitchhike toward hope, fill gymnasiums wall-to-wall mattresses replace gym mats · live out of portable pantries groceries in brown paper bags, shelved in shopping carts. Questions find refuge, under boardwalks and parking lots tinder highways and subway tunnels Walking through the winter tunnels and die of frostbite. VIC TOR M . VELEZ This selection from "A Quest for Answers," poetry by Victor M. Velez. To purchase a copy, visit www.xlibris.com or write to AnjeLisse Arts, PO. Box 137 Cincinnati, Ohio 45246 EDNA SMITH TH E BI BLE IN and good intentions are trampled by no good revelations and hated slang sentences and the world that refuses to bow down sit down for liberal guilty white man thi s rage testifying to the lieing cheating promises of yesterday and long ago we deserve this and more A QUEST F OR A NSWERS 50 WORDS God made Adam bit Noah arked Abraham split Joseph ruled Jacob fooled Bush talked Moses balked Pharaoh plagued People walked Sea divided · Tablets guided Promise landed Saul freaked David peeked Prophets warned Jesus born God walked Love talked Anger crucified Hope died Love rose Spirit flamed Word spread God remained. AUTHOR UNKNOWN SUBMITTED BY MR. LEE Graffiti art in Over the Rhine, the NE comer of Race and 15th Street �f 'I • I I STREETVI BES J ULY 2001 Depression: The Storm Within by Mr. Lee Signs and Symptoms of Depression Is it possible MENTAL HEALTH NEWS Page 16 Extreme Racism: Mental Illness? Nearly everyone suffering from depression has pervasive feelings of sadness. In addition, depressed people may feel helpless, hopeless, and irritable. You should seek professional help if you or someone you know has had four or more of the follow in g sy mp tom s continually for more than two weeks: Noticeable change of appetite. with either significa nt weight gain or weight loss not attributable to dieting. Noticeable change in sleeping pa tte rns . s uc h as .fi tfu l sleep, inability to sleep earl y morni ng awakening, or sleeping too much. Loss of interest and pleasure in activities formerly enjoyed. Loss of energy.fatigue. Peeli ngs of inappropriate guilt. Inability to concentra te or think, indecisiveness. Recurring thoughts ofdeath or suicide, wi shin g to die, or attempti ng suicide. M elancholia (define d as overwhelming feelings of sadness and grief), accompanied by waking at least two hours Earlier than normal in the morning,feeling more depressed in the morning, a nd movin g significantly more slowly. Disturbed thinking, a symptom deve loped by some severe l y depressed persons. For example, severely de pressed pe o pl e sometimes have beliefs not based in reality about physical disease, sinfulness, or poverty. Physical symptoms, such as headaches or stomachaches. Source: "Let's Talk Facts About M e ntal Illness : Depress ion." Was hing ton , DC: Ame ric an Psychiatric Press, Inc., 1989. · that someone's racism could rise or sink to the level that meets the definition of mental illness? Thi s was the q uestion posed by the reporter on ABC's Nig htli ne, Wednesday, May 30, 200 l. Are racists seriously ill or just plain ev il ? D uring the civ il rights era of the 1960s, a group of black psychiatrists was so disturbed by racially motivated killings and other acts of violence that they sought to have extreme racism cJas­ sified as a diagnosabl e mental ill­ ness. The Ameri c.a n Psychi atric Association turned them down. Dr. Al vin Poussaint, a H arvard profes­ sor ·and one of those psychia~rjsts, says it is time to reconsider that decision. "We' ve had a seh es of racially motivated killings now - Buford FwTow in Los Angeles, Benj amin Nathaniel Smith in the Midwest, th e dragg ing de a th in Te xas ," .Poussaint says. "All these men suf­ fered from severe delusions about minorities." Poussaint argues that because these delusions were rac­ ist delusions, the men didn' t get the psychiatric help they needed, even tho ugh delusional disorder is a clearly identifiable mental illness. Instead of being viewed as ill, the attackers were seen as e vil-and untreatable. Diagnosis, Treatment, Prevention Poussaint says, " if we want to do any kind of prevention, psychia­ trists have to know an believe them­ selves that this is a serious mental disorder." To that end, he says, extreme racism should be listed as an offi­ cial type of delusional disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistic al M anual of Mental Disorders, the index that mental health profession­ als use in diagnosi'ng patients. Poussaint set forth bis argument inn a recent editorial inn The New York Recovery Initiative by Mr. Lee of the Mental Health Consumer Network, Inc., a non-profit organi­ · The neat thing about writing zation fund ed by the Hamilton this article (did ( say neat?) is that I County Community Mental Health am composing this article in the Re­ Board in Cincinnati. The RI is op­ covery I nitiative (RI) Resource erated and staffed entirely by con­ Center, o n one of their five com­ sumers. RI is a sister program to puters. Located in their basement the Wannline, a program that was offi ce at 2601 Me lrose Aven ue, highlighted in the June issue of # 100. T he office is open from Streetv ibes . Incide ntally , the l 0: 30-4:00pm, Monday-Friday. . Warrnline number is (513) 931­ T he office number is (513) 221­ WARM (9276). The writer failed 8660. The program is consumer to mention that in lastmonths Men­ staffed. P eople who have experi­ tal Health News . Anyone who enced and are Jiving, recovering and needs this service can contact the working with mental illness. Warrh.lin~ 24 hours a day 365 days The Recovery Initiative is pait a year! Times. Treatment would be. the same as other types of delusional disor­ ders-intensive talk therapy to help the patient understand that all Af­ rican Americans (or Jews or Hi s­ panics) aren ' t out to get them, and possiJ:>ly anti-psychotic medication. No one argues with the goal of preventi ng racism. Whether to ap­ proach it as a mental health prob­ lem, is the question. T he Opposing View Someone may be alarmingl y racist and m~9,ta ll y ill, but racism alone doesn't. make a.person men­ tall y ill, says Dr. Daniel Borenstein, psesident-elect of the American psychiatric Association and a pro-·' fessor at the University, of Califor­ nia-Los Angeles. "Racism' per se is, I think, an extreme of a very common thing in humans, and that is prejudice ," Borenstein says. If someone has a delusional dis­ order that makes it more likely that they'll act out those racist feelings in a violent way, he says, that dis­ order should be easy enough io di­ agnose as a separate problem. Pou ss aint s ay s that .mental health professionals should be on the lookout for patients whose rac­ ist thoughts include threats of vio­ lence or fantasies of vast conspira­ cies. "People argue that it's just hatred, but the hatred is part of a delusion," he says. "It's a circul~ argument." Poussaint says it also crucial to recognize delusional racism early on. If you do, and you can help the person overcome it, you may just prevent the next day-care shooting, deadly rampage or .... ? The Cincinnati View Dr. Poussaint also argues that racism - like other human behav­ iors - exists on a continuum, and that rac ism 's extreme .forms, in which a person has racist delusions ru The offers a resource center, peer support and community edu­ cation. The resource center offers basic compute r ins truction and other technological (you know I l ove those big words) services. Consumer e-mail, internet connec­ tion, fax services, electronic hous­ ing referrals (Sophia), computer­ ized job referral system (Career In­ formation System), keyboarding skills and word processing ai·e some of the offerings of the Recovery 1ni­ tiative. These services have been provided because consumers have requested them. They assist con­ sumers in developing the skills need to function in many vocational ar­ eas (you know, jobs). Other groups such as Vulcan that can lead to violence, should be considered a seriou s mental ill­ ness . .. if you live and or work in an atmosphere that promotes or is permeated with an atmosphere of racist view. Fuel by fear ignorance and negati ve contact, i.e. if you are constantly in adversa.rial relation­ ship with people of another race, what can be the long term maybe permanent affect of that contact? What is particularly disturbing about this topic is that it is obvious to many observers that m uch is wrong and there are probably many who meet the test of being highly prejudice or mentally ·m. , At the Rally for Peace held on Fountain Square Saturday, June 2nd, a J;lJG!O haqdyd gie a f\yer_that sa id: Wa nted: COP Sl'EP;!f~N ROACH. With a picture of a man, swastika on his cap, vampire teeth with blood(?) dripping from his mo uth . The captio n below the drawing: FOR RACIST MURDER DO NOT TRY TO APPREHEND ALONE, ORGANIZE MILLIONS FOR COMMUNIST REVOLUTION Are we talking about a scared cop, in a dangerous situation, prob­ ably infl uenced by racial prejudice .and legiti!TI.ate fear, acquire while working in a racist institution. An officer who spends most of his time chasing people of color for mostly ininor crimes OR the encourage­ ment of our most awful fears for po­ litical purposes? Stephen Roach was by most accounts a good po­ lice officer. A man who obviously made a deadly mistake. At the least we know that racism is alive and well in Cincinnati. The perfor­ mance and of the Cincinnati CAN committee and the current and fu­ ture events that gi ve cause to con­ sider rac ial factors need to · be closely monitored. Cincinnati, the whole world is watching. Forge (Art's Group) operate under the umbrella of the Recovery Ini­ tiative. *Sophia (Social Service Online Personal Helper and Information Assistant) is also available through the Recovery Initiative.,This service is a computerized listing of social service providers in the greater Cin­ cinnati .area with 590 providers listed. This service can be used to locate agencies that provide ser­ vices in the areas of advocacy. case management; counseling, crisis in­ tervention, food , meals, shelters, health ca.re, home care, housing, mental health, clothing, substance abuse, support groups, etc. See Initiative, continued page I 9 �Page 17 STREETVI BES J U LY.2001 How Now, Mad Cow By Susan Huesken You may be thinking that since there have been no known cases of Mad Cow disease confirmed in the United States that this problem is of no real concern to you . Think again! Many peopl e in European cou ntries thought the same thing when the Mad Cow epidemic struck in E ngland. They were very smug and thought that their beef was also "safe '', but now a total o f 14 countries has confirmed cases of Mad Cow Disease.. Mad Cow and Related Diseases Mad Cow Disease, also know as Bovine Spongiform Encephalapathy (BSE) , affects cattle and is one of several types of Tran smis sible Spongiform ~ncephalapathies (TSEs). These TSEs caus~ a disease that attack and destroy the central nervous system and cause holes, or vacuoles, in the brain. No one knows precisely how the TSE agent infects an orgarusm, but on ce it takes h old it is unstoppable. All of the TSEs are fatal and believed to be caused by "prions," normal protein molecules that become infectious when folded into abnormal shapes. The TSE disease affecting sheep is called "scrapie"; in deer and elk it is calJed " Chronic Wasting Di sease" (CWD ) . In humans it is called "Kuru - caused by cannibalism of the human brain and spinal area, "Creutzfeld-Jakob disease" (CJD) - when it arises in the population sporadicall y and variant (vCJD) - when a human is infected from a cow with BSE. In humans, the vCJD symptoms start with iU-te mpered behav ior (l ike my husband), hallucinations, eve~tual less of balance, motor control, and speech; it also causes incontinence and inability to eat, uncontrolled j erking movements, with eventual paralysi$, coma and ultimately death . Eatin g ti ssue from the brain, spinal cord and possi bly oth er organs of an infected animal has been identified as a definite source of infection of TSE; also children who were injected with Human Growth Hormone from the pituitary glands harvested from dead humans have also contracted it. Gardeners have contracted it by possible exposure to bone meal powder. It can also be passed from mother to fetus an.d can pass from a bull to cow through sperm. It has been contracted through contaminated surgical instruments. Other possibl e mode s of transmission of TSE are through blood. The incubation period for TSE is 4-7 years in cows, and it can be 10-30 years before .symptoms appear in humans. These prions are very, very difficult to destroy! The human immune system is unable to target them as foreign invaders since they chemically match the brain's own proteins. They are unaffected by radiation; you can freeze, boil, or soa k · them in formaldehyde, carbolic acid, or chloroform, and many prions will emerge no less deadly than they were. _ The English government has killed around 4.5 million cattle thus fa r, a nd in cin e rated th e m at te mpe ra tu res of 1100 degrees centigrade. The resulting ash is still considered infectious. BSE and Mad Cow Appears in Britain In 1986, a pathologist di scov ered tha t 9 cows on an English dairy farm died from a disease variation of scrapie. It was then realized that the practice of grinding up sheep and cows and then using this as feed fo r other sheep and cows was causing this disease. When the number of infected cows continued to rise, the British government, in 1988, mandated the destruction of the stiicken cows and halted the use of co w, sheep and other ruminant animals in its cattle feed. But beef by-products continued to be used in pig and chicken feed, which proved impossible to segregate fro m·cattle feed on farms and in factories. Meanwhile, the British people continued to eat as much beef as ever and the British government dismissed concerns from scientists abou t the food supply; but, there were soon clear signs th at BSE could spread beyond cattle. The disease started cropping up in zoo animals and domestic cats, which were receiving beef by-products in th eir feed. Then every thin g changed in 1995, when the firs t human victims appeared. In 1996 Britain 's H ealth Secretary went before Congress to announce that BSE had spawned a new human disease a variant of CJD called vCJD. The oldest victim was 39. Five were in there 20's; three were teenagers and they w e re from areas scatt.e red throughout Britain. The British newspaper, the Guardian, lamented in an editorial " The Roast Beef of Old England is a fetish, a household god, which has suddenly been revealed as a Trojan horse for our destruction." After dithering for a decade, gove rnments in the United Kingdom and E urope have 1.ately unknown reasons become too 1ame taken bold steps to control BSE. or too ill to stand on their feet, and On ly when England banned the they coll a pse; they a re ca ll ed " downed" cows . Dr. Ri c hard feedin g of all a nim als to fa rm animals did they slow down Mad Marsh, a veterinari an and TSE researcher beLieved that there is a Cow disease. All brain, spinal cord, form of BSE in the United States and organ material is also excluded ' from consumers, and no meat is that manifests itself as a "downed served on the bone any longer. cow" disease instead of as "mad Unfortunately, however, for 11 cow" disease. He based this years ·after the first cows died of conclusion on several outbreaks of BSE, British exporters continued to mink TSE, in which the minks were ship the remains of ESE-infected fed a diet of mainly "downed cow". cows all ov.er the world . Cattle Downer cows, by law, are not feed, potentially tainted, reached allowed in the food supply without m ore tha n 80 countries. And first being cleared by a veterinarian, millions of people, not only in but most e nter th e fo od c hain Europe but also throughout Russia through the rendering process. If and South~ as t Asia, have eaten ~ e ven a tiny percentage of these cattle that were raised on it. From cows are fallin g vi ctim to an 1988 to 1996, Asian nations alone undiscovered American version of bought nearly a million tons. BSE, this could have implications on a grand scale. So far the human variant of Scientists beli e ve that all Mad Cow disease bas claimed 94 lives worldwide. Newsweek reports mammal s that acquire TSE, that while it's possible that the includin g human s , can do so worst is behind us, sporadically, from no apparent it 's also cause. If animals acquire TSE at the human rate of 1 per mi11ion, concei vable that approximately 100 US cows could tens of thousand of Britons and poss ibly develop BSE millions of people spontaneously each year. If those worldwide - are cattle are mixed in the food supply, still sile ntly it could infect a large amount of inc uba ting th e people. But detecting these isolated disease. cases in cattle is extt·eniely hard Another risk for BSE to the U.S. Mad Cow Risk meat suppl y can occur when a F a ctors, In the pneumatic stun gun is used to make U.S. the cow unconscious, before her In 1997, the U.S. Food and throat is cut. This stun gun injects Drug Administ.ratjon passed a law air, under high pressure to the cow's prohib iting the feeding of cattle skull, its use can contaminate other parts back to beef and dairy cattle; parts of the carcass with brain and however, the FD A legislation can also crack the cow's skull, allowed the feeding of rendered causing the brain to leak out. And (the process by which animal-by­ the force of the gun is such that it products, such as meat, bone and can blow the pieces of brain into fat are melted down and separated) the bloodstream where it can be pigs, horses and chickens back to carried to the lun g and li ver. cattle. The rendered products of Vete rin ari an Ta m G arl a nd , a sheep and cows' carcasses are still research associate at Texas A & M, being used as fee d for hogs, has recovered chunks of brain as chickens and other farm animals. large as 6 inches across in the lungs This practice has been forbidden in of slaughtered cows. Canadian Europe since 1996, when it became researchers have spotted pieces of clear that pig and chicken feed was brain about 2 Y2inches wide, lodged finding its way into cows and sheep. in cow livers. Heart, liver, and other The scientific journal Nature "variety meats" are added to hot fo und that TSE from one species dogs, sausages, and canned or could be carried by another species bottled meat products such as chili without making the carrier sick, and and spaghetti. concluded that th ese res ults strongly favored a decision to stop High Risk Tissue feeding ruminant-derived protefo to The U.S. still allows the sale all species, in particular, domestic of high-risk tissue, which could animal s rai sed for meat carry disease. There is also no consumption. Many scientists regulation that mandates that the believe that as long as any rendered spinal cor~ be removed before animal prot,eins are fed to food carcasses are processed. Unless animals, there will be the possibility spinal cords are removed, that a new prion epidemic will "mechanically separated meat," endanger humans. which the government describes as There is another food safety "a paste and batte r like meat issue in the U.S. that is not being product produced by forcing bones addressed. It is estimated that every with attached edible meat, under year, l 00,000 dairy cows , for See Cow, continued page 18 �STREETVIBES JULY 2001 Cow, from page 17 high pressure, through a sieve", can be contaminated with bits of central nervous system tissue. An American hot dog can co n ~ain up to 20% mechanically separated meat, and lunch meats and hamburger can also contain meat that is mechanically separated. The March 12, 2001 Newsweek reports studies showing that prions are more likely to show up in meat torn from a cow's spinal column than say a rump roast. European health agencies beli_eve the greatest risk comes from burgers, sausages and meat still attached to the bone, such as T-bone steaks. Confirmed TSE in the U.S. U.S. agencies have confirmed cases of TSE infecting and killing animals in this country. Thus far, Mt. Airy, from page 1 edgments, the Hamilton County De­ partment ofHuman Services is con­ tinuing to look for a third party to take over the administration of the program. Homeless advocates are working to insure that Mt. Airy will A TASTE OF...CINCINNATI Come on down everyone! Bring the wife and son! Have some fun in the sun Get a taste of ... Cincinnati! Over-the-Rhine, still run down 01' West End being torn down Not your worry, have some fun Get a taste of ... Cincinnati! Page 18 deer, elk, mink and sheep have been reported as affected. Thirty-nine states have co nfirme d cases of scrapie . Many state wi ldlife agencies are requesting hunters to remove the heads of the large game and send it to the state for testing. In Colorado in 1998, five percent of the animals tested had TSE. In 1999, Wyoming found 15% of its deer had TSE. Montana has destroyed a herd of elk because of the disease. In a CBS evening news special on Mad Cow disease, it was reported that a hun ter con tracted a nd eventually died from eating a deer infected with TSE; another hunter was notified, after a long period of time, that the animal that he sent for testing, had tested positive (but he and his family had already eaten the meat). For hunters, and others who eat wild game, ·this TSE issue should be a real concern! As long as livestock-to-livestock feeding continues, the possibility of spongiform epide mic will remain. Eating meat will always carry health risks. Livestock producers can do little to reduce meat's link to heart disease, cancer and obesity but they can reduce and possibly eliminate the risk of a spongiform disease epidemic. But even jf a blanket livestock­ to-livestock feed ban is never passed in the U. S. like it has in Europe, Ameri cans can sti ll protect themselves from the possibility of contraction a BSE-related disease. While it may never be possible to know the prio.n status of meat, it is definitely possible to abstain from eati ng m e at in the first place. Cincinnati WLW talk show host, Bill be preserved as a county-run shel­ ter. Pat Clifford, Co-Chair of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless and Coordinator of the Drop Inn Center, explained during a recent meeting with the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners the importance of retaining Mt. Airy as mains open to all, Hamilton County a county run facility. The Greater needs to continue to run the shelter. Cincinnati Coalition for the Home­ Additionally, Mr. Clifford stressed less believes that in order to insure the importance of providing services that services provided by the shelter for all of Hamilton County's resi­ are preserved, and that access re­ dents - including homeless men. A White justice to save the day, Not our worry, come on down Get a taste of ...Cincinnati. Fangeman acting Like he's the One. James Brown here Mayor Luken definitely on some kind of lark Just a soulful taste of.... Cincinnati. not having fun, Still just a taste of ...Cincinnati. Thirteen year olds Anger, confusion and hurt about to be slammed rule the day By a justice system Community leaders(?), many have damned. no loss for words to say, Lives lost, others' ruined The Negro Tour Guide Just a tastes of... Cincinnati. in CityBeat is okay I know I want my taste of...Cincinnati. Equal justice for some, not all , Security following you in the mall. Cincinnati police. standing tall, Just a taste of...Cincinnati. Black and Brown with White Rose in Washington Park Whites from out of town/ brown beer/ drunk before dark, Do you want a self-motivated, low-pressure job? Singleton f1!ing words like a loose gun, Boshers, has become a vegetarian because of Mad Cow disease. You may think this reaction a little extreme, but he feels that we are at risk in this country and this is a way to cut down his risk. In the last month I have seen TV specials and have listened to many radio talk show~ devoted to this 'Mad Cow" issue. People are really concerned, as they should be. Becoming a vegetarian will definitely reduce your "Mad Cow " risk. I would prefer that people become a vegetarian for the numerous benefits it has for o ur health, environment and the animals. But if Mad Cow disease is what it takes for them to change their diet, I am sure they will eventually discover all the other wonderful benefits that a vegetarian diet can bring! 'bye Timmy, You don't have to run anymore. It's going to be okay. We miss you. Not because of who you were, but because of who and what you could have been. MR. Sell Streetvibes! · The monthly newspaper with news from the street: homelessness, poor people's issues, poetry, prose, and articles with their feet on the ground. Vendors buy the paper for 20 cents and sell it for a $1 donation. First 10 copies fr,e to new vendors! Come in today to sign up! The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless 1506 Elm Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45210 (Sll) 421-7803 L EE SUPPORT TH£ GR£AT£R CINCINNATI COALITION FOR TH£ HOM£L£SS AT WILD OATS MARKET 5% DAYI .. --,~!", ­- -. ·- . ' TH£ -WILD OATS MARKET AT ROOKWOOD COMMONS Will DONAT£ 5% OF TH£ DAY'S N£T PROC££DS TO TH£ GCCH ON · AUGUST 8, 10011 SHOP AT WILD OATS MARKET AND DO­ NAT£ TO TH£ GCCHI WILD OATS MARKET ROOKWOOD COMMONS 1693 £DM9NDSON RD CINCINNATI, OHIO 45109 FOR MOR£ INFORMATION, CONTACT TH£ GCCH AT C,13) 411-7803. �'' Page 19 STREETVIBES JULY 2001 Calendar of Events Streetvibes has a monthly calendar of events to keep you informed of happenings around the Greater Cincinnati area. Pl ease contact us if you have an item to list. Any submission is welcome: local community council meetings, social justice forums, protests, community festivals, art shows, etc. Pleasy call 421-7803, fax to 42 1-7813 or email streetvibes@juno.com to list an event. July 1 EarthSave Dining Out, 6:00 p.m. at a restaurant to be determined. Call EarthSave at 929- 2500 or Mary Ann ,.Lederer at 591-3003 for more information. 7 Community Activist "Blea Market" 12:30 - 4:30 p.m., Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church, 103 William Howard Taft Road.. Shop, swap or sel1 information and merchandise from local social service agencies. All or welcome. Cost is $10 for an organizati0n to have a table at the event. Contact Georgine at 28 J -1104 or email Getty-fu nkrat@att.net. 12- 13 Bill Schultz Lunebeon at the World Affajrs Council, 432 Walnut Street. For more information, contact Shannon Radford, Program Coordinator, at 621-2320. 16 Over the Rhine Parks and Recreation Committee Meeting, 12: 15 p.m. at the Contact Center. Call 381­ 4242 for more information. 18 Greater Cjncinnati Alliance for Democracy meeting, 7:30 pm, 01d St. George Church, 42 Calhoun Street. For more information, call 542-0958 or 662-3712. 19 Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless General Body Meeting, 1:30 p.m. in the McCtackin Room at the Drop Inn Center. CaII 421-7803 for more inforrnat ion. 21 EarthSave Vegetarian Pot Luck Dinner, 6:00 p.m. at St. John's Unitarian Church, 320 Resor. For more infor mation, call EarthSave at 929-2500 or call Mary Ann Lederer 591-3003. . View, from page 1 etc. we began the day by heading for the "spot". Generally on the walk to the spot you will run into something. "You see one who walks will always walk upon somethi ng." In the search for the first lick of the day some small article usually comes along, such as, you run into someone you know who has a start. Usually it's alcohol, the first drink of the day. Every street person has to have that fuel to give them that start. So you come across your first beer in the morning and it tends to expand your view, gets your wheels turning. By the time you arrive at the spot where you expect to find your "cats" you have thought of sevei:_al different ways to come up with some money. So you start to effect moves. For most of the street people the first move is usually shady. Something illegal, or at best sly. An. easy theft is generally the first move. Find something to sell or barter for. You may net ten to fifteen dolJars. Since most street people are addicted or dependent on some sort of drug this first money is used to cope. That first hit in the morning (the wake up c·a n)setsthetempofortheday. Most of the day is spent Just sitting around kicking the breeze with your cats, constantly scheming on the next move - keeping that keen eye for the next lick or a possible mark. A lot of this time is spent indulging in alcohol. "Got to get my drink on". Throughout the day licks come in spurts. You pick up a few dollars here, a few dollars there. Each dollar made is usually spent before.you get it. On an average day the street person will spend fifty to seventy dollars on drug s and alcohol, unmindful of the waste. During this run you come across every conceivable scenario that the street presents: sexual acts, violence, the whole nine. In the life of the street every thing is as possibl e as the imagination can conjure. Every conceivable act is a reality and can be indulged in. A life that ~s always on the verge of insanity believing that this whole thing is sane, a Jife so real yet so unreal. Still we have to separate the street people into certain types. There are those who are in the street who are in a different world then the street person I generally I talk about. Although practically all people of the street are homeless, not all street people are in the )jfe. We need to distinguish between the two. There are those who are in the street, who cannot help themselves, usually they have some mental deficiency or are homeless due to some financial problem. These street people are not counted amongst the characters that grace the fast lane. Most often this g ro up is honest and only need someone who cares. Yet, all street people are in need of the society as a whole. There are those who need just some financial stability and · those who need some social training. They are all a . part of our great society and need to be included into the social endeavors, whkh effect all of us. See Justice , from page 12 some reason? You won ' t through several communities and that drastic change is corning to acknowledge anyone in council organizations, with one united. Cincinnati, just not now. To me, it meetings anymore. Maybe you're mission to achieve equality, seems that now is the perfect time scared of the power that we would freedom, and justice for all. I feel for it. What are we supposed to do, possess if we combine as one. that without this very fundamental wait until the election so that you can We cannot and will not stand for ideal, whatever advancements we hype our h eads up with more anymore ignorance from our 1ocal, have made will eventually degrade propaganda fi lled with e mpty state, or national government. Tlie into nothing. I don't think any of us promises and more u n'fi n ishe d t. changes musts tart now. We all must can afford to not use this oppof!unity. projects? Are you guys scared for .. come together as one race linked Parents, from page 13 actions. Point blank, if you can't do the time then don't do the crime. When is this senseless abuse of our neighbors and neighborhoods going to stop? We shDuld ALL quit concentrating on race and begin concentrating on class. After all, Jesus Christ died for everyone, not just for one or two groups of people. Even he dealt with ~nd spoke to a Samaritan woman, the "lower" people by the Jews standards. Can we not do the same ourselves, or are we all too caught up in ourselves to care.? That's my 2 cents worth. Initiative, from page 16 A most popular feature of this service is the Rapid Housing Search. This feature provides a listing oflow cost housing in the greater Cincin­ nati area. This search can be quali­ fied by area or location desired, type of housing, maximum amount of rent, number of bedrooms ahd bath­ rooms, section 8, pets, buslines, etc. prior to producing a customized list­ ing of vacancies under this criteria. Thfa report can then be printed and mailed. Consumers (mental health services) can request this informa­ tion over the. telephone without the need for a visit to the Recovery Ini­ tiative. This service like all other Recov­ ery Initiative services are provided at no cost to the consumer. *SOPHIA is a software product created by Caracole, a local group serving the housing needs of persons with AJDS. Carocole is a member of the Coalition for the Homeless. Information on this system can be obtained by contacting Carocole at 761-1480. The Recovery Ini tiative Re­ source Center is a well-kept secret. The variety of services available and the quiet, intim~te atmosphere, sup­ ported by courteous and friendly staff creates the quality of atmo­ sphere and the ambiance (don't you just bate me) that is critical for the needs of the diverse dientele they serve and the special needs and is­ sues they bring in the door. The staff has the unique ability to meet the difficult client with grace and pa­ tience, where 1 might be tempted to use baseball bat therapy. Often, the service needed is just a few minutes of time with a sym­ pathetic listener who has been there. I think they call it peer support. What ever they call it, the staff at the Re­ covery Initiative does it well. Anyone wishin g to volunteer resources to the Recovery Initiative may contact Fred Zimmerman, Ex­ ecutive Director of the M en tal Health Consumer Network, Inc. at (513) 221-7755 or the staff at the Resource Center at (513) 221 -8660. ·Streefvibes: A proud member of the North Americ.an "btrut Ne\t.lspape.r Assoc.iation ~presenting So st~ut ne\tl&papers throughout the United ·'f>tates and t:anada "'"'"'. spea~eas1.or.gln~sna �Need Help.-or Want to·Help? If for some reason you find yourself homeless. contact a Coalition Member Agency for Shelter, Treatment, Housing or Se.-vices. U you have any questions, feel free to call the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. "iOUSIN(i: CMHA Excel Development Miami Purchase 721-4580 632-7149 241-0504 OTR Housing Network 369-0004 IBEATMENI: Men Charlie's 3/4 House Prospect House Starting Over 784-1853 921-1613 751-3260 820-2947 861 -9966 381-6660 ' 684-7956 859-491-4435 859-559-5011 421-2437 591-2246 961-0600 Community Action Agency ~Hl;~TER: Both Caracole (AIDS) 761-1480 Chabad House 821-5650 Friars Club 381-5432 Drop Inn Ceoter(Singles) 721-0643 Haven House (Hamilton) 863-8866 Interfaith Hospitality Ntwk 471 -1100 Lighthouse Youth Center (Teens) 961-4080 St. John's Temp Housing 651-6446 ReSTOC Tender Mercies Tom Geiger House 381-1171 639-7056 961-4555 TREATMENT:_Wgmen O.D.A.A.T First Step Home 221-6937 961-4663 ROHS HARDWARE Aeros ol Insect Killers • .38 •tRM .. --~.-.~ -.\.. )\)~~~ 16" Oscillating White Stand Fan >..~+o ·~ *7" Bronze Citronella lantern Wtth Hook 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Emanuel Comm. Center 241-2563 Freestore/Foodbank 241-1064 Goodwill Industries 771-4800 G.C. Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 Hamilton Co. Mental Health Board 621-7149 Hamilton Co. TB Control 632-7186 Health Resource Center 357-4602 Homeless Mobile Health Van 352-2902 House of Refuge Mission 221-3619 241-9400 Legal Aid Society Madisonville Ed, & 271-5501 Assistance Center Mary Magdalen House 721 -:.4811 Oral Health Council 621-0248 621-6364 Our Daily Bread Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621 -5514 Project Connect -­ Homeless Kids 357-5720 St. Vincent De Paul 562-8841 The Emergency Food Center 471-4357 Travelers Aid 721-7660 United Way 721-7900 859-572-6226 VA Homeless Program 859-491-3335 Women's Crisis Center 872-9259 Women Helping Women Thank you for your support. � 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 2001 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 2001 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Mt. Airy Shelter to Remain open Pg 2: Time to Say Goodbye Pg 3: Cincinnati’s Conspiracy Speech Read at City Hall Pg 4: The Cold Within Pg 5: Paxton Sings for the Environment and Cincinnati’s Homeless Pg 6: National News Pg 7: All I Want for Christmas is… Pg 8: Prisoners’ News Pg 9: A Modern Day Slave Pg 10: A Thing of Beauty Pg 11: We Called Him Mac Pg 12: Editorials Pg 13: People and Morality Pg 14: Arts & Poetry Pg 15: Arts & Poetry Continued Pg 16: Extreme Racism: Mental Illness? Pg 17: How Now, Mad Cow? Pg 18: Cow Continued Mt. Airy Continued Pg 19: View Continued Justice Continued Parents Continued Initiative Continued 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 2001 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Alicia Beck Susan Knight Dan Marschner Mary A. Gaffney Mary Taylor Molly Lyons Sonny Williams H. Lee Bowen David Mitchell Dana Terrell Pam Johnson James Blackmon Iyndigoh Edna Smith Susan Hucsken Anne Anderson Ronald Leroy English Kim Renay Dumas Tuqman Bahir Taqwuim Riccardo Taylor Mr. Lee Brian Garry John Perotti Victor M. Velez Lemuel Israel Ben Gilbert Steve Sunderland Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Alicia Beck Anne Anderson Arts & Poetry Ben Gilbert Brian Garry Christmas Cincinnati City Hall Dan Marschner Dana Terrell David Mitchell Editorials Edna Smith H. Lee Bowen James Blackmon Iyndigoh John Perotti Kim Renay Dumas Lemuel Israel Mary A. Gaffney Mary Taylor mental illness Molly Lyons Mr. Lee Mt. Airy Mt. Airy Shelter NASNA National News Pam Johnson prisoners news Racism Riccardo Taylor Ronald Leroy English Sonny Williams Steve Sunderland Susan Hucsken Susan Knight Tuqman Bahir Taqwuim Victor M. Velez Women https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/693ae3607d5fb888b2e7c3b27aea8556.pdf 8b447cb7e6de4736d6b0c2c0bc6bf04b PDF Text Text Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless �ree • July 2003 City gives free, legal licenses _to panhandle politely by Andy Erickson National Civil Rights Organizing Project (NCROP) On June 161h the Elm Street Health Center, located on Elm Street in Over-the-Rhine, began accepting applications for panhandlers' licenses. On that day, nearly 60 people were registered in just two hours, though many were protesters rather than panhandlers. The registration process is actually very quick and easy. The difficulty will lie in understanding all the laws that apply to panhandling. Violating one of these laws means a hefty fine, plus losing one's license for 18 months. In order to get the panhandling license, an applicant must first fill out a City of Cincinnati/Temporary Registration for Solicitation form, which asks for a name, address, phone number, driver' s license or state ID number, and other identifying characteristics such as height, weight, race and sex. In the case that an applicant has no ID, they could opt instead to sign, under penalty of perjury, a declaration stating that they have none. Once the application is filled out, the applicant's photograph is taken. The photograph and the completed application are then sent to District One, the police department headquarters. At District One, the application is checked for any false or misleading information, and the applicant's criminal record is checked for any violations of the panhandling ordinance that might have occurred in the past 18 months. Provided there are no such violations, and the application contains no false or misleading information, the applicant's license is printed and mailed to JUs or her address within three weeks. For applicants who have no address, the $$$ millions • license can be picked up at r¢1oeate La2or District One on Ezzard $0 for Charles Drive in the West n~ighborhoo End. The applicant does Protesters gather in front ofthe Elm Street Health Center in Over-the-Rhine to not need to wait for the protest panhandler licensing. "Its a bad use ofresources and a waste oftime license to arrive in order to and taxpayer money, " said one protester. start panhandling, though. The to an inquiry by another person." one's circumstances, soliciting Elm Street Health Center gives when the sun is down, and So if you choose to use a out a temporary license on the soliciting in specific places such sign, you can panhandle without date ofapplication. As long as the bus stops, near ATMs and on having to register, but the person District One police check goes who verbally asks for a dime private property without the well, the applicant becomes a permission of the owner, to name a cannot. You can sit at a bus stop, licensed panhandler from the day few. A licensed quietly with a sign, but the person that he or she panhandler who verbally asks for a dime fills out the caught cannot. You·can sit within 20 feet application. A of an ATM with a cup or a sign, but panhandling licensed person the person who verbally asks for a aggressively needs only to dime cannot. You can sit with a would have his renew the or her license sign after sundown, but the person - . 06/20/2004 license yearly. (For ­ 911).12 only} revoked for 18 who verbally asks for a dime There The panhandling license cannot. months, and are, of course, could face a As long as you make sure some restrictions that come with never to verbally ask for money, fine ofup to $250 or 30 days in this license, such as those that goods, or any other form of jaiL limit aggressive panhandling Strangely, a person could gratuity, you have a lot more rights behaviors. Aggressive avoid entirely the registration than those people who use verbal panhandling is defined in the process and learning about the speech, have a license and are panhandling ordinance as aggressive panhandling laws by acting within the law. You have to intimidating, touching, blocking or simply choosing to sit or stand be careful, though: if you do ask for following people, lying about quietly with a sign that asks for money verbally, and you do not money - because this have a license, you can be fined ordinance only $250 or 30 days injaiJ, and you will applies to people become ineligible to receive a once they open up license to panhandle for 18 months their mouths to say after your arrest date. something like, If you would like more "Could you help me information about the city's out with some panhandling laws, feel free to change?" contact the Coalition for the The ordinance Homeless. The Coalition can get clearly states that it you a copy ofthe panhandling shall not apply to "the ordinance, or if you' d prefer, we act of passively can get you an easier-to-read standing or sitting "Know Your Rights" brochure, with a sign or other which details some of the laws that indicator that a could affect panhandlers and homeless citizens of Cincinnati. A donation ofmoney, goods or any other copy ofthe ordinance #0158-2003 , form ofgratuity is is also available at the City Clerk's Protester Lois Presser (r) signing up for panhandling license at the E lm Street Health being sought without office on the third floor of City Center. "Under the law, without a license you can~ even ask someone for change for a any vocal request Hall, 801 Plum Street. dollar to use a pay phone orf eed the parking meter, " say anti-license protesters. other than a response ... ­ Greater Cincinnati Coaliti n · or the Homeless �STREETVIBES July, 2003 Editorial Willy the Bully supplying them with "malt-liquor" and "cheap wine" along the way. Bullying Fills Void Left When I called in to protest that this was dehumanizing and disgusting, by Fleeting "Willy" told me that homeless Compassion people are "dehumanized by homeless advocates who need by Georgine Getty, Executive homelessness to keep working." Director, Greater Cincinnati He then told me to "go to hell" and Coalition for the Homeless hung up. Apparently he spent the According to next day making fun of my bullybeware.com, "Bullying in its appearance and truest form is accusing me of comprised of a series single-handedly of repeated causing the intentionally cruel homeless problem in incidents, involving Cincinnati while the same children, in continuing to the same bully and screech slurs abouf victim roles." Bullies how filthy ho~eless tend to remain bullies people are and how their entire life, they are leaving behind them a "degenerates." trail of destruction. Georgine Getty Now what What happens to would make an alleged adult childhood bullies when they grow behave in such a way? Part of it is up? ratings. For some reason, people One bully moved 'onto the enjoy listening to Willy, whether to airwaves ofWLW Radio. On June get angry, to laugh at him or 5, 2003 Bill "Willy" Cunningham because they believe him. and his lackeys at WLW conducted However, I think it's a bit more what they called a "Derelict than that. Again I return to Round-up", a boorish publicity bullybeware.com that states, stunt during which they ran an on­ "bullying usually, although not going live broadcast from a bus always, occurs between individuals taking "bums" to West Chester, What is Streetvibes? Page 2 who are not friends. In a bullying situation, there is a power difference between the bully and the victim. For instance, the bully may be bigger, tougher, and physically stronger or be able to intimidate others or have the power to exclude others from their social group. The intention ofbullying is to put the victim in distress in some way. Bullies seek power." They may be bigger and tougher, or they may just happen to have a far­ reaching radio show. Seeking power by bullying the weak. All of the major religions revolve around preventing this behavior. Great works of art, literature, film and dance have been written around this timeless theme. Heroes emerge from their ability to combat bullies. Take the time to be a hero today. Contacting Bill or the folks at WLW doesn't help. Contact WLW's owner Clear Channel c/o John Hogan, CEO Clear Channel Radio at clearchannel.com or 200 Basse Road, San Antonio, TX, 78209. Help us send a clear message that the 25,000 homeless men, women and children in Cincinnati should not continue to be the victims ofWilly 's bullying. the paper for a $1 donation. Over the years, tens of thousands of own Grapevine newspaper. In by Jimmy Heath dollars have gone directly to the early 1997, Streetvibes started Many people call or write vendors. publishing on its own, right here in the Homeless Coalition office The 20 cents barely covers Cincinnati out of the offices ofthe asking questions about the Streetvibes Vendor Program. What Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the the cost of printing, let alone staffing and overhead. From its Homeless. It took us many years is it? What does it do? Who is it very beginning the paper has lost to get to where we are now, for? Even many long-time readers money. But for the Greater becoming established as are sometimes confused about the Cincinnati's voice for the homeless Cincinnati Coalition for the Streetvibes project. For those Homeless, the paper provides a interested, here is an explanation of and the disempowered .. voice for current issues regarding Potential vendors sign up the program. Please continue to low-income people and an for the program, and are given an call or write ifyou have more alternative news outlet for orientation that includes the do's questions. We also encourage our concerns that aren't always and don'ts of offering the paper to readers to share their own stories represented by local mainstream people on the streets in Cincinnati. with us and the rest of the media. The Vendor is required to sign a Streetvibes readership. Just email We don't solicit Code of Conduct (see page 4) and your thoughts to us. advertisers, and we receive NO is required to adhere to the rules or Cincinnati's Streetvibes face termination from the program. government funding for the newspaper is a project of the program. The Coalition has Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Vendors are issued an official happily financed this project from vendor badge and are required to Homeless and is a founding early beginnings through private its display it at all times while selling member ofthe North American grants and donations. The Greater the paper. Street Newspaper Association Cincinnati Coalition for the All of the vendors are (NASNA). Nearly every state, and Homeless supports the program encouraged to take time to write most major cities in the US are because it provides an important represented in the street newspaper for the paper. There are computers voice to its constituency. at the Homeless Coalition office movement. There is also a large Although we are considered that vendors can use to write their street newspaper movement in a thorn in the side for many at City stories, poetry or any commentary Europe, Africa and many other Hall and the powers-that-be, we they desire for inclusion in countries around the globe. The still maintain our right to speak to Streetvibes. papers are as varied as the talents issues that the mainstream press The Streetvibes newspaper and resources of the individual often ignores. We are proud of program provides homeless and publishers. Some of our street low-income vendors a chance to do Streetvibes, and of our vendors. newspapers are modest If you have any further something for themselves, on their photocopied handouts; others are questions about how the program own time, and at their own pace, slick, mainstream-type magazines, works please call me at the with the profits going directly to with full color printing, major Coalition office at 4 21-7802, advertisers and a huge distribution. the individual. Vendors ~uy extension 12. Streetvibes at the Coalition office Streetvibes began in 1996 for 20 cents per copy and then sell as a supplement to Cleveland's' �STREETVIBES Page 3 July, 2003 ON A SCALE OF ONE TO A HUNDRED, HOW MUCH DO YOU DISAGREE WITH THE CITY'S TREATMENT OF CINCINNATI'S HOMELESS? ~-------------------------------~ 1will 10111E: []!] Is20 I IS41 I I s11 I Is11 I Is111I He's only 18 months old and already he's trapped in the cycle of homelessness in · Cincinnati. His mother needs an affordable place to live and a job with a living wage as she escapes a life of domestic violence. The current treatment of homeless individuals in our city means that he may never be able to live in a home of his own. There are 25,00~ people in Cincinnati that experience homelessness each year. More than one-third of those are women and children. The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless believes that by addressing the root causes of the problem through education, advocacy and coordination of services, we can end homelessness in our city. The more support we have from the community, the more influence we have with our city's officials. Please cut the coupon and pick a box. It could mean that one less child will have to live in one. Send your donations to Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless 1506 Elm Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 Greater Cincinnati Coalition For The Homeless ~-------------------------------------~ �STREETVIBES July, 2003 Page 4 ·Renters Have Rights Read·e r :.·- , . ." " Mail We would like to hear from you - please address letters and comments to; Streetvibes, 1506 Elm Street, Cincinnati Ohio 45202 (or) email to: Streetvibes@iuno.com Translate Streetvibes into Spanish I was at the Salvation Army for lunch. I met a man named Phillipe. He says he is Mexican, and that he does not understand very much English. Yo conosco un mucho poco y mucho malo en el. espanol. You need to start printing a Spanish edition of Streetvibes. As I understand it, 20% of the American population is Hispanic/ Latino. Because most homeless are mentally ill, did you know they had a Star Trek bible? It is written in Klingon. This was a short story in the Sunday Enquirer about a month ago. Out in Portland Oregon, the mental health (sic) is hiring people ·that are bi-linguaOOingon/English, so you might also need to start printing a Klingon edition of Streetvibes. I must not be much of a Star Trek fan, I don't know . Klingon. Maybe someone at Rockdale Temple could check with the Salvation Army for distributing Spanish cards. I saw their ad on page eleven oflast month's Streetvibes. St. Julie Belliard has a mass at 12:30 AM for Latinos. Also, the Ninth Street United Methodist, now called Living Water Church, has an adult learning canter for Hispanics. The Mormons have some members that speak, read and write Hispanic. Phillipe has only been in Hamilton, Ohio about four months. Your help list is good, but there is no help line listed for Latinos. I tried to make him understand that he would be able to get help at all the places I have mentioned in this letter. Sincerely, Frank L Martin Hamilton Ed Note; while we have no plans right now to translate the paper into Klingon, we have looked many times at the idea of producing a spanish language sectionfor Streetvibes readers. We are aware ofthe growing Hispanic population and the significance of these new residents to the Greater Cincinnati region. We will provide a Spanish language Streetvibes if there is a significant demand for it. My daughter was illegally on March 10, 2003. She was three months behind in rent due to an unfortunate circumstance that she couldn't help. Her court date on the eviction notice was March 11, 2003. A landlord cannot evict any tenant before going to court. An immediate writ can't be issued until on the court date (to rid drug dealers, etc.). The judge told her on March 11 that she had ten days to get out. Do not let a landlord illegally evict you and get away with it. You do have rights. The lcwllQrd ~i!t !;lOt get away with it. You can get good advice fre.e from Legal Aid. Ed Note: The best advice, as you mentioned, ·is to seek legal counsel especially ifyou think that your rights are being violated There are laws that protect both the client and the landlord Contact Cincinnati Legal Aid if you cannot afford a lawyer at 421­ 9400. . Yes., I'm Back by Elaine Coffey In the last issue I wrote to the public to explain the fear that I have living in Cincinnati. One gentleman emailed me back and suggested.that I move. Well, the trick is no good. l am not leaving here until I'm ready. You know who you are! HAVE A NICE DAY! Now back to basics. It is amazing how dumb the city council can be. Now all panhandlers are required to register for a Panhandlers License. How is it that you can allow someone to be legally on the street like this? I'm sending out this message to individuals, to target the homeless. This license can not give a person a home, treatment, dental, or employment. So what is the reason for the registration? Now we are back to square one on every issue. Som~ agencies have asked that the city along with t Elaine Coffey DIC (Downtown Cincinnati, Inc.) pay for a component of social services to be put in place to help with outreach to help people recover and become viable citizens. I am calling for an understanding. What is the city going to do to help these individuals recover and become stable? How will the city inform new homeless that they must register? How are they going to address that? Where Your Dollar Goes Printing and Production: 20 cents The Streetvibes program maintains a minimal overhead cost so that our vendors can keep as much of the proceeds as possible. Please call our office at 421-7803 for more informa­ tion about the program. Many thanks for your support. . Streetvibes Vendor Code Each vendor must sign and agree to abide by the following code of conduct ... 1. Streetvibes will be distributed for a $1 voluntary donation. I agree not to ask for donations of '- more than $1 . I also understand that I will be able to keep 80 cents of each dollar collected. 2. Streetvibes may only be purchased from the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH). Purchasing or selling unauthorized papers, or from other vendors, will result in termination from the program. 3. I agree that I will not ask for donations or attempt to vend after 12 midnight. 4. I agree to treat others with respect - other vendors, customers, and GCCH personnel. 5. I will not sell Streetvibes while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. 6. I will not give a "hard sell" or make someone feel threatened. 7. I agree not to deceive the public by saying that I am collecting for a not-for-profit charity or that I am collecting for the "homeless" in general. I will be honest in stating that all the profits from the sale ofStreetvibes will go to the individual vendor. Falsely stating intent or otherwise mis­ representing is a violation ofa city ordinance and may be cause for arrest. · · 8. I will always present my badge when purchasing papers, and I will display my badge at all times while vending. Replacement badges are $5 each. 9. There are no territories. I agree that I will not contest territories with other distributors. I will not sell on private property without permission. 10. I understand that Streetvibes strives to be a self­ supporting paper created by people who are homeless or formerly homeless. To help in this effort, I will try to spread the word and write stories if possible. 11. I understand that failure to comply with any of the above statements will result in termination from the Streetvibes vendor program. GCCH reserves the right to terminate a vendor at any time as deemed appropriate. �STR E ETVIBES July, 2003 To Know and to Understand the Homeless by Mary A. Gaffney It does not take much to understand and know them. We are all God's children, regardless of color race or creed. Some have gained fame and lost it through problems; family, job, service to their country, etc. By losing faith, they don't care about themselves anymore. And with this and their friends who are in the same condition, they have built a barricade around themselves to protect themselves from the outside world, because of some harsh words or kicks. I've found out, being around the families, that there is·some good in them. If you speak kindly to them they will watch your reaction to them. For almost 5 years, off and on, I have been around the homeless. Yes, some are overbearing but have you thought why they are t his way? Have you thought about what caused them to be this way? Think how it would be for you if you came into the position that they are in. You can be up on the high bills oflife, and the next day or hour you can be down. Remember, you can always come down faster than you went Page 5 DEAR READERS! . Send us your Vendor Stories Do you have a favorite Streetvibes Vendor that you would like to tell us about? Send us your stories or comments to: Streetvibes@juno.com or Ms. Mary A. Gaffney up. So while you are sitting comfortable in your home protected from harsh weather, you are able to get up and walk to your kitchen for a snack, or you are able to pick up your child for a hug. In doing this you are blessed. Remember, our most Heavenly Father watches over everyone and will not suffer even a little sparrow to fall. Remember, he still cares for the homeless too, and this is why they still survive regardless of what comes or goes. God loves us all. And if you just take a little time to think, maybe you could understand the homeless a little better. Remember, we are somebody in our Father's eyes. Just think about life, OK? Streetvibes 1506 Elm Street Cincinnati. Ohio 45202 We All Are Just One Step Away From Being Homeless If we lose our jobs, our business, we are in dire need of support by Stacy A. Smith I would like to share my story ofbeing homeless with Streetvibes and it reader's. It was January, 1995. I remember walking up Ninth street here in Cincinnati, and at that time I felt all alone. My dad had passed away in my arms on Christmas Eve, December 24,1993 . My mom is around but not feeling well herself. She is still faced with issues with her family in regards to Stacy A. Smith the Black and White issue, after 40 speak with me and said to me, years. I'm divorced and a mom of two children which are grown now "What can we do to help and how mµch could you afford to pay?" I and a grandmother of one. But explained what I when I was faced could afford and with no where to he mentioned go, it was really "I remember walking up that he could see an experience for M nth street here in what he could me. I stopped by Cincinnati, and at that do. the Regal Hotel time I f elt all alone. " We worked at that time and out a wonderful had a seat in the arrangement for my stay which lobby area to gather my thoughts. lasted about 4 months. That very A representative from the hotel asked me ifl was okay. I began to next day I received a job across the street working as a bartender. tell him my situation. He spoke Things were looking excellent. A with management and before I wonderful room with a view on the knew it, the manager came over to twenty-third floor. A view ofthe now have relocated my small , Ohio river, two kings size beds, business on West Ninth street. I eating area and bath. The room met the owner of the building and was a suite that rented for $2,000 a she believes in me, and I am so night. thankful for her and her daughter. I became so happy I felt We're building at this time and plan like I was Cincinnati's own star. to open in August. Serving the Also, at this commllnity is where time I have a it's at. I would like , small business "/ became so happy.../ f elt to thank the called like I was Cincinnati's community for its Certified own star. " Medical Affiliates. We provided medical equipment and medical supplies. We had some small contract's with our local government and Children's Hospital but payment from both became delayed. I was able to obtain housing since that time and was welcome to return to the hotel. I'm doing all right and I support throughout my struggle. Thank you Cincinnati for being there for me. Our local Government and it's Institutions should welcome all and be of support to an individual that is trying to make a living in America. �STREETVIBES Page 6 July, 2003 2000. We watch as a young black Close to the end ofthe 3 day exhibit, a poetry reading by man seems to buy cigarettes and peace poets was organized and then is accosted by the police as many very serious poems were soon as he reaches the door. A mature black man stands in front of read by poets who stood in front of by Dr. Steve Sunderland the film as it plays and describes a large flag, 15' X 15', of president So much to report and to what is happening to the young Bush with a U.S. flag taped across share. The center of it is that the black man and what will happen to his mouth. About 50-:75 people peace efforts of so many continue him. This man is the father of the sat, listened and applauded. I was to make deep impressions on young black man. He speaks the next to the last "poet," eager to citizens within the Peace Village. create a different kind of poetry, a There is not only a minimization of without bitterness or anger. He simply describes the ways in which poetry that reflected much ofthe what is happening in the peace the police killed his son. And, what hope that had emerged in this latest movements, and a reduction of was and was not done to bring the version ofthe Peace Village. I news interest in attempts to reflect murders to asked one of the on the past few months, but there justice. organizers, a is a shock and tiredness that I sit professor of overnihelms us, at times, as we try and watch, pathology from and make sense ofwhat is mum61ing ­ the University of incredible, i.e., thousands dead in questions to Cincinnati, and Iraq, UN rebuffed by US, an immigrant occupation of another country, lies him about the "facts." He from Lebanon, to about foreign intervention. Our answers each "start" my poem country and city may seem like question with. with "one they are spinning without a peace care and sentence" on rudder, without a continuation of detail. His · . ' . why he wanted the work of the past few months, son's death is to create this but I want this note to be a small the last Peace Village of measure ofwhat is happening out Dr. Steve Sunderland unresolved art, music, ofthe spotlight but in the poetry, and film. case facing illumination ofthe candles ofpeace Saad Ghosen, a wonderful artist, the Cincinnati criminal justice and hope. Serious people, here in system that has not given him said that he felt this exhibit was Cincinnati and world wide, are justice. "I just want to know what needed to strengthen ourselves, to lighting these candles, finding those police did to my son in his see what the arts can show us, and strength to keep them lit, and to break the loneliness he felt as sharing the experience ofsurviving last seconds oflife," he says with guarded passion. "I want to see someone seeking peace. I then in a world of terror and danger that them go to jail." His.wife, the turned to the rest of the group and seems without limit. asked those in the back ofthe hall mother ofthe young man, sits and I write as a reminder of to begin a sound in responsiveness watches. I talk to her as I leave what the peace movement stands and thank her for. being there and to Saad's beautiful statement and for. I write for those who are too just immediately, a beautiful moan busy to write. I write for those who thank the film maker. She is calm and appreciative, like hum began, first softly, then ofboth those have had unanswered deaths from louder, followed, with some who came to see the video and of police, false enemies, and her husband. "He won't quit," she beckoning on my part, by a solo by destroyed hopes. I write to heal, to says with pride, "until justice is one ofthe poets, then backed up by offer healing, to accept healing. I more sounds of happiness and realized." write these soundless words in the The Peace Village is a place seriousness, as we continued to place of speaking the sounds of join our voices in this poem. I where justice can still be searched voices lifting up notes ofharmony, for by parents who refuse to began t9 murmur Jewish prayers, melodies ofunity, and expressions Islamic words, in a melody that abandon their love and ofthe human voice seeking to sing came from so·mewhere as we responsibility for their son. I leave the songs of peace. deepened our voices, raised our this setting with the feeling that I just came from a Peace Village exhibit, at the SS NOVA, of there is a kind of feeling that knows volume, and lifted our hearts to the beauty of Saad's gift and our gift of peace posters, sculptors, paintings, no words to describe what these our voices. loyal parents are doing for the poems performed and music I was following the work of memory oftheir son. By staying played. A 3 story factory in the Humberto Lopez and his theory of heart of one ofthe poorest sections committed to finding out what that spontaneous expressions of really happened, they open ofCincinnati has been converted "sounds of peace" that are in play same door to any question about into a center for art and healing. I "peace", what is really happening in Buenos Aries. Humberto has want to tell you what was on the in these wars, in these areas of sent me some videos of his work third floor. Climbing up rickety cultures ofviolence that seem so with choral groups using his stairs, without rails, crumbling outside our knowledge. What philosophy and they are wonderful. walls, unpainted, to reach a large Thank you, Humberto. space is there to question the set of rooms, in darkness. On one The first and secorid floors police, the army, the governments, wall a picture from a video plays. the ignorance that is maintained, in ofthis immense building were filled It was the tape made of a gas with the work of 51 Cincinnati the Peace Village? station in Cincinnati in the year artists. Stef (my wife) and I were part of the exhibit, sharing our National Homeless Civil Rights Organizing posters on cardboard. The paintings and sculptures were Project (NHCROP) breathtaking, depicting violence at 1506 Elm Street its rawest as well as the beauty of Cincinnati, OH 45202 peace. I shall never forget the entrance way being a tiled version homelessciyilrights@yahoo.com of the floors of Iraq, the broken The Peace Village. t / (513) 421-7803 shards and tiles Qf great civilizations reduced to rubble. Or, the graves ofthe children with dirt and with little shoes, filled with dirt, and flowers, walking away from the graves in acts of hope. Or, the same artist's shocking silk screening of"The Bombing of Cincinnati," done at the same time as the bombing of Baghdad. Or, Steve Fox's painting ofthe citizen staring into a mountain of skulls, with the badge ofthe Cincinnati police included. Or, the beautiful and happy scenes ofMary Ann Lederer, calling upon images of children ofthe world dancing a great circle dance, or, the works seeking to put "peace" back together after the recent wars. In the two evening ofthe exhibit, we clustered together as artists and walked to each picture or art object and heard the artist's ideas until we were filled with every voice and interpretation. The next night we watched a film on the GulfWar of papa Bush and heard a scary talk by Elizabeth Frierson, UC history professor, on the causes ofthis episode ofviolence called, "The War in Iraq,' and how it was just a chapter in the 50 year hjstory ofviolence spurred on by U.S; policies in the Middle East. Elizabeth answered dozens of questions, many ofthem asking why this region's history is so unknown and, now, so mixed with biases of so many authors. Her good answers only raised more questions and there was a deepening sense ofhopelessness about stopping the "culture of violence" the U.S. government seems so organized to implement. She was no defender of Saadam; rather, we heard details that made us seem like we were spectators, children really, at a horrible game of world conquest. There was much food and drink, most of it donated. Very good conversations with people who did not know each other initially but who, over the 3 days, found the Peace Village a place of friendliness, hope, and healing. This entire exhibit, Saad informs me, was organized in less than 2 months. What an exciting model to bring peace out in all of its many colors. Dr. Steve Sunderland, professor ofSocial Work at the University ofCincinnati, is the Director of The Peace Village, a group of individuals from the national and international community committed to examining all issues ofPeace in the world Dr. Sunderland a!so heads up Posters-for-Peace which engages people in expre_ssing their visions ofPeace, in their own words, through the creation ofposters. �STREETVIBES July, 2003 Page 7 mental health issues. Freeman's death came just after the city released study calling for the city and Alameda County to · establish a detox center for Jow­ income and homeless people, according the Berkeley Daily Californian (www.dailycal.org). Next month, tj'le city's health by Real Change Newspaper refused to do more than tell one Miami Beach has become social service worker that a sweep department will present a report on the feasibility of creating such the latest city to move towards would occur," Witold Walczak, a center, which is expected to cost outlawing panhandling in prime the Pittsburgh ACLU's Legal hundreds of thousands of dollars Director who hanqled the case, tourist areas. The city joins 46 to build and run. Five years ago, of the largest 50 cities (including said in a statement, "and insisted the city pledged that building a that it had a right to immediately Cincinnati) in the country which detox center was a priority. destroy homeless people's already have bans or limitations The producers of the on who can ask for money and possessions. Now, th~ cify will "Bumfights" video managed to where, according to the Miami have one of the nation 's better escape the more serious charges policies for protecting homeless Herald (wWw.miami.com/mld/ earlier this year, but in mid-May people's property rights." Flyers miamiherald). Businesses have Michael Slyman plead guilty to for the first sweep under the new been the biggest push behind a lesser misdemeanor charge of these changes, arguing that agreement went up the end of conspiracy to commit a crime. May, for a sweep scheduled for panhandling outside their Slyman admitted he paid storefronts hurts their bottom line. the Tuesday after Memorial Day, homeless men to fight each other according to the Pittsburgh Post­ Yet such a criminalization of and perform dangerous stunts, activities that homeless people Gazette (www.post-gazette.com). according to the San Diego · . Homeless people in San rely on to survive flies in the face Union-Tribune of the protected rights, counters Francisco might not get their (www.signonsandiego.com). as checks after all. At the Benjamin Waxman, a board beginning of May, a fudge threw his punishment, Slyman has been member of both the American put on probation and has to out the Cash Not Care Civil Liberties Union of Florida arttl' of Miami. "Ifs one thing to proposition, which took money perform 225 hours of volunteer work to benefit homeless people. that now goes directly to criminalize me for grabbing your Three other "Burnfights" shirt," Waxman told the Miami homeless people and funnels producers plead guilty to into it social service programs, Herald. "It's another to criminalize me for asking you for because only the city's Board of misdemeanor conspiracy to promote illegal fighting. They Supervisors can make such change... That violates the will be sentenced in June. constitution." changes to welfare laws. The The American Civil supervisors responded in kind by working quickly to implement a Liberties Union has already version of what the voters wanted, won another small victory in Pittsburgh, where it reached an according to the San Francisco agreement with the city to stop Chronicle (www.sfgate.com). destroying homeless people's One version put before the property and to give them supervisors is exactly as the voters advanced warning of sweeps saw it; the other would be more through their makeshift specific about what kind of services the redirected money encampments. Under the three­ year settlement, Pittsburgh has to would go towards - particularly, that it would fund real, long-term give notice seven days before a sweep, including posting flyers in housing and not just emergency the area and notifying shelter beds. The supervisors are caseworkers who serve homeless scheduled to discuss both • populations that could be affected proposals in June. by the sweeps, according to the The recent death of a ACLU (www.aclu.org). The city homeless man being held in a Berkeley jail for public also agreed to store any personal property of value that it seizes drunkenness could have been The Peace and quiet of Spring Grove Cemetary if the city bad a detox avoided from the sweeps for at least one is an ideal place for these swans to enjoy them­ year; notices letting people know center. So say a number of selves.... how they can collect their Berkeley's homeless advocates property will be left at the site and city officials, who agree that where the sweeps took place. Kevin Freeman should not have Any items not claimed after a year suffered the fatal assault from his will be offered to social service jail cellmate, who had been agencies before being thrown arrested for an alleged knife attack INTEGRATED MARKETING SOLUTIONS away. "A week ago, the city and who was believed to have a STRATA•G~ communk:at1ons While we 1J1ake evel}' effort to provide a forum for those without a voice, STREETVIBES atJd the staff of THE GREATER CINCINNATI COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS, is not responsible for statements, and do not necessarily endorse the opinions of the people whose writings are representef! here. Brad Crawford Proofreader/Copy Editor Strata-G Communications 250 W. Court Street Suite 400W Cincinnati, OH 45202 513/381-8855 513/381-0385 (fax) �STREETVIBES July, 2003 Page 8 Editorial The Drop ·inn Center and Washington Park Development - by Pat Clifford, General Coordinator, Drop Inn Center (See the story on the Homeless Individuals Partnership for more.) Residents or members of our staff The drums are beating have participated in many again about the Drop Inn Center planning processes for a variety of and our location. It usually starts urban and homeless causes. I with a series of newspaper have been a board member of the articles dehumanizing the poor as Homeless Coalition for five years, "human litter" and "vagrant the chair of the Quality ofLife bums." This escalates into many Committee of the Over-the-Rhine editorials calling for the rem·oval Planning Process for two years of the human filth and those that and Board Member of the Greater "tarnish the gems" of the city. Cincinnati Arts and Education The question is: Is the Center. There is no reason to Drop Inn Center compatible with think that the Drop Inn Center progress in Cincinnati and Over­ cannot be involved in future the-Rhine? I recently attended a planning efforts. forum by John Alschuler-the Third, if the goal is to consuJtant that city business attract peopJe of different leaders hired to review downtown backgrounds to the Washington development. His focus was Park area, we are already helping naturaJly on safety and fostering to accomplish it. Many people great urban places downtown­ are not aware of it, but we are especially Fountain Square and host to thousands of visitors each Washington Park. He repeatedJy year who come to Washington · said that complete removal of the Park. In the first six months of homeless is not realistic or this year, we have played host to necessary to progress and over 2,500 individual volunteers revitalization. Instead, we should from school, church and civic focus on diversity, multi­ groups. Many of these people do culturalism and ·attracting people not regularly go downtown, but from a wide variety of -may stop off before and after backgrounds to add to an urban volunteering to patronize other ffilX. area attractions. Many will return .I think the Drop Inn again and again to receive a Center, current Over-the-Rhine positive feeling of expanding their residents and institutions are horizons, helping others and compatible with progress and this learning about people of different is why. races and cultures. First, the residents, staff Everyone is concerned and volunteers of the· Drop Inn about safety, the Drop Inn Center Center have valued and community included. No one implemented diversity in our day­ believes that crime should go to-day operations. Many of our unpunished or that illegal residents have gotten their lives activities should be allowed to together, are role models and continue out in the open. At the productive citizens in our city and Drop Inn Center we have staffing country. Residents who have a and polices to ensure that illegal stake in improving their activities do not happen on our neighborhood have more of a premises. If we can be successful commitment to the neighborhood at our agency, maybe we have and are the backbone for success. something to share witH others Including current residents m~kes about possible solutions. neighborhood revitalization not a I started working at the story of" eliminating the Drop Inn Center 13 years ago. I undesirables," but rather have seen a lot of development "working together for success." schemes come and .go. I have Second, the Drop Inn seen a l9t of hateful rhetoric and Center has been integrally animosity. I have seen riots and involved in planning for our racial/class division. Are we community and services. We are going to move forward with the committed to improving our same destructive patterns that services through collaboration have tom this city apart? Or do and looking at " best practices" for people believe, as I do, that it's services in our city and beyond. time to do things differently. While we make evety effort to provide a forum for those without a voice, STREETVIBES and the staff of THE GREATER CINCINNATI COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS, is not responsible for statements, and do not necessarily endorse the opinions of the people whose writings are represented here. / , / / / // / ,· The Drop Inn Center Shelterhouse, near Washington Park, downtown Cincinnati Voluatee~ . Opportunities at the Greater Cincinnati Coalition/or the Homeless There are numerous opportunities for volunteers at the Greater Cincinnati Coalition ;for the Homeless. ffi! are willing to work with each individual in choosing a service opportunity that is right for , them. Tkefollowing are afew ofthe areas In wliic}I the Coalition could use your lielp: Designing a web sjte for our National CivH Rights Organizing Project, This would include working with the Auiericorp Vista yoluhteers how to prevent fuither. crimina!ization.ofhomeless indi\cidua.ls as w.ell as preventing the increasing hate-crimes against them. on ., -veo: COJBPt},titive rates for ads that reach about 15,000 people per month. Our dieam volunteer would be a self-motivated volunteer that ':Vould like to fundraise for our organization. This could include asking your friends and family for donations to researching and writing grants • for our excellent programs. The Streetvibes newspaper project is always in need ofpeople interested in connecting w ith the vendors and helping them write articles on social justice/poverty issues, poetry, or personal stories. We need help in the '\fternoons at the front ·desk, answering phones and handling transact}ons with our Streetvibes Vendors. This person will address the needs of visitors, havj;ng direct contact with liomeless individuals and should .be available one afternoon a week. �STREETVIBES July, 2003 Page 9 Homeless Individuals Partnership (HIT Force) Shelter providers were hard at work this past year, forging a collaboration between all the service providers to single homeless individuals in the city. The effort is caJled the Homeless Individuals Task Force (or HIT Force). Parti.c ipants in this monthly committee are numerous, but contain .. representatives from the Drop Inn Center Shelter, Mt. Airy Shelter, the City Gospel Mission, Tender Mercies, St. Francis/St. Joseph Catholic Worker House and many others. When the Homeless Coalitions starts planning for the annual homeless Continuum of Care, the first step is to ask people who are experiencing homelessness what they feel is missing from the current system. This process is called the Homeless Think Tank. Consistently, the feedback received from this group is that -- -··- ­ homeless individuals need a worker who both "knows them" and "knows their stuff" For this reason, the first goaJ identified by the HIT Force was that each person who enters a shelter should have at least an initial meeting with a caseworker and an assessment of their needs. In order to do this, providers feit that they needed to work together and share the information they have. A new citywide database is being developed that could help be a conduit for information. · However, the current staffing at shelters was inadequate for the task. As a result, the group put in two major federal grants to fund a team of case managers that would pair with our existing counselors. Their goal would be to work one-on-one with the chronically homeless. Workers would be based at every shelter in the collaborative, but they The GCCH would like to thank these Starbucks locations for their generous donation of coffee and pastries: 11379 Montgomery Road (513) 469-1111 3366 Erie Avenue East Hyde Park (513) 533-3402 7896 Montgomery Road (513) 891- 7740 would meet regularly together ahd There are many people to function as a team. thank for the success of this The effort was modeled process. Michelle Budzek from after Cincinnati's own Family the Partnership Center, as well as Shelter Partnership. This Ann Perrin from the Health collaboration includes all the Foundation, were integral to the family shelters in town, utilizes a success of the grant applications. common database and funds Other members of the committee caseworkers that meet and work include: John Briggs from as a team. The goal is to link ~ Goodwill, .J5imberly H~_~ser from homeless families with Mt. Airy Shelter, John Cosby from mainstream resources and the City Gospel Mission, Anthony permanent housing. The Weems from the St. Francis/St. Homeless Individuals Partnership Joseph Catholic Worker House, would try to emulate their success Chris Engle from CRI/PATH, and forge new ways to access Dennis Rogers from Tender mainstream services that don't Mercies, Bro. John Martin from exist for men. Mary Magdalene House, There are two other efforts Georgine Getty from the that are ongoing which would fit Homeless Coalition, Bob into the developing partnership. Littmann from the Freestore, First, the successful effort by the Donna Howard from Lighthouse HeaJth Network and the Health and Carrnil O' ConnQr from the Resource Center to establish a HeaJth Resource Center. Respite Center will temporarily This effort demonstrates house homeless individuals that homeless shelters, as well as recovering from illness or disease. all the providers in the Cincinnati Second, there are plans to develop Continuum of Care process, are a Damp House to house committed to collaboration and chronically homeless individuals continuous improvement in our who are not ready for abstinence­ services. based programs. Homeless Camps Under Scrutiny Recently, amid complaints about homeless encampments from unspecified sources, Cincinnati police say they need to do something about the dozens of homeless people living under overpasses and bridges in the downtown area. Advocates for the homeless acknowledged that at one count there were 170 people living outdoors, providing a snapshot of how many people actually live and sleep on downtown streets on a given night. Many homeless set up camps, the largest is under the ramp to 2nd Street at the base of t he Clay Wade Bailey Bridge. Because many ofthese camps are located at the doorstep, or welcome mat of Cincinnati, they pose a concern for the police and others who see the camps as an unwelcome sight to visitors driving into the city. Police know that they can not throw peoples things away while they are stored at these camps, because they are unsightly or appear to be garbage; the items are private property located on public land. Keeping items on state property is what keeps any items at the camp from being thrown away. Cincinnati Police are meeting with the Ohio Department of Transportation to try to figure out a plan to move the camps out. Write Us! We'd I~ to hear from IJOU..­ Send letters or comments to: Streetvibes@Juno.com, ·· or Write the Coalition office ·.~ "Let me know your vacation preferences so I can arrange the usual scheduling conflicts." attn: Streetvibes Letters, I 5b6 Elm Street Cincinnati; Ohi°"45.202 . ~ ~ �STREETVIB ES Page 10 July, 2003 Pendleton Heritage Center hosts summer photo workshop for East End kids Streetvibes News In June, over a dozen East End youth, ages 8 - 17, participated in a photo scavenger hunt designed to help the children learn more about the historically significant East End neighborhood of Cincinnati and explore, through the use of photography, the many issues that effect East End children and fam ilies. The summer program was sponsored by the Pendleton Heritage Center, and was made available free-of-charge to the participants, most of them children from the East End neighborhood. Some of the kids were recruited from the Le Blond Recreation Center Summer Daycamp, Linwood School, and the McKinley Elementary School, and others heard about the program through flyers and word-of-mouth. The three day workshop led by visual artists C. Pie Michel and Jimmy Heath and assisted by Pendleton Heritage Center manager Melissa English, encouraged the children to discover through photography the different issues affectjng the lives of the primarily Appalachian population of the East End. The workshop taught the children basic photography techniques such as lighting and composition. The children employed one-time use cameras for the project, and they had the chance to explore digital cameras and camcorders. A scavenger hunt list was developed to help the kids explore their feelings and perceptions of the community including gentrification, crime and safety, community service and kinship. The scavenger hunt list included people, buildings, Kyle selects photosfor the exhibit r Kyle photographs an East End neighborhood family the Ohio River, animals, signs and other significant East End landmarks. On their photographic tour of the East End, the children visited the Health Center, the Post office, a cemetery, places of business and churches. After completing the photo scavenger hunt the children were asked to write about their experiences exploring the East End. "I liked going on the boat and seeing the river", said Isaiah, age 6. "l realized that there is more to the East End than I knew before I did this", said Brittany, aged 14. The resulting writing and dozens of photographs were framed and are still on display for public view at the Pendleton Heritage Center. The photographic project was also a big hit during the 4th Annual East End Talent Show and Photography Exhibit held at the Pendleton Heritage Center, 2760 Eastern Avenue on June 28th. For more information about the Pendleton Heritage Center and its programs for East End kids and adults please call (513) ·321-4928. ' Kyle andAndrew photograph a neighborhood sign during the neighborhood scavenger hunt Andrew takes a photo ofJose �STREETVIBES Page 11 July, 2003 cont. from previous page.... Comn:'unity ~~source Cards , Artist Pie Michel (far right). discusses artistic techniques with the Pendleton Heritage Center workshop participants. During in-class sessions children learned about composition and lighting and were also introduced to video and digital photography. Watch for the return of Streetvibes TV Streetvibes TV is a live program created by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless and Media Bridges. Watch as our panel discusses the issues surrounding homelessness, poverty and civil rights in our Greater Cincinnati community. Check your local cable listing for broadcast dates and times.•.. '""- Rockdale Temple has announced the release of the latest in its series of Community Resource Cards. The new one, printed in Spanish, is customized for the needs of Chicinnati's rapidly growing Hispanic/ Latino population. The tri-fold, plastic cards are funded by the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati as a project of Rockdale Temple, in consultation with Bienstar, Su Casa and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. In addition to the Hispanic Resource Card, the Resource Card Project has also produced cards for senior citizens, the homeless, and public school and Catholic school students covering the Tri-state area. Cards can be ordered from: cc 5300 Hamilton Avenue, #210 Cincinnati, Ohio 45224 or send a fax request to: (513) 541-0099 SPONSORS Kids Talent Contest - 3 pm 'fracy Walker - 4pm Hip-Hop Jamz - 5pm Art .Activities, Games and fuod - All Dayt New thisyear: (J[R juriedArt$how! ® !!JldJtdt... Contact Center Peaslee Neighborhood Center P&G . Pr(nideot Bank Over-the-Rhine Communttr t-Ouncil Over-the-Rhine Community (e.nter/CRC Appalachian Community Development.A~wcia1ion Summerfair Inc. AL\fPPrinting l)owntown X'reruiipity Graphic D™gn fhe Kroger Company �STR E ETVIBES July, 2003 Page 12 Protests Against Play Sparks Eloquent Discussion of Art's Power, Censorship, Media Treatment by.John Zeh In the wake of controversy over the Know Theatre.Tribe's "Corpus Christi," the local Campaign Against Censorship in the Arts (CACA) produced a forum on freedom of artistic expression cleverly called "Censornaughti, Oh!" before the play's opening June 12. The free afternoon session focused on local and national examples of arts censorship to create "freely-assembled expression, " said CACA organizer William Messer. "One can indeed live and breathe Cincinnati freedom." Messer opened the afternoon panel with an incisive 40-minute overview on the arts here, citing changes in the local atmosphere such as the city-funded SS Nova gallery, which recently had a three-day panel on war, with a third floor already open, he said. "I shook my head in wonder. Imagine, a peace exhibit in 0-T­ R! " CACA partnered with the League of Cincinnati Theaters for the panel, with help from the International Art Critics Association-USA Section and the National Coalition Against Censorship. David Adams of Ensemble Theatre Co. agreed that it's not been as uncommon to see "controversial art" here as it once was. "I worked at the Kaffee Klatsch and saw huge lines out the door for 'Poor Superman,"' a play with nudity that police and prosecutors let play, he said. "Corpus Christi'' director and University ofCincinnati theater professor Michael Burnham offered first hand knowledge that when (then) prosecutor Simon Leis Jr. arrived at Music Hall for "Oh Calcutta," arts czarinas Irma Lazarus and Patty Corbett told ·him to "arrest us first" if he were to take any action against the run. When Burnham._ worked at Playhouse in the Park, "Ashes" with an infertile couple played the Mt. Adams' boards despite "scads of letters," which the company posted inside the theatre. This time, with 15,000 pieces of mail received by Know, "The cast became nervous worth it. There's tremendous a "very channeled information that the (volume) might get me to potential here, some really beautiful scheme that I am a horrible skew away from the play's places." necrophiliac." He accepts that message. In the culture at large Svetlana Mintcheva, a such portrayals come with the and still in this city, there's a more coordinator at the National territory here, but argues that insidious kind ofcensorship going Coalition Against Censorship in "Art's worth it and Cinc"1nati's on. Working on "Corpus Christi" New York, said she doesn't mind has been remarkably opposition·. "The worse thing that stressful," he told the can happen if art does not matter. audience. "Make it fun Cincinnati cares about art -enough for us." to censor it, to stop it." During the Government censorship is just "the Olympics, Burnham tip ofthe iceberg, she warned. noted, U. S TV networks "Much more dangerous is insidious "warped reality," airing censorship Michael mentioned, "plausibly live, re­ with chilling effects. And self­ arranged" events. censorship due to economical "Reality itself is being reasons is bad." It's sad, she said, censored," he charged. that some people avoid even " We manufactured the reading the play and will never go rescue ofJessica Lynch see it because of what they hear. ­ (that she was) under "Once you go into it, and think duress. We staged on TV about it, you will learn." a fake rescue. That's Those comments reflect this frightening to me. reporter's reflectionsafter seeing Censorship is happening Corpus Christi June 14. The acting in the real world, not just is awesome, the dialog a hilarious art." hoot throughout, and the work is David Knight, truly educational about Christ and galleries director at Christianity. The bloody harm Northern Kentucky done by opponents to such art is University, at which 14 Roy Ford, Corpus Christi supporter pro­ their own ignorance and failure to Catholic artists whose tests the protestors taste such an eloquent, moving exhibition "Immaculate Misconceptions" in 1995 drew nine months of hate mail and calls just because of the exhibit's title. "No one asked what it included. They and the media ignored the fact that its whole intent was to be healing," he said. Thomas Condon, the artist convicted for felony corpse abuse after taking photos in the County Morgue here, denied that his behavior was "evil," blaming Protestors gather across the street from the Know Theater, Sycamore and Liberty Street in Over-the-Rhine > �STREETVIB ES experience. I have not seen much theater here, but I really enjoy a movie ifl cry. At "Corpus Christi," I was in tears all night over the play's power and the cast's devotion to putting their work on the world media map. The real story worth media coverage is not the so-called Christians protesting the play, but what happened inside Gabriel's Corner. McNally's genius was matched by Burnham 's casting and direction. If most shows sold out and people were turned away, a new run is required, for Christ's sake! Over-the-Rhine resident John Zeh was profiled by CityBeat June 11, gelting credit for helping squash plans lo force the Drop Inn homeless Center to move. He :S also featured in the new book "Through Our Eyes: A Reflection on Homelessness" by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition/or the Homeless and Mother ofMercy High School. He thanks Media Bridges for use ofsoft- and hardware. Page 13 July, 2003 Ohio Senate Restores Pare.nts' Medicaid Empowerment Coalition also issue the Ohio Empowerment Coverage worked with the Emergency Coalition has been working on in by Lynn Williams, Ohio Empowerment Coalition The Ohio Empowerment Coalition applauds the Ohio Senate for voting to restore Parents' Medicaid Coverage in the State Budget Bill (HB 95). This vote is a step forward in the positive direction of getting Medicaid coverage continued for 50,000 parents who are working but earning below poverty wages. At this level of income, parents cannotafford to pay the high cost of health insurance premiums. The 2001 national average health insurance premium was more than $2,600 for an individual's coverage and more than $7,000 a year for families (Source: Families USA). Those who are earning less than poverty level ($15,260 for a Family Size of 3)'simply cannot afford the high cost of health care insurance. · The Ohio Empowerment Coalition conducted a postcard campaign, involving its member groups in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo, Adams/Brown/Clermonf counties and Athens, as well as individual members in other areas across Ohio. In April and May over a thousand postcards were signed and mailed to the Senate Finance Chair, Sen. Bill Harris. The campaign focuses on getting parents' Medicaid coverage restored as well as child care subsidies restored to 185% of the federal poverty level. The Ohio Campaign to Protect Ohio's Future and the Family Coverage Coalition (both organized by Have A Heart Ohio). It took the efforts of thousands of ordinary citizens across the state to convince the Ohio Senate to make these beneficial changes that will affect Ohio's low-income famil ies. Welfare time limits in Ohio mandate that low-income mothers lose their eligibility for cash assistance. Families on welfare are automatically eligible for Medicaid, but this is not guaranteed once they are off welfare and working a low-wage job. "Without Medicaid coverage continuing, we would lose our health care when we take jobs. Without health care we would be worse off than ever," states Carla P itsinger of the D.;:iyton Ohio Empowerment Coalition. According to "Families USA", Medicaid is the only source of health insurance for most low-income people. Only 55 percent of low-wage workers ($7.00 per hour or below) receive health insurance benefits paid for by an employer. Without health care coverage, many of the uninsured wait until a health care crisis, then turn to a hospital emergency room. The average cost of hospitalization for a heart attack is $25,000 and $7,300 for a · severe asthma attack. Restoring child care to the 185% of poverty level is another its postcard campaign. Although progress was made when the Senate voted to restore child care subsidies to 165% of poverty level, we will continue to advocate that subsidies be restored to 185% of poverty level. The budget bill (Sub. HB 95) now goes to the conference committee to reconcile differences in the House version and Senate version. The House version did not include restoring Parents' Medicaid Coverage or stopping the cuts to child care subsidies. The Ohio Assembly budget must be fin ished by June 30. It will also require the signature of Gov. Taft to take effect. (Unfortunate ly, Gov. Taft had eliminated Parent Coverage and also proposed eli minating child care subsidies above 150% of federal poverty leveJ in his proposed budget.) For more information or to find out how you can get invo]ved in the Ohio Empowerment Coalition or the local chapter, the Cincinnati Welfare Rights Coalition, call 1­ 877-862-5179. Wish List Cao You Help? Streetvibes newspaper is published monthly on a shoe­ string budget from the offices of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless·. Can you help us with some of the following items? * VCR for making copies of Streetvibes TV show and for educational packets * Blank VHS tapes * Desktop paper folder * Blank CD-RW Disks - for Streetvibes archives * Supplies for Vendor's Lounge (paper towels, cream and sugar, snacks, etc.) * Cleaning Supplies * "I've learned my lesson, your Honor. From now on I 'll only steq.l from other peoples companies." Office Supplies - postage stamps, floppies, copier paper and other supplies lfyou can help, contact us at: Streetvibes, c/o Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, 1506 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202 (513) 421-780l e-mail: streetvibes@juno.com �STREETVIBES July, 2003 Art& Poetry Dismissed Remember Us Shock and Awe by Michael Henson Only men who have made their souls small can contemplate such things. Only men with minds abstracted can murder with untroubled hearts. These men have made their souls small but their minds are very large. The pages of their books ripple with muscular theory. The screens oftheir computers fill with graphics. Their powerful search engines discover and delete every micron of resistance. They have charted destruction down to the megabyte. The color ofsand, the taste of salt, the prickle ofheat, the weight ofa piece offiuit are nothing to these men. For their souls are small, made smaller with every lie, and their minds are abstracted and augmented. Fed daily on megahertz and silicon, the inflated minds stride down the broken avenues. They would be like gods were their souls not so small. by Chris Whitler i am unseen but i am not nameless. i live pretty close to you. my life is chaos but i don't really know it, as chaos is all i've ever known. i am not an alcoholic. i have never taken drugs. i am not irresponsible. i didn't make a choice. i live in a tent. i live in a dirty motel. i am surrounded by prostitution, alcohol and drugs. i am surrounded by violence. i am constantly hearing harsh and vulgar language. i am not encouraged. i am not educated. i do not have a dentist. i rarely have a hot meal. there is no one in a kitchen making anything for me. i get by. i am dirty. where i live is dii:ty. i use the bathroom in the park. i never leave this town. i do not think about the future. my life is today. i am 1, i am 5, i am 12. i am a homeless child. Page 14 No Pompoms-For Jackie by Cherokee Home/girl Walker I, Jackie, of the Ovah the Rhine slopes gotta say Pompom Cincy ain't cheering of me. No pretty tuft shake, flattering my hands just the landlord cop, he came pride piles standing on his shoulders, anchors for that fat hea<l-.MHe cuts leases, he locks public housebox homes. He listens to denial selectively blinding his eyes when I say, ghettopathnics jump on my daughter. Cuts scratched on her face so she bleed between her hands. She has no wings to fly from my side so he can not see. A piece written by Chris Whitler for the April Isme ofCurbside News It All Came Tumbling Down by Cindy Carlson They say that he watched over NH From 2 million years back. They made him famous Profiled him on currency, Postcar~s and crap. Friday he died. with a rumble Sliding down like Jack In a great tumble Ironic I think Since responsibiliti~s ofhis watch Most recently lack. No funding for schools No insurance for workers ~ousing cost soar Budget cuts hit hardest The elderly and poor Suddenly a Governor's task force formed For this one dead Meanwhile the rest ofus, Dealing with dread What will it cost? How much to spend? Special cash for this lost? Where will it end? Rebuild it? Memorialize it? Its just rocks! What about the people Li~ng the hard knocks? Manchester, NH by Peter A. Deane Oh judge, oh judge, please hear his voice, he's only a peacemaker, . and has no other choice, to bring truth to the story, and form to the plans, with words to paper; he's a witness with pen. Arrested he was, for standing his ground, handcuffed and locked up, but never thrown to the ground. What more couJd he do? He listens to reasons," and has affirmed the blinders placed tight on our leaders. He only wants them removed. Suddenly the court door opened, and as quick as a flash, the witµess stood before us, his time had come at last. But the prosecutor said, "For the great good of the people, there's only one word that can be said.. . and that is ... dismissed!" And the people of Cincinnati clapped, rr· and then clapped some more. Later that day, I thought about it all, while asking myself, what are we fighting for? The peacemakers! The witnesses with pens! The future generations! Our freedoms! Their freedoms! Freedom to think! Freedom to dream! Freedom to learn! Freedom to teach! Freedom to sit and write! Freedom to stand and speak! In our courts, in our halls, in our homes, and on our streets, free. Corruption of power lies to the people, is bullshit piled high, easy answers become hard to find. What are you fighting for? Oh, you witness - witness with pen. Thank you, Mr. Flannery, for your extra, extra, extra, read all about it, shovel it away, searching for truth stand. �STREETVIBES July, 2003 Art&Poetry Page 15 A Letter From God The Message by Sheila Lindsey by Aaron Pitchford Dear Child, I wrote you this letter so that you can see, · All you need in this world is me. There was a guy named Joe When his mother died he had nowhere to go His father turned his back And he cold-blooded didn't get no slack So he wouldn't collect his rent Because it might've made a dent Because his father had one serious fault He was fueled with greed So back to Cincinnati with a little more income And an apartment he sought So after time went on and plenty of rest His faith became strong as the power was heaven sent Because he didn't give it up. I You have to believe I can help you, I can. You can't do it alone, no, not one mortal man. Wasn't I there when you couldn't be strong? When all were against you and everything went wrong? I'm the one who created every rock, tree and bird. When you send me your prayers, I hear every word. I've given you every one ofyour bright, new da~s~ 'I've tried to show you my love in so many ways. I've watched you um to drugs when you were in pain, And I've watched as they drove you slowly insane. I watch as you go through your day, worry free, And you never take the time to talk to me. I wrote you this letter to let you know, I LOVE YOU, and I'll never let you go. If it's a shoulder you need to dry your tears, Or comfort your need to ease your fears, I am nothing but a prayer away, So call if you need my help today. With love Eternal, Your Father, GOD Go Go Jesus by Cherokee Homegirl Walker I got the nocontest Ohio Revised Code disorderly conviction, and he know this. My check did not tum like Sweet Jesus grace, mercy nah nah I tore up a wicked temple feastin, breeding beat up my pretty headstart child foes Oh, Dear President Johnson, too early to go J. F. Kennedy so she bleed between her hands. She has no wings to fly from my side so he can not see. Still in Love by Michael A. Willis I met this gentleman at this place Where I sometimes eat, I call him a friend Because he has been a friend to me He sometimes tells me stories of his past life, He tells about the up and downs that he went through With his wife. He told me something that I will remember for as long as I live if you want to know the secret to Wisdom you must learn how to forgive. For without forgiveness you w ill never make it home to God up above. This my Wife and I learned from each other and that's why We are still in love. Bill Clinton at the Indianapolis 500 • Boulders of Big Business by Laura E. Clisbee Let us move the stone gentleman to the toadstool wood where they may benefit. Their granite shoulders, a resting spot for the creatures of flight; their soles of rock, a roof to the burrowing kind. There amongst the fallen branches, atop the moss laden floor, the craggy corporate aristocrats will cohabitate with creation. Instinctively coalescing, tickled by the breeze, smelling the mud. Let us move the stone gentlemen to the toadstool wood where they may be reborn. Deliver them back to nature, that they may live again. Reprinted from Whats Up, Boston, MA. �STREETVIBES July, 2003 Page 16 almost anyplace would be better with others. But I've met many than here. Our city government who a~e so fa r into addictions and From a truly compassionate heart, really seems like it wants to make it the day by day routines that they we stopped and tried to help. The hard for the homeless here. are just wasting away time. Mind minute our money was in their If you think thei{ decisions you, many housed folks in north band, the tears stopped and they stink, you can tell them every Modesto do this same thing ... they jumped in their car and took off Tuesday at Spm. The first agenda can just hide it better. down the freeway. Here I was, item for every council meeting is Look up from your Life! someone who truly cared and I got public discussion. Go! Be a thorn Get clean (easier said than done)! taken advantage of. Don't do stuff in their side. Make them pay There are many resources available like that. It sucks. attention to the homeless. to you to recover from addiction. You don't need an Right now they are making We all have addictions, I'm not elaborate story to get folks to help. decisions about what to do with looking down on anyone but we If you're jonesing for a cigarette, some money for a day shelter. need to commit to working don't say you're hungry. Okay, so La Loma through our issues in order to make I have talked to so many Neighborhood Association makes it our lives work. If you want help, people that really respect those hard for you. Form your own go get it. Get clear, and you can guys whose sign says, "Why lie, I Neighborhood Ass~ciation!_ Jorm take action in your life and maybe need a beer!" In some ways, that's the Moose Park Neighbors United help others. Utilize the library. much more respectable than some or the Dry Creek Campers Find an interest. You can make the of the crazy stories I've gotten. Association and get involved. Isn't world a better place right where Foster trust among the it a right for everyone to sleep? Is you are. Are you angry that more housed folks you meet. Be honest there a way for monies provided to people don't care for the poor? with them. If you don't want to be spent more wisely? Do you Why don't you start doing open up and tell the truth then want a legal camping ground? Do something? don't say anything at all. It's better you want a day center? Should the Recently at Bob "Big for everyone. city make it illegal or hard to have Word" Helton's memorial I realized Be neat another shelter in the city limits? If what a simple dream can do in this I was at the police sweep of you are informed, involved and world. I did not know him well, Dry Creek last week. We come to vocal then the city could not feign but I am working with The make sure everyone is treated fairly ignorance. Coalition On Homelessness And and to lend a hand to the campers They would at least have to Poverty partly because of him and who are displaced. They do listen to you. All of the city council his ideas. He never fully recovered sweeps when the complaints build receive this paper...you can write from the hard realities ofhis life up about trash from the housed but he did leave the world a better an article for us. No one is going neighbors. to understand your situation better place because he was here and he They came across a really than you. so help them see. cared. Do you care? Get creative. tidy camp site but as they were Be Creative If you need a sounding board to down there they had to displace the I've met so many that are bounce ideas off of or a structure campers. Had it not been for the to help you implement your ideas, realty "working" their garbage at other sites, the sweep homelessness. They are let us know. We' ll see you in the would not have been necessary and volunteering, getting involved and parks! this nice site could have gone helping others. They travel, find Reprinted courtesy of Curbside unharmed. One source actually News, Stanislaus County, odd jobs, seek education and told me that if the camps are kept .._..._._.;. enrichment and create community California, May 2003. ~""":':~ neat and packed up every day that there would be less need for the sweeps. is published monthly on a shoe-stri It would be way better for budget from ces ofthe Greater Cincinnati Coalition fot the whole camping community to the Homeless. Can fOU help us with some ofthe following travel light, stay packed up and neat. Most parks have garbage items? bins. Keep your site clean and no o Desktop Paper Folder one will have reason to complain and there would be less ~weeps . I o Blank CD-RW Disks - For Streetvibes Archives get the feeling that the police really o Supplies for Vendor's Lounge (paper towels, cream and do not want to do the sweeps. sugar, snacks, etc.) They know there is no place for o Office and Cleaning Supplies you to go. Not trashing your site would make sweeps less frequent. Thoughts from a New Guy by Chris Whitler . I am greliln. It's been a year and a half since I began working with the Coalition (in California) and I still feel like I'm only getting started. I have been housed all my life. I am not rich but I get by. I care about homelessness and I'm trying to process why. Here are some thoughts to ponder out of my complete ignorance. I hope I do not offend you. Be Civil I have met so many nice folks in the parks over the past year and especially in the past few months. Folks that are glad to meet us and truly interested and helpful to guide us in understanding the homeless experience. But there have been a few folks that have made it pretty hard to keep a compassionate outlook. There was a table full of guys in one park on the West Side who when I approached them to give them a copy of this publication (Curbside News) they jumped all over me because there was a bible verse on the front. I proceeded to try and get them to just open the pages and take a look and they refused. They thought I was only interested in getting them to become Christians. But I just wanted to give them a little paper that may be helpful, comforting and interesting to them. I let them know that people like them make it hard for the housed folks to care. My skin's a little thicker as I've been around this a lot, but had I been a first timer trying to lend a hand I probably would never try to help again When someone approaches you to try and help somehow, with food or change or information, please be civil. If they are saying ignorant or misinformed things, gently help them understand your reality. If you want the housed population to open their eyes to the plight ofthe homeless community then engage them. Help them understand. Don't attack. A little kindness goes a long way. Be Honest Nothing makes people more angry thart being conned. My wife and I were in Chicago working with a homeless shelter and were caught in traffic (surprise, surprise). There was a couple on the side of the road by a car that were imploring us in traffic to help them as they had run out of gas. They said they only needed some money. The woman was crying. ____________________ Be Involved Remember those guys that yelled at me in the West Side park? They kept saying they wanted me to go to city council for them and get something done politically. We have done and will do that in the future, but so can you. Did you know that you could speak your voice at every city council meeting? Modesto is a terrible place to be homeless ...well, I know anyplace would be but an help, contact US at: SM bl!S, c/o Greater Cincinnati UOalition for the Homeless 1506 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202 (513) 421-7803 • • • e-mail: streetvibes@JUDO.com Streetvibes exists as a forum for the expression ofthe views and opinions ofour readers and supporters. The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those ofthe Streetvibes staffor the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. �STREETVIBES Page 17 July, 2003 Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) Report FRAC News Digest (www.FRAC.org) The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) News Digest highlights what's new on hunger, nutrition and poverty issues at FRAC, at the U.S. Department ofAgriculture, around the network of national, state and local anti­ poverty and anti-hunger organizations, and in the media. The Digest will alert you to trends, reports, news items and resources and, when available, link you directly to them. SENATOR ELIZABETH DOLE DEVOTES FIRST SENATE FLOOR SPEECH TO HUNGER IN AMERICA AND AROUND THE WORLD (Wilmington Star, Wilmington, NC, June 10, 2003) In her first speech on.! he Senate floor, North Carolina Senator Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) spoke about hunger in the United States and abroad. Calling hunger "the silent enemy lurking within too manyAmerican homes," Dole said that 900,000 North Carolinians are not able to afford enough food. She suggested making more children eligible for free meals at school, and giving tax cuts to businesses that donate food to food banks or lend trucks to carry food. http ://www.wilmingtonstar.com/ apps/pbcs. dll/article'.?AID=/ 2003061 O/EDITORIAL/ 306100311 NEW STANDARD OF PROOF FOR SUBSIDIZED SCHOOL LUNCHES AND THE EITC WILL BURDEN THE WORKING POOR (The Hartford Courant, Hartford, CT, June 16, 2003) Beginning in August, the Internal Revenue Service will start sending letters to about 45,000 non-traditional child guardians who claim the Earned Income Tax Credit on their tax returns. These letters will require some taxpayers to produce official records and third-party affidavits in order to prove that the children they have claimed for tax purposes really live with them. Additionally, the US. Department ofAgriculture may require families to show proof ofincome in order to receive free school lunches. These extra burdens may discourage many eligible working families from applying for and receiving the services that they need. http ://www. ctnow. com/news/ custom/newsat3/hc­ taxcredit0615 .artjun16, 0, 1795010. story?coll=hc-headlines-newsat3 THE U.S. BOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESCJIIl,D TAX CREDIT WILL GIVE BIGGER TAX BREAK TO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS THAN TO LOW-INCOME FAMILIES (The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, June 12, 2002) According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, the child tax credit being considered by the US. House ofRepresentatives would give a far larger tax break to Members of Congress than to working low-income families. Members of Congress will receive a child tax.credit of $875 per child. A working family. with two children and an income of $20,000 will receive a child tax credit of $237.50 per child, a little more than one fourth what a Member of Congress will receive. http://www.cbpp.orgt'.6-12­ 03tax.htm NEW USDA WEB-BASED PRE­ SCREENINGTOOLWILL HELP ELIGIBLE PEOPLE GET FOOD STAMPS (National League ofCities, June 16, 2003) In early June, Secretary ofAgriculture Ann Veneman unveiled an online pre-screening tool for food stamps. Anyone can use the tool to find out whether he or she is likely eligible, and what benefit level he or she would receive. Jim Weill, president of FRAC, praised the new tool for four reasons: food stamps are critical to help families make ends meet, participation rates are too low, the pre-screening tool may help facilitate food stamp applications, and people are more likely to apply or food stamps if they know how much they may receive. http ://www.nlc.org/nlc_ org/site/ newsroom/nations_cities_weekly/ display.cfin?id=BB65D800-5F93­ 4EDA-ABA057F7Al C9A378 OREGON FOOD STAMP PARTICIPATION IS DOUBLE WHAT IT WAS IN 2000 (The Business Journal, Portland, OR, June 11, 2003) Oregon, known as the hungriest state in the country, has increased its food stamp participation rate by more than seventy percent since 2000. Oregon now has the ninth highest food stamp participation rate in the country. The participation rate has risen in part because of the bad economy, but also because of extensive outreach efforts by both statewide agencies and anti-hunger non-profit organizations. However, even with so many people on food stamps, many Oregon families find it hard to make ends meet. http://www. katu.com/news/ story. asp?ID=5.83 84 http ://portland.bizjoumals. com/ portland/stories/2003/06/09/ daily23 . html PHILADELPHIA IS INCREASING OUTREACH EFFORTS WITH GRANT FROM STATE (Jewish Exponent, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 15, 2003) A recent statewide grant from the US . Department ofAgriculture is allowing the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger, a community advocacy organization, to increase its outreach efforts to potential food stamp participants. Sixty-eight percent of eligible Pennsylvanians receive food stamps, a number that local community advocates hope to improve. Volunteers have begun outreach efforts to encourage eligible residents to apply for food stamps. Realizing that complicated application forms sometimes function as deterrents, volunteers are helping applicants through the application process. http://www.jewishexponent.com/ ZOOMasp?stoiyID=16908&szparent=I 9&pubID=208&Archive=True FOOD STAMP DEMAND RISES IN SOUTH DAKOTA (Associated Press, June 9, 2003) Food stamp caseloads have increased in South Dakota for both households and individuals since 2000. An administrator for the state Department of Social Services suggests that the caseload rise is the result ofa bad economy. The state administrator also notes that although food stamps are in higher demand now, they are generally only needed for a short time, and seventy to eighty percent of recipients are working. The caseload rise comes at the same time as higher demand for health care and legal assistance for low­ income people. State Senator Gil Koetzle notes that even some people with full-time jobs cannot afford to put food on the t~ble or buy ~ealth insurance. http://www.aberdeennews.com/ mld/aberdeennews/news/ 6047988.htm PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN CITY OFAPPLETON, WISCONSIN, BAN SODAAND CANDY VENDING MACHINES (Post-Crescent, Appleton, WI, June 10, 2003) The Board ofEducation in Appleton, Wisconsin, has recently voted to stop selling candy and soda on school grounds. The Superintendent of the Board of Education noted that there is "an obligation to provide the safest, healthiest environment" for children in school, and banning soda and candy from the schools is a step in that direction. One teacher noticed an improvement in student behavior after the elimination of soda and candy vending in his school. Principals and teachers support the board 's decision, while some students expect to start bringing sweets from home, or buying them from nearby stores. http ://www.wisinfo.com/ postcrescent/news/archive/ local 10713070.shtml HUNGER PERSISTS IN CALIFORNIAFARM COUNTRY (Associated Press, June 15, 2003) California's child poverty rate is twenty percent - three percentage points above the national average ­ and there are some farm counties~n California that remain pockets of much deeper poverty. This Associated Press article examines Tulare County, where poverty is so rampant that all six hundred children in the elementary school receive free meals. Most residents are farm laborers. The article nqtes that although Tulare County is rife with hunger, it is also the number two county in the nation for agricultural production. http ://www.billingsgazette.com/ index. php?id= l&display=rednews/ 2003/06/ 15/build/world/n-40­ hunger.inc SOFT-DRINK COMPANIES TO OFFER FLAVORED DAIRY DRINKS (The Wall Street Journal, June 9, 2003) Drink giants like Coca-Cola Co. and Cadbury Schweppes PLC are beginning to launch flavored dairy drinks aimed at teens. These companies hope to use the fact that dairy drinks are more nutritious than sodas as a selling point. Flavors will include blueberry, chocolate, vanilla-banana, and pina colada. The drinks contain just over fifty percent milk, which means that they will not be able to use the word "milk" on their labels. They will not need refrigeration. Although these drinks will contain some milk products, they will still be substantially less nutritious than regular milk. http://www.azcentral.com/business/ articles/0609dairydrinks-ON. html �STREETVI BE S Editorial July, 2003 Page 18 Media Silent on Clark's 9/11 Comments: General says White House pushed Saddam link without evidence from FA IR-L, Fairnes.<i & Accuracy 111 R eporting Sunday morning talk shows like ABC 's This Week or Fox ews Sunday often make news for days afterward. Since prominent government officials dominate the guest lists of the programs, it is not unusual for the Monday editions of major newspapers to report on interviews done by the Sunday chat sbows. But the June 15 edition of NBC's Meet the Press was unusual for the buzz that it didn't generate. Former General Wesley Clark told anchor Tim Russert that Bush administration officials had engaged in a campaign to implicate Saddam Hussein in the September 11 attacks- starting that very day. Clark said that he' d been called on September 11 and urged to link Baghdad to the terror attacks, but declined to do so because of a lack ofevidence. Here is a transcript of the exchange: CLARK: "There was a concerted effort during the faU of 2001, starting immediately after 9/ 11, to pin 9/11 and the terrorism problem on Saddam H ussein." R USSERT: "By who? Who did that?" CLARK: "Well, it came from the White House, it came from people around the White House. It came from all over. I got a call on 9/11. I was on CNN, and I got a caJI at my home saying, ' You got to say this is connected. This is state­ sponsored terrorism. This has to be connected to Saddam Hussein .' I said, 'But-I'm willing to say it, but what's your evidence? ' And I never got any evidence." Clark's assertion corroborates a little-noted CBS Evening News story that aired on September 4, 2002. As covering damaging revelations correspondent David Martin about the Bush administration's reported: "Barely five.hours after American Airlines Flight 77 plowed intelligence on Iraq, yet still seem into the Pentagon, the secretary of strangely reluctant to pursue stories suggesting that the flawed defense was telling his aides to intelligence- and therefore the start thinking about striking Jraq, even though there was no evidence war- may have been a result of deliberate deception, rather than linking Saddam Hussein to the incompetence. T he public deserves attacks." According to CBS, a Pentagon aide's notes from that a fuller accounting of this story. day quote Rumsfeld asking for the If you ' d like to encourage media "best info fast" to "judge whether good enough to hit SH at the same outlets to investigate this .story, time, not only UBL." (The initials please see FAIR's Media Contact SH and UBL stand for Saddam list: http ://www.fair.org/media­ Hussein and Osama bin Laden.) contact-list.html The notes then quote Rumsfeld as demanding, ominously, that the To make a donation to FA.IR: http:/ -/www.fair.org/donate.html administration's response "go massive.. .sweep it all up, things related and not." Please support FAIR by subscribing to our bimonthly magazine, Extra! Despite its implications, For more information, go to: http :// Martin 's report 'Yas greeted largely www.fair.org/ extra/subscribe. html . with silence when it aired. Now, Or call 1-800-847-3 993. nine months later, media are If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies. M oslie Dayan Someday, after we have mastered the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, shall harness for God the energies of love. Then for the second time in the history of the world, we will have discovered fire. Tei/hard de Cliardin Very few people chose war. They chose selfishness and the result was war. Each of us, individually and nationaUy, must choose: total love or total war. I Dave Dellinger Know Your Rights Brochure Available! The Know Your Rights Brochure is now available at the Coalition's office. The brochure is a legal guide for C incinnati's homeless and covers a person's basic rights when interacting with the police, as well as some local ,. 1 ft ., laws that might be ofinterest to the ~! · W' homeless population. If you are a ~ ~. homeless person or if you work with homeless people and would ~ like to obtain free copies of the , brochure for yourself or your agency, please call 421-7803 , or stop by the Coalition office and pick one up. Advertise in Streetvibes! Reach thousands of downtown zrorkers each month! Call 421-7803 for more information about how advertising in Streetvibes will work for your business_ �STREETVIBES Page 19 July, 2003 AmeriCorps program to be cut by 58°/o From the National Student Campaign Against Hunger & Homelessness http://studentsagainsthunger.org/ americorps In today's world, we should be doing everything we can to provide opportunities for young people to serve their communities. AmeriCorps involves young people in civic life, helps them to expand their educational experience through participation in service, and encourages them to become active members of society. And AmeriCorps members perform countless important services such as teaching at-risk students, running mentorship programs, and cleaning up rivers and parks. President Bush has repeatedly praised AmeriCorps and promised to dramatically expand the program, even making it a priority in his 2002 State of the Union speech. Many homeless programs around the nation depend on the services ofthe AmeriCorp program in order to successfully perform their work. ...,,.1 But under President Bush's watch, the program is severely threatened, and the White House has done little to help. Now AmeriCorps is facing cuts in the next few weeks that will eliminate over half ofthe nation's AmeriCorps members. Some states would see their AmeriCorps programs cut by over 80%. These cuts would mean an end to hundreds ofvaluable programs. Despite his many promises to support AmeriCorps, the President has done nothing to prevent these cuts or challenge Congress to reverse them. In fact, the President's 2004 pudget request actually asks for $40 million less for AmeriCorps than he requested in 2003. President Bush has repeatedly failed to back up his promises to support and expand the program. Now, the best chance for AmeriCorps is for the President to request supplemental funding so that the program can hire 50,000 members this year. Take a minute right now to e-mail President Bush and tell him that he needs to request supplemental funding so that AmeriCorps is fully funded this year: ttp :// studentsagainsthunger.org/ americorps Head Start Bill Nears House Floor Vote: Action Needed On Head Start Reauthorization Bill From the National Head Start Association (NHSA): Last month, the House Education and the Workforce Committee voted along party lines to support the eight-state block granting ofHeadStart. AJl the Democrats on the·committee voted against block granting, while all Republicans voted for it. A floor vote js expected foJlowing the July 4th weekend. Please continue to bring the following messages to your members of Congress in the House and Senate. To contact your member of Congress, call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 225­ 3121. The new Castle bill is stiU a block grant and threatens to dismantle Head Start. AJthough the new bill limits the block grant to eight states, that is still eight states too many. Any measure that turns Head Start funding over to the states and without including the comprehensive services ofthe national Program Performance Standards will lead to the wsmantling ofa quality program that for 38 years has ensured that this nation's neediest children enter school "ready to learn. " Among our other concerns with the bill: - It provides little additional funding. With a proposed increase of only $203 million, the latest bill would not even allow Head Start to keep pace with inflation let alone add eligible children, pay for the proposed BA degree requirements, or provide enough resources to improve state collaboration. - It provides no meaningful federal oversight. AJthough slightly improved from the previous version, the new bill hands over primary oversight responsibility to the states. - It repeals civil rights protections for Head Start employees. The new bill adds a provision allowing programs to discriminate in hiring practices based on religion . . - It provides the Secretary of Health and Human Services with the discretion to prohibit the use of T/TA dollars for traveling to all training conferences. Reps. Michael Castle (R-Delaware) and John Boehner (R-Ohio) claim that their goal is to improve the quality ofHead Start, yet their bill would allow the Secretary to prohibit parents, staff, and directors from using T/TA dollars to travel to national, state, and local training conferences. For years these settings have enabled the Head Start community to benefit from high quality training's. Just to be clear, this would mean no T/TA funds could be used to travel to NHSA, NAEYC, or any other national conferences as well as any state association conferences, unless approved by the Secretary. - It does not improve quality by turning Head Start over to unknown, untested, and unproven state programs. On the other hand, there are ways to improve collaboration and coordination and the quality ofHead Start within the current federal-to-local structure. The Bush Administration argues that the only way to improve collaboration and coordination and school readiness is to dismantle the program through state-controlled block grants. Of course, there is no evidence that states can do a better job than the federal government and, in fact, studies have found the opposite to be true. Rather than dismantling Head Start, one way to improve the quality ofHead Start programs is to make sure every classroom ha~ an educated and weH-trained teacher. This can be accomplished by requiring 50 percent ofHead _Start teachers to have a BA degree and with adequate compensation to make it a reality. Collaboration and coordination can be improved through strengthening state collaboration offices, breaking down barriers between state pre-k and Head Start programs, and providing states a role in training and the technical assistance system. Ten to one it . was a non-unron project. �Need Help or Want to Help? If you need help or Mt. Airy Center 661-4620 Volunteers of Amer. 381-1954 would like to help please call one of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless members listed below _ SHELTER: Both Anthony House (Youth) 357-4602 Caracole (AIDS) 761-1480 Friars Club 381-5432 721 -0643 Drop Inn Center Haven House 863-8866 ·interfaith 471-11 oo Hospitality Lighthouse Youth Center 861-1111 (Teens) St. John's Housing 651 -6446 Sl:IELTERS: Women and Children YWCA Battered Women's Shelter 872-9259 (Toll Free) 1-888-872-9259 Bethany House 557-2873 Salvation Army 762-5660 Welcome House 859-431-8717 Women's Crisis Center 859-491 -3335 l:IOUSING: CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 241 -0504 Miami Purchase OTR Housing Net. 369-0004 ReSTOC 381-1171 Tender Mercies 639-7056 Tom Geiger House 961-4555 SHELTER: Meo City Gospel Mission 241-5525 Garden St. House 241-0490 Joseph House (Veterans) 241-2965 St. Francis/St.Joseph House 381-4941 TREATMENT: Women First Step Home 961-4663 Full Circle Program 721-0643 Formed in 1984, The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a membership organization. Our member groups serve the homeless through emergency shelter, transitional living facilities, permanent housing, medical services, social services, soup kitchens, and mental health/addiction services. The Coalition also consists of individual citizens who want to take an active role in ensuring that Cincinnati is an inclusive community, meeting the needs of all of its citizens. Join the fight to end homelessness; contact the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless at (513) 421-7803, 1506 Elm street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 or.Gt• Cl\CIMai CoalMloft for .­. lMHolft•il• • .... TREATMENT: Men Charlie's 3/4 House 784-1853 Prospect House 921-1613 Starting Over 961-2256 TREATMENT: Bo.th NA Hopeline 820-2947 A.A. .Hotline 351-0422 C.C.A.T. 381-6660 Tatbert House 684-7956 Transitions, Inc 859-491-4435 VA Domiciliary 859-559-5011 DIC Live-In 721 -0643 Program OTl:IER SERVICES: AIDS Volunteers of Gincinnati 421-2437 Appalachian Identity Center 621-5991 Beech Acres 231-6630 Center for Independent Living Options 241-2600 Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 Cincinnati Health Network 961-0600 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Emanuel Center 241-2563 Freestore/ Foodbank 241-1064 Fransiscan Haircuts 651-6468 Goodwill Industries 771-4800 Coalition for the Homeless . 421-7803 Hamilton Co. Mental Health Board 946-8600 Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 Hamilton Co. TB Control 632-7186 Health Rsrc. Center 357-4602 Homeless Mobile Health Van 352-2902 House of Refuge Mission 221-3619 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Madisonville Ed. & Assis. Center 271-5501 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 McMicken Dental Clinic 352-6363 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 Project Connect Homeless Kids. 357-5720 St. Vincent De Paul 562-8841 The Emergency Food Center 471-4357 Travelers Aid 721-7660 United Way 721-7900 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 Women Helping Women 872-9259 MIDDLETOWN/l:IAMILTON (Butler County) St. Raphaels (Food Bank/Soup Kitchen) 863-3184 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 New Life Baptist Mission (Soup Kitchen) 896-9800 Hope House (Homeless Families/Singles) 423-4673 � 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 2003 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 2003 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: City Gives Free, Legal Licenses to Panhandling Politely Pg 2: Editorial Pg 3: Donate Pg 4: Reader Mail Pg 5: To Know and to Understand the Homeless We All Are Just One Step Away from Being Homeless Pg 6: The Peace Village Pg 7: Homeless News Digest Pg 8: The Drop Inn Center and Washington Park Development Pg 9: Homeless Individuals Partnership (HIT Force) Pg 10: Pendleton Heritage Center Hosts Summer Photo Workshop for East End Kids Pg 11: Over-the-Rhine Festival Pg 12: Protests Against Play Sparks Eloquent Discussion of Art’s Power, Censorship, Media Treatment Pg 13: Ohio Senate Restores Parents’ Medicaid Coverage Pg 14: Arts & Poetry Pg 15: Arts & Poetry Continued Pg 16: News & Editorial Pg 17: Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) Report Pg 18: Media Silent on Clark’s 9/11 Comments Pg 19: AmeriCoprs Program to be Cut by 58% 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 2003 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Georgine Getty Andy Erickson Brendan Goodwin Steve Shockley Mary Gaffney Jimmy Heath Jerome Manigan Elain Coffy Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF AmeriCoprs Andy Erickson Arts & Poetry Brendan Goodwin Drop Inn Center Elain Coffy Food Research FRAC Georgine Getty HIT House of Representatives Jerome Manigan Jimmy Heath Mary Gaffney Media Medicaid News & Editorials Ohio panhandling Peace Village Pendleton Heritage Center Protests Reader Mail Senate Steve Shockley Washington Park Workshop