19 10 291 https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/a46f6681ebb263af0e88cb7345ccaebb.pdf c4065713ea27f6b061ea040b491a7b45 PDF Text Text M a r c h 2 1 s t - A p r i l 4 t h 2 0 1 9 | Vo l . 2 3 I s s u e 6 ( N o . 4 0 3 ) advo cating justice | building communit y Any opinions in this issue are of the authors and don't necessarily represent Streetvibes or The Homeless Coalition. Showcasing articles about women, and featuring women's creative writing This Issue is sponsored by Cecilia and Tom Kloecker Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.com Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 12 �2 COALITION Nov 2 N o v 19,4,22019 0 18 || N o . 393 Mar 21- -April No. 403 From The Editor: Of Fear and Hate GABRIELA GODINEZ Editor-in-chief O n March 15th, 2019, two consecutive acts of horrific terrorism hit Christchurch New Zealand as a Muslim community engaged in prayer. The first attack was at the Al Noor Mosque; the second was at the Linwood Islamic Centre. 50 people were murdered and 50 more were injured. The youngest victim of the massacre was New Zealand born Mucad Ibrahim. In this article, the murder nor his accomplices will be named following New Zealand Prime minister Jacinda Ardern’s example. Prime minister Arden spoke about the Chirstchurch mosques terror attack saying, “he may have sought notoriety but we in New Zealand will give him nothing. Not even his name.” The terrorist, wanting global attention, live streamed the gruesome shooting on Facebook. Facebook announced the first report on the live stream “came 29 minutes after the video started”, a report that only came after it was reposted to 8chan by another user. The live stream had been viewed 4,000 times before it was removed. The Christchurch terrorist clearly wanted to not only ignight fear but also recruit other right wing extremists into becoming terrorists by publishing a manifesto similarly to the July 22, 2011 Norway terrorist who murdered 70. Unfortunately, and sadly unsurprisingly, the New Zealand terrorist seems to have made an impact on right wing extremists. YoutubeInsider, a verified Youtube Twitter account, tweeted: “We wanted to give an update on our actions since Friday’s horrific tragedy. We’ve removed tens of thousands of videos and terminated hundreds of accounts created to promote or glorify the shooter.” According to the Washington Post, 1.5 million videos of the Christchurch attacks were removed within 24 hours but many videos still are out there simply because of the magnitude of videos uploaded. Prime minister Arden stated, “it is our view that it cannot, should not, be distributed, available, able to be viewed. It is horrendous… Ultimately the responsibility does sit with them [social media companies].” Internet service providers in New Zealand have blocked sites like 4chan and 8chan, which have not removed the Christchurch shooting video. These sites are known as breeding ground for right wing extremists. 8chan in particular is widely regarded as one of if not “the most vile website on the internet.” According to Vox, the shooter described Trump as “a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose.” This lead many people to turn around and point the finger to the U.S. President, but that sentiment is misguided. Trump did not cause the New Zealand shooting. Trump and the New Zealand shooting are tumors of the same disease of white supremacy. This highly contagious, lethal disease of white supremacy has not infected any one country, it can be, and is, found all over the world. This is a disease founded on fear, hate, resentment, which all ultimately manifests into violence. White supremacy did not start with Trump, and it most certainly will not end with Trump after he is out of office. This is an insidious illness that affects us all. Not even 24 hours after the massacre, the New Zealand government had already promised gun laws would change “including a ban on semi-automatic rifles,” according to The Guardian. Prime minister Arden urged the surrender of firearms and many New Zealanders actually agreed. The Guardian reported that at least 37 firearms had been handed to police officers around the country” without the legal need to. However, this is not only about guns. This is about white supremacy and the simple fact that it seems we only talk about it when we are faced with death. If we do not unite now, stand in solidarity with one another or show up for one another, then what’s the point? What are we doing sending “thoughts and prayers” to one another? Why even bother talking about this if we’re just going to act like everything is fine a month later? The New Zealand massacre is an act of terrorism that should not only spark conversation, but instigate action within legislation, our national and global societies, and most importantly within our local communities. 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 www.cincistreetvibe.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor-in-chief: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Sallie Mascus Layout: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Reception: Bonita Batton, Larry Johnson Maintenance: Pete Roper ------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Gabriela Godinez, Bill Woods, Hellen Hill, Anastasia Safioleas, Seulki Lee, Jen Ham, Ericka Russel, Felix Winternitz, Kristina Mckinley, Jada Jones, Ta'Anna Gamble, Savanna Donaldson, Willa Denise Jones, Desmond Brown, ------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: canva.com, Gabriela Godinez, INSP.com ---------------------------------------------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. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 | Nov 2 4, - N o v 19, 2 0 18 Mar 213-April 2019 | No. 403 COALITION 3 From The Director: Diligent Impatience JOSH SPRING Executive Director Are you angered by the inequities in Cincinnati and Hamilton County? In the last twenty years in the city of Cincinnati we have given out $3.4 billion in property tax abatements, predominately to wealthy individuals and companies. As we pour tens of millions into infrastructure for a soccer stadium, we are short 40,019 affordable homes and people die under bridges without a home. City Human Services funding is well below its prescribed levels and the winter shelter is not fully funded, yet we budget public funds to private business support ventures with the unproven claim that they somehow improve our city (see City of Cincinnati FY 2019 Budget, page 10). We grant zoning variances to wealthy, exclusive housing developers while in on an average day in 2018, nearly 90 percent of families with children who sought shelter were turned away because the housing crisis has left no room in shelters. On average, Black Men live ten years less than white men and Black Women live about six years, seven months less than white women, but we have an operational streetcar. You should be angered by all of this and more, deeply angered. But please work to not be idly angry. Sometimes we hear people say that there is nothing we can do about these oppressive realities. We hear the perspective that large sums of money always rule the day and so we can’t win. But, there is a lot we can do, and we can win. We have to gather ourselves together, name the injustices and name those who orchestrate and benefit from these injustices. We must say how our city, county, community and society should operate and we have to force it into existence. We need to strategize actions, implement campaigns, evaluate results and adjust our strategies without changing our foundational stances. We have to encourage, challenge and support our partners in the struggle. We must build leverage stemming from our growing numbers of people and our experienced strength. We need to employ unexpected tactics. We must hold ourselves and systems in general to basic standards of morality. We have to be willing to say what is right and what is wrong. We should not settle for less than what is just and righteous. Organizing, building leverage and exacting action does not mean systemic change and/or replacement will come quickly. It most certainly, will not. So, we must do our best to keep in our mind’s eye the vision of what our city and county will look and operate like when justice, morality and empathy rule the day. In that vison of the future, who is making decisions and through what processes are they made? What will our neighborhoods look like? What about our schools and recreational spaces? How will housing be accessed and who will public lands and funds benefit? We can get there one step at a time. I don’t mean that in some abstract, fluffy, make us all feel better sort of way. I mean it in a real sense. We fight for changes, sometimes we lose and sometimes we win and the wins and loses come in all sizes with differing levels of consequential impacts, but we must chart each success, no over or under state it and tick away at the steps it will teach to reach our just destination. Please don’t read this as a statement that we should be patient. We should not be patient in the struggle to justice. Patience in this fight will not get revolutionary result. Instead we are charting a course for the long-haul; a course that we must march with diligent impatience. Ohio's 2011 Gerrymandered Districts Quietly Challenged In U.s. District Court In Cincinnati BILL WOODS ContributingWriter W ell hidden from public view on the eighth floor of the Potter Stewart Building in downtown Cincinnati, a legal case of major importance to democracy has moved forward for the last two weeks. A lawsuit alleging that Ohio's current Congressional Districts are unconstitutional is being heard by a three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court of Southern Ohio. The plaintiffs in this case are the League of Women Voters of Ohio, the A. Phillip Randolph Institute, and residents from the state's sixteen Congressional Districts. The defendants are Republican elected officials such as the Secretary of State, the Governor, and leaders of the Ohio General Assembly. Readers will remember that Ohio voters passed last May a Constitutional Amendment designed to end one party gerrymandering in the state. However, the new redistricting process will not be used until 2021, and the plaintiffs in this case are challenging the constitutionality of the Congressional Districts that were drawn in 2011. The goal is to prove that fairer Districts need to be drawn for the 2020 election cycle. The ACLU of Ohio (American Civil Liberties Union) provided the legal team for the plaintiffs, and it spent the first four days of the trial making the case that the Districts created in 2011 constitute violations of the First and Fourth Amendments. ACLU lawyers called several of the citizen plaintiffs to testify as well as representatives of the League of Women Voters and the A. Phillip Randolph Institute. Former State Senator Nina Turner and Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, both Democrats, also testified that Ohio Democrats had no influence on Congressional District map-making in 2011. ACLU lawyers spent the bulk of their time questioning expert witnesses such as William Cooper, a demographer who specializes in using Census data and the geographic realities of a state to draw compact political district maps that primarily keep intact counties and large cities. Cooper explained that not only was it possible to create district maps that were fairer and less partisan than Ohio's 2011 Congressional Districts, but he provided remedial maps that he had drawn for this state. Two other political scientists, Dr. Chris Warshaw and Dr. David Niven also offered analyses of the highly partisan nature of Ohio's sixteen Congressional Districts. When shown the 2011 District map, this partisanship is not difficult for the average person to see. For instance, Democratic Cincinnati is split into two districts and then combined with enough Republican suburban and rural counties to make two safe GOP seats. Franklin County and Columbus feature similar splits and suburban additions. The most outrageous geographic aberration is "the snake on the lake," a District that extends along Lake Erie from Toledo to Cleveland and takes in parts of numerous counties. Thus, even though President Obama carried Ohio in both 2008 and 2012, Republicans continue to hold twelve Congressional seats to four for the Democrats. The expert witnesses in their testimonies focused on the skillful manipulations that went into making the 2011 Districts so one sided. What factors have brought about this recent movement throughout the U.S. to advocate for fair election districts? Since the Constitution leaves it to individual states to create political districts, gerrymandering has existed in some form throughout our history. Although reform groups such as Common Cause and the League of Women Voters have called for redistricting reform for years, it was too esoteric an issue for average people to grasp until the 2011 district THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED maps took effect. What happened in 2011 was the perfection of one party gerrymandering through the use of computers. Computer experts could mould Census and political data into maps that insured a large majority of districts for one party. This perfection of gerrymandering may be leading to its downfall. Suddenly, this highly partisan mapping in states like Ohio, North Carolina and Texas received a lot of news media attention. Once lonely reformers were joined by a larger base of outraged citizens who were now aware of why their elective districts were so uncompetitive. Groups in states across the country began challenging gerrymandered districts in court cases or through ballot initiatives. In Ohio, state and Congressional District mapping have been reformed when voters passed Constitutional Amendments in 2015 and 2018. The current Federal Court case in Cincinnati is coming to a close at a time when the U.S. Supreme Court is about to hear two cases challenging gerrymandered districts in North Carolina and Maryland. The rulings in these cases could have major impacts on future state redistricting, and the Court will hear them during the last week in March. Stay tuned. �4 ADVERTISMENT NMar o v 221 - N-April o v 19,4, 20 18 | |NNo. o . 393 2019 403 March 1 - 23, 2019 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 �N o. 39 3 |-April Nov 2 -4,N2019 o v 19,| No. 2 0 18 Mar 21 403 5 U.S. NEWS Homeless in a woman’s body HELEN HILL I Street Roots n the 2017 Multnomah County [in Oregon] “Point In Time” homeless count, 1,355 adult women were identified as homeless, making up 36 per cent of the total homeless population. This was up more than 16 per cent from the 1,161 women counted in 2015, and more than double the 662 women counted in 2009. What is it like for the growing numbers of women who are experiencing homelessness? We asked five of our vendors to talk about what women living on the streets experience. Amy is currently living underneath the Morrison Bridge with her boyfriend Sean. Olivia (not her real name) is single and sleeps under the Burnside Bridge. Aileen has just moved to Dignity Village with her husband Charles. Jay is single, transgender, and in a temporary shelter. Barbra lives in a small tent community within the downtown core. Amy It’s a chilly evening in late November. A freight train shrieks past, the ear-splitting roar echoes through the tunnel of concrete piers under the east end of the Morrison Bridge. Bright lights high overhead stay on through the night, illuminating a changing community of people who shelter here. There is a roaming colony of rats. When it rains, a fast creek runs down ditches on either side of the rough-tiled pavement where sleeping bags are laid out for the night. Amy has slept under the Morrison Bridge with her boyfriend and fellow Street Roots vendor Sean Sheffield for nearly three years. She transcends cultural assumptions of the homeless. She has never taken drugs or alcohol. She was recently appointed shift supervisor at her regular job at the Portland Airport Starbucks. She is open-hearted, cheerful and hardworking. She says she was worried at first about living under the bridge, “I thought I would freeze to death,” but now she is used to it and doesn’t feel the cold or the rain that sprays them “like spritz on a ship” when the wind blows. Every other week they look forward to taking her paycheck and staying in a motel for several nights. Amy doesn’t feel safe without Sean nearby. “I think it’s harder for women on the street,” she said. ”Whenever Sean has to sell (Street Roots) after dark, I don’t like it. I’m always looking behind me and 360 degrees around me. We all look out for each other, we walk by and say ‘Hey, are you OK? Are you feeling threatened?’ I am a little suspicious when guys say that, but with a female, it feels good that we are looking out for each other.” Portland police offer welcome protection, she said. On 20 November, there were two homicides in a homeless camp on the west side of the Morrison Bridge. “There were those two shootings, but the police came to check on us,” she said. “I thought that was really cool of them to do that. They woke us up and asked us how we were doing, they told us there were two homicides, and they did it twice during the night, they were sincerely concerned for our safety, they woke up the people behind us to make sure they were OK too.” Olivia Olivia is small in stature but strong, self-sufficient and confident. She’s been staying on her own under the Burnside Bridge. She is acutely aware of the sexism on the street and the challenging situations women face. “The biggest misconception is that it’s easier for a woman on the street, because people think you can get stuff for free. And they think you can get into shelters easier, but it’s not true,” she said. “Guys say you don’t have to be on the streets, someone will take you home. Takes a man to let you know: Hey, you can just be a prostitute, you don’t have to be homeless. Not every girl is a prostitute just because she’s homeless. “I am constantly harassed every day. Guys don’t leave you alone. ‘Hey beautiful, hey girl.’ Do they think girls really like that? My first name isn’t ‘hey,’ my last name isn’t ‘girl.’ “Everyone knows me, it’s a small town, this homeless community. I make sure I keep a good reputation, I don’t do drugs, I won’t go where they are partying too much. But it’s the same bothering at night as you get in the daytime. “Men always say it’s easier for women to get housing. Other vendors think I can sell more papers because I’m a girl. But it’s not fun being treated like a prostitute every day or being afraid at night, it’s definitely not easier.” Aileen Aileen is a streetwise artist, seamstress and poet. She and her husband, Charles, have camped in a tent and lived in a camper. They recently returned to Dignity Village after the city repeatedly ticketed and threatened to tow their camper. “I have had forced moves, gunshots in the middle of the night, flashing lights, but I’ve always had Charles with me,” she said. “It’s one of those things even if you don’t camp together as a camp family, you camp together in numbers for safety. You need to get to where you can trust people. “I’ve seen women spread their sleeping bags out alone, As for the safety, honestly, I don’t think it’s any different male or female, because the older you are, you are just as vulnerable as any female. “But just being a female, people will take advantage of you, if you look weak and vulnerable, someone will take advantage of you. “You can cast that very strong don’t-fuck-with-me look. You can get training. My brother was military. He wanted to teach me self-defense, so he put me in a couple different holds. He didn’t expect me to grab his ears and say ‘meet the knee,’ but that was my instinct when he put me in the hold. He was thrilled with it, but he said, ‘if that’s your instinct, I don’t need to teach you.’ “I’m defending my life, I am the only one who has the right to say when my life ends. I use a power stance when I need to, you can bring yourself that strength. “I’m always watching, there are so many things to watch.” Jay Jay is a gifted artist. He identifies as both male and non-binary. He lives in a temporary shelter. “As a person with a woman’s body, I think male-identified people have more options,” he said. “There are more shelter and housing options for single males than for single women or single transgender or non-binary people. “I am more likely to have predators target me, or bullies target me, they view me as a weak woman, small, frail. I am more likely to have guys proposition me, like they say they will let me stay with them if I will be their girlfriend. I don’t think homeless men have to deal with that situation. “You are between a rock and a hard place. You don’t want to live in a shelter, but you also don’t want to sell your body for housing either, which is what a lot of guys offer. You get to where you just don’t want to talk to any guys at all, it seems like just predators approaching. “I think homeless men also get THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED assaulted, but as someone in a woman’s body, I am more likely to end up dead or be sexually assaulted.” Barbra Barbra had a successful professional career as a market researcher. Her career ended when she became disabled in 2010 due to a brain lesion. She became homeless a few years later. She describes herself as “a miracle walking.” Barbra is an effective activist, serving on committees at Sisters of The Road and with the Old Town Chinatown Neighborhood Association. She was recently chosen as an advisor to a team of OHSU doctors who are creating a syllabus to investigate and serve the homeless. She also volunteers for the Metro Trash Initiative, brainstorming strategies to help people experiencing homelessness dispose of trash and recycling. She lives with her boyfriend in a tent community of 12. “I’ve always been with a man,” she said. “You have all these dangers, you have people who will kill you for your money, your backpack – even if they don’t know what’s in it. When you have a male partner, your chances of that are not as much. Maybe you have a dangerous boyfriend who will beat you and do bad things to you but they aren’t going to take your livelihood, they won’t take your wallet and your phone, so you make a decision; as long as I don’t do this, this won’t happen, as long as I don’t drink, this guy won’t beat me, so I’m safe through all these things. No one will beat me up or rape me or steal from me because I have someone there with me all the time. “You talk to women on the streets, they will tell you, ‘I was raped.’ ‘My babies were taken,’ and that’s the reality of it. You have to pick the best out of the worst. I don’t think anyone understands. I have a lot of respect for the women who sleep alone, I couldn’t do it.” Her advice to other women on the streets: “Trust your instinct. If you have fear, there is a reason it is there. Trust the gut, don’t trust your brain or heart. If your gut says don’t walk down that street, don’t trust that man, listen to it.” “There are more and more of us coming out,” Barbra said. “We can’t stop it, I would like to think we would all band together and keep each other safe. I don’t want women out there alone, how vulnerable do we need to be?” Courtesy of Street Roots / INSP.ngo �GLOBAL 6 NMar o v 2 21 - N-April o v 19, 4, 2 02019 18 | N o . 393 | No. 403 A Phair go ANASTASIA SAFIOLEAS L The Big Issue Australia iz Phair is on the phone from her home in Los Angeles, reminiscing about the early 90s. She’s been doing a fair amount of reflection since the reissue of her debut album, Exile in Guyville, last year. A surprise hit in 1993, Exile… would go on to sell nearly half-a-million records. It triggered her meteoric rise as rock’s “naughty girl”, with her sexually-charged lyrics and low-fi pop sound. Twenty-five years later, it has been repackaged with songs from her previously unavailable Girly-Sound tapes, and she’s hitting the road again, having now embraced the crippling stage fright that stubbornly dogged much of her career. “I didn’t like performing – I was petrified, and I had a lot of nerves,” says Phair of that time. “I saw myself as an artist, not as a performer… I had to learn to become a live performer. I suffered long enough until I finally found a way to regulate it. I didn’t drink. I didn’t do anything. I just whiteknuckled it!” She laughs, and then adds, serious again: “There’s no substitute for experience. I don’t think anyone is buying it when you watch performers faking it – it’s pretty obvious.” No-one can accuse the Chicago native of faking it. Exile to Guyville, her song-by-song response to the Rolling Stones’ 1972 album Exile on Main St, became a critical and commercial sensation despite its intentionally sparse production and those upfront lyrics. Perhaps the most notorious and oft-quoted line is when she deadpans “I want to be your blowjob queen” on ‘Flower’. But don’t mistake this for cheeky banter. There is a dark streak running through her songs. On ‘Fuck and Run’ she intones: “I can feel it in my bones/I’m gonna spend my whole life alone.” Exile… came before the dawn of the digital music age. A time when the music industry was characterised by mostly male-run record companies, releasing mostly male performers. Commercial radio often refused to play female artists back-to-back, lest listeners changed the station. And Phair didn’t find the supposedly liberal alternative music scene any more welcoming for female artists. “I remember feeling that very acutely. I was making some sort of stand just for the right to make music at all,” she states. “It’s a bit bittersweet. I didn’t make [Exile…] from a happy place. I really held my feet to the fire, to a certain extent. I was very serious in that record. I was frustrated and unhappy and I was speaking matterof-factly about things a woman like me wasn’t supposed to say out loud,” she pauses: “I didn’t feel like it was a good place to be a woman anywhere.” While her voice may have been surrounded by the cocksure growl of grunge, there was a groundswell of female performers also making a mark, such as PJ Harvey, Tori Amos, Courtney Love and riotous all-girl group L7. “I remember feeling there were voices in music that were spurring me on, like the riot grrl scene. There was a movement afoot, pushing back,” she says. “Now I think the music industry has left the hands of the labels and gone into a more democratic zone. People can search for the music they want. Fans want to listen to female artists and it has opened the flood gates.” Mitski is currently on high rotation in the Phair household. As is the new album by Lana Del Rey. And Phair regularly uses social media to reach out to female artists. “I feel like the music industry has changed for the better for women. There’s a huge generation of young women who are making music their own way, producing their own music, performing it – they are incredibly autonomous compared to when I was their age.” As Phair prepares for a batch of Australian shows, she is also getting ready to release her first book, a memoir titled Horror Stories. “They’re stories about my life that touch on how we become the people that we are. It’s almost an exploration on the way we have arranged or ordered our memories and then become the stories that we tell ourselves about who we are and where we’re going. Those sort of impactful moments…the small horrors in life. It’s THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED very personal.” There is also new music on the way, although don’t hold your breath for her much-reported collaboration with Ryan Adams. Around the lead-up to the 2016 US election, Phair found herself working with the unpredictable indie rocker on another song-by-song response album, this time using The Beatles’ White Album as inspiration. “There was a lot of humour with what we were doing, and when Trump was elected the humour went out of our entire country. It felt so oppressive and so morally repugnant it stopped an artwork in its tracks. At that point it wasn’t the right moment for something so funny and light. I doubt we’ll resume working on it. Trump is still not that funny!” she laughs soberly. “But I’ll leave a door cracked open for it.” Courtesy of The Big Issue Australia / INSP.ngo �N o. 3921 3 |-April Nov 2 -4, N 2019 o v 19,| 2 0 18403 Mar No. GLOBAL 7 South Korean women abandon makeup to fight male domination A Japanese tourist (L) talks with an employee at a shop of Missha, a budget brand of Able C&C in central Seoul August 6, 2013. Most of the Korean cosmetics firms are targeting the mid-to-low end of that market by rapidly opening stores and bombarding customers with hundreds of new products each year. Korean beauty brands have little global renown, but in Asia they are household names because of perfectly groomed celebrities. Picture taken August 6, 2013. REUTERS/Lee Jae-Won SEULKI LEE Reuters S outh Korean university student Yim Ji-su used to sacrifice up to two hours of sleep each morning for her laborious makeup routine - from applying foundation and concealer to perming her shoulder-length hair. But about six months ago, she joined a growing band of young women who have given up makeup and cut their hair short to rebel against longheld ideals of beauty they claim to have been subjected to in male-dominated South Korea. The phenomenon has sparked debate in the beauty-obsessed nation, and brands are rethinking their marketing strategies to cater to the growing movement. "We are not dolls, we are human beings," said Yim, a third-year student in Korean literature from the capital Seoul. She was bare-faced and sporting a buzz cut. "By escaping this corset, I feel like I am myself again," she said, adding that a number of students at her campus have also jumped on the bandwagon. South Korea's wide range of skincare and cosmetic products has earned the industry the name "K-beauty", a term reminiscent of the moniker "K-pop" which refers to the booming pop music scene. South Korea has become one of the world's top 10 beauty markets, according to global market research firm Mintel, with many women taking it to the extreme of plastic surgery to reach uniform beauty standards. But it is also known as a socially conservative country - it has one of the worst gender wage gaps among developed nations, and is ranked 115 out of 149 countries in the World Economic Forum's 2018 Global Gender Gap report. Against this backdrop, discontent among women about society's patriarchal aspects has been slowly growing. “I would kill myself ” Tens of thousands of women took to the streets in Seoul last year to protest against the spy-camera porn phenomenon, where victims were filmed illicitly when changing or having sex. Around the same time, a small group of women also began joining what is known as the "Escape the corset" movement, taking to social media to post images of themselves destroying their cosmetics. YouTube star Lina Bae used to offer makeup tutorials on the video sharing site, but in a viral video last June, she revealed the dark side of the rigid beauty standards and the ridicule she has had to suffer. In her video, which has attracted nearly 7 million views, Bae said some viewers told her "I would kill myself if I were you" and "Didn't know pig can make up". She said many women were so insecure about their own appearances that they have to put on makeup even for a short trip to nearby supermarkets. "I am not pretty but it is fine," said Bae, whose real name is Bae Eunjeong, as she wipes away her bronze eyeshadow and red lipstick in the video. "I will not be able to wear this corset forever," she added. Despite the growing movement, analysts said the K-beauty sector is unlikely to be affected, and Mintel data showed it is expected to reach a retail market value of $11.4 billion in 2019, from $10.7 billion in 2018. "(It) is a movement that is emerging among South Korea's younger generations today, but it is a trend that has not yet reached the mainstream public," said Hwa Jun Lee, a senior beauty analyst at Mintel in Seoul. But he warned brands not to take the trend lightly. Some companies have already begun responding to the growing movement by shifting away from the existing rigid beauty standards to emphasise minimalism, with "all-inone" beauty products that simplify skincare routines, said Lee. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Popular Korean cosmetics brand Missha, meanwhile, has featured a short-haired female model in one of its latest commercials, and other local brands like LAKA are the same. "While still in its nascent stage, it is important for brands to note that the 'Escape the corset' movement has the potential to grow further in the future," the analyst said. Sustained effort Supporters of the movement said giving up makeup is only the start of a bigger push for greater gender equality, as South Korean women confront daily sexism. "It is about women's choice... The movement is about changing our everyday culture," said Shin Jiye, a 28-year-old politician who stole headlines last year when she ran for the post of Seoul mayor but lost. But campaigner Heather Barr said it would be a long haul for feminists in South Korea to achieve greater women's rights, including introducing stronger legislation against abuse and sexual harassment. "(It) will take a sustained effort, but they show no signs of giving up," said the senior women's rights researcher at global watchdog Human Rights Watch. Writing and additional reporting by Beh Lih Yi. Courtesy of Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation / INSP.ngo �FEATURE 8 N o v 221 - N o v 19,4, 20 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Mar -April 2019 403 A Normies Game: Rules and Instructions Not Included JEN HAM ContributingWriter M y partner of one month casually sits on the couch next to the shoe rack. He’s scrolling through social media as I cycle through my shoes, muttering about a missing pair. He glances over, plucks the left suede boot out from behind other weathered trail blazers and asks, “oh by the way, are you partially blind?” An innocent question: there’s no judgement in his voice, only curiosity. My heart stumbles. I thought I had been passing so well. I actually thought I had been passing too well and would have to sit him down and break it to him over tea and pillow talk. “Yeah.” I respond relieved and anxious for the 30 seconds between my answer and his response. “Mmm, yeah kind of noticed.” He chuckles, looks down at his phone. I tug on my suede boot, knot the laces in a blasé manner belying the bigger knot tightening in my stomach. Should I say something more? What’s he thinking? Does this change things? Is he going to treat me differently? Does he still want to be with me…? “Hey babe, we should leave soon, yeah?” He helps me into my coat, checks his watch, and digs for his car keys. He’s already moved onto the next topic, unfazed, unconcerned. I’m baffled that my outted legal blindness hadn’t completely ruined the evening, mood, relationship…. Living with a disability has always been this game of passing. To pass or not to pass? Can I pass? I never had to come out as woman. As Asian. As heterosexual. Yet I constantly find myself having to decide whether to come out as disabled or not: whether to come out or pass. Living with Cone-Rod Dystrophy, a degenerative eye condition resulting in partial or full blindness, there are times when I’m not given the choice. My built environment outs me, if not as partially blind then at the very least as distinctly other. It’s not obvious, or maybe it is. The way I linger too long at cross walks, trip up ill-contrasted steps, or stare dreamily off into the distance when someone’s trying to make eyes at me. I wonder what they think of me. Do they see me haphazardly passing? Do they notice? Do they care? More importantly, why do I? This game of passing is like this: you can choose to mask your disability and gain entrance into the kingdom of the well, of the able-bodied normies (or normates as feminist Crip scholar Rosemarie Garland-Thomson calls them) or you can choose to come out as disabled. The rules to the game work like this: you must decide in what situations would you benefit from coming out as disabled and in what situations is it down right stupid and dangerous to not? I like playing the game riskily— I’ve always had a sweet tooth for testing my limits. I’ve played this game with myself, round after round: do I choose to pass as able-bodied in a classroom? A grocery store? A dimly lit, crowded bar or coffee shop? En route to a shuttle? En route to campus? With strangers, new partners, new friends? Almost every time the answer is yes! Pass baby pass. Collect your 200 fake points and make it to the next round. For the last 20 years I’ve played this game and I’ve only been hit by a car once—it was more of a tap, but I made sure to slap the hood in rebellion after. So, what if I get knocked around here or there? So, what if I go in for a hug and knock beer to the floor, shattering the glass cup into a million shards of pain up the bartender’s ass? So, what if I have to memorize every inch of campus to stay vertical? It’s worth it right? Being included in the in-crowd’s worth it right? What’s cooler than being a full functioning normate? Passing soon twisted into something else entirely. It became a rigorous life schedule of “not, but.” Where my identity started taking shape to be a negotiation of what I’m not and from that negative, then what I am. I’m not that kind of disabled, the weak and helpless fetishized saint, but I’m the sexy kind that completely transmutes her disability out of existence with phenomenal passing topped off with hypersexuality. Everything the disabled person w a s — e v e r y stereotype or assumption—I strove neurotically to disprove. I would take the maximum amount of credit hours in college, I would never use the accommodations given to me from my university’s disability services, I would have a boyfriend, I would party, I would have a sex life, I would have friends, a gleaming GPA, a competitive internship, a fit body, trending clothes, flirtatious stimulating conversations and then by the end of it all a gold star from the collective normates saying yes I was one of them. I was to be the epitome of heteronormative femininity and objectively successful. It wasn’t until three years ago that I started questioning this madness. It was my last year of undergrad and my first feminist theory class. We were reviewing queer scholarship and this idea of performing our genders came up. Queer scholars made the argument that gender is not natural but rather a grand illusion marketed by social and cultural norms. This made me wonder if then disability was also an illusion. My whole life I thought being disabled was my fault. That my genetics had turned against me and cursed me against any happiness in normative society. For the longest time I had it in my head that my difference in ability made me a burden, made me lesser, and so everything I did was in reaction or compensation to that. But if my disability was cultural…? What did that me an? Could it be that my different ability was just that: a different ability a n d that the THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED disability was the ugly illusion society conditioned me to believe? Was I socialized to be able-bodied and hate anything that was not abled including myself like how women were conditioned to be hyper-feminine and to hate any non-binary gender expression? I began wondering what living as outed would look like. What letting go of shame and overcompensation would feel like. Would be as liberating as suffrage, burning bras, and saying no? But where’s my movement? Where are my fellow revolutionary Crips claiming the rights to their bodies, burning “special needs” from our vocabulary, and saying no to inaccessible built environments? I’m trying really hard to empower myself, embrace my identity but unlike being a woman and easily finding feminists to support me, I can’t seem to find the same for my Crip identity. And I think it’s because society is not quite there yet. The normates haven’t acknowledge disability as a social construct ordered by their inaccessible policies or structures. The normates haven’t done the intellectual or emotional work to reinvasion different abilities as a contribution to human diversity. The normates don’t understand that the accommodations given to differently abled individuals is a reproduction of hierarchical power dynamics privileging able-bodied/ableminded individuals: that “integrating” differently abled individuals into mainstream obviates the fact that differently abled individuals do not automatically belong to society by virtue of living in it. Reclaiming my identity as Crip—a historically derogative term that much like queer is being refurbished by the differently abled—isn’t just on me. I can only do so much emotional labor. It has been 3 months since that encounter at the shoe rack…. So yeah clearly, I’m still working through the insecurities of reclaiming Crip. My explanations of my needs are not perfect, but he asks questions and wants to know more. Informing normates while building relationships of connection and uncondit iona l positive regard to start building an affirmative community is also part of being Crip. I still catch myself passing, I still stare dreamily into the distance and dance with car side mirrors but I’m only hu(wo)man and a Crip one at that. �No. 39 | Nov 2 -4,N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Mar 213 -April | No. 403 9 FEATURE Moments of Sisterhood ERICKA RUSSEL ContributingWriter W hen I first taught my sister how to French braid her hair, she was initially mesmerized by the skill I retained from my aunt. She smiled in awe as I told her I learned the basic braid in the third grade, taught to me by Olive during lunch. My sister and I always sat together: in our shared bathroom, on either side of our beds, or on the living room floor, in front of Barbie Mariposa playing on the TV. Silk strands of our shared DNA gliding between confident fingertips. Reaching the end of the tail, secretly and silently wishing it took longer. For then we could sit longer, connected in an intimacy not easily matched elsewhere. It is the process itself that I crave most when I feel emptiness, disappointment, futility. Both of us have always kept our hair long, perhaps to immortalize the need to continue braiding. Many times, we’ve shared opinion in keeping our hair lengthy for as long as possible. I laugh outwardly when I think of the times we’ve accidentally yanked a knot, or burned ears and necks with a flat iron, or stolen each other’s remaining hair ties. Of course, fighting was plentiful, but I always knew it was over when one of us offered to work the other’s hair. My sister is far from me now. Yet, I promise, every time we reunite, we instinctively reach for the other’s tresses. ~ In fifth grade, I began menstruating. No, I was not suddenly a woman, nor was I anywhere near prepared to handle the time, care, and understanding it took. I was shocked by the smell, discomfort, and never-ending underwear stains. But, with me, were my friends, my sisters. Suggesting we go to the park rather than the community pool. Offering me jackets to tie around my waist. Finding a quarter in the direst circumstances. Checking my butt when I attempted to casually stroll by. This wasn’t the first, nor would it be the last, time we would be so hasty to help one another. Pizza, milkshakes, candy bars, chips, sodas, donuts, Oreos all littered our sleepover shag carpet. Vividly, I recall Yana’s birthday party. All 15 of us in that basement, no pillow fights, no lewd pajamas. No, I do recall each of us actively, eagerly listening as we all expressed our future dreams. Dream jobs, fame, traveling, success, tattoos, houses, commitments... It amazes me how well we thrived when we were together. How beautiful our growth looked. We taught and continue to teach each other how to cope with an existential crisis. In whichever basement or bedroom we found ourselves, we always slept close despite the scope of the room. Although, our energies blended together could fuel us through the night. ~ In college, being surrounded by successful, brilliant, persevering, and barrier-breaking women, I felt a breath of relief and acceptance. Here, we all amalgamated in our various struggles and oppressions, our dreams and our failures. Not only that, but overcoming such things, while finding the time to uplift those sisters around us. Asking a stranger in class if she had a tampon, and she hands you three. Walking each other home, knowing we shouldn’t have to but still enjoying the extended company. Standing up for each other, raising our voices for improvements, building and contributing to better places and experiences. In the dorms, my roommate and I used to plan our showers together, so we could share music and the occasional shower thoughts. We became sisters so fast, it reinforces my belief that we’ve all lived multiple existences. She helped me break the barely cracked shell of living in a small, rural town. I discovered new styles, new music, and new standards. She was patient and understanding in showing me the expanse and umbrella of equality. With neither distance nor time, is it possible to fade a sisterhood. ~ My aunt gave me truth before I knew I needed it. She told me of how much of a failure she was to her mother, my grandmother. However, she still remains to be the happiest woman I know. Meredith: forty-eight, never married, no children, still living in an apartment. Meredith: forty-eight, college graduate, recently completed Masters, single—not lonely, tattooed, settled by apartment leases, proud pet owner… She relived the slow decay of her mother’s hope for grandchildren and, thusly, of her disownment. She told me how she’d fallen in love more times than she thought possible. The first quote of anarchy she gifted me was, “I don’t believe any of that Adam and Eve shit.” Every time I see my aunt, I feel bolder, more confident, self-assured. I remember who I am has nothing to do with the phrase: “Who I am supposed/expected to be.” And then there is Shannon. Her skin has grown so thick she cannot be scathed, anymore at least. Shannon: thirty-five, married, children—zero, miscarriages—eight. Shannon: thirty-five, college-graduate, lead aquarist, awarded researcher, happily married, tattooed, anti-organized religion, no single-use plastics. As of when. Shannon continues to show me strength I never believed I would see first-hand. But we see her otherworldly fertility everywhere: in her jellyfish, sea turtles, sea horses, octopi, pipefish, pufferfish, and flounder at the aquarium, in her dog, cat, and four chickens, in her garden and house plants. Wherever she is, growth surrounds her. ~ If I were to try to explain what sisterhood means, I would have to attempt to translate an entire verbal and nonverbal language. I would fail in displaying the subliminal connection that runs deep within every one of us, waiting to be stroked to flame. I would stutter to articulate the level of intensity in which we fight to be better for ourselves and each other. I would have to simplify a battle cry of a thousand languages. I would do our resilience an injustice. Most likely, along the way, I would misquote our ancestry. To put it she battled, her mother continued to blindside her with too many questions briefly, we rise together. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �10 LOCAL N o v 221 - N o v 19,4, 20 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Mar -April 2019 403 "10 _______ Women" History Project Spotlights Local Figures Who've Made a Difference FELIX WINTERNITZ Staff Writer C all them feisty or fierce, dare-devils or trail-blazers, but the following names are being nominated as some of the most remarkable females in Cincinnati's history: Theda Bara, Virginia Coffey, Dorothy Dolbey, Cora Dow, Sarah Fossett, Dottie Kamenshek, Irma Lazarus, Ruth Lyons, Edna Murphey, Jessie Partlon, Jennie Porter, Venus Ramey and Frances Trollope. Meet these groundbreaking women, the likely members of the first graduating class of "10 _______ Women," which is a new grant project funded by People's Liberty at Findlay Market. The concept behind the project is essential enough: team leaders are currently gathering together modernday news-makers and notables, then urging them to nominate the most astounding, unapologetic female contenders in the history of this metropolis. Approximately two-dozen voters assembled on a recent Thursday evening, for instance, to nominate the initial round of candidates, all while sifting through pages of biographies and piles of profiles. This was just the first step in the "10 _______ Women" celebration, directed under the guidance of coordinators Kristin and Jeff Suess, who first proposed the history project. Kristin is a local arts administrator, while her husband Jeff is an author and historian. "A lot of it had to do with Jeff 's writing at the Enquirer," observes Kristin. "Jeff would be curious and come home to share some of these stories with me. We realized if we were learning about these women for the first time, then there must be others. This project will celebrate 10 historic women who made an impact on Cincinnati. A few names will be familiar to some, but most are women who are not part of our collective memories, but should be." The organizers behind "10 _______ Women" are leaving the descriptor name blank for the moment. It will later be filled in as appropriate, with say, "10 Amazing Women" or "10 Trail-blazing Women." Other descriptors under discussion are persistent, subversive, fascinating, plucky and even kick-ass, all titles to pay tribute to what common element may distinguish and unite this first nominated class. Some names quickly rose above the top field during the first evening's voting. (One ground rule: No living person could be nominated to be honored in this spotlight.) Among the "10 _______ Women" candidates now under serious consideration are: Theda Bara, the silent-film star who served as trail-blazer for women in Hollywood; Virginia Coffey, first AfricanAmerican elected as director of the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission. Dorothy Dolbey, first female vicemayor of Cincinnati. Cora Dow, ground-breaking pharmacist and entrepreneur. Sarah Fossett, an African-American role model who became a social justice advocate as well as a founder of the Underground Railroad. Dottie Kamenshek, a notable female baseball player immoratilized by actress Geena Davis in the film "A League of Their Own.” Irma Lazarus, tireless arts champion. Ruth Lyons, a formidable force in the arena of early television as well as children's rights proponent. Edna Murphey, developer of the first antiperspirant. Jessie Partlon, pioneering columnist at the Cincinnati Post in the early 1900s and a dogged public advocate for women's suffrage. Jennie Porter, an African-American community leader. Venus Ramey, a 1944 Miss America winner who went on to organize voting rights campaigns. Frances Trollope, the author who infuriated the city with her accounts of her life here. The project's scope is intended to encompass months of further voting and refinement, seeking input from any number of opinionated, informed current-day women, inspired by participating judges such as Molly Wellman and Joan Kaup. On March 8 (International Women's Day), nine of the 10 selections will be announced, with a call to the community to crowd-source the final class member. Some time in June, the final list of these "women who made a difference" will be released. Their admirable legacies will then be celebrated via a number of multi-media platforms. Plans include the creation of a digital archive, as well as commissioned video, dramatic reenactments and public art initiatives. A highlight of the storytelling aspect will be the creation of an educational booklet to be offered free to local schools. The project's digital "landing space" will ideally serve as a how-to resource for future efforts, locally and/or in other cities. "We want the girls of today to be inspired and emboldened by the women of yesteryear," say Kristin and Jeff Suess. "We sincerely hope there will be successive 'classes' of women after this first class." Womanhood KRISTINA MCKINLEY ContributingWriter W ith the election of our current president, new life has been breathed into the Women’s Rights movement with simultaneous marches happening in cities all over the country and the world. The first march occurred January 20, 2017 with women protesting, en masse, the inauguration of our 45th president. His sexist remarks about women and his blatant misogyny have emboldened the female population to rise up and speak out. The #Metoo movement (bringing to light the overwhelmingly unchecked issue of men in powerful positions forcing women into uncomfortable situations of sexual harassment and assault) has only added fuel to the fire and women are no longer sitting idly by. Mr. President has made every move he can to make reproductive health unattainable for women by threatening to defund Planned Parenthood. He has stacked the deck with cabinet members and Supreme Court nominees who will aid him in any way to overturn Roe v. Wade. One of 45’s first orders of business was to reinstate the global gag rule. This prevents international health organizations from receiving U.S. funding if they even so much as provide an informative pamphlet about abortion. This kind of legislature endangers the lives of so many teenagers and young women who often die during childbirth. So, the fight for reproductive rights and freedoms stretches far beyond our own borders. Women have been fighting for basic human and equal rights for 170 years. It wasn’t until 1840 that the first woman graduated from college. The Equal Pay Act didn’t pass until 1963. It wasn’t until 1972 that the federal courts passed Title IX preventing discrimination based on gender to federally funded schools. It took this country until 1994 to pass the Violence Against Women Act. It was a short eight years ago that The Affordable Health Care Act was signed into law so private health insurance companies had to provide birth control without co-pays or deductibles. The things that make me uniquely me are being turned into fodder and used against me in order to push some agenda that doesn't serve me or any woman today. Womanhood has been politicized. Women are still not paid equal wages to men for equal work. Women still do not have full body autonomy to decide their individual reproductive health concerns because THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED some old white dude wants to use it as his way of being elected (or reelected) into office. In spite of the supposed separation of church and state, religious beliefs still manage to dictate our legislation. Our government is forcing its way into our homes to decide what is right for us. I find it difficult to understand women of any faith, any political camp, standing by and watching our rights morph into some scary Handmaid’s Tale-like version of existence. Women haven’t been winning; we’ve been tricked. Chiseling ever so slowly away at true equality and we’re tired. With the resurgence of energy into the Women’s Rights movement, winds of change are brewing. �11 LOCAL No. 39 | Nov 2 -4,N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Mar 213 -April | No. 403 Girl's Writing Circle Poems Respect and Guidelines Black Girls Rock These pieces are from the Girls Writing Circle program with Peaslee Neighborhood Center and Rothenberg Preparatory Academy What are things that make us all strong? Black girls will always be strong No matter what happens. We will always be together And we will always be sisters. TA’ANNA GAMBLE Junior ContributingWriter My mom taught me to respect others. She taught me that, So others can treat me With Respect. My dad taught me to be honest. He taught me that Because if you lie, You will get in trouble even more. And if you tell the truth, You might not get in trouble. My granny taught me, To be patient. So I won’t get mad, Or jealous. JADA JONES Junior ContributingWriter People First SAVANNA DONALDSON A ContributingWriter n individual is more than one identity and is more than an outward appearance. Experiencing homelessness does not mitigate hopes, dreams, love, aspirations, and ultimately humanity. Oh, but how society declares so. Society in all its individualism cannot spare a glance at a person experiencing homelessness. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs states a person needs shelter, food, and security to begin a process toward self-actualization. But the most fundamental portion of Maslow’s theory is lacking in that it does not include the necessity for relationship: touch, eye contact, a smile and acknowledgement. People experiencing homelessness due to displacement and gentrification should not be forgotten, disregarded and dehumanized. Human beings should be valued above pets, development, businesses, and money. The issue of homelessness is more than effort and grit, especially when systematic barriers hinder a person from overcoming. How can someone be expected to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and get their neck crushed by the system at the same time? Issue of poverty and homelessness are not surface levels but deep rifts of intersectionality that lead to living on the streets, panhandling, and hoping for a bed in overcrowded shelters. I learned this and so much more during my Alternative Break with the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition. I felt that we literally lived in the community and became apart of it because by the time we left some of the residents knew our faces and we knew theirs. What’s that called? Community. A community is not comprised of foreign businesses operated from another city or even 3CDC. Expensive, single operated units will not cut it either. A group of familiar faces and culture create communities: the candy store, laundry mat, churches, schools, bakery, and friendly neighbors. Yet, urban development is prioritized above people. It should be people first and that my friend is priceless. A blank check of potential that will never be cashed because a return on the investment is not eligible for tax THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED rebates. Invest in affordable housing, fully funded schools, parks, and livable wages. These investments may not be considered millennially chic and probably not Instagrammable but necessary. This kind of investment is for a lifetime and thus the best kind. �12 Life Goes On STREETVOICE N o v 21 2 - -April N o v 19, 0 18 || No. N o . 403 393 Mar 4,22019 Untitled These year being gone rest assure history repeats itself right Still had connects here The mind is a terrible thing to waste with the memories we hold so dear Same areas went safe Labels cast in them The thought of days gone by i can see a picture of history in my mind The memory of today as we remember our history with our Energy things isn’t what it seems to be. Equitable resources. hearts combined The mind is forever living and by gods grace we will forever go on The mind with a memory, funny you don't rermember the day you was born! The day your memory comes into play you believe in Not too happy with this Not feelings sense of community Missed old time neighborhood store hearing strangers The day you were grown , your parents could not tell you bout the dangers The understanding that life goes on is for you to see and Keen to reach our destination Leaning on others for their help Respecting each other beleive God is good 24 7!! I beleive we all will live forever can you Listening is a job sometimes believe me! WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer CLEO WOMBLES Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer Streetvibes Writing Circle If you would like to submit a story for publication in streetvibes, come join Katelyn Lusher and Chris Wilkey for a group writing session! S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 | Nov 24, - N o v 19, 2 0 18 Mar 213-April 2019 | No. 403 STREETVOICE THE DIVIDED CONGRESS MOTHER GOOSE So pleased was citizen Norm! He loved the House's reform Making it easier for him to vote. He had to accept a grim fact. The Senate will block this Act, Since Mitch is a rigid, old goat. BILL WOODS Contributing Writer 13 Alienated From a Society That has a history of alienating societies I rather live out my struggles, my nightmares, Than participate in this bias reality, We are collateral damage of these monopolies, CEO’s with multiple zero’s in their salaries, Such an economic tragedy, They advertise and appease to the middle, But neglect the lower class of society, We need to come together and alighn our attributes and qualities, Our failures and technicalities, Who is amongst us ready to say “follow me” Social equality is a myth, To be humble and guard your tongue Is a gift, A rambling mouth is a downfall to an upshift gears of war is at our front door the president mouth is foul and my ears cant take anymore forever documented by twitter quotes our 1st step is to vote our 2nd step is to hold our leaders accountable unite as we stand the rest of the world is taking note targeted and trapped in this cage called the ghetto I cry, Because the nose that was created for the black man wont let go, I know brothers that pray to the Smith and Wesson Calico, They want whats yours because their come up Is stagnant and way too slow To my knees I fall and my face is low Praying for a systemic change A sober mind and a potus That has discretion a bout his tempo Blond hair, blue-eyed ego, What wall? Brown lives matter, Why? Children’s blood plattered, Because black fathers was targeted and scattered Alienated from a society That has a history DESMOND BROWN Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �PUZZLES 14 N ov 2 o v 19,4,22019 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Mar 21- N -April 403 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 101 Across 1. Cattle farm Down 6. Wooden pin 1. Ecstatic 9. Cutlass 2. A great distance 14. Ablaze 3. Three squared 15. Mature 16. Spooky 17. Overwhelming fear and anxiety 18. An opposing argument 19. Rapidly 20. Kind of table 22. Pit viper 24. Pastry item 25. Chicken 26. Beer 29. Ness 31. Olympic field event 36. Pile 38. Breakers 40. Flat-bottomed boat 41. In a relaxed manner 42. Mythical cave-dwelling creature 44. Song 45. Affirm 46. Stead 47. Violence by an unruly mob 48. Erase 50. Rational 52. Single 53. Edible tuber 55. In the past 57. Plug 62. Bother 66. Pontifical 67. Frozen 69. A relative by marriage 70. Sports venue 71. Deplete 72. Baked in an oven or on a griddle 73. Cash 74. Female sheep 75. Measuring instrument 4. Thin potato chip 5. Feverish 6. Step 7. Self 8. Writing style 9. Furniture item 10. Sobbed 11. Using speech rather than writing 12. Food grain 13. Cervid 21. To the lowest degree 23. Conjunction 25. Valiance 26. In front 27. Depart 28. Tripod 30. Knitting stitch SODOKU PUZZLE NO 392 - MEDIUM 32. Box lightly 33. Oddity 34. Employee organization 35. Condition 37. Heaped wood used as a funeral rite 39. Jumping insect 43. Relating to the moon 49. Oculus 51. Self-interest 54. Come into existence 56. Unit of weight 57. Junk e-mail 58. Starchy tuberous root 59. Overt 60. Part of a window 61. Frolic 62. Sort 63. Smudge 64. Bowling alley 65. Pitcher 68. Sound made by corvine birds PUZZLE SOLUTIONS CROSSWORD #200 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 391- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 | Nov 2 4, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Mar 213 -April | No. 403 Central Access Point 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children RESOURCES Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 621-7265 1528 Race St. 45202 Churches Active in Northside Bethany House 557-2873 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 591-2246 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 Salvation Army 762-5660 St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 131 E. 12th Street 45202 1125 Bank Street 45214 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men Shelter: Men Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 Shelterhouse 721-0643 2121 Vine Street 45202 411 Gest St. 45203 Prospect House 921-1613 1437 Walnut Street 45202 Starting Over 961-2256 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 Parkway Center 661-4620 First Step Home 961-4663 Shelter: Youth 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Shelter: Family Interfaith Hospitality Network Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Joseph House (Veterans) 471-1100 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 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 VA 977-6800 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 Food/Clothing First Lutheran Church 421-0065 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 1730 Race Street 45202 St. Francis Seraph Ministries 549-0542 St. George Food Pantry 2554 Dennis St. 45219 751-8771 St. Anthony Center 1615 Republic St. Advocacy Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 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 Housing: 15 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 UpSpring 363-3300 Health Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 Other Resources Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 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 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 Cancer Justice Network 404-3882 Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels 981-4200 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center (11-17 y/o) 859-491-8303 ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 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? You can support our mission and spread the word about your business. For more information contact Gabriela Godinez Feregrino, 961-0600 email streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Center for Respite Care 621-1868 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 386-7899 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 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 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �16 N o v 221 - N o v 19,4, 20 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Mar -April 2019 403 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. 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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 2019 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 March 21-April 4, 2019 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: Of Fear and Hate Pg 3: Diligent Impatience Ohio’s 2011 Gerrymandered Districts Quietly Challenged in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: Homeless in a Woman’s Body Pg 6: A Phair Go Pg 7: South Korean Women Abandon Makeup to Fight Male Domination Pg 8: A Normies Game Pg 9: Moments of Sisterhood Pg 10: “10____Women” History Project Spotlights Local Figures Who’ve Made a Difference Womanhood Pg 11: Girl’s Writing Circle Poems People First Pg 12: Street Voice Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Pet Horoscopes 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 March 21-April 4, 2019 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Gabriela Godinez Bill Woods Hellen Hill Anastasia Safioleas Seulki Lee Jen Ham Ericka Russel Felix Winternitz Kristina Mckinley Jada Jones Ta'Anna Gamble Savanna Donaldson Willa Denise Jones Desmond Brown Canva.com INSP.com Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Anastasia Safioleas Bill Woods Canva.com Cincinnati Desmond Brown Ericka Russel Felix Winternitz Gabriela Godinez Hellen Hill INSP.com Jada Jones Jen Ham Josh Spring Kristina McKinley Ohio Savanna Donaldson Seulki Lee South Korea Ta'Anna Gamble Willa Denise Jones Women Rights https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/e1de4f5d94a85606c994e613f396ef48.pdf ad5b819b285129e503cfee4a029ea6d1 PDF Text Text March 23rd - April 5th 2018 | Vol. 21 Issue 7 (No. 378) advocating justice | building community A Natural Path For Peace and Justice: Sister Alice Gerdeman | 8 This Issue is sponsored by Christ Church Cathedral INSIDE THIS ISSUE Eyes On The City | 3 Parking and the Stadium | 7 Chess Players Pushed Out | 9 United Nations Report: US Has the Wealth to End Homelessness| 6 Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 LOCAL Coalition Against an FC Cincinnati Stadium in West End C incinnati’s history is that of repeated displacement of Black People and People with low incomes. This has been a constant effort by primarily white, wealthy people to possess, control and sell neighborhoods to other wealthy white people. Increasingly, individuals and companies are attempting to take the model of gentrification and displacement of people from Overthe-Rhine to more neighborhoods, including West End. We are collecting petition signatures, have flyered thousands of doors and made hundreds of phone calls. At every community meeting nearly every Resident in attendance and all organizations standing with them have vehemently told FC Cincinnati to stay out of West End. West End Resident, Earnestine Hill said, “Black Folks with low incomes have been lied to many times in West End and across this city. Big developers make their sales pitch, make their money, and we’re left with nothing but shattered dreams. I’m tired of the lies. I’m tired of their fast money. It is never a win-win. Their winning requires our losing. M a r . 2 3 - A p r i l 5 , 2 0 18 | N o . 37 8 JOSH SPRING Executive Director We are fighting to stop this”. Ethel Black, says, “I have lived in West End for 35 years. I have raised five kids and one grandson here. It’s the only neighborhood my grandson knows. These developments lead to displacement and we don’t want to be displaced. My grandson’s school is right here. He attends the squash academy in the neighborhood and he is earning scholarships in the neighborhood. We will not be moved.” We have not relented in telling every decision-making body to say no. The School Board has now demanded that FC Cincinnati pay their “fair share” of property taxes toward our children’s’ education, something FC Cincinnati has said they are not willing to do. “We were taught to NEVER let anyone make a decision for you, about you, without you. We will be here until the end of the WAR,” says West End Resident and Liberty St. Apartments Resident Association Vice President Contina Davis. We demand that FC Cincinnati cease its pursuit of West End and Josh Spring Credit: Homeless Coalition publicly state that they have will stop trying to force themselves on West End Residents. Further, we demand that the Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education officially end conversation with FC Cincinnati. This is not simply a political struggle, this is having real affect on the lives of West End Residents right now. This is keeping people awake at night, fearful of what the future could hold for they, their neighbors and their children. It is past time to end this conversation. “The West End Community does not (Continued on page 3) WHY CITIZENS NEED TO LEARN ABOUT ISSUE I ON THE MAY 8TH BALLOT BILL WOODS Why are reformers championing Issue I on the May 8th Primary Ballot? Camille Wimbish, Director of the Ohio Voter Rights Coalition, addressed that question at the Community Issues Forum at Christ Church Cathedral on March 15th. She first explained the quick turn around of the Ohio General Assembly in early February that produced Issue I. Because Ohio possesses extremely gerrymandered Congressional Districts, a citizen-based initiative was organized in 2017 to place an Ohio Constitutional Amendment proposal before the voters. Wimbish described how the Fair Districts/Fair Elections Coalition drafted a proposal and put together a statewide campaign that began collecting signatures in late May last year. This all volunteer effort proved highly successful, and by the beginning of 2018, it was well on the way to obtaining enough voter signatures to qualify its proposal for the November Ballot. Aware of the momentum of this initiative and also aware of the growing interest nationally in redistricting Contributing Writer reform, members of the Ohio General Assembly decided to get involved. At first, reform leaders, according to Wimbish, were wary that Republican legislators would write a proposal merely to sabotage real reform. In fact, the Coalition told supporters to tell their representatives to either put the citizen initiative on the ballot or to oppose an alternative plan. Influenced by citizen support for redistricting reform, a group comprised of both Republican and Democratic members of the Legislature cobbled together over the first weekend of February a proposal that passed both Houses of the General Assembly by nearly unanimous votes. This proposed Congressional Redistricting process, now known as Issue I, confronts Ohio voters in May. Wimbish acknowledged that Issue I is not perfect, but it would essentially eliminate the one party gerrymandering of Congressional Districts in Ohio. Drawing Congressional District maps would still be in the hands of Ohio House members, but half of the Representatives from both the Republican and Democratic Parties must approve the final results. If adopted, the proposed Amendment invites the public to submit redistricting plans, and at least two public hearings must take place before the General Assembly approves the final maps. Issue I also includes language about drawing compact districts with minimal splits of counties and cities. Wimbish noted that the Coalition will continue to collect signatures for its citizen initiative just in case Issue I fails at the polls. Nevertheless, it's major energy now goes toward organizing grassroots support for the May 8th Ballot Issue. Pointing to her power point picture of Ohio's current Congressional Districts, she exclaimed it was time to get rid of our highly gerrymandered districts such as "the snake on the lake," a weird district that connects part of Toledo and Cleveland. 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, Peter Block, Jim Luken, Adam Sennott, Michael Earl Patton, Patricia Patton, Saad Ghosn, Thomas L. Lynn Jr., Stacia Hollander, Cleo Wombles, Lee McCoy, Kim Green, Willa Denise Jones ----------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: Dr. Mark Mussman, Michael Earl Patton, Saad Ghosn, Adam Sennott, Office of UN Special Rapporteur report, 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 Eyes On The City No. 37 8 | M a r . 2 3 - A p r i l 5 , 2 0 18 H DR. MARK MUSSMAN ow often to you get the opportunity to see your city through someone else’s eyes? I have the privilege to do this several times a year through our Cincinnati Urban Experience (CUE) at the Homeless Coalition. Throughout the week, I guide university students through a series of educational and service activities to help them understand how they can get involved in their own community. So far this month, Southern New Hampshire University and University of Vermont have been reflecting on what we’ve revealed to them about our city. Here Staff Writer the prevalent racism in the Cincinnati Police Department, which was subject to a recent report by the City Manager, confirming what many of us have known for years — Cincinnati police officers suffer from extreme bias against the black community. While this could be shocking to some, what was more impactful for me was how almost every speaker also said that the city itself is racist, and that times haven’t changed too much for our black brothers and sisters. CUE participants, who are here for their Alternative Spring Break, are exposed to many aspects of of black communities. Our willful participation in redlining. Our refusal to address racism head-on. Our inability to foster a public service that is fair and serves all of the public. These are all markers in our racist city. — it’s about the collective power that SNCC, the NAACP, CORE, and other groups did to create systems change. Harriet Tubman did not exist in a vacuum. So, while leaders come and go, organizations and movements (like the abolitionist movement) need the aid of all people, using all of their talents, and working within specific roles. Black Lives Matter: Cincinnati, Wage Theft and Worker Right's History at the Interfaith Worker's Center Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Vermont students Shadow Streetvibes' Distributor Lee Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Streetvibes Editor Justin Jeffre Demonstrates the Challenges and Success of the Paper Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Solitary Confinement and Dealth Penalty Session at the IJPC Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman are some of the major themes. 1. Cincinnati is racist. From the top down, everyone is impacted by racism in Cincinnati. At City Hall, during the public input session before the Council meeting, person after person got up and talked about JOSH SPRING (Continued from page 2) want the devastation the proposed stadium will bring to our front doors. Please not only listen but hear us say Cincinnati’s racism heritage. From Bucktown to the West End and everything in between, the plight of the African-American in Cincinnati is a direct result of the commonly held racist beliefs in Cincinnati. Our neighborhood, school, and church segregation. Our extermination NO stadium in the residential heart of West End”, said Marsha Reese, President of Liberty St. Apartments Residents’ Association. The Coalition Against an FC Cincinnati Stadium in West End includes many West End Residents, 2. Collective action is more powerful than following a leader. This lesson is hard to mete out, especially when our history books are filled with individuals who “made a difference,” but fail to recognize movements of people who aided those individuals rise out of obscurity. The Civil Rights Movement was not about Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, or Malcolm X — just as the current movement isn’t about Rev. Damon Lynch Jr., Iris Roley, or Brian Taylor the Black Agenda Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Chapter of the NAACP, and the Black United Front, are all strengthened by their members. Organization is how we win. Collective power, such as the determination of many who saved and created the Peaslee Neighborhood Center, is at the core of our future as a city. 3. Voice and Representation are considerably harder to broadcast Residents of Stanley Rowe Towers, Liberty Street Apartments, Park Town and City West, Community Church of Cincinnati, The Black Agenda, Jurisdiction-Wide Resident Advisory Board, the Cincinnati Chapter of the NAACP, the Cincinnati Educational Justice Coalition, Black Lives Matter Cincinnati, National Action Network Cincinnati Chapter, Cincinnati City Council Member Wendell Young, State Senator Cecil Thomas and the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED (Continued on page 6) �4 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED M a r . 2 3 - A p r i l 5 , 2 0 18 | N o . 37 8 �JUBILEE CAMPAIGN The “Development Renaissance”: Our Contribution to the Problem No. 37 8 | M a r . 2 3 - A p r i l 5 , 2 0 18 T PETER BLOCK here were two compelling articles in the March 9-22 Edition of Streetvibes that got my attention. Both were about the FCC Stadium project in the West End. Alan Smithee made a strong argument that the proposal to build the stadium on the site of Taft High School football field was driven by the convenience of not having to do an environmental impact study on that land. The second article, by Michelle Dillingham, calls for a true investment in the neighborhood that is inclusive, resident focused, honors the culture and history of this neighborhood. She argues for Investment that does not take public land and assets and place them in private hands. Here is my question: Why, in the end, will the FCC stadium likely be built if not on this location, then with a similar process in another neighborhood with residents in a similar low power position? Why will another stadium be built when our history in using public money for sports has been so problematic? Why will this stadium be surrounded by chic, sports friendly restaurants owned by outsiders to the neighborhood? The common answer among those who oppose the stadium and this kind of development is that the problem resides in the power of the rich owners, ambitious developers, the mindset of the politicians, the self-interest of banks and commerce driven institutions. As often said,” The powers that be.” This answer is too easy and this T Contributing Writer is the point I want to make. Smithee and Dillingham are right in their sentiment and point of view, as are the many groups who oppose these kinds of development. The tragedy is that these positions and efforts of opposition are unlikely to be powerful. Right but not powerful. I want to suggest that we, as citizens and activists contribute to making the “powers that be” powerful. Underneath the grass roots neighborhood language and advocacy, the citizen leadership in most of our neighborhoods is fragmented and disconnected. Structurally disconnected and relationally disconnected. On the question of structure, each neighborhood has a Community Council. Most have a Community Development Council. We have Community Centers for youth recreation and adult learning. Most schools have parent associations and Local School Decision Making Committee (LSDMC). There are many churches in each neighborhood who feed, outreach, care for the vulnerable residents. There are Business Associations, Arts collectives, health clinics, social service agencies and affordable public housing units and cooperative businesses. All of these are important. They all care for the well-being of the neighborhood. They each believe they are in touch with the wishes of the community. But they are silos. They cooperate in ways, but they fail when it comes to presenting a coherent and powerful common voice fully prepared to participate as equal partners with the traditional economic development intentions. Plus, in most neighborhoods, far from a common voice, residents have stories of past injustice, injury, differences that make a voice for the commons even rarer and more difficult. And we are wedded to our stories. I speak from experience as well as observation. I am a trustee in Clifton Town Meeting, one of the neighborhood councils. We theoretically speak for the community. Really? First of all, out of 8600 residents in my neighborhood, I was elected by two hundred at most. Do I really represent the interests of my neighbors? Not exactly. Does any single agency, council or group I listed above speak legitimately for the whole? Not exactly. Are there traditional divides in my neighborhood? Yes. Is this different for any other neighborhood group? Some greater collective voice is needed. The point is that if we want to be powerful in future negotiations and partnerships with traditional development efforts, we have to change our own behavior. We have to be as committed to support one another in our neighborhood and across neighborhoods as we are too caring for our own organization or enterprise. This is especially true for the neighborhoods targeted for big development: Avondale, West End, Madisonville, Evanston, Camp Washington, Roselawn, Bond Hill, Elmwood Place and all of Homeless in a (Nursing) Home echnically, “homeless” describes a person who is without a home, usually for an extended period of time. I saw homelessness up-close-andpersonal while living and working in OTR for 16 years. Last July, I moved to rural Rhode Island and found a somewhat “invisible” homelessness there. Difficult to see, but nonetheless very real. I spent a month without a home in the summer of '95, sleeping in my car and on the kitchen floor at a friend's small apartment. Somewhat proudly, I include being homeless in my life's resume. Been there, done that. I'm sure many of you middle class readers of this newspaper have spent at least a day or two without a place to hang your hat. Or, in circumstances where things seemed totally out of your control. You were “at sea,” in a “quagmire,” out of your element, un-grounded in a somewhat dramatic way. Not technically homeless, but may well have JIM LUKEN Contributing Writer experienced an emotional situation wherein you weren't sure what was going to happen next, or you were unsure about your next step...what to do next. Being hospitalized might qualify as such a situation. Or being an old person forced by circumstance to live in a nursing home when he or she would much rather be back home in familiar surroundings. Many of us, too many perhaps, will wind up in this situation. Not actually homeless, but unable to control the ongoing circumstances of our lives. In an institution that has all, or most, of the control. Recently, I made an unscheduled trip home to Cincinnati to visit a very close friend who was near death, in a nursing home in Avondale. Ron was 79 years old at his death. He had lived a somewhat strange, but many-faceted life. A stint in the army. Marriage to a wonderful wife, two adopted kids, grand and greatgrandchildren. He had spent his work-life as a professional bathtub refinisher, spray-painting an epoxylike paint onto abused bathtubs in Chicago, Cincinnati, and in hotels around the world. Even in Qatar and the Arab emirates. He and his family pulled up stakes and left their home town of Chicago in 1983 in order to join a somewhat famous lay-Catholic religious community, centered in Winton Place (now Spring Grove Village). Community life involved a lot of sharing: time, labor, sometimes possessions, and/or money. People from all over the country and the world came to visit this community. Ron's home was often open to quite a few of these visitors. In addition, some single members of the community (themselves homeless) lived with the Perry’s for months, even years, in at least one case. My family would join three other families at the Perry house for dinner every Wednesday THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 5 our more vulnerable places. These neighborhoods require a different kind of resident friendly investment and development. And this requires a different way of creating a common voice. We can keep on demonizing the “powers that be” and leave it at that. But while it might be satisfying, it is low impact. Leaders and institutions making the traditional development investments flooding now popular “Renaissance Cincinnati” are not the devil. They run hospitals and universities and banks and sports teams. That is just what they do. They are responsible neighbors and citizens of our city. They just believe that the development they promote is the interest of the community. For some it is, just not particularly in the interest of the residents in our neighborhoods of concern. There is something we can do, but it will call for a change in us. We can decide to change our own action and radically come together within our neighborhood and across neighborhoods, all at once. I have written this article to see if there is any interest in an effort like this? Call it a Common Voice Project. Its purpose is to create more leverage in shaping the nature of development where we live. The money to invest differently is available. The good intention is all around us including those who do development. We are just too separated and unconnected. Let me know, whether you are part of the development community or a resident advocate if you want to help in the next five years to try something different. The effort will be slow, but without a change on our part, the future is predictable. Here is an email I have created: commonvoice2028@ gmail.com. There is no plan, just a call for interest. night, over an extended period of time (also years). Ron and his wife were so generous, almost to a fault. About twenty years ago, Ron's life began falling apart. He experienced the first of a series of strokes. He didn't gain control of his left side, so he would never again drive a car. Hugely painful for someone who was always on the move. Then there was diabetes. For a while he rode a threewheeled electric tricycle around the neighborhood. Friends drove him to and from weekday meetings of a “grumpy old men's group” at McDonald's. Eight years ago, his beloved wife died suddenly, not long after their 50th anniversary. Eileen had kept Ron going in these difficult times before her death. Things got worse and worse, Ron's paralysis increased. He took numerous falls and was hospitalized again and again. Then there was financial chaos, and the banks foreclosed on his home. He needed major physical attention, which—as is the case with so many elderly folks— his family simply could not provide. (Continued on page 6) �6 NATIONAL United Nations report: US has the wealth to end homelessness and chooses not to M a r . 2 3 - A p r i l 5 , 2 0 18 | N o . 37 8 ADAM SENNOTT In early December, United Nations Special Rapporteur Philip Alston landed in Los Angeles, the first stop in his tour of extreme poverty in the United States. It was a Sunday, a day before he was scheduled to begin, but Alston said he had decided to get a head start on his mission. One of the first things he learned was that homeless people in the area have access to few public toilets. “All of the streets smelled of urine,” Alston said. He soon DR. MARK MUSSMAN (Continued from page 3) when your message isn’t in-line with a consumerist or capitalistic agenda. Breaking through the lies and myths perpetuated by 3CDC and Cincinnati Mayor, John Cranley, is difficult because the media and 3CDC share board members. 3CDC board members are hand-picked by the Mayor, so there is no representation of low-income, minority people on their board. Just as the SORTA (Metro bus system) board does not contain any bus riders (until recently), shouldn’t we also be pushing for lowincome representation on 3CDC’s board? This certainly would be in the best interest of our community, but Contributing Writer discovered that “the homelessness situation in California is pretty shocking.” Over the next two weeks, Alston also visited Alabama, Georgia, Puerto Rico, West Virginia, and Washington DC In his report, Alston said he witnessed homeless people who are “barely surviving on Skid Row in Los Angeles”; heard about thousands of people saddled with “unpayable debt” after receiving minor infraction notices; met people who lost their teeth because they did not have access to dental care; and saw sewage-filled yards in states that “don’t consider sanitation facilities to be their responsibility.” Alston also reported on the extraordinary efforts by municipal officials determined to help the poorest 20 percent of their communities; a church in San Francisco that offers services to the homeless seven days a week; and a community health initiative in because 3CDC’s goal is to amplify wealth, it would be inconsistent with their culture and values. Throughout the week, we are honored to have speakers, educational activities, and service opportunities with our member organizations. It’s always a pleasure for me to see our member organizations in action and doing what they know how to do best — serve, educate, and advocate. We are lucky to have such great people throughout the city who work at our member organizations and who are willing to share part of their week with us. I want to thank them, but I do hope that they understand the impact their knowledge, wisdom, and experience has on each and every participant. Thank you! We are currently accepting applications for groups this summer and next school year. Please visit our website cincihomeless.org and choose Education in the menu for Charleston, West Virginia, that offers medical services to 21,000 patients. When asked why he was exploring extreme poverty in the United States when conditions in other parts of the world are far worse, Alston said it is important to ensure the wealthiest country in the world is doing its part. “Every country has human rights obligations, and every country should be doing the best it can,” Alston said. “So, if we had a system where the only human rights investigations (Continued on page 11) more information. --------------------------------------- Attending City Council Meeting Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Mona Jenkins, Coalition Director of Development Inspires Participants Lively Dinner and Discussion, hosted by Venice on Vine and M. Shannon Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman JIM LUKEN (Continued from page 5) (The same thing happened with my own parents.) He spent the last year of his life in a home for the elderly poor and indigent in Avondale. He shared a tiny room with another guy. Understandably, this meant that 95% of the residents were African Americans, most confined to walkers and wheel chairs. My own experience of living among poor African American neighbors was nothing short of amazing. Their sense of community, their ongoing willingness to help...me or anyone who needed help, literally inspired me. They knew how to be neighbors in a way that I had seldom (if ever) seen in my suburban white neighborhoods growing up. The same was true for Ron in that nursing home. Even though he was sometimes crotchety, the staff, mostly black folks, provided him wonderful affection, care, and a real sense of community as he prepared to “meet his maker”. So, at the end of his life, my friend Ron had found himself forced into a situation of poverty and approximate homelessness. But within those dire circumstances, he became part of a small, semi-vibrant community of others, who shared those circumstances. In a strange sense it provided the kind of loving togetherness—of community— that he had longed for when he left Chicago. So, to some extent, there were blessings to be found in these the most painful of circumstances. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED In the old Over-the-Rhine, and even amid all the gentrification, there was a sometimes wonderful sense of community, and of caring among the homeless population, and among the non-profit professionals and social workers who served and cared for them. We called that part of impoverished, but vibrant, OTR “Our Beloved Community.” On my recent visit with Ron on his deathbed, I felt a deep sense my long-time friend had found a similar “beloved community” all around him during his final days. �LOCAL Parking and the Soccer Stadium 7 No. 37 8 | M a r . 2 3 - A p r i l 5 , 2 0 18 I MICHAEL EARL PATTON s the proposed soccer stadium in the West End really dead or, like Dracula, will it rise up again? I don’t know and different news sources have different takes on the question. Certainly not everyone in the West End thinks it is over. I saw a notice there recently about a rally opposing the stadium for March 17. The notice was headlined, “It’s Not Over Till It’s Over.” The neighborhood opposition is based largely on the concern that the stadium and its associated upscale development will force out the local residents, some of whom have lived there for generations. I certainly see where affordable housing would become even more scarce, regardless of any upscale development. I just look at the parking situation and I wonder, where will they put all the cars? I myself live in Oakley, not far Contributing Writer from one of the other proposed sites. I have listened to Jeff Berding give his pitch for the Oakley stadium site a couple times and also listened to my neighborhood’s concerns. The main concerns of the residents in Oakley seem to be the cars of the people who would be attending the games – both in terms of the traffic but also the parking. The Oakley site, at least in theory, has more potential for parking than the West End because this was an old industrial area that is now mostly torn down. Plus the local Sam’s Club closed recently, so there is that area. In contrast, look at the map of the West End area. The stadium site is just north of Taft High School – that is not going to be torn down. It is to the east of new houses at the site of the old Laurel Homes – probably not going to tear those down, either. Satellite Photo from Google, Map Annotations by Michael Earl Patton Credit: Michael Earl Patton To the north-east there is Findlay market and the ongoing renovation of Over-the-Rhine. This is probably off-limits. To the south-east there is Music Hall which is definitely off- limits. Only to the north is there a possibility of significant land that could be “repurposed” and used for parking once a lot of older buildings are torn down. How much parking and how much land? Let’s say the stadium will be 25,000 seats. I don’t know if a definitive number has been given but this is in the middle of numbers I have heard for Oakley. Jeff Berding said that his group is estimating an average of 3.3 people per car coming to the games. There was audible guffawing when he said that at a recent meeting in Oakley, but let’s use his estimate. That means 7575 cars. Where are you going to put them? Even if there are a couple parking garages built (highly optimistic) and each garage will hold 1,000 cars for the game-goers (another highly optimistic assumption), that still leaves 5575 cars. I have been to the West End many times and there is no way anywhere close to that number can be parked on the streets. Except for the new development, there is very little off-street parking. That means that the current residents already park in the streets. In the proposed Community Benefits Agreement for the West End, the Fussball Club Cincinnati proposes a permit parking area, with permits being given to the people of the West End. Uh, huh. This will not create new parking, but only formalize the right of the people who have parked in the streets for decades to continue parking there. And it does nothing for their friends and relatives who come to visit them and need to park themselves. Often these other people run errands for them, but to do this, they need to find parking themselves and will not have one of the permits. Just to have an idea how much space would be needed for surface parking, I took a Google satellite map and blocked out an area that would hold about 1,000 cars. I estimated each parking slot to be 9 x 18 feet and that half again as much would be needed for traffic lanes. I did not include anything for buffer strips and included public rights-of-way into the lot (these particular streets are not heavily traveled). I avoided major structures such as the firehouse at Linn and Liberty and the Boston Beer Company. As one sees, even a lot for just 1,000 cars takes up a large chunk of the West End. Just imagine a few more such chunks. As for the zoning code, the number of parking slots needed is much less than this but there is a twist. The parking spots have to be within a 600 foot radius of the stadium and they have to be used and maintained for the exclusive use of the stadium. Section 1425-19 says there has to be 1 (Continued on page 11) Urban Renewal or Elimination of the urban poor? PATRICIA PATTON T hey are the so-called ugly faces of America. They come in all shapes, all sizes, all colors and all ages. To find a place to stay for the night presents the greatest challenge to them. They are the nation’s most vulnerable and the most overlooked in our society. They are the faces of the homeless. In Cincinnati and other cities, the people experiencing homelessness gravitate towards certain areas of the city. In Cincinnati it’s Over-the-Rhine and the West End. Enter:Redevelopment/ Contributing Writer Gentrification, terms used to define the periodic practice of dislocating the so-called undesirable populations in the city to make way for urban development. I experienced this practice first hand as a young girl growing up in the 50s. My father owned a thriving successful Barbeque restaurant in the West End before he was notified that he would have to move his business in the name of urban renewal. In the 70s I remember as a single parent having to move again from the sub-sized apartment complex where I lived east of downtown Cincinnati. The owner wanted to use the land to build trendy condominiums. So, I was forced to comply moving from apartment to apartment all the while carrying additional stress with me. Fast forward to 2018 and according to an online article from Georgetown University “Greening up urban Communities and displacing the Poor. To work against the potential adverse effects of gentrification there are no quick solutions. The urban renewal programs that focus on tearing down or refurbishing dilapidated housing simply do not work. The article further states that THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED we must also create more jobs, with livable wages, increase healthcare and job training for residents. Adding this would serve to include everyone in the goal of transforming the area. Sounds like a huge task, but one that if exercised would enhance the lives of lower income families and diminish the otherwise bitter resentment and ongoing controversy we now face in this city regarding the FCC. --------------------------------------- �8 RELIGIOUS PEACEMAKERS A Natural Path for Peace & Justice: Sister Alice Gerdeman’s Faith Shows Her the Way M a r . 2 3 - A p r i l 5 , 2 0 18 | N o . 37 8 “A ction on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world fully appear to us as a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the Gospel…” wrote the Bishops, in 1971, in their synodal document “Justice in the World”. Their message prompted the Sisters of Divine Providence in Melbourne, Kentucky, to want to establish an office for peace and justice in their Community. They selected in 1973 Sister Alice Gerdeman to start it and be its coordinator and thus, indirectly, determined her path ever since. Born into a Roman Catholic family, Gerdeman was exposed very early on to the Catholic faith. Her parents were devout Christians, and prayer, high moral values, kindness and charity permeated their daily life. She was also introduced since childhood to issues of social justice, her father, a farmer, hiring every year at harvest season, migrant workers for help. “Texan and Mexican workers would spend a few months with us every year,” she says. “My father treated them well, equally and equitably, always concerned for their well-being.” After grade school, Gerdeman went to boarding school at the Sisters of Divine Providence, and at the end of high school, joined their order. It was a natural progression, one she did neither seek nor question. “I had a strong consciousness of the presence of God in my life; a kind, generous, and forgiving God, one who is everywhere, who could be felt even if not always understood,” she says. “I was also very drawn to the Eucharist, to the Catholic teachings, to the joy of faith, and to serving the poor.” After professing vows of a Catholic nun, Gerdeman taught for several years in schools staffed by her religious community and later was appointed principal of a Catholic parochial school. She was asked at the same time to become educated SAAD GHOSN Contributing Writer about issues of peace and justice and to inform and involve the Sisters whenever possible. What started initially as a hobby grew progressively more serious as she studied, learned, read, attended workshops about the various issues. One year spent interning at Global Education Associates in New Jersey provided her with the administrative skills and the global vision needed to lead, upon her return, the Community’s peace and justice office. Part of her role was to involve the Sisters to read about the various social justice issues as they presented, ask questions, receive informational material, pray and take a stand. She also catered her work around their various ministries: for teachers, helping them introduce in their teaching curriculum relevant peace educational information; for nurses, opening their eyes on justice issues relating to health; for cooks, on issues pertaining to hunger and to unfair trade practices…Well informed, the sisters often resorted to action, demonstrating, picketing, participating in meetings and discussions... Their focus was initially anti-hunger, then anti-nuclear because of the proposed Zimmer power plant in Ohio, against the death penalty, for immigrant rights, anti-violence and anti-war. In 1992, and after 11 years of working at the Sisters Community office, when the Cincinnati Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center (IJPC) needed a director, Gerdeman applied and was hired. She succeeded Louise Akers, a sister of charity, who with 4 other orders, had founded the Center 5 years earlier. The focus of the work, initially primarily educational and involving mostly women, became progressively more activist and more diverse in its audience. The death penalty having been reinstated in Ohio, working with prisoners on death row and with their families was a priority; IJPC provided education, training and needed A Christian Text Sister Gerdeman Likes to Quote: “Rejoice in the Lord Always. Again, I say Rejoice! Be gentle with everyone for the Lord is near. Don’t worry but place your requests before God with prayers and supplications with thanksgiving and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Fill your minds with everything that is true, everything that is noble, everything that is good and pure, everything we love and honor, and everything you learned to be holy and worthy of praise. Keep doing all these things that you have learned and heard or seen. Then the God of Peace will be with you.” (Philippians, 4:4-9) support to advocate for loved ones and effect legislation. Immigrants’ rights were also a big concern, a natural extension of the Sanctuary movement of the 80’s which saw the flood of refugees from Guatemala and El Salvador. Promotion of women rights and their empowerment were also at the heart of the daily activities. Other issues were tackled as they became timely and prevalent; they included opposition to wars, food-based boycotts, anti-nuclear proliferation… Economic justice, Sr Alice Gerdeman. the needs of the poor and the establishing of an equitable society in the sharing of resources and in narrowing the wealth gap were always important considerations; they led for instance to IJPC’s strong involvement in “Occupy Cincinnati”, triggered by the “Occupy Wall Street” movement. A branch of IJPC was also started in Northern Kentucky in order to address specific issues to the area, especially when targeting local politicians and legislation. Even though the Center was staffed by individuals each in charge of a given issue, Gerdeman remained the moving force behind its operation. She strongly believed in community building and in the power of prayer for effecting a change, strategies IJPC also used in complementing its actions. “I could not operate without my beliefs,” she says. “God gave me the talents and the ability to be effective in ways I often do not expect. My faith, moral and ethical backgrounds prevent my discouragement and give me strength.” In this doing, Gerdeman also benefits from the Sisters of Divine Providence, the community of sisters to which she belongs. “I am blessed to be supported by 100 sisters who share my views and accompany me daily with their prayers. Ours becomes a communal effort, essential for long term effectiveness. IJPC was also a community; we all worked together, cared for each other, nurtured each other.” For fourteen years Gerdeman also hosted a regular radio show on WVXU then part of Xavier University. Topics pertained to peace and justice, charity and community Credit: Saad Ghosn involvement and featured individuals form the local community who were instrumental in promoting a better world. When asked about the impact IJPC and her work have had, Gerdeman points out that, partly due to their efforts, people were more aware of justice issues, attitudes were changing, respectful dialogue and peaceful exchanges were promoted, some executions were being stopped… “We wanted to become smaller than larger,” she says, “to see conditions get better, legislation that has the needs of the poor and working people passed, peace achieved… and, therefore, our work less needed.” Three years ago, Gerdeman was voted by the members of her congregation as the Provincial leader for all the Sisters of Divine Providence in the United States. She accepted humbly the responsibility and as a result left IJPC. In her new position she tends to the administrative and relational issues that her role demands, making sure that all the needs of her sisters - physical, (Continued on page 12) Religious Peacemakers is a regular column highlighting Greater Cincinnati individuals who use their faith and religious beliefs for peace and justice. Saad.Ghosn@uc.edu is the founder of SOS (Save Our Souls) Art, an organization that promotes arts as vehicles for peace and justice and for a change. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �9 NATIONAL Bridging the wealth gap: Former U.S. Labor secretary calls for ‘progressive populism’ to tip the scales for the working class No. 37 8 | M a r . 2 3 - A p r i l 5 , 2 0 18 I n November 1994 Secretary of Labor Robert Reich stood before the Democratic Leadership Council and warned that economic inequality was creating a “two-tiered society.” He was worried, he said, that a growing number of angry and disillusioned Americans could be “easily manipulated.” “Once unbottled, mass resentment can poison the very fabric of society, the moral integrity of a society, replacing ambition with envy, replacing tolerance with hate,” Reich said at the time. More than two decades later, Donald Trump rode that wave of white working-class rage into the White House by promising to “make America great again,” referring to undocumented Mexican immigrants as “rapists,” labeling the mainstream press as “fake news” and praising dictators such as Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Sadly, I predicted it would come about,” Reich said in a recent phone interview with Street Sense Media. Reich now hopes to help poor and middle-class Americans become more politically engaged and tip the scales away from corporations and wealthy elites. In November, Netflix released Reich’s documentary “Saving Capitalism,” in which he explains how the wealth gap has continued to grow over the years and more economic power has flowed to a smaller number of wealthy elites. That money, Reich said, is then spent on campaigns, lobbying, lawyers and other ways that policy is influenced. “Over the past 35 years, most of the economic gains have gone to the top, not to the middle, and ADAM SENNOTT Contributing Writer certainly not to the poor,” Reich said. “They spend that money in order to get public policies that help them become even wealthier. It’s a vicious cycle that’s becoming increasingly more vicious, so that the rules of way through Congress. “That’s almost entirely the handiwork of big corporations and Wall Street,” Reich said. “Average working Americans had no part to play at all.” Robert Reich Credit: Adam Sennott the game, the rules of the economy, increasingly favor people at the top and hurt everybody else.” As an example, Reich said that Americans spend more for pharmaceuticals than people in any other advanced nation because pharmaceutical companies have used their political capital to make it impossible for people to buy drugs more cheaply from Canada; rigged the rules so it’s impossible to beat their patents for long periods of time; and barred the federal government from using its bargaining power through Medicare and Medicare to lower drug prices. He also pointed to the sinceadopted tax bill as it was making its In order to reverse that trend, he said, “there’s no substitute for American citizens becoming ever more actively involved in our politics.” One reason for encouragement for Reich? The support Bernie Sanders received during the Democratic primaries. “There’s a huge craving in this country for progressive populism, not for Donald Trump’s brand of authoritarian populism.” Reich said. “All the energy in the Democratic Party is with progressive populism; much of the energy in the Republican party is with authoritarian populism. But if many working-class Republicans understood what was actually happening and understood how they’re being ripped off, they would become progressive populists.” Reich said his biggest challenge has been overcoming misinformation produced by Fox News and other conservative news outlets. “Millions of people are watching Fox News and falling for the venom and lies that Sean Hannity spouts every night, and others like him,” Reich said. “There are rightwing personalities on the radio who continue to spout right-wing propaganda that has no basis in reality.” Reich also said that while the mainstream media “have done a pretty good job of telling the truth,” he also noted that “they’re easily distracted by the sensation of the day.” Most often, that means a presidential tweet or soundbyte. But such distractions particularly worry Reich after the passing of tax reform, which has left Medicaid and Medicare cuts up next on many Republicans’ agendas. “The tax cut will create a huge budget deficit — I mean much larger than they have today — and Republicans will use that increased deficit as an excuse to call for cuts in Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security and programs for the poor,” Reich said. “This is the bait-and-switch tactic that they have been rehearsing for a long time, and we need to be ready.” How dire could a lack of preparedness be? According to Reich: very. “I think that unless we join together and make our voices heard,” he said, “it’s possible that we’re going to end up without a democracy.” Chess Players Pushed Out: Indifference to Organic Community at the Cincinnati Library E ven if you have only occasionally found your way to the downtown branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, in all likelihood you will have noticed the chess players in the overpass, pushing their pieces across their boards in that archetypal and ancient game. So far as I can tell, they have been there as long as the overpass, and their presence, though informal, plays a crucial role in the atmosphere of the space, indicating how the Library is so much more than just a building in which to store books. Yet Wednesday, 28 February, without consultation, the library administration removed those tables from the overpass, replaced them with THOMAS L. LYNN, JR. Contributing Writer empty display cases and shunted the chess players to dispersed corners. When challenged as to the reasons for this decision, the response was equivocal. On one hand, it was pled that it was to provide a place for forthcoming exhibits. On the other, that it was to clear out a possible “swing space” to facilitate the work on an imminent renovation of the floor tiles on the first floor. Some might speculate that other factors were in play. But even taking the stated motivations at face value, one is confronted both by another example of the astonishing seclusion of the library administration from the actual cultural life of the library, and, along with it, a vivid illustration of how oppressive cultural currents operate through invisibility. A caveat. It is crucial to distinguish the library administration, especially its upper strata,from the vast majority of the librarians and staff. Indeed, by even the accounting of the library administration’s own surveys, the librarians and staff are in the unenviable position of performing their noble and often difficult work under the Damocles’ sword of a capricious and authoritarian regime. It is from that regime that the decision to move the chess tables originated. Certainly, it was patent in my own encounters with personnel THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED that the individuals with whom I spoke were altogether sympathetic with the objections to the decision, and were regretful that they were in no position to be responsive to those objections in one way or the other. So to be clear, the target of my criticism here is the library administration, not the librarians and staff. Now, some may rejoin additionally that this is to make a mountain of a molehill. After all, aren’t we simply just talking about some moved furniture? The answer to that question is very much, no. The furniture is incidental. What we are more substantively discussing is a decision which (Continued on page 11) �10 LOCAL M a r . 2 3 - A p r i l 5 , 2 0 18 | N o . 37 8 May 18 - June 9, 2018 For tickets please call (513) 381-2273 Purchase tickets online at www.cincyshakes.com AD Donated by Mark and Sue Ann Painter season sponsored by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �LOCAL No. 37 8 | M a r . 2 3 - A p r i l 5 , 2 0 18 MICHAEL EARL PATTON (Continued from page 7) space for every 5 seats (a seat is defined somewhat differently than conventional usage, but let’s ignore that for now). So a 25,000 seat ADAM SENNOTT (Continued from page 6) focused on North Korea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a handful of other basket cases, it wouldn’t be a credible system.” He also noted that while conditions might be worse in other countries, that doesn’t mean the United States doesn’t have its own impoverished populations, and it has a much harder time explaining why that poverty exists in the first place. “Unlike the really poor countries who can with some legitimacy say, ‘Well we don’t have the money, we can’t afford it,’ the United States is in a position to say, ‘Well we do have the money, but that’s not how we want to spend it,’” Alston said. “And that raises pretty direct and obvious questions in terms of really respecting people’s basic human rights.” In his report, Alston noted the 11 stadium means 5,000 spaces. And there is huge allowance if the stadium is within 600 feet of a streetcar stop – the Zoning Administrator can cut the requirement in half (section 1425-23)! In any event, all of these requirements are legal ones that can be over-ruled by city council. For that reason I am not putting that much weight to them. But if Fussball Club Cincinnati wants fans to come to the games, they will have to find a way for the fans to park their cars. I have no idea how they plan to do that if the stadium is built in the West End. At least, I cannot see any way that would be a benefit to the people now living in the West End. of Housing and Urban Development. Only 25 percent of the city’s homeless population was living in a shelter. In Skid Row alone, which comprises about 50 square blocks near downtown L.A., there were 4,633 homeless people, according to the city’s 2017 homeless census. Of that group, 2,669 were sheltered and 1,964 were living on the streets. The UN special rapporteur compared the conditions of Skid Row to those in a Syrian refugee camp. Officials in L.A. would describe how much they were doing and the grand plans they had for the years ahead, according to Alston. But when asked whether their efforts would provide reasonable housing for all of the homeless population, those same officials admitted it wouldn’t even come close. “Even though some money has been mobilized, and there are lots of policies and so on, the basic policy is the super-rich nor the government that represents them is motivated to consider radical changes to the country’s economic system. “It’s a shame.” Kelly Miller, an activist who has been homeless for about six years and lives in Washington DC, recently traveled to Atlanta to share her personal experiences with Alston at a human-rights conference. Because of scheduling issues, she and 19 others recounted their stories to him by “In a lot of countries that I go to, one gets a sense that there are a number of policies that, if implemented, would really make a difference — and that governments might be prepared to look at those policies,” Alston said. “But in the U.S., the problem is much deeper.” In the nation’s capital, Alston said he devoted much of his time to meeting with officials from the White House and Congress. He said that the Trump administration’s approach to --------------------------------------- Credit: Office of the UN Special Rapporteur report missing,” Alston said. “And that is to eliminate all but the most hardcore homelessness.” But it was not just conditions in Skid Row that Alston found alarming. In Alabama, he investigated cases of hookworm, an intestinal parasite that experts believed had been eradicated from the U.S. in the 1980s. Alston said he was shocked by the lack of urgency from public health officials. “This is not a problem that is yet affecting the elites, or the well-off,” Alston said, implying that neither phone. “Basically, I just told [Alston] that I’m a victim of sex-trafficking,” Miller said. “And I told a little bit about the struggles of when I was outside in Kentucky, homeless and fighting, I even had to take a shower in the rain because I didn’t have anywhere to access water.” Experiencing homelessness in a rural area is more difficult than being homeless in a big city, according to Miller. She contrasted her time in Kentucky with her time in the nation’s capital. “In the rural areas, number one, we don’t have a bus system, we don’t have churches that assist like they do here in DC,” Miller said. “We don’t have organizations that assist. You’re just out of luck. You’re actually living in the woods.” She said that while being an activist is harder when you are homeless, it is still possible to make an impact. Nonetheless, Alston was not optimistic by the end of his tour. fighting poverty is to move people from welfare to work. “It’s based on the assumption that most people who are on welfare could work if they wanted to, and it’s only laziness, or whatever, that prevents them from doing so,” Alston said. He said that along with members of the Trump administration, he encountered many state governments and politicians who believe deeply that people’s needing government assistance to survive is an aberrational situation and that many who receive benefits are simply scamming the system. “The reality is that poverty, as I said, I think, in the report, [is] a political decision,” Alston said. “A government can either decide to address it and eliminate it, or can decide that they don’t give a damn.” Courtesy of Street Sense / Real Change / INSP.ngo grotesque discourtesy exhibited by the decision to force them from the overpass likely implies a latent consciousness of them as marginal, and thus, if not disposable, at least easily “dealt with.” If the demography of the chess players was constituted predominantly by wealthy, white men, it seems highly unlikely that they would have been pushed out in so peremptory a manner. Not that this all is thought about in explicit terms. It is the insidious character of structural racism and classism that we often are hardly aware of our own complicity with it. What is fortunate about this situation is that it has easy remedy. The tables can simply be replaced to the overpass. For the exhibit which stands presently, it is something of an innocent bystander in this regrettable matter. However, the space of the overpass is a privileged one in the architecture of the downtown branch. Consequently, it should be arrayed to reflect the values of the library as a public and democratic space. As such, lived relationships and spontaneous community, like that exemplified by the chess players, merit far more weight than objects. This is especially the case in light of the further consideration that there are ample alternatives for the display of exhibits outside of the overpass, or even mutual accommodation within the overpass itself. Consequently, I can only exhort the library administration to correct its mistake, and restore the tables to the overpass, and accord the people who play there the respect they deserve. If you would choose to join me, call the library at (513) 369-6900. Ask for regional manager Holbrook Sample. Tell him we want the tables back. Credit: Office of the UN Special Rapporteur report pervasive contrast between private wealth and public squalor. “American exceptionalism was a constant theme in my conversations,” he wrote. “But instead of realizing its founders’ admirable commitments, today’s United States has proved itself to be exceptional in far more problematic ways that are shockingly at odds with its immense wealth and its founding commitment to human rights.”  There were 55,188 homeless individuals living in Los Angeles in 2017, according to the Department THOMAS L. LYNN, JR. (Continued from page 9) evinces an unfortunately instructive obliviousness to a community who has played a crucial role in lending the Downtown Branch its meaningfulness as more than a structure, its meaningfulness as a shelter and space of community. What does that obliviousness betoken? That this community is effectively invisible to the administration (and, for that matter the librarians and staff who are similarly excluded from the loop of decisions). I say effectively invisible because the THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED --------------------------------------- �12 STREET VOICE What My Eyes Have Seen M a r . 2 3 - A p r i l 5 , 2 0 18 | N o . 37 8 LEE MCCOY L et me begin, I was born in the year 1952. I am 65 years young. I have seen so many things in my life. Some of the things I am going to talk about you might not agree with. But that’s ok, you’re entitled to your own opinion., but listen to mine for a minute or two. I might burden your view or memory. These things I’m going to say may not come in order. Let me start with the assassinations of JFK, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King and the attempted killing of Ronald Reagan. What should’ve been the impeachment of Nixon, who I will always call Tricky Dick. Man’s first step on the moon. OJ running for his life and we stopped a lot of things to watch him fleeing on the expressway, live coverage, hour and hours. Johnny’s Cochran’s famous words, “if it don’t fit, you must acquit.” The malfunction of the Spaceship Voyager. The senseless killing of so many unarmed black men by the people who are supposed to protect and serve and not one police officer Contributing Writer has been convicted as of yet. Not that I know of. If so I’m willing to bet 1,000 to 1 you can count them on one hand. The beating of Rodney King. The Unabomber, Charles Manson, Son of Sam, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, mass killings school after school. Debrah and Alton Coleman who went on a mass murder spree in the tristate area. Seeing a black man holding the highest office, not only once, but twice. The bombing in Atlanta during the Olympic Games. The planes that flew into the World Trade Center which we remember as 9/11. Some of our music icons that will live on forever in our hearts like Michael Jackson, Slick Rick, Tupac, Linda Jones, One of the twins of the Whispers, Jimmy Hendricks, Phillipe Wynn of the Spinners, the King of Rock and Roll - Elvis Presley, and so many more that left us before their time. The Washington D.C. sniper that used a kid to do most of the killing. The Exxon Oil spill that killed so much marine life and so much more. The Vietnam War. The first female President, Bill Cosby indicted for sex abuse by so many women and so many more that use women in so many degrading ways. The slaughter of so many people in Las Vegas the worst killing spree in America. By far too many lives lost. The march of civil rights. The march to Alabama. The Million Man March to Washington. The assassination of Robert Kennedy. Just recently a married couple imprisoned their kids, 13 kids chained up, barely fed. Thanks God one of the kids got away to call 911. What kind of a monster would do that to their own kids? I don’t know. I wouldn’t want to know them. Jim Jones who killed his own church members with mass suicide or murder. Even Bill Clinton got caught up in a sex scandal, and speaking of President, your President not mine. Let’s start from the beginning, he publicly talked about women, building a wall around Struggles in the Streets STACIA HOLLANDER S truggling out here in these streets is no joke. I have endured and seen a lot of hatred out here towards Contributing Writer different kinds of individuals. We have people and the police telling us to go somewhere else. Get it through your heads, we have nowhere to go. Instead of harassing us, help us. Instead of judging the people experiencing homelessness, walk in Jokes from Cleo and friends 1 . What did the green grass seed say to the football field? If you water me I’ll be rooting for you. 2. How do basketball players keep cool during a game? They stand by their fans. 3. What do you call two peas in a fight? Black eyed peas. 4. What do you call a sleeping bull? A bull dozer. 5. What kind of bird works for a construction company? A crane. 6. What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta. SAAD GHOSN (Continued from page 8) psychological, social...- are daily met. Passionate about peace and justice, however, she also facilitates her sisters' engagement in these matters. "We write cards to prisoners on death row; we take stands as a community in support of immigration and the sanctuary movement, against war and death penalty; we keep an eye on legislation and how to affect it; on how to eliminate poverty in the world... We put out petitions and go CLEO WOMBLES Contributing Writer 7. A man took his dog to the Vet. The Vet’s cat ran around the man’s dog three times. The Vet said to the man, “That will cost $3,000. The man asked why $3,000. The Vet said my cat gave your dog a cat scan. 8. What did one tonsil say to the other tonsil? Get dressed, the doctor is taking us out tonight. 9. How does a butcher introduce his wife? He says Meat Patty. 10. This mouse dies and goes to heaven. An angel gives him some skates. A cat dies and goes to heaven. When he sees the mouse on skates he says, “It looks like meals on wheels.” 11. There was Moses, Jesus, and an old man playing golf. Moses knocks the ball 100 feet, but it doesn’t go in the hole. Jesus says, “Pretty good job Moses, but not good enough.” Jesus knocks the ball 1,000 feet into the air and it goes right into the hole. The old man hits the ball and it goes into a tree. A squirrel spots the ball and runs towards it and grabs it thinking it’s a walnut. An eagle spots the squirrel, swoops it up and fly’s away. A lightning bolt hits the eagle. to marches...," Gerdeman says. "Our congregation has a deep commitment to peace and justice, and it is not just me." In addition, and thanks to her leadership role, Gerdeman belongs to the national "Leadership Conference of Women Religious" an association of the leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the United States. She serves as the chairperson of its committee "Global Concerns" which has a special focus on peace and justice. "As a group we try to effect change by working through legislation," she says, "but also by trying to change attitudes. For instance, we encourage our sisters, and provide them the means to live a contemplative life, letting goodness seek into them and God be present in their spirit, so this will naturally come out when they deal with people, with war, with aggression..." When she thinks of her role, Gerdeman likes to quote the gospel of Luke, 4:18: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Mexico. I believe he had help from Russia. An ongoing investigation is still going on and no way in hell would I own a Trump Bear. He can’t even get along with his own party, and that talk about making America great again. Come on, wake up and smell the coffee, and you can bet it’s not good to the last drop. One thing is for sure, everybody can relate to this. You heard your grandmother or mother say, ‘nighty night, don’t let the bed bugs bite? Then all of the sudden they want to say we have an epidemic. Be real, they knew about them even back then. They are the only pest I know that has frequent flyer miles. In my life I have seen sports, Cincinnati Reds won 5 World Series. The one in ’69 I really don’t remember. But I’ll bet you, me and my Daddy I watched the Cincinnati Bengals go to two Super Bowls and lost both. I pray that I can at least see them win one. The Greatest was stripped of his title because of religious reasons, he didn’t want to fight in the Vietnam War, but the court said he was right and he fought again to regain his title. So many other fighters, but I have run out of paper. May God bless you in 2018. our shoes for a day. Trust and believe me you won’t like it at all. Stand up for us and help us. We deserve to be treated as humans and not trash. -------------------------------------- The eagle drops the squirrel. The squirrel drops the ball. The ball goes in the hole. Jesus says, “fantastic shot Dad.” 12. There was a three-legged chicken running down the road. A man was trying to catch it. The chicken ran into a barn. A farmer comes out and the man says to the farmer, “Did you see that chicken run into your barn. The farmer says, “Yes, my son’s a scientist. My son made the chicken with three legs, so we could each have a drum stick.” The man said, “Great how does it taste?” The farmer said, “We don’t know, we can’t catch it.” --------------------------------------- proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.” She is not sure of where life will take her from here and at the end of her mandate as Provincial Superior of the Sisters of Divine Providence. She knows, however, that wherever it is, it would be a place she would suddenly realize she needs to go to and that it would be part of her natural path. --------------------------------------- �No. 37 8 | M a r . 2 3 - A p r i l 5 , 2 0 18 NO ONE ASKED STREET VOICE NO CHAOS HERE! Prez Trump tweets that it's too idiotic No one asked. To infer White House staffing is chaotic. How are you today? You have to know Trump gets inspired No one asked, Because no one cared Maybe because everyone is too busy Someone went home today Feeling, sad and empty No one asked, No one cared Sometimes no one should have to ask. When was the last time you asked someone could you help them? It’s so sad when no one cares enough to ask! KIM GREEN 13 Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer By telling employees that they're fired! So West Wing advisors ought to see With Donald's views they best agree. For Trump's message will always be: "This Administration is all about me!" BILL WOODS Contributing Writer GROWING IN PEACE IF YOU HAVE BEEN READING MY POETRY OR YOU'VE READ MY BOOK YOU'LL RECALL A PEACEFUL PLACE THE SARAH CENTER LET'S TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AS THE CITY UPGRADES WITHOUT REGAURD FOR THE HOMELESS AND THE POOR THE SARAH CENTER IS STILL THAT PEACEFUL PLACE HELPING WOMEN WITH AN OPEN DOOR TEACHING THEM TO MAKE JEWERLY, KNIT, SEW, PAINT AND SELL THEIR PRODUCTS FOR A WAY OF LIFE TEACHING THEM TO BE ABLE TO WORK, TALK AND SHARE ALL OF THEIR TOILS AND STRIFE THESE WOMEN WITH THEIR HAND MADE CRAFTS AND THE AID FROM DIFFRENT ORGANIZATIONS THEY HAVE COME FROM MILES AROUND TO PUT TOGETHER ORIGINAL HAND MADE GOD'S CREATIONS THIS PLACE LOCATED IN DOWNTOWN O.T.R. ON VINE STREET HAS NEVER LOOKED BETTER THEIR SHOWCASE OF ACHIEVEMENTS INCLUDE HAND MADE JEWELRY, KNITTING, PAINTING AND THEY GOT IT DOWN TO THE LETTER PLEASE DON'T TAKE MY WORD AS A GRAIN OF SALT, GO SEE FOR YOURSELF I'M POSITIVE THERE ARE MANY WOMEN THAT YOU KNOW COULD USE THE SARAH CENTER’S HELP ALWAYS REMEMBER GOD SAID HELP THOSE TO HELP OTHERS IN ORDER FOR US ALL TO GROW CHECK OUT THE SARAH CENTER FOR YOUR HAND-CRAFTED NEEDS BELEIVE ME IT'S A GOOD DECISION I KNOW THANK ALMIGHTY GOD FOR THE SARAH CENTER AND ALL THE WOMEN THERE THANK GOD FOR ALL THEY'VE TAUGHT ME LOVE AND RESPECT, THEY TAUGHT ME TO CARE!!! WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �14 PUZZLES M a r . 2 3 - A p r i l 5 , 2 0 18 | N o . 37 8 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 147 Across 1. Remain 5. Ease off 10. Roster 14. Roofing material 15. Come up 16. Small island 17. Wading bird 18. Welcome 19. Midday 20. Recline 21. Entranceway 22. Attack from all sides 23. Lassitude 25. Currency unit 27. Ancient Chinese dynasty 28. Pottery material 29. Stray 32. Religious song 35. Small cut of meat 36. Supplication 37. Center of rotation 38. Garment 39. Stench 40. Fruit machine 41. Carbonated drink 42. Part of a church 43. Small barrel 44. Difficult 45. Singing pair 46. Circular 48. Patio 52. A skilled practice 54. Mineral 55. Prohibit 56. Harangue 57. Upsurge 59. Renown 60. Assistant 61. Musical instrument 62. Detail 63. Narrow secluded valley 64. Sharp end 65. Depend 3. Extraterrestrial Down 1. A static photograph 2. Shinbone to mollify 4. Affirmative 5. Liman 6. Mistake 7. Layer 8. Employ 9. Domestic animal companion 10. Woven fabric 11. Triangle with two equal sides 12. Plum 13. Portable shelter 21. Two-fold 22. Alcove 24. Demon or spirit 25. Plant life in a particular region 26. Ecstatic 28. Youngster 30. Highland fling 31. Garden tool 32. Cylindrical container SODOKU PUZZLE NO 277 - MEDIUM 33. Wheel shaft 34. Boundary between the US and Mexico 35. Combination of musical notes 36. Earlier 38. Read metrically 42. Halo 44. Small shelter 45. Respectable 47. Frequently 48. Behemoth 49. Diminish 50. Cud-chewing mammal 51. Foe 52. Steep rugged rock or cliff 53. Track 54. Magicians or sorcerors of ancient times 57. Concession given 58. Argument in favor 59. Evergreen tree PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 377 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 146 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 276- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �RESOURCES No. 37 8 | M a r . 2 3 - A p r i l 5 , 2 0 18 Central Access Point 15 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children Bethany House 557-2873 1730 Race Street 45202 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 St. George Food Pantry 751-8771 2554 Dennis St. 45219 Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 621-7265 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 386-7899 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 McMicken Dental Clinic 352-6363 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 NAMI of Hamilton County 351-3500 PATH Outreach 977-4489 131 E. 12th Street 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 Other Resources St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 215 E. 14th St. 45202 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 1528 Race St. 45202 Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 Salvation Army 762-5660 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 Shelter: Men Shelterhouse 721-0643 1125 Bank Street 45214 411 Gest St. 45203 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 1437 Walnut Street 45202 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 2121 Vine Street 45202 Prospect House 921-1613 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Parkway Center 661-4620 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 Starting Over 961-2256 Shelter: Youth Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women Shelter: Family Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both Interfaith Hospitality Network First Step Home 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 471-1100 Housing: 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 OTR Community Housing 381-1171 Joseph House (Veterans) 241-2965 1522 Republic Street 45202 114 W. 14th Street 45202 Talbert House 221-HELP Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street 45202 Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP Advocacy Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Volunteers of America 381-1954 Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 VA 977-6800 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 Food/Clothing First Lutheran Church 421-0065 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 UpSpring 363-3300 Health 961-0600 Center for Respite Care 621-1868 OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 Goodwill Industries 771-4800 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. 579-8547 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 1223 Main St. 45202 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 Talbert House 751-7747 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton County Office of Reentry 946-4304 138 E. Court Street Room # 101 First Floor Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels 981-4200 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center 799 Ann St. Newport, KY ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 for 26 issues 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-572-6202 Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky 634 Scott St. 41011 859-291-4555 You can support our mission and spread the word about your business. For more information contact Justin Jeffre at 513421-70803 x 12 or email streetvibes@ cincihomeless.org $100 859-491-8303 Want to advertise in Streetvibes? Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 $150 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED for 26 issues and a $50 donation �16 M a r . 2 3 - A p r i l 5 , 2 0 18 | N o . 37 8 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BETTIE BAILEY SINCE 10/2017 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 BRIAN ADAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHARLES WILLIAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHRISTOPHER KAIHATSU SINCE 7/2017 CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DARREL ROZIER SINCE 7/2017 DAVID MCCANE SINCE 2017 ERIC VALDEZ SINCE 2/2017 GERALD FRANKLIN SINCE 7/2017 GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 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 March 23-April 5, 2018 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: Coalition Against an FC Cincinnati Stadium in West End Why Citizens Need to Learn About Issue I On the May 8th Ballot Pg 3: Eyes on the City Pg 4: How to Respond to Panhandling Pg 5: The “Development Renaissance” Homeless in a (Nursing) Home Pg 6: United Nations Report Pg 7: Parking and the Soccer Stadium Pg 8: Religious Peacemakers Pg 9: Bridge the Wealth Gap Pg 10: GCHC Pg 11: Michael Earl Patton Continued Adam Sennott Continued Thomas L. Lynn, Jr. Continued Pg 12: What My Eyes Have Seen Struggle in the Streets Jokes from Cleo and Friends Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource March 23-April 5, 2018 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Bill Woods Dr. Mark Mussman Peter Block Jim Luken Adam Sennott Michael Earl Patton Patricia Patton Saad Ghosn Thomas L. Lynn Jr. Stacia Hollander Cleo Wombles Lee McCoy Kim Green Willa Denise Jones Office of UN Special Rapporteur Report Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Adam Sennott Bill Woods Cincinnati Cleo Wombles Dr. Mark Mussman FC GCHC Issue I Jim Luken Josh Spring Kim Green Lee McCoy Michael Earl Patton Office of UN Special Rapporteur Report Patricia Patton Peter Block Religion Saad Ghosn Stacia Hollander Thomas L. Lynn Jr. United Nations Wealth Gap Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/ed09f1f4972efcf305fa1a5f14fafe2f.pdf 0dba93b93cb021174ddc3d9989bb7209 PDF Text Text March 24th - April 6th 2017 | Vol. 20 Issue 33 (No. 352) advocating justice | Building community How unaccompanied youth become exploited workers in the US| 8 This issue is sponsored in honor of Martha Stephens INSIDE THIS ISSUE Forum Focuses on Issues Candidates Need to Address| 3 Let My People Live| 5 Natural Gas Shortage Coming| 2 International Women’s Day: A Day Without Women | 11 Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 LOCAL From the Director: One Earth Opportunity JOSH SPRING T Executive Director he Spring Season is here again, or at least we are told and can somewhat see and/ or feel that it is. The past few years it has at times been difficult to determine the season beyond the generally accepted calendar. When simply walking from one place to another more and more often I am struck by the wonder of how anyone could believe that the earth and atmosphere are not warming. The heads of companies and politicians that claim global warming is a hoax, I am confident in most cases, know the earth is warmer, but simply speak lies, because it supports their desire to continue making huge profits off the destruction of the planet. Of course, there are folks in the general public that believe global warming isn’t real, but I hope the number of people realizing politicians and companies duped them is growing. People are more likely to believe in the existence of something they have experienced. I know just within my lifetime I can certainly remember the seasons being more distinct and consistent. Even looking at the past ten years, I can easily realize significant changes in the seasons. I believe that many other people must be considering the truths that they constantly experience around themselves. Natural Gas Shortage Coming MICHAEL EARL PATTON I Contributing Writer know I am almost alone in this prediction, but that doesn’t really matter except it makes the task harder of persuading others of the coming problem. On the other hand, if the problem were widely reported I wouldn’t be writing this article because I write mostly about things that deserve more attention. That normally means more work for me because I have to do my own research, but that is also part of the attraction. In this specific case, I predict that it is very probable there will be a severe shortage of natural gas in the next few years. I have been looking at the data concerning natural gas supplies for several years. I look at the production and consumption data for the United States, along with how much is in storage, the number of rigs drilling for natural gas, and the winter severity, which is the peak time for natural gas usage. I see that more electricity is now generated by burning natural gas than coal, which wasn’t the case just a few years ago. I don’t like the trends. Decreasing production, little new drilling, more usage, and supplies at just an average level after three warm winters in a row are not good signs. In the best case a severe supply squeeze is in the offing, while the worst case is an economic train wreck. The critical period for natural gas usage is normally winter. Colder winters mean we burn more natural gas to stay warm, either in our natural gas furnaces or lately in electrical generation stations to produce M a r 2 4 - A p r i l 6, 2 0 17 | N o . 35 2 As groupings of humans we do often bring destruction to something that was good. The earth has clearly not been spared. We also tend to focus far too much on the here and now at the ignorance of the future, especially the far away future. We say we need the dinosaur bones to fuel our modern lives, which has been regularly debated. What cannot be debated is the fact that we need this earth. We can find other methods and in fact have found other methods of fueling transportation, electricity, etc., but it’s probably very safe to assume that we are not going to find another planet to live on. Certainly, a part of our morality must be judged by how we steward this one earth opportunity available to us. Decisions we make about how we steward this home affects the people around us, affects people on the other side of the globe and affects future generations from now to the end. Talk about important… These data are from NOAA – the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (www.noaa.gov) – in their “Climate at a Glance” section. The temperature differences for the so-called meteorological winter are used, which is the 3-month period from December through February. 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: Leslie Moorhead 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 electricity to run heat pumps. Since what follows depends so much on how cold coming winters will be, let’s look at how much the average winter temps have deviated from normal for the past several winters. Five of the past 6 winters have been significantly warmer than normal; this last winter was one of the warmest on record while the winter (Continued on page 7) Writers: Josh Spring, Michael Earl Patton, Bill Woods, Dr. Mark Mussman, Key Beck, Jim Luken, Sr. Nicole Varnerin, Robert Park, Michelle Dillingham, Kate Gallion, Lee McCoy, Kim Green, Willa Denise Jones Photography/ Artwork: Alice Schneider, ThinkProgress, Jim Luken, Sr. Nicole Varnerin, Michael Earl Patton, Tonya Cook, Aimee Willhoite, 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. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �LOCAL FORUM FOCUSES ON ISSUES COUNCIL AND MAYORAL CANDIDATES NEED TO ADDRESS No. 352 | M a r 2 4 - A p r i l 6 , 2 0 17 W 3 BILL WOODS hat are the issues that City Council and Mayoral candidates should be talking about in this year's campaign? A panel at the March 16th Community Issues Forum focused on this question. The clear theme that emerged from the three presentations is that Cincinnati's elected representatives must pay a lot more attention to the needs of the city 's low-income residents and their neighborhoods. Josh Spring, Executive Director of the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, led off the panel with a factual and troubling description of the City's homeless population and the lack of affordable housing for thousands of residents. He cited that the four local family shelters were only able to take in approximately eleven percent of the families seeking shelter in the last year. Usually these shelters have less applicants during the warmer months, but this trend did not occur in 2016. Meanwhile, the shelters for single adults remained at full capacity during this time frame, and they were forced to turn men and women away. More people have also been counted trying to eke out an existence outside, and the "cold shelter" took in more than four-hundred of them during the extreme winter weather. The shelters are doing their best to accommodate this increase in homelessness, noted Spring, but it all boils down to a lack of affordable housing in Cincinnati. This local affordable housing shortage, declared Spring, can be summed up with two numbers. Fourteen thousand families that qualify for housing assistance are not receiving it, and a 40,000 affordable housing unit gap currently exists in the Queen City. Spring pointed to cuts in federal housing programs over the years, gentrification, and the neglect of older units by absentee landlords as reasons for this growing gap. Furthermore, the current federal budget plan submitted to Congress by the Trump Administration calls for a further cut in housing programs of seven billion dollars. What is needed locally, according to Spring, is a housing trust fund. It could be established by the City or regionally, and it could have multiple sources of funding. Currently, the Homeless Coalition is working with Contributing Writer Affordable Housing Advocates to draft plans for such a trust while building community support to take the proposal to City Hall and other public entities. Spring concluded his remarks with these words: "It all comes down to housing!" "This is a society that is not very good at solving problems." Prince Brown, Professor Emeritus of Sociology and African American Studies at Northern Kentucky University, opened his remarks with this observation. Government exists with sufficient money to provide affordable housing units fits this alternative model, and that it should be launched. He concluded that similar local initiatives are needed for major needs such as public transportation and health care. Jennifer Summers, Executive Director of the Peaslee Neighborhood Center, then depicted how community organizing in lowincome neighborhoods, can often turn things around. Her Center alone is an example of how residents in What needs to happen, says Summers, is a community organizing effort that moves from stopping things such as the Rothenberg project to supporting polices such as "inclusionary zoning," a process that insures the inclusion of affordable housing units in any major new housing project. We need to effectively advocate at City Hall for private/public partnerships that insure that neighborhood residents reap some benefits from any City supported private development. Certainly, she added, a coalition of Josh Spring speaking at Community Issues Forum about the growing housing crisis Credit: Alice Schneider to serve the people, he said, but too often it is focused on helping those with money make more money. He deplored the large donations of big donors to political campaigns, and he suggested that such donations should go to hire workers as community organizers to register people to vote. "So what can we do?" asked Prince. "We have to think big!" He suggested a new social service model that emphasizes prevention rather than partial relief for huge problems. He agreed with Josh Spring that a local housing trust fund “Breakdown Stereotypes” Over-the-Rhine battled against huge odds to transform a closed Public School into a thriving neighborhood resource. She pointed to the Center's recent effort to assist mothers and children in their fight to save public land across the street from Rothenberg School that houses a basketball court and a community garden. At the moment, they have successfully stopped a project to build expensive condominiums supported by the City's Development Department which was proceeding with no neighborhood input. citizens should be able to persuade City Council to establish a housing trust fund. The trick, she concluded, "is getting civically involved wherever you are!" The March 30 forum features Pat Garry, Chair of Affordable Housing Advocates, Mike Maloney, Convener of the Urban Appalachian Community Coalition, and Pastor Ennis Tait, President of the Faith Community Alliance of Greater Cincinnati. “Eradicate Misinformation” The Coalition for the Homeless provides Education and Service Programs that help to portray a more accurate and holistic picture of homelessness in Cincinnati. We believe an educated public can be a more compassionate public, willing to dedicate time and effort towards creating solutions to homelessness. The “Voice of the Homeless Speaker’s Bureau” program is made up of individuals currently experiencing homelessness or who have experienced homelessness, who share their experiences. The program is designed to put a face on homelessness and raise awareness about those struggling in our community. To schedule a speaker, contact Dr. Mark Mussman at MarkMussman@cincihomeless.org. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �4 LOCAL Powerful Words in Action DR. MARK MUSSMAN A Staff Writer n avid reader of Streetvibes may remember the article I wrote a couple of months ago about using language that shows that you are an advocate. Although I didn’t write specifically about “person-first” language, I hope that the article helped people understand the power of their words. Person first language is something that advocates use to show that they are sensitive to the needs and conditions of individuals for whom they are advocating. At speaking engagements, we encourage people to become advocates by ceasing to use “homeless people” or “homeless person” because it not only minimizes the complex identity of individuals, but it also denies that homelessness is a temporary circumstance that someone is going through at the time. No one works hard to become a “homeless person,” so try using “people experiencing homelessness” or “persons homeless” to show you M a r 2 4 - A p r i l 6, 2 0 17 | N o . 35 2 are an advocate. That’s simple enough, and I know you might struggle using this new language, but once you do, it’ll become second nature to you. In addition to this language change, we also want to be careful to not co-opt the language of others – especially traditionally marginalized groups. I have seen this happen within the social justice movement. There are times when co-opting sayings or slogans is acceptable, so don’t think I am painting everything with the same brush – but we need to ask ourselves are we taking power from those who are virtually powerless? I am going to take a moment to “call out” some instances when this has happened recently. First and foremost, when we go out into THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED the streets in a march, and we are trying to bring dignity to those who have been killed by the police, we use #SayHerName it is to explicitly represent African American women, both cis and trans, who have been brutalized and killed by the police. When we co-opt the term to #SayHisName we are removing the intent behind the original saying while, at the same time, erasing the very real brutality that occurs against women of color who are brutalized by the police and the (in)justice system. We must be mindful of this. I won’t go into a polemic about how obviously racist #AllLivesMatter is – hopefully you have an understanding of that – but I do (Continued on page 5) �LOCAL No. 352 | M a r 2 4 - A p r i l 6 , 2 0 17 Let My People Live KEY BECK W Contributing Writer e have an epidemic on our hands. It shouldn't be surprising to hear that many of the most marginalized groups (trans women of color, queer people and undocumented citizens) are unwitting victims of these prejudiced travel bans, de-funded social services, lack of protection and systematic segregation and oppression. "Basic rights” that were promised to all people living in the United States have been systematically disappearing for these marginalized individuals. Indigenous people, who have been honored and given land by the government, are fighting a system determined to usurp their sacred land. Middle Eastern students and teachers who were allowed to travel home freely to see friends and family on breaks must now ask themselves if it is worth leaving the U.S. Kids, who at one point could use any bathroom they chose, are now forced to decide whether they should risk their safety to pee or hold it all day. These are just a few of syptoms of the epidemic plaguing gender, sexual, racial and ethnic minorities. There have been seven reported murders of trans women of color in the US this year, and we are only in March (last year, there were five by this time and 27 total in 2016). Add that trauma to the facts that transgender people are (1) four times more likely to live in poverty, (2) two times more likely to experience unemployment than the general population, (3) have a 41% of attempting suicide and (4) a 22% chance of encountering police harassment. This data, from ”Injustice at Every Turn” a report by the National Center for Transgender Equality and The Gay and Lesbian Task Force, confirms what I stated DR. MARK MUSSMAN (Continued from page 4) want to write about a recent bill in the Kentucky legislature. The “Blue Lives Matter” bill creates hate-crime penalties against people who harm first responders. Typically, hatecrime legislation is used to protect the most vulnerable, but here this is not the case. Essentially, the bill will give police officers the ability to provoke citizens who are already forced to succumb to their wishes and ensure higher penalties against them. People already face trumped up charges such as “resisting arrest” or “failure to comply” when they are detained (or not) by the police. Because people who are living in poverty (much of Kentucky) already are adversely and disproportionally affected by aggressive policing policies, and we know that the police have already been able to force many people away from their families and livelihoods 5 at the beginning on this article. We have an epidemic on our hands. Trans women account for over 70% of all anti-LGBT discrimination and violence. We must not accept these numbers, and we must start to realize that trans women issues are or sexual orientation into these conversations. Trans women of color are routinely unemployed, denied healthcare, misgendered in the penal system and generally mistreated. They aren't cat-called on the street, they are jumped. We “attempt,” (my use of quotes here should be seen as parody) to bring reality to the lives of trans people through film and new media, but they usually focus on objectification and exoticism of the body. How many storylines can we endure where trans people are in anything about it? We need to learn to support our communities. Everyone deserves basic human rights. Everyone deserves a place to eat, a place to live, a place to feel safe and a place for healthcare. These are basic rights and everyone deserves to have them. We may have an epidemic on our hands, but no one says we have to remain apathetic about the situation. We need to do more to protect our trans sisters. Be a bathroom buddy. Talk to your employer about inclusive hiring practices. Demand that your Seven trans women of color who were murdered in 2017 Credit: ThinkProgress women’s issues. If we are going to have a national movement to protect women, then I’m urging advocates to support all women. White feminism has been under a microscope lately. Not because so many marginalized people hate white women, but due to its nature of erasure and gender exclusion. When we think of women’s rights, we think of things like equal pay for (cis) women, Roe v. Wade/women’s reproductive rights, male perpatrators and pay for maternity leave. Rarely, does one insert gender prison, attempting to trick a straight guy, switching genders based on a gag, or even worse a trans narrative starring by a straight actor. It is not surprising to know that marginalized groups are the biggest victims in this current political climate. We have seen bans specifically targeting transgender/ gender non-conforming people such as bathroom bills. We read about murders of trans women on news sites, Facebook and newspapers. If we see all these horrible things happening, why aren’t we doing medical professional support trans women’s health. These are some of the small things one can do to help, but I trust that you can do more if you take this call to action seriously. Transgender Women of Color Killed in 2017 (as of March 25) - Say Their Names: Jamie Lee Wounded Arrow, Mesha Caldwell, Jojo Striker, Jaquarrius Holland, Tiara Lashaytheboss Richmond, Chyna Doll Dupree, Ciara McElveen. Cover photo credit: Black Trans Liberation Flag designed by Raquel Willis, @RaquelWillis. just because they are having a bad day, we should oppose this type of legislation. The reason this is such an egregious co-option of #BlackLivesMatter is because it is both dialectically opposed to the origins of the term and it is absolutely lazy. White people have been taking the culture, language, and labor of people of color in this country since the beginning. We have done very little to reverse this course, and when #BlackLivesMatter rose out of the injustices perpetuated against people of color by the police it was met with such backlash and hatred that is proved its point almost immediately. We have a system that is rigged against people of color, to the point that, police can injure or kill people of color without impunity. Over 1500 American citizens are killed by the police each year and very few are convicted of manslaughter or murder. Recent statistics from Bowling Green State University show that only 13 officers have been convicted since 2005. We need to be mindful of the ways in which we allow people of color to do the labor – especially when they are expressing their outrage against an unjust system – and then reap the benefits. When we just tweak a slogan to fit our advocacy work, we are allowing someone else to do the work and not giving them credit for it. There are times when this may be acceptable; however, I caution us to do the work to express our own voice. When #NativeLivesMatter co-opted the hashtag at Standing Rock, one could argue that not only do Native communities face disproportional violence from police forces (all over the country) but they would also be included in the #BlackLivesMatter umbrella. This may be seen as a “just” co-opting of the work, but this is clearly up for debate. So as we get ready to make our signs for the next march or rally – perhaps the April 1st National Day of Action for Housing – we should be aware of our words, our own words, and how they represent us both as individuals and communities. Let’s do the work and not cash in on the work of others because it is easy or because it fits our goals. No matter who you are, it is perfectly acceptable to put #BlackLivesMatter on your sign, or your car, or your t-shirt. When you show that you are advocate with your words, it means that you are supporting something bigger than yourself – you are supporting the creativity, the pain, the passion, the livelihood, the labor of people of color in our community. Co-opting the work of others just shows how incredibly lazy and disrespectful we are, and does not represent the work of a true advocate. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �6 LOCAL M a r 2 4 - A p r i l 6, 2 0 17 | N o . 35 2 (Continued on page 12) THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �LOCAL International Women’s Day: an old man's perspective No. 352 | M a r 2 4 - A p r i l 6 , 2 0 17 7 (Continued on page 12 Jim Luken Contributing Writers I was privileged to attend the Women's March on Washington, one week after the inauguration of the reality TV star and narcissist as President of these United States. I had been to many dozens of demonstrations over the years. This one was the biggest and the best. Most of us stood so far away from the speakers' stand and podium that the jumbo-tron video of the event looked to be the size of a postage stamp in the distance. It didn't matter. What mattered were the number of people, the peaceful yet focused energy, and the fact that this MICHAEL EARL PATTON (Continued from page 2) before that was the warmest. To have enough gas on hand for winter, companies inject gas in storage caverns during the nonwinter months. The next chart shows the recent amounts of natural gas in storage and compares it to the 5-year average and the maximumminimum range. As the chart shows, this winter is close to an average one in this regard. Note that the amount of gas in storage goes up from about March through October event had been called for by women, who had produced and coordinated it. If men had done it, the numbers and the energy would have had much less impact. On a smaller scale, history repeated itself at Piatt (Garfield) Park near the library in the early evening of March 8. This had been the site of nightly “Occupy Cincinnati” meetings in the fall of 2011. I had been proudly present for most of those “general assemblies.” The lawyers who represented us “occupy-ers” had succeeded in forcing the city to declare the area around Garfield's statue as a kind Ann Verdin's sign offers a positive solution at her first pro-women's demonstration Credit: Jim Luken and undergoes a steep decline from December through February. My concern is that although the winter was much warmer than normal, and one of the warmest on record, you couldn’t tell that from the natural gas storage amounts. It looks like an average winter. What would happen if we had a winter that was colder than normal? We only have to go back to the winter of 2013/14 to see. That winter was just a little colder than the long-term average and natural gas supplies plummeted. A few more weeks of cold and there would not have been enough natural gas to fully supply everyone. One might conclude since we got through that one okay there shouldn’t be a problem unless we had another winter like the really cold ones of the late 1970’s. But it’s worse than that. For one thing, today most electricity is now generated using natural gas, while back then most was generated by burning coal. Natural gas production, itself, had been growing until about a year ago but now is falling. Compare this to the number of rigs in operation drilling for natural gas. These are rigs drilling predominately for natural gas. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Wells that are drilled for oil may also produce natural gas but are not included. Even if an oil well can also produce natural gas, it has to be connected to a natural gas pipeline for the gas to be any use. Otherwise the gas is re-injected into the well or, in some cases, flared (burned). For years there were about 400 rigs drilling for natural gas in operation. Then, during the shale boom, the number greatly increased for about 12 years. There was a lag, however, between the high number of drilling rigs and an increase in (Continued on page 12) �8 NATIONAL How unaccompanied youth become exploited workers in the US M a r 2 4 - A p r i l 6, 2 0 17 | N o . 35 2 STEPHANIE L. CANIZALES T he Trump administration has released a series of executive orders targeting immigration at the U.S. southern border. Central American families and children traveling alone represent nearly half of all unauthorized migrants apprehended by Customs and Border Protection. The criminalization of immigrants at the U.S. southern border disproportionately affects Central American children and youth. Nearly 153,000 unaccompanied Mexican and Central American  children  have been apprehended at the U.S. southern border since 2014. Of those detained by Customs and Border Protection and processed by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, 60 percent have been reunited with a sponsor, typically a parent. The other 40 percent are placed with a nonparent sponsor. With the guidance of a parent or guardian, these youths might obtain financial, legal, health and social support. Others who enter without detection and remain unaccompanied when they arrive in the U.S. are financially independent and may never gain access to formal resettlement services. Recent  orders  by the Trump administration that prioritize unaccompanied child migrants for deportation heighten the vulnerability of immigrant children in the U.S. Since 2012, I have conducted indepth observations and interviews with undocumented immigrant youth who arrived in Los Angeles, California as unaccompanied minors and have remained without a parent throughout their settlement in the U.S. I use pseudonyms for confidentiality as research participants are migrant youth living and working in the U.S. without authorization. Pundits and scholars tend to frame immigrant youth as students and adult migrants as workers. However, being unaccompanied at settlement requires youth to become financially independent and take up low-wage occupations to make ends meet. My ongoing research shows that unaccompanied migrant youth face labor exploitation and suggests that Trump’s orders exacerbate the precarious work conditions of unaccompanied immigrant youth workers in the U.S. Workplace violence Undocumented working youth migrate to Los Angeles in hopes of working to support their families who remain in their home countries. They come to the U.S. with low levels of education and English language Courtesy of The Conversation / INSP.ngo fluency. Romero arrived in Los Angeles from Guatemala at the age of 15 and immediately began looking for work in downtown LA garment factories. In an interview, he recalled: “The bosses would tell me, ‘do you have experience?’ I would say yes. And they would say, ‘you are a child still. Go to Salvadoran woman who was pushed to the shop floor by the factory manager for incorrectly sewing the seams on a batch of dresses. They sorrowfully recalled their inability to help her out of fear of losing their jobs. In early February 2017, the  Department of Homeland In fact, many see their tenacity in enduring workplace violence as a marker of their commitment to their families and communities. “I didn’t come here with a bad intention. I didn’t come here to be a burden,” says 22-year-old Berenice who arrived from El Salvador at the age of 17. A 19-year-old Salvadoran man explained, “People say Central Americans are gang bangers but we all come here with a dream. We want to help our families. There aren’t jobs over there and we come here to work. We are not selfish. We want to help.” These young people participate in various community organizations Immigrants who have been caught crossing the border illegally are housed inside the McAllen Border Patrol Station in McAllen, Texas July 15, 2014, where they are processed. More than 57,000 unaccompanied children have been apprehended at the southwestern border since October, more than twice the total this time last year. Credit: REUTERS/ Rick Loomis/Pool school.’ But I thought, ‘yes I would like to go to school but no one is going to [financially] support me. Just me. Who else? It’s me by myself.’” Unaccompanied minors like him enter industries such as garment production, service, construction and domestic work. Youth working in the garment industry often make a median of US$350 in wages per week for more than 60 hours of work. Undocumented youth garment workers spend hours in dimly lit factories where shop owners often leave doors and windows locked throughout the work day to remain discreet and avoid workplace inspection. The  lack of ventilation, heat and loud noises from factory machines, and strenuous work schedules physically and mentally exhaust youth who are then unable to attend school due to headaches, eye tension and back pain. Much like with their  adult coworkers, economic necessity and fear of removal from the workplace and the country keep undocumented migrant youth workers quiet in cases of exploitation, and docile and efficient on the job. For example, three young workers at the same factory told me the story of a young Security  conducted “a series of targeted enforcement operations” in workplaces and neighborhoods across 12 states that led to the arrest of 680 immigrants. Raids in today’s immigrant destinations, including Los Angeles, increase the hostility that workers must navigate in already precarious occupations. Research shows that deportation can have  detrimental mental health effects  on children and lead to financial hardship among families. In 2008, the largest workplace immigration raid  in U.S. history impacted hundreds of Central American workers, including minors. These actions can further mental health and financial instability in the lives of child migrants. Overcoming and giving back In the last four years, I have encountered youth who have been entangled with drug and alcohol addictions, experienced bouts of homelessness or toiled in depression and anxiety as they searched for ways to cope. Far from being the “bad hombres” Trump describes, youths’ desires to overcome these circumstances permeated our conversations and organized their daily lives. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED such as churches, book clubs, support groups and recreational sports teams. A 25-year-old Guatemalan man who has lived in the U.S. for nine years said: “What is important here is that we stay united and we support each other. We all want to be helped and to also help. Like in my case, the way someone lent me a hand, I want to lend it to others. That’s how I overcame [my trauma].” Young people construct moral identities based on work, participating in the local economy, giving back to their local community via organizational involvement and community service. They also demonstrate a commitment to their transnational community. A 24-yearold man who arrived in Los Angeles at age 16 gave up attending English classes at an adult language school to remit a few extra dollars to his family abroad after his youngest brother expressed a desire to migrate to the U.S. to attend school. “No quiero que venga a sufrir aca,” he said, “I do not want him to come here to suffer.” Stephanie L. Canizales is a Ph.D. Candidate, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Science. �9 WORLD No. 352 | M a r 2 4 - A p r i l 6 , 2 0 17 Border Stories: A Divided Community I SR. NICOLE VARNERIN Contributing Writer looked out of the car windows in amazement at the large number of people and vendors on the side of the road. Men with flags tried to direct our car into parking spots and others wanted to dust our windows. Noise and movement came from all sides as we made our way down the International Street in Progresso, Mexico. Signs on buildings boasted cheap dentistry, pharmaceuticals, and authentic Mexican fare. But, we were not staying in the city like most Americans who cross into Mexico. Our destination was a little more remote and much more in need. We were on our way to teach English to some children in a one-room schoolhouse. Once out of the city center, buildings and colorful signs gave way to farmland and tractors. Just before the train tracks, we turned onto the dirt road that services the Colonia the schoolhouse is a part of. A colonia, a Spanish word meaning neighborhood, is established on land outside of the boundaries of the city and may or may not have water or sewage, since the city is not required to provide them. The owners of this land sell small plots to families who then build whatever they can afford. Sometimes, it is a proper house, others it is a trailer, and other times the dwelling is only a shack. As we made our way to the bright blue schoolhouse, the grandparents of most of the children greeted us. They had big smiles on their faces and were visibly grateful for our presence there. Our first two students ran up to meet us and told us their names. We began teaching, and soon the small room was full of children. We teach children from age three to age eight, but no matter what age, they are all eager to learn. One boy was so excited that he shouted all the answers out first. His big grin swallowed his face from ear to ear. I can’t get their faces out of my mind. The children we teach in Mexico are so happy, so joyful, so eager. I see their happy, smiling faces in spite of all they lack and I wonder, how? I grew up in a warm home with plenty of toys at my disposal. I never wanted for food or wondered where my next meal would come from. I had easy access to clean water for drinking and bathing and I always had new clothes. I had the opportunity for a top notch education, which satiated my eagerness to learn. I had parents who encouraged me and always wanted the best for me. And I knew I was loved. I had a happy childhood. Because my childhood included both love and material wealth, I have a hard time separating my happiness as a child from either of these things. That is a part of my privilege. The children I teach live in oneroom cinderblock dwellings with tin roofs. They run around in the dirt road and play with their grandparents’ chickens. Their parents have to buy 5 gallon jugs of water because the water at the colonia is not safe to drink. And, the children know they are loved. Their parents sacrifice for them, even taking time out of their day to teach them so they do not have to go so far to the government school. These children have a happy childhood. Somehow I cannot wrap my mind around the fact that these children lack so much that I had, some that I even deem as essentials, and yet, they are still so happy. “They don’t know Cheerful sky-blue one-room schoolhouse Credit: Sr. Nicole Varnerin any better.” is a phrase I often hear and say about children like this. But after seeing their joy I think, do they even need to know better? Actually, is all that I had as a child better than what these children have? My initial reaction was one that you may have had after reading about the lives of these children, pity. I wanted to fix everything. I thought they should have everything I did, toys, candy, cookies, formal education, new clothes, running water, houses with doors and air conditioning, in order to be happy. If I had these things and was happy, then they must be necessary, right? After my initial reaction, I took the time to really observe the children and their families. They are … happy. Despite all their poverty, despite the challenges, they are happy. So, there has to be something wrong with my preconception of a happy childhood. They know better than I do what they need. I NEED to listen to them. What really stands out to me is, these children are loved. And they know it! Their parents want the best for them, which is why we were asked to teach English. Confronting poverty headon in Texas and Mexico has had an unintended consequence of confronting my privilege. I have the privilege of being born a US Citizen. I have the privilege of a good education. I have the privilege of being born into an upper-middle class family who loves me and cares for me. My idea of a good childhood looks very different than the reality of the majority of childhoods in the world. My preconception of poverty is that it is bad. While it is important to make sure all people have what they need to live, maybe there is some wisdom in poverty. A wisdom of simplicity, a wisdom of love. And we, as people privileged to walk alongside the poor, need to listen to this wisdom. ------------------------ Sr. Maxine and Andrea set up the classroom so we can teach two different sets of children Credit: Sr. Nicole Varnerin THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �10 OPINION Opioids are the opiate of the masses K ROBERT PARK Contributing Writer arl (Marx) once said something like, “religion is the opiate of the masses.” Well a lot of the working class, particularly the despondent youth, have ditched religion and opted for the real thing. It has become a public health emergency that our elected officials are now engaged in the nuts and bolts of responding to. Unfortunately, it seems like almost no officials – local, regional or national – are addressing (or admitting) the cause of this crisis. They are focused on what public health people call “secondary prevention” – minimizing the costs and picking up the pieces after bad things happen. With the disruptors daily coming up with new gimmicks to cheat people out of monotonous jobs that make a living – like driving a truck, feeding a machine or selling something – where’s the hope for this generation? Farms have been turned into chemical wastelands with giant machines crawling along to grow the raw materials of diabetes and heart disease, lymphomas and breast cancer. Warehouses are becoming digital fulfillment centers run by robots instructing robots. Infrastructure is decomposing. But first, let’s follow the money. Drug wars have always been instruments of corrupt politics M a r 2 4 - A p r i l 6, 2 0 17 | N o . 35 2 whether keeping black people down or middle class kids distracted, or funding wars. But consider the economics of opioids. In a recent court case brought by McDowell County in the State of West Virginia, some appalling numbers have surfaced. Between 2007 and 2012, three drug companies shipped 423 million doses of opioids to West Virginia – which has a population of about 1.8 million people. The pay-off from this death trade in West Virginia was $17 billion dollars, that’s more than $1,500 per WV resident per year that the three drug companies skimmed off the top of the state, sort of like chemical mountain top removal. Probably more cash than most West Virginians paid per person in taxes. McDowell County had a drug overdose death rate of 97.3 per 100,000 residents in 2008 compared to the U.S. rate of 13.2 per 100,000 in 2011. WV’s death rate by drug overdose rose to 36.2 per 100,000 residents in 2011 up from Parents should be concerned about SCOTUS nominee Gorsuch MICHELLE DILLINGHAM I t can be hard to keep track of all the changes in Washington lately. This week alone the newly proposed federal budget contains major shifts in how our tax dollars will be spent. While annual budgets come and go, some decisions of the new leadership will have implications for years to come. One of them is who will be chosen as the next Supreme Court Justice? In January President Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch to the US Supreme Contributing Writer Court, and confirmation hearings for his appointment begin March 20th by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Neil Gorsuch has been serving on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals since 2006, and many are taking note of his rulings related to his decisions on labor, business, and gun rights. What concerns me however, is his record on disability rights for children. Our son Michael has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, so policy on disability rights really hit home for our family. A quick search about Judge Gorsuch shows that he has consistently ruled against students with disabilities who have sought educational services to which they were entitled under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). In the case Thompson R2-J School District v. Luke P., Gorsuch’s ruling denied Luke, a young autistic boy, placement in a residential school program, an accommodation THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 5.1 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2001. So perhaps we should call this “secondary causation,” since the underlying cause is personal desperation and hopelessness. What are we to do? Maybe a good start would be to have honest discussions in schools about kids’ prospects for the future and what has gone wrong. Maybe parents should be involved – they’ve already been on the receiving end of this nightmare. They should talk about what political movements could make things better (or worse). This discussion would not produce agreement – things have gone way too far down the road of disrespect, alternate facts and conflicting resentments. But one thing that people in groups could do is to imagine what is going to happen on our current path, throwing up different scenarios, writing them down, and then seeing what predictions are working and why. Luke’s family and teachers agreed he needed to fully apply the skills he learned in school. In Muskrat v Deer Creek Public Schools, Judge Gorsuch ruled against a boy with mental and physical disabilities whose parents sued after he was physically abused, and repeatedly subjected to confinement in a small room at the school. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ensures that all children with physical and mental disabilities be provided with a free, appropriate public education aged 3 to 21 years old. According to the National Center for Education roughly 13% of all children, or 6.6 million students enrolled in our nation’s public schools have a (Continued on page 12) �LOCAL International Women’s Day: A Day Without Women No. 352 | M a r 2 4 - A p r i l 6 , 2 0 17 11 KATE GALLION O n March 8 around 400 people turned for an International Women’s Day rally at Piatt Park. First we marched, then we huddled, now we STRIKE. We wore red in solidarity with the American woman’s struggle for Equal Rights. We wore black for the women of the world enduring second-class citizenship. We strike to demand equal pay for equal work and a living wage; We call for reproductive health-care and the autonomous control our bodies; affordable child care, affordable housing, and paid parental leave. We strike for equal educational and employment opportunity. We fight against systemic violence and the rape culture that permeates our society. MICHAEL EARL PATTON (Continued from page 7) natural gas production. Looking at the two charts I would say that the lag was about 4 years. Conversely, even though the number of drilling rigs crashed below 400 in about 2013, gas production continued to go up for a couple more years. This is not surprising when you consider that there is a lot more work that has to be done after the hole is drilled before the well starts to produce natural gas. This includes casing, cementing, and hydraulic fracturing the well. Currently the EIA estimates that there are close to 5,500 gas wells that have been drilled but not completed. While this sounds like a lot, and is sometimes brought forth as evidence that there is plenty of production capacity about ready to begin, it is only about 1% of the number of gas wells that are currently producing. So even if all these wells were to start production tomorrow, the effect would be relatively small. Today the number of rigs drilling for natural gas is less than half of 400, although it is going up. Using history as a guide, it looks like it would take at least a few years before natural gas production would increase beyond its 2016 level, and the increase would only happen if there were a strong increase in the number of drilling rigs as there was in the early 2000’s. You may hear that drilling is much more efficient now, but it is unlikely you will hear just how much more efficient. I do not know, and I put such claims down as mostly hype meant to boost the stock price. Offsetting any efficiency increase is the fact that most of the best areas for drilling gas have already been drilled. I have read that companies plan to concentrate on the “sweet” spots this time around so production will be more efficient, but seriously, you mean that they didn’t think of this the first time around? In the absence Contributing Writer We are 51% of the entire population yet our rights always come last. Last place is no place for women. A woman’s place is in the home and work force, the state house, Congress and Senate of the United States, and in the White House—where the first woman to win the popular vote was denied her rightful position. We are powerful, compassionate, and purpose led. United We Stand. Cincinnati, an official sister march of The National Women’s March on Washington, was proud to host this 2017 celebration of solidarity with women around the world. *The national coordinating committee for the IWD sends the following statement: “March 8 is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political of better data, I suspect that the two trends – better efficiency and fewer “sweet” spots that are left – offset each other. So I’m sticking with my prediction that it will take a few years before natural gas production reaches any new highs. Maybe I should have said “any new highs, if ever.” There is only so much natural gas in the ground and sooner or later a decline in production must set in. I freely admit that I am virtually the only one has written about a problem here. Far more common are platitudes about how the huge amounts of shale gas that can be tapped – enough to supply the United States for the next hundred years. I don’t believe it, and I think I have presented sufficient evidence to show that I may be right. Shale gas is sometimes called “tight” gas because it resides in small pores in shale rock that must be fractured in order to release it. This is much more expensive to do than for conventional gas, where this extra step is not needed. Further, there is much less gas available from each shale gas well, which means that many more wells have to be drilled to get the same amount of gas. And shale gas wells deplete faster than conventional wells. Depletion means that the gas from which the well draws is reduced; eventually it reduces down to where it is no longer economical to operate the well. One of the things left unsaid is that it costs much more to produce natural gas that is trapped in shale rock than from conventional formations. How much more is a closely guarded industry secret, but we know that it has to be a lot due to the well-publicized problems of shale gas drillers such as Chesapeake. In the past couple years, over a hundred shale gas and shale oil producers have declared bankruptcy. The relatively cheap prices for oil and gas are due more to something like fire sales as companies try to raise cash, than they are due to the actual costs (Continued on page 12) A Day Without Women Celebration in Piatt Park Credit: Tonya Cook Natural gas usage on stove Credit: Michael Earl Patton of production. I have not forgotten about Duke’s proposed gas pipeline through Blue Ash, which is supposed to rebalance their distribution system and enable the closing of the propane peaking plants. I think a far better response would be to pursue vigorous efficiency improvements. Otherwise, when the squeeze or crunch comes, the natural gas prices will steeply escalate. The trigger will probably be a winter that is much colder than normal, though it could also be much hotter summers since so much electricity for air conditioning is not generated by burning natural gas. Or a combination of the two – a very hot summer followed by a very cold winter. Just natural variations make it almost inevitable that something like this will happen. Those who can afford it will stay warm while the rest run the risk of having their gas cut-off for non-payment. Everyone who THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED can, should do what they can to improve efficiencies. As examples of improvements, over the years I have replaced my gas furnace with a high-efficiency model, insulated the ductwork in the basement, caulked the outside, put in a programmable thermostat, lowered the indoor heating temperature (I dress warmly but am still comfortable), wrapped the water heater, and insulated the hot water pipes where these are accessible. The attic and walls already had insulation, and although it won’t be easy, I aim to add more (the problem is mainly one of accessibility and building forms to hold the additional insulation). I wish the building codes were strengthened in this regard for new construction, but there is little hope of that right now since the problem does not have a high level of awareness. Still, regardless of what others do or not do, I intend to do what I can. I urge you to do the same. �12 STREET VOICE M a r 2 4 - A p r i l 6, 2 0 17 | N o . 35 2 King Heron LEE MCCOY B Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer ack in my day this was a true saying, cause you would bow down all day. I’m not trying to glorify this drug. But I have to say this King Heron (heroin) today is not the King Heron that I escaped from. Let me once again let you in on a part of my life, the life of me, Lee McCoy. I remember the first time I ever tasted your sting of death. It took me a few years to realize that was all you were, yet those years you had me fooled. I thought you were beautiful and a way to get away from the reality of life. And for almost five years you had me nodding at your feet, or up at dawn trying to get that monkey off my back. You were so powerful and yet so beautiful and ugly. It took the life of my friend and a stay in the county jail to escape your kingdom. But let me tell you about my friend. He was no different than you, or me, or any other friend, but he was my friend. And my friend had a gorilla on his back. (And when I talk about this gorilla on his back, I’m talking about an animal that you never want to have in your life.) I want you to understand these expressions of “gorilla” and KATE GALLION (Continued from page 11) achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.” [And the legal inclusion of our LGBTQ community.] “International Women's Day (IWD) has been observed since in MICHELLE DILLINGHAM (Continued from page 10) disability. This includes children with autism, hearing impairments, learning disabilities, orthopedic impairments, and intellectual disabilities. Our city’s school district, Cincinnati Public Schools, close to 20% of the 34,000 children enrolled have an identified disability. Put JIM LUKEN (Continued from page 7) of “free-speech zone” for citizens to gather and demonstrate our rights at any hour of the day or night. It remains the only such rallying place in the city. Other than for a few small gatherings, this was my first time back to Piatt Park for a major event. It felt so-o-o good! Creative signs. Pussy hats. Cars honking as they passed by on Vine Street. The people back in the streets. 400 people had come out, most of them women. And, just like that day in Washington a month earlier, the energy was all feminine. I could feel it from the moment I walked “monkey”. You see a monkey will just drive you up a wall until you get your next fix. A gorilla will have you bust the walls down to get your fix, rob your mama, your daddy and anybody that you love. Well one day I was going over to my friend’s place and when I knocked on his door to get his attention all I got was silence. I knew the door was unlocked so I opened the door. My friend was sitting in a chair unresponsive to my voice and touch. I did everything I could to bring him back. But it was beyond my power to bring him back. With his last breath laying in my arms it was too late for 911 to bring him back. A week later in the county jail, laying in my own vomit and shit, I got this monkey off my back. And thank God I have never bowed down to King Heron again. I’m telling you this story to let you in on a few things. First of all, if you have a person, a loved one that is going through this, don’t hate the person, hate the disease. And hate the shit their putting in the heron which is a bigger killer than this heron. Yet I have to say, it is still the monkey that makes you come back. You can’t quit cause Mom or Dad Distrubutor and Contributing Writer Credit: Aimee Willhoite or some loved one wants you too. It has to be you. Any other reason and you are just lying to yourself. And I’m saying this from having lived this type of life. Here I have to admit, when I first started writing this article I thought it was going to be about the heron epidemic, but things don’t always work out the way you want them to. I pray this is a message to those that are suffering from King Heron, that there is hope, but only if you want it. That’s the only way you’ll get that monkey off your back. Just food for thought, wish you well and there is a way, but you have to take the first step and after that it’s all about one step at a time. That’s all you have. That’s all your gonna get. The rest is up to you. Wish you well and there is way. It works if you work at it. the early 1900's - a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth. So IWD is a collective day of global celebration. No one government, NGO, charity, corporation, academic institution, women's network or media hub is solely responsible for it. “According to world-renowned feminist, journalist and political activist Gloria Steinem, 'The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights. Thus International Women's Day is all about unity, celebration, reflection, advocacy and action. It continues to grow from strength to strength.'” In Cincinnati, as elsewhere, we women can proudly claim “We are building this.” And—as the old song goes—we shall not be moved. another way, almost 7,000 children have disabilities in our city’s public schools. Cincinnati families need to know that a Judge who has consistently ruled against rights and protections for students with disabilities may be appointed to the Supreme Court, where final judgement in all cases involving laws of Congress, like the IDEA Act, are decided. Our son was considered “multiple handicapped” while enrolled in Cincinnati Public Schools, and he benefited from the protections the IDEA Act. He was able to access extended learning programming during the summer where he was introduced to acrylic painting. Today as an adult, because of those supports, he now earns an income as a full-time artist. We cannot imagine what Michael’s life would be like if he had been denied these educational supports made possible by the IDEA Act. Cincinnati families deserve a Supreme Court Justice who will uphold the civil rights of children with disabilities, not rule against them. (Michelle Dillingham is a resident of Kennedy Heights, and a candidate for Cincinnati City Council. The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition does not endorse political candidates.) among the crowd. The event had been organized by a new coalition of women activists, who had named their organization: United We Stand. Somewhat by accident, I was accompanied by a new friend, a woman my age who had never attended a lefty political rally in her life. She quickly found herself caught up in the exhilaration, chanting and singing along with the enthusiastic crowd. I handed her the sign I had made for the trip to DC. I took her picture holding it. She texted the photo to a friend. I felt a special kind of pride, bringing a newcomer into “the movement.” So happy that she had felt a part of things. After a terrific drumming “set” by three women drummers, various speakers (almost all women) took the bullhorn and spoke to the attentive crowd. Again and again, they addressed those issues so important to them. Several of them expressed their incredulity about the fact that—more than forty years after Roe vs. Wade—they were still facing the same barriers to equality and to controlling their own destinies, their own choices, their own bodies. The organizers concluded by inviting anyone from the crowd to come forward with a brief statement. At least three of those who spoke were girls, teenage or younger. One seven-year-old brought our attention to the statue of President Garfield that loomed behind those on the speakers' platform. “Did you notice,” she asked, “that the man has his back to us?” This child had captured the spirit of the moment. These women, young, middle-aged, and old, are on a mission to wake up “The Man.”come forward with a brief statement. At least three of those who spoke were girls, teenage or younger. One sevenyear-old brought our attention to the statue of President Garfield that loomed behind those on the speakers' platform. “Did you notice,” she asked, “that the man has his back to us?” This child had captured the spirit of the moment. These women, young, middle-aged, and old, are on a mission to wake up “The Man.” THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED ------------------------ ------------------------ �13 STREET VOICE No. 352 | M a r 2 4 - A p r i l 6 , 2 0 17 NO ONE ASKED No one asked. How are you today? No one asked, Because no one cared FUN FOR PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONE Top journalists should have a lot of fun Now they are "public enemy number one." They won't fear being labelled "spurious" Maybe because everyone is too busy Someone went home today For telling truths that make Trump furious. Feeling, sad and empty No one asked, BILL WOODS Contributing Writer No one cared YESTERDAY Sometimes no one should have to ask. When was the last time you asked someone Yesterday is long gone and so very far behind could you help them? Yesterday is something It’s so sad when no one cares enough to ask! only in our minds does it shine Yesterday is when the elders KIM GREEN Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer had troubles far away Yesterday I except is the past so I live only for today Someone said tomorrow is not promised and yesterday has past Someone said right now is what’s going on so tell me how long can it last I believe that a mixture of the past and the present in the world of today Is all we need to endure for the future belongs to only God I say So why not live one day at a time and each moment experience the treasure I believe our lives would be much easier, happier and full of God’s love and pleasure! WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �14 PUZZLES CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 121 Across 1. Two items of the same kind 6. An argument in favor 9. Military installation 13. Characteristic of country life 14. Belonging to us 15. Spotted horse or pony 16. Legal excuse 17. Pasture 18. Happen again 19. Checkup 21. A spear with three prongs 23. Pinch 24. Appear 25. Saloon 28. Journey 30. Slander 35. Security interest 37. Using speech rather than writing 39. Competitor 40. Small island 41. Canonical hours 43. District 44. Punctuation mark 46. Square root of eighty-one 47. Dynamism 48. Group of six musicians 50. Redact 52. Twenty-four hours 53. Fossil fuel 55. Sign of assent 57. Breathing device 61. Bane 65. Jury 66. Be obliged to pay 68. Dwell 69. Entertain 70. Gardening tool 71. Fine net used for veils, tutus and gowns 72. Trial 73. Conjunction 74. Freshwater carnivorous mammal Down 1. ___ Stoker, author of Dracula 2. Govern 3. Desiccated 4. Small room on a ship or boat 5. Derive a reason 6. The counting of votes 7. Regret 8. Talk pompously 9. Having sections or patches colored differently 10. One time only 11. Stupefy 12. Civil wrong 15. Preliminary coat of paint 20. Protective garment 22. The ___ Sea is linked to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal 24. Breed of gun dog 25. Extreme happiness 26. Part of a church 27. Unwind 29. Golf club 31. Form bubbles 32. Obviate 33. A windfall 34. Lament 36. Bird shelter 38. Give temporarily 42. Flows through Paris 45. Disrupt 49. Digit 51. Love apple 54. Hawaiian greeting 56. First public appearance 57. Petty quarrel 58. A person's reputation 59. Burden 60. Remainder 61. Necessitate 62. River deposit of mud or clay 63. Not in use 64. Prophet 67. Was victorious PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 350 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 120 M a r 2 4 - A p r i l 6, 2 0 17 | N o . 35 2 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 251 - MEDIUM SODOKU PUZZLE NO 250- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �RESOURCES No. 352 | M a r 2 4 - A p r i l 6 , 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 421-3131 569-1840 381-4242 721-4700 421-7803 Legal Aid Society Ohio Justice & Policy Center UpSpring 241-9400 421-1108 363-3300 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 977-6800 859-572-6226 First Lutheran Church 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry AA Hotline CCAT 1522 Republic Street 45202 961-4555 381-1954 421-5211 Food/Clothing 961-4663 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Tom Geiger House Volunteers of America Anna Louise Inn VA VA Homeless 961-2256 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both 221-HELP 721-8666 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 Starting Over 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Talbert House Tender Mercies 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 921-1613 First Step Home 761-1480 721-4580 632-7149 381-1171 27 W. 12th Street 45202 Prospect House Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women Caracole (HIV/AIDS) CMHA Excel Development OTR Community Housing 114 W. 14th Street 45202 784-1853 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Shelter: Family Charlie’s 3/4 House 2121 Vine Street 45202 Shelter: Youth Health Center for Respite Care 421-0065 621-1868 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 Cincinnati Health Network 961-0600 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile $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 for 26 issues $150 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 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? 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 M a r 2 4 - A p r i l 6, 2 0 17 | N o . 35 2 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. 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Title A name given to the resource March 24-April 6, 2017 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From the Director Natural Gas Shortage Coming Pg 3: Forum Focuses on Issues Council and Mayoral Candidates Need to Address Pg 4: Powerful Words in Action Pg 5: Let My People Live Pg 6: How to Respond to Panhandling Pg 7: International Women’s Day Pg 8: How Unaccompanied Youth Become Exploited Workers in the US Pg 9: Border Stories Pg 10: Opioids are the Opiate of the Masses Parents Should Be Concerned About Scotus Nominee Gorsuch Pg 11: International Women’s Day Pg 12: King Heron 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 March 24-April 6, 2017 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Michael Earl Patton Bill Woods Dr. Mark Mussman Key Beck Jim Luken Sr. Nicole Varnerin Robert Park Michelle Dillingham Kate Gallion Lee McCoy Kim Green Willa Denise Jones Alice Schneider ThinkProgress Tonya Cook Aimee Willhoite Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Aimee Willhoite Alice Schneider Bill Woods Border Stories city council Dr. Mark Mussman International Women’s Day Jim Luken Josh Spring Kate Gallion Key Beck Kim Green Lee McCoy Michael Earl Patton Michelle Dillingham Natural Gas Opioids Robert Park Sr. Nicole Varnerin ThinkProgress Tonya Cook Voting Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/b90811d897839229aeb2825fca65b972.pdf 694e35215cde96169ed42431d87ca6e4 PDF Text Text March, 2005 STREETVIBES Vacant Lot Development Could Help The Homeless Lot for proposed transitional housing development, Liberty and Race Street, Over-the-Rhine class of outcasts. The Homeless Two summers ago, a group Coalition and other advocate groups of homeless individuals caught the talks and meets with homeless attention of the City for weeks by individuals on an ongoing basis and taking a stand under one of Cincinnati’s bridges. (see Streetvibes has often advocated with them for shelter and housing rights. August, 2003) While it stemmed There has already been a loss from a horrible situation, the of SRO (single room occupancy) controversy generated a lot of positive results - homeless individuals permanent housing in downtown last year - 75 units at the Fort became empowered, services were mobilized, police communication and Washington Hotel and over 100 units lost at the YMCA, relations improved. The Drop Inn Center However, the question remains… what, besides a bridge, is reported at the last Homeless Coalition monthly meeting about an a permanent solution for bridge exciting project that would attempt to dwellers and for others that HUD provide a permanent home and terms the “chronic homeless.” People who are homeless for hospitality for these individuals. The project would be part of a relocation long periods of time are familiar with sought by Cincinnati Public Schools the systems that are out there. They of the Drop Inn Center’s current are often first hand witness to the failures and cracks in the systems too housing project (not the shelter) at the corner of 12th and Elm Streets - educational, economic and mental near Washington Park in Over-thehealth services, etc. Often, the Rhine. The Homeless Coalition barriers put up by the systems member agencies were very themselves create this permanent Washington Park, Over-the-Rhine receptive to this concept and voted to endorse the collaboration. (See GCCH member agencies resolution on page 6). The proposed plan for the relocation of the Drop Inn Center’s Transitional Housing included developing a lot at Liberty and Race Streets in Over-the-Rhine for permanent housing. Unfortunately, the Cincinnati Center City Development Committee (3CDC) was not as receptive and, as of the printing of this story, was unwilling to support the idea of Permanent Supportive Housing in the areas for which they are making their own plans. Sources of funding for 3CDC development projects in the Washington Park area of Over-theRhine are still not certain. While we debate the politics, many other cities, including Columbus and Cleveland, have successfully used Permanent Supportive Housing in inner-city development plans. The shelter system of Cincinnati is very successful in moving thousands of people from emergency shelters to permanent housing each year. However, there remains a segment of the homeless population who, for myriad reasons, cannot or will not utilize the shelter system. What has been demonstrated in Columbus’ system is that when these people, the so-called “chronically homeless” are provided with safe, stable housing, it allows them to create positive changes in their lives, including but not limited to employment, mental health counseling and drug and alcohol treatment. In Minneapolis, Minnesota the Family Housing Fund assists supportive housing projects by pooling its funds with other subsidies so that housing providers can meet their costs while charging low rents that residents vulnerable to homelessness can afford. In addition to its contributions to the financing of supportive housing, the Fund works to improve the supportive housing system through advocacy. Since 1980, the Fund has invested $24 million to assist 113 projects, which have provided over 2,900 units of supportive housing, as well as rent subsidies to 1,200 households. In New York, the Corporation for Supportive Housing makes loans and grants to supportive housing sponsors from a pool of funds drawn from both public and private sectors. In Cincinnati, ReSTOC, a low-income housing provider also working in the Washington Park area of Over-the-Rhine, has created a proactive development permanent housing plan which was praised by some at 3CDC, however funding is still a critical issue. The Cincinnati community, especially 3CDC, could benefit from any collaboration, and especially lowincome housing providers who have access to unique public funding sources, but developers are skeptical about including room for permanent supportive housing in their areas of planning. The raw housing stock and vacant lots in Over-the-Rhine remain open for development. Meanwhile, the barriers to housing still exist for Cincinnati’s chronic homeless population. Said a homeless person who preferred not to be named, “If I had a place to stay, where I could get some help and call it my own, I could get back on my feet and be proud of it. I wouldn’t need the shelter and I could get back to work.” It is ironic, that for all their promises to OTR, 3CDC is content to let an empty lot remain just that, while hundreds of homeless men, women and children flood our streets. Drop Inn Center transitional housing at 12th and Elm Street, the site of a proposed new public school Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless �Streetvibes Streetvibes, the Tri­ State’s alternative news source, is a newspaper written by, for, and about the homeless and contains relevant discussions of social justice, and poverty issues. It is published once a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. 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. Vendors are private contractors who DO NOT work for, or represent, the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homleess. All profits go directly to the vendor. 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. GCCH Staff Georgine Getty - Executive Director Allison Leeuw -Administrative Coordinator Andy Erickson - Education Coordinator Rachel Lawson - Civil Rights VISTA Kate McManus - Civil Rights VISTA Mary Gaffney - Receptionist Streetvibes Jimmy Heath, Editor Photographers Jimmy Heath, Kevin C. McHugh Cover Race and Liberty Street lot ­ location of proposed homeless permanent housing development Jimmy Heath photo Streetvibes accepts letters, poems, stories, essays, original graphics, and photos. We will give preference to those who are homeless or vendors. Subscriptions to Streetvibes, delivered to your home each month, can be purchased for $25 per year. Address mail to: Streetvibes Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH) 117 East 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 (513) 421-7803 e-mail: streetvibes@juno.com web: http://cincihomeless.org Page 2 What’s Really Going On? by Rachel Lawson An important part of having pride in yourself, is being able to acknowledge, with pleasure, where you came from and where you are headed. The same statement can be said about the city of Cincinnati. What does Cincinnati stand for? What do the residents represent? Most importantly, where are we headed? What does Cincinnati stand for? Originally our gracious Mayor proposed cutting Human Services completely, but in December of 2004, City Council only cut more than half of the general fund that was once set aside for human services for the past 20 years. (Let us not digress to the day when City Council cared because we have to focus on what we currently stand for). I’m not sure if anyone else understands that Cincinnati voted to cut services for HUMANS! Who else is the city supposed to be helping? Of course, one could suggest that perhaps City Council decided human services was too much of a responsibility. In turn that’s why the city has continued to work so diligently on race relations. The first step was to build The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and fly in notables such as Oprah Winfrey and Angela Basset. care. I personally am trying to become numb of the local news I really enjoyed being able to because I every time I turn on my attend that wonderful event with the television I hear about the newest many other citizens of Cincinnati, fight between the police and Roger from my television at home. As well, Owensby’s family. I cannot really comment on the actual I completely understand that Freedom Fund Museum because I legally Patrick Caton has every right do not have the freedom to spend to attempt to gain back his job. As $12 (of course you can’t forget the well a jury of his peers was dollar you pay there and back by deadlocked on finding him guilty of bus.) involuntary manslaughter of Roger However, I did enjoy the Owensby Jr. (Ironically, in 1955, a website and its notable stories about jury also found Roy Bryant and J.W. the various individuals who have Milam not guilty of the brutal murder fought for freedom in some way. of Emmett Till.) While the liberal However, I was confused once again news broadcasters continue to air when I kept finding pictures of every images of Roger Owensby’s father day White individuals and the fighting, I don’t remember hearing wonderful things they have done for anything about the Human Service Black people. Is that an attempt at Cuts. race relations? Last time I checked It’s almost as if we are in this you shouldn’t attempt to heal a third time warp where images of racism degree burn by placing a Flintstone and ignorance keep flashing across band-aid on the wound. So basically the screen and there are no other Cincinnati does NOT stand for images. It also appears that the helping to provide Human Services lovely citizens of Cincinnati have and we also stand for building remained ignorant of the activities in museums and inviting rich people here their own city. However, although it rather than dealing with the real issue seems as if we are headed in this such as race relations, lack of jobs, continued cycle of numbness, it and the lack of homes and shelters. doesn’t mean we have to actual stay The next question to ponder in that direction. After all, in on is: where are we headed? I November I will be headed for the honestly have no idea where we are voting polls. I will educate myself on headed. We could become a city those individuals running for City that became so numb to our Council. I will remember what the surroundings that we basically do not current members voted for as I vote. Michael Stoops Appointed Executive Director of the National Coalition for the Homeless Washington D.C.: The National Coalition for the Homeless has reorganized by appointing Michael Stoops as acting Executive Director and moving its offices into the Church of the Pilgrims in Downtown Washington, DC. Molly Neck will support Stoops as the Director of Programs for the agency. Along with the other support staff this team will keep the doors open and maintain public education, community organizing activities and above all a strong advocacy presence to end homelessness for the estimated 3.5 million homeless in the United States. The geographically diverse Board of Directors remains a strong, active, working board that will continue with the core mission of ending homelessness in the United States. Activists from across the nation are members of the NCH Board and work to change the dialogue at the national level to illuminate the injustices of homelessness. Michael Stoops has been a part of the National Coalition for the Homeless since its inception in the early 1980’s. Stoops previously served as the Director of Community Organizing for NCH. He has thirty years of experience on voting rights, anti-discrimination campaigns, and defending homeless people against hate crimes/violence. Molly Neck previously worked on NCH’s National Homeless Civil Rights Organizing Project. In 2003, she was the editor of our two annual reports on the criminalization of homelessness and hate crimes/violence against homeless people. In 2004, she was NCH’s Director of Development. Founded in 1984, the National Coalition for the Homeless is the oldest national advocacy group with a focus on homelessness. NCH has refocused its talents and energies around a few core issues. NCH will continue to be a leader in the protection of the civil rights of homeless people by publishing research as well as, organizing local and statewide coalitions. The staff will continue to put a “face” on homelessness through its national Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau. With a great deal of support from the NCH Board of Directors, the organization intends to focus attention on local, state, and federal policies as well as funding allocations Streetvibes to ensure that homelessness is ended. The centerpiece of this campaign is the reintroduction of the Bringing America Home Act, a comprehensive piece of legislation that would end homelessness in the United States. This Act is scheduled to be reintroduced in Congress within several weeks. Writers! Submit your Poetry to STREETVIBES ­ email your writing to Streetvibes@juno.com Correction There was an error in the article “Morning Battle” in the February Issue of Streetvibes. The correct spelling of the two employees of the Drop Inn Center is Bobby Lyles and Tom Lee. We regret the error. �In Phoenix, AR Ahwatukee Foothills church says its neighbors have nothing to fear. Mountain View Lutheran Church says it will turn its campus classrooms into temporary bedrooms for homeless families so they’ll have a warm, clean and safe place to sleep. However, safety concerns of Ahwatukee Foothills residents concerned about homeless people posing a danger has prompted a meeting Tuesday of the homeowners association. Word surfaced in December that the church was exploring joining 17 churches in Tempe, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Phoenix and Litchfield Park. Each church plays host about once per quarter, providing housing, hot meals, sack lunches, recreational opportunities and moral support. ee tvib es Streetvibes to party. That’s a frightening situation for these people, some of who are mentally ill. We’re just trying to provide them a safe refuge, someplace to go.” Someplace nearby, but yet far, far away from the aura of the Super Bowl. We can debate the city’s purity of intentions all we want, but those sleeping on mats inside the shelter don’t really care. They just want to come in out of the rain - even if it is for just two weeks. If the end result of all this Super Bowl hype and hoopla is that they get a temporary home and a glint of hope, they’re OK with that. There may not be any chilled Cristal Champagne here as this Super Bowl get-together, but there is something just as valuable: A hot shower. “This place has been a godsend,” says Michael, an ex-con from New Orleans. “Sometimes, you just need a place to clean up and warm up so you can sort out your life.” Says James, a former postal worker who drank away his wife, his kids and his job: “I don’t have any Super Bowl tickets, but I have a bed and some food. You can’t ask for more than that.” Meanwhile, at a Super Bowl party the other night at the swanky Sawgrass Country Club, revelers were heard complaining because the boiled shrimp wasn’t peeled and the line at the chocolate fondue fountain was too long. If only they knew. Str set for the live bands that provided background music. The hosts and hostesses were ready to make every guest feel like royalty for a day. It was time for the Feast of Plenty, a 25-year tradition at Fort Lauderdale’s First Baptist Church. The homeless were the guests of Compiled by Jimmy Heath four separate grants. One grant, for honor at last month’s event, but In Toronto after a day-long $929,376, will be used to implement everyone was welcomed. debate and a flurry of suggested a new program aimed at chronic Dignity, the organizers said, changes by critics and supporters, homelessness, assisting those who are was the main item on the menu. city council last month endorsed disabled and have been homeless for “We treat our guests like Mayor David Miller’s at least a year, said Dan Williams, the what they are: our neighbors, and a controversial plan to help those coalition’s executive director. part of this community, just like us,” living on the streets find Each disabled person will be said Mike Jeffries, associate to the permanent housing. given housing along with other senior pastor. “For us, they are more “I see this as a victory for services to address the disability. than our guests. They are the guests people living on the street,” said Mr. Williams said he hopes they’ll have of Jesus. So they will be treated and Miller, after council voted 28 to 9 to the program up and running by this respected as such.” approve his plan with few major summer. Jeffries stressed that the event changes. “It gives them a real chance A $105,000 grant will help was opened to anyone who could and that is what Torontonians want.” the coalition create a homeless benefit from it, regardless of whether After the vote, Cathy Crowe, management information system that they have a roof over their heads. a street nurse with the Toronto will help local officials collect the Disaster Relief Committee, said, “I’m demographic information the federal In Jacksonville, Fl last very disappointed. We are not government requires in tracking month on the riverfront, a talking about a blueprint to end homeless populations. The grant will beautiful woman with blond hair homelessness.” be in concert with the recent count and an older man in a blue blazer Yesterday’s debate, watched the agency made of the area’s step off a $5 million yacht. They by advocates for the homeless and by homeless on Jan. 25, Williams said. walk across the street to a high-rise others in the public gallery, went off A third grant for $390,117 hotel, where the rooms are going for without a rowdy protest like the one will be used to operate 15 Place, the $500 a night and the scalpers are during a previous meeting when homeless center on St. Francis Street working the lobby, selling Super housing activists briefly stormed the in downtown Mobile. Bowl tickets for $3,000 apiece. council chamber. A fourth grant for $156,240 Meanwhile, a couple miles The $18.4-million plan will be used to provide substance away, Tom, a drug addict from includes hiring additional outreach abuse treatment for women through Roanoke, Va., is standing in the cold workers to assist the homeless, a Franklin Primary Health Center. rain outside a homeless shelter with promise to build 1,000 units a year of All of the local grants are part an old cowboy boot on one foot, a affordable housing and a prohibition of $1.4 billion in HUD funds that will discarded tennis shoe on the other. on sleeping in Nathan Phillips Square. be used nationwide to fight “If I had a Super Bowl ticket, Mr. Miller reiterated that no homelessness. I’d sell it and buy myself a good pair one will be forcibly removed from “This unprecedented level of of waterproof boots,” Tom says, Nathan Phillips Square. funds will go directly to those on the shaking his head and taking a drag Instead, with the outreach front lines, who work tirelessly every from a cigarette butt he picked up off workers and other measures, the day to bring an end to chronic the street. “But they don’t want me mayor says the intent of the new homelessness and who provide anywhere near the Super Bowl. They bylaw is to offer services to those services to the many individuals and don’t want the undesirables mingling living on the street to help them find families without a home of their own,” with the beautiful people.” permanent housing and receive HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson Welcome to the Super Bowl counselling and other support. said in a released statement. homeless shelter - a temporary Councilor Sylvia Watson said sanctuary for the down-and-out while it is far more cost-effective to find In Iowa City, Iowa a the uppercrust invades Jacksonville. permanent housing, with supports, for homeless man was sentenced to The shelter, in an old shuddered-up the hard-to-serve, than to warehouse 20 years in prison last month for a brick building, is only open for the them in overnight hostels. killing last spring. two weeks leading up to the Super “Instead, you can give them Prosecutors said Stephen Bowl. their own roof over their heads, Moore beat John Stewart to death as Although Jacksonville officials which is what we want and what they the two men fought under a bridge. claim this impermanent haven is here want, and you can do it at half the Moore pleaded guilty in Johnson for the good of the homeless, is there cost,” she said. County to voluntary manslaughter and any question it is also for the image of second-degree robbery. Judge the city? When you spend $3 million Douglas Russell ordered Moore to to illuminate the bridges for the Super In Birmingham AL, The pay restitution to Stewart’s family. Bowl, you don’t want beggars and Homeless Coalition of the Gulf Moore’s attorney said his client will bag ladies sleeping under them, right? Coast Inc. recently received $2.8 not appeal. “We’ve been accused of million in grants from the U.S. trying to get the homeless out of sight Department of Housing and In Ft. Lauderdale, FL the during Super Bowl week,” says Urban Development. First Baptist Church of Fort Wanda Lanier, executive director of The funds will be distributed Lauderdale hosted a community the Homeless Coalition of to nine local organizations, all of feast, with homeless people as Jacksonville, “but that’s not our which work with the homeless, said guests of honor. intention at all.” Cindy Yarbrough, field office director The preparations started at “These people live on the of HUD’s state office in Birmingham. midnight the day before. Tables were streets of downtown, and their home The coalition itself received set up al fresco and dressed with is being taken away from them by $1.58 million of those funds through elegant tablecloths. The stage was 100,000 people who are coming here Homeless News Digest Support Your Vendor Buy Streetvibes Page 3 �If the misery of the poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin. ~Charles Darwin Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that. ~Norman Vincent Peale It would be nice if the poor were to get even half of the money that is spent in studying them. ~Bill Vaughan A rich man is nothing but a poor man with money. ~W.C. Fields The trouble with being poor is that it takes up all your time. ~Willem de Kooning Poverty is like punishment for a crime you didn’t commit. ~Eli Khamarov, Lives of the Cognoscenti Poverty is taking your children to the hospital and spending the whole day waiting with no one even taking your name—and then coming back the next day, and the next, until they finally get around to you. ~Janice Bradshaw The Homeless Show your support! Get your STREETVIBES T-Shirt Today! By Linda Corey The homeless are human beings. The Mayor, Charlie Luken, says “homeless go home.” We have this money to send space shuttles to look at the moon and the nine planets, but we can’t help the homeless! The labels are really cruel: bums, tramps, beggars. We have talents. We are writers, salesmen, singers, guitarists. People can be so mean, I think they forget where they came from. I pray for a change on this ongoing homeless issue. I pray we don’t lose any more people. 20 YEARS SERVING THE NEIGHBORHOOD (Back shown here. Shirt not actual size) Empowering our neighborhood children through peace, art and education Only $15 We will send your Streetvibes T-shirt to your door ­ All proceeds benefit the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless and the Streetvibes newspaper. Call 513.421.7803 x 16, or come in to our office at 117 E 12th Street in Over-the-Rhine Page 4 Streetvibes Peaslee Neighborhood Center 215 East 14th Street Over-the-Rhine Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 (513) 621-5514 �How To Really Help The Homeless What should you do if a homeless guy asks you for money? A scan of a article in last month’s Minneapolis Star Tribune’s “Mindworks” section - a showcase for school-age writers - suggests that many young Minnesotans think it’s only right to be wary. Why, the students wonder, don’t these scruffy characters find work? And if a giver hands over cash, how can one know it will be well-used? Such skepticism is only natural coming from young minds, though it underscores how little most Minnesotans — young and old — really know about homelessness. They probably do not know, for instance, that most of Minnesota’s “scruffy people” are actually very sick — with mental illness, with addiction, with other medical or learning impairments. Their disabilities make ordinary self-care a challenge and regular employment a nearimpossibility. They are people almost anyone would agree deserve government help — but even those who qualify for assistance lack the knowledge and perseverance to obtain it. And while a few outreach workers make a point of keeping these lost men and women from freezing or starving, the government has long shown little concern for their plight. Until now. Though much can be assailed in the Bush administration’s proposed housing budget — the plan envisions a nearly $4 billion cut (a 12 percent drop from current spending) for already strapped public housing programs — the White House is at least offering help to the long-neglected homeless. Its new budget calls for 8.5 percent more than was spent last year on accelerating federal attempts to lure America’s unsheltered off the streets. Other spending hikes are also proposed: The Bush budget would boost the VA’s program to assure health care for homeless vets, increase unsheltered citizens’ access to health care and to addiction treatment, and seek to avert homelessness among ex-cons by investing more money in prisondischarge planning. This is the sort of communitybuilding venture Americans should expect from their government: It shows sensitivity to the immutable needs of society’s least able — even as it curbs the astonishing costs of overlooking homelessness. If such initiatives did not come at the cost of harsh cuts to other housing efforts, citizens could applaud without compunction. So perhaps they should cheer instead for Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Housing Commissioner Tim Marx, who are continuing to swim upstream in their quest to end homelessness. Turned down by the Legislature on a bonding-bill bid last session, the two have returned with a more ambitious plan than before. Their goal? To move the thousands of Minnesotans who now sleep outside or on shelter floors into long­ term “supportive housing” — an environment that keeps vulnerable people happily at home by making sure they get the monitoring and assistance they need. This session Pawlenty and Marx are aiming not just for $20 million in bonding to kick-start construction of needed housing for the homeless. They’re also seeking many new millions: $4 million for the The Opportunity For All Campaign OMB Watch The Bush Administration released a 237 page report late Friday, February 11, detailing the programs slated for elimination or substantial cuts in their FY 2006 budget proposal. The report is available at http:// www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/ fy2006/pdf/savings.pdf The report provides rationales for the Administration’s decisions to eliminate 99 programs providing services such as vocational education, literacy training, training programs for migrants and youthful offenders, juvenile justice programs, and certain medical services for children, and to greatly reduce funding for 55 programs, including adult education, housing for people with disabilities, substance abuse and mental health treatment, job training, and other juvenile justice programs. The Administration says that these cuts were made because of poor evaluations. But in many instances, the evaluations make criticisms of program operations that do not justify eliminating the services. For example, the $437 million Safe and Drug Free Schools grant program is eliminated, because its funding was judged to be spread too thin. If that is an accurate criticism, surely a more appropriate response would be to revise the criteria for grant-making, giving larger grants to fewer localities. Instead, the Administration does away with the grants, and adds only $83 million to the related Safe and Drug Free Schools National Program ­ reducing the funds available by $354 million. Over and over in this new document, the Administration opts neither to fix programs that it sees as underperforming nor to fund adequately replacement programs that would address the same need. It either eliminates programs altogether or slashes them, sometimes starting up something new to address a similar need ­ always with less money than before. An example: the Administration cuts $2.17 billion in high school programs, and replaces them with a $1.5 billion high school initiative, of which $250 million is for high school assessments (similar to assessments called for in the Leave No Child Behind act for elementary school students). Because the funding for assessments is new, there is only $1.25 billion for vocational and other high school programs previously funded at $2.17 billion ­ a $920 million cut. In addition, the Administration cuts some programs that were not rated ineffective. Substance abuse and mental health programs of regional and national significance were cut by $53 million - down from $891 million in FY 2005 to the President’s proposal of $838 million for FY 2006. These programs were rated adequate by the Administration. The evaluation did suggest moving funds from one part of this set of programs to another. The Administration did not transfer the funds, but removed them. The budget also cuts many programs for which no evaluation was available. In this case, no news was bad news. This new volume also details troubling structural changes to certain programs. It again seeks to carry out cuts in rental vouchers by choosing not to keep pace with rising housing costs. Instead of providing housing authorities with the funds necessary to support a certain number of vouchers, they will be given an allotment of funds instead. To live within the funds allocated, housing authorities would be given the authority to place time limits on tenants’ use of rental 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 Streetvibes state’s Housing Trust Fund and, with help from Human Services Commissioner Kevin Goodno, $10 million for his department’s new “flexible service fund” — to finance the social services that provide the “support” in supportive housing. This is just the start of a multiyear quest, and no one should expect all homeless citizens to move inside any time soon. Though Marx’s Minnesota Housing Finance Agency has already used some of his department’s discretionary funds to move several hundred homeless families indoors, ending homelessness altogether will require many millions of dollars and many years of dedication. Ultimately, it will demand an infrastructure and a social-service approach designed especially to welcome society’s unluckiest citizens in from the cold. That offering such a welcome is less costly than withholding it almost beside the point. What should matter — to gradeschoolers and grownups, to the archest of conservatives and the most brazen of liberals — is not that ending homelessness is thrifty, but that it is right. vouchers or to ask tenants to pay a greater share of their income for rent. The report also describes Medicaid restrictions aimed at reducing the federal reimbursements paid to states. Several members of the Coalition on Human Needs have produced excellent analyses of the President’s budget. The CHN website links to many of these (www.chn.org/issues/budget/ index.html) OMB Watch has produced a number of pieces analyzing the President’s budget and they are available on the OMB Watch website: President’ Bush’s FY 06 Budget: An Overview. OMB Watch promises to update these articles where necessary to reflect the report released by the White House. Don’t be Squirrelly! Buy Streetvibes! Page 5 �The Firecat Review Resolution of the member agencies of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless Whereas, there are many individuals residing in our Emergency Shelters for very long periods of time, stuck living on the street, unable to access permanent housing because of multiple barriers. Whereas, many other cities have been successful with Supportive Housing for the Chronically Homeless as well as “Housing First” programs and Cincinnati currently lacks any of these programs. Whereas Supportive Housing has a proven track record of helping those most difficult to serve and fits in with national, statewide and local goals of addressing the “chronically homeless.” Whereas, homeless individuals need to be located within walking distance of jobs, education and services. Whereas drug and alcohol addiction is proven to be a significant barrier to finding and maintaining housing making it more difficult for some homeless individuals to find a stable environment in which to seek treatment when they are ready. Whereas it is an accepted standard of quality outreach that people be “met where they are at” and given hospitality and easy access to services. Therefore, the 45 member agencies of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless fully supports the Drop Inn Center’s plans to create Permanent Supportive Housing with rich social services as well as arts programming on site on the corner of Liberty and Race. Unanimously Approved on February 17, 2005. Firecat Magenta – I like the ones with the what’s-it stuff in the batter – sprinkles. Firecat Blue – Firecat Black made perfect cupcakes and they didn’t get all crazy. Firecat Red – This is kinda’ sexy in a way (dipping mangled cupcake in frosting) - don’t look at me like that! Firecat Orange – I like chocolate cupcakes – the icing is so good (eating cupcake) by Rachel Lawson fight and even die just so that I I was “dining in” at a local could do something as simple as restaurant and an older white eating at a restaurant, I am still gentleman approached our table being called “colored.” with a smile so big you could not Originally I kept assuring help smiling back. He went on to myself that it was simply an older invite my family to visit his church. gentleman who was raised during a In any other situation, I time when it was okay to use those would have possibly terms. Yet, I keep taken him up on the thinking about how offer, however this every time he said invitation was very “colored,” he would special. As this stutter “black” seemingly innocent man afterwards, in an went on to tell us about attempt to correct his his church, he kept faux pas. Who knows, referring to us as it may have honestly Rachel Lawson “colored.” been innocent and he As a result, all the praises may have not been trying to hurt that he gave of his church were anyone’s feelings. What I do know falling on deaf ears, because all I is that the label “colored” was used heard him say was that one word. to dictate where African Americans The irony of the situation amazed could use the bathroom, eat, and me because here I was, during even drink water. I do know the Black History Month eating in a word “colored” is recognized in restaurant that years ago I would Marriam Webster’s dictionary as not have been allowed to think being “offensive.” Most of all, I about. know it’s not okay to call someone After all the men and colored and it’s not okay to be women who were determined to ignorant. Firecat Red – So it’s about the cupcakes. Firecat Orange – There were only a few black people in this section of the theater at Kenwood. Firecat Blue – It does look bad. Firecat Clear, are you there, any thoughts? Firecat Clear – um, no. Firecat Red - What was the deal with his swollen eye, his horrible face? Firecat Orange – It was some kind of allergic reaction. Firecat Red – Crabs? Firecat Black – Just don’t do that in front of Firecat Red… Firecat Orange – I don’t think it was crabs. Firecat Red – What the hell is with this pan? (catching self, clearly lying) It’s cool! Firecat Orange – What is everyone doing for Presidents Day? I’m going to visit my gramdma and her clogged toilet. Firecat Clear – You should give the recipe and the last step should be “shake pan vigorously.” Firecat Orange – This is like a mess! It’s Not Just A Word Page 6 Firecat Blue- Here are some cupcakes, but they exploded in the pan which, embarrassingly, has my name engraved in it. They are kind of messed up. Firecat Orange – We should do a review of the movie “Hitch.” Firecat Magenta – You’re the only one who has seen it! Firecat Red – It looks awful… Firecat Blue – My great-grandma always baked a cherry pie – in honor of George Washington. Firecat Magenta – Are we seriously reviewing Presidents Day? Firecat Clear – Are you seriously going to unclog your Grandma’s toilet? Firecat Orange – No, we are going to go to the gym – you have to hold it… Firecat Black – I like Will Smith. Firecat Orange – He’s sexy. Firecat Blue – You know I cannot tell a lie - remember the cherry tree? Remembering Bill Kashersky Known by many for his sensitive photography, by others for his activism as a homeless advocate, by others for his carpentry skills, by yet others for his love of family, and by all for his generous spirit, Bill Kashersky passed on January 23 by his own hand. Bill became active in the struggle to end homelessness in the late seventies after he came through the Drop Inn Center. He was known as a very quiet person who spoke with a stutter, but he gained a voice through the camera, which he used to document the struggle for justice in Over-the-Rhine. Many will recall his Streetvibes presence at major events for justice at that time. In the nineties, Bill lived a different life with his wife Becky and a loving extended family. His nieces and nephews recall him as a fond uncle and his Mulberry Street neighbors recall him as a helpful friend. He continued to struggle with alcoholism to the end, however. At a memorial held Monday, February 7 at Nast Trinity United Methodist Church, it was his skill as a craftsman, his loving nature, and his many kindnesses that the neighbors, family members, and friends chose to remember. �A Letter to Mayor Luken Regarding Tasers indeed, could be, and so would tasers be also. The Black Fist warned Council that tasers would In December 2003, City be disproportionately used on Council paid $1 million of taxpayer African-Americans, thereby causing money to equip every police officer a further rift in police/community with a taser. As a rationale for this relations. I personally warned that, expenditure of public funds, Council without a proper use of force policy marketed this decision to the regarding tasers, we would all be community as a non-lethal means sitting in the same mess that lead to by which Police Officers would the implementation of tasers on the defend themselves in cases where force in the first place. they would otherwise use deadly Those warnings were in force. vain. For today we find ourselves Tasers were supposed to be in a situation where approximately an alternative to the force used 80% of police taser incidents during the Nate Jones arrest, force involve African-Americans. Many, that ultimately took Mr. Jones’life. if not all, taser incidents lack any Tasers, it would seem, would save threat of harm to the officers lives. Or at least, that’s how concerned or of anyone else within Councilman Crowley billed it in his the perimeter. The city faces statement to a Cincinnati Enquirer possible financial liability due to reporter on December 8, 2003 lawsuits that have been filed as a when he said, “I’m for anything result of police use of tasers. that’s reasonable that will give us Police are, obviously, no less options so that we don’t have to inclined to use deadly force (as use lethal force or even the kind of seen in this most recent case response that we saw on those involving Officer Orlando Smith and tapes at the White Castle … I think 19-year-old Devon Price), and, to the mayor’s right that we should make matters worse, it seems move as soon as we can. I think tasers are not so non-lethal after all. we should move to prevent any The fact is: the US Consumer more death while people are being Product Safety Commission has not arrested or in custody.” tested this product since the The Coalition for a Just 1970’s. Cincinnati warned Council that Recently a Grand Jury in tasers were not the solution to the Las Vegas ruled that tasers played a issue at hand. The CJC mentioned role in the February 2004 death of that the clubs used by police during William Lomax. Mr. Lomax was the Nate Jones incident weren’t zapped seven times in about ten themselves deadly weapons but minutes, and subsequently died of when wielded by uncaring, cardiac arrest. Less than four days irresponsible, racist police they, ago, 41-year-old Jeff Turner of by Amanda E. Mayes - Co-chair, Coalition for a Just Cincinnati Toledo was killed in a Lucas County jail minutes after having been tased a number of times by police. According to Amnesty International, at least 74 people have died in the U.S. and Canada in the past four years after being tased (sixteen of which were in the year 2003 alone), and human rights organizations around the nation, including the ACLU urge that taser use be severely restricted if not discontinued all together. Five states have banned the use of tasers for civilians as well as police (Michigan, Hawaii, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Massachusetts). Three cities have done the same (Washington D.C., Baltimore and Annapolis). There are still many cities that still welcome tasers. In these cities, not only has death resulted subsequent to taser use, but also tasers are frequently deployed against children and the elderly; the very populations most at risk for fatal injury. In Tucson, AZ public outcry began after police stunned a 9-year-old girl. In Kansas City, MO people were outraged at the tazing of a 66-year-old woman. More recently, a 75-year-old woman was tased by police in her South Carolina nursing home …. and so on and so on. People, I think it’s time that we take a serious look at our situation and do an in-depth analysis of what needs to occur in order to rectify our current problems and prevent possible future disasters from taking place. The system that we currently have is insufficient. Standing policies are inadequate and allow for too much discretion when it comes to police use of force. More specifically, current procedures regarding taser use are dangerous and irresponsible given the information that we have about the link between tasers and death. With all of the non-lethal options available to Cincinnati Police, tasers should be reserved only in place of a gun. Furthermore, policy should require that non-lethal force be the only option available to officers unless there is a clear and present deadly threat – rather than a perceived threat of danger. Moreover, city leaders need to be asking Chief Streicher why, after sacrificing $1 million dollars of the city budget toward the purchase of these tasers, are police unwilling to use them in the place of deadly force. It will not be until the proper changes are made that we will be able to honestly say that tragedies like the death of Roger Owensby, Nate Jones, Timothy Thomas, etc were not in vain but were, instead, a catalyst for change that would create a more just, more tolerant Cincinnati. Unless, you have resigned yourself to the idea that instances such as the shooting of 19-year-old Devon Price (in a case of mistaken identity) are acceptable, you must enforce change. Otherwise, prepare yourself for the fire next time. A focus on women’s issues by Kate McManus The performance was emotionally charged and empowering. Valentine’s Day is the commercial celebration of romantic Some monologues made me love. But at the University of Dayton laugh uncontrollably, others moved me to tears, and one in particular gave the weekend before Valentine’s Day me chills. and the week This is the following was a third annual celebration of women and a focus performance at the on women’s issues. University as a part of Women’s Week, On February 11, formerly known as 12, and 13, V Week. members of Studio Black and Theatre and SAFE and women at the pink were the University came colors of the night, Kate McManus with costumes, together to perform lighting and the the Vagina Black Box – where the performance Monologues by Eve Ensler, a took place – all fitting the scheme. collection of monologues based on interviews with women of all ages The University of Dayton’s from all walks of life. Monologues performance of the Vagina Monologues was amazing and raised range from hilarious to heart money and awareness for women’s wrenching. issues and agencies in Dayton. It is a The actors made the tradition I hope will continue for years monologues their own and put everything into their performances. to come. “Don “Don’’t Leave Home W ithout IIt...” t...” Streetvibes Page 7 �Congressional Hunger Center celebrates 10 years On Wednesday, February 9th, dignitaries, former Hunger Fellows and staff gathered at the US Botanic Garden in Washington DC for a reception to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the founding of the Congressional Hunger Center (CHC). From the House Select Committee on Hunger founded in 1983, to the creation of the CHC and its fellowship programs in 1994, these projects have become a recognized platform for shaping and influencing current and future hunger leaders and social advocates in the US and around the world. The evening was dedicated to the Hunger Fellows, past and present, the founders and friends, advocates in Congress, and its board members, for having the persistence and insight to make the 10 year journey possible. The collective efforts, talent and work have positioned the CHC to be a true leader in the anti-hunger activist Tony Hall, Ambassador to the UN Agen­ community. At the reception, we cies for Food and Agriculture and coheard from the new U.S. founder of the CHC Secretary of Agriculture, the Honorable Michael Johanns. Three community servants who have dedicated their lives to the principles of the mission were honored: CHC Founder’s Award was presented to The Honorable Tony P. Hall, Ambassador to the UN Food Agencies in Rome; The Bill Emerson Lifetime National Hunger Leader Award to The Honorable Dan Glickman, President & CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) and former Secretary of Agriculture under the Clinton Administration; and The Mickey Leland Emerging International Hunger Leader Award to The Honorable Elizabeth Dole, US Senator (R-NC). Also honored were four founding CHC board members: Paul Carothers, Vice President Public Affairs, Kraft Foods, Inc.; Al Franken, actor, author and radio talk show host; David Kantor, Victory Wholesale Grocers; and Manly Molpus, President & CEO, Grocery Manufacturers of America. The Congressional Hunger Center (CHC) is a nonprofit antihunger training organization founded by former Rep. Tony Hall and located in Washington, D.C. Members of Congress, Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO) and Rep. James P. Edinburgh to Host Homeless World Cup The Homeless World Cup, an international street soccer event, is coming to the UK for the first time in its short history. Hosted in Edinburgh from 20th-24th July in Princes Street Gardens, the event will see 32 countries participate in one of the world’s biggest socially inclusive events. Co-founder, Mel Young President of the International Network of Street Papers (INSP) said “This is a unique event which has attracted significant media interest around the world in its short history. It has a genuine impact on people’s lives in what has become a global symbol of integration through sport. I am grateful to all our partners in this event – to the Scottish Executive, EventScotland, SportScotland and the City of Edinburgh Council for hosting the 2005 Homeless World Cup. The United Nations has also pledged its support in recognition of the important part the Homeless World Cup plays in the lives of the disenfranchised. The event also attracts support from UEFA and a number of large football clubs including Manchester United and Real Madrid. He added “There is much excitement amongst participating countries about coming to Edinburgh. Nations such as Brazil, Cameroon, Ukraine, South Africa, Japan, France this year.” Page 8 The World Cup is an international street soccer event that highlights the positive power of sport by creating a unique setting for homeless people and people in poverty. The concept was developed in 2001 by the International Network of Street Papers (INSP), which works on practical solutions for homelessness and poverty. Founded in 1995 the INSP today provides more than 60 street papers worldwide with a high profile networking opportunity through its headquarters in Glasgow. Streetvibes is a member of the INSP. In providing excluded people with access to soccer, the Homeless World Cup generates a new social impact for a marginalized target group. The feeling of belonging, challenge of working in a team, the process of regaining a health oriented attitude in life and last but not least the experience of nothing but just fun. Communities Minister Malcolm Chisholm said “The Scottish Executive is delighted to support this event. I would like to congratulate The International Network of Street Papers for establishing the Homeless World Cup and bringing the tournament to Edinburgh this year. “The social impact of an event such as this is clear and the Homeless World Cup has a strong positive impact on participants. It is also an ideal opportunity to raise awareness and challenge perceptions about what homeless people can achieve. “Sporting activity of all kinds provides ways in which we can engage with others and improve our physical and mental health and well-being. I hope this year’s event will help the players to regain lost confidence, build self-esteem and find sustainable solutions to the problems they face. “Scotland’s renowned place as a host of international events and our progressive approach to homelessness makes Edinburgh an ideal location for the international interest I know there will be in this event. I wish the organizers and all participants every success for July.” This is the third Homeless World Cup - the first tournament was launched in Graz, Austria, in July Streetvibes McGovern (D-MA) are the co-chairs of our Board of Directors and exemplify the bipartisan approach to ending hunger. The Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellows Program is a year­ long leadership development program that trains emerging leaders in the fight against hunger in the U.S. The Bill Emerson Fellows are a living tribute to the late Rep. Bill Emerson, who devoted his energies to assisting the poor and needy. The Mickey Leland International Hunger Fellows Program sends talented U.S. citizens to work alongside hungry people in the world’s poorest countries. The program is a memorial to the late Rep. Mickey Leland who led the fight against hunger in the U.S. Congress, and lost his life in Ethiopia on a famine relief mission. Streetvibes Editor and Former Hunger Fellow Jimmy Heath sidles up to CHC board mem­ ber Al Franken 2003. Backed by the patronage of the UN and UEFA the event was organized in co-operation with Graz03 Cultural Capital of Europe. The 2004 event in Gothenburg, Sweden attracted 26 teams and over 40,000 spectators during the tournament. 130 journalists from around the world were accredited, including 35 TV stations and over 600 articles were printed. Councillor Ricky Henderson, Executive Member for Sport, Culture and Leisure for the City of Edinburgh Council said, “Edinburgh has a great reputation for hosting international events and the 2005 Homeless World Cup is coming to Scotland’s capital knowing they can expect a warm welcome. The event will bring benefits to the city through tourism and will be a fantastic spectator occasion. We’re looking forward to a memorable and successful tournament for everyone who comes to watch and take part.” David Williams, Chief Executive of EventScotland added; “EventScotland is delighted to be part of the strong partnership developed to secure this event for Edinburgh. The unique nature of the event, along with the spectacular setting of Princes Street Gardens, provides an excellent opportunity to generate national and international profile and EventScotland is pleased to be supporting this key element of the event.” �The Dismantling of Health Care Safety Net through because the open window of enrollment had already closed. She was already discouraged because her attempt to get on the program had failed the year before. She had 94 million adults in America showed us a letter of DMA denial have no health insurance. In April, that number will rise even higher. The dated Feb. 1, 2003. Later we learned that after Ohio Empowerment Coalition she had initially been denied DMA in has just learned that Governor Taft plans to completely eliminate February 2003, her health had the Disability Medical Assistance worsened. In April 2003 she had a (DMA) program in Ohio to “save stroke that resulted in an emergency room stay. After that she was in poor money,” starting April 1, 2005. health and was unable to go back to He is not even waiting for the state working. She went on public legislature to weigh in on this assistance (Ohio Works First) and termination. It appears the priority finally received Medicaid. However, for his administration is to save money without regard to saving lives, once her son turned eighteen, she was no longer eligible for cash the lives of very low-income people assistance and the accompanying in Ohio.. Medicaid. Even though her health The DMA program is a safety net of health care for very low- was poor, Saundra went back to applying for Temporary Service jobs. income, medication dependent She would often come to Contact Ohioans who somehow survive on Center and make calls seeking work, only $115 or less in income per in between making calls for the month. They have no dependent Welfare Rights Coalition. children living with them. Their She did not look ill. Saundra children may be grown or they may be childless. Because their income is was not the usual looking “suspect” so low, many of these individuals are for high blood pressure. She was very calm, quiet and mild- mannered. living in homeless shelters. The For the last year Cassandra at medication they are dependent on makes the difference in whether they Contact Center had been helping Saundra with her SSI claim. Finally are able to keep chronic health on August 15, 2004, Saundra conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, under control and be received word that she had won her claim to SSI and Medicaid. She was seen under a doctor’s care. Their very happy about this. Sadly it was health care needs include life-saving too late. We did not realize then that medication. Oftentimes DMA is a her blood pressure was already transition phase while an individual’s skyrocketing & out of control. She SSI claim is processed. Because of the stringency of SSI determination, it said she was having trouble with her may take several years for a claim to vision and needed glasses. We were working with her to get eyeglasses, go through, after being appealed several times. Once SSI is approved, not realizing that a stroke was imminent. the recipient is approved for In late October we received Medicaid. DMA is a state-funded a call from her son at the emergency health program. Medicaid is both room that she was in a coma from a federal and state. stroke. The hospital transferred her Saundra is one person who to Drake Hospital for recovery. She fell through the cracks between waiting for an SSI determination and stayed in a coma. A few days later she had another stroke and was sent trying to get help through the DMA back to University Hospital where program to receive much needed she died. We were appalled at how medication to control hypertension. Saundra died on November fast the tragedy unfolded. Saundra was a wonderful person and she is 12, 2004 at the age of 55. She was greatly missed at the Contact Center. a regular volunteer at the Contact Although Saundra fell through Center, very dependable, and it the cracks and was not able to shocked us to learn of her death. When she was not working at actually receive DMA because of the limited enrollment window for this temporary job agencies, she was program, her story tragically points either in church or at the Contact out the crucial need for this health Center. care program to be saved in Ohio Saundra volunteered with us and adequately funded to save the for at least a year before her death. lives of indigent individuals who are She spoke of her need to get medication dependent. medication to control her high blood If Taft’s plan to ax this pressure. She lacked health program is carried out, many more insurance or Medicaid to cover her medication. The temporary jobs did lives of human beings will be on the line. The Ohio Empowerment not provide health insurance, so she Coalition, along with the Family did without. We encouraged her to apply for DMA and helped her apply. Coverage Coalition, is committed to fighting back and saving this program. Somehow her application did not go by Lynn Williams Ohio Empowerment Coalition, West Ohio Organizer Human lives are at stake. Saundra, who accompanied us on many actions to fight for Medicaid coverage, would have been fighting at the forefront on this battle. She will still be with us to fight on in spirit! We urge you to call Governor Taft to express your displeasure at his plan to eliminate DMA. Call the Governor at 614­ 466-3555. Write: Governor Bob Taft, Vern Riffe Center, 77 S. High St., 30th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215-6117. If enough displeased citizens call and write letters to him, surely he will find other ways to save the state money besides throwing indigent human beings off their life-saving medications. For more information on upcoming Ohio Empowerment Coalition events or for more information call 1-877-862-5179. There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread. Mother Teresa Heartfelt positive feelings create far more than a healthy psychological effect. They fortify our internal energy systems and nourish the body right down to the cellular level. For that reason, we like to think of these emotions as “quantum nutrients.” Doc Childre and Howard Martin, The HeartMath Solution If your thoughts are thoughts that draw low-frequency energy current to you, your physical and emotional attitudes will deteriorate, and emotional or physical disease will follow, whereas thoughts that draw high-frequency energy current to you create physical and emotional health. Gary Zukav (as quoted in HeartMath Discovery Program) Got The Vibe? This beautiful, original artwork depicts the vibrant role that Streetvibes plays in downtown Cincinnati and neighboring communities. Created by local artist and activist Mary Ann Lederer in collage form, this colorful 18" X 10" reproduction can be yours to own for only $10. Commemorating Streetvibes 100th issue, proceeds from this limited time offer will go to support the Streetvibes Program and Vendors. To order, call the Homeless Coalition at 421-7803 Streetvibes Page 9 �The Peace Village by Steve Sunderland I realize that these experiences may qualify me as a grief educator even though I have never faced anything similar to what has happened in Indonesia. Over 228,000 people have perished and a substantial number are still missing. In Banda Aceh province, the place of the epicenter of the earthquake, the following conditions prevail according to reports form the US Indonesian society: “Rebuilding Aceh’s education system is urgent. The Thanks to a grant to the Ohio University program In Asian Studies from the U.S. State Department, I will be joining a team heading to Indonesia in March for 10 days, starting 3/14. I will be meeting with many of the visitors from Indonesia that I did workshops on peaceful mediation over the past year plus some old friends from the Peace Village in Cincinnati. Rick Kraince, Peace Villager and professor from Ohio University’s South Asian program will be heading the trip. The stories coming out of Dr. Steve Sunderland Indonesia are chilling. Children left without Indonesian Embassy reports that 914 parents in large numbers, especially primary schools, 155 middle schools, very young ones. Elders left without 67 high schools, and 15 vocational any family. Food, water and medical schools were destroyed. treatment still vitally needed. The work that may need to be done right Approximately 30,000 students and 1,140 teachers have died or are now is to work with teachers and missing.” What is the competence other professionals who are coping needed to comprehend this state of with massive grief on the part of children and families. I have worked disaster? And, the relief effort is in co-founding a grief center for massive as well. Billions of dollars, children and their families in aid from so many countries pouring Cincinnati, Fernside, and have into Indonesia, and U.S. armed cooperated in helping to set up support groups for grieving parents in services providing thousands of pounds of food, and water and Cincinnati and nationally, Parents of medical treatment, saving thousands Murdered Children and The of lives each day. (At our tsunami Compassionate Friends. relief conference last month, we heard a stirring talk by Lt. Col. John Miller, USAF, and a faculty member at the University of Cincinnati, giving some general idea of the vital resources being provided on a daily basis. I hope to print a copy of his remarks in a future newsletter to provide all of us with greater knowledge of just how extensive our relief efforts, via the military, have been. And, they are continuing.) I hope to bring many puppets for the orphaned children, posters created by schoolchildren in Cincinnati’s Peace Village schools, and grief literature, hopefully translated into Indonesian in time The major work of grieving will take place within the Indonesian culture. I will consult with Indonesian students and others on the kinds of assistance young and older people might need at this time and in a few months. Of course grief is different across cultures, with different age groups, by gender, and by type of death. I have worked in schools where one child has been killed and seen the amazing emotional devastation such an event can have on children and teachers. When the number grows to hundreds and thousands, in a school and a region, I suspect that other dynamics are working. Your ideas for what might work in helping in the grief support area will be appreciated. It is clear that a support group for those going over will be helpful and a group to reflect on our experience when we return. The first impressions will be very difficult and my anticipation will be keyed to what I am learning right now. Where will children and helping professionals be by mid-March? I am gathering together some books and articles to send over as well as thinking of having some of these translated in to Indonesian. Since a lot of my grief work has been with puppets, I would like to bring puppets that can be used to help communicate. Indonesia has a great history of puppetry and some historians feel that puppetry started in Indonesia before recorded time. More exploration with puppet groups and the puppet organization will occur before I go. The tsunami shock wave has moved the Peace Village to reveal the compassionate action with our many schools, young people, teachers, staff and educators. Raising money from the sale of thousands of bracelets for relief, like collecting cans for the homeless at the Free Store/Food Bank, puts some of the event in perspective. Moving to sharing feelings through posters, cards, and perhaps videos, increases involvement and permits the touching of a human soul and life. Are there other ways you would like to creatively connect? Dr. Steve Sunderland, professor of Social Work at the University of Cincinnati, is the Director of The Peace Village, a group of individuals from the national and interna­ tional community committed to examining all issues of Peace in the world. Dr. Sunderland also heads up Posters-for-Peace which en­ gages people in expressing their visions of Peace, in their own words, through the cre­ ation of posters. Surfing is latest weapon in war against South African homelessness by Cathryn Scott Homeless street children in South Africa are being helped to find accommodation – through surfing. A unique project in Durban uses the sport to interact with the children and to encourage them either to return to their homes or to find other ways of addressing their situations. The surfing scheme is an offshoot of the Umthombo Research And Action project in Durban, which works with street children and is run voluntarily by Enoch, a former street child, who rebuilt his life after finding that surfing gave him something to focus on. Now, a Swansea-based woman is raising money to buy beginner boards for the children to learn on so that they will no longer have to rely on borrowed boards. Rachel Bell, who teaches surfing at Llangennith beach on the Gower, says her ultimate aim is to establish a surf school, where money made giving lessons to tourists would be Page 10 used to give free lessons to the children. Bell, who is travelling to Durban this week to work there voluntarily for four months, said: “Although the surfing project is a small part of the work that they do, it is what attracted me initially. “There are shelters there but they are not really finding the kids, and the kids don’t always know the shelters are there, so this is a good way of meeting kids and getting them to a point where they can engage with adults.” She added that the increasing number of children being orphaned by AIDS, and the resultant breakdown in family networks, had led to an increase in the number of street children. She said: “To survive they get involved in crime. There’s a lot of child prostitution, and glue sniffing is the favourite drug in the area to abuse.” She added: “The police want to get rid of them, they want them off the streets so they don’t always deal with them in a way that is constructive to the children.” She explained that surfing could help the children in several different ways. “They have very little structured activity or structured interaction with adults, so it is a way of adults building trust. It gets rid of excess energy, helps them to relax and is a good way to be chilled and of forgetting what goes on in their everyday lives. It’s also good for selfesteem because they feel good about themselves, that they have learnt a new skill.” She said that initial work with street children in the area had found that many of them wanted to go home but didn’t know how. She said: “Some of them had a mother or something that they wanted to go back to, but they literally didn’t know how to get there, or they don’t have a phone number. “It’s amazing how they get into these situations, but with a couple of hours’ work you can sort it out for good. Taking an interest in individual Streetvibes kids and listening and finding out their different stories can make a difference.” Reprinted from The Big Issue Cymru, February 2005. ©Street News Service: www.street­ papers.org “To stand at the edge of the sea, to sense the ebb and flow of the tides, to feelthe breath of a mist moving over a great salt marsh, to watch the flight of shore birds that have swept up and down the surf lines of the continents for untold thousands of year, to see the running of the old eels and the young shad to the sea, is to have knowledge of things that are as nearly eternal as any earthly life can be.” “Patience permits us to cling to our faith in the Lord when we are tossed about by suffering as if by surf. When the undertow grasps us we will realize that we are somehow being carried forward even as we tumble. We are actually being ­ helped even as we cry for help.” �What Progressives Should Do by Eric Weltman & Paul Lachelier In the election’s aftermath, progressives are experiencing a mix of emotions: anger, frustration, and despair. Undoubtedly, some are already applying for Canadian work visas. But there are a few reasons why progressives should be hopeful. Even as we face another four years of President Bush, tremendous political shifts can occur. During the 1950s— amidst the repression of McCarthyism—who knew that liberalism, free expression, and protest would flower in the coming decade? Of course, the Bush Administration will continue its pernicious course, but progressives can build compelling alternatives now. Many of the political decisions that affect our lives are made by state and local governments, where progressives can more easily win office, influence decision-makers, and affect public policy. The causes for which we stand—economic justice, human rights, and ecology among them—are too important. For those without health care, for those toiling for poverty wages, for our children who will inherit the earth, we cannot give up. Regardless of our political goals, the work itself provides rewards. Activism nurtures knowledge, connections, good health, and civic skills. For these reasons we propose five directions for progressive action: 1. Increase understanding and awareness of how social change is made. The history of progressive movements offers a wealth of ideas and inspiration. Other academic disciplines, like sociology and communications, can help us build powerful progressive movements. Unfortunately, too much useful research largely circulates within narrow academic circles. Progressives should build bridges with universities to establish regular dialogues, gain access to research, and engage more teachers and students in their work. 2. Make our organizations more effective. Too many progressive organizations struggle with clunky databases, poorly managed stuff, too few volunteers, or lack of money. Accordingly, progressive groups should seek more people with specific skills or experience in non-profit management, law, fundraising, and information technology. Plenty of people who work for for-profit and government entities would be willing to lend their services part-time and pro-bono to causes in which they believe. 3. Substantially increase our investment in organizing. Progressives need to spend much more time knocking on doors and less time mobilizing the same crowds for rallies in Washington and New York. We need to bring democracy to people where they are—at their homes, workplaces, malls, churches, and supermarkets. This means hiring more organizers, and keeping them in the movement by providing proper training, salaries, and sane work schedules. 4. With Republicans controlling Washington, we should make left-leaning states and cities showcases for progressive policies. States have the resources and ability to offer universal health care, require living wages, and provide a good public education to all children. To help accomplish this, progressives should focus national resources on targeted states, and nurture networks for sharing model policies and effective strategies for instituting these policies. 5. Improve fundraising. To help make these suggestions possible, we need to raise the financial commitment from progressives of all incomes, not just the wealthiest. Some Americans tithe, giving a percentage of their income to their churches, a concept progressive groups should promote to their most committed supporters. One of the most effective ways to make giving Streetvibes easy and habitual is through “sustainership,” whereby supporters automatically donate a fixed amount on a monthly basis. Progressives can lay the groundwork for building a movement, increasing our organizational capacity, and achieving the progressive promise, showing the nation that it’s a worthy aspiration. Eric is a New York-based writer and activist. Paul is a Ph.D. candidate in political sociology in Somerville. Comments welcome: Eric@EricWeltman.com. Reprinted from Whats Up, Boston, MA, January 2005. Page 11 �Streetvibes Vendor Code of Conduct About the Greater Cincinnati All Vendors Sign and Agree to a Code of Conduct Coalition for the Homeless and Report Any Violations to GCCH - 421-7803 Streetvibes.... 1. Streetvibes will be distributed Vendors must not tell customers earned. This program has helped for a $1 voluntary donation. If a customer donates more than $1 for a paper, vendors are allowed to keep that donation. However, vendors must never ask for more than $1 when selling Streetvibes. 2. Each paper purchased from the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH) costs 30 cents. Papers will not be given out on credit. Old papers can not be traded in for new papers. 3. Streetvibes may only be purchased from GCCH. Never buy papers from, or sell papers to other vendors. 4. Vendors must not panhandle or sell other items at the same time they are selling Streetvibes. 5. Vendors must treat all other vendors, customers, and GCCH personnel with respect. 6. Vendors must not sell Streetvibes while under the influence. 7. Vendors must not give a “hard sell” or intimidate anyone into purchasing Streetvibes. This includes following customers or continuing to solicit sales after customers have said no. Vendors must also never sell Streetvibes door-to-door. 8. Vendors must not deceive customers while selling Streetvibes. Vendors must be honest in stating that all profits go to the individual vendor. that the money they receive will go to GCCH or any other organization or charity. Also, vendors must not say that they are collecting for “the homeless” in general. 9. Vendors must not sell papers without their badge. Vendors must present their badge when purchasing papers from GCCH. Lost badges cost $2.00 to replace. Broken or worn badges will be replaced for free, but only if the old badge is returned to GCCH. 10. Streetvibes vendor meetings are held on the first weekday of the month at 1pm. The month’s paper will be released at this meeting. If a vendor cannot attend the meeting, he or she should let us know in advance. If a vendor does not call in advance and does not show up, that vendor will not be allowed to purchase papers on the day of the meeting or the following day. Five free papers will be given to those who do attend. 11. Failure to comply with the Code of Conduct may result in termination from the Streetvibes vendor program. GCCH reserves the right to terminate any vendor at any time as deemed appropriate. Badges and Streetvibes papers are property of GCCH, and must be surrendered upon demand. The mission of the North American Street Newspaper Association (NASNA) is to support a street newspaper movement that creates and upholds journalistic and ethical standards while promoting self-help and empowerment among people living in poverty. NASNA papers support homeless and very low-income people in more than 35 cities across the United States and Canada. Streetvibes Vendor: 70 cents Printing and Production: 30 cents Page 12 The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH) was formed in May of 1984 for one purpose: the eradication of homelessness in Cincinnati. What started out as a coalition of 15 volunteers meeting weekly in an unheated church basement has since grown into a Coalition of over 45 agencies and hundreds of volunteers dedicated to improving services for homeless individuals, educating the public about homelessness and empowering homeless individuals to advocate for their civil rights and housing needs. Streetvibes is a tool of GCCH used to help us achieve our goal of ending homelessness. On the one hand it is a selfsufficiency program geared towards the homeless and marginally housed individuals who are our vendors. Streetvibes vendors buy the paper for 30 cents per copy and sell it for a suggested one-dollar donation, keeping the profit that they have hundreds of people find and maintain housing. The vendors also sign a code of conduct stating that they will behave responsibly and professionally and they proudly display their official Streetvibes badge while selling the paper. Our vendors put a face on “the homeless” of Cincinnati and form lasting friendships with their customers. On the other hand, Streetvibes is an award-winning alternative newspaper and part of the international street newspaper movement. Focusing on homelessness and social justice issues, Streetvibes reports the often-invisible story of poverty in our community. Streetvibes is also proud to include creative writing, poetry, articles, photography and interviews written by homeless and formerly homeless individuals. Streetvibes enjoys a loyal reader base that respects the honest portrayal of the joys, sorrows, and challenges facing the people of Cincinnati. Streetvibes is a member of the: The International Network of Street Papers (INSP) unites street papers sold by homeless and people living in poverty from all over the world. INSP is an umbrella organisation, which provides a consultancy service for its partner papers and advises on the setting up of new street papers and support initiatives for marginalised people. Where Your Dollar Goes... 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 information about the program. Many thanks for your support. Streetvibes We were so poor my daddy unplugged the clocks when we went to bed. — Chris Rock My father was a simple man. My mother was a simple woman. You see the result standing in front of you, a simpleton. — Chic Murray I have a punishing workout regimen. Every day I do 3 minutes on a treadmill, then I lie down, drink a glass of vodka and smoke a cigarette. — Anthony Hopkins �Political Fictions by Kody Akhavi On January 29, a Palestinian postal worker boarded a public bus in Jerusalem and detonated an explosive, killing 11 civilians and wounding many more. The bomb, strapped to his person, was packed with metal shards and nails to maximize the damage. The contained force of the backpack bomb ripped through the interior. The back of the bus was hollowed out as if a massive bullet had shot through it. The seats were bent into a twisted mass of metal. The force of the bomb projected backwards and blasted off half of the roof. I stood in front of Cambridge City Hall several months later and looked at the gutted remains of Bus 19. A man, sitting on an adjacent park bench, approached me and said, “This is what we Israelis have to deal with everyday.” He said he was in front of City Hall to protect the bus from Arabs that planned to vandalize the icon. I imagined a barbarian horde brandishing swords and thick beards descending on Massachusetts Avenue. “All the Arabs?” I asked. He got the point and said, “Extremist groups.” But the implicit meaning of his statement shook me. The American media is awash with images of Arab atrocity. In early November, The New York Times published a photo of several masked Palestinian youths brandishing toy guns and knives; the headline above mentioned the recent death of nationalist leader Yassir Arafat. In Tehran, chants of “Death to America” accompanied the 25th anniversary of the Iranian-hostage crisis. In Cambridge, a man picked up a newspaper that displayed an image of a bombed out bus and said to me, “Can you believe this? The Quran says that it’s okay to kill people and cut their heads off.” Do the remains of Bus 19 represent all the atrocities committed on both sides of the Arab-Israeli conflict? Does the Palestinian bomber represent every Palestinian? Does he represent every political group in Palestine? Maybe he represents Fatah, or the PLO, or Hamas (which incidentally was once funded by the Israeli government to combat the PLO). Does he represent every Arab? Is every Arab a Muslim? An image can’t ever provide the entire truth, a satisfying answer to any of these questions. But our belief that they do, and the skillful use or nonuse of images by powerful groups, keeps us thinking that we know all we need. And our understanding of the world keeps getting flattened out in the process. Let’s be honest; many of the images from the Middle East, particularly those dealing with the wars and conflict, are works of political fiction. A recent estimate of the current death toll in Iraq indicated that close to 100,000 Iraqis had died since combat operations began. But you won’t see any indication of the dirty reality of war on television. Instead, you’ll be treated to a Hollywood bonanza, consisting of the newest and most entertaining technology that the American military machine has to offer. You will quell any inclination to question what those swooping jets are actually shooting down; that they may be grinding the opposition and civilians into flesh and bone. How does the government espouse legitimacy for the military adventures upon which they embark? It is expected that the elites of this country would engage in an airtight plan to balk the public’s temptation for the “raw story.” But advanced technology provides the illusion of instant (and therefore uncensored) images and commentary from relevant locations around the world. What is not seen by the viewer, and noticed just as rarely by the reader, is the extensive preparation for a newscast and the background work that goes into any printed story. With “embedded” journalists getting all their info through a military filter, the loser in this scenario is the public. The reality is that the majority of our media outlets engage regulate information, using various tricks in order to create an image of an issue that is most favorable to the receiver. Most journalism is focused less on truth than “logical fallacy,” an error in logical argument which is independent of the truth of the premises. Utilizing the World Trade Center attacks and the “war on terror” as a justification for invading Iraq, and thereby perpetuating more terrorist activity, defies logic. And that’s just one example. Recognizing fallacies in practical arguments can be difficult since these arguments are often structured to obscure the logical connections between assertions. Fallacies also exploit the emotional, intellectual, or psychological weaknesses of the reader. By demonizing the opposition, as the conservative right does to “liberals,” as Osama Bin Laden does to “infidels,” or as George Bush, Jr. does to “freedom haters,” powerful entities can more effectively and more easily achieve their ends. Because images seem to be irrevocably true, they can bolster any argument, however asinine. Today’s war photography is very tame, almost clean. Past images put it in perspective. In a famous Nick Ut photograph, a naked Vietnamese girl runs down a dirt road crying, her village decimated by an American napalm bomb. In the background, American GIs share cigarettes and walk casually, with no regard to the obliterated space behind them. This is an unedited, un­ mediated image that spurred protest and public disapproval of the Vietnam War.Although military pundits accused the media of costing them a war they could have easily won, in that case, the media followed public opinion rather than leading it. Americans witnessed firsthand the blistering images of a miserable, violent, and controversial war, and decided that they didn’t want anything to do with it. It is not a surprise then, that during the first Gulf War, George Bush, Sr.’s administration censored photos of dead American soldiers returning home. Instead of publicly honoring them for their service, the president sought to diminish the impact of the loss of American lives. Perhaps the most memorable image of Bush Jr.’s invasion of Iraq came on the day that American tanks rolled into Baghdad. The cropped image of a statue of Saddam Hussein being destroyed in Fardus Square, to the delight of cheering Iraqis, was broadcast around the world as proof of a massive Iraqi uprising. The original photos from news wires reveal a long-shot view of the square. It’s empty save for the U.S. marines, the international press, and a small handful of civilians. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, most of the combat images came directly from military sources. If not for the public’s exposure to the Abu Ghraib prison photos, which clearly showed members of the American military abusing Iraqi captives, public disapproval might have remained at a controllable level. In Palestine, managing the media gets a low priority when faced with humanitarian demands from a population that needs health care, education, and replacement housing among other things. And we don’t see Palestinians as people anymore; only those barbarian hordes who oppose all peace. Without images that reveal their perspective on the ongoing war and occupation, the Western public is left with only Bus 19s. Kody studies economics and international relations, and usually writes about crappy racist policies and practices of local government for Whats Up. Reprinted from Whats Up, Boston, MA, January 2005. Car Crash Actual statements from insurance claim forms “A pedestrian hit me and went under my car.” U.S. Encouraged by Vietnam Vote United States officials were surprised and heartened last month at the size of turnout in South Vietnam’s presidential election despite a Vietcong terrorist campaign to disrupt the voting. According to reports from Saigon, 83 per cent of the 5.85 million registered voters cast their ballots yesterday. Many of them risked reprisals threatened by the Vietcong. A successful election has long been seen as the keystone in President Johnson’s policy of encouraging the growth of constitutional processes in South Vietnam. The election was the culmination of a constitutional development that began in January, 1966, to which President Johnson gave his personal commitment when he met Premier Ky and General Thieu, the chief of state, in Honolulu in February. The purpose of the voting was to give legitimacy to the Saigon Government, which has been founded only on coups and power plays since November, 1963, when President Ngo Dinh Deim was overthrown by a military junta. “I had been learning to drive with power steering. I turned the wheel to what I thought was enough and found myself in a different direction going the opposite way.” “Coming home, I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I don’t have.” “I thought my window was down; but found it was up when I put my hand through it.” “No one was to blame for the accident, but it never would have happened if the other driver had been alert.” “The pedestrian had no idea which direction to go, so I ran over him.” “I saw the slow-moving, sad-faced old gentleman as he bounced off the hood of my car.” Streetvibes Page 13 �Elegy: Bill Kashersky SNAKE This silent carpenter laid down his hammer at the last, the final nail made fast. Untitled The whisper of his saw is mute. His level and his square now measure no more care. by Reggie Grissom United States of America On solid rock it was found Taking land from the Indians Beating our people down So little left, no way to read the blueprint of his pain. Only shavings from a plane, United States of America The land of the free Wearing shackles and chains Some of you can’t see some chipped and splintered memories, the blue dust from his chalk to tell the true graph of his hell. Through sawdust and shavings of a lumbered life cut short, we sift for something of a gift. We know the plumb-line truth is that he loved – the house he framed will stand. His wounded name will live in love, for of such gifting carpentry, my friend, there is no end; there is no end. February, 2005 Michael Henson United States of America Home of the Braves Smuggling drugs in Turning people into slaves Heroin and crack Just to name a few Electing the right person One thing we must do Let me tell you about this girl named Sweet and Petite From heavens above you would think She is a precious gift. But in reality, she makes me sick. See, in her mind, she says she’s a witch. But down on earth we know her as a trick. Like fire and thunder, she often makes em wonder. You know, like Stevie Wonder Calling herself Queen Bee But in reality she lied to me. She’s the devil’s child, running wild makes herself an angel to light You know, smooth, like Dolomite. But it’s out of date, she’s always late Or, her name might be Gail, she’ll put You in living hell. Post with no bail. She’s too fat, she might break her back. Thinks she goes lovey-dovey, she’ a tell-o-tubby. She’ll cut you up with her eyes. You got a date with cake and can’t be late. No, in reality, she’s just a snake. Thinking that her heart is made of steel. That girl needs to chill before somebody breaks her grill. She’s bad for your health. Get that poison off your chest and leave her to rest. He wears a shirt and tie Smiles in your face Lying to the people The entire human race These are some things That go thru my head Not consciously thinking While lying in bed. Bring Our Children Home Fear by Vera Zlatkin I fear the unknown and I also fear the known. Why is that? I say. Is it because I never followed through to see what it could be? Or is it that I’m so comfortable with just being me? Whatever it is, I know I have to change, because I’m getting no younger and I’m tired of things being the same. So until I make that full circle change, I guess I will have to just remain being the same. Re’Becca Eans 2.3.2005 I’m Thankful by Robert Manassa Thank you for two eyes to see Thank you for setting me free Thank for the victory For all of this I’m thankful Thank you for the sunshine and the rain Thank you for easing my pain Thank you for everything For all of this I’m thankful Thank you for two ears to hear Thank you for erasing my fear Thank you for always being so near For all of this I’m truly thankful Page 14 Streetvibes Someone’s heart is broken, Another daughter dies. Somebody’s father won’t come home; Somewhere a family cries. Five hundred now and counting. Today – eleven more. How many people have to die Before we end this war? Strangers in a distant land, Our children kill and die Learning hoe to hate and fear, Never knowing why. Six hundred soon will be the toll; The wounded- many more. And the number of Iraqi’s killed Is someone keeping score? A soldier draws his final breath, With comrades standing by. Along a road a bomb explodes And seven people die. One expert says, “at least three years”; Another, “nearly ten”. How long? My God, How Long! Before We bring them home again? �The Lonely Man by Reggie Grissom Elephant at the Zoo Saying to myself, I’m all alone, Thinking about the things, That I’ve done wrong. I think in my head of what I would like to be. If I was in the zoo that would be cool. Freezing cold from the night before, Looking through the holes, On the rotted door Tired and hungry I drop to my knees Covering up the holes, So I won’t freeze. I would be an elephant because they’re so big and strong. I know that nothing could go wrong. I would let the children ride on me and hope they don’t get any bruises or cuts. And afterwards they could feed me lots of peanuts. I would blow water from my trunk way in the air, and see how wet I could get their hair. I would make my elephant noise so that I would sound like one of those toys. If I was an elephant at the zoo, boy oh boy, that would be cool. Crawling on the floor, For something to eat, Not able to stand, With sores on my feet. Re’Becca Eans 2.3.2005 Going through life, Feeling these pains, “Praying to God” Before I go insane. Remembering Me at Sixteen The Meanest Thing Lawrnetta Cain 10.14.04 When I was sixteen, I didn’t do drugs, and was fresh and clean. In fact I hadn’t had sex or much of anything. Today it’s just a memory of how it used to be. Oh how I wish I was that innocent girl at the age of sweet sixteen. I want to be the meanest animal in the zoo. Out in the wild where I can run free and give people the meanest look that look at me. Make them afraid and glad that they’re not out there with me so I can eat them up: by Kevin C. McHugh yum yum smack smack I’ll eat up your flesh and spit the bones back. Lawrnetta Cain 2.3.2005 Reflections on an Image of Judith Holding a Severed Head in the Taft Museum of Art By him being 240 pounds and she was only 105 pounds, she felt he was abusing her. Maybe it had happened before. So she felt to shoot him would be the only way to stop the abuse. I had a man. He done drugs. He weighed 230, 6’4’. He used to slap me around, choke me and try to cut my throat. I only called the police to get away from him. That stopped the abuse with me. Lawrnetta Cain 10.21.04 While the novelty of the moment is what prompted me to shoot (pardon my use of the word) these critters, thinking about their reasons for their “raiding” the bird feeder just caused me to realize how hard it is for some of “us” (defined as broadly as possible – including these “critters”) just to survive. The snow and cold had driven them from the woods to look for a handout (as it were). The world can be very cold – to state the obvious. And there I was, sitting inside, nice and warm, not worrying about my next meal . . . pretty damned lucky. Streetvibes Page 15 �TREATMENT: Both N.A. Hopeline 820-2947 A.A. Hotline 351-0422 C.C.A.T. 381-6672 Talbert House 684-7956 Transitions, Inc 859-491-4435 VA Domiciliary 859-559-5011 DIC Live-In Program 721-0643 TREATMENT: Men Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 Prospect House 921-1613 Starting Over 961-2256 TREATMENT: Women First Step Home 961-4663 Full Circle Program 721-0643 HOUSING: CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 Miami Purchase 241-0504 OTR Housing Net. 369-0004 ReSTOC 381-1171 Tender Mercies 721-8666 Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Dana Transitional Bridge Services, Inc 751-9797 Caracole (AIDS) 761-1480 Friars Club 381-5432 Drop Inn Center 721-0643 Haven House 863-8866 Interfaith Hospitality 471-1100 Lighthouse Youth Center (Teens) 961-4080 St. John’s Housing 651-6446 Need Help or Want to Help? If you need help or would like to help please call one of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless members listed below. SHELTERS: 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 Hse. 859-431-8717 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 357-4602 SHELTER: Men City Gospel Mission 241-5525 Garden St. House 241-0490 Joseph House (Veterans) 241-2965 St. Francis/St.Joseph House 381-4941 Mt. Airy Center 661-4620 Volunteers of Amer. 381-1954 SHELTER: Both Anthony House (Youth) 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, 117 East 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 OTHER SERVICES: AIDS Volunteers of Cincinnati 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 381-4242 241-2563 Contact Center Emanuel Center 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 221-5491 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/HAMILTON (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 $1 Donation March 2005 STREETVIBES BUY FROM BADGED VENDORS ONLY Cover Story Controversy Develops in Empty Lot Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless � 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 2005 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. 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 March 25 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Vacant Lot Development Could Help the Homeless Pg 2: What’s Really Going On? Michael Stoops Appointed Executive Director of the National Coalition for the Homeless Pg 3: Homeless News Digest Pg 4: Vendors Pg 5: How to Really Help the Homeless The opportunity for All Campaign Pg 6: It’s Not Just a Word Pg 7: A Letter to Mayor Luken Regarding Tasers A Focus on Women’s Issues Pg 8: Congressional Hunger Center Celebrates 10 Years Edinburgh to Host Homeless World Cup Pg 9: The Dismantling of Health Care Safety Net Pg 10: The Peace Village Pg 11: What Progressives Should Do Pg 12: Streetvibes Vendor Code of Conduct About the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless and Streetvibes… Pg 13: Political Fictions Pg 14: Arts & Poetry Pg 15: Arts & Poetry 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 March 15 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Georgine Getty Alison Leeuw Andy Erickson Rachel Lawson Kate McManus Mary Gaffney Jimmy Heath Kevin C. McHugh Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Alison Leeuw Andy Erickson Bill Kashersky campaign Congressional Hunger Center Edinburgh Georgine Getty health care Homeless News Digest Homeless World Cup Jimmy Heath Kate McManus Kevin C. McHugh Mary Gaffney Mayor Luken Michael Stoops National Coalition for the Homeless Peace Village politics Rachel Lawson South African Surfing U.S. Vietnam Women’s Issues https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/afa71eec2274afacd7597cb7c188df6d.pdf e49062bebe75f4130d755fa027089c1d PDF Text Text March 25th - April 7th 2016 | Vol. 20 Issue 7 (No. 326) advocating justice | Building community Becoming an Active Citizen: Alternative Breaks with the Homeless Coalition | 5 This issue sponsored by (Retired) Judge Mark P. Painter INSIDE THIS ISSUE Men dominate reporting on women’s reproductive issues | 8 U.S. women push back against stigma, cost of menstruation | 8 What Would It Take To Seriously Reduce Poverty? | 3 How internet access can change lives of homeless in Brazil | 9 Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 LOCAL From the Director: Public Education Brings Successes JOSH SPRING T Executive Director he other day I was at an event for incoming senior social work majors who are looking for internships. At the end of presentations, two students came up to me expressing interest in interning with the Homeless Coalition. This, of course, was exciting. We want more social workers and future social workers to be involved in the work of the Coalition. Adding to the excitement; the two students explained how their interest in the work of our organization began. The first student explained that in high-school she had taken part in our Streetvibes Distributor Shadow; an opportunity for participants to walk and talk with one of our many Distributors, learning about her or his experience of homelessness, while attempting to sell Streetvibes to the general public. Afterward, the participants discuss with our staff and Distributor the ways in which people reacted to them and what systematically may have caused those reactions. The second student explained that in high-school she had taken part in our Citywide Shantytown; an annual event in which students from around the county set up shantytowns on their campuses. The purpose is not to “experience homelessness” because homelessness cannot be mimicked by people who are housed. Instead, the purpose is to get students together so that they can hear the stories of one of our Speakers’ Bureau Speakers who has experienced homelessness and learn about the system- atic causes of homelessness from one of our staff and eventually discuss solutions. While doing this, students, faculty, parents and other community members are spurred to ask what is going on thus starting new conversations about the realities of homelessness in Cincinnati. These are two examples of public education programs we offer. In addition to our Streetvibes Distributor Shadow and Citywide Shantytown we also complete over 100 Speaker’s Bureau speaking engagements in area school, universities, faith settings and civic groups annually. We offer a Social Justice Walking tour; participants walk with us learning about affordable housing, gentrification, displacement and solutions that are right in front of them. Groups of college students from local schools and from around the country also join us for a week at a time. Half of their time is spent volunteering with our direct-service member organizations and learning what they do and why. The other half of their time is spent with our Streetvibes Distributors, Speakers and Director of Education learning about the systems, politics, legislation and societal decisions that cause homelessness and poverty. Every year we reach thousands of people with the truths of homelessness and the ways to end homelessness. When years later someone tells us they are involved or want to be involved in ending homelessness or when we are at city hall speaking for new legislation and a group of people show up in support or we get a note Tax Dollars for Primaries MICHAEL EARL PATTON Contributing Writer I f you voted in Cincinnati in the recent primary election you surely noticed that there were no issues being decided. Every box on the ballot that you could fill “Breakdown Stereotypes” in had to do with a party primary – for a race either for the Democrat, Green, or Republican parties. These 3 parties were in the primary election because they were the only Mar 25 - Apr 7, 2016 | No. 326 from someone saying she or he went back to school and changed their major in order to be involved in the fight for economic justice or perhaps they started a group on their campus; when we hear this we are so thankful. We are thankful to work for an organization whose mission statement specifically says that a part of ending homelessness is educating the general public. Getting this feedback, means that our education programs are having success; attitudes are being changed; empathy is being fostered and passions are being found. The most important part of our public education programs that makes them effective is the fact that people who are currently or have in the past experienced homelessness are in leadership roles. It’s one thing for our staff to share the systematic causes of homelessness with a group, it is a whole other thing for someone who has experienced homelessness to tell her or his story and show the group on a personal level why ending homelessness is so important. Of course, I could not say all of this without mentioning that our public education programing requires funding. We pay our Speakers shadowed Distributors. While they would probably do the work for free; we know that their work is very valuable and deserves an income. We also employ a Director of Education who pulls all of this together in what really could be more than one full-time job. In the case of most of our education programs, the participating organizations pay a small fee which we are thankful for but very partially covers our cost. If a group cannot afford the fee, we still go because this is a part of our mission. Donations and grants have to make up the difference for us to continue this work and grow it because the need is certainly greater that we are currently able to meet. -----------------------three which received a certain minimum percentage of the vote for the Ohio governor race last year. What wonderful publicity this created for the Republicans and Democrats! (The Greens have not received anything close to a proportional share from the media.) Here we are with a primary election that is mandated by state law and paid for by us taxpayers. The news me- (Continued on page 3) “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 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: Leslie Moorhead Director of Education: Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Justin Jeffre Layout: Peter Kobak Reception: Derrick Hudson, Iolanda Barton, Patricia J. Brown, Larry Johnson, Dante Williams Maintenance: Pete Roper CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Michael Earl Patton, Bill Woods, Jim Luken, Jason Haap, Dr. Mark Mussman, Thomas A. Dutton, Stella Norris, Lauren Gould, Jill Elfers, Steve Sunderland, Willa Jones, Kim Green Photography/Artwork: Justin Jeffre, Dr. Mark Mussman, Bill Woods Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �3 WORLD What Would It Take To Seriously Reduce Poverty? Josh Spring, Executive Director of the Homeless Coalition, Is Second Speaker in a Community Forum Series No. 326 | M a r 2 5 - A pr 7 , 2 0 1 6 BILL WOODS Contributing Writer A t the Community Issues Forum on March 10th, Josh Spring addressed the question: “Are we really serious about reducing poverty.” Spring, the Executive Director of the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, was the second speaker in this Forum series focused on what it would take to significantly reduce poverty in Greater Cincinnati. As the leader of a coalition that serves and advocates for homeless families and individuals, he is well suited to take on this issue. Josh Spring began his talk by intimating that too much time and money go into studying the various aspects and phases of poverty. “Do we really need,” he asked, “exhaustive studies on the culture of poverty? Let’s get serious,” he added, “people don’t choose to live in poverty.” What we need to be focused on, according to Spring, are major steps that would immediately lift people out of the conditions that keep them at or below the poverty line. One obvious problem that currently receives a lot of attention is the growing income inequality in our midst. While a few corporate executives are earning millions of dollars every year, there are millions of full and part time employees with wages that keep them in poverty or one pay check away from poverty. “Is it right or moral,” he queried, “for someone to work hard at a job and still be in poverty?” “Pay everyone a living wage,” declared Spring. By “living wage,” he does not mean the current minimum wage that covers the cost of living in 1968, but a salary computed regionally that would allow an individual or family to afford decent, housing, food, health care and the other amenities for a decent and secure life. Spring envisioned for Forum attendees a fantasy in which the CEO of Procter and Gamble, who receives $22-million a year, and the CEO of Kroger, who receives $13-million a year, announce their decision to provide all their employees with a living wage. Other Greater Cincinnati employers then follow their example. “This would be a huge step toward eliminating poverty in Cincinnati,” he stressed. “Why hasn’t this happened?” Spring asked. “Too great a culture of greed currently exists,” he answered. “To question the right to make huge profits and salaries,” he continued, “is like questioning the existence of God.” Spring doesn’t see greed diminishing anytime soon, and he advocates a grassroots campaign for greater equity led by people of good will. “We can legislate more equity and balance.” he averred. He pointed to other communities that have established minimum wage legislation that comes close to a living wage. “Our City Council has the power to set a living wage,” he explained, “and it could pass a minimum wage ordinance in a month’s time.” The lack of affordable housing is the other factor, cited by Spring, that keeps so many families and individuals in poverty. “Over the last thirtyfive years,” he said, “we have decimated our affordable housing stock in the city, and during that same period, federal housing assistance programs have been slashed by billions of dollars.” He pointed to the fact that virtually no affordable housing now exists in downtown Cincinnati. Spring emphasized that we need more local public programs that cre- ate affordable housing. Policies exist elsewhere that require developers to set aside a percentage of their new units as affordable, and this legislative model could easily be adopted here. At present, the trend of reducing such units continues to place our low-income individuals and families at great risk, and coalitions such as Advocates For Affordable Housing and the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition have their hands full in fighting to keep the housing we still have. During the informal question and answer period, several people commented about the growing economic inequality in our city and country and how difficult it is to get elected public officials to focus on this dilemma. Spring responded by noting the expanded impact of money on our political system. “The fact that you have to have a barrel of money to win any legislative seat,” answered Spring, “means a government more and more controlled by the economic elite.” ------------------------ Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Executive Director Josh Spring speaks at community issues forum Photo: Justin Jeffre MICHAEL EARL PATTON (Continued from page 2) dia have covered this like the play-offs to the baseball World Series. They concentrate on the two major parties as if they were the only possible choices, just like there are only two major baseball leagues that can participate in the World Series. This reinforces the perception that no other choice is possible. Here are a couple of proposals. One is that the political parties pay for their primaries, or at least a portion of it. There were a handful of jurisdictions in Hamilton County that had issues on the ballot – Fairfax, for example, had an operating levy. The Village of Fairfax will be charged for the extra expense involved for the additional work by the Hamilton County Board of Elections. A small change would be to charge the parties for this work in the same way. Most of the cost – such as the poll workers -- would still be paid by the taxpayer, but at least some would be paid by the political parties. If the parties don’t want to pay any of the costs, then they can hold a convention or do private voting, perhaps electronically. After all, that is what the parties that didn’t make the minimum cut-off have to do. That is what the Libertarians, Socialist, and Constitution parties have to do. Why, just because your party is big, should you get a free ride? Another proposal is to put ALL the choices on a single ballot. As it was this time and in most years, there are races in which I am interested in at least two parties. But I can only choose the ballot for one party. I would love to be able to choose among the Democrats in some races and among the Republicans or Greens in others. But I can’t. If the parties were paying for a part of this I could understand, but they don’t. Yet they are making the rules. Why don’t we taxpayers make the rules? Finally, some party officials have been saying that the choice for presidential candidate lies with party insiders, not the public. Some Republicans have been pointing out that they have the power to change the rules before the convention, with the aim of denying Donald Trump a first-round victory. Some Democrats pointed out earlier that it really doesn’t matter if Bernie Sanders won most of the states since the so-called super-delegates – chosen by party insiders and not the voters in the primaries – hold the decisive power. So again, why are we taxpayers financing the entire cost of the political primaries if they are just for show? This needs to change. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED (UN)OFFICIAL ISSUES-ONLY BALLOT for City of Cincinnati March 15, 2016 There are no issues to be decided today in today’s primary in the City of Cincinnati. There are no boxes to fill in. You may feed this sheet of paper into the scanner but nothing will be recorded. This polling station is open and the poll workers are here because Ohio state law requires them for certain political party primary elections. These political party elections are the only elections taking place today within the City of Cincinnati. If you are not voting in a party primary, there is nothing for you to vote upon. Thank you for coming. Your tax dollars are at work today supporting the political process. ------------------------ �4 OPINION Climb the Hill or Feel the Bern JIM LUKEN Contributing Writer H ello Streetvibes readers. Let’s talk politics, a subject that I love to hate. My most recent diatribe, I mean: “essay,” had to do with what I cynically referred to as the Republican “goat rodeo.” At this writing, only four of those 16 goats remain, but the embarrassingly juvenile circus has continued, degenerating to what might euphemistically be called “locker-room humor,” or a grade school cafeteria food fight. This time, let’s talk about the Democrats. Only two left, battling it out for the coveted nomination, but doing so in a manner that makes the Republican “goat rodeo” even more absurd by comparison. Hillary and Bernie have chosen the high road, criticizing one another’s position on issues, voting records, and intentions, but refraining (almost entirely) from attacking each other’s character (or “endowments”). They are conducting what could be termed a “more civilized” debate over things that matter to those of us who comprise the body politic. Less entertaining, perhaps, than the boisterous Republican “goats,” but way more substantive. Clearly, most readers of this paper will vote for one of these two candidates (although some, for excellent reasons, will be voting Green, for Jill Stein). Let me make several potentially outrageous statements up front: It matters that people (you) vote, but your actual, individual vote…makes no real difference…unless an election were to be decided by one vote, which—except in the smallest of local elections—never happens. When we go to vote, we put such thoughts out of our minds as we perform what we see as a civic duty or privilege. Voting (participating in the choosing of officials for public office) is part of the democratic process, but—unfortunately--we no longer live in a democracy. Historian and wag Gore Vidal famously stated that “America does not have a two party system. There is only one party, the Corporate Party, and it has two wings.” Let’s call them the Repugs and the Dims. In painful fact, we live in an oligarchy, dominated and controlled by wealthy business interests. Basically things have always been this way. Proof? The founding fathers were slave owners… businessmen, first and foremost. Fortunately, social contracts (laws) are in place to protect some of us more vulnerable citizens from the greedy power of the corporatists. None the less, these money men shape and (through the media) control much of our lives. Of course, it makes a difference whether the democrats or the republicans are in control of the mighty ship of state, because the democratic wing of the Corporate Party tends to be more concerned about those of us who occupy lower berths on the ship, or--to switch metaphors like horses in mid-stream--who live on rungs closer to the bottom of the social ladder. So, a few days ago, those readers who voted the Democratic ballot in Ohio helped decide between two aging political war horses, Hillary and Bernie. Hillary had the backing of those who control the “machine” of democratic politics. Bernie (who is technically an independent), attracted a huge “populist” following. Bernie has been going to “we the people” for his campaign money and support. Full disclosure: This writer decided to cast his primary ballot for the Senator from Vermont. Mrs. Clinton won in our state, and--absent some huge campaign calamity-she will most likely be the nominee. [I have yet to decide whether I will vote for her in the general election.] Here is my take on the two candidates: Bernie Sanders (Age 74) Officially, the Bern is the only declared “Independent” in the US Senate. Ideologically, he is a Socialist, which--until he proceeded to run this very effective campaign--was a dirty word in US politics. Bernie has made us way more comfortable with socialism, which is the river of benign governance in which most of us swim, off and on, from cradle to grave. He almost always votes with the Democrats in the Senate, but the Party does not hold him in very high regard. Bernie is also a Jew. Just like Jesus was. He has had a long political career in a state where I lived for five years (1999-2004). He was one of Vermont’s two representatives for 16 years, before he won a seat in the senate in 2006. I shook hands and chatted with Sanders at a fundraising barbecue in 2002. Straight forward. Likeable. Not cloying. Not a baby kisser. Most famously, he has never taken contributions from corporations or their PACs. He is a populist, meaning his appeal is to large groups of ordinary people, and it is from these grassroots connections that he receives his funding (In February, he raised more money than his opponent, with all her corporate connections). Have protesters lost their Trump card? JASON HAAP I Contributing Writer decided to attend the recent Trump rally in West Chester, just so I could see, firsthand, what it really feels like inside the spectacle we’ve seen on television. After reflecting for several days, I’m more disappointed in the protesters than the kind of people who would consider voting for Trump in the first place. I’m inclined to feel a nebulous sort of solidarity with progressives In 2004, I had a second encounter with Sanders, an encounter which disappointed me. At a large union hall in a small Vermont town, I sat among three hundred others, listening to a campaign speech. When the Congressman opened the floor to questions, I asked him if he was aware that on September the 10th, 2001 (one day before the day which “changed everything,” Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, held a press conference, wherein he revealed that the Pentagon had lost track of (could not account for) 2.3 Trillion dollars. Not billions. Trillions!! A staggeringly unimaginable amount of money. The day following this incredible announcement, three buildings at the World Trade Center were demolished, and no one seemed concerned about the loss of 2.3 TRILLION dollars. Sanders’ response to my question was shamefully inadequate. “Yes, I am aware of that,” he said, “but it is a very complicated matter, and I am not going to go into it at this point.” Complicated? Indeed. But no one has yet attempted to unravel the mystery of how a government agency could lose so much money without so much as an accounting. This failure to provide accountability includes Senator Sanders. 2.3 trillion dollars could provide college tuition for every eligible student in the US for years to come. 2.3 trillion dollars could solve the problem of homelessness forever. Here’s the thing about Bernie. He talks about creating a revolution, about the need to radically change the “System.” In 2008, Obama campaigned on the notion of “change.” Whatever. Leftist journalist Chris Hedges makes it clear that Sanders is not a revolutionary politician. He is trapped, as Hillary is trapped, in the political “matrix.” He will support Hillary if/when she gets the nomination. Hedges says, in no uncertain terms, that revolution stands a chance of happening if and when enough people (you and I) take to the streets and force the “System” to grind to a halt, in the way that Charlie Chaplin shoved a monkey wrench (literally and figuratively) into the grinding gears of the corporate machine in his brilliant film, Modern Times. As one who participated in the Occupy Movement in 2011, I find myself in total agreement with Hedges. We the People might someday create revolutionary change. But a politician, working within the system, who mount marches and protests -- and, while hundreds of people brought a hullabaloo to West Chester, what did they accomplish? Making noise and getting on TV? Sure, there were a couple of people who tried to interact directly with Trump supporters, such as the three Muslims who wanted to prove not all Muslims are bad because they handed out donuts. Maybe I’m being cynical, but I don’t think a misinformed foreign policy position is going to be radically transformed by a sugary breakfast treat. Don’t get me wrong: I recognize THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Feb.12- 25 , 2015 | No. 297 doesn’t have a chance. So, for me, Bernie is a good choice, but we are still choosing between greater and lesser evils. Hillary Clinton (Age 68) Among the many ways I think of myself: activist, writer, actor, teacher, one of my most profound self-images is that of an ardent feminist, or as Alice Walker (The Color Purple) expresses it: a “womanist.” I believe that, unless patriarchy is eliminated, the world will never come to its senses. Unless women share equally with men, in all things, the world cannot mature. With that in mind, I am totally ready for a woman to be President of the US. In her day, Eleanor Roosevelt might have been better than her husband. In some ways, I will be happy to see Hillary as President. But, unfortunately, I will most likely not be voting for her. The main reason: Hillary has proven herself to be a war-monger. As a journalist for the international Franciscan order, I have been up-close-and-personal with too many wars (Nicaragua, Croatia, Haiti, Bosnia). I believe that most wars should never have happened. But continuing to resort to the violent solution is the American way. Vindictiveness is in our breakfast food. And Hillary Rodham Clinton has supported every war the US has waged since 9/11. Some of these wars were propagated during her time as Secretary of State. Like her husband Bill, Hillary seems always drawn to the militarist solution. Perhaps—as a woman—she feels she must prove herself macho by opting for the military solution, time after time. The killer fact for me is that Hillary has never met a war she didn’t like. She has other tragic flaws, like a decided affinity for Wall Street and for business as usual. Her husband made war against the poor in our own country, and she supported that war as well. I could go on and on with a list of reasons why my conscience may prevent me from voting for her. That said, there should be little doubt that another Clinton Presidency would be less catastrophic than having a Trump, a Cruz, a Rubio, or a Kasich in the White House for the next four years. Those of us who are waiting for a revolution will continue to bide our time. As Leonard Cohen sang in his amazing futurist song: “Democracy is coming to the U-S-A. But it is not going to come as result of this Presidential election. [Editor’s note: The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition does not endorse political candidates or political parties.] -----------------------the fact I agree with the sentiment on most of the handmade signs protesters held in the air that day. Like them, I oppose hatred and racism. I’m just not sure what a sign at a Trump rally is supposed to do about those facts. If anything, I think this sort of behavior just activates “The Backfire Effect.” If you haven’t heard of The Backfire Effect, it is a fascinatingly unfortunate reality of many of our psychologies. Sometimes, when presented with opposing views (or even facts that contradict deeply (Continued on page 11) �LOCAL Becoming an Active Citizen: Alternative Breaks with the Homeless Coalition 5 No. 326 | M a r 2 5 - A pr 7 , 2 0 1 6 DR. MARK MUSSMAN Staff Writer T his month, the Homeless Coalition, along with many of our partners and member organizations, has been leading college students in service learning throughout Over-theRhine. Our approach is different than many service-learning programs because we focus a lot on education – whether it be learning about our community’s history from Bonnie Neumeier at Peaslee Neighborhood Center, from M. Shannon at Venice on Vine, or Chris Schuermann and Bubs at St. Francis Seraph, among others – students get a holistic understanding of the struggle of the Over-the-Rhine People’s Movement. We also hear from many other speakers from the Voice of the Homeless Speakers Bureau and other community members who give up their time to help put social injustices, like gentrification, in perspective. We also do direct service with several organizations, like the St. Francis – St. Joseph Catholic Worker House, Rothenberg Preparatory Academy, Future Leaders of Overthe-Rhine, Our Daily Bread, St. Francis Seraph Soup Kitchen, and other life-giving organizations in our community. I would like to dedicate this space to the voices and images of the college students from the University of Vermont and Southern New Hampshire University who have (or are currently) participating in the Cincinnati Urban Experience with us this month. Upon arrival, we ask them “What do you want to learn or experience this week?” Here are some of Southern New Hampshire University’s expectations: “I would like to learn about Cincinnati’s initiatives to end homelessness and also learn ways that I can make an impact on the community. I would like to know what I can do as an individual to help people’s experiencing homelessness. How can we end the cycle of poverty? I want to feel what people go through on a daily basis. I want to learn about the racial divide in the city, and more about the economic issues of the city. I would Dr. Mark giving a Social Justice Walking Tour Photo: SNHU like to learn about the impact of race on poverty. What are the stereotypes that people have about homelessness? I want to learn more about the history of Over-the-Rhine and what led to the terrible living conditions in the city today. I want to become an Active Citizen.” As you can see, students are eager to learn about the causes and effects of poverty, racism, and homelessness. Becoming an active citizen is about making community a priority in one’s values and life choices. It means going beyond curiosity about social injustice, educating oneself, and asking why? and putting community as the most important priority in your life. Ask yourself if this is something that you do, or are you more of an armchair social justice leader. Do you do things in the community even when it’s inconvenient or difficult? At the end of their experience with us, which typically lasts a week, I ask students to give us some feedback on their time in Over-the-Rhine. I asked them to write down injustices that they witnessed during the week. Here are some of the responses from SHNU handing out lunches Dr. Mark Mussman Photo: Dr. Mark the University of Vermont: “When distributing Streetvibes people rarely made eye contact or outright ignored us and Lee. It was very dehumanizing. The police made us move down the street and made inappropriate comments about people experiencing homelessness. When we asked people to take our picture with Lee, there were people who refused to listen to him. In addition, it was disheartening to see housing being destroyed by 3CDC in favor of parking or condos for the upper class. I noticed that there is a large problem with giving tenants rights, people losing their homes to developers who are gentrifying the neighborhood (as seen on Vine Street). There are not enough resources for people experiencing homelessness. For example, a man wandered into the church where we were staying because the cold shelter closed and he had nowhere to go to get out of the rain.” As you can see, the Vermont students are very aware of what happens around them during their time here. They wrote about what impacted them the most: “The active process of gentrification and seeing it unfold in real time was both shocking and motivating. I am now more aware of the impact this has on communities and what role I can play in helping the process be more community-friendly. I feel better equipped to be an active community member. What impacted me the most was learning about all the people who are forced out of their homes with nowhere to go. It is so unfair to do that, and I could not imagine what it would feel like to have that happen to me. I will take away the increased knowledge on gentrification and causes of homelessness.” “I was impacted most by seeing social justice firsthand by experiencing and interacting with people experiencing homelessness directly. I loved getting the educational aspect and understanding how to be an advocate for underprivileged populations. I will take away knowledge from this trip to become more active in my community. I was impacted by what people are doing and how they are advocating for people. I was able to see how I can do that in my own life. I will take lessons learned on what it means to be an advocate, how to be compassionate, and so many other lessons.” So many people come together to make the Cincinnati Urban Experience the most unique service-learning trip on any college’s roster. Students gave shout outs to Lee McCoy, Samuel Jackson, Melissa Mosby, Key Beck, students at Rothenberg, and of course, myself. I’ll leave you with just a little love that I got from the Vermont students: “I was most impacted by Dr. Mark’s work and passion for the community. His teaching about the community and about homelessness as a whole definitely laid groundwork for me to follow his example in my own community.” Although I may be exhausted after this month, every ounce of energy I have put into the Cincinnati Urban Experience will be amplified in communities around the country, and for that I am truly lucky. I am humbled by the work that our community does to end hunger and eradicate homelessness. Thank you everyone! ------------------------ University of Vermont with Lee McCoy Photo: University of Vermont THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �6 LOCAL More Student Reflections on Over-the-Rhine THOMAS A. DUTTON Director O ver-the-Rhine is undergoing rapid change—often referred to as the “urban renaissance”—where it seems new upscale condos, businesses, bars, and eating establishments are opening every day. It is the new urban playground, when on warm nights music pumping at full volume disgorges into the streets and keeps residents awake well into the wee hours of the morning. Though changing, Over-the-Rhine is still mostly Black, and poor. The median income in the neighborhood just a few years ago was roughly $10,000/ year. Amid these changes, long-term residents lament feeling like strangers in their own neighborhood. Immersed in this cauldron, students see the disparity right off the bat. And as the Residency Program unfolds, the questions that rise to the surface, become clear: Have we confused the proximity of class and ethnic populations with true com- Mar 25 - Apr 7, 2016 | No. 326 munity? In a neighborhood where ethnic and class differences now occupy the same geographic space, to what extent do the different groupings actually engage one another? In the spirit of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Beloved Community, do differing groups actually learn from one another and become their neighbor’s keeper nurtured by a radical empathy? A related question that Bonnie and I put to the students is: What is your theory of social change? It’s a trick question actually, because inherent in the question is the prejudice that only something large and grandiose (national policy or a new social movement or a new political party) can stand up to the overwhelming, systemic issues of poverty, gentrification, segregation, unemployment, inequality, violence, racism, etc. Grandiose actions will be necessary, but what the students come to find through their experiences is that it may well be the “small things” that equally matter too—the new relationships formed and the new perspectives gained that come out of conversations across difference, however defined. Notice what’s happening here: As students interact with people across difference, the abstract issues of poverty, etc., become less so—they become real and personal—and once that happens students have difficulty casting community people as abstractions. Here is how the personal and political become linked, related, seen as mutually constitutive. The intention here is to open up new horizons that allow future practitioners to merge (Continued on page 7) New Foundations New Foundations is a spiritually based, safe place for men and women. We focus on a continued transition into recovery after successfully detoxing or being discharged from the court system. Sometimes called sober living, or a halfway house, we provide group housing with a main goal of recovery from drugs and alcohol. This is the place for anyone who is seeking a new way of life, free from addiction. Start your journey today. Now Hiring Caracole Caracole.org - Case Manager Center for Chemical Addiction Treatment catsober.org - Recovery Coach - CDCA Counselor Churches Active in Northside C.A.I.N. churchesactiveinnorth side.tumblr.com - Development Coordinator Position Cincinnati Health Department hamiltoncountyhealth. org - Division Manager (Maternal Infant Health) - Nurse Practitioner - Public Health Nurse - Public Health Practitioner Cincinnati Union Bethel cinunionbethel.org - Quality and Compliance Manager - Payroll and Benefits Specialist - Special Needs Assistance - Family Service Worker - Teachers - Assistant Teachers - Cook Hamilton County Planning and Development hamiltoncountyohio. gov - Sanitarian 1/11 - Patient Registration Speacialist - Assistant Finance Officer - Water Quality Technition - Medical Receptionist - Accounting Specialist Lighthouse Youth Services lighthouse.org - Multiple openings Shelter House Imani Family Center shelterhousecinti.org imanifamilycenter.org - Resident Aid Specialist - Volunteer Photographers and Filmmakers Joseph House josephhouse.com - Volunteer Photographers and Filmmakers Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati lascinti.org - Administrative Assistant THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED - Case Manager - Service Assignment Specialist - Facility Maintenance Worker - Resident Aid YWCA ywcwcincinnati.org - Children’s Program Coordinator (Part Time) �No. 326 | M a r 2 5 - A pr 7 , 2 0 1 6 THOMAS A. DUTTON (Continued from page 6) the personal and political in new ways that can lead to more socially just directions. In the reflections that follow, Residency students grapple with these challenging questions. They have become keenly aware that engagement across boundaries of ethnicity, culture, class, and gender remains quite rare. But as you’ll read, many students took this challenge straight up, and have come through with a social skill set through which others can learn. The world needs people like the students of this cohort, who have learned to navigate socio-economic and racial borders. And who are now able to take their experiences and see how they are absolutely vital to understand and usher forth new kinds of professional and social practices the world desperately needs. Stella Norris (FSW) As the semester comes to an end and I look back on my time here in Over-the-Rhine I have a mix of emotions. This semester was a rollercoaster and full of experiences that have forever changed me. There will be parts of the semester that I will miss immensely and parts that I am happy to leave behind. I think back to the first day, I was like a deer in the headlights and completely unsure of myself to become successful and integrated into the community of Over-the-Rhine. I walked into buddy’s Place for the first time and looked out to Vine Street. I was at a loss for words. I couldn’t start to imagine what was in store for me over the next sixteen weeks. The first week was hard. I recalled an interaction with myself and my journal, questioning everything. I couldn’t decide if this Program was right for me. I felt like an outsider and I was worried I would spend sixteen weeks in a place where I felt out of place and uncomfortable. Would I ever feel at ease? Then uneasy feelings became frustration. I told family and friends about my experiences and my truths but all I felt was judgment and lack of empathy. When would these horrible feelings end? The first month was hard to say the least. I had more days than not going to bed frustrated and unsure of the days ahead. I would tell myself it’s just a semester and it will be over before I can even realize it started. Little did I know that is exactly what happened. Now I have days that brings tears to my eyes because of the joy and beauty of this world. I struggle to understand how the semester went by so quickly. Over-the-Rhine has etched a spot in my heart. It’s not the location or the new buildings but the people in Over-the-Rhine and the experiences that have taken my heart. I will never forget. My journal entries went from questioning my decision to be in Overthe-Rhine to enjoying my days and experiences in it. I would be lying if I said all my days are good now; I still have bad days from time to time but they are few and I know how to handle them. The injustice still breaks my heart and it forever will. But I know that my experiences in Over-theRhine have helped solidify my abilities in social work. I am a better social worker because of those good and bad days. My favorite, most impactful memory had to have been when I saw my first client sign his lease. This moment brought more happy emotions to me than Christmas morning. As Iwatched as my client was explained the rules and regulations of his apartment the 7 LOCAL gratitude and excitement that was radiating around him were incredible. I was honored to be a part of his journey to housing. He had never had a place of his own and now he just signed his first lease. The pride he felt was something unexplainable and so intense it created butterflies in my stomach. I walked away from that experience over-joyed. That will be a day I will never forget. I am forever thankful for my experiences and the people I have met being a part of the Residency Program. I will look back on the good and bad days and know that I have been forever impacted. I also know that I will be a better social worker because of my internship through the Program. My hope is that one day I will be able to come back to the community and continue fighting the injustices. Lauren Gould (FSW) My time here in Over-the-Rhine has been by far the most meaningful and influential experience I have ever been a part of. Through this experience I was not only able to gain knowledge about the neighborhood through classes, or gain skills through social work practice in my field placement, I was able to gain a sense of community and a better understanding of different individuals and their backgrounds and experiences. I was able to walk in another’s shoes, not just in my placement with my clients at the Drop Inn Center, but in community member’s shoes such as Mr. Earl or Miss Dorothy, in my professor’s shoes like Bonnie, Tom, and Alice, in my classmate’s shoes like the architects and the teachers as well as the many others I encountered throughout this semester. Allowing and willing myself to walk in others’ shoes and alongside their journeys with a spirit of humility and a genuine desire to meet and talk with others helped me expand my view of the world and gave me a new framework of thinking about the world. This lived experience and new way of thinking reminded me of two different quotes from two of our journaling sessions. The first is a quote from our first journaling session, by Richard Rohr: “we don’t think ourselves into a new way of living; we live ourselves into new way of thinking.” The second quote is from our journaling session with Steve Elliott, who I am a very big fan of and respect very much. The quote reads, “I learned that my instincts are not always right, my first impressions are not always true, and my way of doing things and of living is not the only way to live.” These quotes are both very powerful to me because there were several times throughout the semester that I seriously questioned my thoughts, beliefs, and values and how I viewed the world. Discovering the enrichment that comes from seeing other ways of life allowed me to let go of some of my toxic ways of thinking and let these new ways of thinking wash over me like a wave, each and every time. A journal entry I did on November 11, 2015 is a great example of the ways in which my thoughts, values, beliefs, and views of the world were challenged. The prompt asked how we have been stretched throughout this experience. My response was: “I have been stretched in every sense of the word. I have been stretched physically, mentally, and emotionally. I have been stretched physically by taking on too much. A thirty-hour work week, three classes, volunteer work, and my work with NAMI have taken a toll on my body. I have been stretched mentally because I am constantly in a mental conflict about how to think and feel and act. Why do I feel like I’m being forced to change the way I think? If I don’t think a certain way, am I still a good social worker? Am I doing everything I can to help and advocate for my clients and their needs? Am I doing everything I can to be the best version of myself? I have been stretched emotionally through the Program, but especially through my placement at the Drop Inn Center. Working with clients who have nothing, who are stereotyped and discriminated against, who have so many challenges and obstacles to face, and knowing I can only do so much, which is usually not enough, has been very hard on me.” This entry was difficult for me to write, but was also very helpful because it made me take a step back and look at what was really challenging me and allowed me to rethink my stressors. My life could be so much worse or I could have real problems and real challenges I have to face like so many of the people I’ve encountered during this experience. Knowing this helped me open up my mind, body, and spirit and helped me rid myself of those negative thoughts and feelings I felt rolling in like a freight train with no breaks. My time in Over-the-Rhine has been by far the best experience of my life thus far. I grew so much as an individual, as a community member, as a student, as a social worker, as a family member, and as a leader. I learned to appreciate the little things like a funny conversation with a homeless man or a meaningful group discussion with my classmates. I learned to not take anything for granted because I saw firsthand with my clients that nothing is guaranteed and you can lose so much so quickly, regardless of your race, class, ethnicity, etc. Finally, I learned to be more understanding and empathetic of others and their situations because you truly never know what they have been through or are going through. I am so thankful for this experience and for my time here because it not only opened my eyes to a new world, it made me a better person, and for that I will be forever grateful. Jill Elfers (ATH) I start my reflection with a draft of my final presentation speech: “I am a senior anthropology student and during my time in Over-theRhine I have interned at Crossroads Health Center. Crossroads is a federally qualified health center, based here in the community, with the mission to provide quality healthcare despite an individual’s ability to pay. As an intern at the clinic I was part of a newly formed care coordination team committed to closing the gap between traditional clinical care and patient self-management of chronic conditions. I was involved in coordinating care for the patients diagnosed with hypertension or high blood pressure. Through mainly outreach calling I collaborated with patients, families, community partners, and insurance companies to ensure that these individuals had improved care experience, better health outcomes, and decreased health expenditures. Over a two-month period, I called over 130 patients and spoke to almost 60. I helped these individuals schedule follow-up appointments, request refills for their medication, and obtain blood pressure cuffs. Additionally, our team connected many of our patients to community resources to aid their attempts to eat healthy and exercising regularly. While making these calls I realized the numerous barriers this pa- THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED tient population faces. In the beginning, this made my task seem incredibly daunting and I questioned what difference could one girl from the suburbs make in their lives. Over the course of a semester I have realized that I was wrong to think that it takes grandiose interventions to make a difference. Every person I spoke to I affected and in turn they affected me. That has been my take away from this program: everything matters; every detail from history, every active policy, every seemingly mundane interaction. I have many plans for my future but I know I will always carry these experiences with me as a reminder of the power of the individual in their community.” During my time in Over-theRhine I have learned to never underestimate the ability of one person to effect change. From the story of Peaslee and the mothers that saved a piece of their community to the struggles shared by individuals who have experienced homelessness or addiction. I have been raised in a society that has taught me that “bigger is better.” I have been trained to think interventions must have endless amounts of money and resources to succeed. This experience has taught me that the opposite is true. All that is necessary for real change is the investment of the individual. This is my largest “takeaway” from my time in the community. I had one interaction, in particular, that facilitated this conclusion. While calling patients at Crossroads, I interacted with a woman who was struggling with mental health issues. After talking to her on the phone, listening to her struggles, and scheduling an appointment for her with the counselor I realized the effect one person can have. She asked if she could meet me and I agreed to introduce myself to her at her next office visit. During that encounter I realized that it was not only me affecting others, but that they were affecting me. This interaction allowed me to foster relationships and empathy with community members. I believe that living in Over-theRhine was integral to my growth in this program. Without the residency aspect of this Program it would be impossible to have the same encounters with community members and therefore experiences in the community. As I prepare to go back to Miami, I struggle with how I will interact with others who do not share my experiences. However, this is not a new struggle for me; between family and friends I have a history of trying to persuade others to see things from a different perspective. After careful consideration I have decided that patience is what I want those unfamiliar with Over-the-Rhine to have. It takes patience to learn the burdens of history, to listen to the stories of the oppressed, and to care for the underserved. It will take patience to counteract the oppressive systems built over centuries and to fix the mistakes of our forefathers. What I will miss the most about my time in this community is the way it challenged me. Never before have I been forced to think about how to aid a population of people who are chronically homeless. Never before have I needed to contemplate where mental health issues stop and substance abuse starts. Never before have I struggled to talk to someone whose every thought and feeling differs from my own. I have relished these challenges and I will miss them immensely. I am incredibly grateful for these experiences and will carry these lessons with me throughout my life. ------------------------ �8 NATIONAL Men dominate reporting on women’s reproductive issues in U.S., report reveals Mar 25 - Apr 7, 2016 | No. 326 REBECCA SIRULL Spare Change News - USA W ith the Supreme Court currently investigating the case of Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt*, which involves a challenge to provisions in a Texas bill, known as HB2, that would severely restrict women’s access to legal abortion, reproductive rights are once again making headlines in the U.S. But the odds are that any news coverage of the case, and its implications for women, will be reported on by a man. A report released by the Women’s Media Center has found that male voices and perspectives continue to dominate reproductive rights coverage across America. The Gender Gap in Coverage of Reproductive Issues report found that 52% of news coverage from the country’s highest circulating outlets was written by men, compared to 37% written by women. [The remaining 11% had no bylines.] These findings were based on over 1000 articles published from August 1, 2014 - July 31, 2015 by twelve high-circulation media outlets and wire services, including Reuters, Associated Press, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and USA Today. It also revealed a common trend among male reporters to frequently cite male sources over women. Overall, 41% of quotes in articles covering reproductive issues were from men, and just 33% were from women. Women reporters were found to favour female sources. The gender disparity in bylines and quote sources is reflective of the general statistics across all news topics. But according to Cristal Williams Chancellor, director of communications at the Women’s Media Center, in an issue so closely linked to women’s lives, it is necessary to hear not just from men and women equally, but to get a majority of women’s voices. “Women’s voices, experiences and perspectives must be given greater priority and should mirror the population whose lives are often shaped by reproductive health issues,” she stated. The report’s author, Jill Filipovic, Pro-life and Pro-Choice demonstrators stand in front of the Supreme Court during a pro-life rally in Washington, January 22, 2004. Credit: REUTERS/William Philpott acknowledged that the topic of reproductive health in general does include men, but the majority of laws in place around the issue have a much greater effect on women and women’s bodies. For this reason, she believes women are better equipped to speak about the lived experience of contraception, pregnancy, and abortion as they relate to standard health care, while men tend to approach reproductive rights from a political standpoint. According to the data examined in the study, the majority of those stories framed through a political lens dealt with funding for reproductive health services and political candidates’ stances on the issues. Filipovic explained the problem with this approach, particularly given that the majority of reproductive rights stories are written by men. “Covering abortion and contraception purely as political issues, rather than normal parts of life for millions of women, may contribute to the stubbornness of the political debate, the hostility women and abortion providers face, and the continued treatment of reproduction as more about politics than about health-all of which leads to further political encroachments on a range of reproductive freedoms,” she stated. The public perception of abortion is also impacted enormously by disproportionate reporting of the rare instances of extreme, negative cases rather than the many positive and proactive movements made by reproductive rights activists. Megan Amundson, the Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, discussed the tendency for the media to portray abortion as a hugely polarizing issue when in reality seven in ten of those polled by the organization supported abortion. “Having a political frame be a much stronger frame, it makes the public forget that it is actually a health care issue,” Amundson said. “The challenges of accessing abortion are completely drowned out because of this false dynamic of controversy.” For more accurate and nuanced coverage of reproductive rights, Filipovic suggested diversifying news U.S. women push back against stigma, cost of menstruation BARBARA GOLDBERG INSP.ngo / Reuters S ixteen-year-old Emma Joy and her younger sister Quinn recently spent an evening stuffing bags with a full year’s supply of tampons or sanitary pads for women who often miss work or school because they cannot afford menstrual products. The South Orange, New Jersey, residents got the idea for their charity, Girls Helping Girls Period, when Emma learned that federal assistance THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED staffs, centering women’s voices, and cultivating expertise. This, she stated, would give readers access to more articles that move beyond surface level coverage into some of the deeper complexities of women’s health care. Part of that process would start with editors making a conscious effort to train staff to cover the issue in a way that adequately portrays the experiences of those most affected by the legislation. Yet Chancellor is optimistic about the future of reproductive health coverage. She concluded that, “as editors become more aware of the disparities and make a commitment to implement the required changes that more accurately and credibly reflect their audiences, news coverage will improve and better reflect the opinions, lives and realities of women.” * Formerly Whole Woman’s Health v. Cole Rebecca Sirull is a communications student at Northeastern University. ------------------------ programs for the indigent do not cover menstruation products, leaving many low-income and homeless women to cope with their cycles on their own. “We found out a lot of people don’t know that,” Emma said. “That’s the point: to educate the public and to eliminate this issue of being afraid to talk about it. It shouldn’t be a thing we hide.” The project, Girlshelpinggirls- (Continued on page 9) �WORLD How internet access can change lives of homeless in Brazil 9 No. 326 | M a r 2 5 - A pr 7 , 2 0 1 6 IRIS QUEIROZ INSP.no / Aurora du Rua A ccording to University of Dayton sociologist and criminologist, Art Jipson, homeless people who use social networks like Twiter and Facebook feel more equal and accepted. Jipson got the idea for the study while presenting his university radio show. When he asked one caller for their name and location, he discovered that the listener was homeless but had a mobile phone. In Brazil, mobile internet usage is fairly widespread, but most homeless people have no way to take advantage of it. Because of this, a number of organisations, NGOs and projects are working to ensure that this kind of access is available to all, including homeless people. One such organisation is the Cultural Centre at the City Hall of Salvador, the capital of the state of Bahia. The centre hosts the Citizens’ Digital Centre (CDC, from its Portuguese name Centro Digital de Cidadania), a digital inclusion project developed in collaboration with the State Department for Science, Technology and Innovation (Secti). The CDC comprises BARBARA GOLDBERG (Continued from page 8) period.org, is part of a growing national movement to address the inequities that have sprung up as a result of the stigma that still surrounds menstruation. Some prisons, for example, force female inmates to buy pads at the commissary, and public restrooms rarely provide them free of charge for emergencies. New York and 39 other states impose sales taxes on tampons and sanitary napkins, while exempting the Rogaine hair regrowth treatment, condoms and other products mostly used by men. Advocates have sued in New ten computers connected to the internet which are made available Monday to Friday every week. “For me, this is such a fulfilling project. It is absolutely vital to ensure that people who can’t access the internet are included,” said Lydia Sá, a so- cial worker and coordinator for CDC. “This movement is something completely different for City Hall. It’s opened up a new way to communicate with the community, especially homeless people.” Aurora da Rua vendor Lázaro is one of many homeless people in the area to benefit from CDC’s digital inclusion programme. “Lázaro was one of the first homeless people that came here and I remember how thrilled he was when he came to the CDC,” recalls Lydia. “It was an air-conditioned room with comfortable chairs where he could interact with a wide range of people. After a while, he felt completely at home. I believe that he gained (Continued on page 12) Aurora da Rua vendor Lázaro uses a computer to access the internet thanks to CDC’s digital inclusion programme. Photo Credit: Iris Queiroz York, citing a double standard. Women’s advocates say budgets for homeless shelters, schools, prisons and public restrooms should provide free tampons and sanitary napkins, just as they do for soap, toilet paper and other essentials. In a country where erectile dysfunction ads fill television commercial slots and jokes about flatulence and bowel movements have inspired entire books, the bodily function of menstruation endures as a taboo subject. “It goes all the way back to Eve, to religion, misogyny, all the societal norms we’ve been brought up with,” said Maplewood, New Jersey, lawyer Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, who advocates for equitable menstrual policy in the Emma Joy (L), 16, and her sister Quinn, 12, pack feminine products for delivery at their home in South Orange, New Jersey March 6, 2016. The South Orange, New Jersey, residents got the idea for their charity, Girls Helping Girls Period, when Emma learned that federal assistance programs for the indigent do not cover menstruation products, leaving many low-income and homeless women to cope with their cycles on their own. Photo Credit: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton United States. The shame and embarrassment that many women still feel is reflected in the proliferation of euphemisms for menstruation around the world. “Shark week,” “the curse,” “a visit from Aunt Flo” and “having the painters in” are a few of the 5,000 names documented in a 2015 survey of 90,000 people in 190 countries that was carried out by German healthcare company Clue. “We are trained not to talk about it,” Weiss-Wolf said. “When we don’t talk about it, we don’t consider it. We don’t think, ‘Hey, for poor people, this is actually expensive; this can be a problem.’” “NOT LUXURY ITEMS” Experts say the average woman spends $70 a year on tampons and pads, not to mention the cost of replacing underwear and clothing when accidents inevitably happen. Eighty-six percent of U.S. women aged 18 to 54 say they have experienced the unexpected onset of their period in public without the supplies they needed, according to a 2013 survey conducted on behalf of FreeTheTampons. org, an Ohio-based initiative to provide free tampons in restrooms. “Menstrual products are not luxury items,” said U.S. Representative Grace Meng of Queens, New York. Because of her efforts, the Federal Emergency Management Agency updated its rules to allow homeless people to pay for tampons with funds once restricted to such items as diapers and toothpaste. “We’ve heard stories of young girls using rags, where girls are not able to go to school on days that they get their THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED period,” said Meng. “If you’re missing an average of five days of school each month, this affects more than just menstruation time.” The problem extends far beyond the United States, with 17 percent of women around the world saying they had missed school, work or an event because they were afraid someone might find out they had their period, the Clue survey found. At the same time, American girls are menstruating at an increasingly earlier age due to improved nutrition. The average girl starts having her period at age 12 and bleeds for up to seven days a month until she is about 50 years old, according to the womenshealth.gov website. A more matter-of-fact attitude toward menstruation appears to be gaining traction, as evidenced by straightforward advertisements on New York City subways touting Thinx “periodproof” underwear as absorbing “2 tampons’ worth of blood.” In another sign of change, a free tampon dispenser is being installed in a Queens high school as part of a pilot program aimed at putting the machines throughout the New York City public-school system, the nation’s largest, with more than 1 million students. “It used to be a nasty subject in health class,” said 12-year-old Quinn Joy. “But the moment I found out people were missing school and work, I got over it. Now it’s just woman toilet paper.” ------------------------ �10 LOCAL Mar 25 - Apr 7, 2016 | No. 326 The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition would like to thank 4EG, The Lackman and Lachey’s Bar for sponsoring the 2015 Streetvibes Music Fest at the Woodward Theater! The 2016 Day by Day calendar is now available online at http://cincihomeless.org/ THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �LOCAL No. 326 | M a r 2 5 - A pr 7 , 2 0 1 6 When Will Cancer Cross The Color Line In Cincinnati? ing twenty-year difference in life when a citizen lives in a poor community. (8) Cancer deaths play an important role in this difference. (9) Cancer has not crossed the color line. 2. How do you change a health system with such bad outcomes? In order to have a different outcome for minorities and the poor it is necessary to have a different approach to access. Without access to timely screening and treatment, cancer will unnecessarily kill minorities. Gaining access means a procedure that invites the patient to receive a screening, respects the fears of the patient about what could be a negative diagnosis, and offers a treatment that is effective and successful in stopping the cancer. (10) Access needs to start in the community with citizens learning about how they could best survive cancer by getting early screening. Right now, there is no hospital or social service agency that offers cancer education or a “road map” to rapid screening. Many citizens, minorities included, have little or no experience with the health system except through the emergency room. (11) The place to go for a screening is not the emergency room. But no hospital advertises just where the best location is within the hospital. Equally important, many citizens have little real idea about exactly what cancer is, how it grows, and why it appears in some people and not others. There is no general education about cancer, and especially the cancers that might most likely have serious, even deadly consequences. Minorities are bystanders about these important medical issues, too often waiting until it is too late to seek the necessary screening and treatment. (12) 3. A major change program: Lay Patient Navigation: Harold Freeman, M.D, surgeon, former president of the American Cancer Society, and now director of the Ralph Lauren Center for Patient Navigation Training, has designed a major intervention that doubles life expectancy for minorities, the poor, and anyone with cancer. Freeman realized that his surgical skills could not be used when people came for treatment after their cancer has fully progressed. He devised a program of hiring community agents, “navigators,” training them in compassionate skills, and focused his efforts on getting citizens to screening and treatment at the earliest time in the development of their cancer. Over five years, he doubled the life of people with cancer by getting them to screening and treatment. (13) Freeman’s program has spread across all cancer programs and having a patient navigation process is now a requirement for certification for all cancer programs. (14) Freeman was invited to a conference in April, 2015, to present to Cincinnati hospital and social service staff the methods and outcomes of his program. He was enthusiastically received. The program looked necessary for changing cancer education, cancer screening, and cancer practice. Cancer, Freeman thought the conference, could cross the color line and be successful. 4. The Cancer Justice Network: No hospital based program has begun. Instead, a group of social service organizations have agreed to initiate a cancer education program at weekly dinners, food sharing at pantries, special meetings, and any way that cancer education can be offered. Physicians, led by Nemat Moussavian, M.D., will provide knowledge about how cancer works and how it can be survived. A group of volunteers from the University of Cincinnati’s school of social work and community volunteers will be trained to be the first “navigators.” They will meet with people at these dinners and meetings and, if needed, assist the person to an appointment with a Cincinnati Health Center. An appointment for screening will be made and the navigator will accompany the person to the screening, helping with transportation, childcare, and other obstacles to making the appointment. And, if needed, the navigator will assist in helping the person get rapid treatment. A pilot program is being planned with Churches Active in Northside(CAIN), FreeStore Food Bank, Christ Church Cathedral, St. Francis Seraph, Madisonville Education and Assistance Center(MEAC), St. Vincent de Paul, Santa Maria Center, the school based clinics of the Cincinnati Health Department and the Cincinnati Public Schools. A navigator directory will also be created. A city wide calendar is being developed showing the dates and places for cancer education. Streetvibes, the biweekly newspaper of the Home- less Coalition, is planning to publish the calendar. 5. The Goal: Reduce cancer deaths in a significant way: The Cancer Justice Network will create a learning and action system to promote early and timely screening and treatment using the Freeman navigation process. In time, we expect to see many more people coming for screenings of colon, prostate, breast, and uterine cancers, all cancers that can be caught early and survived. And, we expect to see a longer and better life expectancy for minorities and the poor in Cincinnati when cancer crosses the color line. References: (1) C. Sagon (March 2016). “An End to Cancer? Vincent DeVita, M.D., discusses his memoir, The Death of Cancer.” AARP Bulletin, P. 24.; (2) K. Wailoo (2011). When cancer crossed the color line. Oxford. p. 2.; (3) Wailoo, p. 33.;) (4) Wailoo, pp. 3-4; (5. Wailoo, p. 35.); (6) (Wailoo, p. 143.; (7) Data: 2008-2012 Trend Period, State Cancer Profiles. National Cancer Institute, Center for Disease Control; (8) N. Maseru and C. Jones, M.D., “Why we die: Cincinnati Mortality Data Project. City of Cincinnati Health Department, 2011.; (9) Hamilton County Public Health. August 2014. “Does place matter? Health equity in Hamilton County. 2008-12 Trend Period. State Cancer Profiles, National Cancer Institute, Centers for Disease Control.; (10) H. Freeman (4/14/15). History and principles of patient navigation. Peace Village Patient Navigation Conference.; (11) H. Fader and C. Phillips. Frequent-user patients: reducing costs while making appropriate discharges. Health Finance Management. 2012 66(3):98-100.; ; L. Taylor et al., Leveraging the social determinants of health: What works?. June 2015. Yale Global Health Leadership Institute. p. 24. ;(12) S. Sunderland(September 2015). “Should your neighborhood affect your life expectancy?” The Northsider.; (13). H. Freeman and R. Rodriguez (8/1/2011) History of patient navigation program. Cancer.; (14) E. Paskett et al, “Impact of patient navigation on timely cancer care: The patient navigation research program. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2014 Jun; 106(6): dju 115. that guy think he was going to accomplish as he drew cartoon penises on his protest sign? On the inside, I had an hourlong conversation with a farmer from about 50 miles north of West Chester. I mostly just listened. By his own admission, he was not college educated. Based on the evolving opinions of his daughter, currently in college, he wonders if colleges try to turn people liberal. I certainly didn’t agree with many of his views, but I can’t say that I find his support of Trump totally ridiculous. He doesn’t see the same Trump I see. Maybe it’s because he’s uneducated. Maybe it’s because he is a self-employed businessman. I don’t know. It certainly isn’t because he is some sort of hate-filled monster. Trump said some crazy things at the rally - but, taken as a whole (as opposed to an outrageous soundbite only) he comes across as an engaging speaker. I’m not defending him. He’s totally ego-maniacal, and shallow. At the same time, he has some charm. It’s what attracts his supporters to him. Undoubtedly, they just don’t hear the same things I hear. The rally itself certainly had a great energy, in that people were cheering, and clapping, and smiling. The friend I was with, noticing all this exuberance, made an observation about the protesters, and his criticism has haunted me for the past several days. When someone asked why he would possibly want to attend a Trump rally, he pointed out how the seats we occupied meant two less Trump supporters would be able to attend. There were only about 1,200 seats in this particular venue. Why were the protesters all outside, making noise of no consequence, with at least one guy bragging about his penis size? Why weren’t they all inside, taking seats away from Trump supporters? Imagine, my friend hypothesized, if even just two hundred STEVE SUNDERLAND, PHD* Contributing Writer “You’ve said there are therapies that could cure an additional 100,000 patients a year.” --C. Sagon “That’s a conservative number that the American Cancer Society has cited. It’s based on access to care, which can be uneven across this country. This does not necessarily mean access to new drugs, just getting everything that we already know works. That’s why I say, if you go to a doctor and he says you have cancer and he can do nothing for you, find another doctor.” --V. DeVita, M.D. (1) “Although blacks have suffered and died from cancer throughout the twentieth century, the images associated with cancer--particularly cancer awareness and prevention--had been for more than fifty years overwhelmingly of white Americans.” --K. Wailoo (2) 1. I ntroduction: Cancer screening and treatment has a troubled history and present, especially for minorities and the poor. Minorities, especially blacks, have rarely fit “scientific” definitions of being a person and having similar human characteristics as whites. (3) In fact, for many physicians, blacks were not seen as capable of having cancer as segregated practices reflected prejudiced attitudes.(4) As one historian of cancer has stated: “Public health itself was a segregated enterprise, and the health problem of “the Negro” have little resemblance to the health challenges of the wellto-do whites.(5) Even after a 1947 scientific study by the black medical school, Howard, showing poor cancer treatment of blacks and the resulting difference in outcomes, the acceptance of blacks with cancer was minimized.(6) The history of cancer practices in Cincinnati has not yet been written. However, the latest statistics about cancer mortality for minorities show that same troubling pattern of less life expectancy for all types of cancer. (7) There is a shock- JASON HAAP (Continued from page 4) liefs), we are simply inclined to double-down, and believe what we already did even more. I’m sure Trump supporters saw a bunch of liberals being loud and trying to cause trouble. And I’m sure protesters saw thousands of mindless white people casting their support, inexplicably, for a cartoonish billionaire. One protester had an illustrated sign, with drawings of two penises one large, and one small. Replacing images for words, the sign read “My penis is bigger than Trump’s penis.” What possible productive thing did 11 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED *Steve Sunderland is director of the Peace Village Cancer Project. He can be reached atsteve.c.sunderland@icloud.com ---------------------- (Continued on page 12) �12 IRIS QUIEROZ (Continued from page 8) much more from the experience than a formal understanding of technology. Lydia says service users like Lázaro gain far more from the programme than basic IT skills. Having access to the internet means they can locate vital support services and also expand their own social networks. “We’ve kept in touch with Lázaro,” she adds. “He got married, got a regular job and started renting accommodation. Just knowing that Lázaro is doing well means that all the effort to keep this space open has been worth it.” Lázaro also received a diploma after completing his vocational course with CDC. “I’ve learned a lot. I like using the internet, connecting to people and learning new things. I’ve got a certificate and everything!” he said. “I’m hoping to put this knowledge into practice so I don’t forget it. I work as a vendor for the newspaper Aurora JASON HAAP (Continued from page 11) seats were taken up by protesters, and all they did was sit silently. It would have totally ruined the vibe in the room. It would have significantly killed the spirit of the rally, and made the whole thing rather awkward. This awkwardness would be markedly different from when two alleged “Bernie fans” stood up while Trump was talking so they could hold WORLD Mar 25 - Apr 7, 2016 | No. 326 da Rua and I can access the internet at the paper’s head office, which is good because I don’t have a computer at home or mobile internet. I do have a phone though.” Another organisation that aims to help homeless people access the internet is the Salvador Homeless Movement. Based in Pelourinho, the organisation is currently taking a break while the coordinating team looks for an assistant to help its regular users. They aim to provide free access to people denied access to other spaces. “We aren’t just helping people to access the internet, we’re giving them the chance to gain knowledge to ensure they are included as citizens,” said Sueli Oliveira, the Movement’s coordinator. “If we want to build a country united in solidarity, we need to foster inclusion.” Translated from Portuguese to English by Carmen Swanwick-Roa / Translators Without Borders -----------------------up their Bernie signs. It felt, to me, like those people were plants - part of the spectacle, giving everyone someone to “boo” at for fun. If they weren’t plants, then I can’t possibly imagine what point there is to holding up a “Bernie” sign in a Trump rally for 30 seconds before being escorted out. It’s like protesting has been replaced by spectacle. When I see those old photographs of white people protesting school integration, screaming in the face of little black children, I realize those protests Lydia Sá, a social worker and coordinator for CDC. Photo Credit: Iris Queiroz were for a purpose. Those racists wanted to intimidate the black families attempting integration. It took bravery to walk past them into the school. They weren’t there to create a spectacle, but to try and accomplish something. I’m not supporting them, just making an observation about utility. Their protest had a goal. If there was a goal to the Trump protests, I have no idea what it could have been, other than to make the protesters feel like they did something. I’m sure seeing themselves in the news later made them feel good about the whole thing. But really, I think they just added to the spectacle - because that’s what politics are these days, especially in the Age of Trump. Trump has learned how to get the cameras to point his way. I guess the protesters got the cameras pointed their way. Each side can walk away from such a scenario with their preexisting views concretized. I’m not sure what good that does any of us. ------------------------ 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 �STREET VOICE No. 326 | M a r 2 5 - A pr 7 , 2 0 1 6 Spring Spring has always been my favorite out all four seasons Spring has no snow and not too much heat, maybe that’s the reason Spring with it so many misinterpretations and misunderstandings Spring to the light so we can see just what mankind is demanding Spring to the facts: Unemployment and homelessness on the rise, can these things be an illusion Spring into the reality: We as a people trying to control each other, now this is the confusion Spring into new horizons, now living with new politicians, new fights and new killings Spring into arrest which means nothing today for the facts state the state is doing the stealing Spring to the wakeup call so I sprung up one morning and realized my seasons had come Spring into the real understanding that the battles only God has won Spring is the understanding that like all things that come and go, spring is here Spring back to know that all men are created equal is that not what should be made so clear Spring to the knowledge that we as people have choices and can make positive decisions Spring into the word of God and believe with faith, with trust only then can we stop these collisions! WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer Small Hands - Big Mouth Marco Rubio was not so shrewd To utter something quite so crude. Referring to the small hands of Trump Was his locker room joke on the stump. It’s Trump’s big mouth we worry about, And all the trash and hate it spouts. BILL WOODS Contributing Writer The Birds Your birds are amazing dear Lord What a wonderful sound to hear your birds signing their beautiful songs From all around they all join in with their little tweets and chirps The older birds work hard to help the little ones learn to grow Teaching them how to join in on the songs the baby birds grow So many different types of birds Some red robins, some humming birds, some baby sparrows Some wild, some loud, each bird is so precious with its own different style The birds learn to fly and soar high KIM GREEN Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 13 �14 PUZZLES Mar 25 - Apr 7, 2016 | No. 326 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 95 Across 1. Aromatic substance 6. Crib 9. Pleased 13. Behemoth 14. Wonderment 15. Short prayer before a meal 16. Torpid 17. Precious stone 18. Supple 19. Feeling of deep regret 21. Trailblazer 23. Jurisprudence 24. Rooster’s crest 25. Metal container 28. Plant tissue 30. Straw hat 35. Elliptical 37. Necessitate 39. Tied 40. Remake 41. Spooky 43. Merchandising transaction 44. Optical device 46. Process grain by grinding 47. Grade 48. Move quickly in a straight line 50. Block 52. Allow 53. Directional antenna 55. Restaurant bill 57. Vivacious 61. Reversion 65. Dialect 66. Poem 68. Warhorse 69. Term of a contract 70. On the sheltered side 71. In front 72. Alleviate 73. Conclude 74. Jovial Down 1. Disturbance 2. Coniferous tree 3. Detail 4. Religious song 5. Ensnare 6. Coop 7. Be indebted to 8. Speed of a piece of music 9. Smile 10. Tardy 11. Dull pain 12. Cervid 15. Worldwide 20. Short-legged omnivorous animals 22. Mischievous fairy 24. Hold dear 25. Army unit 26. Obviate 27. The lowest point of anything 29. Swarm 31. Bird shelter 32. Be of use to 33. Noisy riotous fight 34. Warning signal 36. Fail to win 38. Aromatic herb 42. Fill with optimism 45. Title for a married Frenchwoman 49. Family 51. Unguent 54. Moved stealthily 56. Cleanse by immersion 57. Despicable 58. Notion 59. Preconception 60. Dusty pink color 61. Part of a woodwind instrument 62. Look searchingly 63. Scorch 64. Small whirlpool 67. Lair SODOKU PUZZLE NO 225 - MEDIUM PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 325 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 94 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 224 - MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �RESOURCES No. 326 | M a r 2 5 - A pr 7 , 2 0 1 6 Shelter: Women and Children Central Access Point 381-SAFE Bethany House 557-2873 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road, Cinti, OH 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224 Mercy Franciscan at St. John 15 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 981-5800 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 Salvation Army 762-5660 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 4600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 Shelter: Men 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men 1805 Dalton Avenue, Cinti, OH 45214 Shelterhouse 721-0643 Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 411 Gest St. Cinti, Ohio 45203 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 Prospect House 921-1613 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Parkway Center 661-4620 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 Starting Over 961-2256 Shelter: Both Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women Lighthouse on Highland (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave Cincinnati, OH 45219 569-9500 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 First Step Home 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both 1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237 Interfaith Hospitality Network 471-1100 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave Cincinnati, OH 45220 961-4080 AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 Joseph House (Veterans) 241-2965 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Housing: CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 OTR Community Housing 381-1171 114 W. 14th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Talbert House 221-HELP Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Volunteers of America 381-1954 Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP Advocacy Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 2401-, 2411 Reading Rd, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 2401 Reading Road, Cinti, Ohio 45202 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 Faces Without Places 363-3300 Stop AIDS 421-2437 Food/Clothing First Lutheran Church 421-0065 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 Mercy Franciscan at St. John 981-5800 Health Center for Respite Care 621-1868 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 $100 for 26 issues 961-0600 2825 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45219 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Cincinnati Health Network $150 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 352-6364 McMicken Dental Clinic 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti 352-6363 Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 Mercy Franciscan at St. John 981-5800 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 NAMI of Hamilton County 351-3500 PATH Outreach 977-4489 Other Resources Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Emmanuel Community Center 241-2563 1308 Race St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 215 E. 14th Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Goodwill industries 771-4800 Healing Connections 751-0600 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. 579-8547 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 1223 Main St. Cinti, Ohio 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/Middletown St. Raephaels 981-4200 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center 799 Ann St. Newport, KY ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 Women’s Crisis Center VA Domiciliary VA Homeless for 26 issues and a $50 donation 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 �16 S Mar 25 - Apr 7, 2016 | No. 326 treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. ALMA SIMS SINCE 5/2014 ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BELINDA CHERRY SINCE 8/2015 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DEBORAH POINDEXTER SINCE 9/2012 DONALD YOUNG ELMORE MORRIS SINCE 5/2014 GINA MARTIN GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 GREGORY RAY SINCE 4/2015 JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009 JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2003 JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001 JONATHAN SLATER SINCE 5/2014 JOHN GAINES SINCE 12/2009 KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 KIM GREEN SINCE 1/2010 KRISTINE HOFSKY SINCE 3/2015 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MAURICE GOLSBY MAXINE GRANT SINCE 4/2015 QUEENACELESTINE LEVY RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 TARA HILL SINCE 4/2014 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 JOHN HORN JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008 J’TORI TYMAN SINCE 5/2014 W. KENNETH BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 LARRY FILES SINCE 6/2012 LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007 LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009 LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 MEACO WAITE MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MICHAEL BEHYMER MYRA WILSON RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 2001 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 TINA SINCE 4/2015 TODD HANLEY SINCE 5/2014 TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 VICTOR MUMPHRY LOTTIE MANNER NEBRASKA SINCE 3/2015 SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 PERVIS MENTON SINCE 8/2015 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2015 WILLIAM BURDINE SINCE 8/2009 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRAIG SMITH SINCE 5/2014 GLENDA CANTRELL GREGORY WILSON SINCE 1/2012 JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006 JOHNNY KERNS SINCE 9/2012 WILLIAM SIMMS SINCE 4/2014 � 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 2016 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 March 25-April 7, 2016 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From the Director Tax Dollars for Primaries Pg 3: What Would it Take to Seriously Reduce Poverty? Pg 4: Climb the Hill or feel the Bern Have Protesters Lost Their Trump Card? Pg 5: Becoming an Active Citizen Pg 6: More Student Reflections on Over-the-Rhine Pg 7: Thomas A. Dutton Pg 8: Men Dominate Reporting on Women’s Reproductive Issues in U.S., Report Reveals Pg 9: How Internet Access Can Change Lives of Homeless in Brazil Pg 10: GCHC Pg 11: When Will Cancer Cross the Color Line in Cincinnati Pg 12: Iris Quieroz Continued Jason Haap Continued Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource March 25-April 7, 2016 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Michael Earl Patton Bill Woods Jim Luken Jason Haap Dr. Mark Mussman Thomas A. Dutton Stella Norris Lauren Gould Jill Elfers Steve Sunderland Willa Jones Kim Green Justin Jeffre Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Abortion Bernie Sanders Bill Woods Brazil Cancer Cincinnati Donald Trump Dr. Mark Mussman education GCHC Internet Jason Haap Jill Elfers Jim Luken Josh Spring Justin Jeffre Kim Green Lauren Gould Michael Earl Patton Over-the-Rhine poverty Protesters Stella Norris Steve Sunderland Students Taxes Thomas A. Dutton Voting Willa Jones Women Rights https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/30973030a13e519f9cfaa5ddbbe68dac.pdf fc110684f0882284106d2d3130e0d217 PDF Text Text M a r c h 7 t h - M a r c h 2 1 t h 2 0 1 9 | Vo l . 2 3 I s s u e 5 ( N o . 4 0 2 ) advo cating justice | building communit y Any opinions in this issue are of the authors and don't necessarily represent Streetvibes or The Homeless Coalition. ARTICLE ON PAGE 8 This Issue is sponsored by (Retired) Judge Mark P. Painter Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 12 �2 COALITION N o v 27--Mar N o v 19, 0 18 || No. N o . 402 393 Mar 21, 22019 From The Editor: Anti-vax Movements and Social Media GABRIELA GODINEZ Editor-in-chief W ith the recent measles outbreak, the antivaxer movement has come to the foreground once again. I’ve seen many media outlets, both entertainment and news media, come out with pieces about the topic, though you don’t need to be Vox, Jubilee, or the Washington Post to share your opinion. All you need is internet access and a social media profile. 18-year-old Ethan Lindenberger knows this all too well. Ethan is known at this point as the Ohio teenager who went against his mother’s wishes and got vaccinated once he no longer needed her consent. On March 5th he spoke in front of a senate committee hearing where he discussed his upbringing and subsequent defiance. He grew up without being vaccinated because his mother, like many other anti-vaxers, thought it would cause autism as well as other brain issues. He said that his mother found most of her “evidence and information” through social media. According to the Associated Press, even when his mother was presented with facts from sources like the CDC she still didn’t agree with the findings, saying that her child has been made “the poster child for the pharmaceutical industry.” When Ethan showed her mother scientific facts, she responded,“that’s what they want you to think.” There is much to unpack just with that bit of information alone. Let’s just pretend for a moment that vaccines did in fact cause autism. They don’t, just to be clear, but let us pretend. Anti-vaxers with this belief would rather have their child die of measles or polio, treatable illnesses, than have a child with autism. That is a piece of this issue that often gets overlooked because unfortunately our society favors able-bodied and able-minded people. Ethan’s mother is not alone in these beliefs. The dangerous antivaxers movement creates a hotbed of misinformation all throughout social media. It could be said that most antivaxers are concerned parents that are fed falsehoods and conspiracy theories through their social media timeline. When we repeatedly click specific articles, like specific posts, or view certain videos, the algorithms of those platforms continue to show you similar posts. This makes it simpler for vulnerable people to fall into an echo chamber of misinformation. Youtube has taken steps to try and combat misinformation by adding links of information about specific topics covered in conspiracy videos. However, most of the time these are Wikipedia links, which are easily dismissed by people who are already lost to the conspiracy theories. Facebook as of the time of this editorial has not included any sort of effort nor has Twitter. In our current culture of exclusively reading headlines and retweeting/ sharing without further investigation, it often doesn’t matter if the articles and theories are debunked by credible sources. I do understand there is so much frustration with the healthcare system in America. Many times drugs are pushed by big pharma, doctors dismiss marginalized folks, and often it feels like no one is listening, but allowing children to be susceptible to treatable diseases wont hurt the capitalist healthcare system. It will only hurt those children and people with autoimmune disorders. There are cases where children react negatively to vaccines. I admit that should not be ignored. Those are cases where they wouldn’t be forced have vaccinations in order to attend public schools; these children would instead be one of those who benefit from herd immunity. The problem with these cases not being fully discussed on social media is when they are used as cases to promote the lack of vaccination in other children who are fully capable of doing so. This is not a simple issue, and it’s not even an issue of it’s own. All this comes from misuse of social media, disillusionment with the healthcare system, and the social media echo chambers we create. I don’t think there is any one solution, but for now we can continue to read credible sources and share those on our social media feed to combat the misinformation. Don't forget to treat anti-vaxers with compassion when you share scientific facts. Unfortunately, most of the time when people make up their minds, there is very little anyone else can do to persuade them to change. Hopefully, like Ethan, these children survive and find accurate sources to be able to take their fate into their own hands. 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 EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor-in-chief: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Sallie Mascus Layout: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Reception: Bonita Batton, Larry Johnson Maintenance: Pete Roper ------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Gabriela Godinez, Holly McCall, Kahara Nakahara, Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Shaylim Valderrama, Key Beck, Dr. Mark Mussman, Bill Woods, Tess Sohngen, Kim Green, Willa Denise Jones, Robert Park, James Brown, Cleo Wombles, ------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: Pngtree.com, canva.com, Gabriela Godinez, Dr. Mark Mussman, INSP.com ---------------------------------------------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. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �3 COALITION No. 39 | Nov21, 2 - 2019 N o v 19, 2 0 402 18 Mar 73-Mar | No. From The Director: Education Opportunities JOSH SPRING Executive Director Y ou may or may not know that our Homeless Coalition has a robust public education program. We strongly encourage you, your friends, family, employer and any group you may be a part of to take advantage of our education opportunities. Regularly people call us wondering if they can volunteer in some way. Often folks want to do something like a coat or clothing drive. We welcome people who want to get involved in our work by explaining that the best way to start getting involved is through listening and being educated. We offer several different experiences for individuals and groups of any size. Our longest-running opportunity is our Speakers’ Bureau. Our team of individuals who have personally experienced homelessness are teamed up with our Director of Education, Dr. Mark Mussman. Together one of our Speakers and Dr. Mark present to crowds of all sizes from one or a few people to hundreds of people. They present to people of all ages; children, youth, adults and in many settings, whether it be at our office, a school, place of worship, business, community council, service organization, etc. Through Speakers’ Bureau, those attending learn about the personal experience of homelessness from someone who knows how to time for discourse, questions, insights and comments. In order to sustain the program, the hosting group pays $80, $40 of which compensates our Speaker for their time and $40 of which covers a portion of the costs to the Coalition. Most Speaker’s Bureau activities last for an hour to an hour-and-a-half, but we are able to work with hosts to hone the event to the needs of the group. If you are reading this, you must know about our many committed Streetvibes Distributors. But you probably don’t know about our Streetvibes Distributor Shadow opportunity. Have you ever wondered what it is like to attempt to sell newspaper on the sidewalk while dealing with the stereotypes of some passersby, the eyes that turn away, the nasty comments, potential harassment as well as the good wishes and friendly responses? What is it like to attempt to get a person who likely hasn’t experienced homelessness themselves to purchase a paper about social justice issues, poverty and homelessness? Through our Shadow experience, groups can learn from an experienced Streetvibes Distributor about the many facets of their work and then the group joins our Distributor in going to the sidewalks and attempting to distribute the paper. To finish the experience, attendees and our Distributor spend time discussing what the responses from the general public were like, how those taking part felt, why there are stereotypes and how to deal with them. Very often, participants walk Students at a local High School host a speaker from the Speakers Bureau. make their experience accessible to many different audiences. Attendees also gain understanding of what societal and systemic policies and decisions have caused, maintained and grown homelessness and the systemic changes we must make to end homelessness. And of course there is away with knowledge and increased understanding they didn’t even know they were missing. We charge $80 for this event to cover some of our costs. As the Homeless Coalition we are constantly involved in organizing with people to stop gentrification and the displacement, disruption and scattering of communities that is inevitably apart of it. In Hamilton County we are short 40,019 affordable homes. But how Instead Citywide Shantytown offers an extended period of time to learn, discuss, debate, listen, teach and grow. Students participate in the Streetvibes Distributor Shadow program. did we get here? Our Over-the-Rhine Peoples’ Movement Social Justice Walking Tour is a great opportunity to both audibly and visually learn about how we reached our current affordable housing and homelessness crisis and to better understand why so many adults and children in Cincinnati and Hamilton County are experiencing homelessness or housing instability. Participants join Dr. Mark in walking up and down streets learning about specific examples displacement and how they happened. People taking part will learn about the public policies and private influence and control that has caused so many people so much hardship. Participants will also learn how we can do things differently, how we can leverage the powers of our local government to save affordable housing, prevent displacement and build new affordable housing. For this, we also charge $80 to cover some of our costs. You may have heard of our Citywide Shantytown opportunity. Most often high schools and universities take part in this awareness raising opportunity. At times business have decided to join also. Shantytown can be honed to the particular group. Most often, groups of people sleep outdoors, learn about the personal experience of homelessness from one of our Speakers’ Bureau Speakers and spend an extended period of time discussing with our Speaker and Dr. Mark about why we have homelessness and what we can do as a society to end it. Attendees are able to spend time discussing personal experiences with each other and exchanging ideas of how they can get involved. Shantytown is not intended to mimic homelessness or experience homelessness, as that can’t be done by sleeping outdoors by choice for a night. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Finally, our Cincinnati Urban Experience (CUE) provides opportunity for groups of people to join us for an extended period of time; usually for a week or a weekend. During this time, groups take part in all of the educational programs explained above, but also spend time volunteering with some of our Member-Organizations and learning directly from our directservice Member-Organizations about what they do and why and how they do it. The extended time, allows for education about more aspects of needed change, including more information about how affordable housing can be developed, the need for living wages, efforts to stop the theft of wages, immigration reform, changing the processes by which people exiting jail and prison so people have the opportunity for sustainability, the importance of medical care. In general, CUE allows groups the opportunity for a more intense look at the systems and societal decisions that cause and perpetuate homelessness and how it requires organized social movement to end it. Of course, we are biased about the value of our educational programs, but our bias comes from years of honing these opportunities and receiving positive feedback from so many people who say their perspectives and even ambitions were changed for the positive. If you are able, check out our website at www.cincihomeless.org. Please reach out to Dr. Mark Mussman, do discuss how we can work together to provide one or multiple of these opportunities for you and/or people you know. He can be reached at markmussman@cincihomeless.org, 513-421-7803 and 117 E. 12th Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. �4 ADVERTISMENT NMar ov 2 7 - -Mar N o v 19, 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 21,22019 402 March 1 - 23, 2019 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 �NMar o. 397 3 -Mar | Nov 221, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 | No. 402 U.S. NEWS 5 The Strike A 1968 sanitation workers' strike brought Martin Luther King to Memphis and changed history. Fifty years later, Cleophus Smith, a striker, recalls the events leading to King's death. Cleophus Smith, left. Photo By Richard L. Copley HOLLY MCCALL ContributingWriter C leophus Smith remembers the night of 4 April, 1968, like it was yesterday. “I was trying to get some rest, when I heard commotion and screaming outside, and my wife came and woke me up,” says Smith, known to friends as “Cleo.” “She said, ‘Dr. King has been shot.’" he recalls. “All hope is lost,’ I said to myself." Smith, 75, was one of the Memphis Sanitation Department workers striking for better working conditions when Martin Luther King traveled to Memphis that April as part of his Poor People’s Campaign to support the strikers. The strike began after two sanitation workers were crushed in a malfunctioning city trash truck on 1 February, 1968. The subsequent walk-out was sanitation workers’ third attempt to strike. “In both ’65 and ’66, the men walked out, but at the time, the workers were mostly older,” Smith says. “They were threatened with losing their jobs or going to jail, so they went back. It was like they got out on a limb, then the limb got sawed off.” Two years made a difference: Smith, then 24, was hired 15 April, 1967, as part of a hiring wave that resulted in a demographic change in the department. Soon he and some of the other young Turks, including labor organizer T.O. Jones, decided it was time to make change. “One of the older men said to about 30 of us, ‘You young men are going to mess our jobs up,” recounts Smith. “We said, ‘with respect, sir, we’re trying to make situations better for you and for us.’” King was in town on 28 March to join strikers for what was supposed to be a non-violent march. “I got close enough to shake his hand,” Smith says. History shows the march became violent when protesters who weren’t employees of the sanitation department used the opportunity to break windows and vandalize downtown Memphis businesses. In an all-too-familiar scene from the Civil Rights Era, police responded in kind. “I got sprayed with mace and got a dog sicced on [set upon] me,” says Smith. “I hit that German Shepherd on the nose and it went down. The cop standing there unsnapped his holster and said to me, ‘hit him again.’” Smith recounts how he took off running to his mother’s house, which was near Clayborn Temple AME Church, itself a safe haven for those in the Civil Rights movement. “I ran into my mother’s house and she said, ‘Son, you look like you seen a ghost,” he says. “I said, ‘Mama – I almost became a ghost!'" King returned to Memphis 3 April and was assassinated by James Earl Ray the next day. Smith credits Jones, Reverend Ralph Abernathy, and Jesse Epps of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) for leading the strike to a successful conclusion a few weeks after King’s death. “We really thought things were over (after King’s death,) but two or three weeks later, the Mayor (Henry THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Loeb) signed the labor agreement,” Smith says. For 30 years after Memphis signed an agreement with AFSCME, conditions greatly improved for sanitation workers, according to Smith. But the last 20 years, it’s gone “haywire,” he says, with renewed racial discord coming from both blacks and whites. “I think if Dr. King were alive today, it would kill him from grief to see how things are going,” Smith says. And that, he says, is why 51 years after he started his career with the Memphis Department of Sanitation and 50 years after a strike brought King to the city, and to his fate, he’s still on the job. “Last year, a friend asked me when I was going to retire, and I said: ‘There’s justice to be done. If you see something is wrong, you do what you can to make it right. "I just try to get this job done.” Courtesy of The Contributor / INSP.ngo �GLOBAL 6 NMar ov 2 7 - N o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 -Mar 21,2 02019 402 Malnourished Venezuelans Hope Urgently Needed Aid Arrives Soon CARLOS GARCIA RAWLINS & SHAYLIM VALDERRAMA Reuters Y aneidi Guzman has lost a third of her weight over the past three years as Venezuela's economic collapse made food unaffordable and she now hopes the opposition will succeed in bringing urgently needed foreign aid to the South American country. Guzman's clothes hang limply off her gaunt frame. The 38-year-old is one of many Venezuelans suffering from malnutrition as the once-prosperous, oil-rich OPEC nation has seen its economy halve in size over the last five years under President Nicolas Maduro. Venezuelans' diets have become ever more deficient in vitamins and protein, as currency controls restrict food imports and salaries fail to keep apace with inflation that is now above 2 million per cent annually. Growing malnutrition is one of the reasons Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido has moved ahead with his plans to bring supplies of food and medicine into Venezuela by land and sea on Saturday, despite resistance from Maduro. Maduro, who denies there is a humanitarian crisis, has said it is a "show" to undermine him. On Thursday, crowds cheered as Guaido led a convoy of opposition lawmakers out of Caracas on an aria Guitia carries her son Yeibe Medina after bathing him at home near San Francisco de Yare, Venezuela, February 18, 2019. The pair live with Guitia's five siblings and parents in a one-room tin shed with a dirt floor and no running water. Work is scarce and they live off payments for odd jobs and a monthly government handout of heavily-subsidised basic food supplies. They have taken to inventing meals with what little they have like lentils with plantain from the trees in their backyard. Guitia said her son had lost weight over the past five months until Caritas gave them some nutritional supplements. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins not provided details on how they would bring in the aid. In response, Maduro denounced the aid, saying in televised comments that he was considering closing the border with Colombia and would close the border with Brazil. Aid has become a proxy war in a battle for control of Venezuela, after Guaido in January invoked a Yaneidi Guzman, 38, shows the food she has in her kitchen at home in Caracas, Venezuela, February 19, 2019. Guzman has lost a third of her weight over the past three years as Venezuela's economic collapse made food unaffordable and she now hopes the opposition will succeed in bringing urgently needed foreign aid. She is one of many Venezuelans suffering from malnutrition. "It's not that I want to be rich, or a millionaire", Guzman said. "But I do want to give my children a good future, to make sure I can take them to the doctors when they get ill ... and that they eat well." REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins 800 kilometre (500 mile) trip to the Colombian border where they hope to receive food and medicine. Guaido has constitutional provision to assume an interim presidency, saying Maduro's reelection last year was fraudulent. "I hope they let the aid in," said Guzman, who despite holding down two jobs cannot make enough money for the tests, supplements or proteinrich diet that doctors have prescribed her. She and her husband make less than $30 per month and prioritize feeding their three young children. While there is a vacuum of government information, almost twothirds of Venezuelans surveyed in a university study called, "Survey on life conditions," and published last year, said they had lost on average 11 kilograms (24 pounds) in body weight in 2017. On the wall of Guzman’s home in the poor hillside district of Petare in the capital Caracas, hangs a wooden plaque with the psalm "The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing." Yet her fridge is empty except for a few bags of beans. Sometimes she wakes up not knowing what she will feed her family that day. Mostly they eat rice, lentils and cassava. While Guzman says she would welcome the aid, she is concerned the one-off shipment would be a drop in an ocean given Venezuelans' needs. "You don't only eat once," she said. Some political analysts say Saturday's showdown is less about solving Venezuela's needs and more about testing the military's loyalty towards Maduro, by daring it to turn the aid away. Some aid agencies like Catholic THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED relief agency Caritas are already on the ground providing what help they can. In San Francisco de Yare, a town 70 kilometres (45 miles) south of Caracas, Maria Guitia's one-year-old baby's belly is distended and his arms thin. The pair live with Guitia's five siblings and parents in a one-room tin shed with a dirt floor and no running water. Work is scarce and they live off payments for odd jobs and a monthly government handout of heavilysubsidised basic food supplies. They have taken to inventing meals with what little they have like lentils with plantain from the trees in their backyard. Guitia said her son had lost weight over the past five months until Caritas gave them some nutritional supplements. The United Nations and Red Cross have cautioned against the politicization of aid. The United States, which is pushing Maduro to step down, sent aid for Venezuela to a collection point in neighbouring Colombia in military aircraft, in a show of force. Guzman dreams of living once more not off foreign aid or government handouts but her own work. "It's not that I want to be rich, or a millionaire," she said. "But I do want to give my children a good future, to make sure I can take them to the doctors when they get ill ... and that they eat well." Courtesy of Reuters / INSP.ngo �NMar o. 397 3 -Mar | Nov 221, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 | No. 402 GLOBAL 7 Tokyo Street Count KAHARA NAKAHARA The Big Issue Japan 12.30am, the middle of the night. Shinjuku station, after the last train Groups visit 9 areas mall groups of people in down jackets and other winter garments gather in Shinjuku station after the last train departs. Among them are young and old, men and women. These are volunteers who are going to take part in the Winter Tokyo Street Count taking place on the nighttime streets. Tokyo Street Count is a homeless census on the streets at night. Citizens take part, and it is organized by the Advocacy and Research Centre for Homelessness (ARCH), a civil society organization that makes policy suggestions and conducts research on the homelessness issue. The volunteers take to the streets of Tokyo by foot after the final train and record the number of homeless people and their sleeping conditions. Since research began in January 2016, the census has been conducted in 11 wards in Tokyo prefecture. The census for this winter is planned in three parts. The first takes place on January 20, beginning at half past midnight, and counts the four wards of Shinjuku, Shibuya, Chiyoda and Chūō. There are about 30 people taking part in the survey in Shinjuku, including students and members of supporting organizations. The ward is divided into 9 areas such as Shinjuku Station West Exit area, City Hall and Central Park area, and a group of 3-4 people visit each. Mr. Takuya Kitabatake (a co-representative of ARCH) briefs the groups about their confidentiality obligations and other matters to note, before they allocate their roles and head to the streets at 1am. The group we are accompanying is visiting the area around Shinjuku station. Even in the middle of the night, neon lights are shining brightly. To make sure there are no omissions in the survey, the group must cover all the streets in the area under their responsibility. They mark their walking route on the map, making sure they don’t miss the backs of any buildings or small alleyways. When they see any homeless people, they make detailed notes of the location, number of people, living conditions (cardboard huts, sleeping bags, etc.) and gender. If they see people on the move, they also make a note of details that describe their characteristics, such as “XX Plaza, a man in his 50s, navy blue top, red bag”. Since the person on the move might be re-counted at their destination, the headquarters checks for duplicate records using this information. S The census ends at 3am There are 582 homeless people in the four wards By 2.30am, half of the planned roads on the map are marked out. As we walk around, we see people wrapped in sleeping bags and dozing off while seated, people living in houses made from cardboard boxes, and people walking around carrying their bags in order to warm up in the cold weather – all sorts of living conditions that cannot be summarised in just the one word: “homelessness”. We are also surprised to see people using unexpected places as beds, like those sleeping in the dark space between buildings, or lying quietly at the roots of garden plants. Ms. Takahashi, a university student studying social welfare, took part in this study for the first time. “Homeless people are clearly visible on the streets at night. It’s a somewhat strange feeling,” she said. Indeed, you feel a different kind of presence of the homeless people, who hardly stand out in the bustle of the daytime. Mr. I, who has been a volunteer since it began in 2016, said, “It is nice that citizens can easily join the Street Count. With more people joining in, I hope it raises awareness and encourage people to ask, for example, ‘I wonder how that man is doing?’” The survey of the designated area is done by 3.30am. As they return to the headquarters, the volunteers exchange their thoughts while waiting for the first train. A woman who joined the activity for the first time said, “There are many kinds of lifestyles – there are people who make houses with cardboard boxes, and there are people who only have a sleeping bag.” Another woman, joining for the second time, said, “It would be great if the life suited to each person could be sustained even after they received support.” A little while later, it is announced that based on today’s survey, conducted by 91 citizens in total, there are 582 people living on the streets in the 4 wards. Protocol for homeless people in public spaces ARCH, which runs the Tokyo Street Count, was founded in 2015 by students and graduates studying urban design at Tokyo Industrial University. They regard the issue of homelessness as “an ‘urban issue’ that concerns jobs, housing and public spaces, and therefore people from all walks of life”. The purpose of the count is to “capture the actual situations of homeless people, which is not achieved by the current survey conducted by the Tokyo government”. The survey by the Tokyo government is carried out in daytime, in parks, streets, alongside rivers and in stations, and many administrative plans are based on the figures obtained from it. However, 55.6 per cent of people work during the day despite their homelessness [National survey of homelesness by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in 2016]. The current survey cannot capture those who only live on the streets at night. In answer to this, ARCH carries out the survey between the time of the last train and dawn. The result is that, although in 2017 the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced that there were 5534 homeless people in Japan and 499 homeless people in Tokyo’s 11 wards, the Summer Street Count in the same year revealed 1307 homeless people in Tokyo’s 11 wards, about 2.6 times the figure of the government survey. It is also remarkable that there are 440 citizens (762 participations) in total, from junior high school students to seniors in their 60s, who have taken part in the survey so far. Mr Kitabatake said, “To realise a metropolis where people support each other, it is important to firstly acknowledge the existence of others. I hope that more people can take part in the Street Count and that this will become an opportunity for people to realize that homeless people do exist.” As the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games draw nearer, the group is making suggestions for “Tokyo to establish its position as taking serious action regarding the homelessness problem”. ARCH takes reference from Australia’s legacy, where a “protocol for homeless people in public spaces” was reached, spurred on by the 2000 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Sydney Olympics. Mr Kitabatake, who visited Sydney after the protocol was concluded, said: “From this protocol, it was acknowledged that homeless people also have the right to be in public spaces. In fact, even in parks there, you can now see white-collar workers and homeless people taking naps on the same lawn, all as citizens leading their lives. People value and support each other. I believe that if there are more places like this, we can have a strong society that is also kind and gentle.” It is ARCH’s hope that Tokyo will strive to become such a city. The Tokyo Street Count takes place every year in the summer and winter. Let’s consider what it means to be a ‘kind and gentle’ neighbourhood as we walk the streets at night. Information about ARCH (Advocacy and Research Centre for Homelessness) A civil society organization founded in October 2015. The team conducts research and advocacy relating to the issue of homelessness. Members are pro bono workers including researchers, students, field workers and legalists. On the other side of the lavish and grand event of Tokyo 2020 are people who are disadvantaged socially and economically, the organization works towards the goal of a society that leaves behind a legacy of diverse people living together and supporting each other’s lives, rather than one where socially and economically disadvantaged people are pushed to the sidelines while a huge event takes place in Tokyo in 2020. Translated from Japanese by Lily Su Courtesy of The Big Issue Japan / INSP.ngo �FEATURE 8 NMar o v 2 7- -Mar N o v 19, 0 18 || N o . 393 21,22019 No. 402 Boarded Up DR. MARK MUSSMAN Staff Writer H ow many people need to die on the street before we enact long-lasting systemic change? Last week, we honored the life of Danny Lee Miles, just 61 years old, on the corner of Race and Liberty. Danny Lee is just one of what will likely be over 100 people who die in Cincinnati because of homelessness in 2019. Every person who spoke at the memorial commented on how they wish they could have done more, that there is a crisis, and that Danny Lee was a kind and gentle soul. The details of his passing were unknown at the memorial, but we do know that he died alone, outside, in the cold, on a night with temperatures in the 20’s. The emotions on the corner ran high as clothing items and food were handed out to whoever needed them. Organizers, who want to honor Danny Lee, said that these items were being given out in honor of Danny Lee, from Danny Lee himself. Curious passerby who stopped to asked what was going on were shocked to learn of Danny Lee’s passing, and many had stories to share about reaching out to him, and sharing food with him. Danny Lee’s life didn’t need to end short. He had been living in a Northside group home for many years before finding himself out on the streets in October of 2018. A person connected with the group home said that he Block resident points to the boarded up doorway, around the corner on Liberty was de-comping, which means that his mental state wasn’t able to handle stressors. This may have led him out to the street last fall, but the system ended up failing him. Several organizations and individuals had helped him while he was staying on the corner of Race and Liberty Streets, but ultimately, they were unable to prevent his death. Danny Lee had been estranged from his family for almost two decades, but their communication with the organizers was similar to that of those who passed him by each day - they wish they had done more. It seems that his mental state had put up barriers between him and his family for some time. Although Danny Lee attended the University of Louisville and received an EMS Certificate, he was unable to care for himself at the end of his life. Some questioned if we could have forced him into the shelter, after all, Prince of Peace operates a winter shelter literally across the street. Prayers, pleas, and calls for system change were the focus of the memorial. One family, who lives on the block, attended the memorial because they had brought him blankets, mittens, and Employees from Alabama Fish, across the street, came over to offer their condolences THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED other items over the past few months. The young kids looked on as their mother spoke, “...I even offered to get him an Uber to the homeless shelter one night because it was very cold. But he was like ‘I’m okay, I’m okay.’ You know that was the kind of person he was, he didn’t ever ask for help, ever, but because we saw him everyday, we wanted to help. It breaks my heart that we live in a city that would board up a doorway, to keep him from being seen on a main street, rather than give him the help that he needed. He was human being. He was more than just a homeless face. He had a family. We loved him. We were his family.” Danny Lee passed away in the doorway on Race Street, just out of sight from busy Liberty Street. He had been sleeping in the doorway on Liberty, but the doorway was recently boarded up. It seems clear that the purpose of the board was to prevent him from sleeping there, in the eyes of someone, to remove the blight. Since the doorways on Race Street, on the same building were not also boarded up, it seems clear that this was about visibility - they don’t want people to see poverty in the gentrifying neighborhood. As “OTR” creeps northward into Over-the-Rhine and FC Cincinnati decimates the West End, only two blocks from where Danny Lee died, the push to remove signs of poverty have been elevated. But what does it mean to push people further into the shadows? Liberty Street is literally a battleground right now. The City is back at the drawing board regarding the Liberty Street Pedestrian Safety initiative. The southern part of Overthe-Rhine may have a SID forced upon us, forcing affordable housing out of the area. North of Liberty, the Brewery District continues its plan to �N o. 39 | Nov 2 - N o v 19, 2 0 18 Mar 73-Mar 21, 2019 | No. 402 FEATURE 9 Father Reynaldo Taylor opens with a prayer, standing near him are Bison, Brian Garry, and Sam Landis turn the neighborhood into a museum, erasing all contributions and existence of African Americans from the neighborhood. Liberty Street is a major traffic artery, with “rush hour” from 7am to 7pm during the weekdays, as it connects the two interstate highways. Those of us who cross Liberty daily know the dangers of the street, but dying, alone in the cold, is not on the agenda of any of these current battles. Streetvibes Distributor and Contributor, Kim Green made an impassioned plea for affordable housing at the memorial. She used her voice to bring light to the pressing issues that we face in the neighborhood today. At the podium, Kim proclaimed that “here in a city where developers are coming in, taking historical buildings, making them into storefront eateries, it’s really heartbreaking… today people are buying these buildings, they are trying to genocize (sic)... move affordable housing out. The churches, the Homeless Coalition, and [the shelters], they are doing their part to try to help with affordable housing. The City of Cincinnati and City Council are to be ashamed of themselves to let this happen. City Council stand up, help your community - let’s get affordable housing!” We know how to eradicate homelessness through affordable housing, livable wages, and housing protections, but it seems to me that people are still stuck in the mentality that it’s the fault of the individual, so therefore we have no responsibility. This mentality can be traced back to the Reagan Administration, who pushed the idea that churches should be responsible for dealing with homelessness, not the government. Unfortunately, the government has manufactured the current housing and homelessness crisis. By dismantling public housing in favor of privatization, by rewarding developers for displacing residents in favor of market-rate housing, by allowing wages to fall way below a livable wage, by giving landlords carte blanche protections to Recently boarded up doorway on Liberty Street THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED deny and remove people from housing, the government has created and maintained a system that has resulted in the crisis we have today. We have been to too many funerals over the past few years. The Homeless Coalition’s memorial service that takes place on the longest night of the year counted over 110 people last year who died due to homelessness. Over the past year, the City and County have worked together to make it an arrestable offense to live outside on public or private property. The claim that people who are living outside pose a significant threat to the public is wrong, and forces people further into the shadows, further into isolation. Here we have an individual who was seen every day, yet was in danger himself, and the system wasn’t enough. We are short 40,000 units of affordable housing. All the shelters are over capacity. The jail is also overcrowded. Unless we do a major affordable housing push, a push for livable wages, a push for housing protections, the number of people who lose their lives to homelessness will continue to rise. While so many people are gaining from the displacement of people from our neighborhood, shouldn’t they take on some of the burden? We’ve lost more than 2400 units of affordable housing in Over-the-Rhine over the past 10 years. We are hemorrhaging our neighbors, yet someone is making a great profit off of it, using benefits and public incentives that come out of our taxes. The family who helped Danny Lee with blankets and mittens and offered to get an Uber to the shelter ended their memorial statement with this call to action. “We live on a block with all these vacant buildings. No one’s doing anything with them but making a profit eventually… we have to do better as a people. We just got to do better. No one should have to die outside, alone, in the cold.” �10 LOCAL NMar o v 2 7- -Mar N o v 19, 0 18 || N o . 393 21,22019 No. 402 The Power And The Need For Citizen Organizing BILL WOODS ContributingWriter C itizen organizing of every type received attention at an all day forum on Saturday February 23rd. Two hundred plus activists took part in "The Power of Organizing - Finding Your Community's Voice," an event sponsored by the Murray and Agnes Seasongood Good Government Foundation. Speakers, panels, and breakout discussions focused on how citizens can have an impact on government policy and the decisions that effect their communities and neighborhoods. The day began with a keynote address by Karen Hobert Flynn, the President of Common Cause U.S.A. Although Flynn now heads an organization that spends a lot of time and energy promoting political reforms at the national level, she believes in citizen organizing at all levels. In fact, Flynn began her career organizing at the grassroots. Reflecting on how state legislators often try to avoid contact with constituents, she revealed that one of her strategies as a young activist was to corner representatives right before they entered the bathroom. Flynn had some of her previous successes at the state level. She played a key role in organizing the adoption of public financing for campaigns for state elective offices in Connecticut. As a regional director for Common Cause, she assisted a number of state chapters, including Ohio, in their reform efforts. She stressed that some of Common Cause's best work continues to take place in the states, and she noted its success (in collaboration with other groups) in passing redistricting reform in Ohio last May. Flynn emphasized the importance of having the Seasongood event at this particular moment in U.S history. Citizen organizing to preserve our democratic institutions is critical. On a positive note, she proclaimed that citizen involvement in groups such as Common Cause has greatly increased in the last two years. The morning panel that followed the keynote focused on the nuts and bolts of organizing. Featuring local people with diverse organizing experiences, the panelists emphasized how they went about recruiting and working with volunteers. For instance, if citizens are going to give their time and talents to an organizing effort, they need to be appreciated and to believe that their involvement makes a difference. If it's a major effort involving a coalition of groups, one panelist stressed that a corps of leaders must evolve that works well together and trusts one another. All the panelists noted organizers must prepare their groups for unexpected setbacks, which can often be used as learning experiences. Moderated by Liz Blume of the Season Good board, the panel included Jennifer Summers of the Peaslee Neighborhood Center, Dorothy Smoot of the Partnering Center, Bill Woods of Applied Information Resources, and Nicole Edwards of the Sierra Club. One of the most valuable parts of the day occurred before lunch. Attendees split into three groups, and these breakout sessions allowed everyone to say why they were there. These sessions also encouraged people to present their ideas about needed organizing projects in Cincinnati. As an example, many neighborhood representatives noted that neighborhoods are isolated and need some kind of coalition in order to be heard and taken seriously by public officials. Over lunch, two full time community organizers, DeMario Cooper of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, and Katy Heins of Community Change, shared their thoughts on the theme "Why Organize?" Heins began by saying that organizing is all about providing sufficient power to citizens to insure that they have an impact on public decisions that effect their lives. On a variety of issues from fair wages to affordable housing, Community Change works with citizens in various cities and states to bring this about. DeMario Cooper agreed with Heins' statement about "power." Often working in low-income AfricanAmerican neighborhoods, he described the inequities that exist without effective organizing. He was especially blunt about the inequities confronting Black males. As an example, he pointed to the huge percentage of Black males who serve prison terms in this country and the deep hole this places them in once they are released. Issue 1, on last November's ballot, was a justice reform initiative that would have eliminated much of the unnecessary incarceration in Ohio. Although the organizing effort for Issue 1 by groups such as the Ohio Organizing Collaborative ended in defeat, Cooper already sees some positive next steps emerging from that campaign. A final panel also featured diverse citizen organizers discussing their recent work and how they go about it. Catherine Turcer, Director of Common Cause/Ohio, described the organizing that went into the campaign to bring about redistricting reform in Ohio. She depicted how the successful state-wide signature gathering by volunteers for the grassroots Constitutional Amendment proposal persuaded members of the Ohio House and Senate to draft a real reform proposal of their own which the voters passed overwhelmingly passed last May. Panelist Josh Spring, the Executive Director of the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, told attendees about his work in organizing tenants. Tenants, especially those living in publicly assisted apartments, often need to know their rights in order to stand up to landlords who fail to maintain their buildings or who are attempting to evict them in order to raise rents or to sell their properties to developers. Spring has been successful in his goal of working with tenants so that they successfully speak and take action for themselves. As a conclusion to the day, David Altman, Executive Secretary of the Seasongood Foundation, and Michael Coffey, of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, talked with attendees about the availability of grants for citizen organizing. Altman noted that it was a good sign that two local foundations not only saw the need for citizen involvement in public decisionmaking, but they also recognized the importance of organizing that involvement. Opi-Hate At The Top ROBERT PARK ContributingWriter A monotonous seemingly endless series of almost daily full-page ads in the NY Times from Purdue Pharma explained what a responsible company they are and how hard they’re trying to help with the opioid overdose crisis. This company is the maker of OxyContin and other opioids, and is owned by one family, worth about 13 $billion according to Forbes magazine. The recent history of Purdue Pharma, described in the NY Times (Jan.16, 2019) is visible because of law suits. In 2007 the company paid a 634 $million fine on federal criminal charges against top management, members of the Sackler family. They were charged with lying about the dangers of OxyContin in promoting the drug to doctors. More than 200,000 opioid overdose deaths have occurred since 1996 when the drug was introduced. The Sackler executives were removed from management of the company but continued to run it, according to subsequent law suits. Massachusetts attorney general, Maura Healey, is suing Purdue right now and new information has appeared as a result. Aside from further evidence of wonton murderous profiteering (about one billion $ per year in OxyContin sales), some insight into how these people think has emerged from internal company documents. When president of the company in 2001, one Sackler brother wrote: “we have to hammer on abusers in every way possible… They are the culprits and the problem. They are reckless criminals.” Ruling class contempt for the working class: this is about as clear as it gets. Thousands of people with injuries caused by their work, or by accidents, with pain from appropriate medical treatments or from deferred or absent medical care, trying to keep their lives on track and deal with family obligations, they are the criminals. Kids that don’t see a livable future are the criminals. Trump’s losers, which includes most THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED of us whose attainments in life didn’t depend on bullying, cheating or lying, we are the criminals. These are not anomalous ruling class attitudes, they are normal. Their class education trains them to think that way (although some wealthy people with a strong streak of honesty and integrity actually acknowledge, to themselves at least, a more accurate view of reality). Workers are blamed for industrial injuries and illnesses when process design and operating procedures are the culprit; students are blamed for enormous debt; homeowners devastated by banking fraud are blamed for reckless borrowing. We need to figure out who the criminals are, folks. �N o. 39 | Nov 2 - N o v 19, 2 0 18 Mar 73-Mar 21, 2019 | No. 402 11 LOCAL Diet, Childhood, and Homelessness: An Ohio Study TESS SOHNGEN ContributingWriter N ew Ohio Study Provides Insights into Food Access for Homeless Youths at a Drop-In Center When you’re young and don’t have a suitable place to live, how do you eat? A recent Ohio study examined exactly what food is provided at a youth drop-in center to answer this question. This study is the first of its kind to go into the service center and evaluate the food available to the 60-plus youths it serves every day. While previous research has taken a broader lens to the food resources available to homeless youths, the results of this new study demonstrate what’s possible when a service center can provide a quality food environment to adolescents – and the “x-factor” for doing so. How Many Youths Experience Homelessness? Deemed “The nation’s invisible homeless population”, more teens and young adults are living on the street than ever before in US history, and their numbers are rising. In one year, nearly 1.7 million youths will experience homelessness. These unaccompanied youths — any person under the age of 25 living without adequate housing and without a parent committing petty crimes for food or shelter. In their eat-or-be-eaten world, homelessness is the gatekeeper to experiencing violence, acute and longterm illness, and food insecurity. The Food Environment for Unsheltered Youths As many as 96% of youths experiencing homelessness are also affected by food insecurity, according to research by the Canadian Journal of Public Health, which has published several studies around youth homelessness and food resources in Toronto, where youths are also a growing portion of the country’s homeless population. Here is just one example of how fast and deep the knife can cut for unsheltered youths. The lack of access to nutritional and adequate food has long-term negative health effects for young men and women. “Inadequate nutrition can permanently alter children’s brain architecture and stunt their intellectual capacity, affecting children’s learning, social interaction and productivity,” according to Feeding America’s 2018 Child Food Insecurity Module. New Study – Evaluating Food Sources for Homeless Youths With limited resources to find work and money, homeless youths often 1 in 6 children 13M experiences hunger in the United States Number of children who live in "food insecure" homes in the United States Source: www.nokidhungry.org or guardian – are more vulnerable to the consequences of homelessness. Without guardian supervision, these young men and women are more prone to victimization – trading sex and unpaid work, panhandling, and turn to charitable services, crime, and begging for food. Here are the mostcommon food sources for homeless youths, according to a study published in Public Health Nutrition journal: (65%) admitted to theft as a means to food, (63%) food supplemented by welfare agencies, (61%) begging for money or food, (44%) begging for food items, and (34%) asking for help from friends and relatives. In a new and groundbreaking study from the Ohio State University Institutional Review Board, researchers evaluated the food at one of resources used most-extensively by youths experiencing homelessness: drop-in centers. Drop-in shelters targeted specifically for youths are typically the initial point of service for these young people since they are less restrictive than other service centers and aim to build trust and relationships with these adolescences. But how are they able to provide food to youths, and does the food meet their health needs? The researchers evaluated the variety and quality of food provided at a youth drop-in center in the Central Ohio region, assessing the type of food available, how accessible it was to youths in the center’s kitchen, and the health quality of those items. Their findings were surprising to the researchers. Not only did the center offer a fairly high variety of fruits and vegetables but also limited obesogenic (unhealthful) foods accessible to the adolescents they served. The X-Factor for Providing Adequate Food at Drop-in Centers These findings sharply contrasted previous studies and hypotheses predicting that food provided at these types of shelters did not meet adolescent’s nutritional needs. Researchers speculate a notable x-factor THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED for why the results from the Central Ohio study are so different: available funding. The level of funding available to drop-in centers is a crucial determinant of the types of food organizations can offer its homeless populations. When the welfare center relies on charitable donations of food, the quality, quantity, and nutritional value of the food available plummets. On the contrary, centers that can afford to pay staff, purchase food, and cover the costs of rent and utilities does not depend on donated food. This drop-in center in Central Ohio purchased most of the food it provides to young people from local food banks. The center also provides laundry, shower facilities, recreational activities, links to additional community resources, and beds to adolescents. On average, the center sees between 60-80 homeless youths ages 14-24 daily, with two to three new clients arriving each day. In Summary The study was the first of its kind and could contribute to more research in the future that examines homeless youth’s food environment. However, since the study was conducted at the only youth drop-in center in the metropolitan area – and considering the money available to the center – these finding don’t attest to the food environment and availability of youth shelter houses elsewhere in the country. This study simply shows that with adequate funding, services can be an adequate food resource for youths experiencing homelessness. �12 A Friend To be called a friend is sometimes very hard to be To be a friend is a honor with many responsibilities To have a friend is someone STREETVOICE Gusty Winds The Sky was dark The Sun was gone you can depend on To have a friend with you when all hope is gone Being human beings we all fall short of God’s grace The arrival of Rain made the Gusty Winds Come Being human plus a friend The Air can be a difficult race was cool Due to difficult the rain circumstances in every persons life To put trust and faith in someone can be only strife felt good As I embraced the Gustv Winds See So for me I keep the faith and never forget to pray As I sing that old hymn what a friend we have in Jesus Each and every day!! WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer and Son God Loves you more than me! KIM GREEN Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer No More Tears I woke up this morning and smelled the coffee. You just don’t know about life, until you wake up. I was born November 13th, 1970. Life is real. Life is precious. I’ve been through hell and back, but I’m here. Psalm 116:8—"For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling or stumbling.” N ov 2 N o v 21, 19, 2019 2 0 18 || No. N o . 402 393 Mar 7 --Mar Take Time Time- Everything in life takes time Time to plant Time to be born Time to die But let us remember To spend time with our loved onesMy mom and dad are no longer alive I can no longer hug them I got stabbed through the heart on July, 1994. I had two heart attacks on March, 2006. November 20th, 2018 they took an old heart valve out, and replaced it with a new one. They put a pace maker in on February 8th, 2019. and say hi and that I love Yes, life is so precious. The kids today are not raised the way we were. the time you will remember I need the old school people to come cleanup the streets. JAMES BROWN Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer you If your mom and dad are still alive please give them a long hug and tell them you love them Your heart and mind will feel so good that you took that and even more days you can do You will know that God has blessed all of you CLEO WOMBLES Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer Streetvibes Writing Circle If you would like to submit a story for publication in streetvibes, come join Katelyn Lusher and Chris Wilkey for a group writing session! S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �STREETVOICE No. 39 | Nov21, 2 - 2019 N o v 19, 2 0402 18 Mar 7 3-Mar | No. Just Because THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY DEBATE Just because I’m homeless does not mean I deserve to be forgotten. Just because I’m homeless doesn’t meant I should not be seen Are you not feeling a sense of urgency 13 Just because you have fine clothes and a nice home does not make you a better woman or a better man. Do you love to watch the sunset? Do you like Just because I’m homeless doesn’t mean I should have no rights in my homeland to count the stars? emergency? I may not have fine clothes or a nice home, but I do have plenty of dignity, and my vote still matters. the troubles in your heart? How would you define a bonafide I may not have a briefcase, a smartphone, and busy appointments, but I still have dreams and hopes for the future. laugh out loud, play their games, and let them I just need to find my way back home again. Do you hide their eggs on Easter? Read their About The Donald's national crisis? Wouldn't be like a sneak attack by Isis? When you walk by, I can see that look in your eyes, and I wonder what are you afraid of? You remind me of how it used to be for me. I want you to know that just because you are busy does not mean you will always be so free. Does it seem to you to be a bogus call, To say it's for money for a border wall? BILL WOODS Contributing Writer Just because I’m homeless does not meant I forgot what it’s like. Are you worried about keeping your job forever? Paying your bills on time? What the doctor may say? And wondering if your pension will still be there some day? Just because I’m homeless doesn’t mean I cannot see. Everyone is walking fast like they are in a hurry. Everyone has that look in their eyes, wondering what I am doing out here? What happened to me? Wondering how I survive? Every day is a very long day in my world and I am worried too, you see. Do you like to walk in nature so you can forget When you play with your children do you believe they are so smart? card out loud on Mother’s Day? Watch the fireworks on the Fourth of July, and go to bed early before Christmas the oldfashioned way? Just because I’m homeless doesn’t mean I forgot about those old traditions, I just do my best to ignore what it’s like to sleep at the down town missions. I wish you could visit with me for a day, a week, or a year, so you could really know what it’s like being out here. Maybe you think it just doesn’t matter because it could never happen to you, is that right? Sometimes I want to wave just to see if you would wave back to me. Maybe you think we don’t have much in If I tell you my name, would you at least offer me a smile as if I am still important? common because of where you sleep at night. I want people to see me but when they do, I just look down at my shoes. I don’t really want your pity and would rather It’s easier that way you see, just because I’m homeless you think you know about me. Just because you don’t live where I live, or sleep where I sleep does not mean you understand. WAYNE SHIPMAN Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED be left alone I know we really have so much in common But we go our separate ways just because I have no home �PET HOROSCOPES 14 NMar o v 27- -Mar N o v 19, 0 18 || N o . 393 21,22019 No. 402 Pet Horoscopes by Dusty Changepurse Pisces (Ten of Swords) - Have you have had it? Are sensing the that the end is near? The future is bleak, I know. Maybe it’s the end of your pet’s life, maybe its the end of puppyhood, or maybe it is just the end of your rope with even having a pet. Either way, this is a month of transitions, so know that sometimes it is best to find a way to process loss and move to a more positive place. Hard decisions need to be had for your pet this month. Aries (Seven of Cups) - Abundance is the name of the game, but, everything comes with a price. Remember my forewarning of this being a month of closure and things ending so know that dreams are often realized when we keep their limitations in mind. Your pet has been feeling spoiled these past few weeks, but what happens when the spoiling stops? Beware of negative behavior from your pet(s) when the going stops being good. with some insomnia/late night shenanigans, so be prepared. And yes, I know that is literal, but remember it isn’t their fault. Your Leo pet has been feeling some extra energy and vibes these weeks, so they are trying to make sense of the world and the rules. Remember, new pets means new accidents. Virgo (Eight of Swords) - Wow! Are you feeling the squeeze? Well your pet is fur sure. Your pet is feeling quite bound and restricted. It may not just be about the rules either. They are afraid of messing up. Try to help instill some confidence in your pet this month. I am always one to say that self-care is so important, but sadly pets don’t know this. Your pet has been making sacrifices and now it is your turn. Give up some of your personal time for some pet R and R. They actually need this now more than ever. Throat, mouth and ears are going to be affected this month. Taurus (The High Empress) - Your pet is on one, but it is as it should be. Yep, here kitty kitty, we got catnip! Sadly, you Taurean pet is having an internal conflict with balance. They may need some nature in their life to help center them. This is a time for you to bring some nature or creativity to your pet’s life. Also, this is a good time to set some boundaries for your pets. Remember we reward good behavior, not just giving them treats for “not being bad.” and your pet knows it. You both have your feelings, emotions and actions aligned and that is where you need to be. Your job is to move together through the journey of life and learn from each other. I will warn you that your pet is going through a jealousy phase this month, so beware. Basically, if you are introducing new (fur) people into your household consider limiting access between temporarily. This may help mitigate any negative territorial behavior. Sagittarius (Page of Wands) - Listen bird, you are one egotistical, free-spirited cutie pie. Wait, how do you do that? Yes, be prepared to be amazed by your fine feathered friend. They are all about the creative sparks and making things happen. Don’t worry, they are going to show you just how awesome birds can be. But be warned, this new found confidence can lead to flying away. If you let your pet friends have free range, keep a vigilant watch. This sense of freedom may cause them to flutter away. Capricorn (Six of Swords) - Your pet needs a vacation. A vacation from you, from life, from everything! So why not take them to the doggie spa or kitty coral. You will need to keep an eye on them because they are feeling a lack of engagement. There may be something holding them back, so figure it out and help them push through. They will feel challenged, but together you can be successful. This is a time of transition, so it is important that you are present with your pet. Gemini (The Hermit) - Your pet (and maybe you) will be feeling slightly overwhelmed and withdrawn this month. Perhaps think about spending some extra time with your pet or maybe they need some alone introspective time. I mean sure, they are happy to see you when you get home, but beware of destructive behavior when they are alone. Honestly, your smart furbaby has probably learned to hide all their mischief (and damage). So look in hidden corners and nooks, you may find that item you have been missing for while now. Cancer (Ace of Wands) - Usually this card means one is feeling inspired or growth. I personally find it is usually a clue for us to rely on your intuition to figure something out. Well, our reptile friends especially are using this skill to grow… right out of the cage. If you have a reptile, they are going to be an escape artist this month. Be sure to watch their living environment. Whatever your solution may be, know your pet is overthinking things. So simplify. If you are thinking of getting a new pet, well, you have your answer. Leo (The Moon) - The only thing to do is howl at the moon! Okay, we get it! It’s 2 a.m. and everything is exciting, but just go to sleep. This is a time of transformation within your pet. They learning to lean into their personality. Your pets will be dealing Libra (Seven of Pentacles) - So you have put in the hard work, and now you can start to see the results. Finally. That furbaby has finally learned all the cute tricks. Even the birdiebrains are finally getting it. I mean, who doesn’t need a bird who can tell a knock knock joke. For this moment, just enjoy the successes of your training. If you are in the middle of a training program, keep at it. You will definitely reep the benefits. Remember, it is about the big picture here. Plan for the future. So the trainings isn’t for the tricks, it is help the behavior. Scorpio (Knight of Cups) - Moving forward should be the goal for your pet. You have a good thing going Aquarius (Three of Wands) - You see all that kitty? Everything the apartment light touches is yours. Okay that may sound like a scene from a cartoon, but that is because you kitty feels like the monarch of the household. That is probably true. You are in the midst of change, so it is important to keep up the momentum. Your pet is going to be looking for new adventure and the plans have be set, so time to operationalize it. This may be a time to introduce new toys, tricks and challenges to their care. Make them look forward to something new. Hey, it only takes a string and a feather do this, but why not make it sound like an epic challenge About the Author: Dusty Changepurse (they, them, their) is cultural and creative artist whom infuses spirituality, creativity and social justice into their work and everyday life.They have been providing tarot-based guidance, readings, and pet horoscopes for a couple of years. They believe tarot is a useful tool for self-reflection, knowledge growth, and self-care. They enjoy crystals, kombucha and vegan food. The horoscopes presented should not be seen as medical/ veterinary advice. If you or your pet needs actually medical assistance, please see a medical professional. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �N o. 39 | Nov 21, 2- N o v 19, 2 0 18 Mar 73-Mar 2019 | No. 402 Central Access Point 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children RESOURCES Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 621-7265 1528 Race St. 45202 Churches Active in Northside Bethany House 557-2873 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 591-2246 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 Salvation Army 762-5660 St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 131 E. 12th Street 45202 1125 Bank Street 45214 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men Shelter: Men Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 Shelterhouse 721-0643 2121 Vine Street 45202 411 Gest St. 45203 Prospect House 921-1613 1437 Walnut Street 45202 Starting Over 961-2256 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 Parkway Center 661-4620 First Step Home 961-4663 Shelter: Youth 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Shelter: Family Interfaith Hospitality Network Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Joseph House (Veterans) 471-1100 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 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 VA 977-6800 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 Food/Clothing First Lutheran Church 421-0065 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 1730 Race Street 45202 St. Francis Seraph Ministries 549-0542 St. George Food Pantry 2554 Dennis St. 45219 751-8771 St. Anthony Center 1615 Republic St. Advocacy Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 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 Housing: 15 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 UpSpring 363-3300 Health Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 Other Resources Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 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 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 Cancer Justice Network 404-3882 Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels 981-4200 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center (11-17 y/o) 859-491-8303 ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 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? You can support our mission and spread the word about your business. For more information contact Gabriela Godinez Feregrino, 961-0600 email streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Center for Respite Care 621-1868 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 386-7899 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 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 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �16 NMar ov 2 7 - -Mar N o v 19, 0 18 | |N o . 393 21,22019 No. 402 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BETTIE BAILEY SINCE 10/2017 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 BRIAN ADAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHARLES WILLIAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHRISTOPHER KAIHATSU SINCE 7/2017 CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DARREL ROZIER SINCE 7/2017 DAVID MCCANE SINCE 2017 ERIC VALDEZ SINCE 2/2017 GERALD FRANKLIN SINCE 7/2017 GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 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 2019 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 March 7-March 21, 2019 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: Anti-Vax Movements and Social Media Pg 3: Education Opportunities Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: The Strike Pg 6: Malnourished Venezuelans Hope Urgently Needed Aid Arrives Soon Pg 7: Tokyo Street Count Pg 8: Boarded Up Pg 9: Boarded Up Continued Pg 10: The Power and the Need for Citizen Organizing Opi-Hate at the Top Pg 11: Diet, Childhood, and Homelessness Pg 12: Street Voice Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Pet Horoscopes 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 March 7-March 21, 2019 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Gabriela Godinez Holly McCall Kahara Nakahara Carlos Garcia Rawlins Shaylim Valderrama Key Beck Dr. Mark Mussman Bill Woods Tess Sohngen Kim Green Willa Denise Jones Robert Park James Brown Cleo Wombles Pngtree.com Canva.com INSP.com Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Anti-Vax Bill Woods Canva.com Carlos Garcia Rawlins Cleo Wombles Dr. Mark Mussman education Free Lunch Program Gabriela Godinez Holly McCall INSP.com James Brown Josh Spring Kahara Nakahara Key Beck Kim Green Ohio Pngtree.com protest Robert Park Shaylim Valderrama Social Media Strike Tess Sohngen Tokyo Venezuela Willa Denise Jones 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 March 9-March 22, 2018 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From the Director The Need to Improve Public Transit Pg 3: FC Cincinnati Pg 4: How to Respond to Panhandling Pg 5: Group Urges CPS to Move Back High School Start Times Pg 6: What the Kids Are Thinking Why a Soccer Stadium in the West End? Dangerous Occupations Pg 7: Why is Cancer Mortality for Minorities so High in Cincinnati? Mayor Cranley is Everything That Is Wrong with the FC Stadium Deal Pg 8: Religious Peacemakers Pg 9: Ecuador Endangered Pg 10: GCHC Pg 11: We’re Having the Wrong Conversation About Guns How Are We Teaching Our Kids? Pg 12: Dave Caudill Continued John Sneed Continued Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource March 9-March 22, 2018 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Bill Woods Dr. Mark Mussman Dave Caudill Michael Earl Patton Robert Park Alan Smithee Steve Sunderland Michelle Dillingham Saad Ghosn John Sneed Trenton Davis Staci Hollander Kim Green Willa D. Jones Justin Jeffre Murraycooperphoto Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Alan Smithee Bill Woods Cancer Cincinnati CPS Dave Caudill Dr. Mark Mussman Ecuador FC Gun Control John Sneed Josh Spring Justin Jeffre Kim Green Mayor Cranley Michael Earl Patton Michelle Dillingham Minorites Murraycooperphoto Public Transit Racism Religion Robert Park Saad Ghosn Staci Hollander Steve Sunderland Teaching Trenton Davis Willa D. Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/7c52411ec74c5b461d5f40963a27f0fb.pdf 311f8f8b49a49ea65d560ead397528a1 PDF Text Text Artists as Activists ‘An Awesome Book’ Review Page 3 Page 16 STREETVIBES $1 May 1 -15, 2010 • Advocating Justice, Building Community • Issue 176 Soldiers Attack Homeless Camp Man survives injuries, fears gang will strike again By GreGory Flannery editor sleeping under a highway overpass at about 3 a.m. when four men attacked him. gang went hunting “I was awakened by four in Spring Grove vil- young men telling me to exit lage for the property,” a homeless man he says. “As I “This one was to beat up April was complying planned. They had 10. When they with them, they the same haircut, were finished, started beating they had the same John Johnme with pipes clothes. They son needed 18 and bats upside stitches in his went to where the head and up head, and his and down the these people were girlfriend was sleeping. When they left side of my in fear for her left, they kept their body.” life. The brutalInitial reports headlights off.” ity of the attack speculated that - Josh Spring was shocking in the assailants itself – but even were skinheads. more so was the fact that But 16 days after the attack three of the four suspects are Cincinnati Police obtained soldiers in the U.S. Army. Johnson, 52, says he was See Attack, p. 5 A A woman who asked not to be identified was threatened when a gang attacked John Johnson at a homeless camp on Mitchell Avenue. Photo by Jon Hughes/photopresse. Tenants Rally, Landlord Arrested Electricity, water restored but crisis isn’t over By roB Goeller Staff Writer Hurricane Katrina in New Or­ leans. “This is a terrible, terrible riving down Forest situation,” she said. “We con­ Avenue in Avonsider this to be a Katrina situ­ dale, the situation ation where we may need to became apparent, thanks to bring water and whatever a banner hung on a wroughtelse these individuals need in iron fence in front of a large order to sustain life.” apartment build­ In the meantime, re­ ing. A message silient tenants contin­ “Guess what? Our Land Lord is at a scribbled on a ued to make sacrifices. bed sheet said, hotel while we are w/ no electric – Help!” Lake McCowan, 44, kept “Guess what? Our - a sign made by residents when a generator running for Land Lord is at a days. The generator – their power was shut off. hotel while we set up in a courtyard are w/ no electric at the main building at – Help!” As the week passed, Len- Washington and Forest – was The banner was a clear tine, staying elsewhere, re­ quite a sight, with extension sign of distress – over 40 fam­ peatedly promised to restore chords reaching into secondilies had survived without energy, according to resi­ and third-floor windows, af­ electricity or gas for an entire dents. But as the promises fording tenants the chance week. withered away, so did the food to cook food in microwave “(Landlord Joseph Lentine, in residents’ refrigerators. ovens. III) took our money and ran,” While the Legal Aid Society “We’ve shared as much as said Tiffany Hobbes, a moth­ of Southwest Ohio took legal we can,” said the Rev. Ken­ er of five. action against property own­ neth Simpson, a resident. “It’s Lentine, who owns three ers, the Cincinnati Chapter of the only way we can make it. apartment buildings in Avon- the National Association for We’ve had nothing but each dale and lives in one of them, the Advancement of Colored other. A lot of people in these collected rent and deposit people (NAACP) publicized buildings didn’t know each payments from tenants, then the residents’ plight. other before all of this.” left his neighbors to suffer the At a press conference, Juan­ People from around Cin­ consequences of a massive ita Adams, first vice president cinnati pitched in to provide back payment owed to Duke of the NAACP compared the Energy and Cincinnati Water situation to the aftermath of See Tenants, p. 6 D Rob Goeller, civil rights outreach coordinator, collected information from residents about the electricty and water outage. Meanwhile, residents made the best of the situation by enjoying popsicles as a community. Photos by Andrew Haynes. Works. Laeid McCowan, 72, said she had just gotten out of the hospital when she paid Lentine $450 for rent plus a $200 deposit. The very next day, April 6, McCowan and her neighbors were without elec­ tricity. �2 The Vibe By The Numbers $2.50 The cost of a fancy meal in southern India (see page 3). 16 The age at which artists Halena Cline dropped out of school (see page 16). 1 The number of days Laeid McCowan had electricity before it went off due to her landlord’s non-payment (see page 1). 1922 The year the last emperor of Austria died (see page 4). 40th The anniversary this year of the Kent State massacre (see page 14). $5,000 The size of the bond required of a soldier charged with an attack on a homeless man (see page 1). 2110 The year in which Anne Skove was supposed to meet her Ascended Master Self (see page 9). 295 The Bengals’ target weight for defensive end Carlos Dunlap (see page 10). 12 The number of hours a day laborer works to earn $30 (see page 11). First David Singleton’s spot in the history of Canary Award winners (see page 6). StreetWise By GreGory Flannery editor Believing What They Read Our April Fools gags were a little more successful than is comfortable. More than two weeks after the fact, Channel 9 News (WCPO) called Streetvibes, saying our story about the use of waterboarding in the Hamilton County Justice Center had alarmed a local bishop, who contacted the American Civil Liberties Union, which contacted Channel 9. The TV news crew apparently realized the story was a satire only after noticing the publication date, April 1. The good news is that readers who thought human rights were being violated by Sheriff Simon Leis Jr. reacted in outrage. The bad news is that some readers imagined that conditions in the United States had actually deteriorated to that point. Not yet, friends. Not yet. Couldn’t Believe What She Heard A few readers objected to our satirical report that Cincinnati City Council had passed an ordinance requiring homeless people to pull rickshaws. The intention of political satire is to make a serious point by means of exaggeration and humor. Others will have to decide whether our effort worked. There is a difference, of course, between satire and crude jokes that belittle vulner­ able people. Last month the Ohio Chapter of the National Association of Social Work­ ers (NASW) took strong exception to banter on Rover's Morning Glory Morning Show, which originates on WMMS (100.7 FM) in Cleveland. Shane French, the host of the show, who uses the on-air name of Rover, commented on a lawsuit against movie star Steven Seagal, recently sued by an employee who accused him of keeping her as a “sex slave.” Rover called Seagal a “hero” and joked about wanting to have sex slaves of his own. Someone from NASW called to complain, only to be asked, on the air, if she’d like to be Rover’s sex slave. The NASW staffer described the exchange in an e-mail criticizing the show. “I stated that what the hosts were talking about is called human trafficking and is, in fact, illegal,” the staffer wrote. “Toward the end of the exchange, I questioned where the respect for women and human beings is. As the hosts talked over me, I heard one of them say, ‘Someone needs to tie her down and exploit her.’ ” WMMS is owned by Clear Channel Communications, the same company that owns WLW (700 AM) in Cincinnati. When the Dayton Human Trafficking Accords heard about the incident, it asked Clear Channel for an on-air apology and disciplinary ac­ tion against the DJs. But Brian Dytko, regional manager for Clear Channel, disagreed with the complaint. “We are in the process of reviewing that edition of the Rover Morning Show and the conversation about it in our coverage area,” Dytko wrote. “Based on what I heard of the broadcast, I would respectfully disagree with your impression of it. The irreverent hosts approached a news story that was widely covered and commented on that day – a lawsuit accusing actor Steven Seagal of sexual harassment – with their typical broad humor. A caller to the program raised the subject of human trafficking in the context of the Seagal lawsuit. Although our hosts expressed their belief that these were in fact two separate subjects, they allowed the caller considerable time to express her equally strong belief that human trafficking was relevant to the Seagal case.” Simply Unbelievable Sometimes people in public roles come off sounding ridiculous and offensive without even trying to be funny. Thus we have Cincinnati Archbishop Dennis Schnurr warning Catholics that press coverage of the Pope’s handling of child sexual abuse by priests has been unfair. Schnurr wrote a letter saying Catholics should keep an open mind about the allegations. “I urge you not to form judgments based on secular press accounts alone,” he wrote. Skepticism is important whenever someone reads the news – and all the more so when someone reads a letter from a Catholic prelate on his church’s history of covering up and enabling the sexual abuse of children. This is all the more true when that prelate is archbishop of Cincinnati, an organization convicted of failing to report sex crimes against children. That conviction came during the tenure of Schnurr’s predecessor, re­ tired Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk, who, like the Vatican and Schnurr, made a point of criticizing the media before finally – in the face of lawsuits and the arrest of priests – admitted that, yes, in fact, the church had covered up child sexual abuse. That is not to say that Pope Benedict XVI has done anything wrong; that hasn’t yet been proven. The point is that by now one would expect something different from a Catholic archbishop, something more edifying than criticism of the press. “The Church welcomes honest reporting, even when it is critical of the Church and painful,” Schnurr wrote. That, however, is a lie. Far from welcoming honest reporting on this scandal, the Catho­ lic Church spent years denying the truth. Schnurr’s letter is a sign that the church is still more concerned with its image than with the children in its care. STREETVIBES May 1 - 14, 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 Intern Veronica Glass Vendor Coordinator Jeni Jenkins Contributing Writers Michelle Dillingham, Samantha Groark, Margo Pierce, Paul Kopp, Jeremy Flannery, Michael Henson, David Heitfield, Valerie Fessler, Alecia A. Lott, Jeni Jenkins, Saad Ghosn, Lew Moores, Larry Gross, Eli Braun, Jesse Call Photography/Artwork Aimie Willhoite, Lynne Ausman, Anthony Williams, 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. We are proud members of: �STREETVIBES May 1 - 14, 2010 8 3 Column M I N U T E S with a Wide-Eyed World Traveler Looking at America from the outside-in By MarGo Pierce Contributing Writer A mericans are spoiled. Americans are ar­ rogant. Americans are shortsighted. Americans have no sense of what goes on in the rest of the word. These are statements I’ve often heard but never fully understood. When there’s an earthquake in Haiti, famine in southern Africa or a tsunami in Sri Lanka, Americans respond with an outpouring of aid. OK, so we’re already tuning out the destruc­ tion in Haiti. We were really slow in responding to those starving people, but politics was involved. And even though one Christian group exploited the tsunami devastation to swarm in, thumping Bibles during the rebuilding in order to “save” the people from Buddhism, that wasn’t every religious group. We’ve given – not loaned – billions in aid in­ cluding cash, medical supplies, water, tents, food, etc. Doesn’t the genuine concern for the suffering of others outweigh that other stuff? It wasn’t until I left the cocoon of the United States at the impressionable age of 40 that I began to gain a deeper understanding of the source of those “Americanisms.” I didn’t go in search of an­ swers as I would when investigating a story; I mere­ ly observed. My first trip was to Mongolia in 2007 with a group of professional travelers, regular world travelers and one overseas rookie – me. My empty passport was all the talk. We had three plane changes, crossed the inter­ national dateline and enjoyed approximately 24 hours of travel (16 of it non-stop from Chicago, Ill., to Tokyo) with an overnight in Seoul, South Korea. Our reception was hardly that of the average tour­ ist; we were met by a group of locals and escorted to the presidential lounge of a Mongolian airline. (Our group leader knows the company’s owner). We enjoyed tea and other refreshments while our bags were collected and taken to waiting cars. Our passports were taken and returned – no standing in line at customs. Are you hearing “spoiled” yet? I was already feeling it. Then reality hit – our entourage of sport util­ ity vehicles, cars and passenger large vans zipped out of the airport and into Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. On one side, beautiful, green rolling hills; on the other, tents crammed together in vast tracts of a makeshift community with livestock and children roaming rows of dirt between them. More tents squeezed into spaces next to what would be $500,000 homes in the United States. Luxury cars of every make and model whizzed past people carrying huge bundles of firewood on their backs. Long, concrete walls lined some sections of road with graffiti in a language we didn’t understand and pictures of people we didn’t know, until we saw the anti-American slogans in English and images we knew, such as stars and stripes. We stayed in modern apartments with all the usual amenities – electricity, hot/cold running wa­ ter, Internet access, trash removal – but the power would go off unexpectedly and for varying peri­ ods of time, as would Internet access. Sometimes there was no hot water, and some of the trash was heaped in piles on the street near a construction fence, picked through by dogs until it was shoveled by hand into a garbage truck. This schizophrenic barrage of images and experi­ ences continued for the duration of the trip. In one Margo Pierce during her travels in Mongolia in 2007. direction, the roads were so badly damaged it was impossible to drive over 5 m.p.h. in another direc­ tion were flat, smooth highways. The Gobi desert was a wasteland of tan dirt and rock, and our driv­ ers appeared to navigate by intuition because there wasn’t a road or a street sign anywhere. We spent a great deal of time driving from place to place and observing towns, people and tent clus­ ters of nomadic herders. I was struck by how little it took for these people to be happy and how will­ ing they were to open their homes and pantries to perfect strangers. But were these just more vague generalities based on too little exposure to a new culture? Was I making an over-simplified compari­ son with the “spoiled, arrogant, shortsighted, un­ aware” standard? To India two years later. On every bridge, over the sidewalks were makeshift shelters erected of scrap wood and tarps – cars barely missing the structures and individuals walking around them. People lay on the side of the road or on narrow, concrete me­ dian strips separating high-traffic roads. (I hoped they were sleeping, not dead.) Cows roamed every­ where, digging into piles of trash. And this, I was told, wasn’t the worst to be seen. A quick plane ride south out of the pollution and grime and incessant noise, we ventured into areas where tourists rarely go – farming communities and small towns – and watched our money buy more than it ever would in the states (a fancy meal for $2.50), and again strangers greeted us with tea and a warm welcome wherever we went. At our first destination, the generators were turned off in the middle of the day – the facility didn’t have its own power sources – and we only drank bottled water or beverages made with boiled water. The restrooms had no hot water, but the cold showers felt good because it wasn’t really all that cold. We washed our clothes by hand in the sink where we brushed our teeth. Beggars were everywhere. One stick-of-a-woman breastfed a tiny baby as another little one – nothing but skin and bones – hung onto her sari. “Do not give her money,” we were told. How could we turn away from such obvious need? And why were the locals so callous? The an­ swer to that is simple: We were using our own frame of reference to define others and the situation. The pudgy knees and dimpled cheeks of our chil­ dren mean we equate knobby knees with malnutri­ tion and hunger. The piles of clothes in our suitcas­ es taken from closets and drawers full of clothing choices means we see dirty and torn fabric as rags. I didn’t know anything about that woman. While I do not believe she was returning to a well appoint­ ed home and slipping into a silk sari at the end of the day, any more than the man in Mongolia haul­ ing a bundle of wood into his tent was hiding a mi­ crowave oven, I had no way of knowing if they were happy. I see an open pit toilet and think, “Ew!” but some­ one else could see that as a luxury when she is used to squatting in an open field with no toilet tissue. Material possessions and quality of clothing are easy measures for identifying differences – have and have-not. Polarizing and separating, sorting is what we do instead of looking for commonalities and trying to connect. The hardest part was, and is, seeing life experience in the relevant context – not the one I’m used to. When you have less stuff, you don’t have the wor­ ries of keeping it secure and in good working order. When you have enough food, water, shelter and ac­ cess to the things that make life possible when oth­ ers don’t even have those fundamentals, it’s pos­ sible to see how you could be happy. A standard applied as “one size fits all” diminish­ es what is valuable to a narrow scope and dismisses other options. Not all people who look sad are de­ pressed. People who are not visibly chained are not always free. What traveling outside the United States has shown me is that Americans have a whole lot of stuff – things, money, issues – and we’re so caught up in dealing with all that (maintaining it, acquiring more of it, trying to get past it) that it’s difficult to see beyond our own pain and priorities. If we con­ tinue to be fixated on our own stuff, we’re going to miss out on opportunities to learn, try new things and maybe, just maybe, enjoy something else. I would like to travel the United States and see more of my own country, and I believe going be­ yond my borders will make it possible for me to do that – see more – no matter where I go. It ain’t all about me, and it ain’t all about you, America. It’s about living this life and making the most of it. The good part is that you don’t need a passport to “get” it. Many people work hard to make a difference for the less privileged in the Queen City. “Eight Minutes” is an opportunity to learn who those people are and what motivates them to be a positive influence. �4 Local News STREETVIBES May 1 - 14, 2010 Anti-Semite Organizes Precincts Bashing Jews and selling health products By GreGory Flannery editor A Republican Party activist in Cincinnati says Jews were responsible for the Holocaust. Jim Condit Jr. – the star of The Nazi-Zionist Connection: The Final Solution to Adolf Hitler – is trying to organize precinct committees in counties throughout the Tri-State. In the 1980s, Condit – who has often run for city council and Congress, never winning election – was part of the Platform Republican movement, a group of anti-abortion activists who unsuccessfully sought to take control of the Hamilton County Re­ publican Party. His latest effort, Precinct Activists Greater Cin­ cinnati Meetup for 2010, is bi-partisan. An online appeal describes the organization’s purpose. “The goal … is to educate and mobilize at least 500 citizens in Hamilton County and a comparable A French policewoman inspects walls spray-painted with swastikas and anti-Semitic slogans. REUTERS/ number of individuals in all surrounding counties Stringer. in the Greater Cincinnati area to attend one of the major party (Democratic or Republican) county He, too, it seems, fell victim to the grand world tions to accept political ads from candidates in precinct organizational meetings circa June 2010,” conspiracy. elections for federal office – a fact duly noted by Condit writes. … “Through intelligent participation “He reigned as Charles I, Emperor of Austria Real News 24/7. in the precinct system, Americans can restore all (and, also, Charles IV, King of Hungary) from 1916 “The stations must run the ads in the time blocks the true freedoms enumerated under the Constitu­ until 1918, when Austria was proclaimed a repub­ (i.e. noon to 3 p.m.) specified by the candidate tion, institute an honest money system and once lic by the Freemasonic forces in the empire, backed (who is subject to the same rules the stations apply again put America on the path of its true destiny.” by the international Jewish banking houses,” Real to business advertisers), and the stations must give That might sound innocent enough, but Condit News 24/7 says. the candidate the equivalent of the lowest price has a well-documented history of anti-Semitic dia­ Fortunately, there are some things we can do to which they have charged a business in that calen­ tribes, asserting that Jews and Freemasons run dar year,” Condit’s website says. the financial system and news media. That Curiously, however, Condit doesn’t explain context is useful in weighing his latest effort to “Overwhelming evidence indicates that 9-11 was an how the Jewish-Masonic conspiracy that change the United States from the bottom-up, controls the media overlooked such a big ‘inside job,’ using remote controlled airplanes and at the precinct level, so that political parties loophole. controlled demolition bombs in the World Trade can be taken over by “normal” people. Perhaps the most offensive of Condit’s Towers … pulled off by traitorous elements within “This meetup is devoted to training normal the U.S. military that are loyal to the nation usurping anti-Semitic rants is The Nazi-Zionist ConAmericans how to participate in the precinct nection, a DVD in which he lays out his ar­ the name ‘Israel’ and to the worldwide Jewish system in the major party of their choice,” Con­ gument that Jews perpetrated the Holocaust. Supremacist/Freemasonic financial network.” dit writes. … “Until enough normal Americans Among other assertions, Condit purports to - Real News 24/7, a website owned by Jim Condit, Jr. understand the how and why of the precinct prove that Hitler had “Jewish ancestry.” system, we are not even on the playing field.” Real News 24/7 pitches the DVD as the protect ourselves from some of the calumny un­ “most controversial of the year.” Fighting Jews and swine flu loosed by the conspirators. In order to help support “An attempt has been underway since 1945 by his political machinations – and to keep “normal” the organized worldwide Jewish lobby to replace Few would call the playing field on which Condit Americans healthy – Condit urges people to buy a the crucifixion of Christ with the ‘crucifixion’ of operates “normal.” He operates Real News 24/7, a mineral concoction. the Jewish race as purveyed by the Hollywood ver­ Web site full of bizarre conspiracy theories. His take “You can also help the precinct strategy – and sion of the Holocaust,” Condit’s website says. “The on the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, for example, help your family fight infections, viruses, swine flu information on this DVD makes clear that, while has nothing to do with Al Qaeda. or any other potential plague – by investigating and numerous everyday Jews were rounded up, aban­ “Overwhelming evidence indicates that 9-11 was purchasing MMS mineral breakthrough ($20 per doned, and sacrificed by the top Zionist organiza­ an ‘inside job,’ using remote controlled airplanes year per family!) … Seriously, this may be our only tions and rulers who were working in cooperation and controlled demolition bombs in the World hope against a real or contrived plague or pandem­ with the Nazis. The series of events known today Trade Towers … pulled off by traitorous elements ic,” Real News 24/7 says. as the ‘Holocaust’ was the product in large part of within the U.S. military that are loyal to the nation Zionist-Jewish Elite financing and Zionist-Jewish usurping the name ‘Israel’ and to the worldwide ‘So beyond the pale’ Elite scheming. (This is, of course, not to minimize Jewish Supremacist/Freemasonic financial net­ the death of even one innocent person who was work,” Real News 24/7 says. Condit describes himself as “an investigative caught in the hellish crossfire known as World War If you don’t know about this, it’s not because journalist in the fields of honest elections, current II.)” you haven’t been following the news. In fact, your events, history, grassroots strategies, and health, That disclaimer does little to soften Jaffee’s as­ ignorance comes from the fact that you have been whose career now spans over 37 years.” In years sessment. following the news. The journalists are all in on the past, he printed and sold T-shirts. “That is so beyond the pale it’s hard to know conspiracy, according to Condit. Brian Jaffee, executive director of the Jewish how to respond,” he says. “Unfortunately, there are “The five big TV networks, every major radio sta­ Community Relations Council (JCRC), says he is people like Mr. Condit from the radical fringe who tion and every big city daily newspaper in the USA familiar with Condit’s work. propagate this nonsense.” is now owned or controlled by the top anti-Christ “It’s offensive,” Jaffee says. “It repeats a lot of vi­ Advocates and journalists face a difficult choice Jewish Supremists,” Real News 24/7 says. cious canards and odious lies that have been harm­ when anti-Semitism or other kinds of racism ap­ The Federal Reserve, the system for counting ful to Jews and other minorities. The notion of Is­ pear, according to Jaffee: Expose it, with the risk of ballots in elections across the United States and raeli responsibility for 9/11 is beyond outrageous.” giving hate speech further publicity; or ignore it, even the Roman Catholic Church have all been tak­ Jaffee says he has been monitoring Condit’s ac­ with the risk that it will spread unchallenged. en over by the Jews and Freemasons, according to tivity for years, including radio ads that aired on “Our mission is to protect Jewish security,” Jaffee Condit. Real News 24/7 says the Vatican was threat­ Cincinnati stations during his past congressional says. “With that in mind, I have to navigate a bal­ ened with a nuclear attack in 1958 if it didn’t pick campaigns. ancing act between inadvertently publicizing this a pope chosen by the Jewish-Masonic conspiracy. “Every couple years he sort of re-emerges,” Jaffee man and his views, versus letting the community The church hasn’t been right ever since, according says. “His favorite tactic is to use the law to his ad­ know that we are not going to put up with this kind to Condit; even the Mass has been deliberately ru­ vantage. We have free speech in this country, thank of hate speech.” ined. goodness. But he uses the fair-access law to spread The good news is that Condit’s conspiracy theo­ It’s not as though Condit sees no good in the this kind of material. Every October and Novem­ ries, like his past political campaigns, seem to have world, however. He stretches back to 1922. That’s ber my phone rings from alarmed members of the had no measurable success. when Karl Franz Josef Ludwig Hubert Georg Ma­ community, both Jewish and non-Jewish, saying, “What I haven’t noticed is any up-tick in nasti­ ria von Habsburg-Lothringen died. Don’t know ‘Do you know there is this man claiming Jews con­ ness,” Jaffee says. “One hundred percent of the calls the name? He was the last emperor of Austria. Real trol the banking system and media?’ ” I’ve gotten have been in opposition to his mes­ News 24/7 has a tribute page to him. The Fair Access Law requires TV and radio sta­ sage.” �STREETVIBES May 1 - 14, 2010 5 Local News Soldiers Attack Homeless Camp Continued from page 1 warrants for three men serving in the U.S. Army. On April 26, police charged Michael Hesson, 24, of Norwood with felonious assault. His bond was set at $5,000. The next day Riley Feller, 24, stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was arrested at the base in Fort Knox, Ky., pending extradition to Hamilton County. Military police were looking for the other two suspects, who are also stationed at Fort Bragg. At Streetvibes press time, those two soldiers had not been named. ‘Cold and calculated’ Johnson was attacked a few weeks after the city of Cincinnati had trimmed trees obscuring a small homeless camp on Mitchell Avenue near Interstate 75. As a result, the handful of people living there were exposed to almost constant public view during daylight hours. What wasn’t well known was that people at the camp didn’t sleep in the shack that was visible to traffic; they slept under an overpass bridging Mill Creek. The fact that the four attackers knew where to find Johnson indicates that the assault was pre-meditated, according to Josh Spring, executive director of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. “This one was planned,” he said. “They had the same haircut, they had the same clothes. They went to where these people were sleeping. When they left, they kept their headlights off.” Johnson’s description of the assailants made them sound like skinheads – racist thugs whose trademark is a shaved head. He said the suspects had short haircuts and wore black jackets with some kind of metallic insignia. “I got a good look at a couple of them,” Johnson said. But for three of the men accused of attacking Johnson, short haircuts were the mark of military service. The attackers allegedly beat Johnson and chased him up a hill, calling him a “bum” and saying, “We don’t want you here,” and “Get a job.” The assailants threatened a woman staying with Johnson but didn’t harm her, he says. Like Spring, Johnson believes the attack was pre-meditated. “This was not some guys out halfdrunk, having a good time at my expense,” he says. “These guys were cold and calculated. It was planned.” Johnson participated in an April Two of the four suspects have been apprehended. Michael Hesson, 24, (L) 23 press conference with Spring, who and Riley Feller, 24, (R). said the Homeless Coalition waited nearly two weeks to publicize the at“I’m hearing more and more about concern is to get these people off the tack at the request of Cincinnati Police these kinds of incidents,” he says. streets.” investigators. Spring said police asked “There seems to be some escalation. Prior to the attack, the homeless him to keep the asHate of any kind camp on Mitchell Avenue had been sault quiet so the cannot be toler- the scene of occasional good deeds. suspects wouldn’t “They’re dangerous people ated.” Employees of a nearby car dealership be alert. Spring In the past year delivered food there during Thanksand could end up killing developed several at least four home- giving last year. Scott Cowans, a towsomebody. I came through leads, including a this OK. My concern is to get less people in Cin- truck driver, has also taken food to the woman who told these people off the streets.” cinnati have been camp. The attack on Johnson made police that several assaulted. While Cowans angry. - John Johnson of the assailants the motivation be“This is something I’m not going to were U.S. soldiers. hind some of those stand for,” he says. “I was homeless assaults might be unclear, the attack once because of heavy drugs.” ‘They were targeted’ on Johnson was plain in its purpose, Cowans says he plans to organize Spring says. monthly food deliveries from his Cheryl Meadows, director of the “This is not just one person beating church and wants to make sure no Cincinnati Human Relations Com- another person,” he says. “They were one else at the Mitchell Avenue camp mission, says the attack on Johnson is targeted because they were homeless. is attacked. part of a growing trend. That means they might do it again.” “I got hold of my police friends and “Because of the recent economic Johnson says he lived at the camp asked them to check the camp and crisis, we’re beginning to see hate on Mitchell Avenue for about two make sure everybody is OK,” he says. crimes that we haven’t seen before,” years and never experienced any difCowans says many people tend to she says. “It is quite a concern that the ficulty until April 10. He says he is no look down on homeless people who Human Relations Commission wants longer living outdoors. He, too, fears live outdoors. to bring to the forefront.” the people who attacked will strike “They call them ‘squatters,’ ” he The Rev. Dave Weaver, pastor of again. says. “I call them homeless people Nast Trinity United Methodist Church “They’re dangerous people and who need help.” in Over-the-Rhine, also says hate could end up killing somebody,” he crimes are on the rise. says. “I came through this OK. My Letters to the Editor ‘Hang in There’ Have something on your mind? To the Editor: I’m not quite sure why I am writing to you, but I read your paper and I won­ der why some are treated as they are – especially children. It breaks my heart knowing kids and young adults, especially, are homeless, are “falling through the cracks.” I wish I could reach each and every one of them just to tell them that God loves us all and to hang in there with prayer. Anthony Eversole Cincinnati Why Not a Democrat? “Dan La Botz runs for U.S. Senate” is great news (issue of March 15-31), but I have to wonder about running as a Socialist. I think if he ran as a Democrat, he could reach more people and shake things up more. He’d be a long shot but at least he’d have a chance. Do you agree or disagree with an article? Let us know: 117 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvibes2@yahoo.com Jim Byrnes Hyde Park Follow Streetvibes www.facebook.com/streetvibescincinnati twitter.com/streetvibesnews streetvibes.wordpress.com �6 Local News STREETVIBES May 1 - 14, 2010 This is Why the Caged Bird Sings Senator Brown honors David Singleton By MarGo Pierce Contributing Writer T he image of a caged bird hardly seems inspiring: Trap­ ping wildlife and holding it hostage is a good thing? When that bird is a canary and the confinement saves lives, however, the symbolism takes on a new meaning. David Singleton, executive director of the Ohio Justice and Policy Cen­ ter (OJPC), is the first recipient of the Canary Award, presented April 24 by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). The award is a plaque with the image of a canary in a cage. “The Canary Award takes its name from the century-old practice of coalminers taking a canary with them into the mines as protection from tox­ ic fumes,” says a statement by OJPC. “The symbol is emblematic of the po­ litical philosophy of U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, who wears a canary pin each day instead of more traditional lapel pins worn by U.S. senators.” Brown, who presented the award at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, praised Singleton’s efforts on behalf of those who usually don’t have anyone to champion their cause – people convicted of a crime. Singleton credited the OJPC staff and others. “It really means a lot to OJPC be­ cause the work of the staff attorneys and the advocates there are the reason why I get recognized,” he said. “I just happen to be the executive director. We’re doing cutting-edge work to try to make the criminal-justice system fair, to try to help people who have been in the criminal-justice system get on their feet and be productive. I am glad that body of work is worthy of recognition.” Singleton talked about OJPC’s law­ suit against the Ohio Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation on be­ half of mentally ill prisoners, released with only a two-week dose of medica­ tion and a bus ticket but no housing or medical care. That’s a recipe for re­ cidivism, according to Singleton. He’s most vocal about the hurdles that prevent successful reentry for people who have felony convictions. Singleton said there are 410 barriers in the state of Ohio that make hous­ ing, education and employment un­ obtainable by someone who wants to go straight and stay out of prison. “The biggest thing … is the work that we’re doing to change the city of Cincinnati’s hiring practices with re­ spect to felony records,” he said. “The city needs to make it crystal clear that you’re not barred automatically be­ cause of a record.” Singleton called on Brown to help pass federal legislation that would re­ quire states receiving federal Second Chance money to make a concerted effort at eliminating barriers that keep anyone with felony convictions from state jobs. Barbara Gould, the OJPC board member who nominated Singleton for the award, said he is the “perfect” first winner and will “set the bar” for future recipients. “In David’s case, he sees not prob­ lems but challenges, and he has a vi­ sion of a better world, a better time of more fair, equitable treatment for individuals who oftentimes have not had an individual to be a voice for them,” Gould said. David A. Singleton accepts the Canary Award from U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown. Photo by Jon Hughes/photopresse. Tenants Rally, Landlord Arrested Continued from page 1 the Lentine apartments, it didn’t take long for stereotypes and mis­ understandings to be aired. A small handful of tenants at the Lenaid. Churches provided food, including hot meals, while plumbers of- tine properties receive federal Section 8 housing assistance, but some fered to replace missing piping in one of the buildings. readers assumed that all do – and that section 8 pays more than rent. Lentine was arrested April 8, charged with violating the city’s hous- One reader wrote, “I can’t believe this! If I’m going to pay for their ing code. electricity, it better work!” But in fact, taxpayers do not subsidize tenOn April 16, Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Andrew West ants’ utility bills. appointed an emergency receiver to act as an interim manager of the Problems like those at the Avondale apartments occur daily in three buildings. Cincinnati and throughout the United So the question remains: What hapStates. While aid has poured in from all pened at Washington and Forest? And Problems like those at the Avondale around the community for the residents the answer: nothing new. in this case, they have no guarantees that apartments occur daily in Cincinnati and In fact, it happens all the time. Land­ conditions will improve. throughout the United States. While aid has lords rent apartments in properties fac­ Tenants have had electricity restored. poured in from all around the community ing foreclosure. Landlords neglect to pay A temporary receiver has been appoint­ for the residents in this case, they have no utilities on time. Landlords live comforted for the properties, but the housingguarantees that conditions will improve. ably while their residents are in moldy, code violations still exist. There are infested and dilapidated buildings. While fears among tenants that their building the exact situation might differ, the common denominator is that the will be shut down and boarded up. Some speak of moving, but with tenants are low-income. what money? Others want to start a tenant association and manage The nationwide foreclosure crisis hasn’t only affected homeown- the building themselves, but are the buildings too far gone to be re­ ers. stored? “Roughly 40 percent of the families facing eviction as a result of the Many people are hostile to affordable housing. But instead of vilifyforeclosure crisis were renters in 2008,” according to the National Low ing renters for unkempt lawns or poor waste disposal, what works is Income Housing Coalition. holding landlords accountable when they neglect to pay energy, waBut ignorance persists. Consider the comments posted on the Cin- ter and waste-disposal bills. cinnati Enquirer’s website. When the Enquirer broke the story about If you like what you read, but don’t live in the Cincinnati area, you can subscribe to Streetvibes. Call us at 513-421-7803 x 12 to learn more about subscribing to Streetvibes. �STREETVIBES May 1 - 14, 2010 Column Poverty and Invisibility Poverty is more than a state of mind In the Bible, Jesus says, “The poor ye have always with ye.” But, please, we say, not in our faces. One of the great advantages the wealthy have over the rest of us is that they have no need to deal with the rest of us. They can, if they choose (and they usually do), stay within their gated communities or high in their pent­ houses. And the reason this is such a great ad­ vantage is o bv i o u s , for, in general, the poorBy Michael henson er we are, the more inconve­ nient we are, the messier our lives, the more we are fearsome, the more contagious, the more to be avoided. It can be very troublesome to consider the poor, for to consider the poor means to consider yourself, your position in the world, your defenses, your privilege, the whole ugly question of on whose backs was this wealth raised, that whole guilt and responsibility thing. It’s easier to just build a wall around it, declare it someone else’s problem, and keep it clear of your mind. As Barbara Bush said (she was speaking of the war, but it could easily apply to pov­ erty), “Why should we hear about body bags and deaths? It’s not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind over something like this?” That’s a line that deserves to be preserved alongside “Let them eat cake.” It’s as if a mind is like a well-appointed liv­ ing room, fit not for actual living, but only for display. You look at a living room like that and you see only those things which mark the good taste of the owner. There is nothing to disturb (or challenge) you, nothing to indi­ cate mess or complication. To maintain a mind like this, it helps keep your life free of the clutter of the inconve­ nient, fearsome, unbeautiful, possibly conta­ gious poor. To maintain a mind like that, you need to shut out half the world. We spend a lot of time and effort in shut­ ting out that half of the world. Our cities are set up to avoid encountering the poor. We set ammered H up exclusive communities with protective police. We create gated communities to keep them out and trailer parks to keep them in. And jails, of course. Don’t forget the jails. ***** There is a reason why the rich are said to have a harder time getting into heaven than a camel going through the eye of a needle. Because all this “beautiful mind” business is fundamentally immoral. ***** “Jimmy Brown the Newsboy” is a lovely old song, first recorded by the Carter Family and later made famous by Mac Wiseman. This is how it starts. I sell the morning paper, sir, My name is Jimmie Brown. Everybody knows I am the newsboy of this town. You can hear me yelling Morning Star Selling on the street. I got no hat upon my head, No shoes upon my feet. I’m often cold and hungry, sir My shoes are worn and thin I wander ‘bout from place to place My daily bread to win. It doesn’t matter how I look, Don’t look at me and frown. I sell the morning paper, sir. My name is Jimmy Brown. You can listen to “Jimmy Brown” a few hun­ dred times and enjoy it without bothering to read into it what I’m about to. And usually, I don’t. But I think the song speaks to some­ thing crucial about the nature of poverty and of the psychic wound it imposes. I’m often cold and hungry, sir . . . The words of this song are directed to someone in particular, someone he addresses as “sir.” So we can make the assumption that the man the newsboy addresses is of a higher social status. I like to imagine that someone has stopped to buy a paper just outside a the­ ater or a place of business and that Jimmy wants him to hear his story. It’s a tough story: My father died a drunkard sir I heard my mother say. And I am helping mother, sir To journey on her way. The man might be busy, but Jimmy Brown wants him to hear this story. He might be scornful, but Jimmy insists on his dignity. “It doesn’t matter how I look,” he tells the man. By his persistence, by holding his ground, by insisting on his dignity, by being visible, Jim­ my Brown reverses for himself some of the impact of the psychic wound of poverty. Part of that wound is a sense of disdain, ex­ clusion, invisibility, voicelessness. “Nobody knows you when you’re down and out,” say the words of another song. To be poor is to lose the sense of connectedness to society that makes us feel worthwhile. This is not just a psychological problem, something to do some reality testing with. The disparagement and exclusion are real. And if certain devel­ opers and certain politicians get their way, the poor will become even more invisible, even more voiceless. ***** So how should we relate to the poor? A neighbor, formerly homeless and now in recovery, tells me how he visits the camps of the homeless with gifts of food and hygiene items. He has not forgotten what it was like, nor what he felt, and so he does not look at them and frown. He hears their stories. He makes it a point to shake hands with them. One man told him, “You’re the first person I’ve met who would shake my hand.” ***** Jimmy Brown does not ask for pity. He asks for respect. He asks to be recognized: I sell the morning paper, sir. My name is Jimmy Brown. Michael Henson is author of Ransack, A Small Room with Trouble on My Mind, The Tao of Longing and Crow Call. 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 $50 $100 $150 Other $ _______ Name: Address: E-mail: Want more Streetvibes? Check out the StreetvibeS blog http://streetvibes.wordpress.com 7 �8 STREETVIBES May 1 - 14, 2010 Recipe “Feed Me, Seymour, Feed Me All Night Long…” Savory Stuffed Mushrooms Serving Size: 8-12 bellies (fewer if they’re ruthless) 24 whole fresh stuffing or baby bella mushrooms 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 tablespoons minced garlic 1/8 cup water 8 ounces sun dried tomatoes chopped into ¼ inch pieces 2 cups fresh spinach 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper Photo by Jeni Jenkins. By Jeni Jenkins Staff Writer I t wasn’t until I was an adult that I discovered that I actually liked mushrooms. Soon after, I went to a catered event where I was introduced to the wonder of spore-bearing fungus jam-packed with goodies. I was pleas­ antly surprised by this newfound love, and I remember repeatedly returning to the buffet table to nonchalantly sneak one or two more mushrooms onto my plate. I concocted this recipe from a combination of other stuffed-mushroom rec­ ipes I have tried over the years. I take this and other variations to weddings, birthdays and potlucks and they are always a hit. This recipe combines a few staple ingredients from Italian cuisine with an added kick. Artwork By Steven Paul Lansky ! ? t a h W 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 2. Briefly rinse mushrooms under cold water and thoroughly blot dry with a paper towel. 3. Break off the stems, being careful not to break mushrooms in half. 4. Place mushrooms top-down in glass baking dish. 5. Use half the stems. Cut off the tough ends and chop finely. 6. In a skillet, sauté stems and garlic in oil over medium-high heat for approximately 1 minute. 7. Add water and sun-dried tomatoes and cook an additional min­ ute. 8. Carefully add spinach and cook until wilted. Turn off heat and let cool. 9. Stir in softened cream cheese until well blended. 10. Stir in Parmesan, onion powder and cayenne pepper. 11. Put contents into a large ziplock bag and zip shut. Using scis­ sors, cut the tip off one bottom corner. 12. Squeeze 1-2 heaping tablespoons into each mushroom cap. 13. Bake 15-20 minutes in oven or until the stuffing is lightly browned and liquid starts to form under caps. 14. Voila, feed! Artwork By Anthony Williams Say___________________ “Washing one’s hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral.” --Paulo Freire �STREETVIBES May 1 - 14, 2010 Local News Fragrant Messages from Fairies Mystery for sale at the Psychic Festival By anne skove Contributing Writer W ho knew the para­ normal could be so darned normal? As the person most likely to finish “If you can’t say anything nice” with “come sit by me,” born and bred in Clifton (where chi­ ropractors almost outnumber gift shops), and an Aquarius, I seemed to be the perfect candi­ date to tour the Psychic Fair. The Streetvibes editor couldn’t go due to his past life as an agitator of psychic clergy. The photographer was ejected on sight. So I drove my Chevy to Sharonville, Best of Joan Jett blaring, my inner Cherry Bomb ready for anything. But something went horri­ bly wrong. Inside it looked like any other convention – large halls with rows of table-clothed booths, seminars in small beige rooms and attendees milling about. The exhibitors have a job remarkably like mine – sales. I blended. The first person I saw wore beaded jeans – hers had butterflies, mine had flowers. The woman whose job it was to help entrants don bracelets (the kind you get if you’re old enough to buy alcohol at an all-ages show) was swathed in tie-dye and had a Lauperesque (without the day­ glo colors) headwrap/hairdo. She said I looked “Awesome!” ‘You don’t know?’ Immediately, the shopping be­ gan. There are many wonderful smells in the world. Patchouli is not among them. The lavender booth, though, smelled fabu­ lous. The proprietor, a younger guy with tattooed arms, told me about his purple acre in Clinton County. I got an “intuitive fairy message” – a small glass bottle with a cork, full of beautiful smells, dried flowers, glitter and a tiny scroll tied with thin ribbon. One booth reminded me of my cousin’s import business. Barak (not to be confused with “Barack” or “Borat”) and I dis­ cussed the import business and how conservative (yet friendly) Cincinnati is. He said, “Ciao!” as I left, something I have not heard since the days when I worked with Alessandro. People in colorful witch hats, possible belly dancers, and a woman in a tiara pushing a tod­ dler in a stroller strolled the aisles. The scene was shockingly similar to shopping at CVS. “O mighty Isis!” Buddha, Na­ tive Americans, Mayans and an­ cient Druids are in. Absent are other old-time religions – Greeks, Romans, the fairies of Slavic folk­ lore. (Here come the letters from neo-Delphic oracles…) Note to self: ask anthropologist and reli­ gious studies friends why some religions are co-opted by New Agers while others wither in ob­ scurity. I reached into my pocket and found a message from a Chinese restaurant in my past. I pulled it out: “Experience is the mama of Science.” B-side: “La experien­ cia es la mama de la Ciencia.” (Whatever happened to “learn Chinese?”) There was at least as much science here as in a Texas textbook. Some vendors tried – CranialSacral Therapy had a poster of anatomical drawings. I asked about the technique. She explained, “It’s like reiki!” The only thing I knew about reiki was that some nuns were told not to do it anymore. She looked at me like I was an utter noob: “You don’t know what reiki is?” Here’s what not to say to Edgar Cayce enthusiasts: “Didn’t he get run out of town?” Makes them livid. He blamed Pat Robertson and told me someone had been telling me “Bald-faced LIES!!!” I didn’t mention that my mom used to eat four almonds a day, just in Cayce, or that Virginia Beach, where Cayce central oper­ ates down the road from Regent University, is the California of Virginia. The place was rife with Ghostbuster-type entrepreneurs. Para­ normal Investigations of North­ ern Kentucky should win a prize for best acronym. I showed a picture of a house with a ghostly reputation to a woman at a dif­ ferent table. She sensed that it This house is unhaunted and for rent. Photo by Anne Skove. Smells pretty and says mysterious stuff. Photo by Anne Skove. had been “visited” but was not currently haunted. Perhaps the “For Rent” sign in the window was her clue. My psychic friend, Blanchard, told me the place “had some energy” but he couldn’t tell much. Granted, it was a crummy photo. But he did tell me this fun fact: The apartment across the street from this house gave him “a vibe.” Surely it comes from the orange carpet they had there in the ’70s. I can still picture it glow­ ing on the huge stairwell under the skylight. New Age cafeteria To stop myself from running amok in sparkles, I decided to take a more academic approach and attend a lecture: Meet Your Ascended Master Self! The one who tells white lies to make peo­ ple feel better, stands up straight, never needs a ride home, doesn’t shoot herself in the foot, loses her appetite when she’s stressed and can gracefully decline a free mar­ tini. The soft-spoken lecturer asked whether anyone ever felt left out. A few hands went up. She told us we could change reality – includ­ ing our past – with our thoughts. I tried to think that the room was warmer but my goose bumps did not vanish. She spoke a few phrases of the “language of light” (or “lite?”). When she finished speaking in tongues, she asked, “Sound fa­ miliar?” A man in the next row whispered something to the woman beside him. She burst out laughing. They soon left. The rest proceeded on a guid­ ed meditation (the lecturer called it “real”) 1,000 years into the fu­ ture to meet that Ascended Mas­ ter Self. Our A.M.S. gave us a robe and hugged us. What was it like? “I saw colors,” a woman noted. “I walked through a waterfall,” vol­ unteered another. “I was wearing a kimono,” said one man. (Me, too!) Good news: time doesn’t ex­ ist, she explained. Thus, my hour was not wasted. Outside again were Dreams of Stardolphin, mystical artwork (photos of “auras” date back to the beginning of photography), beer (lite or not) and hot salty pretzels. People lay supine on massage tables. Some sat soaking their feet. With the exception of the Yanni wannabe playing keyboard in the lobby, quiet music played. But for the crowd, it resembled a scene from a spa. We are all cafeteria New Agers, choosing what works – aromatherapy (AKA “pleasant smells that don’t make you feel worse”), the sanely po­ sitioned furniture of feng shui, relaxing music – and tossing that which does not pass through our threshold of normalcy. Candles, incense, spirituality – sound familiar? You’ll either bust out laughing and leave the room, or stay awhile. “The amazing beauty of this earth holds the potential of our entire being. The birds echo for miles, and the seasons change with such amazing enthusiasm. … It is the natural state of our soul … BLISSFUL.” -- The fairies’ intuitive message 9 �10 STREETVIBES May 1 - 14, 2010 Book Review The Awesome Power of Dreams By Jesse call Contributing Writer who you would expect to curse God and the world There are places in the world where people do for all the struggles they are still going through. But not dream or dream of silly things, Clayton writes. most times they don’t. But those places aren’t sn’t it time we realized we live in an awesome Instead, they continue where we would expect world? to appreciate life and act Using creative and imaginative – with those endur­ Often when you pick up a newspaper like on dreams to make their ing the poverty crisis illustrations, Clayton showed his son that Streetvibes, you find yourself reading terrible things world better. They have in our country. There the world is in need of dreamers once such as community developers that pay only lip the more beautiful view again--dreamers focused on a life of joy and are many dreams in service to the members of the community they of the world. not a life that is better than someone else’s. those places. Dreams are trying to develop, city and county leaders try­ A truly exceptional of heaven. Dreams of ing to push out those experiencing homelessness children’s book by Cali­ friendships. Dreams of for someone else to deal with, homelessness being fornia author Dallas Clayton again reminded of the open parks and clean streets. as big as any natural disaster this country has ever joy of simplicity and what focusing on the imagina­ All too often the places where people do not seen or that you can’t even offer food to people ex­ tion and dreams can do. The book, which he first dream or dream of silly things are the corporate of­ periencing homelessness if they happen to be in a created for his son’s eyes only, is An Awesome World. fices of the skyscrapers we see, the perfectly match­ Cincinnati park. It offers inspiration to the ing bedrooms in our homes or the classrooms of But even with all those young and old. Using cre­ our colleges and universities. Dreams of bonuses woes, there is something in­ ative and imaginative illus­ and new bosses. Dreams of plasma screen TVs and “Please dream for those who’ve spirational about our world. trations, Clayton showed foot massagers. Dreams of mediocre jobs in a field given up, for those who never tried. There is something inspira­ Please use your dreams to make new his son that the world is that is hiring and dreams of being allowed to use tional about the vendor who dreams for all the dreams that died.” in need of dreamers once size 14 font this time. stands on the streetcorner again--dreamers focused The sound advice that Clayton gave to his son is, - Clayton wearing a clown nose and on a life of joy and not a life “Please dream for those who’ve given up, for those doing a dance to get you that is better than someone who never tried. Please use your dreams to make to buy a paper. There is something inspirational else’s. Using those simple words and beautiful im­ new dreams for all the dreams that died.” Advice we about seeing someone experiencing homelessness ages, he shares that message now with everyone should all take. giving something of his own to help another on the through the Very Awesome World Foundation. For Look around. Are there dreams around you that streets. every book sold on the website, veryawesome­ are alive and matter? If not, maybe you need to Some of the most wise and insightful observa­ world.com, the foundation provides a free copy to take a look at An Awesome World and see what it tions I have ever received have come from people someone who needs inspiration. inspires. I Big Draft for the Bengals And one might get even bigger By B. cliFton Burke Contributing Writer W hen the first discussions arose about the Bengals and their draft possibilities, Jermaine Gresham was the consensus pick. Cincinnati had a glaring weakness at the tight end position, and before his season-ending knee injury, Gresham was widely considered the best tight end prospect in the country. Yet as time went by, more and more hypotheses were formed on why the Bengals would choose someone else – namely wide receiver Dez Bryant. In the end, the original gut instincts proved correct; and even though Bryant was still available, Gresh­ am became the Bengals first-round pick. The move is a sensible one. Late last season Cin­ cinnati’s offense petered out based largely around the inability to convert crucial third-down and redzone attempts. A lack of sufficient weaponry, par­ ticularly of larger targets, was cited as the reason for the passing struggles. Changes were made. Gone is the diminutive Laveranues Coles as is the staggeringly bland J.P. Foschi; new in town are the much more muscular and, by default, more ex­ plosive replacements of Antonio Bryant and Gresh­ am. The brawnier prototypes of these new players reflect the organization’s commitment to remain a physical offense that pounds the run and maintains possession. Add another newly acquired big target in free-agent receiver Matt Jones, along with thirdround pick and scrappy possession-receiver Jordan Shipley from Texas, and suddenly the Bengals pass­ ing attack is brand new with size and grit. Bryant could go on to become the next great re­ ceiver in Dallas, and the Bengals might always live to regret overlooking him, but choosing Gresham instead makes a statement that the team philoso­ phy enacted on the field last year is here to stay – that is, to be bigger and more gruesome than their division. It’s not just the offense either. With every single defensive player returning from last season, the Bengals were able to window-shop their way through the draft and pick out some dan­ dies to add to their top-five defense. The first such impulse buy came in the second round when Mar­ vin Lewis, Mike Zimmer and the other defensive minds in the building chose defensive end Carlos Dunlap from Florida. For an end, Dunlap is adequately sized at around 275 pounds, but the coaches have already talk­ ed about adding 20 or more pounds to him. The scouting report on him is high in many athletic and technique categories, but his work ethic and seri­ ousness to the game have been questioned, which caused him to slip in the minds of many evaluators. But the Bengals had the luxury to take a chance on a risky yet very talented pass rusher and pulled the trigger on Dunlap. First, Dunlap must find a place among five ex­ isting defensive ends on the Bengals – all with sig­ nificant game action. If he is to become as large as the team has in mind, he could be used in the de­ fensive tackle position on passing downs to create more pressure up the middle. Lewis likes versatile defensive players, and no team can have too many pass-rushers, so I expect the coaching staff to use Dunlap right away; it’s up to him to make the most of it. The defense also added a defensive back, Bran­ don Ghee from Wake Forest, in the third round. Ghee could become a safety by the time Week 1 roles around and isn’t likely to see much action out­ side special teams right away, but some scouts liked his skill set enough for the NFL to invite him to the draft on the second day; he was the last player cho­ sen from the green room. The fact the Bengals passed on safeties with their first three picks showed how the team did not see the position as a need the way that many fans and pundits did. With veterans Roy Williams, Chris Crocker and Chinedum Ndukwe, presumably healed and ready to go this season, the team didn’t need to reach for a safety when there were better players on the board. Even though Ghee is likely to be listed on the safety depth chart, he is more of an experimental pick than a necessity, and shouldn’t be relied on too heavily in the short term. All in all, the Bengals seemed cool and comfort­ able with the way they handled this draft. There was no audible cheering like last year’s Rey Maua­ luga pick but nor was there any dazed confusion of a disheartening Mike Brown decision. I can only describe this year’s draft as solid. As always, only time will tell. �STREETVIBES May 1 - 14, 2010 11 Vendor Voice Sleeping in Cars, Lining Up for Meals M y life always seems to take a lot of different directions, in the sense that I find myself unsure of just what my next move should be. As of late, I have been mindful of those intermediate days, when I was in between living on the streets and living in my apartment. Alone. in my head I’m often reviewing or re­ living, if you will, the times of my life. There are some bright and dark places there; but be­ cause we are engaged here in the intermediate days, let’s look there. A typical day in the life is ev­ erything but typical. Visiting a day in the life, the life of the street, we have to start with the first light of day – or better yet, the By riccardo taylor first sounds of StreetvibeS vendor life in a new day. The chirping of the birds awakens you for your first aware­ ness. Time to get moving. I lay for a moment listening for sounds of the surrounding community. Hearing a ve­ hicle or two; no voices or slamming of doors, I peek from my prone position into the world around me. Once I am sure that the coast is clear, I make a quick exit from my spot. (I gen­ erally sleep in vehicles for safety). I have a first direction. Before sleep I plan the first move of the day. I have some options. I can try to get out of this morning with one of the labor companies or go to the shower house to bathe and change clothes, which gives me the opportunity to visit the soup kitchens. Of­ ten this has to be thought out on the basis of the past few days. If I don’t have the change in my pocket to see me through the day, I might choose the possibility of the temporary em­ ployment company. If I go this way, I have to sacrifice eating for the greater part of the day. Well, I’ll have a few dollars at the end of the day; I can eat then. Well, let’s see, I’ve worn these clothes, um, this is day two, I’m good. So it’s off to the temporary labor service. Arriving at the temp company, I check my watch. It’s about 5 a.m. The line’s not too long, so I might be in luck. A few hours after arriv­ ing, things start to move. I get out, and eight hours later we’re off. I get my little money, but Street Life as always it’s short, not what it was worth, see­ ing that I have spent the last 11 hours with the company. After paying for transportation, equipment, taxes and lunch, the check is about $30. I question my choice: Was it worth it? I’ve spent the whole day for this $30. It’s 6 p.m., and now I’ve been here for almost 12 hours. Well, I have to make do with what I have. Grab a bit to eat, a pack of cigarettes, a beet to relax and find something to do with the next few hours. Without obvious detail, you can imagine how much I have left when it’s time to retire. After making sure that my spot is secure, I’m again lying with my thoughts, making decisions for the next day. Mindful of my sur­ roundings, and what I need to do for myself, I decide to get a shower in the morning. Well, this is my other option, so let’s see what I have to do. When the birds start their chirping I know I must vacate my spot so that I’m not noticed, jeopardizing my safety and secrecy. (The best protection against harm and other security concerns is the secrecy of no one knowing where you sleep). So I’m up at about 5 a.m. and I’m on my way to the shower house. It’s been two and a half days and it’s time to freshen up. A few hours and I’m fresh and ready for the day. Getting my focus, I’ll make my first stop over at the soup kitchen to get a meal. I know that if I follow the meal circuit, I can eat all day. The same faces with the same con­ versations, dancing in poverty. I think I’ll eat just once today. I am grateful that there are places I can go to eat when I don’t have the money to feed myself, yet I’m discouraged by all the misery I perceive in this lifestyle. Line after line is the order of the day, and the frus­ tration puts me in a funk. So I guess it’s time to get out on the block. Every corner is basically the same. There are always three or four fellows passing around a 40-oz, sharing a smoke, kicking the breeze. Passersby are subjected to a shout or two as the alcohol takes effect. Arguments sometimes flare, yet that’s just a part of the program. Being attentive to the surroundings, we see the activities of all the players in the street game. The darting in and out of alleyways tells you that the action is drug related (at least for the most part). A few feet away is a panhandler, posted so that he/she encounters the most in the way of pedestrian traffic. Slim pickings with so much competition, yet it can get you Riccardo Taylor. Photo by Aimie Willhoite. a few dollars. I guess it’s time for me to get busy. I need a few dollars myself. I can sell a few Streetvibes to get a start, which will keep the hanks off. I can earn enough to buy some smokes, a snack for later and perhaps a 40-oz to end the day. Dawning my salesman’s face, I can spend two or three hours and net $8 to $10, which helps. The days are fast in the life of the street. There is never enough time to do everything that needs to be done. The name of the game is to do what you can do for yourself, get what you can and be satisfied. I am always mindful that the next day is going to be the same rou­ tine, yet there is a possibility that I can make a change. Well, I don’t have time to dwell, I’d best get on my way. Stepping up the block looking left to right, mind racing, previewing my options. There’s not much to choose from. Does it re­ ally matter? Let me get back into my head. Call to Artists Go Ahead: Ask a Vendor SOS Art 2010 accepting entries Invitation to a dialogue with our readers SOS Art 2010, a group art show and event of sociopolitical expressions for peace and justice, will take place May 28-June 6 at the Art Academy of Cin­ cinnati. Streetvibes vendors see a lot that you might not. For example, some can describe what goes on in an abandoned building at night when they sleep there. Organized by Streetvibes columnist Saad Ghosn, the annual show is in its eighth year. Ghosn writes the bi-weekly column, “Artists as Activists.” (See page 16.) Have you ever wondered what it’s like to stand on a street corner sell­ ing newspapers? That’s hardly a common occupation anymore. Greater Cincinnati artists of all expressions – visual, verbal, musical, cin­ ematographic, etc. – are welcome to participate in SOS Art 2010. All sub­ missions will be considered and all works will be included, provided they adhere to the theme of the show, are inclusive and space permits, Ghosn says. A submission form is required for the visual-art component of the event. Artists of other expressions may submit proposals by e-mail return. Write Saad Ghosn at 216 Erkenbrecher Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio, 45229 or at saad. ghosn@uc.edu. How much money do Streetvibes vendors make – and what do they do with it? Do they have other jobs? If you have questions, some of our vendors would like to answer them. “Go Ahead: Ask a Vendor” will be an occasional feature, with questions submitted by readers and answered by Streetvibes vendors. You may direct your question to a specific vendor or we’ll invite one to respond. Only include your name if you want to. Send questions to streetvibes2@yahoo.com Or to Streetvibes, 117 E. 12th St. Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. The deadline is May 10. Go ahead. Ask. Missed an Issue? Check out the Streetvibes archive at www.cincihomeless.org/content/streetvibes �12 Local News STREETVIBES May 1 - 14, 2010 Buying Locally Not Always Good Good food seems to follow the money By Paul koPP Contributing Writer I f you drive down the main street of any low-income neighbor­ hood, the choices for food are slim and almost always unhealth­ ful. There are certainly no Whole Foods or organic food stores, and supermarkets with fresh produce and deli products are rare. A problem that has deeply affected small towns and big cities across the country is now beginning to be addressed: The quality of the food available to people in lower-income neigh­ borhoods. “(Findlay Market) Community advocates gathered April 10 in Cor­ looked like a pretty ryville for the Cincinnati Regional Food Congress to discuss the food system in Cincinnati and practices mixed group of people shopping,” that might change it for the better. The congress included discussions on the nature Winne says. “It of food policy, living with food insecurity, promot­ seemed that the market was pretty ing local food distribution and urban agriculture. It well integrated into featured presentations by Mark Winne, an author, Isaiah 58:7 Ministries held a cookout April 17 for homeless and other hunthe neighborhood.” speaker and consultant who has worked for 35 years to provide better and more healthful food to low-in­ gry people. About 300 people enjoyed free meals. Photo courtesy of Isaiah - Mark Winne come areas. 58:7 Ministries. Winne, author of Closing the Food Gap, lives in New Mexico. He travels the world speaking about his experience by good food retail outlets. working in food policy. He spent a large part of his career in Hartford, * There is not enough food democracy: Citizens and consumers Conn., where for 25 years he was the executive director of the Hart­ don’t have much opportunity to speak out and actually shape the de­ ford Food System while contributing to other food policy groups. cisions and polices that influence the quality of their food, where it’s “I’ve always believed that food was the root to produced, its price and so forth. social change,” he says. “It gave people a better op­ Each of these gaps relate very much to the is­ portunity to make a contribution to social change, “I’ve always believed that sue of poverty. Low-income people experience all if that’s what they were interested in. It may not be these problems at a much higher rate than the gen­ food was the root to social as profound as running for president, but it is a eral population. change. It gave people a place where someone with limited knowledge or Winne says the way to correct those issues is to better opportunity to make professional or expert experience can put in and work on eliminating the poverty that causes them. a contribution to social start to do something. That’s what I did.” Though programs by non-profit organizations, change, if that’s what they The nationwide movement for changing the were interested in. It may not philanthropists and government providing access food system has been a gradual process, according to more healthful food are instrumental in elimi­ be as profound as running to Winne. Though elements of community action for president, but it is a place nating the food gap, better education, jobs and on food policy have been in place for sometime, resources for low-income communities ultimately where someone with limited the new movement has taken cues from height­ will solve the problem, Winne says. knowledge or professional ened awareness of the health problems caused by “There is certainly a consciousness about the or expert experience can put poor food availability, as well as the impact that in and start to do something. food gap,” he says. “We are seeing innovative proj­ our food system has on society. ects – both public-policy solutions as well as pri­ That’s what I did.” “A lot of people I talk to say that food is kind of vate-sector solutions. That’s all good, but it’s still a - Mark Winne a gateway to a variety of change opportunities,” long way from making that playing field even.” Winne says. “It connects a whole lot of dots.” Winne says he often tells a story of a county in In his book as in his talks, Winne extensively discusses the issues New Mexico where the food stamp director was baffled at the high causing the disparity between the food available to the poor and the rate of residents applying, as the county only had a 1 or 2 percent un­ affluent – in his words, “the food gap.” He says there are four food gaps employment rate. The director realized this happened because the in the United States: major employer in the area, a Wal-Mart distribution center, paid such * A high number of people are hungry or food-insecure. low wages that its employees were eligible for food stamps. * A high number of people are overweight or obese. “What is the point of even having jobs, if people can’t even afford * A high number of communities are “food deserts,” underserved to eat?” Winne says. While in Cincinnati, Winne visited Find­ lay Market and says he was impressed with its location, community integration and participation in food assistance pro­ grams. “That is the community’s way of saying we want everyone to be able to participate in this market,” he says. A lot of public markets are somewhat isolated and or tend to end up being highend, appealing to upper income people and new urbanists, he says. “(Findlay Market) looked like a pretty mixed group of people shopping,” Winne says. “It seemed that the market was pretty well integrated into the neighborhood.” Asked if people in low-income areas without healthful food options were aware of the discrepancy between the food avail­ able to them and to more affluent neigh­ borhoods, he says low-income individuals pretty much want the same good food as high-income people. “It often comes down to a person’s awareness of their own health and their environment,” Winne says. “Also, if some­ one has children, they become more concerned with what their kids are eat­ ing. Those are indeed major factors in a person deciding to seek out local organic healthy food.” Klosterman Baking Company donated 500 half-loaves of bread to Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. The bread was distritubed by Our Daily Bread. Photo by Lynne Ausman. �STREETVIBES May 1 - 14, 2010 13 Poetry Corner We Are Under Siege They had the Biggest Table By sPencer ledyard The only thing we heard in the darkness We disregarded. When it was time to go The heart of a piano plinked and all the wax was melted. Every time they passed a dish we took a bite and passed it on. We could not have been any more in awe. It was a flickering dinner party. We were lucky to be invited. And for all the bad and all the good We could not have been more delighted. By reGinald Brock We are under siege, In this life of money, drugs, guns and murder Most of all ourselves Young black males So ready to make a name for ourselves But not understanding That we are already One foot in the grave I never thought I would see The day when 7 black males die One for each day Trying to take the right path But somehow went astray You don’t see me counting this money I made this all today Sleep or Rest I tried to get a job And what did they say? “Have you done time?” YES And they never looked my way By Willa d. Jones Being tired I often wonder do I need to sleep or rest Needing to know what I will do all day leaves my mind in a mess I be confused as to how and which way the world will turn for me every day I be confused which way to choose right or left before I lose my way I be confused should I just rest in peace or just sleep and awake to stay alive Then I realize that today God is in control and all I need to do is just abide So on the block I stand Knowing this is not God’s Plan But I know bills need to be paid And I’m supposed to be a man So now I stand With a gun in my hand Ready to kill Another Black Man Feeling that I have done All that I can But this is Real Life where I come from And We Only Get One Chance! We need to come together and Stop the Violence! Are you interested in helping with Streetvibes? Are you a proofreader, writer, poet, artist or photographer? If so, contact Greg Flannery 513.421.7803 x 12 or email streetvibes2@yahoo.com �14 STREETVIBES May 1 - 14, 2010 State News Tin Soldiers and Nixon Coming A student’s perspective on the Kent State shootings 40 years later By lynne ausMan art direCtor M ay 4 is the 40th an­ niversary of the Kent State mas­ sacre. This year’s memorial is especially important because the 17.4-acre site of the shoot­ ings has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. That designation for a site less than 50 years old dem­ onstrates its exceptional im­ portance, according to Patrick Andrus, a reviewer with the National Register of Historical Places. Civil rights leader and U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) is the keynote speaker of this year’s May 4 Memorial events. On May 4, 1970, the Ohio National Guard fired shots on the Kent State University cam­ pus. Thirteen seconds later, four students lay dead and Students dive to the ground as the Ohio National Guard fires on faculty and students on May 4, 1970. nine were wounded. The mas­ Photo courtesy of Kent State University. sacre came after three contin­ uous days of student anti-war protests in downtown Kent, Ohio, and on campus. on the campus commons anyway. The National Guard tried to disperse The protests were in response to the Nixon administration’s an­ the crowd but was unsuccessful in using tear gas because of the wind. nouncement to invade Cambodia on April 30, an esca­ The guardsmen advanced on the protesters, forcing lation of the war in neighboring Vietnam. many up a hill close to Prentice Hall, a residence hall, Many of the events leading up to the shooting are On May 4, 1970, the Ohio and Taylor Hall, an academic building. At one point disputed. On May 1, following a peaceful protest, a riot National Guard fired shots the National Guardsmen found themselves backed erupted in downtown Kent. Local police were able to on the Kent State University into a corner, with a building on one side, protesters restore order, dispersing the crowd without major in­ campus. Thirteen seconds in front of them and a fenced-off sports practice field cident. later, four students lay dead on the other side. With nowhere to turn, the National The next day the mayor declared a state of emergen­ Guard assumed aggressive firing positions. and nine were wounded. cy and asked Ohio Gov. James Rhodes for assistance The Kent State shootings occurred years before I from the National Guard. That evening protesters on was born, and I don’t remember learning about it un­ the campus set the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) building on til I was in high school – ironically, just after I had decided to attend Kent fire. The National Guard dispersed the crowd; several students reported State University. guardsmen using bayonets to force students to disperse. As a student there, the May 4 Memorials were a time of reflection, dis­ On May 3 Rhodes – like Nixon, a Republican – made public comments cussion and learning. calling the protesters “un-American,” referring to them as revolutionar­ I remember sitting in my dorm room in 2003, watching television cov­ ies no better than communists. More protests followed on campus, and erage of the U.S. invasion of Iraq with some of the other people who the National Guard dispersed the crowd with tear gas. The protesters lived on my floor. There were several anti-war protests on campus, all reassembled on the edge of campus and began a sit-in, demanding a peaceful. meeting with the mayor. A curfew was implemented and the sit-in was In 2004 I was sitting in a political science class discussing the many dispersed that evening. reasons the Bush administration used to justify the war in Iraq and how The following day, May 4, a protest had been planned to start at noon. similar they were to the reasons Nixon used to justify the Vietnam War. The university distributed 12,000 flyers throughout campus, calling off In 2006 class discussions turned from discussing war justifications to the protest. But thousands of students and other protesters showed up the level of opposition to the war efforts. Class discussions about May 4 and its current implications continued to be dis­ cussed in many student activities and classes on campus and today, several years after graduating from Kent State, I still draw parallels between the events of May 4, 1970, and current events. Forty years later, what happened on campus May 4 remains in dispute. Did the protesters cause the violence? Did the gov­ ernment deliberately quash peaceful pro­ test? Did the guardsmen simply panic and open fire? The lessons of Kent State are as unclear as the lessons of the Vietnam War itself. The Ohio National Guard fires tear gas to disperse the crowd of students gathered on the commons on May 4, 1970. Photo courtesy of Kent State University. For more information about the events at Kent State University on May 4, 1970 or about the 40th Commemoration go to: http://www.kent.edu/may4. �STREETVIBES May 1 - 14, 2010 15 Resources Need Help or Want to Help? Shelter: Women and Children 381-SAFE 768-6907 Central Access Point Cincinnati Union Bethel 300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 557-2873 Bethany House 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224 681-2365 762-5660 Salvation Army 131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 872-9259 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter Shelter: Men St. Francis Soup Kitchen Churches Active in Northside 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 FreeStore/FoodBank 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 241-5525 1419 Elm Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Justice Watch 241-0490 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Mt. Airy Shelter 661-4620 4600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 St. Vincent de Paul 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Prospect House 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 Starting Over 2728 Glendora Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45209 961-4080 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 Drop Inn Center 721-0643 1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237 217 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 471-1100 221-3350 Interfaith Hospitality Network Lighthouse Youth Center (Youth) 3330 Jefferson, Cinti, Ohio 45220 Housing: 721-4580 632-7149 381-1171 CMHA Excel Development OTR Community Housing 114 W. 14th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 721-8666 Tender Mercies 27 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 961-4555 751-0643 381-1954 421-5211 Tom Geiger House Dana Transitional Bridge Services Volunteers of America Anna Louise Inn Food/Clothing Lord’s Pantry OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 621-5300 961-1983 OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Our Daily Bread 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 621-6364 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Health Resource Center Homeless Mobile Health Van McMicken Dental Clinic 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Mental Health Access Point Mercy Franciscan at St. John 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 357-4602 352-2902 352-6363 558-8888 981-5800 458-6670 977-4489 NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach 784-1853 Other Resources 921-1613 Center Independent Living Options Emmanuel Community Center 961-2256 Peaslee Neighborhood Center Treatment: Women 1308 Race St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 961-4663 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 AA Hotline CCAT 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 351-0422 381-6672 241-2965 Hamilton County ADAS Board Recovery Health Access Center Sober Living Talbert House 946-4888 281-7422 681-0324 641-4300 Hamilton/Middletown 421-3131 569-1840 381-4242 Northern Kentucky 721-4700 421-7803 ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Advocacy Catholic Social Action Community Action Agency Contact Center 1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Franciscan JPIC Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. Legal Aid Society Ohio Justice & Policy Center Faces Without Places Stop AIDS 579-8547 241-9400 421-1108 363-3300 421-2437 351-7921 631-1114 211 977-5541 421-5211 People Working Cooperatively The Caring Place United Way Women Helping Women Off The Streets Joseph House (Veterans) 863-3184 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry Brighton Center 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 381-0111 771-4800 751-0600 721-4811 Goodwill industries Healing Connections Mary Magdalen House 1223 Main St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Treatment: Both 241-2600 241-2563 621-5514 214 E. 14th St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Anthony House (Youth) 562-8841 381-2247 Crossroad Health Center Treatment: Men First Step Home Shelter: Both 241-1064 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 Charlie’s 3/4 House City Gospel Mission 535-2719 591-2246 859-491-8303 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 Health Center for Respite Care 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 621-1868 Women’s Crisis Center VA Domiciliary VA Homeless 859-491-3335 859-559-5011 859-572-6226 Do you remember the magic of your First Book? Please consider giving the gift of reading to a low-income child in Cincinnati this year. Established in 2001, First Book - Greater Cincinnati has already granted more than 45,000 books and over $60,000 to local nonprofit literacy programs serving thousands of low-income children in Greater Cincinnati. Make checks payable to “First Book - Greater Cincinnati” I Want to Bring the Magic of Books to Children Who Need Them! $20 (10 books) Please return your contribution to: First Book Greater Cincinnati 572 Northland Blvd. Cincinnati, Ohio 45240 $40 (20 books) $80 (40 books) $100 (50 books) Other $ _______ Name: Address: E-mail: Call 513-421-7803 x11 to learn about Streetvibes subscriptions �16 Artists as Activists STREETVIBES May 1 - 14, 2010 The Liberating Power of Art Set free by art, she portrays what could be “A rt has always been part of me,” says Halena Cline, “It has been my inner resource and rescue during bad times I lived through. At 3 years old I was already painting with my mother’s lipstick.” Cline had a stormy childhood. At age 5 she and her five sisters were placed in an orphanage, then in foster homes. At age 16 she dropped out of high school, studied art for two years at what is now Antonelli College, got married, had a baby and worked as a waitress. Two years later she divorced and joined a reli­ gious group that served as her family. There she Femininity has always met her new husband and had another child. been an important and When her kids started grade school, she decided recurrent theme in to pursue her art education and enrolled for two her work. One of six years at Northern Kentucky University, studying daughters to a father printmaking, photography, drawing and paint­ who suffered from not ing. Becoming religious provided Cline with the having a son, Cline, fond of her father, security and stability she needed. She was taken care of and did not have to make any pressing de­ reacted strongly cisions on her own. After the death of her father, Halena Cline stands in front of her painting, Blue Boy with Toby. and emotionally to Photo by Bill Howes. the gender bias and however, religion did not hold back her depres­ sion or her sense of loss; unknowingly art then feelings of being served as her therapeutic escape. disposable. Early on she painted mostly “anatomic” land­ birth of her grandchild and a new mission she gave herself to care for scapes with figures added. Where she lived, na­ him and provide him with a secure and stable environment. This ap­ ture was being cut and destroyed to build a highway. Cline responded proach changed her life and her art. visually to the physical aggression, the earth in her mind similar to a Cline started painting about her grandchild, visually documenting fecund feminine individual, assaulted and made barren. his progress and joyful moments, about her family, individuals and Femininity has always been an important and recurrent theme in her animals important to her. Her art was thus connecting her to good work. One of six daughters to a father who suffered from not having a memories, the happiness of a harmonious and loving life, the kind she son, Cline, fond of her fa­ missed before and the one she wanted to ensure for her grandchild. It ther, reacted strongly and took away her depression and made her feel energetic, positive, and emotionally to the gender productive. bias and feelings of being “My grandchild gave me a new focus,” Cline says, “He filled my life. disposable. Bearing the My art followed and reflected it.” Dog, a large mixed media With the start of the Iraq war, Cline’s works took a political twist as as piece incorporating ce­ she was very affected by the unjustified violence and the resulting death ramics, represents her as and destruction. She created a series of large watercolors on which she a lifeless angel, symbol- stamped images alluding to war, might, hegemony. Most of the paint­ By saad Ghosn izing the negation of her ings were diptychs with direct references to American politics, often Contributing Writer identity as a woman, giv­ showing opposites, positive negative, good bad, man woman. They in­ ing birth to a dog, a state­ cluded images of puppets, marionettes, the American flag, an American ment questioning the dif­ eagle, cowboy and military boots, money elements; but also feminine ference between a boy and a girl. imagery implying reason, wisdom and a more humane approach. Another ceramic piece, A Live Dog Is Better off than a Dead Lion, links With the end of the George W. Bush administration, the war series womanhood to her personal family gave way to works focusing primar­ history. It represents her mother as a ily on femininity, stressing the beauty martyr and saint. Cline’s mother had a of women, their important role in difficult and tormented life, witness­ society; it was a connection to the ing as a child the death of her own feminine soul, a statement asserting mother, raised by a physically abusive womanhood, its quality and equality. stepmother, experiencing a violent In the past years Cline has been conjugal relationship. Cline depicted painting watercolors, including out­ her, arms amputated outstretched, line drawings of her dog and people as if crucified, a dog’s collar around who are part of her life: her sister, her neck, a saint’s spikes on her head. daughters, grandchildren and friends. She is stepping on a snake, reference It is her way to express her vision of to the feminine symbol of the Virgin people she loves and cares for. Mary, and from her womb escapes a Chloe’s Playtime is based on the dove, allusion to the children she gave outlines of her granddaughter, Chloe, birth to and who flew on their own. and Rachel, her friend. They are both A ceramic sculpture she created playing, worriless, surrounded by im­ during the same period, The Last ages of butterflies, slippers, hearts, Shall Be First and the First Shall Be flowers. At the bottom, represented Last, pertains to the ambiguity of her pictorially, is the progressive march life and the contradictory feelings she of a baby. It is Cline’s nostalgic look at experienced growing up. The piece the peaceful and harmonious world has two replicas of her face, one lightof a little girl, the innocence of child­ colored, the other dark-colored, and hood that she did not know but would an animal tail at its base. It addresses like to protect and maintain for her the darkness and lightness one en­ granddaughter and the children of counters in the same person and also the world. reflects on the raw, instinctive and “I felt all along the need to do art complex emotions Cline lived with all for my own sake,” Cline says. “I suf­ along. fered growing up and saw my wom­ Her artistic creativity during all that anhood negated early on. I want my time allowed her to get things out from art to contribute to a change, to com­ inside her, neutralize painful feelings municate the beauty of harmonious and experiences and heal. families, the essential dimension of Twenty-six years after joining her womanhood, the importance of a religious group, Cline decided to sepChloe’s Playtime, watercolor and mixed media stable and secure environment for arate from it. This coincided with the painting by Halena Cline. Photo by Jessica Cline. growing children.” A rtists ctivists Artists as Activists is a regular column highlighting Greater Cincinnati artists who use art as a vehicle for change. Saad Ghosn is the founder of SOS Art. Ghosn can be contacted at saad.ghosn@uc.edu. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2010 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource May 1-14, 2010 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Soldiers Attack Homeless Camp Tenants Rally, Landlord Arrested Pg 2: Street Wise Pg 3: Eight Minutes with a Wide-Eyed World Traveler Pg 4: Anti-Semite Organizes Precincts Pg 5: Soldiers Attack Homeless Camp Continued Pg 6: This is Why the Caged Bird Sings Pg 7: Poverty and Invisibility Pg 8: “Feed Me, Seymour, Feed Me All Night Long…” Pg 9: Fragrant Messages from Fairies Pg 10: The Awesome Power of Dreams Big Draft for the Bengals Pg 11: Sleeping in Cars, Lining Up for Meals Pg 12: Buying Locally Not Always Good Pg 13: Arts & Poetry Pg 14: Tin Soldiers and Nixon Coming Pg 15: Resources Pg 16: The Liberating Power of Art Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource May 1-14, 2010 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gregory Flannery Lynne Ausman Veronica Glass Jeni Jenkins Michelle Dillingham Samantha Groark Margo Pierce Paul Kopp Jeremy Flannery Michael Henson David Heitfield Valerie Fessler Alecia A. Lott Saad Ghosn Lew Moores Larry Gross Eli Braun Jesse Call Aimie Willhoite Anthony Williams Vinit Murthy Jon Hughes Lynn Baker Jeremy Flannery Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Aimie Willhoite Alecia A. Lott Anthony Williams Anti-Semite Arts & Poetry Bengals David Heitfield David Singleton Eli Braun Gregory Flannery Jeni Jenkins Jeremy Flannery Jesse Call Jon Hughes Kent State Shooting Larry Gross Lew Moores Lynn Baker Lynne Ausman Margo Pierce Michael Henson Michelle Dillingham Nixon Paul Kopp poverty Saad Ghosn Samantha Groark Senator Brown Soldiers tenants Traveling Valerie Fessler Veronica Glass Vinit Murthy https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/6729cfea5af604fe279871e10853ab54.pdf 6f8382e9604d8d520956c3563ebd6ff3 PDF Text Text Refresh Northside: St r eeContainer t v ib e S Shipping M A Y 1 3 Art Center2 6 , 2 0 1 1 PG 6 Carolyn Mazloomi: Keeping quilting potent and alive. PG 16 Osama bin Laden’s Useful Death PG 11 M AY 1 3 T H - M AY 2 6 T H 2 0 11 1 ISSUE 199 ADVOCATING JUSTICE • BUILDING COMMUNITY Demanding Transparency from those Responsible for Change More than 150 people gathered on Fountain Square on April 29th to demand honesty and transparency from ALEC, a group that is responsible for model legislation that gets turned into state and local bills. SUSAN LAKES Streetvibes Staff Writer hants, marchers, drum beats and protest signs gave Fountain Square lunchers a peak at just what democracy looks like on a Friday afternoon. A group estimated at 150 people held a day of peaceful protests and informational meetings on April 29th to speak out against a group of legislators and private sector policy advocates who, they claim, write model legislation that gets turned into state and local bills across the United States. The group, ALEC, short for the American Legislative Exchange Council, gathered in Cincinnati for a spring task force meeting. Protestors from Ohio and surrounding states caught C wind of the meeting, and spent the past few months organizing forces for a full day of public awareness about ALEC. The point is to…“educate you,” said Bruce Fealk, moderator for one of the dozen teach-ins held in Over-The-Rhine locations. Fealk, managing editor for The Rochester Citizen in Michigan has researched ALEC, a group he calls extreme right wing. His conclusion is that ALEC is ghostwriting the law for corporate America. ALEC doesn’t deny it shapes policy decisions. The group’s website, alec.org, says this: To date ALEC’S task forces have considered, written and approved hundreds of model bills on a wide ALEC which stands for the American Legislative Exchange Council, has a different meaning to the peaceful protesters. Photo: Susan Lakes range of issues, model legislation that will frame the debate today and far into the future,” it says. “Each year, close to 1,000 bills, based at least in part on ALEC Model Legislation, are introduced in the states. Of these, an average of 20 percent becomes law.” The group boasts an effective network of players. “ALEC’s farreaching national network of state legislators that crosses geographical and political boundaries, and affects all levels of government, is without equal. No other organization in America today can claim as many The Keep On Keeping On Path… The community celebrates the work of educator and leader Steve Elliot gathered to honor Steve Elliot during a retirement celebration hosted by The Mayerson Foundation. Steve worked for the foundation for thirteen eep on keeping on,” one years as the High School Serviceof the many sentiments Learning Program Director. Yet, some expressed last Tuesday when wondered, “is he really retiring?” After people from all corners of Cincinnati all, Steve retired once before in 1998. His persistent passion is a testament to his enduring legacy. Throughout his entire working career Steve’s focus was on leading and educating our futureCincinnati’s youth. In his previous career, Steve worked as a teacher- a Steve Elliot addresses the crowd during the Annual Student Service Lead- total of 41 ership Workshop at UC. Photo: The Mayerson Foundation years, first JENI JENKINS Staff Writer K at Finneytown High School for 32, and then post-retirement at Ursuline Academy in Blue Ash for 9. While at Finneytown, in addition to teaching history, Steve was Head Men’s Basketball Coach from 1971-1984. Then later, his passion for educating led him to start the Community Service Experience program in 1985- a path that led directly to his work at the foundation. In his role as Director, Steve served as a consultant, leader and organizer empowering high school students, their teachers and their schools to get involved in the community. Notably, Steve connected hundreds of youth to the life-altering world of service. During the celebration dinner, Steve shared with the attentive crowd of teachers, counselors, professors and social service providers, bits and pieces from his life’s work. He addressed his avid co- conspirators, mentors and mentees and fellow leaders from the community- remarking on how many of them touched his own life. Steve spoke of the people who became his teachers, including home- valuable assets, both people and ideas that have influence on as many key decision-making centers. “ Protestors aren’t convinced the group’s actions support the basic democratic principle of a government of the people, by the people and for the people. They’re calling for transparency, since the group’s actions potentially impact the environment, working conditions, education, immigration, women and seniors. See Demanding Transparency, p 8 less advocate buddy gray, whom he first met at the Drop Inn Center (DIC) shelter in 1985. Despite his good intentions, Steve was told to leave after telling buddy, “I’m here to observe”- buddy’s response: “this is not a zoo.” This encounter, whether chance or destiny, led Steve to the realization that there are two days in a person’s life “the day you’re born and the day you find out why.” buddy challenged Steve to see things differently. Of buddy, Steve says “I was drawn to him in order to learn about why he had so much respect and dignity for the people at the Drop-Inn. The more time I spent with him, and the more people I met … the more I wanted to know what motivated them and how they could sustain their energy as activists.” Each step Steve made on his path seemed to have a positive domino effect. His work with buddy led him to become involved with Restoc (now Over the Rhine Community Housing) where he helped with Saturday morning work crews as well as served on their Board for many years. Additionally, while leading Finneytown students to serve meals 3 times a month, Steve came to know many of the men going through the recovery program, See Keep on Keeping on, p 12 �Editorial 2 M AY 1 3 - 2 6 , 2 0 11 One Viewpoint: 68 The percentage of Internet users that come from lowerincome demographics in Venezuela. A ‘Where were you when…?’ Moment For Another Viewpoint See p 11 It seems there is no such thing as Mayberry and we are reminded every single day by headlines that scream “DEATH, DESTRUCTION”. And we eat it up. ‘If it bleeds, it leads’ is most certainly the motto of most news if You Didn’t Laugh, organizations in this country. We have had You’d Cry no shortage of tragic events these days… Page 10 tornados, floods, shootings, tsunamis, earthquakes...and do not even get me started on the nonsensical news stories that get coverage (birth certificates, Charlie Sheen). REALLY?!?! The number of votes Monday May 2nd, I got a phone call early needed every day until from a friend who told me Osama Bin Laden May 31st for parProjects had been killed. “…that’s some crazy shit” I to get into the top ten believe was my response. Then in disbelief I on the Pepsi Refresh went back to sleep. When I finally woke up, project, a spot that would I went about my day kind of thinking I had ensure they receive dreamed that call. I do that sometimes. Not the $50,000 to build an true though…I got to Speedway for my mornart center in Northside ing coffee and saw the giant headlines on made completely out every newspaper reading that, Navy Seals of recycled shipping had “brazenly” invaded bin Laden’s compound containers. in Pakistan by helicopter while our President watched in real time and they killed him. When refresh Nothside I got back in my car I sat for a minute in a weird Page 6 shock and awe, thinking this was one of those moments that people will forever remember where they were when they heard the news. For nearly ten years Americans have had their hate placed on this man, Public Enemy #1. …or more. The And finally, as the news crawl scrolled…”We Number of people who got him!” gathered on Fountain I then felt pissed off. We are now being Square on April 29th told that this individual, that master minded and to demand honesty precisely planned the execution of thousands and transparency from of people was living comfortably all this time ALEC, a group that is in a beautiful home with Persian rugs, multiple responsible for model wives, and errand boys to buy him Pepsi in legislation that gets bulk. For almost ten years many Americans turned into state and were told that this murderer was hidden local bills. somewhere deep in an “un-findable” cave. I even remember news stories reporting that bin Demanding Laden was in terrible health due to the conditransparency from those tions he had been living in. Nope, now their responsible for Change telling us he was sleeping in what looks like Pages 1 and 8 it could have been a waterbed. His only real exceptions to a completely ‘normal’ life being lack of TV and internet. And we are told that It was not just a house he was in…it was a compound built specifically for him in Pakistan. The size of the space As a skeptical person (and a fan of the “ReEugene, who is ally?!?!” Segment on SNL’s Weekend Update) I homeless, lived in when have to ask, “Really, Really!?!?!” I can’t go two he came across his trusty weeks late on a bill without someone tracking cat, Sarah. me down and one of the most wanted men in the world was hiding in plain sight, practically eugene and Sarah in luxury. One of bin Laden’s wives said they Page 7 lived in that compound for 5 years. Again, REALLY?!?!? As the details poured in, breaking news after breaking news, I don’t know about you but I felt extreme anger. The day United States Coward forces killed Osama bin As of 2009, there were only around 100 Laden. members left as Al Qaeda. This name we all were forced to become familiar with because Osama bin Laden’s one day they decided to really organize and go after their enemies. We are told that Al Qaeda Useful Death was responsible for six major terrorist attacks. Page 11 Including September 11th, four of these being in their jihad against America. Each time, lead by the words of bin Laden. I have tried to imagine feeling that moved by religious senti- 2,000-3,000 150 6x8 5-1-2011 St r eet vibeS ment that I could fill myself with hate for other people, enough to plan their deaths through these so called ‘terrorist’ attacks. I just can’t get my mind around it. Nevertheless, somehow, some way we are told that they believed the words of Osama bin Laden enough to carry them out. So if what we have been told for ten years is correct, then he must have been a really tough guy, right? A charismatic hero to these people, a man who was so full of courage and passion for his cause he would gladly lay down his life as his ‘suicide bombers’ would. Because after all a propagandized theology spewed by bin Laden himself, tells them that they will be rewarded with paradise and 72(or 50 or 70, depending on the guy) virgins once they reach ‘heaven’. Bin Laden had to be stoked to eventually become a martyr for his beliefs, right? Yet, now after ten years we are told that Bin Laden had given orders to the men guarding his home to kill him first if an attack in fact happened, and it looked like he was going to be over taken. Not only that, but we being told that once US forces were in front of him, shooting to kill, that he grabbed his son’s wife and literally used her as a human shield. Really tough guy, huh?- The story seems to have changed. An End to Terror? We have spent a decade in bloodshed and terror supposedly to go after this man. Now that he is dead, will we seen an end to terror? Doubtful. It seems that this war and murder will simply continue and perhaps with even more fervor. While it is hard to wrap our heads around, there are people who want nothing more than to kill others and cripple economies. They’re still out there and my biggest worry in this situation is that the extremists will take the death of bin Laden as a cue for more bloodshed. Sadly, I doubt the death of Osama bin Laden will be the death of terrorism. “We don’t trot out this stuff as trophies” President Obama announced a few days after the shocking news, that the United States would not release the photos of bin Laden postmortem, shot in the head. Outside of morbid curiosity, the pictures of Saddam Hussein hanging didn’t really serve a purpose (it also wasn’t the US releasing them) with me, or anyone else I know. While I do hate to think this could turn into a ‘Tupac releasing tapes after death’ sort of thing, there is something to be said about taking the high road. The debate still rages on, even as I write these words I can hear a debate going on in the Coalition’s lobby. In fact a couple of days after the death of bin Laden, President Obama visited Ground Zero. Families who were outraged by the lack of photo evidence of the death pressed our Commander in Chief during his time there. One man was quoted as saying, “I know a woman whose husband was identified because they found his heart. How much more gruesome can the photos of bin Laden be?” As heart wrenching as that is to hear, I’m going with our President on this one. While this is undoubtedly a historic event, I don’t think the US should pander to the propaganda machine that will breed more hate with those images. Few things are really considered ‘Presidential’ behavior but I am sure this qualifies. This was a class move for Obama. To read a different perspective on this situation and how it may affect the world see 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 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: jenmatrin@cincihomeless.org Website: www.cincihomeless.org Blog: streetvibes.wordpress.com Streetvibes Staff Editor Jen Martin jenmartin@cincihomeless.org Contributing Writers : Susan Lakes, Gibson, Josh Spring, Executive Director, Jeni Jenkins, Riccardo Taylor, Elisa Hill, Willa Denise Jones, Laura Osborne-Coffey, Spare Change Staff, Saad Ghosn, Jennifer Martin, Lee McCoy, B. Clifton Burke, Corey Gibson, Inês Santinhos Gonçalves Photography/Artwork: Reuters, Aimie WillHoite, Rueters, Susan Lakes, Jeni Jenkins, Bill Howes, Carolyn Mazloomi, Jonathan Sears, Jorge Silva, Ho New, Russell Boyce 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. �Distributor Program St r ee t v ib e S 3 M AY 1 3 - 2 6 , 2 0 11 STREETVIBES IS DISTRIBUTED BY INDIVIDUALS WHO PURCHASE THE PAPER FOR 25 CENTS PER COPY AND SELL IT FOR A $1 DONATION, KEEPING THE PROFIT THEY HAVE EARNED. BECOMING A DISTRIBUTOR IS A GREAT WAY FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE FINANCIALLY POOR TO GET BACK ON OR STAY ON THEIR FEET. THIS PROGRAM PROVIDES SUPPLEMENTAL INCOME FOR THOSE UNABLE TO SECURE OTHER EMPLOYMENT. MONEY EARNED HELPS MEET BASIC HOUSING, FOOD AND HEALTH CARE NEEDS. THE PROGRAM IS A HAND UP FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE OFTEN IN A PLACE OF GETTING ONLY A HAND OUT, OR EVEN NO HAND AT ALL. ALL DISTRIBUTORS WEAR A BADGE AND CAN BE FOUND SELLING THE PAPER IN DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI, CLIFTON, NORTHERN KENTUCKY AND AREA CHURCHES. CURRENT DISTRIBUTORS Distributor Profile: James Bybee SUSAN LAKES Streetvibes Staff Writer ames Bybee, Streetvibes distributor, stands outside the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless office at 117 East 12th Street. For Bybee, meeting people is the best part of the job.A Former barber, James Bybee, now works seven days a week distributing Streetvibes. It’s a job he’d recommend to others, especially to people who are into meeting people and growing a business. “It’s a nice little hustle,” he said. “You can get your own customers.” Meeting new people and seeing familiar faces is what Bybee likes best about the job. One day, a former city councilman bought one of Bybee’s papers. “I saw him and stopped him one day, and he’s been a regular ever since.” Bybee likes the work so much; he dons a Streetvibes vest and hits the streets seven days a week. You might see him near a mall, on a street J ANTHONY � WILLIAMS SINCE 9/2006 � ANTONE HEATER � NEW 4/2011 � BARBARA � MURPHY � SINCE 2/2009 � BRANDON NELSON � SINCE 4/2008 � CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 � CRANDALL COBB � SINCE 2004 � DAVID � TOUGH � 3/2011 � ELISA HILL � SINCE 9/2010 � GRADY COOK � SINCE 8/2007 � JAMAL DARDEN � SINCE 1/2010 � JAMES � BROWN � SINCE 3/2009 � JAMES � BYBEE � SINCE 9/2010 � JAMES � JAMES � DAVIS � MOORE � SINCE 8/2003 � SINCE 11/2010 � JIMMIE � GIPSON � SINCE 8/2010 � JON � DARBY � SINCE 2/2006 � JOSEPHINE � BASKERVILLE � SINCE 9/2008 � KEITH EUTSEY � SINCE 2/2011 � KIM � LEE � LARRY � GREEN � MCCOY � BROWN � SINCE 1/2010 � SINCE 10/2007 � SINCE 7/2009 � MARK DAUGHTERY � NEW 3/2011 � MARY � MARK ANTHONY � MUELLER � SHEARS � SINCE 12/2007 � SINCE 5/2005 � JEFFERY � JOHNSON � SINCE 8/2009 � W. 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SAMUEL � RONNIE � JACKSON � PHILLIPS � SINCE 10/2009 � SINCE 10/2006 � TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 SHANNON MOATS � NEW 3/2011 � WILLIAM � BURDINE � SINCE 8/2009 � TIA � TERRY � CASS � RANSON � SINCE 11/2007 � SINCE10/2008 � Interested in becoming a Streetvibes Distributor? Follow these six simple steps to be on your way: 1) Pick up a Distributor packet at the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, located at 117 East 12th Street, Cincinnati. 2) Fill out the Distributor Application Form, and initial each statement on the Code of Conduct and sign & review the Disciplinary Policy 3) Read the most recent copy of Streetvibes. 4) Attend an Orientation Thursdays at 10AM 5) Take and pass the quiz Tuesdays at 10AM. 6) Receive approval and have your picture taken, a badge will be made and you will be provided with 10 free papers to get you started! Questions? Call: (513) 421-7803 �From The Director 4 St r eet vibeS M AY 1 3 - 2 6 , 2 0 11 Are You Blind? JOSH SPRING executive Director eframing. Reframing is the process of judging something from another, hopefully more holistic perspective. Typically reframing involves going beyond just the surface of how something looks or beyond the way that we instantlly judge something. Reframing involves empathetic thought. In order to understand reframing one must work at becoming empathetic. Sympathy and empathy are two significantly different learned states. Sympathy is feeling sorry for someone or something else. Empathy is actually working to feel what someone or something else is feeling. Empathy is in a sense taking on someone’s burden and sharing it with them- feeling the weight on your shoulders as well. Empathy could also be taking on someone’s joy and sharing it with them. True empathy should lead to reframing. What do you think when coming down the sidewalk in an urban setting and you see a group of people crowded on the front stoop of a building, listening to music and loudly talking to one another? I can’t tell you how many times I have been with somebody new to my neighborhood of Over-the-Rhine and after a bit of being here on a warm night, they say something like, “wow people are constantly arguing outside, why are they arguing so much?” And I have to say, “wait a second, what makes you think people are arguing? Folks are just having fun with one another.” This person has assumed that a crowd of folks on a sidewalk in an urban setting, talking loudly is a bad thing. What about when a group of people are crowded in a backyard in the suburbs hanging out- is that a bad thing? We often hear of one group of people getting frustrated at another because of a crowd hanging out on the sidewalk. Sure no group should be so introspective that it forgets everyone around and makes walking down the sidewalk impossible, but hanging out on the sidewalk is good and productive. In fact I would assert that it is more positive and productive than hanging out in a backyard in the sub- R Vinegar An Unconventional Introduction SUSAN LAKES Streetvibes Staff Writer ive me a gallon jug of vinegar and you’ll see me grin. Throw in a spray bottle and I’ll gush grins. I’ll squeal. Hi. I’m Susan, your new Streetvibes reporter and I love distilled white vinegar. It’s a new love affair. You see, cleaning supplies have held a particular fascination for me. I’ve tried them all-the polishes, squirts, soft abrasives, grainy gritty powders, foams, thick liquids, runny stuff and waxes. Now though, I’m batting 100% vinegar, and my place sparkles. Gone are the days of cleaning caddies and half G urbs. Being on the sidewalk, right out front, puts eyes and ears all over the area, it also creates the opportunity for others walking nearby to join and it is transparent- everyone sees what is going on- this is community –building. Or what about the common statement you probably have heard “how can they be poor and afford that television?” or “how can they be homeless and have a cell phone” or “why is there a couch in the living room, while the kids have no beds?” I bring these up, because I am quite confident that all of us have heard things like this. These are situations that are likely in need of some empathetic reframing. First of all, just because one is living through poverty, that does not mean she or he does not want a few things beyond necessity. Individuals experincing poverty often have not choice but to focus on the necessities, There is nothing wrong with having some things that are not completely necessary- we all do this. Second, if you see someone who is currently homeless with a cell phone- that is a good thing- that means that person has found a way to have a cell phone, an opportunity many others have not had, which means she or he will be better equipped to keep appointments, follow-up on appointments, apply for jobs, seek emergency help when needed, and in-act a game-plan. Finally, “why is there a couch in the living room, while the kids have no beds?” Let’s think this one through. One, perhaps when this family moved in they were given a couch as a donation, but not given beds and they have been unable to afford beds. Or perhaps they did choose a couch first. Perhaps they chose a couch first because the couch is the place the family gathers to hang out with one another. Perhaps the couch is where the family unites and has fun together and deals with hard issues together. Perhaps this parent chose family unity first. I don’t offer these three examples because they are necessarily specifically the subject of debate, but the theme of these examples is often the subject of common debate. used bottles of cleaning supplies. My beloved vinegar replaced all that stuff. I dilute it sometimes, but mostly use it straight up. Some people think vinegar stinks. Not me. The smell takes me back to the 70s, to the days when my mother would take us on yearly vacations to Key West, Florida. “Take a vinegar bath,” Mama would say when we’d complain about sunburns. She was right. That vinegar healed the sting. For real. My vinegar roots go back even farther. “Momo”, my grandmother used vinegar in place of cream rinse. “It’ll make your hair shiny and silky,” she’d say. (She said the same thing about beer, mayo and egg yolks mixed with olive oil). So, although the sights and smells of vinegar grace my past, it’s the relationship’s future that’s keeping me excited. Is there anything this stuff won’t clean or refresh? Vinegar cleans windows, Not only that, but these three questions are often the route folks with more means use to bypass their own responsibility to end poverty and homelessness. “Well if they can afford a cell phone, they must be able to afford housing and therefore I would just be enabling their poor decisions to give of myself.” We are often not quick to reframe- because first of all, we are often not empathetic and second of all because many times, if we did reframe- our own responsibility would become transparent. We are taught that homelessness and poverty are the result of lazy people choosing to not work hard enough or simply choosing to live off everyone else. We are often given “proof” of this through examples of people who are on the margins having things that we somehow assume people who are financially poor should not have. It is sort of like we expect people who are homeless and/or financially poor to prove it to everyone else by subjecting themselves to greater hardship by denying everything that is not a complete necessity. Out of this line of thought, we hear about books and studies and documentaries about the “culture of poverty.” Some of us have perhaps gone to seminars about the “culture of poverty.” The truth is we know what financial poverty is. Financial poverty is not having enough financial resources to sustainably have enough items needed to live. We know what poverty is. We don’t need to study the “culture of poverty.” We have to start talking about the “culture of wealth.” Wealth is the evil side of us. Poverty is a consequence of that evil side. We don’t need to negatively judge people who are financially poor for having some things that are not necessary for life, we need to negatively judge people who already have all they need to live and continue to horde more, not only do they horde more but they take from others to feed their greed. And we need to do more than judge, we need to act. The truth is budgets and economies are balanced on the backs of people who are financially floors, woodwork, sinks, tubs and countertops. I pour a little bit in the laundry, and keep an open container of it next to my running shoes to absorb odors. Vinegar topped the list of simple, natural cleaning supplies I wrote about seven or eight years ago while working for a daily newspaper in northern Indiana. (I’ve been in this business for about a decade).I wrote about vinegar, but never actually used it as a cleaning agent. The truth of the matter is this: I didn’t clean back then, but paid a broke friend to come in weekly and put the house in order. I’m the broke one now, and my economic downward spiral has at least one happy ending. I fell in love….with vinegar. susanlakes@cincihomeless.org (513) 421-7803 Ex. 12 poor. The other truth is that most of us do not have most of the money. Therefore, some of us need to stop believing the intentional lie that if we demand they stop hording the resources they will leave our midst and our economy will fall apart. We must stop supporting those that steal from us. This is where the majority of us can find unity- yes if you are not financially poor, you need to give up some of what you have so that others can get closer to having what they need. But we also need to all unite and demand that the money-fat ceos and big-whig owners turn over what they have stolen from the rest of us. We can choose to give of ourselves for one another and choose to collectively go after our common enemy. joshspring@cincihomeless.org (513) 421-7803 Ex. 13 facebook.com/ streetvibes cincinnati twitter.com/ streetvibesnwes streetvibes.wordpress.com Great Books! visit www.cincybooks.com �St r ee t v ib e S Story and Poetry Corner 5 M AY 1 3 - 2 6 , 2 0 11 Storms Pass On! Gone WILLA DENISE JONES ELISA HILL Contributing Writer and Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer and Streetvibes Distributor *This poem dedicated to the victims of the tornados that ravaged the Southern United States in April. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. They say it was a perfect storm down south, all the ingredients to make a tornado come out. You should never disrespect it, because it could hold your life in its hands. With no hills for shelter and in that moment you couldn’t even run away from it mayhem. You’d have sunlight one moment. Then you are caught up in the bowls of hell the next. Thunder, hail and lightning precede the howl of the tornado before it touches down. Right before it took your life and the rains and know the sounds. It was total devastation as the tornado took many lives to the sky. Though the sun would rise, it could not comfort all the cries heard throughout the south. With goodbyes! GONE ARE THE DAYS THAT WE ONCE KNEW GONE ARE THE DAYS NEVER TO RETURN SO NOW WHAT’S NEW? GONE IS LIKE TOMMORROW THAT NEVER COMES IT’S ALWAYS TODAY GONE IS THE EMPLOYMENT RATE AND HOUSING FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME, FOR A CHANGE I PRAY! GONE ARE THE DAYS OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JOHN F. KENNEDY AND SINGER LUTHER VANDROSS TODAY SOME PEOPLE SCREAM OSAMA BIN LADEN IS DEAD AS THE WORLD YELLS BARACK OBAMA IS THE BOSS TODAY WE AS HUMAN PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE WORRIED OR CONFUSED AS TO WHO IS RULING TODAY WE MUST UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS GOD’S WORLD. SO WHY DO THE PEOPLE KEEP FOOLING I SAY STOP KILLING OURSELVES WHEN IT IS WITHOUT A DOUBT WE LIVE IN ORDER TO DIE SO WHY NOT TAKE EACH DAY AS A BLESSING ABOVE GROUNDAND JUST SAY HELLO AND WHEN WE’RE GONE JUST SAY GOODBYE “How are we to salvage and rebuild a world without Grandma, Danny, Rachel, and Uncle Drew.” “Every time I try to add a brick to the new foundation, I still feel that our lives will be so incomplete too.” “All because of a perfect storm that took away half of my soul.” “Now we all pray for those who have passed on!” Artwork By Rico Green, son of Streetvibes Distributor Kim Green Have A Laugh! What did the grass on the football field say? If you water me, I’ll be rooting for you! Why should every baseball team have a frog? To catch pop up flies. �Local 6 M AY 1 3 - 2 6 , 2 0 11 Refresh Northside Chris Hoeting and once inside numerous, gigantic containers that traveled over oceans to finally arrive in your apartment. But after years of wear and tear on these containers, where do they end up, what do people do with them? Can these behemoths just be thrown into a garbage dump and forgotten? Some containers fall victim to the sea, falling off the ships they are being transported on, while others are turned in to different forms of architecture around the world. And hopefully Cincinnati will soon be a city, on a short list of cities, which can claim they have a building made out of shipping containers. Chris Hoeting and Jonathan Sears, grad schools friends who founded the arts organization parProjects, want to build an arts center out of recycled shipping containers. As said in their mission statement, “The larger goal of parProjects revolves around the planning, development and construction of a new generaCOREY GIBSON tion of creative Contributing Writer centers for the arts. The design, he chair you have in your house which if currently probably traveled hundreds in progress is of miles to get to where it is modeled as a now. Stuffed inside a dark, dirty shipgreen building ping container until you saved it and project, crebrought it home. The paper you are ated primarily reading this from also traveled hunout of recycled dreds of miles to get into your hands. materials and From a tree, to a mill, to a box, to a energy efficient container, eventually ending in your approaches hands. According to the book, “Evoluleading towards self-sustainability.” tion of the Box,” by Charles W. Ebel“Our mission,” said Hoeting, “is to ing, nearly 90% of non-bulk cargo, create an arts center that is sustaincargo that goes into a box and is not able.” shipped unpackaged, moves around The arts center, which was dethe world in cargo containers stacked signed by Sears, is going to house an on transport ships. Nearly everything artist’s residency program, two exhibiinside your entire apartment was tion spaces and a community learning and outreach area and be built in front of the old canning building in Northside. Phase one, which is going to be a moveable first floor, is going to consist of five shipping containers pieced together housing the artists residency program, one exhibition space and an outreach center. The center is going to Designed with the parProjects logo, the center be the first of its kind in Ohio, would be built in front of the old canning building in where shipping container buildNorthside.Photo: Jonathan Sears ings are only comprised of a single container. Hoeting said Jonathan Sears need your help to build an arts center that is completely green-out of recycled shipping containers. This would include an artist’s residency program, exhibition spaces and a community learning and outreach area, set in front of the old canning building in Northside. T St r eet vibeS there is nothing set up in city of Cincinnati, code wise, to regulate how they build this structure. He hopes that being the first to build something out of numerous shipping containers will allow more and more greensuave people to The project, built completely out of recycled shipping containers. do the same. Photo: Jonathan Sears Yet how comfortable can cided to take a grassroots approach. a shipping container be? Do not be Hoeting and Sears want to help profooled. The plain walls will be painted, mote the entire art scene in Cincinnati. the shipping containers will be cut up For every art center or gallery they and reorganized to better fit the purgo to, parProjects wants to interview pose of an arts center and the paint the people behind the scene and give will even have an additive that will act them recognition on their blog. All they as a thermos, keeping the center well want in return is for the people of Cinheated or cinnati to vote twice a day, until May cooled. 31. “Our “We are going to go and specifihope is cally visit all the arts organizations in to build a Cincinnati,” said Hoeting. “We want to building as first visit all the centers in Northside completely green as possible,” said Hoeting. “A lot of our thinking with the sustainable art center is not just in the green aspect but also the idea that Space for art exhibitions and community learning mapped out Jonathan Sears it will be inexpressive.” Where most art centers become top heavy with bills, heating, electricity, and then move onto all the arts cenemployees and such, Hoeting said this ters in Cincinnati.” parProjects believes they are goart center will have solar power to help ing to need to get 2,000 to 3,000 votes it run more efficiently. a day to get in to the top ten on the To raise money for phase one of Pepsi Refresh project, a spot that enthe project, Hoeting and Sears turned sure they receive the $50,000. their interests towards the Pepsi Re“We think people will be interested fresh contest, a contest that offers because of what it is and how it is an people the chance to win $5,000 to example of a self sustaining building,” $50,000 for projects that will better said Hoeting. “It is the type of contemthe community. If parProjects wins the porary architecture that would benefit contest, the $50,000 would be enough Northside and Cincinnati. People will to finish the first floor of the project. be interested in seeing this center in “$50,000 would primarily build the the Midwest.” shell of phase one,” said Hoeting. “To buy the components, get the gallery To vote for parProjects go to: ready and hook up the electricity.” theroadtorefresh.com. To raise awareness about their project and to get people to start clicking in their votes, parProjects has de- “To raise money for phase one of the project, Hoeting and Sears turned their interests towards the Pepsi Refresh contest, a contest that offers people the chance to win $5,000 to $50,000 for projects that will better the community. “ Is it is or is it ain’t? The observations of a Streetvibes Distributor LEE MCCOY Streetvibes Distributor L ately I have been noticing the date May 21st a lot. But let me stop and ask you a question first. Do you remember when Orson Wells claimed the Martians have landed and the end of the world was near? The man started worldwide panic and had everyone looking toward the sky asking, “Is it is or is it ain’t?” Well, that’s a bunch of bull crap. A few weeks ago I saw a bunch of mini vans with the message of ‘May 21st… the day the world will end according to the Word of God.” It had me running to my bible. The first thing that really jumped out at me was that no man knows the hour or the day that the world will end. The Father didn’t even know ‘is it is or is it ain’t?’ How in the world did anyone come up with the May 21st thing. I wasn’t satisfied so I kept digging. In my bible the signs were surely there and I believe the end is near in Matthew 24:6-8, it says you are going to hear of wars but it tells you to not be scared, for these things must happen but it isn’t the end. “For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.“ There will be food shortages and earthquakes in one place after another. Just look at Japan and every area across the world. I am not going to try to judge anyone; I won’t try to play God. In an odd coincidence the annual 5k Summer Run in OTR is on May 21st. Maybe you should pack the bible with your Nikes that day, because if you listen to what they’re preaching, the world is over on that day. I had the pleasure of touring the Jimmy Heath House in OTR with students from NKU on April 20th. If you are unaware of what the Jimmy Heath House is, let me inform you. It is a place where people who can’t Photos: Aimie Willhoite Photography conform to the Drop Inn Center’s It is a little like sleeping with the rules can go. It is for the people you enemy. But is it the answer or just see sleeping on the streets, under the tip of the ice berg? I don’t know. bridges, in doorways. I have always ‘Is it is or is it ain’t?’ had a strong dislike for 3CDC and their ‘development’ but I must admit this product they were involved in is Lee McCoy can be found selling in the amazing. Downtown area and at Findlay Market �St r ee t v ib e S Awareness 7 M AY 1 3 - 2 6 , 2 0 11 True Companions A survey of local resources available for homeless people with pets. SUSAN LAKES Streetvibes Staff Writer ome places have homeless shelters that allow or make provisions for pets.’The Max who currently lives at The Talbert House, Mount Airy Pets for the Homeless’ Center for the Homeless. Photo: Drew Brown organization publishes that list on its website. You can word of mouth and visits to homeless find it, plus a ton of information about camps to get the word out about Pets how to help curb the pets of homeless in Need. Homeless people are one of problem, by visiting petsofthehomeher resources. “They are the people less.org. who are out there first hand on the You won’t find Cincinnati or Ohio streets and they are living side by side on the list of shelters that allow pets. with the stray animals who need attenBut there’s at least one local shelter tion.” One homeless camp includes where homeless men and cats interact people and three animals. “All of them daily. “We have 55 homeless men and (animals) are spayed and neutered,” 7 homeless cats, but the cats don’t Madewell said. “They care for their think they’re homeless,” said Drew pets just as much as anyone else, but Brown, shelter director at the Mt. Airy oftentimes lack the resources. Everytwelve-acre campus. The felines found one is very thrilled to get the services.” the shelter, and now they hang out in Pets in Need survives on grant outdoor shelters the homeless men money and donations. Like Brown, constructed. Madewell sees value in homeless S Eugene and Sarah’s Story his is the story of how a cat named Sarah helps a young professional man named Eugene (not his real name) cope with the debilitating disability that took him from a successful freelance career to job losses, alienation of friends and family and years of homelessness. The chaotic homeless days ended for the duo four months ago. Life’s going good now since they made the move from a tent into an apartment. Sometimes, Sarah’s clinginess gets on Eugene’s nerves, but he’s quick to admit that he’d be lost without the furry feline’s company and comfort. “I wouldn’t have anybody to come home to,” Eugene said. “I really want to keep this cat. It’s been here for me when I’m depressed.” And keep Sarah, he will. When asked what he’d do if the understanding landlord suddenly enforced a “no pets” policy, Eugene said he’d have to find a different place to live. He and Sarah are a team. T The Beginning Eugene, 35, was a successful freelance writer, analyst and ghost writer. Life had been good. He was happy. “I lived a perfectly normal life until 2005,” he recalls. The only one of eight children with a high school education, Eugene studied theology in college. He was the one people leaned on. “I went from the one that would help all my friends and family to the one who needed help but couldn’t get it,” he recalls, adding friends and family thought he’d gone crazy when the panic attacks started. The writer witnessed a series of traumatic events, including suicides, murders and explosions, in the span of a year. One of the explosions, he said, happened while on assignment in Northern Pakistan. “We were part of a convoy of buses, and I was on the ninth bus,” he recalled of the tragedy. “The Taliban blew up the 8th (bus),” he said softly, looking down. Depression and anxiety followed. So did his ability to earn a living. Job losses followed. So did support from friends and family. He felt rejected because of what he calls his mental disability. “The Cat Came To Me While I Was Homeless, and Stayed.” Eugene ended up living all alone inside a six-foot by eight-foot storage shed he covered with tent material. At first, a three-legged dog tried to adopt him, but he knew that wouldn’t work. He could barely feed himself, and knew it wouldn’t be fair to adopt the pooch. “I couldn’t take care of it,” he said. “I gave it away.” The very day he found a good home for the dog, he was sitting inside the shed and heard a noise. “It was a meow,” he said. “She (the cat) was sitting there, so I gave here some dog food.” The cat was skittish at first, but stuck around. Eugene named her Sarah. “I like to use regular names,” he said, adding that he’s always been one in favor of naming his pets human-like names rather than the popular pet names like “Fluffy” and “Spot”. A homeless cat’s shelter at the The Talbert House, Mount Airy Centerfor the Homeless. Photo: Drew Brown Brown sees value in the living people keeping pets, even when they arrangement. “The cats are very enter shelters. “It would be excellent therapeutic for our men,” he said. “It if shelters could find a way,” she said. reinforces skills many homeless people “Some of the people cannot go into a have forgotten, and that’s how to take shelter with their pets, and that causes care of something more unfortunate them to miss out on a necessary safe them themselves.” place to live.” Nurturing is a good thing Mt. Airy. Giving up a pet can be difficult. “By taking care of a cat, it kind of reThat’s why The Hamilton County inforces the nurturing that comes with YMCA Battered Women’s Shelter caring for something besides yourself.” partners with the Society for PrevenBrown said. “It’s been good for our tion of Cruelty to Animals or SPCA. guys.” The SPCA provides temporary shelter Another local organization, UCAN, for the animals of battered women, acfinds value in helping out the pets cording to Consuello Hudson, Domesof homeless people. UCAN recently tic Violence Advocate. opened a spay/neuter clinic where vetThe partnership works, Hudson erinary services are offered to people said, but it’s not used very often. with little or no income. Pets of those who qualify get seen and checked out head to toe for $8.00. The spay/neuter service is slightly more expensive. The number of homeless people using this service is on the rise, according to Cathy Madewell, coordinator for Pets in Need. The program is mutually beneficial. “The homeless people are doing a service to the city by bringing in their dogs and cats,” said Madewell, adding that every pet that is spayed or neutered means “Fluffy” is one of the feline residents of The Talbert House, Mt. fewer unwanted litters for aniAiry Center for the Homeless. Photo: Drew Brown mal control. Madewell relies on One Road trip to Remember Eugene left the tent and set out on a trip to New York City with the cat in tow. He thought his chances for finding work in a faltering economy would be better in the city, so he crated the cat and hitched a ride with a trucker he knew was headed that way. He and Sarah ended up homeless again. “In New York, I walked around with her on a leash,” he said, laughing. “In New York, that’s common, but here I wouldn’t do that because people would think I’m crazy.” They were homeless for nearly four months, but at least Eugene found shelter. He lived in a small room where monks once lived. “They didn’t allow pets, but Sarah was allowed to stay (outside),” he said. She stayed in the back yard area that was surrounded by a nine-foot fence. “There were no worries of here leaving since she didn’t have claws.” The wooden fence would have been quite an obstacle for a declawed cat like Sarah. With the urging of friends, the two returned to Cincinnati. A Happy Reunion Sarah’s trip back to Cincinnati was shorter than his. Eugene caught a bus, and Sarah followed the next day-----by plane. The airport reunion was a happy one. “She’s always glad to see me,” he said. They returned to the tent for four months before Eugene finally agreed to enter a local shelter, a condition for enrolling in a local housing program. Eugene had resisted the idea of shelter life for two reasons: panic attacks related to a condition called agoraphobia* and Sarah. “I really wanted to keep this cat,” he said. “It was there for me when I was depressed.” A Home at Last Eugene and Sarah moved into an apartment earlier this year, and they’re both settled in. She perches on top of his feet when he sits down, and he can’t imagine what life would be like without her. “I wouldn’t have anybody to come home to,” he said. “Sarah is something else alive here besides my plants.” Hopes and Dreams Eugene said he’s feeling better. The symptoms of his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Agoraphobia are not as bad as they used to be. Agoraphobia is a condition that makes a person fearful in public places. With PTSD, a person may experience such symptoms as tiredness, sleep disturbances, anxiety and depression. Eventually, Eugene wants to return to writing. “I want to go back to work and not get fired,” he said, recalling just how the disabilities interfered with work. �8 Local Issue St r eet vibeS M AY 1 3 - 2 6 , 2 0 11 Demanding Transparency from those Responsible for Change Continued from page 1 Aliya Rahmon, Miami University student, read a demand letter that was sent to Tom Scheberle, Executive Director of ALEC. The letter demands these disclosures: •All donors of $200 and more, •ALEC members who hold elected office, •Full text of model legislation and public policy discussion leading up to the legislation •Disclosure of the cases in which ALEC model legislation is entered into bills, specifically the source of the legislative text. Similar demands are in the works by another group. ProtestALEC.org claims ALEC is to blame for the recent surge in legislation that targets working people (Ohio’s Senate Bill 5), women and racial minorities (Arizona’s Senate 1070) environmental protections. The group is calling for ALEC to invite More than 150 people gathered with signs on Fountain Square in peaceful demand against policy experts, journalists and the ALEC. Photo: Susan Lakes the public to an open meeting to discuss the group’s inner workings. sharing among states so that Protestor Alana Bilancini first we can be ready for New found out ALEC was coming to Orleans,” said Bob Sloan. Cincinnati in mid-March. She’s An Indianapolis, IN resident, glad the city’s Over-The Rhine Sloan and wife, Jean made neighborhoods served as the focal the hour and a half hour trek point for the education programs. to Cincinnati to protest for a -Democracy Is Not For Sale. “There’s a movement to push reason. Bob learned about residents out in favor of profit-Stop Corporations From Writing Our ALEC through his research. making businesses,” she said. Laws. “My husband has been writing Bilancini also liked the peaceful a book about the corporate nature of the protest. Some of -When Our Rights Are Under Attack, takeover of our prisons,” Jean the protestors who showed up in what do we do? Stand Up. Fight Cincinnati are working on strategies Sloan said. Back. to bring ALEC into the spotlight -Hey Hey, ho ho/ALEC out of Ohio. again when the group meets for Marching to demand corporations not be allowed susanlakes@cincihomeless. an annual meeting in Louisiana to dictate our laws. Photo: Susan Lakes org (513) 421-7803 Ex. 12 -Get up! Get Down! There’s a in August. “We need information A GLIMPS AT THE PROTEST SIGNS AND CHANTS: Peoples’ Movement In This Town. �St r ee t v ib e S M AY 1 3 - 2 6 , 2 0 11 International News 9 If You Didn’t Laugh, You’d Cry Satire is, above all, a bag of laughs. But in authoritarian countries, such as Venezuela and Russia, satire is also the voice of freedom; a weapon used to expose the irony of unjust systems. lesson. On January last year he did it again. And this time it was worse. “Venezuela sin Estehe Venezuelan President, Hugo Chávez, is ban”, published in the a man of humor. Nobody forgets the day he ever-resistant TalCual stepped on the stand of the United Nations, newspaper, was a witty one day after former President Bush, sniffed the exercise of imagination: air and said: "The devil was here yesterday. It still what would happen to smells like sulfur." Yes, President Chávez has used the country if Chávez comedy many times against his opponents, but suddenly left? After the his sense of humor fades when the joke is on him. confusion of the first Laureano Márquez, political scientist and one of days, “people would stop the most famous satirists of Venezuela, had to pay, buying dollars like crazy” together with the newspaper he writes for, TalCual, and six months later almost £15,000 because of a letter he wrote to “politicians would star noChávez's nine-year-old daughter. "Querida Rosinés" ticing that the laws they was a satirical answer to the President's announceapproved were actually ment that he was considering changing the national quite anti-democratic coat of arms after a request from his daughter. "The because now they apply purpose of the letter is to ask you for help," wrote to them” and “all political Márquez in 2005. "You are probably the only person prisoners who were arbitrarily judged would be he listens to and you're the only who can speak freed.” Ten years later, Venezuela President Chavez laughs while addressing a news conference. REUTERS/Jorge Silva frankly with daddy without fearing as we do." Among the requests was one to remove the “you could see the first coat of arms of "a gentleman with a green uniform signs of financial recovand white beard, a gentleman that is always putting ery” and “people would also using new technologies and it becomes harder his nose in our business" (reference to Fidel Casfind sugar in the supermarkets again”. A hundred and harder to tyrannize the human being,” he said. tro) and also a request for Chávez to stop talking years after Chávez’s (Esteban in the article) deparIn a country where recently a critical television about what he is going to do in 2021 - "Even if he is ture all that is left are “bad memories”. “The period network, RCTV, was pushed off the airwaves and going to stay that long, he shouldn't say it so often would be studied as an example of what should not 34 radio stations had their licenses revoked, the because for those of us who don't agree with him be done to a country.” The reaction arrived quickly. Internet does emerge as the safest way to express (don't be alarmed, according to official sources we The Ministry of Communications and Information disagreement. In the past decade Venezuela has are fewer and fewer) it's somehow stressful." He of Venezuela accused him of being a defamatory seen an impressive growth in access to online techcloses the letter with a last wish: "Ask him not to be fascist and of encouraging a coup d’état. Words, nologies. Thirty one per cent of the population now so angry with us who don't think like him; sometimes of course, were not enough: the Ministry asked to has access to the Internet (compared to 5.8 per cent he calls us criminals and fascists and we feel like open an inquiry against Tal Cual. Such reaction 12 years ago). Much of this development is actually indicates the government recognizes the power of answering back." The gentle, almost affectiondue to the Chávez administration: the government satire and by censuring Márquez, President Chávez ate tone of the letter did not prevent him landing in set up more than 600 high speed Internet access admits his importance. “Humor hurts the governtrouble with the courts. centers in poor neighborhoods. As a result, 68 per ment a great deal, because it’s a type of criticism However, Laureano Márquez didn’t learn the cent of Internet users come from lower-income deagainst which you can only answer mographics. At the same time, the rising popularity in two ways: with more wit or by of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, censoring it. Because the governas well as blogs, benefited Chávez’s opponents. ment is not very witty, he censors,” The anti-Chávez Twitter #freevenezuela was among explained the satirist. “Everyone the four receiving comments worldwide in February who studied humor knows it’s a last year, while seven of the 10 most followed Twitter serious thing. Almost all the great accounts in Venezuela belong to Chávez’s critics. philosophers since Aristotle have Chávez didn’t want to be left behind, so he created written about it.” Márquez, who his own Twitter account and already has 1,416,826 continues writing almost as an act followers. of protest, says satire in Venezuela The absence of restrictions on online content is about much more than raising a created the conditions for a proliferation of blogs and few laughs; it is essential to what websites with disagreeing voices. One of the most is left of democracy, something the popular ones is El Chigüire Bipolar, a satirical page, Venezuelans so deeply value. resembling the American The Onion, where Ven“In Venezuela, political satire ezuelan politics and Chávez, in particular, are seen has an incredible strength. It’s a through the lens of sharp humor. Named in honor of mechanism to face authoritarianthe capybara, a rodent that Venezuelans enjoy eatism, denounce it, and defeat it. ing, El Chigüire, after only three years of existence, Currently Venezuela is living one has at least the same or more page views than of its most brilliant moments in the leading Venezuelan newspaper, El Nacional. terms of humor, also because it “New school books replace heliocentric theory by is living one of the most dangerthe hugocentric theory”, “President Chávez gives ous periods for its freedom,” he medal to virus A1N1 for having contaminated Uribe” said. In this paradoxical situation, or “Interview with Chávez’s mommy: ‘My son was  |  satire is seen as a noble weapon: on TV since he was a little boy’” are some of the “It’s an extraordinary weapon and headlines one can find in this website, that uses the its greatest strength comes from   motto “Partial, unfounded news from a rodent with the fact that it doesn’t kill, it’s not psychological issues.” violent. Political satire is a form But their most successful attraction is undoubtof denouncing wrong doings, of edly the recent cartoon adventure La Isla Presicriticism; it’s a political expression dencial (Presidential Island), five-minute videos of the social anguishes. “Political released every two or three weeks. The story, satire in Venezuela assumes the based on the hit TV series Lost, gathers sevtremendously important function eral Latin American leaders who find themselves of being the citizen’s voice. It is shipwrecked on a deserted tropical island. The first extremely important in Venezuela, episode was watched on YouTube more than 3 without it I don’t think we could million times and apart from Chávez it includes the have survived.” Satire, Márquez Bolivian President Evo Morales (secretly in love says, is the best way to beat cenwith the Venezuelan President), sorship. “It’s a way to say things when you can’t speak because See If You Didn’t Laugh p10. satire uses metaphors and can say without saying. Besides, humor is INÊS SANTINHOS GONÇALVES Street News Service www.streetnewsservice.org T     �10 International News St r eet vibeS M AY 1 3 - 2 6 , 2 0 11 If You Didn’t Laugh Continued from page 9 Colombia’s President Álvaro Uribe, Cristina Kirchner from Argentina and the Brazilian Lula da Silva, among others. For this reason, the website has become increasingly popular throughout Latin America. Even Spain is paying attention, since King Juan Carlos also stars as a silly old man. All of these characters are tortured by the long speeches delivered by President Chávez. “Twelve Presidents take a short boat ride to hell. Now they’ll have to survive with no food, no shelter and no power - hey, don’t overreact!” The interruption of the trailer is made by Chávez to whom power doesn’t mean electricity. Mario Silva, the host of a Venezuelan talk show on state television that Chávez uses to attack his critics, has condemned El Chigüire Bipolar, describing its founders as partisan anti-Chávez drugaddicts. “We appreciate the publicity,” co-founder Juan Andrés Ravell, 28, told the New York Times. Together with Oswaldo Graziani, 30, he writes and produces the content of the website that is financed out of their own pockets. “Chávez is a master communicator and a natural born comedian, but one who doesn’t realize he’s at the centre of the joke,” said Ravell in the same interview to the American newspaper. “Satire”, he added “always evolves to resist the attempts to extinguish it.” “Venezuela is living one of its most brilliant moments in terms of humor, also because it is living one of the most dangerous periods for its freedom”. David Myers, political science professor at Penn State University, US, specializing in Latin America, is familiar with El Chigüire. “I’m surprised it hasn’t been censored yet,” he said. President Chávez has been talking about controlling the Internet, after a website program about the former President Carlos Andrés Pérez which played a huge role in discrediting the democratic system and opening a way for Chávez,” he adds. In the war of humor, Chávez plays a significant role, one filled with political meaning. “He uses a very popular humor against educated people, the humor of cowboys. A lot of people in Venezuela still have that rural mentality and Chávez appeals to them much more with that type of satire,” explains Professor Myers. “He is trying to show that he is just like the poor. The great irony is that, not only he came out Animated cartoon portraying the Russian leaders Putin and Medvedev addressing of the military academy but he also the nation on New Year’s Eve, while dancing studied at Simón Bolívar University “Opa!” They have great dancing skills. where he made all the courses for a Master in Political Science,” he adds. Chávez, however, left the Medvedev: “You may believe me or you may University without the degree. not, I love to surf the web a lot” The ‘bronze leaders’ are no joke. In Venezuela Putin: “Ah, yes, when you are surfing the net, I satire is a weapon used by both sides of the barhave to text you ‘Hi Medvedev!’” ricade and although restricted it remains present, Medvedev: “This is the second year that I greet like a weed that keeps on growing back. One might people on New Year” say that it is a defense mechanism of authoritarian Putin: “You know, one of us has done it already regimes, democracies in a very limited meaning of nine times” the word, in which freedom to express disagreement is highly restricted and regimes with charisThe video was featured in a special episode of matic, power-driven, self-centered leaders. Like Mult Lichnosti (Cartoon Personalities), a biweekly Venezuela. And like Russia. However, if Venezushow that pokes fun at public figures. elans drink the glass of satire with visible thirst, the Broadcasted on the state-run Channel One, Russians sip with caution. Professor Myers says Multi Lichnosti is the newest satire show in Rusthe reasons are historical: “The concept of desia, a country where jokes on TV are no laughing mocracy is very deeply embedded in matter. Venezuelan culture. It goes way back For seven years the country experienced a dry to the 19th century when there was a season for satire. Since the end of Kukly, the Ruslot of democratic resistance to dictasian version of Spitting Image, the airwaves were tors. Satire is a way to go after anyone pretty humour free. who tries to get too much authority. Newspapers across the so-called free world You don’t have anything in Venezuela reported the end of the show as a political message that commanded the respect and the - and not a good one. majesty of the Tsars regime.” Nicolai The television station, NTV, claimed the politiPetro, Professor of Comparative Polical satire was unpopular, poorly made and too tics at the University of Rhode Island, expensive to produce. But the unofficial version that US, specializing in Russian affairs, everyone believed in was that its closure was politisaid: “If things are quieter in Russia cally motivated. than in Venezuela, I believe it is mainly Kukly portrayed Putin as a short, ugly puppet because people like it that way. and although it was extremely popular, it was not to “There are cultural factors at work. the President’s taste. Putin’s victory in the PresiOne is a certain fear of the consedential elections gave him the power to nationalize Animation depicting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in the animated series quences of mocking authority, another NTV. Soon the show was cancelled. “President Island.” Photo: REUTERS/Ho New is that mocking a person, rather than a “If it would have been a totalitarian regime, they system or institution, is considered inap- would have shot us. Because it’s an authoritarian allegedly reported false news about the death of propriate and ‘hitting below the belt’. This may be regime they closed us down,” said Victor Shenone of his ministers. But Melanie Ciolek, a specialchanging for young people but among older Rusderovich, scriptwriter of Kukly, to BBC Radio 4. ist in public diplomacy at the University of Southern sians one finds, to the contrary, a heightened effort Since its cancellation, jokes about Putin beCalifornia, explains: “If the Chávez administrato maintain a sense of orderliness and propriety in came such a taboo that in July 2009 the Russian tion decided to crack down on Internet freedom to the face of the ‘immorality’ they see in Russian sochannel that broadcasts South Park cut a scene of reduce dissents, it risks upsetting an already tense ciety today,” he explains. But as the saying goes, the cartoon involving Putin. situation in Venezuela. The fight for online influence there is an exception to every rule. In 2009 New The poltical analyst, Dimitry Oreshkin told the plays out against a backdrop of troubled economic Year’s Eve Vladimir Putin and Dimitry Medvedev France Press News Agency he thought television conditions and recurring energy crises that make danced, sang and told jokes in Red Square. Inapcomedy had “degraded” since the demise of Kukly. it increasingly difficult for him to tout the benefits propriate? It would be far more than that. But those “In this situation, of course, it’s impossible to even of his ‘Bolivarian revolution’. “Previous attempts singing and dancing under fireworks were cartoon think of making Putin or Medvedev into comic to ban access to social media have demonstrated characters of the President and Prime Minister. figures.” a tendency to generate instability. Given that his There are at least eight videos on YouTube where Nontheless, Multi Lichnosti is now on primeopponents already use social media not just to one can see the cartoon duet; the most popular of time television. The return, however, is seen as voice dissent, but to organize physical protests them has been viewed almost 280,000 times. timid. The New Year cartoon, where both Putin and against his policies, it seems likely that restrictions Medvedev appeared, was an exception. The show would stimulate further unrest,” she writes in an Medvedev: “It has become a fashion trend to tends to focus only on international politicians, footarticle on the Mountain Runner, a political science summarize the year’s end” ball players, pop stars and television hosts. It’s not website. Professor Myers agrees that Chávez will Putin: “And we will try our best to do so and like the show doesn’t have teeth; it just lacks bite be cautious. “I’m not sure if he has the technical fulfill the request” when it comes to Russian politicians. capability actually, but he did bring the Iranians in The only Russian political figure who had and they are advising him on propaganda, so it is The two most powerful men in Russia swing appeared - in the first episode - was the Foreign conceivable.” With Internet or without it, the situatheir bodies to the rhythm. Medvedev plays accorMinister Sergei Lavrov who was gently mocked in a tion of satire in Venezuela is under threat. “There is dion and Putin a tambourine - which every now and sketch that showed him trying to escape a flirtatious even a law saying that if you make jokes about the then he beats against his bottom. The duet cheerHilary Clinton. President you can be put in jail,” explains Professor fully refers to events in the past year, such as the On the contrary, when it comes to international Myers. “The reason why Chávez is so bothered failed attempt by a consortium including Russian figures, especially the ones the Kremlin likes least, by satire is because he realizes there is a political bank Sberbank to buy Opel from General Motors, there is plenty to enjoy. President Viktor A. Yushcontent in the jokes and if they start to be able to and the construction of Russia’s Nord Stream gas chenko of Ukraine is shown in a wheat field, idly reach the base which supports him, and then it’s pipeline. They poke fun at the EU and US, Interinflating balloons with Russian natural gas diverted dangerous. He knows how humor and satire was national Olympic Committee president Jacques from a pipeline. President Mikheil Saakashvili of used against former President Pérez Jiménez in Rogge, Ukraine’s President Viktor Yushchenko and Georgia lustily consumes his own tie. President the 1950s and then again in the 1990s against the even make a reference to historic corruption within Aleksandr Lukashenko of Belarus sits in a wooden Social Democratic party. “Another example, one of Russia’s bureaucracy. hut, so aching for a call from Moscow that he pays the best in the history of Venezuela was a satirical Step to the left, step to the right, twirl, jump, �International News St r ee t v ib e S 11 M AY 1 3 - 2 6 , 2 0 11 Continued from page 10 an impersonator to mimic Mr. Putin’s voice. President Obama is one of the regulars, perpetually dribbling a basketball or singing rap songs. The television producer Grigory Lyubomirov, who worked on Kukly, said to Agence France Press: “Naturally no one will criticise either the President or the Prime Minister. I don’t think anyone specially bans it. It’s just that experienced television producers don’t want to take the risk.” Dimitry Polikanov, deputy project leader of human resources reserve for the United Russia Party, said: “Multi Lichnosti is a partial remedy. They pretend to be critical-minded, however it is clear that the political satire is very mild and never goes beyond certain self-censorship limits. “Satire, if treated properly, can contribute to a more human image for politicians. And eventually Russia will come to this conclusion,” he adds. Political leaders, however, are not convinced. Polikanov says they regard satire “mostly with caution and negative reactions.” “Status is a very important and serious thing and the politicians in power try to avoid discussions about their personal lives and become quite irritated with any humours references. They are bronze statues and humour makes it more accesible to destroy this image.” Another Viewpoint: freedom, they will have to.” Just because politicians are suspicious about the benefits of satire, it doesn’t mean the Russians don’t have a sense of humour. Political satire was very popular in the Soviet Union and was used as unofficial form of protest. Today the political and financial situation is different, but as the Sunday Times columnist Roland White said: “You will find jokes about political leaders wherever there are leaders and wherever there are people who don’t think they’re doing a good job.” In fact, the Russian jokes didn’t stop at the KGB, they just became something exchanged behind closed doors. When Time Magazine elected Putin as man of the year, in 2007, it said that political jokes were again gaining popularity. A famous one goes: “Stalin’s ghost appears to Putin in a dream, and Putin asks for his help running the country. Stalin says, ‘Round up and shoot all the democrats, and then paint the inside of the Kremlin blue.’ ‘Why blue?’ Putin asks. ‘Ha!’ says Stalin. ‘I knew you wouldn’t ask me about the first part.’” One might call it dark humour. But nontheless humour. Osama bin Laden’s Useful Death PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS information Clearing House http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/ ay 03, 2011 “Information Clearing House” -- In a propaganda piece reeking of US Triumphalism, two alleged journalists, Adam Goldman and Chris Brummitt, of the Associated Press or, rather, of the White House Ministry of Truth, write, or copy off a White House or CIA press release that “Osama bin Laden, the terror mastermind killed by Navy SEALs in an intense firefight, was hunted down based on information first gleaned years ago (emphasis added) from detainees at secret CIA prison sites in Eastern Europe, officials disclosed Monday.” How many Americans will notice that the first paragraph of the “report” justifies CIA prisons and torture? Without secret prisons and torture “the terror mastermind” would still be running free, despite having died from renal failure in 2001. How many Americans will have the wits to wonder why the “terror mastermind”--who defeated not merely the CIA and the FBI, but all 16 US intelligence agencies along with Israel’s Mossad and the intelligence services of NATO, who defeated NORAD, the National Security Council, the Pentagon and Joint Chiefs of Staff, the US Air Force, and Air Traffic Control, who caused security procedures to fail four times in US airports in one hour on the same day, who caused the state-of-the-art Pentagon air defenses to fail, and who managed to fly three airliners into three buildings with pilots who did not know how to fly--has not pulled off any other attack in almost ten years? Do Americans really believe that a government’s security system that can so totally fail when confronted with a few Saudi Arabians with box cutters can renew itself to perfection overnight? How many Americans will notice the resurrection of the long missing bin Laden as “terror mastermind” after his displacement by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the Guantanamo prisoner who confessed to being the “mastermind of 9/11” after being water-boarded 183 times? Americans are too busy celebrating to think, a capability that seems to have been taken out of their education. Americans are so enthralled over the death of bin Laden that they do not wonder why information gleamed years ago would take so long to locate a person who was allegedly living in a million-dollar building equipped with all the latest communication equipment next to the Pakistani Military Academy. Allegedly, the “most wanted criminal” was not moving from hide-out to hide-out in desolate mountains, but ensconced in luxury quarters in broad daylight. Nevertheless, despite his obvious location, it took the CIA years to find him after claiming to have gained information of his whereabouts out of cap- M Polikanov confirms Professor Myers’s theory that the way nations dealt with satire is rooted in history. “Multi Lichnosti cannot ruin the image historically formed of the rulers. A person in power in Russia is a Tsar, he should keep a distance from people; the greater the distance, the better. “ The success of the New Year cartoon seems to indicate that people enjoy seeing their leaders in if not satirical, at least a funny context. “Even if they do not dare to laugh at Putin and Medvedev publicly, they would like to believe that there is some human component in their ‘bronze leaders’,” he explains. The opinions about the state of satire in Russia differ. Some think the situation is more tense than ever and contrast it with the time of Boris Yeltsin, a man of humor who accepted being mocked. Others believe that Russia is more open and free today than ever before and say that arguing that Boris Yeltsin’s time was more relaxed is just lack of political memory. But whichever is right, the day when a Russian politician will be a guest in a satirical show still seems quite far away. Polikanov, who himself works for the United Russia Party, Putin’s Party, said: “If the political situation develops to democracy and tives in secret prisons. This is the image of the CIA as the new Keystone Cops. In an immediate followup to the announcement that the Navy SEALs and CIA mercenaries acted in an exemplary fashion following the rules of engagement while a cowardly bin Laden hid behind a woman shield when the gunfire erupted, we have from the pressitutes that “U.S. officials conceded the risk of renewed attack. The terrorists almost certainly will attempt to avenge bin Laden’s death, CIA Director Leon Panetta wrote in a memo. . . . Within a few hours, the Department of Homeland Security warned that bin Laden’s death was likely to provide motivation for attacks from ‘homegrown violent extremists’.” Police standing near a wanted poster of Saudi-born militant Osama bin Laden in New York John Brennan, White Photo: REUTERS/Russell Boyce House counter-terrorism adviser, told reporters that in the celebration. Nevertheless they let slip that “it was inconceivable that the terrorist fugitive didn’t “officials were weighing the release of at least one have support in Pakistan where his hideout had photo taken of bin Laden’s body as part of what been custom built six years ago in a city with a Brennan called an effort to make sure ‘nobody has heavy military presence.” any basis to try and deny the death.’” So the claimed murder of bin Laden by the US As the Guardian and European newspapers in a sovereign foreign country with which the US is have revealed, the photo of the dead bin Laden not at war, a crime under international law, has set is a fake. As the alleged body has been dumped up three more self-serving possibilities: into the ocean, nothing remains but the word of the Terrorists will avenge bin Laden’s death, says US government, which lied about Iraqi weapons of the CIA, setting up another false flag attack to keep mass destruction and al Qaeda connections, about the profits flowing into the military/security yellowcake, about Iranian nukes, and, according complex and the power flowing into the unaccountto thousands of experts, about 9/11. Suddenly the able CIA. government is telling us the truth about bin Laden’s Homeland Security can extend the domestic death? If you believe that, I have a bridge in Brookpolice state, abuse of travelers, and arrests of war lyn that I’ll let you have for a good price. protestors. My initial interpretation of the faked bin Laden And Pakistan is under the gun of invasion and death was that Obama needed closure of the takeover (for India, of course) for shielding bin Afghan war and occupation in order to deal with Laden. the US budget deficit. Subsequent statements from The Israel Lobby’s representatives in the US Obama regime officials suggest that the agenda Congress quickly fell in with the agenda. Senator might be to give Americans a piece of war victory Carl Levin, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services in order to boost their lagging enthusiasm. The miliCommittee, declared that the Pakistani Army and tary/security complex will become richer and more intelligence agency “have a lot of questions to anpowerful, and Americans will be rewarded with swer, given the location, the length of time and the vicarious pleasure in victory over enemies. apparent fact that this was actually--this facility was actually build for bin Laden, and its closeness to the central location of the Pakistani army.” The two reporters question nothing in the government’s propaganda. Instead, the reporters join �12 Keep On Keeping On Continued from page 1 including Jimmy Heath, homeless activist and photojournalist, who would later become the Editor of Streetvibes. According to Steve, “The kids first met him and loved talking to him.” Their friendship grew and over time, Steve was arranging for Jimmy to speak to hundreds of students and share slide shows of his photography. The two also traveled to Cuba together as a part of a Miami University Witness for Peace Delegation. Steve’s impact was far reaching. His path led him to service around the globe including St. Croix Reservation and places as far off as Dubai. Steve’s work with The Mayerson Foundation gave him the opportunity to connect diverse students with service learning opportunities at agencies in Over the Rhine and throughout Greater Cincinnati. The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is one such agency deeply impacted by Steve’s work over the years. For over a decade Steve has supported the Voice of the Homeless Speaker’s Bureau, connecting formerly and currently homeless individuals to students in the classroom, as well as served in an advisory capacity for several projects including the first Streetvibes Advisory Committee. Steve also helped coordinate the Mother of Mercy English student project “Through Our Eyes” reflections on homelessness and coordinate the Mural Project that serves as the façade of the Coalition’s office building. Everywhere we look, we see Steve’s work weaved into our history. Friend and fellow teacher Marty Karmani spoke at the celebration highlighting that Steve provided “1000’s of hours of service and 1000’s of students” from suburban high schools to urban, from public to private to parochial-“if anyone knew how to make service work, it was Steve.” Community leader Bonnie Neumeier honored Steve with a poem, and sang a song in a duet with retired teacher Diana Porter”. For Donna Mayerson, who helped found the High School Service Learning Program, the work that Steve facilitated created a ripple. “The world is a better place because of you,” she spoke, “we dreamed together on how we could grow a ripple together.” Finneytown teacher, Lynn Volz also spoke at the celebration as a former student of Steve’s “impacted by the lessons of the classroom” Lynn acknowledged that numerous Finneytown graduates all began in Steve’s classroom and do work in the community—and this is an amazing legacy.” Ultimately Steve’s life path led him to embody a philosophy that we should all consider: “Good service occurs when the server becomes the learner and those being served become the teacher.” In his retirement, Steve won’t really “retire” (as we all suspected) he will continue his legacy as he serves on the Boards of Marjorie Book Continuing Education Society, Our Daily Bread, and Village Life Outreach Project (villages in Tanzania) as well as the Community Education Advisory Committee at the Peaslee Neighborhood Center and the UC Service-Learning Advisory Committee. Steve intends to learn Spanish and to play the guitar, as well as tutor and mentor. He also plans to travel to Florida to watch/help the Head Basketball Men’s Coach at Rollins College who played for him in 1972. Steve will also spend time with his wife Jan, and his five grown children, Jennifer, Chris, Tracy, Donna and Kym. During the closing remarks at the celebration dinner Neal Mayerson summazied Steve Elliots legacy: “Steve is a testament to how our actions have a ripple effect in the world. Within one microcosm of Steve teaching, one student is effected and then all the students are effected, we are all involved in the great ripple effect.” jenijenkins@cincihomeless.org (513) 421-7803 Ex. 14 Celebration St r eet vibeS M AY 1 3 - 2 6 , 2 0 11 THE COMMUNITY REFLECTS ON STEVE ELLIOT’S WORK “Steve, I have so enjoyed knowing you and Jan! Your support and enthusiasm for our students and all of us has been a really important part of my career at CPS! May you both enjoy retirement and each other.” -Gayla Sherman, retired Aiken teacher “Steve Elliot-passionate supporter of all the good folks of OTR.” -Joe Wilmers, School Social Worker, CPS “Steve opened the door to service for me. Through his inspiration and help- my school allowed me the ability to start a community service class. Through the Mayerson Foundation 70 plus students attended the urban plunge and ignited hundreds of Withrow International High School students to volunteer and the numbers still grow. Steve is my hero.” – Cecilia Schroer, Withrow International High School “Steve embodies the spirit of embracing the community, helping young people to find a way to make a meaningful contribution. He is irreplaceable, but will continue to be an inspiration. –Heather Campbell, Arlington Heights Academy “Steve, ‘today is the day that the lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Psalm 118:24) It is a joy to be here tonight celebrating your outstanding contributions throughout the Cincinnati community for developing and leading students and teachers in service learning. We loved all of your advice and guidance at Aiken High School. Peace be with you.” -Midge Bateman, Leadership Team Mentor, Aiken High School “Steve is our ‘Guru’. Whenever we have a question or need information, we always say ‘ask Steve’. If Steve doesn’t know the answer, he always knows who can give us the answer.” -Pat Lehman, Wyoming City Schools “Steve Elliot is my Service Coordinator guru. I was always so impressed how he managed to place the right kind of importance on every kind of detail from the look on the face of a homeless man at the Drop Inn Center to asking for RSVPs to a meeting so that he would have enough cookies for all of us service coordinators. It’s all important in its own way and Steve knows that. And I’ve always noticed how he makes it a point to know your name if he is going to be in contact with you. I think only special people do that. Steve, your vision and insight will take us and so many students a long, long way! Thank you.” -Gina Keith, McAuley High School “Steve Elliot’s compassion for others and passion for service is contagious, and allows him to enter into meaningful relationships with people from all walks of life. Steve has been a blessing to the many schools and agencies he has worked with, and his work will continue to impact others as those who he has taught continue his work.” -David Campbell, Dean of Students, Purcell Marian High School “Part of the journy of life is about how one goes about experiencing and interacting with the world in which one lives. Steve Elliott has opened many doors for thousands of people to experience and interact with the world in a more authentic compassionate manner. My world changed as a result of years of service and friendship with Steve.” -Lynn Volz, Finneytown High School “Steve is a living bridge. He spans all demographics and all markers- real or perceived-that are so often used to keep us separated. He spans these gaps and across walks knowledge, compassion, truth and understanding. This creates the future leaders that give us all hope.” - Georgine Getty, Interfaith Hospitality Network “I am delighted to share..the impact Steve Elliot had on Partners in Peace group I started at Mount Notre Dame in 2007. This partnership was between the students of MND and Muslim students in Mitrovice, Kosovo. We were partners in a yearlong project that culminated in a Peace Quilt that was designed by students in both countries and made at MND. Students submitted their designs for a block on the quilt and it ended up with both Albanian text, Engilsh text and images. The quilt was then taken to Liverpool, England, where it was put on display at the Big Hope Youth Conference before being taken to Kosovo where it now hangs in the school there. Without the financial support of Steve and the Mayerson Foundation, this tangible symbol of the interconnectedness of the young people and their willingness to work so well together may not have been created.” –Julie Hagerty, Mount Notre Dame High School Studens in Kosovo hold the Peace Quilt created through the Partners in Peace Group. Photo: Julie Hagerty. �St r ee t v ib e S Celebration 13 M AY 1 3 - 2 6 , 2 0 11 “Steve’s got heart and soul, he’s a community-minded man, and his work is making waves all over the country.” - Bonnie Neumeier Over-the-Rhine Resident Activist “In the early days of ReStoc when Steve was on the board we learned how to be housing advocates together.” - Roger Auer, Director of Campus Ministry, “Steve created a program for all youth and brought opportunities for Cincinnati Bonnie Neumeir & Diana Porter lead the crowd in a song “Carry it on, we’ll Public School students to work carry it on.” Photo: Jeni Jenkins across many barriers to creating Our Wise Teacher Friend a better world.” In Honor of Steve Elliott - Diana Porter, retired Teacher “Steve is my teacher.” Steve Elliot, Finneytown, 1975. Photo courtesy of The Mayerson Foundation -Steve Sunderland, Professor, University of Cincinnati “When you met me, I was an adolescent fresh out of high school with the ambition and drive to make a difference. While other people clapped or said “good job” you took note and told the Coalition about me. My goal now is to continue your legacy and help as many as I can. Thank you.” - Lauren Lovette, Motivational Speaker, Voice of the Homeless Speaker’s Bureau, UC Student “A special thanks to Steve Elliott from the Aiken High School Leadership Team. He made it possible of us to build relationships with others through acts of service. The respect and guidance Steve gave to our students will never be forgotten. Steve, you really know how to make Aiken Falcons SWOOP!!!!” -Marty Karmani, Teacher, Aiken High School “Way back when we were both younger and no one knew much about the social phenomenon of homelessness, nor the plight of those who really are homeless, poor, and friendless, you caught on…and that has made all the difference! Your vision and passion for helping those in need is manifest daily throughout the community in: …century-old, established agencies whose boards you enlightened …agencies dedicated to caring for those in need or in poverty whose ...professional staffs and volunteers now include many of your “graduates” …advocacy groups and newly founded agencies who find little favor in established society but carry exemplary social justice missions” - Alice Skirtz, PhD/LISW-S, Social Worker “Steve has touched the lives of so many children and helped them realize their social and civic responsibilities in this small world- he has earned the admiration and respect of so many. Thank you Steve for understanding that we never knew who was coming until we got on the bus and for always welcoming us anyway” – Joan Pack-Rowe, Cincinnati Public Schools “Steve is a visionary who has strong belief in the humanity that resides in every person-that just needs the right situation for it to reveal itself and then blossom.” - Ilyas Nashid “Steve has inspired us to extend our arms, our hearts, and our horizons to learn about and include as many varieties of people and cultures as possible. Through this, we understand our universal connections.” - Bruce Weil, Teacher, Clark Montessori “Steve’s enthusiasm is contagious. If I can make half the impact with my students that he has with his, I will consider myself successful! It started with a knock on Drop Inn’s door Steve’s one life changed and was never the same Then this wise teacher took to opening doors for us Our numerous lives changed and were never the same Students of many colors from urban and rural schools Said yes to his call: come, cross the chasm Met our eyes, called out our names Listened to stories unlike their own sometimes the same Bus drivers, teachers, parent chaperones Accomplished the leap along with the young Moved by experiences deeper than words can express Dissolving the distance on the long ride back home Students now spread good news across this land Ambassadors singing we are one big family What can we do to diminish this pain Basic human rights for the countless not just the few Laughter and tears, questions and insights Projects pursued, fundraisers fueled Relationships relished, reflections profound The Mayerson’s Steve known all around town A child’s small hand fingers your face An elder’s eye twinkles in quiet grace A brother on the soup line says thanks for your time A sister shares history about Over-the-Rhine This work is significant the process slow Listening with the heart is more precious than gold That’s Steve’s challenge to build bridges that hold When we link arms together our beauty is aglow In this mutual learning and exchange of gifts We announce to the world we are making a difference By Bonnie Neumeier Over-the-Rhine Resident Activist Peaslee Neighborhood Center Co-Founder March 25, 2011 -Laurie Foster, Teacher, Bethel-Tate High School “ ‘When you plant a seed of service, a tree of hope emerges.’’ Steve has planted many seeds, tended to them, and we’ve seen hope emerge in the minds and hearts of young people and in our city.” -Clare Zlatic-Blankemeyer, Director, High School Service Learning Program, Mayerson Foundation “He started as a coach and teacher and continued to do both in different venues. A true friend. He really cares!” - Tom Klusman, Basketball Coach, Rollins College Florida “You learn more from a model than from a critic. Steve like my other hereoes modeled what it means to love and to care for others.” -Dan Gruber “Steve, you are a ‘prince of men.’Your love of young people is blessing OTR and other parts of the city. You are a gift to me of a truly loving generous person.” -Sister Mary �Local 14 St r eet vibeS M AY 1 3 - 2 6 , 2 0 11 A Call for Street Ball’s Best ‘Street Ball’…with conditions that are often downright dangerous to a serious hoop career but bring out a weird, eclectic group of characters not found in serious basketball circles. Only behind schools, in cages, or parks, does one find the bizarre match-ups and unlikely team chemistry that society provides. B. CLIFTON BURKE Contributing Writer n most parts of the world, and especially in America, basketball is played. Nearly everyone you have ever talked to in this country has at one time taken a shot. Not everyone plays in an actual five-on-five full-court setting, but many people don’t mind just shooting around on a nice day at the park. The point to all of this is to prompt your consideration to the idea that, if there are millions who casually give it a go, then there are certainly tens of thousands of these who are pretty damn good. We become familiar with thanks to the media exposure big-time basketball warrants. But with such large numbers of amateurs, surely there are dozens of examples of players passed over by the basketball gods. These less fortunate players exist in many pedestrian facets of life. Many are those who lament over what should have been, as they describe in great physical detail their patented moves of the distant glory days. And, as it goes with most things, the older the story, the better they remember themselves as players. “I could have played somewhere if it wasn’t for...” The reasons are irrelevant; life happens. Yet, we regularly interact I with whole armies of examples of players who claim to be, or have been, good enough for the pros or at least a reputable college. Even if only a fraction of these tales turns out to be remotely factual, that still leaves a good amount of forgotten hoopsters in the world. So, then, what I want to know is: who is the best player in Cincinnati I’ve never heard of? There are, of course, the two major college programs in town, so they don’t count. Neither incoming freshman who I have yet to see. I’ve attended the Deveroes Summer League at Woodward High School the last few years, so I’m familiar with some of the vets that aren’t in school but still knock around in the Division I-level. Those aren’t the guys I’m talking about. What I want a see are the guys who have ruled a particular court in the neighborhood for an impressive stretch of time. You know them, the guys who work somewhere or the other, but put on their high tops for an hour before settling in for the evening…the unassuming, raggedy t-shirt and shorts guy, who shoots threes and posts up big dudes when his team needs it. I’ve seen rotund men run the point like Jason Kidd. I’ve watched tall, broke-down old-timers skyhook younger opposition to shame, young, skinny kids dunk, people with strong accents and strong left hands. There are all kinds out there, but only on the streets. Sure, there are quality indoor games around town that likely attract the premium players of the region. After all, street ball conditions often are downright dangerous to a serious hoop career. But the streets bring out the weird, eclectic dross of characters not found in serious basketball circles. Only behind schools, or in cages, or parks, does one find the bizarre match-ups and unlikely team chemistry that society provides. Therefore, this summer—once it finally stops raining, I intend to visit as many courts as possible to shoot around some and seek out the castaway gems that are certain to exist in the Queen City. I realize many courts are viewed as dangerous places that invite drugs and gun-foolery; but from my admittedly narrow experience, it seems the more actual basketball that is played at a court, the less problematic it becomes. I feel that it’s in the city’s best interest to provide upkeep on courts with things like nets, and de- Photo: B. Clifton Burke cent pavement. The more inviting the court is to the sport itself, the more it will be used for its intended purpose. Basketball is not only a terrific form of exercise and a working model of how to work as a team and handle defeat and failure, but is also a game that can be played in many styles by many body types. It’s fun and good for neighborhoods when the community celebrates rather than fear the sport. If you know of a court that features quality players who deserve attention, email me at mingkrosky@gmail. com, and give me a heads up. Once I find some notable players, I will write up profiles to inform our public of its home-grown, grass-roots talent that exists in our very own streets and parks. As a city, let’s embrace our hoop courts this summer and knock down a few buckets. Stand Up OHIO Rally RICCARDO TAYLOR Civil rights Outreach Coordinator ith a turnout of more than two thousand protestors the citizens of Ohio took the initiative of addressing the State Government with their complaints. The now infamous Senate Bill 5 was the common tread which all of us attending had as our rallying point. With representation from every walk of life the crowd gathered, united as one, calling for an appeal and the due justice in policy for the citizens of our great State in the proposed enactment of Senate Bill 5. I stood amongst the ranks with awe, for the inspired attitudes and dispositions of those attending. Understanding that deprivation only occurs there is an entitlement was the kick off for all of us. To be deprived of the basic tenets of free enterprise and social equality was the rallying juncture, which W brought this colorful and flowing crowd of people together. Addressing the proposed cuts in education, collective bargaining for public services workers, and the future of the State of Ohio the crowd stood on a single platform! Reform! Reform the policies and enactments of this administration and give back to Ohioans their rightful due! As proposed Senate Bill 5 would take us back at least thirty years, repel what has been established for workers for more than a century, and plunge Ohio into a dark age. Stand up Ohio is the platform to dispel the wishes and greed of big business and crony partnerships of Governor Kasich. A platform to get Ohio moving in the right direction, a movement to ensure that all Ohioans get their fair and just reward, for their participation as members of the community which is our state and the insurance that future generations are accorded the same. Jobs, education, and representation for all Ohioans! My question for the whole scenario is how can Ohioans stand by and allow a former Wall Street executive bring his money grabbing policies to our great state? I cannot imagine my child or grandchild sitting in a classroom with 49 other students, what could he/she learn? I cannot envision workers not being able to challenge or otherwise protest or strike for the right s that they are entitled too? I cannot imagine our elderly being denied health care or the monetary compensation they are entitled to for their years of service to our community, the work that they have done that allows those of us living in the now to benefit from! I cannot stand by and not be heard for our rights I must ‘Stand Up for Ohio!’ Then in the conclusion of my thoughts I have to ask, doesn’t Mr. Kasich know who pays his check? Riccardo.taylor@cincihomeless.org (513) 421-7803 Ex. 15 �Resources St r ee t v ib e S 15 M AY 1 3 - 2 6 , 2 0 11 Shelter: Women and Children Central Access Point Cincinnati Union Bethel 300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Bethany House 381-SAFE 768-6907 FreeStore/FoodBank 557-2873 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224 Salvation Army 681-2365 762-5660 131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 Shelter: Men 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 1419 Elm Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Justice Watch St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 St. Vincent de Paul 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214 241-0490 381-4941 Starting Over 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 961-4080 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237 Drop Inn Center 761-1480 721-0643 217 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Interfaith Hospitality Network Lighthouse Youth Center (Youth) 3330 Jefferson, Cinti, Ohio 45220 471-1100 221-3350 Housing: CMHA Excel Development OTR Community Housing 114 W. 14th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Tender Mercies 721-4580 632-7149 381-1171 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Tom Geiger House Dana Transitional Bridge Services Volunteers of America Anna Louise Inn 961-4555 751-0643 381-1954 421-5211 Food/Clothing Lord’s Pantry OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Our Daily Bread 621-5300 961-1983 621-6364 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Health Resource Center Homeless Mobile Health Van McMicken Dental Clinic 357-4602 352-2902 352-6363 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Mental Health Access Point Mercy Franciscan at St. John 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach 961-2256 Treatment: Women 558-8888 981-5800 458-6670 977-4489 961-4663 Center Independent Living Options Emmanuel Community Center 1308 Race St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 AA Hotline CCAT 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 Joseph House (Veterans) 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 351-0422 381-6672 241-2965 Hamilton County ADAS Board 946-4888 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 641-4300 Advocacy Catholic Social Action Community Action Agency Contact Center 1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Franciscan JPIC Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. Legal Aid Society Ohio Justice & Policy Center Faces Without Places Stop AIDS 214 E. 14th St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 381-0111 771-4800 751-0600 721-4811 Goodwill industries Healing Connections Mary Magdalen House People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry 863-3184 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 421-3131 569-1840 381-4242 Northern Kentucky 721-4700 421-7803 ECHO/Hosea House 859-261-5857 Fairhaven Resuce Mission 859-491-1027 Homeward Bound Youth 859-581-1111 Mathews House 859-261-8009 Homeless & Housing Coalition 859-727-0926 Parish Kitchen 859-581-7745 Pike St. Clinic 859-291-9321 Transitions, Inc 859-491-4435 Welcome House of NKY 859-431-8717 579-8547 241-9400 421-1108 363-3300 421-2437 Brighton Center 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 859-491-8303 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 Health 621-1868 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 241-2600 241-2563 621-5514 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 1223 Main St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Treatment: Both Center for Respite Care Other Resources Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 2728 Glendora Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45209 562-8841 921-1613 First Step Home Anthony House (Youth) 271-5501 784-1853 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Prospect House Shelter: Both 241-1064 381-2247 Crossroad Health Center Treatment: Men 241-5525 661-4620 535-2719 591-2246 4600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 Charlie’s 3/4 House City Gospel Mission Mt. Airy Shelter St. Francis Soup Kitchen Churches Active in Northside Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-559-5011 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 �Column 16 St r eet vibeS M AY 1 3 - 2 6 , 2 0 11 Quilts As the Fabric of Life Carolyn Mazloomi uses her art and Quilters’ organization to keep quilting potent and alive. Quilts and quilting changed Carolyn Mazloomi’s life. A Ph.D. in aerospace engineering, Mazloomi, taken and mesmerized by a quilt exhibit she visited in Dallas, TX, promised herself to learn the art. Her decision stayed with her and led her a long way, completely removed from her initial profession. Mazloomi became instead a highly skilled and talented professional quilter and an ardent lifelong advocate for African-American women quilt-makers. Born and raised in New Orleans in a segregated Southern society, the double burden of being black and woman accompanied her all along. She experienced directly and early on the subjugation of women and their 2nd class role in a male dominated society, along with the prevailing racial discrimination of the early 60’s. Growing up she would always ask questions, challenging the status quo and the injustices she was seeing; she also constantly felt the need to express her concerns and communicate her thoughts and ideas. Thanks to their potential narrative pictorial quality, quilts appealed strongly to her. They seemed to be a natural and fitting vehicle for her social commentaries and messages; she, as well, liked the touch and feel of fabric. Saad GhoSn Contributing Writer “We humans have a love affair and a privileged visceral relationship, from birth to death, with the cloth,” she says. “Quilts serve as a tactile link to visual sensual memory, also as metaphors for covering, protecting, warmth and security.” Convinced that women had one of the most, if not the most, important job on earth, being mothers and first teachers at the same time, she felt the need to empower them and call attention to their status and rights. As a Carolyn Mazloomi in her studio. Photo: Bill Howes result, most of her quilts, from the start, dealt with some aspect of their condition. “I am a woman; I am a mother; I am a concerned citizen of the world,” she says. “My quilts depict my concerns about the world I live in and how we treat each other. And women, who represent 50% of humankind, are often mistreated.” In Forever Faithful, she tackles the issue of female circumcision still practiced in many parts of the world. Her quilt shows the silhouette of a naked woman lying down in the center of what represents a sharp blade. At the bottom is written “A lifetime of pain” alluding to the painful and violent procedure forced on a woman’s body, detrimental to both her health and well-being. The Peace Keepers’ Gift is about the fate of West African women who have been raped by UN soldiers. It portrays an African girl holding a mixed race baby with sandy hair and, under her, white UN peace keepers. It points to the vulnerability of the woman and the uncertain destiny of the child. Seeking Comfort Finding Pain refers to the Korean “comfort” women who, during WW2, were forced into prostitution Strange Fruit, mixed media hanging quilt. Carolyn Mazloomi and used as sex slaves by the Japanese In 1985, Mazloomi founded the Women of Color military, abused, abandoned and ignored. Quilters Network, an organization that supports and Bride Burning in India, prompted by a empowers women quilters, maintains quilts’ artistic and young Indian girl brought to Cincinnati for burn cultural tradition, keeps alive their heritage, and helps the treatment, stresses the ongoing problem of Indian widows economic development of the artists through selling their forcefully placed on the pyre of their dead husband and work and protecting its monetary value. The organization, burnt to death. in addition, plays an important educational role, informing A series of black and white quilts pertaining to about quilts, promoting their cultural and historical value, grandmothers and great grand mothers who, nowadays, offering technical workshops and recruiting newcomer have often the added responsibility to take care of their youth to the craft. grandchildren, reflects on the increasingly dysfunctional “Quilts are very important historical documents,” says family structure in our society. Mazloomi. “They provide glimpses into people’s lives and In addition to women issues, race also found its serve as cultural windows. They reflect the fabric of life, way into and inform about material, dyes, and ways of expresMazloomi’s sions, customs and events of a given period.” quilts. The organization, now international, includes close Strange to 2000 members, primarily but not exclusively African Fruit, inAmerican women. It has been honored by the Internaspired by the tional Labor Department, also by the United Nations, in song of the recognition of its programs to help advance women. It same name owed Mazloomi, in 2003, the first Ohio Heritage Fellowabout lynchship Award. ing, depicts Through her role as a founder and president of the images of organization, Mazloomi was led to curate exhibits to hangings showcase the works of the members and also to write and burnbooks relating to the art form. Six of her books have ings, of already been published dealing variably with Contempopointed rary African American quilts, quilts inspired by Religion hoods and Faith, quilts related to Jazz, reflecting on African symbols of American Women’s history, celebrating Obama’s election the Ku Klux to the presidency… Touring exhibits traveled throughout Klan, of a the USA, and as far as Central America, Africa, Japan screaming museums hosting many of them, also acquiring some of woman. the work for their own collections. Mazloomi “Quilts need to be included in permanent museum meant it as collections,” says Mazloomi. “Our children and grand a sacred children should be able to see how we, African American offering to women, contributed to culture in America.” those African Mazloomi wants her art and quilts to educate, inform, Americans make people reflect and think. She intends them as transwho have been lynched and homage to the many who, mitters of her cultural, political, social, spiritual values and from slavery to present days, have heroically fought for beliefs. Through her organization she also aims at keepracial justice. One of her quilts comments on the raciallying the quilting tradition vibrant and alive as an artistic, biased immigration policy of our country; it represents cultural and historical tool; and at giving recognition and Haitians standing next to the Statue of Liberty holding in power to the many African American women who, for her hand a stop sign, and at her feet, a quotation saying centuries, have used it in the shadow of their lives. ‘Certain people do not need apply’. 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 reached 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 2011 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 May 13-May 26, 2011 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Demanding Transparency from those Responsible for Change The Keep on Keeping on Path Pg 2: In My Shoes Pg 3: Distributor Program Pg 4: Are You Blind Pg 5: Arts & Poetry Pg 6: Refresh Northside Pg 7: True Companions Pg 8: Demanding Transparency from those Responsible for Change Pg 9: If You Didn’t Laugh, You’d Cry Pg 10: If You Didn’t Laugh Continued Pg 11: Osama Bin Laden’s Useful Death Pg 12: Keep on Keeping on Pg 13: Celebration Pg 14: A Call for Street Ball’s Best Pg 15: Resources Pg 16: Quilts as the Fabric 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 May 13-May 26, 2011 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jen Martin Susan Lakes Gibson Josh Spring Jeni Jenkins Riccardo Taylor Elisa Hill Willa Denise Jones Laura Osborne-Coffey Spare Change Staff Saad Ghosn Lee McCoy B. Clifton Burke Corey Gibson Inês Santinhos Gonçalves Reuters Aimie WillHoite Susan Lakes Bill Howes Carolyn Mazloomi Jonathan Sears Jorge Silva Ho New Russell Boyce Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Aimie Willhoite Arts & Poetry B. Clifton Burke Bill Howes Carolyn Mazloomi Corey Gibson Elisa Hill Fountain Square Gibson Ho New Inês Santinhos Gonçalves Jen Martin Jeni Jenkins Jonathan Sears Jorge Silva Josh Spring Laura Osborne-Coffey Lee McCoy Northside Ohio Osama Bin Laden protest Rally Reuters Riccardo Taylor Russell Boyce Saad Ghosn Spare Change Staff Street Ball Susan Lakes Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/a0d0dc29502f94981a64df04d9c09e46.pdf 9f4cc7e0d848c0163c50cea1cbc484f8 PDF Text Text Artists as Activists Page 16 Seeking Understanding Page 10 STREETVIBES $1 May 15-31, 2010 • Advocating Justice, Building Community • Issue 177 Cincinnati’s Marijuana Law Fiasco Whites use pot, blacks get arrested By Eli Braun Contributing Writer I n most of Hamilton County and Ohio, possessing a small amount of marijuana is a “mi­ nor misdemeanor,” the lowest level offense. If you are caught with a joint, the police simply give you a ticket and you pay a fine. In the city of Cincin­ nati, however, you take a ride to the Justice Center. On March 29, 2006, Cincinnati City Council voted 6 to 2 to increase the penalty for possessing small amounts of marijuana. Ordinance 910-23 el­ evated marijuana possession from a minor misdemeanor, a pay-out ticket that carries no more than a $100 fine, to a fourth-degree misdemeanor, or M4, which entails an arrest. With the M4, pot smokers now face up to a $250 fine and 30 days in jail. Those arrested a second time are charged with a first-degree misde­ meanor, which carries up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail. More than 13,000 arrests have been made under the M4 marijuana ordi­ nance as of May 5 – a total of 13,263, according to the Cincinnati Police Department. Thus Cincinnati distinguishes itself from other municipalities in Hamil­ ton County. “Literally you could be standing on one side of the street,” says Hamilton County Municipal Judge Fanon Ruck­ er, “then walk across the street and be subjected to a different penalty.” See Pot, p. 4 While California considers legalizing marijuana, Cincinnati has made it a jailable offense. REUTERS/Alexandria Sage. World Class Judge Mark Painter moves to the United Nations By GrEGory FlannEry editor the law is, the law is, unless the General As­ sembly enacts new legislation,” Painter says. ark Painter used to be a judge for Hamilton County. Now he is a judge for the world. The longtime jurist recently returned from the first sitting of the United Nations Appeals Tribunal (UNAT), which met for three weeks in Geneva, Switzerland. President Barack Obama nominated Paint­ er, and the UN General Assembly elected him to one of seven seats on the new court’s bench. Painter, who retired from the Ohio First District Court of Appeals to accept the new post, is the only U.S. judge in UNAT. The other six judges are from Argentina, France, Ghana, India, Canada and Uruguay. In its inaugural session, the panel heard 33 cases and ruled unanimously on all of them. “It’s a culturally, legally, racially and ethni­ cally diverse court, but we agreed on every case,” Painter says. UNAT is the final legal step in deciding em­ ployment conflicts at the United Nations. The cases include complaints about hiring, firing, sexual harassment, pension rights and other job-related disputes. “We’re the highest court, so whatever we say Important to Obama M Judge Mark Painter now serves on the United Nations Appeals Tribunal. Photo by Aimie Willhoite. You be the judge.... Should the Drop Inn Center move? Page 3 As a judge in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court and the state appeals court, Paint­ er distinguished himself by his independence. His opinions on the appeals court were a study in legal acuity and sometimes color­ ful writing. Last year, for example, he blasted both the Cincinnati Civil Service Commission for barring former felons from city jobs and his fellow appeals judges for upholding the rule. He called his fellow judges’ ruling “balo­ ney.” As for the city’s policy, he wrote, “When people do turn their life around, we should applaud and help them help themselves – not ban them from employment by imposing ar­ bitrary rules.” His appointment as a United Nations judge defied political conventions. Painter is a Re­ publican. His nomination was by Obama, a Democrat. Susan Rice, then the new U.S. am­ bassador to the UN, chose Painter, the candi­ date recommended by her staff. “The staff told me they almost didn’t rec­ ommend me because they didn’t want to be See Painter, p. 6 DCI Panhandling Leaflet Harmful or Helpful? Page 7 �2 The Vibe By The Numbers 87 The age at which historian Howard Zinn died (see page 7). None The amount of money Downtown Cincinnati Inc. wants people to give panhandlers (see page 7). 85 The percentage of arrests, under Cincinnati’s marijuana law, in which the suspects are African Americans (see page 1). 400 The amount of relocation assistance, in dollars, paid to people forced from the Metropole Apartments (see page 10). 60,000 The number of people who work for the United Nations (see page 1). 35 The age at which basketball star Kobe Bryant grew horns (see page 14). 19 The daily pay, in dollars, for a juror in Hamilton County a few years ago (see page 12). First The grade level in which Andy Au drew dinosaurs on his spelling tests (see page 16). 2006 The year Barbara F. Duke lost her house and become homeless (see page 11). StreetWise By GrEGory FlannEry editor Getting Beat Up Makes Us Look Bad The brutal attack on a homeless camp on Mitchell Avenue last month made national news, including a report in The New York Times. It wasn’t that John Johnson’s injuries – requiring 18 stitches to close his head wounds – were so extraordinary; violent crime is unfortunately common in the United States. It wasn’t that the attack was a deliberate hate crime; such a thing happens with increasing frequency. The attack made national headlines because three of the four alleged perpetrators, wielding baseball bats and metal pipes, are active-duty soldiers in the U.S. Army (see “Soldiers Attack Homeless Camp,” issue of May 1-14). Some people in Spring Grove Village were most displeased by what happened. It wasn’t that one of their neighbors was nearly killed by thugs who targeted him because he was homeless. It wasn’t that some of their neighbors are forced to live outdoors for want of affordable housing. No, what upset some residents was the fact that all that publicity was bad for the neighborhood’s public image. One concerned citizen sent a link to a TV news report (“Homeless Man Beaten by Campsite Intruders”) to Cincinnati Police Chief Thomas Streicher, City Manager Milton Dohoney and members of city council. Something must be done, the man wrote. “That’s not the kind of headline news you would like your family and friends to read about your neighborhood!” the letter said. “Well, neither do we.” Spring Grove Village Community Council was ready to act. A posse – er, group of vol­ unteers – was formed, intent on tearing down – “cleaning up” – the unsightly homeless camp. But not so fast. It turns out that homeless people camping on public property still have rights, as Cincinnati Police officers pointed out during a contentious meeting. Thanks to the settlement of a lawsuit filed by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, the city no longer bursts in and busts up homeless camps. Police officers now post a 72­ hour notice, giving homeless people time to move their belongings and social workers an opportunity to find them housing. With help from the commander and officers from Police District 5, Josh Spring, execu­ tive director of the Homeless Coalition, swayed the community council, appealing to what most motivated them. “If Spring Grove Village doesn’t want bad PR, they need to work with the people at the camp – not attack them,” Spring said. It took some doing, but a compromise was reached. The community council agreed to wait two weeks so that Spring and others could try to place the homeless campers in housing. It helped that Spring promised to have TV cameras and other news media on hand if the “volunteers” decided to take matters into their own hands. That letter bemoaning the bad publicity, by the way, wasn’t sent to Mayor Mark Mallory. That’s just as well. Mallory has been busy of late trying to force other homeless people out – namely the residents of the Drop Inn Center (see “An Open Letter to the City of Cincinnati,” page 3.) Does Uncle Sam Want Skinheads? Three of the four attackers have now been captured. Charged with felonious assault are Michael Hesson, 24, of Norwood; Private Riley Feller, 24, stationed at Fort Knox; and Spec. Travis Condor, 25, stationed at Fort Bragg. A fourth suspect, also stationed at Fort Bragg, has not yet been caught. STREETVIBES May 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 Intern Veronica Glass Vendor Coordinator Jeni Jenkins Contributing Writers Michelle Dillingham, Samantha Groark, Margo Pierce, Paul Kopp, Jeremy Flannery, Michael Henson, David Heitfield, Valerie Fessler, Corey Gibson, Jeni Jenkins, Saad Ghosn, Lew Moores, Larry Gross, Eli Braun, Jesse Call Photography/Artwork Aimie Willhoite, Lynne Ausman, Anthony Williams, Vinit Murthy, Jon Hughes Proofreaders Lynn Baker Jeremy Flannery “The message needs to get out there,” he said. “I’m just glad the media is staying on this so we can educate people.” 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. Johnson said he has learned that hate crimes against homeless people are a nationwide phenomenon. He has recently visited high-school students, describing his ordeal. The fact that three of the suspects are U.S. soldiers points to the seriousness of the problem, according to Johnson. We are proud members of: At an April 30 press conference, Johnson, 52, said he was encouraged by the attention the attack has received. “After I found out that the majority of them are military, that stepped it up, as far as I’m concerned,” he said. “I can see a group of guys just being stupid, but as far as being military, these guys are trained to injure people. That’s what they do – and that’s what they did. How far were they willing to go? These guys didn’t care that I was a white guy or a black guy. Their one concern was that I was homeless.” Spring hopes the attack will lead to expansion of Ohio’s hate-crimes law to include pro­ tection for homeless people. He wants the U.S. Army to invite the Homeless Coalition to conduct training sessions on homelessness for soldiers. He also wants the army to quit accepting racist skinheads into its ranks. “Why are they in the military?” Spring said. “If people are known for hate, do we really want them representing our country? Do we trust them on the battlefield? This should start a national conversation on who is allowed into the U.S. military.” �STREETVIBES May 15 - 31, 2010 3 Column Keep Drop Inn Center Where it Is Make room for diversity and redevelopment By MichEllE DillinGhaM Contributing Writer nues and reduce property crime. In cities across America and across the world (indeed the word “gentrification” origi­ was born in Boston on Joy Street in Bea­ nated in England), affordable-housing advo­ con Hill in 1972. My parents met in an cates voice their disapproval over the loss of art gallery at a poetry reading. It was a affordable units in the name of urban renewal. neighborhood of artists, poets and writers. Developers and politicians support redevel­ Now it is habitated by what my father back in opment that attracts higher-income residents. the ’80s would disdainfully call “yuppies.” To­ For housing advocates, our main concerns are day I would not be able to access, availability and afford an apartment on Joy inclusion of affordable Street, yet I have a signifi­ Other cities are experimenting housing in re-develop­ cantly higher income than ment. with inclusionary zoning both my parents did back Other cities are exper­ ordinances that require a share then. imenting with inclusion­ of new construction to be I take a quick look at the affordable by people with low to ary zoning ordinances old neighborhood on-line, moderate incomes. It is hard to that require a share of and the first description I imagine seeing such legislation new construction to be find says, “Beacon Hill is affordable by people in Cincinnati given the fact home to some of the most with low to moderate in­ that we are still fending off expensive real estate in comes. It is hard to imag­ exclusionary zoning. America.” Wow, a lot can ine seeing such legisla­ change in 30 (plus) years. tion in Cincinnati given Here in Cincinnati there has been a rapid the fact that we are still fending off exclusiontransformation in our urban core, specifi­ ary zoning. cally in one of our most historic and storied Recently it has come to light that our city’s neighborhoods, Over-the-Rhine. A non-profit political and economic leadership strongly development corporation (Cincinnati Cen­ encouraged the Drop Inn Center to relocate ter City Development Corp., better known as from its current location. The implications are 3CDC) has strategically and by design invested that, as Washington Park is undergoing signifi­ and taken advantage of various tax incentives cant improvement and the new School for the in order to restore and upgrade deteriorating Creative and Performing Arts has been built, properties along our main streets – Vine, Race there really is no place for the Drop Inn Cen­ and Walnut. The influx of middle-class resi­ ter. I would bet my reaction is shared by more dents and business owners and the displace­ than a few: While I really appreciate 3CDC’s ment of lower-income people will inevitably role in the rehabilitation of our historic Over­ increase property values, increase tax reve­ the-Rhine housing stock and all that it brings, I to uproot one of Cincinnati’s few homeless shelters that is centrally located for its clients is just going too far. Elizabeth Brown, president of the board of Affordable Housing Advocates (AHA), has of­ fered commentary outlining AHA’s concerns over this issue (see below), and it delineates many good points. My personal aversion to moving the Drop Inn Center is first concern for its clients and their ability to reasonably access services. Second, I just believe an ur­ ban emergency homeless shelter should be located in a city’s core. This morning I drove down Liberty Street and looked at the vacant, boarded-up build­ ings that line the street between Walnut and Vine. I am genuinely grateful for the re-devel­ opment that will be making its way to these buildings as 3CDC forges northward. I imag­ ine those buildings with window flower boxes, small businesses on the street level, benches in the courtyard … and hope that a few blocks over the Drop Inn Center will still be there to serve some of the 25,000 citizens a year who experience homelessness in our city – our veterans, families in foreclosure, some with chronic illnesses, but most who are there sim­ ply due to a lack of affordable housing. Clearly there is a delicate balance between factors of safety, perceptions of safety, a ra­ cially and economically diverse urban core, needed tax revenues to support city services and our urban identity. My appeal to our city’s leadership echoes advocates against displace­ ment everywhere: The Drop Inn Center must stay. An Open Letter to the City of Cincinnati L ast week AHA (Affordable Hous­ ing Advocates) learned of a meet­ ing where the board of directors of the Drop Inn Center were summoned to the mayor’s office at City Hall with very little no­ tice. Members of the board expected they were meeting with the mayor; however, they were greeted instead by a number of indi­ viduals including Vice Mayor Qualls, 3CDC's Steve Leeper, and other members of the city administration. The mayor reportedly in­ formed everyone it was his intention that the Drop Inn Center relocate, although to where he did not identify. 3CDC then offered to assist with the relocation cost to expedite their move. Also reportedly, 3CDC in turn then asked the city for funding to help them move the Drop-Inn Center. While 3CDC has been responsible for some needed redevelopment, many citizens are increasingly wary of their tactics and re­ liance on the city's coffers and political in­ fluence to promote an agenda that seems to envision a totally gentrified downtown and Over-the-Rhine. They seem to believe it is necessary to drive out those Cincinnatians who rely on affordable housing and social services to make ends meet, in order to at­ tract higher-income young professionals and families. Earlier this year 3CDC forced out the Metropole Apartments to replace it with a boutique hotel, and now they are demanding not just a downsizing but the com­ plete removal of the Drop Inn Center. We are extremely con­ cerned about the loss of diver­ sity and the loss of a mixedincome neighborhood. Other non-profits, property owners and businesses are asking, who will be next? Regardless of the decision of the Drop Inn Center Board, the community is concerned. Where is the transparency? The respect? Not just to the board, staff and clients of the Drop Inn Center but to the broader community? Behind closed-doors meet­ ings, convened with little notice, demanding hasty decisions with an alternative site not even identified? A matter that has such a profound effect on our community should not be conducted in such a manner. Instead, the parties in­ volved need to identify clear, constructive goals rather than this useless posturing. Members of the affordable-housing advo­ cates community hope that our political leadership and corporate community give serious consideration to the broader context of removing the Drop Inn Center and other institutions that serve our lower-income neighbors, because if we are serious about being an attractive city for young profession­ als, a dynamic, vibrant city, we best not zone out, buy out or force out the very diversity that will engender that vision. We believe it is possible for a new school, a homeless shel­ ter, arts institutions, high-end housing and affordable housing all to share a healthy, vi­ brant urban neighborhood. Please don’t draw the battle lines with “Get out of town” ultimatums. Let’s build this community together. Elizabeth Brown, AHA Board Chair Elizabeth.Brown@uwgc.org Want more Streetvibes? Check out the StreetvibeS blog http://streetvibes.wordpress.com �4 Local News STREETVIBES May 15 - 31, 2010 Cincinnati’s Marijuana Law Fiasco Continued from page 1 time, Thomas said the police would not spend their time targeting medical users and Cincinnati differs from other cities as well. college students. Philadelphia has taken steps to decrimi­ “That’s not who they’ll be going after,” he nalize possession in an effort to relieve its said. “I’m not concerned about that because crowded court system. In November, Cali­ crime is occurring in our troubled neighbor­ fornia voters will take the hoods.” initiative one step further: It seemed that coun­ On March 29, 2006, deciding whether to legal­ cil specifically intended Cincinnati City ize marijuana, allowing it to subvert “equal justice to be sold and taxed like Council voted 6 to 2 to under law.” While people any other commodity. in “troubled” neighbor­ increase the penalty While some cities have hoods would endure more for possessing small moved toward easing the serious criminal charges amounts of marijuana. penalties, Cincinnati has and greater penalties for Ordinance 910-23 moved in the opposite marijuana possession, elevated marijuana direction. The result has marijuana users in more possession from a minor been disastrous for po­ affluent areas – even in misdemeanor, a paylice effectiveness, court areas of the city where the out ticket that carries and jail crowdedness and same ordinance osten­ no more than a $100 community welfare. As we sibly applied – could get fine, to a fourth-degree approach the law’s fifth high without police medmisdemeanor, or M4, anniversary next year, the dling. which entails an arrest. national trend toward de­ Four years later, that’s criminalization presents precisely what’s hap­ an opportunity to evaluate its impact. pened. Streetvibes identified three key findings in ‘Who they’ll be going after’ police data: • Few of those arrested under the or­ City Councilman Cecil Thomas, a retired dinance were convicted of anything other 27-year veteran of the police department, than marijuana, meaning that police search­ led the 2006 effort to stiffen the penalty. He es have not, by and large, turned up guns or was and remains the chair of city council’s additional drugs. Public Safety Committee. Earlier this month, • African Americans bear the brunt of he narrowly lost the Democratic primary to the law. Almost 9 out of 10 people arrested Jim Tarbell in the race for Hamilton County between March 29, 2006, and May 5, 2010, Commissioner. were black (85 percent) and male (89 per­ Tarbell was Thomas’s fellow councilmem­ cent). Cincinnati is 46.5 percent black and ber in 2006 and condemned the “regressive” 52 percent white, and whites actually use ordinance. marijuana at a higher rate. Some 44 percent “This is a class issue,” Tarbell said (pro­ of whites, compared to 39 percent of blacks, phetically, as it turns out). “The people have used marijuana, according to the 2005 caught and prosecuted will be low-income National Survey on Drug Use & Health. Elev­ African Americans.” en to 12 percent of both whites and blacks But the new law would aid police, accord­ used marijuana in the previous year. ing to Thomas. • Simply put, despite the same usage “The most important aspect of this (ordi­ rate, blacks are six times more likely than nance) is it gives officers an additional tool whites to be arrested for using marijuana in for search and seizure,” he said. Cincinnati. Police cannot search people cited for mi­ • Certain neighborhoods are over­ nor misdemeanors. Petty marijuana posses­ represented. Most of the arrests occurred sion is a minor misdemeanor according to in Police District 1 (Downtown, Over­ Ohio state law. the-Rhine) and District 4 (Walnut Hills to “Bumping it up to an M4 might seem like Hartwell, including Avondale). For example, a small change, but in fact, all these proce­ in 2009, District 1 posted 29 percent of the dures kick in,” says Rob Wall, an attorney at marijuana arrests with just 6 percent of the the Ohio Justice & Policy Center. “Officers city’s population while District 2 (centered can arrest you, search you and bring you around Hyde Park) posted near-opposite downtown. The law wasn’t about marijuana; numbers: 8 percent of the arrests, 26 percent it was about initiating a police search.” of the population. David Crowley joined Tarbell in voting Streetvibes reached out to Councilman “no.” The “yes” votes were Thomas, Chris Thomas repeatedly over a three-week peri­ Bortz, Laketa Cole, John Cranley, Leslie Ghiz od to comment for this article. Phone and e­ and Chris Monzel. Jeff Berding was absent mail messages, left with both his city council on the day of the vote, but he voted for the office and his political campaign, were not measure two weeks earlier as a member of returned. the Public Safety Committee. The bill passed The Cincinnati Police Department pro­ with a veto-proof majority. Mayor Mark Mal­ vided recent statistics but declined to com­ lory, who opposed the measure, withheld his ment on the law. signature as the bill became law. Some backers of the law argued that The evidence heightened penalties could point offenders toward drug treatment. In fact, both then The anti-marijuana ordinance included a and now, drug court only accepts felony “sunset” clause, meaning council had to re­ drug offenders, not those arrested for small new it the next year or it would expire. Coun­ amounts of marijuana, who likely do not cil again took up the debate in March 2007. need drug treatment anyway. Council began by reviewing the impact. In According to newspaper reports at the the first 11 months of the law, according to Demographics: Marijuana Arrests March 29, 2006 - May 5, 2010 Race Black White % of arrests % who used drugs in the past year % who used drugs in their lives 85 12 39 14 11 Source: Cincinnati Police Department (2010); National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Table 1.78B (2005) 44 the city manager’s report, 3,285 individuals were arrested under the ordinance. Cincin­ nati Police confiscated 62 guns, 2.81 kg of crack cocaine, 0.24 kg of cocaine and 0.10 kg of heroin – altogether, about two percent of the 141 kg drug haul in 2006. Unsurprisingly, a law targeting petty users turned up a rela­ tively small amount of drugs. Of the first 3,285 arrests, 61 percent (2,010) resulted in the M4 marijuana conviction, while 14 percent (469) were convicted of dif­ ferent offenses or did not result in a convic­ tion, indicating that the law generally did not turn up guns or heavier drugs. Another 14 percent (452) resulted in open warrants and 11 percent (347) had not set­ tled by the time of the report. Seven arrests were unaccounted for. The city spent an additional $41,200 in the first 11 months, primarily to pay for defense attorneys to represent the new defendants. By law, anyone facing the possibility of jail time has the right to an attorney. That cost did not include police officers’ expenses, the expense of the additional court time re­ quired to try those cases or the cost of bring­ ing officers to testify at trial. Advocates for repeal argued that an indi­ vidual with a dime bag (worth $10) should not face the same penalty as someone car­ rying 200 grams (worth about $2,500). Both are fourth-degree misdemeanors under the ordinance. The Cincinnati Police told Streetvibes that arrest data do not include infor­ mation on drug weight. During the 2007 debate over whether to renew the law, council members seized upon the 62 confiscated guns and additional grams of drugs as evidence that the law was working. Jim Tarbell contested that view and ap­ pealed to the larger picture. He argued that the law and its repercussions had “the po­ tential to cause great harm to this commu­ nity.” “We now have 2,000 people who were not in the system before,” Tarbell said in remarks to the full council regarding those now marked by a criminal record. “I am compelled by the confiscation of 62 guns,” he continued, “but in the context of what else is going on here, I’m not (com­ pelled). I think that our attention to other enforcement issues would probably result in the same kind of success without the pro­ spective downside.” If the goal is to get guns off the street, it would be more effective to target criminal activity other than marijuana, according to Jason Haap and Michael Earl Patton of the Cincinnati Beacon, who have lobbied against the ordinance since it was first proposed. In the first 11 months, the ratio of guns per ar­ rest broke down to one gun per 53 marijuana arrests. But for all arrests in 2006, the guns per arrest ratio was 1 in 33 (1,442 guns con­ fiscated during 41,525 arrests). Marijuana users simply harbored guns at a much lower rate than other people arrested. Meanwhile, in the year after the ordinance became law, violent crime in Cincinnati ac­ tually increased – murders by 16 percent, burglaries by 7 percent and robberies by 44 percent. A review of anti-marijuana laws in the Journal of Drug Issues (April 2007) found that get-tough policies often increase violent crime. The economist-researchers hypoth­ esized that police crackdowns on marijuana disrupted flow, which increased demand for the limited supply, which in turn raised pric­ es and led users to commit more burglaries and robberies in search of cash. Since writing a ticket for a minor misde­ meanor takes 15 minutes, while completing an arrest for an M4 takes much longer, Cin- See Pot, p. 5 �STREETVIBES May 15 - 31, 2010 5 Local News Cincinnati’s Marijuana Law Fiasco Continued from page 4 cinnati Police officers have devoted more time to policing marijuana possession. Ac­ cording to the online watchdog Prioritize Cincinnati, Cincinnati police dedicated 2,261 hours in 2006 to enforcing marijuana possession, compared to 1,464 in 2005, an increase of 54 percent. “The police were so busy taking people to jail for smoking pot – I had several offi­ cers admit this to me – that they could not respond,” testified Price Hill resident Scott Jetter in front of city council in 2007 about a burglary on his home. “Three and a half hours response time, minimum. The same officers did admit that if I walked out to the street and lit up a joint, they’d be there in less than five minutes to arrest me.” The additional hours spent tracking down potheads did not reduce other crime, according to Many support the studies and statistics legalizing marijuana, above, and may have actu­ ally contributed to it by disincluding 37 percent of Ohioans tracting law enforcement from surer methods. and 59 percent of Nevertheless, city council those aged 18 to renewed the ordinance by 29, according to a 7-2 vote. No one changed a 2009 University his or her vote. of Cincinnati Council tweaked the lan­ poll. Presumably, guage in the 2007 renewal. even more The original ordinance Ohioans support criminalized 100 grams of decriminalizing marijuana or less as an M4. marijuana – that The new version criminalis, not making it ized 200 grams or less. The explicitly legal, as change had no impact, the poll queried, however, because possessbut treating it as a payout offense, on ing 100 to 200 grams was par with a speeding already an M4 under Ohio law. or parking ticket. Beyond crime, the ordi­ nance sets up repercussions that are less quantifiable but no less injuri­ ous to the community. The ordinance exac­ erbates court expenses and jail overcrowd­ ing, while undermining community morale and an offender’s opportunity for a second chance. Minor crimes, massive waste An entire cast of characters must assemble every time the court comes to order: pros­ ecutors, defenders, defendants (sometimes taking days off work), the judge, the judge’s clerk, witnesses, court stenographers and bailiffs, not to mention regular courthouse security and administration. As a result, prosecuting misdemeanors is not cheap, according to the National As­ sociation of Criminal Defense Lawyers in its 2009 report, aptly titled, “Minor Crimes, Massive Waste.” A recent report of the Ohio Justice & Policy Center raised another concern: “Flooding the system with these misdemeanor cases is equivalent to swamping an emergency room with head colds and nosebleeds.” The flood prevents police and court personnel from identifying truly important cases. The ordinance’s impact on jail overcrowd­ ing – a perennial topic in Hamilton County politics – is less pronounced but still notice­ able. After being arrested, an individual is processed through the Justice Center, which takes several hours. Some may stay over­ night. Since 2006, police have chosen to take three out of four people arrested under ordi­ nance 910-23 to the Justice Center. Despite the possibility of jail time, offend­ ers typically pay fines instead. “While every case is judged on its own facts, the typical penalty might be a $100 fine, plus court costs,” Municipal Judge Fanon Rucker says. A sampling of cases from the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts found that fines var­ ied from $20-$200 but hovered around $100, with defendants responsible for paying an additional $104 in “court costs.” No one gets sent to jail simply for mari­ juana possession, Rucker says. “For marijuana, I do not treat defendants differently based on whether their offense occurred in Cincinnati or outside city lim­ its,” he says. He acknowledges that the legal conse­ quences differ. Some defendants walk away with minor misdemeanors while others leave with fourth-degree misdemeanors. He also notes that many defendants charged under the city ordinance “tend to be of more modest means financially, so even a $100 fine can cause great disruption in their lives.” Their employers also might be less forgiving when defendants must leave work to attend court. Those who do not pay the fine may be held in contempt of court. Jail time is a pos­ sible penalty. “You may get a ‘stay to pay’ if you can’t pay the fine,” says Danielle Anderson, an at­ torney with the Ohio Justice & Policy Center who has defended marijuana cases. “The judge will say, ‘Come back on this date,’ and the defendant will come back, still unable to pay, and the judge will set another court date. It just goes on and on and on.” It is not unusual to see cases stretching six months or even a year until finally resolved. The city can still reverse these burdens by reclassifying marijuana possession as a mi­ nor misdemeanor, which would bring Cin­ cinnati into accord with Ohio law and most Ohio cities. ‘Disastrous’ impact For many people, however, the damage is done. There is no reversal. “Say a person made a mistake at age 18 and committed theft,” says Rob Wall, the Ohio Justice & Policy Center attorney. “Then at age 19, they get caught with a joint. That’s not uncommon; it happens all the time. With two convictions, they’ll never get that record sealed. Those convictions will be with them 20, 30 years later and for the rest of their lives. “In Ohio, you cannot get a misdemeanor or felony expunged if you have more than one. If that person had been caught with marijuana outside of Cincinnati, say in Norwood, the charge would have been a minor misdemeanor. Half a mile can make a big difference in a person’s life.” It would have allowed that individual to qualify for an expungement. “Your opportunity to get a second chance in Cincinnati is lower than elsewhere in the state,” Wall says. It’s a question of fairness, he says. Why should members of poor or marginalized communities, who tend to live within city limits, face greater obstacles? “Making it harder for people with records to work or get a second chance probably wasn’t the city’s intention,” Wall says, “but that is exactly what it does. The impact has 2009 Arrests by Geographic Region Region District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 District 5 Total % of population % of marijuana arrests 6 29 26 8 28 20 19 29 21 14 100 100 Source: Cincinnati Police Department (2010); U.S. Census (2000) been disastrous.” Also important is the impact on housing. Individuals and their families lose hous­ ing vouchers on the basis of M4 marijuana convictions, disadvantaging Cincinnati resi­ dents over others in Hamilton County. Some 97 million Americans, 4 in 10 peo­ ple over age 12, have tried marijuana at least once. That doesn’t indicate great respect for legal authority. That lack of respect, some advocates have argued, has a multiplier ef­ fect. When lawmakers criminalize an activ­ ity that you do not find improper, you lose respect for the law. Many support legalizing marijuana, in­ cluding 37 percent of Ohioans and 59 percent of those aged 18 to 29, according to a 2009 University of Cincinnati poll. Presumably, even more Ohioans support decriminalizing marijuana – that is, not making it explicitly legal, as the poll queried, but treating it as a payout offense, on par with a speeding or parking ticket. These findings, the national trend toward decriminalization and new faces on city council raise hopes of a repeal. In a Cincin­ nati Beacon interview, newly elected Coun­ cilman Charlie Winburn said, “It should be repealed because it is taking up police time and bogging down our court system and jail space.” In another Beacon interview, newly elected Councilwoman Laure Quinlivan said, “If the ordinance has not produced good results for citizens and in fact is a drain on resources, I’ll be in favor of repealing it.” With those criteria, it is hard to see how she could vote any other way. Councilman Thomas, in arguing for ex­ panding police searches, suggested that the new ordinance would reduce violent crime. The opposite might have happened. Ordi­ nance 910-23 has not fetched more guns than the average arrest. It has exacerbated racial disparities as police rack up easy arrests in targeted neighborhoods. It has flooded our courthouse and crowded our jail. It has need­ lessly criminalized thousands of Cincinnatians over the past four years. On 13,263 oc­ casions, Cincinnatians have passed through our courthouse to plead before judges who then sentenced them as if they had been convicted of a minor misdemeanor anyway. That’s thousands of people who returned to the courthouse time and again to pay, ironi­ cally enough, their court costs. Ordinance 910-23 was based on wish­ ful thinking. With mounting evidence of its harm, members of city council would be wise to focus on misdemeanors that are ac­ tually worthy of that name, instead of offer­ ing up their constituents as casualties of the war on drugs. 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. �6 Local News STREETVIBES May 15 - 31, 2010 Painter Joins UN Appeals Tribunal Continued from page 1 $600 per night. “We found a hotel that was $250 per overruled on this first recommenda­ night, which was the best we were able tion,” Painter says. “They believed my to do,” Painter says. “You could not fall being a Republican would be a major in the room without hitting the bed.” factor and would queer the deal.” The court only has one law clerk for But prominent Democrats, includ­ seven judges. ing Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, State Sen. “We don’t even have office space Eric Kearney – whose wife attended in New York,” Painter says. “The UN law school with Obama – and Cincin­ Building is closed for three years for nati Mayor Mark Mallory, wrote letters renovations. Their offices are spread­ urging Painter’s selection. ing all over Manhattan.” “That neutralized the RepublicanThe United Nations Appeals Tribu­ Democrat thing,” Painter says. nal replaces a system of administra­ U.S. Sen. George Voinovich and for­ tive review for personnel complaints. mer U.S. Rep. Rob Portman, both Re­ “They called the last step a tribunal publicans, also urged Obama to nomi­ but it wasn’t a court because its deci­ nate Painter. sions were only recommendations to But that was just the first step. Paint­ your boss,” Painter says. “That’s not er was one of 200 judges from around necessarily a justice system.” the world who applied for the new In 2006 a blue-ribbon panel made court. Next came a two-hour exam at up of representatives of staff and man­ The Hague, in the Netherlands. Judge Mark Painter with United Mations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. agement came up with the new sys­ “They said you would have to study,” Photo courtesy of UNAT. tem, including a trial court and UNAT, Painter says. “I hadn’t taken an exam the appeals court. since the bar exam in ’73. They gave us a fact scenario, complex cases from the Although UNAT’s jurisdiction is limited to personnel issues, not criminal old system, staff rules that applied and said, ‘Write an opinion.’ The next day, matters, the first cases have already included the kind of drama that make law in the interview, they picked apart your opinion.” stimulating – and give a writer of Painter’s caliber ample fodder. Even when his The final hurdle was winning election to the court. That meant convincing writing is restrained, it is telling. Consider the opinion he wrote in the matter the UN General Assembly. of Mohammed Bustanji, who wanted to win back his job as a maintenance “I had never been at the United Nations Building until I went there to cam­ supervisor with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the paign in March of last year,” Painter says. “How do you campaign – put yard Near East (UNRWA). signs in the building?” “Suffice it to say that Bustanji was accused of making grossly improper ad­ Not exactly. Instead, Rice organized diplomatic receptions for fellow ambas­ vances to the wife of another UN employee,” Painter wrote. sadors. In another case – a pension fight whose international drama began with a “The American ambassador lives at the top of the Waldorf, which is very marriage certificate in Cincinnati and a “questionable” divorce in Cameroon – nice,” Painter says. “I got to talk to almost every European delegate. Susan Rice Painter’s opinion asserts the new court’s independence. did a lot of talking. She said it was very important to President Obama that I “Though the U.S. Probate Court finding is certainly not binding on this be elected.” court,” he writes, “it is evidence that we find credible.” Rice is one of three U.S. representatives with ambassadorial status at the That sentence also captures something of Painter’s legal persona: He be­ UN. lieves in plain talk, common sense and following rules. “All three of them worked the phones,” Painter says. “They really wanted an The United Nations has about 60,000 employees, including peacekeepers, American on the court.” with access to the UN’s new judicial system. Painter says UNAT expects to hear about 120 cases a year. ‘Suffice it to say’ The new court has made clear that it will be expeditious. Scheduled to hear 27 cases in its first session, UNAT decided 33. Being a United Nations judge is among the most prestigious judicial posts “The staff was shocked, because some of them had been with the old sys­ in the world but it isn’t especially lucrative. The job is “piece work,” as Painter tem,” Painter says. “They hadn’t been used to working with professional judges. puts it: Judges are paid by the case. The old system sometimes took a decade or more to get cases through. We’ve Painter has a pension for his long years as a judge in Ohio. He also gives taken the position that the time deadlines in the new system are just that – seminars on legal writing to attorneys around the world. deadlines.” “I’ll make more money on that than I will at the UN,” he says. And so it was that Mohammed Bustanji, who had made “grossly improper Painter’s colleagues will actually fare better than he. advances,” lost his last appeal. He was late on the paperwork – twice. The new “The U.S. is one of the few countries that taxes UN pay, so my colleagues court will have nothing of it. won’t have to pay taxes,” he says. “Bustanji has filed a time-barred appeal of a time-barred appeal,” Painter’s Traveling to Geneva for work might sound glamorous, but prices there out- ruling says. “He has provided no explanation for either delay; he does not com­ pace the per diem paid by the UN for expenses. ment on UNRWA’s argument that the case must be dismissed. It must, and we “Geneva has absolutely outrageous prices,” Painter says. do.” Breakfast could cost almost $50, a pint of beer $9, he says. One hotel was �STREETVIBES May 15 - 31, 2010 7 Local News Picking on Poor People Downtown Cincinnati Inc. goes after panhandlers By GrEGory FlannEry editor N ote to Downtown Cincinnati Inc.: It is legal to put money in your bank ac­ count unless you have embezzled it. It is legal to drive a Mercedes Benz unless you are drunk. It is legal to have sex unless your partner says no. Downtown Cincinnati Inc. (DCI) is distribut­ ing cards discouraging people from giving money to panhandlers. Headlined “Know the Facts,” the cards open by saying, “In summary, it is legal to panhandle except …” There follows a litany of Cincinnati’s panhandling restrictions. Asking strangers for help is protected as free This is the language rejected by Downtown Cincinnati, Inc. speech under the U.S. Constitution, according to the Supreme Court. Moreover, giving to beggars is DCI rejected the Homeless Coalition’s language. But DCI had to considered virtuous in nearly every faith tradition. Prophet Muham­ back down on a “feel good” closing to its anti-panhandling pitch. Its mad commanded almsgiving. Jesus of Nazareth told his disciples to original language listed the names and phone numbers of homeless beg for their sustenance. The Buddha begged. Jews consider giving shelters and food pantries that people could support instead of giv­ to beggars a mitzvah or good deed. Even so, beggars have been per­ ing dimes to penniless beggars on the sidewalk. But those organiza­ secuted in every age and almost every place. Thus, DCI’s effort to dis­ tions wanted nothing to do with DCI’s attack on panhandlers, and courage kindness has lots of unholy precedent. DCI dropped them from the literature. When DCI was preparing its anti-panhandler cards, the Greater DCI also agreed to a demand by the Homeless Coalition to drop a Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless proposed alternative lan­ photo of an unkempt beggar. But the card’s intent is plain: “It’s legal guage. The alternative listed facts about homelessness: Sixty percent to panhandle except …” of people who experience homelessness work daily, and only 1 per­ DCI hasn’t said whether it will issue instructional postcards on cent regularly panhandle … The fastest growing demographic with­ other themes. The opportunities are endless: It is legal to vote unless in homelessness is families with children … The primary causes of you have already cast a ballot in the same election. It is legal to enter homelessness are lack of affordable housing and living-wage employ­ a home at 4 a.m. unless it belongs to someone else and you don’t have ment. permission … A Film for a Time of Rebellion Howard Zinn takes on American history By corEy GiBson Contributing Writer I n the film Good Will Hunting, Matt Da­ mon’s character, Will Hunting, says, “If you want to read a real history book, read Howard Zinn's People’s History of the United States. That book will knock you on your ass.” And he was right. The People Speak, a film inspired by Zinn’s book, A People’s History of the United In one of the best States, captures the history of America and the strug­ performances in the film, Christina gle people went through to Kirk reads Susan overcome unfair treatment and achieve equality. B. Anthony’s Zinn – a radical historian, refusal in court to pay a $100 fine activist and teacher who died in January at age 87 – for trying to cast a ballot before the and director Chris Moore use spoken word and song 19th Amendment to tell the story of America to the U.S. Constitution gave in The People Speak. But in­ stead of looking at history the women the as it is usually presented, right to vote. through the eyes of presi­ dents and military generals, Zinn looks at history through the eyes of the radicals, the poor, the slaves, the feminists, the anti-war protesters and many more. The film asks us to change the way we see America. It asks us to forget what our history books have told us and to see the real history of America. To tell the stories of these people, actors and songwriters read from court transcripts, sing songs written by slaves and read speeches that changed the course of American history. The cast is well stocked, with actors such as Morgan Freeman and Sean Penn and musicians such as Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan. Each reads a piece of written history with emotion and pas­ sion. Unlike the celebrities reading their words, the people who wrote much of what is read in the movie are people unknown to most Ameri­ cans. Benjamin Bratt reads a letter from J.W. Loguen, a former slave, who writes sarcastical­ ly to his master that he will never return to slav­ ery even if his former owner wants him to. Da­ vid Strathairn reads abolitionist John Brown’s remarks to the court after being sentenced to death for the raid on Harper’s Ferry, trying to launch an armed insurrection to end slavery. Other names and speeches are a bit more fa­ miliar, for example, Muhammad Ali’s speech to reporters stating he was not going to fight in the Vietnam War because the war is here in Ameri­ ca. Morgan Freeman reads an angry speech by Frederick Douglass about the hypocrisy of the Fourth of July. He was upset because the Unit­ ed States was celebrating its freedom and inde­ pendence, while more than four million people were being kept as slaves In one of the best performances in the film, Christina Kirk reads Susan B. Anthony’s refusal in court to pay a $100 fine for trying to cast a ballot before the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gave the women the right to vote. The readings, coupled with video images and newsreels, show, “The rise of America came from the bottom, not the top,” Zinn, the film’s narrator, says. He also says America’s his­ tory is tyrannical and one of great wars, mass killings and expansion for money, yet a single rebellious group can bring about great change in a mighty nation. Rebellions brought about the New Deal, civil rights, women’s rights and many other aspects of our history; America was formed by its own people rebelling. The film, shown April 23 at the University of Cincinnati by the International Socialist Orga­ nization, was followed by a discussion that fo­ cused on the present state of the government and the ways we as people can step up, as the people in the film had, and make the changes we want. The film seemed to inspire everyone in the room. Discussion also turned to the edu­ cation system and new legislation in Arizona that is biased against people of Mexican de­ scent. The audience seemed energetic and positive. One person said, “We are capable of creating a society we enjoy and can be together in.” �8 STREETVIBES May 15 - 31, 2010 Recipe “Feed Me, Seymour, Feed Me All Night Long…” Scrumptious Idaho Potato Soup Serving Size: 4-5 bellies. 12 oz. veggie broth 6-7 large Idaho potatoes peeled and cubed (type depends on pref­ erence. Russet is the least expensive.) 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons butter (optional) 1 yellow onion skinned and chopped in ½ slices 4 cloves garlic, minced 2-3 fresh celery, sliced 1-2 carrot, diced 16 oz heavy whipping cream (or a milk substitute for vegans) Salt and pepper to taste • Photo by Jeni Jenkins. • By JEni JEnkins Staff Writer • M y former supervisor, Pat Mac, passed this scrumptious soup rec­ ipe on to me. A food connoisseur like me, he frequently came to work boasting about the “best meal” he made the night before and more often than not proceeded to elicit my hunger by describing in detail how he prepared each dish. It was a morning ritual. This soup interested me as I had tried to concoct my own potato soup recipes with haphazard success. I remember I jotted each ingredient on a cocktail napkin, which I still have hid­ den away in my recipe book today. Now I make it frequently for my family, especially on cool days. It’s super easy and inexpensive. This recipe appears to be the only dish I make for which both my children ask for seconds or thirds and then proceed to lick their bowls clean. • • • • • • In large stockpot, bring veggie broth and potatoes to boil. Cover, turn to low heat and simmer 30 minutes stirring frequently to keep potatoes from sticking. Once potatoes have simmered 15 minutes, heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat and sauté the onion and garlic 3-4 minutes until the onions turn translucent. Add celery and carrots to the onions and garlic and sauté an ad­ ditional 2 minutes. Add sautéed veggies to potatoes in stockpot and stir. Continue simmering about 10 minutes. Turn stockpot heat up slightly to medium-low and slowly mix in the cream. Cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly in a figure 8 pattern to keep from scorching the cream. Add salt and pepper and other preferred spices. Serve while hot. For an added yum factor, serve with rolls, bis­ cuits or Italian bread. Voila, FEED! Artwork By Anthony Williams ! ? t ha W y Sa ___________________ Women, who are a majority of the peoples of the earth, are indispensable to the accumulation of the kind of social capital that is conducive to development, peace, justice and civility. -- Mahnaz Afkhami �STREETVIBES May 15 - 31, 2010 9 Poetry Page Shutter Speed Eye of the Storm By alli cryDEr Dark light Not bright Confused by the site Am I here? Are we here? Is this where we’re supposed to be? Thoughts racin’ Time’s changin’ My mind’s a lacin’ The room quiet Filled with this unknown happy tension I sit, and ponder I walk, over yonder How long could they be in this storm? The invisible thunder crashing upon their innocence The colorless lightning striking their indestructible smile If only, if only they knew They are the future They are the light They are the way out I’m looking through the eyes of the voiceless Their sparkle gets me lost Am I here? Are we here? Is this where we’re supposed to be? They’re trapped Stuck in this life where they had no choice But their dreams have no barriers They are the carriers Of this forgotten light They are the eye of the storm What’s Going On By Willa D. JonEs Students at the University of Cincinnati made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches April 29 during WorldFest Week on campus. Intended to increase student awareness of homelessness and poverty in Cincinnati, the project was sponsored by Serve Beyond Cincinnati, which organizes service trips to help improve living conditions around the world, according to Mark Teschauer, the group’s vice president. Teschauer said the sandwiches went to the Drop Inn Center and other homeless shelters and soup kitchens in the city. Photo by Jon Hughes/ Photopresse. What’s going on asked singer Marvin Gaye What’s going on in our world of today Stealing from each other, killing one another Lying, cheating and still calling each other brother Disillusioned by what our lives should really be Misunderstanding that we were born in sin you and me Forgetting each day to let live and let love Forgetting to give all praises due to God from above Everyone needs to take time out to pray And ask God to forgive our sins each and every day To replace hate with peace and love wherever we can Only then can we see what’s going on all over the land So for me this is what’s really going on We as a people must come together before all life is gone Silence Cleo’s Joke Corner What do you call on an octopus that’s down on its luck? Squid Row. By Willa D. JonEs Silence is something the elders and the people from the old school call golden. Silence is something that, when you are homeless and confused, That is when your silence is stolen. Silence is God’s gift to man to either be quiet and listen Or close one’s mind. You must make a choice. Silence is everybody’s conscience. It is everybody’s chance To simply shut up and listen to God’s voice. �10 STREETVIBES May 15 - 31, 2010 Guest Column Seeking Understanding in OTR Students study 3CDC and poverty By TiM kopEnhaFEr anD FrancEsco DEsalvaTorE Contributing WriterS W hen the first New Voices meeting took place at Princeton High School, David Rosenthal, the New Voices instructor and director of Prairie Gallery, asked us one question: “Why are you doing this?” Answers varied. Some of us had more experience and knowledge with Over-theRhine, while others were less informed. But overall everyone shared a passion to learn and help out the Over-theRhine community. We were told to bring two things – our cameras and ourselves. From there our mission was to use our cameras to document and present the situation at the Metropole Apartments and the efforts of the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC) in Over-the-Rhine. Our first week was met with shock and bewilderment as we walked past Washington Park. Many of us have had the privilege of growing up in picturesque suburbs and have never experienced poverty to such an extent. It was unsettling in a way, and we felt slightly uncomfortable with our expensive cameras. As we got used to this new reality, we began to gain confidence and understanding to capture the scenes laid out before us. We began to realize that we were not documenting Over-the-Rhine as a group of students but as individuals Photo by Tim Kopenhafer. with different perspectives and mindsets. Week one of our project began with a tour of the Drop Inn Center. We were shown all of their facilities and had a discussion with the staff about how one ends up in a place like the Drop Inn Cen­ ter. Whether it’s due to alco­ holism or the loss of a job, people at the Drop Inn Cen­ ter have experienced some of the harshest realities life has to offer. One of the most important things that we no- ticed at the Drop Inn Center was the lack of support that the city has shown. In the coming year, the new School for the Creative and Perform- ing Arts building will be com- pleted and some believe the Drop Inn Center will have to change locations, regardless of the fact that it has been at the same location for many years. In addition to the tour of the Drop Inn Center, Over­ the-Rhine resident Bonnie Neumeier also gave us a tour of the community. She reiterated some of the things that we had seen and heard at the Drop Inn Center. The city has continued to ignore the poverty problem in Overthe-Rhine and has instead stepped aside to let 3CDC continue constructing new buildings in the area. Week three of our project consisted of a tour of two buildings being renovated by 3CDC. We were able to see what kinds of apartments were being built and get the developer’s perspective. It was very clear from the beginning that the workers had no real connection to the area and had probably never spoken to a resident of Overthe-Rhine. They were very enthusiastic and praised the Photo by Francesco DeSalvatore. luxurious apartments that were being built, but not once did they mention how it would benefit the residents of Over-the-Rhine. There seemed to be a clear divide on Vine Street between 3CDC buildings and the rest of Over-the-Rhine. The difference between one end of the street and the other was quite surreal. Obviously, the people moving into these flats were not Over-the-Rhine residents but people from elsewhere. While it’s always a good sign to see business move into a neighborhood, it doesn’t solve all of the problems. Over-theRhine has an immense poverty issue and 3CDC is simply invading Over-the-Rhine, not moving in. After our time in Over-the- Rhine, our group went to the Metropole Apartments, where low-income housing is offered. 3CDC recently bought the building and is planning to open a hotel there. 3CDC has offered the residents $400 if they relocate. Immanuel, a long time resident of one of the low-income apartments, gave us a tour of the historic building. He explained to us that 3CDC was forcing Metropole residents to move and that the apartments they were offering residents were in communities that had high crime and poverty. Many of the residents have not only been fortunate enough to live in the center of Cincinnati, but are also able to live in low-income housing, something that is uncom- mon in the downtown area. This has made it very hard for the residents to move out because they have become so comfortable with the area. In addition to visiting the Metropole, we traveled to Louisville, Ky., to visit an apartment complex operated by 21C, the company that will operate the new hotel at the Metropole. 21C is a hotel developer known for its commitment to modern art and luxury. 21C likes to display local modern art and also work with the community to de­ velop art within the city. The vice president of 21C said the company is excited to build a hotel in Cincinnati and is confident it will be success­ ful. After seeing and hearing both sides, it is still unclear if the residents at the Metropole are being treated fairly. There have been many construction companies that have simply evicted their residents with­ out even offering another op­ tion, however 3CDC’s option is not one viewed with much favor. From the beginning of this project, our goal was to find our opinion about the situation in Over-the-Rhine and at the Metropole and then show it through our im­ ages. While there is still a lot to learn, it is very clear that Cincinnati has failed to deal with the poverty in Over-theRhine. Until the city does so, it will be very difficult to dis­ cuss the possibility of chang­ ing Over-the-Rhine for the better. Tim Kopenhafer and Francesco DeSalvatore are seniors at Princeton High School. The work from New Voices will be presented at The Coffee Emporium May 28 and remain on display through June. �STREETVIBES May 15 - 31, 2010 11 Issues Facebooking the Facts Two college students take on the network media By ariana shahanDEh Contributing Writer A few months ago I sent an invitation on Facebook to about a quarter of the people on my friends’ list. I thought they’d appreciate an effort to recognize a political leader's posi­ tive contributions. The invitation was to join a group called “Accom­ plishments of President Barack Obama.” The next day my inbox was full of mixed responses. One message that stood out was, “You know Obama, like, deleted habeas corpus, right?” What followed was an extensive online conversation during which I had to minimize my browser window several times to verify claims my friend had made and hastily recheck claims I intended to make. Ultimately, we both walked away in civility, thinking about quota­ tions, policies and legislation we hadn’t originally known about. However, with such a charged subject, I can’t imagine what kind of interchange it would have become had we not had other resources in front of us. Or maybe I can. It might have been similar to the interactions between guests and hosts on Sunday morning news shows such as Meet the Press with host David Gregory. An online fact-checking group, Meet the Facts, recently started raising awareness about the amount of misinformation that goes unchecked. “This whole issue is kind of like a sore – a sore on the media,” says Paul Breer, co-founder of Meet the Facts. “When people go on Meet the Press, it’s anything goes. They can say whatever they want. Sure, every once in a while Gregory will call them out on it, but the guests know what they can get away with when they appear.” NYU Journalism Professor Jay Rosen laid out a simple plan on his blog to rectify the “anything goes” attitude on most Sunday morning shows: a post-show fact-checking session on Sunday, publishing the results online Wednesday. “The beauty of this idea is that it turns the biggest weakness of po­ litical television into a kind of strength,” Rosen writes. “The format beckons (guests) to evade, deny, elide, demagogue and confuse. … But then they pay for it later if they give into temptation and make that choice.” There were two major responses to Rosen’s post from the Sunday shows. Jake Tapper, temporary host of This Week on ABC, embraced the idea and is now collaborating with the Pulitzer Prize-winning fact-check source, Politifact.com. Gregory, however, brushed off the idea, telling Washington Post columnist Howard Kurtz, "People can fact-check Meet the Press every week on their own terms." Breer, a political-science student from Colorado, was inspired by Rosen’s suggestion and started a Facebook group, Meet the Facts, as a grassroots effort to urge Gregory and Meet the Press to embrace the pro­ posal. Shortly thereafter, Chas Danner, a journalism student from Brooklyn, approached Breer on Facebook about de­ veloping a site for the project. Far before the Meet the Facts Facebook group reached 600 members, Breer and Danner’s grassroots effort rapidly received media commentary and coverage, even a nine-minute segment on The Colbert Report. When asked why he thinks press coverage has become a popular issue, Breer said, “It’s such a cool subject (to the media), you know, because it’s about them. (And) to see that two young college kids, that aren’t 50­ plus, are interested in this, has really grabbed their attention.” After nearly a week of being ignored by Gregory and Meet the Press, Breer and Danner gave in to many supporters’ requests that Meet the Facts facilitate the fact checking for Meet the Press. Meet the Facts posted its first fact check on April 28, “to see how difficult it would be for a team of three people, amateurs really, to try to do the job of professional journalists – the job Meet The Press is so far unwilling to do,” Danner wrote. Since then, Meet the Facts has incorporated crowd-sourcing factcheck efforts from Twitter followers, Facebook supporters and any­ one else interested in being a part of the project. Although it is not likely most of the Sunday morning viewers will look online through­ out the week for results, the goal is to at least create some conse­ quences if guests deliberately make false claims on the air. “The fact check might, over time, exert some influence on the speakers on Sunday,” Rosen’s original proposal said. “At the very least, it would guide the producers in their decisions about whom to invite back.” But I disagree. At the very least, we might, over time, be able to ex­ pect the hosts of Sunday morning shows to guarantee their profes­ sional platform is more sophisticated than a Facebook interchange between two amateurs. Letter to the Editor kept getting bills and sent proof of my insurance to them and called them three Employed and Homeless or four times. My sister and brother-in-law thought I should be ashamed of having to To the Editor: This is for Margo Pierce. I read her cover story in the Contributor, “Being Homeless is Illegal” (see the March 1 edition of Streetvibes). I have wanted to tell my story for a long time. I contacted the local news and so did some of my newfound friends back then, but no one was interested in my story. My home was foreclosed on in April 2006. From April to October 2006, I tried the weekly-rate places. I finally found some who would rent to me and let me pay part and part. It was a duplex/townhouse type place. Bad move. The owners did not keep the property up; and during the winter of 2006, with my heat on 80 degrees, I had two to three inches of ice on the inside of the windows and a light bill I could not pay. On April 1 or 2, 2007, I went to the women's mission. There is more but it would take too long. I know from personal experience there are homeless women who actually have jobs, but due to their income they cannot get enough together to get back into a place to call home. Like me, I did not make enough to get back in a place, but yet I made too much to qualify for assistance. It works the same way today. I make like $20 too much to get help with utilities, but in the winter I don't make enough to pay them current. I am usually two to three months behind. It is hard to pay it all and still have food. But I will be back into a place to call home two years come July. The way I got back into a place was because of my yearly longevity, income tax refund and new friends. And thank God because of the economy some utility companies have been more understanding, if you talk to the right person to make arrange­ ments. And one thing I learned during my homelessness: Your old friends who were for you when things were good are not there when things are bad. I recall one incident while staying at the Women's Mission in May of 2007, over the Memorial Day weekend. I went to bed with a headache, thought it would go away once I got some sleep. Woke up about 3 a.m. it was just a pound­ ing. I asked the mission staff to call 911. When the medics arrived, by it being the mission, they assumed I was homeless, with no job or insurance. When they found out, a female medic's reply was, “I thought only drug addicts, etc. stayed here.” I let her know there were several women there who had jobs. She apologized. It took me months to get Metro Ambulance to file my insurance. I spend time at the mission and losing my home. And that is another interesting story as well. No contact with me for 10 years by her choice – then out of the blue, my brother-in-law calls. Even to this day, since I work downtown, if I come across a lady I knew from the mission, I will speak and take the time to ask how are they. I also know what it is like to have pets and be homeless as well. I know how those from Tent City feel. Barbara F. Duke Nashville, Tenn. Have something on your mind? Do you agree or disagree with an article? Let us know: 117 E. 12th Street 1 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 1 streetvibes2@yahoo.com �12 STREETVIBES May 15 - 31, 2010 Short Story We the Jury Adventures in the Hamilton County justice system By MichaEl FanninG Contributing Writer dressed older woman who seems the typical sidekick to a person of this sort, meek and comparatively quiet. I dub these women Fat Man and Little Boy respectively, despite the sex discrepancy. Part I: Waiting I flip through the “Juror’s Handbook.” It is only a few pages, outlining how we are chosen for juries and what to expect. It informs us we will ’ve always wanted to send somebody to the Chair. My fantasies be paid $19 per diem and warns, “Don’t try to discover evidence on your usually feature myself in the small, tension-filled deliberating own.” Fat Man cackles as I leaf through it. room, being the lone “not guilty” in a room full of vindictive snapBy 9 o’clock 40 or 50 people are in the waiting room. There’s quite a va­ decision makers. My fellow jurors then give me the look of death because riety of characters. They range from Fat Man and Little Boy to a few men lunch will now have to be ordered in. who look like retired four star generals or CEOs. The latter group clearly “It was the right thing to do,” I’d tell my grandchildren, they gazing looks disappointed to be here as they watch the drooling and unkempt at me with admiration, having heard my story a thousand times before leaf through their handbooks while simultaneously keeping an eye out from other admirers. Would they, too possess, my strength of character if for Sam Waterston. the need presented itself? A beautiful young blond woman enters the waiting room. She is stun­ Needless to say, these fantasies never involved petty crimes, like a ning, the kind of woman who makes you want to slay a dragon. From lady kicking a cop in the shins or some lunatic exposing himself to the all directions of the room, disheveled men descend on her. She wears a public library’s children’s department. Oh, no. I’m at skimpy black top with spaghetti straps and her arrival Nuremberg. I’m at the Scopes Monkey Trial sweltering is the most interesting turn of events thus far. That in tweed, watching the veins in William Jennings Bryan’s The thought that this man interest abates somewhat when her cell phone rings temples swell. out to the tune of “Jump Around” by House of Pain. Fat could be deciding the fate I have shaped history with my verdict – or at least of another human being in Man cackles. watched the accused writhe in nervous agony as we, the I have brought a book with me in case there is noth­ a court of law makes me jury, file back into the box. blanch. However, he might ing to read. My fears were in vain. There is an extraor­ Guilty, not guilty, life, death, 20, 40, 60 years, to be have been making a public dinary selection of magazines available on all conceiv­ served concurrently, consecutively, whatever. But I had display of his cognitive im- able topics. The selection includes Health, Cooking never done it for real. potence in an attempt to be Light, Fitness, Symphony, In Style, Country, Travel and When I received my first summons to appear for jury Leisure, Vanity Fair, Entertainment Weekly, People, Betexcused from duty. duty, it was an oversized postcard with a perforated ter Homes and Gardens, Field and Stream, National questionnaire to be taken to the jury commissioner’s of­ Geographic, Golf, Fortune, Redbook, Sports Illustrated, fice. The questionnaire asked how many people were in my household, Parenting, Fashion Rocks Inc. Popular Science, Time, This Old House, Town my income bracket and whether my employer would compensate me and Country, Woman’s Day, Money, Business, 2.0, Southern Living, Southwhile I was serving. ern Living Home Companion, Family Circle, In Touch, Gourmet, Real Sim“Just tell ’em no,” my immediate supervisor told me. “That’ll get ya ple, GQ, Vogue, Good Housekeeping, Gardens Illustrated, Small Gardens, off.” Smithsonian, Cincinnati Magazine, Backyard Living, Great Backyards, Us Though I would be compensated, I realized this could be an effective and Martha Stewart Living. There is also Highlights (for those soon to be way to get out of serving. But I was too excited at the prospect of being excused from duty). part of a jury, getting to see a real case unfold before me. Not to men­ There are Reader’s Digest condensed books as well. I have never picked tion the fact that I wanted a short vacation from my job, which I loathed, up a condensed book, but I imagine Treasure Island with the character along with my immediate supervisor. of Jim omitted or Tom Clancy novels cut to an appropriate length. I also imagine adding water to a condensed book and having all the edited text Where’s Waterston? suddenly reappear. I We start at 8 a.m. on a Tuesday. There are so many signs inside the courthouse telling prospective jurors where to go that it would be im­ possible, save for blindness or illiteracy, to become lost. The jury com­ missioner’s office is nothing more than a large waiting room with a few small offices for secretaries and the commissioner himself. The waiting room resembles a small movie theater with six rows of interconnected black plastic seats. These seats face a bare white wall, and the U.S. and Ohio flags adorn either corner. There are no windows, for reasons which will seem obvious before long. I choose the seat with the least amount of dandruff. People trickle in and seats begin to fill. For some time the room is vir­ tually silent until two women enter and seat themselves in the front row. They are having a loud conversation, but it becomes clear after a minute that only one of them is doing the talking. She is morbidly obese, walks with a cane and looks and is dressed like an aged Janis Joplin. She must be about 50. Her voice reverberates in the quiet room, and after every sentence she cackles madly. The sound is obnoxious and shrill, a sort of “YAAAAA, HA, HA, HA, HAAAAA, HA,HA!” With her is a petite, neatly Empty jury box. REUTERS/Fred Prouser. Courtroom fashion Nineteen dollars per day. My immediate supervisor, who had served on a jury the previous year, told me that, at that amount, after the cost of food and parking, I’d be in the hole by the end of the week. I had to re­ mind him that, while working for him, after the cost of food and parking, I am well acquainted with said hole. I have no idea if any of the other people are being compensated by their employers for this civic duty or have to rely on the 19 bucks. The retired CEOs would survive, but I imagine some others could be hard hit. When handing in our questionnaires, I caught a Glimpse of Fat Man’s paper; she had checked “Disabled” and “Less than $10,000 per year income.” I would be sympathetic but her incessant cackling, which has been going on for more than an hour, only makes me want to disable her further. At last the jury commissioner comes to address us. He tells us to scoot forward and fill the remaining seats, as more will be joining us shortly. Looking around the room at our motley crew, I think we resemble an enormous bus stop. The commissioner is a profoundly congenial man, 50ish, with a thick head of silver hair. I must admit that – no doubt to the thrill of more than a few in the room – he looks just like Sam Waterston. He thanks us profusely for serving and not coming up with lame ex­ cuses for not showing up. He explains that we will sit in this room until our names are called over the intercom to begin jury selection for a case. If for some reason we cannot sit in on a case – if we know the cops involved or went to high school with the defendant and hated his guts, etc. – we will return to this room until called again. Jury duty can last as long as two weeks, depend­ ing on the cases. The issue parking is addressed, and we are told which lots offer discounted rates to jurors. These lots are all a good 10-minute walk or more from the court­ house. The commissioner then pushes a TV to the front of the room and begins a tape that, he says, will last, “Sixteen minutes and 10 seconds.” The tape reit­ erates everything he’s just explained to us. A Q&A session follows the video. The first question is from a heavyset man in the back row who gruffly asks, “Why aren’t the names of the discount parking lots just printed on the summons card we all received See Jury, p. 13 �STREETVIBES May 15 - 31, 2010 Short Story We the Jury Continued from page 12 13 being read. The man on the phone goes on and on, yelling something about pressure readings or release valves. I am left to assume that the in the mail?” This is an excellent question; but, as the commissioner po­ party on the other end is either in a boiler room or perhaps in the boiler. litely points out, the addresses are printed on the summons card. In fact, A few minutes pass and I begin to feel bad about my attitude toward the addresses – and directions to the garages from all the major high­ my companion on the phone. He’s given up his time – profitable work ways, as well as the rates – comprise 95 percent of the text on the card. time – to be here to serve, darn it. Doesn’t he deserve my respect? People The thought that this man from the back row could be deciding the fate might need to talk to their employers and employees while waiting, and of another human being in a court of law makes me blanch. However, it I shouldn’t get so irritable. Here, in this moment, I feel a sudden bond later occurs to me that he might have been making a public display of his with my fellow citizens that I hadn’t felt up to this point. I am proud to be cognitive impotence in an attempt to be excused from duty. If this were here. Proud to serve with each and every one of them. the case, kudos! Though they be decrepit, bizarre or without a nerve in The commissioner pulls no punches about jury duty. The pay is “not their body, we are all on the same team now. Anything The waiting room great,” there is a lot of tedious waiting; but, he assures us in the same they want to do is fine with me, and I will leave my is church-quiet warm manner with which he has informed us of everything else, our ser­ snobbish attitude at the door. now. Fat Man vice is greatly appreciated, and we are the very heart of the American Jus­ Then the TV is pushed to the front of the room. Is and Little Boy tice System. He means it, and you can tell. this some sort of a plot? Can’t they handle quiet? An- are sleeping – or We are also informed that our pay can be donated to various organiza­ other day without TV is apparently too much to ask of someone has tions, charities, and even to the Justice Center itself. The commissioner this crew. A man with no fingers on his right hand has blackjacked them, expounds on the impact these programs have had citywide since their positioned the TV, turned it on and flopped into the I guess. inception. The United Way has benefitted greatly as has the courthouse, seat in front of it. Divorce Court is on, followed by Texwhich uses the money for, among other things, better accommodations as Justice. I watch for a few minutes with a look that re­ for the jurors. Programs have also been started by the Hamilton County flects my disappointment. I look around the room hoping to find similar Justice Center to help local youths set goals for themselves, and otherwise looks of distaste and intrusion. But what do I find? They are enraptured turn them away from the path to prison, upon which they have already by the programs. There are giggles and cathartic grins when the judge begun to tread. I donate nothing. comes up with a witty slam. The dress code, the commissioner explains, can be anything that I close my book and go to the restroom to purge something. The fat guy would be appropriate to wear in a courtroom. He directs a glance at the at the end of the row stands as I pass. spaghetti strapped blond, which seems to mean, “We won’t be wearing Two hours go by. that again, will we?” The TV is still on, and everyone is watching except the spaghettistrapped hottie (today wearing a brown long sleeved sweater) who ap­ Lost in space pears to be watching nothing at all. No wonder there’s not a window in this place, for I would surely be crawling out of it and leaping onto Syca­ At 10:30 a.m. the commissioner takes his leave. more Street. My fall, no doubt, would be cushioned by hundreds of dis­ I read for over an hour. Becoming a little drowsy, I decide to close my carded jurors’ handbooks. book and observe those around me. The waiting room is church-quiet Not a single call yet for a jury selection. Yesterday they had called two now. Fat Man and Little Boy are sleeping – or someone has blackjacked by now. them, I guess. I have to admit I love the idea of this jury thing so far. I’ll I excuse myself from the aisle again, this time to sample the hot choco­ catch up on some books, sit in on a case or two, all the while getting paid late in the next room. There is also coffee, but I know that as soon as I by my boss. What more could anyone ask? finish a cup I’ll be called for a lengthy trial. It is easy for A few minutes later, 20 names are called over the in­ me to picture myself sitting in the jurors’ box, needing tercom. I am not among them. These people get up and She is stunning, the kind desperately to urinate and urging the judge to declare file out of the room. of woman who makes you a mistrial, which I’m pretty sure the handbook says is Most people are reading at this point. Some have want to slay a dragon. From not allowed. In the last few years this need to urinate brought their own books, some read from the stagger­ all directions of the room, after coffee is no ordinary urge, but a compulsion, ing selection of magazines. No one reads the condensed disheveled men descend sudden and violent. This is one of the many treats of books. Most of the books from home are James Pat­ getting older I have recently experienced, along with upon her. terson’s now co-written travesties or Nicholas Sparks profuse hair loss and marriage. books like The Notebook. Women read these; men read The hot chocolate is pretty good. Seating myself the magazines. Some of the men sleep in their chairs, and some sit and again, I notice that Texas Justice has been served and the TV is off. People do nothing. The man next to me seems perfectly content to stare at the are beginning to look restless, and I don’t blame them. Blond Hottie looks walls. He is well dressed, looks educated and yet apparently has the ca­ frazzled. Her head darts from side to side like a cornered animal. pacity to shift his brain into such a low gear that he can pass the time in The overhead speaker pops to life with an announcement that it is this manner. He’s been at it for over an hour. I am reminded of 2001 A time for our lunch hour. It is most welcome news, although the thought Space Odyssey: The crew are kept in a sort of suspended animation during of returning afterward will be tough to stomach. We are instructed to re­ the interminable voyage to Jupiter, because there simply isn’t anything to port back in a timely manner. do. It’s like that. I pass my hand in front of his eyes – nothing. Soon another large group of people are called for cases. Again I am not Don’t touch that dial picked. Why am I reminded of the fifth grade? The worst part about the layout of the waiting room is made clear when After a $5 meatball hoagie from Subway, which feels like a sleeping rac­ having to get up for something. In this case, the waiting room is exactly coon in my stomach, I reluctantly climb the marble stairs to report back like a movie theater. Legs have to be retracted, magazines go flat against to purgatory. The fingerless man has turned on the TV again and for the the chest. The heavyset man at the end of my row has to stand as I pass next hour will be watching a show about safety in the workplace and the to use the restroom. environmental responsibility of major corporations. It is stultifying. The Upon arriving back at my seat, there is an announcement that no other whole thing has the production value of one of those instructional vid­ juries will be selected today, and we are to return in the morning. eos you watch when you get a low-paying job (like jury duty). Monotone voices give lifeless testimonies of what life in their small town before such The urge to jump and such company came along, put up a factory and killed off the perch population. The next day only 23 of us are in the waiting room. I had debated After a time I observe the fingerless man. He is seated in front of the TV whether to bring my book for the second day, figuring I could just kill again but is clearly not watching it. His head is resting on his shoulder. He the half hour or so before my group is assigned to a case by perusing the is obviously asleep. The program is maddening and impossible to ignore boggling array of trade-specific magazines. I’m glad I brought my book. as the volume is way up. I consider being bold enough to turn it off, but I Little did I know that, before actually getting a case, I would have time to get a look from the fat guy at the end of my aisle that means, “Don’t even start crocheting an afghan. think about it.” How can there possibly be nothing else to watch? Where’s More than an hour passes and I take a break from reading. Aside from Judge Judy, for God’s sake? Fat Man’s periodic outbursts (she wasn’t picked yesterday) the waiting The fingerless man gets up and leaves the room. No one turns off the room is quiet. This place is, of course, not a library, but a certain pro­ TV. tocol has been established, built on mutual respect, to keep the atmo­ A few minutes later I hear the most delightful words I have ever heard sphere tranquil. Silence, we have voted without ballots, is the best mode in my life. Not the “I love you” of a beautiful girl or “We’ve decided to hire for this. you anyway, despite your woeful lack of qualifications.” This is something But, as in all libraries, there are troublemakers. There is a vibrating more meaningful, resonant. It stirs a feeling deep within that, noise to my right, and suddenly the man seated there became engaged in I imagine, was shared by the prisoners of war liberated in the Philip­ the loudest phone conversation I have ever witnessed. Navy flight-deck pines. These words are, “Will the remaining jurors please report to the crews do not shout this loudly. I look around, expecting turning heads hall?” and surly expressions but, to my surprise, no one seems to notice. This After the morning’s viewing pleasure, courtesy of the fingerless man, man’s voice is the only sound in the room – period. However, people take I’m in a salty humor and ready to send somebody to prison. magazines from the bountiful magazine rack as if nothing is amiss. Titles Part II will appear in the June 1 edition. such as Ombudsman Digest and, Roller Coaster Mechanic’s Journal are Michael Fanning lives in Hartwell with his trophy wife, Alex. �14 STREETVIBES May 15 - 31, 2010 Sports The Horns of Kobe Bryant A player fades and an antichrist rises By B. cliFTon BurkE Contributing Writer T he bumps on Kobe's head grew a little more every off-season. Some figured he had developed brain tumors, oth­ ers thought he wore his hats too tight, but no one knew for sure. Kobe himself said he was fine and that he had it checked out regularly by doctors, though their names were never divulged. He admitted that it was a strange condition, but that it was not harming his game or his life and that it didn't hurt. Then, at 35, when he returned to play his 16th season, the horns started to show. At first the bumps opened into small sores and Kobe refused to talk with reporters, covering the openings with bandages and wearing his tight hats more than usual. But the season soon began, and the media pressure became too great. The original reason Kobe gave for the bandages was that he had a skin disorder that had become inflamed. Wild speculation began to circulate that he had contracted a bizarre STD and would soon be dead. Kobe brought out a doctor who said it was a skin disorder that had become inflamed and that he was not expected to die anytime soon. Meanwhile, his play reached new levels. Not only did he average 38.3 points a game after his first 20 games, but to a man, each player Kobe defended said that they had never faced defense that intense. More than one player said Kobe was playing like a man possessed and most wondered how an aged veteran could raise his game so dramatically. Soon the bandages couldn't cover what was happening underneath. The horns were nearly half an inch long and quickly became the worst kept secret in the NBA. The first to talk was teammate Lamar Odom, who grew tired of answering questions about it. “They're horns, all right? Kobe has horns. I don't get it either,” Odom said. The league said Odom was out of hand to make such a farfetched accusation about an­ other player and fined him fifty grand. Kobe's publicist announced via Twitter that Kobe did not have horns and didn't think Odom's statement was funny. Kobe himself had no comment. Then came the clincher. On a Christmas Day game against the Knicks in New York, Kobe, guarded by Jon Wall, took one dribble to the left, made a quick crossover to his right and aggressive­ ly drove the lane. He cocked back his arm and prepared to boom a thunderous dunk when Wall wantonly crashed into him, send­ ing Kobe into the throng of photographers perched just behind the basket. His right bandage fell off when he hit the floor – and his horn was exposed. The players on the court reacted right away. Knicks forward David Lee saw it and sprinted into the locker room. Kobe's teammate Pau Gasol, saw it and refused to play. Eventually, the whole arena saw it on the big screen and freaked out. The refs were flummoxed. They made Kobe leave the game for what was later explained as “concern for his health.” Once Kobe was removed from the game, play re­ sumed but the outcome no longer mattered. It became arguably the most famous NBA game of all time, yet very few remember who won. Afterward, Kobe's publicist once again de­ nied his client had horns. Kobe wouldn't talk to anyone. But it was too late. The cameras had caught it, all those close-up had seen it, and it simply couldn't be mistaken for any­ thing else. They were still just nubs, but they curled upward to a point, almost like an el­ ephant's tusk. There were two of them, and they bulged from his forehead. Kobe had to admit it; he could hide it no longer. He gave a press conference where he wore no bandages on his head for the first time in months. There he displayed both of his horns, which had grown to a full inch. He explained that he didn't know why he had horns, that he was sorry for lying about it and that they still didn't hurt. The world had a hard time dealing with Kobe Bryant growing horns. Many, many people assumed he was the antichrist and some cities experienced riots anticipating Armageddon. Others threatened to kill Kobe if he surfaced, claiming to do so would be to conquer the devil himself. It was determined that it was unsafe for him to play and he was effectively banned in the name of his person­ al welfare. Kobe was furious; he only wanted to play basketball; and even though he was clearly the world's best player, he was not allowed to do so because of his physical abnormality. He sued the NBA under the Americans with Dis­ abilities Act but the court ruled that having horns was not a disability, and he missed the rest of the season. The Lakers barely made the playoffs without him and were swept in the first round. The league itself raised questions, asking if Kobe should even be considered human. The NBA decided that every win Kobe had partic­ ipated in would be upheld but denoted with asterisks, and he would be allowed to play the following season. That seemed to settle the issue. The public furor against him lessened. The news sensation of Kobe and his horns slipped off the front page. He returned for his 17th season brandish­ ing two-inch horns on each side of his fore­ head, but he was not the same player on the court either. He appeared physically smaller and less muscular and lacked his normal ath­ leticism; the Lakers fell out of playoff conten­ tion early on in the season. Once Cleveland finally captured its first championship and LeBron announced he was a homosexual, the world completely forgot about Kobe and his physical oddity. As did the NBA. Once the Lakers cut the former MVP, there weren't any other takers for a 37-year-old veteran with nothing left in his tank and horns on his head. So, with nothing else to do, Kobe went about his busi­ ness of bringing about Armageddon and ful­ filling his actual role of the antichrist. The religious zealots were right after all. Once the end of the world was complete and Kobe could rest comfortably again, someone asked him about what happened that last year of his playing career. “I could have used special powers to play basketball but I never did,” he said. “I always just used my human capabilities. But once everyone found out what I really was, they would never accept me again. Sure, I was al­ lowed to come back. But what did it matter? Any success would have been looked down upon. To fade away like that wasn't what I wanted to do, but it was the human thing to do.” Call to Artists Go Ahead: Ask a Vendor SOS Art 2010 accepting entries Invitation to a dialogue with our readers SOS Art 2010, a group art show and event of sociopolitical expressions for peace and justice, will take place May 28-June 6 at the Art Academy of Cin­ cinnati. Streetvibes vendors see a lot that you might not. For example, some can describe what goes on in an abandoned building at night when they sleep there. Organized by Streetvibes columnist Saad Ghosn, the annual show is in its eighth year. Ghosn writes the bi-weekly column, “Artists as Activists.” (See page 16.) Have you ever wondered what it’s like to stand on a street corner sell­ ing newspapers? That’s hardly a common occupation anymore. Greater Cincinnati artists of all expressions – visual, verbal, musical, cin­ ematographic, etc. – are welcome to participate in SOS Art 2010. All sub­ missions will be considered and all works will be included, provided they adhere to the theme of the show, are inclusive and space permits, Ghosn says. A submission form is required for the visual-art component of the event. Artists of other expressions may submit proposals by e-mail return. Write Saad Ghosn at 216 Erkenbrecher Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio, 45229 or at saad. ghosn@uc.edu. How much money do Streetvibes vendors make – and what do they do with it? Do they have other jobs? If you have questions, some of our vendors would like to answer them. “Go Ahead: Ask a Vendor” will be an occasional feature, with questions submitted by readers and answered by Streetvibes vendors. You may direct your question to a specific vendor or we’ll invite one to respond. Only include your name if you want to. Send questions to streetvibes2@yahoo.com Or to Streetvibes, 117 E. 12th St. Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. The deadline is May 10. Go ahead. Ask. Missed an Issue? Check out the Streetvibes archive at www.cincihomeless.org/content/streetvibes �STREETVIBES May 15 - 31, 2010 15 Resources Need Help or Want to Help? Shelter: Women and Children Central Access Point Cincinnati Union Bethel St. Francis Soup Kitchen Churches Active in Northside 381-SAFE 768-6907 FreeStore/FoodBank 557-2873 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Bethany House 681-2365 241-1064 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 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 535-2719 591-2246 762-5660 562-8841 872-9259 381-2247 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Health Resource Center Homeless Mobile Health Van McMicken Dental Clinic 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 Crossroad Health Center 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 1419 Elm Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 Justice Watch 241-0490 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 Starting Over Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 961-4080 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 961-4555 751-0643 381-1954 421-5211 621-5300 961-1983 OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Our Daily Bread 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 621-6364 771-4800 751-0600 721-4811 241-2965 People Working Cooperatively The Caring Place United Way Women Helping Women Off The Streets 351-7921 631-1114 211 977-5541 421-5211 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Hamilton County ADAS Board Recovery Health Access Center Sober Living Talbert House 946-4888 281-7422 681-0324 641-4300 Hamilton/Middletown 421-3131 569-1840 381-4242 Northern Kentucky Advocacy Catholic Social Action Community Action Agency Contact Center 1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 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 Anthony House (Youth) 621-5514 214 E. 14th St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 661-4620 Shelter: Both 241-2600 241-2563 1308 Race St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Treatment: Women 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Mt. Airy Shelter Prospect House Franciscan JPIC Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 721-4700 421-7803 579-8547 241-9400 421-1108 363-3300 421-2437 Health Center for Respite Care 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 Brighton Center 863-3184 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 859-491-8303 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. Legal Aid Society Ohio Justice & Policy Center Faces Without Places Stop AIDS St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 621-1868 Women’s Crisis Center VA Domiciliary VA Homeless 859-491-3335 859-559-5011 859-572-6226 �16 Artists as Activists STREETVIBES May 15 - 31, 2010 The Opposite of Counterfeit Andy Au’s new money shows true values “As a child, if you’re sensitive with a crazy imagination, the world scares you and bad things impact you,” says Andy Au. “You need to let them out.” This is why since, as early as he can remember. Au has been draw­ ing – and mostly monsters, creatures with many arms, legs, eyes. At age 5, after watching the movie Star Wars, he spent hours trying to draw from memory what he had seen. In first grade, during spelling tests, he drew dinosaurs eating the words; as a “reprimand,” he had to do a “star wars” display on the blackboard. His parents and high school art teach­ er encouraged his artistic inclinations; they provided him with paper to draw, praised his ability, and exposed him early on to the world of art. Au, an artist printmaker born in Chicago and raised in rural West Virginia, has also lived in Washington, D.C., and New Orleans. He re­ cently settled in Cincinnati. He received his bachelor of fine arts degree at Asbury College in Kentucky and his master of fine arts degree at the University of Cincinnati, majoring in printmaking. As an undergraduate, his work had no unifying theme; it was mostly intuitive, focusing on skills and techniques. In grad school, however, it dealt with content, looking at the big picture, connecting dots between the whys and whats. A recurrent subject in Au’s earlier prints was “uto­ pia,” what life should be as opposed to what it is; and the truncated illusion of the ideal world American society wanted to project. Utopia appeared as unrealized hope, ironically represented by twist­ ed interconnected figures, fighting for space, for fulfillment, aiming at something different, hopefully better. Au wanted it to be a reflection on both the world’s situation – with its overwhelming growing popula­ tion and conflicts – and the individual, his personal and spiritual space invaded and obstructed. Another topic he explored was the takeover by civilization of tribal life. Au pointed out that, thanks to its efficient organization, specialization, successful means of survival, control and domination, “civiliza­ tion” was imposing itself and its “uncivilized” val­ as ues, effacing worldwide the more humane com­ munal ways of living. By saaD Ghosn At the beginning Au felt Contributing Writer ill at ease showing and sharing his critical work. Someone had told him he was only depicting the bad and not contributing any solution. “My work addresses problems rather than providing fixes,” he ac­ knowledges. “I often do not have the answer. I think, however, that by pointing to the wrong, I’m also pointing to the right … by showing A rtists ctivists Bank Note #1: Project for the New American Century by Andy Au. Photo by Andy Au. Andy Au. Photo by. what is, my art hopefully implies what should be. One cannot provide solutions unless knowing the cause of the problem.” After graduating and living with his wife in Italy, then Washington, D.C., Au’s work became more political. His experience abroad exposed him to diverse political issues and opinions reflected by varying, more factual and critical news in the European media. Washington immersed him in a daily political bath and multifaceted reality that sharpened his awareness. This is also when he became acutely conscious of excess in the midst of poverty in the world. He has since created numerous politically themed print portfolios, all connected, each addressing particular concerns of societal life. The Five Evils, inspired by the book, God’s Last Offer by Ed Ayres, con­ sisted of 10 etchings addressing the four primary alarming increases on earth identified by Ayres as threats to humanity: overpopulation, carbon dioxide emission, consumption of resources and extinction of species. Au added a fifth enactor, war. The Mechanical Animals represented sociopolitical creatures acting mechanically, without much thinking, regardless of their knowledge of the problem. They each contribute individually to the creation and persistence of a dire situation, unaware of its consequences. The im­ ages referenced the clockwork mechanisms of oppression, conquest, power and war. Mechanical Animal #2, for instance, titled Civilizer and Pyramidicus Societus, depicts civilization’s pyramidal system of orga­ nization with a ruler at the top controlling and subjugating the masses of individuals underneath, using them to perpetuate domination and self-benefit. Au’s History of Thugs was an extension of his research on histori­ cal perspectives, influenced by Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States. Following the premise that history needed several per­ spectives – not only of those in power – to yield a complete view, Au re­ searched and pictorially depicted 70 American history figures heralded as brave vanguard elements of a Democratic nation. Examined from the side of the oppressed, marginalized and minorities, the actions of these “heroes,” however, proved base and corrupt. Au drew them as grotesque monsters. Realizing that what is displayed on money states what is valued by the system, Au wanted to create alternate money illustrating the nega­ tives society has created. The Banque d’Epoch Eclipse was his new cur­ rency. Bank Note #1: Project for the New American Century, a print from the series, represents a bill displaying a rhinoceros, with a lighthouse for a horn, standing on top of a government building. The rhino, an extremely nearsighted, powerful animal will charge at things not know­ ing what they are. Au used it as a metaphor for the actions of our mightdriven government, which stands defiantly above the offices it holds, acts as a beacon for the world, yet follows a shortsighted, self-confident approach. A moth in the background alludes to those who do not see the truth, just follow the light and burn themselves. Au’s latest print series, Memebiotics and Binarians address “memes,” broad-based sociopolitical views, possibly false, that one is taught from a young age, passed on by parents, rarely questioned. They be­ come transmitted like genes, spread like viruses, strengthening each other’s effects. Many have binary functions of polarity within a culture, “either/or” truth claims that divide and separate individuals. One ex­ ample is literal interpretation of the Bible versus scientific reality. Au uses his art to reflect on the world, express his knowledge and thinking, state his beliefs and affirm himself as a human being. His im­ ages are meant to push buttons in the viewer, aggravate a response, trigger thinking, raise consciousness. “My art is my communication,” he says. “It is my means to express and share who I am, my values, convey ideas difficult to put in words and state them poetically.” 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 May 15-31, 2010 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cincinnati’s Marijuana Law Fiasco World Class Judge Pg 2: Street Wise Pg 3: Keep Drop Inn Center Where it is An Open Letter to the City of Cincinnati Pg 4: Cincinnati’s Marijuana Law Fiasco Continued Pg 5: Cincinnati’s Marijuana Law Fiasco Continued Pg 6: Painter Joins UN Appeals Tribunal Pg 7: Picking on Poor People A Film for a Time of Rebellion Pg 8: “Feed Me, Seymour, Feed Me All Night Long…” Pg 9: Arts & Poetry Pg 10: Seeking Understanding in OTR Pg 11: Facebooking the Facts Pg 12: We the Jury Pg 13: We the Jury Continued Pg 14: The Horns of Kobe Bryant Pg 15: Resources Pg 16: The Opposite of Counterfeit 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 May 15-31, 2010 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gregory Flannery Lynne Ausman Veronica Glass Jeni Jenkins Michelle Dillingham Samantha Groark Margo Pierce Paul Kopp Jeremy Flannery Michael Henson David Heitfield Valerie Fessler Corey Gibson Jeni Jenkins Saad Ghosn Lew Moores Larry Gross Eli Braun Jesse Call Aimie Willhoite Anthony Williams Vinit Murthy Jon Hughes Lynn Baker Jeremy Flannery Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF 3CDC Aimie Willhoite Andy Au Anthony Williams Arts & Poetry Cincinnati College Corey Gibson David Heitfield Drop Inn Center Eli Braun Facebook Gregory Flannery Hamilton County Howard Zinn Jeni Jenkins Jeremy Flannery Jesse Call Jon Hughes Kobe Bryant Larry Gross Lew Moores Lynn Baker Lynne Ausman Margo Pierce Marijuana Mark Painter Michael Henson Michelle Dillingham Over-the-Rhine Panhandler Paul Kopp poverty Rebellion Saad Ghosn Samantha Groark Students United Nations Valerie Fessler Veronica Glass Vinit Murthy