22 10 291 https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/3e02878c1c95c0be2b45d89d04e2e678.pdf 6e6f1a5bdd1a69afd57e35fb8e8d15e1 PDF Text Text M ay 5th - M ay 18th 2017 | Vol. 20 Issue 36 (No. 355) advocating justice | Building community Rapidly in, rapidly out: the struggle to keep up with Rapid Rehousing rent payments| 3 This issue sponsored by (Retired) Judge Mark P. Painter INSIDE THIS ISSUE Border Stories: The Meaning of Ritual | 8 Enviormental protection in Jeopardy| 3 Not Country for All| 5 The Art of Healing | 9 Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 LOCAL From the Director: Moving Forward JOSH SPRING A Executive Director home is considered affordable when the rent or mortgage plus the monthly cost of utilities are no greater than thirty percent of the household’s monthly income. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has stated that in our region the fair market rent for a twobedroom apartment is $806 a month. The minimum wage in Ohio is $8.15 an hour. $806 a month or $9,672 annually is thirty percent of $32,240 annually. Without considering taxes and utility cost, at minimum wage a person would have to work 76 hours every week of the year to afford a two-bedroom apartment at fair market rent on minimum wage. The report, “Housing Affordability in Hamilton County” recently released by the Community Building Institute (CBI) and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) shows that we have a shortage of 40,019 homes affordable to households at zero to thirty percent of the area median income. Another way of looking at this is to say that 55,600 households at zero to thirty percent of the area median income are trying to fit into 15,581 homes affordable to them. This is an alarming number, but it is not surprising to us or our directservice member organizations. The lack of affordable housing and the housing instability of so many leads to our shelters for families and children having to turn away at least 70% of the families who seek shelter. This of course does not consider the families who do not call because they know the shelters are regularly full. Our community’s shelter for people aged 18 through 24 reports that they have been full since they opened, they are regularly having to turn people away. Our local shelter for women operates over-capacity almost continuously. Our men’s shelter is seeing recordbraking numbers of people. During winter months, our lowest barrier single adult shelter saw over 400 people on a variety of nights; this is the highest number ever recorded in our city’s history in this one shelter. M a y 5 - M a y 18 , 2 0 17 | N o . 35 5 In addition to all of this, street outreach workers report increasing numbers of single adults, youth, and families with children living outside. It is abundantly clear that the need is great and increasing. Probably 20% of our children in Cincinnati Public Schools will experience homelessness this school year. Whereas the primary and foundational solution is to preserve and build affordable housing, the opposite has been happening to a greater extent. The number of affordable homes has decreased in our community because of displacement, gentrification, ignored maintenance, and funding cuts. Even though “Plan Cincinnati” calls for inclusionary zoning and an increase in affordable housing development, there is not local legislation or governmental process to make this happen. Nearly all public funds for affordable housing come from the federal or state governments and those funds have been cut repeatedly. In many cases these only fund small percentages of what is actually needed. From the public and city staff, we have heard it said that they must wait to legislatively act for the creation of affordable housing until (Continued on page 3) ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION IN JEOPARDY - WHAT CAN CITIZEN'S DO? BILL WOODS Contributing Writer I n a second Forum focused on local responses to what is going on in Washington, D.C., attention turned to the environment and the Trump Administration's negative policy toward environmental protection. D. David Altman, an attorney with expertise and years of experience in taking on major polluters on behalf of average citizens, gave his analysis of the current situation. Noting that the fight to protect the environment was with a Republican Administration and Congress, he said that it should not be a Democratic or Republican issue. Reflecting that he had taken the cases of Republican clients over the years, he remarked that if your well water is poisoned by pollutants, you don't tend to think in terms of your political persuasion. If we care about our children or grandchildren, he said, protecting the environment should unite us all. Altman emphasized the importance of the Environmental Protection Agency. The mantra from this Administration, he noted, is to get rid of bureaucratic regulations, and (Continued on page 3) 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 Writers: Josh Spring, Bill Woods, Key Beck, Dr. Mark Mussman, Michael Earl Patton, Sr. Nicole Varnerin, Steve Sunderland, Ricardo Taylor, Cleo Wombles, Stacey Hollander, Bobby Morris, Willa Denise Jones Photography/ Artwork: Alice Schnieder, Key Beck, Dr. Mark Mussman, Sr. Nicole Varnerin, Aimee Willhoite Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. David Altman speaking at the Community Issues Forum Credit: Alice Schneider THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �LOCAL We Don’t Need a Hero, We Need Equity and Cooperation No. 35 5 3 | M a y 5 - M a y 18 , 2 0 17 KEY BECK Contributing Writer I t is May, and we are in the full swing of the mayoral and city council election season. It is apparent by the many, glossy paper fliers filling my mailbox and the intrusive commercials interrupting my web series. There are three candidates running for the local mayoral office and it is pretty obvious that one candidate has more funds for campaigning than the others. It is also obvious that the candidates agree on some issues, but disagree on many more. Normally, conversations and debates would be centered on budgets, voting records, and platforms, but this year the focus is on the city manager position, the streetcar, and supporting of lowincome neighborhoods. While the streetcar debate is a red herring issue (at least from my perspective), I tend to focus on the discussions of the city manager and supporting under-resourced and marginalized neighborhoods. The discussion of a new city manager is important because the position is responsible for helping the city grow and become more vibrant. They are the administrative leader of the city, in general terms. In our current Council-Manager system, the city manager is hired by the council and mayor to implement municipal policies, supervise day-to-day operations of city departments and staff, help support effective economic development policies and practices, and supervise budgetary and JOSH SPRING (Continued from page 2) the market is ready. The problem is the market won’t be ready. Affordable housing does not generate significant profits and BILL WOODS (Continued from page 2) this message sounds good to many people. Who doesn't want to be free of needless regulations that clutter up our lives? The problem, he explained, is that E.P.A-regulations comprise the foundation for protecting the environment in this country. If current regulations are eliminated or not enforced, he warned, "the environmental protection structure collapses like a house of cards." These regulations provide the Key Beck, writerkeybeck@gmail.com Photo: Key Beck Evanston, Lower Price Hill, and other historically black neighborhoods. I am an Over-the-Rhine resident, and I appreciate some of the “care” given to the area, but I also know there are other neighborhoods who could use actual care. Care in the form of community pools and basketball courts, fully funded healthcare centers, fully funded daycare and summer programs, and affordable (dense) housing to name a few. While the debates are focused on such important issues, we as voters must be ready to do our research when we go to the polls. We must know the role of the city manager and how their decisions affect our city. We have to acknowledge that parts of our city are being ignored, and that doesn’t make us an equitable and inclusive place. And, if we are willing to do our homework, we must demand that our potential mayor does their homework also. We must challenge each candidate to explain their plan for supporting affordable housing and the future city manager. Finally, we can’t accept candidates saying they want to “unite, improve, revitalize, create” a (insert buzzword) city. We have 52 neighborhoods, each with its own history and culture. We need to support them without changing these facts. We need to respect them, and give them the tools necessary to grow for the inside out. So don’t trust any candidate wanting to save us, only trust the ones who want to work with us. financial management policies and practices. Of course this description is simplified, but these are overarching roles of the position. So the discussion of a new city manager is interesting, and especially pertinent, knowing that many people are critical of our current City Manager’s priorities. The policies and efforts that the City Manager has a direct effect on the type of well-being that our residents experience. The subject of gentrification has been current for a while now. The reinvestment into neighborhoods is great, but not if it comes at the expense of displacing people that live in them. A commonly forgotten result of a city investing solely into one singular area (developer deals, $1 building giveaways, incentive grants, etc.), is your focus becomes too myopic and the peripheral areas suffer. You focus funding and attention into an economically viable place and you forget the other neighborhoods with the same potential. We have invested so much in Over-the-Rhine that we have neglected to invest in the other areas, businesses do not choose to take on ventures that don’t generate profit. Instead they often directly or indirectly pursue ventures that generate profit at the expense of affordable housing, be it through displacement or funding allocation and because the city wants to see investment in the city, they tend to ignore direct or indirect displacement and the lack of investment in affordable housing. For us to turn the tide on homelessness the local government must legislate new ways to generate revenue for affordable housing, must legislate inclusion, prevent displacement and stand by basic human rights. rules that businesses, the public sector, and citizen must follow in order to prevent the further pollution of their surroundings, and this structure of prevention is critical to the present and future of our environment. These regs, he added, also provide the tools of enforcement that EPA officials and lawyers like himself use to take on polluters that violate the law. This is why the current effort to dismiss and to whittle away at these regulations is so potentially damaging. Altman stressed the importance of national laws with an effective EPA, because air and water pollution know no boundaries. Further, he said that the Ohio EPA is quite ineffective, and that is why he has relied on Region V of the national EPA for assistance in his environmental cases in this state. He warned of a current proposal to eliminate Region V, a step that citizens need to oppose if they want effective protection in Ohio. Once again, he alluded to his "house of cards" analogy. What can citizens do? Altman emphasized the need for community organizing, and he noted that people become engaged if they feel the issue immediately impacts their lives. Therefore, it's probably more important to approach neighbors about a local pollution threat rather than raising the issue of global warming or climate change. If we want to be successful in our efforts, concluded Altman, we must include the middle-class in our organizing. Otherwise, we are not going to have a big enough constituency to win the day. “Breakdown Stereotypes” [Editor’s note: The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition does not endorse political candidates, but we encourage our readers to pay attention to the issues and vote.] ------------------------ ------------------------ “Eradicate Misinformation” The Coalition for the Homeless provides Education and Service Programs that help to portray a more accurate and holistic picture of homelessness in Cincinnati. We believe an educated public can be a more compassionate public, willing to dedicate time and effort towards creating solutions to homelessness. The “Voice of the Homeless Speaker’s Bureau” program is made up of individuals currently experiencing homelessness or who have experienced homelessness, who share their experiences. The program is designed to put a face on homelessness and raise awareness about those struggling in our community. To schedule a speaker, contact Dr. Mark Mussman at MarkMussman@cincihomeless.org. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �4 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED M a y 5 - M a y 18 , 2 0 17 | N o . 35 5 �No. 35 5 5 LOCAL No Country For All | M a y 5 - M a y 18 , 2 0 17 DR. MARK MUSSMAN Y Staff Writer esterday, as I walked up Race Street, between 12th and13th, I saw the most odd and disturbing thing. Generally, things are pretty peaceful there but there was a squirrel and a bird engaged in a violent fight. The bird swooped down from the treetop and swiped the side of the squirrel as it ran down the trunk. The squirrel was thrown off the tree and landed on the concrete. Brushing itself off, it headed back up the tree as the bird violently swooped at it again. Why were these animals acting like this? I could only guess they were both vying for the same space. benches was apparent to many. Were they asking the mostly black bench-sitters to find a new place to gather – already regulated to the outside perimeter of the park? This is just one tree and several benches that were removed – think about the burden that housing displacement places on individuals, families, and communities. Displacement might as well be our country’s battle cry. Starting with the Native Americans, we have been displacing whole groups of people for generations – but this certainly does not make it right. Manifest Destiny is what it was called – white people who Tree Where Bird and Squirrel Fought Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman It was clear that this was a turf battle to me, but I wasn’t sure why, until I casually glanced over to Washington Park and saw another large, 100+ year-old, tree was cut into pieces on the ground. Either the squirrel or the bird was displaced from this tree, and it was causing chaos in the animal world. 3CDC, which has a lease on the park, has cut down several of the trees in Washington Park in the past year. They cite “disease” as the reason to cut them down, but I am seeing something more sinister with this last believed that they were given this land by their god (whether Christianity or Capitalism) which emboldened them to burn the forests and clear the land of people who lived here for at least 14,000 years. We had three major native-constructed earthen mounds here in downtown Cincinnati (including one on Fountain Square, now a privatized 3CDC space, not a public square) which were raised to remove the existence and record of the indigenous people. We white Americans saw no need to learn from, or even respect, the cultures of Whether they clocked out as a janitor, a server, a bartender, or even as a white collar worker, there was a place for them to stay downtown. When the Metropole was closed by 3CDC to eventually create the 21C Museum and Hotel, residents were given just mere hours to vacate the premises. Once all of them were forcibly removed from the property, downtown lost its nationally recognized designation as a diverse community – resulting in a lawsuit which brought a small settlement, but the damage had already been done, residents were removed from their homes and their neighborhood. They just gave them the boot. As they did the corner stores and the other businesses that residents relied on for their livelihood. Whether it be the elementary school, the Laundromat, or the Drop Inn Center, 3CDC’s reign of displacement is on a grand scale, and is hardly something that should be touted as a positive change in the neighborhood. Today, we are seeing massive displacement in the northern part of Over-the-Rhine. The so-called Brewery District folks are explicitly using NEP to push families out of the neighborhood by making “anonymous” complaints about minor aesthetic issues to the city. Model Group has bought dozens of properties around Findlay Market and is using different tactics to push people out, including refusing to turn the heat on during the winter in one 3CDC Displaced First Residents in Over-the-Rhine Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Displacement is occurring at a rapid pace in Over-the-Rhine, fueled by the work of 3CDC, which is deemed the city’s “preferred developer.” When they entered the neighborhood about 10 years ago, they took over the building and telling other buildings that they are at risk of being closed by the federal government. When 80+ year old women are being forced out of their homes so that developers can make money, it becomes everyone’s Tree Removed at Washington Park The Dennison Hotel is Demolished to Protect the Value of the Surface Parking Lots Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman tree that was killed. Underneath this now-gone tree, was a sanctuary of sorts for neighborhood residents and their friends to sit and enjoy the day. The benches under the tree have been removed (perhaps replaced soon?) but the effect of removing these the Native Americans. Fast forward ahead to the displacement of the people who lived in the Milner Hotel, the Dennison, the Metropole. Each of these SRO’s (single room occupancies) provided low cost housing for many of downtowns service workers. entire block on Race, between 14th and 15th. They forcibly removed the residents and claimed that displacing them was the best solution to the substandard housing they were living in. No one from 3CDC asked the residents what they wanted repaired or updated in their homes. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED issue. This is why we need everyone to join the Homeless Coalition as we assist residents who are at risk of losing their homes. If you want to know why the homicide rate is so high right now in (Continued on page 11) �6 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED M a y 5 - M a y 18 , 2 0 17 | N o . 35 5 �7 NATIONAL Rapidly in, rapidly out: the struggle to keep up with Rapid Rehousing rent payments No. 35 5 | M a y 5 - M a y 18 , 2 0 17 I f you saw Lisa Sawyer walking down the street in Pioneer Square or in her neighborhood of Greenwood, you would be forgiven for doing a double-take, for feeling a flash of recognition. Sawyer’s face enjoys a prominent spot on the website for All Home King County, the organization that implements homeless and housing policy for King County. She won Real Change Vendor of the Year in 2015, and she advocates for policies impacting homeless and low-income people. Despite her work selling the paper and pounding pavement to improve her lot and that of others, Sawyer and her boyfriend, Steven James Drogosz, have struggled to get into housing. She spent five years without a roof of her own, alternately sleeping outdoors and paying for expensive hotel stays for a respite from the cold and damp. In November 2016, all that changed. Sawyer and Drogosz received help through a rapid rehousing program they accessed through DESC, a large shelter provider in Seattle, a program meant to help people with their rent for a few months. After a year of looking, they found an apartment in Greenwood for $1,350 a month. Despite the price, they jumped on it. “If you’ve been outside so long, you want to get inside right away,” Sawyer said. Now it looks like her new home may be slipping away. Sawyer signed a lease for 10 months. The building she’s in expects to undergo refurbishment toward the end of 2017 and cannot have residents ASHLEY ARCHIBALD Courtesy of Real Change / INSP.ngo at that time. DESC paid her first and last months’ rent and move-in costs, but didn’t subsidize future months’ rental payments, leaving Sawyer and Drogosz paying the market rate. Five months into the program, it’s getting increasingly difficult for Sawyer and Drogosz, a veteran with health problems, to make ends meet. She’s already been late on rent twice. The rapid rehousing program is a short-term housing program. It comprises of housing searches, case management and financial assistance, typically lasting between three and nine months, and helps with the costs of housing. This support gives new tenants a chance to get on their feet and into selfsufficiency. The program is the darling of housing policymakers and is enshrined in Seattle’s plan to combat homelessness, Pathways Home. It has also been promoted by the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as being an efficient way to get people into housing that costs less per head than transitional housing, which is a more intensive program. Ideally, rapid rehousing programs in King County follow standards laid down in the past few months by All Home. These standards include who can get into the program and how much help clients receive. Programs funded through any of the major funders — HUD, the city of Seattle, King County or United Way — have to adhere to these standards, said Felicia Salcedo, a spokesperson for All Home. To qualify, a person or family has to be “literally homeless,” meaning they’ve been sleeping on the street, in shelters or have fled domestic violence. Once they’re in housing, the program covers the first month’s rent and move-in costs. It then tapers over the course of the next two months, first asking clients to pay 30 percent of their income toward rent in the second month and then 60 percent of their income toward rent in the third. It stays at that standard until financial assistance through the program ends. Households are reassessed every three months. The 60 percent standard is quite high — HUD considers a person or family “rent-burdened” if they pay more than 30 percent of their income toward rent. Critics of rapid rehousing tend not to be against the program, just the way that governments have begun to lean on it to solve homelessness. Although rapid rehousing works for some who have fallen on hard times and need a hand, it doesn’t necessarily work for people with longterm needs that have prevented them from getting into housing. It also relies on the private housing market, which means that landlords have to be willing to accept someone who might have a less-than-perfect rental or credit history, while also knowing that the amount of time that tenants will receive a government subsidy is limited. Compare that to a Section 8 voucher, which also leverages the private housing market, but requires that tenants pay only 30 percent of their income. Sawyer entered the rapid Dissing Cincinnati in 1828 T here is a dearth of good material about daily life in Cincinnati when it was a very young, growing city. The first settlement in the area was in 1788 and it wasn’t until General Wayne’s victory over the Indians at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794 that its success was assured. The best account I have seen is Frances Trollope’s Domestic Manners of the Americans, published in England in 1832 and based on over three years in the young United States, two of them in Cincinnati. Frances Trollope came to the United States from England with three of her children in 1828 in an attempt to improve her family’s financial situation (her husband and another son came later). She had heard that Cincinnati was a bustling and dynamic small city that would offer opportunity to an upper-class English family living on borrowed MICHAEL EARL PATTON Contributing Writer money. It didn’t work, at least as planned, nor did she enjoy her stay. But in a way it did work, because her book on her experiences became a best-seller – at least in England. This first book also showed her to be an excellent writer. By more writing she restored her family’s finances. Her book gives every appearance of being a fair and accurate criticism of Cincinnati and the United States, if from an English upper-class viewpoint. That is not to say it was well-received here; indeed just the opposite. She was excoriated and has been mostly ignored. That is unfortunate because there is a wealth of information in her book, and it is an enjoyable read. If Cincinnati remembers Mrs. Trollope at all, it is for her descriptions of the abundance of pigs in the streets and an ill-conceived bazaar to sell fancy goods. That is all I plan to say about the bazaar, but she was right to criticize us for all the pigs. At first the Trollopes stayed at a hotel, but were dismayed to find out they would have to eat with the 60 or 70 men in the dining room or the half dozen ladies in the bar-room (at that time hotels and lodging houses generally served a common meal to their guests). They rented a house of their own and discovered an apparent omission, as she relates: “We were soon settled in our new dwelling, which looked neat and comfortable enough, but we speedily found that it was devoid of nearly all the accommodation that Europeans conceive necessary to decency and comfort. No pump, no cistern, no drain of any kind, no dustman’s cart, or any other visible means of getting rid of the rubbish, which vanishes with such celerity THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED rehousing program before these standards were published. Although DESC would not speak about Sawyer’s case specifically due to privacy concerns, it’s unclear why a person in her circumstances wouldn’t get a subsidy, said Greg Jensen, a spokesperson for DESC. “The situation you’re referring to is not the norm,” Jensen explained, “We wouldn’t typically set someone up in a situation they couldn’t either sustain or transition to a situation that they could get the kind of assistance they would need to be successful.” About half of the 1,612 households that exited the program in 2016 left for housing while they were still active participants, and 61 percent were permanently housed when they finished the program. All Home calculated the average monthly income of people exiting the program once every quarter during 2016. The amounts ranged from $1,173 to $1,374 per month. That means the average household could neither afford the average monthly rent in Seattle — more than $1,800 a month — nor Sawyer’s $1,350-permonth rent. For her part, Sawyer is hanging on. DESC helped furnish her place, and she now has a kitchen and a microwave. It sounds small, but it’s the first time in a long time she’s been able to cook for herself, or have the cost-saving luxury of leftovers. Being inside, having her own place, was “totally life-changing,” she confirmed. Sawyer just hopes it doesn’t get taken away: “I feel like I don’t have any safety net at all.” ------------------------ in London, that one has no time to think of its existence, but which accumulated so rapidly in Cincinnati, that I sent for my landlord to know in what manner refuse of all kinds was to be disposed of. “’Your help will just have to fix them all into the middle of the street, but you must mind, old woman, that it is the middle. I expect you don’t know as we have got a law what forbids throwing such things at the sides of the streets; they must just all be cast right into the middle, and the pigs soon takes them off.’ “In truth the pigs are constantly seen doing Herculean service in this way through every quarter of the city; and though it is not very agreeable to live surrounded by herds of these unsavory animals, it is well they are so numerous, and so active in their capacity of scavengers, for without them the streets would soon be choked up with all sorts of substances in every stage of decomposition.” The pigs were so numerous that she said her odds of walking up Main (Continued on page 11) �8 NATIONAL Border Stories: The Meaning of Ritual SR. NICOLE VARNERIN Contributing Writer B eing a religious sister, ritual is very important in my life. And, I would suspect, that ritual is important in many lives. I don’t only mean religious ritual, but also the ritual of what I do each day, the self-care rituals I engage in, and the social rituals that keep me grounded. I have learned that having certain rituals enhance my experience of life and keep me sane. This year, Holy Week and Easter were full of new (and old) experiences of ritual. I have always enjoyed learning about and experiencing other cultures. My parents raised me on tum yum goon, Indian curry, and tabbouleh – none of which are a part of my heritage. They enjoy trying new things and teaching my sisters and me to do the same. Of course we love our Italian comfort food too, but the value of respectfully learning from other cultures was instilled in me from a young age. My father taught me how to observe before participating and my mother taught me how to throw my whole self into the experience. So you can imagine how thrilled I am to be immersed in the sub-culture of the Rio Grande Valley. The highlight for me was Santa Viernes, Good Friday. I have always loved the somber atmosphere of Good Friday which gives me a chance to reflect on God’s love for me. This year, a new ritual allowed me to walk with Jesus in a whole new way. At 2pm, a small crowd gathered at a park near the church. Leading the pack was a wooden cross carried by a teenage boy dressed as Jesus. A girl dressed as Veronica, complete with a veil bearing the face of Jesus, walked beside him. We processed through the streets, singing and praying el viacrucis, the Way of the Cross. I felt like the women of Jerusalem, following Jesus in the streets as he showed us how much he would suffer in the name of the justice he stood for. As we arrived at the church we prayed the last station and entered the church in silence. The culture here is an expressive culture, and I appreciated the ability to express my sorrow for the suffering of the world and to physically see God’s love for us in his actions. Later that day, after the passion play put on by the children of the parish, I participated in yet another new-to-me ritual. We gave our condolences to Mary. The idea is to give condolences to Mary on the occasion of her son’s death, just as you would with a friend. We said a special rosary that led us to meditate on times Mary had to let go of her son and watch him do God’s work. It was touching to watch mothers, who have to let go of their own children, meditate on what it must have been like for Mary to do the same. Feet in Water Credit: Credit: Sr. Nicole Varnerin The carrying of the cross during Easter procession Credit: Credit: Sr. Nicole Varnerin M a y 5 - M a y 18 , 2 0 17 | N o . 35 5 About a week after Easter, I had the opportunity to participate in a Mayan cleansing ritual called a temazcal. Unlike the other rituals, this one did not have a familiar basis for me. I had no idea what to expect and I was not given much description ahead of time. The ritual cleanses body and spirit, inside and out. One participant described it as going into the womb of the earth. The whole ritual reverences nature and thanks the elements and mother earth for the gifts of healing. Before the ritual, a small hut with a tiny door flap is built and a fire is lit to heat the stones at the bottom of the wood. I loved the reverent preparation. Each person was blessed with a type of incense before entering and I was asked to pray “for my relationships” with my forehead to the earth at the entrance of the temazcal. Once all were inside, “hombre fuego” dug some rocks out of the fire and delivered them to a hole in the ground at the center of the hut. We welcomed each rock with “Bienvenido abuelita!” (welcome grandma in English). Once the door was closed, water with different herbs were poured on the rocks to create steam and an incredibly hot room. The door was opened four times and each time, more rocks were added and a different herb was infused in the water. The first two doors felt like being enveloped by a car on a hot day. The heat was comforting and cleansing. The third door was so hot that I had to lay down. I left with the fourth door because I had reached my limit. After the ritual I was doused by cold hose water to close my pores and shock me back to normal. After the ritual I felt energized and at peace. Inside I was disoriented, but once I emerged and was doused with water, I was somehow more present. Even though I hardly knew the names of most of the 19 people participating in the temazcal, I somehow felt bonded to them after our mutual experience. There is wisdom to rituals, no matter what tradition they come from. And opening myself to these new experiences has been invaluable. The final ritual I engaged in this Easter is one I am quite familiar with. I have a ritual of taking a quiet day once a week if possible. This time I spent the day at a local retreat center near the Gulf of Mexico. A blanket of quiet covered the place as I encountered wildlife and the tangible presence of peace. At the end of the day I drove the five miles out to the retreat center’s private beach on the gulf. How exhilarating it was to be consumed by water! No matter what ritual it was, each one helped me to live in the present moment and get a taste of this newto-me culture. What a blessing to be able to learn from others! ------------------------ Easter procession Credit: Credit: Sr. Nicole Varnerin THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �NATIONAL The art of healing: facing bipolar using abstract art photography No. 35 5 9 | M a y 5 - M a y 18 , 2 0 17 RANYA FORGOTSON Courtesy of The Curbside Chronicle / INSP.ngo H ow did you get into photography? I went through a period where I couldn’t leave the house, I was so depressed. I went to counseling and the guy said, “You need to find something you can do, walk out your front door and just go do.” And so, I started taking pictures. It was just such a release to do that. Dealing with bipolar, the worst part is when you have anxiety and you can’t get out of your anxiety – it just won’t go away. Then having something to do, it just helps. It helped me get to the point where I could get out of the house. It was like a therapy for myself to get out and do it. All photos by Chazzi Davis All photos by Chazzi Davis How long have you been diagnosed with Bipolar disorder? Well, I didn’t know I had it at first. I used to work and have a house, and a nice car and a nice truck, and a wife and a dog and kids. Over a six-month period, something hit me, and I just couldn’t function. I could not get up and go. And I couldn’t see what was happening to me. And it ended up where I lost everything. How long ago was this? Twenty years. It happened in 1999. But the loss was so traumatic that I haven’t ever really recovered. It’s just like, I go up and down and up and down. But I have realized: you become self-aware after so long. And I think what hurt me was, the people who loved me could not understand what was happening to me. Here’s this successful guy that goes “plop.” And they had no clue. It took me five years to accept being bipolar. It was like, “I wanna be normal, I wanna be normal.” Now, I connect with it. I accept I’m not gonna be normal. What was it like being diagnosed? I can’t explain what it’s like when you lose everything. That feeling of knowing where I used to live, and the smell of a nice car, those feelings of Christmas. All that’s not going At first I said, I don’t want to get on pills like Prozac and antidepressants and stuff. Going back through time, I’d listen now. Without my medicine, my mind goes a thousand miles an hour. I don’t know how to stop myself sometimes. My mom tells me now when I’m needing help. She’s awesome. If it weren’t for her, I’d have probably given up. I came out of the mental hospital homeless. She was like, why don’t we move in together? So now, I live with my mom. You said you started doing photography as way to get out of the house. How long were you cooped up, do you remember? It would be, oh, months and months. And I had my family, my kids crying, “Dad, you gotta get out of this room.” And I would go outside, but I’d go right back in. It was just depression. When your mind’s constantly going, “Your life’s over, man. You ain’t never getting out.” That’s why I love Curbside so much. All photos by Chazzi Davis to be my life anymore. It’s like I’m disjointed from life. Like, I’m over here and they’re over there and I can’t get back. But… when you find yourself in hell, keep on going. That’s all you can do. You don’t know what’s wrong with you. I remember saying to my wife, “I don’t know what’s wrong.” I regret that I put my wife and family through the things I did. I do remember her saying, “Something’s not right with you. You’re extremely stressed out.” I mean, I was in a bad mood all the time. I wish I’d listened. That’s another thing about mental illness, it’s like your ears are plugged up. All photos by Chazzi Davis THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED I can do it on my good days. I usually wait until I have to, but that’s just the procrastinator in me. That’s the motivator: I have to pay this bill. And it’s working out. With my mom, I’ve gone from paying the internet and the auto insurance, now I’m paying the electric bill. It saves our lives. I live in fear of us being on the streets, but Curbside helps with that because it’s something I can handle. I sell on the corner and think about where I used to work. And I feel happier here than I did up there. Because of the stress and all, I just couldn’t handle it. And I tried to fight my way through it, but (Continued on page 11) All photos by Chazzi Davis �10 LOCAL JUSTICE DENIED, SOCIETY THREATENED STEVE SUNDERLAND "W here justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob, and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe."--Frederick Douglass The attack on the poor's healthcare continues with new cuts in Medicaid insurance ordered by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Poor people, just now awakening to the realization that healthcare can improve their lives and the lives of their families, will be deterred from getting critical insurance. Bombing healthcare provisions has the same effect as bombing people and buildings: people will unnecessarily die, suffer, and be frightened about their future. Citizens at many town hall meetings, largely middle class people, are outraged at their Congressional representative's attempt to explain why less benefits, fewer choices of physicians and hospitals, and the abolition of prevention results in "better care." Contributing Writer The American poor are being joined by the American Middle Class in protesting changes in healthcare that are ridiculous for any person who wants to feel secure about their health. Protests have been the order of the day, whether at local, state or national rallies. The Congress has heard and backed off a sad and destructive bill to replace the Affordable Care Act. But Trump is not finished: choking the ACA to death can happen through arbitrary and undiscussed rule changes. Simultaneous with the attack on the poor, are efforts to widen access to healthcare for everyone. Physician groups, Hospital Groups, and Citizen Groups are joining together to both resist major changes and to rethink just how the healthcare system can be improved for those at highest risk. It is hoped that this effort will continue despite the new rules and the old attitude that healthcare cannot be a right for everyone. In Cincinnati, the Cancer Justice Network, an organization of 25 agencies that serve the poor in the city and Hamilton County, have come together to step up the healthcare services to the poor. Using a new health role, "navigators," the Cancer Justice Network is going to churches, community centers, and schools where poor people and their families attend. Our goal is singular: we want everyone who is concerned that they may have cancer to get a screening and a timely treatment. Thanks to far-looking grants from Easter Seals and the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center, Molina Insurance, Christ Church Cathedral, Congregation of St. Joseph, Academy of Medicine, and the Woodward Trust, we are creating a transportation process that "navigates" any low income citizen, aged person, or person with disabilities, to and from cancer prevention healthcare. Normally, the high risk population we are working with has too many transportation obstacles to get to either a screening and or regular treatments. Not being knowledgeable about insurance provisions for transportation or Medicaid stipulations, the person with cancer may give up and choose to use their limited funds for housing, or food, or some recreation for their children. Removing transportation hurdles, accompanying the person to and from their health provider, starts a process that could lead 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 M a y 5 - M a y 18 , 2 0 17 | N o . 35 5 to overcoming cancer in our community. The process can break down at any time if there is an emergency in the person's life or if they are unsure what to do when they have an urgent medical need. Often people do not have a doctor, do not know how to access the Emergency Room, and sadly have had experiences of being humiliated by healthcare professionals. Our navigators are offering a different kind of relationship: we will go with the person and make sure that the healthcare is outstanding and we will help people negotiate the maze of cancer care and of the local transportation systems. When we have shared this opportunity with people at church meetings or in community centers, we are often met with disbelief: "Why would you do this for me? What do you get out of helping me?" Suspicions connected to prior experiences tend to dominate even when we have face to face meetings with kind and down to earth physicians. Yet, every time we find courageous people who are willing to risk a first step with our navigators, although many people have a change of mind. The power of the anti-poor culture can win out and persuade people that what we are sharing may be a scam. "Who helps the poor?," they seem to say with their behavior of missing appointments. (Continued on page 11) �No. 35 5 | M a y 5 - M a y 18 , 2 0 17 DR. MARK MUSSMAN (Continued from page 5) Cincinnati, (higher than that of Chicago even), perhaps you need to look no further than displacement. When people are displaced from their block, whether their housing or their outdoor marketplace, they are forced MICHAEL EARL PATTON (Continued from page 7) Street without brushing by a pig snout were 500 to 1. Her walks were often curtailed by immense droves of pigs which were continually arriving from the country along the same road that led to most of her favorite walks. A bigger threat to tranquility came from the construction of a slaughterhouse after she moved to the countryside village of Mohawk about a mile and a half from town (Mohawk has long since been incorporated into Cincinnati). When she asked if this might be considered a nuisance in a residential area, she was told that hogs were profitable and we Americans were too free for laws banning things because of the smell. She thought that Main Street was the only street that was entirely paved and that it was decently surfaced with brick. But Cincinnati at that time had no drains in the streets, which was all the more remarkable because the RANYA FORGOTSON (Continued from page 9) couldn’t. How long have you been taking photos? It’s been two or three years. I really got into it in the last year and a half or so. My uncle moved in with us, and he had to go through cancer. That was horrible. But that was a major motivation. That’s when it really kicked in, when he died. He kept saying, “Do something with your life. It’s not over. Look at me, I’m dying. I want to trade places.” When I go out to take a picture, it comes so easy to me. I feel like I have to struggle at everything else. There’s sort of a psychedelic element to your work. Well, I was raised by hippies. I like to take photography and edit it to make it look different – bring out stuff that’s a little bit abnormal. That ain’t the way it looks normally, but that’s the way it made me feel. I take the photo and then try to make it resemble how I felt when I took the picture. Does experiencing bipolar, play into your photography? I think so. If I’m in a negative place mentally, this is like a relief STEVE SUNDERLAND (Continued from page 10) We know that our process of helping will be a slow one but we are basing our work on the pioneering efforts of Harold Freeman, MD. Freeman, facing high death rates from his patients who came too late for treatment, created a program of community navigators that could NATIONAL 11 to enter into someone else’s turf, and as direct competitors, they shoot it out. People are so callous in this community to cheer when someone dies of a drug overdose, or to point out a shooting victim’s arrest record, but they are silent when it comes to understanding structural racism and the growing violence of displacement. Just as the bird and the squirrel are fighting it out right now, we have lost our collective home in Over-theRhine. We can not simply put the onus of ending the violence on those who are involved in the underground economy – we must dismantle the racist drug war and protect families from displacement. We need stronger tenant protections and an affordable housing trust fund to ensure that future generations have a chance and our family tree isn’t cut down because someone with power deems it “diseased.” heavy showers make them necessary and the slope to the river would make their construction easy. Instead the showers washed the “filth” from the higher streets to the lower, where it was deposited in the first level spot. (Note: Cincinnati has long had sewers, but there are still problems in heavy rains. Mrs. Trollope would probably not be surprised.) She wrote that everyone in Cincinnati pursued money above all and were not distracted by art, science, learning, or pleasure. Indeed, she described Cincinnati as a city that did not make any attempt at beauty in its buildings with the exception of a few churches. There were no public gardens. As for amusements, no city had fewer than Cincinnati. Billiards and cards were forbidden by law. There were no public balls except for a few around Christmas and Washington’s birthday. There were neither concerts nor dinner parties. There was a theater, but few attended it. Although she enjoyed spending time in the forests or rowing on the Ohio, Cincinnatians generally did not. The only time she observed us enjoying the countryside was eating strawberries and cream at a garden about 3 miles from town. She wrote that the strawberries were “tolerable” but the cream was not. She was bothered by that, with the exception of dancing (done only by unmarried men and women), all the enjoyments of men were done in the absence of women – dining, playing cards (although banned in the city itself), having musical meetings, and parties. At the Washington birthday ball, the men dined in a large room of the hotel. The women, on the other hand, sat down on a row of chairs against the wall of the ball room, each one making a table for her plate with her knees. When she asked why, she was told the men like it better that way. She thought that this extreme separation of the sexes contributed to the generally uncouth behaviors of men, especially chewing tobacco and spitting. She wrote that trespassing, robbery, and even murder are often committed without fear of the law. If a criminal found a place getting “too hot to hold him,” he only had to travel a few miles west. Although we did not hold to the English idea of aristocracy, she observed a class distinction between merchants and “mechanics” or skilled workmen, even when they are equally prosperous. She could not understand our non-stop election campaigning. This last comment would still hold true today. She had trouble hiring servants, saying that American girls would rather work in a paper mill than for twice what she would pay them as servants. Eventually she hired a woman from France and an English girl. For a while a slave woman from Kentucky came over once a week to help clean, which I found interesting because Ohio was a free state and there were many free because I can make something happen that’s beautiful. It’s better than negative thoughts. That’s why I try to show positive images, because I’m constantly consumed by negative. Making the beautiful out of the weird. And has the photography helped with the negative thoughts? Oh, yeah. Because instead of being a negative jerk, I’m out there like, “Let me take a picture of this weed that I’ll make beautiful!” So, my mind’s preoccupied. I’m not focused on the negative. What do you use to edit your photos? I use a simple editing website. Some of my better ones, I spend hours on them. And sometimes, I’ll just delete it because I can’t do anything with the damn picture. But most of them, I see what it’s going to be when I take the photo. And the point is to make it look kind of abstract. I want people to ask, “What is it?” Like abstract art. I like taking everyday things and playing with their color and texture. What is your favorite part about photography? The walks. Going for walks. And when people say, “Wow!” When your family says “Wow,” you’re kinda like, “Hmm.” But when somebody who doesn’t know you says, “Wow,” you’re like, “Yeah!” That’s a good feeling, you know? I’ve always been creative, I just couldn’t find the place to do it, a place to let it out. But this just sort of dropped in my hands, and I’m glad it did. How often do you go out and do photography? A couple of times a week. Early mornings are best. What do you want people to get from your images? That everything can be beautiful, even small things that we overlook every day like weeds. You don’t see that perspective very much. I try and bring that out with my photos. I just want to keep creating stuff with it. It’s not always going to be cool, but it’s fun. It’s a way to distract myself. The thing about being bipolar is you dwell. Just little stuff, stupid stuff. And you have to be aware of that. What I’ve noticed about depression and anxiety is that as long as you take baby steps out of it and you’re willing to fight your way out of it, you can get out of it. And photography is part of my escape. How does it feel to have experienced mental illness but to have a better handle on it now? It’s empowering to know that I can get up and work when I’m ready to. To know that Curbside’s there for me. If you go through a period where at night you’re thinking about suicide, but you can wake up in the morning and say I’m still rolling. That was a big problem for me – just keeping going. Each year that goes by, I get stronger and stronger. And hopefully one day, I’ll be able to pass it on. What are some misconceptions about mental health that you wish people knew? Here’s something I want people to know: IQ has nothing to do with mental illness. People think, “You’re smart, you can’t be mentally ill.” But that’s not how it works. I feel like you can be sick and healthy at the same time. You can ride the roller coaster without the world ending. If I could give anything to any other person that’s bipolar, it would be that. Do you think you’ll do photography for a while? I think I’ll do it for the rest of my life. It’s my motivator. bring people to him much sooner in their cancer. In five years, Freeman's program reversed the death statistics: most people survived their cancer. We are following this program in Cincinnati because minorities have the highest death rate from cancer in Ohio. The Cancer Justice Network is the only program that navigates high risk populations to and from healthcare while empowering people to take more control over their healthcare. Largely made up of volunteers, we attend church dinners, meetings at community centers, and programs where the poor come for help. Our navigators are saying that there are more choices for life than death if we seize the chance to get an exam and treatment. We know we have a difficult job to convince people who have been excluded from healthcare, stigmatized by the media, and now facing certain cuts in their essential healthcare. We are determined to make progress by taking time with people, listening to their fears, and, with navigators, going the extra mile to compassionate healthcare. This is what we mean by justice for everyone. Please go to our website for more information: cancerjusticenetwork.org THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED (Continued on page 13) �12 LOCAL Getting down like you live M a y 5 - M a y 18 , 2 0 17 | N o . 35 5 RICARDO TAYLOR Contributing Writer & Streetvibes Distributor ‘T he inversion of a statement holds many more jewels then the first perception.’ In the manner of life, we hold, and of course, behold more; many and different concepts/perceptions of our existence! The idea or perhaps best suited for you, the reality of an existence depends on your learning’s and experience. One generally has to start with their sense of value or worthiness as far as the successes they desire in life. One cannot just live like they get down, they have to get down like they live! Accepting whatever I can get! Ah! You invented that in your mind! That’s a refusal, allowing me to earn what I perceive, as if that’s life’s limit! It is so easy to become discouraged by things we sometimes don’t succeed at, and so, we often throw our hands up in surrender. Credit: Aimee Willhoite Accepting life as it is, taking whatever comes. Living like we get down! Our reality is stymied by the moment, and the blindness sets in! We become single focused; tomorrow brings what it will; I’m good for now! Absurd! Once your thinking is marred, it no longer makes a difference! Ah! You start to live like you get down, instead of getting down like you live! Cleo's Corner CLEO WOMBLES L Contributing Writer & Streetvibes Distributor ast summer I started making balloon animals when I sell a paper. I give them to people for free. They’re fun to make and it’s fun to see the expression’s on people’s faces. I do it just to do something different and stand out among people. I’ve been having a lot of fun doing this and seeing people smile and their kids When you just go with the flow nothing changes it’s a life of stagnation, you struggle for change, searching for that idea of what you can do to learn to get down, so that you can change your circumstance. It becomes…oh, what am I to do? I want to get down like I live! So what am I to do? First and foremost, we have to have a plan, or something equivalent to that. Next we have to have the fortitude to execute the drive, towards our wants and needs, and then we begin. Living like you get down, suggest what your needs might be at the present, with no call for later. Hmm; let me see! Living from day to day always brings about different needs and wants, based on necessity of the moment. The need for change or some relief is constant, and therefore it becomes extreme to know which direction to take in order to come to laugh. From 11 am to about 12:50pm at lunch time people begin to know me and even have discussions with me on the corner of 4th Street and Walnut. Really, it’s just being able to engage with people and to draw their attention. I like to do things like this especially on days that are sunny and there’s good weather. Some days seem longer than others, but you do what you can with what you have. By at least 5:30 I always go home. We are people just like you STACEY HOLLANDER F Contributing Writer & Streetvibes Distributor ollow for me a day and put your feet in my shoes and let me show you what you will experience. One particular time I was sitting on the church steps flying my sign and some group of people told me to put the crack pipe Fear BOBBY MORRIS W Contributing Writer & Streetvibes Distributor hat is Fear? For me Fear is (2) things: 1. A crippling emotion that keeps me from growing and facing life’s challenges. 2. It’s a motivator, fear at times motivates me to do things that I ordinarily wouldn’t do. It’s the crippling fear that has in the past and sometimes the present that won’t allow me to move forward. For instance, asking for help when I am stuck in a situation that is new and unknown to me. The most recent event I can share would be living alone in my own place. The fear of supporting myself without the help of my family is crippling. I’ve never been on my own and today I am working toward that goal. It’s scary. What if I find myself unable to make ends meet? What if being alone in my apartment becomes boring and I start thinking that my old life wasn’t bad, let me go back to that. That’s allowing fear to stop me from moving forward. So I have been looking at this fear as a motivator. I’m scared. Yes, but look at the independence I am striving for. As a teenager being independent was a dream. I can’t let this fear stop me from attaining that goal. down and they threw food at me. I also remember people telling me to get a job and they took my sign Fear is a four letter word that has brought many people to their knees in defeat. I won’t let this be my story! I will be one of the champions of fear. Being fearful is not a bad thing it’s just another emotion of many that I struggle with by being human. It’s not a negative emotion, it’s just an emotion. Wouldn’t it be great to only feel joy? And happiness? A wonderful dream. But in the end it’s just that, a dream. I like how writing has become a way for me to face my fears. At night or even throughout the day. I write, and fear motivates this writing. I fear if I don’t write my thoughts and feelings on a daily basis I will be headed for failure. Again there’s that fear. Fear of failure. Failing is and always has been a part of my life and those failures are my motivators, my lessons to be learned. Who knew that taking the fear of failure and turning THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED any sense of success in your efforts. So the question arises, what do I need to do to get down like I want to live? Here is where our inversion of the statement ‘live like you get down, or get down like you live’ comes to the place of pure selection of jewels! That crossroad where we have to decide if we will continue to live like get down or get down like we live? Ah! The reality that there has to be change is more than a mere notion, there is only one direction! Let’s get down like we live! Whatever you may want or need is possible you just have to make it a reality! So it may cost a bit yet, what do you have to lose? When the decision is made to get down like we live we soon start to see changes in our lives. Changes in our thinking, changes in our actions, and of course changes in our lives! Of course there has to be a plan of action and some prospect of realizing fruition of those plans. Fortitude is the essence so that the oftentimes extremes in lifestyle doesn’t frustrate us. Taking from the motto of AA its one step at a time! It is at this junction that we have the magic of inversion… we can learn to ‘Get down like we live instead of Live like we get down. Well, at least I’ve been a lot better than I was. I used to be homeless but by doing things right and I believe by prayer now I’m just taking it one day at a time. I am bipolar and suffer from PSTD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) I have shelter in permanent supportive housing with other people. But at least I can call it home now. For now, this is all I have to say. So God Bless Everybody! and said very hurtful things. I have been around of people experiencing homelessness who got pissed on, spit on or they would beat us up. Just because we are homeless doesn’t mean we are targets. Beat up on someone else. Leave us alone. We are people just like you. We have feeling too!!! it into a positive, would help me to do awesome things I never thought possible? I’m a champion of Fear every day I wake up and do the right thing for the right reasons. I am a champion of Fear when I walk into my job as the new guy and give and honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. This may seem small to some of you, but for a man like me who struggled with doing the right thing for the right reason it’s a miracle, a Blessing from God! Fear no longer has as tight of a grip on me as it used to. Fear is not my enemy; fear is my contender. It’s what I battle each and every day and so far, the war still wages and battles are still yet to be fought. I have my Armor, I have my Shield, I have my Sword. But most importantly, I HAVE MY “GOD”. “Fear! Come get some!!” �No. 35 5 | M a y 5 - M a y 18 , 2 0 17 STREET VOICE TRUMP'S FIRST 100-DAYS So let us start to count the ways To judge Trump's first 100-days. The Donald has a predilection To take us in the wrong direction. He's left his Populism in the ditch By proposing tax cuts for the rich. Tweeting a lot of personal derision, He seems hell bent to create division. He has environmentalists in despair By axing regs that protect the air. Immigrants are his big scapegoat, And he rants they all illegally vote. All this stuff may cause us to curse. The problem is it could get worse. BILL WOODS Contributing Writer 13 MICHAEL EARL PATTON (Continued from page 11) Blacks in Cincinnati. She wrote that it was “more than petty treason to the republic to call a free citizen a servant.” Perhaps – and this is my own thought -- young women associated servant work with slavery and that made it so difficult for her to find help. Later, after Mrs. Trollope returned to England and began her writing career, she would write an anti-slavery novel that helped inspire Harriet Beecher Stowe to write her own novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Mrs. Trollope was not all about negatives. She was impressed by our practice of moving wooden houses to new locations to make room for an improved one of brick as the city expanded and grew. The largest one she saw moved was two stories of four rooms each, pulled by forty oxen. The beef and poultry bought at the market were excellent (no word about the pork). She noted that there are no butcher shops, nor any shops for food except the bakeries. Everything else must be bought at the market. Eggs, butter, and vegetables were generally good and moderately priced. Fruits were inferior to those in England, which she thought might be due to the climate. All in all, a most worthwhile read. I cannot relate everything that I thought interesting in one article. Nor in two articles, but I need to point out her observations on how we followed the Declaration of Independence where it says “all men are created equal.” I plan for that to be my next article. MISTAKEN CONTROL TO HAVE CONTROL OVER ONESELF AND WELL BEING IS ENOUGH TO HAVE CONTROL OVER OTHERS LIVING HABITS NOW THAT’S JUST TOO MUCH STUFF TO HAVE THE CHOICES AND A CHANCE TO VOTE WHETHER RIGHT OR WRONG TO HAVE THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN THIS FREE LAND WAS NOT THAT A SONG TO HAVE CONTROL OVER WHAT I DESIRE TO SWITHCH OFF AND ON TO HAVE THE BELIEF THAT INSPITE OF MY PAST MY LIFE IS NOT ALL GONE TO HAVE TRIED TO LEAVE MY PAST BEHIND WHERE I HAD NO CONTROL TO HAVE FOUND A PLACE TO LIVE, HERE COMES CONGRESS LORD HAVE MERCY ON MY SOUL! TO SEE SO MANY CHANGES NEW APARTMENTS, PARKING LOTS ALL LOOKING REAL GOOD TO BE AROUND TO SEE ALL THE PEOPLE RICH, POOR AND THE HOMELESS STILL BEING MISUNDERSTOOD TO REMEMBER WHEN I WAS HOMELESS HOW I OFTEN PLEADED TO GO TO JAIL TO GET OFF THE STREET TO KNOW THAT JAIL WAS WHERE I COULD GO TO EAT AND SLEEP ALL FOR FREE I COULDN’T BEAT TO TAKE AWAY HOUSING, RAISING RENT, LOWERING FOOD STAMPS I JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND TO KNOW FOR SURE, THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD HAVE MISTAKEN CONTROL AND IT’S WIDE SPREAD ALL OVER THE LAND…. WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �14 PUZZLES M a y 5 - M a y 18 , 2 0 17 | N o . 35 5 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 124 Across 1. Smell 6. Discharged a debt 10. Written leave of absence 14. Mature 15. Skin condition 16. Plant with fleshy spiny leaves 17. Spotless 18. Small bunch or bundle 19. Noisy 20. Hair dye 21. Distribute playing cards 23. Country, initially 24. Part of the mouth 27. Trampled 29. Progenitor 34. Also 35. Subject or object, can be common or proper 36. Talon 38. Optical device 42. Civil wrong 43. Custom 45. Unaccompanied 46. Neutral 48. Rend 49. At the summit 50. Wonderment 52. Barren 54. Sobbing 58. Pig pen 59. An evil spell 60. Adhesive 62. A roughly built hut 67. Part of the eye 69. Small island 71. Keepsake or souvenir 72. Storage tower 73. Remain 74. Strike out 75. Acute or sharp 76. Voice quality 77. Regenerate Down 1. Curved shape 2. Irritate 3. Overt 4. Miserly 5. Chronological account of events 6. Animal foot 7. Corrosive material 8. Gusset 9. Leave 10. Buddy 11. Not silently 12. Cook in a marinade 13. A closed litter for one passenger 22. Closed circuit 25. Strong, restless desire 26. Arctic or Antarctic regions 28. Vertical back fin 29. Not in favor of 30. Midday SODOKU PUZZLE NO 254 - MEDIUM 31. Remedy 32. Ensnare 33. Overzealous 37. Married women 39. Scintilla 40. Gambling machine 41. Move around slowly and aimlessly 44. Evaluate 47. Small branch 51. Join the military 53. Marine mollusk 54. Mixer 55. Strange and frightening 56. Expatriate 57. Zest 61. Flair 63. Opening or perforation 64. Similar in quality or character 65. Yield 66. Had experience of 68. Male offspring 70. Center of a storm PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 350 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 123 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 253- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 35 5 RESOURCES | M a y 5 - M a y 18 , 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 y 5 - M a y 18 , 2 0 17 | N o . 35 5 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. 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For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2017 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource May 5-May 18, 2017 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From the Director Environmental Protection in Jeopardy Pg 3: We Don’t Need a Hero, We Need Equity and Cooperation Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: No Country for All Pg 6: GCHC Pg 7: Rapidly In, Rapidly Out Pg 8: Border Stories Pg 9: The Art of Healing Pg 10: Justice Denied, Society Threatened Pg 11: Dr. Mark Mussman Continued Michael Earl Patton Continued Pg 12: Getting Down Like You Live 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 May 5-May 18, 2017 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Bill Woods Key Beck Dr. Mark Mussman Michael Earl Patton Sr. Nicole Varnerin Steve Sunderland Ricardo Taylor Cleo Wombles Stacey Hollander Bobby Morris Willa Denise Jones Alice Schnieder Aimee Willhoite Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Aimee Willhoite Alice Schnieder Bill Woods Bipolar Bobby Morris Border Stories Cincinnati Cleo Wombles Dr. Mark Mussman Environment Environmental Issues Josh Spring Key Beck mental illness Michael Earl Patton Photography Ricardo Taylor Sr. Nicole Varnerin Stacey Hollander Steve Sunderland Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/4e0ca3a6376dc269a263fd69c61303e3.pdf a900d3069df543ec600f9090c74e57d1 PDF Text Text M ay 6th - M ay 19th 2016 | Vol. 20 Issue 10 (No. 329) advocating justice | Building community On Notice: Loss in OTR | 5 This issue sponsored by (Retired) Judge Mark P. Painter INSIDE THIS ISSUE Civil Disobedience Pioneer on $20 Bill | 3 Are We Really Serious About Addressing Poverty? | 4 How Seattle helps drug users instead of punishing them | 8 An update on the Alms Hills Apartments | 2 Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 LOCAL From the Director: Join the Homeless Coalition JOSH SPRING S Executive Director oon we will be initiating our annual membership drive. This is when our many member-organizations renew and new organizations join. The Homeless Coalition is in its 32nd year and has a long history of consistency, diligence and commitment to people experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness and the organizations directly bringing services to them. Our mission is to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati and Hamilton County and we know it is possible. We work hard to educate the general public about homelessness so as to build empathy and action. We publish important stories and information you won’t see in the commercial media and people earn an income and meet each other in the process. We May 6 - May 19, 2016 | No. 329 promote our member organizations and bring them together to discuss the future of our efforts. We organize people experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness to create legislation, change societal norms, save housing and create economic justice. We plan to exist until we are no longer needed. If you or your organization has a mission that matches ours, please join us. We know that our strength is in our people. To join, contact Leslie Moorhead, Director of Development at lesliemoorhead@cincihomelss.org. ------------------------ An update on the Alms Hills Apartments WILLIAM FINN 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 Contributing Writer Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 D uct tape lines the cracks and crevices inside Terri Williams residence at 2525 Victory Parkway in Walnut Hills- everything from small cracks in the baseboard to gaps in the kitchen cabinet doors and even the vents for the heating ducts. “I have tape all over my house” said Williams, 45, “because I can't stand bugs.” Williams moved into The Alms Hills apartments almost 6 years ago and since PF Holdings LLC of Lakewood, N.J. purchased the building in June of 2013 and others like it in Cincinnati. Since then, she and other residents say the living conditions within the building have steadily declined. Water damage from a prior leak in another apartment has been untouched as mold grows in the walls of her bathroom. Just down the hallway, the ceiling fell down months ago as a resident was exiting her apartment. The ceiling was replaced, yet leaks are still apparent from the water stains that adorn it. The walls remain soft and bubbled much like those in Williams apartment just down the hallway. On Feb 1, the properties were put into receivership as ordered by Hamilton County Judge Beth A. Myers following a suit filed by the city against PF Holdings LLC. The Homeless Coalition worked with Residents to form official Resident Associations at the five primarily affected buildings. These Associations joined the suite, represented by the Legal Aid Society. Residents of The Alms have seen their fair share of crime in recent years, owners and their previous management companies would not hire full-time security nor maintain the locks on the front door despite complaints regarding safety from Residents. Residents believed they should feel safe in their own homes, but in several cases, when Residents complained, the previous management instead targeted them with harassment and threats. Court documents show that in September of 2014, officers re- Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, 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 Ceiling at the Alms in need of repair Photo: Homeless Coalition sponded to calls of shots fired within the building. While their officers witnessed health and safety concerns such as mold and water damage within the building. They referred their concerns to the police departments Neighborhood Liaison Unit to follow up, but little progress was made to address their concerns. Instead, the owners prohibited police from entering the building unless they obtained a search warrant. In January, a man was shot and pistol whipped at the apartment complex. Since February, the building has been put into receivership and the new managers, Milhaus Management LLC, have added a security guard and keyed entry into the building which has slowed down crime within the building dramatically, residents say. Though Williams is searching for a new place to live, if it wasn't for the addition of a 24-hour off-duty police officer, “I would have moved out and put myself into a shelter” she said. She fears not only for her own life, but for the children, the elderly and the 144 other households, representing hundreds of people who also live there. Williams describes the building currently as being “in chaos.” It is not just the deplorable living conditions that the residents live with day to day, she said. It's not knowing what is going to happen next in a building where children may find a stash of drugs behind a fire extinguisher while roaming the hallways. In 2006, the City of Cincinnati passed the Chronic Nuisance Ordinance “to target the 50 highest offending properties at any given time” said Jon Harmon, legislative director to Council Member Chris Seelbach. These offending properties use up a disproportionate amount of police resources because landlords have failed to provide reasonable security in the buildings and around them. Many tenants have also approached the city about the deplorable conditions they live under. Under the ordinance, once a property is declared a nuisance, the owner must abate the nuisance within 30 days. If the nuisance is not abated during that period, the owner may be billed up to $10,000 for the cost of law enforcement. Historically these sort of laws have not been favorable to people with low-incomes in need of affordable housing because they have in the past lead to blaming the Residents, condemnation and housing loss. It may have stopped the problems with that specific building, “but then you have 150 people who have just become homeless” said Harmon. The Homeless Coali- (Continued on page 12) THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Layout: Peter Kobak Reception: Derrick Hudson, Iolanda Barton, Patricia J. Brown, Larry Johnson Maintenance: Pete Roper CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, William Finn, Michael Earl Patton, Bill Woods, Dr. Mark Mussman, Willa Denise Jones, Kim Green Photography/Artwork: Homeless Coalition, Stephen Wuesthoff, Alice Schneider, 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. �LOCAL Civil Disobedience Pioneer on $20 Bill No. 329 | M ay 6 - M ay 1 9 , 2 0 1 6 MICHAEL EARL PATTON A Contributing Writer s you probably have heard, Andrew Jackson will leave the front of the $20 bill and go to the back, replaced by Harriet Tubman. Andrew Jackson was the 7th president of the United States, a slave-owner, famous for winning the Battle of New Orleans and infamous for forcing tens of thousands of peaceful Indians to move west in the “Trail of Tears.” Harriet Tubman was a slave who had fled north for freedom but was not content once she reached relative safety. She joined a network of both whites and blacks who worked both to abolish slavery and to help slaves escape from the South. She made repeated trips there herself to conduct slaves north, making more trips than anyone else known. The first activity – trying to make slavery illegal – was generally protected by the Constitution as long as peaceful means were used. The second activity – helping slaves escape – was not only against the laws of several states, it was against federal law. The Constitution itself at the time said there was no such thing as an escaped slave living in freedom in the North (see Article IV, Section 2). Being an escaped slave herself, her “owner” had the legal authority to go north to claim and re-enslave her. Yet she believed that she needed to disobey all these laws and risk her freedom to help others. Civil disobedience is the active refusal to obey certain laws or commands of the government or authority in charge, but falls short of opposing the entire system of government. It is generally used to describe those who put their own liberty at risk for a certain cause to help others or to bring attention to an issue. Those in the United States who helped slaves escape did so even though the Fugitive Slave Act made this illegal. If a slave made it all the way to Canada where slavery was illegal, those who helped there were not breaking the law and so were not engaging in civil disobedience. Invariably authorities frown upon even relatively minor transgressions. An example from a few years ago was the mass arrests made for trespassing during the Occupy Wall Street movement. Here thousands of people from across the country were illegally “occupying” tiny areas of park land to bring attention to the current economic and political systems which permit 1% of the population to control everincreasing amounts of wealth and power. In Harriet Tubman’s case, not only was the system of slavery abhorrent, she herself was supposed to be freed even according to the slave laws of that time! Her mother’s original owner had specified in his will that she and her children were to be kept in slavery only until the mother reached 45. Instead, she had been sold. Harriet had a lawyer look into the case. He said that regardless of the will, since so many years had passed and since both she and her mother had lived all their lives as slaves, no judge would take the case. It wasn’t just her case, of course, that showed slave owners themselves sometimes flouted the law. Even though the importation of slaves had been made illegal in 1808, about a thousand slaves per year were brought in. To meet the demand for slaves from plantations in the Deep South, traders often came to Maryland, where she lived, and offer cash for slaves. Several of Harriet’s brothers and sisters were sold and taken south in spite of the will’s provision that they were to be freed when their mother turned 45. Harriet was physically strong. Being female she was first hired out when a young girl as a domestic slave, where she endured severe whippings brought about by the smallest real or imagined slight. Eventually she was hired out to work in the fields and logging camps. The background no doubt aided her in her eventual escape and subsequent trips back to bring slaves north. Not only did she gain familiarity with her immediate surroundings, the men with whom she worked were part of a broader communications network of free blacks and slaves that reached beyond the borders of the slave states. Someone told her about sympathetic Cartoon by Stephen Wuesthoff THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 3 families to whom she could go if she wanted to escape. When she began her escape, the first sympathetic family told her about the next one, and so on. How many were white who helped her and others to escape, and how many were black, is not known at this time. Certainly the Underground Railroad had many people of both races who were active in breaking the laws. What makes Harriet Tubman stand out among the others who helped is that she went back again and again to help slaves escape. The exact number of trips and the number of slaves she guided north is not known. The book Harriet Tubman: Anti-Slavery Activist says it was 19 trips and over 300 slaves; others say 13 trips and 70 slaves. Either way, there are two important things to note. First is that she went again and again, primarily to free members of her family but also others. Second is that the Underground Railroad functioned again and again. She spoke of herself as a conductor in that railroad who never lost a passenger. And all of this was illegal, several times over. It is important to note, because it was important to her, that she had a deep Christian faith. She prayed often and said that it was God who guided her. At times she was audacious, as when she stole a horse and carriage to take her aged parents north. At other times her careful planning was evident. She would avoid the summers with its long days and short nights. She would send word ahead to the slaves she would guide to meet her several miles from where they lived. That way if any were caught during the first part of their escape, she herself would avoid capture. Saturday night was a favored time to begin the journey because Sunday was when many slaves were allowed to go to service or to visit family. So an absence would likely not be noticed until Monday. Repeated trips brought her more familiarity with the routes and safe houses. She made her last trip in 1860 before the outbreak of the Civil War. Articles and books mention that she aided John Brown in his preparations for his raid on the arsenal at Harper’s Ferry. Brown, a white abolitionist, intended to seize the weapons stored there and use them to ignite a rebellion among the slaves. The raid itself was a disaster with most of Brown’s men being killed or captured. Southern attitudes towards slavery and against the North as not being trustworthy hardened. Certainly Harriet Tubman knew Brown and met him, and he asked her to recruit former slaves to join him. But chasing down the sources in the Wikipedia yielded little firm information beyond initial meetings. I mention this because I think of Harriet Tubman as a pioneer in civil disobedience, willing to break the law in actions that would directly free slaves. I do not think of her as an advocate of violence. I think the case for any direct involvement on her part in John Brown’s raid falls short of proven. I also offer the following, which is admittedly circumstantial, but so is the case for her involvement. First, Harriet Tubman related how, before she escaped, she prayed for the conversion of her owner. Then she heard that her owner was planning to sell her and two of her (Continued on page 4) �4 LOCAL Are We Really Serious About Addressing Poverty? The Role of Affordable Housing BILL WOODS W hat would it take to bring about a significant reduction in poverty in Greater Cincinnati? Part five of this Community Issues Forum series focused on the role that a lack of affordable housing plays in keeping families and individuals in poverty. Elizabeth Brown, the recently retired Executive Director of Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME), and John Schrider, Senior Attorney/Director, the Legal Aid Society of Southwest Ohio, depicted the reasons for the affordable housing crisis and the stresses that this shortage produces for people with limited means. Elizabth Brown began by saying how fitting it is to include housing in a series on reducing poverty. Housing, she continued, is often kept in a silo as somehow isolated from other issues. In fact, the cost of housing or the lack of affordable housing has a major impact on causing people to fall below the poverty line, while it also keeps families or individuals in poverty or one pay check away from it. Brown noted that appropriate background reading for this Forum discussion is a new book, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, by Matthew Desmond. The book follows several families in Milwaukee as they experience the process of eviction. It depicts how debilitating eviction is for families and also how common eviction has become in that city. Brown concluded that Desmond’s finding in Milwaukee mirror what is happening in Cincinnati. In agreement with Brown about Desmond’s portrait of housing in Milwaukee, John Schrider provided some facts about patterns in Cincinnati. This city recorded 16,000 evictions in 2015 (approximately 100-evictions a day). Not only are individuals and families evicted for MICHAEL EARL PATTON (Continued from page 3) brothers. She changed her prayer so that God would kill her owner if he wasn’t going to be converted. Soon her owner became ill and died. She was horrified that her prayers might have something to do with his death and said she would have given anything to bring him back. This does not sound like someone who would have encouraged an armed, undoubtedly bloody uprising. Second, she had had a recurring dream about a serpent whose head became that of an old man with a long white beard. When she met John Brown she recognized him as that old man. She said that she did not know what that dream signified, but in Christian imagery the serpent is generally associated with evil – think of the serpent in the Garden of Eden. That association must have occurred to her. It seems that she never talked about any possible involvement afterwards, so we shall probably never know for certain what happened or not. I’ll admit to the possibility that she might have encouraged him at first when his plans were not fully formed. Contributing Writer their inability to pay rent, but property owners are often forcing lowincome tenants out because they have an option to transform their buildings into commercial projects or higher paying rental units. Since the Legal Aid Society assists many of these tenants facing eviction, Schrider was able to describe the dislocation and chaos that evictees experience. The stark statistic to fasten on is the fact only one household out of four that qualify for government housing assistance actually receives it. That fact means that most low-income families and individuals must deal with the private housing market without any help, and in Cincinnati the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $760 a month. A family making $20,000 a year paying that average rent would have $907 left a month for food and other essentials. Of course, many poor families and individuals have far less than $20,000 to work with, and they are paying almost all their income for rent. That leaves thousands of Cincinnati residents only one crisis or paycheck away from losing their housing. Beyond the lack of affordable housing units and the steady decrease in federal housing assistance, Schrider also called attention to an economy that doesn’t produce enough jobs that pay a livable wage. “In my opinion,” he stated, “the big picture context is that there aren’t enough decent paying jobs. Unless there are more jobs, we can’t expect low-income people to pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” Publicly built housing and housing assistance programs have been cut drastically over the last thirty-five years, and both Brown and Schrider see a need to bring about a huge increase in these programs. By contrast, they point to the $170-billion that upper income and middle-class families write-off as mortgage deductions from their federal taxes, and they compare it Feb.12- 25 , 2015 | No. 297 to the $40-billion HUD budget for housing programs for low-income Americans. While waiting for a political shift in Washington, D.C., they advocate that local governments pick up the slack with ordinances that require large housing development projects to include a certain percentage of affordable rental units. They also cited examples such as Seattle’s housing tax. With an increasingly expensive rental market, both speakers concluded that more housing vouchers for qualifying renters are essential. ------------------------ Elizabeth Brown speaking about the need for affordable housing Photo: Alice Schneider But even if so, I think she must have backed out as others did, and might have even tried to dissuade him for all we know. In the end, only 21 men accompanied John Brown and only 5 of them were African-American. I could find no reference to any of them being recruited by Harriet Tubman. During the Civil War, Harriet Tubman first worked for the Union Army as a cook and a nurse. Later she worked as a scout and a spy, and even led an armed expedition in the war. She guided 300 black Union troops under Colonel Montgomery in the raid at Combahee Ferry in South Carolina, which liberated more than 750 slaves and destroyed Confederate supplies without the Union troops losing a single man. After the war she was active in helping aged former slaves, in starting a retirement home for poor blacks, and was active in the women’s suffrage movement. Although I was aware of Harriet Tubman and knew a little about her before her selection to appear on the twenty-dollar bill, it was only after I researched her life that I became enthusiastic about it. It is a recognition not only of a courageous, intelligent woman, but also of those who labor in the face of strong opposition for justice. It is remarkable to me that a government – any government – would strongly commemorate someone who first gained prominence by disobeying its own laws to the point of putting their own freedom at risk. Those unjust laws did change due to her and many others. The choice was an excellent one. I recommend that anyone interested in learning more about Harriet Tubman read one of the several books available about her. For this article I read Bound for the Promised Land, by Kate Clifford Larson, which I checked out from the Public Library. I also read Harriet Tubman: Anti-Slavery Activist by M.W. Taylor, which I ordered used from Amazon. Both are fine books. The first is a somewhat scholarly work filled with many references and remarks as to what we know for certain and what is not certain. The second is a very readable book, but is relatively short and with few references. I also consulted The Underground Railroad: First Person Narratives of Escapes to Freedom in the North, written and edited by Charles L. Blockson. The Wikipedia’s entries, although helpful as a starting point, THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED will probably be insufficient for those who want to know more. ------------------------ Harriet Tubman stamp �No. 329 | M ay 6 - M ay 1 9 , 2 0 1 6 On Notice: Loss in OTR 5 LOCAL DR. MARK MUSSMAN Staff Writer Sometimes I feel like I’m punishing myself. Living, working, and focusing my life around Over-theRhine is a difficult and relentless existence. I am a very emotional person, guided by a sense of justice and beauty. What is balanced brings me joy, and right now, I feel no joy about OTR. My story is long and complicated, and for right now, doesn’t feel wrapped up nice and tight. This is a meandering walk through my current struggle – the struggle for a peaceful existence. In our neighborhood today, a young artist, a budding revolutionary, calls me to tell me that he is being evicted because his name wasn’t on the lease. He and his roommates have less than 24 hours to vacate the premises. They have nowhere to go, thrust out of OTR, as there are no options here now. Peaslee has been working on showing just how many housing units we’ve lost in the past 15 years – a number that is staggering, yet still unclear. Affordable, or market, the number of housing units available has decreased significantly. Where is the renaissance for the artists? Yesterday, as I walked past the basketball courts on 13th, the devastation has begun, and the construction workers get their parking lot. No more basketball court. A place where people played even in the cold winter, running laps around the lot, and occasionally picking up a game of 3 on 3 to stay warm. This spring saw a lot of friendly activity on the court. To my knowledge, 3CDC has never built a basketball court. One simple question will answer why: Who uses basketball courts? Last week, a fence was placed in front of Imagination Alley. Over 300 Over-the-Rhine residents, mostly children, spent a hot summer creating the mosaics that you see on the walls, ground, planters, and arch on Vine Street. This was a project that I participated in, and now 3CDC has it fenced off, leaving us wondering what will happen to the space in the near (or distance) future. Will we be able to access our community work? In Washington Park last month, a huge tree fell on the dog park fence. Just feet from where Joann Burton was killed. Remnants of the tree still mark the fence posts. Just a month before that another 100+ year-old tree was removed from the 13th street entrance to the park, looking at the trunk, it seemed healthy. People fought to keep the trees in the park before, during, and after 3CDC’s renovation. Why was it removed? Did they remove the wrong one? Walking up Pleasant Street, on my way to Findlay Market, I noticed the “Field of Greens” park, which was used last summer by our kids, was also fenced off. Of course, we knew this was coming, as new condos will be built on the entire block, but it still doesn’t lessen the impact when I see Field of Greens fences going up for condos Photo: Dr. Mark Mussman “Breakdown Stereotypes” Keep Our Courts greenspace across from Rothenberg Photo: Dr. Mark Mussman it. The center of the block will be a surface parking lot, with condos on the Race, 14th, and Pleasant sides of the block. It may be a small lot, but it was one where kids would play while listening to their own music, without having to follow the strict rules of Washington Park. Where can they listen to their own music now? Hopefully, you have seen the push to Keep Our Courts, in the paper and even in video online. The #KeepOurCourts campaign started last year when developers were rewarded a preferred developer status for the block across Main Street from Rothenberg Elementary. The City, in all its infinite wisdom, wants to sell a city block for $1 to build $600,000 single family homes on it. In a neighborhood where the average income is just $12,000/year. This land was the first donated to create Cincinnati Public Schools. The development put on it will pay no taxes for up to 30 years, which means the schools will not receive any property taxes on the parcel. Why do we think it’s a good practice to shortchange our children? The Homeless Coalition is focused on educating the public about injustices that happen in our neighborhood, but also the wider community. We resist privatization because it represents a loss of community wealth. A good way to learn more is to come on a Social Justice Walking Tour with me. It’s rather inexpensive ($40/group up to 15 people), and it’s a good way to support the Coalition as well. Consider getting a group of friends together and sending me an email to schedule the tour. We can do a short tour (1 hour) or a long tour (2+ hours) depending on your time frame. I would act quickly, as the neighborhood is changing right before my eyes. Each time I give the tour it’s a little different because of rapid pace of gentrification. ------------------------ Fence posts going up on Imagination Alley Photo: Dr. Mark Mussman “Eradicate Misinformation” The Coalition for the Homeless provides Education and Service Programs that help to portray a more accurate and holistic picture of homelessness in Cincinnati. We believe an educated public can be a more compassionate public, willing to dedicate time and effort towards creating solutions to homelessness. The “Voice of the Homeless Speaker’s Bureau” program is made up of individuals currently experiencing homelessness or who have experienced homelessness, who share their experiences. The program is designed to put a face on homelessness and raise awareness about those struggling in our community. To schedule a speaker, contact Mark Mussman at (513) 421.7803 x14 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �6 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED May 6 - May 19, 2016 | No. 329 �OPINION An Update on Political Reform in Ohio 7 No. 329 | M ay 6 - M ay 1 9 , 2 0 1 6 BILL WOODS Contributing Writer W here does political reform stand in Ohio in May, 2016? After a successful 2015 that saw an Ohio Constitutional Amendment pass last November that truly reformed the process for drawing state election districts, political activists were optimistic that eliminating the state’s gerrymandered Congressional districts would take place the following year. Not only is this not happening, but Ohioans need to beware of a proposed bill in the General Assembly that would further weaken voting rights in the state. Through January and February, reformers such as Catherine Turcer of Common Cause/Ohio and Carrie Davis of the League of Women Voters of Ohio were confident that the Constitutional Modernization Commission and then the Republican and Democratic leadership of the General Assembly would draft and then promote a proposal for changing Congressional redistricting that would look very similar to the new process for drawing state districts. Their hopes were dashed when the Republican leadership began to balk and question what was thought to be the agreed upon criteria for mapping the districts. It now appears that no action is likely from either the Commission or the Legislature. Further- “Which Side Are You On” JIM LUKEN Contributing Writer "They say in Harlan County There are no neutrals there You'll either be a union man Or a thug for J. H. Claire" - "Which Side Are You On" by Florence Reece for United Mine workers in Harlan County Kentucky (1931) the S o...as this issue of Streetvibes goes to press it appears that, next November, Americans will choose between the billionaire reality TV star and the (multi­millionaire) first woman to head a major party ticket for President of these United States. Spoiler: Unless something really chaotic or incredibly quirky occurs—a very real possibility in the insane climate that surrounds both candidacies—Hillary will win in a landslide. And shady “business­as­usual” will continue in the halls of US governance. I have watched politics intensely for fifty years. I'm not a betting man, but I would risk my family fortune on this being the outcome. The Trumpster Let's talk about Trump. In spite of his being fabulously wealthy, and having a narcissistic personality disorder that could make Freud rethink his notions of the Ego, The Donald has managed to do what many felt was unthinkable before it happened. He and his angry white followers have managed to wrest control of Republican Party Presidential machinery out of the hands of the party “bosses.” The party is adrift, and all attempts to bring it under the control of mainstream, “sensible” Republicans by party chairman Reince Priebus, and others, have failed. Right­ w ing Trump, like Bernie Sanders on the left, has run a populist campaign, even though he has always been an elitist. He has rallied mostly poor, under­ educated white people to see him as a kind of pied piper, seeking to “Make America Great” again, whatever that means exactly. Trumps take no prisoners. This “I'm­gonna­do­things­my­way” style has painted him into a strange political corner where he influences an ever smaller portion of the overall electorate. His ongoing inflammatory rhetoric, and his violence­ inducing bellicosity has alienated huge segments of the voting public, including: women (comprising more than half of eligible voters, blacks, who were already decidedly pro Hillary, the immigrant population, those with post­high­school education, and the “youth” vote, the 18­30 year-olds. As his probable nomination nears, Trump has shown modest signs of behaving in a more controlled, Presidential manner, but it will be difficult for the proverbial leopard to change too many of his spots. If he becomes a pussycat, much of his populist base, which he has worked so hard to inspire, may not show up at the polls. In the past week, former House Speaker John Boehner referred to the Donald as Lucifer. Senatorette Lindsay Graham (S. Carolina) followed up those comments by stating that Trump supporters “are destroying Conservatism.” Many pundits maintain that it has been the Republican party itself which has created and funded this mutating monster, which continues to encourage more and ever more radical racism, xenophobia, and anti­womanism. Now the rabid politics of Trumpism seems to be biting more, even if a good reform proposal did emerge, there is not sufficient time to mount a successful fall campaign. At best, the reform “Fair Districts Equals Fair Elections Coalition” will continue to educate the public about the need for eliminating Congressional gerrymandering. Meanwhile, State Senator Bill Seitz of Greater Cincinnati and several other Republican members of the General Assembly are proposing a bill that would discourage average citizens from petitioning the courts to extend voting hours on Election Day when procedural delays or other unusual circumstances prevent people from voting during the regular the hand that fed it, and the Republican mainstream is beside itself in terms of finding a way to prevent the “orange man” from carrying their banner into the fall election. HRC It has been clear from the beginning that the former FLOTUS is the presumptive heir to Democratic Party's nomination. All indications are that Hillary will assume the throne in November. She will be elected as POTUS. Her husband will be the new F­ GOTUS (First Gentleman of the United States). Depending on your point of view, this will have become a marriage made in heaven...or hell. From my (limited) perspective, everything in this election cycle has been too bizarre, too other-worldly, to try to put words around it. But I'm still trying. A native of Chicago, Hillary attended the best schools, Wellesley (political science) and Yale, where she earned a law degree. She met an ambitious young politician from Arkansas, moved there, married him, and soon became first lady of that State...for twelve years. The rest as they say is history. Bill beat out GHW Bush to become President in 1992. As FLOTUS, Hillary was no wallflower. She used her political pedigree and skills to attempt to create a nearly universal health care plan for the US. The Republican congress would have none of it. In 2000, while her husband remained President, Hillary—a carpet bagger—was elected the first woman senator from New York. In 2009, after failing in her bid to become the democratic nominee for President, Barack Obama selected her for the highest­ranking job in his administration. She became Secretary of State for the next four years. As I've stated before, there never was a war she didn't like. She's feeling the Bern There seemed to be nothing in the way to Mrs. Clinton becoming the democratic nominee for President. Then—exactly a year ago­­Bernie Sanders, the independent, selfproclaimed “Democratic socialist,” announced his intention to run for President. Few took his candidacy seriously. Refusing to take any donations from corporations, the 76 year-old Senator from Vermont, created a populist revolution on the left that mirrored the one Trump was creat- THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED time frame. The Bill would require citizens to come up with a bond that would cover the costs of extending voting hours in order for judges to approve a petition. Potentially such a bond could cost the petitioner as much as $60,000. Seitz says he is attempting to stop frivolous, last minute judicial decisions to extend voting hours causing extra work and wasting tax-payer dollars. Reformers such as Catherine Turcer see such a law crippling a legitimate legal procedure established to protect someone’s right to vote. “The right to vote,” declared Turcer, “shouldn’t be dependent on the size of your bank account.” Numbered as Senate Bill 296, it is scheduled for a vote in the Senate this week. ------------------------ ing on the right. Many thousands of (mostly) young people volunteered to work for him. “Populism” is a political stance that supports and promotes the interests of ordinary people, as opposed to the interests of corporations and the politicians who do their bidding. The United States has never elected a truly populist President, because the two parties traditionally select candidates who are pro­big business, big Pharma, big Agra, Wall Street. The way it is. The way it's always been. Sanders has mounted an incredibly strong campaign (as has Trump). It could be an amazing phenomenon for the two populist opposites to go at one another mano­a­mano. But the insider Hillary supporters have too strong a hold on the democratic political machinery. So the American voter is left to decide between Donald Trump, whose personal fortunes were built on a lifetime of corporate deal­ making, and Hillary Clinton, who has the support of Wall Street and K Street (corporate Washington lobbyists). For a number of very objective reasons, this writer will not be able to vote for either candidate come November. Simply put: Trump is a racist demagogue. And Hillary is a corporate war-monger. I could not vote for her, even if mine were the deciding vote that gave the Presidency to The Donald. It (voting) is first and foremost a matter of personal conscience. Trump would be horrible, but we have survived monsters as Presidents before: Andrew Jackson, Warren Harding, George W. Bush. We would survive a Trump Presidency (which is a virtual impossibility at this point). Maybe this would mean that a true populist like Elizabeth Warren would be the candidate in 2020. This time around, I will vote for a third­party woman populist whom you may not have heard of: Dr. Jill Stein, of the Green Party. Yes, I am wasting my vote (that doesn't matter anyway). But I have had it with, year after election year, voting for the lesser of two evils. [Editor’s note: the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition does not endorse any political candidates. The views reflected in this editorial are the writers own personal views.] ------------------------ �8 WORLD Decriminalisation of drugs a success in Portugal May 6 - May 19, 2016 | No. 329 HENRIK SØNDERGAARD PEDERSEN POUL STRUVE NIELSEN D Hus Forbi - Denmark rugs do not become more widespread, if you stop punishing people for possession. This is a lesson that can be drawn from many years of experience from Portugal. In 2001, Portugal decriminalized the possession of drugs for personal use. Since then the number of drugrelated deaths have decreased. There is also nothing to suggest that young people are more inclined to take drugs for that reason. "The substances are still illegal in Portugal, but users are not punished. Drug users can consume all kinds of drugs, including heroin and cocaine. They may be fined, so there is no impunity - the only thing is that they do not receive a criminal sentence. It is considered as an administrative matter and not a criminal case," said the Portuguese criminologist Rita Faria. Speaking after a conference on drugs held by the Council for Socially Disadvantaged People in Denmark, Faria added that the purpose of the amendment in its time was to improve drug users' health and address social problems. Drug users will not be prosecuted under criminal law, but they must appear before a local commission, which is composed of social workers, lawyers and medically trained people. "There are 6503 newcomers per year into treatment. Before the law, there were 8208 newcomers into treatment per year," Faria added. There has been a slight increase in How Seattle helps drug users instead of punishing them HENRIK SØNDERGAARD PEDERSEN POUL STRUVE NIELSEN Hus Forbi - Denmark There are many great companies and very rich people in Seattle. The airline Boeing and Internet companies Amazon and Microsoft are among those based in the largest city in Washington State, in the north-western corner of the United States. Seattle is also the home of Starbucks, the world's largest chain of coffee shops. The world's first Starbucks at the city's famous Pike Place Market is actually a tourist attraction. But fortunately there are smaller, more humble cafes that boast quality fresh coffee and a more personal style than the multinational conformity with the worldwide chain. This is where we meet Kris Nyrop one of the city's socially engaged activists who for decades has worked to improve the situation of the homeless and drug users here. In Seattle, wealth is far from being evenly distributed. The city is located in King County, an areas the size of Denmark. But homelessness is a much bigger problem here. In any small un-inhabited area parks, grass between traffic lanes or under busy bypasses - you will often find people living in tents. There are entire tent cities home to up to 100 homeless individuals that have an agreement with the municipality to move from place to place, often pitching on church properties. A few homes There are claims that 20,000 dwellings for low-income families in Seattle have vanished as a result of urban planning. Instead there are more offices and expensive and attractive apartments. "It is the poor, the homeless and minorities who are caught for possession of drugs and punished," says Nyrop. He has worked with drug users in Seattle for many years and has seen how it was the individual user who was a victim of the "war on drugs" - a war that has contributed to the US having the highest percentage of its population in prison in the world. Five percent of the world's population lives in the United States, but 25 percent of the people who are in prison are in a US prisons, according to legal aid organization The American Civil Liberties Union. And there is a link between being poor and 38-year-old Rachel buys ten grams of marijuana from homeless and being on salesman Jacob at the Cannabis City store. drugs. They are always in Photo: Trond Ola Tilseth A former drug addict demonstrates how to use a needle for the proper injection of drugs during a workshop at a community drug rehabilitation centre. Photo: REUTERS/Andrew Wong the number of people who use drugs in Portugal. But the increase is still in line with other European countries. Faria believes that decriminalization has no bearing on how many people who use drugs. In other words; it is not a miracle cure, but it means social authorities can instead concentrate on helping people with their problems, while the police can use their resources in other criminal cases. ------------------------ risk of being taken for possession and imprisoned. "It was on this basis that we suggested the LEAD project as an alternative to the war on drugs. In 2009-10 we began to negotiate about the project, and in 2011 we started," says Nyrop. LEAD is an acronym for Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion. The program has been developed in cooperation between prosecutors, police and social services. It allows law enforcement authorities to provide an alternative offer to offenders on the possession of drugs and prostitution. The aim is to reduce the criminal behaviour of people who participate in the program. And by the way: We are not discussing the use of cannabis. This is legal in Seattle. in treatment and would like to be drugfree," he says. The program has only reached out to a few people so only a small percentage of the homeless and drug users in Seattle are getting help from the program. But it has already been a success in altering how the authorities deal with drug users. It has changed the police officer's mentality, so that they now consider those they meet in the job as fellow human beings in need of help, rather than criminals they have to fight. "Police have started talking about harm reduction. When we started on LEAD, the police a very negative attitude towards drug users," says Nyrop. He adds that the program is not just about drugs: "It is also about prostitution. The majority of women who work as prostitutes do it to finance drug addiction." Option "When a person is arrested for possession of drugs and does not have a criminal record in advance, the officer concerned is given an option: I can put you in jail, or I can refer you to a social worker, who takes action immediately," says Nyrop. "Eighty six percent of the people who will be part of the program are homeless. For them, the first problem to be solved is to find a home." He explains that the LEAD program uses the principles of Housing First. First you ensure accommodation. Then you provide all the further help that is needed. But there has to be housing, people can pay. It is also difficult in the United States. "We work with people who have many other problems. Perhaps they are taking the drugs because they have other problems," Kris Nyrop says. Voluntary Nyrop adds that it is completely voluntary to participate in the project. "We make no requirement that people need to stop taking drugs. But 56 percent of those in the program are THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Obamacare "It is essential for decision-makers in this context to see that project participants do not commit new crimes. Here, it has been found that there is a reduction of 58 percent in terms of whether the participants commit other offenses. So it reduces costs to society significantly. And it creates better quality of life, which of course is quite evident when the homeless get a home," adds Nyrop. President Obama's health care reform has been important to the program. Many participants need help from the health system. Without the so-called 'Obamacare' they had not been able to afford medical care. As far as the war on drugs is concerned, Kris Nyrop believes a paradigm shift is imminent. "In more and more cities the authorities realize that it is not possible to arrest or imprison people out of the problems," he says. ------------------------ �WORLD No. 329 | M ay 6 - M ay 1 9 , 2 0 1 6 Photo essay: Students run mobile amputee clinic in Syria KHALIL ASHAWI Reuters I n what looks like an ordinary white truck, two men are helping victims who have lost limbs in the conflict in Syria to walk, play, and even herd sheep again. In the past four years, the two technicians have made and fitted about 5,000 prosthetic limbs for an estimated 2,500 people. Their mobile clinic has been running for about six months, and has gone some way to improve access. The five-year war between the government of President Bashar alAssad and insurgents has killed at least 250,000 people and wounded many more. While most of the wounded are between 15 and 45, the clinic also fits children and the elderly with replacement limbs. "The feeling can't be described when you put the new prosthesis on a patient, especially kids," says technician Amjad Hajj Khamis. "They love to move and play so it's a wonderful feeling to help a child to walk again." Khamis, 24, was studying French literature at the University of Homs, and his colleague Abdalrahim Khlouf, 25, was training to be a school teacher. Both had to give up after just four months because of the worsening situation in the city. Starting work in a field hospital, the men were trained how to make and fit artificial limbs, including a stint in the Turkish border city of Rihaniyya Khamis, 24, (Back) and Khlouf, 25, prepare an artificial limb inside a mobile truck clinic in the rebel-controlled area of Maaret al-Numan town in Idlib province, Syria Photo: REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi Homeless on the banks of Rome’s Tiber River MAX ROSSI Reuters On the banks of Rome's historic Tiber River, the homeless use wood, cardboard and plastic tarpaulins to make a shelter, protecting themselves from the elements as best they can. This corner of the city's Prati neighborhood is a far cry from the Spanish Steps, the Colosseum or other parts of the Italian capital thronged by visitors from the world over. Nearby are the headquarters of the Italian national broadcaster RAI. Belongings in plastic bags hang on nails hammered into the wall of a pedestrian arch under a bridge that spans the Tiber. Litter is strewn on the ground and, with no washing or toilet facilities in the makeshift settlement, the acrid smell of life on the streets is hard to ignore. People end up living on the streets mainly because of losing their jobs and divorce or the breakdown of a relationship. Even so, with no residency 9 papers, many of the homeless people Reuters spoke to were reluctant to tell their stories for fear of problems with the authorities. "That's life," says Gerard, 60, from the Netherlands, his sparkling blue eyes filled with sadness. He sleeps on an old mattress in a pedestrian tunnel under the Tiber. Victor, 46, from Romania lost his job as a bricklayer. Vassily, also from Romania, says he is unable to work because of problems with his back. According to ISTAT, Italy's National Statistics Institute, more than 50,000 people used an official night shelter for at least one night in November and December 2014. Many of the homeless here are from overseas. Maria, 38, comes from Romania and lives on the banks of the Tiber with her husband. The highest proportion of homeless people is found in north-western and distance learning from Pakistan, Britain and Germany. Patients come from oppositionheld areas including the north-western province of Idlib, the Douma neighborhood of Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo, which was Syria's biggest city until the conflict erupted in 2011. Demand from amputees far outstrips the services the clinic is able to provide. In each location the mobile clinic visits, keeping patients safe from bombing is a recurrent problem, Khamis says. The U.N. estimates there are a total 4.6 million people in Syria who are hard to reach with aid. Among those who have benefited from the traveling prosthesis clinic is a 9-year-old girl who stepped on a landmine when walking through a field to visit her grandfather. "I woke up at the hospital and didn't find my foot, it must have proceeded me to heaven," says Salma. "In the beginning I was depressed, but when my dad told me I was going to get a prosthesis and walk again, I was very happy." Qusay, 14, lost his foot and his right arm when he and his twin brother Adi found a landmine while herding sheep in February 2015. His brother dropped the mine and died immediately from the blast. Qusay still has shrapnel lodged close to the brain. Thanks to his prosthetic limbs, Qusay, who comes from the town of Abu Maki in Idlib province, has regained some of his former independence. "I always go out to play or herd the sheep," he says. "I don't like sitting at home." ------------------------ Khamis (R), 24, helps a man with an amputated leg walk using an artificial limb in the rebel-controlled area of Maaret al-Numan town in Idlib province, Syria Photo: REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi Italy, accounting for 38% of the total. Italy's business capital Milan has 24% of the total, followed by Rome with 15%. Whatever their stories, told or untold, the future for these homeless people gathered on the banks of a river is far from certain. Even when they do manage to get a place in an overnight shelter, after hours of queuing, they have to leave early the next morning, they say. For another day on the streets. ------------------------ Belongings of homeless people are seen along the Tiber river in Rome Photo: REUTERS/Max Rossi THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �10 LOCAL May 6 - May 19, 2016 | No. 329 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 �11 WORLD No. 329 | M ay 6 - M ay 1 9 , 2 0 1 6 American political satirist returns to deliver The Naked Truth JASON GREENOUGH Spare Change News I n the last 27 years, Grammy Award-winning political satirist and writer Lewis Black has become one of the most recognizable names in American comedy. The irate stand-up comedian has made a career out of turning his angry rants into searing critiques of anything that gets under his skin, from politics to cultural trends. He has hosted his own show, Lewis Black's The Root of All Evil, and been part of The Daily Show team with his regular segment, Back in Black. On the big screen he's wellknown for voicing hot-headed Anger in Pixar's smash hit Inside Out, and his role in Man of The Year alongside Robin Williams. But despite this, Black jokes that the Republican presidential candidates are making him irrelevant this campaign season. "This election is the most psychotic thing I've ever watched in my life! As I keep saying, even all the LSD I took when I was young didn't prepare me for this," Black said. "I don't even know why I'm necessary. I don't know what my job is now, because they're already doing it on a regular basis." Audiences at his new stand-up show The Emperor's New Clothes: The Naked Truth Tour will no doubt disagree. As its title suggests, Black is back on stage to highlight the absurdities of life, and bemoan the current state of America politics. While politics may have been ingrained in Black since childhood, given the fact that he grew up in Washington D.C. ("My local news was national news," he said), the prospect of being a full-time standup comedian wasn't even on the cards until he turned 40. "I was writing plays and running a club here in New York that had a theater and a bar in it called The West Bank," said Black. "I was doing stand-up on the side, while hosting these shows [at the club], and people seemed to really gravitate toward it. I was 40, I was writing plays and I was broke." He continued: "I guess it was [meant to happen that way]. Either that or the American theater just didn't realize how talented of a writer I was." Black has made a name for himself, due, in part, to his distinctive brand of comedy that has enraged and educated in equal measures. But even in his line of work, which could be equated to the little boy in The Emperor's New Clothes, he's having a hard time wrapping his head around what the political landscape has become, and how politicians are making his niche harder to be a part of. "I feel like I'm in high school again and I'm watching the same sort of things I saw when I was in high school," Black said. "Only this is being done by people who call themselves adults, and specifically Trump and Cruz, who don't even have the right to be referred to as adults." "It's not reality, it's fiction. Reality is like going to see a movie like The Martian. That's where we should be. What we're moving toward is fictional. I can't treat this as reality. They are attempting to turn reality into fiction, and they've only done a good job because the news has bought into it," he continued. "What it's doing is taking time away from me talking about the Democrats, because Republicans take up so much of the airtime. On the contrary, while Black finds people like Donald Trump and Ted Cruz incredibly frustrating, it doesn't necessarily take all the fun out of it for him. He'd rather focus on what they do rather than their public personas. "It does [take the fun out of it] a little bit," said Black. "I mean, I've figured out how to go about it, and I don't really like talking about them so much, but I like talking about the things they say, how they affect people. I don't give them the kind of time they think they deserve. You just have to find other ways to talk about it." Black finds that problems in America's education system are to blame for many other prominent problems, such as homelessness and poverty. "The most important thing is education, and we aren't doing that very well," he said. "That's the bottom line. Everything starts with education, everything follows with education. The smarter we are; the better off we're going to be." He continued: "We can talk about jobs and the economy, but if you don't educate your children, you're missing the point. When a school system doesn't have enough money to pay for itself, something is wrong. The kids aren't at fault, but [the system] drops the ball, and they're punishing the kids for the sins of the adults in charge of making sure the schools have enough money to run." "Education and poverty are directly tied to each other," he added. "If you put those under-privileged kids into pre-Head Start programs, just look at the difference it makes. That's how everyone got out of poverty. I've always said the reason that education went down the tubes was because parents didn't want their children to become smarter than them." You would think that after years of rants and political criticism, Black might be getting a little weary of highlighting the absurdities he observes. Luckily the comedian is still up for dishing the naked truth, and his latest offering is no exception. The challenge, he says, is making those issues fresh for potentially jaded audiences. "It's just a matter of coming up with a different way of saying what you said before, in a more interesting way than the last way you said it, and maybe it will still be funny," he said. "It's all still fun, though. If it wasn't fun, I wouldn't be doing it anymore." ------------------------ Cast member Lewis Black poses at the premiere of "Inside Out" at El Capitan theatre in Hollywood, California June 8, 2015. Photo: REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni Vancouver street paper calls for action after homeless deaths hit record high in B.C. LAURA SMITH A nita Hauck was well-known in downtown Maple Ridge, north-eastern Metro Vancouver, for her passionate defence of homeless people's rights. It was a fight that claimed her life. On 27 September, Anita heard that a fellow homeless person at their camp on Cliff Avenue was struggling to get warm. Determined to help, she climbed into a nearby clothing donation bin to find a jacket and blanket. But she got trapped. Anita was unconscious by the INSP time rescuers were able to free her. She died in the hospital the next day, her family by her side. Anita's case is not uncommon in British Columbia (B.C.). A new report by INSP member Megaphone has revealed that at least 46 homeless people died in the province in 2014. This figure represents a 70% increase from the previous year and the highest number of homeless deaths in a single year in B.C. since 2008, according to the Vancouver street paper. In light of the findings, Megaphone is calling on the Canadian government to take action by implementing a poverty reduction policy and increasing equal access to housing and support. "Homelessness is an early death sentence," (Continued on page 12) THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Dying on the Streets: A report from Canadian street paper Megaphone recorded a shocking 70% increase in largely preventable deaths of homeless individuals in 2014. Credit: Megaphone �12 LAURA SMITH (Continued from page 11) said Megaphone's executive director Sean Condon. "These deaths were tragic and unnecessary. They could have been prevented had safe and secure housing and support been available to these individuals." According to the local Coroners Service, a total of 325 homeless people died in B.C. between 2006 and 2014. But the body admits the data is an undercount and the true figure could be twice as high. The data also shows that 48.3% of homeless deaths were "accidental", compared to just 16.5% of all deaths in the general population. The median age of death for a homeless person in B.C. is between 40 and 49 years, compared to an average life expectancy of nearly 83 for the general population. Sean believes the statistics highlight government inaction that is proving fatal for homeless people across B.C. He echoes the report's recommendations - that the majority of deaths can be prevented if safe, affordable housing; health support; and harm reduction services are made WILLIAM FINN (Continued from page 2) tion recently began working with local officials to improve properties such as The Alms apartment building in Walnut Hills. This work is changing the tune of the public nuisance ordinance because Residents have been in leadership roles, proper responsibil- STREET VOICE May 6 - May 19, 2016 | No. 329 widely available. "A homeless person is likely to die three decades earlier than the average population… and the overall number increase shows that we are heading the wrong way," Sean told INSP. "We know what the solutions are to this crisis and we know it is more affordable for governments to provide this housing and services than to not. Yet we clearly lack the political will. "Many people continue to view homelessness as a Anita Hauck. Photo: Colleen Flanagan/ Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News/ Megaphone personal problem rather than a health in low-income buildings increasing; lessness, which can happen with cocrisis and their prejudice on this issue and affordable housing still not meet- ordinated effort from all levels of govis having fatal results." ing demand, the number of homeless ernment. We hope this report shows The street paper has warned that deaths in B.C. will only increase. the tragic consequences of continwith overdose deaths rising dramatiSean added: "The best way to pre(Continued on page 13) cally in 2015; evictions of residents vent homeless deaths is to end homeity has been placed on the property owner and the need to save affordable housing has been a top priority. This improved strategy resulted in the largest granted receivership in the city’s history and one of the largest in the country. The landlords, PF Holdings LLC, who declined to comment, had been neglecting The Alms and six other properties involved in this particular case (they own several others not named in this case) to the point where they were cited with more than 1800 health and safety violations over the past year, court records show. The owners and their partners had been receiving $500,000 a month in subsidies from the U.S. Department of Urban Housing and Development while the ceilings were falling in around the tenants. “Just because an individual lives on a low income,” says Justin Jeffre, editor of the Streetvibes, does not mean they “have to live in deplorable conditions that they certainly don't deserve ------------------------ 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 �13 STREET VOICE No. 329 | M ay 6 - M ay 1 9 , 2 0 1 6 Can Trump be Dumped? Grown on the MArket FINDLAY MARKET HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PLACE TO GET FRESH PRODUCTS A PLACE TO SHOP WHERE YOU'RE SAFE AND PEOPLE WATCH THEIR CONDUCT HOME GROWN VEGETABLES AREN’T ALL ONE CAN ENJOY ON THE MARKET IN A DAY THEY HAVE GOOD FOOD WHERE YOU CAN EAT, DRINK AND HAVE A SEAT BY THE WAY THE MARKET DECIDED TO ALLOW THE CINCY HOMELESS COALTION’S NEWSPAPERS TO BE SOLD GAVE ME A SECTION TO SELL STREETVIBES AND TO MEET MY BOSS WHO WAS OLD AND COLD LITTLE DID I KNOW THE BOSS USED TO SELL PAPER BAGS THERE WHEN HE WAS A BOY THEREFORE, HE KNEW MR. FLOWER MAN, MR. COFFEE MAN AND MR. TEA MAN, NOW I’M COY FEAR FOR MY PLACE ON THE MARKET, I HAD TO GET TO KNOW MY BOSS I KNEW WITHOUT HIS UNDERSTANDING, TO SELL STREETVIBES WOULD BE LOST I BEGAN TO SHARE WITH HIM THE PAPER ALLOWING HIM TO READ STORIES AND MY POETRY ONCE HE UNDERSTOOD HOMELESSNESS READING THE PAPER HE SHOWED LOYALTY HE SAID HI I'M MR. MARTY AND I SAID I'M MS. WILLA SELLING STREETVIBES TODAY THEN HE TOLD ME HOW LONG HE'S BEEN WORKING SECURITY, FOR YEARS WITHOUT A DELAY I BELEIVE HE GREW ON THE MARKET AND HE IS MY INSPIRATION TO COME TO FINDLAY BY THE WAY I THANK YOU MR. MARTY FOR SO MANY YEARS OF DEDICATION AND BEING A FRIEND OF MINE I WILL ALWAYS STAY ON MY SCHEDULE SELLING STREETVIBES AND I'LL ALWAYS BE JUST FINE Republican Fat Cats want to dump Trump, But Kasich and Cruz are in a huge slump. It appears their one last act of prevention Is to engineer a brokered Convention. BILL WOODS Contributing Writer My Hands My hands are reaching out My hands are open wide My hands are stretched out My hands are praying for thy Father My hands are strong My hands are together My hands are praying for my hands To reach your hands Dear Lord KIM GREEN Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer LAURA SMITH (Continued from page 11) ued inaction." His opinion is shared by many. An online petition launched by the street paper directly calling on Premier Christy Clark and her government to address the issue has already received close to 700 signatures. Tragically, when Anita died she was just one week away from getting into an apartment. Her family agreed that more needs to be done to support people experiencing homelessness. "She wanted to turn homeless people from invisible to visible and help them get housing," said Anita's mother, Loretta Sundstrom. "Anita herself just needed a job and a place to stay. If she had gotten a place to stay she could have done anything with her life." Anita's sister, Karen, added that homelessness is a growing issue that cannot be ignored. "We have to stop shying away from the fact that we are putting people on the street," she said. "We need to provide shelter, food and clothes for people. They are somebody's family. They're our family." ------------------------ Anita's mother Loretta Sundstrom and Megaphone’s executive director Sean Condon speak at a press conference. Photo: Megaphone THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �14 PUZZLES May 6 - May 19, 2016 | No. 329 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 98 Across 1. Crustacean 5. Military signal 9. Protective garment 14. Polynesian dance 15. Strong and healthy 16. Combination of warp and weft 17. Examination by word of mouth 18. Food from husks of cereal grains 19. Roof overhang 20. Effect of actions determining destiny in the next incarnation 22. Untie 24. Payment for use of property 25. Type of tree 26. Part of the neck 28. Entirely 30. The greatest in number 31. Consumed 32. Any high mountain 35. Reduce in size 38. Dull pain 39. Digit 40. Cajole 41. Prevarication 42. Behave affectedly 43. Pertinent 44. Malevolent 46. Cause to move forward with force 48. Indicating maiden name 49. Rodent 50. Expressed in words 51. Limb 52. Singing voice 53. Lout 56. Fountainhead 59. Whittle 61. Shinbone 63. Keep away from 65. Ship's company 67. Remainder 68. Tennis stroke 69. Type of star 70. Small island 71. Clean with a bill 72. Pitcher 73. Outstanding tournament player Down 1. Struggle for breath 2. Characteristic of country life 3. Warning signal 4. Ungent 5. Restaurant bill 6. Precipitous 7. Level of existence 8. Mail out 9. Wonderment 10. Bead 11. Rant 12. Kitchen appliance 13. Bird structure 21. At another time 23. Solemn promise 27. Request 29. On the sheltered side 30. Coalesce 31. Playing card 32. At the peak 33. Misplace 34. Rind 35. Wide sweeping search 36. Be optimistic 37. Charge per unit 38. Afflict 41. Illuminated 42. Seed case 44. Make a mistake 45. Musical accompaniment 46. Hit lightly 47. Public violence 50. Part of a garment 51. Animated 52. Pointer 53. Corpulent 54. Part of a church 55. Destined 56. Stinging insect 57. At any time 58. Traditional knowledge 60. Sking disorder 62. Part of the eye 64. Lair 66. Armed conflict SODOKU PUZZLE NO 228 - MEDIUM PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 328 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 97 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 227 - MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �RESOURCES No. 329 | M ay 6 - M ay 1 9 , 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 May 6 - May 19, 2016 | No. 329 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 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 MAXINE GRANT SINCE 4/2015 MEACO WAITE MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MICHAEL BEHYMER QUEENACELESTINE LEVY RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 2001 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 TARA HILL SINCE 4/2014 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 TINA SINCE 4/2015 TODD HANLEY SINCE 5/2014 TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 VICTOR MUMPHRY LOTTIE MANNER MIKE CARANO SINCE 4/2016 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 KIM GREEN SINCE 1/2010 KRISTINE HOFSKY SINCE 3/2015 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MARK SHEARS SINCE 4/2016 MAURICE GOLSBY MYRA WILSON NEBRASKA SINCE 3/2015 PERVIS MENTON SINCE 8/2015 WILLIAM SIMMS SINCE 4/2014 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2015 WILLIAM BURDINE SINCE 8/2009 � 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 May 6-May 19, 2016 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From the Director An Update on the Alms Hills Apartment Pg 3: Civil Disobedience Pioneer on $20 Bill Pg 4: Are We Really Serious About Addressing Poverty? Pg 5: On Notice Pg 6: Cincinnati Stand Down Pg 7: An Update on Political Reform in Ohio “Which Side Are You On” Pg 8: Decriminalization of Drugs A Success in Portugal How Seattle Helps Drug Users Instead of Punishing Them Pg 9: Photo Essay Homeless on the Banks of Rome’s Tiber River Pg 10: GCHC Pg 11: American Political Satirist Returns to Deliver the Naked Truth Pg 12: Street Voice 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 May 6-May 19, 2016 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring William Finn Michael Earl Patton Bill Woods Dr. Mark Mussman Willa Denise Jones Kim Green Homeless Coalition Stephen Wuesthoff Alice Schneider Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Alice Schneider Bill Woods Cincinnati Dr. Mark Mussman Drugs Homeless Coalition Josh Spring Kim Green Michael Earl Patton Ohio Over-the-Rhine Photography Portugal poverty reform Rome Seattle Stephen Wuesthoff street papers Students Syria Vancouver Willa Denise Jones William Finn https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/24a68c6092ed137c31b6719f47c52595.pdf c781ad5c3d97a96d7809d15ef0033b1a PDF Text Text 36 C R O S S W O R S U 37 D O K U D P A G 38 A N D E 12 STREETVIBES $1 N o v. 1 - 1 4 , 2 0 0 9 • A d v o c a t i n g J u s t i c e , B u i l d i n g C o m m u n i t y • I s s u e 1 6 4 Gigantic Insult? Towering Tribute? Neighbors have a chance to have a say By GreGory Flannery Editor J im Tarbell has always loved Over-the-Rhine – its architecture, its history and especially its economic potential. Open to question is whether he loves the people – many of them poor, many of them African-American, some of them homeless – who live in Over-the-Rhine. An ardent foe of the Drop Inn Center and its founder, Buddy Gray, who was assassinated in 1996, Tarbell was seen by many residents as an advocate of gentrification – that is, pushing poor people out of the neighborhood to make room for moneyed interests. Now ArtWorks, a non-profit arts organization, has either graced or defaced the neighborhood with a huge mural depicting the former member of Cincinnati City Council. The mural, on the side of a building at Vine Street and Central Parkway, shows Tarbell in his Mr. Peanut costume, tipping a top hat. Residents of the neighborhood weren’t asked their opinions before ArtWorks painted the mural, an inescapable sight – or blight – at a key entry point. But now several groups are trying to gauge community opinion. Readers can fill in the cartoon balloon in the photo above to give their opinions. What would you imagine Tarbell saying to the people of Overthe-Rhine? This is a joint community engagement project of students from Miami University, Northern Kentucky University and Streetvibes to ascertain how people make sense of the mural at Vine and Central Parkway. Fill in the balloon and mail it to Streetvibes, 117 E. 12th St., Cincinnati, OH 45202. We’ll publish some of the more interesting responses. Please keep the comments political; personal attacks won’t be printed. Fill in the bubble and send it back to us at 117 E. 12th Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Photo by Michael Haddy. Dead Men Walking in Ohio Sister Helen Prejean continues to fight capital punishment By Paul KoPP Contributing WritEr M ost debates about capital punishment are narrowed to a choice between an approach from either the Old Testament or the New Testament: Do we take an eye for an eye or turn the other cheek? Last month Sister Helen Prejean, a notable advocate for the abolition of the death penalty spoke at Xavier University. Prejean is best known for her book, Dead Man Walking, which inspired the Oscar-winning film of the same name. The book was an account of her experience in Louisiana as spiritual advisor to Death Row inmate Elmo Patrick Sonnier, whom she accompanied to his execution in the electric chair in 1984. Prejean, 70, is a Roman Catholic sister of the order of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille. She began her work with Death Row inmates in 1981. She is now working for the Death Penalty Discourse Network in New Orleans, and travels the Like Ohio, California poisons condemned prisoners. Shown here is the death chamber at San Quentin Prison. Photo by REUTERS/Ho New. world meeting with prisoners and speaking out against capital punishment. She talks about her intimate experiences dealing with Death Row inmates and their families, as well as the families of murder victims, in the hope of further- See Ohio, p. 7 �2 The Vibe By The Numbers 10 the percent of an office’s earnings that David W. made in commission before becoming homeless (see page 10). 5 the number of exhibits hosted by Art Beyond Boundaries each year (see page 12). 15 the size of the first class held by Women Writing for (a) Change (see page 16). 10.9 the number of infants per 1,000 who die in Hamilton County before their first birthday (see page 6). 6.7 the number of infants per 1,000 who die in the United States before their first birthday (see page 6). 32 the number of people executed by the state of Ohio since 1999 (see page 1). 23 the number of years the Rev. Mark Schmieder worked as a prison chaplain (see page 5). 12.9 the percentage of unemployment in Middletown (see page 13). 15 the number of years after Gene Mays’s drug conviction that he was still denied a city job (see page 4). 1973 the year Mike returned from the Vietnam War (see page 11). StreetWise By GreGory Flannery Editor Plodding Along – the Democratic Way Election Day is Nov. 3. State and local ballot issues could lead to the official sanctioning of casino gambling, closing libraries, promoting the growth of factory farming and cutting support for programs that help people who have mental retardation. It’s true: Letting citizens vote is a risky business. That’s what seems to be the point of the effort by Cincinnatians for Progress to defeat Issue 9. The proposed city charter amendment would require voters’ approval of rail projects funded by the city of Cincinnati, including the Streetcars That Will Save Our City. That’s a $200 million plan to build some six miles of a streetcar line from downtown to Clifton. Cincinnatians for Progress argues that requiring voter approval would impede progress. Progress, mind you, is streetcars – an outdated, though quaint, mode of transportation that Cincinnati abandoned 58 years ago. Skepticism – and citizens’ consent – is exactly what is called for. Distrust any organization and especially any politician who tells you that referendums are a bad idea. City Won’t Freeze Out Homeless People The city of Cincinnati’s Cold Shelter will stay open this winter, thanks to intense lobbying by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless and a grant of $12,000 from Duke Energy. The shelter, housed at the Over-the-Rhine Recreation Center, opens when the temperature drops to 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Last year the shelter opened on the 23 coldest nights of the winter. Anywhere from 75 to 140 people used the shelter each of those nights, according to Josh Spring, executive director of the Homeless Coalition. The operation cost $10 million last year. The cold shelter’s continued operation is good news – a lifesaver, Spring says. Of course, the bad news is that the city considered closing it at all. That kind of thinking is part of a larger struggle to preserve social-services funding by the city of Cincinnati, a perennial battle for agencies that provide essential services to the most vulnerable people in our midst. The Homeless Coalition and its supporters attended city council’s Finance Committee hearing Oct. 26, the beginning of yet another round by council members who want to cut human-services funding to better pay for streetcars and other foolishness portrayed as economic development. That’s why the Homeless Coalition hopes to soon ask voters to pass a charter amendment that would set aside 1.5 percent of the city’s general fund for human services. Now that would be progress for Cincinnati. Tell the Governor to Stop The botched execution of Romell Brown – the inmate who was poked with needles for two hours in a futile effort to poison him – has highlighted the cruelty of capital punishment (see story on page 1). The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio is calling on everyone who supports an end to this madness to call on Gov. Ted Strickland to declare a moratorium on executions in the state. Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, a candidate for the U.S. Senate endorses the moratorium. Contact Strickland at (614) 466-3555, or governor.info@governor. ohio.gov and tell him, “Ohio’s death-penalty system is fundamentally broken. Please put a halt to all executions now.” Good News in Health Care As conservatives and insurance companies once more block meaningful reform in health care in the United States – and Democrats once more blow another golden opportunity to provide universal access to health care – it’s worth remembering that important efforts by local individuals and organizations are making a difference. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has given Hugh “Trey” Daly III, a senior attorney who focuses on health care issues at the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati, its Community Health Leaders Award. He is one of 10 Americans who received the honor for 2009 at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Daly has worked to ensure that thousands of low-income and sick people living in southwest Ohio have access to health care, especially under the Medicaid program. He brokered an agreement to use local government funds to provide as many as 60,000 low-income individuals with discounted hospital care. His efforts have also prompted local hospitals to end abusive and aggressive debt-collection practices against patients who cannot afford to pay. “Our overarching mission at Legal Aid is to help people get out of poverty, and having inadequate health care helps to keep people mired in poverty,” Daly says. The Center for Respite Care, founded in 2003 to provide quality medical care to homeless people who need a safe place to heal and assistance in breaking the cycle of homelessness, has received a $140,000 commitment from University Hospital for this year. The Center for Respite Care provides services to those who are homeless and sick with nowhere else to recover from illness, injury or hospitalization. Having a warm bed, three meals a day, nursing care and transportation to medical appointments greatly reduces repeat hospitalizations and emergencyroom visits. A stay at the Center allows these men and women to heal rather than to get sicker. At the same time, the Center for Respite Care works to help clients deal with the root causes of their homelessness. Over 75 percent of clients are discharged to permanent housing or a treatment program, not back to the streets or shelters. STREETVIBES November 1 - 15, 2009 Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by people who are or once were homeless, in exchange for a $1 donation, Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Address: 117 East 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 Phone: 513.421.7803 x 12 Fax: 513.421.7813 Email: streetvibes2@ yahoo.com Website: www. cincihomeless.org Blog: streetvibes. wordpress.com Streetvibes Staff Editor Gregory Flannery Art Director Lynne Ausman Vendor Coordinator Jeni Jenkins Contributing Writers Lew Moores, Valerie Fessler, Margo Pierce, Paul Kopp, Jeremy Flannery, Michael Henson, David Heitfield, Kelissa Hieber, Dan Rozier, Stephanie Dunlap, Saad Ghosn, Keara Anita Mullen, Ariana Shahandeh, Larry Gross, Nicholas Hoesl, Mark Payne Photography/Artwork Aimie Willhoite, Lynne Ausman, Jeni Jenkins, Anthony Williams, Berta Lambert, Clarissa Peppers Proofreaders Jennifer Blalock Lynn Baker The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati through coordination of services, public education, grassroots advocacy and Streetvibes. We are members of: �STREETVIBES November 1 - 15, 2009 8 Column M I N U T E S 3 Br e a ki ng a Ta b o o Giving hope to Hispanic victims of domestic violence By MarGo Pierce Contributing WritEr T heir grandmothers were battered. They watched their mothers being hit by their fathers. So many Latinas – women of Hispanic descent – see domestic violence as a part of marriage, according to Lorena Mora-Mowry. An activist in Cincinnati’s Hispanic community and a journalist who regularly reports on domestic-violence issues for local papers, Mora-Mowry is on a mission to educate women about what she calls the “solution to the problem of domestic violence.” “Domestic violence is not only a Latina issue. It’s an issue that all homes in the United States and the world are facing,” she says. “As a woman, I want to tell them we have to take control and find solutions. “The solution is to educate yourself about what is available. There is always a solution to a problem. The Latinas of today are connecting and educating ourselves more, and we want to take advantage of all the services and resources that are available to make our lives better. That’s important for all of us.” As part of an ongoing public-awareness camIt can be particularly paign surrounding issues related to domestic difficult for Hispanic women to acknowledge violence in the Hispanic and talk about domestic community, the YWCA and Alliance for Immiviolence with family and friends because of grant Women (AIW) will entrenched cultural and present a screening of Domestic Violence in the religious beliefs. Hispanic Community. The film examines “the problem of domestic violence and the community resources available to those who have been affected by it.” Mora-Mowry appears in the video, speaking in support of Latinas struggling in relationships with violent men. “Because I’ve been involved in the community so long, (people) know me and respect me. My articles appear in the local newspapers,” she says. “So if I would be supporting a cause, I need to be giving my opinion about why we have to find solutions to a problem. “Before I’m a journalist, I’m a Latina. I have a sense of helplessness when I see a lot of women that suffer domestic violence, and I will do my best to connect them to resources. They need to understand … (that) they have control of their lives.” It can be particularly difficult for Hispanic women to acknowledge and talk about domestic violence with family and friends because of entrenched cultural and religious beliefs. Marriage is for life, and a woman is supposed to take the bad with the good. Family, above all else, is the most important thing; to even consider breaking up a family, let alone ending a marriage, is taboo. “We value family but we have to understand that our children cannot continue this cycle of violence,” Mora-Mowry says. “We need to understand what it means to be in power and in control. If in a relationship … somebody is controlling too much, it’s abuse – physical abuse, sexual abuse. Lorena Mora-Mowry says Latinas must confront domestic violence in their community. Photo courtesy of Lorena Mora-Mowry. “They’re afraid to even talk with their family because the family (will) pressure them, ‘No, it’s OK. Men are like that. My grandmother was like that. My mother suffered like that.’ “(Violence) is a behavior that (men) learn, so we can change it. We can create this awareness that it’s possible to change your life. Also, it’s important to eliminate the taboo that there is no solution in the marriage. That’s the most difficult challenge … to see that there’s always a (way) to find solutions.” In addition to her Web site, www.mujerlatinatoday.com, a vehicle she uses to develop awareness about domestic violence, MoraMowry collaborated with the AIW and others at the beginning of this campaign to find ways to reach Latina women who weren’t being effectively served. “There’s a lot of resources available in the United States … available locally, nationally but usually the brochure is just a translation of something that is already in English,” she says. “People, they don’t read it, they don’t just pick it up at the community-based organization or the doctor but they never read it. “This opportunity to create an awareness campaign about the resources and services available for the Latina and Hispanics about domestic violence was wonderful. We picked up all the brochures about domestic violence locally, nationally, state-wide; and we did focus groups with Latinas from the Greater Cincinnati area – Latinas from Mexico, Guatemala, South America, Bolivia, Peru.” The result was feedback on culturally relevant language, situational examples, pictures and other elements of the materials that Latinas could connect with and relate to. Brochures, posters, newspaper advertisements, radio spots and pre-printed grocery store bags have been educating Cincinnati’s Hispanic community about domestic violence. “What we decided with the brochure was to create (a list of) the good and the bad of a relationship,” Mora-Mowry says. Another critical point communicated in all the materials is that victims of domestic violence are not alone and therefore don’t have to continue to suffer in silence. “As Latinas, we suffer a lot of isolation and depression and a low self-esteem and that is easy for us to be a target for domestic violence. We don’t have the support of the families to feel that we can survive, that we can go and take the next step,” Mora-Mowry says. “When they decide to take the chance, to take the opportunity to make a plan, they (are) not alone. We are Latinas and we are Americans, too, and we want to create something better for our children. We are voiceless in Cincinnati. We need to be heard. “I will continue to write about domestic violence because it’s something we face every single day. Domestic violence exists – not only in the Latino community. Domestic violence exists in all the communities – white, African-American, Latino. The Latinas are taking control, want to learn and want to connect and educate themselves to find solutions; and thanks to the YWCA, the public awareness campaign is … helping us.” Domestic Violence in the Hispanic Community, in Spanish with English subtitles, will be screened at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 5 in Room 118 at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. Parking is available in the Deaconess Hospital garage. A panel discussion follows the premier. 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 November 1 - 15, 2009 Importance of a Second Chance County urges city to drop ban on hiring former felons 1 By Keara anita Mullen Contributing WritEr T he Hamilton County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted a resolution Sept. 9 that states, “It is the policy of Hamilton County that individuals who have paid their debt to society and who are rehabilitated should be afforded every opportunity to become assimilated back into the community as responsible and productive members of society.” The resolution was drafted with the assistance of the Ohio Justice & Policy Center (OJPC), which hailed its passage as a “victory for rehabilitated people with old criminal records.” OJPC has been working on this issue since 2007, calling for an end to the city of Cincinnati’s blanket and seemingly arbitrary ban on hiring former felony offenders. The effort began as a lawsuit on behalf of Gene Mays, who was denied employment “It is the policy of Hamilton with the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) based solely on a County that individuals 15-year-old drug conviction, dewho have paid their debt spite having stellar qualifications to society and who are for the electrician assistant’s porehabilitated should be sition for which he applied. Repafforded every opportunity resented by OJPC, Mays has an to become assimilated back into the community as appeal pending before the Ohio Supreme Court. responsible and productive The Metropolitan Sewer District is members of society.” - Hamilton County Resolution unique in that it is a hybrid department, with both county and city jurisdiction. The city of Cincinnati oversees human resources for MSD. The county’s resolution requests the city not to enforce what has been interpreted as a blind policy barring applicants and employees with felony records from working for MSD. “The Hamilton County Commissioners showed some true leadership, ” says attorney Stephen JohnsonGrove of OJPC’s Second Chance Project, who helped draft the resolution. “Not only should the city of Cincinnati take notice of this, but other cities and counties across Ohio would do well to allow rehabilitated people with old criminal records to more fully contribute to their local economies. Responsibly allowing people with criminal records into the work- The dispute over the city’s ban on hiring former felony offenders started when Gene Mays was denied employment for a 15-yearold drug conviction. Photo by Calvin Chen. Stephen JohnsonGrove, attorney at the Ohio Justice and Policy Center, has been working with Hamilton County and the city of Cincinnati to end the city’s practice of not hiring former offenders. Photo by Clarissa Peppers. force would be a financial and public-safety boon for the whole community.” JohnsonGrove has researched 12 to 14 cities and counties that have revised their hiring practices and have done away with blanket policies pertaining to criminal records as a disqualification for employment. These jurisdictions range in size, population, geographical region, demographics and political climate. Each one has tailored its policies to its loOJPC has so far met with cal realities, though none have completely silence on the part of the opened the door to all applicants with city of Cincinnati. There has criminal records. The hiring policies have not been any movement developed factors for consideration for an on this call for reform for otherwise qualified applicant with a crimiover a year, and the lack of nal record, including the nature and gravity communication on the part of of the crime, number of convictions, period city leadership has created a of rehabilitation, relevance of offense to the deadlock for any substantive job in question, time since and age at movement on this issue. time of offense, etc. The idea is to put forth smarter hiring policies, with more intelligent and intuitive standards to guide discretion about considering old records. JohnsonGrove has summarized the reforms made by these other jurisdictions to fit the city of Cincinnati, saying they don’t involve compromising high standards of qualifications and references for employees. OJPC has so far met with silence on the part of the city of Cincinnati. There has not been any movement on this call for reform for over a year, and the lack of communication on the part of city leadership has created a deadlock for any substantive movement on this issue. The city should join a growing number of cities that are opening employment opportunities to people with criminal records, according to OJPC. The city’s leadership would encourage more employers to hire former offenders, giving those individuals the opportunity to “Not only should the city be contributing members of the commuof Cincinnati take notice nity. of this, but other cities David Singleton, executive director of and counties across Ohio OJPC, says the Gene Mays case “exempliwould do well to allow fies what has become a national probrehabilitated people with lem: tough-on-crime rhetoric that leads old criminal records to to counterproductive barriers to employmore fully contribute to ment and re-entry.” their local economies.” Representatives of OJPC traveled Oct. - Stephen JohnsonGrove 20 to Washington, D.C., to lead a discussion on employment restrictions and criminal records with policymakers, legal scholars and advocates from around the country. The event was called, “Lessons from Gene’s Story: Redemption, Rehabilitation and Removing the Barriers to Re-entry.” This national exposure will add to the pressure on city leadership to support this movement that promotes the rehabilitation and re-integration of former offenders. �STREETVIBES November 1 - 15, 2009 5 Local News Working to Set the Captives Free Rev. Mark Schmieder dedicates himself to prisoners and the poor Kelissa HieBer Contributing WritEr must write down the goals they wish to accomplish. Most spend their days here are some individu- working or searching for als who inspire you to jobs. Once they start to take up or revitalize the earn money, they have to call to help fellow human be- save 65 percent of their ings. The Rev. Mark Schmieder is income so they can start a man who has devoted his life to to build a more stable futhe service of others. ture. Schmieder has tried to help The Catholic Worker and guide the House is a less fortunate drugand in a variety It is always easier to ignore alcohol-free of ways. Two environthe cries of others; if you particularly inment, and acknowledge the pain of teresting ones others you might be forced former adare his leaderdicts must to do something about it. ship of the St. attend at Not only has Schmieder Francis/St. Joleast two listened to the voices of seph Catholic the impoverished, he has Alcoholics Worker House Anonymous devoted his life to doing and the 23 or Narcotics something about it. years he spent Anonymous as a chaplain meetings a at Lebanon Correctional Institu- week. The staff are all fortion. mer addicts, were once His involvement with pris- homeless or were in jail; oners came by chance; he had they provide support and been looking for an opening in hope that things can get an inner-city church. When there better. were none available, he began his The house considers itwork at the prison. While work- self a hand-up not a handing there, he started educational down, not just feeding programs and group meetings so and clothing the poor but the prisoners could see the value working with these men of themselves and others. Dur- to give them the tools to ing his time with the prison he succeed. They have a 37.6 The Rev. Mark Schmieder is on the board of St. Francis/St. Joseph Catholic became friends with Jim Mullen, percent rate of success for Worker House. Photo courtesy of The Rev. Mark Schmieder. who then was in charge of the individuals moving into Catholic Worker House. transitional or permanent Schmieder was intrigued by housing. The Catholic the Catholic Worker movement, Worker House wants to stop the Support is key when anyone feel empowering. Success can be which has centers that support revolving door of homelessness is trying to rebuild his life. The scary for some residents; it is eashomeless people all across the na- with certain inhouse tries to be ier to go back to what is familiar tion. The Catholic Worker Move- dividuals cycling like a family unit: and comfortable. The staff helps ment has been around since the through the sysSchmieder was intrigued When you see to quell this anxiety because they Great Depression and has helped tem again and others struggling were there once, but they continby the Catholic Worker many to get back on their feet. again. with the same ued on their path and now they movement, which has “The Catholic Worker MoveThe reason thing you are, it are in a far better place. centers that support ment is about not judging peo- Schmieder be- homeless people all across makes you stron“When you give a person a ple,” Schmieder says. “Everyone lieves this system ger and helps to chance and listen to them, then the nation. The Catholic deserves to be treated on the succeeds is that build a spiritual you’re telling them they are worth Worker Movement has grounds of basic human dignity. the staff has the bond. The sup- something,” Schmieder says. been around since the There are no outcasts. We are all expectation that Great Depression and has port of the staff It is always easier to ignore the part of the kingdom of God.” people can better helped many to get back and the residents cries of others; if you acknowledge In 1990 Schmieder took over their lives. is essential be- the pain of others you might be on their feet. the leadership of the home. For “If you expect cause success forced to do something about it. up to 60 days the Catholic Worker nothing out of has been few and Not only has Schmieder listened House houses 16 men who are someone, they will do nothing,” far between for these men, and to the voices of the impoverished, looking to better their lives. When he says. “We work off expecta- many no longer remember what he has devoted his life to doing applying for placement, residents tions around here.” success feels like. Support can something about it. T STREETVIBES Vendor Mary Only purchase Streetvibes from BADGED vendors. Vendors wear their WHITE badges while they sell the paper. Cleo’s Joke Corner What kind of a show do ducks like to watch? Duck-u-mentaries. �6 Local News STREETVIBES November 1 - 15, 2009 Candidates Support Health Clinics Local health-care crisis is focus of candidate forum By Dan rozier Contributing WritEr T he future of Greater Cincinnati is in real and immediate peril: In Hamilton County, the infant-mortality rate – the number of deaths for infants before their first birthday – is a staggering 10.9 per 1,000. To put that number in perspective, compare it to the national rate of 6.7. “Bottom line: this community In recent months, it’s easy to forget that health needs to decide what qualifies care is just as much a loas a basic service. It would cal issue as it is a national be irresponsible not only to one. the children, but to everyone Considered the best in Cincinnati, to say that, just because it isn’t a police car or a barometer of a community’s health, Cincinnati’s fire truck, it can go.” -Councilwoman Roxanne Qualls infant mortality rate is an indicator that the city’s free health clinics not only Members of the public listen to a forum on health care. Photo by Maria Campolongo. need to be maintained, but expanded upon. At an Oct. 13 forum on Cincinnati’s health-care system, hosted by the Greater Cincinnati Health Acwill almost certainly rise. cess Project, candidates for city council fielded questions about Councilman Greg Harris said it would be “pennywise and initiatives needed to curb the local infant-mortality rate. pound-foolish” to cut funding to the city’s health clinics. “Bottom line: this community needs to decide what qualifies The primary care centers’ operating budget is $11.7 million, as a basic service,” said City Councilwoman Roxanne Qualls. “It with about half, or $5.9 million, paid by Cincinnati taxpayers and would be irresponsible not only to the children, but to everyone the remaining $5.8 million generated by other revenue. Each dolin Cincinnati, to say that, just because it isn’t a police car or a fire lar that comes out of the taxpayer’s wallet generates an additiontruck, it can go.” al $1.12 in contracts, grants and other revenue. Moreover, when Cincinnati is one of only three cities that provide health ser- one considers how vices to citizens even if they can’t afford it; San Francisco and many emergency-room Philadelphia are the other two. It is this type of progress that, if visits are averted when “The general funds we receive from the city, the expanded upon, could put Cincinnati years ahead in terms of people use the clinics, $19 million, has been cut by $2.2 million since public health. the savings is roughly the end of 2008. If such cuts continue, it may “It’s time this city had an honest conversation about how much $508 per visit. be difficult for the Cincinnati Health Department health care means to us,” said council candidate Bernadette Wat“The health centers to operate all of its current programs.” son. and the health depart-Rocky Merz, health department spokesman The city of Cincinnati operates two dental facilities and five ment as a whole is fiprimary-care centers whose services cover everything from nancially sound,” says pharmaceutical needs to OB/GYN and administers the federally Rocky Merz, spokesman for the health department. “However, funded Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, which pro- the general funds we receive from the city, the $19 million, has vides basic nutritional support. The clinics’ services are utilized been cut by $2.2 million since the end of 2008. If such cuts conby 31,000 patients a year, 59 percent of whom are uninsured. tinue, it may be difficult for the Cincinnati Health Department to Given the current economic state, the level of uninsured patients operate all of its current programs.” I Am By calvin I am what I am. I wonder all the time. I hear voices all around me. I see people in a slumber. I want the world in my hand. I am what I am. Poetry Corner A Season for Every Holiday I Am By Joe PresswooD I am smart and honest I wonder how life is going to be without drugs I hear voices in the dark I see birds flying in the moonlight I want a life drug-free I am smart and honest By cHelsea ostrow I pretend what people want me to believe. I feel like an eagle in the sky I touch everyone around me I worry about the alienation all around me I cry about people’s pain I am what I am I understand that God loves me I say that I believe in the truth I dream that the world is at hand I try to be that eagle in the sky I hope the alienation will cease to be I am what I am Boom! My ear fell off. The loose ends made me cringe. I'll sew my legs together Then rip my arms apart, and hope they will go with the chicken. The roast beef is dry and the pickles parched my mouth. Zesty peanut butter scorched my tongue. Where is the open bar? Next to the closed fridge. Can I have your id? I pretend to be rich I feel the cold inside my body I touch the sky I worry about my addiction I cry at the very thought of death I am smart and honest I understand life after life is over I say who cares I dream of life after death I try to work hard at everything I hope that I can make change I am smart and honest 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 November 1 - 15, 2009 7 Local News Dead Men Walking in Ohio Prisons Continued from page 1 ing the public’s knowledge of the process of capital punishment. “The journey that I try to help people with is first to stand with others in outrage when innocents have been ripped out of our lives by these very violent crimes,” Prejean says. A link to slavery begin, and where she feels they should end, the basis of her message is that taking one life for another is not justice, and it does not bring peace to the families of the victims. It only causes them more grief, she says. Execution is the highest form of punishment in a justice system and culture that have lost touch with humanity, opponents say. “When I witnessed that first execution, I came out of the prison and threw up,” she says. “That’s why I wrote the book. People are never going to see this, so we are going to have to bring them closer to it.” Most people haven’t thought deeply about the issue because it’s something that doesn’t concern most people, she says. She also finds that, in general, once people have a more profound understanding of how the death penalty actually works, they are more ‘Becoming more perceptive to its shortcomuncomfortable’ ings. When Prejean talks Capital punishment beabout the death penalty came part of Ohio law in in the United States, she is 1803. In 1972 the U.S. Suquick to note that underpreme Court declared the standing the context of the Sister Prejean has been working with Death Row inmates death penalty unconstitusociety which it came from since 1981. Photo courtesy of Grant-Guerrero Photography. tional, outlawing the practice is very important. across the country. In subse“You have to connect it quent years, state legislatures directly with homelessness passed death-penalty laws in America, people without that have been upheld by the health care,” she says. “You have to connect it with all the systemic Supreme Court. things that are wrong, that don’t allow so many people to particiOhio lawmakers enacted the state’s new capital punishment pate fully in American life.” statute in 1981. However the state did not resume executions until Her reasoning focuses not only on the moral argument against 1999. In 1991 then-Gov. Dick Celeste commutated death sentences execution, but also on inequalities within the political, racial and against eight men social climates that keep the system in place. and women. Since “Can you picture a prosecutor getting on 1999 Ohio has exe“When I witnessed that first execution, I came out the evening news and saying, ‘Ladies and cuted 32 people by of the prison and threw up,” she says. “That’s why I “Can you picture a prosecutor gentlemen, one of our valuable citizens lethal injection. wrote the book. People are never going to see this, was killed last night, a homeless man in Ohio’s use of the so we are going to have to bring them closer to it.” getting on the evening the street, and we are outraged about this. death penalty has news and saying, ‘Ladies – Sister Helen Prejean We are going to seek the ultimate penalty recently received and gentlemen, one of our for the ones who killed this valuable citi- nationwide news valuable citizens was killed zen.’ You know you will never hear that,” coverage due to the botched execution of Romell Broom. Over a last night, a homeless man Prejean says. period of two hours the executioners failed to find a suitable vein in the street, and we are Politicians and prosecutors utilize the in Broom’s arm, and Gov. Ted Strickland halted the execution. A outraged about this. We are idea of capital punishment as a campaign hearing in federal court on Nov. 30th could decide whether the going to seek the ultimate penalty for the ones who killed tool to show they are tough on crime, ac- state will try a second time to execute Broom. cording to Prejean. Concerns about the qualifications of the technicians carrying this valuable citizen.’ You “It is 95 percent about political symbol- out lethal injections have become magnified by the Broom case. know you will never hear that.” ism than it is an actual effective way to de- Though guards are trained to administer the poison, some critics – Sister Helen Prejean ter crime,” she says. say they lack the medical knowledge to do it properly. Dr. Jonathan Racism, she adds, is also a major factor. Groner, professor of clinical surgery at the Ohio State College of “Eighty percent of executions are taking place in states where Medicine, told the Cleveland Scene, “Ohio is caught in a ‘Hipposlavery was most present,” she says. “The places where people of cratic paradox.’ Those most qualified to help the state in execucolor live is where the death penalty is going to be most opera- tions – doctors, nurses, practicing EMTs – are forbidden from taktive.” ing part in executions by codes of ethic and state boards,” he says. Though she knows where the problems with the death penalty Broom’s was the first Ohio execution called off while in progress, though two other executions over the past four years have been delayed due to similar complications. The incident has also brought further public attention to the moral issue. Ohioans to Stop Executions (OSTE) issued a statement saying, “No amount of adjustment to the death penalty process can achieve an outcome absent of pain and suffering for victims' family members, witnesses, corrections workers and the condemned inmate.” OSTE, founded in 1987, works to educate the public about executions. “People don’t know a lot about the death penalty,” says Renee Berlon, southern Ohio organizer for OSTE. “The state is split right now. People are becoming more uncomfortable with it.” Aside from the moral issue of capital punishment are matters of practicality. The death penalty, as practiced in the United States, is a long and expensive process, stretching over an average 10 years, Berlon says. A recent study by the Death Penalty Information Center acknowledged that it’s difficult to gauge how much a death sentence costs, but estimated $30 million per execution. Berlon says most northern states aren’t executing. Ohio has 135 inmates on Death Row. Kentucky has 35 on Death Row; Texas has 350. �8 STREETVIBES November 1 - 15, 2009 Local News Got Underwear? Not All Do Brief Relief will help homeless people in need of necessities By GreGory Flannery Editor P eople don’t much think about underwear or socks until they don’t have them. Among the many other hardships that homeless people must endure, they often need underwear or socks. People who donate packages of women’s, men’s or children’s underwear or socks Nov. 7 at Brief Relief will in return receive music, art and the opportunity to help others. The purpose of the event is twofold, according to Corey Tucker, one of the organizers. The first purpose is obvious: to provide covering for homeless people’s feet and asses. The second purpose is to get people to think about homelessness. “The whole idea is to create awareness about homelessness and how we can help out our neighbors who might be in trouble,” he says. Brief Relief, hosted by John Wesley United Methodist Church, will feature visual arts, spoken-word performances and Christian bands, gospel choirs, bluegrass and other entertainment, Tucker says. “It’s going to be a pretty big span of entertainment and arts,” he says. “We want to entertain people and have a good discussion.” Social-service agencies invited to participate include Power Inspires Progress, the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, One Way Farm, the Drop Inn Center, Ink Tank, Visionaries and Voices, Interfaith Hospitality Network and Hamilton Living Waters, according to Tucker. “People who attend can find out how they can part“The whole idea is to create awareness ner with agencies that help about homelessness and how we can help out,” he says. “Maybe you out our neighbors who might be in trouble.” have some lumber or a car or money that you want to - Corey Tucker donate.” The idea for Brief Relief came from a minister at Nash Trinity United Methodist Church in Over-theRhine, where Tucker performed at services. “I’m just a guy who’s concerned,” he says. “I used to go to Nash Trinity, and every time I would see people who needed help. It started weighing on me. I knew there was something more I could do than just give them music.” With your help, Tucker will give them underwear and socks. Brief Relief is from 7-9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7 at John Wesley United Methodist Church, 1927 West Kemper Road, Springfield Township. Vendor Artwork By Anthony WilliAms BertA’s Art Corner “Backlight,” Burnet Woods, Clifton Avenue Photo by Berta Lambert. “This is the duty of our generation as we enter the twenty-first century – solidarity with the weak, the persecuted, the lonely, the sick and those in despair. It is expressed by the desire to give a noble and humanizing meaning to a community in which all members will define themselves not by their own identity but by that of others.” – Elie Wiesel ! ? t a h W Say _____________________ �STREETVIBES November 1 - 15, 2009 Annual Dinner 9 �10 Guest Column STREETVIBES November 1 - 15, 2009 Blue Dogs and Howler Monkeys Town hall full of noise but no bloodshed By nicHolas Hoesl Contributing WritEr T he “dog days” have passed – and the summer of our discontent. In early August my wife tagged along to the famous New England version of town hall meetings, a dynamic example of “democracy in action,” in Cincinnati’s First Unitarian Church. U.S. Rep. Steve Driehaus (D-Cincinnati) opened the discussion by explaining the various health-care bills before Congress, only to be rudely cut off by a chorus of disgruntled howlers in the back of the church. Their opening salvo was, “Tell the truth,” followed by expletives and profanities unheard of in a house of worship. This brought back the sound and fury of the red howler monkeys I heard when visiting the Amazon rainforest. It now appeared that these mad monkeys were also hanging from trees and raining down their vitriolic barbs as drunks hell-bent in drowning out the guest speaker. The church was a jungle. Driehaus said, “We’ve got the best medical system in the world if you can afford to pay for it.” He was bombarded with, “Oh, give me a break” and “What a lie.” Then the chorus chimed in with their “monkey see, monkey do.” Most of the crowd wanted an honest discussion. I thought of throwing them a banana. No, make that a monkey wrench. Did the tales of woe wag the dog? The object of this monkey business was to rattle the Rep, but he remained cool, even when cursed. Perhaps he remembered Harry Truman’s adage: “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” A guy next to me wondered if they were all rabid Republicans. And how many RINOs (red in name only)? Some wore tea-bagger shirts. They seemed ready to throw their tea – and Driehaus – into the Ohio River. Others wore Right to Life messages. The opposite camp called them “barking dogmatists,” for they claimed to be more pro-life than the congressman. This lead to the catcall, “A man’s best friend is his dogma.” Another professed that he was neither “a bleeding-heart liberal, nor a flame- throwing conservative.” Compare that to CNN’s Lou Dobbs, calling his critics “limp-minded, lily-livered lefty lemmings.” Those who objected to this dog and pony show did not return the insults, nor did they offer the “kiss of peace.” They were more apt to reply, “What planet are you on?” And “Isn’t it time for your medication?” After the first police officer showed his face, Driehaus wrapped up the meeting and thanked everyone for coming. My last look as we headed out the door was a ring of people five deep surrounding the lectern with three more police next to Driehaus as protection. The pit bulls had arrived. Could the canine corps be far behind? The boisterous brickbats were out of the belfry and into the street. In the parking lot, I asked what people thought. “That was more noise than a thousand Rush Limblogs. … They never threw him a bone; they came to Howler monkey. Photo by Derek Ramsey. pick his bones. … The Jerry Springer Show could have picked up a few pointers. … The monkeys would not get off his over their shoulders. Around here, if someone back. … I never saw more crap slung since Pete yelled out, “AK-47,” another would have yelled Rose told off Marge Schott’s dog for fouling up “Bingo!” Nicholas Riverfront Stadium. I thought politicians had Later I read that Driehaus walked out of Hoesl is a all the hot air. … Didn’t we nail him?” the building with his 13-year-old daughter pharmacist Not to be outdone, an elderly nun from the to face more protesters. Some were shouting and author Sisters of Charity remarked, “I never taught his home address, which Driehaus deemed “a of Laughter: any of my students such behavior.” veiled threat toward the safety of myself and The Drug Yet things could have been worse, compared my family.” of Choice. to other town halls. Our shout-fest did not lead When I was yapping with others, my wife was to fisticuffs, lost fingers, Hitler caricatures, talk sitting in the locked car, waiting patiently and of death panels or pulling the plug on Grand- wishing, “Let’s get out of here before someone ma, keeping Medicare government-free and lobs a grenade.” As for me, the next time I want labeling the same people communists and to meet a bunch of monkeys, mad or merry, I’ll fascists. No one was slinging an assault rifle go to the zoo. From Apartment to Tent and Back One man’s tale fice, where I worked, and the owner of the company saw of recovery something in me. They made wasn’t coming easily. I started to drink again, thinking it would ease the pain. But the me a manager. money was runBy DaviD w. That was just ning out fast. Contributing WritEr over two years When out That’s when I moved into a tent. It was just before ago. Thanksgiving last year. I stayed in the tent through looking for a et me first start by At the same job, I saw people the rain, mud, snow, cold – you name it. saying that there were time they had holding signs times I used to drink – plans for me to that said they and drink a lot. I could never move to Cincinnati and take Columbus office was the best were homeless. They were hold a job, a place to live, rela- over the office here. I really of the six offices. My bonuses actually getting money from tionships; the list goes on and had my work cut out for me. were also good. I saved mon- other people. I decided to on. One day I searched for The old manager let the office ey. My only expenses were do the same thing. I made help and received it; my life go to hell. When I got to Cin- food and personal items. enough that I could drink changed. Here is my story. cinnati, the owner put me up Christmas was approach- every day and night. Once Soon after I quit drinking, I in a suite not too far from the ing, and I wanted to return to in awhile I would buy somewas out to find a job. Looking office. As time went on I start- Cleveland to be with friends thing to eat, but my priorthrough paper after paper, I ed to make decent money. and family. I transferred back ity was drinking. Eventually, I saw an ad for a telemarketOn Friday and Saturday to Cleveland through the lost the apartment. ing position, which I never nights some of us would go holidays. After the holidays I That’s when I moved into a had done before. I thought, out after work. In just a short transferred back to Cincinna- tent. It was just before Thanks“What the hell, call anyway!” time I was starting to drink ti. I don’t know why, but one giving last year. I stayed in So I did. I got an interview the again. day the owner cut my pay to 3 the tent through the rain, very same day and also got the The owner of the company percent and didn’t pay for my mud, snow, cold – you name job. In a short time I was pro- knew about my past, but he motel anymore. I quit on the it. I thought I had it made as moted to assistant manager. believed I needed a break. I spot, gave my keys to the as- long I had something to drink At that time I moved into an was transferred back to the sistant manager and walked and maybe a little to eat. At apartment. That was quite an Cleveland office. I quit drink- out. that time I was still holding a accomplishment for me. And ing again before it got out of For a while everything was sign, but in a different locaI wanted to go further. hand. Then a big break came OK. I rented an apartment in tion. The people who helped After a few months the for me. I was transferring to Cincinnati. Luckily I still had me the most were those who manger of the Cleveland of- Columbus to manage the money saved. But another job gave me food or took me to L main office. As a manager, I was making 10 percent of whatever the office made. The eat. Afterwards, it seemed they always gave me a couple of dollars because they knew I needed a drink. One day I knew this was not the way I really wanted to live. So I sought help. I told myself, “Help is out there if I look for it.” Today I am in a recovery program. I count my blessings: I never have to live in a tent again, unless I want to. Every day when I wake up, I make a decision not to live like that. Just one day at a time. The best advice I can give is that if you want a better life, seek help and believe in God. He will open all kinds of doors for you. Let people help you see the beginning of a new life. Here is something I like to remember: “I am what I am today because of what I believed about myself yesterday. And I will be tomorrow what I believe about myself today.” Do the best you can today and have an even better tomorrow. �STREETVIBES November 1 - 15, 2009 Guest Column Someplace That Isn’t Home ‘I killed a lot of people’ By larry Gross Contributing WritEr I ’ve known Mike for awhile now; met him on Sixth Street downtown one winter, probably about three years ago. He always carries a small cardboard sign along with a paper cup. Written on that sign he holds up, in red crayon, is one word: “Vet.” Regardless of the weather or the seasons, Mike is always wearing the same thing – a long-sleeved camouflage shirt with matching pants and a green cap. In the cold months, I wish he owned a coat. In the warmer weather, I wish he would take a shower. Some of his teeth are gone in front. His graying long beard needs trimming badly. So does his hair. His eyes are brown and he’s always quick with a smile when he sees me. He’s come to know I’m at least good for a buck or two. If he’s a con artist, and there are plenty of them downtown, then he has me totally fooled. I believe him when he tells me he’s a Vietnam veteran. Mike’s not from here. He hails from West Virginia. When he got out of “I couldn’t go back, needed the service, when he got out of Vietnam, he never went back home. to go someplace that isn’t “I killed a lot of people over there in Nam,” home,” he said. “I killed people – not something to Mike told me once, “killed them in the name go home and brag about.” of my country. I killed a woman once, by accident, but I killed her. I don’t know what she - Mike was doing with those soldiers. “I couldn’t go back, needed to go someplace that isn’t home,” he said. “I killed people – not something to go home and brag about.” I never press him for details as to why he’s one of the vets who fell through the cracks as far as getting help with dealing with his emotional scars from the war. I’m figuring Mike and I are around the same age, but while he had to go to war, I didn’t. I got lucky. The draft ended in 1973 and I escaped having to go to Vietnam pretty much by a year, but I have 11 a few friends who had to make the trip, who had to kill people. Like Mike, they had to handle the death they saw around them and the death they caused. Like Mike, they had to come to terms with the killing they did – but unlike Mike, they went back home. They had family and friends who helped them deal with their private hell. Why didn’t Mike? Why didn’t he turn to The draft ended in 1973 someone for help? So far I haven’t asked those and I escaped having to questions. So far I haven’t had the nerve. go to Vietnam pretty much He tells me he got out of the service in by a year, but I have a few 1976. Since then, he’s traveled around a lot, friends who had to make the been to California, Arizona, Texas and Michi- trip, who had to kill people. gan, taking odd jobs while staying in cheap hotels. Now, getting older, his legs are bothering him. He’s thinking Cincinnati is where he’ll stay. “People are OK here,” Mike told me once. “The cops leave me alone if I don’t stand in one place for too long.” Sometimes when I see him, he seems happy. Recently he told me he got enough money together to stay at the Dennison Hotel downtown. The Dennison is a single-room occupancy type of place. It’s not known for being very nice, but Mike seemed pleased about being there. Maybe it’s a place to hang his green cap. Other times when I see Mike, he seems depressed. Once when I put a dollar in his cup, he had tears in his eyes, unable to speak. So much of the time, I feel bad for him. I don’t want to intrude, but there are more questions I want to ask him. Does he miss West Virginia? How come he didn’t turn to family and friends to help him deal with his Vietnam experience? Does he have family and friends still there? How does he feel about the soldiers that will come home from Iraq or Afghanistan? Does he think of their private hell? When he has tears in his eyes, when he’s unable to speak, is it because of the past? Is he thinking of the soldiers he killed in Vietnam? Is he thinking of that woman? I don’t know if I’ll ask any of these questions. I’m probably like everybody else. Maybe putting a dollar in his cup is simply good enough. After all, I’m helping a war veteran. It’s easy. After handing over a buck, I can walk away. Vendor Profile Moving on and Moving Forward Raynard Jones is a natural salesman By GreGory Flannery Editor S treetvibes vendor Raynard Jones has a smile that’s hard to forget. It’s the kind of smile born of long struggle – and he isn’t finished yet. With 12 years’ experience selling the paper, Jones has worked to overcome a difficult childhood and an adulthood marred by missteps. Born and raised on Pleasant Street in Over-the-Rhine, he has lived in Avondale the past two years. “I came from a dysfunctional family, where there was abuse in the family,” he says.” I ran away from home and stayed with my grandparents.” Jones’s grandfather was a carpenter, and he taught his grandson. “I’ve got a few skills under my belt – carpentry, painting, running a buffer,” Jones says. But his biggest asset is a knack for sales. In past years he has worked in telemarketing. “They say I have the gift of gab,” Jones says. “I’m pretty good with sales.” That talent helped him when he was recovering from addiction, with the help of Cincinnati Restoration Church, known by many people as the group that sells M&Ms and peanuts on street corners. In 1999-2000, Jones stayed at the Drop Inn Center. “Before then I was homeless,” he says.” I had just come home from being incarcerated.” In 2006 Streetvibes named Jones “Vendor of the Year,” and he spoke at the annual dinner of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, which published the street paper. “I’m so grateful to the newspaper,” he says.” It helped me out tremendously. I believe in the paper. I believe in the staff. They’re just marvelous. I like meeting people. I’m a people person. If I can sell M&Ms and peanuts for the ministry, I can sure sell Streetvibes. I’m excited about the paper. It helped me out of a whole bunch of jams – meeting people, job opportunities.” Despite past difficulties, Jones, 45, likes to talk about the positive aspects of his life. “I have a significant other,” he says. “I have a pit bull named Purple Haze and a gray cat named Buddha. I love listening to R&B. I like old movies. I like picnicking and long walks in the park. I like getting in touch with nature – camping and fishing.” A student at Integration of Knowledge and Resources for Occupational Needs (IKRON), where he takes classes on computers, anger management and other subjects, Jones has goals for the future. “I want to obtain my GED, where I can be able to get a better job one day,” he says. “I’d like to one day have my own business, something preferably in sales or a little storefront. But right now I understand you’ve got to crawl before you can walk.” Raynard Jones, Streetvibes vendor, was vendor of the year in 2006. Photo by Jeni Jenkins. Call 513-421-7803 x11 to learn about Streetvibes subscriptions �12 Community News STREETVIBES November 1 - 15, 2009 Find Beauty that Defies Disability Gallery reaches out to artists long ignored 1 By valerie Fessler Contributing WritEr director because he had a “desire to really make the effort meaningful”. “These artists need a way to show their n celebration of National Disabil- work and be taken seriously,” Bolden says. ity Awareness Month, an art gallery “Artists with disabilities are stereotyped.” in Over-the-Rhine unveiled a new With its hardwood floors, white walls exhibit Oct. 2. Art Beyond Boundaries is and black ceiling decorated with planets showing “Turning a New Leaf” through and stars, Art Beyond Boundaries’ invitNov. 13. ing atmosphere welcomes Established in 2005, Art anyone interested in deBeyond Boundaries ofArt Beyond Boundaries veloping their skills as an fers programs and services artist. Paintings, ceramic is a “mainstream, that reach out to people and clay sculptures, paper professional exhibition with disabilities, children, collages and several othvenue for artists with art supporters and other er pieces line the gallery disabilities.” community members. Volwalls, each telling a differ-Jymi Bolden unteers teach art classes ent story. throughout the year in orThe biggest challenge der to help artists express themselves and Bolden faces is being confronted with introduce them to different artistic me- taking such a diverse body of work from dia. various artists and making it into one coThe gallery offers growth and profes- hesive exhibit. There are assorted levels of sional development to people who pre- development and accomplishments that viously have not had access to this kind range from novice to professional. Stuof venue. Artists learn the importance of dents from local colleges and universities deadlines and presentation of their piec- volunteer and intern at the gallery in ores. These skills provide many disabled der to help make the exhibits possible. artists with real world experience. “I want Art Beyond Boundaries to grow Jymi Bolden, gallery director, describes its reputation and integrity for the sake Art Beyond Boundaries as a “mainstream, of the artists and people we serve in the professional exhibition venue for artists community,” Bolden says. with disabilities.” Bolden began volunThe gallery holds about five shows a teering for the organization from the be- year, each lasting about six weeks. The art ginning and took over as director when on display in the exhibits are for sale, with the gallery moved into its current loca- 70 percent of the profits going to the arttion, 1410 Main St. With a background in ists and 30 percent going to the gallery for photography, he says he became gallery upkeep. I Jymi Bolden, gallery director at Art Beyond Boundaries. Photo by Bill Haigh. To plan a visit to the gallery or to receive more information, visit www.artbeyondboundaries.org. Puzzles Crossword Sudoku across 1. Stays 4. Brand 8. Ottoman Empire (7,6) 13. Lots 14. Shut in 15. Minor role 16. Stay too long 18. Lascivious 19. Ruptured 21. Female name 23. As well 27. Thoroughfare 31. Swordsman 33. Resort lake 34. Tall palm tree 35. Piece of news 36. Security operative (5,8) 37. Cold-shoulder 38. Contraction of need not Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits 1 through 9. Down 2. Harsh 3. Installment 5. Lure 6. Sand and cement 7. To do with religious study 9. City in central New York 10. Recognized 11. Troublesome person 12. Knowledgeable about 17. Yeah 20. Owns 22. Thing 24. Spiking 25. Polluted air 26. Expression of discomfort 28. Curse 29. Mild warning 30. Website 32. Helicopter feature The fundamental goal of a Sudoku puzzle is to use the provided numbers, or givens, to discover which numbers logically fill in the empty squares. The only rule of Sudoku is that each of the nine rows, each of the nine columns, and each of the nine 3x3 subsections must contain all of the numbers from one to nine, and each number consequently can occur in each row, column and subsection only once. �STREETVIBES November 1 - 15, 2009 Candidate Interview 13 Post-Obama Political Aspirations A candidate for Middletown City Council campaigns for change By ariana sHaHanDeH Contributing WritEr A .J. Smith, a 20-year-old candidate for the 2nd Ward seat on Middletown City Council, is taking what he learned on the grassroots campaign trail with Barack Obama in 2008 to run his own campaign for change, pitching “Fresh Ideas and Fresh Thoughts.” What was your first political experience? It was back in 2004, during the presidential elections with John Kerry and the infamous George Bush. I knew that in four years I was going to be 18 years old and an eligible voter. So I was really worried about the war and direction in which the country was going, and I’m thinking, “I’m gonna be 18 and it’s gonna be time to sign up for the draft and George Bush is in office; somebody just kill me.” You know? It was pretty bad. So I told my parents – and my parents are not very politically active – I just told them, “I’m worried about this. I want you guys to go out and vote for John Kerry.” And that was it. I never took an interest in student government or High School Democrats or High School Republicans or anything. It was just...I wanted them to vote just for John Kerry so we could “Middletown had the highest unemployment give George Bush a run for rate in the county at 12.9 percent. We have his money, because I’m some of the poorest schools in the state. We thinking, “This guy is runhave been rated by Forbes magazine as one ning our country straight into the ground. It’s time of the Ten Fastest Dying Cities in the U.S. We have one of the 10 fastest-dying malls in for something different.” What are the top things the U.S. Our home foreclosures are topped with Cuyahoga County and Franklin County - that you want to change? Public safety. We need we are only the city of Middletown.” more police on the street. I - A.J. Smith, live in the 2nd Ward, born candidate for Middletown city council and raised, been here my whole life. That’s where your African Americans are at, your low income Caucasians, Latinos; that’s where you have your Appalachian community at. The 2nd Ward is essentially where Middletown started. (Council) has kind of redlined the 2nd Ward. It’s absolutely bizarre. It’s not a problem to current council. We have guns in our community. I know individuals that have been in situations where the police were needed, and the police did not (promptly) show up because they may not have thought it was important. Council people running right now think that the city provides entirely too much police and fire resources to the 2nd Ward because of the types of residents that we have. Frankly, I think that is racist. I think that it is wholeheartedly racist. I had a friend of mine who was in a domestic-violence altercation a few months ago. He calls me and says, “Hey, A.J., I’m done with this mess. I’m ready to move out; come help me.” I go over and try to help him pack up his stuff. I go in the house and this girl is beating the mess out of him. I call the police. A.J. Smith is a candidate for Middletown City Council. Photo courtesy of A.J. Smith. Ring ring. “Hi, Mr. Police Officer, this is Andrew Smith, I need you guys at this location ASAP. There is a domestic-violence altercation going on, and it’s going to escalate if you don’t get there.” “OK, sir, we’ll get there as soon as possible.” Ten minutes later, ring ring. “Hi, Mr. Police Officer, this is A.J. Smith again. The domestic altercation has escalated; she’s grabbed his hammer. If you don’t get here soon, it’s going to continue to escalate.” Ten minutes later, ring ring. “Hi, Mr. Police Officer, this is A.J. Smith again.” It would have been different if I called and said that a white man is getting his tail beat – they would have responded (snap of fingers) that quickly. You think that is the attitude of council? I do, I do. Cause it doesn’t make any sense why we are still the status quo. Why hasn’t it changed? Middletown had the highest unemployment rate in the county at 12.9 percent. We have some of the poorest schools in the state. We have been rated by Forbes magazine as one of the Ten Fastest Dying Cities in the U.S. We have one of the 10 fastest-dying malls in the U.S. Our home foreclosures are topped with Cuyahoga County and Franklin County - we are only the city of Middletown. If you don’t get someone else elected to city council, with just a little bit of common sense, then it’s going to stay the same. You talked a lot about Middletown’s assets in your community and economic development priorities. What are Middletown's greatest assets? I think our greatest assets in the 2nd Ward specifically are the community center. It’s the only community center in the city. We have the Dream Center. It’s the only soup kitchen in city, where anybody, regardless of race or socioeconomic background, can come and get a free meal Editor’s note: any time of the day, doesn’t matter. We have the Health The opinions Center in the 2nd Ward, which is, of course, partnered expressed in with the city’s health department, and the county folks the candidate that serve a group of individuals that can’t necessarily go interview out to the East End or go to the hospital and be treated are not to be at the drop of a dime. Pretty low cost, pretty fair cost, acperceived tually. We passed a bond issue in ’05 or ’06; we built six as an or seven brand new elementary schools, state-of-the-art endorsement facilities, green technology, everything. So Middletown or reflecting does have a lot to celebrate to a certain extent. It’s just a the views of matter of celebrating it. We don’t ever hear about it. the Greater How do you want to be remembered? Cincinnati As a change agent, someone who changed someone’s Coalition for life for the better … a leader in the community; someone the Homeless, that was able to help individuals change their quality of which life and standard of living. That’s all, nothing more, nothpublishes ing less. Streetvibes. �14 STREETVIBES November 1 - 15, 2009 Guest Column Happy Anniversary – or Something Remembering what we lost and realizing what remains By elizaBetH HeatH Contributing WritEr Today is my anniversary. Three years. It is a day of fun, going out to dinner, maybe a movie or dancing. Instead my husband and I sit in a room watching television – the room that we sleep in and share with three children that are not our own. We are living with my husband’s niece, her three children and her boyfriend. We had to move in here after we lost everything. It’s shocking that after years of working hard and striving to make a good comfortable life for yourself and your family, it can all be gone in a few short months. Both of us lost our jobs – our good jobs with nice salaries, benefits, vacation time, sick days, 401K, all the things that make a job a good one that you want to keep. After we lost our jobs, things only got worse. Unable to pay our bills, I got behind on my child support, so my driver’s license got suspended. My mother said she would help by driving me around to various places to fill out applications. I finally got a job waiting tables. I was so happy. Maybe I could turn things around after all. I could get caught up on bills and get my driver’s license back. My mother said that she would drive me back and forth to work until I was able to get my license back. I had to pay into my child support for a month before they would take the holder off my license. On the second day of my new job, my mother had my brother send a text message to my But despite how bad cell phone letting me know that she could not take me to work, so I drove myself with no driver’s lithings have gotten cense, no insurance and expired plates. I got pulled and everything that has happened, we still over right across the street from my new place of have each other. We employment. I was charged with driving under suspension and still have hope. got a ticket for expired plates. My car got towed, and I got fired. I borrowed money to get my car out of impoundment. When I got back home, the electricity was shut off, and there was an eviction notice taped to our door. We had a month to get caught up on rent or leave. I kept looking for work, but I had no luck. We lost our home. I sold my car. We had no money whatsoever. We were on the verge of being homeless. We had nowhere to go. I asked my mother if we could stay with her till we got back on our feet. She lives in a nice four-bedroom, two-bath house located within walking distance to many places I could work. She had room for us. She said, “No.” My husband’s niece made room for us in her small apartment. So here we are, in a small apart- Both of us lost our jobs ment with too many people. I finally got a job, one – our good jobs with that pays minimum wage. It’s barely enough to pay nice salaries, benefits, my child support, let alone save any money so we vacation time, sick can get on our feet, get our own place and a vedays, 401K, all the hicle. things that make a job We miss our home so much. We had a threea good one that you bedroom house right on the Great Miami River. want to keep. One bedroom was used just for my husband’s tools. He was able to work on anything he needed or wanted to. Another bedroom was used for my stereo, speakers and guitar. Every room had its own decor. Fish and frogs in the bathroom. Cookbooks stacked up in the kitchen. A pool in the backyard. Flowers growing everywhere. A big patio with a nice patio table, matching umbrella and lounge chairs. Bookshelves in the living room. Paintings and drawings hanging on the walls. Everything gone. What didn’t get left behind was sold in a yard sale. To make matters worse, living here is like being in jail. There is constant tension. We have no privacy. When watching television, everyone around gets louder and louder until the television can no longer be heard. I get up in the morning and clean, only for it to be trashed again a couple hours later. Today, our anniversary is not as happy as it should be. We sit in the room that we share, wondering if things will ever change for the better, looking back at how wonderful our last anniversary was. But despite how bad things have gotten and everything that has happened, we still have each other. We still have hope. I am grateful that there is at least someone out there who cares enough not to let us live on the street. And I believe that like all other bad things that happen to good people, this, too, shall pass. Become a Fan of Streetvibes on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/streetvibescincinnati aFForDaBle rates etvibes? tre nS sted in Adve e r e t rtis In ing i Many sizes (full page, 1/2 page, 1/4 page, 1/8 page) BlacK & wHilte anD color availaBle Discounts For nonProFits Contact Lynne at 513-421-7803 ext. 11 or lynneausman@cincihomeless.org for more information. �STREETVIBES November 1 - 15, 2009 15 Resources Need Help or Want to Help? Shelter: Women and Children Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 Central Access Point Cincinnati Union Bethel 381-SAFE 768-6907 557-2873 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 241-1064 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 3600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 St. Vincent de Paul 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 681-2365 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Treatment: Men 872-9259 Charlie’s 3/4 House Shelter: Men DIC Live In Program Prospect House 241-5525 961-2256 Treatment: Women First Step Home 961-4663 961-4080 761-1480 721-0643 Joseph House (Veterans) 1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237 351-0422 381-6672 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 217 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 241-2965 471-1100 221-3350 Hamilton County ADAS Board Recovery Health Access Center Sober Living Talbert House Hamilton/Middletown 421-3131 569-1840 381-4242 Northern Kentucky Advocacy 721-4580 632-7149 381-1171 114 W. 14th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 961-4555 751-0643 381-1954 Food/Clothing Lord’s Pantry OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 621-5300 961-1983 OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 St. Francis Soup Kitchen People Working Cooperatively The Caring Place United Way Women Helping Women 946-4888 281-7422 681-0324 641-4300 Housing: Tom Geiger House Dana Transitional Bridge Services Volunteers of America 771-4800 751-0600 721-4811 351-7921 631-1114 211 977-5541 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 3330 Jefferson, Cinti, Ohio 45220 Tender Mercies 381-0111 1223 Main St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 AA Hotline CCAT 2728 Glendora Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45209 CMHA Excel Development OTR Community Housing 621-5514 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Goodwill industries Healing Connections Mary Magdalen House Treatment: Both Interfaith Hospitality Network Lighthouse Youth Center (Youth) 1308 Race St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 661-4620 241-2600 241-2563 214 E. 14th St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Drop Inn Center Center Independent Living Options Emmanuel Community Center Peaslee Neighborhood Center Shelter: Both Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 458-6670 977-4489 Other Resources 721-0643 921-1613 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Anthony House (Youth) 558-8888 981-5800 784-1853 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 Starting Over 1419 Elm Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Justice Watch 241-0490 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 Mt. Airy Shelter Mental Health Access Point Mercy Franciscan at St. John NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 City Gospel Mission 357-4602 352-2902 352-6363 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 762-5660 131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter Health Resource Center Homeless Mobile Health Van McMicken Dental Clinic 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45202 562-8841 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224 Salvation Army 381-2247 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Bethany House FreeStore/FoodBank Crossroad Health Center Catholic Social Action Community Action Agency Contact Center 1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Franciscan JPIC Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 721-4700 421-7803 579-8547 241-9400 421-1108 363-3300 421-2437 Health Center for Respite Care 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 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 535-2719 Puzzle Solutions Women’s Crisis Center VA Domiciliary VA Homeless 859-491-3335 859-559-5011 859-572-6226 �16 Column STREETVIBES November 1 - 15, 2009 Translating a Word into the World Mary Pierce Brosmer: helping women to find their own voices 1 “Heartstory of childbed marriagebed sickbed deathbed so many sheets stained by pleasure and pain then bleached pale and hung in the sun to fade… Mystory of women’s lives… all too often, packed away in a chest without hope.” – Mary Pierce Brosmer, “History, Herstory” Mary Pierce Brosmer, a Cincinnati writer and poet, is the founder of Women Writing for (a) Change (WWF(a)C), an organization that uses writing to empower women and help them find their voices. Born in a working-class family to a first-generation Italian mother and coalminer father, she grew up in Crawford County, Ohio, studied theater and music, but majored in literature Mary Pierce Brosmer founded Women Writing for (a) Change. Photo by Bill Howes. because she “loved to read.” Her parents exposed her very early on to reading; they bought her a set of the classics at her birth, and her fa- voted herself entirely to what became her new her organization. In addition to the classes for ther, an avid reader, would tell her, as a child, organization. adult and young women, WWF(a)C has prostories about various literary characters. BroThe WWF(a)C agenda has since remained moted and used its approach in classrooms, smer favored historical novels but also books the same, to create, through writing, a space prisons, radio and Internet programs and reabout women’s lives, biographies that gave her for every person, in particular women, to find treats with specialty professionals. In 2004 the a sense of who she might be. their voices and assert themselves. Writing, organization created the Feminist Leadership Women’s identities, their roles and place usually triggered in a class by a reading, a topic Academy to train and teach others how to use in society have or a prompt, would its practices in various settings. preoccupied her serve as a tool to That’s how Brosmer would like now to all along. Her own get in touch with spend her own time. She instituted “Consultmother, an articuoneself, self-reflect, ing for (a) Change,” a business that offers her late person, made it reach for truth, feel services to empower, though writing, diverse only to sixth grade free and most im- groups, most recently health-care givers and as and neglected her portant, connect girls in the Baltimore City juvenile justice sysown needs in order to others and build tem, helping them move from the personal, to to keep the family community. the technical, to the political and vice versa. together. Her voice By saaD GHosn Despite her heavy “Instead of being an activist feminist going was often silent in Contributing WritEr involvement with out, I used writing to make a place in which the presence of a her new organiza- we practice feminism as I understand it and verbal and domition and the time believe in it, an active liberation of women, neering husband. Over the years she lost her demand it placed on her, Brosmer continued and therefore of men and children, by bringspark and slipped into depression. with her own writing. Her prose often related ing out the feminine more fully,” she says. This is when Brosmer resorted to writing; to the growth of the WWF(a)C community, “This is transformation of consciousness. My it became her outlet and an important part of reflecting on its practices, sharing what she approach has a universal intention; it can apher expression. She started a journal, a means learned with others. She has just completed a ply to any individual, group of individuals, or to define and assert herself; and wrote po- book documenting her journey; she wrote it as situation.” ems about family connections, motherhood, a legacy for women and for her organization; the light and darkness of life, the paradox of also as a place of rest and reflection where she silence and voice. Silence, she felt, was nec- and others can meet, exchange and contribCancer Poem: a Liberal Lament essary for any voice to listen to itself, grow ute. and be heard; and women, “the mules of the Women Writing For (a) Change, a Guide By Mary Pierce BrosMer world,” she says, quoting Alice Walker, did not for Creative Transformation was published have it because their lives were usually so full by Notre Dame University Press last month. These days I am jumpy, with other people’s needs. Crafted as both pragmatic and spiritual, it ineven my dreams are lumpy In graduate school, one of Brosmer’s teach- cludes poetry, journal entries, essays, reflecwith the faces, the voices ers discovered her poems and invited her to tions, dreams and writing exercises. of all the satisfied people read. This was an empowering experience, Brosmer’s poetry also abounded all along, one that also connected her to others, par- published in various journals and feminine surely you've seen them- ticularly women who like her were searching periodicals. Her topics naturally pertained to that rush of genial cells, for themselves and for their space in a male- womanhood and women’s role in the world, eating and multiplying, dominated world. but also to family, politics, wars and society. converging on malls. After obtaining her master of arts degree in Her satirical poem, “Cancer Poem, a Liberal literature, Brosmer continued to teach high- Lament,” was triggered by the comment of an See how they flourish school English, waiting for her son to gradu- acquaintance and of many who in exit polls and thrive: blissfully blind, ate from high school before she could move to said they had voted for Bush because uncheerful and benign. New Hampshire to pursue a doctorate degree der Republicans they had more money. This in the teaching of writing. evoked to her the robotic nature of people; It may be unwise, One night she had a dream that proved de- the generalized, conscienceless and mindless politically incorrect even, cisive: She was in a room with many women growth of commercial malls, spreading like to use cancer as metaphor, sitting around a table covered with a lace ta- cancer, and the decaying materialistic values but God! how I fear them: blecloth; all were writing, telling their truth, of society. especially as it relates to their sexual abuse Writing remains an essential tool for Brosall the happy consumers, and oppression. She felt terrified, woke up and mer. as they gather in solid wrote the first brochure for WWF(a)C. This “I use it to translate the word into the world,” prosperous tumors, was in 1991; 15 women joined the first class. she says. shop for the best buys, The next semester she quit her teaching job, This surely applies to her, but also to all the grow malignant, and metastasize. abandoned her graduate school plans and de- activities she has been pioneering through 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. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2009 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource November 1-14, 2009 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Gigantic Insult? Towering Tribute? Pg 2: The Vibe Pg 3: Eight Minutes Breaking a Taboo Pg 4: Importance of a Second Chance Pg 5: Working to Set the Captives Free Pg 6: Candidates Support Health Clinics Pg 7: Dead Men Walking in Ohio Prisons Pg 8: Got Underwear? Not All Do Pg 9: Annual Dinner Pg 10: Blue Dogs and Howler Monkeys From Apartment to Tent and Back Pg 11: Someplace That Isn’t Home Moving on and Moving Forward Pg 12: Find Beauty that Defies Disability Pg 13: Post-Obama Political Aspirations Pg 14: Happy Anniversary-Or Something Pg 15: Resources Pg 16: Translating a Word into the World Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource November 1-14, 2009 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gregory Flannery Lynne Ausman Jeni Jenkins Lew Moores Valerie Fessler Margo Pierce Paul Kopp Jeremy Flannery Michael Henson David Heitfield Kelissa Hieber Dan Rozier Stephanie Dunlap Saad Ghosn Keara Anita Mullen Ariana Shahandeh Larry Gross Nicholas Hoesl Mark Payne Aimie Willhoite Lynne Ausman Jeni Jenkins Anthony Williams Berta Lambert Clarissa Peppers Jennifer Blalock Lynn Baker Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Aimie Willhoite Annual Dinner Anthony Williams Ariana Shahandeh Barack Obama Berta Lambert campaign city council Clarissa Peppers Dan Rozier David Heitfield Felons Gregory Flannery health care Health Clinics Jeni Jenkins Jennifer Blalock Jeremy Flannery Keara Anita Mullen Kelissa Hieber Larry Gross Lew Moores Lynn Baker Lynne Ausman Margo Pierce Mark Payne Michael Henson Middletown Nicholas Hoesl Ohio Paul Kopp Prisons Rev. Mark Schmieder Saad Ghosn Sister Helen Prejean Stephanie Dunlap Town Hall Valerie Fessler https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/e0874e0b6106503172fc8f078f61a10a.pdf aec2fba13b2fb4d2d2826780a7e23b7a PDF Text Text Get to ‘Get Low’ Prisoner Wins Nobel page 10 page 4 Nov. 1-14, 2010 • Issue 187 • One Dollar ADVOCATING JUSTICE • BUILDING COMMUNITY Homeless Awareness Week in Cincinnati By Carly Tamborski Contributing Writer C itizens marched Oct. 16 through downtown Cincin­ nati and Over-the-Rhine to demand an end to homeless­ ness, a positive resolution for gentrification and reason­ able wages. The march, part of Home­ less Awareness Week, Oct. 15-23, kicked off from Buddy’s Place on Vine Street, where marchers rallied. The marchers stopped at points highlighting places where, homeless advocates say, unjust acts against homeless people occurred, including places where the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC) and the city have displaced people from low-income housing and public spaces. “This march is for justice, Joanne Burton, public-con­ trolled government, living wages, the end of homeSupporters march through downtown Cincinnati in support of homeless people. About 150 people participated in the Oct. 16 demonstration. Aimee Willhoite. See March, P. 9 How I Snuck in on the Dalai Lama ­ Even mystical security has its weaknesses By Gregory Flannery Editor T he “self” is an illusion, according to the Dalai Lama, so it’s fitting that I saw him under false pretenses, passing the security checkpoint under an assumed name. The U.S. State Department had ordered me kept out, but I got in. The security process for screening journalists for the Dalai Lama’s visit Oct. 21 was almost as obscure and com- plex as Tibetan Buddhism itself. I was in, then I was out, then I was back in. Finally, on the day of his appearance, a university staffer handed me a press badge and said, “Here. You’re Eric Frisbee.” Eric Frisbee is a photographer for WHIO (Channel 7) in Dayton, Ohio. I am not Frisbee, but I felt like one, my media credentials tossed back and forth from Oxford, Ohio, to Washington, D.C., and back again. In the end, the security apparatus was ridiculously flawed. At the security checkpoint, no one even asked for my ID. The badge said I was Eric Frisbee, and I got in. ‘You are not allowed’ I submitted my application for media credentials – includ­ ing date of birth and socialsecurity number – Sept. 20. An Oct. 12 e-mail from Miami University notified me of ap­ proval for the Dalai Lama’s pri­ vate morning session at Hall Auditorium. A staffer even let me in on a parking secret that prevented my having to walk or catch a shuttle across campus. But three days later my credentials were revoked – and by a player I didn’t even know was involved. Claire Wagner, director of Miami’s News and Public Information Office, called Streetvibes and left a phone message. “I’m calling with bad news,” she said. “We received an e-mail from the State Department, who is in charge of security for the day. We had supplied all of the personal information about the media. They have sent back a note saying you are not allowed to be in the venue that day. No details. I’m very sorry.” An essential part of Tibetan Buddhism is the notion of impermanence – everything changes. This was to prove true in this case. I phoned Wagner to ask for clarification. I requested the e-mail from the State Depart­ ment and the name of the person who said I couldn’t cover the Dalai Lama’s visit. That person’s name, it seems, is off-limits. Wagner sent this e-mail: See Dalai, P. 6 �2 Editorial ­ Streetwise By The Numbers ­ 72 The percentage of residents of Section 8 housing assistance who are employed or retired (see page 5). 12 The tallest building, in number of stories, that Steven Paul Lansky can comfortably enter (see page 11). 11 The length, in number of years, of Liu Xiaobo’s prison sentence in the People’s Republic of China (see page 4). 1976 The year Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation was founded (see page 3). 2 The number of people initially barred by the U.S. State Department from a visit by the Dalai Lama (see page 1). 150 The size, in number of participants, of the Homeless Awareness March (see page 1). 1,000 The average distance, in miles, between farm field and U.S. grocery store (see page 6). 1930 The year in which Get Low is set (see page 10). 31 The number of NFL teams that don’t seem to need problem players (see page 7). 10 The approximate number of police officers outside Music Hall during Sleeping Beauty (see page 10). By Gregory Flannery Editor Don’t Tread on Other People A conservative friend of mine has been critical of the Tea Party movement. “Anger,” he says, “is not a good organizing principle.” My friend and I disagree on almost every political issue; but on this point, he is correct. He doesn’t mean there is no place for anger in politics but rather that a movement primarily fueled by anger is unlikely to advance. Shared ideas and principles are far more effective. The Tea Party isn’t a movement at all, of course; it’s a mob. In the last few weeks of the 2010 election campaign I heard a radio commentator express concern that the Tea Party was beginning to resemble the brown-shirted thugs who stirred German rage to the point that the Nazi Party won office and ruled for 12 years. I thought the warning farfetched, and then came the attack last month on a woman at debate between candidates for a U.S. Senate seat in Kentucky. Lauren Valle, an activist with the progressive movement MoveOn.org, tried to approach Republican candidate Rand Paul to give him a fake award for promoting the domination of GOP policies by big business. Paul’s supporters pulled a wig off Valle’s head and knocked her to the ground. In a horrifying scene played on video throughout the world, a campaign coordinator for Paul held her down by putting his foot on her neck. The symbolism is perfect. Some Tea Party members have tried to paint Valle’s behavior as suspicious. Why was she wearing a wig? But their awareness of history is lacking. Participants in the original Boston Tea Party dressed as American Indians as they seized and destroyed crates of British tea. They didn’t, by the way, attack the crew of the ship. Tea Party gatherings often fly the “Don’t Tread on Me” flag from the American Revolution. Tea Party activists seem perfectly willing, however, to tread on others. Fortunately, Valle wasn’t seriously injured, though she reported swelling in her face and soreness in her neck and shoulders. As if the assault she suffered weren’t bad enough, the chief perpetrator, Tim Profitt, demanded an apology from Valle. In a local TV interview, Profitt said, “She’s a professional at what she does. When all the facts come out, people will see that she’s the one who initiated the whole thing.” And there you have the Tea Party at its essence: Approaching one of its candidates at a public event in order to make a dissenting statement is perceived as an act of provocation, something to be stopped at the cost of violence. Valle had sought to give Paul the Employee of the Month Award from RepubliCorp. – a make-believe group created by MoveOn.org in an act of political satire. The fact that the man who attacked Valle is named Profitt made the satire complete. The problem, of course, is that satire is lost on thugs. The lasting damage from this kind of incident isn’t the minor injuries visited upon Lauren Valle but the damage inflicted on the body politic. Political violence is always and everywhere to be condemned. The Paul campaign fired Profitt – as it knew it must. “The Paul for Senate campaign is extremely disappointed in and condemns the actions of a supporter last night outside the KET debate,” said a statement by Paul’s staff. “Whatever the perceived provocation, any level of aggression or violence is deplorable, and will not be tolerated by our campaign. The Paul campaign has disassociated itself from the volunteer who took part in this incident, and once again urges all activists – on both sides – to remember that their political passions should never manifest themselves in physical altercations of any kind.” That’s rather craven, all in all. “Both sides” weren’t involved in violence. Paul’s side was. Even so, it’s better than the statement by the campaign for Jack Conway, Democratic candidate for the Senate: “We can disagree on issues, and I don’t know what preceded the incident, but physical violence by a man against a woman must never be tolerated.” Agreed: Men shouldn’t assault women. Furthermore, women shouldn’t assault women. Nor should men assault men or women assault men. But Conway missed both the opportunity and the point. What happened at that debate is a harbinger of things to come. Tensions have been unloosed in this country that, if not calmed, will lead to far greater violence. It is increasingly becoming acceptable to make scapegoats of minorities – undocumented workers and Muslims are especially in vogue as targets these days. We must reclaim our ability to disagree without vilifying our opponents. U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), in an act of glorious civic virtue, showed in 2008 what leadership is about in a republic. At a town hall meeting toward the end of McCain’s failed presidential campaign, a woman in the audience denounced then-Sen. Barack Obama as a Muslim – as if being one were some kind of ignominy. McCain took the microphone and firmly corrected the woman, his own supporter. “No, ma’am,” he said. “You’re wrong.” My conservative friend once told me that the chief value of democracy isn’t that it leads to the selection of the most qualified candidates or that it is the fairest way to govern. The chief value of democracy, he said, is that it provides a non-violent means for a change in power. He makes a good point. It’s important that we all remember that. Unbridled political passions are dangerous. STREETVIBES November 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 Joseph Szydlowski Vendor Coordinator Georgia Bohannon Contributing Writers Michelle Dillingham, Samantha Groark, Margo Pierce, Jeremy Flannery, Michael Henson, David Heitfield, Corey Gibson, Jeni Jenkins, Saad Ghosn, Lew Moores, Larry Gross, Eli Braun, Jesse Call, Michael Fanning, B. Clifton Burke, Carly Tamborski Photography/Artwork Aimie Willhoite, Lynne Ausman, Anne Skove, Vinit Murthy, Jon Hughes, Brad Foster Proofreader 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. �8 STREETVIBES November 1-14, 2010 Column 3 M I N U T E S Considering Advocacy By Margo Pierce Contributing Writer A dvocacy frequently gets a bad rap. Trying to get a specific idea, group of people or posi­ tion heard above the barrage of information flooding our daily lives can appear to be “special treatment” and therefore dismissed as “biased.” This negative label appears to be applied most frequently when an idea, group or position doesn’t have popu­ lar support or challenges the currently accepted norm. The problem is that people are fickle and often contradictory in their tastes, so the accepted stan­ dard frequently changes. There are some long standing – some might say hard-core – beliefs in the United States that leave al­ ternative perspectives fighting hard to be heard and seriously considered. The first that comes to mind is the value of human life. Millions of dollars will be spent to rescue a few dozen people from a mine, a baby who fell down a well or people displaced by a tsunami. We invest a huge amount of money on having fire departments, hospitals, Coast Guard rescues and other emergency responses – available at a moment’s notice – even though the proportion of people served is small. A house fire might involve a few people; and even though car crashes occur every day, the number of people served per crash is usually that large. Why are these people considered worth the effort? It doesn’t matter if the house on fire is a crack house and the people trapped inside are drug deal­ ers – the fire department will respond. It doesn’t matter if human traffickers drive the overturned van on the freeway – law enforcement will still attempt to rescue the driver and the “cargo” of slaves. At the same time, we have a system of laws that punishes some people with the death penalty. We spend an unimaginable amount of money to preserve life and yet we’ve created a system of laws that selectively destroys other lives. This dichotomy isn’t a simple one to unravel but the arbitrary way in which we value and devalue life is an excellent test case for the role of advocacy. Some families who have lost a member as the result of murder – the people closest to the victims, the people who have the most legitimate argument for revenge – are trying to get the death penalty abolished. An argument could be made that they didn’t really care about the victim if they don’t seek revenge, but these families contend the opposite is true. It is because of their love for the life lost that they don’t want to see another life end. The act of forgiveness makes it possible for them to reinforce their belief that the life of their murdered child, par­ ent, aunt or grandmother is valuable. Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation (http://www.mvfr.org/) is an example of a minor­ ity voice trying to be heard and actively seeking to change a popular notion – state-sanctioned murder is OK, even necessary. Founded in 1976, Murder Vic­ tims’ Families for Reconciliation (MVFR) describes itself as “a national organization of family members of victims of both homicide and executions who op­ pose the death penalty in all cases. MVFR includes people of many different perspectives. Because violent crime cuts across a broad spectrum of so­ ciety, our members are geographically, racially and economically diverse.” Another groups that’s advocating for change is the Death Penalty Information Center (www.deathpen- Editor Gregory Flannery presents Margo Pierce the Streetvibes Contributor of the Year Award. Bradley Foster. altyinfo.org). This group sums up its argument with two simple sentences: “Vindication for victims and closure for victims’ families are often held out as primary reasons for supporting the death penalty. However, many people in this community believe that another killing would not bring closure and that the death penalty is a disservice to victims.” In Cincinnati, the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center (www.ijpc-cincinnati.org/) is a long­ standing advocacy group working to abolish the death penalty. The group lobbies elected officials, supports the families of people on Death Row through the Families That Matter program, coordi­ nates a chapter of Ohioans to Stop Executions and leads Murder Victims’ Family Members, a program to help people “search for healing and a restored life.” For 25 years the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center has served the role of bringing together like-minded people to combine efforts to change the conversation about the death penalty, to take a rational look at the effects of violence perpetrated by government against its own people. It could be argued that their efforts and those of others advocating abolition aren’t very effective. Ac­ cording to the 2009 Gallup Crime Survey, conducted annually, 65 percent of Americans “support the use of the death penalty for persons convicted of mur­ der,” and only 31 percent oppose the death penalty. These numbers have been fairly constant over time. Challenging such an ingrained notion appears to be an uphill effort for such a small number of people, so why bother? Advocacy is a means by which people can bring to light ideas and opportunities for change that might never be considered in the rush to conform. It is through considering challenges to what is popular or assumed to be true that we can examine the valid­ ity of our position, behavior, thinking, etc. Being imperfect beings, we make mistakes but we have the ability to change our thinking, actions and laws. Complacency is easy. It requires no effort. How­ ever, the act of thoughtfully considering an issue, researching it from as many angles as possible (there are always more than two sides to any argument, despite the polarization presented by most news programs), making a decision to act in support of that position and staying open to new information to test your position is the difficult role of advocacy. The next time you dig in your heels and dismiss a view the conflicts with your own, pause long enough to consider how you would respond if your position were the minority and dismissed out of hand. You might not be tempted to pick up a picket sign or even write a check, but if you’re willing to consider alternatives, then the advocate you listened to ac­ complished something important – opening a mind. 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 International News ­ STREETVIBES November 1-14, 2010 Nobel Prize for Chinese Freedom Fighter Liu Xiaobo and Charter 08 demand human rights By Andrew Anderson Contributing Writer N ews headlines were brief­ ly alight a couple weeks ago about the recipients of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, Liu Xiaobo and Charter 08. To many Americans, it was noth­ ing more than a curious item to be quickly forgotten. What interest does a Chinese dissident hold in our lives? His name is spelled funny – who would even try to pronounce it? Who has heard of Charter 08, and who cares? President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009. We know that name and we celebrated and debated that announcement for weeks. If our consciousness ever recorded the name of this year’s Noble Peace Prize winner, the memory is quickly fading. This is unfortunate, for Liu Xiaobo and what he repre­ sents has arguably more signifi­ cance to human rights and peace than President Obama. “Liu Xiaobo” is three syllables: “LEE-OWE” (pronounced as one syllable) “SHE-OW” (pronounced as one syllable) “BO” (like “boy” with the “y” lopped off ). Chinese names always have the family name or surname first, followed by the given name. Liu is an intellectual, writer, literary critic and human-rights activist. He advocates demo­ cratic reforms and the end of one-party rule in China. Until recently he was better known outside China than inside. The Chinese govern­ ment considers his writing subversive, and his name is censored. Born in 1955, he has a Ph.D. from Beijing Normal Uni­ versity, where he has also taught, and was a visiting scholar between 1988 and 1989 at Columbia University, the University of Oslo and the University of Hawaii, among others. “ ing students to leave, saving hun­ dreds of lives. (“Junzi” was a term coined by the Chinese philosopher Confucius to describe his ideal hu­ man.) Liu was imprisoned for over 18 months in maximum-security Qincheng Prison and released after signing a “letter of repentance” for his involvement in the Tiananmen Square protests. Since 1989 Liu has been ar­ rested four times and when not in prison has been under constant government “monitoring.” This has included building a sentry station next to his home and tapping his phone calls and Internet communi­ cations. Liu’s wife, Xia, once complained to guards in the sentry station, who had blocked her best friend bring­ ing two bottles of wine and a deliv­ ery person bringing a birthday cake for her husband. The guards said, “It is for the sake of your security. It has happened many bomb attacks in these days.” Liu Xiaobo has been arrested for his ideas and words. He has never been violent. He has not threat­ ened to harm anyone or destroy any property. He has criticized the Chinese political system and advocated democracy. He was most recently arrested for helping write “Charter 08.” He was sentenced to 11 years in prison and deprived of political rights for two years. He is serving that sentence in Jinzhou Prison in Liaoning Province. Charter 08 is a manifesto pro­ moting political reform and democ­ ratization in the People’s Republic of China. It was written by “China Human Rights Defenders,” including Liu Xiaobo. Charter 08 es­ pouses six fundamental principles: freedom, human rights, equality, republican­ ism, democracy and constitutional rule. Charter 08 advo­ cates fulfilling these principles by creat­ ing a new constitu­ tion that provides separation of power, legislative democ­ racy, an independent judiciary, public con­ trol of public servants, the guarantee of human rights, election of public officials, rural-urban equal­ ity, freedom of association, freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, civ­ ic education, protection of private property, financial and tax reform, social security, protection of the environment, a federated republic and truth in reconciliation. The ideas in Charter 08 are not new. Charter 08 takes its name from Charter 77, a key document writ­ ten by intellectuals and activists in the former Czechoslovakia and part Liu was sentenced on Christmas Day in hopes that Western democracies would be too preoccupied to care.” A new constitution Liu was visiting universities in the United States in 1989 when the Tiananmen Square protests erupted. He returned to China to join the movement and was later named one of the “Four junzis of Tiananmen Square” for persuad­ of the democracy movement led by Vaclav Havel in the late 1970s. Charter 08 draws on Charter 77 as well as the U.S. Constitution, the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, the Universal Declaration Human Rights of the United Nations, South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China. ‘Root out the organizers’ The China Human Rights De­ fenders started discussing and drafting Charter 08 in late spring 2008. Chinese authorities did not pay much attention at that time. Things quickly changed, however, days before the charter was pub­ lished. On Dec. 6, 2008, police in eastern China detained Wen Kejian, a writer who signed the charter, questioned him for about an hour. Police told Wen that Charter 08 was “differ­ ent” from other dissident writings. They considered it “a fairly grave matter” and promised an aggres­ sive investigation to “root out the organizers.” They pressed Wen to remove his name from the charter. He declined, citing his belief that the charter was a turning point in history. On Dec. 8, in the far south of China, police called Zhao Dagong, a writer who had signed the char­ ter, for a “chat.” They asked if he were the organizer for signatures gathered in southern China. At ap­ proximately 11 p.m. about 20 police officers entered the home of Zhang Zuhua, another of the charter’s main drafters. Zhang was taken to the police station and questioned for over 12 hours. Zhang’s wife watched the po­ lice search their home, confiscate books, notebooks, Zhang’s pass­ port, all four of the family’s com­ puters and all their cash and credit cards. Later Zhang learned that his family’s bank accounts, including those of both his and his wife’s par­ ents, had been emptied. Late that day, Liu Xiaobo was taken to jail. The next morning one of the charter’s signers, Pu Zhiqiang, a Beijing lawyer, was called in for a police “chat.” In the evening, physi­ cist and philosopher Jiang Qisheng was called into the police station. Both had signed the charter and were friends of its authors. Charter 08 was published Dec. 10, 2008, the 60th anniversary of the United Nation’s Universal Dec­ laration of Human Rights. Police returned to Wen Kejian’s home of and threatened him with imprisonment if he wrote about Charter 08 or Liu Xiaobo’s arrest. They asked, “Do you want three years in prison – or four?” Liu, detained in December 2008, was not formally arrested until June Liu Xiaobo is serving 11 years in prison for “subversion.” Courtesy of Amnesty International. 23, 2009. Police released a state­ ment: “Liu has been engaged in agitation activities, such as spread­ ing of rumors and defaming of the government, aimed at subversion of the state and overthrowing the socialism system, in recent years.” On Dec. 23, 2009, Liu was tried for two hours in a closed court­ room. His wife, Xia, was not allowed to be present, though his brotherin-law was. Diplomats from more than a dozen nations, including the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand, were denied access and stood outside the courtroom wait­ ing for the verdict. Liu was sentenced on Christmas Day in hopes that Western democ­ racies would be too preoccupied to care. The Chinese government convicted him of “subversion”; but as Liu said, “Opposition is not equivalent to subversion.” ‘This must change’ Dissidents asking for reform in China are nothing new. China’s one-party political system of “democratic dictatorship” is one of the more repressive modern states. So why did Charter 08 have such a strong response from Chinese authorities? While it is impossible to know for sure, there are a few things that make Charter 08 different: • The language of the charter is simple and eloquent in its expres­ sion of noble ideas. • It has broad appeal, coalesc­ ing what many Chinese have been thinking. It appeals equally to peas­ ants and former party members and has been signed by Chinese citizens from all walks of life. • Intellectuals within the society, not politicians or young radicals, are putting it forth. • Internet use and infrastructure have grown enough within China that copies of Charter 08 are avail­ able and discussion about it is pos­ sible, though difficult due to cen­ sorship. The primary site hosting the charter and associated discus­ sions was “attacked” via computer and shut down Oct. 14 and is still See Nobel, P. 6 �5 Columns STREETVIBES November 1-14, 2010 Meeting the Bible Verse Man ­ Thinking about being homeless By Larry Gross Guest Columnist I ’m in downtown Cincinnati on most mornings now, going to a freelance job in Northern Kentucky; and on most mornings, I see him while I’m waiting at the bus stop. You can tell he’s probably homeless; that’s the way he appears to me. His black hair is uncombed, his white face badly in need of a shave and his clothes are basically rags. His shoes used to be shoes. Now I’d consider them heavy, dirty socks. He doesn’t smell good and his eyes look a little crazy – not mean, just a little off. There is something else different about him, something that makes you take notice when you see him. Pinned to his rag of a shirt, with safety pins, are small index cards with handwritten Bible verses on them. The verses are in black – I think with a marker – and he’s wearing six to 10 of them on most mornings. No, I don’t read the Bible verses he has pinned to himself. I don’t want him to think I’m paying attention to him. He approaches people for money, but so far not me. Every time I see him – and I’m not sure why – my mind turns to myself. I wonder what my approach would be to being homeless and living on the street. This man wears Bible verses pinned to himself. Others sit on corners with cardboard signs asking for help. Some simply have a paper cup, assuming you know they need money. Some take it to the streets, preaching the word of God to anybody who will listen. A few sing to get a few coins. More than a few ask for a cigarette, perhaps to test the water before asking for money. Some offer Streetvibes for a donation of a dollar. I don’t know what my approach would be, but I think about being homeless more than I care to admit. Sometimes I look in my wallet on a Monday morning and see 20 bucks, realizing it’s going to have to last me until Friday when that freelance check should come in the mail. So often it doesn’t. Often I think to myself that family and friends would never let me live on the street but I take little comfort in that. Living off handouts doesn’t appeal to me, especially from people I love. Maybe it’s easier to ask strangers. Maybe someday I’ll be forced to find out. While I don’t know how I could handle being homeless, all I know for sure is that I’d be scared, actually scared to death. I don’t know if I could survive and don’t know if I would want to. I don’t know what would keep me strong and want to carry on. Maybe the man with the Bible verses pinned to his shirt has found a way to find strength through them. Maybe for him it’s important to write those verses. Maybe it’s encouraging to wear them and think about their meaning. I mean, when you’re homeless, few people are on your side. Perhaps to him, if no one else is in your corner, God is. I’m thinking when he wears those Bible verses pinned to his shirt, it’s probably comforting to look up at the heavens instead of looking down at a cold, lonely sidewalk. Those Darned Facts Trump Section 8 Myths ­ The ‘projects’ aren’t what you think By Michelle Dillingham Contributing Writer A t my neighborhood’s com­ munity council meeting last week I had the oppor­ tunity to provide some affordablehousing advocacy. Our neighborhood police officer was updating the group about a multi-family property in our neigh­ borhood that had been recently vacated and is now undergoing ren­ ovation. The officer reported there had been residents who had lived there for over 20 years, but recently a new group of younger renters had moved in and created problems. The building also suffered a bedbug infestation. The officer said there was a lot of “Section 8” there and now the landlord hopes to rent to “working families” instead. When he finished, I addressed the group and said, “I noticed the officer made a distinction between ‘Section 8’ and ‘working families,’ yet many people who use Section 8 vouchers ARE working families. Sometimes there are problems, but they can be attributed to a number of factors. It is important to not just blame it on people who use Sec­ tion 8. I just wanted to let everyone know that.” I got a nice nod from a couple of the residents and one of the fire­ men from the local firehouse. I felt pretty good about myself for a moment, then regretted that I did not have more solid numbers at the tip of my tongue to make my point more persuasive. Fortunately, Elizabeth Brown, president of Affordable Housing Advocates (AHA), recently shared a link on the AHA Listserv to the U.S. Department of Housing (HUD) website, which includes detailed information on Housing Choice Voucher programs. If you go to this link, you can view information on all of Ohio’s public housing authori­ ties all the way down to the project level. The information includes race, ethnicity, income and source of income, household size and length of stay. The Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) is the largest landlord of affordable hous­ ing in Cincinnati. In fact, CMHA has such an important role in our local affordable-housing landscape that AHA has included it as one of the five areas of focus in its Policy Agenda for 2010. It is worthwhile to note AHA’s specific advocacy goals in relation to CMHA, many of which are being actively worked on by AHA’s members: • CMHA will increase public and other affordable rental hous­ ing throughout Hamilton County, including increasing the number of accessible units to better meet the need. • CMHA will fully utilize its cur­ rent funds for the Housing Choice Voucher program, obtain additional funds from HUD, and assist pro­ gram participants obtain housing in neighborhoods of their choice. • CMHA will improve the effec­ tiveness, efficiency and safety of the Housing Choice Voucher program to make it work better for tenants and landlords. • CMHA will begin to redevelop the English Woods site with mixedincome rental and homeowner housing. • CMHA will select an executive director committed to and capable of accomplishing CMHA’s mission. • Local Government appoint­ ing authorities will appoint CMHA board members who are dedicated to CMHA’s mission. There are many assumptions made about people who live in sub­ sidized housing, and a data source such as the one HUD provides can help to bring some reality to the discussion of the Section 8 program and the site-based voucher users (i.e., “projects”). For example, you can find out that in the Millvale housing project, 38 percent of the residents have been there less than one year, 32 percent of the residents work and 16 percent have Social Security or a pension. Here are the usual negative comments I have heard about the CMHA program or about people who live in CMHA units, followed by data available on the HUD web­ site: • “There is too much Section 8” or “There are too many ‘projects’ in Cincinnati.” Reality? CMHA man­ ages a total of 4,628 units. • “People who have Section 8 or live in projects don’t work.” Real­ ity? 28 percent work and 44 percent receive Social Security or a pension – meaning they worked at one time, enough to earn credits to be able to receive Social Security or a pension. • “The people who live in CMHA housing are just lazy young people with too many kids.” Reality? Fourteen percent are elderly, and 21 percent are disabled. A full 47 percent of CMHA units have a single occupant, meaning they have no children. Another 22 percent of all units have only two household members. This means 69 percent of CMHA households have two or fewer members in their household. • “Once someone moves into CMHA, they never move out.” Real­ ity? 43 percent of households have lived in a CMHA unit for less than two years, while 22 percent have lived in a CMHA unit for two to five years. The main staple of effective advocacy is accurate data to help combat stereotypes and misinfor­ mation. I encourage housing advo­ cates to utilize this information as you sit in your community council meetings, work lunches and even at the kitchen table. Knowledge is power. For more information, visit https://pic.hud.gov/pic/RCRPub­ lic/rcrmain.asp. To join AHA or its listserv, write mdmswlsw@hotmail. com. �6 Issues STREETVIBES November 1-14, 2010 Eat Your Food Where it’s Grown ­ The value of buying local By Sarah Robinson Contributing Writer T here has been some considerable buzz the past few years about “local food movements” and “buy local” campaigns. The First Lady has an organic garden, Michael Pollan has appeared on Oprah and you might have seen some “Ohio Proud” stickers at the grocery store. Why is this important? Buying local means reduced petroleum consumption. The Dalai food you buy at the grocery store, on average, travels 1,000 miles from where it is produced and processed to where it shows up on the shelf. All that transportation, not to mention refrigeration, has contributed to the food system’s accounting for onefifth of total energy use in America. Buying local is good for your neighborhood’s economy. Money spent on local products at locally owned businesses is re-circulated into the community. Local farmers tend to hire local workers and to buy most of their supplies and equipment at other local businesses, so what is spent in Road-trip produce is picked for its ease of transport and its appearance, not its genetic diversity, nutrition or taste. Because of the prevalence of this kind of produce in our markets, the seeds of thousands of different kinds of individual vegetables and fruits have been lost. Farmers can only grow a select few species, hybridized, genetically modified and selectively bred to withstand the transport. Buying local is not just for produce. It can impact everything you eat, even your cereal and potato chips. They not only have been shipped a thousand miles after being processed, but all the individual ingredients that make up that box of cereal or that bag of chips have to get to the factory first. That can add another couple hundred or thousand miles, considering how many ingredients make up the final product. These factors are not going unnoticed by people all over this country. When food is bought locally, it has a positive impact on the whole community. The environment, the food itself, the economy and most of all people themselves all benefit. Continued from page 1 “I did ask the State Dept. if I could forward contact info. to you and they declined. This is the short e-mail I first got: ‘The criminal history checks revealed the two following people will NOT be allowed to access any venue: “(One other name) “Greg Flannery (Media/Press List).’ ” This was partly useful. I now knew that I wasn’t alone: Someone else had also been denied entry. I phoned Wagner again. She told me only that the second person is “not a media person.” “I hope you understand I’m just the conduit on this,” she said. Streetvibes has filed a public-records request for the uncensored e-mail, containing both the name of the sec­ ond person who was banned and the name of the State Department official who sent it. With less than a week before the Da­ lai Lama’s appearance, I called Wagner to ask if Streetvibes could send a differ­ ent writer. The answer was no. “The State Dept. deadline will not allow any changes/additions of me­ dia,” she wrote. Getting nowhere with Miami Uni­ versity, I called the U.S. State Depart­ ment. I reached James J. Finkle, public affairs officer for the Bureau of Diplo­ matic Security, on Mon., Oct. 18. He promised to look into it. Nobel your town stays in your town. Buying local means that your produce is more likely to be picked when it is fresh – especially if you go to your local farmers market – which means it is more nutritious and better for you. Produce is often fragile when ripe and is susceptible to bruising and rotting, which makes 1,000­ mile road trips very difficult. Fruits and vegetables are picked before they are ripe and then sprayed with ethylene, a chemical that forces ripening, so, for example, that roadweary tomato is nice and red when you go to buy it. Buying local means farmers can grow more diverse crops. This yielded some improvement. Wagner left a phone message later that day. “I just got off the phone with the State Department,” she said. “They’re willing to take another reporter for Streetvibes.” ‘Are you going to demonstrate?’ Still unresolved, of course, was the reason behind all this: Why did the Diplomatic Security Bureau of the U.S. State Department want me kept away from the Dalai Lama? In 2009 I wrote an article in which some Buddhists criticized him for violating other Bud­ dhists’ freedom of religion (see “Rejoic­ ing Against Oppression,” issue of Sept. 15-30, 2009). Could that be it? My only criminal conviction is for trespassing, the result of a non-violent anti-war demonstration in 2006. Could that be it? A call Tuesday, Oct. 19, from Special Agent Ken Jones seemed to leave both possibilities open. “Have you ever had any police trouble?” Jones asked. I told him about my trespassing conviction. “Are you going to demonstrate against the Dalai Lama?” he asked. “No,” I said. “I just want to report on his speech.” “Demonstrations are fine, but a press pass isn’t the best way to go about that,” he said. “I just want to report on the Dalai Lama’s speech,” I said. “As far as demonstrations go, we’re ordinarily not in the business of discouraging them, but a press pass would put someone much closer to the Dalai Lama, and you can under­ stand why a security person would be concerned,” Jones said. “I just want to report on the Dalai Lama’s speech,” I said. Jones then asked if Streetvibes could send another reporter. I told him we could. “Someone will get back to you soon,” he said. I asked the reason I had been banned. “I don’t know the specifics of that, and very frankly, if I did, I would prob­ ably not be allowed to tell you that,” Jones said. I don’t know what changed the State Department’s mind, but that night I received a phone message and e-mail from Wagner. She forwarded the fol­ lowing e-mail from the State Depart­ ment: “Claire, Headquarters has ap­ proved Mr. Flannery for a media press pass for Wednesday’s events. Please contact him to let him know.” Thus I reported, as instructed, at 8 Continued from page 3 down as of this writing. Liu and Charter 08 have become symbols of the struggle for a more humane and democratic China. The authorities quickly recognized this and acted to squelch the movement. In doing so, they ironically made sure the cry was heard. The Nobel Committee made the world at large aware of Liu Xiaobo and Charter 08 this year. The committee stated, “(We have) decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2010 to Liu Xiaobo for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China. The Norwegian Nobel Committee has long believed that there is a close connection between human rights and peace. Such rights are a prerequisite for the ‘fraternity between nations’ of which Alfred Nobel wrote in his will.” We should not quickly forget Liu Xiaobo and Charter 08. They represent a move toward a freer and more humane life for the nation with the largest population on earth. They need our help to succeed. Liu Xiaobo and the authors of Charter 08 summarize the situation this way: “Unfortunately, we stand today as the only country among the major nations that remains mired in authoritarian politics. Our political system continues to produce human-rights disasters and social crises, thereby not only constricting China’s own development but also limiting the progress of all of human civilization. This must change, truly it must. The democratization of Chinese politics can be put off no longer.” To view the full text of Charter 08, sign a copy of the charter and learn more about Liu Xiaobo and the human rights movement in China, visit www.charter08. com. a.m. Thursday, Oct. 21, to attend the private session with the 14th Dalai Lama, at Hall Auditorium at Miami University. I was told to arrive 90 minutes early for the 9:30 a.m. session in order to pass security. Police officers were everywhere in sight. So was a metal detector. When it came time to enter, there was no press badge for me. One of Wagner’s staff handed me a badge and said, “Here. You’re Eric Frisbee.” And that’s how I got in. You’ll want to know what the Dalai Lama had to say, and I wish I could tell you. After the president of the univer­ sity presented an honorary doctorate of laws, the chief of the Miami Tribe in Oklahoma spoke, followed by a chorus singing the tribe’s welcome song, fol­ lowed by a presentation by three pro­ fessors touting the university’s efforts to preserve Tibetan culture, including a digital sand mandala, a Web page teaching the Tibetan language and a Web page containing important Ti­ betan texts. At that point I had to leave in order to hurry to a noon meeting in Cincinnati. But I heard the Dalai Lama say this much: “Have a compassionate attitude – openness.” I’m trying. Openness remains the is­ sue. I’m still waiting for Miami Univer­ sity to comply with our public-records request. �7 Sports STREETVIBES November 1-14, 2010 The Death Watch is All the Bengals Have Mike Brown has to go at some point By B. Clifton Burke Contributing Writer M y optimism has faded, my apologies run dry, my hopes dashed. What was once a blooming plant of excitement and pride is now wilted, browned and angrily tossed near the compost heap. I would set it atop the rest of the rotting vegetation, but following after it simply isn’t worth the effort. In his recent press conference, Marvin Lewis has once more invoked the spirit of the metaphorical shovel – the layman’s tool that represents a hardworking and unglamorous lifestyle for his players – but the only thing I can imagine worth using a shovel for these days is to fling out the bullshit stacked in and around Paul Brown Stadium. After carelessly handing away the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Oct. 10, there is no more defense for the various tiers of helpless leadership within the Bengals organization. At the very top sits the head villain himself, Mike Brown. Here is a man who has made it clear he is unwavering in the way he runs his business even as it persists to perform in unremarkable fashion. He has also proven he cares little about Cincinnati and eagerly awaits the day that he can once more threaten the townspeople into paying him even more of their tax money. He hides behind a shroud of redemption, pointing to the careers he’s resuscitated as feel-good tales of second chances and marginal wins. In reality, the people he has helped come at bargain prices, and that is the real motivation behind all the signings of troubled young men. When it works – and admittedly it has in many cases – he is touted as some kind of humanitarian, but what is conveniently overlooked is that 31 other teams need not stoop to problem children in order to win. There will come a day when I can no longer root for a Mike Brown team with a good conscience, knowing how unjustly he has served the city in which I reside. I expect that day to present itself once the current stadium lease ends or Brown sues Hamilton County for not paying him the promised money it simply doesn’t have. He will not back down because he simply doesn’t care. He is out for himself. Subhead: Short satisfaction Next in the pecking order is the team’s president and general manager. Oh, wait, there isn’t one. This unorthodox approach saves Brown money and allows his ego to think he has lived up to the standard of his father, who was able to successfully work as both team owner and general manager simultaneously. If there’s one “ thing Brown seems unable to grasp, it is that he does not have his father’s football instinct; and this delusion has kept the team from being serious contenders. One can only hope that that number is soon coming to an end. Somewhere in the flowchart is his daughter and her husband, Katie and Troy Blackburn, who hammer out details over contracts with player agents and end up either missing out on high-profile free agents (Warren Sapp) or prolonging rookie holdouts (seemingly everyone except Carson Palmer). The value of both of their positions remains something of a mystery, and the likelihood of this tandem turning around the team for the better once Brown finally dies seems overly optimistic. The fact that they are younger is the only hope for a brighter Bengals future, but considering the family lineage, sometimes you just have to call a scrooge a scrooge. Next up is a person with some football sense, Coach Marvin Lewis. During the Mike Brown era, there have been two distinct time periods: before Marvin and after Marvin. There’s no point on rehashing the dark ages of Dave Shula, Bruce Coslet and Dick LeBeau. But since Marvin has been in Cincinnati, the Bengals have gone from inept to competitive. That alone is a feat when examining the misery that came before him. That feat has a fairly quick expiration of satisfaction. Once fans see a team become competitive, they want more right away, and that is what Lewis has struggled to attain. Marvin has a good eye for talent and runs a pretty sound operation. He knows what an NFL team should look like, and most of his men seem to buy into it as well. However, the man is an inadequate game manager on the sidelines and doesn’t seem to have the ability to instruct players well enough individually to produce much of an improvement in their development. Once a player joins the Bengals, he typically remains that kind of player until he leaves the team. They rarely get worse, but they also don’t get better. Putting Marvin upstairs next to Brown and making him a general manager makes sense, but I don’t think that will happen. Lewis wants more personnel decision-making power and an indoor practice facility; that would mean Brown would have to concede some of his ego and more of his money. I think this might be the last of Marvin Lewis in this town once the 2010 season wraps up, and that’s a shame. Subhead: Continuing sting Who’s next then? Most Bengal fans point to Mike Zimmer. Not only is Zim At the very top sits the head villain himself, Mike Brown. Here is a man who has made it clear he is unwavering in the way he runs his business even as it persists to perform in unremarkable fashion.” * Monday, Nov. 8, 2010, 8:30 p.m. vs Pittsburgh Steelers * Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010, 1 p.m. at Indianapolis Colts * Sun, Nov. 21 at 1 p.m. vs Buffalo Bills * Thursday, Nov. 25, 2010, 8:20 p.m. at New York Jets at Jets * Sunday, Dec. 5, 2010, 1 p.m. vs New Orleans Saints * Sunday, Dec. 12, 2010, 1 p.m. at Pittsburgh Steelers at Steelers * Sunday, Dec. 19, 2010, 1 p.m. vs Cleveland Browns * Sunday, Dec. 26, 2010, 8:20 p.m. vs San Diego Chargers * Sunday, Jan. 02, 2011, 1 p.m. at Baltimore Ravens a fan favorite, thanks to his turning around a bad defense in a short time and persevering through the unexpected death of his wife last year; he also has the undying loyalty of his men. That isn’t as pervasive a sentiment in the NFL as maybe it should be these days. With mediocre players performing for him at overachieving levels, it makes sense that fans would want that to translate into the whole team. The problem, though, is that it would mean removing Zimmer from what he’s best at – coaching defense. Let’s not forget the examples of LeBeau and even Marvin, making a great coordinator into a poor or average head coach. With today’s game, the head coach can be more of an overseeing cheerleader who manages the game and the clock well and need not worry about the X’s and O’s as much – that’s what coordinators are for. Of course, it isn’t that simple, but not every great position coach makes a good head coach, so caution is in order. The longest-standing figurehead with the Bengals is the offensive coordinator, Bob Bratkowski, who, after the evil emperor himself, has earned the title of least-liked sports figure in Cincinnati. Between squandering loads of offensive talent and constant bewildered play-calling, Brat should be thankful he coaches here, because in every other part of the world he would have been fired. In the loss to the Buccaneers, and even some of the wins this year, he has demonstrated further ineptitude in leading this offense to the heights it’s capable of. Bashing this man has become too easy, but somehow he keeps it from happening nearly each and every week. His star pupil and gem of a talent for the past eight seasons has been the golden boy, Quarterback Carson Palmer. Despite convincing the world otherwise thanks to one great season, Palmer should be labeled as nothing more than average. The comparisons to Drew Bledsoe continue to hold up. Carson has been insulated with numerous excuses as to why he hasn’t performed the way he did in 2005. It seems that the majority of the world would rather find any other reason than to admit that maybe he just isn’t that good. Yes, he has suffered some injuries, but other great quarterbacks have as well, only to return as greats. Yes, he at times has lacked explosive weapons, but the same response goes for the great ones again. There aren’t better quarterbacks on the street right now that should supplant No. 9 this week or even this season; but if this franchise continues to pretend he is as good as it gets, they will fall further and further behind. Perhaps he has become complacent with no quarterback to compete for his job, perhaps he feels his average play still justifies his immense contract; but the fact is he has slid each and every year away from that once heralded “elite” plateau. Thinking there is still room for improvement in his skills is naïve. I want the Bengals to succeed. I want to know what it feels like to have my team win the Super Bowl. I want to feel satisfied for six whole months; but with these men currently in their places, I am dubious that will ever happen. This franchise has reached its critical mass, and unless a major change in the power structure takes place, I think we will continue to feel the sting. I can feel it all slipping away. Mojokong – somebody’s got to say it, and since I don’t get paid for this, allow me to be the one. �I 22~..fNUAL PIN~~~~~@~~ @LTD{}~®[?)~ . - For questions orto becottte a sponsor Greater Cincinnati _______ co_ ma _ct _~_ vn_n_ e A_us_ttt_ an_(_ Sl_ ~J~6_ 5_ -6_ 95_ 8 _ __,,,C.._o__ __.alition _. Eor �STREETVIBES November 1-14, 2010 March 9 Local News ­ Continued from page 1 stealing, low-income afford­ able housing and people power,” said Josh Spring, executive director of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. “We want more than just awareness. We demand change. This march gives the opportunity to demand change and oth­ ers the opportunity to learn why we need change.” Burton, who was home­ less, died after a police cruis­ er ran over her as she lay in the grass in Washington Park. No charges were filed against the officer who killed her. Each night in Cincinnati 1,200 to 1,500 people are homeless or staying in emer­ gency shelters, according to Spring, who estimates that at least 25,000 sleep in home­ less shelters in Cincinnati every year. The 150 marchers in­ cluded low-income fami­ lies, high-income families, suburban residents, Over­ the-Rhine residents, college students, disabled young adults, able-bodied elders and people from several eth­ nic backgrounds. Handmade signs, T-shirts and sheets carried messages such as, “Stop the war on the poor,” “End the 3CDC occupation,” “Living wage jobs,” “Gentri­ fication is a crime,” “Homes not hotels” and “I’m home­ less. If I sleep on the grass, will you kill me, too?” Rebecca Davis, who works at the temporary service CFA, brought her daughter and granddaughter to the march. “I’m not homeless, but I’m like one paycheck away from being homeless,” she said. “I’m marching today because I believe that homeless people don’t have a chance. I don’t want my daughter or granddaughter to grow up and be homeless. It’s that I actually see the homeless people sleep­ ing outside. I wake up at 3:30 in the morning, the bus picks me up and people are just sleeping outside at the Shell station.” “ Josh Spring, executive director of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, addresses a rally before the Homeless Awareness March. Vinit Murthy. ture Gateway Quarter office. Gateway Quarter is the new name for the “revitalized” parts of Over-the-Rhine, the Fountain Square District and the central business district that feature new or reno­ vated storefronts, condos or lofts. Spectators and passersby reacted to the march with cheers, claps and whistles. Shop owners went onto the sidewalks to shout words of encouragement. The third stop, the future 3CDC headquarters at 1400 Race St., brought attention to the company that many believe is behind the gentri­ fication of Over-the-Rhine. The fourth stop on the march, Washington Park, might just be the most af­ fordable “housing” in the city. With shady trees and benches aplenty, the park is a commonplace for homeless people to socialize and sleep. 3CDC is renovating the park at a cost of $47 million. The overhaul disregards the wishes of the neigh­ borhood and will make the park inhospitable to home­ less people, according to the Homeless Coalition. Clark, a homeless man who declined to give his last name, sat on the steps of the gazebo, which was being used as a makeshift clothes line, and watched the marchers move through the park. He declined to go into detail about the cause of his homelessness. “I’ve been homeless for about 16 years now,” he said. “The only history I got is a criminal history. Why I’m marching today because I believe that homeless people don’t have a chance.” ‘Whatever you can do’ Buddy’s Place, the start­ ing line, provides permanent supportive housing for 20 people who are coming out of homelessness. The sec­ ond stop was 1428 Republic St., an apartment building offering affordable hous­ ing, where tenants recently received notice to move out for the building’s renovation. Ironically, this building is across the street from the fu­ are these people acting like homelessness has just become an issue? The same thing they’re fighting for now we fought for 16 years ago, but now that they’re moving people out of the park and Over-the-Rhine, it’s like it’s only just become important now. … “To get by, some people cell cigs for a quarter. There are only two ways of get­ ting paid in this world: the legal way and the illegal way, but Washington Park is still harmony; it’s the only place in the city you can come that won’t make you feel bad for having nothing. You steal, rob, whatever you can do to survive or make a livin’. ” Other stops included the Drop Inn Center; the former site of the Milner Hotel, 151 W. Seventh St., an affordable housing complex that once provided overflow for public shelters, now the location of upscale condos; and the Dennison Hotel, which has 150 units of single-room occupancy. Model Manage­ ment, which recently pur­ chased the building, plans to remove all the tenants and convert the building into 60 units of permanent sup­ portive housing. That kind of housing is beneficial, but 90 units of affordable housing will be lost, Spring said. Why couldn’t Model Management develop these 60 units in one of the many buildings already vacant downtown? The march then proceed­ ed to the Metropole Apart­ ments, notable for two rea­ sons. 3CDC has purchased the Metropole and is forcing out residents of the feder­ ally subsidized apartments in order to build a boutique hotel (see “3CDC Accused of Racial Conspiracy,” issue of Sept. 1-14). In addition, just steps from the Metropole entrance, Robert Meehan was beaten so badly that doctors had to place him in a medically induced coma – one of a series of hate crimes against homeless people in Cincinnati in the past year. ‘All I got’ As the march moved toward Fountain Square, reactions from onlookers changed from cheers to stares. Outdoor diners were curious about the approach­ ing mass, and stood up to read the signs. At Cadillac Ranch, a man read the signs aloud to a young boy, who asked what was going on. Organizers of the march hoped their actions might provoke a reaction from 3CDC, Gateway Quarter and other downtown interests, but they seemed to ignore the event, unresponsive to the demonstration and phone calls. At Fountain Square, Spring asked for volunteers to dis­ tribute copies of Streetvibes, risking arrest in an act of non-violent civil disobedi­ ence. A city ordinance and rules established by 3CDC, which has the manage­ ment contract for Fountain Square, forbid regular dis­ tribution of the newspaper there. About three dozen volun­ teers distributed copies of Streetvibes. No police officers or 3CDC security personnel were on the square, even though – or because – 3CDC had been informed of the plan in advance. “We intend to continue challenging the unjust laws and rules that prevent our vendors from distribut­ ing Streetvibes on Fountain Square,” said Gregory Flan­ nery, editor of the paper and a participant in the march. The only people who seemed to mind the stunt on Fountain Square were a wed­ ding party that arrived at the same time for photos. Kenny Bussell said he hopes this is the first step in eliminating the ban. Bussell now stays at his brother’s house. He became a Streetvibes vendor about a year ago, when he was homeless. “It helps me every day, gives me a few bucks so I don’t have to ask for some­ thing to eat,” he said. Bussell, who turned 50 on Oct. 25, distributes Streetvibes for four to five hours a day. From 8-10 a.m. he is usually be spotted outside the Kenton County Court­ house in Covington, then stands by the Walgreens store on Madison Avenue for a couple hours. He rode his bike throughout the march. “I try to take care of my myself on my own, without friends or family,” Bussell said. “I raise tomatoes, and they are $2 a pound. My tomatoes ran out about three weeks ago, and people even started stealing them, so Streetvibes is really all I got right now.” 3CDC, Model Manage­ ment and the people be­ hind Gateway Quarter do have imaginative ideas to bring money to downtown, and they create beautiful structures. But should a city reflect what one company wants? What type of people will make up the “new” down­ town? Clark, the homeless man in the park, thinks he knows. “The future people of downtown are the ones with money,” he said. “You got to have money. The schools, buildings, shops – all that stuff is multi-million dol­ lar things in the works. You gotta have money in the park now.” �10 Arts STREETVIBES November 1-14, 2010 The Dance of Class Consciousness ­ ‘Sleeping Beauty’ in the hood By Lea Ottenheimer Contributing Writer I n 2004 I became hooked on a reality show, like so many oth­ ers in the United States. I felt a certain amount of guilt about buying in to the American craze for this genre, but I think that this show, So You Think You Can Dance, had a redeeming qual­ ity that the other reality shows did not: it made experiencing the art form of dance something the general public could enjoy. Now, there are many people who seek out dance performances who would not have done so before the show aired. I am one of those people. Unfortunately, tickets to most dance performances remain out of my fi­ nancial range, especially tickets to the ballet. I can honestly say that I didn’t think I liked ballet before I watched my first pas de deux on the show, but because So You Think You Can Dance sparked my interest in this classic art form, I decided to seek out local dance performances to attend. I attended my very first ballet Oct. 23. It was Sleeping Beauty, performed by the Cincinnati Ballet Company. As I had so little experience going to the ballet, I brought a friend who had been to a number of performances so I could compare my observations to the performances she has seen. It was my friend, Jen, who had first introduced me to So You Think You Can Dance, so as a fellow dance lover , she seemed the perfect choice for my evening’s companion. The performance was at Cincin­ nati’s Music Hall, a massive and ornate 19th-century building which is across an old cobbled street from Washing­ ton Park, which the city is attempting to reclaim from the Over-the-Rhine residents for the type of people with whom I would be watching the ballet – those who can afford tickets to perfor­ mances at Music Hall. Music Hall still sits in the center of what many would term a “ghetto.” Jen and I walked two blocks through Over-the-Rhine from a parking meter on Central Avenue to Music Hall. It was a warm, dry night, and many people were out sitting outside on stoops. I felt I had been transported to Dickens’s London, where the wealthy picked their way through dirty streets and dirty faces, trying to pretend not to see any of it, as they headed for a type of entertainment those around them could never afford to enjoy. Even my friend clutched my arm and stuck close to me, afraid of all the scary poor people we were walking past. Much to her relief, we made it to the upperclass sanctuary without loss of life and limb, and she hurried up the steps with me following more slowly and painfully as I had borrowed a pair of high-heeled shoes so I could try and look like I belonged to the group of people who frequent Music Hall. I’ve learned from experience how hard it is to remain an incognito ob­ server at an upper-class function when wearing sneakers or combat boots. We had very good seats, right up close to the stage in the second row, and I had every expectation of being swept away by the performance – like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, when Richard Gere takes her to the opera for the first time. Of course, since reality always ends up being different from fantasy, I wasn’t swept away, though I did enjoy the performance. It’s slightly embarrassing, but I found myself fighting to stay awake a couple times. I think the problem was that I love stories; and in a ballet, much of the performance has very little to do with the progression of the narrative. In the last act, the wedding scene, where we were promised a pas de deux from Sleeping Beauty and her prince, I was very much surprised by four of the wedding guests. First a pair of cats, a female dancer dressed as a white Persian and a male dancer dressed as a cat I can only assume was meant to be Puss in Boots, danced a very funny routine that made everyone laugh. Then Little Red Riding Hood was chased around the stage by her Big Bad Wolf. When I asked Jen what she thought about the other fairy tale char­ acter’s crashing Sleeping Beauty’s wed­ ding, she said, “Well they had to figure out something to fill up the fourth act since the wedding scene took only five minutes.” I thought that was very fine reasoning. The other thing that puzzled me was that, after a dancer or couple or group of dancers finished their solo or dance, the audience would clap and the dancer/dancers would bow to the audience. They would sometimes even go off the stage and then come back on just to take their bows. Jen told me she hadn’t seen that in other ballets and was also puzzled by it. However, the audience seemed to know when they were supposed to applaud. Some even applauded after particularly brilliant or astounding dance moves. Every now and then it made me think I was at a tennis match. The performance as a whole was re­ ally wonderful. The skill level of those dancers, especially Sleeping Beauty and her Prince, was astonishing. I was blown away by what those dancers could do; and it is much to their credit that I paid more attention to what was happening on stage than to the type of people who made up the audience, which is where my interest usually lies at this type of function. Much to my surprise, after all the pains and care I took putting together my ensemble for the evening, there were a few people in the audience not dressed up. There were even a few faces of color present, though all belonged to well-dressed people. Of those few wearing jeans, I supposed that there were some who felt secure about their wealth and status and so felt free to show up looking however they wanted, while those of us who felt less secure, or who knew just how out of place we were, made much more of an effort to appear as though we belonged. I am glad I was inspired to seek out a local dance performance and do my part to show support for the art form. However, the experience as a whole only served to remind me of the class war going on downtown. Jen and I went out to smoke a cigarette during intermission with many other audience members, and I felt utterly ridiculous standing on the steps in my borrowed feathers watching fellow members of the audience look out nervously past the 10 or so police of­ ficers providing an armed guard to the shadowy figures moving around in the park across the street or sitting on the stoops down the block. I was amazed that the Cincinnati Police Department could spare so many officers to stand in front of Music Hall for four hours to make sure no “unsavory characters” got too close. It made me wonder if they would even have allowed me to ascend the stairs if I were wearing my usual street clothes. As much as I enjoyed the perfor­ mance of the Cincinnati Ballet Com­ pany, I don’t think I’ll be attending an­ other ballet any time soon, at least in this city. There are quite a few people, I know, who can enjoy themselves even if their enjoyment is bought at the cost of the comfort and liberty of others. The British Empire was forged by just such people, as were the Roman and Greek empires before that. I, however, am not one of those types of people, and I’m OK with that. When the Crazy Old Man Talks ­ See ‘Get Low’ for the acting By Brian O’Donnell Contributing Writer W ith a cast of headlin­ ers, Get Low relies on the shine of its star power to move an otherwise slug­ gish tale. Set in the 193’s during the Great Depression, Get Low is the story of a hermit viewed by his town as a cantankerous curmudgeon. It seems everyone in this town has a story to tell about Robert Duvall’s character; the gossip from towns­ folk paints a picture of him that matches his grizzled visage. Part comedy, part mystery and part drama, a folk-tale story is driven by its cast, who convinc­ ingly guide the audience through the ethereal events that create Duvall’s character, the infamous Felix Bush. A lifelong resident of a town who knows him not as the hand­ some and eccentric youth he once was, but as the local weirdo incessantly harassed by neighbor­ hood children, Duvall leads the cast in a performance as good as any of the roles that made him a legend. Waiting to die, guilt-ridden and alone, Duvall’s Bush plans what he terms a “funeral party” that he can attend while still living. This prospect pushes him from his selfimposed imprisonment back into the lives of the townspeople, who fear him for the numerous tall tales spread about him, the same yarns he wants retold at his party. The strengths of Get Low aren’t in the story of this hermit and his funeral party, but in the power of its ensemble cast, including Bill Murray and Sissy Spacek. Solid performances by everyone involved keep the plot fresh. Duvall’s character enlists the help of Frank Quinn, a shady funeral-home director played by Murray, who is convincing rather than distracting. With liquor almost always in hand, Murray’s character is responsible for creat­ ing the funeral party. Through his lighthearted performance as an untrustworthy mortician with myriad past careers, the story of Felix Bush slowly unravels, with Spacek a central part of his tumul­ tuous past. Despite the slowness of the story, the film is strong in the tal­ ents of its actors who bring life to an otherwise short-lived premise. Perfectly cast, subtle characteris­ tics bring the story’s players out of myth into the realm of the very real. From Duvall’s labored breath­ ing throughout as a frail old man to Spacek’s gentle sentimentalism as the one person who remembers Bush as a charming enigma, Get Low is a period piece about for­ giveness and community catharsis that ultimately allows for a peace­ ful resolution. Don’t expect an intense sto­ ryline relying on Murray to soothe the tension. Well-developed characters drive an otherwise short story. The actors’ flawless execution easily holds a high spot on a list of best performances for everyone involved. �STREETVIBES November 1-14, 2010 Story 11 Into Steady Meditations ­ By Steven Paul Lansky T hey woke me early. I washed my bearded face in the tile bathroom and dressed in my light yellow button-down shirt, black gabardines, and slipped on the beige linen and silk jacket. I had my last look at this faded, light-green­ walled dormitory with its gritty tile floor. I followed the final instructions, received my meds (still on Geodon), my wallet with credit cards, business cards and IDs, my cash in the money clip, the extra cash they had given me for the trip and the train ticket. The whole place seemed familiar. A flash of memory that was eerie as all hell swept through me. Every time I had been asked during treatment if I had “been here” before, I had a sense that I was lying when I said, “No.” I think a part of me believed they would catch me in this lie, as they had records, but they never let on. It was a question that always came in a series of questions, and the answers never led to any concrete conclusion on my part, except for the sure knowledge that while I was being questioned the questioner was always, each and every time, weighing the length of my stay and the state of my recovery. The drug and alcohol counselor had been the least helpful. He had light brown hair that looked unwashed, tattoos on both forearms, looked like he might have had a facelift, and talked in an uneducated drawl. I told him I was clean and sober over 12 years, and I missed my local meetings. He told me that I was too well to attend meetings on the ward. The only treatment available was for current users, who were required to go to a six-month residential program. He could not recommend that for me. I think I made a mistake when I asked if he was a veteran. He was. I wonder if there was something in my file about my aversion to the military. So, that last morning I was sure that my release was planned but could be aborted if I showed signs of abnormality. I got my breakfast on the fly. Two staff that I had never seen before took me to a van. I had my pack and the acid burn of the stolen green cotton button-down shirt. My hairbrush had broken and been replaced with a better one. (The staff member who had procured the plastic replacement referred to it as a Cadillac, a typical slang for the best of its class.) But the shirt was a total loss. I recalled bitter moments when one staff helped search the ward, looking in fellow patients’ hampers and wardrobes for the J. Peterman, forest green, button-down shirt. We searched without accusing anyone, an awkward exercise, but no one took visible affront; I suspected a young fellow who wore a makeshift turban he’d crafted by tearing a pillowcase. He often used the bathroom next to my room even though he lived in another room that had its own bathroom. He was bearded, thin and often practiced some awkward martial arts in the outdoor smoking area, flailing his arms and legs like a gigantic, dizzy, daddy longlegs. This thin man also was Arabic and was a regular target of derision from Do th the other patients ep D ownin sycholog and the male staff. g. ical r ecord He had been s rev eal m in one fistfight. We y ave rsion never recovered the stolen in to th e mil shirt. As the van sped through hand and itary? REUT the morning streets, I opened noted in the margins ERS/ Larry the envelopes with aftercare where the story most piqued instructions and my discharge my imagination. One of the wonderfully plan. I scarfed a bagel and psychiatrist’s techniques for modern and full of drank a juice after peeling opening up the dialogue with people who looked so different passing through the back the foil seal. I watched the alleged murderess in the from the people with whom I university campus. I struck out the windows trying to novel was to give her a piece had lived for three weeks. up a conversation with the figure out where I had been. of fruit or a vegetable to hold Now, reflecting back on man. Awkwardly at first, but We arrived at the train while he questioned her. In those weeks I feel an odd with growing patience, we station. All I ever saw of one instance he shared an sense of privilege. As an took to one another. I think it Trenton, New Jersey, was the apple, in another a yam. I educated, middle-class, white started when he offered me a train station and the interior wondered as I read about the schizophrenic, the time spent newspaper. of the Drake facility where I relative sizes of the produce with the mixture of young “See those steps?” he asked. had been held. I figured out and then began to think about and old, black, Asian, African, “Yes,” I said as the train which ticket and which train the size of the character’s Puerto Rican and white, pulled through a kind of I needed without help from hands. downtrodden and unique outdoor theater with grass and the staff. They would have My brother lives in Vermont seemed so worth the time. I concrete steps. screwed it up, from the advice and he is knowledgeable about know few people are able to “There was a photo,” he they gave. The two of them produce, gardening and pest cross worlds of such diversity stopped talking, turned to a didn’t spend much time on control. He is a statistician as I do, and it is something corrugated cardboard trashcan me, preferring to talk to one who researches methods both soothing and frightening. and rummaged through another. Both were black, to develop more successful There is a sense of humility, it, pulling out yesterday’s the woman was heavy-set techniques for growing food. somewhat forced, but totally Washington Post. He flipped and spoke in a British accent. I wondered about his young real, that I resonate to. through the paper and handed They seemed impressed that daughter and her sexual I changed trains in me the section folded back. I could read the schedule and fantasies as I read about this Washington. In the station, “A girl from Texas my knew that I couldn’t get on the teenage woman who was I found a pharmacy, got granddaughter’s age with first Washington, D.C., train, accused of such a horrible some suppositories for my cancer.” because it was an express crime. My niece was years hemorrhoids and a fiber His voice was low, obviously commuter train. Then I said from being a teen. I wondered, supplement. I browsed a moved by the article. goodbye to them and walked though, if my brother would bookstore, walked outside and “What kind of cancer?” I onto Amtrak, a free man. find this historical novel as checked out a fountain on a asked. I felt my body change; I compelling as I did. There was traffic island. The train station I read and looked at the walked freely, a new bounce this sense of my life moving was quite grand, with the photo, been taken just days in my gait. I had a time finding on to free ideas, into steady tile floors, the tall pillars, the before. The young woman an empty seat, eventually meditations. railings and the high ceilings was pictured in the outdoor sitting next to a young woman. The books I had read during with skylights. On the way to theater. She had traveled with I pulled out Alias Grace by the hospital stay included New York, I had stayed in the her family to Virginia for an Margaret Atwood and began one about a college professor waiting area and never saw experimental treatment. to read. The book was on my traveling to India, one about what the station had to offer. “Are you a doctor?” he reading list and I harbored a Greek shipping family I was on the same train I asked. thoughts of meeting the (probably the Onassis clan), had ridden east. I recognized “No,” I said, “but my mother author in Toronto later in the one about black women in a the porters, the only blacks on has cancer.” summer. Miami University, variety of sexual relationships, the train. Soon I settled into an “I’m sorry,” he said. “I have where I was finishing my one about an Egyptian king observation car. A man with leukemia but it is in total MA, had included this text and his harem, and a couple a khaki multi-pocketed vest remission.” in the first-year curriculum, of others that were such doing a crossword on a tiny I looked at him again. so I hoped to teach it to quick reads that they slipped clipboard caught my attention. He was fairly thin, well put undergraduates in the fall. unnoticed from my memory. He had close-cropped gray together, with workman’s Given my interest in creativity I looked up from my reading. hair, a good tan, and was shoes, blue jeans. and primary sources, as I read Before long the young woman working the puzzle in ink, “The way you asked, and I realized that in the 1970s I had disembarked at her stop. peering with red-edged eyes your appearance, I thought had cycled on my 10-speed I moved to the window seat. through wire-rimmed reading maybe you were a physician.” through the very region where A Japanese businessman lenses. The train the book was set. I had a pencil sat next to me. The train felt was in Virginia, See Meditations, P. 12 �Story 12 STREETVIBES November 1-14, 2010 Meditations Continued from page 11 “No, I’m a writer and a teacher.” I noticed a bullet hole in the glass of the observation car above us. My paranoia did not flare at the sight of the bullet hole, but it registered for a moment. Something about this man in this setting seemed to work with the bullet hole, adding a slightly fearful dimension to the conversation. There was some open land with a huge house in the distance on a hill, hidden by foliage. He noticed my attention to the landscape. “Do you know what that is?” he asked. “No.” “It’s Monticello.” I looked again. “I’ve taken this trip many times. I’m on my way to my granddaughter’s high school graduation in West Virginia. I live in Baltimore. It’s easy to drive to D.C. and take the train from there. Too short a distance to fly, anyway the airport is two hours from the town.” I had a sense that I had connected with a raconteur. Easing back into the seat, I wondered if I could keep this civil. A heavyset balding fellow in blue jeans and a crimson sweater with a mustache and bushy eyebrows moved through the car followed by his son. The man noticed the pins on my new companion’s vest and commented, slowing his hike through the train car. “Are you a Boy Scout leader?” the man asked. “These are military decorations.” He frowned in disapproval, and a sense of feeling offended hung in his tone. “It’s Flag Day.” The man lowered his head and moved by without apology. After a moment, I asked, “Where did you serve?” “In Vietnam.” “What branch?” “Marines.” He paused. “That was rude of him.” From the look on his face I knew he had seen combat and it had taken a lot out of him. “What do you do now?” “Semi-retired. But I was an equine photographer.” This explained the many-pocketed vest. A niche so specific. My curiosity was piqued. “In the sporting sense? You photographed race horses?” I asked. “Yes, for magazines and newspapers.” “Did you write articles, too?” “No, not usually. Sometimes I would write captions, but usually I worked with a writer. There were times where the writer would have photo ideas, or I might have a story angle connected with a series of photos.” “My ex-wife is a racing buff. Did you photograph The Derby?” “Yes. I covered some of the major stories, but mostly I worked for a Baltimore daily doing human-interest pieces that sometimes got picked up for syndicated use. I did a piece about a girl that cleaned stables at Churchill Downs. She was the granddaughter of a famous jockey. Those photos ended up everywhere. My editor helped me get pictures of a trainer’s family that had ancestors with connections to Irish royalty. I worked with some great editors over the years.” “I heard on NPR about this new book on Seabiscuit.” “Great book,” he said. “I just sent the author a drawing of Seabiscuit that hung in my office for years.” “You know her?” He took a breath. “My editor contacted her publicist. The publicist wouldn’t give my editor contact information, but passed word on to the author. She’s real protective. A famous equine artist who is dead now did the drawing. It’s a valuable piece and she didn’t understand my generosity. I think she thought I was trying to sell it. But it hung in my office for years, and I had had enough of it. You know, I just felt like she would get more out of it than I would. I had enjoyed it, but it seemed the thing to do. So, she accepted it. I shipped it to her and got a nice thank you note. That was worth it.” Now, knowing he was a Vietnam veteran, I wanted to talk about his war experience; I sensed he had something to share. I wanted to ask him: Do we study Vietnam to do better in the next conflict, to avoid being in conflict, to understand better how different people, cultures and races can thrive mutually and convivially with open trade, free communication and welfare for all? What about a universal doctrine encouraging pursuit of happiness? But this conversation wasn’t ready for such directed dialogue. Am I too paranoid to suggest that what must be learned is to move away from war toward meditation? Is art a solution to a peaceful time? Does war come and go like the wind? Can I be a warrior without taking up a weapon against an unknown assailant? Is joining an army the first wrong step? Even conscription can be circumvented. There must be an alternative if one believes in honest individuality and nonviolence. Civility. I cannot move out of the civil discourse. Civil disobedience is only understood as a mass movement while individual anarchic acts are seen as behavioral deviance or mental instability. The state reacts to aberrant behavior by trapping dissenters and medicating them, creating the therapeutic state. Who could disagree with that? Am I a dissenter or ill? Maybe both. The photographer spoke in a quiet way. “My brother-in-law, Ola, was a famous Danish contemporary writer. I talked to him often about his writing when I visited my sister. What do you write about?” “I collect moments,” I said. “Lately, the ones that have stirred me have been in performance when I was playing harmonica with a folk group in Cincinnati called Jake Speed and the Freddies. Playing the harmonica involves a set of complex breathing techniques. The breathing calls to mind meditation, and when I think of moments, I feel the breathing that stays calm within them. In writing, I try to capture moments where some situation and combination of ideas meld to generate a story.” He let me finish and let the words stay in the air. “Ola used to talk about moments. He would get the same tone of voice, the same thrill I hear in you.” “A spiritual advisor of mine tells me that what is real is what perceives the breath, the knower, the presence that is life itself.” He listened intently, nodding his head up and down. I think we both saw what would come next in this conversation, a deeper degree of intimacy. I wondered if we talked about Vietnam and war if I would boil with anger. He had no idea that I had been in a Trenton State Mental Hospital for three weeks. The Geodon appeared to be holding me now. All that had changed with the new medication was the schedule. I took it in the mornings 20 minutes after a full breakfast instead of at bedtime. The Did t he re train moved, swaying from tir REUT ERS/ ed railroa side to side, through sunny, Marc d per elo d wooded, Virginia hills. el Po sonnel ta zo. ke th “My favorite Vietnam novel e trai n bec is Going After Cacciato by Tim ause they O’Brien. His The Things They feare d flyi ng? Carried is powerful, too.” Before he could respond I let my thoughts lead me into a meditation: Vietnam Era literature by survivors of the conflict is a necessary result of war. Ideas about courage and conflict contrast with the depersonalization of death. Ideological conflicts that lead to war have a millenarian history. What future utopia might be possible if everyone on the planet could learn from the Vietnam War? But each war presents differently to theorists. It’s not like men and women in orange jumpsuits and scrubs could just come and sterilize the remains and bury them with dark steel spades in wet earth. The whole thing seems never to go away nor should it. Is it ignorance that causes conflicts? Are they premeditated? Why should tolerance be so necessary with each breath? I was caught in this field of attachment. What I needed to remember is that there have always been wars, there will always be wars, and to just watch and take the perspective of George Carlin, who says something like, “If people want to kill each other, let ’em. I can’t control other people; I can just watch and enjoy the ride. I know that my role is just to point out what’s funny about it, follow on the legacy of Lenny Bruce.” I think I said something like that to this new acquaintance on the train as I was finding another side of myself. I wanted to listen to him, to hear his pain. “Tim O’Brien is good. The Things They Carried is amazing. There is a new Vietnam Reader that I’ve seen. Do you have any interest in teaching a course on Vietnam literature?” “No. Not that I’m not interested, but my focus has been on homeless literature. The connection to Vietnam tends to be when the homeless veteran enters my field. Miss America has taken the homeless-veteran problem as her issue, but I don’t know of any literature that connects the Vietnam veteran and homelessness. Most of the veterans I’ve come across have been socially and economically integrated into society.” “When you teach homeless literature what texts do you use?” “There are many, ranging from personal accounts like Lars Eighner’s to George Orwell’s novel from the ’30s. I include a counter-culture classic by Gurney Norman from the seventies and the Buddhist perspective by essayist Gary Snyder. I’m still developing the course idea and I hope to teach after I finish my degree. Currently I don’t have a teaching job; I’m finishing my thesis memoir.” I think I was beginning to bore him. I was losing interest in conversation. “I think I’ll take a smoke,” he said, excusing himself and heading for the smoking car. I had passed by it before. It was a half a car with ashtrays and haze. It reminded me of smoking rooms in mental institutions. I’m going to change the way this chapter is constructed for a few lines to attend to some details that now aren’t clear in memory. The photographer talked passionately about the author Sherwood Anderson and his book Winesburg, Ohio. He reported that a developer had demolished the author’s house. To the town’s credit, his office was preserved in a museum or library, but the structure that originally housed it no longer exists. This story held my interest only marginally and See Meditations , P. 13 �STREETVIBES November 1-14, 2010 Story & Poetry Corner I don’t know why it slips from detailed account to summary other than my ignorance about Anderson and his text. Later in the summer I picked up a used paperback copy and read much of it until I discovered insects living in the binding. After that I just tossed it onto the tile porch; only partially hidden from the elements, the pages quickly yellowed and turned to leaves. Before I cast the novel aside I was struck by how much the characters reminded me of people in my own neighborhood, especially the undertone of dysfunction. I was coming to understand the story of mental illness is not unusual or rare; it appears in small towns and large cities, in women and men, young and old, of all backgrounds. It does not even respect religious or economic differences. I wonder now how much this traveling acquaintance inferred about me from our dialogue. Community paranoia exists in the coffeehouses where I write these narratives, the therapeutic state is talked about as a government that controls its population by medicating them. Imagine how much George Carlin would enjoy watching a U.S.A. where the pharmacies no longer had psychoactive drugs. I think of one of my favorite films from my adolescence, King of Hearts. In it a French town is occupied by Germans in World War I while the insane asylum’s inmates are accidentally let loose to populate the village, instead of the villagers, who fled when warned. It is touching and humorous, and the conclusion seems to indicate that the insane are gentler and healthier than the sane. I wonder sometimes about this but my counselor assures me that I am truly out of balance and at risk of being killed when I am off my medication. I couldn’t bring all this into the conversation on the train with anyone. And I was still out of balance while precariously managing to stay out of trouble for now. My anxiety continued as my companion said goodbye. I went to the dining car for dinner. I sat with three others and introduced myself. I felt a bit of self-loathing as a middle-aged woman with short, mousy, brown hair and a small, straight nose introduced herself as a retired prison guard from Oregon. She left her job to travel around America by Amtrak and now was returning to face finding another job. I don’t remember much about her traveling companion except that she was heavier and they seemed to be a lesbian couple, conservatively dressed and trying to fit into the background. Then in a burst, the man across from me, who was balding, thin, in a pale blue, button-down sweater took off his horn-rim glasses and while wiping them on a white handkerchief told about the rolling White House on this track and the WWII hidden bunkers on this train’s run. As I listened, I wondered if the current government has an official train and if the retired officers who travel by Amtrak are in service still, or if they ride the train because they are frightened of air travel. It came as a flash of conspiracy theory discomforting and setting my paranoid thoughts afire for a few minutes. Then I ate my steak and potato without saying much about myself. I sensed that if I did disclose who I was, I’d be just like them; and that might have been better than feeling what I felt, but I wasn’t capable of being a healthy member of this society with its necessary right wing hypocrisy. My anxiety now kept me from riding elevators in buildings taller than 12 stories. I would always ask, when entering a modern skyscraper, is there a way to do this by stairs? After dining with these three and never learning what the bald man did for a living, I paced back through the rocking train cars to my seat, where I returned to reading Margaret Atwood and dozing. As it got dark it got harder to read. The lights kept failing when the train stopped for fuel and water and other reasons that were never explained. I talked briefly with a couple across the aisle. The man was a bit of a long hair, and turned out to be a composer returning to make his dissertation defense at the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati. His wife had an eastern European accent. We talked until we tired of things to say. With a mutual sigh, we all sat still as the train bumped slowly along that final turn over the dark Ohio River. It had been nearly 20 years since I had had a stay in a facility as rough as this one had been. I had told myself then that. if faced with a state facility again, I’d rather take my own life. Here I was, not thinking such thoughts at all. Relieved that Dr. Nuñez had had the courage to keep me on Geodon. It was just a matter of adjustment. I would see my counselor in Cincinnati. I would finish the reading list, take my oral exam for my master’s degree and then get a teaching job. A sense of relief swept through me when the train stopped at Union Terminal. In the dark Cincinnati morning my gray Toyota shone in the amber streetlight of the empty parking lot. I keyed the door after flipping my brown pack into the cluttered trunk. As I sat down I saw the dead daisy fallen, withered and stuck to the side of the clear Stewart’s Orange Creamsicle bottle standing in the drink holder between the seats. Poetry ­ Meditations Continued from page 11 13 My Friends and Me By Willa Denise Jones In today’s world it’s hard to be able to call anyone a true friend But I was blessed with two in my life and that’s the way it’s always been I was blessed in grade school with these two people who never left my side In good times, bad times, sad or happy times my friends they didn’t mind We became close by sharing our differences about people, places and things Before long we invented a club called “Ladies Only” in our hearts we sang We recruited a few to the club but their friendship only lasted for a little while Ten years later the club is still open, my friends and me are in for long the mile We began to trust, believe and share our belief only to each other from our heart Never knowing that God had our friendship, God had us three right from the start Today we still come together periodically for club meetings “Ladies Only” And it’s open to only us for to be without the club we’d truly be lonely So we keep in touch and we talk about men, stress and all kinds of attitudes We talk about what’s the right way, the wrong way and how to stop the blues Being older now with the understanding of women’s needs are everyday So have someone you can confide in is a God sent all of the way Yes, I have been blessed with two friends and to God I will always thank you Thank you for your so many blessing, thank you for me, Vee and Bratty too! What Am I By Elisa Hill I am a dove flying in a sky of bluish gray. I am a rock lying at the end of the driveway just sitting idly by, while the wind plays. I am the tension in your mind that causes you to scream. I am the electrical current that brings you the energy. I am taller than the Empire State Building in the fantasy of your mind. I am the sweetness in the cake that gets finished in just the nick of time. I am the conductor to the train that is running softly but, internally through your soul. I am the puncture wound that left a scar upon your nose. I am the seeker of just who you need to be. I am the redeemer of your life encased in a sweet dream. I am the postcard they forget to write before they go. I am the government protecting all that you conceive to be real and untold. I am the past time that keeps you still in the moments of calm. I am not reality with the clearness of your mind. I am the thing that causes satisfaction to your soul to unwind. I am a daydream, a silly thought that yet unfolds. Still you ask, “What are you, this thing in my mind?” What I am is just a moment in time to see unclearly and have a distorted view. I am the sensitivity to light that you seem to hold on to. So with every blink of your wondering eye, I am something different floating aimlessly in your mind. ?! t a h ay W S They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself. – Andy Warhol _____________ �14 Games & Extras Crossword ­ Cartoon By Anne Skove www.facebook.com/streetvibes cincinnati ­ twitter.com/ streetvibesnews ­ streetvibes. wordpress.com ­ STREETVIBES November 1-14, 2010 �Shelter: Women and Children Central Access Point Cincinnati Union Bethel St. Francis Soup Kitchen Churches Active in Northside FreeStore/FoodBank 557-2873 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 241-1064 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 762-5660 271-5501 4600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 St. Vincent de Paul 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224 Salvation Army 535-2719 591-2246 381-SAFE 768-6907 300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Bethany House 562-8841 872-9259 Crossroad Health Center 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 15 Resources STREETVIBES November 1-14, 2010 458-6670 977-4489 Treatment: Men Other Resources Shelter: Men Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 Prospect House 241-0490 381-4941 Starting Over 1419 Elm Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 Justice Watch St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 961-4663 Treatment: Both 761-1480 1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237 Drop Inn Center 721-0643 Interfaith Hospitality Network Lighthouse Youth Center (Youth) 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 621-6364 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 351-0422 381-6672 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 Goodwill industries Healing Connections Mary Magdalen House 771-4800 751-0600 721-4811 241-2965 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 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 421-3131 569-1840 381-4242 1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Food/Clothing Lord’s Pantry OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry AA Hotline CCAT Joseph House (Veterans) 217 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 381-0111 1223 Main St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 2728 Glendora Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45209 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 621-5514 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 961-4080 Peaslee Neighborhood Center Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart First Step Home Anthony House (Youth) 241-2600 241-2563 214 E. 14th St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 661-4620 Shelter: Both Center Independent Living Options Emmanuel Community Center 1308 Race St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 961-2256 Treatment: Women 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Mt. Airy Shelter 921-1613 St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry 863-3184 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center 859-491-8303 799 Ann St. Newport, KY Franciscan JPIC Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 721-4700 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. Legal Aid Society Ohio Justice & Policy Center Faces Without Places Stop AIDS 579-8547 241-9400 421-1108 363-3300 421-2437 Health Center for Respite Care Hamilton/Middletown 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 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 621-1868 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 Women’s Crisis Center VA Domiciliary VA Homeless 859-491-3335 859-559-5011 859-572-6226 �16 Column STREETVIBES November 1-14, 2010 Art Inspired by Race, Riots and Rap ­ A rtists ctivists as By Saad GhoSn Contributing Writer Terence Hammonds’s sub-cultural view I n his first year of college, Terence Ham­ monds was asked to do a cultural portrait of himself; he did not know what to do. The assignment, however, stayed with him and raised many questions in his mind about cultural identity and belonging, questions that have since then determined the content and direction of his art. Hammonds, an African-American artist born and raised in Over-the-Rhine, always drew as a child. Recognizing his artistic inclinations, his mother enrolled him in the School for the Creative and Performing Arts. There he met two teachers who greatly influenced him. Kathleen Carothers, a drama teacher, regularly took him to the museum, asking him each time to write a paper on an art piece of his choosing, triggering early on his critical thinking about visual images. John Brengelman, an English teacher and musi­ cian, gave him records and books, introducing him to underground art and the subculture of music. Throughout school, Hammonds got good exposure to various art media and developed skills in many of them. He was then obsessed with John Lennon and many times drew the Dakota Hotel where Lennon died. Hammonds also painted homeless people and alcoholics in his neighborhood, connecting to city life and its social ills. After graduating from high school, Ham­ monds received a full scholarship to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston at Tufts Univer­ sity, where he later earned a bachelor of fine arts degree. His college years helped him refine his visual language; they also made him think cultur­ ally about the world and where he fits. Rap music was very popular at the time and somewhat synonymous with black urban youth; Hammonds listened to it all the time. He did a series of silkscreen prints, titled Temporary Tattoos, representing tattoos of famous rap stars; the prints could be temporarily transferred onto someone’s skin. It was also his take on the idea of original and real, a tenet of the hip hop culture. Along the same line, he made fancy-looking, fake Certificates of Provenance for commonly used slang terms, pointing to ownership. “I was very interested in what mainstream culture thought of differing subcultures, of their relation to race and class in history,” he says. Questioning the fixed and framed identity one might give a diverse subculture, in this case asso­ ciating rap music to black race, Hammonds cov­ ered his studio floor with subway tiles on which he printed the first reproduced image of a break dancer. By not cleaning the screen between print­ ings, the images became intentionally blurred. They served as his commentary on the change the hip hop movement underwent, progressing from the Bronx in New York City to other parts of the United States and also on the various multiethnic influences it incorporated. In his last year of college Hammonds did a large installation at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. It consisted of silhouettes of rap danc­ ers and images of the first 250 rap artists to record music, all silkscreened on a wall paper patterned after the plantation in Gone With the Above: Terence Hammonds stands in front of his silkscreen print, Nina Simone. Saad Ghosn. Left: Get Up on the Down Stroke, 4’x4’ wood dance floor with graphite drawings and silkscreened images by Terence Hammonds. Tony Walsh. Wind. Exhibited at the same time, displayed in a broken antique cabinet, were old Haviland Limoges plates on which he printed images of the first break dancers. The cabinet had a bro­ ken leg, propped up by first-edition books from the Civil Rights Movement, books of slave songs containing coded messages, books by Leroy Jones and Langston Hughes. It was his reference to the origin of hip hop culture, fed at its base by the cultural history of the African-American people, also an allusion to it being a precious, yet poorly handled, gift. Returning to Cincinnati after six years in Boston, Hammonds continued to examine in his art the identity and history of subcultures in the United States, the role of protest and rebellion in the Civil Rights Movement and its importance for freedom and democracy. “I am reaping the benefit of the Civil Rights Movement, of the fight so many undertook, at the expense of their own lives, to allow each of us freedom in this country,” he says. “I went to an Ivy League school with full scholarship just based on merit; I can freely express myself. … This was unheard of 50 years ago for African Americans.” Quiet Riot, his first show in Cincinnati, was based on a real story that followed the death of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Fearing riots, the mayor of Boston invited all residents to protest King’s assassination and mourn together by watching a concert by James Brown, the “Godfa­ ther of Soul,” on TV. Boston remained riot-free, with popular music a factor. In his show, Hammonds played a video of the concert on a 1960-era TV. He printed images of the riots that happened in Cincinnati and all over America on a set of Russel Wright dinner plates called “American Modern” and displayed two miniature dance floors, each 4’x4’, covered with silkscreened images of riots. Further illustrating the Civil Rights Movement and its influence on American life, Hammonds later did four additional dance floors. One of them, Get Up on the Down Stroke, is titled after a line from a folk song. It consists of a wood board decorated with graphite drawings and prints of images from the ’60s and ’70s counter-cultural movements, riots, draft-card burnings, scenes from the Rolling Stones concert in Altamont and from the Kent State massacre. “My images meant to evoke an era now gone, a time when youth was idealistic, not afraid to change the world,” he says. “The dance floors (are) spaces where cultures are exchanged.” In his work, Hammonds will persevere, ad­ dressing subcultures, protest and authority. He views his art as monuments celebrating the activist movements of the past and hopefully the present. “I want my artwork to remind of a time when people fought for the better good of the entire humanity,” he says. “I want the youth to look back, realize that history existed and that it can be reinvented. Raising me, my mother always stressed the duty to give to society, to contribute positively to life. It is a lesson I will never forget.” Artists as Activists is a regular column highlighting Greater Cincinnnati 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 November 1-14, 2010 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Marching, Remember, Demanding How I Snuck in on the Dalai Lama Pg 2: Street Wise Pg 3: 8 Minutes Considering Advocacy Pg 4: Nobel Prize for Chinese Freedom Fighter Pg 5: Meeting the Bible Verse Man Those Darned Facts Trump Section 8 Myths Pg 6: Eat Your Food Where It’s Grown Pg 7: The Death Watch is All the Bengals Have Pg 8: Annual Dinner Pg 9: March Continued Pg 10: The Dance of Class Consciousness Pg 11: Into Steady Meditations Pg 12: Meditations Continued Pg 13: Meditations Continued Pg 14: Games & Extras Pg 15: Resources Pg 16: Art Inspired by Race, Riots and Rap Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource November 1-14, 2010 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gregory Flannery Joseph Szydlowski Georgia Bohannon Michelle Dillingham Samantha Groark Margo Pierce Jeremy Flannery Michael Henson David Heitfield Jeni Jenkins Saad Ghosn Lew Moores Larry Gross Eli Braun Jesse Call Michael Fanning B. Clifton Burke Carly Tamborski Aimie Willhoite Lynne Ausman Anne Skove Vinit Murthy Jon Hughes Brad Foster Jeremy Flannery Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Aimie Willhoite Anne Skove B. Clifton Burke Bengals Brad Foster Carly Tamborski David Heitfield Eli Braun Georgia Bohannon Gregory Flannery Jeni Jenkins Jeremy Flannery Jesse Call Jon Hughes Joseph Szydlowski Larry Gross Lew Moores Liu Xiaobo Lynne Ausman March Margo Pierce Michael Fanning Michael Henson Michelle Dillingham Mike Brown Nobel Prize Protests Saad Ghosn Samantha Groark Section 8 Terence Hammonds Vinit Murthy https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/324abb8dc1f2d230eaa59669113dca38.pdf c6ad727357da2d1352805be93ed90d65 PDF Text Text An AffordAble Confronting the School for Terrorists Housing SucceSS Story Page 8 Page 12 Nov. 1-14, 2010 • Issue 187 • One Dollar ADVOCATING JUSTICE • BUILDING COMMUNITY Blankets,Water and Other Bad Ideas Helping homeless people isn’t so simple By GreGory Flannery Editor P People in homeless camps often need basic necessities. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson. eople are living in tents and shacks in isolated pockets of urban Cincinnati. They generate trash, as we all do, but they don’t have an easy way to dispose of it. Last month a religious group decided to help, visit­ ing homeless camps and removing trash. The camps were cleaner for a while. The volunteers were proud of their work. But does this kind of volun­ teering, helpful in the short term, make the problem worse? The consequences of charity aren’t always posi­ tive. That’s why some people donate to large non-profit organizations but spurn pan­ handlers. Charity can have political implications (see “On the Left Side of God,” below). For some people, charity is first and foremost a religious act. To social workers engaged in the complex business of helping people living an almost feral life, simple acts of charity sometimes can be an impediment to bring­ ing them indoors, making it easier for them to stay on the outside. Enabling homelessness Members of John 15:12 Ministries visited home­ less camps Oct. 9 after first distributing trash bags to residents who wanted their assistance. Rumpke, a trashdisposal company, sent a garbage truck for the volun­ teers to fill. John 15:12 Ministries takes its name from this state­ ment by Jesus of Nazareth in the New Testament: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” The organization’s goal went beyond tidying up homeless people’s quarters, according to an announcement dis­ tributed the week before the event. “The most important part of this event is to show them we love and care about them, just as Jesus loves all of us,” the announcement said. “To learn from them and about them, and to just be good neighbors. … This is an awesome opportunity to get out on the front line and truly see what homelessness See Blankets, P. 9 On the Left Side of God Politics in the world of charity By Joanne Zuhl Portland, Ore. – A 4-inch­ square, 96-page booklet once was considered the embodi­ ment of social justice and empowerment of the poor, and for years its publisher attracted financial backing from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) through the Archdiocese of Portland. The local Catholic Campaign – a private nonprofit foundation operated by the United States Conference of Conservative Catholics are working to end funding for poverty-alleviation programs. REUTERS/Tony Gentile. Catholic Bishops – helped launch the booklet with a $5,000 grant in 2008, making sure information on health care, shelter, employment and supportive services was in the hands of people experiencing homelessness and poverty. That was until this spring, when a call to the office of Justice and Peace of the Archdiocese of Portland pointed out the offense on page 25. There, under the category of health care, was a listing for Planned Parenthood, which in a half- inch space included a description of the various basic ser­ vices, including contraception that the organization provides to low- or no-income custom­ ers seeking health care. The message from CCHD managers at the Portland Archdiocese, although supportive of the booklet’s overall mission, was made clear in terms of funding: If Planned Parenthood remained in the booklet, CCHD, in keeping with Catholic teaching, could no longer fund Street Roots, the publisher of the Rose City Resource guide. Street Roots decided to keep the listing. But what was behind the call? Why now? What changed after five years of CCHD support for Street Roots? How did a piece of information sud­ denly morph into a theological offense? Starting in autumn 2009, other groups began asking the same questions. The Chinese Progressive Association in San Francisco was among the first to get the call: CCHD, one of the founding funders for the 38-year-old Association, had to cut ties with the work­ ers’ rights program. Also in California, the Young Workers United was told it was being cut from funding as well, as was the Rebecca Project for Human Rights, which helps homeless and disadvantaged women who have children. L.A. Community Action Net­ work was “defunded” at its See On the Left, P. 6 �2 Editorial BY ThE ­ NUMBErS ­ 3.92 The amount, in billions of dollars, of Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds approved by Congress in 2008 (see page X). 25,000 The number of AfricanAmerican and Hispanic students Steve Sunderland helped integrate at City University of New York (see page 16). 32 The length of time, in years, that “Michael” has been “a sober drunk” (see page 3). 1 The number of record labels The Retros have talked to so far (see page x). Twice The number of times the Ugandan vice president’s husband admitted hitting her (see page X). 27 The number, in millions, of Americans who take anti­ depressants (see page X). 25 The page number of the ad in the Rose City guide that cost Street Roots its grant from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (see page 1). 15:12 The chapter and verse of the Gospel of John that gives one homeless ministry its name (see page 1. 98.5 The combined prison sentences, in years, served by non-violent protesters at the School of the Americas (see page x). STREETVIBES November 15-30, 2010 Streetwise By GreGory Flannery Editor You Are One of the Reasons We’re So Odd This is a funny business, putting together a street newspaper. By way of giving thanks, I’d like to tell you some of what’s involved. Our cartoonist, Anne Skove, has a job in the legal profession that involves lots of travel. In addition to drawing for Streetvibes, she recruits new writers and sends postage stamps for our use. Our arts columnist, Saad Ghosn, is a physician. He wrote this week’s column (“Artists as Activists”) and two others prior to leaving the country for a month to care for a dying relative. One of our photographers, Jon Hughes, is chair of the Journalism Department at the University of Cincinnati. Another, Vinit Murthy, is a particle engineer at Procter and Gamble. Another, Aimee Willhoite, is a full-time college student. Our proofreader, Jeremy Flannery, examines the entire edition at night, after getting off work. One of our writers, Margo Pierce, is a freelance journalist who has won national awards. She is also a busy volunteer and board member of a local non-profit organization. Yet she has spent hundreds of hours consulting with the paper on design, planning and fundraising. Our new graphic designer, Elizabeth Schulenberg, lays out the pages after she’s finished with her full-time graphics job. Our social critic and film critic, David Heitfield, has worked as editor of two daily newspapers, as a defense attorney and as an assistant prosecutor. Our printing costs are covered in part by the generosity of United Nations Appeals Judge Mark Painter and by the Sisters of Charity. Many of our writers, such as Carly Tamborski, Corey Gibson, Samantha Groark and Brian O’Donnell, are fulltime college students with part-time jobs who make time to interview people, research issues and write news stories about what they learn. Our poets include Bonnie Neumeier, director of the Peaslee Neighborhood Center; Spencer Ledyard, stationed in Afghanistan with the U.S. Air Force; Rick Stansberger, a teacher; and homeless people who struggle just to survive. Stephen Paul Lansky, a professor at Miami University, shares short stories and an occasional painting with us. Reuters, the international news syndicate, lets us publish its photographs. Some of our vendors, such as Lee McCoy and George Herrell, write essays about their experiences. Other vendors, such as Willa Davis, write poetry. Another vendor, Anthony Williams, contributes his drawings. Our food writer, Jeni Jenkins, creates new dishes and photographs them – after her day job as education coordinator for the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. One of our writers, Ariana Shahandeh, makes Persian delicacies and delivers them to our office for our vendors and other homeless people to enjoy. I’m sometimes invited to talk to students and other groups about Streetvibes. I always tell them, “Streetvibes is the oddest newspaper you’ll find in Cincinnati.” That’s true on a variety of levels: First, everyone but the editor is a volunteer, yet we’ve received both national and international journalism awards. Second, the quality of our content is wildly inconsistent – and that’s by design. We want a broad range of voices, including professional writers, students trying to hone their skills and homeless people who lack formal training but have had the most expensive education available, the kind acquired by living on the streets. Third, ours is a newspaper with a mission – two missions, actually. Our first mission is providing the opportunity for homeless and other low-income people to earn a small living by distributing Streetvibes. The vendors are the reason for the paper’s existence, as one of our volunteers reminds us whenever we seem to forget. Our second mission is advocacy journalism. Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice, building community. We are here to rattle people’s consciences, to urge them to act, to make them pound the table, to prod them into asking questions – and sometimes to make them laugh. We especially like to make people laugh at Cincinnati City Council and the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC), two of the most ridiculous, reckless and hurtful institutions in this city – and the reason Cincinnati is thought of as a place that is cruel to poor people. One of the reason Streetvibes is so odd is we’re a community paper, which means the weird, eclectic and eccentric get all jumbled in with the mainstream, minority and other elements that make Cincinnati unique – the very uniqueness that city council and 3CDC are actively trying to suppress in favor of a packaged homogeneity that just isn’t real. Finally, ours is an odd newspaper because of you. With newspapers across the United States cutting staff, shrinking news coverage and going out of business altogether, Streetvibes has enjoyed dramatic growth in circulation since 2008. By supporting our vendors, you directly help to fight poverty. As the nation prepares to celebrate Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for all the volunteers who make this feisty little street paper come together. I’m grateful for our donors. I’m grateful for our readers. 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 Joseph Szydlowski Vendor Coordinator Georgia Bohannon Contributing Writers Michelle Dillingham, Samantha Groark, Margo Pierce, Jeremy Flannery, Michael Henson, David Heitfield, Corey Gibson, Jeni Jenkins, Saad Ghosn, Lew Moores, Larry Gross, Eli Braun, Jesse Call, Michael Fanning, B. Clifton Burke, Carly Tamborski Photography/Artwork Aimie Willhoite, Lynne Ausman, Anne Skove, Vinit Murthy, Jon Hughes, Brad Foster Proofreader 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. �STREETVIBES November 15-30, 2010 Column 3 Beyond the bootstraps Long-Term Success Begins with Compassion By MarGo Pierce/www.writerdiva.coM Contributing writEr The first time I remember taking a drink was when I was about 12 or 13 and I got a little glass of Mogen David wine at Thanksgiving to have a toast. And it was the most magical moment I’d ever had in my life. When I took that drink, it hit the back of my throat, it went down and it was like a bomb exploding inside me and it was just this warm rush feeling. What I remember from that— and it seems like it was just yesterday—for the first time in my life I felt OK. I just felt OK. I don’t know another word to describe it. Everything just went whhhhheeeeww. For the next 11 years I chased that high. That’s all I ever wanted. I always wanted to feel like that, and when I wasn’t doing it I was thinking about it, planning on how I was gonna get it. I don’t know how fast it progressed or anything else, it’s kind of hard to remember. Michael (not his real name) looks off into the distance as he talks about being a “sober drunk” for 32 years. His voice is even, calm but not devoid of emotion. With smiles and laughter, he describes his childhood in Cincinnati, Ohio, as “typical middle class.” Alcohol—at least for people like me that I know—sets up this craving. … I don’t know how to describe it unless you’ve experienced it. People talk about it as being a lack of willpower. The line about willpower: The line about willpower is, “The next time you have a bad case of diarrhea, just use a little willpower on it and see how far it gets ya.” You’ll end up with a runny leg. It’s just not that simple. I think it’s critical for anyone dealing with alco­ holism that they are entitled to – if I can use that word—be told what their problem is. And I don’t just mean somebody yellin’ and screamin’ at ’em and sayin’ “You’re a drunk and you better sober up.” I’m talking about professional people telling them, “You have alcoholism. This is what it’s doing to you. This is the only solution and this is what we think you ought to do.” And help you starting some kind of plan to get sober. It’s a great mantra of every drunk, “It’ll be differ­ ent this time. It won’t be as bad this time, I won’t do ‘this’ this time, I won’t do ‘that’ this time.” And every time you do it over and over again. Insanity and alcoholism is absolutely doing the same thing over again and expecting different results. Every day after day after day after day. I talk to multiple DUI offenders and I’ll tell them, “Anyone can get a DUI. A social drinker can get a DUI – they have a bad night, they make a bad decision, they get into a car and they get arrested and they get a DUI. They will go to jail, they will pay the fine and they will tell themselves, ‘I am never, ever, ever going to do that again, and they will never, ever do that again. And we drunks say the same vow and we’ll be drinking and driving the next day.” We just have this amazing ability to block out all the consequences. And the reason we block it out is because we’re scared to death. We’re scared to death because we don’t know how to not drink. He says what it takes to get sober is different for each person. He describes the intervention he par­ ticipated in with his mother. Michael was 10-years sober at the time. We had Mom in the room. It was me and my brother and two sisters and this professional lady. I knew Mom was in trouble because my little sister had called me and told me what was going on. We were hitting Mom with everything we had, and she was like Superman – she was deflecting everything. Finally my little sister said, “Mom, I know you’re drinking a lot of vodka.” She got real indignant and she looked at her and said, “How can you possibly know that?” And Tammy (not her real name) said, “Because I see you walk into the bathroom with an empty glass, and then you come out with a full glass but I haven’t heard the faucet run.” There was dead silence and Mom said, “OK.” And that’s all there was. That’s what got to her. Her finally realizing that, yeah, people know … if this little 8-year-old kid knows I’m doing it. Sometimes what helps a drunk is the power of a memory. There’s different things in my life that kind of stick out. I went into a bar in downtown and I’d been working downtown at the time, went there every day and the barmaid knew us. So she started getting me something to drink. … I always drank it in a glass. And I told her, “No, just give it to me in the can.” The reason I wanted it in a can was because I knew I was shaking so bad that it was going to be really, really hard to get that glass to my lips without spillin’. At this time I had just turned 23. When I was drinking that can I had a flashback, just a moment in time when I was 18 and sitting in this bar. A guy walked in. … This guy was probably in his sixties. He just looked disheveled and tired and old. He got this double-double with the beer chaser and he had to put his head all the way down to the bar to get his lips on the drink so he could put it back because he was shaking so bad that if he didn’t he was going to spill it. Then he did the same thing with the beer chaser and he ordered another one. … And after the sec­ ond one he just kind of went sssssshhhhheeeww­ www and he was OK then, he got a fix. Sometimes what helps a drunk is the power of stories. I heard a guy say one time – he lived in a card­ board box in the Bowery of New York, that’s where he ended up. That was his home. And after he sobered up, he lived there for another two years. I knew him when he was 36 or 37 years sober and he died over 50 years sober. And he said, “A lot of yi’z never made it down in the gutter with me and livin’ in a box. A lot of yi’z picked the gutter up and took it home and put it in your living room for your wives and kids to live in. I din’ hurt nobody livin’ in that box.” Everybody has moments when we see ourselves for the way we really are—and when he said that I knew exactly what I was. And what it triggered was the thought, “Instead of being so damn full of selfpity and anger about where you’re at, you ought to be a little grateful for where you didn’t end up.” What every drunk needs is his pain, according to Michael. When I was 22 booze started not doing the same thing, and that’s what happens with alcoholics. There’s a lot of reasons why drunks quit drinking. One of them is because it quits working – and for me, it quit working. No matter how much I drank – in search of the ever-lasting buzz – I couldn’t get it no matter what happened. I woke up every morn­ ing and I was just this miserable human who was living to drink, and I could no longer even get that little buzz from when I was 13. The old saying is first the man takes a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes the man. That’s what happened – I was drinking to live. What brings people to their knees, for lack of a better term, to a point where they’re able to get some help—if help’s available to them – is they have to reach a point of pain so bad that they want to get out. They have to. So every time we rescue people – there’s a difference between rescuing and helping – every time we rescue someone from their pain, we’re denying them their pain, we’re denying them the chance to get sober. And the support of people willing to teach and learn is imperative. Dad drove me to the treatment center, and this is kind of a good picture of people who don’t understand alcoholism. I had a can of beer in my hand all the way up to walking into the emergency room. My dad said, “I don’t get it. You want to quit drinking and you’re walking into this place with a can of beer.” And I said, “Dad, if I knew how to quit drinking, I wouldn’t have to go into this place.” What happened when I called this treatment center – the reason I stayed – was because I found people who knew what my problem was. Not only that they knew what my problem was, they also knew what the solution was. Before I was gonna be able to get better, number one, I had to get detoxed, I had to get off of it and I knew I couldn’t do it on my own. I had been physically addicted for a long time. I had a guy tell me one time, “If you want to learn how to be sober, you ought to hang around sober people. If you’re trying to learn how to drink, I guess you hang around drinking people.” So that’s what I did. Out of this treatment center was a huge social organization out of all the people who were graduates of this treatment center. We did a lot of stuff together. We learned how to be sober together. The American myth of individualism tells people who are struggling with addiction, abuse, mental illness or poverty to simply pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. In reality, specially designed services and other kinds of support are essential to the process of transformation. This column one in an occasional series that will explore what it takes to Forget the Bootstraps in order to live a better life. I was basically socially stonewalled from the time I was about 14. I had absolutely no social skills whatsoever. For somebody who thinks al­ cohol is the best friend they’ve evenr had in their life, then all of a sudden it gets stripped away from him. I had nothing to lean on. It was very scary, very scary. What’s totally useless is ordering alcoholics to “quit drinking so much,” because they simply don’t know how to do that. I absolutely think you can pull up on all your bootstraps all you want, but until you have a solu­ tion to your problem, you’re going to keep doing the same thing you’ve been doing because you don’t know of any other way to do it. Everything you’re telling him he already knows. He already knows his drinking is a problem – he’s not stupid. He knows that there’s a problem. The problem is that he doesn’t know what the solution is. Don’t forget a sense of humor…. Want to hear a good drunk joke? A guy walks into work one morning and he’s got his arm all bandaged up and in a sling and his face is all scratched up. His buddy said, “Jesus! What hap­ pened to you?” And he said, “Man, I started drink­ ing yesterday and decided to go horseback riding. So I get on this horse and I’m so drunk I can’t sit on him. I fall off, my foot gets caught in the stirrup and he just keeps on going.” And the guys said, “Man, you’re really lucky. How’d you finally get off?” and he said, “My wife came out of K-Mart and unplugged him.” You gotta be able to laugh, you really do. A version of this column, reprinted with permis­ sion, was first published in the Denver VOICE. �4 International News STREETVIBES November 15-30, 2010 Despair Takes a Young Man’s Life ­ Kevin Goodreau’s final warning By JereMy Flannery Contributing writEr P hiladelphia, Penn. – An estimated 27 million Americans were taking antidepressant medications in 2005 in the United States, according to the U.S. Cen­ ters for Disease Control. The medication works for many patients, while others suffer side effects that outweigh the benefits. For Kevin Goodreau, a medical techni­ cian and musician, the side effects were fatal. “In November of 2009 I was under extreme stress,” Goodreau said in late Sep­ tember. “I had a few life changing events happen. In retrospect, it was nothing that major, but thoughtprovoking enough to make me realize that something needed to change substan­ tially. I did a few things on my own to help my problem. I had quit smoking for two months and started exercis­ ing regularly. “In early January things started looking pretty good. I was optimistic about my future. I had a new sexual relationship. It had been four full years before I had any kind of physical relationship with a woman, and I was ex­ tremely excited. So, in short, I had made the resolution that 2010 was going to be the first year in a new life of selfactualization and somewhat healthy living. And I was doing a pretty good job of helping myself. Unfortunately for me, I had previously made an appointment with a psy­ Kevin Goodreau blamed medicinal side effects for destroying his life. Courtesy of Smoker and the Rollers. chiatrist back in November ‘09. So I went to see her on or quite close to Dec. 30, 2009.” Goodreau’s psychiatrist diagnosed him with mild schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, he said. She prescribed Goodreau with the antipsychotic medications Lamictal and Abilify. “Within one week of consuming these medications I began to experience what is known as tardive dyskinesia,” Goodreau said. “The symptoms were excruciating. I would find myself incapable of sitting still and would have, on numerous occasions, uncontrollable and long lasting seizure-like episodes. These symptoms were very frightening for me. But, to be honest, they pale in comparison to the devastation that the antidepres- sant Lexapro has brought to my life.” Goodreau quit taking Lamictal and Abilify, and returned to his psychiatrist in January, he said. Goodreau requested Lexapro by name. “I took it upon myself to quit the antipsychotics,” Goodreau said. “And the side effects went away. Two weeks into January I went back to the (psychiatrist) and she prescribed the Lexapro. I was happy. It had literally, with the very first dose, begun to take effect. In fact, I remember there was a feeling like I was tripping on LSD while I took the medication. The medicine worked, and it worked well. “I took it for only two weeks before I quit cold turkey. Within one week of using the Lexapro, I began to notice incredible physiological changes: chronic fatigue, complete impotence, loss of libido and a lack of ability to recognize my own basic emotions. I was literally stunned.” Lexapro is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), a prescription-only antidepressant medication used to treat major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, according to the manufacturer. Fatigue, insomnia, decreased libido and anorgasmia (difficulty achieving orgasm) are among the side effects listed on Lexapro’s label. Goodreau insisted that Lexapro had physically damaged his nervous system, and he thought the side effects he was suffering with were irreversible. Those side effects from the medication affected Goodreau for the rest of the nine months in his life. He chose to end his life at age 28 on Oct. 20, 2010 because he thought he would never be a whole person again. Goodreau left behind a suicide note to explain his decision. “I love life (friends, family, doing stuff ) very much … and this has been very hard on everyone,” he wrote. “I cannot express how sorry I am about this decision. I am too scared to live a life in impotence and disability. And you can’t help me with that. I will not forfeit the life that should have been for the one where I live in my parents’ basement in shame and weakness. “It is very important to have someone that you can love and who loves you back, on real human terms. I had that once, so my life was not meaningless. But I cannot “Feed Me, Seymour, ­ Feed Me All Night Long…” ­ By Jeni Jenkins Serving Size: 4-5 bellies Autumn Squash Casserole 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 yellow squash, diced in large chunks 2 zucchini squash, diced in large chunks 1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped 3 cloves fresh garlic, diced 2 tablespoons butter or butter substitute for vegans 2 packages crushed Ritz (butter) crackers Salt and pepper (Optional for vegans) 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese Trying to find a tasty way to enjoy that summer squash? This recipe I threw together to take to a weekly neighborhood potluck. I was trying to find a creative way to get some more vegetables into the mix, and this was definitely a crowd pleaser. Enjoy! Heat oven to 350 degrees • Sauté squash in olive oil over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes. Pour squash in 9”x12” baking dish. • Sauté onion and garlic in butter over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, remove from heat. • Mix the onion/garlic mixture with the crushed crackers and Parmesan cheese. • Evenly pour the mixture over the top of the squash as a cracker topping. • Bake uncovered in oven for 15-20 minutes or until cracker topping is browned Voila, FEED! feel that feeling anymore. Whatsoever happened to my brain is not my fault. It is the Lexapro. I will not concede this fact to the simplicity of ignorance and the ‘you’re just depressed’ argument. My dick doesn’t work anymore. I have no libido. I can barely remember why I liked things like music. … Do not let them convince you that this is just depression. That is the easy way out of trying to understand a real prob­ lem. These drugs are the problem. End of the story.” Goodreau hoped his story would warn others about the risks of antidepressant medications. “There was a very real feeling that something had permanently changed within my nervous system,” Goodreau said in an interview. “The sexual symptoms are terrible, but the core of this disease called PSSD (post­ SSRI sexual dysfunction) is something far more frightening. It is difficult to describe if you don’t experience it. I believe the answer lies in widespread neurological damage which, most likely, cannot be reversed. “I am more than willing to share with anyone the reality of PSSD. Many people don’t even realize that the drugs are the problem. If I can help people to understand the truth behind the psychiatric death machine while preventing them from undergoing a lifetime of needless suffering, I would be somewhat happy. I would like to work with my support group called SSRIsex@yahoo. com to get the word out as much as possible.” �STREETVIBES November 15-30, 2010 5 News Domestic Violence in high Office ­ A blemish on a record of women’s rights By Joseph Opio It was the soap opera that gripped an entire nation. A distinguished engineer, challenging his wife’s divorce petition, argued that he had “slapped her only twice, for insubordination.” On the face of it, it seemed like your average case of an abusive husband justifying wife battery. Prob­ lem is, the wife in question was none other than Specioza Wandira Kazibwe, Uganda’s vice presi­ dent at the time. Kazibwe had shot to global prominence in 1994 when President Yoweri Museveni had named her to the second most powerful office in the land. Kazibwe’s new position had made her the firstever female vice president in Africa. It also earned Uganda universal acclaim for its pro-women politics. became a source of national embarrassment. Some congratulated her for speaking out against domestic violence. But others criticized Kazibwe, a surgeon and mother of five, for “en­ couraging rebelliousness in marriages.” One cabinet colleague of Kazibwe’s was later quoted arguing that the entire matter illustrated why women are ill suited for politics in the first place. To women activists, it was sufficient evidence that Kazibwe’s elevation to the vice-presidency had all been a cosmetic service to the cause of women’s emancipation. “When Kazibwe became vice-president, we all celebrated the dawn of a new era,” said Sylvia Ta­ male, a leading law professor at Makerere Univer­ sity. “But after she confessed that her husband had been battering her all along, it proves that women Vice President Specioza Wandira Kazibwe shocked Uganda by revealing she was a victim of domestic violence. Joseph Opio. Married to a successful engineer, Kazibwe was perceived as an inspiration for women, her stint as vice president marked by her relentless promo­ tion of women’s rights. Yet in 2002 a nation was shocked when Kazibwe confessed that she was seeking divorce from her husband. She cited an abusive marriage and infidelity as her reasons. “Enough is enough,” Kazibwe told a gathering on International Women’s Day. “How can you beat a whole vice president? I’m very sorry.” Kazibwe’s confession might have been inspired by the theme for that year’s celebrations, which was “Break The Silence. Stop Domestic Violence.” But it triggered mass consternation. Charles Kazibwe, it turned out, had routinely battered his wife of 28 years, philandered and fathered two children by another woman. That a woman so powerful had been trapped in the sort of abusive marriage that’s so common all over Uganda was shocking enough. That a woman so powerful had proved so powerless in her own household throughout her entire vice-presidency can’t be emancipated fully unless they are liber­ ated in all aspects of life. It’s no use emancipating a woman in public yet she remains at the mercy of an abusive husband at home.” Kazibwe’s predicament inspired women activ­ ists to renew their fight to have a law regulating domestic relations. “Kazibwe was the example,” says Jackie Asiimwe of the Uganda Women’s Network, an NGO crusad­ ing to promote women’s rights. “She was a power­ ful vice president, but in private her husband was hitting her.” But although the Domestic Relations Bill was drafted over 10 years ago, it still is yet to be passed into law. The bill aims to outlaw marital rape, ease divorce for women, grant property rights to wives and regulate polygamy. Sadly, it has been op­ posed at each and every turn by conservatives and religious leaders fearful that “it will grant women so many rights and lead to the disintegration of families and African family values.” Nsubuga Nsambu, a senior parliamentarian and vocal opponent of the Domestic Relations Bill, even went on record to brand it “a conspiracy on the part of single and highly learned women to take over the country.” The failure to convert the Domestic Relations Bill into law thus far remains the sole blemish on Uganda’s otherwise immaculate crusade to pro­ mote gender equality and empower its women. It’s a crusade that was initiated and spear­ headed by president Museveni long before the UN signed its Millennium Declaration in September 2000. Kazibwe’s elevation was Museveni’s most celebrated “affirmative act” but it has not been the only one. The president’s pro-women policies have seen women gain positions of influence in public office and increased girls’ access to education and eco­ nomic opportunities. Women now form 40 percent of Parliament, up from 18 percent in 1993, according to statistics from the Ministry of Gender. There are also eight women in the 24-member cabinet. Elsewhere, women occupy top-most positions at the Uganda Revenue Authority, the Uganda Hu­ man Rights Commission, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament and the deputy heads of the Judiciary, Civil Service and Electoral Commission. Such gains are expected to be consolidated, thanks to the government’s twin policies of Uni­ versal Primary Education and Universal Second­ ary Education. Both policies put special emphasis on girls; and with such free education, families have been weaned off the age-old practice where­ by scarce financial resources were spent educating boys while the girls got married off instead. As a result, Ministry of Education figures have shown that the number of girls is equal to that of boys all the way through primary and second­ ary school. Statistics of girls accessing university education have also spiked, inspired in no small part by the government’s affirmative decision back in 1990 to grant 1.5 bonus points to female appli­ cants. The proportion of female students has since risen from about 20 percent to 35 percent in 1998 and to 51 percent in 2008. Not that women’s rights crusaders are resting on their laurels. The failure to pass the Domestic Relations Bill remains a thorny issue, as does the nonexistence of an Equal Opportunities Commis­ sion. Article 32 (2) of the 1995 Ugandan Constitu­ tion committed Parliament to make laws for the establishment of such a commission, a brief that remains unfulfilled. Tamale argues that the absence of the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Domestic Re­ lations Bill failure betray a strategic lack of politi­ cal will, lamenting that “women are in positions of power without power.” Tamale is among the top decision-makers at Uganda’s leading university. But her concerns aren’t entirely elitist, as her detractors have been known to claim. At the zenith of Kazibwe’s divorce, radio phone-in debates were flooded by ordinary women who expressed concerns and deep-seated fears about their own positions “in a country where the nation’s highest-ranking woman could be so flagrantly abused by her own husband.” And unless Uganda promulgates a domestic-re­ lations law between now and 2015, such concerns are bound to remain, ensuring that despite its sparkling successes in all other spheres of women empowerment, Uganda will still have fallen pain­ fully short of achieving this particular goal. © www.streetnewsservice.org �6 Issues STREETVIBES November 15-30, 2010 On the Left Side of God Continued from page 1 own request after CCHD tried to censor its newspa­ per. Women in Transition in Louisville, Ky., had its grant rescinded, and Preble Resource Center, which serves homeless youths in Portland, Maine, was ordered to return to CCHD funds for its Homeless Voices for Justice program. In Oregon, Children First for Oregon, a child advocacy group for vulnerable children, was culled from the list of grantees earlier this year. Besides CCHD’s support, and beyond the com­ monality of their missions, these groups share something else: They were all targeted, investigated and determined unfit by a campaign of Catholic con­ servative groups that, via the prolific capacity of the Internet, have formed a nationwide coalition calling for the defunding of more than 50 poverty-alleviation organizations, and a radical overhaul – and even disbandment – of CCHD. To date, 10 U.S. bishops, an unprecedented num­ ber by Catholic news reports, have publicly sus­ pended their annual, mandatory collection among parishioners for CCHD because of claims that CCHD funded “anti-Catholic” organizations. The allegations by the group Reform CCHD Now against grantees begin as crimes against the Catholic Church for sup­ porting abortion and gay-rights issues and extend to direct attacks on community organizing and social empowerment. It could be dismissed as a fringe ele­ ment, if not for the use of the campaign by politically vested parties to discredit, disrupt and defund the work of community organizing groups long-support­ ed and heralded by U.S. bishops. This year Catholic Campaign for Human Devel­ opment celebrated 40 years of funding community programs that address the root causes of homeless­ ness and poverty. Nationwide, it has distributed more than $400 million in self-help grants to 8,000 agencies across the United States, making it the na­ tion’s largest private funder of self-help groups for the poor. CCHD is a rarity in the world of charitable invest­ ment in that it does not fund direct services like its faith-based counterparts, Catholic Charities or St. Vincent DePaul. Instead, recipients of CCHD’s grants are organizations that work to foster systemic change through partnering with common-cause groups and community organizing. Because of its role in com­ munity organizing projects, the Portland Archdio­ cese is considered a core funder of poverty-allevi­ ation and empowerment projects in Oregon and a voice among faith-based efforts to shape policy around social-service needs in Multnomah County. The attacks by Reform CCHD Now and its fol­ lowers are prompting a “review and renewal” pro­ cess by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. What the bishops decide could have major consequences for the thousands of cash-strapped nonprofits that CCHD supports, and the millions of poor and disenfranchised people who rely on these programs that today serve as proxy to government initiatives. ‘Eternal vigilance’ In summer 2009, the Texas-based Bellarmine Veri­ tas Ministry, an opaque “Catholic grassroots orga­ nizing ministry” traceable to one man, Rob Gasper, released an investigation into recipients of CCHD’s grants. This June the Virginia-based American Life League released a report echoing Bellarmine’s conclusions: that CCHD was funding what it called “anti-Catholic organizations” based upon the orga­ nizations’ actions and the actions of their partners and affiliates. These groups called on parishioners to boycott their donations to CCHD until the bishops revise the granting oversight. The groups specifi­ cally target 50 organizations they are demanding the CCHD stops funding. These reports surfaced during the thick of the health-care reform debate, a flagship in President Obama’s agenda, which the bishops opposed over abortion issues. In fact, the reformers singled out the bill and demanded that any grantees that supported the health care reform legislation “must state clearly and publicly that they will not promote any piece of legislation which gives federal support to abortion or family planning.” Bellarmine, American Life League and Human Life International, also based in Virginia, are the three primary organizations behind Reform CCHD Now, although Reform CCHD Now claims more than 20 organizations working on behalf of the nationwide campaign. These three groups have driven the re­ form movement to viral levels online with blogs and video and through the multitude of online Catholic and pro-life news services, including LifeNews.com and LifeSiteNews.com. “We started forming the coalition when we found very anti-Catholic things being funded by Catholics,” says Stephen Phelan, communications manager with Human Life International. “Michael Hitchborn (with American Life League) wanted to meet and they refused, and Bellarmine also tried and didn’t a get a response. So everybody went public with it.” “Because of the Internet, we’ve been able to get the information out to much more people in a much shorter period of time,” says Michael Hitchborn, a researcher with the pro-life organization American Life League. ‘Which is why the CCHD is finding it much harder to hide with their tactics they’ve been using.” Those tactics, according to Hitchborn, are to fund groups that do not conform to Catholic teaching, deny that they are “anti-Catholic” groups and then continue funding with the complications essen­ tially swept under the rug. Many of the organiza­ tions already defunded this past year were longtime recipients of CCHD funding, and praised for their work in building cross-community partnerships and networks to fight the causes of poverty. However, it’s those partnerships that factor into nearly all of the groups singled out by the reform movement. In fact, more than 30 groups reformers want defunded are listed because they are members of the Center for Community Change, a D.C.-based cross-community organizing movement that stopped receiving CCHD funding in 2001. “That’s a problem because there’s no account­ ability,” Hitchborn says. “The groups that are receiv­ ing CCHD money are getting trained by (Center for Community Change), which means they are being trained in cross-issues advocacy. And that’s a prob­ lem. So what we called for is an immediate disasso­ ciation from (Center for Community Change) for any group receiving CCHD money.” Hitchborn says he will continue investigating organizations to weed out the recipients of CCHD’s grants and says he’s working on a new report for release soon. “Because of the long history of CCHD funding errant organizations, there’s no way that we could let up,” Hitchborn says. “Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. And if we are going to make sure that an organization that claims to be Catholic remains Catholic, they need to adhere to Catholic teaching.” Subhead: ‘We didn’t even do anything wrong’ For nearly four decades the San Francisco-based Chinese Progressive Association organized the Chinese and Asian immigrant community, including thousands of restaurant workers who received less than minimum wage or were living in the margins. With the support of CCHD, the organization en­ gaged workers to successfully raise San Francisco’s minimum wage from $6.75 to $8.50, and in 2006, helped lead the charge for all workers in the city to receive paid sick leave. This work, along with its housing program, youths and environmental justice work, and its workers center, was funded by CCHD for years. But by September the local CCHD said the relationship was over. It was pulling the plug on $30,000 it had granted to the organization’s worker center. “They called me and they said they needed to talk,” says Alex T. Tom, the Chinese Progressive Association’s executive director, “that people were getting ready for the bishops meeting in the fall and they were fanning the flames and pushing CCHD to resolve the issue.” The issue was the Association’s publication of a voter pamphlet that opposed California’s Proposi­ tions 8 and 4, which banned same-sex marriages and required parental notification for some abortions. It was an effort that had nothing to do with the CCHD’s funding, which was specifically allocated for the organization’s Worker Center. “It was right when the economic crisis happened,” Tom says. “It was really poor form, poor taste and very bad timing when they decided to revoke the funding. “In general, worker centers don’t have the easi­ est time. Anti-poverty work is not something that is heavily supported. It helped us build a movement. And now we have to find a consistent revenue stream that doesn’t rely on support that we used to receive from CCHD.” Preble Street in Portland, Maine, received CCHD grants for 13 years for its work in empowering the homeless, most recently a $30,000 grant in 2009. However, it was defunded at the end of 2009 and asked to return unspent grant money to CCHD be­ cause the organization joined the campaign against a measure to overturn the state’s same-sex marriage law. For Preble Street, it was an extension of their advocacy for rights and opportunities for the home­ less youths within the GBLT the organization cares for and supports. The CCHD grant, however, actually was awarded to Preble Street’s project called Home­ less Voices for Justice, which works for social change on behalf of – and with the leadership of – people in poverty and homelessness. Homeless Voices did not participate in the campaign on the law. However, as Homeless Voices’ fiscal agent, Preble Street was called to return funding, and did so with a $2,400 check. In a letter to CCHD Director Ralph McCloud, Preble Street Executive Director Mark Swann defend­ ed his group’s position: “Throughout our history, when Preble Street and Homeless Voices for Justice have taken differing posi­ tions, there has never been any effort to force or stifle the opinion of the other. Indeed, regardless of Preble Street’s point of view, we have chosen to facilitate the expressions of opposing positions such as those of (Homeless Voices) by the support we offer them – embodying the principles of CCHD social justice teachings. “Punishing Homeless Voices by demanding the return of much-needed funds because of Preble Street’s advocacy around issues of social justice is deeply troubling,” Swann wrote. “It is unfortunate that the CCHD and the local diocese is choosing not to be part of these important efforts.” Women in Transition in Louisville, Ky., is but a shadow of its former self after CCHD rescinded a $25,000 grant at the end of 2009. Women in Transi­ tion runs skill-building programs for at-risk women and organizes on issues of affordable housing and health care. CCHD was a sponsor of the organiza­ tion since 2005, until this past year when it received a letter from someone pointing out Women in Tran­ sition’s relationship with Wench Self-Care Collec­ tive, a local women’s health organization. Wench is pro-choice, and has helped escort women to and from the city’s abortion clinic, but it also focuses on women’s nutrition and education around healthy eating habits, which is where Women in Transition and Wench crossed paths. Women in Transition says it never worked with Wench on reproductive rights, just healthy eating, cooking classes and health fairs. Khalilah Collins, Women in Transition’s executive director, says her organization had received CCHD grants for $20,000 and $25,000 each year since 2005. The 2009 fall grant for $25,000 had been approved and the check in the hands of their fiscal spon­ sor, Catholic Charities, but it was never delivered. Collins says she was told by Catholic Charities that unless she signed a letter saying that her organiza­ tion regretted the situation and would not work with the Wench group or any other group whose mission contradicted Catholic teaching, the money was in jeopardy. It was more than a third of the organiza­ tion’s budget, and money they had counted on. “The more I thought about it, the more upset I got,” Collins says. “We didn’t even do anything wrong.” (Collins says there were also questions about the agency’s 501(c)3 status, but that had not disrupted funding before.) Collins didn’t write the letter. “I felt that our integrity was questioned as an organization, and all we have is our integrity and our voice, and you’re questioning that,” she says. “We can’t be a part of that.” Collins says she never knew who wrote the letter about Wench, and that the relationship is not even traceable through Women in Transition’s website. However, by November, just before the 2009 collec­ tion for CCHD, Women in Transition and others were singled out in a press release by the American Life League and others within Reform CCHD Now for ties to Planned Parenthood, which led a workshop at an event the organization-co-sponsored with Spalding University. “It’s not about WIT and Wenches,” Collins says. “We’ve never done any work on choice at all. We steer clear of that number one thing because we know we could lose our funding.” But the funding is gone. “We have no money right now. None. I didn’t get paid last week, the rent hasn’t been paid, because we’re out of money,” Collins says. Subhead: ‘It’s taking away care from those who need it’ “These are politically motivated attacks,” says Chris Korzen, executive director of D.C.-based Catholics United, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organiza­ tion doing online advocacy and education programs around the Catholic Social Tradition. “And they fit into this broader narrative that we’re unfortunately seeing in our system now, where social change is limited to charity and not actually fixing social struc­ tures that cause poverty and other problems.” The intent of these attacks, Korzen says, is to demonize community organizing behind the argu- See On the Left, P. 7 �STREETVIBES November 15-30, 2010 Continued from page 6 ments against abortion and same-sex marriage. “That’s the end result of what this campaign is doing,” Korzen says. “It’s taking away care from those who need it.” Korzen, a Catholic, says Catholic social teaching is being hijacked by political agendas. “This hyper-individualism that some are pushing in a political context does not have a lot of support in Catholic social teaching,” Korzen says. “So essentially what we’re seeing is groups who are using Catholic teaching to promote what really is a secular agenda.” It’s not a new thing, Korzen says. Indeed, CCHD for decades has had its critics. But today it gets the added boost of leveraging political gains with a galvanized voting block, further inflamed by the personalities parading through our ever-expanding media options. “For sure, we’ve seen a movement to the right in Catholic institutional settings, and I’d even go as far to say there are some elements of the Catholic institutions and some parts of the (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops) that have essentially been taken over by the Republican Party. That sounds like a strong statement, but it’s the truth. Over the years the conservative movement has worked very hard to cultivate support in the Catholic churches.” Case in point, Korzen says, is the U.S. bishops’ opposition to the health-care reform bill, which was singled out as a defundable offense by the reform­ ers, “even though the Catholic Church believes that health care is a human right,” Korzen says. “That never would have happened in the 1980s.” In response to the reformers’ investigations and allegations, bishops across the country have issued statements in defense of CCHD’s operations, includ­ ing Archbishop John Vlazny of the Portland Diocese. Vlazny wrote on the issue in the Catholic Sentinel in late 2009, prior to Street Roots being defunded. “Once again this year objections have been raised to the Campaign because some CCHD-funded groups have taken actions in conflict with CCHD guidelines after they were funded,” Vlazny writes. “… When the facts were confirmed, the groups were defunded. Other allegations were raised, but the charges proved to be inaccurate or a misunder­ standing had occurred. Mistakes are made, they are quickly corrected. But the negative voices drone on, and I suspect their problems are more political than religious.” Ralph McCloud, the executive director of CCHD based in Washington D.C., says CCHD isn’t beholden to the partisan arguments behind the attacks. “We go to where poor people are, where nobody else wants to go, to let them speak boldly. I think we’re somewhere boldly embedded between the right and the left, and neither one of them can have a claim on it,” he says. McCloud says he cannot go into details on the upcoming review and renewal of CCHD, which will be conducted by the bishops, but that it will look at ways CCHD’s funding process can be more “respon­ sive to the needs of the contemporary current reali­ ties,” he says. “I think where it gets murky sometimes is when people are in coalitions with a group where their main focus is somewhere else,” McCloud says. ‘That’s one of the things hoping to come out of the review and renewal process. We’re securing assistance from folks who are theologians and ethicists to find where the line is so we’re not arbitrary in our decisions.” Just as the reform campaign proliferated on the blogosphere last summer, Matt Cato was hired to head the Portland Archdiocese Office of Justice and Peace, which administers the local CCHD funding process. With his appointment in August 2009, the office merged with the archdiocese’s Respect Life Activities Office. By early December, CCHD informed Children First for Oregon that it would not be con­ sidered for future grants because of its 2006 opposi­ tion of a measure to require parental notification for minors seeking abortion. Cato said Children First has the support of the Archdiocese, but that the group could not receive CCHD funds. Children’s First advocates on behalf of children in foster care, living in poverty, those who need health care and those suffering from abuse or neglect. Children First declined to talk on the record about the situation, but Cato said it could not longer be funded by CCHD because of its opposition to the measure, even in cases of incest or abuse. “The bishops do not recognize any exception to abortion,” Cato says. Those are doctrinal objections for the Catholic Church. Cato says he has no contact with the groups attacking CCHD, but that he is familiar with the more political ideologies behind their motivation. “I’m not speaking for these organizations, but I do know that plenty of people are uncomfortable Issues when a group of low-income or poor persons have power,” Cato says. “So you have the power of money, which corporations have, and you have the power of people, which is what community organizing is. The power of people which needs to balance the power of money, and that’s what community organizing is about, and a lot of people are uncomfortable with the poor having the voice.” Subhead: ‘I’m not attacking social justice’ Stephen Phelan, communications manager with Human Life International, denies any political agenda to the reform movement. “It’s easy to confuse what we’re saying with a polit­ ical message,” he says “We’re not out to get anybody. We want to see real Catholic teaching take hold.” Phelan says that what has changed, from groups receiving years of funding from CCHD to being con­ sidered inappropriate and defunded, is the political backdrop. “I think when (CCHD) first started, it made more sense for Catholics to align with the more liberal (groups),” Phelan says. “The Democratic side of the coin was doing good work back then. It wasn’t all these other things - anti-marriage, abortion, and Marxism. So what’s happened in the last 40 years is the same groups that were once pretty cool to work with have gotten more radically political, and the CCHD has continued to work with them, and been opposed to the church on a lot of these issues. After a couple of decades, it’s like, really? What are you guys thinking?” Regardless of Phelan’s intentions or viewpoint, the criticism and condemnation of CCHD has for decades been framed by politics. In the 1980s and ’90s, former political appointees from the Nixon and Reagan administrations painted CCHD as a political arm of the liberal agenda. One appointee distrib­ uted a paper saying CCHD used Catholic money to prop up “leftist political activists plotting to destroy our economic system” and told Catholics to instead give their money to direct services. Others have said CCHD promotes a “political agenda far to the left of mainstream America.” Repeated attacks conclude that people should not give money to CCHD because its mission is not charity, but rather social justice. “I have gotten a lot of feedback from people who are both excited and angry about the research that I’ve done,” American Life League’s Hitchborn says. “It’s interesting. The people who write me that are angry say I can’t believe that you are arguing against the bishops. They don’t address the concerns. They say, ‘Why are you doing this? Why are you attacking social justice?’ I’m not attacking social justice.” A more recent voice to the opposition to CCHD has been Deal W. Hudson, the former director of Catholic outreach for George W. Bush’s 2000 and 2004 campaigns, and now the director of InsideCatholic. com. He has advanced the Reform CCHD Now, citing its defunding campaign in his writings online, and added among those to be defunded the attendees to the U.S. Social Forum 2010 that included workshops on reproductive and gay rights. “One criticism leveled at the CCHD Reform Now research is that it was alleging ‘guilt by association.’ But that misses the point completely,” Hudson writes. “The presence of 21 CCHD grantees at U.S. Social Forum isn’t problematic because grantees are keeping company with the wrong people, but because they’re actively participating in a forum designed ‘to set a national action agenda.’ Looking at the program, it’s safe to assume that the agenda includes the right to abortion and gay marriage, as well as a larger ideological commitment to various forms of Marxism – an ideology condemned by the Catholic Church.” The Catholic Media Coalition, another Catholic news source, for years has pushed to revamp CCHD, and calls for Catholics to boycott giving money to the charity because “the good groups funded by CCHD are not sufficient to balance the many evil groups supported, groups working for socialism by electing liberal politicians. CCHD helped to give us the radi­ cal, left-wing Congress we have today.” Compare that to celebrity pundit Glenn Beck, who told followers earlier this year that that if they find the words “social justice” or “economic justice” on their church website, to “run as fast as you can.” “Social justice and economic justice, they are code words. Now, am I advising people to leave their church? Yes! … If you have a priest that is pushing social justice, go find another parish,” Beck said. “One of the effects of this, too, is essentially these folks are saying to a new generation of Catholics who still believe in social justice that you’re not wel­ come here anymore,” Korzen says. “It’’ going to shift demographics, where folks who still believe in social justice are just not considering themselves Catholic anymore. I saw that growing up as an altar boy in Rhode Island. From the perspective of the Catholic community, which should be a diverse community across racial and cultural lines; I don’t want to be a part of a church that builds itself as an exclusive club. 7 It’s damaging to the church, as is any attempts to use Catholic teaching as a political battering ram. And we just see more of that every day.” Subhead: ‘You’ve got to draw a line’ Matt Cato with the Portland Archdiocese office of Justice and Peace and Respect for Life, says that the reform movement’s attacks on CCHD have not changed how they consider grantees. However, Cato says he has added a line to the local CCHD grant ap­ plication. “We still look at the same criteria,” he says. “It’s always been on the application do you act in accor­ dance of the teachings of the Catholic Church. I just added to that, ‘Can you tell me the ballot measures that you or your executive director has supported in the last five years?’ That was an easy one to have missed. It’s usually not on someone’s Web site.” The decision came after learning of Children First For Oregon’s position on Measuren 43. Still, Cato maintains that there are differences be­ tween material and proximate relationships between organizations that would determine if a group is eligible for funding. “There’s a point where you’ve got to draw a line. Just because the organization does this here or is as­ sociated with another organization, it doesn’t mean this organization is tainted,” Cato says. Planned Parenthood, however, is the exception. Since 2005 Street Roots has received $40,000 from CCHD for the newspaper, the Rose City Resource guide and for the eastside expansion to open a remote office for vendors. In all those years Planned Parenthood has been a part of its listings (prior to 2008, the Rose City Resource was included as a part of the newspaper). Likewise, Street Roots has always included information on organizations helping atrisk gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual youths and adults. Planned Parenthood is a “nuclear” red flag in the Catholic Church, Cato says. It is simply too hot to handle. “I’m not going to tell you how to run your busi­ ness. You guys do great work,” he says. “You make the decision in future resource guides to include that information or not, and if you include (Planned Parenthood), we can’t give you a CCHD grant.” Cato says there is room for working together, re­ gardless of whether CCHD is funding a program. “Jesus had dinner with the tax collectors, prosti­ tutes and sinners,” he says. “You just can’t completely separate your self with those you completely dis­ agree with. As Catholics, we’re called to evangelize, not preach to the choir.” (Street Roots has not been asked to return any funding from CCHD) “It’s disturbing that a small group of right-wing fringe elements within the Catholic Church are being successful at undermining the Catholic Campaign for Human Development’s work to address the root causes of poverty through promotion and support of community-controlled, self-help organizations and through transformative education,” says Street Roots Executive Director Israel Bayer. “At the end of the day, a witch hunt is a witch hunt, and that’s exactly what Street Roots and dozens of community organizations working to fight poverty in the United States are facing, a witch hunt born out of fear and intolerance. And let’s be clear, this is far from over. Every group that currently receives funds from CCHD is being asked to not take part in activities, or align themselves with the very groups it will take to dismantle poverty in this country. In our case, the very tool is the Rose City Resource guide. The guide gives people experiencing homelessness and poverty a chance to become their own advocates through education, and now it’s being used against us because we have chosen to deliver to people, without judgment, the resources that are available to them in our community. “Saying that, we’re not defeated,” Bayer says. “Maybe it was a blessing in disguise that one of the groups defunded in this fiasco was a community newspaper like Street Roots that takes its journalism seriously enough to tell the whole story, and get it out to the broader public for a larger debate.” For years the Catholic Campaign for Human De­ velopment supported the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, ACORN. However allegations against various ACORN franchises in 2008 and 2009 turned the nationwide communityorganizing group into a pariah, and CCHD cut off all funding for ACORN organizations, locally and na­ tionally. ACORN was recently acquitted in New York of any wrongdoing surrounding the pimp/prostitu­ tion videotape scandal, the most salacious accusa­ tions against an ACORN franchise. Originally published by Street Roots, USA. © www. streetnewsservice.org �8 News STREETVIBES November 15-30, 2010 Confronting the School for Terrorists ­ Thousands killed with U.S. help By Janice sevre-dusZynska Contributing writEr N ovember is an important month for people of faith who observe Nov. 1 as All Saints Day and Nov. 2 as All Souls Day. November is also an important month for the grassroots effort to challenge our government to realign its priorities to the needs of the people: Reduce the $864 billion now spent annually for the U.S. military budget and the 1,500 U.S. military bases throughout the world. November is a busy month for those with peace and justice ministries. The weekend before Thanksgiving, Nov. 18-21, thousands of people of all ages and walks of life from across the country and world will gather at the gates of Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga. The annual witness is a transformational expe­ rience as we chant a litany of our Latin American brother and sister saints: the infants, toddlers, children, teenagers, the mothers and fathers, grandmas and grandpas who were slaughtered during the El Mozote massacre by those trained at the U.S. Army School of the Americas (SOA). Holding high our white crosses, which stand for the life and death of another human being, we re­ member them as we sing “Presente.” We recognize the blood on our own hands and join in solidarity to vigil in prayer, witness by our presence and do nonviolent civil disobedience to close this school for terrorists in our own backyard. ning Road. The School of the Americas (in 2001 renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation) has trained over 65,000 Latin Ameri­ can soldiers. These graduates have consistently used their skills to wage a war against their own people. Among those targeted by SOA graduates are educators, union organizers, religious workers, student leaders and others who work for the rights of the poor. The cost to U.S. taxpayers: millions of dollars. In 2000 alone the figure was more than $22 million. “There is an atrocious history of colonial­ ism, slavery, war, racism and exploitation in the Americas,” Bourgeois says. “Five hundred years ago, colonial powers depended on the brutal military repression of the conquistadors to ex­ ploit the wealth of Latin America. The conquest continues today as the region’s highly profitable natural resources are extracted by multinational corporations with little or no benefit returning to the people in the surrounding communities. And, as in the colonial era, military force is still used to control the people of Latin America.” Examples abound. They include Columbia, Chile, Argentina, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicara­ in Bogota, Pope Paul VI made the first papal visit to the New World and addressed the landowning audience, calling them to conversion: “What can I say to you, men of the ruling class?” he said. “What is required of you is generosity. This means the ability to detach yourselves from the stability of your position, which is a position of privilege, in order to serve those who need your worth, your culture, your authority ... “You, lords of this world and sons of the Church, you must have the genius for virtue that society requires. Your ears and your hearts must be sensi­ tive to the voices crying out for bread, concern, justice and a more active participation in the direction of society.” In their final message, the bishops activated a “Church of the Poor,” committed to social jus­ tice in Latin American communities: “In many places in Latin America there exists a situation of injustice that must be recognized as institutional violence, because the existing structures violate people’s basic rights: a situation which calls for far-reaching, daring, urgent and profoundly in­ novative change.” The gathering at Medellin gave rise to a “Theol­ ogy of Liberation.”In base communities, campesi­ ‘Theft from the poor’ As of February, 322 acts of nonviolent civil dis­ obedience have been committed by U.S. citizens to close the SOA. So far 297 people have served a total of 98.5 years in prison for “crossing the line at Fort Benning.” First-timers have been sentenced to three months in federal prison and fined. The second time it’s six months and a steeper fine. Activists have also served a total of 53.5 years of probation and home confinement. “The SOA is a symbol of death and suffering,” says the Rev. Roy Bourgeois, a Maryknoll priest of 38 years, former U.S. Naval Officer during the Vietnam War and Purple Heart recipient. “The school should not exist. It is a scandal, a theft from the poor. The millions of dollars of our taxpayer money to run the school should be directed to our schools for children.” In 1990 Bourgeois founded the School of the Americas Watch. He had worked with the poor in Bolivia for five years. There he learned how U.S. foreign policy supported military dictators in Latin America who have protected the interests of the wealthy and multinational global corporations – at the expense of the poor. He barely escaped the country with his life. This year is the 30th anniversary of modern-day saints and martyrs: Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, who was gunned down while presid­ ing at Mass; the beatings, rapes and killings of the four American churchwomen in El Salvador, Maryknoll sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford, Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel of Cleveland and lay missionary Jean Donovan. It is also the fifth anni­ versary of the vicious murder in Amazonian Brazil of Dorothy Stang of Dayton, a member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Ford and Clarke were friends of Bourgeois. “These women and Romero are such an inspi­ ration to people of faith,” he says. “Adding to the pain of their deaths, it hurts even more to know that the guns used to kill them were given by the U.S. and that those responsible for their killings were trained by the SOA.” In many ways Romero and the women repre­ sent the thousands upon thousands of innocents – unnamed saints and martyrs we will never know, yet who are remembered as we vigil on Fort Ben­ SOA Watch has been calling for the closing of the school of Americas for the past 20 years. Robert Pohowsky. gua and El Salvador. ‘Lords of this world’ During the 1980-1992 conflict in El Salvador, more than 75,000 peasant campesinos were tor­ tured, mutilated and assassinated by the armed forces funded by the United States. government. Under presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Rea­ gan, the U.S. government’s foreign policy spent millions of dollars to supply weapons to the brutal Salvadoran military, which protected the few rich and powerful landowners at the expense of the majority of the peasants. The latter were labeled “communists” by the wealthy ruling class because they sought agrarian and economic reform. The people were led by Jesuit priests who abandoned their comfortable lives as intellectuals and went into the countryside to share the lives of the peasants. The first to do so was Rutilio Grande, a Salvadoran Jesuit whose life was altered by the Conference of Medellin. The bishops of Latin America gathered in Me­ dellin, Columbia, in 1968 and did a dramatic turn­ around. For centuries they had supported the un­ just and deplorable status quo – which included the conquest and enslavement of the Indians. At Medellin, they changed their loyalty from oppres­ sor to the oppressed. As the conference opened nos studied Scriptures to help them name their suffering and oppression and to connect the deaths of their children from hunger with eco­ nomic injustice. Ana Carrigan described the situation in Salva­ dor Witness: The Life and Calling of Jean Donovan. “Priests who spoke out for the poor were tor­ tured and brutally murdered,” she wrote. “When Oscar Romero was appointed archbishop and head of the Salvadoran Church, those in power believed the triple alliance of the rich, the mili­ tary and the Church would return. Romero was perceived as a timid man and a traditionalist. However, as one after another of his priests were murdered, he underwent a conversion. When the body of his priest friend, Rutilio Grande, was found, he excommunicated the killers and held a funeral Mass in the Metropolitan Cathedral for the first Salvadoran martyr. A bond and a solidar­ ity evolved between the peasants and their church and their new national leader, whom they called Monsignor.” ‘Kingdom of violence’ “These days I have to walk the roads gather­ ing up dead friends, listening to the anguish of See Confronting, P. 10 �STREETVIBES November 15-30, 2010 9 Local News Blankets,Water and Other Bad Ideas Continued from page 1 is about.” But homeless camps are not the place to “see what homelessness is about,” ac­ cording to homeless advo­ cates, who point out that the great majority of homeless people don’t live outdoors. They stay in shelters or double up with family or friends. Moreover, some advo­ cates for homeless people are uncomfortable with the religious thrust of this kind of volunteering. But Annette Melk, who organized the Oct. 9 cleanup, said her group doesn’t push religion on homeless people. “We build personal rela­ tionships with the homeless, encourage them and build friendships with them,” she said. “We don’t push church on them. If they want to pray with us, we pray with them.” John 15:12 Ministries visits homeless camps to provide rides to church for those who want to attend. The volun­ teers provide a variety of other services as well. “John 15:12 Ministries is heavily involved with the homeless,” Melk said. “Our founder is down at the homeless camps several times a week. We do wa­ ter runs numerous times a week, and they give us the jugs back. We take firewood in winter. Someone just donated 72 blankets. I just got off the phone with a guy who has 12 tents.” That is the problem, according to some people who work to get homeless people out of camps and into treatment and housing. While firewood and blankets have obvious benefits for people living outdoors, what’s really needed is housing. Some homeless people have addictions, and others have mental illnesses. If they are comfortable outside, the argument goes, the incentive to get treatment and housing might be lessened. “I want people to continue helping,” says Lea Drury, an outreach worker with Lighthouse youth Services. “However, there is a fine line between helping and enabling, and we all need to work toward being on the same page.” Lighthouse, Programs to Assist in the Transition from Homelessness (PATH) and other programs in Cincinnati send trained outreach workers to find people staying outdoors and connect them to professional services. Religious volunteers would be more helpful if they collaborated with the professionals, according to Josh Spring, executive director of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. When homeless people set up camps, they are sometimes treated as criminals. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier. “We want to see collaboration between the people who are doing this every day and volunteers that feel a call to do this,” he says. “If a group is going out and visits a camp and one of their new friends says, ‘I have this issue, and I’m ready to do something,’ we want those volunteers to call PATH. We want everyone working together, having their own role, getting everyone connected to the bigger picture.” ‘We don’t ask’ That kind of collabora­ tion hasn’t been achieved yet. Earlier this year Melk attended a meeting of the Homeless Outreach Group, made up of social workers, advocates and police officers who specialize in working with homeless people who live outdoors. The meeting didn’t go as planned. Melk said John 15:12 Ministries protects the locations of homeless camps, knowing that publicity can lead to hate crimes, vandalism and assaults on the people who live there. She declined to tell Streetvibes the locations her group planned to visit Oct. 9. “We are going to the camps prior and let them know what we’re doing and ask if it’s OK to bring guests,” Melk said. “We definitely are going to respect their wishes and get their permission.” Having asked residents’ permission, Melk later invited a reporter to join the volunteers, but Streetvibes declined. Thee kinds of precautions Melk described only go so far. After the Oct. 9 cleanup, John 15:12 Ministries posted photographs of its project on Facebook. Several of the photos make the location of homeless camps easy to identify. Melk said the volunteers don’t ask homeless people about any criminal records they might have. “We just go out and hang out with them,” she said. “We are more concerned with being a friend – not judging them, not holding anything in their past against them.” Open-mindedness can lead to unexpected trouble, however. When Melk met with the Homeless Outreach Group, she showed slides of her group’s work. She told the social workers that some camp residents have visited the homes of volunteers. That elicited concern from the social workers. One told Melk that a photo showed her client and asked if Melk knew the person is a former sex offender. “We don’t ask about that,” Melk reportedly said. “We just trust God.” Faith is generally considered a virtue. But without knowing a person’s behavioral or mental-health problems, are the church volunteers putting people at risk? Melk left the outreach meeting in tears, according to several people who were present. Spring and Drury say they both welcome the assistance of religious people and other volunteers but want to make sure the assistance is actually helpful. “I value all people with a passion for helping homeless folks in Cincinnati,” Drury says. “On a monthly basis homeless outreach service providers come together to discuss what’s working and what’s not. We are trying to ensure our efforts are focused on guiding a person out of homelessness when that is their goal. That being said, I’m concerned that going into camps and removing trash may be less than helpful to our struggle. I would like to see faith-based outreach groups in collabo­ ration with us in an effort to end homelessness.” Caroling at the camps Its work with homeless people has given John 15:12 Ministries a certain kind of street sense. Organizers warn volunteers, for example, to be wary of the kind of help they give. In an e-mail, Kathy Casper, the group’s founder, described a request that was not granted. “There is a fine line between helping and en­ abling,” Casper wrote. “We want to help and be good stewards of God, but yet not enabling. That is a hard one to explain and comes with experience. Just keep in mind, when visiting with the camps, you do not need to give them everything that is asked of you (and they will ask). Example: this week­ end one asked someone in my group for a ride to the store. He said, ‘Sure! Annette will take you.’ … When I asked what was needed, she wanted beer. I then told her no, we do not do beer runs.” The proof of the ministry’s value is in the lives that have changed, according to Melk. “We have several transfor- mation stories of people who have moved on and are now leading productive lives,” she said. Casper raved about the good that was done Oct. 9. “The impact of what took place that day cannot be put into words,” she wrote. “People who have never been to the camps or even around the homeless were out socializing in the camps as well as picking up trash. The experience was greater than just picking up trash. It provided those our society deem unworthy with dignity, a sense of self-worth and the knowledge that people do care.” Spring, however, says the problem of homelessness is more complicated than untrained volunteers appre­ ciate. “The complicating factor for me is we’re taught to do all this in a professional format,” he says. “Then what is the role for people who want to do something but don’t have that training? At the coalition, our position is they should be on the front lines, advocating for change. But some people prefer to work with individuals. “Each has a role. That’s why we need to figure out how these go together. It doesn’t make sense for both groups to work with the same people and have no connection. That just causes more confusion for the people we’re all trying to help.” Meanwhile John 15:12 Ministries is preparing for another visit to homeless camps – this time to sing Christmas carols. �10 News STREETVIBES November 15-30, 2010 Confronting the School for Terrorists ­ Continued from page 8 widows and orphans and trying to spread hope, “ Romero said. In his weekly homilies, which were broadcast on radio throughout the country, he named what he saw as the root of evil of Salvadoran brutality. “Among us there are those who would sell the just man for money and the poor man for a pair of sandals; those who, in their mansions, prac­ tice violence and accumulate plunder; those who crush the poor; those who bring the kingdom of violence closer while they lie upon their beds of ivory; those who take over house upon house and field upon field until they appropriate the whole territory, and remain sole owners of the country. “That is why we have denounced what in our country has become the idolatry of wealth, of the absolute right, within the capitalist system, of private property, of political power in the national security regimes, in the name of which the inse­ curity of the individual is itself institutionalized. No matter how tragic it may appear, the Church, through its entrance into the socio-political world, has learned how to recognize, how to deepen its understanding of the essence of sin. The fun­ damental essence of sin in this world of ours is revealed as the death of Salvadorans; and the worst offense against God is to turn the children of God, temples of the Holy Spirit, the body of Christ in history, into victims of oppression and injus­ tice, into slaves to economic greed, into fodder for political repression.” Romero urged journalists to be clear and objec­ tive about what was happening in the country, as he had heard reports from abroad that gave a false picture of the truth. In his weekly broad­ casts he read the names of those who had been slaughtered that week, their villages and where their body pieces were found. Once “disappeared,” they never existed, according to the military, who threatened to kill anyone who came near the newly tortured and decaying bodies found every morning in the streets. Applauded by the poor wherever he went, he was the only dissenting voice willing to name and clear up the confusion, willing to release the anguish of the widowed and orphaned. He also learned he was on the death squads’ hit list. A singularly brave and prophetic dissenting voice despised by the military, Romero’s words ring true today: “Because the Church has opted for the real and not for the fictitious poor, because it has opted for those who really are oppressed and repressed, the Church lives in a political world, and it fulfills itself as Church also through politics. It cannot be otherwise if the Church, like Jesus, is to turn itself toward the poor.” ‘Stop the repression’ In February 1980 Romero wrote to President Jimmy Carter and read the letter from the pulpit: “Mr. President: “In recent days, a report has appeared in the national press which has greatly disturbed me. Marchers carry symbolic caskets, memorializing victims of U.S. foreign policy. Robert Pohowsky. According to the article, your administration is studying the possibility of backing the present government junta and giving it economic and military aid. “Because you are a Christian and have said that you want to defend human rights, I take the liberty of expressing my pastoral point of view on this matter and of making a specific request. “The information that the United States govern­ ment is studying ways in which to build up the armaments of El Salvador greatly disturbs me. Re­ portedly, you plan to send military equipment and consultants to train three Salvadoran battalions in logistics, communication and intelligence. If in fact this information is correct, the contribution of your government will do nothing to support greater justice and peace in El Salvador. Without doubt, it will intensify injustice and the repression of the organized people who have fought, so many times, for their fundamental rights. … As a Salva­ doran, and as the archbishop of the Archdiocese of San Salvador, I have the obligation to see to it that faith and justice reign in my country. There­ fore, if you truly want to defend human rights, I urge you: “– To prohibit the sending of military aid to the Salvadoran government. “– To guarantee that your government will not intervene, directly or indirectly, with military, economic, diplomatic or other pressure, to try to determine the destiny of the Salvadoran nation. “It would be a deplorable injustice if, through the introduction of foreign weapons and forces, the development of the Salvadoran nation was frustrated. Foreign intervention would suppress and impede the autonomous decision-making process already begun along appropriate econom­ ic and political lines.” The letter apparently had little effect, as the money was given. On March 23, 1980, the night before he was gunned down, Romero appealed to the conscience of the ordinary young peasant sol­ diers, the rank and file of the Salvadoran security forces. It is a famous homily that is known world­ wide and often quoted: “I would like to make a special appeal to the members of the army and specifically to the ranks of the National Guard, the police and the military. Brothers, each one of you is one of us. We are the same people. The peasants you kill are your own brothers and sisters. When you hear the voice of a man commanding you to kill, remember instead the voice of God: ‘Thou shalt not kill!’ God’s law must prevail. No soldier is obliged to obey an order contrary to the law of God. There is still time for you to obey your own conscience, even in the face of a sinful command to kill. “The Church, defender of the rights of God, of the law of God, and of the dignity of each human being, cannot remain silent in the presence of such abominations. “The government must understand that re­ forms, steeped in so much blood, are worthless. In the name of God, in the name of our tormented people whose cries rise up to Heaven, I beseech you, I beg you, I command you, stop the repres­ sion!” Janice Sevre-Duszynska is an ordained Roman Catholic woman priest and a former prisoner of conscience for School of the Americas Watch. For information on the School of the Americas Watch, visit www.soaw.org. �// I t2~.iNUAL PIN~~~[3~®[3~ @lfCTD~ ®[f)~ execxmve DIReCTORI OF OHO JUBTIOe a. POI.JOY oeNTeRI TIC~T PRilce: tso.oo t40 FORI MeMBeRS call PUJWHase ONUNe BT: www.mNmHOMeL.es8.0RG caN'T arreND? RaeRIVe a TaBLe FORI SPONSORI a HOMeLess INDMDUaL YOURI ORGaNIZaTION FORI IM386RIVaTIONS ORI ORI STRtJe1VIBeS veNDORI tso.oo DONaTION 1400.00 (IO Bem) &OLD LEVEL: •2500 ou!!~~~::!o~Rs. Investment Management. Anancial Planning. Since 1898. SILVER LEVEL: •1500 f ~2t!E~~2s~ COMMUNITY LEVEL: •500 XavleRI UNIVeRBrTY BILL & suzaNNe JOINeRI DOl«3eN QUINN TOM & CaTHY CRialN JOHN & FRiaNCle PePPeRI For questions or to become a sponsor contact Lynne Ausman (5 1s\'I 365-6958• 117 E• 121H St• CINCINNAfl~ OH 45202 Greater Cincinnati Coalition For The Homeless �12 Story STREETVIBES November 15-30, 2010 An Affordable housing Success Story ­ From Valley Homes to Villas of the Valley By Michelle dillinGhaM Contributing writEr O ne of the policy goals Affordable Hous­ ing Advocates (AHA) set for 2010 was to increase the amount of affordable housing. Un­ fortunately, we have found many of our advocacy efforts have been directed simply towards trying to preserve the affordable units we have. Kelan Craig of the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio chairs a recently created Preservation Subcommittee for AHA, which meets to discuss affordable-housing preservation issues, specific buildings of interest and strategies for preserving at-risk properties. He recently posted an article on the AHA Listserv called “Neighbor­ hood Stabilization Program (NSP): Innovative Development Strategies for Very Low-Income Housing,” published by the National Housing Law Project. Based in Oakland, Calif., the National Housing Law Project was established in 1968. It publishes research on housing law and policy is­ sues, and its mission is to advance housing justice for low-income people. The article highlights the Valley Homes Housing in Lincoln Heights as an example of innovative uses of Neighborhood Sta­ bilization Program funds. In response to the nation’s foreclosure crisis, Congress signed into law the Housing and Eco­ nomic Recovery Act in 2008. Title III of that act created the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) and granted $3.92 billion dollars for emer­ gency assistance to states to redevelop abandoned and foreclosed homes. The Recovery Act added an additional $2 billion in NSP funds, known as NSP2, which was allocated using a competitive grant process. One rule of using NSP funding is that grant recipients must put 25 percent of their funds into uses that actually result in housing units to be occupied by very low-income households. When I worked at City Hall, a member of Cincinnati City Council suggested NSP funds be used to build a new police station in Price Hill. Of course, the ad­ ministration informed him this was not an allow­ able use of the money. Hamilton County is using NSP funds for the demolition and re-development of Valley Homes Housing in Lincoln Heights. The new housing de­ velopment will be named, “Villas of the Valley.” Valley Homes was built as a temporary home for African-American workers at the Wrights Aero­ nautical Plant during World War II and was only meant to house families for six years. Fifty build­ ings were built in townhouses made up of four to eight units, which totaled about 300 homes. In 1953 a residents’ cooperative purchased Valley Homes from the federal government. The National Housing Law Project publication provides a very informative and detailed account of the Valley Homes history and the subsequent events leading to the NSP funding to re-build Valley Homes. I found this history intriguing and I encourage Streetvibes readers to read the full report. For brevity’s sake, we fast-forward to 2005, when the cooperative owed more than $200,000 in utility bills and the complex’s garbage service was cut off for non-payment. With the help of the Le­ gal Aid Society, a low-income developer took over management and worked with the Model Group, which agreed to redevelop Valley Homes by utiliz­ ing NSP funds to provide critical gap-funding. When Phase I is completed, Villas of the Val­ ley will be 42 two-bedroom cottages for seniors. Thirteen of these will be for very low-income households. Phase II will be 35 townhomes with no age limits, five multi-family units and three or four single-family homes that will be available for purchase. Interestingly the article notes the original design included more units that would have included 65 senior accessible cottages. This new configuration required the approval of the zoning commission, but two of the seven members of the zoning commission refused to meet to approve this plan, so the developer was forced to move forward with a reduced plan of 42 accessible units. Again political resistance to the development of low-income housing development rears its ugly head. Success in the case of Valley Homes is attributed to the developer’s initiating a series of community meetings and showing integrity throughout the process, thereby earning public trust. It also dem­ onstrates the incredible tenacity needed. In order for this all to work, the developer had to pull to­ gether NSP funding along with a half-dozen other funding sources. Cobbling together enough fund­ ing to support affordable housing development can be extremely complicated, but it is possible. For more information, visit the National Hous­ ing Law Project at www.nhlp.org. For a link to the NSP article, contact Michelle Dillingham, AHA project coordinator, at mdmswlsw@hotmail.com. Cartoon by AnnE SkovE facebook.com/streetvibes cincinnati twitter.com/ street­ vibesnews streetvibes.wordpress.com �13 Columns STREETVIBES November 15-30, 2010 The World’s Common Bond ­ Alex Carruthers reveals the coolest thing ever By ariana shahandeh Contributing writEr Alex Carruthers is a Cincinnati solo musician, along with being a fourth of the band The Retros, founded by Mia Carruthers, a graduate of the School for the Creative and Performing Arts and member of the cast of MTV’s Taking the Stage. He spoke with Streetvibes about the band’s search for a label, his love for music and Cincin­ nati. Has the band spoken to a label? “We’ve only talked to one. We’ve only talked to Univer­ sal. Right now we are get­ ting our electronic press kit together, and then we’ll send it out to masses and see what we get back from that. We are just basically trying to get someone to fund our next record because we did the first one by ourselves and we can’t afford to do it again. “When we talked to Uni­ versal – they function to do whatever the artist needs them to do. So if we said, ‘Hey we need a producer, and we want you to handle everything. We just want to play the songs. We don’t even care if we write them.” Or (we) could be like Jack Johnson – he just sends them a master copy and says, ‘Here is my masterpiece.’ And (Universal will) just do it. That’s what we’re looking for.” Crosstalk about Cincin­ nati being “boring” … “People always say that, but I disagree. Cincinnati is a cool town. There’s always stuff going on around town. I have so much passion for Cincinnati. When people move, they miss their Skyline, their Graeter’s. When I was gone for two years, I would just mention to a random person, ‘Oh what I would do for a coney right now.’ They would say, ‘We’ve got the cans.’ But it’s not the same. I love Cincinnati. It’s where I grew up. “I call it a bite-size city. It’s small, especially compared Alex Carruthers at the Mad Hatter. James Zanoni. to big cities. The music scene is decent for the size of the city that we have. There is lots of (music) going on, different genres. It’s not like Chicago, where there are lots of bands that sound like they are from Chicago. I don’t think there is a Cincinnati sound, which is cool. And that’s also something that is still up for grabs, which is interesting to me as well.” I’m sensing some competi­ tiveness. “Oh there is always competition, and I’m very competitive in nature. But that’s the thing I love about music: There is no competi­ tion, there is only collabora­ tion. How can you be better than another band? There is no scale or judging, you can’t win a championship for being in a band. It’s either you create great music and you entertain people or you don’t. You get to that level where you get paid to do it, and then that’s it. “It’s all about doing what you love. I’ve gotten a lot of comments about that. I play in a ballgame with Seth and a couple of my friends. Some guys I went to high school with are on the team, and I haven’t seen them in years. They are like, ‘What are you doing?’ ‘I’m playing music.’ And they (say,) ‘I’m work­ ing at AT&T’ or whatever. During one of our games, (someone says,) ‘Nobody gets to do what they want at this age, except for Alex.’ I was like, ‘What?’ ‘Yeah, you are the only one that gets to do what they love.’ That’s cool, that’s really special. I think I don’t have as much money as I’d like to have and everything set up ideally. But the fact that I can get up every day and come to work and absolutely love it. When I play (solo, acoustic) gigs, I just people-watch the whole time – pick up on what songs they might like just by looking at them. With time, you get good at that. You learn a lot about people without ever talking to them. Having them listen to my music, I understand a little bit about them.” What is something you have the most doubt over? “That’s a tough question. You put me on the spot. I don’t know … maybe time? In that, this is a young man’s game. I’m not old by any stretch of the word, but I look at my band, like Mia (Carruthers) and Seth (Ewing Huff ), and they are three or four years younger than me. I fear and doubt that I’ll WANT MORE STREETVIBES? get too old before something may happen.” How old is too old? Your dad (Dan Carruthers is also a musician and the band’s manager) is gong to be pissed when he hears that. “My dad still says the same thing. He’ll (say,) ‘Aw, I’m too old.’ I know that he’s not. That’s the thing that’s cool about music, that you can never be too old, as long as your fingers can move and your voice can sing and your brain can think in a musical way. It’s based on old hearing; you can be deaf and still play music. That’s why I have on the back of my business card, ‘Music is the world’s common bond.’ ” Coincidentally, I can agree. “I truly believe that. I can go anywhere in the entire world and play a song that has rhythm and that has a refrain, and anybody that has heard anything like that can understand: ‘Oh, I understand that he is playing music, by the rhythm and the beat.’ Or by the sound of the guitar, or whatever they might be able to understand and recognize, and I think that is the coolest thing ever.”  | CHECK OUT THE STREETVIBES BLOG http://streetvibes.wordpress.com �Story & Poetry Corner 14 I Am Elisa STREETVIBES November 15-30, 2010 Anthony Williams Art By elisa hill I am Elisa! But, in my family I’m known as the darkest grape on the vine. I am the one who is always willing to forgive all the unkind. They refuse to see me as being dark and truly lovely. They just don’t know that I am one of Gods special angels, yes one of many. I am Elisa! I have survived the hurt, pain, rape and despair. My God has blessed me with this poetry light so beware. I am thriving because of the unconditional love in my heart. I am Elisa! The precious one who after attempting suicide God gave me a second start. I know in this life that I am the one to take this stance. I am Elisa! Yes! I may be called crazy but I am beautifully cool with a great style just by chance. I want to be today’s Mya walking that mile with Gods hand. So who do I think I am, you ask? I am Elisa, a poet here and now! So joyfully I can smile and say with a great strength and determination. World, I am Elisa and my time is now! Believe It By willa d. Jones Believe it when you see someone bundle up sleeping in the street Believe it when you see someone looking in the garbage for food to eat Believe it cause all of these things are real and none are made up Believe that there are many men, women and children who are down on their luck Believe that with the economy all twisted and headed straight to hell Believe that there are many who just give up, commit suicide or take leave for a jail cell Believe that, to the homeless, jail with three hot meals, cell buddies for friends and a cot Believe to some may mean nothing but to the homeless means one hell of a lot Believe with faith all things are possible for all including you and me Believe in God, have faith and pray then change will come all you have to do is believe Achilles heel By Josh Mcconnell Love, is my Achilles’ heel. Another night of lonely glow of sorrow that breaks my spirits shine. Like a poisonous arrow to the foot, I take a tender heart into a whirlwind of oblivion, Round and round it goes as the hole of agonizing pain settles in and grows wider and Deeper as I sink deeper into the core like clock-work. I can’t go backwards, can’t go forward and I cannot stay in neutral, I am in a dilemma, a state of discombobulation. They say love is blind, beautiful, strong and forever, but never did they say that love is Also hard work, stressful, frightening and sometimes torture. When you know in your heart the love you feel is the love that’s real, love can save you Make you strong and righteous, love can at the same time make you weak, Love can destroy you and love can also be your Achilles’ heel too! Reclaim Your Dignity… Reclaim Your Voice A HUMAN RELATIONS SUMMIT 5:30 – 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 18 at Cincinnati City Hall, 3rd floor Featured speaker: Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow Panel discussion Sponsored by Cincinnati Human Relations Commission, the Amos Project, Faith Community Alliance of Greater Cincinnati and the Ohio Justice and Policy Center Cleo’s Joke Corner A preacher and his son were walking by a gravestone. The gravestone said, “Where you are, I once was. Where I am, you’re going to be.” The preacher took a crayon from his son and wrote on the gravestone, “To follow you, I am content. But I don’t think I will, because I don’t know where you went.” �Shelter: Women and Children Central Access Point Cincinnati Union Bethel St. Francis Soup Kitchen Churches Active in Northside FreeStore/FoodBank 557-2873 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 241-1064 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 762-5660 271-5501 4600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 St. Vincent de Paul 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224 Salvation Army 535-2719 591-2246 381-SAFE 768-6907 300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Bethany House 562-8841 872-9259 Crossroad Health Center 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 15 resources STREETVIBES November 15-30, 2010 458-6670 977-4489 Treatment: Men Other Resources Shelter: Men Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 Prospect House 241-0490 381-4941 Starting Over 1419 Elm Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 Justice Watch St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 961-4663 Treatment: Both 761-1480 1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237 Drop Inn Center 721-0643 Interfaith Hospitality Network Lighthouse Youth Center (Youth) 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 621-6364 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 351-0422 381-6672 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 Goodwill industries Healing Connections Mary Magdalen House 771-4800 751-0600 721-4811 241-2965 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 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 421-3131 569-1840 381-4242 1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Food/Clothing Lord’s Pantry OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry AA Hotline CCAT Joseph House (Veterans) 217 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 381-0111 1223 Main St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 2728 Glendora Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45209 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 621-5514 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 961-4080 Peaslee Neighborhood Center Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart First Step Home Anthony House (Youth) 241-2600 241-2563 214 E. 14th St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 661-4620 Shelter: Both Center Independent Living Options Emmanuel Community Center 1308 Race St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 961-2256 Treatment: Women 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Mt. Airy Shelter 921-1613 St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry 863-3184 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center 859-491-8303 799 Ann St. Newport, KY Franciscan JPIC Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 721-4700 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. Legal Aid Society Ohio Justice & Policy Center Faces Without Places Stop AIDS 579-8547 241-9400 421-1108 363-3300 421-2437 Health Center for Respite Care Hamilton/Middletown 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 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 621-1868 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 Women’s Crisis Center VA Domiciliary VA Homeless 859-491-3335 859-559-5011 859-572-6226 �16 Column STREETVIBES November 15-30, 2010 Drawing for Peace ­ Steve Sunderland’s artistic vocabulary By saad Ghosn Contributing writEr “A question always haunts me: What am I doing for peace?” says Steve Sunderland, an artist, writer and professor of social work at the University of Cincinnati (UC). Sunderland is the director of “Peace Village,” a healing educational organization he founded after the 2001 Cincinnati riots and the 9/11Trade Center attack; it uses art, music, conferences and various creative means to heal from violence and promote inner and social peace. Sunderland actually has done and daily does a lot for peace. Growing up in New York City in the 1950s and ’60s, early on he developed good organizing skills that found him an important player in many social justice and liberation movements. As a college student he was actively involved in the hunger program for Mississippi, the Civil Rights Movement in Washington, D.C., desegregation and setting up a union for graduate students at Indiana University/ Bloomington, promotion of student academic freedom of speech under the American Students Organization and development of compassionate and inclusive means to fight anti-Semitism as part of the National Training Laboratories. After graduating from Case Western Reserve University with a Ph.D. in organizational behavior and administration, his energy focused on desegregating higher education. He functioned as vice president of the Master Plan at City University in New York City, helping integrate 25,000 African-American and Hispanic students based on open-admissions policy. Then, until the 1977 recession, he was head of a small college for African-American and underprivileged individuals in New York, pulling them out of welfare and enrolling them into a master’s degree program that combined study and work. This is when he moved to Cincinnati to join UC, initially as dean of the College of Community Services, then as a professor at the School of Social Work and lately at the School of Education. At UC he continued his activist work toward the integration of higher education. As an organizer, Sunderland followed in the steps of his father, a British im­ migrant, labor organizer and communist leader in New York City in the late 1930s. As an artist, Sunderland took his inspiration from his maternal aunt, a mentally handicapped artist whose beautiful paintings adorned the walls of his family house. For two years he attended the first public High School of Music and Art in the country, in the center of Har­ lem. Students of all ethnic backgrounds populated it, his first experience with real diversity. Sunderland, however, did not do art until he was in his sixties. Art came back into his life with the 2001 Cincinnati riots and the 9/11 attacks of the same year. Inspired by Jacob Lawrence’s documentation of Harriet Tubman’s and Frederick Douglass’s life stories on particleboards, he decided to use cardboards to document and reflect the events going on at the time. Armed with cardboards, markers and crayons, he mingled with the rioting crowds, watched, listened and drew mostly the faces and emotions of those present. He also involved his UC students, enrolled in a class on conflict resolution, to do the same. Witnessing the events through the faces and feelings of participants rendered on cardboard grew in scope and intensity, and Posters4Peace was born. Sunderland has since been using the technique non-stop. He drew people’s reactions to the 9/11 attacks. For the past nine years he has drawn the feelings of participants in a yearly Vietnam peace conference led by Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn; the conference includes Vietnam War vets, anti-war protesters and Vietnamese people, all gathered for healing and reconciliation. With students, Sunderland Steve Sunderland stands in front of Dreaming of College, his cardboard pastel drawing. (above) Photo by Saad Ghosn. What Is Inclusion, cardboard pastel drawing, by Steve Sunderland. (left) Photo by Saad Ghosn. draws scenes of hunger. With children, he draws events that affect them. He also draws themes of inclusion in the classroom, natural disasters such as the tsunami in Indonesia and earthquake in Haiti, wars and the misery of death. “I draw about the pain I encounter or experience, pain of those who want social justice, fairness, pain caused by poverty, loss of hope, no jobs, racism,” he says. “I draw mostly faces of people I meet. I draw them myself; also invite them, if willing, to partake in the activity. Afterwards we all share the images, discuss feelings and messages.” After the 2001 Cincin­ nati riots, when the city hired a consultant to mediate between police and the community, Sunderland was invited to join in to elicit police officers’ and citizens’ feelings about the violence. Drawing on cardboard, he prompted participants with two questions: “How do you feel about the riots? And what would your drawing of a healthy city be?” He obtained hundreds of response drawings that served as conversation starters to address the issues; they eventually contributed to a peace treaty with the police. After the 9/11attacks, drawings were reactions to the events, to the sense of impotence generated and to how to respond to the trag­ edy. With the Vietnam vets, they were about feelings of hurt, regret and anger. In all instances, Sunderland uses the drawings as vehicles for an immediate reflection on the problem addressed, an expression of his own reaction and feelings and those of others involved, everyone empowered and engaged in a dialogue for a peaceful resolution. “Art provides a vocabulary; it is a liberating activity,” he says. “It is also a communi­ cation tool that allows ex­ change of ideas, feelings. Art can plant a seed of compas­ sion and function as an in­ strument for peace. Drawing images and feelings, sharing and discussing them, break down artificial boundaries between individuals, lead them to a deeper apprecia­ tion of their humaneness.” Through Peace Village and with his students at UC, Sunderland has recently focused on inclusion, hunger and Islam. His drawing, What is In­ clusion, created in response to a conference of dis­ abled individuals, ponders whether there is room in our hearts for mixing people despite their disability – or only room for segregation. Dreaming of College is about the disabled student wanting to be in college but not in an isolated corner. Sunderland is also a writer who authors a regular col­ umn on peace in the month­ ly online Metro newspaper. “I want both my art and writing to be at the human level,” he says. “My work illuminates peace in some fashion, catching a look on the face of a person, a word or expression that throws light on justice – sketches of hope and compassion in a world that struggles to keep peace alive. I want my drawings to heighten reflec­ tion and action for and with others. Through art and con­ versation, I aim to rebuild the world of people caught in tsunamis of violence and despair, to signal the power­ ful inner spirit of love.” Artists as Activists is a regular column highlighting Greater Cincinnati artists who use art as a vehicle for social 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 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 November 1-14, 2010 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Blankets, Water and Other Bad Ideas On the Left Side of God Pg 2: Street Wise Pg 3: Beyond the Bootstraps Pg 4: Despair Takes a Young Man’s Life Pg 5: Domestic Violence in High Office Pg 6: On the Left Side of God Continued Pg 7: On the Left Side of God Continued Pg 8: Confronting the School for Terrorists Pg 9: Blankets, Water and Other Bad Ideas Continued Pg 10: Confronting the School for Terrorists Continued Pg 11: Annual Dinner Pg 12: An Affordable Housing Success Story Pg 13: The World’s Common Bond Pg 14: Arts & Poetry Pg 15: Resources Pg 16: Drawing for Peace Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource November 1-14, 2010 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gregory Flannery Joseph Szydlowski Georgia Bohannon Michelle Dillingham Samantha Groark Margo Pierce Jeremy Flannery Michael Henson David Heitfield Corey Gibson Jeni Jenkins Saad Ghosn Lew Moores Larry Gross Eli Braun Jesse Call Michael Fanning B. Clifton Burke Carly Tamborski Aimie Willhoite Lynne Ausman Anne Skove Vinit Murthy Jon Hughes Brad Foster Jeremy Flannery Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Aimie Willhoite Alex Carruthers Anne Skove Arts & Poetry B. Clifton Burke Brad Foster Carly Tamborski Corey Gibson David Heitfield domestic violence Eli Braun Georgia Bohannon Gregory Flannery Jeni Jenkins Jeremy Flannery Jesse Call Jon Hughes Joseph Szydlowski Kevin Goodreau Larry Gross Lew Moores Lynne Ausman Margo Pierce Michael Fanning Michael Henson Michelle Dillingham politics Saad Ghosn Samantha Groark Schools Steve Sunderland Terrorists Valley Homes Vinit Murthy https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/277d1b13a94495fe4a225cd38f022a01.pdf e411215f53fa2d061dc58fa98dc5ff37 PDF Text Text N o v e m b e r 1 4 t h - N o v e m b e r 2 8 t h 2 0 1 9 | Vo l . 2 3 I s s u e 2 3 ( N o . 4 2 0 ) 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. It's a Wrap Gentrification Article on Page 8 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 N o v 14 2 - -NNov o v 19, 0 18 | |N o . 393 Nov 28,22019 No. 420 From The Editor: From Hamilton to Trump: Impeachment Process Begins Gabriela Godinez Editor-in-chief T he highly anticipated first impeachment hearing took place November 13th, 2019. The events that came to fruition showed that as the impeachment process and investigations continue, it will continue to be a highly divisive and partisan time. The facts that we are working with is that Trump made a phone call where the average citizen would hear and understand the President was holding aid from Ukraine in exchange for assistance in investigating the son of a potential political opponent. Many people did see it this way. Joey Jackson, a legal analyst for CNN, wrote “America’s strategic interests were being diminished, confidence in our commitment to Ukraine was being shaken and undermined, soldiers were dying, but no aid was flowing.” Bill Taylor, a US diplomat in Ukraine, brought to light a different conversation where, according to CNN, “Trump again voiced his desire to push the Ukrainians to publicly announce investigations.” However, it seems that this and other evidence is irrelevant to the Republican Party. CNN also reported that California Representative Devin Nunes stated, “Democratic operatives had colluded with Ukraine to meddle in the 2016 election and defeat Trump.” He did so even with “several key witnesses already testifying that this is not true.” Why are we having conversations like this? Why is it not a bi-partisan outrage when the president of the United States is caught or exposed using the power given by the people for personal gain? In the 70’s, Nixon’s Watergate scandal found condemnation from both sides of the aisle. Even when Nixon claimed it was a “witch-hunt” and that the media was misreporting and spreading lies, the American people believed the facts as they came out. This ultimately made Nixon give up and he resigned. Comparing Trump to Nixon is more complicated than just talking about their abuse of power and cover-ups. Vox News reminds us in a segment that there were only three major news stations. The American public created their own opinions and divided into two parties, but they were developing those opinions based off of the same information. Now, we have major conservative medias that create their own “facts” and figures in hopes of spinning a new narrative. Politico published an article saying, “most voters say there is little to no chance they will change their minds about the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump’s conduct, even as public hearings are set to kick off on Wednesday, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll.” Benjamin Franklin thought that impeachment was the way to go once an elected official had “rendered himself obnoxious.” We’re way past that Ben. Alexander Hamilton said that the impeachment process should begin when offences occur which “proceed from the conduct of public men, or in other words, from the abuse or violate of some public trust.” Most importantly he mentions “they are of a nature which may be peculiar propriety be dominated POLITICAL, as they relate chiefly to injuries done immediately to the society itself.” If we looked at offenses deemed impeachable as exclusively political offences, Hamilton worried that impeachment would be tested by the “comparative strength of parties, than by the real demonstrations of innocence or guilt.” That is exactly what is happening now. He envisioned an impartial senate, which does not exist today. We don’t live in a time where all Americans can agree on the facts, let alone let our opinions be swayed. This goes for the senate as well. For the president of the United States to be impeached, he has to lose the majority support of his own party. Bill Clinton didn’t lose this support; therefore he finished his term in office. Nixon did lose the support of his party; he opted to resign and remove himself from office rather than wait for a vote. If the impeachment does come to a vote, and everyone votes along party lines, Trump will be fine since republicans are the dominate power in the Senate. However the impeachment process had to begin anyway. An official inquiry had to be made, based on what the whistle-blower brought to light simply because it was the right thing to do. This is a very painful thing for a country to go through, but if there was evidence that the president might be using his power for his own gain and it was ignored, a precedent would be set for complacency in unchecked presidencies. 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 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 Volunteer Editors: Katelyn Lusher, Chris Wilkey Distributor Program Manager: Sallie Mascus Layout: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Reception: Bonita Batton, Larry Johnson Maintenance: Pete Roper ------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Gabriela Godinez, Bill Woods, Graham Bowpitt, Alex Dobuzinskis, Dr. Mark Mussman, Magali Druscovich, Willa Denise Jones, June Alexander, Kim Greene, Kiara Clark ------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: Gabriela Godinez, INSP.com, Blake Burrell ---------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition do not endorse candidates for public office. �No. 39 Nov 228, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Nov 143-|Nov | No. 420 3 HOMELESSNESS Homelessness: More Than A Third Of People Leaving Prison Say They Have Nowhere To Go Graham Bowpitt I The Conversation magine for a moment you’re being released from prison after a 12-month sentence for theft. You’re clean, off drugs, it’s been tough, but you’re looking forward to starting a new life. You leave prison and head to the nearest probation service to find out where you’re going to live. Only to find out there’s nowhere for you to go. And you’ll be spending your first night out of a cell on the streets – with only your clothes from prison to keep you warm. In 2018, 320,000 people were recorded as homeless in Britain, according to analysis from housing charity Shelter. This is a rise of 13,000, or 4 per cent, on figures from 2017 – and is equivalent to 36 new people becoming homeless every day. This means one in every 200 people in Britain is homeless – sleeping on the streets or stuck in temporary accommodation, including hostels and B&Bs. Compounding this figure, is the number of people released from prison who go straight from a cell to sleeping rough. In a survey published by the Ministry of Justice in 2012, 15 per cent of prisoners reported being homeless when they were sentenced – with 9 per cent sleeping rough. And at the point of release, 37 per cent of former prisoners reported having nowhere to live. This figure is particularly worrying given that two-thirds of prisoners who identify as homeless will reoffend within a year of release. There are several reasons why so many people are homeless upon release from prison – but most of them are to do with a system that is failing some of the most vulnerable people. Many lose their accommodation due to rent arrears – because terminating a tenancy is often not top priority when you’ve just been sent to prison. This can then make it difficult for former prisoners to get access to housing upon their release as they’re deemed intentionally homeless as a result of rent arrears. And as the figures above show, many may be homeless or in temporary accommodation already. Released without accommodation Our recent research was undertaken as part of a national programme to transform the lives of adults with complex needs –- including homelessness, mental ill-health, substance misuse and offending –- and explored how people’s progress had been impeded by a prison sentence. Respondents reported that prison exacerbated their complex needs. It exposed them to bullying, violence, abuse, self-harm and suicide. They also said that it revived memories of trauma, reinforced drug problems and worsened their mental health. Many also described chaotic discharge arrangements – and often had no place to go after leaving prison. In many cases respondents only heard of their planned release on the day of discharge, giving no chance for them to find accommodation. Several described being released to “no fixed abode” and how they ended up sleeping rough. The former prisoners we spoke to also explained how they didn’t realise that being a resident in a local prison didn’t earn them a “local connection” under homelessness legislation. This means that they were not considered to be entitled to help from the local authority for that area. And in many cases it only gave them a travel warrant back to the place – and the criminal networks – they were wanting to escape. One respondent described how the only way to avoid sleeping rough was to fund his B&B accommodation by reverting to the very drug dealing that had earned him a prison sentence in the first place. Proper help needed There is hope though that the Homelessness Reduction Act that came into place in 2018 might help to tackle the situation. This legislation obliges local authorities to provide help in finding accommodation for all homeless people whether they have a local connection or not. It also requires public bodies like prisons to warn local authorities when they are about to make someone homeless. The hope is that this will allow time for suitable accommodation to be found for people to avoid them having to sleep on the streets. Our own research has also shown that for former prisoners, having a support worker can make a key difference to the likelihood of successful rehabilitation. This should be someone who works with prisoners before they are released to arrange housing and other services. And can meet them when they leave prison and escort them to prearranged accommodation and appointments if necessary. Basically, this is about having someone there, who is able to help former prisoners to reintegrate and prevent their return to criminal lifestyles. And given that two-thirds of short-term prisoners reoffend within a year of getting out, it seems that such measures to end, what prison reform charity The Howard League calls the “merry-go-round” – where people are “swept into prison and then dumped back on to the streets” – cannot come quickly enough. Graham Bowpitt specialises in social policy at Nottingham trent University Courtesy of The Conversation / INSP.ngo A person sleeping on the streets in central London, Britain, December 20, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �4 ADVERTISMENT THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED N o v 214 - N v 19, 2 02019 18 | N o . 393 Nov - oNov 28, | No. 420 �No. 39 ov 228, - N 2019 o v 19,| 2 0 18420 Nov 143 -| N Nov No. 5 U.S NEWS Living on the edge in the homeless encampments of Los Angeles Alex Dobuzinskis Reuters A fter years on the street, Kimberly Decoursey spends her nights at a Los Angeles temporary housing site called the Hollywood Studio Club. But by day, she can still be found at a highway off-ramp with her homeless fiancé and a less rule-bound street community. Decoursey, 37, who grew up in foster homes, considers the friends who have shared her struggles on the streets of Los Angeles to be her family. She wants them to enjoy what she has now: a bed, regular meals and a shower. "A lot of them would give their right arm to be inside," Decoursey said of her comrades inhabiting grimy tents pitched on dirt patches in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. Yet only a fraction of the estimated 36,000 homeless in Los Angeles have been housed three years after voters in November 2016 approved a ballot measure that raised $1.2 billion to build housing for street denizens and poor people. The sheer cost of building permanent homes with social services in one of the priciest real estate markets in the United States is one of the biggest obstacles. There is also opposition from homeowner groups to building such homes in their neighbourhoods. Some homeless people have their own apprehensions about living among strangers and having to follow rules in shelters. The first project funded by the ballot measure to provide permanent homes with on-site social services is scheduled to open only by the end of the year, officials said. The problem is growing. Homelessness spiked by 16 per cent in January 2019 compared with the previous year, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority said. Homeless people have set up tents on sidewalks and in neglected corners of nearly every section of the nation's second-largest city, from wealthy BelAir to working-class San Pedro. Republican President Donald Trump on a visit to California in September said people living on the streets have ruined the "prestige" of Los Angeles and San Francisco and suggested the possibility of federal intervention. That same month, the Democratic-run Los Angeles government petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to ask for legal power to forcibly sweep homeless encampments off the streets. Soft costs A man walks on Skid Row in Los Angeles, California, October 14, 2019. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson It costs $531,000 per unit to build permanent homes for the homeless under Proposition HHH, the $1.2 billion bond measure approved by voters three years ago, the Los Angeles Controller's Office said in a report released in October. High real estate prices - the median value of a home in greater Los Angeles is currently around $650,000 - were only partly to blame, Controller Ron Galperin said in a telephone interview. The biggest financial drains were "soft costs" such as architectural design fees, permitting and inspections. "These days, to get almost anything built in Los Angeles you need a small army of lawyers and lobbyists," Galperin said. The city's plan to put homeless centres across the metropolitan area sparked a backlash from some residents concerned it could depress real estate values. In the wealthy, beachside neighbourhood of Venice, where the median home price approaches $2 million, some residents have gone to court to oppose a homeless centre. On-site facilities to assist the homeless - medical clinics and office space for case managers and social workers - are another cost-driver, city officials say. Those services average $7,000 per unit per year, to be borne by Los Angeles County government. People coming off the streets have a lot of needs, homeless advocates say. Like Decoursey, 15 per cent of homeless adults were once in foster care, according to the Homeless Services Authority. A report released this month by the California Policy Lab in Los Angeles, which crunched survey data from 64,000 single adult homeless people across the country, found half of them reported suffering from some combination of physical, mental and substance abuse conditions. In Los Angeles County, the mortality rate among homeless people has increased for the last five years, with more than 1,000 dying in 2018 from such causes as heart disease and overdosing on drugs, according to the county Department of Public Health. While shelters have traditionally forbidden drug and alcohol use, officials have begun dropping sobriety requirements for supportive housing, under a model called "housing first" that has been used in Canada and other parts of the United States. Los Angeles had already built some permanent housing units with support services even before the infusion of $1.2 billion from Proposition HHH. They fill up quickly and generate long waiting lists, city officials said. No pets allowed Kenny Miles Bard, 61, who was living in his sedan parked on a hilly street in Hollywood, said he did not like the rules or his companions at a shelter he once tried. "Out here you're more in control of your own destiny, so to speak, and if there are people you don't want to be around, you don't have to be around them," he said. "You go somewhere else." Such reluctance to stay at a shelter THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED is shared by a portion of the homeless population, said Benjamin Henwood, an associate professor of social work at the University of Southern California. "If the choice is to go into a shelter, they might say 'no thank you' because a shelter can be a place where you can get robbed or assaulted or woken up at certain times or have to go to bed at certain times," he said. "If you actually offer them a private space of their own, the majority of people will take you up on that offer." One in seven homeless people in Los Angeles, however, has a pet and may be reluctant to part with it, Henwood said. One non-profit in Los Angeles, People Assisting the Homeless, is making the shelters it operates more welcoming by allowing pets for emotional support and stepping up security so residents' possessions are not stolen, said its associate director, Jesus Torres. At the Hollywood tent encampment, Decoursey, who said she previously battled a cocaine addiction and has been homeless on and off for much of her adult life, mentioned a "street dad" and other transients she considers brothers, sisters, nephews and cousins. "The circumstances out here are dangerous," Decoursey said as she scanned her long time encampment. "The sooner we all can be housed, the better." Courtesy of Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation / INSP.ngo �LOCAL 6 NNov o v 214 - N v 19, 2 02019 18 | N o . 393 - oNov 28, | No. 420 The Horrors Of Dark Money In Politics A Halloween Forum Raises The Alarm For Reform Bill Woods ContributingWriter A dvertised as "The Horrors of Dark Money in Politics and Government," the Community Issues Forum held a Halloween Day Forum focusing on how "big money" is negatively impacting the political process in this country. Billed as a Halloween party featuring scary politics, it offered reformers an opportunity to have fun with this theme while also seriously discussing the need to take on a problem that is currently warping our democracy. Catherine Turcer, Executive Director of Common Cause/Ohio was the principal speaker, and the League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area and Common Cause were additional sponsors of this event. Catherine Turcer began her talk with a wave of her witch's hat and some humorous remarks about the horrors of dark money, but she quickly turned to the serious side of this subject. She noted that Ohio was the scene of a wellplanned campaign using dark money in 2018 and 2019. She briefly told the story of how First Energy Solutions, the operator of two failing nuclear power plants, engineered the passage of a bailout bill in the Ohio General Assembly worth $1.1-billion. The plan first called for finding and financing candidates in Republican primaries for the Ohio House who would support a bailout, while also championing behind the scenes the replacement of the House Speaker with a sympathetic spokesman. Once that goal was achieved, First Energy and its coal company allies launched an expensive advertising and lobbying effort to steer bailout legislation to passage in both House of the General Assembly. Governor DeWine signed House Bill 6 into law in July. The next step of the bailout campaign was to protect this billion-dollar boondoggle from a citizen ballot initiative to repeal it. Bailout advocates created Ohioans for Energy Security, a limited liability corporation, to run an expensive but successful operation to smear the repeal effort and prevent it from collecting sufficient petition signatures. Thus in 2019 alone, it is estimated that $16.56 - million were spent on the passage and protection of House Bill 6. Turcer offered House Bill 6 as one of many horror stories that portray the power of "big money" to shape public policy and dominate campaigns for public office. The problem confronting reformers, noted Turcer, is the limited number of legal remedies now available to combat the influence of "big money." Supreme Court cases over the years, she continued, have tied our hands in terms of limiting spending. First the Buckley v. Valeo Case in the 1970s equated spending money to free speech, and the Citizens United decision in 2010 argued that corporations have the status of individuals and have the right to spend unlimited amounts of money on public issue campaigns. What can be done? Turcer acknowledged that reformers can either take on the huge task of overturning the Buckley and Citizens United cases with Constitutional amendment campaigns, or support a series of smaller reforms such as the public financing of candidates for public office and disclosure laws that reveal the names of major corporate, union, or individual contributors. For instance, Move to Amend is a national organization with local chapters established for the sole purpose of overturning Citizens United. Meanwhile, effective public financing and disclosure laws exist in a number of states and cities across the country. Turcer averred that Ohio is badly in need of more comprehensive donor disclosure laws. The ad blitzes for House Bill 6 provide a mountain of evidence of why citizens need to know who is paying for issue campaigns as well as for individual candidate's races. Ohioans, she noted, almost got an effective disclosure law in 2010. The Ohio Senate unanimously passed a Bill, but it died in the House. With the prospect of huge amounts of dark money being spent in 2020, Turcer says it's time for reform groups and citizens to lobby their legislators that comprehensive disclosure is necessary. Public financing of campaigns for public office was talked about during the Forum discussion period. Ohio has no experience with this reform. Although the Charter Amendment that was passed by Cincinnati voters in 2001 included it for Council and Mayoral races, public financing was taken out of this reform Amendment in a second referendum in 2002. Meanwhile, public financing has helped level the campaign spending playing field for candidates in states such as Arizona, Vermont and in cities like New York City and Los Angeles. In conclusion, Turcer called attention to one very positive piece of legislation that the U.S. House of Representatives passed last March. H.R. I-, the For the People Act, contains an array of good reform measures, but it has not even received a hearing in the Senate. It includes partial public financing for Congressional campaigns that agree not to accept large PAC donations, and also a section that establishes disclosure regulations for large donations to PACs or campaign committees. An anti-gerrymandering section sets up non-partisan commissions in the states to draw Congressional District lines. Finally, the Bill calls for a series of protections for individual voting rights, while it makes Election Day a national holiday. Make a commitment, declared Turcer, to call or write Senator Portman's Office and demand that the Senate at least give such an important piece of legislation a fair hearing. 2019 ANNUAL DINNER Tickets: $75 Non-members, Thursday, December 12 5:30pm $55 Members Tickets and tables, avaiable online at www.CinciHomeless.org or mail a check to 117 E 12th St, Cincinnati, OH 45202 Newport Syndicate 1, E 5th Street, Newport, KY 41071 Sponsor a Distributor for $75 Contact: Mona Jenkins 513412-7,03 ext.11 CHANGING THE SCORE THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �N o. 39 3 |- N ov 2 28, - N o2019 v 19,| 2 0 18420 Nov 14 Nov No. LOCAL 7 Colonizers Invading Community Council Kiara Clark ContributingWriter “I s there a limit to how much time a memorial can be up before the police take it down?” This was the first question asked the police officers at the Over-the-Rhine Community council meeting on Monday, September 23, 2019. This question was in reference to the memorials that people put up in the location where someone died or spent a lot of time prior to dying. Memorials in neighborhoods are used as any other memorial. They are primarily used in black neighborhoods as a symbol of remembering a person and the life they lived. It is a way that people mourn. It is used for those who can't make it to the cemetery or simply to know this person lived and they lived here. There in a community council meeting full of people who had mourned in some type of way was someone asking could they be taken down. This question set the tone for the rest of the meeting. Specifically the argument between the police officers and community members. For the purposes of this article native Overthe-Rhine residents refers to longtime and generational residents of Over-theRhine. One man in particular reference the native Over-the-Rhine residents as “deadbeats” and “thugs”. He wanted the police to arrest and chase people with no prior cause other than word of mouth and fear of white gentrifiers. While this man was taking up the time of the community meeting arguing with the police officers it also needs to be noted that the police officers were not disagreeing with his thoughts on the actions that needed to be taken, they only disagree with how they should be taken. Comments and arguments like these in community councils meetings is why so many of the native and/or long time Over-the-Rhine Residents have low attendance at community council meetings. But before accessing exactly what goes on during the meetings it is important to look at the history of council meetings in Over-the-Rhine. The Over-the-Rhine Community Council was designed to be a voice for residents. It was started in 1970 to be a voice for Over-the-Rhine residents, particularly because Over-the-Rhine is home to so much of Cincinnati’s entertainment. In 2002 the City Planning committee was dissolved and in 2003 3CDC was determined to be the city’s preferred developer, with most of the redevelopment being located in Over-the-Rhine. This “redevelopment” displaced many native black Over-theRhine residents and brought in upper middle class white colonizers, mainly happening over the last 10 years. It also happens to be that during these 10 years that the Over-theRhine Community Council has lost most of its native resident members. This group of colonizers in turn them became members of the community council. This background leads to the community council we have today. Where a colonizer can ask to get rid of memorials. The disrespectful things said during community councils ultimately pushed out long time residents.While in some cases long time residents, like Mr. Earl, who lives on 14th and Race, have not come to meetings because that's not their cup of tea, for most cases it’s because they don't feel welcome at community council. Bonnie Neumeier who has been a resident of Over-theRhine since the 70s is one of the few long time residents who still comes to meetings. She stated that many members have stopped coming in the last 10 years because of the racist and disrespectful comments made against Over-the-Rhine residents. But other members like Ms. June Alexander and Ms. Dorothy Darden simply because of health issues. To talk more about the difference in reasons for no longer regularly attending meetings I sat down and spoke with Ms. June. Ms. June used to attend community council meetings regularly because her recent decline in health no longer allows her to attend regularly. Ms. June stopped attending regularly around 2017. But long before that she begin to notice the decrease in regular members. Ms. June said that over the past 10 years she can think of about 10-15 regular members have left community council. This number doesn't seem that great but considering that the amount of members who attend community council meetings is between 30-40, it is a lot. Ms. June stated that a lot of people were tired of fighting and that it felt like developers and newcomers were blaming people for being poor. The comment made at the council meeting in September wasn't the first time a comment like that was made there was another offence made in February of 2019. Just off of OTRCC’s website one can find some of the racist and classist comments made not only by new members but also by business owners in Over-the-Rhine. In a council meeting on October 5, 2016, Source3 Developers did a Q&A with council members. When asked would their project include affordable housing they said the “OTR Housing study actually showed that market rate housing was a need of the community, so that is what we are looking to fill.(October 2016 Membership Meeting Minutes, Overthe-Rhine Community Council).” How can anyone say there is a need for market rate housing when the only people who can afford that housing already have homes. Especially when there are so many people in THIS city are experiencing chronic homelessness. Some of the comments made by the members were in support of this project. Comments made by David Macejko included that it is not the responsibility of developers to create affordable housing, saying it is the role of the city to incentivize for building affordable housing. But why should you be given a prize for giving people a home to live, a basic human right? Another comment made by Bill Cappel said “If this project doesn’t happen the demand will still be here and make it even more expensive for everyone. Stopping this project makes housing even less affordable in OTR.(October 2016 Membership Meeting Minutes, Over-the-Rhine Community Council).” This comment standing alone makes absolutely no sense, logically and statistically providing more market rate housing in communities raises property taxes. It also just shows how little these colonizers know or care about the community. While there are people check these comments and projects like, Bonnie Neumeir, Jen Arens, and Kim Green, who were all in attendance at the meeting, there needs to be more native residents in attendance to protect the rights of other long time residents. No different from another incident at community council where on February 23rd, 2015, the Northpointe group presented the infamous project Rothenberg Row. For those who don't know the project would take 21 plots available for individual purchase and turn them into single family homes, but in the process it would be taking THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED away the basketball court that is located across the street from Rothenberg Elementary School at the intersection of Main and Schiller. When developers were asked about the rent they said that it would be between $400,000 and $600,000 a month for a single family home. They also asked who can’t afford $400,000 and $600,000 a month (interview with Ms. June). This is in a low income black neighborhood in a state where a minimum wage worker cannot afford the fair market rate for a two bedroom apartment at $818. At this meeting Martha Dorff made a motion to ratify a letter of support for this project. Also at this meeting one of the board members, John Walter, who is known to frequently support 3CDC, stated that Main and Schiller was the most dangerous area in the Over-the-Rhine area when in reality Main and Schiller has one of the least concentrated crime statistics (Interview with Ms. June). In fact the most recent crime statistics presented by the chief of police at the last community council further proved that (Crime Statistics sheet ran 9/23/2019 and 28 day calculations based off 9/22/2019). The next meeting on March 30, 2015 the attendance was more than 80 people. Ms. June said that people were so upset about the support of the community for this project that people showed up to vote against this issue. The community support resulted in the rescinding of the letter at the conclusion of this meeting. There are so many more examples of We know that Over-the-Rhine native and longtime residents will always defend their right to live here, but you can't defend that right if you don’t feel comfortable in your own community council. �FEATURED 8 N ov 2 o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Nov 14- -NNov 28,2 02019 420 It's A Wrap Dr. Mark Mussman Staff Writer T he struggle to preserve, maintain, and build affordable housing in our county continues, as we are more than 40,000 units short of affordable housing in Hamilton County. As we gear up for a ballot initiative to get the City’s support of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, it’s important to examine some of the issues that have brought us to this crisis. When it comes to homelessness, we know that the lack of affordable housing, the lack of a livable wage, and the lack of housing protections have combined together to create our housing crisis. Coupled with disinvestment in public housing for over three decades, the options for housing have shifted greatly in favor of the wealthy and rich. But there is, however, an advantage that proponents of affordable housing have in our favor — the power of the people. Recently, the FC Cincinnati and Port Authority commissioned a “study” of housing in the West End neighborhood of Cincinnati. This work was not done out of consideration of the community, but rather was required following the hasty, and possibly unjust, Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) that was produced and agreed upon by the wealthy and affluent stakeholders following community outrage. The West End, and neighboring communities, like Over-the-Rhine, expressed deep and valid concerns about putting a private stadium on top of an existing public school stadium and street. Many of the concerns rightfully stemmed from the tens of millions of public funds that are aiding the development of this private stadium. Other justified concerns came out of the historical knowledge that the majority of residents from the West End have been displaced from the neighborhood at least twice. Seeing the importance of retaining the fabric of the community, residents fought back against the stadium, but were ultimately THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED thwarted by the ruling class, including City Councilmember, PG Sittenfeld, who pushed the project through against the wishes of the majority — both community councils, the West End and Over-the-Rhine voted against the stadium’s presence. Throughout the past couple of years, since the powerful Lindner and Farmer families business, FC Cincinnati, has been forced upon a neighborhood that did not want it to come, the amount of racism, whether aware or not, that the company has levied against the neighborhoods has been astonishing. Everything from questioning the validity of the community council votes, silencing the voices of those who are concerned, encouraging their supporters to say racist things at the school board meeting, like “Imagine it’s 2024, and ‘Keisha’ from the West End is on the American Olympic soccer team because she had the chance to play soccer.” Ultimately, the responsibility of the destruction of the community will lay in the hands of a corporation, known as FC Cincinnati. A Community Benefits Agreement is intended to be a document that gives the community the power to retain the values of the community while giving a developer, or developers, a guide as to how to appropriately interact with the neighborhood. As part of the CBA, which was rushed through during a private weekend meeting, a housing study was required. The FC Cincinnati business was advised to pay $100,000 to fund the housing study. In comparison, the company paid $150,000,000 to �No. 39 Nov 228, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Nov 143 -| Nov | No. 420 join the Major League Soccer league. Apparently, one hundred thousand dollars wasn’t enough to fully fund the study, so The Port put money towards the study as well. Both of these entities own property in the West End and plan to make as much money as possible off of their investments. The Port can even acquire properties through eminent domain, as long as it is done for an authorized purpose. The footing on which this housing study stands is shakey, at best, as those who paid for the study intend to gain financially from its recommendations. In the boundaries section of the housing study, Over-theRhine is referred to as an “affluent neighborhood” although the majority of residents in the neighborhood live in poverty. This statement shows how little regard the study authors have towards people living in poverty in our communities. It shows how little a voice and power the authors believe that people living in poverty have to make decisions regarding their own futures. Ultimately, this disdain for low-income, generally Black residents pours into all parts of the study. While the study shows that the area median income for the neighborhood is $14,632, the proposed solutions do not directly enable this group of people to retain membership in the neighborhood. In the Displacement Risk Analysis section, the study inaccurately states that people living in subsidized housing are not at risk of being pushed out of the neighborhood. Public housing across the country is being privatized through a program called RAD. Without going into a great deal of detail on RAD, it’s important to note that there is an “acceptable loss” of units through the RAD process, and possible loopholes that will allow for entire buildings to razed without the requirement to rebuild them. Stanley Rowe Tower, for example, has had considerable pressure FEATURED on it to be razed in recent history. The other problem with the assumption that people in subsidized housing are safe from displacement doesn’t take into account that Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) evicts more people than anyone else in our county. It is clear that these numbers greatly conceal the actual vulnerability of residents of the West End. One ominous statement appears in the study “If nothing is done and if no policy or recommendations are implemented, then the risk of displacement could exponentially increase with the expiration of subsidized rental units.” The study acknowledges that that vast majority of residents wish to remain in the West End. We have seen through the Wade and Central Streets tenant organization, Fight Back Cincinnati, that people want to remain connected to their neighborhood and social ties. Leaving the neighborhood represents a social death, and is made even more difficult with the lack of available affordable housing. The housing crisis makes displacement even more dangerous, as people are forced to settle for substandard housing far away from their known social circles. Gentrification is a type of genocide which gives the power and control into the hands of the wealthy while pushing residents on fixed and low incomes from the neighborhood. Two housing production scenarios are presented: 1. Meet the current need for housing; 2. Meet the potential displacement need for housing. The numbers that are presented, in regard to percentage of AMI are based upon county AMI, rather than neighborhood AMI. County AMI is $78,300, whereas you remember that the neighborhood AMI is $14,632. Therefore, the proposals for housing are not for existing residents, but rather investors who are bringing with them wealth from outside of the neighborhood. The first housing production scenario calls for 456 rental units above 80% AMI, meaning that you would have to make at least $62,000 per year to afford; 55 units at or below 50% AMI, meaning you would have to make $39,000 per year to afford; and 148 ownership units above 100% AMI, meaning you would have to make at least $78,000 per year to afford. This scenario clearly does not stop the loss of our neighbors, but only encourages development of highend units at the expense of existing residents. The second scenario, which claims that it will prevent the loss of existing residents, requires 869 rental units at or below 50% AMI to be built; however, this does not take into account the residents who are most vulnerable, those who are living in subsidized housing threatened by RAD and evictions, but it does show the great need for affordable housing in the THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 9 neighborhood. Unfortunately, in the end, once the majority of low income Black residents are displaced from the West End and the luxury apartments and condos are built and filled with white suburban-bred “urban pioneers,” the gentrification of the West End will be seen as a success, just as “the affluent” Over-the-Rhine is described today. In Over-the-Rhine, we have lost thousands of low income units, and more than half of the Black population over the past 17 years, and somehow this is being lauded as a success. We continue to fight back against displacement and the unbridled power of white generational wealth as we see fit; however, only through true system change, such as the affordable housing trust fund, will be actually able to change the direction of housing from loss to gain. �10 GLOBAL N ov 2 o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Nov 14- -NNov 28,2 02019 420 'White Death' In Argentina: The Hunger Of Poverty Feeds Tuberculosis Magali Druscovich I Reuters n a poor Buenos Aires suburb, Cristian Molina's jeans and denim jacket hide his unhealthily slight frame, his legacy from years of a poor diet that left him susceptible to the tuberculosis infection he contracted earlier this year, a disease of poverty that is making a comeback in Argentina. Molina, 26, lives in the shantytown of Lujan near the wealthy capital with his parents, six siblings and four nephews. Doctors think one brother contracted the disease in prison and then spread it around the family when he returned home. Cases of the "white death" illness, closely linked to malnutrition and poor housing, have been on the rise since the turn of the decade as Latin America's third largest economy has been battered by repeat recessions and inflation. Currently, fast-rising prices and recession are driving more people below the poverty line and stoking homelessness and hunger. The poverty rate stood at above 35 per cent in the first half of the year, hurting Argentine President Mauricio Macri, who is expected to lose the general elections this Sunday. "Tuberculosis is the collateral damage of poverty," said Laura Lagrutta, an Argentine respiratory specialist focused on treating children with the disease. According to the latest figures from the World Health Organization, there were 10,320 reports of new and relapsed TB cases in Argentina last year. The number of cases, which had dropped steadily since the 1980s, started to rise again after around 2010. Tuberculosis kills 5,000 people A view of Villa 31, a populous and marginalized shantytown neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 5, 2019. every day globally and is one of the world's biggest killers. Farm-rich Argentina is still better off than some of its South American neighbours, including Brazil and Peru where incidence of the disease is higher. But the infection rate in Argentina is rising worrisomely. Marcela Natiello, coordinator of the national TB and leprosy control program, said a declining trend since the 1980s had reversed in 2013, linked to "multiple and complex causes." "TB primarily affects the most vulnerable populations, with low economic resources, residing in poor, badly ventilated and overcrowded environments," she said, adding that over half of all cases were in the populous area around Buenos Aires. Doctors said the rise in the number of cases was straining some hospital wards where patients with TB are being treated. Patricia Figueroa, a social worker at the Muniz public hospital, said the facility was struggling with Cristian Molina, 26, takes his tuberculosis medication at his house in the shantytown of Lujan in Buenos Aires, Argentina, September 26, 2019. overcrowding as it faced a growing number of TB patients, which she described as "a record in recent history." "Due to overcrowding, the hospital is discharging patients with low risk of contagion in order to receive highrisk ones, something very dangerous," she said, adding that the hospital was looking at how to add more beds to other wards to accept more people. In slums around the country, we spoke to many people with the disease, who all described living in cramped and insecure housing and lacking an ample supply of nutritious food. In Villa 31, a populous shantytown neighbourhood in the capital, Luli, 19, has gone through a year of treatment since contracting the disease while she was pregnant. She says her nowmonths-old baby luckily did not get infected. Luli lives in a flat with one bedroom, a kitchen and no bathroom together with her son and partner. The three sleep in one room. "We are constantly moving from one house to another because of the high price of the rent," she said. Daniel, 40, who lives in the same area, is also being treated for HIV, which made him more vulnerable to tuberculosis. He is largely immobilized with an injury to his hip as well as scarring on his lungs. Brigida Simaniz finished her TB treatment in May. She lives with her two children in the shantytown of Bajo Flores in Buenos Aires, all three sharing a single bed. She feared passing the infection to her kids. "I was scared when they told me the diagnosis because I did not know it existed. I always followed the treatment as the doctors said for fear of infecting my children," said Simaniz, who works in a textile workshop earning 70 pesos ($1.19) an hour. "Even though it was cold at night," she said, "I opened the windows of the room to circulate the air." Courtesy of Reuters / INSP.ngo Mariela, an infectious disease specialist intern, analyses an X-ray of 24-year-old patient Jorge, who is currently undergoing treatment for tuberculosis, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, January 29, 2019. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 Nov 228, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Nov 143 -| Nov | No. 420 11 GLOBAL Japan Attempts To Repair Relationship With Indigenous Ainu – But A New Tribute And Rights Bill Doesn’t Go Far Enough I Kayoko Kimura The Big Issue Japan n February, for the first time in 21 years, a new bill regarding the Ainu, the indigenous people of northern Japan, received Cabinet approval. Officially titled ‘Bill on the implementation of policies to realize a society where the pride of Ainu people is respected’, the bill marks the first time Japan has legally recognised the Ainu as indigenous people and outlaws discrimination against them. However, Yuji Shimizu, an Ainu living in Hokkaido, takes issue with the bill. “Although this bill specifies that Ainu are indigenous people, it totally lacks substance. The need to protect indigenous rights has been recognised internationally, but no matter how many times I read the bill’s text, I found no mention of rights related to land, resources, or self-determination. I demand the bill be withdrawn immediately and that a revised version be presented following rational discussion with the Ainu,” he said at a Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan press conference. The new bill omits the support for livelihood and education the Ainu have requested. Instead, it contains subsidies for regional industries, such as cultural activities and tourism, as well as special measures related to the Ainu’s traditional salmon fishing and timber collecting. The bill also includes provisions regarding the management and operation of the National Ainu Museum and Park and designates it as a place to share Ainu culture. Located in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, the Museum and Park is set to open in April 2020 ahead of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. The modernist shrine, called the ‘Symbolic Space for Ethnic Harmony’, Ainu demand indigenous rights be protected at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Tokyo on March 1, 2019. [Credit: Kayoko Kimura] has cost $220 million so far and is part of a drive by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to draw millions of foreign visitors to Japan and to the northern city of Sapporo, where the Olympic marathon will be run. Also known as "Upopoy" or "singing together" in the Ainu language, the complex will include a museum, a replica of an Ainu village, many of which Japan destroyed in its 19th Century colonization of Hokkaido, and a memorial housing the bones of hundreds of Ainu whose remains were sent to universities in the 20th Century. For some surviving Ainu, whose exact numbers are unknown, the project underscores how Japan has failed to come to terms with its history - despite more than a decade of deliberation on how Tokyo could meet its commitments to an indigenous group it only officially recognised in 2008. Some Ainu worry the new museum complex is mostly meant to burnish Japan's international standing ahead of the Olympics. Ainu artist Koji Yuki (R) and his fellow Ainu Fukumoto Shoji, sit in front of a makeshift altar for a memorial service for Ainu tribesmen defeated by a Japanese army in a fifteenth century battle in Kaminokuni, Hokkaido Prefecture, northern Japan, July 6, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon "I think it's possible it could end up becoming a theme park," said Ainu tattoo artist Mai Hachiya. "People would come to see the dancing and other performances. It would be like a zoo." Scholars say the Ainu settled in Japan's northernmost island and across Sakhalin, Russia, by the 1300s. They hunted, fished, practiced an animist religion and spoke a language unrelated to any other. Japan took control of Hokkaido by force in the 19th Century and made it a colony. After opening it to Japanese settlers, it forced the Ainu, which it labelled "former aborigines," to assimilate. As for the bill, Ainu have raised objections to its content. In 2018, Hokkaido celebrated the 150th anniversary of its naming, but that history also represents the era when the Meiji government dispossessed the Ainu, who had lived in Ezo (currently Hokkaido) for centuries, of their land and traditional livelihood, hunting and fishing. Not a single reflection on or apology for past treatment appears in the bill. “Although the preamble of the 1997 Ainu Culture Promotion Act mentions ‘a society that respects the Ainu’, we have not yet realized a society that respects our human rights,” Mr. Shimizu said. “The new bill bandies about similar phrases, but nevertheless, promoting the tourism industry is nothing more than turning Ainu’s flesh and blood into a tourism resource.” “I want Japan to give back all the resources — the salmon and whales, the forests and seas — that it stole from the Ainu,” Satoshi Hatakeyama, an Ainu who lives in Monbetsu and works as a fisherman in the Sea of Okhotsk, said angrily. “Last summer, when I tried to catch salmon with a net in the nearby Monbetsu River, in order to offer them THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED to the spirits, I was stopped by a group of police officers. I was told I needed to obtain permission from the Hokkaido administration before fishing, but I refused to listen. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states that indigenous people have a right to access this kind of natural resource,” he said. The new bill also lacks measures related to Ainu living outside Hokkaido. “There are many issues that must be addressed so that Ainu can live in big cities. Handing out subsidies, saying ‘enjoy the Ainu life’… We don’t want subsidies; we want measures that will allow us to work. What we want most of all is to be able to work and support ourselves, so that we can live with dignity,” said Shizue Ukaji, an Ainu. “We have made a lot of progress since the Ainu Culture Promotion Act was passed,” said an Ainu woman living in the Greater Tokyo Area who worked to get Ainu included in the provisions of the Hate Speech Act. “However, it’s natural that Ainu are demanding real recognition of their indigenous rights. Until the bill is becomes law, the Diet should hold repeated debate on its contents, as well as keep an exact record of the proceedings. Young Ainu are passionate about promoting their culture, but they don’t have much interest in politics. Although culture is one way of contributing to diversifying Japan, politics are also indispensable.” The administration plans for the Diet to enact the new Ainu bill. Mr. Shimizu objects: “Japan’s long history of mistreating the Ainu is a national issue and must be addressed as such.” Translated from Japanese by Annelise Giseburt Courtesy of The Big Issue Japan / INSP.ngo �12 STREETVOICE N o v 14 2 --N o v 19, 0 18 || N o . 393 Nov Nov 28,22019 No. 420 A New Beginning Son God is good, not some of the time but all the time 24/7 Son Talk To Me I believe that be the reason we live on earth and god lives in Mommy Needs To Know heaven Looking back on my life and the so many changes that i went What You Feel through And What You See Learning from repeated mistakes good and bad until i Son Talk To Me learned what to do Mommy Loves You Realizing today knowing what to do and how to do it plus the method to use With All Her Heart I see now that having knowledge doesn't determine the route Seems Like We Have Been Drifting Apart we choose It's A Feeling, I Feel In My Heart I know now that everyday above ground is a day to take heed I Will Never Let Anything Keep Us Apart In The Heart Is Where We Need To Start When Learning And Hoping Were Part And We Would Talk I know now that my choices will determine whether i live with god or i burn Today, knowing, understanding with the realization that Like The Good Old Days Of Our Start and learn yesterday is pasted Praying and hoping my words will linger in your memory making a change to last If you haven't paid attention to your life may you look back and see Let's Start Over Son Because You Are My Heart Kim Green Contributing Writer Streetvibes Distributor That a new beginning is what's up for the politicians and that includes you and me Willa D. Jones Contributing Writer Streetvibes Distributor Streetvibes Writing Circle If you would like to submit a story for publication in streetvibes, come join Katelyn Lusher, Chris Wilkey, and Alex McIntosh for a group writing session! THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 Nov 28, 2- N o v 19, 2 0 18 Nov 143- |Nov 2019 | No. 420 1214 Race Street STREETVOICE Just like I could use a dentist, a plastic surgeon and Elizibeth Arden; the women’s building on 1214 Race Street needed a visit from the Property Brothers. We have much in common from the wear and tear of unconditional love. And both of us, being great divas, miss our days of pageant waves and lime-lit stages. Although we are big and old, we both have dared to love all who came to our doors--to our hearts. The day they came to tell me 1214 Race had only two months to live jolted me into shock, disbelief and finally a hollow and isolating despair. I cried for one week. I was paralized until 1214 Race Street (her grand self) gently sang to me. Her lullaby echoed through the walls reminding me about priests and their mission to protect the least of these.”The stories of madness and depression; claireity and elation rang out in every creaky wooden board. “I celebrate each bird who’s song was returned to them within my walls.. And I hope and pray your song and wings will be healed as well.” She choursed. Trump's Tariff's Mother Goose To market, to market to buy some supplies, Only to encounter a quite nasty surprise. Your bill prompts several very deep sighs, As all Trump's tariffs caused prices to rise. BILL WOODS Contributing Writer She was proud to have a mission of tender mercies for those who have experienced a lifetime of neither tenderness nor mercy. And on September 30, 2019, 1214 Race Street silently passed away. Her tender mercies will be paved over, mortared over and bricked over just like so many monuments of human love in OTR as if it is too much of a reminder for Cincinnati that mental illness knows no color, no gender, and no class--IT (like death) does not discriminate. Nevertheless it will not be forgotten. As long as this old body carries the song of 1214 Race Street and all of the women who found sanctuary within her walls, I will fly and sing out Her story of love to all who will hear. I will carry the legacy and share it with the next traveler who’s journey becomes too much to bare. I will remember and sing the praises of the priest who said, “Peace be still ,” to the raging storms in the lives of those first two women..and me. Finally, to those who will tear down her walls or make shops or condos I will say to you,and all of Cincinnati; take heed you are standing on Holy Ground. And as you know, Holy Ground is always hunted. But this hunting will be one of mercy for all who look upon her grave. The spirits standing watch will be those of tender healing songs of love thy neighbor. 1214 Race Street... well done, my Love June Alexander Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 13 �PUZZLES 14 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 109 Across 1. Passport endorsement 5. Take notice of 9. Bitter quarrel 13. Golf club 14. Notion 15. Pointer 17. Young male horse 18. Grime 19. Tenet 20. Heavy block where hot metals are shaped 22. Prejudice 24. Notable achievement 25. Cereal grass seed 26. Not in use 28. Pastry item 30. Color 31. Animal coat 32. Travel a route regularly 35. Modernize 38. Charter 39. Regret 40. Narrow secluded valley 41. Part of a journey 42. Scintilla 43. On the sheltered side 44. Something intended to deceive 46. Small storeroom for food 48. High-pitched bark 49. Peculiar 50. Pack of cards 51. Append 52. Conceited 53. Small fruit seed 56. Endure 59. Slender 61. Evade 63. Theatrical performer 65. In addition 67. Region 68. Musical instrument 69. Without speed 70. Approach 71. Sketched 72. Rational 73. Small wooded hollow PUZZLE SOLUTIONS CROSSWORD #108 Down 1. Clergyman 2. Satire 3. Figure out 4. Not in favor of 5. Concealed 6. Comestible 7. Spooky 8. Information 9. Craze 10. Wear away 11. Exhort 12. Concave shape 16. Batch 21. Rhythmicity 23. Incite or stimulate 27. Scheduled to arrive 29. Anger 30. Prohibit 31. Mediterranean fruit 32. Poke 33. Stringed instrument 34. Period of time 35. Horrible 36. Supplication 37. Unfathomable 38. Jinx 41. Boy or man 42. Irritate 44. Brick carrier 45. Betting ratio 46. Hawaiian garland 47. Skin condition 50. Sweet dark purple plum 51. Make amends 52. Country house in ancient Rome 53. Food processed in a blender 54. Paragon 55. Sometimes found in an oyster 56. Circuit 57. Turns litmus paper red 58. Celestial body 60. Young girl 62. Bring ashore 64. Angry dispute 66. Be indebted to Nov 2 o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Nov 14- -NNov 28,2 02019 420 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 4- EASY SODOKU PUZZLE NO 3- EASY PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 Nov 228, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Nov 143-| Nov | No. 420 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 214 - N o v 19, 18 | N o . 393 Nov - Nov 28,2 02019 | No. 420 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 November 14-November 28, 2019 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From Hamilton to Trump Pg 3: Homelessness Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: Living on the Edge in the Homeless Encampments of Los Angeles Pg 6: The Horrors of dark Money in Politics Pg 7: Colonizers Invading Community Council Pg 8: It’s a Wrap Pg 9: It’s a Wrap Continued Pg 10: ‘White Death’ in Argentina Pg 11: Japan Attempts to Repair Relationship with Indigenous Ainu Pg 12: Street Voice Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource November 14-November 28, 2019 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gabriela Godinez Bill Woods Graham Bowpitt Alex Dobuzinskis Dr. Mark Mussman Magali Druscovich Willa Denise Jones June Alexander Kim Greene Kiara Clark INSP.com Blake Burrell Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Alex Dobuzinskis Argentina Bill Woods Blake Burrell Donald Trump Dr. Mark Mussman Gabriela Godinez Graham Bowpitt Indigenous Ainu INSP.com Japan June Alexander Kiara Clark Kim Greene Los Angeles Magali Druscovich reform Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/7dea3fc106838ba75b21cbfc3e82b314.pdf 0711f540bf775be16bce0f3d411d85c5 PDF Text Text Men Fight, Women Suffer Page 8 Politics as Punishment Page 3 Artists as Activists Page 16 STREETVIBES $1 N o v. 1 5 - 3 0 , 2 0 0 9 • A d v o c a t i n g J u s t i c e , B u i l d i n g C o m m u n i t y • I s s u e 1 6 5 Metropole Tenants Tell 3CDC:Hell No,We Won’t Go Residents vow to resist displacement By GreGory Flannery Editor are the ones upholding the law. To­ day it’s a different story. How does it feel to have the power?” enants at the Metropole Blocking tenants’ advocates from Apartments downtown the earlier meeting is part of a com­ took over a Nov. 5 meeting plaint filed with HUD by the Legal called by the Cincinnati Center City Aid Society of Cincinnati. The com­ Development Corp. (3CDC), which plaint accuses 3CDC of housing dis­ has bought the building and plans to crimination, deception and other force them out. violations of law. The takeover, or­ The Homeless ganized by the staff “They’re trying to kick you out Coalition has been of the Greater Cin­ organizing tenants because of who you are. cinnati Coalition for three months, They don’t need for the Homeless warning them that another hotel downtown. and the Metropole 3CDC planned to They think you don’t fit.” Tenants Associa­ buy the building - Rickell L. Howard, tion, came one day and convert it to Legal Aid attorney after Cincinnati a boutique hotel. Police officers pre­ 3CDC – a non­ vented the Homeless Coalition from profit development group partly attending a 3CDC meeting with ten­ funded by the city of Cincinnati – ants. acquired the property last week for Because the Metropole houses $6.25 million. low-income people under a con­ “3CDC has purchased your home tract with the U.S. Department of and they desire to make your home Housing and Urban Development into hotel rooms for tourists,” Spring (HUD), tenants have a right to have said. “They think you don’t fit in with advocates present at meetings with the entertainment district. For three landlords, according to Josh Spring, months they asked us not to talk to executive director of the Homeless you, but we did.” Coalition. “Yesterday the police department ‘How would you like it?’ kept the advocates and the lawyers out,” Spring told the tenants. “The 3CDC had called a tenants’ meet­ tenants have taken over the meet­ ing for 4 p.m. Nov. 5. But at 3 p.m. the ing now. The truth is you have a legal right to have advocates here, so we See Metropole, p. 4 T The Metropole Apartments are located across from the Aronoff Center on Walnut Street. Developers want to turn the building into a boutique hotel, displacing the 200 low-income tenants who live in the building. Photo by Bill Haigh. Women Have the Right to Safety Immigration status shouldn’t allow abuse to continue By Samantha Groark Contributing WritEr velop resources entirely in Spanish for Cincinnati’s growing Hispanic population. ienes derechos y proThe number of Hispanic residents tección,” writer Lorena is growing at an incredible rate, more Mora-Mowry told the than doubling since 1990 and now audience Nov. 5 at totaling 30,000 to a screening of Do40,000, accord­ mestic Violence in “Tienes derechos y protección.” ing to Su Casa, a the Hispanic ComCatholic Chari­ - Lorena Mora-Mowry munity, presented ties organization. by the Alliance for The numbers are Immigrant Women. expected to climb even higher over “You have rights and protection.” the next five years. The film examines the problem of Theresa Singleton, the protection domestic violence and the commu- from abuse director at YWCA of Cin­ nity resources available to those who cinnati, said the movie was created have been affected by it. Presented to raise awareness about domestic in Spanish with English subtitles, the film is part of a campaign to deSee Women, p. 6 “T Lorena Mora-Mowry spoke at the screening of Domestic Violence in the Hispanic Community. Photo by Natalie Hager. �2 The Vibe By The Numbers 1 in 5 the ratio of African Americans executed after being tried by all-white juries (see page 11). 5 the age of some of the 27 million slaves in the world (see page 11). 3 the number of governors who have vetoed single-payer health plans in their states (see page 10). 40 million the number of new customers insurance companies will have if the Senate’s health-care plan becomes law (see page 9). 40,000 the estimated Hispanic population in Greater Cincinnati (see page 1). 6 the number of Cincinnati Police officers at the site of the Metropole Apartments during a tenants’ meeting (see page 1). 51,000 the number of prisoners held by the state of Ohio (see page 3). 130,000 the number of refugees in camps in Darfur, Sudan (see page 8). 3 the number of endorsed Democrats elected Nov. 3 to Cincinnati City Council (see page 2). 1 the number of formerly endorsed Democrats elected (see page 2). STREETVIBES November 15 - 30, 2009 StreetWise By GreGory Flannery Editor West Bank? Over-the-Rhine? What’s the Difference? Oppression of poor people in one part of the world often bears a remarkable similarity to op­ pression of poor people in other parts of the world. That’s the insightful conclusion that Nancy Paraskevopoulos reached after touring Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Viewing the settlements, she thought something seemed familiar: Why, yes, the settlements reminded her of 3CDC, the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. Paraskevopoulos wrote her ac­ count for the University of Cincinnati’s News Record, an article headlined, “Expansion Abroad Similar to 3CDC.” Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine are a complex issue, but even its ally, the United States, agrees that they are an impediment to the peace process. Less complicated is 3CDC’s plan to throw out more low-income residents to make room for upscale developments (see story on page 1). Here is what Paraskevopoulos had to say: “The first (settlement) we saw was Nof Zion, which reminded me of gentrified townhouses in my city’s neighborhood, Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine. The settlement, built by and adver­ tised to wealthy Jewish internationals, illustrates a clear view of Jerusalem, the City of David and Mount Zion. Similarly, prefabricated communities in Over-the- Rhine are built by and ad­ vertised to wealthy, white suburbanites. Cincinnati Center City Development Corp.’s projects here, the ones with 3CDC signs out front, like Nof Zion, boast of development, historical sig­ nificance and security. “More importantly, they both lack even simple recognition of the communities they are overtaking and ousting. A block away from the aforementioned Over-the-Rhine complex is a predominantly black ghetto. The valley across which residents of Nof Zion might view impor­ tant cultural and religious sites houses a Palestinian community, which Nof Zion cuts off from other Palestinian communities in the West Bank. As my ICAHD representative put it, these de­ velopment industries “manipulate the view to create this myopia. You see what you want to.” Council Elections Presage Struggle for Fairness If you thought it’s been hard to get the city of Cincinnati to adequately support human ser­ vices in recent years, you haven’t seen anything yet. The Nov. 3 election for city council returned Charterite Chris Bortz to office; he’s the mastermind behind council’s plan to use zoning regu­ lations to limit social-services agencies in Over-the-Rhine. Also re-elected was Jeff Berding, whom the Democrats had endorsed, then un-endorsed because of his refusal to support the demand for budget concessions from the Fraternal Order of Police. Perhaps most troubling of all, however, is the return of former Councilman Charlie Winburn, a member of the troglodyte wing of the Republican Party. When the votes were tallied, the winners were four Democrats – or three, depending on whether Berding qualifies: Cecil Thomas, Laure Quinlivan and Laketa Cole. Quinlivan, a for­ mer TV news reporter, took the seat of the progressive Democrat Greg Harris. The Republicans have three members on council: Winburn, Chris Monzel and Leslie Ghiz. The Charter Party has two members: Bortz and Roxanne Qualls, who scored the most votes. That kind of lineup makes it all the more important to pass a charter amendment requiring the city to allocate 1.5 percent of its general fund to human services. The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless hopes to launch that initiative soon. Faced with a well financed campaign supported by virtually every politician in town, voters denied themselves the opportunity to vote on the streetcar plan. The defeated charter amend­ ment was a grassroots effort by the Cincinnati Chapter of the National Association of Colored People and other groups to impede the Streetcars That Will Save Our City. Cincinnati plans to spend about $200 million on a six-mile streetcar line, certain that streetcars are just what people are waiting for before moving to Over-the-Rhine. City council members convinced vot­ ers that letting them decide on such a boondoggle really wasn’t in their best interest. The election results weren’t without good news. The tax levy for the Public Library of Cincin­ nati and Hamilton County won approval. So did levies for the Hamilton County Department of Developmental Disabilities and the Cincinnati Public Schools. Voters also approved a measure, backed by Cincinnati Progressive Action – that will require a referendum before city council can sell the Cincinnati Water Works. Oh, yeah. Mayor Mark Mallory won re-election, beating Republican challenger Dr. Brad Wenstrup, perhaps best remembered for saying he felt safer in Iraq than in Cincinnati. While serving with U.S. occupation forces in Iraq, he worked at Abu Ghraib prison, notorious for the torture of Iraqi prisoners. Wenstrup was never implicated in those atrocities. Can’t Decide How to Help? Oh, Pshaw! Winter rapidly approaches. For homeless people, that means increased risk of sickness and death. Tala’s Distant Treasures, in Crestview Hills Mall is planning to help. The store an­ nounced last week that it will donate to the Homeless Coalition 5 percent of its revenue from the sale of shawls. Furthermore, anyone who donates a used shawl at the store will receive a $5 discount off the cost of a new one. Tala’s will then donate the used shawls for distribution to homeless people. Here’s a holiday shoppint tip: Buy a shawl at Tala’s. Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by people who are or once were homeless, in exchange for a $1 donation, Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Address: 117 East 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 Phone: 513.421.7803 x 12 Fax: 513.421.7813 Email: streetvibes2@ yahoo.com Website: www. cincihomeless.org Blog: streetvibes. wordpress.com Streetvibes Staff Editor Gregory Flannery Art Director Lynne Ausman Vendor Coordinator Jeni Jenkins Contributing Writers Lew Moores, Samantha Groark, Margo Pierce, Paul Kopp, Jeremy Flannery, Michael Henson, David Heitfield, Kelissa Hieber, Dan Rozier, Stephanie Dunlap, Saad Ghosn, Keara Anita Mullen, Ariana Shahandeh, Larry Gross, Steven Paul Lansky Photography/Artwork Aimie Willhoite, Lynne Ausman, Jeni Jenkins, Anthony Williams, Bill Haigh, Clarissa Peppers Proofreaders Jennifer Blalock Lynn Baker Jeremey Flannery The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati through coordination of services, public education, grassroots advocacy and Streetvibes. We are members of: �STREETVIBES November 15 - 30, 2009 Local News The Politics of Punishment 3 Too many prisoners? Try changing the laws By Jeremy Flannery Contributing WritEr P aroled convicts in Ohio aren’t guaranteed the right to appeal wrongful convictions through DNA tests. That right is guaran­ teed only to people who are still incarcerated, ac­ cording to Mark Godsey, director of the Ohio Inno­ cence Project. That is the reason Robert McClendon avoided parole while serving 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit, Godsey says: McClendon wanted DNA testing to exonerate him – and to do that, he had to stay behind bars. McClendon was released last year after being officially exonerated by the state. The Ohio Inno­ cence Project has helped exonerate seven other people from wrongful convictions since starting in 2005, Godsey says. Preventing wrongful convictions was one of the three issues at a Nov. 4 forum on reforming Ohio’s correctional policies. Representatives of the Ohio Innocence Project, the Ohio Justice and Policy Center and the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio proposed solutions to prevent wrongful con­ victions, provide employment opportunities to re­ leased convicts and reduce the number of incarcer­ ated low-level offenders. The Urban League of Greater Cincinnait hosted a forum on “Lock ‘em Up Politics.” Photo by Clarissa Peppers. who cannot find employment are more likely to commit other crimes in order to survive, JohnsonGrove said. “One of the things to reduce excessive expendi­ ture with locking people up and policing – because we have so many people just cycling through the justice system – is to interrupt that cycle with some form of productive work,” he said. OJPC also proposes that prisons issue a “certifi­ cate of good conduct” to show that a former inmate ‘Interrupt the cycle’ is recommended for consideration of employment due to good conduct and hard work. OJPC also pro­ Godsey proposed changes in policing and use of poses that Ohio establish an “employment access evidence to prevent wrongful convictions. Seventy- certificate” to remove state laws prohibiting people five percent of wrongful convictions in Ohio arise with certain criminal records from obtaining jobs from eyewitness misidentifi­ with the state or licenses to work cations, he said. Police should in certain types of businesses. change suspect lineups for eye­ “This great democracy of ours “We’re trying to crack open the witnesses to sequential displays, incarcerates more people than door so people can have a shot,” showing one suspect at a time, any other nation in the world.” JohnsonGrove said. instead of showing all suspects OJPC also proposes new in­ - Gary Daniels, ACLU of Ohio at once, he said says. The offi­ centives to private companies cer involved in lineups shouldn’t for hiring released convicts. The know who the suspects are or the crime they’re sus­ incentives include statutory protection from negli­ pected of; that would prevent them from prejudic­ gent-hiring lawsuits for hiring people with criminal ing the witnesses, according to Godsey. records, coupled with regulation of business-insur­ Police should videotape arrests for homicide ance premiums to ensure businesses are not finan­ and sexual assault from the reading of the Miranda cially penalized for hiring such people, Johnsonrights until the end of interrogations in order to Grove said. The state could also establish bonds to prevent false confessions, Godsey said. protect employers from damages incurred by such The state of Ohio should store all DNA obtained employees and offer business tax credits for hiring from suspects and convicts, he said. Ohio has no released felons, he said. laws requiring the preservation of DNA samples used in court, which can lead to the destruction ‘Smart on crime’ of DNA samples once prisoners are released. This eliminates the opportunity for released convicts to Gary Daniels, associate director of the American exonerate themselves and help the state find the Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, proposed diversion actual offenders, Godsey said. programs as an alternative to incarceration for lowSteven JohnsonGrove of the Ohio Justice and level offenses. He urged support for Senate Bill 22, Policy Center (OJPC) addressed the employment which would: needs of released prisoners. OJPC wants the state • increase the number of days prisoners can earn to establish a “certificate of rehabilitation” for re­ toward early release, leased convicts to have the right to obtain state jobs • reduce the disparities between penalties for and to provide more incentives to private compa­ crack and powder cocaine, nies to hire former offenders. Released prisoners • eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for Gary Daniels, Stephen JohnsonGrove and Mark Godsey want reform of Ohio criminal laws. Photo by Clarissa Peppers. many low-level drug crimes, increase the use of diversion programs for lowlevel drug offenders and nonpayment of child support and • raise the threshold for incarceration for theft, vandalism or corrupt activity from $750 to $1,000. “We need to figure out who we’re mad at and who really needs to be locked up,” Daniels said. “Right now we continue to lock up too many people we’re just mad at.” Incarcerating people for nonpayment of child support harms the offender, the custodial parent and the children, according to Daniels. If a person is incarcerated for nonpayment of child support, not only can he or she no longer earn an income while incarcerated, the offender faces the stigma from a conviction when applying for work after be­ ing released, he said. The disparity of punishment between crackcocaine and powder-cocaine infractions is an Ohio version of Jim Crow laws, Daniels said. While there is no chemical disparity between the two physical forms of cocaine, Ohio law demands higher pun­ ishments for crack-cocaine infractions. Daniels said crack cocaine is more widely used by Ameri­ cans with dark skin, while Americans with light skin tend to use powder cocaine. Daniels noted that the United States holds over 2 million people in prison, while China has over 1 million prisoners. Politicians and the public should work toward being “smart on crime” instead of be­ ing “tough on crime” before policing and prison budget needs bankrupt the state’s 2010 budget, Daniels said. “This great democracy of ours incarcerates more people than any other nation in the world,” he said. “In Ohio, we just can’t afford to do that anymore, because if we continue to do so, we are going to end up with a state budget that deals only with Medic­ aid, education and prisons.” Terry Collins, director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (ODRC), says he supports Senate Bill 22 as a good first step toward stabilizing and reducing the prison population in Ohio. Over 50 percent of incarcerated offenders serve less than 12 months, he says. Eliminating mandatory minimum sentencing for low-level of­ fenders would give judges more leeway to divert such offenders into community programs instead of being incarcerated, he says. “We believe that if some people are given the op­ portunity to keep their families together or are un­ employed, rather than taking them out of the com­ munity, let’s make them active citizens so they’re working and paying taxes into the community in­ stead of being a tax burden on the state by sitting in prison,” Collins says. The state of Ohio currently imprisons about 51,000 people in a system designed to incarcerate 38,665, according to ODRC. The department esti­ mates the prison population will increase by about 600 every year through 2018 unless more diversion programs are instituted. • �4 Local News STREETVIBES November 15 - 30, 2009 Metropole: Hell No,We Won’t Go Continued from page 1 Homeless Coalition and the Metro- Asked if he worked for 3CDC, he pole Tenants Association carefully again said, “No.” Spring later in­ executed a pre-emptive strike. House troduced – or outed – him as Adam rules allow visitors in the Metropole Gelter, development director for only by invitation of residents. Jeff 3CDC. Eaton, a member of the tenants’ asso­ When the man stalked off, Spring ciation, told the addressed the desk clerk that tenants. he had seven “The tenants have taken over the “They want visitors: Spring; meeting now. The truth is you have to take your Rob Goeller, a legal right to have advocates here, home and turn civil-rights co­ it into a hotel so we are the ones upholding the ordinator for law. Today it’s a different story. How for tourists,” the Homeless he said. “They does it feel to have the power?” Coalition; Bon­ - Josh Spring, homeless coalition didn’t ask you. nie Neumeier, Some of you director of the have lived here Peaslee Neigh­ over 20 years. borhood Center; three journalists; Do you think that you are cattle to and a Legal Aid lawyer. be herded around the city?” The group went to the Metropole The crowd answered, “No!” ballroom, where the activists posted “So what are you going to do signs listing their demands and ar­ about it?” Spring said. “Are you go­ ranged chairs in a circle. Dozens of ing to fight for your housing?” residents began filing into the ball­ “Yes!” the tenants answered. room – a full hour before 3CDC’s Several tenants then spoke. scheduled meeting, an indication “If we don’t stick up for our­ that the takeover had been planned selves, it’s going to affect our lives in advance. and other people’s lives,” said Rob­ As the meeting was about to start, a ert Wavra. “A lot of people have man huddled with Spring and Goeller used this building to get started or and asked them to let 3CDC proceed re-started because it didn’t charge a with its own meeting. lot for rent.” “We’ll tell them the information Wavra introduced an argument they do need,” the man said. that would be repeated by Spring Spring refused to back down. and the Legal Aid attorneys: 3CDC “You’ve had plenty of opportunity,” wants to evict the residents because Spring said. “You low-income people haven’t talked don’t fit into 3CDC’s to the tenants. “This is legal advice: Don’t plans for the down­ This is a tenants’ town entertainment move. If you move, you won’t meeting now. You district. get what you’re entitled to. If should take the you give in to the lies and false “They don’t think low seat and hear you deserve to be promises of the new owners, what the tenants close to the bus you’re going to get ripped off. have to say.” What the owners of this building routes,” Wavra said. “Fine,” the “They don’t think are trying to do is cleanse man said. “Then you deserve to be downtown of people like you. we won’t have a close to Fountain They want rich white people.” meeting.” Square. We’ve got - John Schrider, The man to stand up for ourLegal Aid attorney walked away. selves and for the When a reporter people coming beasked for his name, the man said, hind us. If we let this go, it’s gone for “No.” Asked if he were with Metropole good.” management, the man said, “No.” Another resident, Tracy Hall, said Adam Gelter of 3CDC at first denied he worked for 3CDC. Photos by Clarissa Peppers. the federally subsidized apartments in a jacket came to you and said, ‘You at the Metropole helped have to move and we’ve her change her life. been planning it for “For 12 years I was “They don’t think you months,’ ” Hall said. homeless,” she said. “If it deserve to be close The Brickstone repre­ wasn’t for the Metropole, I sentative replied, “We’re to the bus routes. would not have had a sec­ They don’t think you not putting anyone out ond chance. Yes, there are deserve to be close on the streets. I’m just some stains on the carpet to Fountain Square. here to do a job.” and some things need to Like Gelter – the We’ve got to stand be repainted, but big deal. 3CDC employee who up for ourselves By moving in here, I’ve denied that he was with and for the people been able to attend col­ coming behind us. 3CDC – the woman lege and get a job and get If we let this go, it’s wouldn’t give her name. a second chance.” A Cincinnati Police gone for good.” Hall addressed a wom­ officer entered the ball- Robert Wavra, an from Brickstone Proproom but didn’t inter­ Metropole tenant erties, the management fere with the meeting. company hired by 3CDC Three police officers to help residents find other housing. “How would you like it if someone See Metropole, p. 5 Residents joining the Metropole Tenants Association to save their homes from being converted into a boutique hotel. Photos by Clarissa Peppers. �STREETVIBES November 15 - 30, 2009 5 Local News Metropole: Hell No,We Won’t Go Continued from page 1 with Brickstone or 3CDC while the HUD complaint is pend­ were stationed in the lobby and two cops on horse­ ing. No residents can be forced back were in front of the Metropole during the to move for the next year, the meeting, according to Lynne Ausman, administra­ homeless advocates said. tive coordinator for the Homeless Coalition. “This is legal advice: Don’t “3CDC and Brickstone have called the police,” move,” Schrider said. “If you Spring told the tenants. “They’re afraid of you.” move, you won’t get what you’re entitled to. If you give in to the ‘You don’t fit’ lies and false promises of the new owners, you’re going to get In the ballroom, the Metropole Tenants Associa­ ripped off. What the owners of tion posted a list of demands for 3CDC: this building are trying to do “1. Renovate our homes here to the same level as is cleanse downtown of people your condos. like you. They want rich white “2. We will stay a community. people.” “3. Metropole must stay affordable housing. Schrider’s colleague at Legal “4. Laws must be made to prevent this (loss of af­ Aid, Rickell L. Howard, echoed fordable housing).” his assertion: 3CDC wants poor HUD regulations require relocation assistance people out of the downtown from 3CDC now that it has purchased the Metro- entertainment district. pole. But Spring, Goeller and John Schrider, attor­ “They’re trying to kick you ney with the Legal Aid Society of Cincinnati, urged out because of who you are,” tenants not to move and not to sign any agreements Howard said. “They don’t need another hotel downtown. They John Schrider of the Legal Aid Society represents the Metropole think you don’t Tenants Association. Legal Aid filed a complaint with the U.S. fit.” Department of Housing and Urban Development claiming that 3CDC After nearly has violated federal fair housing laws. two hours Spring introduced Gelter of 3CDC and Steve Smith of the Mod­ he said. “We don’t want anyone to sign anything.” el Group – parent company of Brick“You did yesterday!” a man in the crowd yelled. stone Properties – to the tenants. Other members of the crowd demanded that “Adam Gelter’s here,” Spring said. Gelter and Smith stand in the center of the room “He’s the one who said he didn’t want so all tenants could hear them. The two men com­ to listen to you.” plied. Gelter apologized for “the confu­ “We intend to work within the rules,” Smith said. sion of the letter” 3CDC had earlier “We will do things as HUD stipulates they must be sent tenants. done.” “We don’t want anyone to move,” But if there were any doubts about 3CDC’s inten­ tions, Smith made them clear, ignoring the demand that the tenants be allowed to stay. He instead told the tenants some­ thing that was never in dispute: The ten­ ants can move whenever they want. “If people want to move out of the Metropole, that’s their right,” Smith said. “Our job is to make sure people don’t fall through the cracks and become home­ less.” That was a curious assertion by the very company whose job it is to rid the Metropole of its low-income tenants. Throughout the meeting Bonnie Neumeier, a longtime advocate for homeless people, led tenants in updated versions of traditional civil-rights songs: “The Metropole’s our home. We shall not be moved. … Tenants united, we shall not be moved.” 3CDC called a tenant meeting after it purchased the Metropole Apartments on Walnut Street. Residents, along No one from 3CDC sang along. with advocates and the Legal Aid Society, organized prior to the meeting to tell 3CDC that they will not be removed from their homes. Photos by Clarissa Peppers. Mary Only purchase Streetvibes from BADGED vendors. Vendors wear their WHITE badges while they sell the paper. aFFordaBle rateS etvibes? tre nS STREETVIBES Vendor rested in Advert Inte isin gi many SizeS (full page, 1/2 page, 1/4 page, 1/8 page) Black & White and color availaBle diScountS For nonproFitS Contact Lynne at 513-421-7803 ext. 11 or lynneausman@cincihomeless.org for more information. �6 Local News STREETVIBES November 15 - 30, 2009 Women Have the Right to Safety Continued from page 1 violence and reach out to Latin American women who believe they have no rights because of their im­ migration status. The makers of the movie hope to help Latin American women understand they are entitled under law to get help, that everyone has the right to feel safe whether they are “illegal” or not. ‘End the fear’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” One in three women suffers from domestic violence, acOne in three women cording to the Latino Alliance to Eliminate Domestic Vio­ suffers from domestic violence, according to the lence. Additionally, the fear Latino Alliance to Eliminate of being deported is a barrier faced by 64 percent of Latinas Domestic Violence. Additionally, the fear of being when seeking help. “The main barriers faced by deported is a barrier faced Latin American women suf­ by 64 percent of Latinas fering from domestic violence The audience learned about the prevelance of domestic violence in Latin American families. when seeking help. Photo by Natalie Hager. are language and fear of po­ lice and immigration,” Mora- Mowry said. “They are afraid that, if they accuse their husband or partner, they might be deported.” judicial process, according to Laboy. The other 90 percent become There are many reasons why battered women are afraid to call for afraid during the process and withdraw, ultimately recommitting to help, but Latin American women face unique barriers once they de­ a continual cycle of abuse. cide they can no longer handle the abuse. “We have to end the fear,” said Padre Jorge Ochoa, pastor of San You aren’t alone Carlos Borromeo Hispanic Church. “We have to break down the bar­ riers – for example, not knowing the language, being unable to com­ Hispanic women suffering abuse, whether physical or verbal, municate.” should keep in mind that support is available from churches, organi­ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 6: “Everyone has the zations that offer shelter and the Alliance of Immigrant Women. right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.” “One thing that Latina women need to know is that they are not “In the United States, we, as citizens and whoever lives here, alone,” Mora-Mowry said. “There are peo­ whether we are citizens or not, have papers or not, we have many le­ ple who will help you.” gal rights. …We have the right to live in peace, to live and to be safe Many Latin American women have “We are not immigration. We in our home, not to have to suffer violence, for example,” said Adolfo found protection with various groups don’t care about your papers. Olivas, a member of the Legal Aid Society of Southwest Ohio. throughout Cincinnati, such as the YWCA If you are being physically or He advised Latin American women who are being abused to “call Battered Women’s Shelter. verbally abused, you should the police, because the laws in the U.S.A. are made in such a way that “I had a great opportunity there,” one call the police and we will people who are victims of abuse, if they call the police, will have pro­ woman said at the film screening. “They assist you. Victims don’t ever tection. They will not be deported.” helped a great deal. It’s a wonderful place, need papers.” Cincinnati Police Officer Jose Laboy spoke about his experience a safe place for battered women. … They - Officer Jose Laboy working with domestic violence calls in the Hispanic community. never abandoned me.” “We are not immigration,” he said. “We don’t care about your pa­ Recovering from physical and psycho­ pers. If you are being physically or verbally abused, you should call logical abuse, she stayed at the shelter with her two children while the police and we will assist you. Victims don’t ever need papers.” the YWCA helped her find a place to stay and a job. They also helped Laboy said that, in the case of undocumented offenders, deporta­ with her immigration status and referred her to free legal counsel. She tion becomes a possibility if charges are filed. For many Latin Ameri­ ultimately got legal residency for herself and her children. She said can women, the fear of their spouses being deported is often more many women are often afraid to make the decision to leave an abu­ terrifying than being deported themselves. The loss of their husbands sive relationship. presents a whole new level of abuse: poverty, homelessness, depres­ “There are women who have given up on their lives,” she said. sion, isolation, loneliness. They could essentially be left with nothing Many Latin Americans grow up familiar with domestic violence. to provide for themselves or for their children. There have also been The goal of the organizations presenting the movie is a new age of cases where deported spouses have returned to harass them or have respect in the family and community. Domestic violence does not just harassed their families in their native country. occur in the Hispanic community; it is a reality faced by women of all Only 10 percent of victims carry charges all the way through the races. Persons who want to show Domestic Violence in the Hispanic Community to their community or organization can call Sophia Kostoff, coordinator for the Alliance for Immi­ grant Women, at 513-361-2150. Persons who need help dealing with domestic violence can contact: • • • • Cincinnati Police Officer Jose Laboy (left) and Padre Jorge Ochoa, pastor of San Carlos Borromeo Hispanic Church, spoke with the audience about their experiences working with victims of domestic violence. the YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter at 513-872-9259 or (toll-free) 888)-872-9259; Women Helping Women, which offers court and law enforcement advocacy and support groups, at 513­ 361-5610; Su Casa, which offers information and referral, health promotion and literacy education, at 513 761-1588; and the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati, which of­ fers help securing protection orders, resolving custody disputes, representation in divorce proceeding and as­ sisting battered women in working toward legal resi­ dency. The number is 513-241-9400 or (toll-free) 800­ 582-2682. �STREETVIBES November 15 - 30, 2009 Sports Bengals Are for Real This Time 7 Ignore the skeptic behind the curtain By B. cliFton Burke Contributing WritEr fense is a new blueprint for Marvin Lewis’s Bengals,” they all agreed. team, but it’s starting to cash in. This year’s That is the underlying reason why the roster is made up of men who are only con­ Vegas wizard and everyone else can’t, or eep within a bunker under a non­ cerned about the meetings, practices and won’t, believe in them; they first must prove descript casino in Las Vegas, an games of today – not about the graveyard they can handle winning. The term “men­ old sports wizard scans his yel­ of the past or the big tal toughness” is used low, glassy eyes across dozens of television stage of the future. They when defining the screens and creates point spreads based on appear disciplined and Some fans grumble about the intangibles that are what he sees. Apparently, he wasn't all that prepared on game days, believed to make up conservative stubbornness of impressed from Cincinnati's first seven and the coaches have championship teams, Marvin and his staff, but the games and declared the Bengals a three- etched out and stuck man’s unwavering determination and a pervasive doubt point home underdog against the Ravens in with game plans that to manage the team his way has exists in the minds of Week 9. This despite the fact that Cincinnati work. many football freaks created a sense of consistency owned a better record, was coming off of a Some fans grumble that Cincinnati has and routine for the players. bye week after dismantling Chicago and al­ about the conservative what it takes upstairs. ready beat Baltimore once in the season. stubbornness of Mar­ This too is simply in­ “Same old Bengals,” he murmured to vin and his staff, but the man’s unwavering correct. himself and squashed another cigarette determination to manage the team his way Look at what they have already over­ butt into his ashtray. has created a sense of consistency and rou­ come: a fluke loss to Denver to open the This man, like the rest of the sports tine for the players. As a result, this group season, four straight come-from-behind world, is wrong about that and has been all goes about their business like daily laborers wins, a tsunami in Samoa and the death of season. rather than well-paid superstars. It’s exactly Mike Zimmer’s wife, Vikki. They have been Once again the Bengals proved it by shov­ how Marvin wants it; you come to work ev­ doubted in nearly every step of the way this ing Baltimore out of town bruised and beat­ ery day just like everyone else. season, yet people remain surprised when en. After the win, NFL Network anchorman Bengal teams of the past had issues deal­ they achieve any success at all. Rich Eisen asked Deon ing with success. In 2005 I don’t expect the skeptics to be swayed Sanders why the Bengals no one was used to them until the Bengals win the Super Bowl. Even are so good all of a sudden. I don’t expect the skeptics to winning; the fans, the me­ the notion of that possibility causes the All of a sudden? Cincinnati be swayed until the Bengals dia and the players them­ wizard to roll his old eyes and snigger. wouldn’t have a 6-2 record selves all hopped on the “That’ll be the day,” he says to the tele­ win the Super Bowl. if wins and success were super-bandwagon. Noth­ vision screen that displays the score of an­ any kind of recent devel­ ing seemed impossible in other Bengals win. “I might have to find a opment. those days; every week was magical. Then new job if that happens.” No, sir, the Bengals are for real and it’s life reminded us yet again that there is no Las Vegas is now accepting resumes for about time the world starts seeing them such thing as magic and obliterated Carson an open sports-wizard position. that way. The old formula of winning the Palmer’s knee to prove the point. The world Visit mojokong.blogspot.com. AFC North with rushing yards and run de­ looked around and shrugged, “Same old D If you experience... Poor sleep Irritability High Energy Racing Thoughts Mood Swings and/or Periods of Depression You might be eligible to receive an FDA-approved medication and MRI scan as part of a research study at the University of Cincinnati. Please contact Michelle at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine at (513)558-5393 Participants will be compensated for time and travel ~ All inquiries will be kept confidential ~ �8 Issues STREETVIBES November 15 - 30, 2009 Men Fight, and the Women Suffer War is an equal-opportunity destroyer By vicky c. mcdonald Contributing WritEr W omen are the forgot­ ten victims of war: That was the theme of an Oct. 28 forum at Xavier Univer­ sity. The program, part of the Xavi­ er University Women’s Center’s weekly “Thinking Outside the LunchBox” series, featured Vince Costello of the American Red Cross and International Commit­ tee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Costello showed Women Fleeing War, a film about how differ­ ent women have been affected by conflict in various parts of the world. The movie discussed wom­ en in cities, in refugee camps and in villages. Women have fled to the capi­ tal city of Bogotá, Colombia, as a result of that country’s decadeslong civil war. Many women, who feel it is not safe to go back to their farms, have family members who are missing. ICRC gives ba­ sic needs to help assist these dis­ A displaced woman uses a water pump to fill her containers at the water point in Zam Zam IDP camp in Al Fasher, placed women, but unfortunately northern Darfur March 12, 2009. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (SUDAN SOCIETY). their resources are limited. The women get assistance to buy ba­ sic essentials instead of working the land to get what they need. These women live the crops, their husbands. Women in these camps assistant to care for her nine children. She wants to in fear because they are alone, many with young rely on aid organizations. Every 30-35 days food make sure her children are educated to guarantee children and limited skills to obtain a job. aid arrives. Some women must sell what’s given to their safety and have them work in offices. The village of Gorlu, Liberia, has also been suf- them for other essentials. “Women are taking on roles that are not normal­ fering from civil war. Families that Due to the vast numbers of refu- ly a part of their culture,” Costello said. at one time lived close together gees, women in Darfur are forced to Costello said that if people want to help, it can have been separated by the conDisplacement camps in go outside the safety of the camps be something as simple as holding forums such as flict. Food is exchanged for labor, Darfur, Sudan, hold up to to collect wood, and in the process the one at the Women’s Center. Educated about the but some families do not have men many have been raped and accosted. plight of these women, people can then choose to 130,000 people. to do this exchange. The ICRC supDue to social stigma, women often be involved by donating time or money to the Red plies food for men working to build do not reveal when this happens be- Cross, he said. houses for the widowed women. cause their culture believes that they should have For more information about the “Thinking OutDisplacement camps in Darfur, Sudan, hold up somehow been able to prevent rape. side the LunchBox” series, visit xavier.edu/women­ to 130,000 people. Women who live there have self“Women without escorts are targeted because scenter. made tents to hold families. Many have fled to these they are looked at as being vulnerable within their “The lunch box series is an informal structure camps because their villages have been attacked. population,” Costello said. “Oppression occurs be- where anything is up for discussion and dialogue,” Many times these women don’t know which armed cause women are not allowed to be educated.” said student assistant Tara Immel. groups had attacked them. A former housewife in the film, whose husband Everything they knew is gone; their way of life, was killed, has been forced to work as a builder’s Letter to the Editor To the editor: I read your paper through and through every issue. It has become a really fascinat­ ing publication, as it speaks of a wide variety of subjects and (I hope) views. I’m a newly located mer­ chant on Vine Street, although the Little Mahatma is going into its 21st year in business. In the 1970s I was a public- health nurse on 12th Street for the Cincinnati Health De­ partment. I’m a modest but loyal supporter of the Drop Inn Center. I am white, I don’t want the streetcars and many would consider me as one of those “gentrifiers.” An old local resident came in today and said, “Thank God people are taking care of this area. It’s about time.” I’m saying all this because ! ? t a h W the “us and them” philosophy gets no one what they want. Historically, it is the premise on which all wars have been fought. Can’t we evolve to al­ low everyone to be what they are? Jim Tarbell is no saint (see “Gigantic Insult? Towering Tribute?” in edition of Nov. 1-14). Do you know any? But he has worked his butt off for this city and the only elected official to stand amid the cha­ os of the riots. Buddy Gray worked tire­ lessly for a just cause and of­ ten threw the baby out with the bath water. He was so an­ gry he bit the hand of those trying to help him often. He probably has a special place in heaven for champions of just causes. I was interviewed twice by the Miami students and was really surprised by the loaded questions. It was not unbi­ ased at all. It was a real “us and them” survey. I am very interested in all that goes on around me in Over-the-Rhine. It’s a wonderful, soulful place, and I’ve risked everything I own to be part of it. With all best wishes, keep up the good work -Gloria McConnaghy Peace, in the sense of absence of war, is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold. It will not remove the pain of torture inflicted on a prisoner of conscience. It does not comfort those who have lost their loved ones in floods caused by senseless deforestation in a neighboring country. Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free. – The Dalai Lama y a S _____________________ �STREETVIBES November 15 - 30, 2009 Film Review Race Can Be a Big Hairy Deal Chris Rock takes on the root of the problem By vicky c. mcdonald Contributing WritEr G ood Hair is a docu­ mentary that ex­ plores the relation­ ship of the African-American woman’s identity and her hair and the multi-billion dollar industry that surrounds it. Chris Rock takes on this task when his young daugh­ ter asks him why she doesn’t have good hair. Rock’s world­ wide journey to discovering the answers about AfricanAmerican women’s hair starts in Atlanta, where the Bron­ ner Brothers Hair Show is taking place. This big event is the cornerstone for black women’s hair, with vendors of top-of-the-line hair prod­ ucts marketed for the Afri­ can-American community, capped off with an elaborate hairstyling competition. At the event, Rock finds that a vast majority of the booths at the hair show are Asian- run and white-owned, sup­ plying products while only two rows among a vast ware­ house of booths are owned by African-American entrepre­ neurs. Rock questions who really owns the market for black women’s hair and why black women feel it is so im­ portant to maintain a certain look. Rock runs across tales of women who would sooner pay thousands of dollars for a weave than pay rent. With the constant deluge of mar­ keting strategies taking place, it might come as no surprise that Americans, in general, spend beyond their means to maintain a high level of beauty as defined by those marketing strategies. However, Good Hair goes beyond everyday media and suggests that black women endeavor to be more like white women and use hair as a means to achieve this goal. It is suggested that AfricanAmerican women want their hair to be straight, flowing and bouncy with a look of the lighter the better, as would be found on a white woman’s head. It’s more than just a mar­ keting campaign that plac­ es these thoughts into the minds of black women. Un­ fortunately, the dichotomy of race is prevalent even in a time when an African-Ameri­ can man is president. Society forces black women to appear a certain way so that they will be accepted into a career or relationship with other races. In the film, comedian Paul Mooney is quoted, “If your hair is relaxed, then white people are relaxed. If your hair is nappy, then they’re not happy.” Hair is just one of many social stigmas facing AfricanAmerican women, starting at an early age as women con­ tact their pediatricians to see if it is OK to place a chemi­ cal known to burn the scalp on a 2-year-old child’s head. Even teens of the same cul­ tural background implore a peer to change her hair so as to become more socially ac­ ceptable. On the surface, the film seems to spend too much time on the battle of the hairstylist. However, if the audience gets to the root of the battle, we see that it has become less about the hair and more about the flair. The competition becomes diluted, as showmanship is what brings about the winner – and not so much about how hair is cut. It has played into America’s technique of marketing, where the idea of hair has become more im­ portant than hair itself. The 9 film is enlightening to those who might not understand African-American culture. It is witty, insightful and for all ethnicities, genders and ages. Humana: Inhumane? Reform rally decries insurance abuses By katy heinS Contributing WritEr A crowd of 30 supporters of health-care reform gathered Oct. 20 in front of Humana Inc. offices in Cincinnati. With signs saying, “Big Insurance, Sick of It” and “Health Care for America Now,” supporters sought to make the point that large insurance companies, such as Humana, are using premiums to pay for lobbying efforts to stop health-care reform. “Humana denied basic care for my daughter,” Kristen Barker told the crowd. “My daughter began having seizures when she was 3 years old,” Barker said. “These seizures caused her to lose developmental abilities. Her doctors said she needed a variety of therapies, including physical therapy. At that time I thought I was lucky. These basic therapies were covered in my Humana plan. But then Humana denied her physical therapy. During this trying time of working for answers to my daughter’s seizures, I had to fight their denials. I even won their own grievance process to cover her physical therapy. But to this day Humana has never paid.” Big insurance companies have a lot to gain from the version of health-care re- most conservative healthform passed last month by care plan proposed by the the Senate Finance Commit- Senate Finance Committee. That bill would mandate tee as not good enough all Americans for insur­ to get insurance com­ ance coverage During this trying time of panies. The through prir e p o r t ’s working for answers to vate insurance my daughter’s seizures, I m e t h o d ­ c o m p a n i e s had to fight their denials. ology was – but without quickly adequate afdiscred­ fordability measures. That ited and the report was would mean a total of 40 mil- regarded as the industry’s lion new customers for insur- attempt to pressure Con­ ance companies. The legis- gress to do their will. lation would also establish Proponents of health­ fines for citizens who don’t care reform were angered buy insurance. by this latest move by inAnother speaker at the ral- surance companies to in­ ly, Pam Franklin of the AMOS fluence the debate – not Project, spoke about the de- for the good of all, but for nial of health-care coverage their own financial gain. due to her pre-existing condiAs a senior citizen cov­ tion, high blood pressure. She ered by Humana, Mary said that it is interesting that Causey of the Contact many African Americans are Center spoke about the unable to get health insur- company’s bureaucracy. ance, as nearly 50 percent of She said she is confused African Americans have high by the different co-pays for blood pressure. doctor visits, hospital visits “Being African American and prescriptions. seems to be a pre-existing “The United States is the condition,” Franklin said. richest country in the world, “Where will they stop? Next but still doesn’t provide health they’ll say, ‘You’re ugly - de- care for its citizens,” Causey nied!’ ” said. “I’ve worked all my life The insurance compa- and paid my dues. No one nies’ lobbying arm, American should be denied the peace Health Insurance Plans, came of mind of health coverage.” out earlier last month with a Pastor Troy Jackson of the report that decried even the AMOS Project compared the Kristen Barker. Photo by Katy Heins. state of health care to a car with its “Check Engine” light on and spewing smoke. “Health care has had its ‘Check Engine’ light on since the ’70’s,” he said. “It’s been emitting smoke for the last few decades. It is time to get health care fixed.” Franklin summed up the feeling of the crowd. “We want Rep. Driehaus to side with us, the people, and not with Big Insurance and their greed,” she said. After the rally, a small del­ egation visited Congressman Steve Driehaus’s office and asked his staff to not let the insurance company drive a wedge between him and his constituents. Those gathered reiterated their support for a public health-insurance plan and asked that Driehaus vote for a plan that includes a ro­ bust public option. �10 STREETVIBES November 15 - 30, 2009 Local News After the Health Insurance Bill? Single-payer activists promise to continue their fight By Suhith Wickrema Contributing WritEr T he U.S. House of Representatives passed a historic health-insurance reform bill Nov. 7. In anticipation of the bill’s passage, about 30 people interested in health-care re­ form gathered Oct. 27 at First Unitarian Church in Avondale for a forum sponsored by Cincinnati Progressive Ac­ tion, the Single Payer Action Network, the Intercommu­ nity Justice and Peace Center and the Cincinnati Beacon. The featured speaker was Milton Fisk, professor emeri­ tus of philosophy at Indiana University. Fisk gave an analysis of the hazards relying on for-profit health insurance companies to provide for health care. He pointed to the “coincidence of interest between insurance companies and providers to increase premiums” and rates. Most insurance compa­ nies invest the premiums, be­ cause premiums are not used right away. The more money an insurance company has, the more money it has to in­ vest. Health-care providers want to charge more for their ser­ vices so they can expand and have a larger percentage of the market, according to Fisk. In return, insurance compa­ nies increase their premiums. This cycle contributes to the high cost of health care. Fisk called health care a “public good – a public good being something that every­ body wants for everybody else in the society.” Other ex­ amples of a public good are fire stations, schools and po­ lice departments. The health-insurance re­ form bill passed by the U.S. House will keep the for-profit insurance companies intact, not solving the problem of the high cost of health insur­ ance. “What do we do the day af­ ter Obama signs that health­ care bill?” Fisk asked. Bob Park, a member of the Single Payer Action Network, reminded the audience that the state legislatures of Cali­ fornia, Massachusetts and Vermont passed single-payer health-care bills, but the gov­ ernors of those states vetoed them. Another forum participant, who introduced himself as Nathan, reminded the audi­ ence that Medicare is a singlepayer system and Medicare’s overhead cost is only three percent. The overhead cost of for-profit insurance compa­ nies runs about 15 percent. Most of the questions and comments from the audience were about how to get a sin­ gle-payer health-care system implemented. Fisk pointed out that single-payer health­ care advocacy has been going on since the Roosevelt admin­ istration. He urged the audi­ ence to work with renewed energy to continue health­ care reform the day after the president signs a bill. Milton Fisk says health care shouldn't rely on for-profit insurance companies. Photo by Doris Burton. For more information about the single player campaign in Ohio, visit spanohio.org. “Here’s to Our Health” Happy Hour Art Beyond BoundAries GAllery 1410 Main Street Thursday, December 3, 2009 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Meet some of Community Shares’ healthcare groups Sip some wine and grab a snack $5 suggested donation at the door will support the mission of Community Shares of Greater Cincinnati. If you have questions please contact Mary Beth King at 513-475-0475 or king@cintishares.org Community Shares of Greater Cincinnati is a partnership of 27 local nonprofit organizations building social and economic equity and a health environment in Greater Cincinnati. YPShares is for young professionals who strive to engage and inspire the next generation of community supporters to become passionately committed to causes that promote social and economic equity and a healthy environment. 103 William H. Taft Road • PH: 513-475-0475 • FAX: 513-487-4262 • www.cintishares.org Call 513-421-7803 x11 to learn about Streetvibes subscriptions �STREETVIBES November 15 - 30, 2009 11 Issues Capital Punishment: A Race Issue Race figures predominantly in the death penalty By Samantha Groark Contributing WritEr P eople are executed in the United States because of race. Decades of investigation point to a strong link between racism and the cruelest form of punishment: the death sen­ tence. Such a relationship suggests that racism, one of America’s oldest traits, still has the ability to determine a person’s life or death. Even before the birth of the United States, Af­ rican slaves in the newly founded colonies were struggling for justice. And even when slavery was eventually abolished in 1865, African Americans continued to face racial discrimination. While slav­ ery is no longer authorized and many more African Americans enjoy some of the same privileges as whites, it is clear that African Americans still suffer from the pains of racism – and this is most obvious in the criminal-justice system. “There is no question about how much the race of the victim influences the decision to sentence death,” said the Rev. Carroll Pickett at an Oct. 25 fo­ rum at Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church. Pickett, who spent 15 years as a death house chaplain in Texas, is the acclaimed author of With­ in these Walls, a memoir about the dark world of Death Row. The color of death Dozens of death-penalty opponents gathered to hear Pickett speak. The event was part of the Day of Witness Against the Death Penalty sponsored by Presbyterian Action Against the Death Penalty. The Presbyterian Church, along with every other major religious sector, has declared its opposition to the death penalty, according to Pickett. His talk focused on the racial discrimination prevalent in death-penalty cases and how often this leads to innocent people being put to death. His most powerful claim is that racial inequity vali­ dates the often irregular and muddled delivery of capital punishment. “The capital punishment system, when it comes to race, doesn’t so much deal with the race of the defendant as much as the race of the victim,” Pick­ ett said. “People who have killed one or more white people and are charged with a capital crime are more likely to be sentenced to death than those whose victims are black.” A variety of factors, including the defendant’s race, the victim’s race and the race of the jury typi­ cally determine who receives a death sentence, he said. At least one in five African Americans executed in the United States since 1976 were tried in front of Rev. Carroll Pickett says he knew innocent men who were executed in Texas. Photo by Aimie Willhoite. all-white juries, according to Amnesty Internation­ al. In addition, over 80 percent of people executed since 1976 were convicted of killing white victims, while people of color make up more than half of all homicide victims. In Ohio, Andrew Welsh-Huggins, an Associated Press journalist, has spent years doing extensive social and statistical analysis on the role of race in capital sentencing. His findings were consistent with decades of similar research around the coun­ try that suggest that the death penalty is riddled with class and racial bias. In his book, No Winners Here Tonight, Welsh-Huggins describes the results. “Under Ohio’s 1981 capital punishment law, of­ fenders facing a death-penalty charge for killing a white person were twice as likely to go to Death Row than if they had killed a black victim,” he wrote. “In 1,081 cases in which the victim or victims were white, 193 offenders, or 17.9 percent, were sentenced to death. In 800 cases where the victim or victims were black, 68 offenders, or 8.5 percent, were sentenced to death. Moreover, in 693 cases where the victim or victims were white and the of­ fender was white, 127 offenders, or 18.3 percent, were sentenced to death. By contrast, in 752 cases where the victim or victims were black and the of­ fender was black, 63 offenders, or 8.4 percent, were sentenced to death.” Rev. Carroll Pickett with Sister Alice Gerdeman spoke about the death penlty at an Oct. 25 forum at Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church. Photo by Aimie Willhoite. Innocents executed Throughout his talk, Pickett referred to Death Row inmates with whom he had formed rich friendships. He spoke of Charlie and Leonel and of the many who, he had become convinced were not only innocent but had rehabilitated and recovered from their previous ills. “Most of these men were uneducated and im­ mature,” Pickett said. “The majority had around a seventh-grade education. They were into drugs and alcohol and didn’t have a loving support system. In prison, with the help of counselors and seasoned inmates, I watched them mature as men. I have no doubt that many of them were mentally restored before being killed.” One of Pickett’s other concerns is the number of innocent people who have been put to death or who are now awaiting death. “Our former governor, George W. Bush, has said that no innocent person in Texas has been sent to death row,” Pickett said. “I simply cannot accept this. I know there have been innocent men who have been killed.” The people who are executed aren’t the only vic­ tims of capital punishment. “There are so many victims besides the man dy­ ing,” Pickett said. “I have seen inmates, families of the executed, families of the victims, wardens, Death Row staff, district attorneys, counselors, ac­ tivists and more affected by the constant pain of putting people to death. I have seen many have nervous breakdowns and/or walk out on their jobs and even more taking heavy anti-depressants just to be able to continue work. None of this is natu­ ral.” For support in the Cincinnati area, there are many passionate individuals dedicated to help­ ing prisoners and their families suffering from the gloom of Death Row. Families that Matter, a group organized through the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center, is a support group for people whose loved ones are on Ohio’s Death Row. In addition, Ohioans to Stop Executions, a statewide coalition, is studying alternatives and working for a morato­ rium on the death penalty. In No Winners Here Tonight, Welsh-Huggins quotes former State Sen. Richard Finan, who helped create Ohio’s death-penalty law, saying the law is “the spinach the state has to eat” and Gov. Ted Strickland calling the death penalty “the law of the land.” If Pickett is right and the capital-punishment system is a product of racism, does this mean that by accepting the death penalty, we accept racism? Is racism legal in America? �12 Short Story STREETVIBES November 15 - 30, 2009 Riley and the Poet By Steven paul lanSky Contributing WritEr He had no interest in agents, shows, exhibits. “Life and painting is all I have time for,” he said that night as they walked out of Ronald’s. iley and the poet were sitting in Mullane’s Café having WallingThe artist had had his coffee and roll-ups. They had talked again about ford coffee. Riley’s beard was neatly trimmed and light enough synchronicity. His fingernails were brown with the resin of synchronicity. to show a slight tobacco stain at his upper lip. The poet drank His gait was even as the police cruisers’ motors. They walked eight blocks his coffee with cream, savoring the buzz, the fragrance, the bean juice up Main Street laughing large at the joke they were playing on society. that seeded his thoughts, conversation, even making his Camel bullets “We’re the real artists, poet!” Riley shouted to the boarded up buildings. and Galouise unfiltered black tobacco sing within him like a message “It’s our city, our night.” from somewhere beyond coincidence. The welfare artist, Riley, smoked The sidewalks were dry. Fall eased into winter. Arjuna, the poet, puffed Tops and Bugler roll-ups, which gave the fingers another activity between at tobacco and stumbled a bit slower. He’d had a few draughts to celebrate sips of black coffee filled with white cane sugar. Both were dressed for the leaves coming down. He envied Stone the teaching gig at Harvard and conversation, cords and shirts with collars. They shared the need for two the film deal on Can’t Stop the Rain. Arjuna had no concept of the work he brands. had yet to produce to write, publish and profit. He walked the free walk “I was rounded up once,” said the artist with the well-kept beard. of a poet in the city. What do poets think of as they walk the dirty night The poet started to reply, to ask, to mutter streets of the ghetto with their friends? They think of girls. As they age, it’s a “Huh,” but the artist was just beginning and women, man … it’s women. “We’re the real artists, the whites of his eyes grew around his lenses. “I wish I had a honey that would give me some money, money ain’t fun­ poet!” Riley shouted to the He had a small spiral flip pad and he flipped ny, and playboy bunny,” rattled the artist. The poet scowled, “Rhyme is no good, man.” boarded-up buildings. “It’s page after page of today’s drawings of stick figures, key words, street signs, names of other “I ain’t got no money, I ain’t got no honey. Where’s the bunny?” Riley our city, our night.” people he’d seen today, snippets of conversa­ made big faces showing gaps in his teeth. “I got bad teeth and no mon­ tion, where he’d seen police cruisers and van­ ey.” ity plates that had caught his attention as he had walked. Arjuna stumbled quiet and still, smoking a Galouise, dangling from a “I was picked up by the cops when I accused them of ferreting crime. long hand. See, it’s illegal for them to ferret crime.” Riley aggressively poked a finger “This is the richest country in the world,” he said as they walked past at the black vinyl table-top, spilling a little coffee. block after block of boarded up storefronts, brown pressboard unpainted The younger man was scared a bit by the artist’s anger, emphasis and but for graffiti: ROSA SHE MY LIFE! jolting finger. The jolt caused him to push back in his seat, look around the A police cruiser rolled past slow and silent. The traffic lights flashed yel­ restaurant to see if anyone had noticed the other heating up. The waitron low on a pulse. Empty 40-ouncers, dead soldiers stood on each storefront was idling at the back, the cook locked doorsill. A sad forlorn was sorting spinach for washing honking echoed over 14th Street and the busser was smoking a as Arjuna and Riley walked by the filtered ready-made and hav­ blind vacant alley, broken green ing a beer with her. It was midglass glittered on the cobbles. afternoon and there were only “That graffiti says it all, man. two other occupied tables and She my life,” said Arjuna. And Riley and the poet were there in he thought back to college when the ether, invisible and inexo­ there were young girls, pretty rably present. The odor of their and nice, and clean. brands lingered as they did. “I have a wife, and without a “Cops are allowed to stop you life. I wrote four letters to my son or check you out if you’re break­ this week,” said Riley. ing the law. I was walking across They passed Arjuna’s home. the Suspension Bridge from “The poet’s building! Yes, Covington at 4 in the morning. that’s where the Over-the-Rhine I’d been painting then gone for poet lives!” shouted Riley to the a walk. … I had my canvas on street, silent for now except for my shoulder, palette and paint the clicking of the electric traffic box on my arm. I smoked and signal boxes making their me­ walked. From their car window, chanical buzz. they asked what I was doing, Arjuna had not known the old­ and I kept walking. They fol­ er man had a family. “Come home with me,” said lowed me. I kept walking. They Riley. stopped. They asked me to stop. And they walked across Liber­ I said, ‘What for?’ and they said, “Bridge.” Painting and photo by Steven Paul Lansky. ty against the flashing red “Don’t ‘When a police officer asks you Walk” message. Both enjoyed the to stop, you stop.’ I kept walking. dark river of street ribboning away from them in the night. Well, they arrested me.” Through an exterior door that Riley quickly keyed, down an alley, over “What for?” “They searched me, illegally, and found a little weed. But they didn’t a wooden frame, up a creaking stair two flights, breathlessly; on one land­ take me to the station. I argued all the way, and they took me to University ing a round stained glass porthole, for a moment it felt like a ship, wood­ en and creaking with age. Riley’s apartment was warm, brightly lit, light Hospital and put me in Rollman’s in restraints. The doctor there, the fuck­ brown, almost yellow carpet, wood furniture, table and chairs matching ing shrink put me on some medicine.” ladder backs. An orange striped tabby leapt onto the kitchen table chasing He spat the word out with venom. “Navane.” The younger man listened and reasoned with himself. This man was a brown cockroach playfully. “Tea? Toast? I’m making eggs and bacon,” said the artist, flipping on the on the fringe of society. He had not worked at a job in years. The poet had gas stove, opening the 50s-style refrigerator with a heavy clunk. seen the way bartenders treated his friend. No dignity for the welfare art­ “Toast and tea sound OK,” said the poet, trying to decide where to sit. ist. One tender had insisted that the man should get a job. Reading his body language, Riley offered, “Sit where you want … but “He’s a leech on society,” Ned, the tender at Ronald's, had said. think about it.” They had coffee in silence for a moment. He began a sort of lesson for the younger man on body language; and “I take medicine,” said the poet. in the stoned mindset the poet became anxious, felt unwelcome, fear and The poet did not have his ponytail yet. He had dropped out of the uni­ versity after three tries. During the third try he worked at the university as a uncertainty in this man’s home annoyed him vaguely, then more so. He clerk for free tuition. After dropping out, he had quit his job. Unemployed pulled back the chair opposite the icebox, in front of the white kitchen but without welfare, he divided time between the library, research with sink. Above the water taps was a wall mural of bright swirling oranges, yel­ the welfare artist … studying him, walking with him in the wee morning lows, browns; the artist had created abstract paintings right on the walls hours, sucking weed, lounging in bars and coffeehouses. One night they of his apartment. Riley’s lessons were intimidating to Arjuna as he was danced around the novel Children of Light while a copy of it sat on a chair never sure if he was learning or just being put through some agonizing in Ronald's Bar & Grill. Three fiddles, accordion, voices raised to beauty, test. He was reminded of his own father, who had often lectured, but had not been lost in the wildness of creativity like this man. The poet’s father to loving night and hedonism. This was their answer. The poet of Over-the-Rhine spent time writing his novel and learning to had attempted always to analyze and quantify creative work, as if creative use a Macintosh taking the early drafts of A Razor, A House & A Wife—The writing was a science. Arjuna avoided contact with his father. Something Three Hardest Things to Hold, from his first novel and typing them one about elders displaced Arjuna’s confidence and shook him to his core. He modern page at a time. Riley was his contemporary but painfully without distrusted his father deeply. Arjuna imposed his larger, younger body on the room and he felt his recognition. power, his superiority over Riley. At the same time he allowed himself to “When they come to me I’ll already be discovered,” said the welfare art­ become the visitor on a friend’s turf. He struggled with superior and in­ ist. R �STREETVIBES November 15 - 30, 2009 Short Story Riley and the Poet 13 ferior polarity and thought about talking to Riley about it then tucked it but one another. back in his mind to save for the therapist. Talking about the binary nature “Too angry,” said Riley. “You won’t attract any honey with that.” of the unconscious smacked of duality, which the spiritual knowledge Arjuna took a breath and wanted to bark at the older man. from the therapist seemed to undermine. Riley had no car. “I feel pity for the numb fuck who takes the piss,” said Riley. “Some of “Where are your wife and son?” Arjuna asked. these do resemble van Gogh. “The boy’s with his mother and the girl. They live in the deep South.” Why did you stop painting?” He volunteered almost nothing about them. “It’s too painful a process,” Arjuna had run across the bearded man “I’ve been sending him letters about the miracle of the universe. It Arjuna whispered. at each of these monuments on several opens up like a flower and dances down the street.” The older man came over occasions day and night. The poet was Riley’s voice took a singsong drama to it and he moved to and from the and reached a hand to the podrawn to the fountain like a moth to a poet in the kitchen with large gestures. When he grinned, his face was et’s face. His dry touch was un- flame, a convert to a temple, a seeker to huge. welcome. Arjuna pulled away. a guru, or a writer to the page. In Riley’s living room an easel stood in the center. The floor was black “You had better go now,” he with stars painted in different sizes, swirls of color led to the bathroom said loudly. and up the walls. A storage area he had built held 60 or more canvases. “OK, OK,” said Riley. “This is for you.” On the mantle was a black and white rendering of the Probasco fountain He handed Arjuna two joints. Arjuna managed a half smile. Arjuna on Fountain Square. Riley, as it turned out, had painted over 16 differ­ walked Riley to the door, followed him down the two flights of stairs and ent versions of the Probasco fountain, a stately Cincinnati icon on the locked the deadbolt behind the welfare artist. central square, and the beardless Lincoln Back in the apartment the poet lit up statue in Lytle Park standing in front of and quickly inhaled the marijuana. He the Taft Museum. Arjuna had run across felt horny, dizzy and sleepy. He went into the bearded man at each of these monu­ the tiny cramped bathroom to brush his ments on several occasions day and night. teeth. As he ran the cold water over his The poet was drawn to the fountain like a brush, he thought about Riley and shud­ moth to a flame, a convert to a temple, a dered. He wanted a woman, not this man. seeker to a guru, or a writer to the page. He spat the white-green paste into the ba­ The barefoot Riley, his dirty white socks sin. A bit of blood from his gums swelled sitting on gym shoes tucked beneath a in the sink and a very shiny, dark-brown bench, brush in hand, wide thumb held cockroach appeared in the sink. For a mo­ to the sky, measured out Lincoln with a ment Arjuna imagined he bled roaches purpose both haphazard and deliberate. from his gums. “Why are you drawn to the monu­ It was afternoon and breezy, turning ments?” asked the poet. cold. In Piatt Park the leaves were down “They have been here,” said Riley, paus­ on the walk and the green park benches. ing, then walking back from palette box to Pigeons swept away from their feet chuck­ easel. ling. “How long have you been here tonight?” “Funny thing,” said Riley. “Last election asked the spirited poet. day I ate lunch in Hyde Park at a Wool­ “I arrived, sat for awhile. As it came to worth’s lunch counter.” night, I began. I don’t wear a watch. It’s They were walking on Eighth Street to­ been several hours. Art takes time.” ward Mullane’s Café. “You have the head. … What is that on “Cheap laugh, Riley,” Arjuna interrupt­ the hill?” ed. “The monastery in Mt. Adams,” said Ri­ “No, no. Serious,” said Riley. “I was buy­ ley with a rapturous look. ing groceries next door, had borrowed the “His feet are enormous.” “Senor Tane.” Painting and photo by Steven Paul Lansky. neighbor’s car, and I walked into Wool­ Riley stopped painting, rolled a Bugler. worth’s, and there he sat. The shrink. The The poet sat on the bench and pulled a shrink who put me on that gunk.” Camel bullet from the pack, lit both men’s fags off a wooden match, flar­ “Shrink?” asked the poet. ing sulfur odor. The tobacco soothed them. The poet took off his shoes “Fucking shrink I told you about. When they arrested me that night on and socks. The street was quiet, lit with glowing globes. the bridge.” Riley rubbed his well-trimmed beard with his large dry hand, then “Woolworth’s?” touched his yellow sweater. “In a shirt and tie with loafers on. Eating soup.” They were in Arjuna’s apartment looking at his artwork. The papers “Eating soup?” were spread at their feet on the green shag rug. “Yeah, soup.” “Here’s a poem about the drawings,” said the poet. He went to a note­ “Same one?” book and riffled through sheaves of worn pages and began to read: “He didn’t recognize me at first.” “Not at first.” Ashen sky blue faces peer forsaken through “No.” wired glass only ten inches square “I watched him for a minute. Walked up slow, sat down at his elbow. He fixed stolidly in massive steel looked up.” “They searched me, illegally, painted yellow with a cool silvery “He looked up?” brushed “From his big wide bowl of steaming hot soup.” and found a little weed. But aluminum handle on the outside. “Could have been gazpacho.” they didn’t take me to the “Hot soup.” station. I argued all the way, Piss in a cold steel vessel “Oh.” and they took me to University and hand it angrily to a steely­ “Then he went back to eating soup.” Hospital and put me in eyed psychiatric technician “Did he speak?” Rollman’s in restraints.” or nurse over a narrow space of “No.” open door when the quiet room “Eating soup?” bed is changed, quickly Riley looked over. He stopped at the curb. They crossed Race Street. antiseptic and lonely Mullane’s was empty and they sat at the corner table. Riley tipped a handThis is where my artwork rolled jacket out of his tobacco wrap. The vinyl table-top was dirty. flowered with beige, gray, black, white, “So?” asked Arjuna. then titanium white, cobalt blue, lavender, Riley flared a wooden match and a bit of tobacco flamed, dropped to and all the myriad colors within me; ash on the table. The busser came over, left a tin ashtray, cleared, then artist’s crayons, watercolors, wiped the table. brushed dipped heavily in leftover coffee “What’ll it be?” asked the busser. from the breakfast tray because coffee “Coffee,” said Riley. in here only stirs me up. “Same,” said Arjuna. “Cream?” I become Vincent van Gogh for several “Yes.” days and shout at any footsteps I Before the coffee was served, the older man leaned over, mouth to the hear. I was gone for a very long time. poet’s ear. Look at my product. “I put one hand on the back of his head and before he could jerk his head I pushed his face bang into the bowl. Then I said, ‘Don’t ever do that Arjuna finished reading, paused in the middle of the room, under the again.’ He was sputtering.” bright incandescent lights. At 2:30 in the morning they disturbed no one �14 Annual Dinner STREETVIBES November 15 - 30, 2009 �STREETVIBES November 15 - 30, 2009 15 Resources Need Help or Want to Help? Shelter: Women and Children Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 Central Access Point Cincinnati Union Bethel 381-SAFE 768-6907 300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Bethany House 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224 Salvation Army 557-2873 681-2365 FreeStore/FoodBank 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 241-1064 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 3600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 St. Vincent de Paul 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Treatment: Men 872-9259 Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 City Gospel Mission 721-0643 921-1613 DIC Live In Program Prospect House 241-5525 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 Starting Over 1419 Elm Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 961-2256 Justice Watch 241-0490 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 Treatment: Women Mt. Airy Shelter First Step Home 961-4663 961-4080 761-1480 Drop Inn Center 721-0643 Joseph House (Veterans) 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 351-0422 381-6672 241-2965 471-1100 221-3350 Hamilton County ADAS Board Recovery Health Access Center Sober Living Talbert House 721-4580 632-7149 381-1171 114 W. 14th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 27 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Tom Geiger House Dana Transitional Bridge Services Volunteers of America 721-8666 961-4555 751-0643 381-1954 Food/Clothing Lord’s Pantry OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 621-5300 961-1983 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 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 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 Health OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Our Daily Bread 381-0111 771-4800 751-0600 721-4811 351-7921 631-1114 211 977-5541 People Working Cooperatively The Caring Place United Way Women Helping Women 946-4888 281-7422 681-0324 641-4300 Housing: Tender Mercies 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 3330 Jefferson, Cinti, Ohio 45220 CMHA Excel Development OTR Community Housing 621-5514 1223 Main St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) Interfaith Hospitality Network Lighthouse Youth Center (Youth) 241-2600 241-2563 1308 Race St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Goodwill industries Healing Connections Mary Magdalen House Treatment: Both AA Hotline CCAT 217 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Center Independent Living Options Emmanuel Community Center Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 661-4620 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237 Other Resources 214 E. 14th St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Shelter: Both 2728 Glendora Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45209 458-6670 977-4489 NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach Peaslee Neighborhood Center 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Anthony House (Youth) 558-8888 981-5800 Mental Health Access Point Mercy Franciscan at St. John 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 762-5660 Shelter: Men 357-4602 352-2902 352-6363 Health Resource Center Homeless Mobile Health Van McMicken Dental Clinic 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45202 562-8841 131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 381-2247 Crossroad Health Center 621-6364 863-3184 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry 859-491-8303 Brighton Center 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 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 Center for Respite Care 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 535-2719 859-491-3335 859-559-5011 859-572-6226 Women’s Crisis Center VA Domiciliary VA Homeless Poetry Corner J.O.B. I Am I Am By anonymouS By thomaS harriS By d. Have you ever heard of J.O.B.? Boy he’s hard to for me to see Every time I go where he’s supposed to be He’s always gone just ahead of me I thought I was being smart and catching him at lunch So I went to Frisch’s on a hunch But it was just like before By the time I got off the bus he was out the door Some people say he left town I don’t believe that he’s somewhere around I feel like I am on the right track I know he feels me breathing down his back So don’t be surprised if you see me And I found J.O.B. It might be hard because he moves fast But sooner or later I’ll catch his ass. I am forgiven To be a part of Those that are Forgiven and Loved Because God is Good and He has The power to forgive Let Him judge I am forgiven And I believe there Is a place in heaven For those who forgive And are forgiven Because heaven is Made of love and forgiveness I am forgiven Because I’ve built My foundation upon my Rock Who God is, not Mankind I am mankind Mankind can be forgiven I believe mankind is Not a Rock that I Believe I believe that mankind must be forgiven I am forgiven Because I believe God made me Good but I haven’t Always been good But I want to be. Forgive me my wrongs I am forgiven I am a son Of the Forgiver Who we must be strong in our belief I am Forgiven I am determined and special I wonder what is my purpose I hear the thunder from my storm I see also the rainbow I want to know my ending I am determined and special I pretend not to be worried I feel like a cloud I touch like the wind I worry about my past calling up I cry about my situation I am determined and special I understand that chances are gifts I say live life to the fullest I dream about my past I try to be my best I hope to make a difference I am determined and special �16 Column STREETVIBES November 15 - 30, 2009 Kymber Henson:The Art of Rescue Gives voice and hope to abused children “I count my blessings every day because I am an artist”, says Kymber Henson. “I was given the ability and the will to create and express myself. Art is an intimate part of my life, essential for my well-being. It is like air; it helps me breathe, expand my lungs; also exhale and get the bad things out.” Henson, a Cincinnati artist, knew from an early age that she was good at drawing and that she wanted to be an artist; she also knew that she wanted to help people. She graduated from Edgecliff College with a major in fine arts and a minor in sociology, worked as a waitress for a while, then started her own business creating handmade clothing. Her clothes were initially fashion and designoriented, later edgier incorporating painting. In 1999 she made a jacket that proved to mean more than just esthetics. It had painted scenes from nightmares she had as a kid, including skulls, devils, snakes, scary and desolate images. It made her realize that subconsciously she was moving to a place where she had more to say. As a child, Henson had lived with abuse that she had silenced all along but also had known not to be right. Her childhood events were simmering, incubating inside her, and fi­ nally were getting out. Her art from there on became self-expres­ sion, cathartic, also geared to help others. In her artwork Henson always seeks a strong esthetic quality. Beauty is her way to draw viewers in, to get them closer to no­ tice the thought-provoking and somewhat sinister content of her themes. When she discovered batik painting on egg shells, she used the technique to create an attractive but also a frag­ mented world that often included – at first glance hidden – words reflect­ ing her concerns, feelings as and emotions. Her pieces deceive by their beauty, heavy in meaning and By Saad GhoSn messages when scrutiContributing WritEr nized. Usually triggered by an issue or a problem she has, they often end up taking a universal, larger than personal, quality. I Surrender, for instance, a 3D construction piece, started from a personal situation in which she felt no recourse and having to give up. The completed piece, however, identified easily with a large proportion of individuals who, during the Bush administra- A rtists ctivists “I Surrender” by Kymber Henson. Photo by Saad Ghosn. Kymber Henson. Photo by Saad Ghosn. tion, did not stand a chance and were helpless, powerless and mar­ ginalized. The piece consists of a naked child covered with fragmented white egg shells, implying innocence and vulnerability. The child holds in its hand a flag made of colored broken eggshells display­ ing the words, “I surrender”, and stands inside a box carpeted with batiked egg shells with the same words written everywhere, under­ lining entrapment and the inability to escape. Henson outlined the box with a soft green fabric trim, creating the feeling of a theatri­ cal stage, thus alluding to the then prevailing oppressive social and political conditions. Loving Arms Lift Me Up, another piece made using eggshells, depicts a standing little girl, her arms up, waiting for good people to lift her up and save her. It was triggered by Henson’s personal experience and her feeling of abandonment, but also by the hope she wanted to communicate not only to the abused children of the world but to all individuals who are trodden upon because of pov­ erty, racism, prejudice or politics. The theme of child abuse recurs often in Henson’s work. “I want to raise awareness about it” she says, “but also give hope that, despite all the bad, there is always light and good at the end; otherwise one cannot live on.” On one occasion she received a gift box with a Plexiglas lid; it served as a metaphor for all she was keeping inside her and that needed to get out. It opened new horizons and gave her energy and courage to connect more directly to her problems, to her sense of loss and isolation, and to reach a hopeful closure. She bought eight additional boxes, used each of them to tell a particular story from her past events and closed with the last one on a happy note. It was her personal statement but also her reaching out to others who might be dealing with similar issues. Henson’s art is also a reflection of her life with its happy and tormented moments. Using batiked eggs that she painted one a day, she created, for instance, a complete 12-month calendar. The painted images became her journal, telling the stories of moments that touched her, of unexpected events she encountered, of reflec­ tive and meditative connections she established with herself. Getting once very angry at someone she loved, she painted on canvas a series of birds, linking each to a feeling she had. In ad­ dition, she painted each bird on an egg that she encaged and dis­ played next to the canvas; it was her way to neutralize her own negative feelings, to get rid of them. Social issues have always interested Henson. The best of her is usually drawn out by people she meets who are kind, generous, compassionate and who view the world in an equal and inclusive way. They resonate with her and incite her to actively perpetuate their values through what she does. She then volunteers her time for various causes, working on social, political and environmental campaigns, hoping to make a difference. These concerns and be­ liefs usually find their way into her art. Art allows Henson to get in touch with herself, also to make a statement about who she is and what she believes in. It is also her means to reach out to others, to provide the light and the hope that might be needed on certain darkened days. “Art is my rescue,” she says. “I do not want it, however, to end with me. I hope it can also serve as a rescue to others.” Artists as Activists is a regular column highlighting Greater Cincinnati artists who use art as a vehicle for change. Saad Ghosn is the founder of SOS Art. Ghosn can be contacted at saad.ghosn@uc.edu. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2009 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource November 15-30, 2009 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Metropole Tenants Tell 3CDC: Hell No, We Won’t Go Women Have the Right to Safety Pg 2: The Vibe Pg 3: The Politics of Punishment Pg 4: Metropole: Hell No, We Won’t Go Continued Pg 5: Metropole: Hell No, We Won’t Go Continued Pg 6: Women Have the Right to Safety Pg 7: Bengals Are for Real This Time Pg 8: Men Fight, and the Women Suffer Pg 9: Race Can Be a Big Hairy Deal Pg 10: After the Health Insurance Bill? Pg 11: Capital Punishment: A race Issue Pg 12: Riley and the Poet Pg 13: Riley and the Poet Pg 14: Annual Dinner Pg 15: Resources Pg 16: Kymber Henson: The Art of Rescue Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource November 15-30, 2009 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gregory Flannery Lynne Ausman Jeni Jenkins Lew Moores Samantha Groark Margo Pierce Paul Kopp Jeremy Flannery Michael Henson David Heitfield Kelissa Hieber Dan Rozier Stephanie Dunlap Saad Ghosn Keara Anita Mullen Ariana Shahandeh Larry Gross Steven Paul Lansky Aimie Willhoite Jeni Jenkins Anthony Williams Bill Haigh, larissa Peppers Jennifer Blalock Lynn Baker Jeremey Flannery Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF 3CDC Activists Aimie Willhoite Annual Dinner Anthony Williams Ariana Shahandeh Bengals Bill Haigh Chris Rock Dan Rozier David Heitfield Death Penalty Gregory Flannery Health Insurance Bill Humana immigration Jeni Jenkins Jennifer Blalock Jeremey Flannery Jeremy Flannery Keara Anita Mullen Kelissa Hieber Kymber Henson larissa Peppers Larry Gross Lew Moores Lynn Baker Lynne Ausman Margo Pierce Metropole Michael Henson Paul Kopp politics Race reform Saad Ghosn Samantha Groark Stephanie Dunlap Steven Paul Lansky War https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/2f980a5d8a31c7d763a20a53b7e5ace0.pdf 8075af9bb0db578a7484ed223bab52e8 PDF Text Text N o v e m b e r 1 6 t h - N o v e m b e r 3 0 t h 2 0 1 8 | Vo l . 2 1 I s s u e 2 1 ( N o . 3 9 4 ) 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. In Politics: Morgan Mitchell The Treatment of Political Organizers by the Democratic Party Contributing Writer M any people dream of making a difference with their lives. In America, we are told that the best way to make a difference and create change is to enter politics. Politicians build platforms on creating change and promise to do so, but only if they get elected first! That’s where political organizers come in. Political organizers are usually in their twenties, fresh out of college and eager to pursue their dream of making a difference. They’re the ones knocking on doors, calling voters, registering people to vote, texting voters, and recruiting volunteers to help. This is the dirty work that isn’t normally talked about when discussing the glitz and glamour of working in politics. Yet it is arguably the most crucial work, without political organizers (or campaign workers if they are working for a specific candidate) these candidates and political parties wouldn’t have any momentum. Un f o r t u n a t e l y, political organizers are exploited for their labor, especially by the party that claims to have the working class’ best interest in mind: Democrats. Political organizers for progressive nonprofits and campaign workers for Democratic candidates often work 9am-12am, seven days a week. They are not paid overtime, are very rarely given benefits, rarely make a living wage, are not allowed to take days off, are given weekly or daily quotas that are nearly impossible to meet, and more often than not are fire-at-will employees (meaning they can be fired at any moment with no warning and without explanation) Many organizers aren’t even aware that their horrific working conditions are exploitation because campaign managers and non-profit state directors know what language to use to gaslight and blind political organizers to their exploitation.. Continued on page 9 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 | 13 �2 COALITION N o v 16 2 - -NNov. o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Nov. 30,2 02018 394 From The Director: Why Is My Head Wet? I f you flip off the lights in a room, walk through the room and run into a pole, do you ask what happened? Probably not, because you know what happened. If you do the same thing the next day, do you ask what happened that time? Nope. If you fill a glass with water and then dump it on your head, do you ask why you are wet? What about if you turn a stove burner on and hold your hand on it, do you wonder why your hand hurts? If you dump a bucket of dirt on someone else, do you ask them why they are so dirty? No, probably not. Outside of mental health decompensation, none of this makes any sense. You don’t ask why these things are happening because you already know the answer, and you know how to prevent them from happening again. If you heard a weather report which called for rain and you left the windows of your car (if you have one) open and later came out to find a soaked seat, would you try to figure out how your seat got wet? Would you call your friends together to study how rain gets from outside a car to inside a car and on a seat? Would you re-listen to the weather report and try to figure out how better to understand what the report meant? No, you would express frustration at having left the window open, especially when you knew rain was predicted, you would try to dry your seat and commit to not leaving the window open again. If you park that same car, get out to walk into the office and someone hollers at you that your left your lights on, likely you would say thanks and then turn around and turn your lights off. Why? Because JOSH SPRING Executive Director Josh Spring Credit: Homeless Coalition you know if you leave them on it is likely your battery will lose power and your won’t be able to start your car when you return. You don’t wait for proof that this will happen because logic dictates it will, you don’t want to risk it and likely past experience tells you choosing to not put in the effort to walk back and turn off the lights will result in more problems in the future. So why when it comes to much more important decisions do we very often chose to not follow basic common sense? As a society, city and county we invest millions of dollars in luxury housing, give tax abatements to companies that displace people from their homes, allow landlords to evict without just cause, don’t require companies pay a living wage, subsidize tourist bars and shops that drive out neighborhood-serving businesses and applaud the removal of people with lower incomes from neighborhoods as revitalization and then act surprised when housing instability and homelessness increase. We enact policies that support the depletion of affordable housing and then say we are not sure why we have homelessness to the extent we do and so we must study the problem more and then perhaps temporarily pilot possible solutions. Maybe we don’t yet have the right people in the room to figure out what is going on or maybe there is some best practice model we haven’t considered. Give me a break. If you have a house and you invite your friends over to be entertained by shooting off fireworks in the living room and your house catches fire and you and your friends stand outside watching, debating how best to use the garden hose to decrease the fire when you should be calling the fire department and your house burns down, again outside of some extreme circumstances, you don’t get to say you didn’t know what to do. If you get a new house and this time you only use small fireworks inside, you don’t get congratulated for improving. You don’t get to call people in to do a study to try to figure out how to prevent fires in your home, because the answer is always going to be that you must stop the activity that is causing the fires in the first place. These are all just little analogies, but what if people are trapped in the house and can’t get out of the fire? In 2017, in Hamilton County, least 137 people suffering from the effects of homelessness died. Contributing Writer R esidents of Alms Hill Apartments enjoyed a Halloween Celebration put on by the Alms Residents’ Association on Monday, October 29th. The Alms Hill Apartments contains 200 units of HUD subsidized apartments that have been at risk of closure multiple times in the last 5 years. Residents have worked hard and partnered with the Cincinnati Homeless Coalition and Legal Aid Society to combat slumlords and HUD to keep their homes open and affordable. 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: Gabriela Godinez Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Sallie Mascus Layout: Key Beck Reception: Bonita Batton, Larry Johnson Maintenance: Pete Roper ------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Alms Hill Residents Celebrate DAULTON KING 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. The Alms Halloween Celebration proved to be a timely event, not just because of the 31st around the corner, but because on Tuesday, October 30th new ownership took over the Alms. The new owners, Related Affordable, have promised to keep the building well-maintained and affordable while completing millions of dollars in renovations for the residents. Kimetta Ann Carter, Public Relations and Advocate for The Alms Residents’ Association expressed “We happily welcome Related Affordable. We anticipate great results and appreciate them stepping up to the plate”. Residents have been long fighting for this sustainable solution to their housing insecurity. Stephanie Moes from Legal Aid society shared “The residents have fought hard to preserve and improve housing at the Alms and Avondale properties for the last three years. With Related acquiring the properties, we hope that they will finally have an owner ready to join them in their efforts to make these properties premier affordable housing in our community.” The Alms Residents’ Association, Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati, and The Cincinnati Homeless Coalition are all optimistic regarding the future of the Alms. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Josh Spring, Brian Taylor, Morgan Mitchel, Daulton King, Micheal Earl Patton, Patricia Patton, Allie Graff, Bill Woods, Trenton Davis, Cleo Wombles, Willa Jones, Sabrina Amos, Dr. Mark Mussman, Vicky Warfield ------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: Homeless Coalition, Wikipedia (Fair Use), Morgan Mitchell, Gabriela Godinez ---------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �No. 39 Nov 230, - N2018 o v 19, 2 0 18 Nov. 163-|Nov. | No. 394 3 COALITION Underreported: Out of the Shadows DR. MARK MUSSMAN Contributing Writer O Homelessness is not just people sleeping on the street or in a shelter. When two families are living together due to economic necessity, it is called being “doubled-up,” which is a form of homelessness. People living in their cars are experiencing homelessness. People who are couch-surfing, going from place to place, or just staying in the same place, are also experiencing homelessness. If you don’t have food on the table and parental guidance, that’s called being “homeless at home,” which affects a great deal of school-aged children in our city. These are just some of the underreported types of homelessness that greatly affect our city today, whether it be concealed or in plain sight. If your family is not on the lease, you are experiencing homelessness. Doubling-up is a common tactic that is used, generally within families, to help keep people off of the streets and out of shelters. Typically, doubling-up allows one family to bring in another while Shelter beds, like these in Northern Kentucky, remain full year round. Photo Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman they try to work on their independence. In time, doubled-up families may face pressure from landlords, family members, school systems, and others to move out of the property. The family on the lease may decide they have had enough, and the other family is once again looking for options. Doubling-up isn’t seen as a solution to homelessness because of the tenuous nature of the relationships that ensure stability. After the new anti-homelessness laws were created this summer, people living in a car risk criminal charges in Hamilton County. Anyone who is found creating a “domicile” on public land is at risk for arrest. This may put pressure on PATH team members who are tasked with verifying the location of someone who is sleeping in their vehicle. The PATH team must see an individual or family sleeping outside, or in a vehicle, to grant them a homelessness certificate. This certificate grants them access to different services, including housing (when available), and is seen as the first step to getting off of the street. Strategies are developed when living in a vehicle, such as showering at the YMCA or the Mary Magdalen House, spending time at the Library to warm up, and trying to use the vehicle to make money through odd jobs. A couple of years ago, I wrote an article about a man who lost his foot to frostbite after sleeping in his car during the winter. Couch-surfing is something that is relatively common among college-aged young adults, but people of all ages are forced into this category of homelessness. When someone has no place of their own, they often find refuge in the homes of their family or friends. Couch-surfers may try to give back by doing chores around the house, or keeping things cleaned up. There tends to be a time-limit to couch-surfing because people want their own space back or there are issues with the building management. Couch-surfers may lose their place on the couch when they are perceived as having nothing to give back for their presence. It is possible that someone may only couch-surf for a few days, but it probably would last a few months or more because securing stable housing is very difficult and time consuming. When someone has a roof over their head, but no food on the table, or parents working all hours of the night, they are and they are battling homelessness in one form or another. When we do the PIT Count in January, we are compiling data from shelters, supportive housing, and other institutions to create a number to represent the people who are experiencing homelessness in our city, county, state, Tents near the Casino only represent a small number of people experiencing homelessness. Photo Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman experiencing a type of homelessness. When they are sleeping on a couch or on the floor, this is another form of homelessness: homeless at home. When you understand that there is no place in the United States where someone who is making minimum wage can afford a two bedroom apartment, you realize that the children are sleeping on the couch and the on the floor. They don’t share dinners together, and often the only meal they receive is the one they get at school. Homeless at home is a place where hunger and homelessness meet, and where many of our youth are located in Cincinnati. More than 75% of African-American children in Cincinnati live below the poverty line due to pervasive racism, which means that most of them go without the food they need and nation. We also join in teams to physically find and count people who are sleeping on the street, in doorways, under bridges, in woods, etc. These numbers go to the federal government to determine how much funding is needed to address the problem. Although we spend many hours on this endeavor, we only count people in 3 of Cincinnati’s 52 neighborhoods. People who are doubledup, couch-surfing, homeless at home, or living in their cars are almost completely left out of this count. The limitations of this one-night count are endless, even though we strive to include as many people as possible. Hopefully, this will make you cautious about any statistic you read about homelessness, and you now why people are under-counted when we are examining homelessness. Cincinnati “Solves” Homeless Crisis by Hiding it ROBERT BROWN Contributing Writer W hen the city issued the initial 72-hour eviction notice to the homeless encampment at 3rd St. and Plum St., I imagined it was due to embarrassment if not abject shame. “Welcome to Cincinnati, here are our citizens”. How can people be evicted from nowhere? The city’s compromise only provided a five-day reprieve, a few more trashcans and a couple of Portalets. When that encampment was relocated, the primary achievement was reclaiming tail-gating real estate for Bengals fans, many of whom break all the city’s open container laws and get drunk and disorderly in public – all with impunity. What’s more, the inference has been advanced that the “campers” refused to go to perfectly good shelter spaces, when in fact they are largely overcrowded, under-resourced. Shelters are life-sized petri dishes for the cultivation of diseases, including but not limited to hepatitis A, B and C, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, lice, scabies and bed bugs. One might argue that the public crisis we are witnessing is positive in that it elevates the conversation we should be having. Prior to engaging in the dialogue, we must dispel the stereotypes often attached to people experiencing homelessness and other marginalized populations. When I engaged the people in the 3rd Street encampment, now dubbed the Colony, I was struck by the sheer strength of their community. They appear to care for and about one another, protect one another, provide for one another and defend their rules and standards. They have literally saved the lives of community members through Narcan interventions and have successfully persuaded others to enter rehabilitation programs. Other Cincinnati neighborhoods would welcome such a strong sense of community. Surely amongst those experiencing homelessness there are substance abusers, people with mental/behavioral health issues, even lazy THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED people, but arguably, the numbers are proportional to the general population. The simple fact is that Hamilton County is short about 40,000 housing units. What people experiencing homelessness need is permanent, affordable, supportive housing along with appropriate job training, behavioral health counselling and other resources. We appear to be disinclined to invest in this actual and affirmative solution, but are willing to devote resources to projects and endeavors that will actually exacerbate the problem. There is shame in this spectacle and even more apathy. �4 COALITION THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED N o v 216 - N v 19,30, 2 02018 18 | N| oNo. . 393 Nov. - oNov. 394 �No. 39 ov 2 30, - N o2018 v 19, | 2 0 18394 Nov. 163 -| N Nov. No. LOCAL 5 Attendees discuss healing, solidarity and action in wake of anti-Jewish killings in Pittsburgh BRIAN TAYLOR Contributing Writer C ongregation Beth Adam, in collaboration with the Jewish Community Relations Council, held a special event November 4 to commemorate the lives of 11 people killed October 27, in an anti-Semitic attack on Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Synagogue in Pittsburgh, program focussed on handling grief and sadness, helping others in pain and changing the world for the better. They also made butterflies intended to be sent to congregants at Tree of Life. Robert Barr, founding Rabbi at Beth Adam, moderated the event and gave opening remarks to the gathering. “The world is reeling from the murder of 11 innocents in Pittsburgh simply because they were Jewish.” He noted that in Judy and Bob Danenberg address November 4 gathering at Congregation Beth Adam synagogue. Photo Credit: Sam Cooper Pennsylvania. The meeting -- preceded two days earlier by a special service that drew hundreds -- was attended by 150 people from various religious and ethnic communities throughout the city. Dozens of children of the Beth Adam congregation greeted participants before leaving to attend a separate addition to his tie with Tree of Life as a rabbi, he had a very personal connection as part of his family lives in Pittsburgh and specifically attend the embattled synagogue located in Squirrel Hill. After seeing a video presentation coming out o the massacre, he reached out to Tree of Life congregants, Bob and Judy Danenberg to see if he could replay the video to his congregation. They agreed but also volunteered to travel into town to participate in the November 4 event. Bob Danenberg, a Tree of Life member for 35 years, explained that 15,000 people — 30% of Pittsburgh’s Jewish population — reside in Squirrel Hill. He described the thriving community and the close-knit connections of families in the area. “This is of the worst attacks in the history of the Republic…. The shooter had an AR 15 assault rifle and 3 Gloc 57 handguns. He used all of them during the attack and he had a shotgun in the car.” “Many of the bodies,” Danenberg added, “were not immediately identifiable” after the shootings. According to the Jewish Chronicle, the alleged shooter, Robert Bowers (46), posted threats against Jews and immigrants on social media prior to the attack. Judy Danenberg began by reading off the names of those killed. They included: Joyce Fienberg (75), Richard Gottfried (65), Rose Mallinger (97), Jerry Rabinowitz (69), Cecil Rosenthal (59), David Rosenthal (54), Bernice Simon (84), Sylvan Simon (86), Daniel Stein (71), Melvin Wax (87), and Irving Younger (69). She told a story about each of them, highlighting who they were and their contributions to synagogue and to her, personally. She also made mention and honored the 6 people injured during the attack, including 2 congregants and 4 police officers. “The JCC (Jewish Community Center) has become a place to mourn the massacre,” she noted as she described how the incident has lead many from the community to pull together and rejoin the synagogue and the three congregations it houses. Danenberg ended her remarks in a spirited proclamation that “Through all of this WE — people of all walks — will become stronger, tighter than we have ever been.” “This is a wake up call,” Bob Danenberg said. “This can’t be sugar coated. We think it can’t happen to us. It can.” “What do we do now?” he asked. “We can’t let hatred dominate. We have to take measurable and lawful actions to counteract hatred and anti-Semitism. Take some form of action today!” he ended. Beth Adam organized an open discussion period, in which people present raised questions about self defense and preparedness, discussed the current political and social climate as related to anti-Semitism, and talked about the links between this attack and other attacks against Black people and immigrants. Several asked questions about the efforts to repair the synagogue. Messages of solidarity came from Hindu and Muslim individuals as well as antipolice brutality activists. “This has been a week of profound darkness,” Brian Jaffe of the Jewish Foundation, told the meeting. But he reflected on the broad international solidarity that continues to come in and pointed out that “nearly every synagogue and Jewish community in the country experienced an underestimation of support.” “Take what you’ve heard, take what you’ve learned today and turn it into action,” urged Robert Barr in closing the event. NRA and Mass Shootings PATRICIA PATTON I Contributing Writer f you have ever shivered at the grim escalation of mass murders across America, you are not alone. According a CNN report, there have been mass killings in the United States dating back to 1966 to the most recent in 2018. From Las Vegas to Connecticut to Virginia, trying to make sense of these senseless acts seems futile. As I attempt to make sense of this ever-growing ludicrous behavior, carried out by seemingly average looking citizens who in effect have mastered the art of blending their presence inside the masses to commit these crimes, I am filled with more hopelessness than resolve. The culprit is the NRA. Perhaps if we attempt to understand the origin of this organization, we can find a course that would lead to finally unraveling the mounting existence of these unwelcome tragedies that we continue to witness. How did this organization become so powerful? How and in what ways did its influence reportedly lead to so much devastation? According to the online publication “How the NRA Works,” the organization began way back during World War II when its humble beginnings were formed to promote and encourage rifle shooting. The organization continued to grow, and reportedly at one time offered more than 7000 firearms to Great Britain to use as a tool of defense against the German invasion. The NRA website today boasts nearly 5 million members who advocate and support 2nd amendment rights. Its members and advocates exist in places you wouldn’t expect. For example, this same website’s list of affiliates and support is daunting, and its presence is felt in unimagined established institutions such as schools, banks, and traditional media. According to the Business Insider, the NRA provides special offers and discounts to high profile businesses such as FedEx, Hertz, and Apple. In addition, the high school where 17 students were killed last month reportedly supported the killer through a school program, which had its genesis in the NRA. The program was designed to teach students shooting skills. Reportedly, the organization continues to provide money to various schools for ROTC training in Florida and other states THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED throughout the U.S. The NRA provides a substantial amount of political contributions to a number of well-known politicians such as Marco Rubio, Mitch McConnell, and Ohio’s Rob Portman, to name a few. Who would have thought that such trusted people and institutions would be indirectly behind this organization that has been relentless in its efforts to maintain power and secure wealth at all costs? Who would have known that the previous efforts to stop gun sales by increasing background checks would repeatedly be ignored in lieu of the goal to increase wealth and maintain power? An organization with such humble beginnings has grown as to influence the world. �6 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED N o v 216 - N v 19,30, 2 02018 18 | N| oNo. . 393 Nov. - oNov. 394 �No. 39 3 |- N ov 2 -30, N o2018 v 19, |2No. 0 18394 Nov. 16 Nov. 7 LOCAL Post-Kavanaugh Is No Different Than Pre-Kavanaugh ALLIE GRAFF Contributing Writer L **Trigger Warning: rape, racism** iberals are up in arms about Brett Kavanaugh’s appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States. According to some, Kavanaugh’s confirmation was a death knell to a decent, respectable institution. Personally, I believe he is a racist and a rapist who deserves only abhorrence. Looking at the facts, it’s clear the Supreme Court has never been decent or respectable. A comrade of mine, the venerable Senay Kenfe, said, “I can easily compile a list of Supreme Court Justices who sat on the court, that your ancestors didn’t march and protest against, that passed down decision after decision that took rights after rights from the rest of us.” Some examples given by Kenfe: 1876, United States v. Reese, the constitutional right to allow disenfranchisement of black people and poor people of all skin colors; 1896, Plessy v. Ferguson, federal legalization of racial segregation; 1903, Lone Wolf v. Hitchcock, the U.S. government has the constitutional right to break all treaties with indigenous peoples. October 9th 2018 the Supreme Court decided they would not hear the case Brakebill v. Jaeger. This means that possibly tens of thousands of indigenous people who live in the area the United States recognizes as North Dakota will have trouble voting or be entirely disenfranchised from voting. A recent North Dakota state law required voters to have identification with a residential street address. A good deal of indigenous people in the state do not have a street mailing address and are only listed at a P.O. Box, the address of which appears on any state-issued identification. The indigenous voters, after fighting the law in the lower courts, brought it all the way to the Supreme Court. And they were turned down. They will not get the opportunity to overturn the unjust law before November 6th 2018. Though Brett Kavanaugh did not preside over or influence this decision, he and the other justices still have power to create problems. Roe V. Wade might be overturned in the near future. If Roe v. Wade is overturned and I need an abortion then the chances I will die will skyrocket. There is a very real risk of the court overturning this ruling. Is this any more egregious than the previous 229 years worth of treacherous mandates passed down by this body? The Supreme Court with Kavanaugh will not be good for us because the Supreme Court has never been good for us. Author’s Note: The author has zero faith in voting in electoral politics (especially not for any capitalists) but strongly believes in everyone’s right to vote. The New Soccer Stadium in the West End Michael Earl Patton I Contributing Writer t looks like construction of the FC Stadium in the West End will begin soon. It will be built on the site of the current Stargel Stadium and some nearby properties. The basic concept has been released and can be found on the FCC website. It will be a modernistic design, about 120 feet tall, brightly lit, and with a canopy covering most seats. I went to the October 16 meeting at the Carl H. Lindner Family WMCA in the West End to listen to the presentation by FC Cincinnati and learn more. I want to outline here some aspects of the stadium that have received little, if any, attention from the regular media. As I had noted in an earlier article, the size of the stadium does require Cincinnati to vacate a couple blocks of Central Avenue. Not the betterknown Central Parkway, which it partly parallels, but still a significant street in its own right. Residents and commuters will have to find a different way. I myself use it occasionally. At the meeting the prediction was that the legislation would be in “2 or 3 weeks,” but as I write this I have not seen anything official. The public streets in the area needed for the new stadium, including a portion of Central Avenue, will be taken up. The deconstruction of the streets will form one of the bid packages for quotes. All work is being broken up into smaller chunks to facilitate bidding by smaller and minority contractors rather than have only “mega” contractors do the work. Demolition of the vacated streets will form one of the bid packages. The buildings to be torn down will be “cleaned up” first. This means that hazardous materials such as asbestos and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls, which are environmentally toxic compounds and probable human carcinogens that were formerly widely used) will be removed. The stadium will be built adjacent to a residential area. Yes, there is a high school stadium there now, but this will be much, much bigger and taller – about 120 feet tall. I do not know of any privacy fence that could do anything worthwhile. On the other hand, the new Stargel Stadium will be built in a residential area on vacant land had been slated for further residential housing. People who bought houses there expected to live adjacent to other houses, not a high school stadium. Utilities are now being moved. There is a water main 42 inches in diameter that currently runs under Stargel Stadium. It will be moved, probably to under Ezzard Charles. It is a redundant line in that other water mains can handle its water on a temporary basis. It will be shut off, moved, and restarted. When I asked how much of all this was being paid for by the city (i.e., the taxpayers), no one present had an answer. Jeffrey Berding, who probably did know the answer, had already left the meeting. Copies of the Community Benefits Agreement, which was signed by Jeffrey Berding of FC Cincinnati, was available at the end of the meeting. Among other things the agreement states that FCC’s full time hourly employees will be paid at least $15 per hour. No mention, however, is made of what its part-time employees will be paid. This is important because many stadium workers will be part time as they will primarily be needed on game days. There is very little that is mentioned about the parking situation. There might be a permit program enacted but details are unclear except that any plan depends upon a majority vote of the West End Community Council. As for parking during events at the stadium, FC Cincinnati commits to work with a working group of community representatives to develop a strategy. While it is nice that they commit to work with the neighborhood, it appears that FCC does not yet have a strategy to provide the several thousands of needed parking places, nor is it clear what that strategy would be. There will be monthly reports to the Port Authority, so there will be more details in the future. MEP Height of Proposed Soccer Stadium along John Street THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �FEATURE 8 N o v 216 - -NNov. o v 19, 2 02018 18 | N o . 393 Nov. 30, | No. 394 The Dark Side of Justice: Dred Scott v. Citizens United TRENTON DAVIS Contributing Writer I n 1839, a man and his wife traveled down the Mississippi River towards Louisiana. He and his wife had been married for about three years and were traveling over a thousand miles from the Wisconsin Territory to Louisiana. He, a thirty-nine-year-old Black man, was likely unaware of how this trip would change his life. And change the course of American History. Before the trip, Dred Scott lived in Wisconsin and Illinois: free states where slavery was prohibited. After living in free territories for eight years, in 1847, Mr. Scott found himself in a Missouri court, suing for his freedom. Three years after that, in 1850, a court ruled that Dred Scott and his family were free. Then, in 1852 and 1854, the decision was overturned, and the courts subsequently upheld the decision that Dred Scott was not free. In a final appeal to “Justice”, Dred Scott appealed to the Supreme Court. The majority opinion was read in March of 1857. Dred Scott, as well as all Black people in America, had no rights in federal court. Blacks were told that they were the property of people. 157 years later, in January of 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations deserve the same rights that were denied to Dred Scott. It took until 1868 for the 14th Amendment to guarantee that no “State [may]… deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” That was 249 years after the first slave arrived; and yet, equality under the law was still not guaranteed. In 2008, a conservative media group created a documentary called Hillary: The Movie. Because of its proximity to a primary election, a concurrent US law called the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act would have forced Citizen’s United to disclose the names of funders and identification of sponsors. The corporation sued for its right to the freedom of speech. And in 2010, corporations were not told they deserved less than equal rights in federal court. Corporations were not told that they were the property of people. Rather, the Citizen’s United vs. FEC decision said that “All men [and corporations] are created equal”. The first corporations in the US arrived around the time of the Revolution- sometime in the 1770s. However, the first major corporation, Boston Manufacturing Co. was formed in 1813. Depending on which date you choose to acknowledge, the modern corporation waited between 197 and 240 years for its freedom. Now, we are here. Almost 400 years after the first slave arrived. Our nation is now de-facto segregated. Black men are shot armed only with their blackness. Kneeling protesters are told to silence the sound of their blackness. In our great city of Cincinnati, “Residents… of Mount Lookout or Columbia Tusculum live to an average age of 88 years old, which is about 10 years longer than most Americans. However, just a few miles away in the Image Source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ neighborhood of South Fairmount, Dred_Scott_v._Sandford life expectancy is more than 20 years people now; perhaps, they should be at shorter.” (Krisberg, 2014) the front lines defending those rights Social and economic disparities as well. permeate all aspects of our culture. We’ve seen corporations take Could we call upon corporations to a stand for freedom. Nike did it by help lead a movement that guarantees backing Colin Kaepernick. Who will equal rights to all by investing in Black be next? businesses and culture? After all, corporations have the same rights as Reflections On The Midterm Elections BILL WOODS Contributing Writer What are we to make of the results of the midterm elections? Too little time has elapsed to draw any definitive conclusions. Nevertheless, a few reflections seem to be in order. For one thing, a huge blue wave transforming U.S. politics did not take place. Furthermore, despite President Trump's victory tweets, a red wave did not occur. While Democrats can point to a major shift with their Party winning a majority of seats in the House of Representatives, Republicans can brag about picking up some extra Senate seats. Taking back the House of Representatives is actually a significant event for the Democrats, and it provides at least a two-year reprieve for those of us who believe in democracy. It required the Democrats to win at least twenty-three Republican House seats, and the number now stands at thirty-four or thirtyfive. Among the new House members are a number of women including a Muslim and a Native American. When the new Congress convenes in January, the House will be a much more diverse body then it is today. This Democratic House will serve as a check on the Trump Administration and the Republican controlled Senate. Plans to further cut housing and other critical safety net programs can now be blocked, and the ongoing efforts to eliminate the Affordable Care Act will end. Senator Mitch McConnell's goal to reduce funding for Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security in order to balance the budget will be challenged by Democrats who will show that the growing deficit can be directly linked to the huge 2017 tax cuts for corporations and the rich. As for forging innovative new policies, it is too early to tell whether any positive bipartisan legislation will be possible in Washington D.C's politically polarized environment. Ohio failed to join Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan; states that reversed their 2016 support for Trump and turned blue in 2018. Buckeye voters did return Sherrod Brown to the U.S Senate and elected an AfricanAmerican woman, Melody Stewart, to the Ohio Supreme Court. With its extremely gerrymandered legislative districts, Ohio kept its Republican majorities in the State Legislature, and no Congressional districts flipped from Republican to Democrat. Even though Ohio had its highest midterm voter turnout since 1994, the impact of new city and suburban voters was blunted in those districts drawn to counter metropolitan political preferences. What really revealed the Republican strength in Ohio were the outcomes of the races for the state's executive offices. The victory of Mike DeWine over Rich Cordray for Governor was more decisive than all the polls had indicated. Except for extreme gerrymandering, the factors that led Ohio to remain in the red column have yet to be evaluated. In reviewing local elections, Cincinnati and Hamilton County's returns give this area a deep blue hue. Longtime County Commissioner Chris Monzel lost his race to Stephanie Summerow Dumas, and now Democrats hold all the three Commission seats. If they had only run in Hamilton County, Jill Schiller and Aftab Pureval would be headed for Washington, D.C. as newly elected members of Congress. Meanwhile, the Children's Services Levy, which was opposed by many Republicans, won handily. In terms of other ballot issues, the City Charter Amendment proposal that would return City Council elections to two-year terms won out over the proposal for four year staggered terms. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED In addition, the proposal to restore individual contribution limits in campaigns for City Council and for Mayor received 87-percent of the ballots cast. However, activists who worked hard for the passage of State Issue I, the proposed Ohio Constitutional Amendment designed to reform the criminal justice system, saw their effort go down to defeat. This grassroots initiative to reduce penalties for non-violent crimes in Ohio was supported by reform groups and religious coalitions such as Project AMOS, but many judges and district attorneys opposed it as too sweeping a measure. The midterms appear to have restored some balance to our system of government, but there is still much to do to renew the democratic process at all levels. The fact that these elections will end up costing an estimated 5.2-billion dollars exposes the warping role of "big money" in political campaigns. Efforts to insure the right to vote and to eliminate partisan gerrymandering must also go forward. Reformers need to make a slogan out of the closing lines of a famous poem by Robert Frost. "We have miles to go before we sleep." �No. 39 Nov 2 30, - No v 19,| 2 0 18394 Nov. 163 -| Nov. 2018 No. 9 FEATURE Exploitation in Politics: The Treatment of Political Organizers by the Democratic Party Continuation from page 1 MORGAN MITCHELL Contributing Writer Common phrases organizers will hear from their bosses are: “Not everyone is cut out for this kind of work,” or “this is what you’re passionate about so it doesn’t feel like work,” or “this is necessary in order for us to win the election,” or “you were warned about this in your interview” or “this is for a good cause,” as if a cause that exploits labor can ever be considered “good.” Organizers are made to feel special, like superhero martyrs sacrificing themselves for the greater good. When in reality, no one is cut out to be exploited and work over 40 hours a week. Unions fought for 40 hour work weeks because studies show that working over 40 hours has negative effects on both employees and consequently the organization or company they are working for. Ihaab Syed, Secretary of the Campaign Workers Guild, a union recently formed by former campaign workers that fights for the rights of campaign political organizers, told Street Vibes that campaign workers need to reject the premise that overworking yourself and allowing yourself to be exploited is the path to victory for the causes that you care exploit them, right? Not necessarily, one could love their factory job, but still deserve a living wage and overtime. Syed also noted that if this kind of work is something you are passionate about, you should find a way to make it sustainable so you don’t have to change careers after experiencing burn-out. Full-time organizers who pursue this as a career are usually salary workers, meaning they aren’t paid hourly and don’t clock in or out. That seems convenient in theory, no matter what--you get paid for 40 hours a week. But exemption laws allow these workers to get exploited and work way over 40 hours and not get paid for it, all legally. At an event titled “Lunch and Learn” held at the University of Cincinnati’s Women’s Center on September 20th, when asked how to avoid exploitation in a field that regularly exploits workers, Kelly Freeman, Central/Southern Ohio Organizer for NARAL Pro-Ohio, and Stephanie Kollmann Baker, Senior Field Manager at Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region, said that one has to just get lucky with who their boss is and hope they are not allowing their employees to work over eight hours a day or 40 hours a week. That is hardly ever the case. If employers or the law aren’t going to help fight back against this Andy Thorburn’s campaign for CA39 House of Reps. He lost in the primaries. about. “It’s not fair to ask people to work past their breaking point.” By saying that people who are passionate about their job shouldn’t feel exploited, organizers’ employers are making them feel separated from the rest of the working class they belong to, above them in a sense. The exploited factory workers aren’t passionate about their work so that’s why it’s wrong to exploitation, what is? Unionizing. The Campaign Workers Guild is working with campaigns trying to do just that. Their website says, “We are campaign workers from across the United States who are committed to improving our work conditions, empowering organizers, and promoting healthy career longevity.” The Campaign Workers Guild works to improve pay, create processes to prevent and report sexual harassment, and fight for “the basic labor protections that all workers deserve.” Their end goal is for political campaign organizers is for their work to be fairly compensated, their experience properly valued, and their rights adequately protected. “Until then, we organize.” The Campaign Workers Guild has unionized over 23 campaigns, including the Ohio Democratic Party’s for union busting, to represent them at bargaining meetings. Only recently did the Democratic National Committee finally start paying their interns after it was reported that Republicans are more likely to do so. This doesn’t mean that Republicans are the party for the working class, their legislation and voting records say quite the opposite. Republicans just have donations from special interest groups such as the NRA that give more than enough Ohio democrats showing support for the Campaign Workers Guild. coordinated campaign, the Campaign for Ohio. On top of supporting unions like The Campaign Workers Guild, Democrats must also focus on electing more working class people into Congress and working on campaign finance reform. Right now according to data collected by Vox, “workers make up less than three percent of the average state legislature and the average member of Congress spent less than two percent of his or her entire precongressional career doing the kinds of jobs most Americans go to every day.” This means that a vast majority of the candidates exploiting their workers have never been in their shoes and studies show these Democrats won’t vote or draft legislation to help the workers that are the reason they got elected. Syed said that there is a lot of hypocrisy in political workplaces where they say they fight for 15 dollars an hour and healthcare for all, but then don’t give that to their workers. Syed mentioned that the Ohio Democratic Party hired Republican lawyers that specialize in “union avoidance,” which according to Syed is the polite term THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED funds to pay their interns. Fighting for campaign finance reform and publicly funded campaigns will even out the playing field between the two parties and there will be less pressure to work twice the amount of hours as Republicans in order to match their visibility bought with hundreds of advertisements. Right now, both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are enemies to the working class and until campaigns and political nonprofits stop exploiting their workers, Democrats can’t claim to be “progressive” or the party the working class can believe in. With 2020 elections just around the corner, Syed says campaign workers need allies on the outside who help push for them and support them emotionally and the best way to support campaign workers is to let them know unions exist that can and will represent them, they don’t have to be afraid to stand up for their rights and working conditions they want to see. Remind them It’s illegal to be retaliated against for trying to form a union at your workplace and back them up with whatever they decide to do. United we bargain, divided we beg. �10 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED N o v 216 - -NNov. o v 19, 2 02018 18 | N o . 393 Nov. 30, | No. 394 �STREET VOICE No. 39 Nov 2 30, - No v 19,| 2 0 18394 Nov. 163 -| Nov. 2018 No. 11 Walking in Over-the-Rhine The Struggle What was all of the fighting for human rights really for? Why struggle for rights when half of the world is wrong? Now that’s an eye sore! What are the marchers saying or what’re the boycotts all about? I have lived here most of my life. In the 1960s I went to Washington Park Elementary. Seeing the way things are going is very positive for me. From Fountain Square to Findley Market. Why do the people still cry for “Jesus to help?” For in God people know there’s no doubt What does being homeless have to do with all these dilemmas? Why the homeless get beat while the wrong There are a lot of nice restaurants like Venice on Vine. Their pizzas and hoagie taste great. Seeing all the old buildings being remodeled is really great. go free just to be later called a killer? I think the change is for the better to me. Today we as a people still have control of our I used to be hooked on heroine. I am now 28 years and 11 months clean. choices and decisions, So today let’s not forget the past, the marches, the boycotts or we’ll be in a collision, Collision course with the good, the bad, the ugly and the black and white syndrome, Collision course of who can do better or why should I help the person who’s all alone, We must never forget we live one day at a time so we must live just for today, We need never forget no matter how we live Just being able to walk and know that I am not feeling depression and all that comes with my old way of life. I live in a place called Tender Mercies. I have been there for 9 years. It is community housing for people who have mental disorders. I love it there because I have a place to lay my head and feeling really blessed to be there. in this life, we all will die anyway! I go to the YMCA everyday too. So since we all have that same common Seeing life from a positive point of view most of the time. Helps me to go throughout my day in a more positive way. ground which is six feet deep, Forgive the past and recognize that our future with God’s blessing is what we need!!! WILLA D. JONES Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer And now this is all I have to say. CLEO WOMBLES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �12 STREET VOICE N o v 16 2 --N o v 19, 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Nov. Nov. 30,22018 394 Short Story: Tent City Across America (Part 3) SABRINA AMOS Contributing Writer M r. Scott called Paul and offered to rent a bus to send everyone to Arrow City. People were excited about the trip. Eva was going to apply at the Walmart there. The days passed by quickly. There was less sunlight during and the temperature was in the 40s. Music was blasting through the camp continuously. Terry worked hard to collect fire woods. Three fire drums were burning at the same time. Paul was leaning against a tree as the leaves fell around him. The police drove by and looked at their camp. A policeman read their flag and the sign that said “God has blessed us. Praise Him and thank you to anybody that helped us to survive because we are citizens too.” Paul looked up into the racing clouds and said, “Thank you, God. We don’t want any trouble because the police left.” College kids approached the camp passing out hand warmers, gloves, and socks. Miss Sally passed out loaves of bread as everyone stood in line for bowls of chili from the truck on the street. The dog was in the front of the line on the side eating his bowl of chili. One of the regular donators was across the street taking pictures. The next day the bus arrived early. The bus pulled up and everyone ran out by the street with signs that said, “Welcome. Thank You. Big Hugs. Because it’s illegal to be homeless in this city.” Terry came out playing the song “I’m Happy” and everybody sang with him. The white Coach bus was quickly packed with equipment until nothing was left but a large steel drum. Dark smoke floated high among the clouds. Everyone was seated. Soft jazz music played and people sat with cups of hot chocolate and coffee. Some of the women began to silently cry tears of joy and said, “Praise God, we made it through these terrible times in this city.” The bus rolled out. Mary yelled out, “Such a glorious morning to be moving!” People started to sit back in their seats after small blankets were passed out. Three hours later, the bus pulled up to a rest place for gas. People got out to go to the bathroom and Billy walked the dog, who had been under his seat. They quickly reloaded the bus. Mary fell down while trying to get back because she didn’t take her pills—she had a mental health issue. Paul’s foot had gotten infected. He kept it bandaged as much as possible. It felt good to sit with his feet up. A few people called the temporary services they worked for and told them they would not return. One was told that there is a temp service office in the area of Arrow City. At one point, Mary’s husband Dave started to cuss because the bus wasn’t moving fast enough and he said their situation wasn’t being handled right. Mary said, “Calm down. All you need to do is find your pills.” He also dealt with mental health issues. As they got closer to Arrow City, they approached a burning building. There were at least fifteen cops nearby. Paul yelled that this was the first time they were very close to the police and they didn’t have any fear. Finally, the bus reached its destination and started to unload behind Mr. Scott’s building. Mr. Scott was at the back door telling people to put their things around the back door and use the conference rooms or settle outside. Everybody gathered in a circle for prayer and said, “Praise God, we have arrived!” Edited by Katelyn Lusher Streetvibes Writing Circle 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 �STREET VOICE No. 39 Nov 230, - N2018 o v 19, 2 0 18 Nov. 163- |Nov. | No. 394 The Politically Polarized Mother Goose As I was walking to my poll to vote, I met a neighbor in a bright red coat. I politely asked where he had been? He said: "To make America great again." He then quizzed me: "How about you?" I said: "I'm on my way to turn Ohio blue." So, there was not much left for us to say. We're examples of a divided U.S.A. BILL WOODS Contributing Writer Shame Have you ever felt a shame So deep That You forgot who you are? So deep That You forgot If you were ever anyone, at all? And you don't know If you ever were Or ever will be Sorry enough For what they did to you. VICKY WARFIELD Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 13 �PUZZLES 14 Nov 2 o v 19, 18 | N o . 393 Nov. 16- -NNov. 30,2 02018 | No. 394 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 163 Across 1. Freshwater fish Down 5. Cramp 1. Wheeled vehicles 10. Uncommon 2. Blazing 14. From a great distance 3. Detection instrument 15. Spotted horse or pony 4. Assumption 16. Comply with 17. Travel by horse 18. Part of a church 19. Finishing line of a foot race 20. Hobo 22. Fabric used to dress wounds 23. Purposes 24. Soap opera 26. Weedy annual grass 28. Fleet 31. Man or boy 32. Affectation 35. Injure or wound seriously 37. Massive tropical tree 41. Female sheep 42. Related 44. Wonderment 45. Part of a flower 47. Small pond 48. Friendly nation 49. Fuel 51. Direct the course 53. Arachnid 56. Arid land 60. Mental or physical pain 61. Portable shelter 64. Flat metal tumbler in a lock 65. Song for solo voice 66. Attempted 68. Proboscis 69. Space for inserting a coin 5. Health resort 6. Tablet 7. Not in favor 8. Support or foundation 9. Deadly 10. Large circular room 11. Humiliate 12. Repulse 13. Optics 21. Animal foot 25. Acidic fruit 27. Garden tool 29. Cultivate by growing 30. Multiplied by 32. Liveliness and energy 33. Be in debt 34. Unit of play in tennis 36. Marketplace 38. Buddy 39. Nocturnal bird 40. Tonality 42. Happy 43. Require 46. Foment 48. Store of arms and ammunition 50. Resolve 52. Snakelike fish 53. Inclined to anger with overtones of menace 54. Earlier in time 55. Broadcast again 57. Conjure up 70. Relating to the moon 58. Organic compound 71. Similar 59. Tendency to change 72. Heaped wood used in a 60. Fastener for a door or lid funeral rite 62. Square root of eighty-one 73. Foe 63. Squad 74. Give temporari 67. Desiccated PUZZLE SOLUTIONS CROSSWORD #161 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 293 - MEDIUM SODOKU PUZZLE NO 291- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 Nov 230, - N2018 o v 19,| No. 2 0 18394 Nov. 163-| Nov. Central Access Point 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children Bethany House 557-2873 RESOURCES St. George Food Pantry 751-8771 2554 Dennis St. 45219 Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 621-7265 1528 Race St. 45202 Churches Active in Northside 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 591-2246 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 Salvation Army 762-5660 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 131 E. 12th Street 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 1125 Bank Street 45214 Shelter: Men Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men Shelterhouse 721-0643 Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 411 Gest St. 45203 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 2121 Vine Street 45202 1437 Walnut Street 45202 Prospect House 921-1613 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Starting Over 961-2256 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 Parkway Center 661-4620 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women Shelter: Youth Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Shelter: Family Interfaith Hospitality Network First Step Home 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 114 W. 14th Street 45202 Talbert House 221-HELP Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street 45202 Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Volunteers of America 381-1954 Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP Advocacy Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 VA 977-6800 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 Food/Clothing Health First Lutheran Church 421-0065 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 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 Hamilton/Middletown Northern Kentucky 241-2965 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 UpSpring 363-3300 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 Joseph House (Veterans) 1522 Republic Street 45202 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 OTR Community Housing 381-1171 Other Resources AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Housing: 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 St. Raephaels 981-4200 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both 471-1100 15 859-491-8303 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? Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 Brighton Center (11-17 y/o) You can support our mission and spread the word about your 961-0600 business. For more information contact Gabriela Godinez Feregrino, Center for Respite Care 621-1868 email streetvibes@cincihomeless.org 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 386-7899 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 1730 Race Street 45202 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio $100 for 26 issues $150 for 26 issues and a $50 donation THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �16 N o v 216 - N o v 19, 2 02018 18 | N . 393 Nov. - Nov. 30, | oNo. 394 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 November 16-November 30, 2018 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Exploitation in Politics Pg 2: From the Director Alms Hill Residents Celebrate Pg 3: Underreported Cincinnati “Solves” Homeless Crisis by Hiding It Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: Attendees Discuss Healing, Solidarity and Action in Wake of Anti-Jewish Killings in Pittsburgh NRA and Mass Shootings Pg 6: How to Respond to Panhandling Pg 7: Post-Kavanaugh is No different than Pre-Kavanaugh The New Soccer Stadium in the West End Pg 8: The Dark Side of Justice Reflections on the Midterm Elections Pg 9: Exploitation in Politics Pg 10: GCHC Pg 11: Street Voice Pg 12: Short Story Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource November 16-November 30, 2018 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Brian Taylor Morgan Mitchel Daulton King Micheal Earl Patton Patricia Patton Allie Graff Bill Woods Trenton Davis Cleo Wombles Willa Jones Sabrina Amos Dr. Mark Mussman Vicky Warfield Homeless Coalition Wikipedia (Fair Use) Morgan Mitchell Gabriela Godinez Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Allie Graff Alms Hill Bill Woods Brian Taylor Cincinnati Cleo Wombles Daulton King Democrats Dr. Mark Mussman Dred Scott FC Gabriela Godinez Homeless Coalition Josh Spring Kavanaugh Micheal Earl Patton Morgan Mitchel Morgan Mitchell NRA Patricia Patton Pittsburgh politics Sabrina Amos Shootings Soccer Trenton Davis Vicky Warfield Wikipedia (Fair Use) Willa Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/543e93b132e5ea8e624f3156260d5431.pdf f28843d12dbe8d27e2629b05e8dd5d5a PDF Text Text November 17th - November 30th 2017 | Vol. 20 Issue 50 (No. 369) advocating justice | building community Shantytown: From Awareness to Advocacy | 5 This Issue is sponsored by (Former) Judge Mark Painter INSIDE THIS ISSUE Religious Peacemakers: Living Her Baha'i Faith, Deborah Vance | 8 What is Good Bus Service? | 9 Forum Looks at Tax Reform and Income Inequality | 2 Tax Reform? Or Compound Inequality! | 7 Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 LOCAL From The Director: An article worthy of your attention F or this issue, I decided that instead of writing an editorial, we would reprint the following article. I spoke directly with Mr. Jamie K. Oxendine who is the author of this article and he has given us permission to reprint it. We have shortened his article somewhat. You can find the full version at http://www.powwows. com/a-more-accurate-view-ofthanksgiving/. Mr. Oxendine fulfils multiple roles, including being the director of the Black Swamp InterTribal Foundation. Please visit their website at http://www. blackswampintertribalfoundation. org/ to learn more and join in efforts for systems change. Their mission includes the following: “The Black Swamp InterTribal Foundation is a Native American Educational and Service Organization that believes in Native American SelfDetermination. BSIF was formed with the commitment to Native America and helping people (Native and Non-Native).” A More Accurate Historical Thanksgiving: What Are You Celebrating? By Jamie K. Oxendine, Lumbee/Creek Director, Black Swamp InterTribal Foundation PRELUDE Thanksgiving…oh that wonderful holiday in which we should give N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 9 JOSH SPRING Executive Director Thanksgiving account. HISTORICAL THANKSGIVING Long before any Europeans came to the New World, Native Americans had many feasts and celebrations of thanks.  Although the Pilgrims were searching for some religious freedom from the British Crown, they were really nothing more than English Colonists.  They came for many other reasons also but regardless of what those reasons may have been, they were still loyal subjects to the British thanks.  Something we should do Crown. In 1620 an English ship called the every day.  Where did this national Mayflower set sail for the Americas. holiday come from?  Well it is not The ship was charted by a religious what you think and definitely not sect known as the Puritans. They what you were taught in school.  Many scholars give credit to the Americans, were headed for what was called the but many cultures and countries had Virginias. Unfortunately the Puritans “national days of giving thanks” long ran out of beer and needed to make before the United States established land as quickly as possible. Beer was used more often than water on the such a day. With that being the case, why high seas since water on a ship could do we think of the Pilgrims and not be kept drinking safe. Thus they Plymouth, Massachusetts for the landed in December of 1620 on the national holiday of Thanksgiving?  shores of what is now Massachusetts.  Like most of our history it comes They did not establish a settlement from miss-history and the fact that right away as often thought and most people think of the Pilgrims as taught in schools.  They were not able these “incredibly righteous people” to settle at the original landing. These so called Pilgrims were that invited the “savage Indians” to not the first Europeans to the shores their first Thanksgiving so that the of the New England coast. In 1605 a “savages” would not starve.  This is incorrect history and information.  (Continued on page 12) Here is a more accurate historical FORUM LOOKS AT TAX REFORM AND INCOME INEQUALITY W ith the Republican controlled Congress attempting to push tax reform legislation into law before its Christmas recess, the Community Issues Forum at Christ Church Cathedral devoted it's November 9th session to a review of the major elements now under review in both the House and Senate. Nancy Bertaux, Professor and Director Economics, Sustainability and Society, Xavier University, examined the tax reform proposals and related them to the growing income inequality in this country. Her analysis concluded that this legislation would merely further the gap between the wealthy and the rest of us. Professor Bertaux began by providing some historical BILL WOODS Contributing Writer perspective. In the 1950s, a period characterized by economic growth, the graduated income tax was much higher for upper income Americans. The income gap between the wealthy and average people was also much smaller than today. Economists began to notice a widening gap in the 1970s, and the Reagan tax cuts in the early 1980s really seemed to accentuate it. By the 1990s, scholars agreed it was an accepted long-term trend. When looking at the features of the Republican drafted legislation in the House and the Senate, the large corporate tax cut and the elimination of the inheritance tax loom as major wins for those with economic power and wealth. Corporations would receive a fifteen percent cut. Since current federal taxation only kicks in with inheritances exceeding $2-million, only the very wealthy would benefit from this elimination. Proponents of this reform proclaim that a large corporate tax cut is critical to their plan. It will create millions of new jobs with living wages, and thus greatly benefit struggling workers. Professor Bertaux challenged this assumption saying that most economists fail to see a correlation between cutting taxes for companies and job growth. In our consumer society, average families and individuals buying things are greater drivers for creating jobs. President Trump and GOPlegislators herald the tax reform (Continued on page 7) THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org BLOG: streetvibes.wordpress.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor: Justin Jeffre Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Justin Jeffre Layout: Key Beck Reception: Larry Johnson, Anne Evans Maintenance: Pete Roper ----------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Jamie K. Oxendine, Bill Woods, Bentley Davis, Jason Haap, Dr. Mark Mussman, Steve Sunderland, Ed Burdell, Saad Ghosn, Cam Hardy, Willa Denise Jones ----------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: Dr. Mark Mussman, The Jubilee Campaign, Alice Schneider, Saad Ghosn, Cam Hardy, Bill Woods --------------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �No. 36 9 OPINION On Consent and Rape | N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 BENTLEY DAVIS I am a rape survivor. Starting when I was quite young, I was the victim of sexual assault in a variety of forms and by several perpetrators over the years. None of the perpetrators went to jail. Once, the last incident, I went to the ER and the police; but still nothing happened (not enough evidence to prosecute). I am writing this from that personal perspective. Rape is wrong and inexcusable. Sexual harassment is wrong and inexcusable. For decades, I have tried to raise awareness about this very serious problem in our society. Rapists seem to have two different, though sometimes intertwined motives. For some (most?), it is an act of violence. It is an attempt to establish, maintain, or express power. It stems from not seeing the victim (usually a woman) as fully human, but rather a tool. For others, they are so socially awkward and are so afraid being turned down; that they take what they want once consent can’t be given. They wait until the victim is unable to consent. She’s passed out or asleep or just too drunk to fight. What is common of all rapists, indeed, what is definitional; is they either do not seek consent or they continue even if consent is denied. When the #MeToo tag took off after the Weinstein accusations, many people shared powerful stories of survival and of being assaulted or harassed at work. But some told stories Contributing Writer of people they knew (not employers or people in a position of power over), simply propositioning them. For example, one male acquaintance of mine told a story of another man he admired coming to his place and instead of seeking conversation, asking for sex. The proposition was declined and no assault took place (at least according to the story my acquaintance told). He was appalled that the man he admired would think of him as a potential sex partner. Since then, there have been news stories of people facing unwanted propositions as if that was the same as facing unwanted sex acts. An unwanted proposition is not rape. If someone says “hey, you wanna do xyz”? And you can say no without risking your physical or financial well-being; then it is seeking consent. If one’s job is in jeopardy if one declines, then that isn’t really consent. (For a non-sexual example, most people cannot politely decline the invitation to the office party, even if it is described as an optional get-together.) If one says “no, I don’t wanna do xyz”, and it is done anyway; that is rape or assault. But most unwanted propositions end with a “no thank you” and the person making the proposition goes away. The risk of a proposition is that the person being asked might feel uncomfortable and no longer want to be in the same space as the person making the proposal. This is why workplace relations can be tricky at best. Sure, there might not be repercussions. But the person who you thought of as a colleague/friend/ acquaintance clearly sees you as a potential sex partner. You don’t see them in the same way. And that is awkward. It can be awkward enough that the previous relationship is damaged. But I do not want to live in a world where people — especially young men  —  are even more frightened of seeking consent than they already are. Making examples of famous people who once propositioned others can have this dangerous unintended consequence. In the cases where power is unfairly wielded or where there is non-consensual sexual contact we should most certainly believe the victim, not blame the victim, and call out the behavior. But I am afraid that in some recent cases, the accusers are saying “he asked me x, I said no, we didn’t do x, but it creeped me out.” Being creeped out isn’t rape. It isn’t assault. And it isn’t even harassment. It is not being into the proposition. As an example, I was once propositioned by someone who wanted to sniff my shoes. That person asked. I declined. No repercussions. But I was thinking, “Eww, shoe fetish, yuck.” I have seen that person again and became aware of my shoes. But I wasn’t the victim of harassment or assault by that person. I was Why I didn’t vote I did not vote in this past election, and I feel pretty good about it. However, if I were to believe the rhetoric I've heard from certain voters, I have neglected my "civic duty," and as a result of this negligence I have "no right" to complain about anything for the next several years. Put another way, over 70% of Cincinnati's voters have neglected their civic duty and have no right to be critical of anything related to politics for the next several years. Or, put yet another way, less than 30% of Cincinnati's voters think they are superior to everyone else, and have proclaimed their opinions as the only ones that matter for the next several years. What kind of narrow-minded, self-aggrandizing, and arrogant hogwash is this? Some of you probably wonder why I chose not to vote. Perhaps you want to analyze my reasons, determining if I actually have an acceptable "excuse" - or, maybe you want to deconstruct my reasoning to "prove" I am in error. Whatever the case, I'm not going JASON HAAP Contributing Writer to tell you why I didn't vote, just like you are not going to hear, analyze, and rebuke the reasons behind each of the 70% of Cincinnati voters who took the same actions I took. Instead, on behalf of my nonvoting brothers and sisters (who have not granted me the right to be their spokesman in any capacity), I have some important reminders about how to engage people with whom you disagree. Before throwing around phrases like "civic duty," let's make sure we all understand what that even means. Our collective civic duties represent those responsibilities we all must fulfill - such as serving on a jury, paying taxes, obeying the laws, and so forth. It is not my civic duty to attend protests or to practice a religion. That's the difference between duties and rights. Voting, like free speech and freedom of religion, is a right - and rights are not requirements. Civic duties, such as answering the call to serve on a jury or to pay taxes, actually are requirements. Voting does not belong in this category. So, for the sake of accuracy, please stop misusing the phrase. Instead of failing to meet my civic duties, what I have really done is made a choice unpopular among a certain self-important swath of voters. As for the next part of their beef: do non-voters have a right to complain about politics? Of course we do! That's how free speech works! I can complain about whatever I like, and that speech is not predicated on conforming to the preferred behavior of recent voters. I can already imagine certain counter-arguments. Perhaps some of these self-appointed arbiters of acceptability will say I have the "right" to complain, but that I shouldn't since I did not participate in selecting our political representatives. Why are they so concerned about what we decide to discuss in the public realm? Are these accusations just a tact? Are they trying to convince us to vote next time? Is it because they think we have made a bad choice, and they hope to change our future behavior? (I presume that's the intent behind their stance, THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 3 propositioned with a proposition I wasn’t into. Again, to be clear, I am not talking about situations where consent cannot be freely given due to age, incapacitating intoxication, or power imbalance. In order for there to be any consensual sex acts of any type; someone has to make the ask. That ask really ought to be clear. It needs to be “Do you want to have sex with me?” and not “Do you want to come in for a nightcap?” Because with the latter, it is perfectly reasonable for the interlocutor to take one at their word and that a nightcap is a drink and not a night of cavorting. People are going to have sex. Let us encourage people to ask, to be able to decline, and for that consent to be real without fear that a decade or more later one will be called out for asking something that the recipient thought gross or creepy if that recipient was able to decline without repercussions. I want people to feel more comfortable seeking consent, not less so. I don’t want to create a culture where those who seek consent face the same level of approbation as those who don’t bother with that important step. We need to put an end to rape culture. And that means empowering people to ask instead of taking as well as empowering people to say no. PS: This is not an invitation for propositions. I am happy with my romantic situation and am not looking for anything else. --------------------------------------- as the alternative is that these people are nothing but jerks.) Here's some advice for how to interact with non-voters in a way that might actually be productive. Have you ever seen people so upset they cannot calm down or catch their breath? If you ever meet such a person, yelling "CALM DOWN" will not likely help anyone to calm down. Similarly, yelling at us for not voting is probably not going to make us vote. If anything (as this article demonstrates), you will just make us angry and defensive. Some people, as a result of this angry defensiveness, might actually doubledown, increasing their resolve not to vote. That's the opposite of what you want, so perhaps you should consider a new tact. Learn how to practice empathy instead of anger. Rather than judging non-voters and then demeaning them and characterizing them as morally irresponsible, seek instead to understand their decisions. And remember, seeking to understand is not the same as attempting to refute through argument. Being the highly motivated and civically engaged people you purport to be, I imagine you might learn some interesting insights about what (Continued on page 11) �4 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 9 �No. 36 9 E LOCAL Shantytown: From Awareness to Advocacy | N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 ach year, dozens of local schools take part in Shantytown activities. Shantytown is an opportunity for students to raise awareness about build community around issues of poverty, hunger, and homelessness. Schools are free to structure their activities however they see fit, but in general, there are some constants at each school. Most schools do a sleep-over at the school where students build “shanties” out of cardboard boxes and sleep in them over night. Usually, the night is cold and the experience is eye-opening for students who have lived in a warm home all of their lives. While this tends to be the most defining aspect of Shantytown, it is often the role of the Homeless Coalition that is most meaningful. DR. MARK MUSSMAN Staff Writer When we arrive, students may be eating a meal, a simulation of a soup kitchen. Our speakers bring with them unique experiences to share with the students while they eat. Imparting the highs and lows of life, the speaker exposes themselves with the struggles they have faced as well as the joy they have seen through finding a supportive community. Students listen intently as they learn about barriers to success, both interpersonal and institutional. I take note of student reactions, and they are often moved by the sincerity of our speakers who don’t hold anything back. I am always impressed by how mature students are who are now exposed to very real issues that are messy and complicated. They listen intently with an open heart. A good example was at Hamilton Badin High School this year. Willa Jones spoke to the group, who were engaged and asked thoughtful questions. They surrounded Willa with a ring of love after she spoke, and showed Willa interest in buying her book of poetry. The students were interested in getting a copy of the new Day By Day Calendar – a project in which Willa took part. Beyond that, they also asked questions and made comments afterwards that showed they understood the importance of affordable housing and creating a livable wage. The compassion of the students that night left us feeling exhilarated and ready for our next speaking engagement. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 5 After we left, they heard from another speaker who lives in Hamilton. This gave them an even more in-depth view, and one a little more local. They spent the night in their boxes and tore them up in the morning to create signs for the Cardboard Brigade. The Cardboard Brigade is a way to continue the awareness throughout the entire school by holding up statistics and statements to the students as they arrive on the bus or are dropped off before school. One of the statements that had a big impact on me reads, “I noticed that our eyes never meet.” This is certainly a response to the suggestions that we give on how to respond to panhandling. It gives me hope when students are taking the lessons they received from us and reworking it in a critical manner. These students may have the solution to ending homelessness, and until then, they are certainly making a difference in our community. (Continued on page 9) �6 LOCAL WHY IS CANCER MORTALITY SO HIGH IN CINCINNATI? PART ONE 1. N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 9 STEVE SUNDERLAND Introduction: I have been working for the past two years with the harrowing knowledge that Cincinnati is the cancer capital of Ohio for African Americans. Why? More minorities die of cancer in Cincinnati than in any other city in this state. Why? The more I visit with people with low incomes, and minorities that cannot obtain health insurance, or elders that are confused about how to get health care, the clearer it is that poor people have no place in the Cincinnati healthcare system. Why? I have not found one hospital that has a community education outreach program that explains the warning signs of cancer to citizens. Nor have I found a hospital that welcomes people for screening in the neighborhoods where life expectancy is lowest. Why? What I have seen, over and over again, is the that each hospital's Cancer Institute’s say: "This is not our job." The healthcare system in general is saying: "People of low income need to "take responsibility" for their own health needs. If they don't, or don't know how to, well, that is just too bad." I want to ask the following question: Is the high cancer death rate in Cincinnati, especially in the low-income population, the result of policies of indifference by our hospitals, healthcare providers, medical associations, and insurance companies? 2. Why we need cancer justice: Cancer does not discriminate. Rich, Contributing Writer poor, homeless, middle-class, elders, children, all get cancer. Sometimes cancer is lethal right away. Other times, a cancer can be treated by physicians who are surgeons, radiation specialists, and/or with specific kinds of chemo-therapy. It is known that early identification of cancer and timely treatment can stop most cancer. Or, turn cancer from a death sentence into a chronic disease like diabetes, with ongoing treatments that permit a normal life. Successful cancer treatment usually depends on a kind of education about health: people need to know warning signs and, once seen, what to do to have these signals checked out by medical specialists. Part of the education is to know how to gain entry into a cancer treatment program or how to gain access to people who know about cancer and can treat it. And, part of the education is to know what to do when doctors jump to conclusions, rush decisions, panic people, or leave areas of ambiguity. People need to know that there can be a step called, "second opinions." These are visits to physicians to review the first doctor's conclusions and to see if there is agreement and whether or not there are alternatives. Then, with more information, people may need help in making a decision about which path to choose. Sometimes the education involves talking with a specialist who can weigh the factors, both good and bad. Sometimes we need to go and have some basic questions answered for a second time by the doctor or nurse or specialist. In all cases of cancer, whether just beginning or advanced, health education is a form of justice. No one should be denied cancer justice due to having a low income, or because they are homeless, or because physicians have not treated people with respect due to their skin color, economic status, or prior conditions. Cancer justice is a realization that cancer is not the fault of the person, usually. Rather, cancer is an injustice when society, i.e., healthcare officials and institutions, politicians, foundations, and religious organizations turn their backs on people who are confused about how to find out about their critical health needs. Cancer justice involves a willingness by health care professionals to provide the basic literacy in cancer. People are worried about cancer and feel they do not have a basic vocabulary about what a disease like cancer can do to their bodies. Healthcare can step in, provide a clear explanation, offer alternatives, and provide reassurance that cancer can be faced and, in many cases, overcome. 3. The Cancer Justice Network Provides One Step in Cancer Education: For the past two years, a free city-wide program, the Cancer Justice Network, has provided cancer education to over 5000 people. Most of the people have been members of low income communities in Cincinnati. Through participation at dinners in churches, or, health fairs in schools and community centers, or in social service agencies, the education about cancer has been offered by people called, "Navigators." This is a new healthcare role. Navigators are helpers, guides, allies, and facilitators of discussions between low income people and health care officials and institutions. Navigators accompany people through the maze of finding a friendly physician who can answer questions and, when agreed upon, begin to have a test for cancer. Navigators defend their people precisely at the point when some people may be terrified that they will not understand the physician or the physician's information. Navigators provide support, compassion, and a total commitment to helping the person follow through with their questions, their tests, and their treatments. Navigators insure respect for the person no matter their level of anxiety and no matter how many times information needs to be repeated and understood. Navigators work with trust between the person seeking information and themselves. With trust, with respect, and with compassion, the possibility of finding out about cancer and what to do with a cancer diagnosis reaches a form of justice that can be lifesaving. In sum, Navigators work with the whole person as they face cancer: whether it be transportation needs, help with insurance or hospital forms, personal support as the fear builds, or help with discussing options, the Navigator stands with the person. (To be continued.) --------------------------------------- Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony Each year, the Homeless Coalition celebrates the accomplishments of its members, the community, and the supporters at our Annual Dinner and Award Ceremony. This has long been an opportunity for organizations to come together and to share in the success of another year working alongside those experiencing homelessness. Come celebrate with hundreds of individuals working towards this common goal. Help us recognize individuals who will be receiving awards for their hard work that evening, raise money for operating funds to help sustain our mission, and dance and celebrate another year of hard work! Wednesday, December 13th Doors Open: 5:30 pm Newport Syndicate 18 East 5th Street Newport, KY Tickets available at: Cincihomeless.org THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 9 T 7 LOCAL TAX REFORM? or COMPOUND INEQUALITY! | N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 he President and his Republican congressional confederates are promoting their tax code revisions as providing relief for all. They are especially proud of the few dollars that the shrinking middle class will receive. At a time when economic researchers are showing the growing disparity between the very wealthy and the shrinking middle class, one might think that tax reform would present an opportunity to redress these problems. In fact it appears that a deliberate effort is being made to this will exacerbate it. How one views the choices in governance turns on differing philosophies of government and its purposes. • The republicans apparently see it as their responsibility to protect the wealthy and give them even more. • A compassionate economic philosophy calls for building communities of joint responsibility for one another, an open system which encourages growth and innovation without the uneven playing field which privilege and special interests insist upon, and caring for those who need assistance to grow. The politicians speak in grand sweeping terms about growing the economy and putting more money in taxpayers’ pockets. However, when BILL WOODS (Continued from page 2) proposal as a plan to benefit the middle-class, but Professor Bertaux doesn't find much evidence of major and permanent relief for average Americans. The tax percentages for middle income folks may be lowered a bit, but often helpful deductions such as state and local taxes are currently slated to be eliminated. One calculation using information from the House proposal shows people with incomes of $100,000 or less actually paying more taxes. Bertaux also pointed to one proposed change that will further the burden of young adults with huge college loan debts. They will no longer be able to deduct the interest from the payments on their loans. The tax proposal to date will increase the deficit by $1.5-trillion. This loss of revenue will increase the ED BURDELL Contributing Writer translated in the current proposed tax reform these goal results in very personal, individual impacts. Tax reform which supposedly reduces the taxes businesses and individuals is only one side of the equation. Paying for the lost revenue is the other. For example one deduction which will be eliminated is interest paid on Student Loan Debt. This is the largest non-real estate debt category and debtors are already burdened by special conditions which can make it difficult to refinance and impossible to discharge through bankruptcy. If education is the path to economic success and borrowing is the only way for many to afford it, this increases inequality by further penalizing those who try to become self-sufficient. The President’s assertion that the imagined resultant growth will grow the economy to such an extent that lower taxes on an increased GNP will fill the government coffers is a fairy tale. It didn’t work with the Regan cut. For a current example of the disaster this strategy yields, look at Kansas which has destroyed its public education system and reduced or abandoned may basic government responsibilities. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated the proposed tax cuts will increase the National debt by almost 2 TRILLION DOLLARS pressure to cut programs and services, and the Trump Administration budget for 2018 would decimate the safety net for the poor and those in need. This budget includes cuts in Medicare, Food Stamps, affordable housing programs, and income assistance to poor families with children. Needless to say, such cuts as an indirect result of the tax legislation would be devastating to low-income families and individuals. Professor Bertaux spent part of the Forum discussion period talking with attendees about religious teachings and how they fit or don't fit in the process of creating a fair tax reform plan. The general conclusion was that our society and especially our corporate and political leaders have gotten too far away from the concept that those with means should naturally pay a larger share in helping to insure the common good. in the decade following passage. However even this debt increase which should be anathema to traditional Republicans will not suffice. The proposal calls for a $1.5 trillion increase which means that major cuts in our social safety net will be required. For it is not a matter of profiting one set of people more than others, it is a case of disadvantaging tens of millions of Americans to reap benevolences on a relative few. When giving more to the wealthy and businesses and the wealthy who invest in those businesses is achieved by adding 1.5 trillion dollars to the debt and cutting Medicaid, housing programs, child care assistance, health insurance for children, health insurance assistance for working folks, the environment – this is not compassionate economics, this is runaway greed and rejection of one of America’s core concepts, ‘that all are created equal.’ FOLLOW THE MONEY How will individuals and their enterprises fare? We know that the very lowest category of taxpayers is certain to be impacted. That is those whose taxable income is between $1-19,000. Currently the rate is 10%. Reform would increase it to 12%! We know that those making $50,000 will see few benefits, and some 30% are estimated to see increases! We Ed Burdell Credit: Jubilee Campaign can each look at the new system and calculate how it affects us. If we weren’t certain who benefits, think about this. Upon passage, 50% of the benefits from Republican tax reform will accrue to the 1%ers at the top of our economic totem pole. By 2027 the top 1% will receive 80% of the benefits! How much will the President and his family and the Trump empire gain from the tax changes? If we can trust his own words, the repeal of the alternate minimum tax will save him millions. Is the real total tens of million –even more? Who will ask, how can we get that answer? Just a side thought, wouldn’t everybody like to make up the rules so the game enriches us? Funny, that is not illegal when our President and Congressmen do it. It would be instructive to have a spread sheet showing in real dollars what congressmen and cabinet heads will gain. We could give them ranges so they could easily estimate the largess they will receive. Less than $1,000, 1-10,000, 10,001-25,000, 25,001-100,000, What is your answer Brad Wenstrup, Steve Chabot, Sherod Brown, Rob Portman ? CALL AND ASK THEM! Bill Woods with Brian Taylor and other attendees THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Credit: Alice Schneider �8 RELIGIOUS PEACEMAKERS Living Her Baha'i Faith, Deborah Vance Wants to Contribute to Unity and to a Strong Community N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 9 SAAD GHOSN Deborah Vance, a Baha'i, grew up in a secular, not overtly religious, but spiritual family. She was raised with high moral and ethical values by very scrupulous, sincere and trusting parents. As a child in the 60's she attended Sunday school at the Congregational church in Wilmette, IL, where she and her family lived. She was very inspired by the then progressive pastor, Buckner Coe, who was trying to integrate the predominantly white church, inviting Blacks to join in; and who was openly critical of the Vietnam war going on at the time. "Reverend Coe taught us Sunday school and took us all 7th graders to visit places of worship of the various religions in the area, for instance, the Mormon temple, the Catholic church, the Jewish synagogue...," says Vance. "He had heard of Martin Luther King Jr., went to Selma, AL and marched with him for civil rights." Vance's social study teacher in 7th grade was also instrumental at introducing her to social justice. He gave her as assignments to research and write essays on current social issues. This is how she learned about Cuba and Fidel Castro, also about the prevalent poverty in the world. He got her also involved at tutoring in social sciences children from underprivileged backgrounds, in inner-city Chicago. In 1968 during her last year of high school, Vance went with a youth group from her church, part Contributing Writer of a cross-cultural/interracial service project, to Puerto Rico, to help other African American youth of her age fix a community center. While there Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. "I remember all of us gathering and discussing the news, what it represented and meant for our country and for the African American communities," says Vance. "I felt the pain of my newly made African American friends; it affected me deeply." Even though in a predominately white high school, the civil rights movement was discussed there daily by students and teachers. With some of her tutoring friends and sympathetic parents and teachers, Vance started a group they called POWR: People to Overcome White Racism. They demonstrated, picketed and marched; produced public programs; invited speakers; fundraised; targeting primarily white suburbs, in order to raise awareness of institutional racism in the metropolitan area. At the same time Vance began her open opposition to the Vietnam war, triggered in part by police violence against protesters during the Chicago Democratic Convention. Having graduated from high school and ready to pick a college, she opted for Boston University, Boston known then for the prevailing activism What is BAHA'ISM The Baha'i faith was founded in 1852, in Iran, by Baha'u'llah, a persecuted follower of the Báb. Bahá'ís believe that there is only one God, transcendent and unknowable, the source of all creation. He has sent great prophets to humanity, through which the Holy Spirit has revealed the "Word of God." They are: Adam; Abraham; Moses; Krishna; Zoroaster; Buddha; Jesus Christ; Mohammed; The Bab; Baha'u'llah. A new prophet is not expected for many centuries into our future. The Bahá'ís believe in the unity of the great religions of the world which they view as sprung from the same spiritual source. They believe that every person has an immortal soul which is not subject to decomposition; and that at death, the soul is freed to travel through the spirit world, "a timeless and placeless extension of our own universe..." Bahá'ís support gender and race equality; world government; freedom of expression and assembly; world peace; religious tolerance, and religious cooperation, and they actively promote these concepts. Baha'u'llah said: "The best beloved of all things in my sight is justice" Unlike many other religions, Bahá'ís view scientific inquiry as essential to expand human knowledge and to deepen faith. They feel that science needs to be guided by spiritual principles so that its applications are beneficial to all humanity.  Bahá'ís have no clergy, sacraments or rituals. There are currently more than 8 million Bahá'í followers throughout the world. within its universities. Over there she was quite active in demonstrating against the Vietnam war, marching, striking, participating in resistance group discussions and activities. "It all went well," she says, "until I started hearing discourses from fellow protesters and leaders encouraging violence and killing... I also found some of the protest leaders to be just looking for self-glory and charisma, and not really interested in a change..." Disillusioned, Vance decided to Deborah Vance move away, leave the United States and settle in Italy. It was 1970 and she had by then cut her ties with her Congregational church which, due to its increasing opposition to the progressive views and positions of its pastor Buckner Coe, had prompted his resignation; also, had embraced the Baha'i faith, having discovered it thanks to the soft rock duo Seals and Crofts, who were both Baha'i, and having realized that she adhered to all its tenants. In Italy, Vance tried to pursue her education, met her 1st husband and had children. Her stay was interrupted by a few returns to the States, a short one in California where she lived self-sufficiently, growing food, chickens and goats, with no electricity or running water. "I was extremely poor then," she states. "I can understand well poverty now, having been without and having experienced distrust and prejudice from people who think that something is wrong with you if you're poor." After 6 years of marriage, Vance divorced and returned to Wilmette. She resumed her studies and got a BA degree in Communication (Radio- TV & Film) from Northwestern University, an MA degree in Mass Communication from Towson University, and a PhD degree in Intercultural Communication from Howard University. In the meantime, she had moved to Baltimore, MD, worked in educational TV, did freelance journalistic writing and taught. "I wanted to work in instructional TV to teach children," Vance says. "I wanted to instill the idea that the US system is a commercial system which wants our money; that we are bombarded with fake news and that Credit: Saad Ghosn our children need to learn how to talk back to the media." To that effect, in the 80's, Vance got involved with the "Great Atlantic Radio Conspiracy", a group who researched in depth news topics in order to shed light on their truth, away from misinformation. The findings would then be scripted, radio recorded, and distributed to radio stations across the country. Vance contributed to 2 such episodes, one on air pollution caused by the use of chlorofluorocarbons in aerosol cans, the other on the true story of Guatemala. At McDaniel College in Westminster, MD, where she also was an Associate Professor, Vance taught media courses at the cultural level. "A person needs to know what it is about him/herself that's cultural vs. what is essentially him or her," she says. "To me, this is the basis for justice, seeing what role we play in continuing the system that oppresses certain people vs. being able to treat everyone as individuals while respecting their differences." (Continued on page 11) Religious Peacemakers is a regular column highlighting Greater Cincinnati individuals who use their faith and religious beliefs for peace and justice. Saad.Ghosn@uc.edu is the founder of SOS (Save Our Souls) Art, an organization that promotes arts as vehicles for peace and justice and for a change. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 9 LOCAL What is Good Bus Service? | N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 W hat is ‘good’ bus service? There are several measures which gauge the effectiveness and quality of bus service. In short, a bus route is ranked based on how much access the line provides its riders, how much mobility it gives the communities it runs through, and how useful the service is to its potential riders. These terms are broad, but in terms of bus service they are defined as: •Access: A measure of how easy it is to reach places, services, and opportunities by bus. It is also based on how many and what kinds of places a rider can get to in a reasonable amount of time. High accessibility routes tend to have more stops so that more people and CAM HARDY Contributing Writer places are closer to a bus stop. These lines will also shorten walk times, as the distance between bus stops is shorter (about 300 – 600 feet apart) than a limited stop or express line. Consequently, these lines are slower than those with fewer stops as the bus picks up and drops off passengers more frequently. - Cincinnati's 78 bus illustrates access. With service from downtown to Springdale, the 78 has more than 100 stops over a 12-mile route, serving uptown and the historic Vine St corridor. Many other bus lines provide similar access. Indeed, nearly all of Cincinnati's core corridors are blanketed with bus stops, from Glenwood and Harrison on the West Side to Montgomery and Madison on the East Side. The bus goes almost everywhere within Cincinnati city limits and covers wide swaths of Hamilton County. particularly along the key corridors mentioned above. All things considered, Metro is probably best at providing access. •Mobility: A measure of how efficiently bus service moves people from place to place. This measure prioritizes faster travel times and the capacity of service in meeting the demand. High mobility routes tend to go to more places and at faster speeds. These lines shorten travel times, as riders can go farther distances in less time. If it takes an unreasonable amount of time to get from point A to point B, then the line gives its riders less flexibility as they have to spend an inordinate amount of time traveling which lessens the amount of time they can do other things. This means less mobility for DR. MARK MUSSMAN (Continued from page 5) THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 9 riders. - Cincinnati has very few bus lines with high mobility, but the Metro*Plus is a good example, especially for service between downtown and uptown. You can save up to 10 minutes traveling from Government Square to UC on the Metro*Plus compared to the 19, 78 and other buses that serve uptown. That's a big time savings for a twoand-a-half mile trip. The Metro*Plus achieves faster speeds thanks to fewer stops. There are only 5 stops between downtown and UC, compared to 19 stops on the 78, which follows a similar route. Mobility on buses is a major problem in Cincinnati. With a few exceptions, taking the bus is never faster than driving. Typically, it's much slower, especially during rush hour. Expanding Metro*Plus service throughout the city, introducing bus-only lanes (common practice in many cities around the world) (Continued on page 11) �10 LOCAL N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 9 December 21 - 31, 2017 For tickets please call (513) 381-2273 Purchase tickets online at www.cincyshakes.com AD Donated by Mark and Sue Ann Painter season sponsored by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 9 LOCAL | N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 JASON HAAP (Continued from page 3) SAAD GHOSN (Continued from page 8) As a professor and a researcher, Vance always advocated for the oppressed, raising awareness of diversity. She constantly asked her students to consider ethics and morals in their judgments and analyses. In Baltimore, Vance met her current husband of 16 years. Both recently retired, they decided to relocate a year ago in Cincinnati. "We felt the vibes," Vance says. "Cincinnati is a culturally rich CAM HARDY (Continued from page 9) and reducing the amount of time it takes to board (tap cards, all-door boarding) are some of the steps that can be taken to improve mobility. Note: Commuter express buses often provide high mobility. But they barely connect to the rest of the system, often skipping entire neighborhoods and running only during rush hour. As a result, they should be seen as a complement to, rather than an integral part of a bus network. •Useful: A measure of how well bus service allows for flexibility in planning commutes and trips for the most people. A highly useful bus line will provide frequent, consistent 11 causes people to become disengaged from politics. Then, once you attain this understanding, perhaps you can work to make the system more amenable for these non-voters. That way, you could increase voter turnout in a compassionate and productive way - a way not predicated on your proclaiming your superiority over the majority of the population. city with a major league baseball team and a well-established Baha'i community." Since in Cincinnati, Vance has joined the League of Women Voters, and has lectured to them on public speaking and on understanding media. During the recent presidential election, she served as a poll watcher in Corryville. She has also been very involved in gardening and volunteers at the Civic Garden Center. She is particularly interested in community gardens and would like to start one at the Baha'i center in Westwood. "Community gardens enable people to attain freedom and control over the food available to them," she says. "They are also a great way to connect and build communities." Vance has a small garden of her own. She also volunteers at the Rothenberg school, downtown Cincinnati, where a rooftop garden has been created for students and their parents. In Cincinnati, Vance's other activities are now mostly centered around the Baha'is. She participates in study groups of the Baha'is writings and helps in youth programs trying to teach virtues. Her main purpose is to strengthen the community, and spread the messages of unity, peace, love and justice of Baha'u'llah, the founder of Baha'ism. "Central to teachings of Baha’i Faith is that on this planet, there’s one unfolding religion, one universal faith," she says. "Baha’i Faith is only the most recent revelation. At its core, this means there’s no “Them”, there’s just “Us.”" This unity is what Vance would like to continue to live for. service that connects people to where they need to go in a reasonable amount of time. These buses shorten waiting times, as service comes frequently throughout the day and at consistent intervals, in turn giving riders a wider variety of times that they can arrive at their destinations. - The 17 and 19, which serve Hamilton Ave and Colerain Ave, respectively, help illustrate this concept. At peak service (morning and evening rush hour), the 19 comes about every 25 minutes, dropping to around 50 minutes the rest of the day. Weekend service is even less frequent. The 17, by comparison, runs every 10-15 minutes throughout the day. Frequency drops early in the morning and late in the evening, but never below the 19. It's also a reliable option on the weekend. What does this look like in real life? Let's assume you just miss the bus. On the 17, that typically means a wait of 10-12 minutes for the next bus. For riders on the 19, however, it could be anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour before another bus arrives. Despite the availability of realtime bus tracking and set schedules, generally speaking, life is too irregular to plan around a bus that comes every 30-60 minutes. A couple extra minutes in the doctor's office, a slow checkout line at Kroger, or staying late to send one more email at work can mean an extra 40 minutes at the bus stop. Sure, some days, that's not a big deal. But when the weather's bad or you're in a rush, missing the bus can be catastrophic. Given the choice, very few people will take that risk, which is why high frequency and thereby more useful buses are so important when it comes to retaining and attracting new bus riders. One or two bad experiences with missing a bus can drive the choice rider away for good. In the end, the more that people can depend on bus service to live their lives, the more they will view the bus as a viable, reliable transportation option. Better bus service allows people to sit back and enjoy the ride; avoid traffic, parking, and the cost of driving; and get where they need to go on time. --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- Bus rider exits broken down bus Accessibility ramp breaks on bus Credit: Cam Hardy Credit: Cam Hardy “Breakdown Stereotypes” “Eradicate Misinformation” The Coalition for the Homeless provides Education and Service Programs that help to portray a more accurate and holistic picture of homelessness in Cincinnati. We believe an educated public can be a more compassionate public, willing to dedicate time and effort towards creating solutions to homelessness. The “Voice of the Homeless Speaker’s Bureau” program is made up of individuals currently experiencing homelessness or who have experienced homelessness, who share their experiences. The program is designed to put a face on homelessness and raise awareness about those struggling in our community. To schedule a speaker, contact Dr. Mark Mussman at MarkMussman@cincihomeless.org. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �12 JOSH SPRING (Continued from page 2 British expedition led by Captain George Weymouth had landed on this particular coastline. When they left in 1614 they took 24 Natives as slaves and left smallpox, syphilis, and gonorrhea in their wake. One of the Natives taken back to Europe was named Tisquantum (called Squanto by the white man). The 102 Puritans landed and built their colony called The Plymouth Plantation on the ruins of the Native village of Pawtuxet.  Pawtuxet had been destroyed by the Weymouth expedition. The Puritans survived by stealing the food stores of neighboring Native Summer Villages as well as eating corn that was still growing wild from abandoned cornfields near the ruined village. Strangely enough, Tisquantum, who had survived his trips to Europe, happened to come upon these Puritans while hunting with another Native named Samoset.  They observed the newcomers and finally one day Tisquantum send Samoset over to greet the Puritans with the word “Welcome.” Tisquantum soon joined and the Puritans were surprised to find two “savages” that spoke their language. The Puritans were terrible at survival, but with the help of Tisquantum they were able to harvest some late corn and learned to catch some game. Tisquantum also helped the colonists negotiate a treaty with the Wampanoag People near by who were led by Massasoit. Still many of the Puritans quickly succumbed to pneumonia and consumption. It was a hard winter and some 46 of the original 102 Mayflower people died. The next year, 1621, with the help of the Wampanoag People, the Puritans learned how to live and make a bountiful harvest. In celebration of their good fall harvest, the colony’s governor, William Bradford, declared a three-day feast after the harvest. The Natives that attended this feast were not even invited. The Puritans had only invited Massasoit the Wampanoag leader. It was Massasoit that brought the other 90 or more of his Native brothers and sisters that saved the colony to the chagrin of the rather rude and indignant Puritans. The Natives also provided most of the food. There were no prayers of thanksgiving of any kind and the Natives were not invited back ever again for any other such events. The following years the Puritans became pre-occupied with themselves and their superiority over the Native People. This along with spiritual pride, jealousy, envy, greed, bad relationships (adultery was rampant – remember the Scarlet Letter) and other sins, caused the Puritans to lack. Now at this moment most scholars write that the drought of 1623 was the cause for much of this. While the drought was hard, it was not an excuse for the many unrighteous things the Puritans were LOCAL doing. Now the peace settlement between this first colony of Puritans and the Wampanoag People meant that the Puritans were to have 15 years to establish a firm colony. By 1629 there were no more than 300 Puritans in present day New England in small and isolated communities. This survival prompted a wave of Puritans that soon established growing settlements north of Plymouth in Boston and Salem. Over the next 10 years the wave of Puritans greatly increased. Soon the Puritans begin to discuss “…the legal ownership of the land.” At this time Governor John Winthrop declared the “Indians had not subdued the land” and therefore all uncultivated land should be public domain according to English Common Law.  In other words this meant that the land belonged to the King of England. Thus the colonists decided that they did not need to consult with the Natives and that the land was theirs for the taking. As far as they were concerned they only had to inform the representative of the crown and that was the local governor. To Biblically defend the force taking of the land from the Native People, the Puritans embraced Psalms 2:8 “Ask of me and I shall give thee the heather for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” This forced taking of the land included murder. A company of Puritans led by Miles Standish actively sought out the head of a local chief. They eventually accomplished this gruesome trophy when they beheaded the Native Leader Wituwamat. The head was displayed on a wooded post in the Town Square of Plymouth. On May 26, 1637 a force of Puritans attacked about 700 Pequot People near the mouth of the Mystic River at Groton, Connecticut.  The Pequots had gathered for their Annual Green Corn Dance.  During the gathering they were surrounded and attacked by the English and the Dutch.  The Natives were ordered from the Gathering Building and as they came forth they were shot down and cut up.  The rest were burned alive in the building.  The English Captain John Mason and Commander John Underhill attacked the camp with the words “…fire, sword, blunderbuss, and tomahawk….” They also added that “…to see them {Indians} frying in the fire, and the streams of their blood quenching the same and the stench was horrible, but the victory seemed a sweet sacrifice to the great delight to the Pilgrims and they gave praise thereof to God.” The next day, the Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony declared: “A day of Thanksgiving, thanking God that they had eliminated over 700 men, women and children.” A second Pequot Village was attacked, massacred and destroyed on June 5, 1637 near present day Stonington and a third Pequot Village was attacked, N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 9 massacred and destroyed on July 28, 1637 near present day Fairfield. The Puritan fathers believed they were the Chosen People of God and that this justified anything that they did. They were in a sense Calvinists that believed most of humanity was predestined to damnation. During this period of their history the Puritans along with other European sects declared days of thanksgiving to celebrate mass murder more than to celebrate harvest.  In fact for the next 100 years every “Thanksgiving Day” ordained by any leader (Governor, etc.) was to honor the gruesome “victories” of 1637 and thanking God that the “battles” had been won. Learning from the Puritans, in 1641 the Dutch began to offer scalp money for Natives. The Dutch Governor Willem Kieft of Manhattan paid money for the scalps of each Native brought to him. In 1643 Governor Kieft ordered the massacre of the Wappinger People. In this massacre, 80 Native People were killed and their severed heads were kicked around the streets of the village of Manhattan. One Native was castrated, skinned, and then forced to eat his own flesh while many colonist watched and laughed. Later, Kieft got Commander Underhill to carry out a massacre near present day Stamford, Connecticut. A village was set on fire and around 500 Natives were put to the sword. Soon the settlers launched an all out genocide of the Native People. The government of Massachusetts made an order offering 29 shillings bounty for every Native scalp and 40 shillings for every Native prisoner that could be sold into slavery. Colonial men were allowed to enslave and rape any Native woman and enslave any Native child under what was thought to be the age of 14. Any Native People that had converted to Christianity were accused of shooting into the trees during battles with the hostiles and were therefore enslaved or killed. Other peaceful Natives of Dartmouth and Dover were invited to a negotiating meeting in which they were taken captive and sold into slavery. Colonial Law gave permission to “…kill savage Indians on sight at will.” By 1675 Massachusetts and surrounding colonies were in an all out war with the Wampanoag People. The Wampanoag leader Metacomet (called King Phillip by the white man) grew angrier as he watched the steady destruction of his culture and his people. He was forced to strike out with raids on several isolated towns for food. Captain Benjamin Church tracked down and killed Metacomet. His body was drawn and quartered and the parts as Captain Church said were “…left for the wolves.” Metacomet’s hands were cut off and sent to Boston for display and his head was sent to Plymouth where it was set upon a poke on the newly declared Thanksgiving Day of 1675. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Metacomet’s son was to be killed because the Puritans proclaimed that “…the offspring of the Devil must pay for the sins of their father.” Instead he was sold to a slave ship bound for the Caribbean. On June 20, 1676 the Puritans governing council held a meeting to determine of a way to in their own words; “…express thanks for the victories in War with the Heathen Natives….” And from that moment they proclaimed June 29 as a Day of Thanksgiving.  The celebration over the “heathen Indians” became a major event and was celebrated semiannually among the New Englanders and the early colonies for many, many years to come. [To read the proclamation declaring this Day of Thanksgiving visit the website listed at the start of this article.] By 1704 the massive Holocaust and Genocide of the Native People caused Governor Thomas Dudley to declare a “General Thanksgiving for God’s infinite goodness to extend his favors… In defeating and disappointing… the expeditions of the Enemy Indians against us. And the good Success given us against them, by delivering so many of them into our hands….” THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY Now the holiday that most Americans celebrate has nothing to do with the Puritans or the Native Americans.  The holiday most are acquainted with came about during the American Revolution in 1777.  As President, Washington Proclaimed a Day of Thanksgiving to be observed by all on November 26, 1789.   The date has changed a few times with the most recent change done by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939.  At the request of many businesses, Roosevelt moved the Thanksgiving Holiday to the 3rd Thursday of November to make for a longer Christmas shopping season.  This change created a huge public out roar and finally in 1941 Congress made the 4th Thursday of November a legal holiday and our National Day of Thanks. CONCLUSION Should you decide to celebrate this holiday on the fourth Thursday of November, please remember the Native Americans.  Weather you be a teacher or a parent or both be very careful not to “sugar coat” what the Pilgrims did and how they treated the Native Americans, not even to the youngest age.  Please avoid stereotypic Thanksgiving pictures, stories, and programs that depict inaccurate images that are unfair and degrading.  By all means do not have children or adults make “Indian headbands, Indian vests”, do ceremonial war dances or such inappropriate things.  Also do not put on “Pilgrim and Indian” pageants or plays (unless they are historically accurate and tell the story from the true perspectives of Native Americans as well as the European immigrants). --------------------------------------- �No. 36 9 13 STREET VOICE | N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 ONE YEAR AGO MY FATHER’S HOUSE In my father’s house there are many mansions Can you believe one year has gone by? Many mansions, with many rooms to rest and pray in In good times, in bad times, day, night, sleep or wake times Last November's election still makes us cry. All the time I spend in my father’s house cause his house is mine When I was homeless, a drunkard, We pray that The Donald is the last nominee a drug addict and all alone I found much comfort and peace just praising in song When I was hungry, hair nappy, dirty and smelling really bad To get his training for office from Reality TV. I held onto my sanity, when my belief in prayer was all I had As in any house with rules, Almost 70-percent of us are sick and tired, my father has commandments of ten Even though I would make mistakes, I’d always repent of my sins And if we could we'd say: "You're Fired!" And ask for forgiveness with the understanding to make a change A change for the best so there would be no more fear or pain BILL WOODS Contributing Writer Taking what each day brings in prayer and always believe Having faith to know that my father’s will is best for me While searching for God’s love, wisdom and understanding I come into the realization of just what my heart was demanding I began to go to church to learn more about my father’s house I found peace and my soul was saved I could finally announce I learned that there is a place in my father’s house for everyone The young, the old, the lost and the sick at heart and mind I learned the mistakes I’d made were all of one kind I understand today that we must learn from the mistakes we’ve made And know only by the grace of God can our souls be saved So, won’t you come visit in the house of my father Learn the bible and know that with my father there is no other Take your time and search your soul to truly find yourself And understand that in our father’s house is where we’ll be forever safe with plenty of help WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �14 PUZZLES N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 9 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 138 Across 1. Manage 5. Unit of power 9. Draw out 14. Presage 15. Currency unit 16. Animal toxin 17. Catafalque 18. Small nail 19. Endow 20. Minstrel 23. Make a mistake 24. Ineffective 25. Showily imitative 26. Combined 29. European mountain system 31. Not any 32. One, some, every or all 34. Musteline mammal 37. Misfire 38. Deity 39. Flow out 40. Poem 41. Edible bulb 43. Frequently 45. Connecting point where several lines meet 46. Nightspot 48. Relating to a tail 50. Happy 52. Irony 55. Rodent 56. Contemplation of things past 59. Speak up 61. Fortune 62. Part of a tooth 64. Square root of forty-nine 65. Succulent 66. In addition 67. Mixture of rain and snow 68. Center of authority 69. Endure 3. Look searchingly Down 1. Adult male swan 2. Leave out 58. Flip of a coin 4. On the way 5. Netlike 6. Pertaining to hearing or the ear 7. Used as part payment for a new one 8. Disorderly outbursts 9. At any time 10. Lair 11. Comprehended 12. Judicature 13. Mineral, used as an abrasive 21. Employ 22. Country, initially 25. Mentally quick and resourceful 26. Untie 27. Word used to refer to a person, place or thing 28. Pointing out or SODOKU PUZZLE NO 268 - MEDIUM revealing clearly 30. Tennis return in a high arc 32. Fuss 33. So far 35. Starchy tuberous root 36. Bobbin 38. Large African antelope 42. Past times 44. Collet 45. Represents a number 47. Fatal cattle disease, initially 48. Sarcophagus 49. Egyptian cobra 50. Twelve dozen 51. Part of a jacket 53. Book of maps 54. Beverage, usually drunk hot 56. Let for money 57. Carbonated drink 60. Indicating maiden name 63. Small indefinite quantity PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 350 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 137 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 267- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 9 RESOURCES | N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 Central Access Point 15 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children Bethany House 557-2873 1730 Race Street 45202 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 St. George Food Pantry 751-8771 2554 Dennis St. 45219 Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 621-7265 1528 Race St. 45202 Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 386-7899 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 McMicken Dental Clinic 352-6363 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 NAMI of Hamilton County 351-3500 PATH Outreach 977-4489 131 E. 12th Street 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 Other Resources St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 215 E. 14th St. 45202 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 Salvation Army 762-5660 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 Shelter: Men Shelterhouse 721-0643 1125 Bank Street 45214 411 Gest St. 45203 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 1437 Walnut Street 45202 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 2121 Vine Street 45202 Prospect House 921-1613 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Parkway Center 661-4620 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 Starting Over 961-2256 Shelter: Youth Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women Shelter: Family Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both Interfaith Hospitality Network First Step Home 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 471-1100 Housing: 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 OTR Community Housing 381-1171 Joseph House (Veterans) 241-2965 1522 Republic Street 45202 114 W. 14th Street 45202 Talbert House 221-HELP Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street 45202 Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP Advocacy Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Volunteers of America 381-1954 Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 VA 977-6800 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 Food/Clothing First Lutheran Church 421-0065 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 UpSpring 363-3300 Health 961-0600 Center for Respite Care 621-1868 OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 Goodwill Industries 771-4800 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. 579-8547 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 1223 Main St. 45202 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 Talbert House 751-7747 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton County Office of Reentry 946-4304 138 E. Court Street Room # 101 First Floor Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels 981-4200 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center 799 Ann St. Newport, KY ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 for 26 issues 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-572-6202 Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky 634 Scott St. 41011 859-291-4555 You can support our mission and spread the word about your business. For more information contact Justin Jeffre at 513421-70803 x 12 or email streetvibes@ cincihomeless.org $100 859-491-8303 Want to advertise in Streetvibes? Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 $150 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED for 26 issues and a $50 donation �16 N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 9 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BETTIE BAILEY SINCE 10/2017 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 BRIAN ADAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHARLES WILLIAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHRISTOPHER KAIHATSU SINCE 7/2017 CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DARREL ROZIER SINCE 7/2017 DAVID MCCANE SINCE 2017 ERIC VALDEZ SINCE 2/2017 GERALD FRANKLIN SINCE 7/2017 GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 GREGORY RAY SINCE 4/2015 HENRY BRELAND SINCE 7/2017 JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009 JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2000 JENNY BURTON SINCE 7/2017 JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001 JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006 JOHN HORN JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008 J’TORI TYMAN SINCE 5/2014 KIM NGUYEN SINCE 7/2017 KENNY BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007 LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009 LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MARK SHEARS SINCE 4/2012 MAURICE GOLSBY MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MIKE CARANO SINCE 4/2016 RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 1999 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 STACIA HOLLANDER SINCE 2017 STEPHANIE EAKES SINCE 7/2017 SYLVESTER WALKER SINCE 7/2017 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2015 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 VIOLET COLLINS SINCE 2017 VICTOR MUMPHRY WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 WINNIE RICE SINCE 7/2017 QUEENACELASTINE SINCE 7/2017 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2017 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource November 17-November 30, 2017 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From the Director Forum Looks at Tax Reform and Income Inequality Pg 3: On Consent and Rape Why I Didn’t Vote Pg 4: How to Respond to Panhandling Pg 5: Shantytown Pg 6: Why is Cancer Mortality so High in Cincinnati? Pg 7: Tax Reform? Pg 8: Religious Peacemakers Pg 9: What Is Good Bus Service? Pg 10: GCHC Pg 11: Cam Hardy Continued Pg 12: Josh Spring Continued Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource November 17-November 30, 2017 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Jamie K. Oxendine Bill Woods Bentley Davis Jason Haap Dr. Mark Mussman Steve Sunderland Ed Burdell Saad Ghosn Cam Hardy Willa Denise Jones The Jubilee Campaign Alice Schneider Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Alice Schneider Bentley Davis Bill Woods Bus Service Cam Hardy Cancer Cincinnati Dr. Mark Mussman Ed Burdell Inequality Jamie K. Oxendine Jason Haap Josh Spring Metro Religion Saad Ghosn Shantytown Steve Sunderland Tax Reform The Jubilee Campaign Voting Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/20784477f78243ed20579084f366683c.pdf fc3811ec914eadea3cb58c366b56101e PDF Text Text Novmber 18th - December 1st 2016 | Vol. 20 Issue 20 (No. 339) advocating justice | Building community Jon Bon Jovi: "its Not Rock and Roll To Fedd the Homeless" | 9 This issue sponsored by (Retired) Judge Mark P. Painter INSIDE THIS ISSUE Prepping | 2 For As Long As It Takes | 4 Join the Heal Food Alliance| 3 Photo Story: The MexicoUSA Border Wall | 8 Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 LOCAL From the Director: Housing Not Handcuffs: New Campaign Launches to Redirect Law and Policy Away From Criminalizing Homelessness O n November 15, the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition is joined as one of the initiators of a national campaign to eliminate the criminalization of homelessness. The Housing Not Handcuffs Campaign has been initiated by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, the National Coalition for the Homeless, and over 100 local and national organizations involved. According to Housing Not Handcuffs, a new report by the National Law Center, the criminalization of homelessness continues to increase across the country, despite strong evidence showing it is counter-productive and expensive. The Campaign has created a series of model policies, which, once enacted at the federal, state, and local level, will significantly reduce homelessness in a way that is cost-effective and supports the civil rights and hu- JOSH SPRING Executive Director man dignity of people experiencing homelessness. The Campaign is supported by a broad group. Former Attorney General Eric Holder said it is wrong to use, “… the criminal justice system to punish those whose only crime is being poor and without shelter…,” adding, “These laws are unconstitutional and are bad public policy.” “My struggle with schizoaffective disorder left me without a home, but the law in Tempe, Arizona left me without even a place to sit,” said David Pirtle, a person who formerly experienced homelessness, now Public Education Coordinator at the National Coalition for the Homeless. “After walking miles in the blistering heat, I was threatened with a ticket for the crime of sitting in public. Criminalizing homelessness doesn't make it go away. It just makes a terrible situation even worse to endure.” The Housing Not Handcuffs Campaign calls upon local, state and federal governments to end the criminalization of homelessness immediately, and believes that all persons experiencing homelessness should instead have access to affordable housing, education, health care, employment, income, and other opportunities and services that allow all to live with dignity. These are the only solutions to the crisis of homelessness from a moral, legal, fiscal, and policy perspective. For additional info, visit www. housingnothandcuffs.org. ------------------------ N o v 18 - D e c 1, 2 0 16 | N o . 339 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: Key Beck Reception: Derrick Hudson, Iolanda Barton, Patricia J. Brown, Larry Johnson Maintenance: Pete Roper CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Michael Earl Patton, Tess Sohngen, Jill Gregory, Dr. Mark Mussman, Bill Woods, Jason Haap, Steve Sunderland, Robert Prepping MICHAEL EARL PATTON W Executive Director hile Americans’ biggest fear is corruption, as I wrote recently in my recent article of the same name, some large scale disasters were also on the list. With our trust in government at just 19%, it’s clear that many do not expect government to come to the rescue. So it wasn’t surprising to hear about the Cincy Preparedness Expo dedicated to being ready for whatever may be coming. Last October I went to this expo at the Sharonville Convention Center to get a better idea of what some people are getting prepared for. In the 2015 Chapman University survey of 1,541 adult Americans about their fears, economic collapse ranked as #8, pandemic #15, nuclear attack #16, civil unrest #19, and electrical grid attack #22. Natural disasters generally ranked somewhat lower: tornadoes #20, drought #24, earthquakes #30, floods #32, hurricanes #33, and blizzards #36. The goods and supplies I saw for sale at the prepper expo mostly seemed to be preparations for the first group more than the second. It was clear that many were thinking about preparing for some event that might last for months or even years, as (Continued on page 7) THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Park, Willa Denise Jones Photography/Artwork: Jill Gregory, Dr. Mark Mussman, Michael Earl Patton, Bill Woods Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �LOCAL Federal programs don’t help people experiencing homelessness 3 No. 339 | N o v 18 - D e c 1, 2 0 16 S ince the mid-1900s, Federal programs like food stamps the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provided a hunger safety net for those who are food insecure, but many – particularly those experiencing homelessness – fall through the cracks. Food insecurity does not mean a person is insecure or unsure about the safety or nutritional value of the food they are eating; it references the inability or uncertainty to access nutritionally adequate and safe food in socially appropriate ways. This includes having to panhandle for food, search through garbage, or resorting to emergency food supplies. Approximately 1 in 8 people in the United States are food insecure, according to Feeding America, the largest network of food banks and related research in the country. In Hamilton the percentage of food insecure people are 18.6, above the national average of 15.4 percent, based on 2014 data. Poverty is the primary cause of food insecurity in the country, and 72 percent of all Feeding America client households live at or TESS SOHNGEN Contributing Writer below the federal poverty level. SNAP is the largest federal program addressing food insecurity and hunger, but the 2015 White House Report suggested that current SNAP benefits are inadequate for households. Furthermore, those who experience homelessness are further inhibited to access to food because of SNAP benefit restrictions. Those who receive SNAP benefits cannot use that money for hot foods or food that will be eaten in the store. Without an adequate place to store or cook a meal, the SNAP benefits do not adequately fit the needs of those experiencing homelessness. SNAP benefits also cannot be used toward vitamins and medicine. Inadvertently or not, this program and many others punish those experiencing homelessness through these rules and regulations, even though individuals and families experiencing homelessness are those who require the most assistance against food insecurity and hunger. Because SNAP and other programs are designed to not help those experiencing homelessness, some do not bother to receive any benefits toward food insecurity at all. In a 2013 study of food insecurity among people experiencing homelessness in New Jersey, 94 percent of the sample population were food insecure. Even though all 319 participants, or an overwhelming majority of those, qualified for SNAP benefits and food assistance, only 55 percent of the sample population were currently receiving SNAP benefits. Even with the help of SNAP and other food assistance programs, the diets of those who are food insecure do not meet the nutritional needs they require. The diets of food insecure individuals are low in essential vitamins and minerals while high in saturated fats, sodium and cholesterol. For the participants in the study, they averaged approximately 74 daily servings of fats (USDA recommends only 6 daily servings) and fell below the USDA recommended number of daily servings for every other food group except grains. Food insecurity is also a significant predictor of negative nutritional Join the HEAL Food Alliance for the Plate of the Union P JILL GREGORY Contributing Writer late of the Union is a national campaign stemming from a collaboration among three non-profit organizations, HEAL Food Alliance, Food Policy Action Education Fund, and The Union of Concerned Scientists, dedicated to get the public talking about food and farm issues and urging the next president to take action. The Plate of the Union Food Truck tour that launched at the National Republican and Democratic Conventions has been traveling through battleground states this election cycle holding events that bring together families, farmers, workers, and community leaders. In September and October, I traveled with volunteers from across the U.S. to different farmers markets and local events in Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Cleveland, and smaller towns in between of Lebanon and Yellow Springs. My personal reason for getting involved in the campaign is that I realized while studying heart disease and type 2 diabetes at graduate school in Cleveland that these diseases that are driving up health care costs are preventable as long as Americans have access to healthy food and an understanding of how to incorporate healthy eating practices within a budget. What I have experienced so far is that everyone agrees, regardless of political beliefs, on the importance of access to healthy, affordable food, including fresh fruits and vegetables, brought by a food and farm system that is conscious of the environment, food workers’ rights, and farmers of all size farms. The common sense points to which Plate of the Union would like the next President to commit to include moving subsidies away from industrial farms that produce high amounts of cheap “Breakdown Stereotypes” outcomes in adults, according to the New Jersey study. Overweight and obesity, diabetes, cardiac disease and chronic diseases. Those experiencing homelessness face even higher risks of health problems, especially if they have experienced homelessness and poverty for an extended period of time. Additionally, the nutritional adequacy of their diets are less considered (if at all) because safety and shelter are the primary concerns of those experiencing homelessness, which often takes precedent over health problems these individuals might be facing. Federal programs are not alone in punishing those experiencing homelessness. Recent city ordinances across the country have made foodand resource-sharing restrictions among those experiencing homelessness illegal. Other ordinances target soup kitchens providing hot meals claiming the restrictions aim to ensure that those experiencing homelessness receive nutritious and safe meals. Limiting access to food is just one more avenue through which cities have criminalized homelessness, starving individuals of their rights and basic needs. ------------------------ ingredients used in processed junk foods, and end the marketing of those foods to children. Farming practices should be reformed to include more sustainable methods and support organic and diversified farming. Martha, a retired university professor and local activist, asks Kroger to pay tomato pickers 1 more cent for tomatoes Credit: Jill Gregory (Continued on page 10) “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 �4 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED N o v 18 - D e c 1, 2 0 16 | N o . 339 �LOCAL For As Long As It Takes: Replanting the Narrative 5 No. 339 | N o v 18 - D e c 1, 2 0 16 DR. MARK MUSSMAN Staff Writer For our Shantytown T-shirts this year, I chose to put buddy gray’s iconic quote on the front: “For As Long As It Takes.” These shirts will be distributed and worn by many students across the region, proudly, and with true positive intentions in their hearts. On the back of the shirt, it reads “Yes In My Back Yard (YIMBY): Affordable Housing Now!” This statement gets to the heart of eradicating homelessness – we need affordable housing – as well as the role that each of us play in ensuring this solution is possible. I can’t imagine what buddy would think of the current wave of hood without displacement. We have not done the neighborhood plan justice. Unpacking buddy’s statement (“For as long as it takes”) reveals the universality of his desire to bring forth a just world, built on pillars of equity. We know, instinctively, what the “it” he is talking about, but I guess it could be seen as an ambiguous statement. Is it our blood, sweat, and tears poured into the life-saving and hope-affirming social service agencies that make up the backbone of our community? Is it the organizing and marching in the streets against police brutality, displacement, white- gentrification in Over-the-Rhine. Long time residents have been seeking out development and change in the community for decades – but not in this manner. Displacement is the centerpiece of these attempts to “clean-up” the neighborhood. We know this because over 70% of the housing in the 0-30% AMI group has disappeared in the past 15 years. This means that we haven’t stuck to the 2002 neighborhood plan, which called for a mixed income neighbor- washing, injustice, and pain? Is it the quiet letter-writing, the silent studying of history, or inner contemplation? Or is it something else: building connections, building community, building strength? Whatever it is, we know that it hasn’t been accomplished yet. The other part of the statement that really needs closer examination is “for as long,” which speaks to the unfinished business that lingers in the city. Could you imagine a time REFLECTIONS ON THE FALL CAMPAIGN BILL WOODS N Contributing Writer ovember 8th brought an end to the most disturbing and depressing Presidential election of my lifetime. All the public traditions and values developed over the years to give further meaning to the words, "we the people," seem to be in jeopardy. Many of us are still in shock, feeling despair, and not yet ready to study all the factors that led to Trump's victory. In trying to find some solace so I could get through my daily activities, I recalled some positive moments and events that occurred at the local level this fall that offer a bit of hope for the future. I briefly review them here. On September 20th at the Peaslee Neighborhood Center in Over-theRhine a workshop on protecting voting rights kindled some hope at the grassroots. "Voting Rights 101" featured a panel that included Camille Wimbish, Director of the Ohio Voter Rights Coalition, Catherine Turcer, Policy Analyst for Common Cause/ Ohio, and Pat Youngblood, Peaslee Caregiver Project Lead Organizer. The speakers provided the diverse attendees with information they need to steer themselves through the legal procedures that often make it when we don’t need to fight against homelessness, poverty, disenfranchisement? A time when people aren’t being purged from voting and intimidated at the polls? When policies reflect the people and not the power? When poverty is seen as something that happened in the past? What would the world look like then? What strength would that ensure for our children’s future? I guess the question is: How much longer will powerful leaders turn a blind eye to the suffering in our community? We must be at a tipping point – when more than half of the children in Cincinnati live below the poverty line, when upward mobility (the American Dream) is officially dead for people of color in our city. Unfortunately, I feel it might be too late. We have been accustomed to poverty and we thrive on “othering” entire communities based on skin color, or poverty level, or zip code. We engage in victim-blaming on a monumental scale. We believe that America is a meritocracy when it is full on an oligarchy. This is a dangerous mindset that pits the powerless against the powerless, and it ignores the realdifficult for would be voters to cast their ballots. They especially honed in on Ohio's voter ID law and the problems people often encounter at the polls. One young man was able to register to vote immediately after this Workshop ended. At the Community Issues Forum at Christ Church Cathedral on September 29th, Moira Weir, Director of Jobs and Family Services for Hamilton County, made the case for the Children's Services Levy, Issue 53. Weir clearly described the services that this renewal levy pays for, and depicted how recent state funding reductions have cut these services to protect children to the bone. It was refreshing to hear from a social service professional who is such a staunch advocate for children. (53 won handily.) Then two weeks later, the Forum focused on Issue 44, the Cincinnati Public School Levy. This THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED ity of suffering that will become our legacy for generations to come. Only if we continue to educate others, can buddy’s legacy continue to live on. Buddy, along with countless others, set a foundation of dignity that is often lacking in today’s Over-the-Rhine. There is no dignity in displacement. There is no pride in businesses that are out of reach of residents. There is nothing right with the double standards around alcohol consumption. Extravagant price points; sidewalk blocking restaurant outcroppings; gated alleys; privatized parks; removed schools, laundromats, hardware stores, corner stores, neighbors, family – gentrification is Over-the-Rhine’s legacy now. Today, we know how to solve homelessness. It will only happen through a mix of affordable housing and livable wages. Affordable housing trust funds and inclusionary housing development are a great start. Housing First models that get people into safe housing and then deal with issues they might have are showing success. Treating people with dignity and putting resources towards housing insecurity is a must. None of this will happen on its own – it requires your involvement… For As Long As It Takes. ----------------------levy includes new money to pay for preschool classes for children living in Cincinnati. Known as the Preschool Promise Initiative, it's goal is to provide a quality preschool experience for every four-yearold in the district. Obviously, the $15-million of new money will only be a start toward reaching that goal, but the new revenue from increased property taxes will be earmarked for scholarships for young children from low income families as well as grants to boost the quality of various preschools. Eve Bolton, a Cincinnati School Board member, and Jack Jose, Principal of Gamble Montessori High School, discussed the complexities of this levy and why it is needed for both the preschool expansion and activities in the regular elementary and high school system. (This levy passed easily.) (Continued on page 12) �6 LOCAL N o v 18 - D e c 1, 2 0 16 | N o . 339 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 �7 OPINION Rethinking what it means to be a liberal No. 339 | N o v 18 - D e c 1, 2 0 16 JASON HAAP I Contributing Writer swear I'm still a liberal. On any social issue, I side with the liberal perspective: prochoice, pro-gay-rights, proenvironment, pro-gun-control, and so forth. But the divisive caricature of conservatives as depicted by Democrats really has me secondguessing some things. For example, I believe white privilege is real - but I'm starting to think it may have a bit of an expiration date. Let me explain: if a poor white boy and a poor black boy each decide to adjust their speech patterns, get a nice haircut, and put on a suit, I think the white kid will have more advantages than the black kid when it comes to education and employment. I think youth brings with it a certain flexibility that can benefit people on the basis of their skin color. But I'm trying to imagine how white privilege works in the case of a 45 year old guy who is a member MICHAEL EARL PATTON (Continued from page 2) opposed to a natural disaster where one might be cut off from utilities or outside food supplies for a few days. of the working poor. What do I expect him to do? Change how he talks, how he looks, and then suddenly change significantly his life situation? That's not how it works, at least not for the vast majority of working class whites. People don't generally shift from manual labor to a life of privilege quite so easily. While such a person probably gets pulled over by police less (and I don't mean to minimize the significance of that), our hypothetical, aging, blue-collar white guy has plenty of struggles, and he probably doesn't feel too much benefit based purely on his skin color. However, if I'm to believe the pundits in the wake of the recent presidential election, these people are all racist and sexist xenophobes who voted for Trump because they hate everyone who isn't like them. These kinds of accusations are a cop-out, I think (and maybe even hypocritical). As a liberal, I don't think we should paint people with a broad brush, putting them into insulting categories for the sake of convenience. I feel like that is the opposite of liberal values, which should include a desire to understand those who are different, and to be welcoming of people who aren't like us. Trump won the presidency, in part, because of his support among "uneducated whites." For many liberals, only someone who is "uneducated" could support Trump. It takes education, they seem to suggest, for white people to really understand and empathize with the situation of nonwhite members of our culture. Those who are uneducated are therefore (according to this line of thought) ignorant, and they base their positions on ignorance and a equipment that one can grab at a moment’s notice if you think the time has come to “bug out” of a city. Having transportation and a place to where you can “bug out” are, of course, also necessary. this article is not about such predictions. To put a little context into this, since I moved to Cincinnati in 1983 there have been two periods where I had to go without electricity for an extended period. The first was for three days in 1989 as a result of an October snow storm when many leaves were still on the branches. The snow piled on the leafy branches, weighing them down. When they snapped they took down power lines. The second event was when the remnants of Hurricane Ike blew through in September 2008. That time I was without power for four days. In both cases, of course, there were people who didn’t lose power or who quickly had it restored, and there were also people who were without power for a couple weeks. The first time I wasn’t exactly prepared. But I fear of difference. Certainly there are plenty of racists on the right side of the spectrum. But I'm just unwilling to suggest, categorically, that "uneducated white" Republicans are automatically hateful and narrowminded people. Why is it so hard to believe that some people may legitimately have a different view of how economics should work? I have an uneducated white friend (and by "uneducated" I mean he doesn't have a college degree) who once suggested college tuition is so high because of government interference via liberal policies. My gut instinct was to blow him off as nonsensical, but I decided to do some digging on this subject. Guess what? He might be right! As the government has increased access to financial aid for a larger number of students, colleges have raised tuition, perhaps reasoning that higher tuition would be less a stumbling block to people receiving some form of aid. In a 2015 article from Forbes entitled "Does Federal Student Aid Cause Tuition Increases? It Certainly (Continued on page 10) battery-powered radio, a way to charge my cell phone, and even a battery-powered TV. I have a gas stove so cooking was no problem, and a gas water heater with a pilot light so I could still take hot showers. If I lost power for four days in the middle of winter, though, I would probably be looking at leaving for someplace with heat. A wood-burning stove would solve that problem, but it would not be easy to retro-fit into my house. I do think about it, though, and maybe someday I will be a little more prepared. Based on past experience alone, it is reasonable to be prepared for an extended electrical outage. Several times over the years the tornado sirens have gone off in the middle of the night. I keep things like a flashlight and my battery-powered TV in a basement room in case I have to take shelter there. Solar Cooker Credit: Michael Earl Patton I saw pouches of freeze-dried food good for 25 years for sale, packages of heirloom seeds (nonhybrid) that would propagate true, garden tools, books, a solar food cooker, hiking stoves, knives, basic medical equipment in case normal medical services are not available or there is no doctor, a portable solar panel package with battery and inverter, magnesium fire starters capable of igniting damp tinder, and water purifiers. Several vendors had items that they recommended for a “bug-out bag.” This is a heavyduty bag, always at the ready, which contains an assortment of food and I did not see firearms for sale, although one person was selling ammunition. Nor did I see anyone selling in-ground tornado shelters, which I had expected given the history of tornadoes in this area. One woman selling freeze-dried food pouches said that her business had gone up 500% (!) in the past 3 months. I don’t know if this was due to concern over the upcoming election, but that is my guess. Both major candidates have used strong words, which however pale in comparison by some who are weighing in on the consequences of one outcome or another. However, Family Medical Bag Credit: Michael Earl Patton was somewhat prepared the second time. I was glad to have such things as a couple flashlights, lanterns, THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED (Continued on page 11) �e 8 WORLD Photo story: Living in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew CARLOS GARCIA RAWLINS H COURTESY OF REUTERS / INSP.NGO aiti had been hit so hard by Hurricane Matthew, the fiercest Caribbean storm in nearly a decade, that people considered themselves lucky to be alive. Villages making contact with the outside in early October, days after the cyclone ripped through the impoverished nation's picturesque western peninsula, like Jeremie, were in ruins. "My house was totally destroyed during the storm," said 29-year-old mother Marie Ange St Juste. "I lost everything, but I was lucky that none of my children died. Now my situation is very bad, we need help." Liface Luc, 66, was one of many people affected by the storm in Haiti, where the death toll rose to more than 1,000 people. One of Matthew's worst repercussions was the outbreak of cholera. Many people flooded hospital units for treatment. "I don't need to say nothing. My house explains everything. It's completely flat down. I lost everything: my crops, my animals, so I have nothing left," Luc said, shirtless, wearing ripped cloth shorts, a straw hat and holding a machete in his hands to clean his property. To his right, a chair was the only Nathalie Pierre, 28, poses for a photograph with her daughter Rose, 3, in their destroyed house after Hurricane Matthew hit Jeremie. "As you can see, my situation is very bad. I lost all I had; my house, my money, my boutique. Everything gone in a few minutes,” Pierre said. item distinguishable amid a pile of his possessions. "It's like my two hands had been cut. What can I say? I'm at death's door." In the same town, a girl carried a container of water over her head bigger than she was. When she made it home to her family, they were sitting in front of their concrete house, which was without a roof, and had almost nothing inside. Matha Dominique, 67, sat next to her six family members, four of whom are children. One of the boys leaned on his mom's lap, another looked at the ground with his arms N o v 18 - D e c 1, 2 0 16 | N o . 339 crossed, and one rested her chin in the palm of her hand. Their problems were tangible. "Since I was born, I never see something like that. I thought it was the end of the world," Dominique said. "Things that took many years and effort to have and build disappeared in a few minutes. That is crazy and does not make sense to me. At my age, do you think I could do something or start again? I think no." Nathalie Pierre, 28, looked exhausted, emotionally and physically, as she held up her 3-yearold daughter Rose. "As you can see, my situation is very bad. I lost all I had: my house, my money, my boutique," Pierre said, the two standing next to a broken bed frame. "The storm was terrible, but I was lucky to have my only daughter alive - that's the most important thing. Life goes on." ------------------------ Prenille Nord, 42, poses for a photograph with his children Darline and Kervins among the debris of their destroyed house after Hurricane Matthew hit Jeremie. "My house is completely destroyed, I have nothing left,” said Nord. Credit: REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins Credit: REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins oseline Charles (R), 57, poses for a photograph next to her relatives in their destroyed house after Hurricane Matthew hit Jeremie. "As you can see, my house was completely destroyed,” said Charles. Marie Ange St Juste (R), 29, poses for a photograph with her sons, Kensley, 7 (L), and Peterley, 5, in their destroyed house after Hurricane Matthew hit Jeremie, Haiti. "My house was totally destroyed during the storm," said St Juste. Credit: REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlin Credit: REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins Photo story: All along the Mexico-USA border wall B LISA BAERTLEIN COURTESY OF REUTERS / INSP.NGO uilding a wall along the U.S.- Mexico border has been a contentious subject in this year's U.S. presidential election. In parts of California and Arizona, a wall already exists. It runs across rocky deserts, flowing sand dunes and miles of agricultural land. The wall splits towns and families, marking a boundary between two countries that used to be one. Busy land ports of entry and signs written in both Spanish and English attest to an interdependence that still exists in the bifurcated cities, faded mining towns and eccentric art outposts that punctuate the arid landscape. The border between Mexico and the United States spans some 2,000 miles between San Diego, California and Brownsville, Texas. Monitored around the clock with ground sensors, cameras and hundreds of customs and border patrol officers, the wall is THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED composed of a mash-up of materials: formidable cement slabs, steel mesh, rusty corrugated metal. There are oddities along the fence: a home surrounded by life-sized space alien mannequins and toy UFOs; the statue of a cow mounted high above the ground near a cattle ranch; and gaps in the fence occur sporadically without explanation. A man rode a tricycle in a small California border town past a (Continued on page 9) �WORLD Jon Bon Jovi: “It’s not rock and roll to feed homeless people” 9 No. 339 | N o v 18 - D e c 1, 2 0 16 TERRI WHITE W COURTESY OF INSP.NGO / THE BIG ISSUE UK BIGISSUE.COM @BIGISSUE e'd last seen Jon Bon Jovi 24 or so hours before at the 'listening party' for his new album at London's Ivy Club - one of those joints that have their own name emblazoned on the crockery. Now we're opposite him in the even more opulent Savoy Hotel. surprises, some shockers: the sudden departure of Richie Sambora, the record company and I having come to loggerheads over the music business and the business of music. I found this was a unique period in my life to be vulnerable and put it providing housing but also via his JBJ Soul Kitchen, which operates on a simple premise: eat there and either make a donation or volunteer in the kitchen. The juxtaposition of these two parts of his life and these two parts of our conversation isn't lost on us. But it sure isn't lost on him either. Bon Jovi joins staff of Project H.O.M.E and People for People, Inc. at the groundbreaking ceremony for JBJ Soul Homes. Photo: Nicole Polk (courtesy of Project Home) U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is introduced along with singer Lady Gaga and recording artist Jon Bon Jovi at a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina November 8, 2016. Credit: REUTERS/Chris Keane He's wearing sunglasses indoors. We're intimidated by the carpet, never mind the coiffed 19th-century lass gazing apathetically at us from the wall on which her portrait hangs. We're here to discuss the new record - This House is Not for Sale, the first since guitarist Richie Sambora left the band, in the wake of the drama with their record label. We are also set to talk about his charitable work; work that saw him presented with the Global Citizen Award by Bill Clinton in September. Ten years ago, he founded The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, tackling the issues of homelessness and hunger in the United States through Could you talk about the changes in the band over the last few years? Shall I lay down on the couch to start this…? If that would help, absolutely. It was a difficult time. There was so much turmoil, the unexpected, the shockers, all of those tent poles… I should preface that by saying please, we're talking to The Big Issue here about folks that are selling magazines on street corners, there is no pity party for me. 'This is the plight of the rock star' is not exactly what I want to promote. But I went through some Jon Bon Jovi was photographed for The Big Issue by Louise Haywood-Schiefer in the Savoy Hotel, London. Credit: Louise Haywood-Schiefer / The Big Issue (Continued on page 10) LISA BAERTLEIN (Continued on page 13) (Continued from page 8) Buildings in Nogales, Mexico (R) are separated by a border fence from Nogales, Arizona. Credit: Reuters/Mike Blake A gap in the U.S.-Mexico border fence is seen outside Jacumba, California. Credit: Reuters/Mike Blake THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �10 LOCAL JASON HAAP (Continued from page 7) Enables Them," contributor Andrew Kelly concludes that "[t]he exact relationship between aid and tuition increases—whether it causes or enables—is actually less important from a policymaking perspective because the end effect is the same: more aid, higher tuition prices. That’s why simply pouring more aid into the system won’t create affordable college. JILL GREGORY (Continued from page 3) The next President should make changes to ensure farmworkers, food Here's my point: questions about things like student aid and college tuition might be debatable, but it's not like my uneducated white friend's statement is totally absurd. He believes liberal policies fail when it comes to lifting people out of poverty, and there are plenty of educated people who think so, too. That doesn't make them racists. If they complain about "welfare queens," and make weird comments about black people and "the first of the month" - then, yes, that sounds pretty racist. But not N o v 18 - D e c 1, 2 0 16 | N o . 339 everyone who is a conservative does that. I guess this is really just a long way of saying, to my liberal friends, that we need to stop demonizing people who have a different political view. The late Fred Phelps, of Westboro Baptist Church infamy (the people who hold "God Hates Fags" signs at military funerals) was a lifelong Democrat. I don't fault other Democrats for the association, so I don't fault all conservatives for the fact that some truly deplorable people put a stake on their side of the aisle. I suggest finding a non-hateful, intelligent Trump supporter. They really do exist. I have found several of them! Just like all black people are not accurately represented by the worst stereotypes you can imagine, the same is true of Republicans. I think it's time we start being a bit more liberal in how we reach out to our conservative friends. ------------------------ workers, and restaurant workers get paid a fair wage. It is also important to ban overuse of antibiotics, limiting usage to the intended purpose of an antibiotic, to treat infection. Findlay Farmer’s Market in downtown Cincinnati. Plate of the Union generated interest from over 100 people at this one market and over 100 thousand nationally. Credit: Jill Gregory Family at College Hill Farmer’s Market, Cincinnati and Jill from Plate of the Union Kids:“Organic is the only way to grow,” and “no junk food in all schools!” Credit: Jill Gregory TERRI WHITE (Continued from page 9) into words. It is now a rebirth. I think overall I'm not at the light at the end of the tunnel but, for the first time in three-plus years, I see it. 'Coming home' is a theme of this record - but legacy too. Is your legacy something you've been mulling over? I think my legacy… isn't specific to this band. It's like, what do you want your legacy to be, who are you? And making records is what I do, it isn't who I am. I said when I was 50 I was not going to be writing 'bitch' on my belly and painting my fingernails black. I couldn't be the cliché. It's not rock and roll to start a foundation that feeds homeless people. It's not rock and roll to say you work for the president. Do you think music is enough of a legacy? I'm not defined just by the music, that's a calling card. I'm very proud of the foundation's work. The restaurant that we created just didn't exist… that was the needle in a haystack, that's the one in a million, just: holy fuck, we did something. It's not just standing at a microphone giving some speech about feeding the homeless; I'm down there washing the fucking dishes. Your earlier records represented blue-collar workers - the world has changed significantly for those people. It's changed dramatically, which makes you understand that a certain part of the demographic - the one part of the demographic that currently Trump leads in - is the older, white, somewhat educated male, who was fearful and saddened because he didn't get that pot of gold, and the factory job left, and the mortgage was still there. And then the millennial on the other side of the coin that was gonna vote Bernie whose attitude was: "Well, I'm never even gonna own a house and I'm resolved to that. We have to start thinking more about our future and that pertains to an environment." That's the polar opposite of the first demographic I'm describing… These changes have happened in my lifetime. I haven't given up hope that technology can lead to some better things. It's just when politics gets in the way of it and greed gets in the way of it, it's heartbreaking. Because The time for action is now; for the first time, children are projected to have shorter life expectancies than their parents. The food and farm system in this country will dictate the future of the health of our citizens, economy, land, and soil. If you would like to learn more about Plate of the Union or the continued work of HEAL Food Alliance on these important issues, please email me at jill@ healfoodalliance.org.. any logical mind says that money and greed are just an evil combination. The disillusionment of that disenfranchised group is something we've been facing in the UK. How do you begin to remedy that or reach those people? Part of the Soul Foundation's work is that we have the EET programme - Employment and Empowerment Team. So you have folks who are 50 years old and are trying to re-enter the workplace and they don't know how to work that computer like their teenage kids do and they don't know how to fill out that job application - saying what are my abilities, what services can I provide - and that's a scary place to be because the world has changed so. I don't know how to do it. It's going to take smarter people than I to figure it out. But until we can at least acknowledge that what separates is what needs to bring us together, this polarisation is not going to get any better any time soon. This judging everyone by the cover of the book: colour of their skin, religion, sexual orientation, financial backgrounds. There are so many niches; we are living in an 'us and them' society. That's just not gonna fly. The foundation is about restoring pride in yourself and your community. Where did that philosophy come from? It came through experience. I'm looking out a hotel room [in New York] one day and I see this guy sleeping on a grate, it's dead of winter. I think, this isn't what George Washington and Ben Franklin, the guys who were walking these streets, must have been thinking about. It all came into focus: I got it, the homeless issue. It doesn't matter if you're white, black, young, old, Republican or Democrat, it can affect you at any time. Most people are living two paychecks away from calamity. So I met an expert in the field and she's a nun - so then the cliché is the rock star and the nun - but the rock star and the nun became fast friends. So when we went to DC, her expertise and my pretty face got us into a lot of rooms… then we compounded it to create the restaurants. Again, the audacity was that we could empower people by bringing them together in this environment. There were THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED ------------------------ (Continued on page 12) �LOCAL LIGHTENING STRIKES TWICE No. 339 | N o v 18 - D e c 1, 2 0 16 the Cancer Justice Network and to sign up for free cancer exams. Discussing health in Christ Church Cathedral raised serious questions about how to understand the purpose of the dinner and the conversation. Many people had been to a prior dinner. No religious message was delivered or religious adherence was asked for by anyone. The action of giving a free dinner without any qualifications was seen as one way that the mission of caring could be enacted. Now, though, the Cancer Justice Network was joining the evening meal and bringing a set of new questions and expectations of both attendance and participation in the dinner. Were people now required to discuss their personal health histories? Did experiences with cancer including family history suggest that a new requirement for attendance was being demanded? The Cancer Justice Network and Pat Coyle, PhD, of the Church worried about the mixed communication we might be sending and, with this new approach, whether we were undermining the purposes of the dinner. Our goal was to co-create a learning experience with the people. We wanted to get to know people and to raise the concern that we had about preventing cancer from becoming a killer that went unregarded. Sadly, we knew that institutional health care had ignored the realities facing poor people by neither educating nor treating the increasing numbers of people with cancer. We knew that many people, prior to the Affordable Care Act, had never considered having doctors and hospitals that were responsive to their health needs. Cincinnati's hospitals were located in neighborhoods that had a twenty year less life expectancy for residents and the hospitals had no programs of education or treatment except the occasional health fair. But we were trying something new: a process of really caring about empowering people with knowledge about the danger signs of cancer and the steps needed for timely treatment. We wanted to follow a model program developed by Harold Freeman, MD, a surgeon, and developer of the navigation process. The key to this approach is that our navigators will both explain the realities of cancer, describe the importance of exams for early detection, and, importantly, accompany people to their exams and treatment. We wanted this new approach to change people's relationship to physicians,knowledge about cancer, and improve the likelihood of getting both an exam and, if needed, treatment. And, we want to save lives. The results are starting to arrive. Some people at the dinner signed up to find out if they had cancer. They met with admissions staff from Crossroad Health Center, talked with Molina Insurance about the steps to getting insurance, raised health questions with our medical director, Nemat Moussavian, MD, and built the beginning of a trusting relationship with our navigators. (Our navigators were Pat Murray, Alison Love, and our first navigators from UC's Communication Department and Xavier University's school of nursing.) We will wait and see if this group follows through with their appointments and whether the phone contacts we have will result in deepening the relationship between navigators and those people attending the dinner. The magic of the dinner environment worked and, for the second week in a row, we saw many people signing up for exams, discussing their general health, and agreeing to follow up. The hour or so for dinner and conversation sped by like a lightning bolt. We felt the warmth of good conversations, caring starts of important discussions about health, and the acceptance of the offer of help to find out if cancer was present. About 10% of the people signed up; all were given a chance to discuss cancer or a health problem. Slowly, the concept of a navigator, an ally, to work with a person at a difficult time and perhaps with difficult conditions that prevent action by themselves, began to form. In an instant, the dining room was lit by flashes of compassion, by the bright light of hope, and by the illumination of a possibility of overcoming a lethal disease. We are grateful that seeds of humanness were planted both in the navigators and the dinner guests. Once strangers just a bit ago were transformed, in part, into the threads of a structure of compassion, a new form that required releasing hope from both sides. Questions remain about our efforts: Should our navigators take up regular attendance at these dinners in order to establish relationships that are ongoing?; Would the place for the navigators also be at the health centers so that people could meet them and have navigators team with people as the meet health professionals?; How will we know what has worked for the person and the navigator in such a short time period and, if we find out, is what is successful transferable to other settings for education?; and, can we start a movement of the people, by the people, and with the people to spread the word that cancer care is available with good doctors, effective treatments, and compassionate navigators? We will continue to find our way. preparation one can make now is to build community, as in “common unity.” Do it now, make those contacts now, find out whom you can trust and who has what skills. Get involved in your faith community, join a community garden, or even a neighborhood watch group. Help out with one of the organizations that make up the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Don’t work in just one group, get involved in two or more. Involvement is the key, not just “networking.” In fact, building community is a good idea even if disaster never strikes. One group that was at the Cincinnati Preparedness Expo that I might get involved with is the OH-KY-IN Amateur Radio Society. Being a ham radio operator has always intrigued me. I like the idea of being able to talk directly to someone without going through multiple phone or internet switching stations. Plus, in an emergency ham radio operators can support relief and recovery efforts by relaying messages even when other means of communications are down. Some ham operators even practice for this. I hope to take their technician level licensing class in March. I think I would find this enjoyable, like I find gardening enjoyable. I don’t think of being prepared as a burden but as an incentive (one out of several) to learn new skills and to meet and work with people on more than just a superficial level. STEVE SUNDERLAND "W Contributing Writer e can't refuse to be human beings. We can be unconscious, asleep. But to be awake is often just a simple matter of being willing to feel the connection, to feel the presence of more than our selves...We are obviously a part of something bigger than ourselves, and our health and well-being are interdependent..." --M.C. Richards (1980). Toward Wholeness. Wesleyan Press. On October 14, 2016 over 200 people, poor, minorities, families, came to the weekly free dinner at Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Cincinnati. At the over 20 tables were several members of the Cancer Justice Network, an organization that had visited a week before to provide cancer education. The tables filled as people waited to be called to a beautiful buffet prepared for the Church's "guests." Sharing cancer education in this setting is new for both the people who came for dinner and the "Navigators," the trained volunteers who had come prepared to have conversations about why cancer may be killing record numbers of minorities in Cincinnati. We had learned the prior week that there appeared to be an openness to discussing health in general and cancer in particular. Our conversations were marked by an interest and a seriousness that suggested that health questions were on the minds of poor people. Now, they had another chance to discuss health and, if they wanted, to meet representatives from Crossroad Health Center, Molina Insurance, MICHAEL EARL PATTON (Continued from page 7) My own thoughts are that it is reasonable to have some preparations made beforehand for natural disasters. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) recommendations can be found at www.ready.gov and a brief description of supplies at www. ready.gov/kit. FEMA recommends having 3 days of food and water on hand, maybe up to 2 weeks depending upon circumstances, along with other supplies. But to survive TEOTWAWKI (The End Of The World As We Know It) just by stocking supplies for 6 months or so is doomed to failure. What happens after 6 months when your food has run out? Or you need to replace a tool? Or you child needs major surgery? Or someone needs new shoes or snow boots? No one person, or one family, has all the skills and resources needed. To me the most important 11 Dried Food Preparation Photo: Michael Earl Patton THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED For more information, please go to cancerjusticenetwork.org �12 OPINION To be or not to be OR Obama’s legacy – our problem ROBERT PARK O Contributing Writer & Streetvibes Distributor vernight a swarm of locusts has descended. Almost every progressive organization has turned Trump victory into a luscious fund-raising hook (it’s a win-win: before Trump – after Trump). Virtually all these well-intentioned blood suckers are presenting no perspective on how we got here and what core strategy we need to get out. Where were most of these folks when Bernie was running, when the Democratic National Committee was shamelessly tilting the playing field toward Clinton, dismissing those workers in Michigan. Instead of gushing over Hillary, our first woman President (Elizabeth Warren, maybe) why weren’t they asking about white workers (and black workers)? For the past 30 years the Democratic Party has been the engine of neoliberalism: make the world safe for mobile capital, the purveyor of democracy. Right, like in China, Bangladesh, Iran, Saudi TERRI WHITE (Continued from page 12) naysayers, right in the community, saying: "We're not going to support this." Why? Fear. Okay, fear of what? I don't wanna sit with a homeless person. Really, that guy just cooked you a meal. That kind of lack of education, putting a face on the people who are your neighbours, is what our mission is. Slowly, we're teaching that community that the commonality, which is food, gives you the opportunity to know your neighbour. Then, 55,000 meals later in a 33seat restaurant, bravo, you know, it's working. How does all of this feed into your political beliefs and alliances? Not really. I'm a Democrat since my wife educated me some 30 years ago, prior to that I was too young and wasn't paying attention, so when Ron BILL WOODS (Continued from page 7) Meanwhile, it was refreshing to see some progressive and thoughtful political candidates emerging at the local level. At the Christ Church Forum on October 27th, two young women running for Ohio House District 31 revealed their intentions if elected of promoting needed services for families and individuals who live in the state. Republican candidate Mary Yeager, a struggling mother with young children, knows first-hand the kind of services that families often require. Her Democratic opponent, Brigid Kelly, comes from a labor union background, and she advocates Arabia, Vietnam. Deregulate the banks, ship manufacturing to wageslave countries with no enforceable labor rights or environmental standards. Watch the rich get much, much richer. If that wasn’t bad enough, the assholes engineered the Great Recession in which millions lost jobs, homes, and small businesses (and haven’t recovered). Obama’s solution, despite a huge cross-racial mandate? Bring in the perpetrators to fix the problems and don’t look back. If anyone put on the last layer of asphalt paving the way for Trump, it was get along Obama. We wanted a motherfucker and we got Obamacare. If he had fought for the working class, and even lost, race and birthers would have disappeared from public Presidential memory. Good economics trumps racism!! Ignoring economics invites racism. There we have it. It may get a lot worse. Bernie recently commented post-election that the Democratic Party “failed with the working class.” Reagan told us everyone should have a white picket fence and two cars in the driveway (and I was 18 and didn't know any better), I was like, yeah I like that. It doesn't sway me [now] because I was very objective in this election. I'm open to somebody that has a fiscally conservative agenda but yet a liberal viewpoint. I'm not so Blue that I can't listen to Purple. But do you think you can be fiscally conservative and believe in a welfare state? I hope so. Under the guise of doing the right thing: it's a hand up, not a handout. That right there, that little bumper sticker, is enough for the beginning of a conversation, to reiterate once again: believe me ladies and gentlemen, nobody woke up and said: "I've got a great career path; I want to be a homeless guy in the street." No, who the fuck wants to do that? Whatever led them to that despair, it wasn't their first choice for better working conditions and wages, as well as more state funding for public education. (Kelly won this race.) At the same Forum, Denise Driehaus displayed why her knowledge of policy and her dedication to serving her constituents make her an especially appealing candidate for the Hamilton County Commission. After reaching her limit of terms in the Ohio House, Driehaus decided to run for a Commission seat. She promised to be a more activist Commissioner in fighting for increased funding for areas such as children's services. She also showed a grasp of the complex Metropolitan N o v 18 - D e c 1, 2 0 16 | N o . 339 Actually, that’s not quite right; that just explains how they lost, not why. He should have said the Democratic Party “failed the working class” (for decades) and explained the many ways. He went on to say they didn’t make clear that they were on their side (the working class). That’s because they weren’t on their side. Bernie needs to be more direct (and honest). Maybe Bernie should have stayed outside Hillary’s campaign and pushed Clinton further to the left, openly attacking her, backing and encouraging progressive candidates to do the same – it could only have helped their own efforts. But a Clinton victory would have preserved the fundamental problem in the Party. At least, now, it’s way out in the open. Now the millennials and others are out in the streets, testifying against bad attitudes (racism, sexism, etc.) but not saying so much about economics or Democratic betrayal. This just affirms Trumpism in the eyes of the working class white guys. It helps cement the wildly successful distractions that got Trump elected. Some of us still don’t get it. Trump got it, and built a giant fraud around it; why don’t we get it? It’s the economy, stupid. It’s the ruling class, dumbbell. Here’s what we have to do. Build coalitions with a clear growing up. One last thing: does Trump actually have a chance in hell? Yes. Look what happened here. understanding of why we are in this predicament and how to get out of it. This means saying mean things about the Democratic Party (and its leading corporate, Republican wannabees). Demands have to be articulated but this will be difficult because the Dems have already abandoned most of them such that Trump could easily pick them up as part of his great scam (like jobs, infrastructure). We need to get specific on Tax the rich, Free education and Single-payer universal healthcare to replace the Obamacare monstrosity. We need to stand together, all of us, when the rubber hits the road in local conflicts. We need to innovate local resistance (blocking things, taking things, disrupting things). If we don’t seize this moment and get it right, we’ll have some serious dark side risk. Lone vigilantes, armed gangs, race wars, small and big, with our huge, militarized security apparatus locked and ready for action. When these things start to happen, if enough of us don’t jump on the right side fast, it may all be over. Let start the conversation. [The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition does not endorse candidates.] My logical mind tells me it's not possible but we live in an illogical time. Jon Bon Jovi performs at a concert at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts March 1, 2011. Credit: REUTERS/Brian Snyder Sewer District issues. (Commissioner Deters was represented at the Forum by an aide who said he did not wish to speak for his boss on specific issues,) Driehaus won a close election on November 8th. Finally, an event that gave me the most hope during this depressing election year was a presentation by Sr. Simone Campbell, Director of Network Lobby for Catholic Social Justice in Washington, D.C.. Sr. Simone is also a leader of Nuns on the Bus, a project that has taken nuns to twenty-three cities in thirteen states to talk about the issues at stake in the upcoming Congressional and Presidential elections. Speaking to an THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED attentive audienceat Christ Church Cathedral on Wednesday evening October 26th, she emphasized the theme of "mending the current economic and social gaps that exist in the U.S. by reweaving the fabric of our society." The very wide and ever growing gaps in income and wealth distribution in American society, declared Sr. Simone, have created a number of serious injustices that must be addressed. The platform of Nuns on the Bus includes support for a living wage for all workers, a more equitable tax policy, access to (Continued on page 13) �No. 339 | N o v 18 - D e c 1, 2 0 16 BILL WOODS (Continued from page 12) good health care, the availability of safe, affordable housing, family friendly workplaces, and reforming the democratic process. She used members of the audience as props showing how wide the distances have LISA BAERTLEIN (Continued from page 9) grocery store with a one percent sign hanging on the wall. In Nogales, Arizona's largest international border community, the wall neatly divides the city. Little else distinguishes the hillside homes stacked on either side. Drivers entering Mexico are warned by a sign that firearms and ammunition are prohibited. At night, a bright neon yellow McDonald's sign stands out. Some who live near the border in California and Arizona agree with U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his demand that Mexico pay the cost for 13 STREET VOICE grown between the poor, a shrinking middle-class, and people of great wealth. A good speaker, Sr. Simone made the "Social Gospel" come alive, and she sprinkled her remarks with selfdeprecating humor. She preached that we must replace our current emphasis on individualism with a return to "we the people" working to solve problems. Only by putting aside our differences and coming together will we be able to effectively mend the gaps that tear us apart. I left the Church that evening buoyed by her message of hope. Maybe Sr. Simone's words can sustain me in getting over what happened on November 8th and getting back to work on renewing our democratic process. [Editor’s note: The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition does not endorse candidates.] construction of a wall on the border between the two countries. Others are deeply disturbed by it, like Mexico's government. "It's been stigmatised pretty bad," said Jaime Alvarez, a retired Army auditor running for Arizona Senate. He works out of the Democratic party office in the city of Douglas. Alvarez said residents are worried that too much talk about border control will distract people from having other important discussions about education, poverty and healthcare. ------------------------ A THEFT IN THE ECONOMY It takes a thief to steal the people of the countries belief It takes a thief to have the people have to change their lives, now that’s deep It takes a thief to double the price of football stadiums and fields It takes a thief to convince the county the police deserve a Las Vegas deal It takes a thief to steal channels from our children, scanning for the T.V. Whether it be for the Converter Box, Cable Box or Direct T.V. Do you understand me? For me to steal anything or to be classified as a political thief Would for me never to have believed in the Constitution and damn Democracy So now where do we go as a people in order to regain the stability we so freely lost In the future we must read every dotted line, keep the faith and let God alone be the boss! WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �14 PUZZLES CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 112 Across 1. Trilby 4. Health spring 7. Ululate 11. Soft drink 12. Small piece of a pencil 13. Paragon 15. Interpret 17. Serenity 18. Small snake 19. Asian temple 21. Small cask or barrel 22. Acquire 23. Kitchen appliance 24. Set of cards 27. Consumed 28. Filament 30. Eager 33. Reconstruct 36. Go stealthily or furtively 38. Give temporarily 39. Be unwell 40. Ring recurrently 41. Lull 43. Mixture of smoke and fog 45. Miniature whirlpool 46. Set of cooking instructions 48. Small insect 50. DNA segment 51. Officer below master on a commercial ship 53. Armed conflict 56. A great distance 58. Trained Japanese female entertainer 60. The night before 61. Impure form of quartz 64. Affirmation 66. Sum 67. Burn slightly 68. Legal document 69. Minute life form 70. Attempt 71. Peculiar Down 1. Equine animal 2. Conform 3. Bronze 4. Phase 5. Lampoon 6. Not up and about 7. Pelvis 8. Poem 9. Lacking willpower or resolution 10. Delicate fabric 11. Male red deer 12. Drool 14. Limb 16. Blemish 20. Pertinent 25. Part of a circle 26. Floor covering 27. Cite 28. Unaccompanied 29. Lake on the border between Israel and Jordan, ___ Sea 30. Whole 31. Swerve 32. Incorporate 34. Facilitate 35. Lacking in light 37. One of the strands twisted together to make yarn or rope 42. When a wrestler's shoulders are forced to the mat 44. Collect in one place 47. Golf tee 49. Move towards 51. Hoarder 52. Appraisal of a substance 53. Uncanny 54. Stay clear from 55. Regular payment for use of a property 56. Adipose tissue 57. Highly excited 59. Compass direction 62. Old salt 63. Hard tough wood 65. A couple N o v 18 - D e c 1, 2 0 16 | N o . 339 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 237 - MEDIUM PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 342 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 106 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 241- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �RESOURCES No. 339 | N o v 18 - D e c 1, 2 0 16 Shelter: Women and Children Cincinnati Health Network OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road, Cinti, OH 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 NAMI of Hamilton County 351-3500 PATH Outreach 977-4489 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 4600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 Shelter: Men City Gospel Mission 241-5525 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214 1805 Dalton Avenue, Cinti, OH 45214 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men Shelterhouse 721-0643 Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 411 Gest St. Cinti, Ohio 45203 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Parkway Center 661-4620 Prospect House 921-1613 Shelter: Both Starting Over 961-2256 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 Lighthouse on Highland (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave Cincinnati, OH 45219 569-9500 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women First Step Home 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both 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) Housing: 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 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 241-2965 2401 Reading Road, Cinti, Ohio 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 Mercy Franciscan at St. John 981-5800 Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Emmanuel Community Center 241-2563 1308 Race St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 215 E. 14th Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202 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 Northern Kentucky 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 Faces Without Places 363-3300 Stop AIDS 421-2437 Center for Respite Care 621-1868 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 for 26 issues $150 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 621-5514 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 Advocacy Health $100 Other Resources Hamilton/Middletown 1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 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 Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 2401-, 2411 Reading Rd, Cinti, Ohio 45202 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Salvation Army 762-5660 2825 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45219 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 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 981-5800 961-0600 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Central Access Point 381-SAFE Bethany House 557-2873 Mercy Franciscan at St. John 15 St. Raephaels 981-4200 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Brighton Center 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 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 Women’s Crisis Center VA Domiciliary 859-491-3335 859-572-6202 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 for 26 issues and a $50 donation �16 N o v 18 - D e c 1, 2 0 16 | N o . 339 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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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 MAXINE GRANT SINCE 4/2015 MEACO WAITE MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MICHAEL BEHYMER QUEENACELESTINE LEVY RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 2001 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 TARA HILL SINCE 4/2014 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 TINA SINCE 4/2015 TODD HANLEY SINCE 5/2014 TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 VICTOR MUMPHRY WILLIAM SIMMS SINCE 4/2014 LOTTIE MANNER MIKE CARANO SINCE 4/2016 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 KIM GREEN SINCE 1/2010 KRISTINE HOFSKY SINCE 3/2015 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MARK SHEARS SINCE 4/2007 MAURICE GOLSBY MYRA WILSON NEBRASKA SINCE 3/2015 PERVIS MENTON SINCE 8/2015 cincistreetvibes.org THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2015 WILLIAM BURDINE SINCE 8/2009 � 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 November 18-December 1, 2016 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From the Director Prepping Pg 3: Federal Programs Don’t Help People Experiencing Homelessness Join the Heal Food Alliance for the Plate of the Union Pg 4: How to respond to Panhandling Pg 5: For as Long as it Takes Reflections on the Fall Campaign Pg 6: GCHC Pg 7: Rethinking What It Means to be a Liberal Pg 8: Photo Story Pg 9: Jon Bon Jovi Pg 10: Jason Haap Continued Terri White Continued Pg 11: Lightning Strikes Twice Pg 12: To Be or Not to Be or Obama’s Legacy Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource November 18-December 1, 2016 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Michael Earl Patton Tess Sohngen Jill Gregory Dr. Mark Mussman Bill Woods Jason Haap Steve Sunderland Robert Park Willa Denise Jones Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Barack Obama Bill Woods Dr. Mark Mussman Hurricane Matthew Jason Haap Jill Gregory Jon Bon Jovi Josh Spring Liberal Mexico Michael Earl Patton Photography Robert Park Steve Sunderland Tess Sohngen Willa Denise Jones