24 10 291 https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/5879d89986cf177350c1eff3dacb5058.pdf f74e52a7873b12e7180877326eaa2ff1 PDF Text Text November 2006 STREETVIBES Who was buddy gray? buddy gray (he preferred his name in lower case letters) was a war resister, carpenter, preservationist, poet, community journalist, baseball coach, and friend to many. And he was known best as a relentless and uncompromising advocate for low-income housing and other services for the poor. He came from a small-town working-class family to live in Over-the-Rhine because he believed in the cause of liberation. He had decided when he was still a young man that he could not tolerate the poverty and discrimination he saw in the world around him. So he entered what his brother Jack called “a journey of fearless, selfless service.” Many people are dedicated to feeding and housing the poor. Others are dedicated to organizing for change. Buddy’s insight was to bring these two ways of service together. He saw the people of Over-the-Rhine, not just as downtrodden souls to be given a meal or a bed for the night, but partners in a struggle to change the system and heal society. Therefore, buddy worked to organize people and groups into an Over-the-Rhine Peoples Movement that includes organizations like the Drop Inn Center, ReSTOC, the Over-the-Rhine Housing Network, and the local, state, and national Coalitions for the Homeless. He worked with many homeless people who are now leaders in that movement. His capacity for work was legendary. Within a day’s time, he might attend a City Council hearing, work on the plumbing of a ReSTOC building, help an old man get off a park bench and into the shelter of the Drop Inn Center, write a poem, and do the notes for the next day’s meetings. He lived very simply, in an apartment on Race Street, owned little, and cared nothing for fashion or show. As Jack Gray said at the memorial after buddy’s death, “He feared no man. He took nothing and he served everyone. He worked to feed the hungry, free the captive, and heal the sick.” Many people are alive and living healthy lives today because of the work of buddy gray. He earned, thereby, the respect and love of many. He also earned the bitter hatred of some real estate developers and some politicians, including, of course, some developer-politicians. For months before his death, an unknown person (or persons, or class of persons) maintained a hate campaign which featured death threats, stop-sign­ shaped stickers reading “NO WAY BUDDY GRAY,” and, if you called a certain number, a seven-minute, antibuddy recorded phone message. On November 15, 1996, during a meeting at the Drop Inn Center, buddy was shot and killed by a mentally ill, formerly homeless man buddy had befriended. buddy was 46 years old. No one knows if the asassin had contacts with the NO-WAY-BUDDY-GRAY campaign. No one knows how he obtained the expensive pistol he used in the shooting. Within an hour of buddy’s death, the phone recording was disconnected. Eight days later, over two thousand people from Cincinnati, Boston, Washington, Chicago, and other cities marched silently through the streets in buddy gray’s honor and in support of the homeless. buddy gray lives on because the work he started lives on. He lives on because his vision lives on. He lives on because we carry on his work and his vision. Learning from buddy gray by Thomas A. Dutton buddy was arguably the most misunderstood man in Cincinnati. I first met buddy in 1981, when I started attending meetings that resulted in the Over-the-Rhine Comprehensive Plan of 1985. I have learned much from buddy gray. Let me just share two examples. First, buddy was not alone in his founding of institutions like the Drop Inn Center and his leadership of the Over-the-Rhine People’s Movement. Not by a long shot. And while my words here remembering buddy’s lessons may glorify a single, heroic life (as commemorations tend to do), I do not forget the many that worked closely with him. This was one of buddy’s greatest strengths, to effect a democratic, multi-voiced leadership. Decisions made in the interest of the People’s Movement always came out of the voices of many. Second, buddy was a thinker who integrated all sorts of issues into a whole. This was especially so in how he analyzed Over-theRhine through an internationalist lens. He saw the circumstances in Over-the-Rhine— homelessness, economic injustice, class inequality, inadequate housing, intractable poverty—as different colors of the same painting, a painting that now due to globalization is of worldly proportions. For buddy, Over-theRhine was the domestic face of world imperialism, where the for-profit system of capitalism, now penetrating everywhere in its transnational corporate form, constitutes the greatest threat to democracy the world-over and oppresses people of color and immigrants here at home. Over-the-Rhine is an example of America’s own structural adjustment program. Imperialism and democracy are not bedfellows. The former kills the latter. Similar to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who “didn’t believe that capitalism as it was constructed could meet the needs of poor people,” buddy was not overt in his use of this kind of language, though it came out in many of his poems. Consider this stanza from his “How Did It Happen”(1989): As long as churches and synagogues and temples do reverent rituals for rightsand speak in pious platitudes of peace and take no angry action that stops American Business as usual to end homelessness, imperialism. Some may interpret this stanza as a critique of religion, but I am more fascinated by his linking of homelessness and imperialism. Imperialism and homelessness are bound together. You cannot know one without the other. And again, the stakes are high: imperialism kills the homeless. This was buddy’s important insight and a lesson for all of us. All movements organized for social justice and social rights should continue to see themselves in this larger picture and analyze liberation movements the world-over in order to understand their own conditions more deeply. Early on, buddy sensed the constriction of “community organizing” and recognized that organizing at the community level had to link to national and international levels. For those of us who have learned from buddy and remain inspired by his vision, we need to be vigilant against what scholar Arjun Appadurai calls “econocide,” which refers to new modes of violence that are playing out across the world in light of the massive inequalities and the rapidity of change produced by world capitalism. To Appadurai econocide does not just mean that whole sections of the world are undergoing death by economic means. He has something more sinister in mind: “Econocide is a worldwide tendency to arrange the disappearance of the losers in the great drama of globalization.” “Arrange the disappearance”— displacement by gentrification? Crime “prevention” by police sweeps and mass incarceration? Social cleansing by criminalizing the homeless? Relocate the Drop Inn Center? buddy had the insight of econocide 35 years ago, which is why he aligned with the homeless and the poor, so that they would not disappear and hopefully come to be understood by those more fortunate as having their own gifts to contribute to the human struggle. A lesson to us all is to overcome the obstacles of our privilege and power that too often restrict our own learning, so that those less fortunate are not made to disappear. Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless �Streetvibes Streetvibes, the Tri­ State’s alternative news source, is a newspaper written by, for, and about the homeless and contains relevant discussions of social justice, and poverty issues. It is published once a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Becoming a Streetvibes Vendor is a great way for homeless and other low-income people to get back on (or stay on) their feet. Streetvibes Vendors are given an orientation and sign a code of conduct before being given a Streetvibes Vendor badge. Vendors are private contractors who DO NOT work for, or represent, the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homleess. All profits go directly to the vendor. The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a group of shelters, agencies and individuals committed to ending homelessness in Cincinnati through coordinating services, educating the public and grassroots organizing. GCCH Staff Georgine Getty - Executive Director John Lavelle - Administrative Coordinator Lynne Ausman - VISTA Gina King - VISTA Andy Freeze - Education Coordinator Susan Smith - Volunteer Melvin Williams - Reception Linda Pittman - Reception Matt Cohen - AHA Staff Streetvibes Jimmy Heath, Editor jimmyheath@yahoo.com Photography Jimmy Heath, Berta Lambert buddy gray; He Empowered Lives This month is the tenth year .anniversary of the death of Over-theRhine community activist and friend buddy gray. When I speak to groups about my work I preface the discussion with how buddy, his fellow activists and the Drop Inn Center were responsible for literally saving my life. This was no small feat. I was living on the streets, caught up in the deadly grip of alcohol and depression. Alcoholism was literally killing me, destroying my body and my soul and my will. I was convinced that this was the way I was going to die and I didn’t have any choice in the matter. I was doomed to die homeless, alcoholic and alone. One day, almost eleven years ago, I stumbled into the Drop Inn Center in Over-the­ Rhine and another human Jimmy Heath being, a staff member, took the time to reach out to me. In me, they recognized a person, a human being, buried and hidden away in that fog. Later, I was told that I looked like “a mountain man, hair and beard all wild” and “we thought about throwing Jimmy to the mental health care workers.” But at the same time I was told that I didn’t need to die on the streets, that I had a choice and that I could be helped to find my way out of the clutch of certain death by alcohol. Those days are a hazy memory numbed by my emotional and physical condition. I was given a chance to enter the Drop Inn Center’s Detox program and I eventually took a step up to the six month Live-In Recovery program.. The program epitomized buddy’s vision of creating a transition out of homelessness, through treatment, therapy, hard work and education for homeless people. I thought I was alone in my struggle with addiction but at the Drop Inn Center I met a lot of people, including staff, that were just like me in so many ways; men and women whose lives were lost to drug addiction and alcoholism, homeless and hopeless, all trying to find their way out of various struggles. I soon learned that the value of a human life was placed above all other things, and that many others had come before me and had been given back their lives because of this simple and just philosophy. You would not think at first glance that all of this would be connected to a homeless shelter in Cincinnati, Ohio. There is a denial in this city about the homeless, and the more hidden they are the better. This begins with city leaders and drives the misconceptions of the ordinary citizen. buddy forced people to think about the homeless, and many people in local government dreaded his confrontational style. Thirty plus years ago, buddy gray and a group of devoted activists began picking up homeless, and some would say hopeless drunks off the street and bringing them into their apartments in Over-the-Rhine, taking care of them as if they were family, coaxing them out of alcoholism, feeding them and clothing them. A small storefront shelter on Main Street soon followed. buddy and the group of volunteers soon recognized that more than just temporary shelter was needed to help these people left behind by society...The needs of the homeless through permanent housing and employment and training and opportunity also had to be met. Developing programs like this took a lot of work, with no pay and little support from the city or private citizens. buddy was aggressive and demanding in his convictions because Cover Buddy Gray, spring of 1996 Streetvibes accepts letters, poems, stories, essays, original graphics, and photos. We will give preference to those who are homeless or vendors. Subscriptions to Streetvibes, delivered to your home each month, can be purchased for $25 per year. Address mail to: Streetvibes Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH) 117 East 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 (513) 421-7803 e-mail: streetvibes@juno.com web: http://cincihomeless.org of his passion for the rights of folks at the bottom of the ladder. As time went on buddy became a national figure in the struggle for human rights, justice and the treatment of the homeless. buddy and his crew were tireless in their efforts in finding ways to provide the homeless and disenfranchised with a voice. These were visionary actions. Out of those humble beginnings grew the Drop Inn Center, the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, and other organizations supporting many causes, started by buddy and many committed volunteers and linked by a single vision; human rights and justice. buddy helped set up and establish the vision of the Streetvibes program before he died.. buddy understood the power of getting the word out by using alternative media. Ten years later Streetvibes still thrives. On November 15th, 1996, buddy was gunned down at the Drop Inn Center. Ironically, buddy was killed by a man he had helped through the years – a man who had struggled through mental illness, addiction and homelessness. His assassin personified what buddy had stood up for; helping and creating programs to help these individuals. (buddy’s killer is now in a state mental hospital) As news about buddy’s murder spread, people in the community grieved deeply for the man who dedicated his life to serving the people. Days after his death in 1996, thousands of people came to Over-the-Rhine for a memorial march and recognition of buddy’s work. buddy “Stanley” gray went to college in the early ‘70’s and became active in protests against the war in Vietnam and other causes. He did volunteer work in Over-the-Rhine and eventually made it home. He organized and fought against big business developers who wanted to push the poor out of OTR. I have not been able to leave this inner-city neighborhood. buddy and others taught me to recognize a new life as a sober individual. He encouraged my photography and carefully analyzed my usefulness to the cause, driving me to see poverty and injustice and do something about it. Through buddy and all of the people that I have met and worked with since my pathetic beginnings at the Drop Inn Center over 11 years ago I have discovered the beauty of OTR, in the faces of the people and the strength in their adversity; the power of the poor to rise up. For me, this where my life began again, renewed and with a sense of purpose. Thanks buddy, for saving my life. (jimmyheath@yahoo.com) Page 2 Streetvibes �Homeless News Digest Compiled by Jimmy Heath Portland, OR. - Portland mayor Tom Potter has been a long-time advocate of helping the city’s mentally ill and those battling drugs and alcohol addiction. Now he has a plan to do that in hopes of preventing more tragedies like the Chasse case. In just the past few weeks there have been a number of highprofile cases involving Portland police and mentally ill suspects like James Chasse Jr, who died while in police custody. Last Month, Julius Lee walked into a family’s southwest Portland home and refused to leave. Police say he was mentally ill as well. Now Mayor Potter plans to organize a committee to help the homeless and mentally ill. Potter says that estimates indicate that 60 percent of the homeless in Portland are mentally ill, and as many as 25 percent of those imprisoned need mental health assistance as well. Elected officials, mental health experts, police and homeless advocates would all take part. Potter hopes this will help bridge the gap between health care providers and police to prevent situation’s like Chasse’s in the future. Daytona Beach, FL - The beds were made. The floors were clean. The new playground was ready. All that was missing last month at the official opening of the new 94-bed homeless shelter were the families. The shelter at North and Segrave streets is for families and those with medical problems, but officials were having problems getting homeless families staying in local motels to come over. “We’re all ready and waiting for folks right now,” Linda Callaghan, executive director of the Homeless Assistance Corp., which operates the shelter and other services, said. “We thought there would be more families showing up today. It’s quieter than we expected.” But later, a medically needy man had moved in as well as a single mother who had been living in her car with her two daughters. Several families were expected, but some decided to stay in motels until today, when the local homeless coalition would no longer foot their motel bill. Two others found permanent homes, Callaghan said, and at least one was leery about the new shelter and its surroundings on North Street and decided against staying in the shelter altogether. “Some are hesitant,” Callaghan said. “We’re still talking to people.” Denver, CO - Daunted by the throngs of more than 600 homeless people and 700 volunteers, 16-year-old Epiphany Flores and her family nearly gave up at the Project Homeless Connect services fair. But one of the project’s supervisors caught them at the door. Did they have housing? Food stamps? Did they need medical attention? Diapers? What about the baby and toddler? How about some lunch? Then Jamie Van Leeuwen, project director of Denver’s Road Home and one of the leaders of Project Homeless Connect, learned that Flores’ mother, Danza Simpson, was HIV- positive. It had been two months since she had access to the cocktail of medications that hinders full-blown AIDS. Van Leeuwen steered the little group back inside the Department of Human Services on Saturday and led them through a gantlet that left the family exhausted but with a place to live, transportation, arrangements for Epiphany’s mother to resume medical treatment, food, diapers and a medical exam. “We got done in one hour what it can take a month to do,” Van Leeuwen said. This was Denver’s third Project Homeless Connect fair. More than 700 volunteers worked with the homeless one-on-one. St. Petersburg, FL - Homeless people with mental illnesses in Pinellas County finally are getting some attention that should help improve their lives for the long term. Until now, if they needed help beyond the basics of a meal or a bed, they struggled to find the right person or agency. Last year, the therapists and counselors at the Suncoast Center for Community Mental Health decided to do more for this homeless population by establishing offices where people with mental illnesses routinely go for help: shelters, soup kitchens, the Pinellas jail and other sites. From all indications, the program is succeeding. Managed by Larry Chambers, it now has offices in places such as the Davis-Bradley Center, a drug rehabilitation facility; the Enoch Davis Center, site of a criminal justice diversion program; St. Vincent de Paul; the county jail; the Family Emergency Treatment Center; and the Salvation Army’s emergency shelter and one-stop center. Homeless people with mental illnesses need a host of complex services for them to enjoy a simple quality of life the rest of us take for granted. Renee Kilroy, director of adult services at Suncoast Center, told the St. Petersburg Times that during the last fiscal year, 95 percent of the people the agency helped were referred to other assistance programs that can serve their special needs. She said the staff in the jail’s booking department, for example, looks for signs of mental illnesses as homeless people are being processed. In this way, they can get the people out of jail more quickly and get them the right help sooner. Chambers said that two-thirds of the program focuses on continuous care to prevent people from committing more offenses. Santa Cruz, NM - With rain starting to fall and temperatures dropping, more and more homeless people across Santa Cruz County will be looking for a warm bed at night. The county’s 2005 Homeless Census Survey, the latest count available, estimates that nearly 2,700 of the 3,371 homeless people tallied live outdoors or in their vehicles. According to the county Human Resources Agency, there are currently 319 year-round emergency shelter beds to serve them and another 120 beds expected to become available in November. That’s in addition to roughly 1,000 transitional spaces aimed at people more serious about getting their lives back together. But the resources are inadequate, homeless services providers say. Marcus Banuelos, day services coordinator of the Homeless Services Center on Coral Street, said nearly 40 people are turned down at the shelter every day. “I am sure that many more don’t even try to come because they know they won’t get in,” he said. Ken Cole, executive director of the Homeless Services Center, said many are waiting for winter emergency programs to begin Nov. 15, which will provide at least 100 more emergency beds in the city of Santa Cruz and about 20 more in Watsonville. “This is a very hard time of the year for those without a place to go,” Cole said. Dennis Hargrove said he benefits from the Homeless Services Center. He came from Reno, Nev., and suffers from mental health problems that make him unable to work, he says. He, like others, lines Streetvibes up at 2:30 p.m. every day in front of the shelter and hopes he can get accommodation. “If it wasn’t for this place, I’d probably freeze to death”, he said. Frederick, MD - Advocates for Homeless Families Inc., a local non-profit organization, recently received the Wise Giving Charity Seal from the Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland. The organization is one of five in the state to receive the seal, which shows donors that the organization is accountable and operates responsibly. “It’s sort of a reaffirmation for us that we are doing things right,” said Elizabeth Galaida, executive director of Advocates for Homeless Families. The organization was officially recognized by the Better Business Bureau during the bureau’s annual meeting on Oct. 12 in Baltimore. Omaha, Neb - A new city bus route is creating opportunities for some Omaha homeless people. Metro Area Transit has created a bus stop near the Open Door Mission after 20 years of lobbying. Residents of the shelter said it’s already changing their lives. “I think it’s really wonderful,” said shelter resident Arthur Franklin. “It’s really great because it gives us the opportunity to get away when we need to. With the bus line, it allows us once again to be able to be more mobile, to be more free instead of being stuck down here trying to get a ride if you need to get somewhere else.” Washington - ‘Desperate Housewives’ star Eva Longoria’s unexpected sneak peek into her new mansion left her horrified, after she discovered a squatter living in her brand new Hollywood manor. She found the unexpected guest when she took her mother to view the dream home - one she has been renovating for the past five months. Although she earlier didn’t want to set foot inside until contractors and builders had completed their work, she decided to drop in without warning. She was stunned to find a homeless man living there. “We walk in and there’s beer cans everywhere and I’m like, ‘What is this?’ And a guy comes down (the stairs) in, like, boxers and he’s like, ‘Oh crap..! I’m fixing the electricity.”. “He was a worker on the house that just decided to squat. There’s nothing there, it’s like and empty house... I was livid,” she added. Page 3 �Images of buddy gray - by Jimmy Heath I remember buddy by Bonnie Neumeier zipping through Washington Park on his bike wearing his yellow hard hat fixing up housing carrying a huge stack of documents to the podium at City Hall drinking a carton of chocolate milk hugging children on the street putting his arms around friends homeless in the park picking up Nannie to defend our homes from demolition encouraging involvement in our efforts sending little notes at meetings to keep us sane calling his Mom often playing an energetic game of baseball remembering names and phone numbers by rote watching election returns and naming senators in each state riding around in his blue truck wearing headbands of all different colors saying so much in a small sound bite taking lengthy notes for clarity and documentation listening to Phil Ochs, Pete Seeger, and Peter, Paul & Mary buddy and Bonnie Neumeier lead protest march...One of many. carrying his tools in a big 5 gallon white bucket offering ReSTOC housing to displaced neighbors planting trees and seeds for change sacrificing his life for what he believed in making mountains of phone calls late at night teaching others how to lead and live simply dreaming big dreams doing the seemingly impossible building connections around the country standing up for human rights laughing to help get us through loving Wilbur his friend who pulled the trigger buddy was as ordinary as you and me but with extraordinary fiery determination to put all he had in the service of his vision believing that one day we all will be free demanding justice shine in Over-the-Rhine as well as all over this land. buddy with the late Rev. Maurice McCrackin. “Mac” was a friend and inspiration to buddy and an activist in his own right. buddy gray Reflection ­ Continue to Involve Younger People buddy with filmmaker Michael Moore in front of the Drop Inn Center. Moore was interested in how the demise of the local automotive industry affects homelessness in Cincinnati. Page 4 by John Lavelle I never had the pleasure of knowing buddy personally. To put it in perspective, I was one year old when the Coalition was founded in 1984. When buddy died, I was looking forward to Thanksgiving break as a big, bad eighth grader. Now, a year and a half out of college, it’s hard not to feel a little overwhelmed by the tradition and history surrounding the homelessness advocacy movement in Cincinnati. Like buddy did to many of the individuals who now run our agencies, several people have helped me join the movement and find my place. It is imperative that all of us continue to involve more young people in our work, thus engaging and fostering the next generation of advocates and service providers. They possess fresh eyes, new vision, and often limitless energy. As one of these young people, the part of buddy’s vision that I relate to the most is his sense of urgency. There is a sign in our office that looks like it has seen its fair share of battle. It reads: “HOUSING NOW.” Housing NOW – not tomorrow, not after we get that funding we’re holding out for, but NOW. Even as advocacy techniques change, I believe that we must not lose this sense of urgency in what we do. There have been two particularly tragic deaths in the homeless community so far this year, deaths that very likely would not have happened had there been housing for some of the toughest to serve. I pray that I never get to the point where these daily tragedies don’t upset me, make me angry, and shake me to my core. Ten years after buddy’s death, I hope that we stay angry, upset, and, in buddy’s words: “contagiously collectively…as long as is necessary.” Streetvibes �New tools implemented to help the homeless Addison County, VT—Addison County human services providers are putting the finishing touches on a new DVD, brochure and other material aimed at helping local homeless people find — and keep — affordable housing. The providers, working under the banner of the Addison County Housing Coalition, have also enlisted the help of Northlands Job Corps students in making a series of wooden human silhouettes that were placed throughout the county to increase public awareness of the plight of the homeless. Cheryl Mitchell, director of People of Addison County Together (PACT), is spearheading creation of the new brochure titled, “Almost Home: Finding an Affordable Place to Live in Addison County.” The 11-page brochure, in its final draft, will let homeless people know how their incomes play into qualifying for affordable housing; how to overcome bad credit; how to apply for rental housing; and what their rights are as tenants. Area college students helped create illustrations for the brochure. “It looks like we will be able to print out about 200 copies for human services agencies,” Mitchell said, adding the brochure could be useful in giving legislators background on future affordable housing lobbying efforts. Another new arrow in the coalition’s quiver is a training DVD, titled simply “Finding Affordable Housing.” The DVD offers some role-play discussions between counselors and individuals looking for affordable housing. A copy of the DVD will be given to each social service agency in the county, according to Mitchell. Those agencies are currently dealing with many clients who are finding it hard to keep up with local rents. The average fair market rent for a modest, two-bedroom apartment in Vermont was $723 in 2005, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. An Addison County resident needs to earn at least $13.67 per hour to pay that rent and still have enough left over to cover utilities and other basic expenses, according to the Vermont Housing Council. There are currently 4,000 Vermonters regularly relying on homeless shelters, including 1,000 children. The Vermont Office of Economic Opportunity estimated that 1,443 people were turned away from Vermont homeless shelters between July of 2004 and June of 2005, due to those shelters being full. In Addison County, many homeless citizens try to make ends meet by rooming with families, friends, or living out of their car during the warmer months. “I think poverty is really well hidden in Middlebury,” said Laura Morse, housing advocate with the Addison Communit Action ChamplainValley Office of Economic Opportunity. “We really don’t see it publicly.” That will change later this month, thanks to a project being spearheaded by Northlands Job Corps students, the John Graham Emergency Shelter and Addison County Community Action Group (ACCAG). Northlands students have been busy transforming plywood sheets into the silhouettes of everyday people. Once complete, ACCAG and the John Graham Shelter will provide written profiles of real homeless people in Addison County that will be tagged onto the silhouettes. Here are two of those stories: • Connie had just started her new job. She was under a lot of pressure already because her boyfriend was insanely jealous. Then she found out that she was pregnant. Her boyfriend, the baby’s Streetvibes father, beat her so severely that her eye was swollen shut when she came to the shelter. She also now had a broken leg and was forced to quit her new job. •Andy, an elderly man who suffers from schizophrenia comes to the shelter to cook a meal and take a shower. He has lived outside and bounced from shelter to shelter. He is offered a bed. He is found in the morning sleeping on the kitchen table. He explains that after sleeping on the ground for so many years, he can only sleep on flat surfaces. He moves into a nursing home. On Oct. 28, Job Corps students and local volunteers took the dozens of the silhouettes to pre-approved locations throughout the county, including parks, stores, churches, schools and other public venues. The silhouettes will stay up for several weeks, officials said. Page 5 �New Compactor Trash Cans Leave ‘Canners’ Feeling Dumped by Paul Rice ‘Canners’ working in downtown Boston, are concerned about the recently installed solarpowered trash compactors in the Hub. For the uninitiated, canners are people who comb city streets and trashcans for bottles and aluminum cans left by passersby in an urban environment. Canners collect other’s trash and turn it into a living for themselves. Peter Azadian has been an active canner in Boston and Cambridge for the past five years, earning enough from the job to buy food and meager supplies for his life, not to mention discovering any number of useful items abandoned at landfills by their previous owners. “Not only have I taken good, quality clothes out of the trash, but also quilts, blankets, and even some expensive copper wire,” Azadian told Spare Change News. Unfortunately for Azadian and other canners, the new bins do not allow for such rummaging. Manufactured by the Seahorse Power Company, the “Big Belly” bins look more like giant mailboxes than trashcans. Once refuse enters the receptacle, there is no way to retrieve it. Solar cells implanted at the top of the cans store electricity, which is then used to power a pneumatic press that flattens the contents of the can, making room for more refuse. Ever since July, when the new trashcans were installed throughout downtown Boston, Azadian has seen a significant drop in the amount of business he does in that area. He watches as cans and bottles get dropped in the receptacles, but has no way to get them out. “There’s a problem with fastidiousness,” he said, explaining his view on the introduction of the compactors. “The city wants things more sanitary, more visually appealing.” He also sees it as cheap publicity in the form of new technology. It’s a high-tech glamour sort of thing, a politician thing rather than a people thing,” Azadian said. He also believes the compactors might embody discrimination. “They probably don’t want scruffy people digging in the barrels,” Azadian surmised. “I think the city may be trying to squeeze out people who are supplementing their incomes with cans and bottles.” Not so, according to Tim McCarthy, spokesman for the Boston Department of Public Works (DPW). “We certainly want to help out some of the people who need these cans to subsidize their living,” he said. The DPW is in talks with James Poss, the founder and CEO of Seahorse, to provide recycling bins adjacent to every solar dumpster in the city. There is already one such bin currently being tested at a compactor in the Boston Common. “We are an environmental company, so recycling is important to us for sure,” James Poss told SCN. He says he understands the concern on the part of the recycling community, specifically the canners. “The best thing to do is have open recycling containers so the canners have access.” Recycling advocates in the state have been eyeing these compactors and are happy to see steps taken to promote recycling alongside the solar-powered bins. “That’s the first step and that’s wonderful,” Jessica Wozniak, assistant director of MassRecycle, a recycling advocacy organization centered in Boston, told SCN. “You need to make it so easy to recycle.” The attached recycling bins may give people the easy option to recycle, but Azadian is still concerned about myriad useful things people throw away every day. Without allowing canners to dig through the trash, the city may unwittingly upset an ecological balance in this urban environment. “If you waste resources, it’s going to come around and bite you in the butt,” Azadian said. He may yet see a return to normal trashcans. The “Big Belly” receptacles are part of a pilot program that is not guaranteed to last forever. “The reality is, if the barrels aren’t saving us money, they’re not going to work,” noted McCarthy. Reprinted from Spare Change News Reedy Place apartments give 15 residents new lease on life Greenville, MN - Chronically homeless for six years, Emma Swittenburg has since moved into Reedy Place in Greenville and says she’s experiencing something she has only dreamed about. Swittenburg, saddled with a drug problem, said she slept on benches, under bridges or wherever she could find a dry place. She said she’s had a reversal of fortune since her address became Reedy Place, a $1.4 million housing project built for the homeless. “I have my own place,” Swittenburg, 44, said at last week’s ribbon-cutting ceremony at Reedy Place on North Calhoun Street, on the edge of downtown. “I’m a productive member of society. I pay taxes.” Swittenburg and 14 others will reside at Reedy Place, which took four years to design and build, said Mike Chesser, executive director of the Upstate Homeless Coalition. He said those like Swittenburg have been screened and approved by mental health clinicians and have a good chance of avoiding future homelessness. Chesser said those who are homeless tend to be timid, carting everything they own in the world with them. “When they come here, they will feel safe, and no one will bother them,” Chesser said. “This is an opportunity to recover.” How long each person stays is an individual choice, he said. He said most are able-bodied and hardworking, but frequently aren’t able to handle setbacks. “They’re able to be selfsufficient until they have an emergency,” Chesser said. Michael Dahl, executive director of the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless, said providing permanent housing for homeless people provides an environment in which they can work on their problems. “When you provide temporary shelter, you don’t give them the support so that they can recover,” said Dahl, who spearheads a statewide homeless effort in Minnesota. Dahl said permanent housing is also cost-effective. He said when you add the costs of the police who must deal with the homeless, emergency room costs and the expense of temporary housing; it’s cheaper over the long run to provide permanent housing. He said Minnesota plans to provide housing for 4,000 households in the next six years. Mary Duckett, a Greenville civic leader, said she was impressed with the local effort. She said it takes some of the strain off an overpopulation of homeless people in her neighborhood, HamptonPinckney, and the Pete Hollis Redevelopment District. Richard Chludzinski, 39, a new Reedy Place resident, said he’s had a tough time keeping a roof above his head. He said he is disabled. He said his pastor has played a big role in getting him in Reedy Place. Visit the Greater Cincinnati Coaltion for the Homeless website at - http://www.cincihomeless.org Visit the Streevibes archives at - http:// www.cincihomeless.org/content/streetvibes.html Page 6 Streetvibes Chludzinski said he would spend his days in therapy, Bible studies and group activities. “Now, I can live like everybody else and have goals,” he said. Jack Read, who chairs the board of the Upstate Homeless Coalition, said he’s impressed with what Chesser and other homeless workers, along with mental health experts have accomplished with envisioning and building Reedy Place. He said the group is “a unique blend of people who can achieve.” Swittenburg, employed by McDonald’s, said a key part of this new phase of her life is the safety net from the Upstate Homeless Coalition. “I have people who support me,” Swittenburg said. “This is more than I could ever achieve.” Chesser said residents are given access to their living space with an electronic key to their front door. “We want to help those who cost the community the most,” Chesser said. “We want them off the street.” �Church program for homeless cuts its hours San Francisco - They line up each weekday morning — not for food or clothes or welfare checks, but for the simple luxury of lying down and falling asleep. For hundreds of homeless people in San Francisco, the wooden pews of St. Boniface Catholic Church in the Tenderloin are the only place where they can sleep for a solid nine hours. Many say they’re too frightened of being robbed or attacked if they sleep on the streets or in shelters at night, so they force themselves to stay awake until the church opens at 7 a.m. and they can drift off peacefully until 4 p.m. In appreciation of the rare opportunity for tranquility — believed to be the only one of its kind in the country — the homeless people call it “Sacred Sleep.” “I call them owls because they’re up all night and they come here for refuge,” said Luis Ramirez, 44, who is paid to watch over and help the sleepers. But starting last month, they’ll only be able to sleep from 8 a.m. to noon, cutting their sleep time in half. The St. Boniface Neighborhood Center, an outgrowth of the church that runs the sleeping program and provides other services, has had a tough time fundraising lately — and if the financial situation doesn’t turn around, the sleeping program could end altogether. “Whatever we’re getting in just isn’t sufficient to keep the doors open until 4 o’clock,” said John Weeks, the interim executive director of the neighborhood center, adding that he hopes cutting the hours in half staves off the need to close. “The likelihood of us shutting down is greatly reduced, but there’s always a danger of that happening.” Weeks said an endowment used to start the program, private donations and public grants have dried up. His staff has been focused on opening a new shelter in the coming months in the South of Market area and hasn’t had time to conduct a major fundraising effort to replace the lost money. It costs $140,000 annually to run the program, and the Neighborhood Center is now $60,000 short. The city contributes 20 percent of the program’s annual budget. Currently, the program employs nine staff members to oversee and help the sleepers, and it will cut back to four staffers with the shortened hours. It’s a big blow to Miley Wilson, 55, who said he has been out of jail since February 2005 — his longest period of freedom since he was 13. He said he recently kicked his crack addiction and attributes it, in part, to the staff at St. Boniface. At the church on a recent afternoon, Wilson pointed to a statue on the wall of Jesus being crucified. “I have peace when I come here. I reach back to my old morals, to my parents and my grandparents,” he said. “I’m not reaching for the drugs.” Wilson comes to St. Boniface every day to sleep or just kill time away from the squalid, rough streets of the Tenderloin, where drug use is rampant. He said sending all the homeless sleepers outside onto Golden Gate Avenue every afternoon will be disastrous. “If you wake up everybody in here and put them out on the streets, you don’t know how much crime there will be,” he said, shaking his head. “We have bad people in here that’s doing good. In here, they can be away from that. The bad stops at the door. “Once you go out that door, the bad starts again — women being abused, things getting stolen, drugs getting sold. It’s all right out there.” That’s why Miley and others fear neighbors in the Tenderloin also will suffer the side effects of the cut in hours, including more people loitering on the streets — and urinating and defecating on the sidewalks. If the chance to stretch out and sleep seems basic, the use of a toilet is equally so. The bathroom at St. Boniface is one of the few public restrooms in the neighborhood that homeless people can use, according to Michele Thorsen, who coordinates the program, and the neighborhood is likely to suffer if the restrooms are closed. “It’ll mean a poor quality of life for neighbors,” she said. “It’s going to be really rough.” Angela Alioto, the former San Francisco supervisor asked by Mayor Gavin Newsom to lead the writing of a 10-year plan to end chronic homelessness in the city, said she admires the work of those at St. Boniface tremendously, but does see an upside to limiting the sleeping hours at the church. “Nobody should be sleeping in the day and up all night,” Alioto said. “It’s just not humane.” She said that programs like these, while well intentioned, can keep people from finding the motivation to seek permanent housing. “They won’t assertively search for permanent, supportive housing if they think they can sleep in the church all day long,” she said. Still, others who advocate for the extended hours say people stop by the church for more than just the chance to sleep or use the restroom. They talk to staff members to get referrals to mental health clinics, legal aid and other assistance. They also pick up toothpaste or socks or take a meditation class — or even get their hair cut. The program was begun around Easter 2004 by the Rev. Louie Vitale, the activist pastor of the church who retired last year. He named it the Gubbio Project after the town of Gubbio, Italy. Legend has it townspeople there befriended a killer wolf after realizing the animal was not dangerous, just hungry. When the program started, just 30 people slept there — but now the number has climbed to 200 or 300. Reached at his temporary post at a church outside Carson City, Nev., Vitale said he was saddened by Streetvibes the news of the cutbacks — especially since the cold days of winter are fast approaching. “I’m relieved that they’re not having to close it down completely, but I would really hope that people will hear about it and come forth,” he said. “We hope the generosity of the city of St. Francis can rise to help restore it to full time.” The new pastor, the Rev. Jorge Hernandez, has made some changes to the Gubbio Project, such as not allowing the homeless people to store their belongings in the confessional closets and requiring them to sit up during the noon Mass. Hernandez is traveling in Rome and couldn’t be reached. Michele Thorsen, who coordinates the Gubbio Project, said despite small changes that have irked some of the homeless people, Hernandez has been incredibly supportive of the program overall. “Rumors started flying around that he was going to shut down the Gubbio Project, and he never did — that’s just not true,” Thorsen said. “The fact that he’s allowed this program to continue is a real gift.” On a recent afternoon, Jeffery Grant, 44, was just waking up from a nap on one of the pews. Bleary-eyed, he said that he never has dreams when he dozes outside; he has to keep his guard up and resists the urge to fall into a deep sleep. At St. Boniface, though, he dreams. “Good dreams,” he said. “About good things happening in my life.” Page 7 �Letters Anti-War Protesters Still Active Four Years After old high school student, a minister, and a filmmaker. Start of War in Iraq They were joined by other socially conscience To the Editor: With all the scandals swirling around Congress, one serious failing has not received enough attention. Congress left for its pre-election recess without fulfilling its most basic responsibility – to enact spending bills that invest our tax dollars wisely. Instead, they passed a short - term measure that shrinks most domestic programs and tosses decisions about the rest of the year to a post election “lame duck” session. The failure to protect funding for education, health care, job training, housing and energy assistance, nutrition aid, HeadStart and many other services hurts all of us. The federal government ought to be investing in our children – making sure they grow up healthy, safe, and ready to learn. Low income people, young and old, need relief from high energy and housing costs. Workers and students need training for decent jobs. In recent years Congress has cut billions from domestic programs while at the same time continuing tax cuts that help only the wealthiest few. When Congress comes back, members will confront proposals to cut still more. Every member of Congress and every candidate, including (candidates and members in your district), should commit to support enough funding to reverse recent cutbacks and reject proposals to make things even worse. Crow Call - Poems by Michael Henson West End Press 12.95 Bright orange stickers reading “NO WAY BUDDY GRAY” were plastered around the city of Cincinnati and particularly the Page 8 by Lynne Ausman Cincinnati, Ohio - On Wednesday September 28, 2006, a group of anti-War protesters descended on the office of Congressman Steve Chabot, located in the Carew Tower, downtown Cincinnati. The peaceful demonstration began at one o’clock in the afternoon. Every hour a protestor would board the Carew Tower elevator to the thirtieth floor and request that Chabot sign the Declaration of Peace. When the document was not signed by Representative Chabot, the demonstrator would remain in the office. This continued for the rest of the work day. The Declaration of Peace calls for the immediate Lynne Ausman “withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, the payment of damages for the destruction caused by U.S. forces and the rejection of ‘pre-emptive war’against Iran or any other nation.” Among those involved in the peaceful demonstration were a 78-year-old nun, a 15-year- Send your letters, edi­ torials or comments to Streetvibes, 117 East 12th Street, Cincinnati Ohio 45202, or email to Streetvibes@juno.com citizens who waved signs promoting peace near the Vine Street entrance to the Carew Tower. “Nah, he’s a wiener he won’t sign.” says Bill Lonneman, a professor at the College of Mount St. Joseph. “He’s afraid to stand up against anything against the President [of the United States].” Meanwhile, in Chabot’s thirtieth floor office, demonstrators were in good spirits, singing songs such as Kumbaya and John Lennon’s famous song, “Imagine.” “They [Congressmen and women] have more influence to end this war, but not enough is being done. Our family members are still being sent, the numbers of dead on both sides continues to rise, the situation is worsening, and we still have no exit plan in sight.” says Ellen Dienger, a demonstrator in Chabot’s office. Close to six o’clock Wednesday evening, three uniformed police officers seemed to have escorted two of Chabot’s staff members out of the office, but had not arrested any of the demonstrators. “I think the people of the world need to know that American citizens feel strongly enough that the war is so wrong and tragic that they are willing to be arrested to stop it,” says Barb Wolf, a demonstrator in Chabot’s office. Around nine o’clock that evening, when the Carew Tower closed, police arrested the remaining protestors, still in Chabot’s office. homelessness has on a person’s spirit with neighborhood of Over-the-Rhine days before forty-six poems. Henson calls upon personal the shooting death of grassroots activist buddy sacrifice and the rising of a common voice as a gray on November 15, 1996. cure for social malaise and political corruption. gray (who preferred his name spelled in A pair of watchful crows announces each lower case) was a relentless supporter of the section of work in this new collection. homeless and worked diligently against The poetry and writing of Michael developers and their sympathetic political Henson keeps a watchful eye on the sensitive machine by advocating low-income housing and yet sorrowful images of inner city life and services for the poor. buddy was a co-founder of the National Coalition for the Homeless, struggles. Michael Henson is the author of the local coaltion, the Drop Inn Center and Ransack, a novel, and A Small Room with Trouble on My Mind, a short fiction of local low-income housing groups. The Appalachia, both published by West End perpetrator who shot gray was a formerly Press; and also, The Tao of Longing, a homeless friend with a mental illness who chapbook of poetry. Henson currently lives was later found to be unfit for trial. No in Cincinnati. one knows how the killer obtained the expensive Berta’s Art Corner pistol he used (1980) sculptor by Stewart Fink, University of Cincinnati, facing in the Clifton Avenue... shooting. He is now in a state mental facility. In Crow Call, Cincinnati poet, activist and friend to buddy, Henson pays homage to gray dealing with his murder, grief, poverty, the environment, being homeless, and the effect Streetvibes �The Bush Tax Cuts: Are Ohioans Better Off? Over the past six years, President George W. Bush and his allies in Congress have enacted multiple rounds of major tax cuts, including special tax breaks for capital gains and dividends, reductions in personal income tax rates, estate tax cuts and an array of corporate tax loopholes. This issue brief summarizes the effects of the Bush tax cuts on Ohioans at different income levels. There are two key findings: First of all, the tax breaks enacted since 2001 are heavily skewed towards the very wealthiest few. Second, because the tax cuts are being paid for with borrowed money, the cost of paying the added national debt more than wipes out any benefits from the tax cuts for 99 percent of Ohioans. Only the best-off one percent of Ohioans are net winners. Over the 2001-2010 period, the wealthiest Ohioans will receive 26.7 percent of the Bush tax cuts in the state. # Over the 2001-2010 period, the wealthiest one percent of Ohioans, who have an average income of $784,700 in 2006, will receive 26.7 percent of the tax cuts. # The total 10-year average tax cut for this wealthiest group is $297,278, an average of $29,728 per year. # In contrast, the poorest 60 percent will get only 21.6 percent of the tax cuts, with an average annual tax cut over the 10 years of only $403. For ninety-nine percent of Ohioans, the Bush tax cuts are much smaller than the share of the increased national debt they’ll have to pay off. Only the wealthiest one percent are net winners. The tax cuts enacted by President Bush and his allies in Congress have been “paid for” entirely with borrowed money. This means that every dollar of tax cuts received results in a dollar of debt that must be paid back in the future — with interest. We analyzed the effects of this added debt on a per-person basis, rather than by family units. That’s because everyone — adults as well as their children — will eventually have to pay off the added debt and interest. We also looked only at the tax cuts and added debt that have been actually taken place so far (i.e., though 2006). For the wealthiest one percent of Ohio residents, the tax cuts they’ve received from 2001 through 2006 outweigh their share of the added debt accumulated over the past six years by an average of $13,480 per family member. They have received an average tax cut of $49,537 per family member, which exceeds their added debt burden of $36,057 per person by $13,480. But for the other ninety-nine percent of Ohio residents, their share of the added debt accumulated from 2001 through 2006 outweighs their tax cuts by an average of $7,163 per person. They have received an average tax break of $2,585 per person over the six year period, but their added debt burden averages $9,748 per person. President Bush has borrowed all the money to finance his tax reductions, and the interest on that enormous borrowing is building up rapidly. What makes this borrowing more alarming is that the benefits are skewed so heavily towards the wealthiest taxpayers. As the above data show, in Ohio, ninety-nine percent of taxpayers will get a debt bill that far exceeds any small benefits from these policies. Tax cuts by state and income group were calculated by the Instiute on Taxation and Economic Policy.. Additions to the national debt (including amounts borrowed from the Social Security Trust Fund) are based on actual figures for fiscal 2002 through 2005 and Congressional Budget Office estimates for fiscal 2006 and 2007. The added debt was allocated among states and income groups based on shares of adjusted gross income and population (double-weighted). Of course, no one can say for sure how the debt will be paid for in the future, whether through huge program cuts or very large, potentially regressive tax increases. The approach here, which allocates the debt payments two-thirds to spending cuts (per capita) and one third to proportional tax increases (by AGI), seems to be a middle ground of the possible outcomes. Memorial and Vigil for the 10th Anniversary of the death of buddy gray Wednesday, November 15, 2006 5:00PM March from Buddy’s Place (1300 Vine St.) to Washington Park 5:30PM - Memorial in the park 6:30PM - Fellowship at Nast Trinity United Methodist Church Songs—Speeches—Poetry—Food “I don’t expect to be patient until there is Housing Now for all.” - buddy gray Other events: Wednesday, November 1, 7:30PM: Video presentation on buddy’s life, Know Theater, 1120 Jackson Street. (Free) *** Thursday, November 9, 7:30PM: Open Mic Poetry Reading, Drop Inn Center 217 W. 12th Street. For information, call (513) 421-7803, extension 13 Streetvibes Page 9 �Drop Inn Center Update Large Men’s Sweatshirts and Jackets Needed Large Men’s Sweatshirts and Jackets Needed: With the cooler temperatures, there is a sudden, urgent demand for sweatshirts and jackets, especially XL and XXL! If you have any laying around or see a deal at the store this weekend, please keep us in mind. We accept dropoffs any time, but it helps to call the front desk before you come at 721-0643. 5 pm : Gather at Buddy’s Place, 1300 Vine Street, Walk to Washington Park 5:30 pm: Speakers, music and food at Washington Park 6:30 pm: Fellowship at Nast Trinity UMC buddy gray Video Nite: November 1st, Know Theater, 1120 Jackson , 7:30pm Special Open Mic: November 9th, McCracken Room, 7:30pm Planned buddy gray Memorial Activities: November 15th will mark the Ten Year Anniversary of buddy’s tragic passing. For those who don’t know, buddy was one of the founders and original Coordinator of the Drop Inn Center. He was also a visionary activist for social justice, peace and housing. buddy gray Memorial and Vigil Wednesday, November 15th... Family Dollar Stores Target Food Stamps “In an effort to carve a niche as a ‘neighborhood convenience store without the convenience store prices,” Family Dollar Stores Inc. plans to offer more groceries in its stores and to begin installing machines capable of accepting food stamps, company officials said last month. While food generally has low profit margins compared with products such as apparel and house decorations, people buy food more often and it gets them in the door to explore other products such as prepaid phones and clothing, said Stephanie Hoff, investment specialist “What they’re doing is to think a little out of the box as far as what dollar stores have traditionally sold,” Hoff said. Family Dollar spokesman Kiley Rawlins said accepting food stamps will increase food sales even more because many of the company’s customers can afford to buy groceries only by using the food cards. “By not accepting food stamps, that’s a whole transaction we’ve been missing,” she said. Injection of US funds for BHA raises hope for the homeless Boston - After escaping a physically and verbally abusive boyfriend in 2001, Marly and her two children joined the ranks of Boston’s homeless. The family moved into a shelter, took out a restraining order against the boyfriend, and soon was placed at the bottom of the list of thousands of people awaiting government-assisted housing. Marly’s name never rose to the top of the list, and since then, the family has been bouncing between shelters and the apartments of extended family members. All that changed this month, when the Boston Housing Authority announced plans to distribute about 700 Section 8 housing-subsidy vouchers. It has been years since the program has been fully funded, and now, people like Marly have a renewed chance at trading the shelter for a home. “To be quite honest, I had given up on it,” said Marly, who works as a receptionist and who is excited about the BHA’s pending approval of a small rental house for herself and her children. She asked that her last name not be published for fear of being found by the former boyfriend. “I got really excited because Section 8 is even better than public housing,” she said. “You get to pick where you want. “I would have taken public housing because it’s better than a shelter, but this is definitely better,” Marly said in an interview. Several years ago, the BHA’s Section 8 housing-subsidy program, which pays a portion of the rent for needy families, ran out of the money needed to provide housing help for families new to the waiting list. Rather than leave people hanging, the agency decided to close the program. This year, the federal government provided the agency with an unexpected influx of $2.5 million — enough to finance the 700 housingsubsidy vouchers that are now available. The voucher program is separate from the agency’s public housing facilities, for which there is also a waiting list of several thousand families and individuals. The 700 vouchers will be available on a first-come, first-served basis to any family who qualifies for immediate housing. Families or individuals who qualify for this housing are those who have a dire need, such as survivors of domestic violence, people who are homeless, or families who have lost homes because of fire or condemnation or a no-fault eviction. The voucher can then be used anywhere in the country to help offset the cost of a market-rent apartment. In Boston, this means the BHA will help pay for any apartment that is listed for no more than $1,116 a month for a studio, and up to $2,101 a month for a five-bedroom. The waiting-list application period runs from Oct. 18 to Oct. 31 and is being advertised to people who currently live in shelters or who have previously applied for housing help. After being thoroughly reviewed (to ensure they meet the criteria), the people who make the waiting list are then placed into a lottery, which then randomly assigns their name to a number. The housing vouchers are then given out to the first 700 people whose names are pulled out of the lottery list. Although the BHA is giving out only 700, the waiting list will be capped at 7,000, said Lydia Agro, communications director for the agency. She expects several thousand to apply. “Many of those people, depending on where they fall on the list, might qualify but will have to wait and see how our funding situation goes,” Agro said. “The people at the top of the list will get a voucher if they qualify.” Marly said she knows of people who would be eager to get back on the waiting list because of the difficulties they encounter getting into public housing in Boston. “It’s not that easy,” said Marly, who has a voucher, but who is waiting for the BHA to approve her choice of a rental. “You think because you’re in a shelter you’ll get the help quick. But no...some people I meet, they’ve been waiting for years and still nothing.” Peace Village help, the chance for a very different life became a reality. buddy never gave up the dream that the poor could be helped by both respect and by direct action for compassionate housing. Housing for the poor is a disgrace in Cincinnati and stands as an act of war against our citizens who deserve better from a city. buddy tried to build a bridge to a different city, a place where peace in Over-the-Rhine was directly connected to fair housing and compassionate streets. And, police that really cared to protect and not disrupt the streets and the people. Today, buddy’s legacy is to warn the city to stop warring against the poor, the homeless and those needing good housing. No part of downtown will be safe as long as this war continues and buddy’s peace message is ignored. Those brave people that have continued his work need to be celebrated for keeping alive a belief that Cincinnati is a city for all of the people. They make it clear that peace and justice, buddy’s signal words, still need to be fulfilled. I bow to his memory and to those who continue the work of making peace. In peace, Steve. by Dr. Steve Sunderland Cincinnati has not recovered from the death of buddy gray. His tough approach to fighting for housing for the poor stands out as an amazing act of peace making. Cincinnati cannot be a great city when it forces out the poor, destroys reasonably priced housing and does everything possible to say that the poor are unwelcome citizens. buddy took the more difficult and humane path. The poor were seen as citizens of worth, as capable of making good decisions, and of being agents for the changing of the city. buddy knew that poverty was for many a temporary condition that robbed people of their internal peace. With Page 10 Streetvibes Steve Sunderland �Bookselling Homeless Man Beats the Odds by Paul Rice Cambridge, MA – After enduring multiple arrests and vaulting numerous (and potentially unconstitutional) legal barriers, a native Cantabrigian who is homeless, finally won the right to sell used books in the local meeting place, Harvard Square. “All of the obstacles melted,” said newly permitted bookseller Kenneth O’Brien. “They knew they were wrong.” O’Brien was arrested twice over a two month period for selling books without a permit on the sidewalk at 1324 Massachusetts Avenue in Harvard Square. The first case against him was dismissed, but was arrested again when he set up shop the next day. At his second arraignment, O’Brien was assigned a defense attorney named Daniel Beck, an unusual move considering the charges O’Brien faced didn’t carry a jail term. “My guess is the judge thought it was an interesting enough case, and Mr. O’Brien needed a lawyer,” Beck told Spare Change News. O’Brien and his associate Gary Kibler, who was also arrested in June for selling books without a permit, provided Beck with numerous court cases they felt proved they should be allowed to sell books without an expensive permit from the city. The city continued to arrest them for not having the proper permit. However, O’Brien believed the permit the city instructed him to acquire did not apply to his circumstances. It required a $5,000 surety bond as well as $1 million in liability insurance to be approved by the city, fiscal requirements that didn’t bode well for a man who lives on the street with his family. A glimmer of hope for O’Brien came in the form of an old Cambridge ordinance, entitled “Peddlers”. The ordinance reads: “No person shall place or keep any table, stall, booth or other erection, in any street, public place or any sidewalk, for the sale of any merchandise, without permission from the Superintendent of Streets. The fee for the permit set out in this chapter shall be fifty cents.” This was the perfect permit for O’Brien’s business. There was only one problem: no one in the city’s bureaucracy knew about this ordinance, or how to apply for the peddler’s permit. Even Superintendent of Streets Bill Dwyer had no clue what the permit was, even though according to the ordinance, he was in charge of giving them out. Gnomon Copy in Harvard Square helped O’Brien print out hundreds of pages of case files he eventually submitted to his attorney. Beck then filed a motion of weighty determination with the judge: “The defendant hereby moves this Court to dismiss this case. In support he states that he was engaged in constitutionally protected activity, and that therefore there was no probable cause for the arrest.” The judge ruled in favor of the dismissal about three weeks later, leaving O’Brien feeling vindicated and hopeful. “The fact that they had no probable cause to arrest me was in black and white,” he said, smiling. But whether or not Cambridge police would arrest him again if he tried to set up his stand remained to be seen. O’Brien went to the Cambridge police station in Central Square and inquired at the front desk whether he would be arrested since he now had a dismissal that clearly showed they had no right to take him into custody in the first place. The police sent him over to the City Solicitor’s office in Cambridge City Hall, who could not help him because the lead solicitor was unavailable. He went to Mayor Reeve’s office with the dismissal and inquired as to what his best course of action would be. Staff in the mayor’s office explained that the mayor of Cambridge has little to no political power and that he should try the City Manager’s office. Making his way to that office, he started to feel a bit loopy. A staff member in the City Manager’s Streetvibes office looked at his dismissal and listened to O’Brien’s story; the books, the arrests and the enigmatic permit. She made a call to the City Solicitor’s office and discovered that in fact the lead solicitor was available, and would see O’Brien. He returned to the office he started in and immediately received an audience, and, to his surprise, a peddler’s permit. The permit he sought for more than 85 days suddenly fell into his lap. The next morning it was signed and approved by Bill Dwyer. A homeless man won a victory over an entire city’s bureaucracy, earning the right to sell books on the Harvard Square sidewalk. O’Brien’s business, which he officially named “Almost Banned in Harvard Square Booksellers”, has now been in operation for four weeks. At the outset, Cambridge police would routinely stop at his stand and ask whether he had a permit to be there. He willingly shared his laminated copy with anybody who asked. Police interest has since died down, and his stand quickly became recognized by Square denizens as a legitimate business. “Everybody in the community who’s known about this has been walking up to shake my hand,” O’Brien said. Now that his business has an official name, O’Brien is looking for more ways to link arms with the local business community, namely the Harvard Square Business Association (HSBA). “The objective of the HSBA is to promote commerce and commerce comes in a lot of forms,” says Denise Gillson, the organization’s executive director. “I think the board would be generally supportive of this kind of enterprise.” As of press time, O’Brien had received an application for membership from the HSBA and hoped to be a full member within a month. As for other booksellers in Harvard Square, O’Brien initially expected to meet resistance. As it turned out, he found himself and his business welcomed. “We welcome competition,” says Alan Powell, corporate general manager for the Harvard Coop. “If anything, we need more bookseller competition. That’s what Harvard Square is traditionally known for.” Harvard Book Store, O’Brien’s closest bookselling neighbor, agrees. “We do acknowledge that the bookstand in question is competition,” wrote Frank Kramer, owner of Harvard Book Store, in an email to SCN. “Harvard Book Store deals with competition every day – we compete with the Harvard Coop/Barnes & Noble, with Raven Books, among others. Competition keeps us on our toes, and encourages us to be the best bookstore we can be.” O’Brien believes he can be stalwart competition, but he’s not looking to put anyone out of business. In fact, he’s hoping to put some people in business as he looks for ways his bookstand can give back to the community he grew up in. He set up importing networks among local homeless people, and even brought in some of his friends, homeless and not, to help him run the table for a share in the day’s profits. “I especially want to work with the longer-term homeless, not the kids,” he told SCN. “Being older and homeless is two strikes against you right there.” He sees the potential for a new street economy to arise centered around his activities, an economy that may benefit all those living on the streets of Harvard Square. “What better than to give back to the streets, where I’ve come from myself,” he said. Page 11 �Suit filed over homeless meals Voter ID News In Ohio Orlando, FL - The Central Florida ACLU filed a lawsuit last month that claims the Orlando ordinance limiting the feeding of homeless people, adopted in July, is unconstitutional and should be overturned. There were two hours already on the meter when Jacqueline Dowd pulled into the parking spot across from the federal courthouse. “I thought, ‘That’s a good omen,’ “ the Orlando attorney said. Dowd needed only seven minutes to file the lawsuit in U.S. District Court. The ACLU filed the suit on behalf of First Vagabonds Church of God; Brian Nichols, the homeless man who serves as pastor of the church that meets in city parks; and Orlando Food Not Bombs and four of its members. City officials and politicians reacted with dismay at the lawsuit, saying they would have preferred for both sides to have a dialogue on the issue. But the architect of the city law said the suit could become the force for that discussion to finally happen. “If there is a silver lining, maybe it’s that this will get us to coordinate efforts. We need to coordinate, and we need a drop-in center,” Commissioner Patty Sheehan said. George Crossley, who heads the local ACLU, agreed but said the agency had no choice but to sue to get the city’s attention. “We want to find a long-term solution to this problem,” Crossley said. “This lawsuit will On October 4, a federal judge in Cleveland blocked part of a new Ohio state law that would require naturalized citizens to provide a certificate of naturalization upon trying to vote if a poll worker challenged their eligibility. Fortunately this clear form of discrimination, where naturalized citizens are meant to be treated differently from native-born citizens at the polling place, will be blocked. “Absent proof of citizenship, the person would be allowed to cast a provisional ballot but would have to provide proof of citizenship within 10 days for the vote to count. A group of foreignborn citizens, many from Greater Cleveland, filed a lawsuit in August, saying the new law could lead to ethnic and racial profiling.” definitely go somewhere.”A handful of charities have been at odds with the city since July, when Orlando banned groups from serving meals at Lake Eola Park and other downtown city land without a special permit. Permits are available to any group or person just twice a year. Food Not Bombs has continued to provide weekly vegan meals at Lake Eola, in defiance of the law. The city has responded by issuing permits to it and other groups that have continued their feedings. The lawsuit argues restricting those meals violates freedom of expression and freedom of speech. It also argues for equal protection under the Constitution, arguing that if any person can eat lunch in the parks, everyone has the same right. But Sheehan noted that the city also had provided an alternative feeding site, on Sylvia Lane, which does not require a permit or any fees. That factor is likely to be included in the city’s response, which it has 20 days to file. There is no clear legal precedent on the issue. In a state case in Fort Lauderdale, where the city had adopted a law restricting a religious group’s feedings on a public beach, the city was required to create an alternative site. However, a 1996 federal court in Virginia allowed a religious group to continue with its feedings because it proved the meals were a central part of its religion. A vile teen fad: beating the homeless by Michael Stoops and Brian Levin Across the nation, America’s homeless are under attack - literally. They are hunted down during youthful rites of passage by roving packs of males armed with prejudice and tools of torture. The number of violent incidents against our country’s most vulnerable members has risen dramatically this year, with 16 murders in the first nine months so far. One homeless man was set ablaze in his wheelchair in Spokane, Wash.; another man was beaten with baseball bats in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; a homeless woman was drowned by two young men who rolled her into Tennessee’s Cumberland River while she slept. The hate behind this brutality is not fostered in rural Klan rallies or overseas terrorist camps, but in high school locker rooms and suburban living rooms. While homeless people have often been stereotyped as worthless, depraved, and disposable, prejudice now has a potent new ally: “bum rushing” videos. This twisted fad has inspired some youths to kill for the “fun” of emulating what they see on a video screen. One group of teens inspired by these videos murdered Michael Roberts, a frail homeless man who succumbed after being relentlessly pummeled by nailstudded two-by-fours and a log in Holly Hill, Fla. Teens buy and trade hundreds of thousands of these videos, making their producers rich. They also film their own assaults, broadcasting them online. In the first nine months of 2006, 36 of 58 Page 12 Las Vegas homeless man shot in face by Nevada trooper LAS VEGAS - A Las Vegas homeless man was hospitalized this weekend after being shot in the face by a Nevada trooper. 51-year-old Donald O’Day was shot in face last month. O’Day has a history of mental illness. Police say he was throwing rocks at the trooper in a vacant lot where officers had gone to respond to complaints of people soliciting. O’Day’s family says they are trying to get more information about what happened. They say O’Day is a paranoid schizophrenic who has been living in and out of institutions, on the streets and with family members for nearly 30 years. Officials should work to raise community awareness so neighbors can help eradicate homelessness altogether, not just remove it from their own line of vision. Community education efforts should model the NCH’s Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau. The Bureau is made up of current and former homeless people who give talks to break stereotypes. This year, this panel has made more than 300 appearances, speaking to more than 17,000 people, mostly youths. Their work is leading the way to stop the dehumanization of those without homes. Without further effort, violence against the homeless will continue. The burden falls on all our shoulders to end homelessness. Until the day when all Americans are housed, the least we can do is ensure their safety. * Michael Stoops is acting executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless in Washington. Brian Levin is director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino known homeless attackers were teens ages 14 to 19. Such violence seems to be correlated with the rise of bum videos. The number of reported incidents in 2003 nearly doubled, jumping from 36 reported attacks in 2002 to 70 in 2003. The number of nonlethal attacks reached 77 through the end of this September. In Calgary, Alberta, youths filmed themselves beating and urinating on a homeless man, and screaming out “bum fights!” In Los Angeles, a youth admitted that he, too, was inspired to kill a homeless man with an aluminum baseball bat after viewing a video. Perhaps most disturbing is not the media’s influence on violence and prejudice, but the nation’s almost casual acceptance of this violence and the images that derive from it. If any other minority group reported hate- crime homicide numbers this high there would be a national outcry for justice. A comparison by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, and the National Coalition for Judging Streetvibes? the Homeless (NCH), found that from 1999 to 2005 there were 167 homeless homicides by domiciled attackers. The number of these killings is more than double the number of all other officially tabulated hate- crime homicides combined. The glaring disparity underscores the case for action. But how do we act? s We need to enhance data collection by ibe etv law enforcement and improve outreach to the Stre homeless community. Homelessness must be added to vulnerable-victim laws and hate-crime legislation. Streetvibes Buy it Now! �Foley’s Meltdown – The Seductions of Clicking by Paul Rogat Loeb It’s easy to delight in the Hastert/Foley meltdown, and how it’s hit a national nerve. Building on all the administration’s abuses, failures, and lies, the cover up of this out-of-control congressman may just giveAmerica the inadvertent gift of a chance to finally change course. As I read the daily stories, though, I fear that too many of us will devour them with relish, then do little more than gloat. I worry that we’ll be so busy following each breaking revelation about the self-destruction of a regime so drunk on its own power it’s finally overreached, that we’ll end up doing nothing but cheering. At a moment when those long disengaged or disagreeing might finally be receptive, that would be a profound loss. Because the degree of the electoral shift in this key election will likely be decided by the volunteer energy that turns out borderline participants to vote. Many of us have followed the Foley/ Hastert story by reading about it on progressive websites, and these sites have done a great job of placing it in context. Yet the time we spend online also risks being part of the problem. I’m not talking about the ability to click and donate. That’s played a profound role in making the Democratic Party at least partially one of small contributors again, and helped bring within reach the once improbable Paul Loeb challenge of helping the Democrats take back the House and Senate. The dollars we contribute may make the difference between winning and losing. But we also need to get out from behind our computers, and realize that not all politics can be accomplished with the click of a mouse. That means walking local precincts, traveling to swing districts, signing up for the remote voter calling programs of groups like MoveOn, and talking to people who don’t normally agree with us. Just reading wonderful blog posts and forwarding inspiring emails won’t get sympathetic or newly sympathetic voters to the polls. This last would seem obvious, but most of us don’t participate in these more direct ways. For instance, MoveOn now has three million members, but just 38,000 have signed up so far for a powerful new program where people from less competitive geographic areas call potentially supportive voters in swing states or districts. Thirty-eight thousand people will make a real impact, but nothing compared to 300,000, which would be just a tenth of their members, or the half million or more who have signed their on-line petitions. I’ve seen similarly precipitous drop offs in practically every progressive group that’s rooted in online communities. This isn’t a critique of the online organizations trying to make this happen. To take the case of MoveOn, few progressive groups in America’s history have enlisted more people to be involved in at least some modest ways, gotten out more useful information, or raised more grassroots dollars for critical races and issues. But we need to look at why more people haven’t found ways of acting offline. Most of us do have overloaded lives. Clicking and emailing gives us a chance to act despite them. But between now and the election, most of us could find a few additional hours to make calls or maybe even a day or two to walk precincts or monitor polls on the day of the vote. But somehow we use the excuse of lack of time to rationalize a larger withdrawal. . We also may not feel our small individual efforts will really make a difference, a resignation that echoes that of many of the people we’re trying to reach and turn out-those who similarly discount the importance of their individual votes. When I volunteer to walk a precinct or call voters, I envision the modest impact of my actions being multiplied by that all the other volunteers who are joining me. If we have 15,000-20,000 progressive campaign volunteers in my state of Washington, which we often have, and we each make the different for just two votes apiece, that’s 30,000-40,000 votes in a state where the past two elections have seen a US Senator elected by 2,400 votes and a governor by 129 votes following three recounts. But for many of us our reflex fatalism leaves us passive spectators, dismissing the power of our potential efforts before we even attempt them. Even if we’re not feeling pessimistic, or at least not during the last couple weeks, we still may end up acting as little more than political spectators. Given a juicy scandal like the Foley/ Hastert affair, it’s just too tempting to spend the “Don “Don’’t Leave Home Without IIt” t” Streetvibes entire time we devote to politics just following the news, on this or other issues, until we never have to face the question of how to actually reach beyond the chorus of the already committed. The potential for people to become political junkies didn’t originate with the Internet. We could always spend free hours reading piles of magazines and newspapers. But it’s far easier in a world of endless connected links. Our blogs and listservs keep us informed, offering facts and arguments to use in convincing friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Reminding us that we aren’t alone in our concerns, they give us quick and efficient ways to pressure our elected representatives to take wiser and more courageous stands—which if they do speak out will create powerful additional ripples. They help us reflect on every conceivable key issue, including the critical question of how to head America back from the present destructive course. But by themselves they don’t reach the unconvinced—those who’d potentially be receptive, but remain silent or disconnected. If we want to actually change America’s political culture, we’re going to have to find ways to act offline. We now have an unexpected opportunity. Just a few weeks until a pivotal election, during which the Republican game plan has just imploded and voters long part of their coalition are beginning to question and bolt. A month during which our perspectives and outreach just might make the difference in deciding who chairs the committees, who brings bills to the House or Senate floor, and who has the ability to pass or block legislation. But this will only happen if we find ways to reach out. To do that, we’re going to have to step back at some point from our keyboards and screens, turn away from our favorite listsservs and blogs, and expose ourselves to the vulnerability of talking to people we don’t already know. The stakes are worth it. Paul Rogat Loeb is the author of The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen’s Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear, named the #3 political book of 2004 by the History Channel and the American Book Association. His previous books include Soul of a Citizen: Living With Conviction in a Cynical Time. Page 13 �How Did It Happen? by buddy gray February 19, 1950 – November 15, 1996 Tennessee i don’t know how it happened…many events, Witnesses, years… But more important—it has… i don’t desire to be happy unless happiness is a universal right i don’t care to be at peace when teenagers of the third world must learn to shoot anti-aircraft guns at American invading planes i don’t want to be acceptable as long as rape, racism/sexism, multinational profit, CIA destabilization of governments, joblessness, homelessness are acceptable i don’t intend to be calm, pleasant and likable if the stink of injustice must be raised i don’t expect to be patient until there is “HOUSING NOW” FOR ALL i don’t know how to be quiet when our voices may be the only counter to the Rich’s media controls, limits, inversions of the truth i don’t think about being respectful when hunger exists in the land of plenty poverty exists in this nation of wealth uneducation and ill health run rampant in this place of advanced technology and toxic waste ravages this once-beautiful country now owned by a handful i don’t plan to be non-disruptive of the “order” around us i don’t yet choose to be a carpenter if nuclear bombs production still steals the housing construction budget As long as churches and synagogues and temples do reverent rituals for rights and speak in pious platitudes of peace and take no angry action that stops American Business as usual to end homelessness, imperialism As long as business lunches still happen in the glass condos looking out over the homeless and hungry on the cold streets 10 stories below As long as the City Fathers can work 8 hours a week for $35,000 and do little to learn of the peoples problems over whom they rule i fully intend to dream of happiness and peace when i sleep. food, clothing, shelter, medical care, education, equality, green space and peace for all… And meanwhile, awake to live as unacceptably, non-calmly unpleasantly dislikably impatiently loudly disrespectfully and disruptively and as contagiously collectively as i am able as long as is necessary December 1st, 1989 Page 14 Campaigns At the Capitol i’ve been gone 3 days, Tennessee, Gone again, Tennessee To campaigns at the Capitol You always greet me, Tennessee, When I return. You always say “I been knowing you 20 years” “You’re a good man” You have 3 little spots i know, Tennessee The steps west side of your building ‘ The stone ledge along the park The 1st bench inside the park gate Campaigns at the Capitol You support me strong Your voice has fire and wisdom You say of Tennessee a poor, old, black man But you don’t march any more Your eyes are cataract’ed Your walk is slow Your drinking now has major role Today you were at spot 3 A high man was swearing And threatening you i came up and put my arms around you and stayed a short while till things cooled down. I plead with you to come home You say, “I’m thinking about it” I say, “Don’t wait too late.” Campaigns at the Capitol, Tennessee They have me worried You knew the youth i was You know the route we’ve both fought Since the early days of the shelter’s struggle. Conditions have greatly worsened since we met Campaigns are on and on and on Campaigns, Tennessee You know have taken their toll My friendships with those walking slow My time on the street My street-work intervening vs. addiction — where we met Campaigns, have me worried, Tennessee You say you’re thinking about coming back home “To save your life, Tennessee” Tennessee, I’m really worried And my heart is torn Campaigns at the Capitol shall have me And when I return and rest I’ll find You waited too late to Come back home By buddy gray Found in a yellow notepad by Bonnie Neumeier No date Tennessee was a frequent guest at Drop Inn Center Streetvibes �Fall is a Time by Ron Martin Fall is a time for the leaves to fly off the trees. Fall is a time for the leaves to turn colors. Fall is a time for the wind to whistle. Fall is a time for the grass to get covered with leaves Fall is a time for the people to make pumpkin pie because with pumpkin you can by. Fall is a time to throw the pigskin. Fall is a time to put on your orange and black. Fall is a time to be together, stick together and bake together. Fall is a time to keep warm. Fall is a time to eat candy corn. Writers! Submit your Poetry to STREETVIBES ­ email your writing to Streetvibes@juno.com Disaster or Misunderstanding? I’m sure by now that you know of Hurricane Katrina and the disaster she left behind. Thousands upon thousands of people have no homes and no place to go. Some say the disaster could’ve been avoided, others say it was just a misunderstanding. The warning came out Friday that a hurricane was forming in the ocean. Some people didn’t take it seriously, others simply had no way out. Many depended upon public transportation to get around. Yes, some didn’t want to leave their homes, but many had no choice. To make things worse, the government responded slowly to the disaster. They said they couldn’t get in there. If the news crews were able to get down there, why couldn’t our government? The government says, “We did help.” They told people to go to the Superdome; they would send buses to get them out. The buses never came. After the hurricane and the flood, they had nothing. People started looting because they needed food, water and diapers. The President sent Armed Forces to stop the looting, but did not send any supplies for the victims. Can we blame them for looting? People were dying on the streets, and all they could do was stack the bodies to the side. Can we blame them for their despair? I pray for everyone and ask God to help them. May they find the help and hope they need. War by Jessye Marie Daily What does it mean? It means children with lost dreams. It means people lost forever, People we will never know. People who will no longer grow. Families who will never be together again. All the hurt it causes And people hardly pause, To stop and think of all the effects. The whole situation has left me perplexed. Why is it that the children have to suffer most, While the old men are the ones who sit back and boast. Wrong is becoming meshed with right. We have decided against word and toward might. Fear Days of Darkness by Jessye Marie Daily They forced us to live in a desolate place Where our hearts never saw the sunshine. They turned us into their slaves Making us mold adobes and build their fort Though they said we were free. The soldiers gave us strange food that we didn’t like And the soil was no good for farming our corn. The illness spread through our people like a wildfire And we couldn’t withstand the cold winter rain and wind. It’s like they’re wasting us As they did our Buffalo that had once roamed so free. Yet here we are, the Navajo, Desolate Ill of spirit Not defeated by the white man. (This is a poem describing The Long Walk, in my own words, as so many Native Americans had to take.) Fear is not a good thing. Fear is not a bad thing, though. Fear is a part of life and you can’t control it. Fear is like what you may have for roller coasters, or heights, or Saddam. We should not let it control us; if we do we will live with fear, and our hearts will die, and our fears will live on. Streetvibes exists as a forum for the expression of the views and opinions of our readers and supporters. The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Streetvibes staff or the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless Streetvibes Page 15 �569-9500 Formed in 1984, The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a membership organization. Our member groups serve the homeless through emergency shelter, transitional living facilities, permanent housing, medical services, social services, soup kitchens, and mental health/addiction services. The Coalition also consists of individual citizens who want to take an active role in ensuring that Cincinnati is an inclusive community, meeting the needs of all of its citizens. Join the fight to end homelessness; contact the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless at (513) 421-7803, 117 East 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 SHELTER: Both Anthony House (Youth) SHELTER: Men City Gospel 241-5525 Mission Garden St. House 241-0490 Joseph House 324-2321 (Veterans) St. Francis/St.Joseph 381-4941 House 661-4620 Mt. Airy Center Volunteers of Amer. 381-1954 SHELTERS: Women and Children YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 (Toll Free) 1-888-872-9259 921-1131 Bethany House 762-5660 Salvation Army Welcome Hse. 859-431-8717 Women’s Crisis 859-491-3335 Center Grace Place Catholic Worker 681-2365 House Tom Gieger Guest House 961-4555 If you need help help please call one of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless members listed below. OTHER SERVICES: AIDS Volunteers of 421-2437 Cincinnati Appalachian Identity 621-5991 Center 231-6630 Beech Acres Center for Independent Living 241-2600 Options Churches Active in 591-2246 Northside Cincinnati Health Network 961-0600 Community Action Agency 569-1840 381-4242 Contact Center Center for Respite Care 621-1868 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 241-2563 Emanuel Center Freestore/ TREATMENT: Both 820-2947 N.A. Hopeline 351-0422 A.A. Hotline 381-6672 C.C.A.T. 684-7956 Talbert House Transitions, Inc 859-491-4435 VA Domiciliary 859-559-5011 DIC Live-In 721-0643 Program TREATMENT: Men Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 921-1613 Prospect House 961-2256 Starting Over TREATMENT: Women 961-4663 First Step Home HOUSING: 977-5660 CMHA Excel Development 632-7149 241-0504 Miami Purchase OTR Community Housing 381-1171 721-8666 Tender Mercies Dana Transitional Bridge 751-9797 Services, Inc 761-1480 Caracole (AIDS) 381-5432 Friars Club 721-0643 Drop Inn Center 863-8866 Haven House Interfaith 471-1100 Hospitality Lighthouse Youth Center 961-4080 (Teens) St. John’s Housing 651-6446 or Want to Help? Need Help or would like to 241-1064 Foodbank Fransiscan Haircuts 381--0111 Goodwill Industries 771-4800 Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 Hamilton Co. Mental 946-8600 Health Board Mental Health Access 558-8888 Point Hamilton Co. TB Control 946-7601 Healing Connections 751-0600 Health Rsrc. Center 357-4602 Homeless Mobile 352-2902 Health Van House of Refuge Mission 221-5491 IJ & Peace Center 579-8547 621-5991 Worker Center 241-0490 Justice Watch Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Madisonville Ed. & Assis. 271-5501 Center Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 Mercy Fransiscan at St John 981-5841 McMicken Dental 352-6363 Clinic NAMI (Mental Health) 948-3094 621-6364 Our Daily Bread Oral Health Council 621-0248 Over-the-Rhine Soup Kitchen 961-1983 Peaslee Neighborhood 621-5514 Center Project Connect, Homeless 363-1060 Kids People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 St. Vincent De Paul 562-8841 Services United For Mothers 487-7862 721-7660 Travelers Aid 721-7900 United Way VA Homeless 621-5991 Worker Center W omen Helping 872-9259 Women MIDDLETOWN/HAMILTON (Butler County) 863-3184 St. Raphaels 863-1445 Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 November 2006 rs in Pu bli ca tio Remembering buddy gray Cover story BUY FROM BADGED VENDORS ONLY 10 Ye a n! STREETVIBES $1 Donation � 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 2006 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 2006 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Who Was Buddy Gray? Learning from Buddy Gray Pg 2: Buddy Gray; He Empowered Lives Pg 3: Homeless News Digest Pg 4: I Remember Buddy Pg 5: New Tools Implemented to Help the Homeless Pg 6: New Compactor Trash Cans Leave ‘Canners’ Feeling Dumped Reedy Place apartments Give 15 Residents New Lease on Life Pg 7: Church Program for Homeless Cuts its Hours Pg 8: Anti-War Protesters Still Active Four Years After Start of War in Iraq Pg 9: The Bush Tax Cuts Pg 10: Injection of US Funds for BHA Raises Hope for the Homeless Pg 11: Bookselling Homeless Man Beats the Odds Pg 12: Streetvibes Vendor Code of Conduct About the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless Streetvibes Pg 13: Foley’s Meltdown- The Seductions of Clicking Pg 14: Arts & Poetry Pg 15: Arts & Poetry Continued Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource November 2006 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Georgine Getty John Lavelle Lynne Ausman Gina King Andy Freeze Melvin Williams Susan Smith Linda Pittman Matt Cohen Berta Lambert Jimmy Heath Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Andy Freeze Anti-War Berta Lambert BHA Books buddy gray Bush Church Drop Inn Center Family Dollar Foley food stamps Georgine Getty Gina King Homeless News Digest Iraq Jimmy Heath John Lavelle Las Vegas Linda Pittman Lynne Ausman Matt Cohen Melvin Williams Ohio Remembering Buddy Gray Susan Smith Tax Cuts US Funds Voters https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/748a91001d7a5140f8e846afdcab244b.pdf ae13cac155c9d30e785f1801a7e20294 PDF Text Text STREETVIBES 117 E. 12th St. Cincinnati, OH 45202 Charlie’s 3/4 House ...784-1853 DIC Live In Program ...721-0643 Prospect House ...921-1613 Starting Over ...961-2256 Treatment: Men First Step Home ...961-4663 Treatment: Women Nonprofit Org. US POSTAGE Paid Cincinnati, Ohio Permit No. 1133 KEY MH = Mental Health WC = Women and Children F = Families Y = Youth S = Singles Center for Respite Care ...621-1868 Cincinnati Health Network...961-0600 Crossroad Health Center...381-2247 Hamilton County Mental Health Board ...946-8600 Hamilton County TB Control...946-7628 Health Resource Center...357-4602 Homeless Mobile Health Van ...352-2902 McMicken Dental Clinic...352-6363 Mental Health Access Point...558-8888 Mercy Franciscan at St. John ...981-5800 NAMI of Hamilton County...458-6670 Oral Health Council ...621-0248 P.A.T.H Outreach (MH) ...977-4489 Health Appalachian Identity Center...621-5991 Catholic Social Action ...421-3131 Community Action Agency...569-1840 Contact Center ...381-4242 Franciscan JPIC ...721-4700 GCCH ...421-7803 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Center ...579-8547 Justice Watch ...241-0490 Legal Aid Society ...241-9400 OJPC ...421-1108 Peaslee Neighborhood Center...621-5514 Project Connect Homeless Kids... 363-3300 STOP AIDS...421-2437 Organizations and subscribers Please send updated info to: streetvibes@juno.com St. Raphaels...8633184 Salvation Army...8631445 Serenity House Day Center...422-8555 Open Door Pantry...868-3276 New Life Baptist Mission...896-9800 Hope House(S,F)...423-4673 Booker T. Washington Community Center...785-2451 Hamilton/Middletown Brighton Center ...859-491-8303 Fairhaven Rescue Mission(M)...859-4911027 NKY Homeless and Housing Coalition ...859-727-0926 Homeward Bound Youth(Y)...859-581-1111 Mathews House ...859-261-8009 NKY Family Health Center ...859-291-9321 Parish Kitchen ...859-581-7745 Welcome House(WC)...859-431-8717 Women’s Crisis Center...859-491-3335 Transitions, Inc ...859-491-4435 VA Domiciliary ...859-559-5011 VA Homeless ...859-572-6226 Northern Kentucky Lord’s Pantry...621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Soup Kitchen & Pantry ...961-1983 Our Daily Bread ...621-6364 St. Francis Soup Kitchen...535-2719 Food Catholic Social Services...241-7745 Center for Independent Living Options ...241-2600 Churches Active in Northside ...591-2246 Cincinnati Union Bethel...768-6922 Emanuel Community Center...241-2563 Freestore/Foodbank ...241-1064 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart ...3810111 Goodwill Industries ...771-4800 Healing Connections ...751-0600 Job & Family Services...946-1000 Madisonville Education & Assistance Center...271-5501 Mary Magdalen House ...721-4811 People Working Cooperatively...363-3300 Rape Crisis and Abuse Center...977-3541 St. Vincent DePaul ...562-8841 The Caring Place ...631-1114 United Way ...721-7900 Alcoholics Anonymous Hotline ...351-0422 C.C.A.T. ...381-6672 Joseph House (Veterans)...241-2965 Hamilton County ADAS Board ...946-4888 Narcotics Anonymous Hopeline...8202947 Recovery Health Access Center..281-7422 Talbert House ...684-7956 Advocacy Resources Treatment: Both Thank you for reading! CMHA ...721-4580 Excel Development(MH) ...632-7149 Miami Purchase ...241-0504 OTR Community Housing ...381-1171 Tender Mercies(MH) ...721-8666 Tom Geiger House(WC) ...961-4555 Dana Transitional Bridge Services, Inc. ...751-0643 Volunteers of America...381-1954 Housing: Anthony House (Y) ...357-4602 Caracole (AIDS) ...761-1480 Drop Inn Center ...721-0643 Interfaith Hospitality Network(F) ...4711100 Lighthouse Youth Center(Y)...961-4080 St. John’s Housing ...651-6446 Shelter: Both City Gospel Mission ...241-5525 St. Francis/St. Joseph Catholic Worker House ...381-4941 Mt. Airy Shelter ...661-4620 Shelter: Men YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter ...872-9259 Bethany House...557-2873 Grace Place Catholic Worker House ...681-2365 Salvation Army...762-5660 Shelter: Women and Children Also Call 211 Need Help or Want to Help? November 2007 Chef Knows the Daily Struggles Page 1 Page 6 One Dollar Donation to the Vendor STREETVIBES STREETVIBES Page 1 �November2007 Streetvibes ll ar o D e n O Chef Knows About the Daily Struggles of Those He Serves by Greg Olkhovsky Food is quite possibly the greatest invention of all time. Okay, although it may not qualify as an invention, it is still simply magnificent. Think about it, the variety, the flavors, the aromas that a meal entails. As with everything that appears flawless, downsides do exist. If you are like me, you are an ambitious self proclaimed cook who hates preparation, can truthfully only master four meals but will never publicly admit this, and you Our day began at 7:45 a.m where we quickly got acquainted and began the first batch of salmon patties. The meal for the day was salmon pattie, a side house salad and an assortment of desserts. Maurice was quickly able to make me feel welcomed and at ease. During the morning Maurice informed me of his working experience at Our Daily Bread. When Maurice arrives at 7:45 a.m. he begins cooking the day’s meal. The food is served at 9:45 a.m. and stops being served at 11:45 a.m. All of the food served is donated. Volunteers are very important at Our Daily “Some days it is so “Some days it is so crowded in crowded in the kitchen Bread. the kitchen with volunteers and other with volunteers and days we have to ask the homeless to other days we have to come in the back and help serve,” Maurice shared. ask the homeless to When asked what his favorite meal come in the back and to prepare was Maurice proudly answered chicken and rice or chicken stir help serve.” fry. Maurice said that those two meals hate to clean up. Personally, I can’t stand are the most popular. “When people get it when it takes longer to prepare and back in line it is an amazing feeling. It clean up than it does to sit down and makes me feel good when I can serve enjoy the meal. 400-500 people a day.” He continues Cooking for yourself is one thing, but with, “This is not just a job to me, it’s cooking for others is a different story. real personal.” The energy invested in playing host can As the morning progresses and 9:45 be overwhelming. Can you imagine pre- approaches Maurice offers words of paring that Thanksgiving meal that is ap- wisdom before serving the homeless. He proaching? Can you imagine preparing begins, “Some people come in here with food for 25, 50, even 100 people? bad attitudes. Don’t take it personally. I had the opportunity to meet some- You can’t take it personally. I know what one who would say that preparing for it is like to be out there, fighting to sur100 people would be second nature to vive for the chance to live one more him. In fact, this person regularly pre- day.” Maurice shares with the other volpares 500 meals a day, Monday through unteers and myself, “Behind all the filth, Friday. stink, smoking, dirt, is someone with a Maurice Mason is the Head Chef good heart. A lot of people only judge at Our Daily Bread on Race Street in the homeless because of what they look Over the Rhine. I spent one morning and like.” afternoon shadowing him in the kitchen. Formerly homeless for fifteen years During our time together, I was able to Maurice shared with me his story of learn how Maurice serves as an inspira- battling homelessness and ultimately gettion and role model to his co-workers, ting his own apartment. the homeless and poverty stricken indiMaurice Mason grew up in Camp viduals whom he serves as well as the Dennison Ohio where he was the startOver the Rhine community. ing running back for all four years at In- Homeless Awareness Week Take the homeless awareness week quiz to learn more about homelessness here in Cincinnati - page 5 Guest Writer Relive David Logan’s memorable address at the 2006 Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless Annual Dinner - page 10 Cincinnatian Compacted to Death by Streetvibes Staff John Earls, 49, was killed in a Lockland recycling center trash compactor. Police identified Earls as a homeless man whose body was found by an employee at The Recycling Group, 630 Shepherd Drive around 1:50 p.m. Investigators believe he was in a dumpster that was picked up along a route driven by CSI Waste. It is believed no foul play was involved. dian Hill High School. His mother was a Baptist Preacher and his father was a truck driver. Maurice grew up in a very wealthy household with his three other brothers and sister. His mom and dad were foster parents and always allowed children to stay in their house until someone adopted them. “At any given hour “I know what it is like to be out there, fighting to survive for the chance to live one more day.” my parents would receive a phone call asking if kids could stay with them.” Maurice and his siblings enjoyed the extra company. By age eight Maurice was able to cook four course meals. Life was going well for Maurice until his mother got diagnosed with cancer. In 1989, when Maurice was 27 years old his mother passed away. “It all went down hill once she died” he said. Maurice’s marriage started collapsing. He eventually moved downtown and stayed with a friend who was experimenting with drugs and alcohol. Maurice began joining his friend to help cope with the loss of his mother. A fight with his friend caused Maurice to move out and he found himself at the Drop Inn Center. Continued on page 4 Inside this Issue Urban Mountain Men The chronically homeless are not always visible but Jimmy Heath reminds us they are there - page 4 STREETVIBES Page 2 Homeless Hate Crimes Teens now use the Internet to access hate filled videos page 9 Vendor Spotlight This month’s Vendor Spotlight is Anthony Williams Page 6 Shantytowns Raise Awareness for Students and Community by Andy Freeze This past month many area high schools and colleges held Shantytowns. Shantytowns are events put on by students to raise awareness around the issues of homelessness and poverty. In October Shantytown events were held at the following area high schools: Roger Bacon High School, Mother of Mercy held a Shantytown and hosted McAuley and LaSalle, Summit Country Day, Wyoming High School, Finneytown High School, Bishop Brossart, Xavier University, St. Henry High School and others will hold them this spring. These events usually have speakers who have been homeless who share their stories of what life is like to be homeless. They eat simple meals and learn about the issues surround homelessness here in Cincinnati. This is usually an over night event where students sleep outside in cardboard boxes. They do not pretend to be homeless but rather attempt to raise awareness for their fellow students and community about an issue that is often over looked. If you are interested in having a Shantytown at your school you can contact the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless for help in planning. Pictures from this year’s Shantytown are on page 6. �STREETVIBES Page 3 STREETVIBES Greater Cincinnati’s alternative news source, is a newspaper written by, for, and about the homeless and contains relevant discussions of social justice,and poverty issues. It is published once a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Becoming a Streetvibes Vendor is a great way for homeless and other lowincome people to get back on (or stay on) their feet. Streetvibes Vendors are given an orientation and sign a code of conduct before being given a Streetvibes Vendor badge. All profits go directly to the vendor. The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a group of shelters, agencies and individuals committed to ending homelessness in Cincinnati through coordinating services, educating the public and grassroots organizing. GCCH Staff Georgine Getty - Executive Director John Lavelle - Administrative Coordinator Andy Freeze - Education Coordinator Lynne Ausman - Civil Rights Coordinator Greg Olkhovsky - Civil Rights Coordinator Kenneth Cheruiyot - AHA Coordinator Melvin Williams - Receptionist Linda Pittman - Receptionist Ardella Woolens - Receptionist Susan Smith - Volunteer Streetvibes Jimmy Heath, Editor, Layout and Design Photographers Andy Freeze, Jimmy Heath, Jennifer Money, Berta Lambert, Pat Clifford, Greg Olkhovsky Vendor Code of Conduct 1. Streetvibes will be distributed for one dollar ($1). I agree not to ask for more than a dollar or solicit donations for Streetvibes by any other means. If a customer donates more than $1 for a paper, I am allowed to keep the donation. 2. I will only purchase papers from the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH). Each paper can be purchased for a cost of 25 cents. I will always show my badge when buying papers and if I do not have my badge I cannot buy papers. 3. I will never buy papers from and/or sell papers to other vendors. 4. I agree to treat all others – customers, staff, and other vendors – respectfully. I will not use abusive language or force someone to buy a paper. I will not give a “hard sell,” be aggressive, continue to ask after a person has verbally or non-verbally said no or make someone feel threatened. 5. I agree to stay off private property when selling Streetvibes. I will not sell Streetvibes door to door. 6. I understand that I am not an employee of Streetvibes or GCCH but a contracted worker responsible for my own well-being and income. 7. I agree not to sell additional goods or products when selling Streetvibes. 8. I will not sell Streetvibes or purchase Streetvibes under the influence of drugs or alcohol. 9. There are no territories among vendors. I will respect the space of other vendors, particularly the space of vendors who have been at a spot longer. 10. I understand that my badge is the property of Streetvibes and I will not deface it. I will present my badge when purchasing papers and display my badge when selling papers. If I lose my badge I will pay three dollars ($3) for a new one. If my badge becomes ruined because of weather or use, I will get a new badge for one dollar ($1). 11. I understand that Streetvibes strives to be a paper that covers homelessness and poverty issues while providing a source of income for the homeless. I will try to help in this effort and spread the word. 12. I will not deceive the public by saying that I am collecting for a nonprofit charity or that I am collecting for the “homeless” in general. I will be honest in stating that all the profits from the sale of Streetvibes go to me. I will not use the word “donation.” 13. There are special rules for selling at Findlay Market. Only two vendors may sell at Findlay Market at a time. Other rules as established by Streetvibes and Findlay Market. 14. I will attend monthly meetings. Monthly meetings will occur on the first weekday of the month. The month’s paper will be released at this meeting. Anyone who cannot make the meeting must meet with Andy, the Education Coordinator, before selling Streetvibes for that month. Ten papers will be given to those who attend the meeting. 15. It is the responsibility of each vendor to police fellow vendors or former vendors. I will report violators of the rules to GCCH. The value of the paper depends on keeping it credible. 16. I understand that any infraction of the above mentioned rules will result in suspension of my privilege to sell Streetvibes and possible termination from the program. Badges and Streetvibes papers are property of GCCH and must be surrendered upon demand. Where your Dollar Goes Cover Maurice Mason, Chef at Our Daily Bread cooks salmon patties. McAuley High School students participate in a Shantytown event. Streetvibes accepts letters, poems, stories, essays, original graphics, and photos. We will give preference to those who are homeless or are vendors.Subscriptions to Streetvibes, delivered to your home each month, can be purchased for $25 per year. Address mail to: Streetvibes 117 East 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 (513) 421-7803 e-mail: streetvibes@juno.com web: www.cincihomeless.org Member of: 75 Cents Goes Directly to Your Vendor Anthony reminds you to buy from badged vendors only 25 Cents Pays for Production Streetvibes Vendor Anthony International Network of Street Papers North American Street Newspaper Association �STREETVIBES Page 4 Tennessee: Health Department cancels homeless dinner Over 300 of Nashville’s homeless go to the Jefferson Street Bridge on Tuesday evenings to receive a free dinner. The Bridge Ministry, founded by Candy and Kent Christmas, has 80 volunteers and provides this service for the homeless. The Tuesday night tradition came to a halt when a complaint was called in to the Health Department. Representatives said that because there is no mobile kitchen, the warm meals cannot be distributed. A meetings between the two parties was held a few days later and resulted in favor of the Bridge Ministry. At 6 p.m. on Tuesday the Bridge Ministry will resume its services thanks to the donation of a mobile kitchen (WKRN Nashville, 10/2). California: Los Angeles County to Invest in Homeless Inmates For years the Sheriff has attempted to connect people with services before they are released from jail. Now the county will have money to do this. Before, inmates were released from jail into downtown Los Angeles with no place to go. Many would end up back in jail. It costs more money to house them in jail, then it does to get them connected to services. Garrison Smith, the county’s homeless coordinator added, “The fact that you have a criminal background prevents you from getting most apartments and jobs.” (Alison Hewitt, Whittier Daily News, 10/28) Maine: Cheaper to house the homeless A Maine State Housing Authority study found that overall costs to house the homeless are significantly cheaper. Supportive housing programs provide their clients with the opportunity to become successful and independent citizens which typically results in fewer public costs. Savings are also found in reduced need for emergency services, police intervention, and incarceration. The study also shows that tenants who are housed experience a 60 percent decrease in ambulance transports, 52 percent fewer emergency room visits, and 68 percent fewer police contacts. The decrease in publish services should significantly illustrate the cost savings that supportive housing programs offer. The Maine State Housing Authority director Dale McCormick says, “Whether you are looking at it from a moral, social, or cost viewpoint, providing permanent supportive housing to people who are homeless is a winning strategy.” (Glenn Adams, AP, 10/3) Hawaii: Lawsuit over homeless youth education rights The American Civl Liberties Union is suing the state on behalf of three homeless families because public schools denied five homeless children enrollment. The ACLU claims that the government is violating a 20 year old law that requires public schools to accomadate homeless students. Over a year ago the state was warned by the government of its failure to comply with the federal law over homeless students. One family’s son was denied enrollment into the seventh grade at Dole Middle School because they were unable to provide the school with a permanent address. “That is a violation of the law,” says ACLU Hawaii Legal Director Lois Perrin. Statewide at least 900 school-aged children are homeless. Hawaii annually receives $200,000 from the federal government for helping to track and educate homeless children. (KITV, 10/2) Florida: Advocate found not guilty for feeding homeless Eric Montanez, the first person charged with violating a city ban on mass feedings of the homeless was found not guilty despite video and police testimony suggesting otherwise. Police say that they will continue to enforce Orlando’s ordinance. Montanez has vowed to continue feeding the homeless. This time Montanez will abide by the boundaries within the ordinance. Montanez plans to accomplish this through collaborating with different groups and feed the homeless at the same time. The key to this is that each group will feed a small number of homeless individuals at a time. The ordinance says that a charity cannot feed more than 25 homeless people at a time. “This is not about me. This is not about an iconic figure. This is about hunger and the homeless. The people are hungry. That’s the honest-to-God truth” said Montanez. He told reporters that he does not regret his actions. (Local6, 10/9) New York: Heartless hate crime: Burned homeless man dies as he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Dotts pleaded guilty to facilitation of second-degree murder and was sent to prison for eight years. Investigators say that the men were drunk at the time of the attack and traveled to Nashville with the intent of harassing the homeless. Cole’s death influenced city outrage. A documentary film on Cole’s death was released in Nashville this month. (AP, Wave3, 10/22) Washington DC: House passes Affordable Housing Trust Fund Bill The National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2007 was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, October 10th. The Act would provide funding for the development of affordable housing, which is good news for low income individuals. Over the next 10 years, the plan is to develop 1.5 million units of housing. An estimated $1 billion per year of funding would come from the Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and from receipts for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) programs. Extra funding will also be needed. Sheila Crowley, the president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition shares, “This is a great moment for the millions of American families and elderly or disabled people whose well-being are compromised every day because they cannot afford even modest safe and healthy homes.” (Alliance Online News, 10/16) North Carolina: Homeless gather to vote Homeless Helping Homeless, a program of Charlotte’s Urban Ministry Center, has organized a drive encouraging the homeless of Mecklenburg County to vote. This registration drive has already registered 150 homeless which now brings the total to over 200 eligible voters for the November 6th, city council election. This is the highest total since the 2004 presidential election. Two years ago, around 300 of Mecklenburg County’s homeless were denied voting rights by the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections. It is because the homeless registered under an agencies address in which they themselves did not reside that their registration to vote was nullified. Today things are different. Liz Clasen, associate executive director of the center, shares, “It’s always a challenge to get folks who are busy worrying about their survival to think about voting, but engaging people to vote is moving them one step closer to humanity. Their voice counts.” (Cherre, Charlotte Observer, 10/25) Police arrested 29 year old Israel Torres for setting a homeless man on fire. Torres was charged with attempted murder and assault in the Oct. 5 attack, police said. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Oct. 8 and was held without bail. Shortly after midnight on the Oct. 5th, Felix Najera, 49, was sleeping outside of Bethany Christian Church in upper Manhattan’s East Harlem when the attack occurred. Torres doused Najera in a flammable liquid and ignited Najera in his sleep. Authorities did not reveal what the motive was. Pennsylvania: Philadelphia to Najera was pronounced dead on Oct. 9th. Deborah Calhoun, lifetime neighborhood close parks overnight resident says that people “see a man sitting on the ground and think he’s a bum, he’s worthless. He’s Officials in Philadelphia are feeling the pressure still a person. He still has feelings.” (AP, 10/14) from Downtown interest groups to get homeless people out of the parks at night. A recent survey found 621 people sleeping the streets in PhiladelTennessee: Homeless woman phia, a number that has almost tripled in the last drowned to death three years. Lawyers are looking at whether an existing camping law could be enforced in these In August 2006, two men threw Tara Cole into public areas. Advocates argue there is no place for the Cumberland River while she was sleeping. Cole homeless individuals to go, citing last winter that was sleeping on a dock in downtown Nashville while shelters operated at 115% of their capacity. A repthe attack occurred. Timothy Webber of Lebanon resentative from project HOME points out, “If we and Josh Dotts of Lafayette pleaded guilty on can afford to house all of this art on the parkway, Monday. we can afford to house all these people.” (AP, PhilaWebber will be sentenced to 17 years in prison delphia Inquirer, 10/28) �STREETVIBES Page 5 Urban Mountain Men by Jimmy Heath, Streetvibes Editor I am looking at the face of a man. His skin is a bit ragged and war-torn from years of living outside. His hair is long and neglected and he looks to me like a mad scientist. He reminds me of the heroic mountain man from decades ago too. This face is one of a person who has had too many fights and has drank too much. There is dullness in the eyes that covers the intellect. The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless frequently performs a count of the folks who live outdoors. They are hard to count because they do not want to be found, but the Coalition has discovered well over 150 of these individuals living outdoors in Cincinnati. This is a dangerous lifestyle and it kills many of the folks who live outside, through cold nights, blistering hot days, and anticipation of the fruition of their dreams. The camp itself is a breeding ground for disease. However, they have chosen to live in these camps, sometimes alone or in small groups. While mostly men, there are sometimes women around to share the by just plain old stress or mental illness. lifestyle along with numerous dogs and They will reluctantly welcome you cats. They are unable to afford the to their camp, but they do not want cost of housing in the county. They gifts or sympathy. They will talk to will “come in” for food at a shelter, to you and even let you take pictures, but panhandle, and “please, please don’t desperately seek tell anyone where we temporary shelter from are.” bad winter nights. Homeless However, mostly they campers are in poor are self-sufficient, eating health with common fresh food out of dental issues, and dumpsters and working aches and pains that day labor. they themselves do Who are these not understand. It is people and why do they not uncommon for choose to live this way? homeless people to Some are just sick of it be burned by their all; living under a bridge Jimmy Heath own campfires, or be is a better alternative. In a hidden injured in some other way by leading clump of bushes, their lifestyle this lifestyle. suggests a quiet anarchy. Away from There might be a dead comrade government, society or from waiting for you when you get up on themselves? any given morning. There is no fanfare Some may have warrants; the most when a fellow camper is lost this way. common I have seen is for child Just a trip to the coroner for the support. Some are hiding from their deceased man and maybe a small obit own mental illness. Others feel that in the press. This may be the first time this life is true freedom, without the anyone has seen his family, who claim worry and hustle of a regular life. the body for burial. Some are well educated and once had How do we deal with campers good jobs that were destroyed by who do not need or want assistance? alcoholism or by failure of family or They will not come in with you. If they do, they do not stay long. We can only show them around some programs or toss them some blankets. Recently Cincinnati ended the need for panhandlers to get a license, which eases the burden ofl the homeless. Surprisingly, there are members of City Council who still support the licensing of panhandlers. A blatant misuse of a person’s constitutional rights. There is still the stereotype of the homeless on the streets of Cincinnati. In addition, it is even harder for folks who look like someone who lives in a camp. Ordinary citizens are scared to death of the outside homeless, such that it creates more isolation. These are the homeless that will always be. They are stubborn and smart, protecting the patch of dust they call home. They can be counted but it may be best to leave them alone and let them live their life. It almost seems like the right thing to do. Government and society need not step in. We may need to pray and remember they are there. However, we may need to leave them alone too. At least now, you know they exist. Jimmy Heath, editor of Streetvibes, welcomes your comments and suggestions. Please email him at jimmyheath@yahoo.com We Have Been Fooled By Our Charity by Tim Harris, Director, federal McKinney-Vento funding for RealChange, Seattle programs serving the homeless grew I’ve made some people angry by $70 million between 2002 and 2006, belately by saying that charity and tween 2004 volunteerism have fooled us into and 2006, thinking that we have done enough. As we give and give and give while things HUD funding mostly stay the same, it’s easy to think decreased by $3.3 billion. that the poor themselves must someFurther cuts how be to blame. Superficial evidence of progress is are likely this year. regularly trumped by the growing chasm between rich and poor. While It’s hard to see, really, how things could be otherwise. Given the increasingly lopsided distribution of wealth and power in this country, the math of poverty and homelessness becomes inevitable. Tax breaks, war, and legislative pork come at a price paid by the powerless. We have come to the point that, unless these issues are addressed, government simply does not have the capacity to adequately care for the poor. Over the decades, we have lost our sense of responsibility to each other as a community. We have forgotten that to be human is to deserve dignity, and that we owe that to each other. Charity is a necessary act of mercy in response to an unacceptable now. But acts of charity divorced from work for justice eventually turns to bitter ash. When we burn for justice, we generate a light that makes our way clear. Our Daily Bread - Food and Hospitality Ministry Continued from page 1 Before he knew it Maurice was an addict. He lost his job with a local construction company where he had been promoted on several occasions. Maurice found himself stealing excessively, “I was always hustling, stealing, doing anything to get drugs.” Over the course of his 15 years as a homeless addict he spent a total of five of those years in jail for various sentences. Maurice was greatly hurt that his family had shunned him. Not once did his family visit him while he was in jail. The decision to get help came at the lowest point in his life. Maurice recounts, “I had hit rock bottom. It was the first time that I felt pain when I looked at “No matter how bad things may look there’s a way out. People gave up on me. Life does get better. Life can and will change.” myself. I ran out of excuses. I realized I couldn’t put the blame on anyone but myself. No one is feeling the pain but me. I was in it alone. The drugs got deeper and deeper, life got worse and worse, and the pain got more and more.” Maurice checked himself in at the Joseph House on October 5th 2006. They didn’t have any beds available for him, but the executive director, Calvin Wootton, made extra room to accommodate Maurice. After 60 days of staying at the Joseph House he got hired at Our Daily Bread. Five months after his arrival at Joseph House, he graduated from their recovery program. Ms. Mary Beth is who Maurice would like to thank for his success today. He is appreciative of her patience with him and is forever thankful for helping him get an apartment and a place to grow. On his free time Maurice likes to exercise at the Lords Gym, visit the Drop Inn Center and talk to people, and cheer on the Bengals. Maurice’s words of advice, “No matter how bad things may look there’s a way out. People gave up on me. Life does get better. Life can and will change.” Our Daily Bread is a food and hospitality ministry in Over-theRhine, Cincinnati. We serve a midday meal, and we serve more than 500 meals everyday, Monday through Friday. We provide warm meals in a comfortable place for all who come, a place where all are invited to be a part of a community that is caring, supportive and welcoming. We are always looking for volunteers, for food or nonperishable collections—please give Joan or Kathy a call at 621-6364 to find out more. Our Daily Bread is located at 1730 Race Street, Cincinnati OH, 45202. Missed a copy of Streetvibes? Check out the Streetvibes archive on the website at http://www.cincihomeless.org/content/streetvibes.html �STREETVIBES Page 6 Homeless Awareness Week Quiz yourself on your knowledge of homelessness. 1. How many people experience homelessness on any given night in the United States? a) b) c) d) 50,000 300,000 500,000 800,000 6. What does the average food stamp in Ohio get you per meal? a) $1.04 b) $1.25 c) $2.00 d) $2.50 2. What is the fastest growing segment of the homeless population? a) Single men b) Single women c) Women and children 7. In the past 8 years how many homeless individuals have been killed as a result of a hate crime? a) 53 b) 75 c) 124 d) 189 3. What percentage of the homeless population are children? a) 10% b) 20% c) 29% d) 43% 8. No where in the United States can a person afford a two bedroom apartment at fair market rent while working minimum wage job. a) True b) False 4. How many of America’s homeless children are under the age of 5? a) 50,000 b) 100,000 c) 500,000 9. The top two reasons people become homeless in Cincinnati are? a) Alcohol/Drug abuse b) Domestic violence c) Housing problems d) Loss of income e) Mental illness 5. What percentage of Americans are 1 paycheck away from being homeless? a) 10% b) 20% c) 40% d) 60% 10. What can I do to help end homeless in Cincinnati? a) Volunteer at one of the agencies on the back of Streetvibes b) Hear from a member of our Speaker’s Bureau c) Buy Streetvibes and educate yourself d) Vote Answers to Homeless Awareness Week Quiz 1. The answer to question 1 is D. Over 800,000 men, women and children will have slept in a shelter or outside last night. With the recent wildfires in California leaving many homeless this number is well over 800,000. This number does not include people who are “doubled up.” A person is considered “doubled up” when they do not have their own place to live. This includes people that stay with friends or family until they get back on their feet. Here in Cincinnati, over 1,100 individuals are homeless every night, some sleeping in shelter and others on the street. individuals and 30% are disabled non elderly individuals. 2. The answer to question 2 is C. National women and children make up 41% of the homeless population. As housing and rent prices continue to climb, housing that is affordable is diminishing for working class families, leaving many of them homeless. 8. The answer to question 8 is A. In no city or town in this country can you work a minimum wage job and afford a two bedroom apartment at fair market rent. Affordable housing is defined by the government as spending no more than 30% of ones income on rent payments and utility bills. In Ohio, a person needs to make $12.31 in order to afford a two bedroom apartment while working a minimum wage job. 3. The answer to question 3 is C. 29% of homeless individuals are children. In Cincinnati, 33% of homeless children are under the age of 5. The average homeless child moves seven times a year. 4. The answer to question 4 is C. Roughly 500,000 of America’s homeless children are under the age of 5. Many children are born into homelessness and struggle to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty. 5. The answer to question 5 is C. 60% of Americans are 1 paycheck away from being homeless. With the rising costs of housing and wages that are still low many people scrap by each month. All it takes is for an extra expensive heating bill this winter, or an unexpected illness and money that was spent on rent is now spent on healthcare. 6. The answer to question 6 is A. The average food stamp per meal is $1.04 in Ohio. Over 977,000 individuals use food stamps to help eat every month. In Ohio 51% of those who receive food stamps are children. 15% are elderly 7. The answer to question 7 is D. 189 individuals who were homeless have been killed in the last 8 years. There have been 614 documented hate crimes committed against homeless individuals in the last 8 years. Here in Cincinnati we saw our first documented hate crime in 2 years when a lady shot and killed a homeless man over a quarter. 62% of the accused/convicted are between the age of 13-19. 9. The answer to question 9 is C and D. The lack of affordable housing is widely considered the number 1 reason men, women and children experience homelessness. Housing prices continue to rise while wages stay stagnant or change very little. 10. The answer to question 10 is A, B, C, D. You can help and you can make a difference. On the back of Streetvibes are many agencies that need volunteers everyday. People often do not pay attention to individuals who are homeless and having a volunteer talk with them can make their day. To learn more about homelessness, hear a story from a member of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless’ Speaker’s Bureau. Contact Andy Freeze at 513.421.7803 x 14 to schedule a speaker to come to your class, school, or organization. Read Streetvibes every month to learn about issues in our city and across the country that are not covered by mainstream media. And finally vote. Help Streetvibes continue to improve by taking the Reader Survey. Go to www.cincihomeless.org for the link. �STREETVIBES Page 7 Pictures from Shantytowns Across the City Top Left: Xavier Student hammers together his Shanty for the week. Top Right: Mother of Mercy Students work on building their shanties for the evening. Middle Left: Xavier students spray paint facts onto their shanty to raise awareness. Middle Right: Xavier stduent puts together their shanty for the week long awareness event. Left: Roger Bacon students assemble their shanty for the evening and prepare for the cold. �STREETVIBES Page 8 Streetvibes Vendor Spotlight: Anthony Williams Interviewed by Andy Freeeze How did you become homeless? I was staying with my aunt in Los Angeles and I wore out my welcome. I was living on the street. I had some family in Cincinnati so I moved there. When I got to Cincinnati, I was still homeless and I found my way to the Drop Inn Center. I stayed at the Drop Inn Center on and off for three years. I would save up money get an apartment and then something would happen and I would be back at the Drop Inn Center. I was homeless for probably eight years. I also stayed at the City Gospel Mission and they helped me get my social security. Goodwill helped me get an apartment with the help of Donald Whitehead. How did you get started selling Streetvibes? I saw people with badges and I would ask them how to become a vendor. They would joke with me that there was a three-month wait. I decided to stop in on Elm Street and they set me up to become a vendor. I started selling the paper by the YMCA on Elm and have been selling the paper for about 5 years. The thing I like the most is talking with people. What is your favorite part of selling Streetvibes? It’s not the money; it’s the opportunity to meet new people and to talk to people. I am very straight up with people and very polite and I have found that to be the most effective way to sell the paper. I really enjoy talking with people who I sell the paper too. What are some of your hobbies? I love to fish, draw, and watch movies. My favorite movies are by Jim Carrey and my favorite move is “The Mask.” I love to fish on the Ohio River and catch catfish. I also love watching the Bengals play. Is there anything you would like to say to your customers? I love talking with people and I thank everyone for buying the paper from me. “Anthony Williams is one of my favorite people in Over the Rhine. He stops by the Learning Center weekly with a copy of Streetvibes, and I can always count on him for a friendly smile and a kind remark. I look forward to seeing Anthony every week. It has been my pleasure to get to know him” -Dana Ward (OTR Learning Center) Anthony Williams, a long time Streetvibes vendor can often be found selling Streetvibes by the YMCA on Central Parkway and Elm St. Life as a Streetvibes Vendor by Cleo Wombles I started selling Streetvibes when I was homeless. In the fall, winter, spring, and summer sometimes I felt like the mailman. Doing this, you get to meet a lot of people. I particularly like to greet people with a smile and a joke. I may say things like from the gutter to the utter and I didn’t stutter. The hardest time to sell Streetvibes is in the winter. I have to stand in the cold sometimes up to 10 hours a hour day. Sometimes I’ll sing a song like, “dip it de do da dip it ya come on and buy a Streetvibes today.” People really like that jingle. I thank everybody who has been kind to me. I have been able to buy a set of swings for my grand kids on their birthday. I have also bough food, clothes, and presents for them and for myself on Christmas because of people like you. On the backside of the Streetvibes, it has a wealth of information about shelters, AA programs, housing, and even a place to help you obtain a copy of your birth certificate, state ID, or drivers’ license. Places like the FreeStore FoodBank and Salvation Army were able to help me obtain my birth certificate and state ID last year. I want to leave you with a joke by my grand daughter Amanda who is 5 years old. She said, “How do basketball players keep cool during a game.” I said I don’t know. She said, “they stand by their fans.” If you have not had the opportunity there is still time to take our reader’s survey. Your help is greatly appreciated. It can be found at our webiste www.cincihomeless.org. Cleo Wombles shares a laugh with Fr. Paul Ruwe while selling Streetvibes after Mass at St. Mary’s Parish in Hyde Park. �STREETVIBES Page 9 Save the Date! You are cordially invited to attend the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless’ Annual Dinner Word On The Street December 13th, 2007 6:00pm @ Xavier University Cintas Center Including Dinner, a Silent Auction, Auction, Raffle Prizes, Awards, and Entertainment Entertainment For tickets, please send $30 to GCCH at 117 E. 12th Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. Make checks payable to GCCH and write “ticket” in the memo. (If you are a service provider, please send $25 for your ticket. The discount is our way of saying Thank You!) FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL (513)421-7803 x16 Reserve a table for your church or organization for $250 (10 seats) Sponsor dinner for a homeless individual for $30 Donate an item for our silent auction �STREETVIBES Page 10 Jumbo Ball Abstract by vendor Anthony Williams Berta’s Art Corner Internet Lends New Life to Violent Videos by Jason Corum “Grab it as hard … as you can and wrench,” says a homeless man miming a wrenching action. “It’s got to break it.” The black gloved hand of the man holding the camera reaches into the frame and clamps a pair of pliers onto one of the man’s teeth. The video begins to move in slow motion as the gloved hand tenses up and yanks the tooth from the man’s gums. Because the video is in slow motion, the man’s cries of pain sound deep, guttural, and utterly alien. He turns, stumbles a few steps away from the camera, and the shot centers on his bloody tooth clasped in the pliers. “We’re going for the next one,” says the cameraman. This video clip is from “Bumfights,” a series of popular DVDs in which homeless people perform degrading stunts for which they are paid a few dollars and alcohol. While a number of retail giants like Target and Wal-Mart have officially stopped selling the Bumfights video series due to pressure from homeless advocates, the series is gaining a whole new life on the Internet. The DVDs are being sold online, fans are uploading clips from the series to sites like YouTube, and some fans are even creating their own Bumfights-inspired videos to post online. The videos are now almost exclusively sold and shared over the Internet, said David Pirtle, an advocate for homeless people and a member of the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau. “It’s more anonymous, just like someone would rather buy porn over the Internet,” he said. YouTube, one of the most popular videosharing Web sites, has been fairly aggressive about removing any videos of homeless people being attacked or humiliated from its Web site. Individuals fight each other for money and drugs. Peace Roses, Over-the-Rhine 5th Annual St. Nick Day Sale Holiday gifts That Make A Difference Unique Sculpted Gifts, Scarves, dolls, wood carvings,woven bags, gift cards, calendars, and more. Fair Trade Holiday Refreshments Served December 1, 2007 10AM - 2PM IJPC Office Second floor of Peasleee Neighborhood Center The company relies on its community to help control the content on the site, YouTube spokesman Brandon Boone said in an e-mail. YouTube users flag any content they feel is inappropriate. Once a video is flagged, YouTube staff reviews the material promptly and removes the video from the system if it shows someone getting, “hurt, attacked, or humiliated.” However, YouTube’s self-policing policy isn’t perfect. As of the writing of this article, a quick search of the site revealed clips from the Bumfights series that include the homeless man having two teeth removed, a homeless man having his hair lit on fire, and a homeless man running head first into a large metal waste container. When asked for comment, Boone wrote Continued on page 11 �STREETVIBES Page 11 Guest Columnist - Use Our Imagination David Logan, director of Prospect House and a co-founder of Faces and Voices for Recovery, an advocacy group for treatment in Ohio, gave the keynote address to last year’s Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless annual dinner. Here are excerpts from his speech: nothing human is alien to us, because we are free to enter into it, without fear, or shame, or judgment. . . . I don’t know how else we can ever learn anything that is of effective, motivating use to us without having made that imaginative entry, that trying-on of someone else’s cloak for a moment. If we could then, imagine even for a moment, Homelessness is literal, God knows. not having a place where we belong, a But homelessness is metaphorical too. place where we feel safe, then we have If you have awakened in a room and begun to help solve the problem. We will felt uncomfortable, felt out of place, felt not be silent. We will not assent to the disoriented, then you already know next round of University Hospital subsomething about homelessness — If you sidy cuts, the next round of City Clinic know you’re out of place, it’s because closings, the next round of “welfare rethere is somewhere you feel in place and form,” the next round of City Social Service budget cuts. . . . “If you have awakened In a recent public television docuin a room and felt unmentary on Robert F. Kennedy, I was comfortable, felt out of reminded of what we have lost in our political dialogue. With the loss of Buddy place, felt disoriented, Gray on our minds, with the 11th annithen you already know versary of his killing approaching soon, on November 15th — what we’ve lost something about over the years is not only these leaders homelessness” but the language, the imaginative power secure. Imagine not knowing that. Imag- to directly, simply, unsqueamishly name ine not having that. the problem. The ability to see through I believe the great problem of the surface differences to the human rehomelessness would be made smaller ality beneath the stubble and the layers and more likely to be solved if we used of old clothes, to imaginatively enter our imaginations more. But there is a another’s world, and return, intact, with kind of anti-imagination conspiracy — the message that a friend, a brother, a if we are daily manipulated with bought sister, is hurting, is hungry, is cold toand paid for commercially useful fanta- night . . . sies, if that part of our brain that is sup- “What we’ve lost over posed to be our own laboratory, instead becomes someone else’s billboard, we the years is not only get crowded out of, even evicted from these leaders but the our own personal experimental, experi- language, the imaginaential laboratory... If we could consciously resist the tive power to directly, dispossession, could reclaim our own simply, unsqueamishly imaginative sovereignty, we might be name the problem.” able to imagine that the homeless man or woman we see this night were not One of the most powerful portraysomeone to be afraid of, not alien to us. als in English literature of the death of a If our imaginations are switched on and homeless boy is in the story of “Jo” in operating as I believe they’re meant to, Charles Dickens’ Bleak House, written in 1853, 154 years ago. In Jo’s story, Dickens gives us one death, presented in full Victorian melodramatic mode, but which still, if one’s imagination is switched on, can get to you. It gets to me. “…It’s turned very dark, sir. Is there any light a-comin?” “It is coming fast, Jo.” Fast. The cart is shaken all to pieces, and the rugged road is very near its end. “Jo, my poor fellow!” “I hear you, sir, in the dark, but I’m a-gropin – a-gropin – let me catch hold of your hand.” “Jo, can you say what I say?” “I’ll say anything as you say, sir, for I know it’s good.” “Our Father” “Our Father! Yes, that’s wery good, sir.” “Which art in heaven.” “Art in heaven – is the light acomin, sir?” “It is close at hand. Hallowed by thy name!” “Hallowed be – thy – “ The light is come upon the dark benighted way. Dead! Dead, your majesty, Dead, my lords and gentlemen. Dead, right reverends and wrong reverends of every order. Dead, men and women, born with heavenly compassion in your hearts. And dying thus around us every day. All the help that was ever given Jo was to be told to “move on,” by cops, by every authority figure. And he did. Right out of life. . . . Everywhere there are natural gates in the system, at the jail, at the E.R., at the shelters, we would spend the necessary money to have sensitively trained compassionate people assessing every one who passes through those gates to see what they actually need — they don’t have to take it, but — if they’re alcoholic or drug-addicted (or both) they would get effective treatment, as much as was needed and the same for the mentally ill, and for the dually-diagnosed... So we would begin to take a look, a real look, at who amongst us gets into trouble and why. Of course this would take money but I believe it would ultimately save money and it would create a whole new city identity. We could become the first American city in the 21st century to actually effectively care about its citizens, who would become, I believe, more productive, more loving, more capable, and more loyal as a result. We would be living our own P.R. campaign. I’ll go way out on a limb here — I have three hopes: 1.) That someday people will be as valuable as aluminum cans, that is, that we will care about recycling them too. 2.) That someday it will be easy in Hamilton County to get into detox and treatment for alcohol and drug problems, or get into good treatment for mental health problems, as it is to get arrested, and boy is it easy to get arrested here! 3.) The last hope is so obvious, and so many other people have noticed it, that is might actually someday happen — that the three elements common to most American cities could get combined in a creative, imaginative recipe: I mean the empty beat-up houses, the unemployed youth, and the homeless — if you could figure out a way to teach trades to the unemployed so they could fix up the houses then the homeless could live there, by which time their major difficulties could have been dealt with so they’ve got meaningful jobs and meaningful lives, so they work at keeping their houses maintained. But wait — that all sounds like the OTR Housing Coalition, or at least what they could do more of, if only there were money to do it. To view Dave’s speech in its entirety, go to: www.cincihomeless.org/ content/streetvibes.html It’s a Jungle Out There! Project Connect and Faces without Places Annual Benefit, November 9th, 2007 Every year, Project Connect’s non profit foundation called Faces without Places, throws a big party to raise money to help children experiencing homelessness. This year, the theme is “It’s a Jungle Out There,” and will be held at the Paul Brown Stadium on November 9th, 2007. The money raised at the benefit helps Project Connect clear obstacles to enrollment and attendance in school by: -Arranging transportation and immediate access to free lunch; -Distributing school supplies and backpacks -8 week summer academic and enrichment program -Encouraging parent involvement in their student’s education -Advocating and increasing of families educational rights For more information on the benefit or how you can help children experiencing homelessness, go to our website www.FaceswithoutPlaces.org or contact Project Connect at 363-3300. �STREETVIBES Page 12 OTR Community Joins Together to Address Neighborhood Needs by Greg Olkhovsky On Wednesday October 17th, over sixty community members attended the Over The Rhine Forum for Justice and Equitable Development. The audience consisted of numerous university students and faculty, representatives from multiple social service agencies, and residents from Over the Rhine. The audience set the tone of genuine concern and collaborated community building for the forum. The first panelist to speak at the forum was Mary Burke, director of Over the Rhine Community Housing who addressed affordable housing. Burke discussed the Over the Rhine Comprehensive Plan, which was developed with community input in 2000 and calls for a balanced housing stock in OTR. The plan, which looks 15-20 years into the future, calls for 25% unlimited housing, 25% at 61-100% of Area Median Income (AMI), 25% at 31-60% of AMI and 25% at up to 30% of AMI. This means that 50% of the housing would be market rate and 50% would be for people of lower incomes. Current development trends, with their exclusive focus on high-end and market rate development, do not adequately address the needs of a mixed income community. Michael Howard spoke on the issue of community based agencies and activism. Howard regularly emphasized OTR unity. He said that the best thing anyone can do is to “do the right thing.” Howard stressed that as passionate OTR members it is our responsibility to be more humane and selfless. We need to harmonize with one another and in return our community will evolve into a credible haven where families and citizens of all classes will want to reside. The portion of the program on saving Rothenberg School was led by Bonnie Neumeier. After educating the audience on the historical significance of public schooling in OTR, Neumeier stressed Rothenburg’s need for survival. Rothenburg School must exist because it is the only public school in OTR. Schools such as Cincinnati School of Performing Arts have a magnet program. Although there is nothing wrong with having magnet schools in OTR, public schools, accessible to every student, need to remain. If there is no public school in Over the Rhine, then families, will not be able to reside in OTR. Sarah Allen presented on the need for neighborhood serving businesses in OTR. While there has been a recent boom in small businesses in OTR, these could best be described as serving an It was further proposed to incorpoupper class, niche market. Meanwhile, OTR has a lack of quality grocery and rate a sound garden in the park which retail stores and no Laundromats. Allen would enable park users to express their presented on Over the Rhine Commu- creativity in a musical and artistic fashnity Housing’s plan to bring a laundromat ion. These additions and improvements into one of the empty storefronts in OTR. to Washington Park would enhance its Laundromats and other small businesses appearance and make it more attractive in OTR could begin to balance out the and user friendly. The upgraded Washington Park would be a place that people communities needs. Miami University students presented of all ages could visit. The forum then broke into small their platform regarding Washington Park. The students began their presen- group discussions on each of these toptation by acknowledging that although ics. It was clear that the current residents the swimming pool at the park is slightly of OTR have many plans for their comoutdated, it would cost just as much munity. One can only hope that there is money to build a new pool as it would enough room in future development to to renovate it. Preserving the basketball include their visions as well. courts was also suggested. The deepwater pool and the basketball courts will offer recreational activities for the older youth. There was a huge concern in the community that if the basketball courts and pool were to be demolished, then the older youth would not have a desirable Forum members discuss topics in small place to go. Creators Find New Ways to Get Video into Hands of Teens Continued from page 9 member of the “Bumfights, Get the his company does not comment on Damn Job Done!!” group, contribthe videos uploaded to its site. uted to one discussion. Videos that have been uploaded Michael O’Neill, director of the to online video-sharing sites but homeless speakers’ bureau for the have since been removed show National Coalition for the Homeless, people stealing hats or shoes from and other advocates, link the trend homeless people, kicking them, and of young, adolescent males making, throwing things at them from car watching, and sharing films about windows, Pirtle said. violence against homeless people Occasionally, these types of vid- with a much larger nationwide surge of violence against some of the “The kids see the nation’s most vulnerable citizens. “The kids see the videos and say, videos and say, ‘Hey, ‘Hey, I want to have some fun! Let’s I want to have some go attack some homeless people!’” fun! Let’s go attack O’Neill said. In a recent study, “Hate, Viosome homeless lence, and Death on Main Street people!’” USA,” NCH found 142 attacks last eos will appear for a few days be- year against homeless people, 20 of fore they get flagged and removed which resulted in death – a 65% infor violating guidelines. crease from 2005, when 86 were Fans of the Bumfights series are violently assaulted, including 13 hoalso forming groups on social net- micides. working Web sites to share clips Since 1999, the organization has and photos from the series and or- logged 614 violent acts against ganize discussions. On Facebook, a homeless individuals resulting in 189 major social networking Web site, deaths. An overwhelming number of the two largest groups dedicated to the attackers, 88%, were 25 or the Bumfights series are “Bumfights, younger, and 95% were male. Get the Damn Job Done!!” with 127 The National Coalition for the total members and “BFK FOR Homeless is trying to curb the growLIFE” with 80 members. ing numbers of copycat Bumfights The majority of the group dis- attacks by putting a human face on cussions are simply made up of the issue of homelessness through its members quoting lines from the se- homeless speakers’ bureau, O’Neill ries. said. “That’s two teeth; you guys owe The Faces of Homelessness me 50 bucks!” Dean Glanville, a Speakers’ Bureau comprises people who are or have been homeless and works to educate the public about homelessness and ways to end it. The coalition is also working with the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty and Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) to pass the Hate Crimes Against the Homeless Enforcement Act of 2007 and the Hate Crimes Against the Homeless Statistics Act of 2007. Collectively, these acts would add homeless people to the list of protected classes under federal hate crimes statutes and include attacks against homeless people in hate crime statistics collected by the FBI. To counter online fans, O’Neill moderates the “We Are Against Bumfights” group on Facebook. His group has more than 130 members. R e p r i n t e d f ro m St re e t S e n s e © St re e t News Service: www.street-papers.org To have a member of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless’ Speaker’s Bureau come and speak to your group contact Andy Freeze at 513.421.7803 x 14. The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless and Streetvibes wish to thank Panera Bread at Gilmore Square in Fairfield for their donations of bread, pastries, bagels and sweets. These are used throughout the week by our vendors and people who frequent the lobby to use the phone or get out of the heat. �STREETVIBES Page 13 River Commons: Delivering Opportunity to the Doorsteps of the Formerly Homeless by Jennifer Money In September of 2007, Dayton Metropolitan Housing Authority (DMHA) and The Other Place joined in partnership to open a new permanent supportive housing project called River Commons. This new development is part of Dayton and Montgomery County’s 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness and Reduce Overall Homelessness. It has received enthusiastic support from both the City and the County. The project was highly anticipated by both clients and staff of The Other Place, which was selected as the project’s supportive service provider. After a fast-tracked process of putting in applications, identifying new residents, making renovations, and hiring new staff, The Other Place and DMHA moved in 61 formerly home- less residents to join the building’s existing tenants. River Commons, a 100-unit apartment building formerly called the Helena High Rise, had been slated for demolition. Instead, it was taken on as a project which could be seen as an inspiration for future supportive housing projects. River Commons offers on-site case management, 24hour security and front desk staffing, mental health referrals, useful classes, and the opportunity to seek employment with Goodwill/Easter Seals. Because of the employment services being provided, residents who had trouble locating employment now have the opportunity to pay rent and work toward independent living. The community has also played an important role, with local individuals and businesses providing support through monetary donations as well as donations of furnishings, cleaning supplies, hygiene items and other things one would need when moving into a new apartment. These items have helped the residents make a smoother transition from homelessness to housing. Now, more than a month after River Commons’ opening, residents have traded a cot in a shelter or a tent on the cold ground for their own bed in their own safe and warm apartment. With winter approaching, these residents will be able to watch the snow from the win- dows of their new apartments this year, thanks to this supportive housing program. River Commons represents an important step toward the goal of providing an adequate supply of affordable housing — and an end to homelessness — in Dayton and Montgomery County The Effects of Poverty on the Body by Michael Henson This is part of a continuing StreetVibes series on poverty and addiction In a single neighborhood, within a few blocks, I know of people who have suffered: ƒ Diabetes (at least two cases) ƒ Heart disease (more than I can count, including a woman in her twenties) ƒ Obesity (again more than I can count) ƒ Seizures (totally unexplained, after multiple diagnostic efforts) ƒ Meningitis ƒ High blood pressure ƒ Hearing problems ƒ Urinary tract disorders ƒ Asthma (so many that the local school has a policy allowing kids to carry inhalers) ƒ Lead poisoning (at least three cases that I know of) ƒ Cancer (two cases of childhood cancer; who can count the adults?) ƒ Learning disabilities out of proportion to the norm ƒ Unexplained headaches A boy in this neighborhood had an operation to correct a severely distorted spine. A girl who is now studying to be a nurse had to be taught basic coordination as a result of childhood meningitis. A girl of twelve died a few years ago of cancer. Her cousin, a child of four, probably won’t see five. In this neighborhood, nearly every man and woman over the age of forty-five is disabled in one way or another. A few are still doing well, but the odds don’t give them long, given the dangers of the work they do —construction, auto mechanics, roofing, factory work— jobs that break down and wear down the body. Then there are the psychic disorders —anxiety, depression— Who could be surprised? And beyond these, there are behaviors guaranteed to make people sick. People eat cheap food high on But for modern poverty, stress is built in; it’s part of the program. For starters, there is the stress of making ends meet month to month and week to week, to get shelter and to feed each hungry mouth in the family. carbohydrates and they tend to eat too much of it. People smoke. If the statistics are correct, poor people smoke more than others. They tend to start as children and become confirmed smokers by the time they are adults. People drink and use drugs. I don’t know if low-income people drink more than others. I tried once to check out the statistics for income and substance abuse, but there isn’t much. But I can guarantee that low income neighborhoods have more than their share of bars and drug dealers and stores that, if they had to remove the addictive substances from the shelves (the alcohol, tobacco, caffeinated drinks, and candy —yes, candy), there would be little left to sell. Pick a corner in Over-the-Rhine or Lower Price Hill, What do we see but dealers of one sort or another? kind of crack cocaine drive thru. Which brings us to another health issue for a poor community... Stress. Poverty, we have said before, complicates everything. Perhaps in an earlier day, poverty simplified things. At least, certain poets liked to think so and they liked to promote the idea of rulers burdened with care and the happy peasant, contented to live in the frame life built for him. This as a mystification, like that of the contented slave, that makes the guilt of wealth a little easier to bear. But for modern poverty, stress is built in; it’s part of the program. For starters, there is the stress of making ends meet month to month and week to week, to get shelter and to feed each hungry mouth in the family. There is the stress of getting from one place to another. Will that old car start? When do the buses run? Do I have to cross some dangerous tuft? The all-hour violence, noise, theft, and insecurity layer poor communities with stress. So what do you do to handle stress? First, we are told, take a deep breath. This is not so easily –or safely— done in a poor community. When you open your window for a breath of fresh air in Lower Price Hill, Winton Hills, or a thousand other communities, you could be making a big mistake. If, in Lower Price Hill, the Metropolitan Sewer Division is having a bad day, you could be inhaling a hydrogen sulfide cocktail into your innocent lungs. In Winton Place, it’s the wind off the ELDA landfill. In other places it’s the chemical plants, the hog farms, the burnoff, the diesel fumes. The con- centration of polluting industries in low-income neighborhoods is a proven fact. Another great stress reliever is exercise, which is a wonderful thing if you can find space, which isn’t always available. Even the idea of a good walk is tough when the streets are dangerous and polluted. None of this is to say that poor people can’t –or shouldn’t—take steps to improve health. It’s only to say that there are impediments to healthy living that poor people face that others don’t. And the results are devastating. None of this is inevitable. As a society we make choices – where we site polluting industries, how we police for violence and crime, what populations get re- We decide which populations get sick, who gets to live a full life, who dies early and in pain. sources. We decide which populations get sick, who gets to live a full life, who dies early and in pain. I don’t believe we consciously make such decisions. I don’t think anyone says, “Let’s make inner-city children ill.” I don’t believe anyone picks out a community for deliberate harm. But we do make decisions and we make them in a setting of willful ignorance. We choose to ignore the reality of poverty’s impact on the body. �STREETVIBES Page 14 Ohio Fights Against The Death Penalty youngsters from Purcell Marian. The day started in Trinity Episcopal, a historic church across the street from the capitol. In the lobby, free Tshirts were handed out saying “No Death Penalty,” and inside Sister Alice German greeted us from the pulpit. Some congregants remained in their seats for a service of prayer, music, and reflection, with many participants young and old and many faiths represented. Others walked a mile or so to a United Methodist church for what was termed a “teach-in.” It was led by Julie Przybysz, a graduate of Xavier University and the leader now of the death penalty project at IJPC. She had helped arrange for a panel from the Ohio Public Defenders’ Office to describe the legal issues in death penalty cases. One panelist reported on the Ohio lawsuit against lethal injections. The set of chemicals used does not always work. Sometimes the anesthesia does not anesthetize and a long and excruciating death is the result. It was a curious paradox that we could sit in the home of the United Methodists and study our opposition to executions while in the statehouse nearby are put to death by their government. our governor, also a Methodist and an Belgium, for instance, has not had an ex-minister, could announce that he exexecution since 1863, Norway since pected to preside over more and more 1875. Ireland abolished state killings in executions. He feels they are “fair and 1944; England was among the last in effective,” said his spokesman on September 24. 1955. I walked back to the statehouse with WeAmericans fear violence, yet we do violence, in our reckless and need- a young man from Purcell Marian, less wars and our reckless and needless Michael Arbagast, already a dedicated executions. By our actions, we show abolitionist at fifteen. He was especially young people that violence is the way to interested in a speaker named David resolve things. Why do we kill people Anthony. When Anthony was 18, his to show people that killing people is parents were shot to death in a dark wrong? say the buttons we abolitionists parking lot by another 18-year-old, yet wear, and our bumper stickers cry out, he opposes the death penalty. The killer was not executed, and Anthony has Don’t Kill for Me! On September 26, hundreds of citi- come to know him in prison. Michael zens from around the state gathered in Arbagast said, that forgiveness is as Columbus for an all-day meeting on the much for us as for the one we are fordeath penalty. A chartered bus left giving. Another speaker who caught IJPC, stopping first to pick up seven by Martha Stevens I write this report to complain of a deeply disturbing practice in the state of Ohio. What is disturbing to me, as to many others, is to live in a place where a perfectly healthy person, who may not have done anyone any harm in many years, can be walked down a hallway, strapped to a table, and poisoned to death. No matter what the nature of the killer’s deed, this should not happen. We, I believe, must not kill. There has been a long struggle in Cincinnati and around the state to bring executions to a halt and many feel they can never give up this fight. We are the only developed country where people people’s attention was Gary Beeman, who was almost executed for a killing he did not commit or even know about. Beeman spent three years on death row. A prison inmate had named him as the killer, but in time, he received a new trial and was acquitted. He works hard now for other victims of our careless and executions — went to Columbus and dangerous courts. stood in a cold rain one dark afternoon outside the governor’s mansion. The Tragic Year of 1999 “Wilford Berry’s Life is Sacred Too” In 1999, we fought hard to keep the read one of our huge white signs. first Ohio execution from taking place Of course we did not succeed in that — the first state killing, that is, since ex- crusade, and since Wilford Berry’s death ecutions ceased in 1963. Some read- in 1999, 25 more Ohio executions have ers will remember pictures of a rather taken place. Only once did Governor shy-looking, gentle-seeming, spectacled Taft grant clemency. This was for young man named Wilford Berry. He Jerome Campbell, and it came about was the first to die, a “volunteer” for le- largely because Campbell’s story was thal injection. He had spent ten years brilliantly reconstituted by Margo Pierce on death row. Berry had not killed any- in CityBeat. one but had been part of a robbery where a man was shot to death. The Dead Man Walking killer himself was not given the death A few years ago, an opera called penalty, a case evincing the kind of dis- Dead Man Walking played in Music parity in sentencing that led, in part, to Hall. A group of protesters gave out flythe recent charges against Ohio execu- ers outside the hall, and the author of tions by the American Bar Association. the book by this title, Sister Helen The greatest unfairness is of course the Prejean, stood with us. The opera was grossly unequal treatment of blacks. reasonably true to the details of her story We learned back in 1999 that about a certain killer and the families of Wilford Berry had been a depressed his two victims, but its final scenes did person all his life. He suffered the cruel, not entirely satisfy the message of the abusive childhood of many offenders. book No one really cared about him. A few years later Sister Helen came Various people wrote to Berry and back to Cincinnati with the Journey of tried to visit him, hoping he would change Hope, a touring group of the Families of his mind and want to live. Murder Victims for Reconciliation. A group led by IJPC — the stal- Thirty-two family members convened wart leader of all our actions against here for three days. One evening they told their stories in a church in a local suburb. We need a bill in Ohio. Many good people in Cincinnati have stayed the long course of opposition and traveled again and again to those sorrowing vigils at Lucasville. Sister Alice says that at each and every execution a group from IJPC has been present outside the prison, faithful pilgrims to the altar of peace and justice, humanity and goodness. Slum Lords In Over the Rhine - What People Don’t Know by Tonia Humphrey My landlord is a real life slum lord. He rents places that have been condemned and places that he hasn’t paid taxes on. I have a utility bill for over $1,000. I called the city buildings inspector on him because my house is literally falling apart. Mr. Jim Curry (city buildings inspector) said that my house doesn’t even exist. I live at 1702 Logan street. Mr. Curry said that everything involving 1702 Logan is really connected with 1704 Logan St. So I don’t know what’s really going on. Mr. Foy Doyle (my landlord) denies this. Mr. Doyle doesn’t fix anything at all. Mr. Doyle hires his unprofessional family to try to fix things at 1704 Logan. Mr. Doyle just collects his rent and that’s it. I have paid people out of my pocket to fix some things but then Mr. Doyle said that they had to be the one to do it, but he never does. Mr. Doyle has entered my home without notice. Mr. Doyle has take some of things I had fixed apart and said he’ll do it. I am disabled and he has denied me permission to have my house weatherized for free. Mr. Doyle said that the people were to noisy. Mr. Doyle pours all kinds of stuff down the outside water drawn such as paint, oil, and other kinds of pollutants. Mr. Doyle has cut my water off for no reason at all, I have been without water for a week before Mr. Doyle refuses to provide safety for me as far as security from people entering my yard and home. My front door and yard door locks are broken. My back door has no key to it. The kitchen ceiling is falling there’s mold in my bathroom, the furnace is hanging out of the kitchen ceiling the hot water tank is right against the kitchen stove. The bottom of my kitchen stove is rusted out the electric box is rusted out due to water coming down my walls. my gas meter is in the basement of 1704 Logan and there’s a lot more things wrong. The city said that Mr. Doyle wasn’t supposed to rent this out any way, Someone please help me. God Bless Ms. Tonia Humphrey Streetvibes exists as a forum for the expression of the views and opinions of our readers and supporters. The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Streetvibes staff or the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. �STREETVIBES Page 15 Hello & Goodbye Nevaeh by Dirk A. Oglesby by Amanda Powers Hello Mr. Beer. I am glad we r meeting this way I am here to say good-bye I can’t stay When the word Nevaeh comes to mind, I think of the Newborn Baby of mine. How precious and sweet. With such little feet. This little baby of mine, how I want to protect her from all of life’s harms, keep her held tight in her mommy’s arms. Oh how I kiss my little Nevaeh of mine through the long day. So she has sweet dreams at night of her out to play. Oh my little Nevaeh, how you mean so much to me. You’re mommy’s world, and I love you so much. There will never be a day that you’re not thought of so very much! So when the word Nevaeh comes along, I think of my Baby who’s treasured so much! The little baby Nevaeh of mine! You have been apart of my life for so long It’s time to say good bye don’t cry be strong I was introduced to you at an early age You were the lead actor upon my stage I can name you all from a forty to a twelve oz. can What I found in you I thought I was the man Cabin Fever by Virginia Conn You were in control from the very first drink My life begin to spiral and began to sink I’m freezing, so I tack flannel sheets under the blinds, discovering the frost has resurrected the finger oils of someone named Linda. Twice the precise lettering appears, well out of reach of a child’s hand. I never liked your taste or smell This effect is what I needed now I can tell It has been a long and bumpy ride up and down we went Losing everything, I thought it was time well spent The window overlooks the street. I’ve stood there, impatient for mail or visitors, yet this is the first I’ve heard from her. I scan my studio for other traces, blaming her for the erratic nails, especially one eye level screw, dead center, that no painting hangs from comfortably. A new day is dawnin’ the sun will shine bright up from the ashes will I fight Know who you are Mr. Beer the grimreeper in a satanic ploy To rob me of my life and joy So Mr. Beer r u ready to rumble I have the tools to make you crumble I will remain humble feet firmly planted I won’t stumble So goodbye Mr. Beer I have a new life now your not invited invitation only So find someone else who’s sad and lonely So long Mr. Beer hip hip hooray you thought you had me I’ve gotten away so lets say good-bye once and for all with my head held up I stand tall. I start to attribute other mischief to her; misplaced keys and night knocks, then fear she may be trapped, the bitter cold compelling her to contact me. ”I never got out. It never warmed up.” I keep checking the pane for further word. I remind myself: It is winter everywhere. Outside, Buffalo trudges past, layered in clothes like shuck on corn. Like that screw, an act of defiance, Linda versus concrete, in relief of the wide white wall Mr. Homeless Downtowner Ms. Homeless Downtowner Name: Derrick Fisher Birthplace: Cincinnati, OH My favorite downtown spot is… nowhere My hobbies are… painting and remodeling houses I can’t resist… honey and apples I can’t stand it when…I’m not able to eat my apple! If I won the lottery I would…buy a truck, boat, and a Harley The one thing I would change about the world would be…to end homelessness If I could have done it all over again I would have…not wrecked my Harley Love to me is…a beautiful woman Name: Terry Weimer Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio My favorite downtown spot is…the Lady of the Fountain statue at Fountain Square My hobbies are… gospel Music, watching television, staying clean, and helping others I can’t resist…staying clean from my addiction I can’t stand it when…people are hateful for no reason If I won the lottery I would…move to Germany with my daughter The one thing I would change about the world would be…to take away crack-cocaine and make it disappear If I could have done it all over again I would have…listened to my mother more Love to me is…children, if you’re able to raise them properly and to help the homeless �STREETVIBES Page 16 U Told Me by Dirk A. Oglesby Goodbye to the horror which is crack cocaine You’ve been a thorn in my side that made me insane Every time I use you destruction and turmoil was my destination You took me on a roller coaster ride throughout the nation You’ve robbed me of money and self worth Even to the point not seein’ my son’s birth You told me you were my best friend and that you would always be there But every time you left me with sorrow and despair You gave me so much grief and sorrow Man times I didn’t look for tomorrow You told me that you would take away the pain with only one hit You left me holding the bag feeling like shit You told me that you would take me to a high heights In reality you left me with many sleepless nights You told me to try you one more time I did spending every single dime You told me these things and many more Now I have the keys to lock the door So I am telling you that you are no longer needed dead or alive You may have heard this before its no jive So I am telling you crack cocaine go back to your bottomless put You know what I am talking about where the fire is well lit. Untitled by Gary Sloan Gray steel wind and tears of rain lash people and pigeons huddled on the steps. The gray morning floods us round. Grayness seeps into the cracks of concrete, into the shadowed clefts between the buildings, into the hair of old men wedded to the streets, and in the eyes and hearts of those silently awaiting an opening of doors. Gray drowns even the privacy of thought and the rainbow of memory. We clutch our collars against the morning’s teeth. Someone coughs and pigeons explode, gray into gray they abandon the vigil, vanish in a liquid sky. Yet the human figures stand wordless, unmoving, and gray as thoughtless rock. No meeting of the eyes or fingers. No spark of colored laughter. Only the grayness dares to touch such woeful stone. Such gray and weary words a friend once whispered to me; She said, “Some wounds never heal.” and though I hate her for it here in the grayness waiting, watching I see now what she meant. So Long by Dirk A. Oglesby So long to the lifestyle that left me without a penny the lifestyle full of darkness and gloom never able to conquer that ultimate high that would take away all the pain inside I tried over and over again So long to the lifestyle that would lead me on a never ending hell ride toward destruction hiding from my true self I couldn’t escape the pain past or present it was visible every time I look in the mirror and saw my reflection void of light and life So long to the lifestyle that lead me into places not fit for man or beast dark places seeking light only leaving me in darkness with myself by myself curled up in ball wondering is this all want my life consists of to only exist chasing a ghost like the wind that I could never catch So long to the lifestyle that would have me forsake my love ones that would give them grief not knowing or caring for only just one more drink, snort, or smoke it didn’t matter because I felt I didn’t matter So long to the lifestyle that dictated to me where to go what to do like a puppet on a string constantly dangling from its control So long to the lifestyle that keep me in fear of myself not able to break the hold it had on me fear of success not being able to cope with success or failure a constant battle within my soul So long to the lifestyle I don’t need you any more I’m getting better and your not apart of my discovery I can take chances today not with my life but the life I choose to live not afraid anymore failure of success good or bad I choose to live not exist I am not fearful of the light you only tried to keep me in darkness today I choose to live in the light because my life will shine. A Woman at Kroger’s Explains Her Tattoo by Mike Henson Long story short — her grandbaby didn’t live. A net of veins gone wild rare disease operations procedures runs to the hospital internal bleeding. Four years old and he drowned in his own blood. She turns her leg to show me: his perfect image inked into her calf. Writers! Submit your Poetry to Streetvibes - email your writing to Streetvibes@juno.com Stories and Poetry Are Due The Second Friday of the month � 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 2007 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 2007 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Chef Knows About the Daily Struggles of Those He Serves Pg 2: Vendors Pg 3: Vendors Pg 4: Homeless News Digest Pg 5: Urban Mountain Men We Have Been Fooled by Our Charity Pg 6: Homeless Awareness Week Pg 7: Pictures from Shantytowns Across the City Pg 8: Streetvibes Vendor Spotlight Pg 9: Word on The Street Pg 10: Internet Lends New Life to Violent Videos Pg 11: Guest Columnist Pg 12: OTR Community Joins Together to Address Neighborhood Needs Pg 13: River Commons The Effects of Poverty on the Body Pg 14: Ohio Fights Against the Death Penalty Pg 15: Arts & Poetry Pg 16: Arts & Poetry Continued Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource November 2007 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Georgine Getty John Lavelle Lynne Ausman Andy Freeze Greg Olkhovsky Kenneth Cheruiyot Melvin Williams Linda Pittman Ardella Woolens Susan Smith Jimmy Heath Jennifer Money Pat Clifford Berta Lambert Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Andy Freeze Ardella Woolens Awareness Week Berta Lambert Cincinnati Columnists Death Penalty Georgine Getty Greg Olkhovsky Homeless News Digest Internet Jennifer Money Jimmy Heath John Lavelle Kenneth Cheruiyot Linda Pittman Lynne Ausman Melvin Williams Ohio Over-the-Rhine Pat Clifford Photographs poverty Shantytown Susan Smith Teens https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/0bc96324e4bd7779ae1cc665871404ab.pdf 81bffc9c214787afbbf914bb5bff8ce5 PDF Text Text NAACP Renaissance ~ p.12 Respecting one another ~ p.5 Interview with Peter Block ~ p.9 STREETVIBES $1 N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 8 • I s s u e 1 4 8 • C i n c i n n a t i ’s A l t e r n a t i v e N e w s S o u r c e Tarnished Grandeur The life and times of an SRO By Larry Gross Contributing Writer he sign on the side of the Dennison Hotel at 716 Main St. advertises “105 rooms, 60 baths.” Directly below the sign, a man and a woman sit in the alley. Dewayne and Irene appear to be middle-aged. She’s white, he’s black. They didn’t give their last names. Dewayne has lived at the Dennison for almost a year. Irene used to, but moved to a place in English Woods. She still visits her friend. “I got $70 behind on my rent and they put me out,” Irene says. “The owner got aggressive with me and we got into an altercation.” That altercation led to her being charged with disorderly conduct. That’s why she and Dewayne have to meet in the alley. But even if your not barred, visiting tenants at the Dennison can be tricky. “You can get only one guest, and they only have two hours that they can sit with you,” Dewayne says. “If you got three kids that you need to see – like you ain’t seen them in five months – you want all three of your kids to come, but T you can’t do that.” If tenants want visitors after 6 p.m., it’s going to cost them. “After 6 o’clock, you can’t have no visitors,” Dewayne says, “unless you want to pay $9.40.” Dewayne pays $85 a week for his room with no bathroom. He gets a bed, sheets, a sink and toilet paper. He shares a bathroom with other tenants. He knows it’s risky to get behind in his rent. The management, he says, doesn’t understand what poor people have to go through. “I would have got put out this week if I didn’t come up with $170,” Dewayne says. “I couldn’t find work last week, so I was a week behind, so I found a job and worked three days. I made more money than I thought I would and she (Irene) helped me out. That made me able to stay here. That $170 made be beautiful.” On the third floor of the Dennison, overnight guests are welcome. On this floor, the Dennison is what one would expect from a hotel – a bed, a See DENNISON p.6 Council Orders Plan for Single Homeless People Sudden action, but will council pay to make it work? By Andrew Freeze Staff Writer C incinnati City Council unanimously passed an ordinance Oct. 8 directing the Cincinnati/ Hamilton County Continuum of Care for the Homeless to “immediately address the inadequacies of the current provision of services for single homeless individuals” in the city and develop a comprehensive plan for services. The ordinance wasn’t on the published agenda for the Oct. 8 meeting, and council passed it without taking public comment. But private conversations about the ordinance had taken place for months, according to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity. “The draft ordinance read that someone would be hired to come in and completely redo the way our services are in Cincinnati/Hamilton County,” the source says. “If that version of the ordinance had passed, it would have completely thrown out the current Continuum of Care and dangerously risk all Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding.” The Continuum of Care has partnered with the City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County since 1996 to plan and implement services and shelter for the homeless. This year the organization received a HUD grant for services to homeless individuals totaling $12.4 million. The Continuum of Care (CoC) must present its plan to the city by March 31, 2009. The ordinance makes no mention of increased funding in return but the subject has been discussed. “The city has said, not in the ordinance, that if the CoC comes up with a plan, they (the city) are willing to bring other resources to the table,” the source says. ‘Highest standards’ The goal is a major overhaul, according to Councilwoman Roxanne Qualls. “The recommended plan must not For a copy of look like the City Council the current ordinance, shelter and check out the service de- Streetvibes blog livery sysat streetvibes. tem,” she wordpress.com says. “We are not seeking to achieve minor reform. Rather, the Continuum of Care should use this opportunity to plan for homeless individuals by starting with a ‘blank slate’ and designing from the ground up See PLAN p.4 �2 News Briefs Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Killing Homeless Man Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — Thomas Daugherty, a 19year-old Floridian, has been sentenced to life in prison for using a baseball bat to beat to death Norris Gaynor, a homeless man sleeping on a park bench in 2006. Daugherty and 21-year-old Brian Hooks, after drinking vodka and smoking marijuana, hid the baseball bats in their pants before sneaking up on a group of homeless men. They broke Gaynor’s nose, five ribs, and crushed his skull. Daugherty apologized to Gaynor’s family, saying, “I wasted a human life. I treated him as less than a human, and I’m sorry.” The attack was one of three the pair committed that night; the first was caught on video, and homeless advocates have expressed shock at the ferocity of the assaults. (Associated Press, Oct. 23, 2008) Middle School Students Charged with Killing Homeless Man Pontiac, Mich. — Thomas McCloud Jr. and Dontez Tillman, both 14 years old, have been charged as adults with first-degree murder for beating 61-year-old Wilford Hamilton to death. McCloud and Tillman are also suspected in the beating and killing of another homeless man, 65-year-old Lee Hoffman, with the help of a 15year-old classmate. If they are convicted as adults, the sentence will be life in prison without parole. (Associated Press, Oct. 16, 2008) Number of Homeless Families Rising at Alarming Rate With increasing economic pressures and extensive mortgage foreclosures, more families with children are becoming homeless. In cities across the country, there has been an increase in the number of families seeking aid, especially for housing. The main causes of this rise are job losses and foreclosures — as well as higher food and fuel prices, which are quite problematic for families with no financial cushion. Foreclosures are expected to continue to cause a large increase in the number of homeless families. (Wendy Koch, USA Today, Oct. 21, 2008) The Vibe Streetwise By Gregory Flannery Just One Candle The bad news is the 21st annual vigil, “She Screams Without Sound,” was necessary. The good news is that this time only one candle was needed to represent the year’s death toll from domestic violence. In some years, more than two dozen candles were lit, one for each dead victim. This year the candle was for Tawyna Barnes of Springfield Township, who died of injuries sustained when her husband allegedly ran over her with a car in July. But the Oct. 15 vigil at the Hamilton County Courthouse also remembered the many victims, known and unknown, of years past. Sponsored by Women Helping Women and the YWCA of Greater Cincinnati, the vigil included remarks by surviving family members and a march around the courthouse and jail. “It is also important that all of us gathered tonight lend our support to women and families caught in the cycle of domestic violence -- today, tomorrow and always,” said Margo Pierce, CityBeat staff writer who served as MC at the vigil. “Victims and survivors must know that they can count on our unconditional support and our steadfast belief that no one deserves, asks for or should endure any form of domestic violence. They should never have accept responsibility and blame for the abuser's behavior.” Top 10 Reasons Living in a Pickup Truck Sucks Homeless Awareness Week is Nov. 16-22. Posited here for your consideration during that week are these observations: * A homeless man who works several part-time jobs says he’s going to go to jail rather than try to pay a $200 fine for pissing in an alley in Over-the-Rhine one night. The library was closed. Bars don’t want homeless people using their bathrooms. What is a person forced to live on the street supposed to do? In what way does fining him constitute justice? * A woman who lives in Over-the-Rhine recently left her house one morning and saw, across the street, a man sitting on a stoop, hands covering his face, crying. Above him was a sign from a political campaign, saying, “Hope.” * An oft-quoted Web page called “Famous People Who Have Been Homeless” lists the bouts of homeless struggle endured by three dozen celebrities, from Charlie Chaplin to David Letterman. Also worth noting is Jesus of Nazareth, itinerant preacher in the early first century. Ron English is a celebrity to those who know him. Formerly homeless, he sometimes sells Streetvibes. He likes to draw hyper-colorful, complex self-portraits on cardboard and other found media. Thanks to Angela Pancella’s generosity and appreciation for art, you now have the opportunity to obtain one of English’s works. Pancella, director of development at Our Daily Bread, purchased the drawing, which will go up for auction Dec. 4 at the annual dinner of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Close Call: Illegal Kindness Averted STREETVIBES November 2008 Streetvibes is a newspaper that provides relevant discussions of homelessness, poverty and other related social justice issues. It is published monthly 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 Contributing Writers Margo Pierce, Angela Pancella, Michael Henson, Stephanie Dunlap, Larry Gross, Steve Sunderland, Georgine Getty, Alyssa Konermann, Lew Moores, Elizabeth Scheper, Dede Stoops, Meera Basu Photography/Artwork Andrew Anderson, Andrew Freeze, Anthony Williams, Angela Pancella, Legal Aid Society, Ben L. Kaufman, Peter Block, Wyoming HS, St. Ursula HS Advisory Committee Joe Wessels, Steve Novotni, Andrew Freeze, Georgine Getty, Michael Henson, Stephanie Dunlap, Steve Gibbs Students from Xavier University and the University of Cincinnati had a generous impulse. They were going to go to Washington Park, where poor and homeless people often gather, and give them food. The two schools’ student governments planned College Cookout for a Cause for Oct. 18. “A goal for both student government organizations is to help serve those in need in Overthe-Rhine,” said Laurel Bauer, spokeswoman for XU. “Student government officials from the University of Cincinnati contacted executives at Xavier to partner in this event to make it most effective.” The students and the universities overlooked one salient point, however. The city of Cincinnati has enacted a rule forbidding certain kinds of generosity, in particular the distribution of free food to hungry persons in Washington Park. It has been deemed untidy. The students didn’t give up, however. They held College Cookout for a Cause in the parking lot of Lord’s Pantry. So far, that appears to be legal; city council’s broad attack on social-service agencies in Over-the-Rhine is still tied up in court. “The location was changed because there is a law I was not aware of that you are not allowed to hand out food for free in Cincinnati parks,” Bauer says. “It would have been a little bit of a downer if they had been asked to move.” Yes, a downer. That’s the kind of country we’ve become: We officially discourage kindness and human decency. And God help you if you nature calls when you’re stuck outside. The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Programs include Streetvibes, “Voice of the Homeless” Speaker’s Bureau, Cincinnati Urban Experience (CUE), Homeless Curriculum, and Homeless Civil Rights Organizing Project. All donations support these programs and are taxdeductible to the full extent of the law. U.S. House Approves Housing Bill We are members of: The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted Oct. 6 to approve the HEARTH Act, which reauthorizes the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grant program. The measure won by a vote of 355-61. The National Alliance to End Homelessness says the measure provides new resources for rapid re-housing programs, funding to permanently house families and funding for homeless prevention of at-risk individuals and individuals living in insecure housing situations. The bill also expands the definition of homelessness to include people who will be losing their housing within 14 days and also lack the resources to find housing immediately. The expanded definition will also include families and youth who regularly do not have access to stable housing. �STREETVIBES November 2008 Community News Eight Minutes 3 with Myself “Objectivity” keeps people uniformed and stupid By Margo Pierce Contributing Writer bjectivity is a myth, a bedtime story people want to believe long after the harsh reality of life enters their worldview. This is something I’ve known for a long time, but it wasn’t until I started working as a reporter that whatever lingering shreds of belief I had in that particular story were obliterated. The issue of word-count could explain it: how does anyone present a complicated issue in an “objective” way in the space of 250–500 words? A longer piece, 2,500-5,000 words, would seem plenty, but it’s not enough to touch on all the competing arguments about the industrial prison complex, death penalty, war on poverty or any of the biggest social issues of our time. After interviewing dozens of people, reading an obscene number of scientific studies and reviewing more legislation than a politician reads before casting a vote, I have enough information for a novella. But who wants to read, let alone publish, over 100 pages on the issues related to the war on poverty? For the general public, it’s just too depressing. The challenge is how to inform and educate readers in an age of short attention spans and info-tainment presented in colorful snippets on television “news.” Setting aside the discussion about what people want to consume, what advertisers want to be associated with and what media outlets deliver, there are people who want to learn and understand more about the challenges we face. Those people are where I begin. Making some assumptions about their willingness to sit and read a newspaper – they did have the motivation to pick it up -- and their willingness to be thoughtful about a topic, I want to cram as much information into the available word count as I can. So I’m O on the lookout for the interesting and engaging parts of any story. Objectivity is lost right there – boring elements are important, too. Anyone believing objectivity survives that test must give up any hope of that possibility surviving once the research begins. Talking to people about their life experiences, from the dramatic through the mundane, inspires responses ranging from total disbelief and possibly disdain to surprise and happiness. Human beings respond emotionally. Don’t believe me? Think about what happens when the garbage isn’t taken out or a cop wants to talk for a moment. Not even the most cynical human being can avoid emotional responses. Then there’s the challenge of not making judgments based on personal beliefs. How can someone who believes it is possible to have a “drug-free America” objectively consider the actions of the cops I can, given the constraints arresting physicians who dis- of deadlines and my ability pense powerful medication to comprehend. Taking a position only comes when the for chronic pain? She can’t. But she can be fair if she argument for doing so is comis willing to be open-minded. pelling. Popular opinion supports It’s possible to suspend perthe death sonal emotions and beliefs The standard version penalty, and the reasons long enough to of “objectivity” given for evaluate inforkeeps people state execumation in a fair manner. Con- mollified and under- tions are a mile deep. sider the faminformed. If that isn’t ily of a murder compelling, victim who forgives the killer. There can’t what is? For me, it’s a powerbe a much stronger emotional ful combination of an unfair reaction than the death of a criminal justice system comparent, daughter or son. What bined with what it means to it takes to move past that and truly value life – it’s imposconsider a murder against the sible to walk that talk when value of all human life means picking and choosing those a human being is capable of who are “worthy” of living making a fair evaluation to get based on arbitrary criteria. to forgiveness. That’s the most The most persuasive argureasonable thing to expect of ment and the one that rings most true doesn’t have to be anyone, even reporters. Even though I take posi- the one with the most scientions on some of the topics I tific studies. There are so many people address – that’s called advocacy journalism – I only get writing in support of executo the point after considering tions, sex-offender registraas many sides of an issue as tion and the drug war that the unfair nature of all these efforts is lost in the avalanche of support. Important information about the failures of these efforts and their horrible consequences never reaches the general public because popular sentiment and hype, not fairness, rule a lot of news coverage. The myth of objectivity allows writers and readers to view three or four sentences of the “opposing” viewpoint in a 200-line article to serve as “objective” reporting. Objectivity is presented as two sides of an argument, usually the extremes of each. But very few issues involve only two sides. The standard version of “objectivity” keeps people mollified and under-informed. The idea that a single perspective can be fair seems to be at odds with the notion of fairness itself. But consider this: There are hundreds of articles written on a specific aspect of a topic presenting a specific viewpoint. Consider those that focus on the death penalty and include statements from people supporting execu- tions, feature the loss experienced by victims’ families and how prosecutors avidly pursue death penalty cases with little to no effort made to give equal time to opposing views. When a handful of articles focus only on the opposition to the death penalty without giving time to the supporters, the test of “fairness” is met by balancing the sheer volume of one against the other. There is an equally complicated answer that I can’t provide in my given word count; it has to do with my experience of being the exception to just about every rule I’ve ever encountered. Being lumped into categories that didn’t fit me, by people unwilling to take time to consider anything beyond “either/or,” left an indelible impression. It’s a driving force in why and what I write. Many people work hard to make a difference for the less privileged in Greater Cincinnati. “Eight Minutes” is an effort to learn who they are and what motivates them. Check for more stories between issues at streetvibes.wordpress.com �4 STREETVIBES November 2008 Community News Council Orders Plan, continued from p.1 a new system that would substantially decrease the number of homeless persons requiring shelter services each night.” Nineteen community leaders are to create the plan. There will be slots for two city representatives, two county representatives, four executive directors of social-service agencies, four business leaders picked by the Cincinnati Business Committee, four seats for funders of services and three area religious leaders. A facilitator will lead the group. The source - who is not one of the 19 picked to create the plan - believes the plan could include “a safe haven, more shelter for single women, additional substance-abuse services including housing, “Obviously, we do not have enough resources to handle (the current homeless situation). We have to do the plan, and it is refreshing to hear that they are willing to bring more resources to the table, but we will have to wait and see if they will follow through with the promised resources.” housing that would target specific sub-populations, a de-concentration of the Drop Inn Center and a statement of need for more permanent supportive housing.” The goals are ambitious, at least so far as Qualls envision the plan. “The plan should result in a national model that guarantees the highest standards of care for the homeless … so that the homeless can successfully move from homeless to homes and become productive members of society once again,” she says. But what about the money? “Obviously, we do not have enough resources to handle (the current homeless situation),” the source says. “We have to do the plan, and it is refreshing to hear that they are willing to bring more resources to the table, but we will have to wait and see if they will follow through with the promised resources.” The need to plan Since 2000 the National Alliance to End Homelessness has advocated for the creation of 10-year plans to end homelessness, and more than 390 cities and counties across the country have completed or are developing plans. Nan Roman, president of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, says 10-year plans are valuable for several reasons. “We realized there were more programs but the numbers (of homeless individuals) was still going up,” she says. “We needed improved data about sub-populations, and there was a merging connection between homelessness and jail, welfare and foster care.” The approach seems to work. “Many communities have been very successful in reducing homelessness,” Roman says. “Portland has reduced chronic homelessness by 70 percent. Columbus has reduced family homelessness by 48 percent, and both have 10 year plans to end homelessness. “It is very reasonable to end homelessness. I’m old enough to remember when there was not widespread homelessness. It is very possible, and many communities are well on their way. It is very important to look at strategies around the country that are successful and to implement those in other communities.” Welcome House of Northern Kentucky has been working on a plan in response to a statewide initiative. “We are focusing on four areas -- the unbanked or those that cannot get a bank account; employment and the gap between wages and what is needed for housing; housing and the costs associated; and finally education, looking at the difficulties of learning when basic needs are not being met,” says Linda Young executive director of Welcome House. “It is very reasonable to end homelessness. I’m old enough to remember when there was not widespread homelessness. It is very possible, and many communities are well on their way.” “We are working to present the ideas as community issues and not just homelessness, because then it becomes someone else’s problem. The city’s job is to work on economic development, and that is how we are addressing our plan in order to get city leaders’ buy-in.” Cincinnati doesn’t have a plan to specifically end homelessness in 10 years but rather the section on homeless services in the city’s consolidated plan already works to address homelessness. Creating a 10 year plan would be creating another plan to end homelessness when there already is one. The city’s consolidated plan refers to all levels or services and shelter, including emergency shelter, transitional shelter and permanent shelter. “Homelessness is a big problem but not so big we can’t solve it,” Roman says. “Remember: Homelessness is a housing problem.” Cincinnati/Hamilton County Continuum of Care The Continuum of Care is: *a single, coordinated and inclusive process for the planning and management of the local (City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County) Continuum. The CoC works with all programs which serve homeless persons including: *outreach programs, *emergency shelter programs for singles and families *transitional housing programs *service-enriched permanent supportive housing programs including Shelter Plus Care *specialized services-only programs The Continuum of Care process: *involves all agencies and programs that receive funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) *facilitates the allocation of funding to these agencies *serves as an inclusive ve- hicle to promote best practices *facilitates access to mainstream resources and services for the homeless *works to develop policies and procedures to assist homeless persons directly *aims to ultimately end homelessness. National Alliance to End Homelessness There are four elements that are key to to creating a 10-year plan according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness’s Web site. Plan for Outcomes Localities can begin to develop plans to end, rather than to manage, homelessness. There are two components. Every jurisdiction can collect data that allows it to identify the most effective strategy for each sub-group of the homeless population. Second, jurisdictions can bring to the planning table those responsible for mainstream as well as homelesstargeted resources. Close the Front Door Homelessness can be prevented by making mainstream poverty programs more accountable for the outcomes of their most vulnerable clients and wards. Open the Back Door Where homeless people are already accommodating the shortage of affordable housing, this should be facilitated and accelerated. Where there is no housing, particularly for those who are chronically homeless, an adequate supply of appropriate housing should be developed and subsidized. Build the Infrastructure Ending homelessness can be a first step in addressing the systemic problems that lead to crisis poverty: • shortage of affordable housing • incomes that do not pay for basic needs • lack of appropriate services for those who need them. Only purchase Streetvibes from BADGED vendors. Vendors wear their WHITE badges while they sell the paper. �STREETVIBES November 2008 News Briefs Neighbors Hold Vigil for Homeless Man Intentionally Burned to Death Los Angeles, Cal. ¬ A well known homeless man from a mid-Wilshire neighborhood was doused with gasoline and burned to death on a local sidewalk. One witness said he saw several young men cover the victim with the contents of a red plastic gasoline container. The victim, John, had lived in the area for 20 years. After the attack, neighbors responded with flowers, candles and letters and held a vigil in his memory. Many neighbors described John as thoughtful, kind, and friendly and are vocal about the need for the crime to be solved. (Bob Pool, Los Angeles Times, Oct. 12, 2008) Violence Against the Homeless a Hate Crime? Los Angeles, Cal. — Last year Florida and California were ranked the states with the most lethal and non-lethal attacks against homeless people. California was cited as having 22, but Maria Foscarinis, the executive director of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, believes the number is actually much higher because most incidents are never reported. She attributes this to the fact that homeless people are outside and can be attacked by anyone, for any reason, as well as the increasingly punitive action of cities against the homeless. In classes protected by hate-crime legislation, 0.1 percent of attacks result in death, while over 25 percent of attacks against the homeless result in death. Because of this, there is a movement to have the homeless covered by hate-crime legislation; two bills are being considered by the House of Representatives. Advocates are meanwhile working for other solutions, but believe hate crime legislation will send the message that the lives of the homeless are as valuable as the lives of anyone else. (Alison Stateman, Time with CNN, Oct. 22, 2008) News briefs compiled by Alyssa Konermann. Local News 5 Buddha Walks into a Bar The difficult matter of respecting one another By Gregory Flannery Editor Racism isn’t always black and white. Sometimes it is, of course, as in the neo-Nazi flier posted on car windshields downtown last month. Bearing the name of the National Socialist Movement, the flier contains a racial slur and a photo of an African warrior in tribal regalia. Then there’s the flier distributed in a Sharonville campaign for a seat in the Ohio House of Representatives, featuring a chihuahua in a sombrero asking, “Can you speak Spanish? Ay Caramba!’ ” The flier dehumanizes Latinos, according to Rosa Rosales, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens. “What’s worse, the advertisement blatantly distorts the truth by implying that Ohio voters will have to learn Spanish if they don't pass an English-only bill in their state,” she says. In Fairfield last month, a resident hanged a ghost made of a sheet bearing the name of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, unapologetically telling a reporter he didn’t want an African-American in the White House. Crudity makes racism easier to recognize. A Christian conspiracy? Whether blatant or masked as humor or political warning flag, racism is both a product and a perpetrator of fear. So are cultural and religious hatred. But these can be harder to identify, because they involve matters of belief -- and therefore choice -- rather than physical characteristics alone. Some bigotry contains just enough fact that it can pass for information. Consider Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West, sent in a mass mailing to voters in Ohio and other swing states in the presidential campaign last month. The film warns that a complacent West is under imminent threat from a global Muslim jihad, or holy war. The film incites hatred against Muslims, according to Karen Dabdoub, executive director of the Cincinnati chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “There’s been a lot of talk about it in the Muslim community,” she says. “People are indicating they are afraid of backlash. One of the things that the movie tries to convey is that there is a worldwide conspiracy among Muslims to take over the world, and Muslims know that is not the case.” Other groups joined in condemning Obsession. The Cincinnati Human Relations Commission (CHRC) organized a rally CHRC rally Oct. 8 at City Hall. “We understand and sympathize with their concern that the impact of this video will be to spread fear and hatred within our community and to further marginalize the Muslim community, which is already victimized by false characterizations and misunderstanding,” a CHRC statement said. The Metropolitan Area Religious Council of Cincinnati likewise criticized the video. “The distribution of the DVD Obsession in Ohio and other swing states in the upcoming presidential election is spreading miscommunication, innuendo and fear among residents in metropolitan Cincinnati and beyond,” a statement by MARCC said. Obsession includes a lengthy comparison of what it calls “radical Islam” to Nazi Germany. One wag even helpfully points out that “jihad” means “struggle.” “So does Mein Kampf (the title of Hitler’s autobiography),” he says. That just about proves the case, doesn’t it? Left unsaid in Obsession is that nearly all of the Nazi murderers were Christians. So was Timothy McVeigh, who blew up the federal building in Oklahoma City. So was Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated President Kennedy. Does it follow that a radical Christian attack on humanity is underway? Yet that is the central message of Obsession: “There is a particular strand of Islam that has challenged what is the central pillar of civilization itself, and that is the sacredness of life.” Spare the goat Substitute the word “Christianity” for “Islam” in that sentence, and the absurdity might be easier to see. Or try this exercise: If someone opened the Jesus Christ Saloon, what kind of outrage would follow? Saturdays could include the Resurrection Happy Hour – guaran- teed to raise the dead. Hatred isn’t the only force that can separate people by race, religion or culture. So can an innocent lack of consideration. Thus downtown is home to Buddakhan, a restaurant and bar that calls itself “Home of the Big Fat Buddha Burger” and “Burger Nirvana.” Buddakhan is graced by beautiful statues of Buddha – including one behind the bar. What’s the problem? Even people who train others in cultural sensitivity can have who had taken vows of nonviolence and celibacy. One day a beautiful woman came to his cave leading a goat. She said she would kill the goat unless the hermit either slept with her or had a drink. “The hermit reviewed his vows. According to the vow of nonviolence, he could not do anything that would lead to the death of the goat, and according to the vow of celibacy, he couldn’t sleep with the woman. So he agreed to have a drink. One drink led to What if this were an image of Jesus at the Jesus Christ Tavern? Photo by Gregory Flannery. to think twice. “I’ve been there before, and I can’t say it jumped out at me,” says George Ellis, president, Equality Cincinnati. “But it’s an interesting question. The first thought that came to me is the necessity of trying to get to the source before we go about making value judgments. I would be interested in what Buddhists think.” One Cincinnati Buddhist found the presence of Buddha in a bar a matter requiring more than a snap judgment. “I have never been to Buddhakhan and I have not met the owners, but I seriously doubt that they intend to offend Buddhists,” she says. “I don’t think most Americans know that one of the five basic ethical rules of Buddhism is to avoid drinking and intoxication. As a beginning Buddhist, I knew about the rule, but in my world, social drinking was considered quite acceptable, so I asked a monk for an explanation. What’s the big deal about drinking? His reply was a story: “Once there was a hermit another, and pretty soon the hermit found himself sleeping with the beautiful woman. Early the next morning, while he was trying to sleep it off, the goat began bleating so loudly that the hermit woke up. His head was pounding, his stomach was upset, and he became so angry that he killed the goat. “The moral of the story is not that drinkers are inherently bad people or can never be Buddhists. It’s that even exceptionally upstanding people can find it difficult to behave ethically when they are intoxicated. “The Buddha made the rule against intoxication himself, so, yes, it looks a bit jarring to a practicing Buddhist to see statues of the Buddha in a bar. Out of compassion for the owners, I have to say that it might be better to put the statue somewhere more appropriate. But as long as the statue is there, then as a Buddhist, I hope that it will inspire all who see it to understand the dangers of intoxication and to behave ethically.” �STREETVIBES November 2008 Cover Story 6 Dennison continued, from page 1 ‘Trash unmerciful’ Larry Gross attempts to get an interview with the owners of the Dennison Hotel. He and Andrew Anderson were not allowed up to take photos of any of the rooms. Photo by Andrew Anderson. private bathroom and a television set. On the rest of the floors, with the exception of a few private rooms, the Dennison has turned into an SRO – single room occupancy. It’s a boarding house for the poor. You can pay by the month or by the week. ‘A price on everything’ Beginning in June 1994 when the Milner Hotel was leveled to make room for Greenwich on the Park, lowcost housing for the poor has been in short supply downtown. The Dennison on Main Street and Metropole Apartments on Walnut Street are the only two buildings left for low income housing downtown. Shan Pierce, a Vietnam War veteran and a former P.O.W., has been staying at the Dennison Hotel on and off since 1971. It’s the first place he stayed after getting out of the service. He pays $320 a month for his room, along with a $50 security deposit. On his off days from working for a food manufacturer in Dry Ridge, Ky., Pierce likes to sit on the sidewalk, drink coffee and say hello to women walking by. His mostly white hair almost matches his sleeveless white T-shirt that shows off the tattoos on his arms. “I’ve seen various owners through the years,” Pierce says. “Actually I’ve seen the place change over five or six times.” He doesn’t understand the current management. “I’ve never seen any hotel run like this one,” he says. “Basically they set the rules as they go. Everything you do, whether it’s eating in your room, cooking in your room or whatever – it’s all gonna cost you something. They got a price on everything in here now.” Pierce’s favorite entertainment at the Dennison Hotel is the “trained roaches.” “When you turn on the light, they scatter,” he says. This is the story of the life and times of the Dennison Hotel – of its past and current tenants and of its history. Built in 1887, that advertisement on the side of the building – 105 rooms, 60 baths “These guys have to live somewhere. They’re good people that slipped. They can’t live on the street.” -Fred Cianciolo, business owner – was once a point of pride. More than 120 years ago, according to records found at the Cincinnati Historical Society, the hotel was known for its excellent accommodations and service. Now, over a century later, the residents at the Dennison Hotel are poor. For many, it’s a slippery one step away from being homeless. In warmer weather, you’ll find some of the tenants, mostly men, sitting or standing outside the Dennison, smoking and talking. The men are a mixture – young and old, black and white. When you pass, some will make small talk with you before asking for a little change or a cigarette. Most simply leave you alone. When you walk into the hotel, the first thing you notice is the smell. It’s a stale smell – a dirty one, similar to the odor of urine. The reservation desk is behind glass windows. It’s not very inviting. Before you reach it, there are a couple of old benches where some of the tenants sit and talk. You still see elements of grandeur, such as the craftsmanship of the woodwork as you enter the lobby and the beautiful antique hall tree where some visitors hang their coats to the left of the entryway. A homemade sign lists visiting hours as 9 a.m.-6 p.m. After that, visitors or tenants must pay a fee. Sometimes that rule isn’t enforced. One night some months ago after 8 p.m. I wandered in and started asking questions. An elevator man was more than happy to give me a quick tour. The elevator is to the right as you walk into the building. It’s an old hand elevator painted white. A blowing fan sits on a small ledge next to the shaft handle. “I’ll take you to the second floor first,” the elevator man said. “That’s where the nicer rooms are.” “We have to have control. If they don’t like it, they don’t have to rent here. This isn’t a government property.” -Art Tatel, owner of Dennision hotel While the carpet in the hallway was worn, it was clean. The paint on the walls was decent and the hallways were wide. Every door was closed. That wasn’t the case on the fifth floor. There the hallways were wide but dirty. The floor was tile instead of carpet. It had that same stale smell of the lobby. Many doors were open. To the right was a room with a heavyset man with a long beard. He was standing naked with a large box fan blowing on him. He didn’t look my way. As we turned to walk back to the elevator, I saw a woman sitting on a bed, wearing a nightgown, looking at me. Her hair was brown and long and she looked hard and rough. She was skinny. She was smiling at me. As she started to part her legs with no panties on, I hurried my pace to the elevator. The elevator man laughed. “You see a little bit of everything in here,” he said. Records at the Cincinnati Historical Society show there once were two Dennison Hotels downtown, both owned by the same party. The older building, which opened in 1822, was at Fifth and Main streets. It had a bar, the Old Dennison Saloon. The first Dennison Hotel was owned by William Dennison and named after his son. William Dennison Jr. was the 24th governor of Ohio (18601862) as well as the U.S. Postmaster General and was in the cabinet of President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. The older Dennison was famous for its fireplaces, marble mantelpieces and hand-decorated washstands. Rooms went from $2 to $2.50 a night. Both the saloon and hotel were considered successful businesses in downtown Cincinnati. William Dennison continued to operate the hotel until 1840, after which, it had a series of different owners. In 1887, a New Yorker by the name of John Frey took control of the operation. It was Frey’s decision to build a more “ornamental” Dennison. That’s the one still standing at 716 Main St. Frey operated both Dennisons for several years. After he retired, the hotels changed ownership again several times. By May 1932, only one the hotels was left. The first hotel was torn down to make way for the widening of Fifth Street. The bar in the saloon was auctioned for $16. The contents of the hotel rooms were also brought $1 to $15 per room. This included antique mirrors, old-fashioned water pitchers and washbowls. While the first hotel was torn down, the newer building continued to be a first-class hotel. Fred Cianciolo, who owns Cianciolo’s Grocery at 720 Main St., right next door to the Dennison, has been a downtown business man since 1948. He remembers the 1970s and the splendor of the hotel. “It used to be a really nice place,” he says. “I remember on the second or third floor there were a mother and daughter who lived there for 30 years. They were highclass people – wonderful and nice, always dressed nicely.” Asked what had changed at the Dennison, Cianciolo shakes his head. See Dennison p.7 �STREETVIBES November 2008 Cover Story 7 Dennison continued from p.6 “Money and different owners,” he says. Cianciolo tries to take the good with the bad with his store being so close to the Dennison. “These guys have to live somewhere,” he says. “They’re good people that slipped. They can’t live on the street.” He lets some of the Dennison tenants have an open account in his store. “Some of them are good customers,” he says. “We feel sorry for them. You know, they try. After 6 o’clock, many of them sit on my fruit tables. The police ask me if I want the men off of them. I say if they’re sitting there, no one is going to try and break into my store.” Cianciolo wants to be supportive of the tenants, but he does have some concerns. “We get the postcards,” he says. “I’m not exaggerating. 15 to 20 percent are sex offenders.” And then there’s the matter of his roof. “Above us here, there’s trash unmerciful,” he says. “Beer cans, rubbers, the trash and the garbage – they just throw it out the window. We have a new landlord here and he’s been trying to fix the roof. The last man who went up there had six bags of garbage – and that’s not over a period of a year or so; it’s maybe a month.” Included in that trash are crack pipes and other drug paraphernalia. “Oh gosh, that’s always up there,” Cianciolo says. “Many living there (the Dennison) are drug addicts.” Cianciolo also says to be careful when walking in the back alley. “Every once in a while you’ll find a plastic bag,” he says. “If you do, please don’t walk on it because inside is human waste. The tenants throw it out the back window. The owners have been trying to stop it.” ‘Nowhere else to go’ Art and Sandy Tatel own the Dennison Hotel. Reaching them wasn’t easy. “They’re hard to get a hold Quintion Williams lives at the Dennison, but isn’t allowed to have visitors. Photo by Andrew Anderson. of,” one of the hotel clerks tells me. “They’re usually somewhere in the building doing maintenance.” On most afternoons I found a Tatel working there, but not one of the owners. Sonny Tatel appears to be the one operating the hotel on most days. He tells me he’s not related to the owners. I inform him I’m writing a story. He’s the first to comment on some of the issues tenants are raising, for example, the roaches that room with some of the tenants. “Right now I can tell you we have people who come here and we have no idea what they do in their rooms,” Tatel says. “It’s the way people live. They make the problem.” Tatel confirmed the $9.40 charge for visitors after 6 p.m. “That’s a law,” he says, “for single-capacity rooms. They aren’t paying for two people.” Quintion Williams gets on the elevator holding copies of Streetvibes. He’s a vendor for the paper. He asks me to buy two copies. I agree on condition he takes photographer Andrew Anderson and me upstairs. Williams agrees. Proper identification is required for visitors. As the three of us start to approach the glassed-in front desk, I reach for my wallet to pull out my license. Tatel starts to become agitated. “No, no, no,” he loudly says, looking at Williams. “You went to jail for fighting. The cops called me.” “I wasn’t fighting nobody, man,” Williams says, looking confused. “My boss told me if you are to stay here, no visitors,” Tatel replies. Records at the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts show Williams was convicted of “obscene gesture or noise” and obstructing official business earlier this year. Tatel wouldn’t let the photographer and me go to Williams’ room. When I got hold of Art Tatel, one of the owners of the Dennison Hotel, by phone, he seemed to be in a hurry. I asked about some of the rules and restrictions that his ten- ants dislike, the fee for visitors being limited to one guest at a time. “We have to have control,” Art Tatel says. “If they don’t like it, they don’t have to rent here. This isn’t a government property.” I ask Tatel if there are restrictions as to the type of people he rents to – i.e. sex offenders. “There are no restrictions,” he says. Tatel’s answers are short and crisp. Are there any frustrations with owning this kind of property? “No frustration,” he says. “Everything’s fine.” “How long have you owned the building?” “25 years.” I start to tell Tatel the grand history of the building and how there used to be two Dennison hotels. He quickly interrupts. “I know nothing about any of that,” he says. “Is the building for sale?” I ask. “Everything’s for sale if the price is right,” he replies. “Do you want to buy it?” Perhaps developers will tear down the Dennison and put up a modern hotel. Perhaps some organization will buy and restore it to its proper grandeur, making it a firstclass hotel again. I can’t help but wonder: If this comes about, will people like Mike Lee be able to stay? He, like others, sits on the sidewalk in front of the Dennison Hotel. He’s lived there for over five years. He’s an older gentleman who doesn’t have any teeth. His hair is gray and his clothes are worn. I wanted to interview him, but he didn’t have much to say. I wanted to know about his background – where he’s from and if he has family here. In a weak voice, he told me instead that he was hungry. He hadn’t eaten in days. I gave him a couple dollars and he thanked me. I sat with him on the sidewalk for awhile in silence. When I get up and said goodbye, I told Lee I’d be back sometime the next day. “I’ll be here,” he says without looking up. “I have nowhere else to go.” Save the date. December 4 at 6:00 pm the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless will hold their Annual Dinner. Tickets are $40 ($30 for social service providers). To reserve your seat call Lynne Ausman at 513-421-7803 x 11. �8 STREETVIBES November 2008 Photographs/Artwork Berta’s Art Corner Street Fantasy, Liberty Street West End, Cincinnati, Ohio Sign of the times? This tattered U.S. flag, flying over Hughes High School, perhaps symbolizes more than is intended. Photo by Ben L. Kaufman. �STREETVIBES November 2008 Interview 9 Changing the Conversation Peter Block on homelessness By Stephanie Dunlap Contributing Writer SD: So you’re the keynote speaker for the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless Annual Dinner on Dec. 4…what are you going to talk about? PB: I’m going to talk about what it means to live without possibility. Bob Moore told me when I asked him to teach me something about homeless, he said they’re no different than we are, they just lack a support system. In some sense, we’ve all sacrificed a sense of home and place on the altar of mobility and consumerism. The financial crisis and obesity confront us with our excesses. I think the homeless in some ways carry that burden for us -- carry the extreme of what’s really a cultural deficit, a cultural addiction. So that’s one theme. The other is “homeless” is not who they are. It doesn’t define them, and every time we use that term we’re speaking to one aspect of who they are, any more than others are defined by their sexuality or defined by their profession. Using the term “homeless” keeps us from knowing who they are. We’re much closer to being homeless because of the mortgage crisis than we ever were before, which is kind of interesting. And if you look middle class, you can kind of pass and get support from the government and culture for your plight. If you don’t look middle class, then what you get is contempt. Our task is to help people be known, be seen. This is what Streetvibes does. It gives face to people who are permanently transient, diaspora, exiles, refugees. If you think around the world of the number of people who can’t return to their own home -- why can’t they return? Because it’s a place of conflict and violence. The people who don’t have a place now are carrying the weight for the rest of us, because we don’t want to look at the violence and unrest of our own culture. What is the violence in our culture? People’s indifference to And that somehow manifest destiny could be used to support gentrification seems wrong to me. I also think there’s a part of developing Over-the-Rhine that has to be done, so I kind of understand what’s driving it. What has been happening in recent years has not been working. It’s just that the conversation is not based on relatedness; it’s a conversation designed for both sides to feel frustrated and angry. 3CDC’s problem is not their goal; it’s their devaluing of relationships with people in the neighborhood. I think the neighborhood has been at an impasse for so long that to leave it as it is makes no sense. But I don’t know of any large, prosperous, vital city that doesn’t have space for mixed income all throughout it. It’s the idea that the two forms of who we are -- are incompatible -- is a form of blindness. Peter Block will be the keynote speaker at the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless’ annual dinner on Dec. 4. Photo provided by Peter Block. each other, their isolation, people’s isolating narcissism, willingness to consume the resources of the earth. The choice is for us to look at the gifts and talents of the homeless. They are not just their vulnerabilities. I will bet that homeless people have a smaller fossil fuel imprint than all the rest of us. Why don’t we celebrate them for that? Maybe they’re a role model for us how to live gently with the earth. They spend more time outdoors than the rest of us. The fact that we blame them for crimes they don’t commit -- it’s on us. They’re not dangerous to us. They’re just discomforting. And maybe when they come to us with a request, all they want is to be seen. they find out who the professionals are and who needs the money. How does your model of civic engagement address homelessness? I guess it would say we need to find out who they are and stop treating them as the other, as if they’re a problem to be solved. They’re a community to be known and to be received. They are the test of the hospitality of our culture. There is a quote from Bible that is on the wall in the Half Day Café in Wyoming: Don’t forget to entertain strangers. For by so doing, some have entertained angels without knowing it. Do you give money to panhandlers? I give money to women panhandlers. Have you gotten close to a homeless person? Only in my family. My sister was homeless. For several years, without me, she would have been homeless. Why not men? I don’t know. I think if I was responsible I would carry food with me. In the Philippines, that’s what they do; they carry fruit and food in the car. Then What’s your opinion of the Drop Inn Center versus 3CDC controversy? I think it would be a crime against the community to move (the Drop Inn Center). How could the city of Cincinnati better address its homeless citizens? One thing we’ve done is we’ve delegated to the private sector the common ground. You mean 3CDC. Yes. I think the city needs a voice in this. There’s got to be some way to be together that’s not always an argument. I think the park commission is right in the center of this, and they should be a convening agent. At some point, peace is going to be declared, so why wait 20 years? My favorite quote is the prime minister of Israel, Rabin. When he made peace with Arafat, people complained to him, and he said, “Who do you want me to make peace with -- my friends?” We need to look for a larger, transcendent way to heal that wounded neighborhood. You just can’t leave it as it is. It’s wounded. Otherwise it becomes a battle between colonialist and anti-colonialist powers, and I don’t have faith in either one knowing what’s best for the whole. What cities have better approaches to working with the homeless? New York has areas. San Francisco. It’s not simple, but there are spaces where, before the move to the suburbs, people of mixed incomes lived next to each other. Why have we segregated that? You go to other countries and they all live in the same neighborhood. Not without their problems. Wealthy people have problems with their neighbors, too. Maybe that’s what’s appealing about their lifestyle … the simplicity. They have not bought consumerism. Maybe that’s what bothers us about them; they’ve indicted our indulgence. The other theme would be to ask the question, what gifts do they have to offer? The gifts are: A low-carbon footprint. Approachability – if you want someone to talk to, they’re not going to run away from you. They create an economy around them. They give us somebody who, in context, makes us feel better about ourselves: There but for the grace of God go I. We can get a different worldview without going on an airplane. What they show us is what freedom looks like -- freedom from the burden of 9 to 5. They don’t’ complain about 9 to 5. I don’t want to romanticize them. What needs to change so that homelessness wouldn’t be such an issue? The context in which we engage the issue. We need to lift the contempt off the conversation and create space for compassion and concern and create space for people to know each other and to know the people who are advocates for the homeless as well as the homeless themselves. The other thing is to stop marketing fear for those neighborhoods. The media is engaged in a large master narrative that where people are congregated are dangerous. That’s not the story of those places. Crime does happen but it happens in lots of places. It should be a human-interest story in the middle section of the paper. There’s such a reporting bias against people on the margin. Peter Block will be the keynote speaker at the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless Annual Dinner on December 4 at Xavier University starting at 6pm. �10 STREETVIBES November 2008 Column Short Goliath Dodges the Deadly Purse Michael Henson is author of Ransack, A Small Room with Trouble on My Mind, The Tao of Longing and Crow Call. This column is part of a monthly series on poverty and addiction. You can’t treat the addiction until you fix the hunger I first met Marie -- that’s not her name, but that’s what I’ll call her-- in the parking lot outside the East End office where I worked at the time. She and her thenhusband were waiting for me under the big maple tree that erupted from the asphalt. I pulled in and introduced myself and within minutes had to settle a fight. He said something and she took offense and around came the purse like David’s sling. She never did connect with the purse, but she did with her curses, which were enough to slay a Goliath or two. The then-husband wasn’t a Goliath. He was even smaller than I am, and he was the one quiet member of an East End family noted for its rowdies and lawbreakers. Marie didn’t have much local family at all. So later, when she had broken off with Short Goliath, she was pretty much on her own, without a soul in the world to stand alongside her. ***** Marie came to me on a referral from Children’s Services. She had a chance to regain custody of her children if she could stay sober long enough and complete all the programs demanded of her. It was pretty overwhelming to her at the start, but we worked on it and made progress. The children were with Short Goliath’s mother down Eastern Avenue, in an arrangement I never understood, for this particular grandmother, a short, feisty woman, was raising the children of two and children on a hill so steep it seemed a wonder that one or more of them didn’t roll off the hill and into the path of one of the big rigs that weren’t allowed on Columbia Parkway. Which leads me to another question - I know I’m meandering fearfully. If the big 18-wheelers were considered unsafe on Columbia Parkway, where there were no children, why did we send them down childintensive Eastern, where, every few years, it seemed, By Michael Henson we’d hear of a semi rolling over one of these exother of her children. The pendable East End kids? ones she wasn’t raising chilBut it’s not for me to quesdren for were in and out of tion either Children’s Services jail on a regular basis, and the or Traffic Engineering. grandchildren she was raising ***** looked pretty much the same. Back to Marie. So my question was: If she I recall one session in parcouldn’t raise her own chil- ticular when she seemed redren right, what made them ally depressed. She had a lot think she could do any better to be depressed about, and with the grandchildren? she often showed it. She was But there the children were, raised in poverty in East Kenin a house on the hillside be- tucky in a home so abusive she tween Eastern Avenue and and her sisters had to nail their Columbia Parkway. It remind- bedroom shut. She and short ed me of Mother Hubbard’s, Goliath broke up. He raped all a tumble with bicycles and her. When he was convicted, Hot Wheels and swing sets she was harassed by his fam- ammered H If she couldn’t raise her own children right, what made them think she could do any better with the grandchildren? ily. And there was the issue of the children. So if anyone had a reason to feel down, it was Marie. But she usually had fight in her and she showed that, too. (That purse should have been registered as a weapon.) But she showed no fight on this particular day. She looked pale; she acted listless. She could barely raise her voice. I later found out she had a wonderful country-style voice. Usually, she could talk her way out of her depressions. We did a lot of work with action plans and such. None of the usual ways worked, but as we talked, I found out what was really going on. She had been sleeping in the woods, out of fear of Short Goliath, and she had not eaten in three days. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual does not list hunger as a symptom. The training for most counselors does not include what to do when someone is sleeping in the woods. Most of what you learn is working further up the scale from basic survival. It would not make sense for me to talk with her about her family-of-origin issues when she was starving in front of me. In this case, the solution was simple enough. We marched down the hall to the social services agency where they gave her food and hooked her up with temporary housing. After that, we worked on very specific objectives. Week after week, she showed up at my office. Bit by bit, she repaired one or another aspect of her life. I don’t remember anyone who worked so hard and methodically to build up a wrecked life. I wish I could tell you this story had a happy ending. I lost track of her for until I was called in to testify in a long, grueling court battle that went on for days before and for days after my appearance. At the end, the county took the children after all. She was pregnant again by then, so maybe she saw some hope. Poetry I, Too Have a Voice by Holly Parker I have the voice of a Native American I have the voice of a white woman I have the voice of a mother of black men and women I, too, have a voice My native ancestors call out from the earth My white woman cries out from the pain My motherhood cries out from the injustice I, too, have a voice As my native ancestors felt the fear, the rapes, the destruction of their homes and their families I feel it, As my white ancestors did horrible crimes I scream of the cries I still hear in the middle of the night As my black men and women that suckled from my breast are still turned down for jobs and housing I feel the pain I, too, have a voice As a Native American white woman, mother of six black men and women I can feel all sides I am turned away from some jobs and housing because though I am qualified I do not have the right skin tone Watching as my children have to struggle for food, clothing, the right to walk down the street I to have a voice As the mother, native and white though I maybe Rise up to make a stand For what you say how can I understand because I, too, have a voice Hatred, greed, prejudice, murder, rape, disease, poverty, division Have all had a voice in our nation Now it is my turn for I, too, have a voice As I Got Up Off the Floor As I got up off the floor Brushed myself off again I thought to myself This cannot happen again To myself I must be true Why do I allow Hit after hit to knock me down Letting it make me look like some clown Whether its with a fist A word or deed Why, why, why Do I allow this to happen to me Trap after trap I seem to fall in Stumbling right into it It's like I'm blind to it Sweet words I hear and then there Bam I find myself doing it all over again Brushing myself off and picking myself up off Picking myself up off the floor again Am I a sucker for every line Or do I just see something deep inside them They don't even see How in the world can I Warn others, but my own I am truly blind Questions I kept asking myself as I just Brushed myself off once again As I got up off the floor �STREETVIBES November 2008 Column 11 The New Powell Doctrine Muslims, homeless people and other real Americans By Steve Sunderland Contributing Writer I was so positively stunned by Colin Powell's recent statements about supporting Sen. Barack Obama that I immediately sent it to my peace network. Here's the part of his comment that grabbed me: “I’m also troubled by not what Sen. McCain says but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said such things as, ‘Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim.’ “Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim; he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian. “But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that’s not America.” Powell is the first national leader of either party to take on the ugly aspects of American society since 9/11. He signals to the country that we can no longer consider ourselves good Americans if we lump all Muslims or all Christians and Jews into the same negative frames of reference. The open acknowledgement that an American Muslim can be president strengthens efforts to make our country an inclusive one. By emphasizing the most unfairly demonized group, Powell asks us to wake up to the ways that national opinion can manipulate the hearts of Americans. "Inclusion" has been a dirty word for too long in the American vocabulary. As we have increased our separation from each other based on race, gender, sexual orientation and ability, we have created a foundation for widespread hatred, ignorance and fear. Who knows a Muslim? I was struck by a rabbi writing about interfaith work noting that he has more books about Islam than friends who are Muslim. I was saddened to hear of the lack of attendance at a mosque of one of our leading educators be- cause he “just never thought of going.” And I was continually amazed at the reluctance to engage in religious discussions with Muslims in synagogues, churches and educational institutions. The fear of the "Muslim" is but a temporary replacement for the fear of the Hispanic or the poor or the black family, or the disabled or the person with a different sexual orientation. Now, with widespread and growing economic crisis, the chances of people creating relationships that are based on common pain are lessened. Instead, we read of the rise of “white racist groups” to spread the hatred of immigrants and Obama. Are we surprised by this turn of events? Powell's sentiments of Students from St. Ursula participated in a Shantytown event to raise awareness of homelessness in our communities. Photo provided by Mayerson Foundation. compassion struck a deep chord with hundreds of Cincinnati public, private and parochial high school students and teachers as they lived in "shanty towns" at their high schools throughout the city. On some of the coldest nights, students gathered around fires to listen to former homeless people, now advocates, to talk about abolishing homelessness and to share the "rules of survival" for the homeless. “Guard your valuables and your friend's bag as well,” one speaker told a freezing group. “Everything in your world is in this bag; and if it is lost, you have to start over at the very beginning.” He spoke with the authority of someone who had too many bags stolen. The students listened deeply to the stories and heard that most homeless do not spend their nights in cardboard boxes. Instead, they live in abandoned cars, empty and destroyed buildings or “just on the street: I just put my head down and go to sleep.” The new “Powell Doctrine,” as I suspect it will be known, opens a long-closed door for discussion and action about the importance of inclusion as an indispensable aspect of peace. The agenda of justice, which has been put on hold might now come forward and be taken up as a part of executive leadership at all levels. Surely, the war will be brought to a close and reconstruction begun. Equally certain, there will be a return to civil-rights law, both at local, state and federal levels and new appointments to the Supreme Court. The discussion of justice will take a position at the center of reviews of policies about ending hunger and homelessness, enforcing new and old laws that affirm the involvement of people with disabilities in all aspects of life and, finally, with the end of racism toward people who are American blacks, American Muslims, Americans with intellectual and physical gifts and challenges, American children who need schools that honor their uniqueness -and the list goes on. Powell signals that there are many people, including Republicans, who want to return to the values that make America both free and just. As America awakens, so the definition of “being an American” can be refreshed, and any American, even 8-year-old Muslims, can be proud of our country. Thank you, General Powell. The Law as an Aid to the Poor Legal Aid Society now in its second century By Elizabeth Scheper Contributing Writer When the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati was founded, it was part of a new concept in American law. Now the agency is 100 years old. “At the time of our incorporation, Cincinnati was one of only seven cities in the nation with a society of this type, so our founders were really on the forefront of the national legal aid movement,” says Mary Asbury, executive director of Legal Aid. “That commitment and tradition continues today, as we are now southwest Ohio ’s largest and most effective nonprofit law firm, serving approximately 30,000 lowincome clients annually.” The organization’s mission has changed over the decades. For 50 years it provided criminal defense for the indigent but since 1979 has specialized representing poor people in civil cases. Legal Aid puts special em- phasis on victims of domestic violence, according to Asbury. "In a recent study of homelessness, Legal Aid was surprised to see the high percentage of homeless people whose cause of homelessness was domestic violence," she says. Attorneys help individuals who are leaving shelters obtain restraining orders, protect their child-custody rights and enforce visitation orders. Another area of focus is home foreclosures and evictions. Many times home buyers can be tricked into seemingly enticing loans but then are unable to maintain payment. Legal Aid lawyers try to get lenders to put a hold on payments while homeowners work to stabilize their incomes. “Last year we helped 440 families save their homes from going to foreclosure,” says Mark Lawson, an attorney in Legal Aid’s housing division. The agency also represents tenants in public housing who face eviction or encounter housing discrimination. Legal Aid also helps military veterans obtain the benefits they’ve earned. "Too often veterans are not receiving the veteran affairs income that they deserve, or people with disabilities are not receiving social security income that they need," Asbury says. "In those situations, we work with Veteran Affairs and the social security office to ensure that those individuals receive the income that they deserve and therefore the stability they need to maintain a better standard of living." Legal Aid doesn’t handle routine divorce cases that don’t involve custody issues, evictions from private housing or consumer problems such as dissatisfaction with a car or other purchase. The Legal Aid society employs 48 full-time lawyers and coordinates a group of Mary Asbury, executive director of Legal Aid Society, says the organization serves approximately 30,000 low-ncome clinets annnually. Photo provided by Legal Aid. attorneys who work in the Volunteer Lawyers Program. Legal Aid provides service in Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton, Highland and Warren counties. A non-profit agency, Legal Aid receives funding from United Way and other organi- zations. The state of Ohio provides funds from certain court fees. Butler County provides funding for children's legal aid in areas such as obtaining health care. For more information, call 513-241-9400 or visit www. lascinti.org. �Local News 12 Renaissance at the NAACP STREETVIBES November 2008 Christopher Smitherman reinvigorates civil-rights group By Lew Moores Contributing Writer lot initiatives on the November ballot. arian Spencer was born in 1920, the year women in the United States were granted the right to vote. Her grandfather had been a slave until he was 13 years old. When she became president of the local chapter of the NAACP in the early 1980s, she faced some of the same hurdles that Christopher Smitherman faced in 2007 when he became the civil rights organization’s president – a lethargy that had set in and left the organization with just several hundred members. “Our membership was down to 500,” says Spencer, now 88, a long-time civil rights activist and former Cincinnati vice mayor. “But my husband (Donald) worked hard with me, and we brought it up to 2,000. And now Christopher’s efforts have been miraculous. He’s a good organizer and has been able to reinvigorate the branch.” They are separated by a couple of generations, and both are former Cincinnati council members, but they both brought to the role a fiery mettle that paid off in a resurgence, even renaissance. Smitherman, 41, is so far pleased with the results. Membership in the local NAACP, founded in 1915, stands at 2,400, and the goal is to reach 3,000 by the end of the year. Twenty percent of its members are white. Last year the NAACP successfully fought a sales tax hike to build a new jail in Hamilton County. Last summer the national convention of the NAACP took place in Cincinnati, and the local chapter has again partnered with other groups in two other bal- Unlikely friends M Much of its recruitment success, observers have said in the past year, can be attributed to both the organization’s and Smitherman’s higher profiles. That has come not just from radio talk and visibility, but from three ballot initiatives in the past year -- overturning the jail tax last year, opposing red-light cameras and backing proportional representation this year -- and programs such as court monitoring and voter registration. Next year, with Cincinnati City Council and mayoral elections, the NAACP plans again to be in the thick of the campaign. “My goal is to have at least two ballot initiatives next year,” Smitherman says. “I’m not ready to say what they are. I think people are seeing our efforts to do substantive civil rights work. The work of the NAACP is grassroots civilrights work. We’re involved with court watch, where we see disparities in the Hamilton County justice system (discrepancies in pursuing justice for whites and minorities). We’re addressing that head on. There have been three ballot initiatives.” Juanita Adams is first vice president of the local NAACP. She said part of the success comes from Smitherman not shrinking from controversy. “He has been really outspoken on the problems and issues,” Adams says. “He has taken on what I consider some tough issues. He has been out front. He does not mind speaking out. I think people want to get involved (in an organization) when they see something happening. I think that’s the reason our membership has increased -- people want to be part of it.” And, she adds, “We have collaboration with other groups, reaching across to other groups. That’s speaking truth to power.” Essential to the organization’s effectiveness, Smitherman says, are coalition-building and dismissing a common belief that the NAACP and the Democratic Party are in each other’s hip pockets. Indeed, on talk radio in the past few weeks, Smitherman has been equally dismissive of Democratic and Republican positions. He reminds people, for instance, that Democrats (Hamilton County commissioners Todd Portune and David Pepper) came up with the idea of a jail tax last year and that Democrats on city council have voted to cut human services; and he has been critical of the party for choosing not to run any Democrats in several county races, such as someone to oppose County Prosecutor Joe Deters, a Republican. “Some have viewed the local NAACP as the same as the Democratic Party,” Smitherman says. “I’ve been working to be clear that we’re an independent, non-partisan organization and not the arm of the Democratic Party.” Collaboration has meant finding allies on some issues with whom there might be little agreement on other issues. Such was the case with the NAACP and the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST), an essentially conservative activist group. While they would disagree on a tax levy for Cincinnati Public Schools, they joined in the fight – along with the Green Party of Ohio, Cincinnati Progressive Action Missed an Issue? Check out the Streetvibes archive at www.cincihomeless.org/ content/streetvibes and the Libertarian Party – in opposing the jail tax last year. Christopher Finney, a conservative anti-tax activist, is a founder of COAST. In May, the Cincinnati Business Courier called Smitherman’s relationship with Finney a “friendship,” adding, “The two finish each other’s sentences, each at time interrupting to give the other credit for visionary leadership or being a man of integrity.” Smitherman furthered the description, calling it a “fabulous relationship. He just assisted us legally. We’ve been working around issues where we have common ground. We went out and tried to find partners, identified those partners and brought everybody together. It was a very unlikely partnership. The politics are very sophisticated. We have no permanent enemies in politics. We are issue-driven. Where we can find partnerships around issues, we do that.” Power struggle Marian Spencer disagreed with the NAACP on the jail issue, mostly because it included measures for rehabilitation and recovery. But she has supported Smitherman on other issues, especially when it comes to politically empowering people. “The NAACP has to be there for people who are less well represented in other areas,” she says. “They had to fight for voting and open areas that were closed, they fought to outlaw lynching. Legal Aid was there, but not in the streets. The role of the NAACP has always been to keep that door open. “I keep thinking about my slave grandfather in heaven and how he must be shout- ing at this point where he sees Obama running for president.” Smitherman doesn’t mince words about his goal of seeking power for the NAACP. “It is my goal to make the NAACP in Cincinnati the most powerful organization in the region,” he says. “My end game is that, when we come in and say we’re going to do something, is that we be taken incredibly serious. We need to use that power in a very responsible way. It’s absurd to think the NAACP would be positioning itself to be powerless. How can we protect people if we have no power? Our goal is to be powerful.” Smitherman rejects any suggestions of cult of personality, that he’s become a lightning rod or center of controversy to the detriment of the organization or a cause. “Martin Luther King Jr. was defined as being the center of controversy,” Smitherman says. “Ted Berry was at the center of controversy, Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks. As a ‘lightning rod,’ I take it as an ultimate compliment. The bottom line is I’m not interested in what anybody thinks about the work we do today. I’m interested in what you think about it 30 years from now.” He carries it a step further. “I don’t care what some people think about me,” he says. “I care about the guy who doesn’t have a job, doesn’t have health care, just got laid off. I care about the homeless person who’s living on the street, the unemployed and jobless. That number is growing. I care more about what they think about my work. As long as they think I’m doing a good job, then it’s a thumbs-up.” Interested in volunteering with Streetvibes? Contact Greg Flannery at 513-421-7803 x 12 or by e-mail at streetvibes2@ yahoo.com �STREETVIBES November 2008 Local News Who’s Helping Whom? Disabled volunteers serve the needy, learn job skills By Angela Pancella Contributing Writer What types of disabilities do your clients have? It’s a range. Most come through MRDD (the Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities), so they go from mild mental retardation to severe autism. … This place is so good for a range (of abilities). I can have someone who, all they can pull off is picking up silverware and handing it to someone, to somebody who wants to be the first person in the serving line. Our Daily Bread, a food and hospitality ministry at 1730 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, offers a mid-day meal, serving more than 500 every weekday. To volunteer or to donate food, call Joan or Kathy at 513-621-6364. went out and did it. Several groups volunteer at Our Daily Bread for training in job skills. I spoke with Chris Miday, workforce development coordinator at the Easter Seals Work Resource Center. How do your clients benefit from helping out at a soup kitchen? We work with people with disabilities. … My goal is to come up with training opportunities for them to work on work skills before they get into the workplace. I’d say about half have had other jobs. Sometimes they quit, sometimes they just get tired of (them), and some have been with us since high school and are still with us. 13 Volunteers from the Easter Seals Work Resource Center: Kim Hoskins, Laura Grubbs, and Chris Miday. Photo by Angela Pancella. How long have you been coming to Our Daily Bread? I’ve been coming down here probably two and a half years. Our vice president started the whole idea of doing volunteer work as work training. I knew about that model of taking people, and I just randomly called down here. I came down, volunteered and loved it. I asked Kathy (Our Daily Bread’s kitchen manager) if I could bring a couple of clients with me. It worked great from the very beginning. The clients absolutely loved it. They’d come down here every day of the week if they could. I would get tired of doing the same thing for two hours, but I’ve got people who are just begging me to come down, stand for two hours and put coleslaw on a plate. They just can’t wait to do it. I’ve got like 50 different people who, every time I walk by them (say), “When am I going to the soup kitchen? This Friday, next Monday?” The jobs that we get people usually are janitorial or restaurant. So it’s great training. One lady I brought down here -- she wanted to try to bus some tables, so I let her. She got a job at Don Pablo’s busing tables. It sparked her interest, she practiced it here and Cleo’s Joke Corner A duck walks into a bar and asks the bartender for a drink. The bartender says, “We don’t serve ducks.” The duck asks him three times for a drink. The bartender says, “We don’t serve ducks. If you ask me one more time, I’m going to nail your feet to the floor.” The duck comes in for five more days and asks the same thing. The bartender keeps telling him, “We don’t serve ducks. I’m going to nail your feet to the floor.” The last day the duck came in and asks for nails. The bartender says he doesn’t have any more nails, so the duck says, “Then can I have a drink?” There was a lady working at the M&Ms candy factory. She was told that if there were anything wrong with the M&M bags to throw them away. The manager saw her throw away every bag and said, “What are you doing? I only told you to throw away the bad bags. What’s wrong with these?” The lady said, “All I see are Ws.” How do your clients react to being at Our Daily Bread? It seems like they usually understand the concept well. Some, they get it on a different level. One woman I have with me today fully understands that she is helping people in need, and that’s why she loves it. Every time we drive home, she says, “Man, I love being down there. I just love helping those people out.” And other ones, I think, they just want to get out of the factory, get out into society and interact with different people. With some, it keeps them busy and they like the work aspect of it. Others sometimes, I think, just want to come to eat the food after they work; but if they work, I think that’s a good tradeoff. They all have their own motives. Usually they just ask me when they’re coming again. I ask them, especially if it’s their first time, “What do you think about it? Did you like it? Do you want to go back?” And I’m pretty sure that no one’s ever said they didn’t like coming down here. It’s interesting because it’s not the easiest work — not everyone’s appreciative, and people can snap at you and things like that. But that doesn’t faze them at all. I think because 80 percent of the time people are very thankful, I think that just overrides the negative. Sometimes when they are having issues, different (clients) take it harder than others. I have a girl I bring down who’ll break down and cry sometimes if someone snaps at her, like, “I didn’t want coleslaw!” or something like that. And I say, “Look, if you go work at a restaurant, this is what it’s like all the time.” It’s very realistic. The biggest part of restaurant work is customer service; you always have to smile and say, “Thank you” no matter what people say to you. I think it’s good training for that. Shy people that I bring here, some have said nothing and then slowly start saying, “Hi.” I’ve had some that have gone to saying “Hi” to every single person. I think that’s the most valuable thing in what I do — helping people socially and helping them feel better about themselves. I think that trumps training them for work and getting them working. Most of them get Social Security checks and other benefits. Really, a lot of our guys, they don’t have to work at all but they want to work. That’s why they come. I think that’s great, and to give them meaningful work that makes them feel good about themselves — I think that’s the best thing. And it works really well because they’re helping other people while they’re helping themselves. A man goes into a bar with a mouse in his pocket. He orders two shots of whiskey. He drinks one and pours the other in his pocket. He does this about seven times. The barmaid says, “That is disgusting.” The bouncer says, “You have to leave, sir.” The customer says, “I ought to knock you out.” The mouse jumps out of the pocket, hiccups and says, “That goes for the barmaid, too.” How many seconds are there in a year? My granddaughter said there were 12. I said, “How is that?” She said, “Because there is Jan. 12, Feb. 2, all the way to Dec. 2. That makes 12 seconds.” There were two friends. One was a pitcher, and one was a catcher. They played baseball for 20 years. One day the catcher died. The pitcher was praying about a year later and wondering how his friend was. All of a sudden his friend showed up out of nowhere and said he had great news: “They play baseball in heaven. You’re pitching tonight.” �14 Street Smarts STREETVIBES November 2008 Local News A night in a shanty teaches students about homelessness By Alyssa Konermann Staff Writer C ardboard boxes, constructed into makeshift homes with the help of plastic sheeting and duct tape, crowded the grassy space near the sidewalk. This wasn’t a scene from postKatrina New Orleans or from beneath an urban overpass. It was the temporary landscape of 19 high schools in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky the weekend of Oct. 1719. Shantytown is an annual educational experience coordinated by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless in cooperation with local high schools and universities. Students construct shanties in which they spend one or more evenings while simultaneously engaging in activities that allow them to learn more about homelessness. The aim of this immersion is to foster a greater understanding of the complexities of the issue, as well as providing a level of firsthand experience that will encourage them to become active in the fight to end homelessness. Students from Bishop Brossart High School of Alexandria, Ky., kept busy with the construction of their shanties, education and reflection activities and hearing from Riccardo Taylor on behalf of the coalition’s speakers bureau. A mixture of first-time and returning participants filled the campus’ short-term shantytown, all eager to learn as well as anxious about the ex- pected temperature drop that evening. “I wanted to learn more what it’s said [to be homeless said freshman Elizabeth Ward. “Friends who participated last year said it was fun and encouraged me to join.” Kearria South, a junior at Bishop Brossart, had more personal reasons for taking part in Shantytown for the second time. “My family has had handson experience with homelessness,” she said. “For a while “They learned a lot and experienced the freezing temperatures in cozy sleeping bags and thermal clothes, realizing that not all homeless people could be as well prepared as (they) were.” -Karen Hordinski, outeach director at CHCA both of my parents were jobless, and we were staying in a house with no power, water, or heat. My brother was also homeless for six months.” Through the experience of Shantytown, South hoped her classmates would “know that (homelessness) is not just the stereotype of people with addictions and who are lazy. People need to see that anyone can become homeless.” In a special twist on the Shantytown experience, Bishop Brossart students were re- Students from Wyoming High School build their shanties in front of their school. They were rudely awakened at 1 in the morning by the police and told to move. Photo courtesy of Jeff Seibert. quired to sell Streetvibes to classmates in order to earn money with which they to buy lunch. The purpose was to help them further understand the daily struggles that homeless people face, though they were repeatedly reminded by the leaders of the event that this was an extremely mild version of the actual experience of homelessness. Karen Hordinski, outreach director at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (CHCA), worked with a group of students to host Shantytown for the second year. “The students loved (the small Shantytown of 2007) and wanted to do it again so that more of their peers could learn about homelessness,” she said. Thirty-six students and five adults at CHCA participated on Sunday evening, which was chosen so that on Monday morning “the students would feel what it would be like to go to school when you are exhausted, hungry and not feeling well prepared for the day,” Hordinski said. It was powerful for them.” The group heard Sam Jackson and Georgine Getty speak from the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, as well as Karen Fessler from Project Connect. “Students were shocked to find out how many ways homeless people get tickets from the police, such as sitting, standing, urinating and jaywalking,” Hordinski said. “They learned a lot and experienced the freezing temperatures in cozy sleeping bags and thermal clothes, realizing that not all homeless people could be as well prepared as (they) were.” At Xavier University, Shantytown tackles a specific aspect of homelessness each year. This fall the student-con- structed shanties on the academic mall spoke to the issue of homeless veterans. Graffiti covers the shanties with statistics, including the assertion that one in three homeless men are veterans, according to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. Suzanne Buzek, a sophomore at Xavier who is active with Habitat for Humanity, describes her goal as having “less people out on the streets and more people under roofs.” “It's a harsh wake-up call, seeing the shanties on the academic mall,” she says. Buzek recognizes the need to make the issue personal. “When I sleep in our shanty tonight, experiencing the cold and harsh elements will only further ignite my compassion for those who don't have a warm bed to sleep in at night and my will to do what I can to change that.” in scars and nightmares. I’m damaged goods, and no one wants me. What do all them have in common? We are all looked down at by society and rejected by them, too. People judge us but they do not know us or our situations. People put us down and laugh at us, thinking we don’t hear, but we do. During the day we show no feelings and fight to survive. Yet at night many of us cry ourselves to sleep and wonder if anyone cares. Has God or our higher power forsaken us? No matter what we do or whom we call, we go unanswered. The main thing we all have in common is we are or were homeless in our lives. The pain and scorn of those words and time still live deep in our hearts and affect us today. We end up having little trust for others and have few friends and trust for God, Christians and those who claim to care. That is because we have been badly hurt by those same people. When others find out our past, they scorn us and look down at us by saying we did something to deserve what we got. So when do the dirty looks and scorn go away? Never. So think before you put that person down or look away, or even treat them like they are trash. That could be you. Look Down at Me But be ready for what you’ll see By Dede Stoops Contributing Writer Who am I that you look down at me? I’m the everyday person who goes unnoticed. I’m a young person who has no home and family, whose friends got tired of my couch surfing or staying there, so I’m out on the streets. I’m the kid with no safe home or parents who care. Yet you look down at me and call us “thugs.” I’m the kid of foster care who was not prepared for life and is now on the streets stealing to survive. Yet you call me “trash” and “lazy” not want- ing to work or succeed. I’m a survivor of a terrible act of nature or man. Yet you say I did something to deserve my plight. I’m an out-of-work man with no income and home so I can’t get a job or home, yet you call me lazy. I have a mental illness and can’t get help or I get lost in the system, yet you call me a “freak” and say, “Get lost.” I’m a soldier who got lost in the system, and my country wants nothing to do with me now that I’m damaged goods, yet you say my training should have trained me to stay away from this life of the streets. I’m an a alcoholic and/or drug addict who has or will hit bottom and crawled out of the streets so the bottle is my comforter, yet you say I deserve it for being what I am and hurting my family. I’m a young mother with several kids, and no man will accept their children as a responsibility; or I’m running from violence, yet you look down on me and call me a “whore” or “irresponsible.” I’m a single woman who was abused in the past and has no friend or family who cares to help; and jobs are hard to find or get when you're homeless, yet you say I can overcome by forgetting the past. But I can’t forget the memories; they are �STREETVIBES November 2008 Editorial Generosity is Just the Start 15 A little thought makes holiday charity more effective By Georgine Getty Contributing Writer A s the weather turns colder and the winter holidays approach, many people’s thoughts turn to charity. This is one of the best parts of the season, the thing that drives us as human beings to truly recognize our good fortune and share it with others who might not have as much. The question is how to best channel this energy so that it does the most good. The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is comprised of over 45 member agencies dedicated to serving homeless men, women and children. Every year, starting in mid-November and lasting until the end of December, Cincinnati’s shelters find themselves flooded with goodwill. People who want to serve dinner on Thanksgiving or Christmas. People who want to donate toys and clothing, shoes and gloves. People who want to help decorate or take people to their places of worship. Generous, kind people. But overwhelming nonetheless. There are two main ways to give: You can give your time and/or you can give monetarily. Here are some tips for holiday giving. First, remember that it feels good to give. That warm feeling that you get when you help someone homeless is the same warm feeling that a homeless mother feels when she gives a present to her child or when a homeless person “re-gifts” a donation to one of his or her friends or loved ones. Simply put, if you feel inclined to make sure that a homeless family has presents on Christmas morning, the kindest way to do this is by giving the serve food or hold a party, call mother or the father a gift cer- around to various agencies and tificate and allowing them the ask if they have a need. Don’t freedom and choice to pick the be discouraged if they already present they know their child have their volunteer needs met will love the best. This “giv- on key days like Thanksgiving from afar” might not be ing or Christmas Eve. There are holiday as satisfying as seapicking it out The love that you put and sonal events and wrapping in the community, year-round it yourself, but even if it’s just by that you can the gift it gives cleaning a storage channel this to the parent is even more im- room, will come back energy into. portant that the to you many fold and Ask if you plan gift it gives the last well into the new can child. a Mothers year. Day brunch Second, our or a Fourth agencies depend on volunteers to organize of July picnic. Maybe a Suand provide for holiday parties per bowl party or an Opening and food service. However, Day Bar-b-que. Carry over the many times the volunteers and feeling of charity to last the staff who contribute to that whole year. Third, remember homeless agency year round and have a special bond with the clients agencies as you make out your have already taken care of holiday shopping list. Does this need. If you would like to Uncle Bill really need a new tie, or would he prefer a donation in his honor to help homeless veterans? Talk to your kids. Forego stocking stuffers and instead put the money in an envelope and let them give it to the director of a soup kitchen. Ask your friends and family to make donations to your favorite charity instead of getting you presents. Create a new tradition of giving. Finally, keep an open mind and ask your favorite agency what it needs. Be a willing pair of hands. The love that you put in the community, even if it’s just by cleaning a storage room, will come back to you many fold and last well into the new year. For a list of many fine shelters, soup kitchens and agencies in our community, please visit www.cincihomeless.org and click on “member agencies.” A Night in Shantytown Students learn what they’re not missing By Meera Basu Guest Columnist vices and support for homeless that so many homeless young varied difficulties they have What if your mom kicked you out of the house? I mean literally looked you straight in the eyes and shouted, "Get out!" Now imagine this in 30oF weather, and you're only wearing a tank top, perhaps if you're lucky some sweatpants and socks. You may be thinking as you read this, "Good joke …" Unfortunately, for thousands of children even in our Cincinnati area, this is the harsh reality that hits them even before they turn 18 years old. 1 a.m. Oct. 19, 2008: For many, this date and time has no significance. For 18 Wyoming High School students, this was about the time they were waking up sleeplessly for probably the hundredth Wyoming High School students prepare for a chilly night. Photo courtesy of Jeff Seibert. time at 35oF. Earlier that day these students rode the Metro kids. Five of SUFK's teenag- people have faced. Sweet encountered. The future can to Over-the-Rhine to deliver ers gave up their afternoons to 16th birthday? Not for many look very bleak to someone more than 160 pairs of jeans share their stories. homeless children -- they are who has not acquired a high and hundreds of T-shirts and The opening question of this so alienated from their fami- school diploma. tops that our community so article references the situation lies that such benchmarks in Shantytown participants collected for that some of their lives are frequently ig- took a brief tour of Over-theStand Up for these young nored. While many students Rhine. Each of the participants Can you imagine Kids (SUFK). people en- in Wyoming spend their time had been provided a bright yelwhat life would be They began dured, but and effort preparing for the fu- low and black T-shirt. As they their service- like if each meal were the answer ture by taking rigorous cours- walked through the area, evsuch a struggle? learning activto the ques- es and are involved in activi- ery person who passed the stuWhat if you were ity at the local tions don’t ties that enhance their college dents struck up a conversation headquarters of begin to resumes, many of the home- to find out what was going on. alone, trying to SUFK, an ord e s c r i b e less students’ academic skills Individuals in Over-the-Rhine survive as a single ganization that the level of are at the third- to fifth-grade thanked them for representing person? provides serh a r d s h i p level, due to the many and an invisible population in the United States. The walk ended with a visit to the small local Kroger store. Students were each given $1.04 to spend at the store and challenged to provide a filling evening meal for that amount of money – the amount of money allocated per meal per person under the federal food stamp program. Combining money together in groups seemed to be the only way of acquiring enough food for all. Can you imagine what life would be like if each meal were such a struggle? What if you were alone, trying to survive as a single person? There is only so much to buy with such a small voucher. Thirteen local high schools held Shantytowns the weekend of Oct. 18-19. Hundreds of students gave up a night or two to sleep in boxes and raise awareness. The next time you wake up in bed, take a few minutes to be thankful. Take some time to be grateful that you have the opportunity to participate in an extracurricular activity, get your high school diploma or even just to know you have dinner waiting for you at home. High school might seem hard, stressful and too much work, but it’s your outlet to success that some children in Cincinnati are not being provided. �16 Vendors Resource Guide STREETVIBES November 2008 Streetvibes vendors buy the paper for 25 cents and sell the paper for $1, keeping the money they have earned. The vendors can be identified with a white badge and can be found selling the paper in downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northern Kentucky and area churches. The money they earn helps them meet basic housing, food and health care needs. Not all vendors pictured. Josephine Baskerville Doris Binion Terry Ranson Anthony Williams Nell Williams Grady Cook Cleo Wombles James Davis Jon Darby Darryl Bennett Julie Walker Kenneth Stonitsch Antonio Hodge Leonard Jackson Samuel Jackson Riccardo Taylor Alfred Woolfolk Berta Lambert Mary Mueller Brandon Nelson Mark Shears Charles Cole Terrence Williams Raynard Jones Richard Tyree Need Help or Want to Help? Shelter: Women and Children Central Access Point...381-SAFE Cincinnati Union Bethel...768-6907 Bethany House...557-2873 Grace Place Catholic Worker House...681-2365 Salvation Army...762-5660 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter...872-9259 Talbert House...684-7965 PATH Outreach...977-4489 Treatment: Women Resources First Step Home ...961-4663 Catholic Social Services...241-7745 Center for Independent Living Options...241-2600 Churches Active in Northside...591-2246 Emmanuel Community Center...241-2563 FreeStore/FoodBank...241-1064 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart...381-0111 Goodwill industries...771-4800 Healing Connections...751-0600 Madisonville Education & Assistance Center...2715501 Mary Magdalen House...721-4811 People Working Cooperatively...351-7921 St. Vincent de Paul...562-8841 The Caring Place...631-1114 United Way...721-7900 Women Helping Women...977-5541 Treatment: Both City Gospel Mission...241-5525 Justice Watch...241-0490 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Worker House...381-4941 Mt. Airy Shelter...661-4620 AA Hotline...351-0422 CCAT ...381-6672 Joseph House ...241-2965 Hamilton County ADAS Board ...946-4888 Recovery Health Access Center ...281-7422 Sober Living ...681-0324 Talbert House...641-4300 Shelter: Both Advocacy Anthony House (Youth)...961-4080 Caracole (HIV/AIDS)...761-1480 Drop Inn Center...721-0643 Interfaith Hospitality Network...471-1100 Lighthouse Youth Center...221-3350 St. John’s Housing...651-6446 Appalachian Identity Center ...621-5991 Catholic Social Action ...421-3131 Community Action Agency ...569-1840 Contact Center...381-4242 Franciscan JPIC ...721-4700 Greater Cinci Coalition for the Homeless..421-7803 Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center...5798547 Legal Aid Society ...241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center ...421-1108 Peaslee Neighborhood Center ...621-5514 Project Connect Homeless Kids ...363-3300 Stop AIDS...421-2437 Shelter: Men Housing: CMHA...721-4580 Excel Development...632-7149 OTR Community Housing...381-1171 Tender Mercies...721-8666 Tom Geiger House...961-4555 Dana Transitional Bridge Services Inc. ...751-0643 Volunteers of America...381-1954 Food Lord’s Pantry...621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Soup Kitchen & Pantry..961-1983 Our Daily Bread...621-6364 St. Francis Soup Kitchen...535-2719 Treatment: Men Charlie’s 3/4 House...784-1853 DIC Live In Program...721-0643 Prospect House...921-1613 Starting Over...961-2256 Health Center for Respite Care ...621-1868 Cincinnati Health Network ...961-0600 Crossroad Health Center ...381-2247 Hamilton county Mental Health Board...946-8600 Hamilton County TB Control ...946-7628 Health Resource Center ...357-4602 Homeless Mobile Health Van...352-2902 McMicken Dental Clinic...352-6363 Mental Health Access Point...558-8888 Mercy Franciscan at St. John...981-5800 NAMI of Hamilton County..458-6670 Oral Health Council...621-0248 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center...859-491-8303 ECHO/Hosea House...859-261-5857 Fairhaven Resuce Mission...859-491-1027 Homeward Bound Youth...859-581-1111 Mathews House...859-261-8009 NKY 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 Women’s Crisis Center...859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary...859-559-5011 VA Homeless...859-572-6226 Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels...863-3184 Salvation Army...863-1445 Serenity House Day Center...422-8555 Open Door Pantry...868-3276 � 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 2008 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 2008 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Tarnished Grandeur Council Orders Plan for Single Homeless People Pg 2: The Vibe Pg 3: Eight Minutes with Myself Pg 4: Council Orders Continued Pg 5: Buddha Walks into a Bar Pg 6: Dennison Continued Pg 7: Dennison Continued Pg 8: Photographs and Artwork Pg 9: Changing the Conversation Pg 10: Short Goliath Dodges the Deadly Purse Arts & Poetry Pg 11: The New Powell Doctrine Pg 12: Renaissance at the NAACP Pg 13: Who’s Helping Whom? Pg 14: Street Smarts Pg 15: Generosity is Just the Start Pg 16: Resource Guide 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 2008 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gregory Flannery Margo Pierce Angela Pancella Michael Henson Stephanie Dunlap Larry Gross Steve Sunderland Alyssa Konermann Lew Moores Elizabeth Scheper Dede Stoops Meera Basu Andrew Anderson Andrew Freeze Anthony Williams Legal Aid Society Georgine Getty Lynne Ausman Joe Wessels Steve Novotni Steve Gibbs Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Alyssa Konermann Andrew Anderson Andrew Freeze Angela Pancella Anthony Williams Arts & Poetry Charity Christopher Smitherman Cincinnati city council civil rights Dede Stoops Dennison Hotel Elizabeth Scheper Georgine Getty Gregory Flannery Joe Wessels Larry Gross Legal Aid Society Lew Moores Lynne Ausman Margo Pierce Meera Basu Michael Henson Muslims NAACP Photography Powell Doctrine Shantytown SRO Stephanie Dunlap Steve Gibbs Steve Novotni Steve Sunderland Students https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/024d7706751221c728d6bcef718e6c26.pdf 00fabd149a60e461a0511f76bab319f0 PDF Text Text N o v . 2 3 - D e c . 6 VOL.16 ISSUE 24 (No. 239) PAGE 3 PAGE 14 PAGE 5 facebook.com/streetvibes cincinnati PAGE 4 inspiring stories from around the world twitter.com/streetvibesnews PAGE10 9 PAGE streetvibes.wordpress.com �2 EDITORIAL Nov. 23rd-Dec.6th, 2012 From the Director: We Ask For Your Support! Everyone has an ability to contribute JOSH SPRING Executive Director W e ask for your support. We desire that you join. A Coalition is People. We are a large group of people that believe homelessness must end and we continue to struggle for its end. Our goal is to make the word “homeless” a word of the past; something only relative to history books. A word that’s only meaning is to warn of what not to repeat. We believe this can happen and we are committed to working for its end until it comes, at which point we will continue to work for the prevention of homelessness. In this struggle we need all kinds of strengths and abilities People must employ in the Movement. We ask you to take part and join in. Some of us can speak to groups; some of us can write our beliefs; some can lead marches; some can inspire others; some can inspire their neighbor; some can give financially; some can volunteer to file papers; some can make videos; some can take pictures; some can do research; some can listen well; some can attend meetings. The list goes on. Everyone has something very important to offer. In this editorial, I choose to hone in on one opportunity to join that we don’t often talk about at the Coalitionfinancially. We are an organization that works hard to keep money from dictating us- especially when it comes to who has a home and who does not. In order to continue this struggle we, as an organization, need financial support. We work hard to cut costs and spend where we need to, but finances are never easy. In order to continue to grow in our strength to fight homelessness and poverty, we need more financial support. With that said, if you or someone you know are able to join in financially- we ask that you do. Any amount that comes in is substantial to us- because the heart behind contributions speaks volumes to us. We don’t like to talk about our own organizational needs much- but we have to. If you are unable to join us financially- we understand- we consider all forms of joining in as equally important. Please join in- in any way you are able. If you are able to join in financially please do. Any donation can be mailed to the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition at 117 East 12th Street, Cincinnati, OH, 45202. Donations can also be given online at www. cincihomeless.org. -Josh Spring, LSW, Executive Director Coalition Provides Important Services BILL JOINER Contributing Writer L ast year when the Homeless Coalition was hoping to get grants to cover the cost of purchasing the building in which we are located, we were very hopeful of a grant from a particular local foundation. But when a letter came from one foundation, it was a turndown because they said they wanted to support direct service rather than advocacy. As a board member of the Coalition, I was both disappointed and shocked, because although we do a lot of successful advocacy, I believe we also do a great deal of service, some of which admittedly is gathering the right people and organizing to fill a need, but most of it is done directly with and for homeless individuals. And if we did not do it, it simply would not be done. I believe our executive director, Josh Spring, is often too modest and does not advertise what he and other staff do, and so it goes unnoticed. For that reason, I put together a list of the services we have performed in the last year, and that list is presented here. Unfortunately, we are limited in our capacity by lack of funds, and much of our staff time is spent on raising funds or trying to work without them. We did raise the money to buy our building, but we now have a $50,000 mortgage hanging over our heads. And although students and faculty from Miami University will contribute their time and some materials for the renovation, other materials need to be purchased, and we have no funds to do so. We greatly appreciate your support of Streetvibes, which gives income to the vendors, but is a significant net cost to the Coalition. Therefore if you have any ideas for sources of financial support, we would certainly appreciate your input and help. Thank you for caring. Bill Joiner Board Member Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless • Stayed connected with 55 member organizations to coordinate services, keep each organization abreast of developments and actively work together to eradicate homelessness. • Provided information to hundreds of individuals and families experiencing homelessness annually on services available, making contacts as needed. • Served as mediator for individuals experiencing homelessness as conflicts arise with service providers. • Organized overall effort to concentrate on and evaluate the rapid increase in family homelessness in the Cincinnati area; {Continued on page 7} 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 $1.50 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. 117 East 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 Karen Chatman, Chris Fowler, Rubye Goode Reta Roberts Stacey Hall, Justin, Jeffre, Josh Spring, Dan Labotz, Jason Haap, Jim Luken, Willa D. Jones, Kim Green, Bill Woods, Cleo Wombles, Mimi Rook, Bill Joiner, Dylan Speeg. Conor Humphries, Lorraine Turner, Mario Queiroz, Edith Honan Justin Jeffre Josh Spring Michael Wilson, Darrin Ballman, Justin Jeffre, Sameerah Ahmad, Cry Anderson, Leslie Moorhead, Westwood Community Garden, Cathal McNaughton, Mario Queiroz, Playhouse in the Park 513.421.7803 x 12 513.421.7813 www.cincihomeless.org Jeni Jenkins Leslie Moorhead Education & Development: Kristin McGee streetvibes.wordpress.com streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Jeff Kelly Jerry Davis Pete Roper �Nov. 23rd-Dec.6th, 2012 3 LOCAL The Emery: A place with perfect pitch JIM LUKEN Contributing Writer You don’t need Streetvibes to tell you that Over-the-Rhine is a unique place. Whether you reside within the community north and east of Central Parkway, or work here, or come down to party or for a show, you are no doubt aware that this place—the “other side” of the fence, tracks, street—teams with a special kind of life and energy. Gentrification has brought many problems to our neighborhood, as well as some promise. Part of that promise has to do with the richness and history that is already here, along these streets, and in these buildings. One such OTR building has almost been forgotten of late. The key word is almost. This is the 101 yearold Emory Theater on Walnut Street, around the corner from the Coffee Emporium. The 1600 seat Emery was the original home of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Najinski danced there. Betty Davis acted. Eleanor Roosevelt spoke. Gershwin played his “Rhapsody in Blue.” If –from the last row of the second balcony of the Emery—you were to watch a play, attend a lecture, or listen to live music, you would hear every stage whisper, every word, or every note as though you were sitting in the first row. This magnificent theater, this gem of over the Rhine, has what is known as “pure” acoustics, like only two other theaters in the US. And like Carnegie Hall, there are no seats with an obstructed view of the stage. Owned now by the University of Cincinnati, the Emery closed its doors in the mid-‘90s, thereafter becoming a victim of neglect and disrepair. But now, thanks to heroic effort being put forth by two entrepreneurial young women, those doors have re-opened. And with any luck, they will remain open…to all of us. Under the auspices of what they have termed “The Requiem Project,” Tara Lindsay Gordon and Tina Karin Bergquist from Ohio-based band Over the Rhine performs with Exhale Dance Company. Photo: Darrin Ballman. Manchise spent three years creating a business plan for managing the revival, restoration, and programming of the Emery. In September of 2010, they signed a long term contract with the Emery Center Corporation. “We agreed to do everything,” Tara Gordon said to Cincinnati Magazine, “Meaning: maintain it, book it, promote it.” On November 11, 2011, the 100th anniversary of the theater’s dedication, the Requiem Project put together a packed-house opening event, featuring, OTR’s world famous husband and wife band, Over the Rhine (which got its start at this very theater), as well as CSO musicians, local dancers, and visual artists, all facilitated by some 200 volunteers. Apparently it was quite a show. In the year since the grand opening, dozens of other artistic and community events have been held at the Emery. Things like: Final Friday, the Cincinnati Film Festival, Mid-Point Music acts, Fringe Festival plays. Even a one act play by the Homeless Coalition’s former development director, Katie O’Keefe in collaboration with Starfire U’s outreach to disabled young adults. For Streetvibes readers, the best part of this story is that Tina Manchise and Tara Gordon share a vision for the theater’s revitalization that includes all of the OTR community, including productions and events for those of us downtowners who live on or near the margins, unable to afford (or frequent) the pricey new restaurants, theaters and galleries. “There will be interesting things happening here at all levels and price-points,” says Ms. Manchise. “We believe that meaningful artistic interactions can create community.” And both women are clear in stating that this means inclusive community, diverse community. Gordon and Manchise know the history of this famous building, and they are learning more about that history every day as they push their dream toward realization. They point out that prominent Cincinnatian Mary Emery had the theater built to honor her husband Thomas, who— while a prominent businessman— was an active abolitionist. In Mrs. Emery’s “ironclad will,” she demanded as a fundraiser to fight poverty. The women had phoned the Homeless Coalition and asked for volunteers to help clean parts of the building in preparation for the show. “Two people showed up,” Manchise laughs. “Me and James Brown.” She showed James the huge cleaning project she had in mind. “You’ve got the right guy,” Brown responded. And he was. Many times since then, James Brown was front and center as a volunteer. Tara Gordon speaks of how, at one point—prior to a major Emery Theatre. Photo: Michael Wilson. The Requiem Project Co-Founders, Tina Manchise, President, and Co-Executive Artistic Director Tara Lindsey Gordon, Artistic-Executive Director (seated). Photo: Michael Wilson. that the building be used “for the physical, social, civic, and educational betterment of individuals.” Interestingly, Gordon and Manchise, have taken those words quite literally in terms of their ongoing relationship (for one) with longtime Streetvibes vendor, James Brown, who has been a part of the Emery “project” since last April. The Emery was about to host an event called “Rock This Town” event—the women were hoping to have Christmas lights strung in what they call the open-air “carriage way” on the South side of the theater, where the “Portolets” stand vigil (at this moment, there are no working bathrooms in the theater). It was a last minute job. She and Tina had run out of time and energy. “We came in a few hours {Continued on page 5} �4 LOCAL Nov. 23rd-Dec.6th, 2012 What is an “Urban Pioneer?” JASON HAAP Contributing Writer B y now, most of us know that everything we learned about “Plymouth Rock” is merely legend -- the story of the first Thanksgiving, where we imagine a family of Good White Christian Pilgrims having a turkey feast with simple-minded brown savages. Most of us also know that calling Native Americans “simple-minded brown savages” is utterly disrespectful, but at the same time those early legends require us to believe such offensive thoughts. That’s because the stories of these early “pilgrims” are prequels to the tales of the true savages -- the American Pioneers. Just try to imagine the mindset of those early conquerors: to the West awaited a beautiful country for the taking, so long as we murdered all the natives first and then kept their land as our own. How did we rationalize such genocide? Religious fundamentalism in the form of “Manifest Destiny” provided a good excuse for our historical fore-bearers. The “pioneers” set off to develop a brave new world, to tame the “wilds” of the American West -- or, in other words, to remove the savages and take their land in the name of Jesus, or something. Okay, so I may be simplifying things a bit, maybe even a lot. It’s not like families got into covered wagons and said “Let’s go kill some Indians and steal their land.” And, of course, we cannot forget the role 2006 Denver Pow-wow. Photo: Justin Jeffre of the federal government in things like the Trail of Tears. But my larger “Indians” in an attempt to stake a point is that, at some level, there is claim on other people’s land. a perniciousness with regard to the Doesn’t that mean “urban piostory of the pioneers. Their history is neers” view the cityscape as a “wildersteeped in an ugly part of the Ameriness” -- full of dangers they hope to can story -- a part fraught with the tame, while staking a claim to land destruction of tribes, and with the that is not their own? Do they view displacement and deaths of countless the urban landscape as a place to thousands of people. build a brave new world, presuming That’s why, whenever I see lowe can do something about those cal media heralding the great work pesky brown skinned savages who of Cincinnati’s “Urban Pioneers,” I are getting in the way of the pioneers’ pause. What are those two words God-given rights? -- “urban” and “pioneer” -- doing Though the election is over, how together? Pioneers, after all, were can we forget the rhetoric about the people who sent out into the “wilderalleged “class warfare” Republicans ness,” braving the danger of so-called said Obama had waged upon this na- tion? I think, however, the real class warfare doesn’t always get played out in easily forgotten political commercials, but instead in the mindsets we foster about things like gentrification -- when we allow people, by calling themselves “pioneers,” to pretend that our city is a wilderness overrun by uneducated natives who need to be displaced. Jason Haap is an English teacher with 14 years experience. He is also a political activist who runs and writes for The Cincinnati Beacon, a popular blog. Obama’s Victory: The End of White Power in America, Perhaps; But Not the End of Money Power DAN LABOTZ Contributing Writer B arack Obama was elected president on Nov. 6 by the votes of America’s ever more diverse electorate. The older and mostly better off white men who constitute the core of the Republican Party’s social base went down to defeat at the hands of unionized workers, people of color, women, and gay and lesbian voters. The last two elections will be seen for decades afterwards as a turning point in our nation’s political history; the beginning of the end of white power in America. Unfortunately it is not the end of the domination of money power. Many who voted for him were less enthusiastic about Obama this time, but they cast votes against what they saw as Mitt Romney’s unacceptable alternative. African Americans, despite the deteriorating economic conditions of the black population of the United States, voted for Obama not only out of pride in the first black president, but also out of fear of the Republicans’ racist rhetoric most clearly seen in the Tea Party rallies of the last two years. The Republicans’ attempts at voter suppression, particularly the suppression of the black vote, laws which were overturned by the courts in several states, only proved the racist character of the party. Women Vote to Defend Gains Women voted for Obama not only to protect reproductive rights, that is, their right to contraception and abortion, but also to defend the hard won gains of the last forty years. Since the 1970s women have won substantially greater equality in the workplace and in society, the right to equal pay for equal work, for example. Even if women still earn only 77 percent of what men earn, that is ten percent more than it was forty years ago. Even though Obama had deported more immigrants by far than former president George W. Bush, Latino voters went for Obama after he issued an executive order protecting some young immigrants from deportation. Obama deported 1.4 million undocumented immigrants during his first term, which was 1.5 times more than Bush. But after his June 2012 executive order protecting young undocumented immigrants, the Latino community enthusiastically embraced him once again. Gay and lesbian voters backed Obama from early on and became even more enthusiastic after the president ended the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. When in May of 2012 he said that he supported gay marriage, he had the LGBT vote locked up. LGBT voters were not to be stuffed back into the closet by the Republican Party. Environmental activists were perhaps the group most disappointed in Obama. While Obama improved fuel economy standards for automobiles and promoted investment in clean energy, he permitted legislation limiting carbon emissions to languish in Congress. Environmentalists voted for Obama only because Romney was so much worse. The union vote, especially in Wisconsin and Ohio, was key to Obama’s victory. Unions proved so successful in getting out the vote for Obama in those states because of their recently hard fought battles against anti-union legislation promoted by the Republican governors in those two states. The unions had been in a state of virtually constant campaign mode since 2010 and were able to put tens of thousands of workers in the field to win Obama’s victory. Yet the Money Power Remains The African Americans, Latinos, women, gays and lesbians, and union voters who voted as much against Romney as they voted for Obama may have succeeded in breaking the back of the block of prosperous white male voters who have constituted the core of the Republican Party since the Civil War. Yet they did not break the money power which continues to dominate both political parties through its financial contributions and its occupation of the top echelons of American politics. Banks and corporations provided most of the $6 billion that went to the candidates, their campaigns, and the various PACS and Superpacs, and those financial contributions are in large measure what allows them to dominate the parties. Their corporate lawyers make up an inordinate number of American politicians while their lobbyists work to shape most legislation. President Obama showed in his first term that he was the ideal candidate of high finance and big business. He saved the auto corporations, while they still closed plants and then lowered wages for their workers. He saved the banks, but failed to save hundreds of thousands of families who were losing their homes. He worked to restore the macro-economy for the better off while watching the millions of micro-economies of communities and families deteriorate. We can expect more of the same. Today both Republicans and Democrats are committed to two things: 1) austerity, that is, using the so-called budget crisis to cut funding for services to most Americans; 2) militarism, that is, maintaining the United States as the preeminent military power on the planet. While they both agree about these central issues, they also disagree about how to achieve them. The Republicans would take an axe to the budget’s health and education programs, while the Democrats would use a carving knife—but both will cut. The Republicans would finance a larger traditional army, while the Democrats prefer a smaller, high tech army—but both will wage war to control the world’s strategic resources, markets, and territory. The Potential for Change If Romney had been elected, American working people, the African American and Latino communities, immigrants, women and the LGBT community would have faced a frontal assault. With Obama’s election, we will still face an uphill struggle to defend our rights and meet our needs, though the odds will be somewhat better. The groups that supported Obama will now make demands upon his administration, though they know that their demands can only be realized if they can create social movements that force the government to meet them. With the old bastions of white political power broken, it’s now time to organize an assault on the money power. Dan Labotz is a prominent American labor union activist, academic, journalist, and author. He was a co-founder of Teamsters for a Democratic Union and has written extensively on worker rights in the United States and Mexico. �Nov. 23rd-Dec.6th, 2012 LOCAL 5 Homeless People, Homeless Pets STACEY HALL Contributing Writer K athy took in Chief, a German Shepherd, when he was just a pup. She rescued him from a breeder that was not providing proper care. He was infested with fleas, suffering from diarrhea, and was one of only two puppies that survived from his litter of nine. Chief immediately became a part of her brood, joining her human sons, and she cared for him lovingly. Years later, when Kathy was faced with having to enter a local shelter, she agonized over what would become of him, “I couldn’t take him and it was almost like I couldn’t take my child. I cried. We all cried.” Chief traveled between the homes of four different friends and family while Kathy and her children worked toward new housing. “I would leave shelter in the morning and go pick him up and take him places with me.” She spent as much time as she could with him, she said, worried friends would grow tired of caring for him. Plus, “I missed him like crazy. We all missed him.” Finding new housing that was affordable and would allow a dog was a challenge, but eventually it happened. When Chief came back home she said, “Oh my God, it was like Christmas.” Her family was finally Thumper the dog with his siblings. Photo: Cry Anderson reunited. this was,” Tina said. Her family, Thumper included, Tina felt are now back in housing. the same The National Coalition for the Homeless about her dog, estimates that approximately 10% of homeless Thumper. people have pets. This number may be low Her husband considering that 62% of all households in the rescued the United States have pets, according to the American pup at three Pet Products Association (APPA). weeks old. People love their pets and show it by spending He was in an a lot of money on their care. APPA estimates that abusive home 52.87 billion dollars will be spent in 2012 for food, and in a pile with dead puppies, she said. They veterinary services, grooming and supplies. This nursed him to health and he became a happy pup is up from 2011 and is a number that has grown who enjoyed playing with their two young children. consistently over the last several years despite the When her family became homeless, Thumper economic recession. stayed with them as they moved between friends, People that have a pet as a part of the family slept in a car and even stayed in the woods. “He’s like our kid,” Tina said. There was no way Thumper tend to see to it that their animal companions would be left behind, even as circumstances became are provided for, whether they are high income earners that lavish them with toys, beds and more and more desperate. grooming, or families that struggle and sacrifice When Tina and her family entered a local homeless shelter, Thumper was able to remain with other wants and needs, like Kathy and Tina, to ensure pets are able to eat and see the vet. And, friends for a short time. When those friends could according to the Homeless People and Their Pets no longer keep him, shelter staff and volunteers Fact Sheet, produced by the National Coalition scrambled to find an alternative. A resourceful for the Homeless, people that are homeless will intern and generous volunteer made arrangements sometimes go without food themselves so that pets to foster Thumper on a temporary basis. Thumper are nourished. even got to come to the shelter on the weekends to This level of sacrifice indicates a deep bond visit. that the group Pets of the Homeless, based out of “There are no words to explain how important {Continued from page 3} before the event, and there was James (with several other volunteers) hanging the strands of white lights. Gordon reflects, “They knew how much it meant to us,” “James feels that he is part of the team,” Tina adds. “And he is.” Manchise and Gordon see themselves and their endeavor as built on “partnerships, partnerships, and partnerships.” They are partners with movers and shakers in the community, including partners with Starfire U and the Homeless Coalition. “We have a shared value,” Tara Gordon says, “of seeing people and experiences as worthwhile and worthy.” So, what’s next in the effort to revitalize the fabled theater? Of course, a high priority goal for the physical building is bathrooms; more Tina Manchise Nevada, wants to be preserved. Motivated by the fact that people facing economic challenges, or that are homeless, love their animal companions no less than anyone else, Pets of the Homeless is working to provide shelters across the country with crates, support and other supplies so that pets and people can stay together. According to their Crate Project application materials, they want to prevent individuals and families from making the choice between seeking shelter and services when they need it and giving up a member of their family. Locally, the Cincinnati Pet Food Pantry offers dog and cat supplies during a once per month give away to help low-income households care for their pets. Their website--www.cincinnatipetfoodpantry. org--provides a schedule of pantry dates and information on income guidelines and verifications needed to receive assistance. While this and other resources do exist to help pets in the greater Cincinnati community, local homeless shelters generally lack a coordinated plan for providing services to people and their pets. If you are interested in joining a discussion on developing such a plan, please e-mail: stacey@ihncincinnati.org, or call 513-4711100, ext 18. specifically, indoor bathrooms. But there are other things of equal importance. The women explain that, during the past year, 10,000 people sat down in the plush red seats of the Emery. The purpose of the year was programming, “showcasing,” for a broad audience, the exquisite specialness of the theater. And then to carefully “read” and tally the responses of these diverse audiences. The next step, according to Gordon and Manchise, is to translate the data they Day by Day Calendar participants hold up recognition certificates at the opening receoption October 26t at the Emery. Photo: Leslie Moorhead. have culled from this past year’s events and venue, but instead a space where meaningful events programming into answers formal responses to happen. We want it to be interesting and quirky, some of the big questions that various donors have but not sterile.” put forward. And they want the venue to be “Rock Show ready” for each new upcoming event. You can learn more about this interesting, Tina Manchise summarizes things this way. quirky space at: emerytheater.com. “Our intention is to keep the theater in such a way that it reaches people, that it’s no longer just a �6 LOCAL Nov. 23rd-Dec.6th, 2012 Two Civic Leaders Vie For Leadership Spot Robert E. Richardson, Nominee for President of the Cincinnati NAACP F Christopher Smitherman current President of the Cincinnati NAACP or many years I have worked diligently to further the NAACP’s mission to ensure political, educational, social and economic quality, and to eliminate race-based discrimination. Under former NAACP President Hinton I served on various local NAACP branch committees: Executive Committee, Voter Empowerment Committee, Political Action Committee, Labor and Industry Committee, Nominating Committee, and I have been a Youth Council supporter. I have been a member of the local Cincinnati NAACP branch for over 25 years, and I am a Lifetime member of the NAACP. My record on inclusion and civil rights is evident in my other professional accomplishments: I served as president of the Cincinnati Chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, and as Vice President of the African American Caucus of the Laborers International Union of North America (LiUNA). I was the Business Manager of LiUNA Local 265 for twenty six years, where I partnered with contractors, owners, and community leaders to provide construction career opportunities for the membership, many of whom were African American. I also served as the President of the Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council, and first Vice President of the Ohio State Building and Construction Trades Council. My interest in being elected as President of the local NAACP is to help advance the mission of the NAACP and restore the image and integrity of the Cincinnati Chapter through transparency, voter protection and registration, local partnerships, focused political activity, and economic empowerment. Over the last few years, I observed the decline of transparency and inclusion of divergent points of view. The current president has steered the NAACP away from its core principles. It is time to have an NAACP solely focused on civil rights and the improvement of the African American Community. The current president was nearly silent in the face of voter suppression activities during the 2012 general election, and did not actively participate in voter registration or voter education activities. We have seen the most drastic attacks on voters’ rights since the Jim Crow era. We must turn back attacks on voters’ rights. Over the last few years the local chapter has focused on narrow political issues, instead of focusing on the NAACP’s core mission. I am running because the Cincinnati NAACP should be about civil rights, not partisan politics. I look forward to the membership’s support, and to serving as President of the Cincinnati branch of the NAACP. I n 2007, I was elected President of the Cincinnati NAACP. The branch had significant debt, only $40,000 in the bank, and monthly expenses of $9,800. Action needed to be taken quickly to turn the unit around, meet our financial obligations, and assemble a team that could host a National Convention, which involved the most high profile Presidential race of our lifetime. As a financial planner, I established specific goals for our team: grow the membership, make annual Freedom Fund Dinner each year financially successful, cut expenses, select a working committee to host a national convention, and most importantly make the branch relevant to the Cincinnati community. The Executive Committee made the decision to be defined nationally as the Education Chapter for the Nation by awarding annual scholarships during our Freedom Fund Dinner. The branch membership has grown each year I have served as president. The National NAACP has recognized this growth with a national membership award each year for successful growth of memberships. The current financial status of the Cincinnati NAACP unit includes no debt, all capital purchases paid for in cash, an education endowment with the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, each year the Cincinnati NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner has been financially successful and politically relevant, and the branch has enough cash to operate for one year without any disruptions in business. The Cincinnati NAACP team has succeeded in getting a citizen off death row, getting citizens out of jail, expanding economic opportunities for African American businesses, hosting the 2008 National Convention which our team still receives national praise as one of the best conventions, and instilling a sense of pride in being a member of the branch. The branch has also succeeded in putting seven issues on the ballot by collecting more than 100,000 signatures. Our team stopped the building of another jail, red light cameras, the sale of our water system, and the imposition of a trash fee. Although the streetcar ballot was not approved, the majority of our membership still opposes the project. The Cincinnati NAACP has raised awareness regarding early voting by initiating sleeping outside of the Hamilton County Board of Elections for the last five years. These are great examples of proactive civil rights issues of the 21st Century. I am so proud to serve as the President of the Cincinnati NAACP which is one hundred percent a volunteer position. I humbly ask you for your vote for president of the Cincinnati NAACP. Places to go, people to see DYLAN SPEEG Contributing Writer C incinnati ushers in the holiday season with the lighting of the holiday tree during Macy’s Light Up the Square. Music by Timeflies and ice skating begin 6:30 p.m. Brian Douglas of Q102-FM and Sheree Paolello of Channel 5 emcee from P&G’s Music Stage at 7 p.m. You will get to see Santa plus the tree lighting and an amazing fireworks show for free. It goes down November 23rd : 6:30 p.m. As an added feature, Drew and Lea Lachey, hometown celebrities, will be there as special guests. It happens on Fountain Square at Fifth and Vine streets in downtown Cincinnati. Historic Lebanon Ohio will be the setting for the 24th Annual Lebanon Carriage Parade & Christmas Festival on December 1st. A bunch of carriages decorated for the holidays parade through downtown Lebanon at 1pm and 7pm pulled by super cute mini-horses, ponies, Belgian, Percheron and Clydesdale horses. Between parades you can shop the variety of antique and sweet shops or walk around the festival tasting its food and buying from craft vendors. You can enjoy both Santa and Mrs. Claus, live entertainment or take a magical trip to the North Pole on the North Pole Express. Finally! It’s time for the PNC Festival of Lights, a display of nearly two million beautiful lights, with a puppet show “Winter Wonders” show in black light, a “Wild Lights Show” on Swan Lake, train rides, hip-hop elves and chill-out with Santa and Mrs. Claus. A brand new feature this year is the Happy Feet 4-D Experience playing at the Special FX 4-D Theater. I always go and I am never disappointed. It’s happening November 23rd to January 1st at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden at 3400 Vine St. It’s time once again for the St. Nikolaus Day Celebration! St. Nikolaus is going to meet and charm children of all ages from 3 to 5 PM. Members of the Cincinnati Carvers Guild will be showing their fantastic and elaborate wood carvings, and German Christmas songs will be presented at 3 PM by the Kinderchor of the Fairview-Clifton German Language School. You can enjoy chocolate drinks, cookies and Kuchen, which will also be available. It all goes down December 2nd: 1 p.m.-5 p.m. at the German Pioneer Museum at 4790 West Fork Road, Cincinnati, OH 45247. Every Friday at Noon People’s Platform for Equality & Justice Peaslee Neighborhood Center Tuesday December 11th Homeless Coalition Annual Award Dinner. Syndicate in Newport Friday December 21st Homeless Memorial Day If your organization is having an event, demonstration, etc. and you would it like it included on the Streetvibes calendar, please email with the details: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org �Recent Work of the Coalition {Continued from page 2} a result-different from normal protocol and 3CDC was forced to hold regular meetings with Coalition representatives, formed committees comprising service providers, academic expertise, and foundation experience, together representing 40 different governmental, public and nonprofit organizations; coordinated studies and produced a report with recommendations on family homelessness. This report can be seen on our website at www.cincihomeless. org. • • • • This report showed that Cincinnati is not preventing family homelessness and does not currently have the capacity to satisfy the rapidly growing needs of families becoming homeless. A major effort for the immediate future is to advocate for, and increase resources, to prevent family homelessness. Increased mail and telephone service to over 800 individuals who do not have a permanent mailing address or other access to a telephone, enabling displaced individuals to be contacted for employment, and preventing them from losing communication with family and friends while experiencing homelessness. Worked to bring together service providers and various organizations to create the first winter shelter ever open throughout the cold season of 2011-12. Shelter was open 90 nights and served 869 unduplicated individuals, including families. Service providers were from Coalition membership. The previous winter a cold shelter was open only when the wind chill dropped below 9O F. Of those attending, 14% had never accessed food or housing resources previously. Organized 208 low income tenants living at Metropole when 3CDC planned to remove them from their homes to make room for the construction of a boutique hotel. Secured volunteer lawyers who brought suit on behalf of tenants against 3CDC, City, and HUD. The resulting settlement gave the tenants moving expenses plus $80,000 to be divided among these evicted tenants (the first such settlement in the City’s history); HUD created 223 new subsidized housing vouchers as • Worked to convince contractors and 3CDC to hire certified skilled workers living in the OTR neighborhood for work on Washington Park. • Through public pressure advocated for the procurement of public toilets in Washington Park while restrooms were closed for renovations. Influenced 3CDC along with the support of a local church to install temporary restrooms. This was meant to prevent 3CDC from blaming people without homes for inevitable increases in public defecation. • Increased Streetvibes publication to twice monthly. Between January 2012 and November 2012 Streetvibes produced $53,989 in potential income to Streetvibes Distributors. A recent increase in price also contributed to doubling the distributor’s income. • Collaborated with Prairie Inc. for three years in a row on the Day by Day Calendar project. Streetvibes Distributors were given the opportunity to learn photography skills, and used their skills to take photographs as they traversed the neighborhoods to create a calendar. 32 Streetvibes Distributors earned $3,429.00 of additional income in 2011-2012. • • • 7 STREET VOICE Nov. 23rd-Dec.6th, 2012 In 2011-2012 the Voice of the Homeless Speaker’s Bureau and other educational programs gave people experiencing homelessness the opportunity to speak to over 4,800 people at schools and civic organizations. This produced $4,075.00 of income to speakers. Continued to provide support to member organizations facing threats to their operation. In this past year this has often meant organizing public demonstrations and showing in other ways substantial public support of the Anna Louise Inn. Lobbied City Council and other local officials on issues affecting individuals with low income and experiencing homelessness. Today while watching the news I heard that Santa Claus arrived in a helicopter They also talked about tax cuts and how the politicians were eating out at Red Lobsters What happened to the days when the bells rang for Santa Claus, his reindeer and sled What happened to the belief in miracles and all the little children went to bed Waiting for that glorious morning to open all the presents that Santa left under the tree Asking questions about how he brought all the gifts down the smoke filled chimney Waiting day and night , trying to be good all for Christmas so we’d be granted the ultimate blessing Looking back and understanding that as a child I was tricked, Santa in a helicopter that’s a new lesson Without the holiday’s Thanksgiving and Christmas Day what else is there to really look forward too Without giving thanks for so many blessings and being thankful for Jesus birth just to name a few So for me Christmas has somehow lost the true spirit and has been misunderstood by all We must always remember God’s blessings, don’t forget to give thanks and bring back Rudolph the red nose reindeer driving Santa Claus!!!! By WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor Super rich white men are such dominant folks, With so much bravado and locker room jokes. In this fall’s campaign they failed to hold sway, As the new demographics had come into play. Rove and his buddies spent a billion or more In their efforts to show Prez Obama the door. They thought rich guys of a white complexion Could raise enough money to buy this election. By BILL WOODS Contributing Writer Have you ever looked in your child’s eyes, and saw their fears? Such beautiful clear eyes, full of hope, and full of cheer. Deep inside is a special place, For the child, we can never replace. There was Jesus, Moses and an old man playing golf. Moses knocks a ball 100 feet in the air but doesn’t make it in. Jesus pats Moses on the back and says, “Pretty good shot Moses, but not good enough.” Jesus hits the ball 10,000 feet in the air and right into the hole. The old man steps up and knocks the golf ball into a tree. A squirrel spots the ball. Thinking it’s a walnut he takes off running with it. An Eagle spots the squirrel, grabs it and flys away with its flapping wings. A lightning bolt hits the Eagle. The Eagle drops the squirrel. The squirrel drops the ball which goes into the hole. Jesus says “fantastic shot Dad.” By CLEO WOMBLES Streetvibes Distributor Even though a parent knows, the future will make them cry, And someday we will have to say goodbye, and our children will cry. We can be assured that God will help them when they cry, When we will have to say goodbye. When your child can’t hear your voice, or your advice, let the child have no fear, God will always be there to listen to your child’s fears. By KIM GREEN Streetvibes Distributor �8 DISTRIBUTORS Nov. 23rd-Dec.6th, 2012 All Streetvibes Distributors must abide by the following rules. They are made aware that any infraction of the rules may result in suspension of their privilege to distribute Streetvibes and possible termination from the program. Streetvibes will be distributed for a dollar fifty ($1.50). Distributors agree not to ask for more than $1.50 or solicit donations for Streetvibes by any other means. If a customer donates more than $1.50 for a paper, distributors are allowed to keep the donation. Distributors only purchase papers from the Homeless Coalition. Each paper can be purchased for a cost of 50 cents. Distributors must show their badge when buying papers. ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 GRADY COOK SINCE 2/2002 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 DEBORAH POINDEXTER SINCE 9/2012 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 DIANE CUNNINGHAM SINCE 2007 CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2003 Distributors will never buy papers from and/or distribute papers to other distributors. Distributors agree to treat all others – customers, staff, and other distributors – respectfully. Distributors will not use abusive language or force someone to buy a paper. Distributors will not give a “hard sell” or be aggressive. Distributors will not continue to ask someone if they want a Streetvibes after they have verbally or non-verbally said no and they will not make someone feel threatened. Distributors will not panhandle while distributing Streetvibes. JERRY DAVIS SINCE 5/2011 JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008 JOHN JOHNNY KERNS GAINES SINCE 12/2009 SINCE 9/2012 JULIE WALKER SINCE 6/2007 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001 KENNETH STONITSCH SINCE 12/2007 JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006 KIM GREEN SINCE 1/2010 Distributors agree to stay off private property when distributing Streetvibes. Distributors will not distribute Streetvibes door to door. Distributors will not stand in front of doorways, walkways, crosswalks or parking meters nor will I impede traffic or sit down while distributing Streetvibes. Distributors understand they are not employees of Streetvibes or the Homeless Coalition but a contract worker responsible for their own well-being and income. Distributors agree not to distribute additional goods or products when distributing Streetvibes. Distributors will not distribute Streetvibes or purchase Streetvibes under the influence of drugs or alcohol. KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008 MARK SHEARS SINCE 12/2007 RICHARD WIGGINS SINCE 2012 TIM NEUMANN SINCE 7/2011 LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 LARRY FILES SINCE 6/2012 RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 SAMUEL RONNIE JACKSON PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 SINCE 10/2006 TOMMY THOMPSON SINCE 2/2009 WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009 LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 RICHARD SCHULTE SINCE 5/2012 TAMMY GRIES SINCE 5/2011 TERRY RANSON SINCE 10/2008 WILLIAM W. KENNETH BURDINE BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 SINCE 8/2009 Streetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 50 cents per copy and sell it for a $1.50 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 area churches. There are no territories among distributors. However, distributors must respect the space of other distributors, particularly the space of distributors who have been at a spot longer. It is unacceptable for any distributor to persuade or ask customers not to purchase Streetvibes from other distributors. Coercion will not be tolerated. If a customer prefers to purchase from certain distributors that is up to them. Distributors will not deceive the public by saying they are collecting for a nonprofit charity or collecting for the “homeless” in general. Distributors will be honest in stating that all the profits from the sale of Streetvibes go to the distributor. Distributors will only use the word “donation” when referring to themselves, not the Coalition. There are special rules for distributing at Findlay Market. Only distributors with approval may distribute at Findlay Market at a time. Other rules as established by Streetvibes and Findlay Market. Distributors will attend monthly meetings. Monthly meetings occur every 4 weeks on Fridays at 1PM, (dates are posted in the lobby) these meetings are mandatory. Anyone who cannot make the meeting must talk with the Distributor Program Coordinator, before distributing Streetvibes for that month. Ten papers will be given to those who attend the meeting. It is the responsibility of each distributor to police fellow distributors or former distributors. Distributors will report violators of the rules to the Homeless Coalition. The value of the paper depends on keeping it credible. �Nov. 23rd-Dec.6th, 2012 9 INTERNATIONAL Ireland to clarify abortion rules after woman’s death CONOR HUMPHRIES & LORRAINE TURNER Reuters www.street-papers.org T housands took to the streets to protest last week after news broke of the death of Savita Halappanavar of septicaemia following a miscarriage 17 weeks into her pregnancy. Activists in the overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country, which has some of the world’s most restrictive laws on abortion, say the refusal by doctors to terminate the pregnancy earlier may have contributed to her death. “I was deeply disturbed yesterday by what Savita’s husband said. I don’t think as a country we should allow a situation where women’s rights are put at risk in this way,” Deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore told parliament. “There is no question of equivocation. We need to bring legal clarity to this issue and that is what we are going to do.” Irish law does not specify under what circumstances the threat to the life or health of the mother is high enough to justify a termination, leaving doctors to decide. Critics say this means doctors’ personal beliefs can play a role. Halappanavar was admitted to hospital in severe pain on Oct. 21 and asked for a termination after doctors told her the baby would not survive, according to her husband Praveen. The foetus was surgically removed when its heartbeat stopped days later, but her family believes the delay contributed to the blood poisoning that killed Halappanavar on Oct. 28. Praveen said he would wait for the results of an investigation before deciding whether to sue, but that Ireland’s Roman Catholic tradition appeared to have been a factor in the decision to deny a termination. “I am still in shock. It is hard to believe that religion can mean somebody’s life,” Praveen Halappanavar told Reuters. He said he planned to return to Ireland from India, where he travelled with his wife’s body. The Irish health authority (HSE) has launched an inquiry which the health minister said must “stand up to the scrutiny of the world.” A woman holds a candlelit vigil outside University Hospital Galway in Galway. Photo: REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton Irish media said Praveen would be interviewed. The Indian couple were resident and working in Ireland, he as an engineer and she as a dentist. POLITICAL STORM Despite a dramatic waning of the influence of the Catholic Church, which dominated politics in Ireland until the 1980s, successive governments have been loath to legislate on an issue they fear could alienate conservative voters. Fine Gael, the senior partner in Ireland’s ruling coalition, told supporters before a recent election that it would not introduce new laws allowing abortion during its five-year term, despite pressure from its junior partner Labour to act. The government said it had received long-delayed recommendations from an expert panel on introducing new rules on abortion, and would report before the end of the month. Four out of five Irish voters support a change in the law to permit abortion in cases where a mother’s life is at risk, according to a recent opinion poll. But a vocal anti-abortion minority has dominated the debate on abortion in Ireland in the past, with campaigners arguing that the adoption of legislation or guidelines for medical terminations would bring in abortion through the back door. In 1992, when challenged in the “X-case” involving a 14-year-old rape victim, the Supreme Court ruled that abortion was permitted when the woman’s life was at risk, including from suicide. A European Court of Human Rights in 2010 ruled that Ireland must clarify what this means in practice. “This is exactly what the (European) court was complaining about ... The court has not said Ireland must or must not have abortion, they said they have to clarify circumstances,” said Ronan McCrea, a barrister and lecturer in law at University College London. “The vagueness ... gives excessive scope to doctors to follow their own personal views or it means even if they want to give the treatment, they’ll fall foul of the law,” he said. Halappanavar’s death has dominated debate in Ireland’s parliament since news of it broke. Her photograph was spread across front pages of all Ireland’s major newspapers, while editorials demanded action from politicians. The fact that she is a foreign national has heightened the government’s embarrassment. The story was on the front of several large Indian newspapers and family members were featured on national television. The Indian government said it deeply regretted Halappanavar’s death. “The death of an Indian national in such circumstances is a matter of concern,” a spokesman said. Crisis pushes women into prostitution MARIO QUEIROZ Reuters www.street-papers.org T he decision to sell one’s body cannot be taken lightly. But for many mothers the alternative is to condemn their children to hunger, which is why “increasing numbers of women in their thirties, who are victims of the crisis, are resorting to prostitution,” said Inês Fontinha, head of the Associação O Ninho (Nest Association). Xana, a typist before the crisis, now works as a prostitute. Photo: Mario Queiroz/IPS Fontinha, who has spent the past 40 years of her life working with prostitutes, said that never before had the situation in the country been so serious. Added to this situation is the fear that is natural in novices to the game, many of whom are divorced, or married and plying their trade behind their husbands’ backs. She said, “A few days ago, a woman told me: ‘When my apartment doorbell rings, I tremble to think it might be someone I know, and if it is, what on earth would I do?’” These inexperienced women are also afraid on a daily basis of falling victim to human trafficking networks, often controlled by the so-called “Eastern mafias”, in comparison with which the local pimps seem almost harmless. In Europe, these rings are generally made up of Kosovars, Albanians, Russians, Ukrainians and Rumanians. In order to beat the competition they use brutal methods like cutting the women with razors, and carrying out sensational murders of their pimps to send a clear message and mark their territory. Up until 2010, according to Portuguese NGOs, there were 28,000 sex workers in this country of 10.6 million people. Half of them were born in Portugal, and the other half were mainly Brazilians, Rumanians, Bulgarians and Nigerians, who were usually victims of human trafficking rings. Fontinha said in an interview on the Lisbon radio station TSF and the private television channel SIC that “the constant anxiety because of the crisis is driving more and more women, and also men, into prostitution. For instance in Coimbra, 190 km north of Lisbon and capital of the country’s Centro region, 400 new people are working in prostitution this year.” Alexandra Oliveira, who launched her book “Caminhar na Vida: a Prostituição de Rua e a Reação Social” (Walking in Life: Street {Continued on page 11} �10 LOCAL Nov. 23rd-Dec.6th, 2012 Lawsuit Seeks to Establish First Amendment Right to Photograph Police JUSTIN JEFFRE Streetvibes Editor I n a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in Cincinnati, Plaintiff Lloyd Jordan claims that two undercover Cincinnati Police officers violated his constitutional rights when they arrested him and seized his camera after he photographed them on a public street. Jordan’s arrest took place in November, 2011, on the evening of an Occupy Cincinnati protest and rally at Piatt Park in downtown Cincinnati. Jordan was physically arrested and charged with disorderly conduct while intoxicated, and obstructing official business. Jordan was cleared when both charges were later dropped by the City Prosecutor. Jordan’s case raises questions, first, about the rights of citizens to record or photograph police, but also, about the practices of police departments who use undercover agents to monitor political organizations. The criminal complaint in Jordan’s arrest states that undercover officers were present at Piatt Park during the Occupy Cincinnati events to conduct surveillance. According to Jordan’s attorney, J. Robert Linneman, the case is one of a wave of cases nationwide in which citizens are attempting to establish the right to bear witness to police conduct through photography and video. “In the era of the mobile phone, photography and video can provide valuable evidence and are usually readily available. The right to gather information about our government, including photographing police, is an essential tool of democracy and is protected by the First Amendment.“ Recent cases around the country have addressed similar legal issues. In a Massachusetts case in May of 2012, the United States Department of Justice took the position that the recording Jesse Jackson speaks to protestors the night Lloyd Jordan was arrested. Photo: Homeless Coalition. of police officers in the public discharge of their video of police. In August of 2011, under the First Amendment by duties is an activity that is the U.S. Court of Appeals for the the U.S. Court of Appeals for the protected by the First Amendment, First Circuit ruled that Boston police Eleventh Circuit in Florida since and that police departments should officers had violated the plaintiff’s 1995. train officers of this basic right in civil rights when they arrested him According to Linneman, Jordan order to avoid wrongful arrests. and charged him with disturbing hopes that the lawsuit will bring Also in May of 2012, the U.S. Court the peace and wiretapping after reform to the Cincinnati Police of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit he took video of an arrest. Even Department and will cause it to bring issued an injunction barring the photographing undercover officers its policies in line with a modern view enforcement of the Illinois “wiretap” has been established as protected of the First Amendment law. statute against citizens who take �Nov. 23rd-Dec.6th, 2012 11 STREET VOICE Cincinnati Living Green Gardening on the Westside of Town - The Westwood Community Garden MIMI ROOK Contributing Writer T he Westwood community garden was developed to be more than just a green, shared, garden space for residents. Sponsored by the Westwood Civic Association, the recognized community council for the neighborhood, this first garden is leading the charge to combat the blight, crime and abandonment decimating an historical and formerly prosperous Western Hills community. This first Westwood community garden is providing neighborhood improvement on many levels: • Environmental • Aesthetic • A fresh food source • A social outlet • Charitable Giving • Civic Engagement 2163 Harrison Avenue, the site of the Westwood Community Garden was a problem property with a high rate of crime and vandalism. In 2005, Cincinnati City Council passed an ordinance allowing the demolition of such buildings. Two years later the building was razed, but for three more years the site was a storage lot for construction and utility companies. It continued to be a trouble magnet for Westwood, attracting high levels of trash and criminal activity. Finally, in 2010, with construction completed, the Westwood Civic Association got a Land Use Agreement with the City of Cincinnati and the Civic Garden Center to build a community garden at the site. Several members from the Association began attending classes at the Civic Garden Center, beginning the initial designs and plans for the garden. (The blueprint can be found on their Westwood Community {Continued from page 9} Prostitution and Social Reactions) Thursday Oct. 13, says prostitution is a choice usually made after a traumatic event. Oliveira, a researcher at the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences at the University of Oporto, did her doctoral thesis on the world of prostitution in that city, the second largest in the country, 330 km north of Lisbon and the capital of the Norte region. “Prostitution should be legalised to make it socially acceptable,” she said, adding that it is still “highly stigmatised.” Oliveira studied prostitution in the streets of Oporto for six years, using the ethnographic method in which the researcher goes into the field and learns about what is going on by questioning, listening and observing the practitioners, to analyse their behaviour from their point of view. Her findings indicate that most sex workers, especially streetwalkers, come from the lower socioeconomic strata, have little formal education or professional training, and are from poor backgrounds. Garden wikispaces blog site – along with other useful gardening links). The garden’s eight members of what they consider their “Core Team” plan the garden’s progressive development and work projects. In addition to the $25 yearly rental fee, all gardeners commit to an extra sixteen hours of shared work at the garden each year, helping with overall improvements, weeding, promotion, and other activities. As the garden plans took shape, a local resident owning heavy equipment volunteered his time and machinery to level and grade the site after other neighborhood volunteers pitched in to clear it of trash, weeds and an old, decrepit fence. That same year, the group received a grant award from Keep Cincinnati Beautiful to fund the purchase and erection of a new perimeter fence. The city’s Civic Garden Center provided support and materials for the raised beds and amended soil to fill them. The city parks department provided shredded wood mulch from tree removal projects to spread in the 4 foot paths between the garden beds. Westwood residents began planting in July of 2011 and were still harvesting produce in December! From the beginning, Westwood Civic Association president Joel Kimmet, says, “There was so much support for the garden, the sky’s the limit.” He said that efforts at community outreach, from their Facebook page, the Wikispaces blog space, a neighborhood door to door campaign and talks with local organization drew not just voiced support but also donations to help with continuous improvement to the garden. A retaining wall to help prevent soil runoff is funded by the local Kiwanis Club. Among the list of planned improvements (as donations and awarded grants occur and time allows) are finishing construction of a toolshed, adding more raised beds, building a gazebo where gardeners can relax and enjoy the garden and a greenhouse to raise produce during the winter. Despite the former problems at the location, Kimmet said there has been no vandalism to the garden and that it, “brings together a broad crosssection of people from all different backgrounds.” Mary Jenkins joined the community garden and became its coordinator that first year. She is also a vice-president with the Westwood Civic Association. Jenkins provides administrative services for the garden, overseeing the necessary budget records and payments. She has also written the grant applications for garden projects. Another responsibility is organizing the work party postings which provide the overall improvements to the garden, on the garden’s Facebook page. Like Kimmet, she too, is pleased with the changes she is seeing in the neighborhood at that location, saying, “People walk by and say thank you!… It’s a tangible way to improve the neighborhood”. Jenkins added that the garden provides, “an increased sense of neighborliness.” She was one of the gardeners initially walking the neighborhood to personally hand out flyers and knock on doors to let nearby residents know about the garden and invite them to join. The incidence of drug abuse is high: the main goal of 30 percent of prostitutes is to earn money to support their habit. The level of addiction has apparently changed markedly since 2009, when the effects of the global crisis began to be felt in Portugal. To fight the crisis, drastic cuts have been made in public spending and social subsidies, in a far from promising outlook for the anaemic economy. The fiscal adjustment plan has included the most swingeing cuts in public expenditure in the last 50 years, with the associated social costs of higher unemployment and climbing poverty, which had been brought down after the fall of the 1926-1974 dictatorship. What causes a woman to become a sex worker? IPS asked two women who took up the life because of the crisis. Pamela and Xana (their working names) said they are only in it for the money, but emphasised that, as Pamela said, “It’s not at all an easy job.” “Lots of people mistakenly say that women who prostitute themselves do it for sexual pleasure, but they have no idea why we do what we do,” said Xana, a 29-yearold divorcée from Lisbon with two children she has to “feed, clothe and educate.” Pamela and her partner also split up. “From one day to the next he left home, and when a woman is left on her own with two children and the bills mounting up every day, life becomes pretty grim,” said Pamela, who worked in the textile industry up to a year ago. After several attempts to get a job, “nothing worked out,” she said. The unemployment rate currently stands at 13 percent, according to official figures, and between 17 and 18 percent according to the trade unions. “That’s why I ended up resorting to prostitution,” she said. Both Xana’s and Pamela’s families are unaware of their activities. Most sex workers lead a double life that their relatives do not know about. IPS asked if the women knew how families reacted when they found out what their women relatives were doing. “According to some of the women I know, reactions vary,” said Xana, a former office worker in Lisbon. One woman, Xana said, “confessed to her parents what she was doing, and they became furious and said they would never accept it. But in other cases I know, their families accepted the idea, because they had a vested interest and expected to receive some money.” As for the sex itself, both women stated that they themselves set the rules, defining very clearly what was acceptable and what they were not prepared to do. “We always insist on condoms. It doesn’t matter if a client offers more money to have unprotected sex, we won’t agree,” said Pamela. Can one be happy in such a life? was IPS’ final question. Xana answered for both of them, with Pamela nodding agreement. “When you are constantly judged and condemned, naturally you don’t feel very good…If our line of work was regarded in the same way as any other profession, I think we would feel better about what we do.” Photo: Westwood Community Garden. {Continued on page 13} �12 NATIONAL Nov. 23rd-Dec.6th, 2012 Maryland, Maine, Washington approve gay marriage Voters in Maryland, Maine and Washington state approved same-sex marriage, marking the first time marriage rights have been extended to same-sex couples by popular vote. EDITH HONAN Reuters www.street-papers.org T he vote was hailed as a watershed moment by gay rights activists. While same-sex unions have been legalized in six states and the District of Columbia by lawmakers or courts, voters had consistently rejected doing so. Voters in more than 30 states have approved constitutional bans on gay marriage. “We made history and sent a powerful message that we have truly reached a tipping point on gay and lesbian civil rights in this country,” said Brian Ellner, head of the pro-gay marriage group The Four. “By winning for the first time on marriage at the ballot box, we made clear what national polls already show - that Americans support fairness and equality for all families.” President Barack Obama this year became the first U.S. president to support gay marriage. His campaign endorsed the gay marriage measures in the three states. In Maryland, the measure passed 52 percent to 48 percent. In Maine, voters supported the proposal 53 percent to 47 percent, with 75 percent of precincts reporting. And in Washington, a gay marriage measure was approved 52 percent to 48 percent. Voters in Minnesota rejected a proposal that would have defined marriage solely as a heterosexual union. The constitutional amendment failed 48 percent to 52 percent. In all four states, the marriage equality effort did better in urban areas and were less popular among rural voters. The constitutionality of restricting marriage to unions between a man and a woman is widely expected to be taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court soon. James Esseks, director of the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Project, called the votes a “watershed moment” for gay and lesbian families. “Not long ago, marriage for same-sex couples was unimaginable,” he said. “In a remarkably short time, we have seen courts start to rule in favor of the freedom to marry, then legislatures affirm it, and now the people vote OPPONENTS SAY OUTSPENT Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage - the leading group opposing samesex marriage - said those favoring so-called traditional marriage had been outspent by a margin of at least 4 to 1. “Our opponents and some in the media will attempt to portray the election results as a changing point in how Americans view gay marriage, but that is not the case,” Brown said in a statement. “Americans remain strongly in favor of marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The election results reflect the political and funding advantages our opponents enjoyed in these very liberal states.” In Massachusetts, Iowa and Connecticut, laws followed court rulings that same-sex couples could not be denied marriage rights. Legislatures approved the change in Vermont, New York and New Hampshire. Before this year, ballot initiatives banning the legal recognition of same-sex marriage had succeeded in 31 states, and no state had ever approved same-sex marriage by popular vote. Maine voters rejected gay marriage in a referendum in 2009 by 53 to 47 percent. In Washington and Maryland, where state legislatures previously passed laws expanding marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples, it was up to citizens to decide whether to let the laws stand. “Over these past few weeks, Marylanders joined together to affirm that for a free and diverse people of many faiths - a people committed to religious freedom the way forward is always found through greater respect for the equal rights and human dignity of all,” Governor Martin O’Malley said in a statement. Hey, good lookin’. Asa Franckewitz and Bruce Cromer. Photo by Sandy Underwood. Give your spirits a lift. for the holidays. for it as well.” for country music. presents By Charles Dickens Adapted by Howard Dallin Nov. 29 – Dec. 30, 2012 A must-see family favorite for the holidays. “For my money, there’s no better local holiday entertainment.” – The Cincinnati Enquirer Special price for kids and students! Recommended for ages 5 and up. Under 5 not admitted. The Music and Legend of Hank Williams By Randal Myler and Mark Harelik Nov. 3 – Dec. 23, 2012 Featuring more than 20 of the singer’s most popular songs, including “Your Cheatin’ Heart” and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.” “Exhilarating!” – Rolling Stone Sponsored by Clark, Schaefer, Hackett & Co. Call 513-421-3888 or visit www.cincyplay.com for tickets. Season presented by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation and Heidelberg Distributing Company. �Nov. 23rd-Dec.6th, 2012 Photo: Westwood Community Garden. {Continued from page 11} Michelle Conda, a longtime member of Westwood’s Citizens on Patrol (COP), stepped away from COP to step into the garden in 2012. A first time gardener, she had purchased her rental plot for the growing season, prepped it and bought plants for it, when she was seriously injured in a traffic incident, which completely sidelined her for much of the growing season. To her amazement, two fellow gardeners e-mailed her, letting her know they would care for her plot until she fully recovered. They planted her purchased plants and tended them while Conda convalesced, keeping her updated on their progress. By the time she could visit the garden, she had ample crops of zucchini, “lots of tomatoes”, onions and cucumbers growing in her plot. Conda also enjoyed the socializing occurring at the garden. In particular, she enjoyed the end of the season “Howl at the Moon” party at the garden, an evening fireside party with guitars, singing, plenty of food and even a telescope to gaze up at the full Harvest moon hanging overhead in the night sky. For some of those involved, the garden also provides service opportunities to help feed others in need. The core group organized a “Plant a Row for the Hungry” initiative. Several of the gardeners entirely dedicated their plots to growing fresh food to donate to a local pantry called “My Neighbor’s Place”, housed by the Westwood United Methodist Church. Other gardeners donated their excess produce to the pantry. Mary Bryan, a gardener at the site, took the job of collecting and coordinating a run to the pantry, usually on Wednesday mornings, which worked better with her schedule as a realtor. She said at the height of the growing season, 13 LOCAL she was making weekly dropoffs of fresh greens, lettuces, kale, zucchini, cucumbers and melons. As the heat and drought continued, it created more challenging growing conditions, and deliveries dropped off, but she said the volunteers collecting the fresh produce she dropped off, “were always grateful, they were never unhappy to receive it.” My Neighbor’s Place is a collaborative effort between several different Westwood denominations, including the local First Westwood Presbyterian, Gloria Dei Lutheran and St. James Episcopal churches. Reverend Lee Strahan, pastor of the Westwood United Methodist Church, where My Neighbor’s Place is located, believes, “We can do things better together than separately.” Reverend Strahan, said he and his wife originally rented a plot at the community garden to grow food in, but with limited time for projects outside of the church, ended up donating its use to community gardeners who were also members of the church to raise fresh produce for the pantry. My Neighbor’s Place was begun by the church’s former pastor, Steve Bennett. Originally, the churches provided all the funding for food, but with $2,000.00 monthly expenditures for food, they affiliated last year with the Freestore Foodbank, allowing My Neighbor’s Place to get “more bang for the buck”. The pantry also receives food donations from local residents who generously shop and donate to the pantry, from the nearby Panera Bakery and also another local bakery, and the neighborhood Kroger’s. Strahan estimates they feed 60 Westwood families and residents weekly, asking only that those using My Neighbor’s Place limit their visits to once per month to allow more families to use the food pantry service. Strahan says that he views My Neighbor’s Place, like the garden, as a social outlet, providing a variety of services, including Tuesday and Thursday worship services with fellowship and coffee, Christmas gift donations and tutoring services. He said he sees the pantry as, “encouraging you to break out of your shell”, a place to as he puts it, “to be a friend”… Strahan hopes to see the Westwood Community garden expand and add enough plots to allow people who use My Neighbor’s Place to garden, particularly those living in apartments with no easy access to land in which to grow their own food. He hopes for other garden space to be added for those with “mobility issues”, who cannot easily use the current system of watering their garden bed by carrying water in buckets from the spigot back to their plots. He hopes for an eventual community garden closer to My Neighbor’s Place. The Westwood garden is about a mile away, making it difficult for those without cars or living further away from the garden to transport themselves and haul cumbersome tools along. With the Westwood Community Garden moving into its third year of existence, the neighborhood now has a 4-H Club in place, and involvement from neighborhood children. The garden has also received assistance from the local Boyscouts. Joel Kimmet says the “word is getting out” and the core group who oversees the garden is beginning plans for educational classes at the garden. They also hope to begin building garden space across the street with more benches and flowers for residents. Kimmet says, “It’s amazing what a garden does.” Mimi Rook is a regular contributor on community gardening. Her next article will be on the new cincycompost site. Photo: Westwood Community Garden. Playhouse In The Park and U.S. Bank Present Tri-State Holiday Favorite: A Christmas Carol STREETVIBES Staff T he spirit of the season arrives at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park as U.S. Bank presents Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. A popular favorite with Tri-state families now in its 22nd year, A Christmas Carol runs in the Playhouse’s Robert S. Marx Theatre from Nov. 29 through Dec. 30. Adapted by Howard Dallin, the Playhouse’s version of A Christmas Carol combines faithful storytelling with spellbinding stage magic to bring to life its familiar story of a sinner given one last chance at redemption by four persuasive ghosts. Ebenezer Scrooge undergoes a miraculous Christmas Eve transformation as he views with new eyes his past, present and the possibilities of the future. As he witnesses all those who have improved his life — his first love Belle, his kindhearted employer Fezziwig, his nephew Fred and his heartily abused clerk Bob Cratchit — he realizes that it’s never too late to change his miserly ways. A Christmas Carol’s heartwarming message, along with hundreds of costumes and thrilling special effects, helps to make the show one of the Playhouse’s most popular productions each year. Playhouse Associate Artistic Director Michael Evan Haney, who has been associated with A Christmas Carol since its first year (including two as the first Bob Cratchit), directs the show for the 20th time. According to Haney, “One of my greatest joys every year is returning to Howard Dallin’s faithful adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The rich and colorful language of the book has been adapted into dialogue enabling the actors to speak in such a way as to retain the beauty and Avery Clark is the Ghost of Christmas Future and Bruce Cromer is Ebenezer Scrooge in rhythm of the original the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s annual production of A Christmas Carol. prose. It is a beautiful Photo: Sandy Underwood. retelling of, as I call it, the second greatest more information, call the Playhouse box story ever told.” office at 513-421-3888 (toll-free in Ohio, Tickets for A Christmas Carol are on Kentucky and Indiana at 800-582-3208) or sale now. Prices range from $30-$80, visit www.cincyplay.com. depending on day and seat location, and are subject to change. For tickets or for �14 LOCAL PROTEST Nov. 23rd-Dec.6th, 2012 “Peace, Love, Gaza” MIKE CANON Contributing Writer C incinnati students and community members held a spirited rally on Friday November 16th in support of Gaza. The Israeli military has once again launched an assault on the terroritory and Friday’s action was part of an international campaign of solidarity with the Palestinian people. Over 30 people braved the weather and short notice to rally on the corner of MLK and Clifton Ave. Protesters waved Palestinian flags and displayed signs such as “End Israeli Apartheid” and “Peace, Love, Gaza”. The rally was further energized by chants such as, “End the Occupation, Palestine is a Nation!”. After the rally, a number of participants held a meeting to discuss next steps. A number of follow-up events were discussed, such as future rallies, film showings, and panel discussions. The goal is create a more permanent Cincinnati Palestine Solidarity Network that can put on more events to educate the community about the realities of the conflict. Friday November 16, 2012. Protesters gather on the corner of MLK and Clifton Ave. to call for a peaceful solution to the conflict in Gaza. Photo: Sameerah Ahmad. For more information please contact Ben Stockwell at Stockwellbm@gmail.com STREETVIBES CROSSWORD PUZZLE #005 from puzzlechoice.com 69. Animated Across 70. Lout 1. Stringed instrument 71. Church officer 5. Young child 72. Manufactured 8. Fuss 73. Moist 12. Obviate 74. Musical instrument of 14. Be indebted to ancient Greece 15. Fragment Down 16. Water barrier 1. One of two equal parts 17. Single 2. Assert 18. South American 3. Wander animal 4. Righteousness 19. Restless 5. Implement 21. Brass instrument 6. Possess 23. Japanese currency 7. Fangs 24. Scorch 8. Movie 25. Weep 9. Type of year 28. Small stream 10. Highest attainable 30. Ploy level 35. Harvest 11. Type of fuel 37. Amphibian 13. Postpone 39. Very slow tempo 15. Denotes more than 40. Hawaiian island one 41. Overhang 43. Musical composition 20. Combine 22. Music with for one syncopated 44. Contempt melody 46. Sate 24. Stringed instrument 47. Carbon black with keyboard 48. Purloined 25. Traverse 50. Zeal 26. Respond 52. Solfa syllable 27. Cheerful sounding 53. Parch search engine 55. Label 29. Loiter 57. Part of a set of 31. Musical setting for a bagpipes religeous ceremony 61. Female inheritor 32. Sulk 65. Country life 33. Ice hut 66. Regret 34. Part of a comb 68. Visual part of TV 36. Knitting stitch 38. Small wooded hollow 42. Roofing material 45. Cuddle 49. Indicating maiden name 51. Callow 54. Pointer 56. Kind of restaurant 57. Pack to capacity 58. Polynesian dance 59. Desiccated 60. Part of a church 61. Lift with difficulty 62. Miniture whirlpool 63. Soothsayer 64. Painful 67. Arab federation, initially CROSSWORD PUZZLE SOLUTION #004 �Shelter: Women and Children Central Access Point 381-SAFE Bethany House 557-2873 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224 Salvation Army 762-5660 131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 15 RESOURCES Nov. 23rd-Dec.6th, 2012 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Health Resource Center 357-4602 Homeless Mobile Health Van 352-2902 McMicken Dental Clinic 352-6363 4600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 Mercy Franciscan at St. John 981-5800 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214 NAMI of Hamilton County 458-6670 PATH Outreach 977-4489 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45202 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 Treatment: Men Shelter: Men Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 Prospect House 921-1613 Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Emmanuel Community Center 241-2563 Justice Watch 241-0490 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 Starting Over 961-2256 Peaslee Neighborhood Center Treatment: Women Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 First Step Home 961-4663 Goodwill industries 771-4800 Healing Connections 751-0600 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 1419 Elm Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Mt. Airy Shelter 661-4620 Shelter: Both 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Anthony House (Youth) 961-4080 Treatment: Both Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237 AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 217 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Joseph House (Veterans) 2728 Glendora Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45209 Drop Inn Center 721-0643 Interfaith Hospitality Network 471-1100 Lighthouse Youth Center (Youth) 221-3350 3330 Jefferson, Cinti, Ohio 45220 Housing: CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 OTR Community Housing 381-1171 114 W. 14th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 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 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Food/Clothing Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206 1308 Race St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 621-5514 214 E. 14th St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 1223 Main St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 241-2965 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 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels 863-3184 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Northern Kentucky Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 ECHO/Hosea House 859-261-5857 Fairhaven Resuce Mission 859-491-1027 Homeward Bound Youth 859-581-1111 Mathews House 859-261-8009 Homeless & Housing Coalition 859-727-0926 Parish Kitchen 859-581-7745 Pike St. Clinic 859-291-9321 Transitions, Inc 859-491-4435 Welcome House of NKY 859-431-8717 1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. 579-8547 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 Faces Without Places 363-3300 Stop AIDS 421-2437 Health Brighton Center 859-491-8303 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 Center for Respite Care 621-1868 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Other Resources 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-559-5011 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 PainterStreetNew:Layout 1 4/17/2012 11:10 AM Page 1 Compliments of Judge Mark Painter United Nations Appeals Tribunal 2009–2012 Ohio Court of Appeals 1995–2009 Hamilton County Municipal Court 1982–1995 Judging strictly on merit for 30 years www.judgepainter.org �16 Nov. 23rd-Dec.6th, 2012 � 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 2012 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 23-December 6, 2012 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: Coalition Provides Important Services Pg 3: The Emery Pg 4: What is an “Urban Pioneer?” Obama’s Victory Pg 5: Homeless People, Homeless Pets Pg 6: Two Civic Leaders Vie for Leadership Spot Pg 7: Recent Work of the Coalition Continued Pg 8: Distributors Pg 9: Ireland to Clarify Abortion Rules After Woman’s Death Pg 10: Lawsuit Seeks to Establish First Amendment Right to Photograph Police Pg 11: Cincinnati Living Green Gardening on. The Westside of Town-The Westwood Community Garden Pg 12: Maryland, Maine, Washington approve Gay Marriage Pg 13: Cincinnati Living Green Gardening on. The Westside of Town Continued Pg 14: “Peace, Love, Gaza” 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 23-December 6, 2012 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Justin Jeffre Josh Spring Jeni Jenkins Jason Dean Leslie Moorhead Jeff Kelly Jerry Davis Pete Roper Karen Chatman Chris Fowler Rubye Goode Stacey Hall Dan Labotz Jason Haap Jim Luken Willa D. Jones Kim Green Bill Woods Cleo Wombles Mimi Rook Bill Joiner Dylan Speeg Conor Humphries Lorraine Turner Mario Queiroz Edith Honan Michael Wilson Darrin Ballman Sameerah Ahmad Cry Anderson Westwood Community Garden Cathal McNaughton Playhouse in the Park Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF A Christmas Carol Abortion Barack Obama Bill Joiner Bill Woods Cathal McNaughton Chris Fowler Cincinnati Cleo Wombles Conor Humphries Cry Anderson Dan LaBotz Darrin Ballman Dylan Speeg Edith Honan Emery First Amendment Gay Marriage Ireland Jason Dean Jason Haap Jeff Kelly Jeni Jenkins Jerry Davis Jim Luken Josh Spring Justin Jeffre Karen Chatman Kim Green Leslie Moorhead Lorraine Turner Maine Mario Queiroz Maryland Michael Wilson Mimi Rook NAACP Pete Roper Playhouse in the Park Prostitution Protests Rubye Goode Sameerah Ahmad Stacey Hall Washington Westwood Community Garden Willa D. Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/cb2c5def1885d44f68500041f382dd24.pdf 583672d46c794cf97566da1957a87d1b PDF Text Text N o v e m b e r 2 8 t h - D e c e m b e r 1 2 t h 2 0 1 9 | Vo l . 2 3 I s s u e 2 3 ( N o . 4 2 1 ) 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. Better Door than a window Article on Page 8 This Issue is sponsored by (Retired) Judge Mark P. Painter 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 28 2 - -NDec o v 19, 0 18 | | N o . 393 Nov 12,22019 No. 421 From The Editor: DACA Goes To The Supreme Court Gabriela Godinez Editor-in-chief O n November 12, 2019, the supreme court reviewed DACA. DACA refers to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program established in 2012 to protect undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States under the age of 16. In 2017, President Trump revealed his plan to abolish DACAclaiming it was unconstitutional and an illegal program. Even though there have been multiple lower federal court rulings that have blocked the dismantling of the program, the supreme court might comply with the Trump administration’s wants. The hearing transcripts showed that Solicitor General Noel J. Francisco argued the court had no reason to be reviewing the matter since it was under the discretion of the administration and homeland security. However, he also argued that the government had to drop DACA because it was illegal and that it made no sense to create law if the law was then to be ignored by creating other policies. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg was quick to point this out saying, “General Francisco, there's a strange element to your argument because you're arguing this is a discretionary matter; it's not reviewable because it's committed to agency discretion. But, on the other hand, you say the agency had no discretion because this program was illegal.” According to NPR, Justice Sonia Sotomayor pointed out that President Trump was contradicting himself by first saying that the DREAMers were safe underneath his administration, but then abruptly wanted to end the program. The supreme court transcripts also show Justice Ginsberg speaking about a memo saying it was “infected” with the idea that DACA was illegal. That rhetoric clearly shows that Justice Ginsberg does not agree that DACA has ever been an illegal policy. However, after reading the transcripts, CBS News reported, “ some of the more conservative-leaning justices on the court did seem inclined to allow the administration to end the program; justice is like Brett Kavanaugh and chief justice John Roberts.” We will have to wait until the spring of 2020 to know what the supreme court rules after hearing arguments to end the program. So while we wait, let us review the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. To even apply for DACA, an undocumented resident had to be under the age of 30 and had to have been brought to the United States before they turned 16. Unaccompanied minors do not qualify. They had to either have graduated high school, be currently enrolled in school, or completed a GED certificate. Alternatively, they could be in the military or have been honorably discharged. The individual had to prove all of this as well as show they had not committed a violent crime since their arrival in the United States. Over 700,000 undocumented immigrants are currently protected under DACA. That is 700,000 of the approximated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. The Conversation reported that on top of all of the benefits the program provides, DACA significantly improved the mental health of its recipients. They were now able to plan for the future without fear. Many young people were able to apply for university, receive financial aid/scholarships, work legally in the United States, all under the protection of DACA. They reported, “our research demonstrates that DACA has enabled youth and young adults not just to work towards building their own futures, but also to find peace of mind- something that, until then, was unfamiliar to them.” Many people who qualified did not apply for protection under DACA because of the fear of outing themselves and their families. All of DACA recipients are known and exposed to the federal government. If Congress rules that it is under the Trump administration‘s discretion to remove DACA, all of DACA’s recipients will be vulnerable to deportation even though the administration claims that they are only doing this to end the benefits the recipients currently receive. 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: ACCORDING TO NPR'S LATINO USA Gabriela Godinez, Bill Woods, Helen Hill, Sebastien Malo, Dr. Mark Mussman, Jule Lummen, Gwladys Fouche, Willa Denise Jones, June Alexander, Kim Greene, Kylie Blovits ------------------------------------------- There are 11million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. S 3.6 million undocumented immigrants are DREAMers 1.8 million DREAMers were eligible for DACA 700,000 - 800,000 were estimated to have received DACA 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 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 2 - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Nov 283-|Dec 12, | No. 421 3 HOMELESSNESS Life on the streets: Growing old Helen Hill Street Roots T he streets are getting grayer. The proportion of elderly people experiencing poverty and homelessness has risen by more than 20 per cent in the past 15 years, according to the U.S. Department of Urban and Housing Development. There are myriad reasons for this increase. Baby boomers are aging. Social Security benefits have fallen far below the poverty line. There is the lingering legacy of the recession of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Add federal housing cuts, the high cost of health care, the de-institutionalization of mental patients, the epidemic of street drugs such as crack and meth, and finally, the 2008 economic crisis in which caused large numbers of people over the age of 50 to lose their homes to foreclosure and succumb to a soaring rental market. Growing old on the streets or in shelters is not for the faint of heart. Health concerns we all face as we age are harder to manage without the stability of a home. Diabetes, heart disease, tooth decay and memory loss are just some of the challenges faced by older adults on the streets. Falls can be catastrophic. Poor nutrition can accelerate and intensify chronic issues such as arthritis and joint problems. And the arrow of time moves in just one direction. None of us are getting any younger. Street Roots asked its vendors about their experience of aging on the streets and in shelters. “You are, like, 10 years older than what you should be,” said Jason Scheer. Mark R. is in his early 60s. “I get up early and I’m really sore, especially when you sleep on top of just the concrete, if you didn’t get any cardboard,” he said. “I’m very vain, I’m used to doing all sorts of things for my vanity, and I can’t do that anymore. I can’t clean my face like I used to. I have no idea what I look like. You have to take better care of yourself when you get older to look right. I have to take care of my hair, if I don’t, it mats up. I had a big snarl back here, but thanks to Street Roots, at Christmas last year I got a coupon for a free haircut, and she cut all that matted hair off. “I used to look at people and think ‘Why don’t you bathe? Why don’t you take care of yourself?’ But I realize now sometimes it’s not that easy. Sometimes you get caught in something and your clothes stink, and you don’t know what to do. And people say it’s only $4 to do a load of wash, but sometimes you don’t have that $4. There are free places to do laundry, but a lot of times there aren’t any openings. I’m used to being very hygienic, wearing clean clothes. When you can’t, I think that makes you look older. And that hurts your pride and vanity.” Tony Prince-Deno describes the experience as “horrific.” “Every step you take is a step you are aging,” Prince-Deno said. “You are out here by yourself, getting older, and it feels like a giant weight on you. It builds and builds and builds. My 51st birthday was probably the worst experience I ever had. I was angry for three days, until one day I came out of Street Roots and sat out under an umbrella at a table at the corner in the sun. I remember it well. And this guy goes by with a red-tipped stick, on a scooter. I’m watching him go by, and there’s another guy behind him with a cane and a scooter. They’re both blind. And the one guy says, ‘I think we’re doing really well!’ And then lo and behold, I saw 10 policemen down the block looking up. There was a jumper (a person threatening suicide) up on the crane. So you can go from bad to wow in a moment’s notice out here. It makes you wonder what you have to complain about.” Melissa, 50, said the cold weather goes right through her. “Every joint in my body hurts. It’s hard to get up off the concrete. It’s also hard to carry all your stuff with you when it’s cold out. My feet hurt worse. It’s getting hard all the way around,” she said. “I’ve only been out here for two and a half years,” said a vendor who wanted to be identified only as DWD. “But as my back continues to fail, and I think I can’t continue to do what I’m doing, I’m starting to look at Melissa’s cart here and wonder if I could get one. I’m trying to figure out how to save my back so I can keep going. It takes a toll, when you have degenerative disks and you wind up carrying everything you need back and forth, it’s gonna wear on you. Things will hit you. All of a sudden you don’t have the energy you once did. I get about a half-day of travel back and forth. If bedding gets wet, everything weighs so much more.” DWD added that the challenges are compounded with the aging standards of hearing and sight issues. “You can’t make out who’s coming toward you, and you can’t hear what someone’s saying. It makes you more of a target out there,” he said. “but there’s a lot of people who will stand up for you. There’s that, too.” George M. said being outside in extreme weather – the cold and the heat – is hard. “As you get older, it’s worse,” he said. “More tasks to take care of, more lines to stand in. More things to do, more exposure to the weather. I can feel the aches and pains in my bones. You get sick more often. Things won’t go away. It’s stress. I can sleep in the shelter, but there are 15 men in there. I can never be by myself. You can’t maintain a level personality without privacy. There’s no ‘you’ anymore because there’s no opportunity to be you.” Sean Sheffield said it seems like he doesn’t age. “It’s hard to explain,” he said, “but this weird thing happens. I lost my Image by Sabine van Erp from Pixabay THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED apartment six years ago, and it seems like time has stopped while you deal with the situation. You already have the aches and pains from the concrete, so it’s like you aren’t aging. You’re used to it. My hip and my knee I’m feeling especially. It slows down my selling. If my hip hurts too bad, I can’t sell at my spot.” For Jennifer Bradford and Heather Duffield, getting on and off the Max and TriMet buses with serious mobility issues adds another challenging layer to their lives. Jennifer is in a wheelchair and has a prosthetic leg. She recently went to the hospital after a fall on the Max. “I got on the Max; it was an older car. When I got to the handicapped spot, I had to lock my wheels, but I only got one of them locked, and the driver took off, and the force threw my wheelchair backwards. I hit my head on the chair and my wheelchair went down on the floor and my legs were straight up in the air. Two guys helped me get back upright. “I hit my head pretty hard. I’m on blood thinners, so I got right off and went to the hospital. I was doing what I thought I had to do for myself.” Heather uses a walker. “My main transport is bus and Max. People can be oblivious. Getting on and off Max is hard. Sometimes they don’t put the ramp down, then people have to wait extra long while I lift my walker on and off, and I end up hurting my back. “I wish I could go to PT (physical therapy), but it costs $40 a session. I can’t afford that right now,” she said. Courtesy of Street Roots / INSP.ngo �4 ADVERTISMENT THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED N o v 228 - N v 19, 18 | N o . 393 Nov - oDec 12,2 02019 | No. 421 �N o. 39 ov 212, - N2019 o v 19,| No. 2 0 18421 Nov 283 |- NDec U.S NEWS 5 Future Cool: The City Advertising Itself As A Haven For Climate Migrants Sebastien Malo Reuters B efore the advent of air conditioning, this northern U.S. city on the shore of Lake Superior promoted itself as a cool summer haven for the sweaty and allergy affected. One day Duluth might offer another kind of relief: As a haven for future U.S. migrants fleeing runaway heatwaves and other extreme weather elsewhere in the country. The Minnesota town, nestled along the world's largest freshwater lake, is among a small group of cities that scientists predict will become top destinations for Americans abandoning parts of the country one day made inhospitable by climate change. Up to now, frigid winters in Duluth - often ranked one of the coldest cities in the United States - have limited its appeal. The city, which planned to one day become as large as Chicago, never quite achieved its aims, as vacant lots testify. But Sandy Hoff, the president and owner of local real estate development firm F.I. Salter, said a changing climate could spur a property boom that would "no doubt" propel his company in ways unseen since his grandfather acquired it 90 years ago. "Duluth, in particular on the shore of the lake here, has tended to be a little cooler maybe than people have wanted at times in the past," he admitted. "Maybe a little climate change, where we're getting a little warmer, is beneficial to us," he said. No joke Predictions that a wave of Americans could one day wash in as a result of climate threats leave many residents part intrigued, part skeptical. Karen Pagel Guerndt, a realtor, joked that she hopes people don't hear about Harvard professor Jesse Keenan's research suggesting Duluth is wellsituated to become a climate sanctuary. "We don't want to be a big city," she said. She's kidding, of course, she said after all, she sells homes in Duluth for a living. Some early climate migrants are already buying them. Angel Dobrow, her husband Bob and their dog arrived in Duluth in 2017 from Northfield, about three hours south, and bought a sandy brown brick bungalow on two acres, with a backyard forest included. Dobrow, who works as a herbalist and for a small company that supports farmers, said they made the move with the future - and growing worries about how climate change might affect them a top priority. "The number one criteria for me was access to freshwater. I'm nervous about climate change. I wanted to be where - I mean it's a little hokey - we could walk and have water," she said. Leaving their home of 16 years "was hard," said Dobrow, 59. "But we felt like we were being freed" from ongoing worries about where they would best be able to ride out climate change impacts. Location, location, location Harvard's Keenan, an idiosyncratic bow tie wearer, first set foot in Duluth in March - three months after he began fleshing out why the quiet town of 86,000 might one day see tens of thousands of new residents settle in. The professor and his team had identified Duluth after more than 2,000 hours of work studying which U.S. towns might appeal to tomorrow's climate migrants and have room for them. In Duluth's case, the attraction can partly be summed up in an old real estate adage: Location, location, location, said Keegan, an expert in climate adaptation and design. Duluth abuts the cooling breeze of Lake Superior - a big source of freshwater - and is a reasonable 2.5hour drive to a dynamic economic hub, Minneapolis. The northern city's infamous cool weather means it will be temperate when most of the country sweats in a world climate experts say could be up to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter than preindustrial times as early as 2030. With its secure water supply, it is also less likely to face some of the climate-driven threats other parts of the country may grapple with, including worsening droughts and water shortages. Other U.S. "Rust Belt" cities - which lost population as heavy industry declined - also have been floated as potential climate refuges, including New York state's Buffalo and Cincinnati in Ohio. On a visit to the University of Minnesota Duluth in March, Keenan offered a few sleek potential slogans for the city: "Duluth - not as cold as you think", "The most climate-proof city in America", or "Duluth: 99 per cent climate-proof ". The social scientist was riffing off some of Duluth's own marketing ideas from another era, when it tried to persuade tourists that the lake-side city was worth a detour. Duluth's cool weather has long been the best draw for summer tourists, said Tony Dierckins, a local historian. Vintage postcards tout the town as "the air-conditioned city" and it was dubbed the country's "hay fever haven" until the arrival of antihistamines blunted that appeal, Dierckins said. The invention of air conditioning meant some residents of Rust Belt cities such as Duluth eventually departed for warmer destinations in the south of the United States, following jobs, said David Woodward, a professor of history at UMD. As a result, Duluth represents a "time capsule" of sorts, with a population virtually unchanged in half a century, Woodward said. That means there is room for newcomers - but after decades of a somewhat-depressed economy and no need for fresh housing, many of Duluth's homes have aged. Some fear the city is not ready for an influx. Serendipity On Jefferson Street, amid chirping birds and bushy trees, four neat houses speak to Duluth's housing crisis. The Loaves and Fishes residences are for Duluth's homeless residents, most of whom work but cannot afford the high rents landlords typically charge, said Joel Kilgour, who volunteers at the non-profit and chairs the Affordable Housing Coalition. Rents have skyrocketed largely due to a housing shortage of about 3,000 units. Local housing is shared with about 30,000 college students who need a home during the school year, said UMD's Woodward. Kilgour fears a surge of climate migrants could increase pressures on housing, compounding an already "serious internal displacement crisis" and creating a more unjust future for current residents. "If we as a community can't solve (current problems), there's no way that we're going to be able to handle an influx of climate refugees in an equitable manner," he said. That conundrum is on the mind of many more Duluth residents as well, including elected officials such as Mayor Emily Larson, a former Loaves and Fishes volunteer. In the heart of the Civic Center, Larson's stately office, with ornate brass lamps hanging from the ceiling, acts as a reminder that this mid-size city hall was intended for a "big city mayor", she quipped. If climate migration puts to better use Duluth's oversize territory and infrastructure - there are 29 per cent more road miles per person here than in the similarly-sized Minnesota town of St. Cloud, federal data shows - the result could be a kind of "ironic serendipity," said Larson. But she concedes she has "trepidations" about rapid future growth. "We struggle like many communities to ensure we have economic opportunity and safety and housing," she said. Preservationists such as Dennis THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Lamkin also fear for the city's historic housing stock. After developers build on the ample vacant and forested land on the city's periphery to meet growing demand for homes, continuing waves of climate migrants could prompt razing of the city's myriad aging historic mansions to make room for apartments, he worries. Many mansions were erected during the city's heyday at the turn of the last century, when more millionaires lived here than anywhere else in the nation, thanks to thriving mining, lumber and wheat industries. "I would hate to see developers come into town, tear down the historic architecture that we have, and just build non-descript housing units to accomodate climate refugees," he said. Futures Harvard's Keenan said after his presentation in March he received at least two dozen emails from people who had recently moved to Duluth with climate change in mind. "Last October I bought a house in Duluth. It's my retirement plan," said New Yorker Lacy Shelby by email. "I needed ... a lower 'dose' of noticeable climate change," she said. Word is spreading among physicians too. At St. Luke's Hospital, recruiter April Knapp, whose job it is to convince in-demand physicians to take a job in Duluth, said reading up on climate change was now on her "to-do list" as she finesses her pitch. Already, about 10 potential job candidates have mentioned hearing that Duluth may be a climate-proof destination, she said. In a brutalist campus building next to a highway, Patrick Schoff, the biology research associate at UMD who invited Keenan to present his vision for Duluth, is already plotting next steps. A conference looking at the economic aspects of positioning Duluth as a climate refuge is in very early planning stages, he explained, and other ideas are circulating as well. For Dobrow's close friend, Karen Olson, a future in Duluth is already in the works. Olson, 51, is also planning in a year or two to leave the Minnesota town of Northfield for Duluth, looking for the best place to ride out forecasted climate threats. "This feels like the last big thing that I can do in order to have at least tried to be as responsible as I could to my children," she said. "I wanted to leave something, a place for my children to potentially have some kind of a chance, some sort of safe harbor." Courtesy of Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation / INSP.ngo �LOCAL 6 NNov o v 228 - N- oDec v 19, 2 02019 18 | N o . 393 12, | No. 421 Sanctuary Communities - New Book To Be Released By The Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center Bill Woods ContributingWriter A timely book is about to be released by the Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center. Co-authored by Brennan Grayson, the Executive Director of the Center, and John D. Tynes, "Sanctuary Communities" examines the role of providing "sanctuary" in this current climate of deporting any person who cannot prove their legal status for living in this country. The book also explores what motivates so many people from Central America to seek refuge in the United States. The authors strive to provide essential information so that readers can understand a complex and often emotionally charged subject. Cincinnati receives a lot of attention in the section of the book focusing on "sanctuary issues." Although City Council voted in February 2017 to become a Sanctuary City, Brennan Grayson declares that the City lacks the legal capacity to be such a community. Council's formal Resolution states the City will deny the use of its law enforcement personnel or services to enforce federal immigration laws. However, since it lacks its own jail, this critical portion of the Resolution is unworkable. Hamilton County operates the Justice Center that houses the jail where persons arrested by the City Police are held. Although the County has no formal written policy regarding federal enforcement of immigration laws, Grayson found the activities of jail employees add up to an informal working relationship with ICE ( U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement). In essence according to this section of the book, the policy of Sheriff Jim Neil, who administers the jail, is to cooperate with ICE. What are these activities occurring at the Hamilton County Justice Center? The common practice is for the Center to contact ICE when it is holding someone who appears to be an undocumented immigrant. It honors ICE requests to detain an immigrant even when that person is found to have broken no local law. It also informally cooperates when ICE officials are working to collect damning evidence about someone being held at the County facility. The results of this cooperation are significant. Over the last decade, the Hamilton County Justice Center has facilitated over 1,500 deportations. Since Cincinnati declared itself a Sanctuary City in 2017, 359 of those deportations have occurred. These facts are why the authors conclude that cities like Cincinnati that do not control the policies of their jail systems cannot call themselves sanctuary cities. "While there is no standard definition for what constitutes sanctuary or a sanctuary community," they write, "the term is used to refer to cities that protect undocumented immigrants from deportation by limiting cooperation with the federal law enforcement agencies that deport them." San Francisco is cited in the book as a model for other communities to follow. The need for effective sanctuaries is stressed in the book because of the current thrust of the federal government to deport especially undocumented immigrants from Mexico and Central America. The authors spend some time debunking the negative myths about lawless Hispanics crossing the borders to rape and pillage. In fact, studies indicate that undocumented immigrants are more likely to be taken advantage of by employers and landlords due to their fears of deportation. One of the primary goals of the Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center is to protect immigrant workers from wage theft. "Clearly," note the authors, "immigrants, especially undocumented immigrants, face significant challenges living in this country." The Workers Center will release this book on December 5th, and people will have a chance to hear and meet the authors that day at the Community issues Forum at Christ Church Cathedral, 318 East Fourth Street. This event begins at noon on Thursday December 5th, and is free and open to the public. For more information, call 381-4994. 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 �LOCAL N o. 39 3 |-N ov 2 12, - No v 19,| 2 0 18421 Nov 28 Dec 2019 No. 7 A Microcosm of Hypocrisy Dr. Mark Mussman Staff Writer O ver the next year, there will be considerable discussion regarding Cincinnati’s new Affordable Housing Trust Fund. By the end of 2020, we hope there will be dedicated funding sources for the trust fund, to create and sustain high-quality affordable housing in Cincinnati. The need for our trust fund came out of the steady displacement caused by gentrification in many of Cincinnati’s neighborhoods. In Overthe-Rhine, Mt. Auburn, Corryville, Avondale, Lower Price Hill, Walnut Hills, and other neighborhoods, Black and low-income residents are being displaced for wealthier, and often whiter, residents and businesses. It is common knowledge that gentrification is occurring in the areas surrounding downtown, including the West End, but people often don’t realize that their own taxes incentivize the displacement of residents and businesses. The city of Cincinnati incentivizes development in many different ways, but no mechanism to prevent displacement exists. Today, a developer may receive direct subsidies from the city to develop a market-rate building. They may receive TIF funds to build a parking structure under their development. They may receive city tax breaks, amounting to millions of dollars. Developers may receive tax abatement on their property, which also short-changes our public schools. All of these tools are used to displace low-income, and often Black, residents from their homes. Other countylevel pressures, such as property tax valuation, increase disparities in our communities. In order to fully understand what is happening to our communities, we need to look at the street-level advancement of gentrification. One example of the cycle of gentrification is Findlay Playground, or as it is commonly known, Findlay Park. Parks have a huge impact on perception of a neighborhood. Looking at Washington Park, for example, which saw 46 million dollars in renovation nearly a decade ago, the privatization of the park by Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC), received a lease of the park for 95 years. (It wasn’t so simple as that, as the Cincinnati Public Schools Board agreed to a land swap to move the school land across 12th Street, where the School for Creative and Performing Arts is today. And to acquire that land, property owners, including the Drop Inn Center, had to be compensated for the historic buildings that were torn down after the residents were displaced.) 3CDC leased Washington Park from the City of Cincinnati for 95 years at the cost of $1. On the surface, the rehab of Washington Park seems like it has spurred development, increased social activities, increased revenues through parking, alcohol, and events, but there is also an insidious side that has resulted in the criminalization of people experiencing homelessness and poverty. The old park had a deep water swimming pool, including a swim and dive team made up of Overthe-Rhine youth. The basketball court and non-magnet elementary school (which was the highest performing in the neighborhood) were all removed as well. As the closed-door community meetings on the rehab of the park began to show the loss of these important community assets, the protest included signs and chants of “You can’t learn to swim in a sprayground!” which show that the lack of access to swimming pools in neighborhoods like this result in drowning later in life. This is especially true for Black people, who have been historically barred from swimming pools. (Coney Island even closed their pool for several years, rather than let Black children swim in it.) Public Murals are Inaccessible Due to Privatization Corner Store Closes Without Fanfare Also concerning are the rules that 3CDC put on the park which bar people and organizations from donating clothes, food, and having events that benefit people in poverty. Essentially, criminalizing homelessness by banning laying down in the park or eating out of garbage cans creates a very real barrier for people who want to use the park, as it was intended, a respite from the bustle of city life. Coupled on top of complaints from people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity who have been “banned” from using the bathrooms in the park, it is clear that the hostile designed fence around the park isn’t the only thing keeping the “undesirables” out of the park — the 24/7 private security force is always at work. The renovations of Ziegler Park proved to directly displace Black residents from the area, both in privately-owned apartments, and subsidized apartments abutting the park. We have seen the cost of a swim membership rise from $4 a year to $4 a day. While there are claims that children can get discounted rates, this comes with structural and racist barriers that require family background information which result in less accessibility for all families. Overall, the millions that went into these two parks means that someone has made a considerable profit off of the projects. At a recent community meeting about Findlay Park, that was attended by less than a dozen residents, we heard that the goal is to raise 22 million dollars for the rehab. The CRC Director of Recreation stated that the Cincinnati Business Committee will ask the State of Ohio for 5 million, and the rest would be from TIF money and other fundraising channels. The Director said that they don’t need any plans to present to the State for the 5 million dollars, and at this time have no idea what the 22 million dollars rehab would actually look like. The purpose of the meeting was to come up with programming THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED ideas, starting in April of 2020, so that if the fence is removed, there would be programs set in place. It was clear that it doesn’t take millions to remove the fence. The Director of Recreation also said that the reason the fence was put up was due to safety concerns of the Mayor, City Manager, and the Cincinnati Police Department. While Grant Park, just a few blocks away, also sees high crime, including murder, there is no fence around it. The area around Fountain Square sees more crime than these areas, but there is no fence around it. People in our community bemoan the loss of any parking spots, but when the “City Parking Only” signs in front of Findlay Park went up, no one mentioned it as an issue. When the public mosaic was gated off by Model Group on the west side of the park, no one said anything regarding the loss of public art, yet we are filling every space will murals for BLINK and ArtWorks. Finally, when the word on the street is that the store directly across Vine from the park closed because the owner said they lost all of their business when the fence went up around the park, no one came to their aid, even though the community acts like small, minorityowned businesses are a priority. (A recent report shows that only about 8% of the businesses in Over-the-Rhine currently are Black owned, even though the neighborhood is still majority Black). While the condos abutting the Park receive tax abatement for decades and other incentives to displace the lowincome Black residents who lived there less than 2 years ago, the neighbors get a fence around their park. When white people make blatantly racist remarks, even micro-aggressions, at every community meeting, the true meaning of the fence is explicated: Only power and money is welcome, everyone else is fenced off. �FEATURED 8 N ov 2 o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Nov 28- N - Dec 12,2 02019 421 Better Door Than A Window: Part I Kylie Blovits ContributingWriter O n Wednesday, October 2, hundreds of people marched from Laurel Park to City Hall to demand for Housing Now! — or more specifically, the long-awaited funding for the 40,000 units of affordable housing that is needed in Hamilton County, 28,000 of which is for Cincinnati alone (Community Building Institute). Seeing this shortage and consequences of it worsening everyday, the community decided enough was enough. If city government wouldn’t address the issue on their own, the people, organized by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, would bring it to the discussion and hold the people in power accountable. And that was exactly the plan. The day and time of the march was set to align with the City Council meeting, a part of which is supposed to be dedicated for ‘public comment’, so that the community could air their concerns to their representatives and advocate for the basic human right of shelter. However, upon arrival, it was discovered that City Council had conveniently moved their meeting up four hours (2pm instead of 6pm as planned). The doors were closed and no-one was home. Apparently the community’s voices weren’t worth being heard. Though one of the more recent examples, this was not the first time that the Mayor and the rest of City Council has turned their back on their ‘constituents’ in regards to the affordable housing crisis, specifically the people of Over-the-Rhine. In June of 2002, the Overthe-Rhine Comprehensive Plan: A Consensus-based Plan by People who Care was published. This document, a product of a 5-year collaboration between the City Planning Department, City Council, and Community Members, called for things like a more balanced housing stock, significant increases in affordable housing units, more home ownership, etc. In her book, Econocide, long-time resident and social worker in the Over-the-Rhine area, Alice Skirtz recalls that “it became part of the larger City of Cincinnati Comprehensive Plan, intended to guide the city’s decision making, neighborhood by neighborhood.” Like the larger, encompassing City of Cincinnati Comprehensive Plan, the more focussed Over-the-Rhine Comprehensive Plan was set to be managed by the Planning Department. Everything was put in its place, teed up for a home run. But what happened? That was 17 years ago. Clearly, as evidenced by the Housing Now! March, the city of Cincinnati is experiencing an incredible shortage of shelter for its low-income residents. In fact, according to The Enquirer, there has been both a net loss of occupiable housing units (market rate or otherwise), as well as a dramatic reduction in the amount of affordable housing units (0-30% AMI) — from 3,235 units at the time that the Overthe-Rhine Comprehensive Plan was published in 2002, to 869 at the time of the last Housing Inventory. What happened was thenMayor Charlie Luken. Barely six months after the Over-the-Rhine Thanks to city government, 3CDC is well on its way to a monopoly of Over-the-Rhine. 3CDC denied the Homeless Youth Empowerment Council and the Inter-community Justice & Peace Center (IJPC) use of Fountain Square Park, but permits events like 'Tequila Fest". Comprehensive Plan was adopted, the 80-year-old Planning Department was dissolved. Suddenly, Skirtz writes, the Plan “lost its administrative champion…[and] only resource for ensuring compliance with the Plan.” Shortly before that, Mayor Luken had also abolished the Economic Development Department. In place of both of these governmental, regulating bodies, Luken created two private corporations, so-named The Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC) and the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority, respectively. Both private entities have a Board of Directors composed of CEOs and other high-level executives which double-dip from many of the same Fortune 500 companies, such as: GE, Proctor and Gamble, North American Properties, Cincinnati Bell, Kroger, and more. While the latter, now interestingly enough run by the same Charlie Luken, works on development predominantly on the outskirts of Cincinnati, the industrial sector, and foreclosures , the former — 3CDC — was created to attack the heart of the city, or as they put it — “Build life in our City’s center”. In contrast to 3CDC, though the Port Authority does feature corporate actors, there are also two community members and advocates on their Board, and furthermore — the organization is required to have open hearings and receive community input. 3CDC, however, has no community members on its Board and has no obligation to engage with the community or cater to them. And it shows. To date, only two projects on 3CDC’s website advertise units of affordable housing. The first, City Home - Pleasant Street, is for residents who can afford 50-60% THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED AMI as noted on the 3CDC website. The second, Columbia Flats, has 8 (of 36) units for those at 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). Moreover, according to Bonnie Neumeier, longtime resident and founder of Over-theRhine Community Housing (OTRCH): “Often times, 3CDC will claim the work OTRCH has done in affordable housing because they have control of resources that we’ve needed on various projects. When they have done affordable housing, it’s never 0-30% of AMI, it’s more close to 80% of AMI which is beyond the reach for those we serve.” But no matter, affordable housing and the good of the original community was never the goal. As said on 3CDC’s website, Luken and the aforementioned members of the Cincinnati corporate community agreed that “the economic future of Cincinnati depended first and foremost on a strong and vibrant downtown business and entertainment district,” which required a “strategic focus” in the revitalisation of Over-the-Rhine. And boy, was there strategy. The first element of strategy was creating an entity which has essentially as much power in and over the city as a governmental body, but without any of the responsibility that a governmental body would have in upholding promises, policy, or morals as said entity is a private corporation. Not only does this immensely benefit the corporation, 3CDC, who can further their own economic endeavours using millions of dollars of the city’s money, assets, and tax abatements, but it also allows city officials (like thenMayor Charlie Luken, now-mayor, John Cranley, and Council members) to yield results in questionable ways, �No. 39 Nov 212, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Nov 283 -| Dec | No. 421 all the while remaining politically correct by relinquishing responsibility —throwing their hands up, as if to say: “We can’t control what 3CDC does; they are a private organization and therefore independent from the city.” But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. The city of Cincinnati and 3CDC have been cut from the same cloth, inexorably linked, at times even synonymous. 3CDC was literally founded by the Mayor, and since then— has been considered the city’s exclusive and ‘preferred developer', as reported by Bizjournals.The transformation of the community of Over-the-Rhine is said to have “happened in a blink of an eye,” something only made possible by the ever-growing list of powers awarded to them by the city. Thanks to Cincinnati’s leaders, 3CDC, a supposedly nongovernmental group, has “the ability to initiate regulatory reform, issue bonds, and use eminent domain [to acquire land],” says Skirtz. Soon, public assets were surrendered to 3CDC, as well. For example, by 2005, 3CDC had a contract with the city for full planning, development, and management authority of Fountain Square Park for 50 years. Not long after that, 3CDC was given Washington Park for 95 years, no questions asked. Ziegler Park followed. It wasn’t until a couple years after the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation obtained Fountain Square Park that public awareness was raised about 3CDC’s power to grant or deny permits for public use of the park. In the spring of 2007, two groups, the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center (IJPC) and the Homeless Youth Empowerment Council, were banned from organizing demonstrations and discovered that there was no real appeal process for contesting or negotiating these decisions made by the authority of 3CDC. It seems that in addition to control over the use of the public by public land, 3CDC also has power over human rights. In not one, not two, but three of the area’s largest public spaces. And, therein lies the twisted beauty of the aforementioned mutuallybeneficial relationship between the city and 3CDC. By privatising public property like Fountain Square, Washington, and Ziegler Park, 3CDC, the managing entity has the jurisdiction to forbid behaviors or persons. If management resided with the city, as it was, they could not justly discriminate. In this arrangement, 3CDC and the city of Cincinnati can stick to the ‘mixed model’ described in Econocide, “which was undertaken fir purposes of promoting business and preventing use by certain so-called undesirable people and events.” The people can’t challenge them, and apparently neither can other developers. As of this January, Downtown Cincinnati Inc. (DCI), a non-profit organization founded in 1994 to improve metropolitan Cincinnati, merged to become a 9 FEATURED On the day of the Housing Now! March, City Council changed their meeting time to take away the platform for advocacy and discussion, either leaving early or hiding inside. subsidiary of 3CDC. WVXU reported Joe Rudemiller (VP of Marketing and Communications at 3CDC) chalking it up to a decision to increase efficiency: “The city just saw there were two organizations performing very similar functions.” Now there’s one less organization to stand in their way. That is indeed more efficient. Furthermore, according to the Cincinnati Business Courier, in 2014, 3CDC managed to find themselves in the position to “serve as a reviewer of proposals from thirdparty prospective developers and provide recommendations to the city.” Moreover, of the approved projects, “if redevelopment does not take place as planned, the property would revert back to city ownership.” So, essentially 3CDC gets to control all other development in the city, either vetoing or passing on whatever they like— which is both a gross conflict of interest and a very powerful, monopolising role. And, if a third party projects get through, they can be taken over by the city, and by extension — 3CDC if they don’t uphold the terms of the agreement. Whether or not other developers are given the nod of approval, whether or not they succeed, 3CDC is in control. It’s a winwin-win-win! In addition to being the filter and deciding vote for any potential development project, 3CDC was also granted custodianship of two private investment funds — the Cincinnati New Markets Fund (CNMF) and the Cincinnati Equity Fund (CEF). In 2004, when they graciously accepted this responsibility, the combined total amounted to nearly $100 million dollars. Since then, 3CDC has created two more funds -- the CEF II and CNMFII funds, from which they can play with a $36 million line of credit, according to a Drexel University study. Besides the $100+ million of development funds, 3CDC receives incredible amounts of tax incentives from the Community Reinvestment Area Commercial Tax Abatement Program (Commercial CRA), Tax Increment Financing (TIF), and the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program. According to Mayor Cranley, 3CDC has received nearly $50 million from TIFs alone. Almost all projects are given full financial backing and forgo having to pay taxes for up to 15 years. And then some properties the city just basically donates to 3CDC. For example, as seen in the image below, 1409 Race Street was sold to OTR Holdings, Inc., a subsidiary of 3CDC, from the City of Cincinnati for $0. With all this power, preferential treatment, and public funding being funnelled into a private organization running parallel to the city government, it’s no wonder why a citizen member of the Planning Commission thinks “the mayor’s development task force [is] a ‘stacked deck’ that is very heavily weighted toward developer interests.” It’s even less of a wonder since the former City Manager, Harry Black, had similar things to say. Less than a year ago, in April of 2018, Fox reported allegations about corruption in City Hall began circulating the media. Two days before his resignation, Black publicly accused now-Mayor John Cranley (political-mentee of thenmayor Charlie Luken) of “mixing his campaign fundraising with the city’s economic development deals.” According to WCPO, the firestorm surrounding the scandal included a threat to sue the city, persisting several months until finally the flames were suppressed — by money. Lots of money. Ex-City Planner, Harry Black, silenced by settlements. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �10 GLOBAL N ov 2 o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Nov 28- N - Dec 12,2 02019 421 Adapting To The Effects Of The Climate Crisis Jule Lummen bodo T he current horror of the visible effects of global warming can make it easy for us to forget the fact that man-made climate change has been the object of scientific research since the beginning of the 20th century. The topic has been on the political agenda since at least 1979, when the first World Climate Change Conference was held, and the cities of Bochum and Dortmund In Germany have had tangible climate protection policies in place since the early 1990s. In science, there is little need to discuss the existence of climate change. Instead, in-depth research into the growing impacts of climate change and the practical application of climate change adaptations is being carried out. More than a decade ago, in December 2008, the German government adopted the German Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, which includes various areas of action—ranging from human health to construction, manufacturing and transport to agriculture, forestry and biodiversity. The government is already focussed on big cities; however, a recent study by ETH Zurich indicates the scale of the consequences of the climate crisis and warns of a massive warming of the urban climate in European metropolises by 2050. 10 degrees warmer Even in the Ruhr valley, a densely populated area, the urban climate effect has already caused drastic temperature increases during the summer. “The high proportion of sealed surfaces stores heat and releases it as radiant heat at night,” explains Professor Stefan Greiving, who heads the Institute for Spatial Planning at the Technical University of Dortmund and researches climate change adaptation. “This heat island effect can lead to eight to ten-degree higher temperatures at night when compared to the rural surroundings.” Overnight temperatures of over 20 degrees were rare between 1961 and 1990, according to the climate charts produced by the Regionalverband Ruhr [RVR: the regional association for the Ruhr area]. During that time period, there were no more than three such nights per year in Dortmund’s city centre. However, researchers estimate that from 2021 to 2050, there will be between 27 and 30 tropical nights, which are called Tn20GT by meteorologists, every year. This increase is associated with specific health risks, says Dr. Med. Andreas Rienow, one of the researchers of the Geomatics working group at the Geographical Institute of the Ruhr- A man walk through a flooded street during heavy rain in Berlin, Germany, June 29, 2017. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch University in Bochum. “Especially for vulnerable groups, [such as] small children under four years old and people older than 65, this can be a heavy burden,” he says. A second consequence, Stefan Greiving explains, is a change in precipitation. The increase of atmospheric convection, a weather phenomenon in which humid and warm air rises quickly and can lead to thunderstorms with heavy rain, poses major problems for cities. The effects of, and damage caused by, floods are mainly influenced by the degree of surface sealing. “These changes in temperature and precipitation ultimately have a detrimental effect on water supply, quality of life and biodiversity,” Greiving says. Weather conditions in the last two summers, in which there was little rainfall followed by heavy rainfall, have led to significant strains on the vegetation—sometimes with complex repercussions. “We can assume that, in the longer term, most of the native species that currently live here will disappear,” he states. What can be done? A whole range of measures can help to combat changing trends in precipitation and rising temperatures. For example, cities can create airways and green corridors, which can help to mitigate the consequences of these weather phenomena. Andreas Rienow researches the possibilities of designing a sustainable climate landscape as part of the Bochum-based project KlimNet. The project is based on satellite images and is focussed on the issue of surface sealing. “We mustn’t seal up green spaces, as they are important for cold air generation and infiltration,” Rienow explains. “It is important to determine which areas are climate-relevant. In the Ruhr area in particular, there is a wealth of conversion areas. Many former industrial sites can be redeveloped, without having to seal them any further.” In city districts, green areas, green roofs and facades significantly reduce the heat radiation of buildings and bind CO2. In the past year, for example, Dortmund made roof greening mandatory for new buildings and roof coverings. In Bochum, this will also apply to new buildings and conversions in certain areas of the city in the future. At the same time, integrated water surfaces within the landscape serve to cool the district. “There are innovative concepts that we can implement, such as the sponge city,” Rienow says. “[This is when] partly permeable materials are used to buffer precipitation, rather than draining it directly through the sewers.” “In the larger cities in particular, awareness of the topic has grown over recent years,” says Stefan Greiving. “Together with us, the city of Dortmund has carried out a pilot project for climate change adaptation for the district of Hörde. The findings are currently being applied to the rest of the city.” A heavy rain hazard map has recently been created, which shows the flood risk during heavy rainfall for each part of the city. This is important to know when building canals or houses. Or when the city has to decide where to construct emergency water channels or retention basins so that water drains off better during heavy rainfall. Bochum has developed its own method by which to adapt to the changing climate. The new Ostpark residential area serves as a model by which to investigate how urban planning measures, such as green areas, water-permeable footpaths, heat- and rain-resistant trees, cooling city lakes and flood protection can be implemented in residential and urban areas. The Emschergenossenschaft [the public water board responsible for the area] and the RVR are also active; for example, in connecting the different municipalities. Andreas Rienow also sees increased activity at local THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED government level: “Many municipalities are not just thinking about climate protection, but also about climate adaptation— because, unfortunately, it is already very late; actually, maybe even too late [to take action].” Environmental justice Even if the will to act is there, local governments are sometimes confronted with conflicting objectives. The lack of housing is one example: urbanisation and land use are causing cities to overheat even further. “The legitimate interest in affordable housing and the right to live in the city is also the legitimate interest of those who already live in cities and want to protect themselves from additional burdens,” Stefan Greiving says. He stresses that climate protection, as well as measures to mitigate climate change, should be looked at together with social issues. Making transport, energy and consumption simply more expensive for climate protection reasons would make life even harder for households with a low disposable income. The same applies to climate change adaptation, says the Dortmundbased researcher. “Those who live in neighbourhoods that are exposed to multiple environmental burdens are also disproportionately affected by climate effects, such as increased levels of overheating. And they often live in buildings that are not insulated and do not have exterior shading, shutters or even air conditioning,” Greiving adds. Climate change is harder for the poor and it increases social inequality. “The challenge is environmental justice,” Greiving concludes. “We have to take the perspective of socialecological justice and ask: can climate adaptation unintentionally reinforce existing inequalities?” Translated from German by Eva Schueckel Courtesy of bodo / INSP.ngo �No. 39 Nov 212, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Nov 283 -| Dec | No. 421 11 GLOBAL On Norway's Border With Russia, Unease Over Military Build-Up Gwladys Fouche Reuters Under a soft winter sun in northern Norway, U.S. Marines train in the ice and snow as they learn how to fight in the freezing cold. "Which country is to the northeast?" Staff Sergeant Daniel Croak bellows at a group of 20 soldiers in camouflaged combat jackets and white trousers in a pine forest near the town of Setermoen. "Russia!" they shout back. The troops are part of a contingent of 650 Marines staging a recent joint military exercise with 3,000 soldiers from NATO-member Norway at a time when both NATO and Russia have increased their military presence in the Arctic. A few hundred kilometres from Setermoen, Russia is modernising its forces on the Kola Peninsula, home to its Northern Fleet. Russia has also carried out manoeuvres in recent weeks, staging a major submarine exercise in the North Atlantic, according to intelligence sources cited by Norwegian media. "Do not use your GPSes. They may be jammed," Croak barks to the Marines, a warning stemming from NATO accusations - denied by Russia - that Moscow has in the past jammed GPS systems in Norway. The rising tension is unsettling many Norwegians, not least in the town of Kirkenes, which for three decades has been trying to foster cooperation with Russia. Residents can cross the nearby border quickly with a visa-free permit. Many go to the nearby Russian town of Nikel to buy petrol because it is much cheaper there, and street signs use both the Cyrillic and Latin scripts. "I don't like it that they build up the military on both sides of the border. We don't want rising tensions," said Eirik Wikan, co-owner of the Kimek shipyard in Kirkenes, which gets twothirds of its revenues from repairing Russian vessels. "Here in the north, we work together to reduce tensions ...We are trying not to be part of them." Created in 1987, the shipyard quickly found business with the Soviet Union as it opened up under reformminded leader Mikhail Gorbachev. It is now doing a brisk trade and about a third of the company's 180 employees are Russian, 22 of whom work in the Russian port city of Murmansk. They include Nikolai Chagin, a 48-year-old mechanic from the Russian town of Severodvinsk who has worked for the shipyard in Kirkenes since 2006. "I don't have those problems I used to have in Russia before: I have a good job, a normal salary ... there are only positives," he said. In the early 1990s, after the end of the Cold War and the Soviet Union's collapse, building regional cooperation became a foreign policy priority for Norway. About 10 per cent of Kirkenes residents are now from the Kola Peninsula. Kirkenes' Samovar theatre company performs in both Norway and Russia, and has Russian and Norwegians employees. Russian choreographer Nikolai Shchetnev feels at home and is thinking of applying for dual nationality. "Kirkenes is a Russian town in Norway," said Rune Rafaelsen, the mayor of Soer-Varanger municipality which includes Kirkenes. He said he would not welcome more tanks on the border though he saw Norway's NATO membership as "a U.S. marines of Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, part of Marine Rotational Force Europe take part in "Reindeer 2", a Norwegian-U.S. military drill, in Setermoen, Norway, October 29, 2019. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov Norwegian soldiers stand guard in front of a temporary command centre camp during "Reindeer 2", a Norwegian-U.S. military drill, in Setermoen, Norway, October 29, 2019. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov guarantee that I can do my job." Russia denies responsibility for the increase in tensions and blames the presence of U.S. Marines at Norwegian bases, which it sees as a security challenge. But Norway's worries about Moscow's intentions grew after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and then staged Arctic military exercises including maritime manoeuvres with ballistic missile capable vessels present. "These were clear messages from Moscow," said Lieutenant-General Rune Jakobsen, Commander of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters -- the Norwegian Armed Forces operational command centre. "Do not be part of (NATO's) ballistic-missile defence." Despite the tensions, he says Russian forces are behaving less aggressively on the frontier with Norway than in some other border zones between Russia and NATO, such as the Baltic Sea. In efforts to build trust, Jakobsen has in recent weeks had talks with the regional head of Russia's FSB security service in the Kola Peninsula, and met the newly appointed head of the Northern Fleet, Alexander Moiseyev, in Kirkenes. "As a small nation neighbouring a superpower, you have to strike the right balance between deterrence and reassurance," Jakobsen said. But conducting exercises jointly with the U.S. Marines in the field is also important for Norway's armed forces. "Working together is what makes it possible to fight together, if we have to," said Brigadier Lars Lervik, commander of the Brigade North based in Setermoen. Courtesy of Reuters / INSP.ngo A sign reading "Russia 490m" stands next to the checkpoint between Storskog and Borisoglebsk on the Norway-Russia border in Finnmark county, Norway, October 26, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �12 Giving Thanks STREETVOICE N o v 28 2 --NDec o v 19, 0 18 || N o . 393 Nov 12,22019 No. 421 X-Ray This Thanksgiving people all over our country will sit around tables and diners and tailgates and proclaim, “What I am thankful for…” I will also share my heart-filled gratitude for my most amazing adopted family. While helping me through another dangerous journey, they protect and give me my most treasured gifts--the ability to serve and to love. If I did an x-ray on myself what results would I see? Deep down there is a king in me. He is trying real hard to break free, so the devil I command you to flee! Thank you for keeping me human. I daydream constantly about my potential, June Alexander Contributing Writer it’s time to do something with my life that’s beneficial I got to Waited Too Long try to make this world a better place, Have you waited too long? I hope when my time is up God will welcome my face I don’t Waited too long to become humble and strong Feeling all alone need a doctor to exam my thoughts, Has that feeling come and gone? because a war within myself I have always fought with liquor Don’t wait too long and cigarettes, When everything is gone I have been destroying myself so the next time I’m at the Saying to yourself I didn’t give it my all I waited too long! Kim Green Contributing Writer Streetvibes Distributor store you can stay on the shelf! Jamar Malcom King Contributing Writer 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 12, 2- N o v 19, 2 0 18 Nov 283- |Dec 2019 | No. 421 My Father's House 13 STREETVOICE In my fathers house there are many mansions Many mansions, with many rooms to rest and pray in In good times, in bad times, day, night, sleep or wake times THE IMPEACHMENT HEARINGS' MOTHER GOOSE All the time I spend in my fathers house cause his house is Citizen Mary says "It's scary, mines When I was homeless, a drunkard, a drug addict and all alone I found much comfort and peace just praising in song Watching the hearings on TV. Republicans may yell 'Boring,' When I was hungry, hair nappy, dirty and smelling really And that viewers are snoring, bad But the witnesses are credible I held onto my sanity, when my belief in pray was all I had To me!" As in any house with rules, my father has commandments of ten Even though I would make mistakes, I’d always repent of my sins BILL WOODS Contributing Writer 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 Taking what each day brings in pray and always believe Having faith to know that my fathers 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 learn 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 you soul to truly find yourself An understand that in our fathers house is where we’ll be forever safe with plenty of help Willa D. Jones Contributing Writer Streetvibes Distributor THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �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, 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Nov 28- -NDec 12,2 2019 421 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 212, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Nov 283 -| Dec | No. 421 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. 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ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BETTIE BAILEY SINCE 10/2017 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 BRIAN ADAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHARLES WILLIAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHRISTOPHER KAIHATSU SINCE 7/2017 CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DARREL ROZIER SINCE 7/2017 DAVID MCCANE SINCE 2017 ERIC VALDEZ SINCE 2/2017 GERALD FRANKLIN SINCE 7/2017 GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 HENRY BRELAND SINCE 7/2017 JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009 JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2000 JENNY BURTON SINCE 7/2017 JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001 JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006 JOHN HORN JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008 J’TORI TYMAN SINCE 5/2014 KIM NGUYEN SINCE 7/2017 KENNY BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008 LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007 LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009 LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MARK SHEARS SINCE 4/2012 MAURICE GOLSBY MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MIKE CARANO SINCE 4/2016 RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 1999 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 STACIA HOLLANDER SINCE 2017 STEPHANIE EAKES SINCE 7/2017 SYLVESTER WALKER SINCE 7/2017 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2011 VICTOR MUMPHRY WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 WINNIE RICE SINCE 7/2017 QUEENACELASTINE SINCE 7/2017 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 VIOLET COLLINS SINCE 2017 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2019 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource November 28-December 12, 2019 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: DACA Goes to the Supreme Court Pg 3: Life on the Streets Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: Future Cool Pg 6: Sanctuary Communities Pg 7: A Microcosm of Hypocrisy Pg 8: Better Door Than a Window Pg 9: Better Door Than a Window Continued Pg 10: Adapting to the Effects of the Climate Crisis Pg 11: On Norway’s Border with Russia, Unease Over Military Build-Up 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 28-December 12, 2019 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gabriela Godinez Bill Woods Helen Hill Sebastien Malo Dr. Mark Mussman Jule Lummen Gwladys Fouche Willa Denise Jones June Alexander Kim Greene Kylie Blovits INSP.com Blake Burrell Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Bill Woods Blake Burrell Cincinnati Climate Change DACA Dr. Mark Mussman Gabriela Godinez Gwladys Fouche Helen Hill INSP.com Jule Lummen June Alexander Kim Green Kylie Blovits Migrants Norway Russia Sebastien Malo Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/655819f3b6716492037babc2cca13a27.pdf 8fec14004ebe3a3097e7cfc13f918df4 PDF Text Text November 3rd - November 16th 2017 | Vol. 20 Issue 49 (No. 368) advocating justice | building community Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Month 2017 | 9 This Issue is sponsored by The Jubilee Campaign INSIDE THIS ISSUE Chuck Collins will speak at Christ Church Cathedral at 7:00 PM on Monday, November 13. This event is FREE. Fighter, Pastor Rousseau O'Neal II Passed Away | 2 Dennis Banks, Warrior for Peace|3 Armistace Day 2017, Remembering to Remember| 7 The Poverty Industrial Complex and a Visit From Chuck Collins| 11 Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 LOCAL Fighter, Pastor Rousseau O'Neal II Passed away O N o v 3 - N o v 16, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 8 JOSH SPRING n October 9 Reverend when the city tried to effectively Executive Director Rousseau O’Neal II passed stop the creation or expansion of away. Pastor Rousseau open doors to other strong voices and social services through the zoning spent 32 years behind the organizations. code.  As corporations, elected Through the years, Reverend pulpit, 17 of which were at Rockdale officials and some media outlets Baptist Church in Avondale. Reverend O'Neal did not only work from behind the pulpit though.  Reverend Rousseau was a permanent leader in the fight for social justice and human rights in greater Cincinnati.  Being a pastor means to be an empowering shepherd of people toward an ultimate destination.  Pastor Rousseau lived this role.  He was inextricably engaged in the acts of empowering strength among people in the march to justice.  Pastor O'Neal was dedicated, bold, charismatic and strategic. When I started with the Homeless Coalition he was one of the first people I had to meet, because of his committed partnership in our mission to eradicate homelessness.  For years Reverend O'Neal was the President of the Faith & Community Alliance, a leader in the Baptist Ministers Conference and Avondale Concerned Clergy.  Whenever I would call Reverend Rousseau to tell him about a fight we were engaged in, he would always ask, "what do you need me to do?".  He would Pastor Rousseau O'Neal II work with us to plan strategy, he Credit: Josh Spring would bring supporters together and he would lend us contact with his Rousseau stood beside us in many criminalized people who lived in the trusted allies.  Reverend O'Neal had difficult struggles.  He spoke in Metropole Apartments and openly through years of work, established a support of restoring the City's supported 3CDC's effort to remove strong and brave reputation and was Human Services Fund.  He joined us every Metropole Resident from always ready to allow us to utilize his in meetings with city council people.  (Continued on page 3) reputation and support in order to He vocally supported our lawsuit REFLECTIONS ON POLITICS - FALL 2017 I nstead of contributing a regular article this issue, I offer some random reflections on politics in late October 2017. One year ago, we were about to experience an election that is still having huge repercussions today. The election of Donald Trump as President has brought conflict and instability at almost every level of our social, economic, and political life. As I prepare to vote in the local elections, I feel my focus on candidates running for City Council and the School Board creates a healthy diversion from the horrors of the White House. Speaking of horrors, Halloween takes place this Tuesday. As a way of having some fun while many of us work on Congressional redistricting reform in Ohio, we organized a BILL WOODS Contributing Writer Halloween event entitled "the horrors of gerrymandering." This lunch at the Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church will actually provide an update on how the campaign is going as well as a meeting to prepare attendees to collect petition signatures at the polls on November 7th. My friend Catherine Turcer, the staff person for Common Cause/Ohio, will travel from Columbus, to brief us, and she promises to bring her witch's hat. A bit of humor goes a long way in these political times. Instead of getting deeply depressed by the daily news from Washington, it is better to conjure up laughable scenarios to lighten things up. For that reason, "the horrors of gerrymandering event" was planned. Although it will be a long and tough campaign to get a citizen initiated Ohio Constitutional Amendment passed in 2018, reformers need to have some fun during their critical work to renew democracy. Therefore, we invited folks "to view the scary and weirdly shaped Congressional Districts, and hear about the ghosts of campaigns past." The other gargantuan factor debasing electoral politics today is "big money," and the Supreme Court has made it almost impossible to effectively address it. In fact, huge campaign spending confronts us at the local level this fall. Some candidates appear to have an endless supply of money to run TV ads and (Continued on page 11) THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org BLOG: streetvibes.wordpress.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor: Justin Jeffre Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Justin Jeffre Layout: Key Beck Reception: Larry Johnson, Anne Evans Maintenance: Pete Roper ----------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Bill Woods, Justin Jeffre, Steve Sunderland, Robert Park, Martha Stephens, Jim Luken, Saad Ghosn, Dr. Mark Mussman, Monica McGloin, Trenton Davis, Joele Newman, Jada Jones, Seynabou Niang, Jason Haap, Kim Green, Willa Denise Jones ----------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: Josh Spring, Wikipedia, twincities. com, google images, Jim Luken, Saad Ghosn, Dr. Mark Mussman, book.google.com, Bill Woods --------------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �No. 36 8 LOCAL AIM Co-Founder and Anishinaabe leader dies | N o v 3- N o v 16, 2 0 17 N ative American activist Dennis Banks passed away at the age of 80. The AIM leader was best known for leading sieges at Wounded Knee, South Dakota and Alcatraz Island in California. They also took over the Bureau of Indian Affairs building in Washington D.C. in an effort to raise awareness about the plight of Native Americans. Banks had moved to Northern Kentucky in the 1990s and was featured at length in an Enquirer article written by Mark Curnutte. JUSTIN JEFFRE Editor Banks told Curnutte, "Before Wounded Knee, we said there had to be a massive education movement to teach white America of the legal responsibilities Congress has to Native people." Adding, "The government owes Native people a great deal in exchange for the natural resources that were taken from our land. Since Wounded Knee, we have developed forum after forum in which to educate.” The legendary leader earned income by giving lectures and he also played in some movie roles, most notably Last of the Mohicans. According to the Enquirer report he had been hired as a technical consultant by producer Michael Mann and was later given a speaking role in the movie. Banks told Democracy Now in 2012 how he was taken from his family in the 1940s and forced to go to a boarding school with thousands of other native American children. Dennis Banks: “I was taken to a boarding school when I was four years Dennis Banks, Warrior for Peace I had the privilege of working with Dennis Banks for peace through his "Sacred Runs," his drum workshops, and his organizing of efforts to respect Native American burial grounds in Ohio and Kentucky. Dennis was a great teacher. He knew that many of us knew little of the realities facing Native Americans, especially knowledge about the violation of treaties, burial grounds, and the use of mascots. Dennis also led "sweats," an experience of meditating with him within a tent and around a fire that represented the " grandparents:" the respect for the land, the water, the many peoples, and the idea of peace. Dennis saw all of his activities as a learning process. No one could really be an "expert" on sacredness for anyone else. We were invited to shape our own definition as we travelled, as we meditated, and as we created action that could celebrate the lives of Native Americans. Whether we were trying to make our own drums, or running a few miles, or celebrating our progress, Dennis gently reminded us that we had accomplished a lot and there was more to do. And so, we ran another few miles, or drove as a support car, or prepared for a sacred ceremony of caring. Every event, Dennis seemed to say, was a sacred ceremony. Seeing the world from this perspective was a powerful method of bringing diverse people together for unbelievable projects, like running across country. One amazing experience that stays in my memory happened at a JOSH SPRING (Continued from page 5) their homes in the name of a lauded entertainment district, Reverend O'Neal stood with Residents and our fight to save these homes.  When Western & Southern sued Cincinnati Union Bethel and defamed the Women who lived in the Anna Louise Inn so as to steal their homes, Reverend O'Neal marched with us and addressed the crowds.  When we 3 STEVE SUNDERLAND Contributing Writer dinner ceremony in New Mexico. We had run all day and we were based at a high school for dinner and a ceremony of joining us all together. A drum started sounding a dance and on the floor danced many of us, including Dennis. He was wearing a beautiful shawl and it moved in swirls as he danced. Suddenly, his daughter appeared, unannounced, and joined him in dancing. Dennis reached out to her with his shawl, and placed it on her shoulders. They danced so old, and taken away from my mother and my father, my grandparents, who I stayed with most of the time, and just abruptly taken away and then put into the boarding school, 300 miles away from our home. And, you know, the beatings began immediately, the—almost the de-Indianizing program. It was a terrible experience that the American government was experimenting with. And that was trying to destroy the culture and the person, destroy the Indian-ness in him and save the human being, save the—kill an Indian, save the man.” beautifully, and it was only after the dance that we learned that Dennis and his daughter had not spoken in years. We all learned that forgiveness and gratitude danced together. Dennis was an "easy" person to work for peace if you were open to learning how deeply your heart was involved. He didn't suffer intellectual discussions if they didn't move toward action. He was a gifted citizen, a gentle teacher, and a friend of all those who take peace seriously. I will miss his drumbeat. Ho Dennis Banks during a radio interview Credit: Twincities.com Dennis Banks Dennis Banks Credit: Wikipedia Credit: Google Images protested the hypocrisy of Western & Southern's Nativity Scene in Eden Park, Reverend O'Neal was there, ready to explain the hypocrisy.  When neighbors in his church's community fought to stop the development of affordable housing, Reverend Rousseau spoke boldly in support of our people in need of housing. I could keep going with this list, but the point is that Reverend Rousseau O'Neal was a person of action.  He backed up what he preached.  He held people accountable.  He was willing to risk condemnation and relationships in the name of truth and justice.  As we took actions which were controversial and often unpopular among so-called leaders, we could always count on Pastor Rousseau O'Neal to stand with us. I keep using the phrase "stand with us" because anytime Reverend THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED O'Neal was present at a gathering and the media wanted to do an interview, Pastor Rousseau would always gather one or two people, walk up to me with these people, put his arm across my shoulders and whisper in my ear that we are not in this alone and that he and others would be standing there in active, visual support. We are thankful for and to Reverend Rousseau O'Neal and we stand with his family. �4 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED N o v 3 - N o v 16, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 8 �OPINION No Such Thing as Free Speech… Never Has Been… Never Should Be No. 36 8 | N o v 3- N o v 16, 2 0 17 W hat is appropriate regulation of public speech (as opposed to private speech among individuals). Public speech means talking to large groups of listeners, ranging from crowds around a soap box to millions reached through mass and social media. No society has ever permitted anybody to say anything, in any the public venue of their choice. The control of speech takes many forms, usually structural permits and authorities (invitations, contracts, nominations, etc.) defining and allowing compliant speech but sometimes reactive controls after speech has occurred (libel suits, job terminations, withdrawals of permission, awards, promotions, blacklistforever,andworse(arresting/ murdering journalists, labor organizers, political opponents)). Speech has consequences and so the fundamental question is who decides what is acceptable public free speech? Many aspects of permissible public speech are informally accepted and enforced: just about everyone agrees you don’t falsely yell “fire” in a crowded theatre (a Supreme Court ruling). You don’t wantonly violate the privacy of other people, especially children for example (somewhat different rules for celebs) and you don’t divulge confidential information of significant importance to someone else without a good reason. These are the easy ones. What about if someone has something to say that someone else doesn’t like. They want to publish a book, write an article, write an Op-Ed, cover a story, report an investigation, research a problem, give a speech, be a TV host, run a twitter blaster. Would they have free speech? Could they have? Traditionally, mass media mongers make decisions based on lots of things (advertisers, ideology, markets, boards of directors, liability, copyrights) – there’s nothing resembling free speech here; decisions are scrupulously programmed and ROBERT PARK Contributing Writer algorithmed. Some shows get run, others are dropped, others never get proposed. Some stories are written, others not. Writers aren’t stupid, they learn the ropes. Networks, publishers, studios couldn’t function with free speech. Sometimes an unwelcome proposal in the better societies can find a taker, a publisher or producer willing to take a chance; never in some other societies. It’s a judgment call, not a right. Depends on how vulnerable a status quo is to pesky dissent. In many countries publishing (speaking) on the fringe is permitted – within limits – but largely dictated by financial concerns. In societies which have a relatively “free” press, this means the regulation of speech has been delegated to the private sector, private property, that there is an absence of state interference in private institutional discretion on permitting and promoting speech. If someone showed up at Proctor & Gamble and said I’d like to make a presentation to your workforce on how out-sourcing and global trade has destroyed the livelihoods of thousands of Cincinnati workers, they’d get laughed at all the way to the curb. While an outsider seeking genuinely free access for a dissident or contrarian rant in the private forprofit sector is a joke, what about inside the ivory towers –college campuses – incubators of society’s thinkers, leaders, techies, opinions and thought bullies: is there free speech there? Institutions of “higher learning” are somewhat unique: they have a large internal community of people who are NOT employees and who might believe the institution should not control everything they hear or see. There is some recognition of the value of critical thought and innovation not constrained by direct corporate interests. Useful wisdom can survive and flourish when private authority is relaxed. Even so, there was and usually still is seriously restricted communication access, especially for progressive challenges, especially at private institutions. The means of control include faculty advisors, registered student organizations and rules, permissions for use of facilities, etc. But lately right wing trolls have appeared on campuses and are being accommodated by college administrations on grounds of, you guessed it, “free speech.” Substantial institutional resources including exorbitant security costs are committed to provide communication infrastructure in support of climate change deniers, purveyors of racial purity/supremacy or other trumpian myths. Some stranger showed up at the University of Cincinnati (not exactly a freespeech mecca in the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s) and demanded full access to promote an alt-right agenda to the university and surrounding communities, and the guy gets bathed in an aura of free speech purity and fawning cooperation. Other cowardly universities have declined this guy, not on principles concerning access to the communication infrastructure of public institutions but on public safety grounds. Rowdy objectors protesting these gifts of access are denounced as enemies of free speech. Sometimes an institution’s agenda is pretty transparent (boards of trustees like some ideas, not others). Implicit encouragement of racial conflict, even race war may be acceptable but not how to organize a general strike, with tutorials on sabotage. Complexities and challenges in waging the war on terror is an OK topic but not how global capitalism creates conditions and desperation from which “terrorism” is totally predictable. Similar considerations apply to other public media access like local cable networks, public radio and TV, community newsletters, websites. What should be off limits? Advocating genocide, pedophilia, War and Peace and a Poetic Response F RIENDS, let me say that I miss Jim Luken in these pages all the time, and I’m sure other readers do, too. Jim knows all the horrors of war, had once been a war correspondent in Europe. He writes passionately about the violence this country has created around the world, and we learned, for instance, a lot of fine anti-war songs from him that can be heard on YouTube. Today we all know we are living in a dangerous world, but Jim might have put it this way: we ourselves MARTHA STEPHENS Contributing Writer may be the danger most to be feared. Have we met the enemy . . . and it is us? Our country has forged the greatest war machine the world has ever seen. Can we who are living within this most militaristic of countries, work somehow for peace? IN RECENT YEARS the U. S. has established military bases around the world and is selling arms around the world. (See James Risen’s recent book Pay Any Price about the huge profits corporations are making on our bases and wars.) We have launched major wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, states which had not done us any harm! The Iraq Body Count, run by a website in Great Britain, is a daily count of civilian deaths in Iraq. The tribal conflict we created there has cost tremendous death and suffering over and over again, and now in the once peaceful city of Mosul. As this is being written, more documented deaths in Mosul and Baghdad are being added every day. Total since the U. S. invasion of 2003: 179,415 civilians killed! THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 5 racial superiority, disseminating provably false news, assassination of corrupt leaders? Maybe we need some rules for access to traditional public media (not to mention to social media where Facebook and Google et al. are deep in a panic to patch their code in order to protect their advertizing cash cows). Here are some rules that colleges and universities could use: 1. a proposal for access to institutional communication infrastructure (a large meeting room, auditorium, stadium, TV hook-up, web connection..) needs a local sponsor within the institution (explaining the relevance and interest to the community) 2. the proposal addresses a significant issue or perceived need (e.g., intellectual, national, or entertainment) 3. if relatively non controversial (no apparent objections): fine, go for it (minimal security cost) 4. if controversial (strong positive and negative endorsements and inflamed opinions): put topic in a panel format with an open process for solicitation and selection of presenters with diverse perspectives (minimal security cost) 5. if profoundly objectionable to a significant segment even in panel format: proponents are required to organize their own protection and security; security waivers are required for speakers and promoters with explicit denial of assured protection; local police intervene at expense of local authorities. 6. there could be a fixed specific annual fund allocated for support of invited speakers. Maybe an elected committee from the community affected would make decisions. Perhaps require at least 80% opposed to veto a contentious request. The committee could simply decide against having one speaker whose presence would consume the entire annual fund in favor a 10 less onerous speakers with more to offer and civil followers. What if civil discourse and consensus has already been lost? Maybe, too bad, they let the creep do it. Response: rotten tomatoes, chants, blockades, civil unrest, following fine traditions. In Yemen, where we partner with the Saudis, people are starving, food ships aren’t allowed to get through to those still alive in the rubble of the Saudi bombs. These vicious bombs are dropped incessantly from planes made by us, and which we help to direct and to refuel! It is said that we’re causing the worst cholera outbreak ever known. The major media have kept the tragic war in Yemen virtually a secret. Many of us believe that if people in the U. S. knew what was happening there, they would not support it! Very few of us would want to be part of that massacre. MY HOME in Paddock (Continued on page 12) �6 LOCAL MARTHA STEPHENS (Continued from page 5) Hills, by the way, is safe. No one has come to tell me that I must be out of my house by nine of the clock, with invaders on the way to bomb and destroy my neighborhood. POETS have written through the ages about the pity and horror of war, and I’m placing below a few of their verses. We may wonder what such poets would have us do now in the Mideast, in North Korea. Would they ask us to talk with our enemies, try to agree with them that we not kill each other? Should we lift the sanctions on North Korea and be willing to freeze our military actions in that area if North Korea agrees to freeze theirs? Or do we want to drive that peninsula into war? PLEASE take a look at these tiny poems on war. War Dawn came slowly Almost not at all. The sun crept over the hill YOU CAN SUPPORT THE N o v 3 - N o v 16, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 8 Cautiously Fearful of being hit By mortar fire. By Dan Roth Planet Earth “A planet doesn’t explode by itself,” said drily The Martian astronomer, Gazing off into the air. That they were able to do it is proof That highly intelligent beings Must have been living there. The Day the World Ended The day the world ended Joe saw the flash out the window. He raised his hand to speak But was not called on For he was sitting with The social justice committee of his church And the minutes were being read. Of course Joe and the whole committee Were turned into stone that day. The minutes, too, were petrified -- By John Hall Wheelock (Continued on page 7) • Donate by texting the word “Homeless” to 444999 • Join Community Shares Workplace Giving • Donate on our website through PayPal at www.cincihomeless.org/donate-2/ • Send us a check to show your support. 117 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 We receive NO public funding. We rely on the generosity of people like you. Log in to Kroger Rewards and search for the Homeless Coalition, or use our NPO 82944. Every time you use your Kroger Plus card, you will be supporting us. It will NOT affect your gas points! When you shop online at Amazon, sign up for Amazon Smile program at www.smile.amazon.com and select “Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless” as your non-profit. A portion of your smile.amazon.com purchase will be donated to us each time you shop at no additional cost to you! Participate in a 30 Day Challenge or book a speaker or activity. Learn more about homelessness, our speakers, and how to become a better advocate for people experiencing homelessness! Download a printable PDF on our website: cincihomeless.org/30-day-challenge Write a letter of support for the Coalition, affordable housing, or livable wages to City Council: CityCouncil@Cincinnati-OH.gov Donate NOW! GC_HomelessCoal THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED GCHomelessCoalition �7 LOCAL Armistice Day 2017, Remembering to Remember No. 36 8 | N o v 3- N o v 16, 2 0 17 “A ll the gods are dead, except the gods of war.” Eldridge Cleaver This is either the fifth or the sixth year that I have written a “reflection” on Armistice Day (Nov. 11) for this newspaper. The first time, as I recall, I was “assigned” (asked by the editor Justin Jeffre) to write an essay for Streetvibes about this important, yet often ignored, day in history. I think he had asked me to do the piece because he recalled that I had worked (briefly) as a freelance journalist in “hot” war-torn places a half dozen times. He knew how much I hate war, and the whole government/military/corporate/ banking jackals that feed on the bodies of the dead. I welcomed the opportunity to write about a historic “moment when the world (finally) got sane (for a moment). Now I live far away from the Cincinnati scene in a small coastal town, Peace Dale, Rhode Island. I cherish the name of my new home town, just as I like the fact that Cincinnati was named after a Roman hero who (following the war du jour) exchanged his sword for a plowshare. Anyway, sitting here near the eternal sea, I made the decision to write yet another Remembrance Day story about the signing of the armistice treaty that ended World War I. I find it an honor to continue my Nov. 11 tradition. And I am grateful to Streetvibes for publishing these thoughts: The event and its commemoration WWI, which was later described as “the war to end all wars,” happened in Europe between 1914 and 1918. My own parents were very young children then. My dad's parents had been turn-of-the-century immigrants from Germany. When the war broke out between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the rest of Europe, dad's family was warned to stop speaking German in public. On my mom's side, her uncle from Saylor Park was a so-called “doughboy” in the socalled “great war.” He died of injuries shortly after the armistice was signed in 1918. Now, almost 100 years later, only MARTHA STEPHENS (Continued from page 6) Unapproved. By Martha Stephens May I ask: do you know, my friends, that the great American poet Walt Whitman worked in a Washington D. C. hospital during the U.S. War Between the States? He could be seen holding the hands of the wounded on both sides, redressing their wounds, writing letters home for them. His experience there JIM LUKEN Contributing Writer a few people in Europe have lived long enough to recall personal memories of WW I. Nonetheless, millions of Europeans choose to remember the ratification of the armistice, even the moment of that ratification, every year. Many of them will stop for two minutes at the 11th minute of the 11th hour of the 11th month, in order to think about, or remember, the exact moment when the leaders of the warring parties chose to end the hell that was the First World War. 10 million people around the world will wear red paper poppies to commemorate that day. Although 11 AM comes six hours later here in the US eastern time zone, I will join them in reflection for those two minutes, as is my habit each year. If I run into someone selling poppies, I will wear one. I'm sure some of you conscientious Streetvibes readers will consider joining in this solemn moment. The reality of war No doubt only a few of you have been soldiers in war zones or have experienced the horrors of war happening firsthand, in your midst. But all of you hold an accurate inner sense of war being the most dreadful experience imaginable. You know that it is worse than a tornado or a hurricane or an earthquake. You know that the unimaginable brutality of a war can, and usually does, rage on for years. The most recent major war that I “covered” (for various Franciscan peace and justice publications) took place in Croatia, then Bosnia (1991 to 1996). Those experiences for me (the father of four teenage kids in Cincinnati at the time) were frightening beyond belief. If you were to visit either of those two now-quiet Balkan countries (situated just north and east of Greece), and talk to men and women on the street there, you would have difficulty finding a single person who hadn't lost a relative, or a friend, or a neighbor in that extended meaningless war. The same would be true of Syria, or Yemen, or Iraq, or Afghanistan, all places where war is raging to varying degrees at this moment. War, as they say, is hell, a hell in which men, turned him against that war -- and all wars. This poem is the famous anti-war poem Whitman penned during that time. Reconciliation WORD over all, beautiful as the sky, Beautiful that war and all its deeds of carnage must in time be utterly lost, That the hands of the sisters Death and Night incessantly softly wash again, and ever again, this women and children—civilians just like you—are trapped and dying for no valid reason. These wars could be stopped overnight by the leaders of the warring parties. They could be stopped if the ordinary soldiers and officers would cease committing “legal” homicide, put down their weapons, and refuse to engage in a fight that can't help but end badly for both sides. How Americans deal with war The majority of Americans have never experienced the horrors of war create the abomination of war. And “He” ain't gonna fix it. Thus, sitting or kneeling around praying for peace just might be a form of sacrilege. If the churches and their members really wanted to do something about preventing or ending a particular war, their priests, ministers, rabbis and imams could demand that their congregations, especially their young men and women of fighting age, refuse—on moral or religious grounds—to participate. The evolution to naming Nov. 11 “Veterans Day” Please forgive having gone off on that little rant. I need to return the focus of this essay to “remembering” Remembrance Day. In 1945, following another World War, the name was changed from Armistice Jim Luken in his new hometown Credit: Jim Luken in this, our homeland. Nonetheless, most of us choose to lend patriotic support in the endless series of wars that our military wages in countries far away. There have been at least two dozen of “our” wars, since WW II. Most Americans rally behind “our troops” no matter what. We shake our heads and shrug our shoulders, believing that each of “our” wars are inevitable, like the occurrence as the next solar eclipse. They go to their churches on Sunday and pray for peace. Let me say something here that readers may find sobering, even heretical. Prayer has never stopped a single war. Not one. Ever. If there is a God, then praying for peace probably insults this God. “He” didn't Day so as to include all those killed in both wars. In 1954, the US unilaterally chose to rename Remembrance Day (November 11), instead calling it “Veterans Day.” Many believe that in so honoring the warriors, living and dead, who fought in “our” (often illegal) wars, we forget the message of peace that Remembrance Day is intended to celebrate, and so we blur the absolute bottom line: too many millions of human beings have died, and continue to die, needlessly, in too many wars. Acknowledging those who served the military on this solemn day is inappropriate to say the least. It would be so easy to choose soil'd world; For my enemy is dead, a man divine as myself is dead, I look where he lies stone-faced and still in the coffin—I draw near, Bend down and touch lightly with my lips the pale face in the coffin. By Walt Whitman LET’S WRITE to our officials, my friends, whichever ones we think might listen to us, with a message decrying our continued actions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, and Korea. Perhaps calls to Senator Sherrod Brown are in order. Do we truly need to destroy whole villages in Syria with our bombs? What kind of people are we? [Martha Stephens is a writer of novels and non-fiction. Her book best known in Cincinnati is The Treatment: the story of those who died in the Cincinnati radiation tests. She blogs on peace and justice at marthastephens.wordpress.com, and can be reached by email at streetvibes@cincihomeless.org.] THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED (Continued on page 11) �8 RELIGIOUS PEACEMAKERS Co-Creator to Better this World: Father Benjamin Urmston’s Faith Is Inseparable from Justice N o v 3 - N o v 16, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 8 “W hat I am is God's gift to me. What I become is my gift to God,” says Father Benjamin Urmston, S.J., adding: “This implies that I also participate in creation as a ‘cocreator’, helping this world become a better one now, preparing the heavenly one to come.” This dynamic and engaged view of his faith led Urmston to actively work for peace and justice from the beginning, wherever he was and whatever he did. It was his main focus while teaching, coaching baseball, working in campus ministry, instituting peace and justice programs and studies, hosting a community radio show, traveling around the world… “My faith is directly linked to justice as I cannot love God and ignore my sisters and brothers or the one earth on which I live,” he states. “Peace to me is the presence of justice, based on a proper relationship between ourselves, God, animals, the earth.” Born in North College Hill, Ohio, Urmston grew up on a farm in close contact with animals. His father, a kind, compassionate and hard-working farmer, developed in him, early on, love and concern for the earth and all its inhabitants, also a strong interest in food and its production advocating for widespread ownership of farms and for a democratic economy. His mother, a devout Catholic, and the Precious Blood sisters at St. Margaret Mary Grade School where he attended, determined his faith and religion. After graduating from high school, he joined the army, participating in World War II, serving on General Patton’s Third Army in Europe, then in the Philippines. In 1946 and at the age of 21, he entered the seminary to become a Jesuit priest; he has been a member of the Society of Jesus ever since. His experience in the army provided Urmston a strong sense of community and allowed him at the SAAD GHOSN Contributing Writer same time to see the world, opening his eyes to many human issues such as violence, death and poverty. He describes it as a rich spiritual retreat, one with time for reflection and prayer. It led him, however, to rethink the use of destructive wars to solve world problems; it also indirectly cemented his fate as a religious servant. “I thought becoming a priest was the best way to make this a better world,” he says. “I instinctively wanted to rid our planet of wars and poverty…” His priesthood studies earned Urmston several degrees, each bringing a different dimension to the understanding of his religious involvement towards peace and justice. Studying philosophy exposed him to the concept of natural human rights as promulgated by God's act of creation. It stressed the importance of human rights for a positive peace, every human enabled to become an independent and equal actor closer to God, to others, to the physical world. Theology equated peace with an improved relationship with God, to Urmston the most important goal of his life. Religious education, emphasizing the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, made him realize the need to be a co-creator with God; also, that peace studies and social analysis, integrating the wisdom of various disciplines, were an important way towards that objective and towards fighting an unjust and war-driven world. His academic education also led him to teach English and theology, initially at University of Detroit Jesuit High School, then at St. Xavier High School and later Xavier University, both in Cincinnati. In all three places Urmston coupled his teaching with the institution of a Christian Life Community involving students and faculty, combining faith and justice. At Xavier University, part of Urmston’s responsibility was campus ministry. While he felt it important A Catholic text Urmston likes to quote “The expectation of a new earth must not weaken but rather stimulate our concern for cultivating this one. For here grows the body of a new human family, a body which even now is able to give some kind of foreshadowing of the new age… After we have obeyed the Lord, and in His Spirit nurtured on earth the values of human dignity, brotherhood and freedom, and indeed all the good fruits of our nature and enterprise, we will find them again, but freed of stain, burnished and transfigured.”  From Gaudium et Spes (Joy and Hope), No. 39, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (1965), Second Vatican Council. to promote a student’s religious life, he soon realized there was an added need for more involvement in peace and justice issues. He became active in neighborhood community councils, particularly in Evanston and North Avondale, served on the social action committees of the archdiocese, participated in the National Catholic Rural Life Conference. Wanting the students to be also directly involved, he proposed to the administration a new department, Programs in Peace and Justice, part of Student Life Father Ben Urmston and Leadership. It was approved and Urmston became its director. The Program offers co-curricular activities and sponsors off-campus service learning and field experiences that facilitate exposure to the poor, to those who serve the hungry and the homeless. He also initiated “rural plunges” that take students to family farms to learn directly about their daily life and the problems they face. “These field experiences provide orientation and trigger reflection,” says Urmston. “A first-hand witnessing of material poverty or injustice can shake someone’s state of apathy.” Also at Xavier, Urmston initiated a committee that started a Peace Studies Minor, an academic curriculum focusing on peace using an interdisciplinary approach and a social analysis methodology. He himself taught a course Faith and Justice. “My purpose was to introduce students to human rights, international law, active nonviolence, economic democracy, the social teachings of the church.” For twenty-eight years Urmston hosted a weekly radio show, Faith and Justice Forum, on WVXU. It served as an outreach service to the community, and featured local and national figures whose work had been instrumental for peace and justice. They included Cesar Chavez, Baldemar Velasquez, Monsignor George Higgins, Gar Alperovitz. For few years he also wrote a column on Faith and Justice, The Catholic Moment, for the Cincinnati Archdiocesan paper The Catholic Telegraph.  Now retired from his administrative and teaching role at Credit: Saad Ghosn Xavier University, Urmston, ninetytwo years old, remains as active as ever. He is Coordinator of the Greater Cincinnati Chapter of Citizens for Global Solutions, a national group that proposes nonviolent and democratic means to solve the world’s problems. It joins his longtime interest and membership in the movement for a better world that promotes more equitable dealing with international issues such as the environment, world trade, terrorism, civil and ethnic strife, the war system. Urmston for instance has actively lobbied in favor of treaties to reduce nuclear weapons; and is very involved in raising awareness to the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli problem and the injustices caused by the occupation. “We need to listen to each other,” he says, “and let go of fear and distrust. We need to respect the equality and dignity of all human beings. Might does not make right.” Urmston summarized his entire philosophy, his Vision of Hope, in a 15-minute DVD that he placed on his website (www.xavier.edu/frben). It discusses what he perceives as the 5 (Continued on page 11) Religious Peacemakers is a regular column highlighting Greater Cincinnati individuals who use their faith and religious beliefs for peace and justice. Saad.Ghosn@uc.edu is the founder of SOS (Save Our Souls) Art, an organization that promotes arts as vehicles for peace and justice and for a change. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 8 9 LOCAL Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Month 2017 | N o v 3- N o v 16, 2 0 17 DR. MARK MUSSMAN O Staff Writer ctober is Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Month. It is not really an occasion to celebrate, but we work hard to increase awareness through our Speaker’s Bureau and Shantytown. The Homeless Coalition was welcomed at many area schools over the month and spoke to nearly a thousand students. We have a new speaker who is a veteran, which has opened new doors for our Speaker’s Bureau. We also welcomed a strong group of students from Xavier University to Over-the-Rhine for an immersive, educational, alternative fall break. We visited many member organizations and learned from experts who are working hard to eradicate homelessness by creating affordable housing, fighting for worker and tenant rights, and ensuring the availability of needed items. We hope you had a chance to reflect on the issues surrounding homelessness this month, and remember, we are always available to speak to your group. --------------------------------------- Speaker Melissa M. with students from Iowa after sharing her story Willa Jones shows off her book after speaking to a group in Northern Kentucky Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Streetvibes Distributor James Brown livens it up with Xavier and Mary Burke-Rivers Streetvibes Distributor Lee McCoy showed the Xavier University students the ropes Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Speaker Dionna Flowers after sharing with Ursuline Academy students Streetvibes Distributor and Speaker Cleo Wombles always cracks us up with his jokes Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman �10 LOCAL N o v 3 - N o v 16, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 8 December 21 - 31, 2017 For tickets please call (513) 381-2273 Purchase tickets online at www.cincyshakes.com AD Donated by Mark and Sue Ann Painter season sponsored by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 8 T LOCAL The Poverty Industrial Complex and a Visit from Chuck Collins | N o v 3- N o v 16, 2 0 17 MONICA MCGLOIN TRENTON DAVIS he systems of our forefathers, put in place in the name of development and wealth accumulation, have become dated and laggard. Though well intentioned, they lack empathy and have divided our society. The result: we’ve created a world of economic exiles. This economic isolation is a threat to our society. The decal on my rear bumper acclaims, “WE ARE THE 99%”. This rallying cry for unity made popular by the Occupy Movement in 2011 awakened most of the nation to the reality of the gross financial inequity in our country. Educated and employed people, students and economic exiles aligned in a common effort to change a system which fostered poverty, greed and class warfare. Though short lived, the movement was startling to all, many of the common good or the rising tide lifting all was no longer valued. Instead our institutions (education, health, political, social, religious) taught that those who worked hard would prosper and those who did not prosper were lazy. This shift led to the Poverty Industrial Complex. Today we have an infrastructure that is dependent on having “poor” people (economic exiles). It has created a not-for-profit service system, modeled on corporations, that provides significant employment - a business model that relies on lowwage workers to assure its profits - and political and religious systems that are dependent on corporate contributions and some extremely wealthy people. Are we lost? Or can we find our of whom have not gone back to life as usual. A good twenty years before this movement, Chuck Collins was doing workshops on The Growing Divide. Using Street Theater, human graphs and other popular education modes, Chuck and his colleagues provided data that showed our economy had been and continued to move in a direction of a few amassing wealth while many were finding their paychecks shrinking. The concept way home…? Chuck Collins is now a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy studies and co-founder of Wealth for the Common Good. In his most recent book, Born on Third Base, Chuck offers us a vision for a future where all can participate fully. Chuck was born on third base and acknowledges the benefits he had as child and a young man. He had the courage and wisdom to reflect on his BILL WOODS (Continued from page 2) send out almost daily mailings to Cincinnati residents. When we succeeded in convincing Cincinnati voters to pass a campaign reform Charter Amendment in 2001, we thought we had effectively dealt with the "big money" problem locally. Not only did the Amendment contain contribution limits, but it included the option for candidates to receive public financing. Unfortunately, Carl Lindner and other opponents of minimizing the impact of private donations knocked out the public financing section of the Amendment SAAD GHOSN (Continued from page 2) pillars of a new world building: human rights, a global ethic, non- Contributing Writer experience in light of the experiences of others. He has the ability to be comfortable with economic exiles as well as the power brokers and from 11 this position he calls us to come home. To revision a society where the common good is central, where no one is excluded, where we can protect (Continued on page 12) Author Chuck Collins Credit: book.google.com in another Amendment vote in 2002. Now contribution limits have been watered down.. Although an individual is limited to giving $1,100 to a candidate for Mayor or Council, the City is currently authorizing limited liability corporations the status of individuals that can also contribute $1,100. Under this interpretation, a person can make a contribution, and his or her limited liability corporation can then make a second donation. Some contributors have set up multiple LLCs. This practice faces a legal challenge, but the case will not be heard until after the November election. I have argued informally with several Cranley supporters that even if they applaud his record as Mayor, they still should not support his use of money to dominate the mayoral campaign. The relentless spending of money to drown out the message of a less well funded candidate is to say the least very unhealthy for democracy. One very positive element in this fall's campaign is that there are a number of grass-roots candidates running for City Council who often speak for their neighborhoods. It is refreshing to see these able people on the stump articulating issues that are often overlooked by establishment candidates. The subject of affordable housing leads us back to the horrors of Washington, D.C.. Programs that comprise the safety net have suffered major cuts over the years, and the budget plans of the Trump Administration and Congress would further devastate such funding. This reality makes it even more important for us to vote for empathetic local candidates who support innovations such as an affordable housing trust fund. violence, democratic world order, and economic democracy. “I have a strong and deep passion for peace and justice,” he says. “My relationship with God has moved me outward toward my neighbors and the earth. I have a responsibility to contribute as a co-creator to improve this world. There is continuity between this life and the world to come and the better this life is the better the world to come will be.”  “Breakdown Stereotypes” --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- “Eradicate Misinformation” The Coalition for the Homeless provides Education and Service Programs that help to portray a more accurate and holistic picture of homelessness in Cincinnati. We believe an educated public can be a more compassionate public, willing to dedicate time and effort towards creating solutions to homelessness. The “Voice of the Homeless Speaker’s Bureau” program is made up of individuals currently experiencing homelessness or who have experienced homelessness, who share their experiences. The program is designed to put a face on homelessness and raise awareness about those struggling in our community. To schedule a speaker, contact Dr. Mark Mussman at MarkMussman@cincihomeless.org. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �12 P LOCAL Girls’ Writing Circle Description N o v 3 - N o v 16, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 8 JOELE NEWMAN easlee Neighborhood Center has a continued relationship with Rothenburg Preparatory Academy, conducting Girls’ Writing Circles in Contributing Writer the after-school program. Our circles offer these students the opportunity to express themselves and be heard and validated by their peers through the process of helping these girls find and develop their voices, reading poetry and writing creatively; we then share our work and verbally affirm each other’s writing. The process is grounded in respect and an appreciation for each girl’s unique gift. ----------------------------------- BLESSED My lovely mother My name to me means blessed I wish that my mother can have Because my mom said that if I was born in June I am blessed. I like to be blessed because I am worth a lot of Anything she wants And quickly instead of working for it Because she done so many things that You can look her at the eyes and say things Thank you very much. To be the Jada. She always wanted me to be a leader, And always participate Jada came from Hebrew. And always go to school, Blessed is worth a lot of things. I like to be Stay out of trouble, blessed Showing leadership, That was how I was born. JADA JONES SEYNABOU NIANG Girls' Writing Group Participant A For a brighter future Girls' Writing Group Participant The Children are Watching t times in my life, I have prided myself on being someone who won't back down. In the past, this meant that if someone came at me crazily, I had no problem meeting them with an equal intensity of craziness. If you wanted to get in my face, I was perfectly capable of getting in your face right back. The other day, I was at the grocery store, looking at some varieties of beer. I feel 99.9% certain that I was standing perfectly still when I felt someone bump into my back. I was not upset, but I did turn to see who had jostled me. It was a girl, maybe around 14-15 years old, who was with her mother. But this girl was mean-mugging me with an anger and intensity that felt totally disproportionate to how someone JIM LUKEN (Continued from page 7) another day to respect our veterans. The great American writer, Kurt MONICA MCGLOIN (Continued from page 11) Earth and have sufficient resources. Chuck is a visionary, but he does not JASON HAAP Contributing Writer So, I am embarrassed to say, I matched this mother's hatred with a vitriol of my own. When she spit rage at me, I spit rage back, faster and hotter, determined not to "lose" whatever weird battle I found myself fighting. As we became a bit of a public spectacle, and as I continued to match the mother's angry speech with angry retorts, another part of my brain awakened, and I started to metacognate on the nature of the situation in which I found myself. The adrenaline-fueled lizard brain coursed the fight instinct through my body, but the more sophisticated analytical portion of my frontal lobe started to provide commentary while in the midst of this argument. I have never experienced something like that before, analyzing myself in real time during an adrenaline-inspired fightresponse. To my horror, I realized I was guilty of a great injustice in the development of this young daughter! should act after bumping into someone. I looked away, but a few seconds later, I had that feeling on the back of my neck like someone kept staring, so I turned around again. The furious face still glared back with intense hatred. "Why are you staring at me like that?" I asked. This was probably a mistake. But, from my perspective, the intensity and the disrespectfulness of her body language was so profound, I just had to ask. I tried to be careful that I didn't say it with a particular tone. As the daughter responded, the mother turned on me at the same time. Mama bear had been awakened, and she was not interested in what I had to say, but instead in defending her child. As the rage boiled into the mother's eyes at the notion I would dare speak to her daughter, the child responded, "Because you bumped into me!" She said this with great attitude, anger, and flare. The mother now had all the ammunition she needed: I had, according to her, dared not only to speak to her child, but to bump into her! Just who did I think I was? I found myself on the receiving end of a string of insults and profanity totally inappropriate for an aisle in a grocery store. I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins, and the associated rage that comes with an adrenaline surge. My lower brain told me this was a fight or flight situation, and for whatever reason my reptile instincts said this was a time to fight. Vonnegut, fought in the Second World War. He spent many months as a POW in Germany. He called WW II the last war that may have been worth the fight. In 1973, Vonnegut put it this way. “Armistice Day was sacred. Veterans Day is not. So, I will throw Veterans Day over my shoulder. Armistice Day I will keep. I don't want to throw away any sacred things.” just paint imaginary pictures. He offers concrete suggestions for ways to rebuild community based on real stories of what people are currently doing. If you recognize the inequity in our nation and you want to live in a more just and equitable world, then you need to begin the process by coming to hear Chuck Collins speak at Christ Church Cathedral at 7:00 PM on Monday, November 13, 2017. This event is free and all are welcome. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- �No. 36 8 13 STREET VOICE | N o v 3- N o v 16, 2 0 17 CRYING RAIN Looking out the window The rain is falling hard, and fast CONGRESS TAKES UP TAX REFORM Income inequality is the norm In terms of current tax reform. Congress will surely take a pass There are intervals of thunder In aiding a shrinking middle-class. Slashing ever so often Forget about all the working-poor. And then it suddenly stops Until the next thunder slash appears Corporate cuts cause jobs to soar. If you seek the real explanations, Look at big campaign donations. It lets you know that God is, near BILL WOODS Contributing Writer So take heed GONE Listen to his might Because thunder and rain, Will, be coming KIM GREEN GONE ARE THE DAYS THAT WE ONCE KNEW GONE ARE THE DAYS NEVER TO RETURN SO NOW WHAT’S NEW? GONE IS LIKE TOMMORROW THAT NEVER COMES IT’S Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer ALWAYS TODAY GONE IS THE EMPLOYMENT RATE AND HOUSING FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME, FOR A CHANGE I PRAY! GONE ARE THE DAYS OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JOHN F. KENNEDY AND SINGER LUTHER VANDROSS TODAY SOME PEOPLE SCREAM OSAMA BIN LADEN IS DEAD AS THE WORLD YELLS BARACK OBAMA IS THE BOSS TODAY WE AS HUMAN PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE WORRIED OR CONFUSED AS TO WHO IS RULING TODAY WE MUST UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS GOD’S WORLD. SO WHY DO THE PEOPLE KEEP FOOLING I SAY STOP KILLING OURSELVES WHEN IT IS WITHOUT A DOUBT WE LIVE IN ORDER TO DIE SO WHY NOT TAKE EACH DAY AS A BLESSING ABOVE GROUND AND JUST SAY HELLO AND WHEN WE’RE GONE JUST SAY GOODBYE WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �14 PUZZLES N o v 3 - N o v 16, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 8 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 137 Across 4. Teach 1. Stateroom 5. Mesh 6. Impluse 6. Knock over 10. Cot 7. A strong line 14. Unaccompanied 8. Keep watch over 15. Decant 16. Allay 17. Perch 18. Box lightly 19. Cause annoyance 20. Portable shelter 21. Visionary 22. Large passenger ship 23. Ecstatic 25. Rostrum 27. Inhabit 30. Vignette 34. Travesty 35. Wide open 38. Misery 39. Worry excessively 40. Excavate 41. Prima donna 42. The night before 43. Shelf 45. Cloth cap with no brim 46. Mend 48. Wellbeing 49. Evidence of previous injury 51. Small hard fruit 52. Aromatic substance 55. Molecule 57. Edible fat 61. Step 62. Report or maintain 63. Fairy 64. Metallic element 65. Wheelwork mechanism 66. Edible bulb 67. Look after 68. Merely 9. Make a mistake 10. Color of ripe cherries 11. Precipitation 12. Small island 13. Ale 21. Secret agent 22. Resembling or similar to 24. Simian 26. Small snake 27. Bid 28. Sculpt 29. Go stealthily 31. Pirouette 32. Crave for something belonging to someone else 33. Uncultivated land with scrubby vegetation 35. Append SODOKU PUZZLE NO 267 - MEDIUM 36. Two-wheeled horsedrawn carriage 37. Historic period 41. Time at which something must be completed 43. Parasitic insects 44. Epoch 45. Hymenopterous insect 47. Travel up 48. Stitched cloth border 50. Corvine bird 51. Regretful 52. Skewer for holding meat over a fire 53. Whittle 54. Visual representation 69. Easily irritated or annoyed 56. Small duck Down 59. Public violence 58. Central point of rotation 1. Heavy open wagon 60. Abnegate 2. Succulent plant 62. In the past 3. Good fortune 63. Cooking vessel PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 350 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 136 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 266- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 8 RESOURCES | N o v 3- N o v 16, 2 0 17 Central Access Point 15 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children Bethany House 557-2873 1730 Race Street 45202 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 St. George Food Pantry 751-8771 2554 Dennis St. 45219 Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 621-7265 1528 Race St. 45202 Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 386-7899 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 McMicken Dental Clinic 352-6363 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 NAMI of Hamilton County 351-3500 PATH Outreach 977-4489 131 E. 12th Street 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 Other Resources St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 215 E. 14th St. 45202 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 Salvation Army 762-5660 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 Shelter: Men Shelterhouse 721-0643 1125 Bank Street 45214 411 Gest St. 45203 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 1437 Walnut Street 45202 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 2121 Vine Street 45202 Prospect House 921-1613 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Parkway Center 661-4620 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 Starting Over 961-2256 Shelter: Youth Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women Shelter: Family Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both Interfaith Hospitality Network First Step Home 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 471-1100 Housing: 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 OTR Community Housing 381-1171 Joseph House (Veterans) 241-2965 1522 Republic Street 45202 114 W. 14th Street 45202 Talbert House 221-HELP Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street 45202 Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP Advocacy Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Volunteers of America 381-1954 Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 VA 977-6800 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 Food/Clothing First Lutheran Church 421-0065 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 UpSpring 363-3300 Health 961-0600 Center for Respite Care 621-1868 OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 Goodwill Industries 771-4800 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. 579-8547 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 1223 Main St. 45202 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 Talbert House 751-7747 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton County Office of Reentry 946-4304 138 E. Court Street Room # 101 First Floor Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels 981-4200 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center 799 Ann St. Newport, KY ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 for 26 issues 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-572-6202 Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky 634 Scott St. 41011 859-291-4555 You can support our mission and spread the word about your business. For more information contact Justin Jeffre at 513421-70803 x 12 or email streetvibes@ cincihomeless.org $100 859-491-8303 Want to advertise in Streetvibes? Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 $150 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED for 26 issues and a $50 donation �16 N o v 3 - N o v 16, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 8 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BETTIE BAILEY SINCE 10/2017 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 BRIAN ADAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHARLES WILLIAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHRISTOPHER KAIHATSU SINCE 7/2017 CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DARREL ROZIER SINCE 7/2017 DAVID MCCANE SINCE 2017 ERIC VALDEZ SINCE 2/2017 GERALD FRANKLIN SINCE 7/2017 GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 GREGORY RAY SINCE 4/2015 HENRY BRELAND SINCE 7/2017 JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009 JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2000 JENNY BURTON SINCE 7/2017 JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001 JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006 JOHN HORN JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008 J’TORI TYMAN SINCE 5/2014 KIM NGUYEN SINCE 7/2017 KENNY BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007 LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009 LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MARK SHEARS SINCE 4/2012 MAURICE GOLSBY MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MIKE CARANO SINCE 4/2016 RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 1999 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 STACIA HOLLANDER SINCE 2017 STEPHANIE EAKES SINCE 7/2017 SYLVESTER WALKER SINCE 7/2017 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2015 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 VIOLET COLLINS SINCE 2017 VICTOR MUMPHRY WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 WINNIE RICE SINCE 7/2017 QUEENACELASTINE SINCE 7/2017 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2017 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource November 3-November 16, 2017 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: Fighter, Pastor Rousseau O’Neal II Passed Away Reflections on Politics Pg 3: AIM Co-Founder and Anishinaabe Leader Dies Dennis Banks, warrior for Peace Pg 4: How to Respond to Panhandling Pg 5: No Such Thing as Free Speech…Never Has Been…Never Should Be War and Peace and a Poetic Response Pg 6: GCHC Pg 7: Armistice Day 2017, Remembering to Remember Pg 8: Religious Peacemakers Pg 9: Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Month 2017 Pg 10: GCHC Pg 11: The Poverty Industrial Complex and a Visit from Chuck Collins Pg 12: Girl’s Writing Circle Description The children are Watching Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource November 3-November 16, 2017 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Bill Woods Justin Jeffre Steve Sunderland Robert Park Martha Stephens Jim Luken Saad Ghosn Dr. Mark Mussman Monica McGloin Trenton Davis Joele Newman Jada Jones Seynabou Niang Jason Haap Kim Green Willa Denise Jones Wikipedia Twincities.com Google images Jim Luken Book.google.com Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF AIM Armistice Day Bill Woods Chuck Collins Dennis Banks Dr. Mark Mussman Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Jada Jones Jason Haap Jim Luken Joele Newman Josh Spring Justin Jeffre Kim Green Martha Stephens Monica McGloin Peace Robert Park Rousseau O’Neal II Saad Ghosn Seynabou Niang Speech Steve Sunderland Trenton Davis War Wikipedia. Twincities.com. Google images. Jim Luken. Book.google.com. Religion Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/2c67855bc5892bf281d7d4ccf33298bc.pdf 515abc465ffa16da7dfcf8b924c6ad09 PDF Text Text November 4th - November 17th 2016 | Vol. 20 Issue 23 (No. 342) advocating justice | Building community buddy gray: 20 -year Rememb e rance This issue sponsored by (Retired) Judge Mark P. Painter INSIDE THIS ISSUE We All Need To Be Working Together | 4 The most important thing to me is that buddy never left | 7 Institutional Religion Couldn't Contain buddy's Spirit| 4 Sr. Simone Campbell Election 2016: Working to mend the gaps| 11 Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 R LOCAL From the Director: Act! evolution requires action. Very many people ignore injustice. Many people recognize injustice but feel defeated and say there is nothing we can do. Still other people recognize injustice at least to some extent and spend time reading about it, talking about it with like-minded friends, posting online about it and perhaps studying it. People may even study and discuss methods of revolution. While the intent of people in these groups may differ, none of these groups are involved in revolution. Don’t read me wrong. I am not saying that recognizing injustice, overcoming feelings of defeatism, reading, talking, posting and studying absolutely are not a part of revolution. Instead, I am saying that these alone are not promoting revolution. I can have as many good conversations about revolution with my friends as time will allow, but unless we act, those conversations did not work for revolution. I am saying that we should study a problem together. We should consider past efforts. We should discuss how we are all doing. We should debate tactics and we should strategize. We should do all these things and more, JOSH SPRING Executive Director but we must collectively move forth and use the information, education and fervor gained in these sessions to embolden us into revolutionary action. It is impossible to create the perfect plan or choose the exact right course of action. We cannot predict the future and we cannot always predict ever positive or negative outcomes of action. Some actions will seem like they failed, others will bring minor success and some actions when added together may bring great success. Actions may lead to danger and hardship. But we must act. Working for revolution requires acting when we still need more people, when we don’t have every single detail, when all the studies are not completed and when we don’t have all the needed expertise. Organizing for revolution requires working with people to empower other people to act when they may not feel ready. These truths are a significant part of why I am so thankful to be a part of the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition. I often consider our heritage, but am doing so to an even greater extent now. November 15 will mark twenty years since one of our co-founders buddy gray was murdered. Our co-founders were running shelters serving an increasing number of people experiencing homelessness. As the numbers of people needing shelter grew exponentially because of federal, state and local cuts in affordable housing, our co-founders did not wait for the studies to come in. They did not wait for certain “leaders” to express concern. They did not wait for enough people. They did not read and discuss more and more. No, they acted. In 1984 they said homelessness is a systematic problem and unless we coalesce our power in action we will never end it and more and more people will suffer. This is the same way they had kept shelter doors open when funding was unsure or the city sent the fire department through to try to find infractions. They could not predict the future and did not have time to complete every study under the sun, they had to act. Today we continue in the attitude and action of buddy and so many leaders who have made us who we are. ------------------------ Special Issue buddy gray 20-year Rememberance Story Collection: the Seeds He Sowed -- 3 buddy had a most unusual ability to keep himself focused -- 3 Institutional Religion Couldn't Contain buddy's Spirit -- 4 We All Need To Be Working Together -- 4 Someone felt that I was important enough to remember my name -- 5 We are part of a movement freedom train -- 5 buddy's "schooling" of me in the matters of right and wrong forever changed my worldview -- 6 What did buddy know about these people that I did not -- 6 He Knew We Could Be A Stronger Force if We United to Push For Change -- 7 The most important thing to me is that buddy never left -- 7 buddy had a way of challenging each volunteer and staff member like no one else -- 7 It is a powerful experience to be awakened and feel that you belong -- 11 Sr. Simone Campbell presents Election 2016: Working to mend the gaps -- 11 What happens in these low-income communities have a relationship with what is happening in the world -- 12 buddy's place: preserving, rehabilitating, and educating with the community -- 12 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED N o v 4 - N o v 17 , 2 0 16 | N o . 34 2 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, Dick Crowley, Lynn Williams, Tess Sohngen, Alice Skirtz, Pat Clifford, Barbara Poppe, Bill Faith, David Mann, Andy Hutzel, Jenn Summers, Mary Burke Rivers, Mike Wilkey, Tom Dutton, Steve Elliott, Donald H. Whitehead, Jr., Bonnie Neumeier, Malia Pitts, buddy gray Photography/Artwork: Brewster Rhoads, The People's Movement, Collen Kelley, Malia Pitts, Bill Woods Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �3 LOCAL buddy gray 20-year Rememberance Story Collection: the Seeds He Sowed No. 34 2 | N o v 4 - N o v 17 , 2 0 16 “D o you remember buddy gray?” Josh Spring, director of the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, asked a group of residents outside Race Street. All four residents nodded. Some remembered him from the time they experienced homelessness, and some recognized his name from the years they have lived in Over-theRhine. “That’s where we come from,” said Spring. Even 20 years after his death, buddy gray’s work and name – always penned in lower-case initials like the poet e.e. cummings – live on in the community he dedicated his life to. But the neighborhood looks much different than it did when buddy rode his bike through the streets. With the influx of powerful development forces has come the pricing out of many of the poor and black families buddy fought tirelessly to protect. Vine Street between Central Parkway and Liberty Street is hardly recognizable even to those born and raised here. The Drop Inn Center (DIC), where buddy and fellow activists started the Over-the-Rhine People’s Movement, has also left the neighborhood. Public-private plans to “cleanup” Over-the-Rhine have come by way of gentrification along Vine Street, the central pathway through the historic district. The idea was: if the city could “revitalize” Vine Street -- down to the flower boxes meant to mark its new life -- the roots of change would spread through the rest of Over-the-Rhine. Little did the city know, buddy gray had already planted seeds throughout the streets, many of which are still growing in the neighborhood. Born and raised in the small town I TESS SOHNGEN Contributing Writer of Mount Carmel, a homogenous neighborhood eastside of Cincinnati, Stanley (buddy) Gray was described as a typical kid – intelligent, polite and opinionated. Playing baseball in the West End, he was bothered by the lack of resources available to other experiencing poverty long before buddy moved to town in 1970. Reverend Maurice McCrackin, beloved minister and renowned pacifist, became a mentor and friend to buddy as did Nannie Hinkston, whose voice could capture a whole room despite Nike shoes pounding the pavement for your heart fist in the air for your heart, hands in the air for your heart, skyscrapers in the air for your heart, art on walls for your heart. Sunflower seeds in the grass for your soul. Seeds in the grass for your soul… -- Derrick Johnson, a child when he knew buddy gray buddy's bike at the memorial Photo: Brewster Rhoads kids; his sense of injustice at these disparities stayed with him through the radicalizing protest of the Vietnam War. Draftees, poor and black, could not apply for conscientious objection to the war as easily as those white, raised in wealthy communities. Buddy not only took a stance against the war, he also devoted his life to changing the system from the outside. In this effort, he found a home in Over-the-Rhine. Here, the seeds for revolution were planted in him by activists in the neighborhood who had been fighting for basic human rights with people her 5’ frame. Their support and guidance allowed buddy to grow his own roots and tilled the earth for buddy to plant the seeds of activism in the next generation. They may not have had the instantaneous beauty of the flowers flowing from the flower boxes, but buddy gray nurtured the seeds and helped build a community around them. He challenged them, supported them, taught them, fought with them and gave them big bear hugs. Today, while the hanging flowers on Vine get continually replaced, many of buddy’s seeds still live and thrive buddy had a most unusual ability to keep himself focused came to Cincinnati as a Vista Volunteer doing community organizing in Over-the-Rhine, O-T-R, from January 1970 until July 1971. I had just graduated from college and I wanted to live in an urban low-income community and try to help improve living conditions. I met buddy on the street. It was on Green Street near Vine in the spring of 1970. We became friends quite quickly. I was impressed with his sincere interests in the well-being of the people who were living in O-T-R. We stayed close friends the entire time I was living there. I stayed in O-T-R after my Vista Volunteer commitment ended in July 1971 until I moved to Massachusetts in 1982. Primarily because of my friendship with buddy, I chose to continue being involved in community organizing focusing on working in the neighborhood. The DIC, although it has moved out of the neighborhood, still provides shelter to many men and women experiencing homelessness. ReSTOC merged with Over-the-Rhine Housing Network (OTRHN) to form Over-the-Rhine Community Housing, which is the largest provider of affordable housing units in the community today. Many friends and past DIC residents have stayed in the community, and many have moved to continue the work elsewhere. DICK CROWLEY Contributing Writer Milner Demonstration Photo Credit: People's Movement Photos THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Despite the drastic change witnessed in Over-the-Rhine in the past twenty years, and the many conflicts embedded in the struggle for justice through it all, buddy gray is as visible in the community as a large mural on a brick building. The lessons and dreams he fought for were not bitten by the frost of gentrification, but instead stand tall like a sunflower, sturdy in the ground, always facing the sun. As we honor buddy’s spirit today, we remember him through the words of those who are co-creators in his legacy—a sampling of these words is represented in this issue. ------------------------. with the homeless population and trying to increase community access to affordable housing. I also worked with buddy on the community newspaper, VOICES. I was in the role of photographer. Buddy was the primary initiator on most of the projects I was involved with in the community. I mainly provided transportation and support services. Buddy had the prominent role in the community to help coordinate projects and programs like the Drop Inn Center and ReSTOC. I did odd jobs and some substitute teaching in the Cincinnati public schools and continued to do volunteer work with buddy and other friends in the neighborhood. I also worked a couple of years at the Drop Inn Center as an overnight staff person. I was around when the first over-night shelter was set up in a store front on Vine Street, and when the historic midnight move was made to the 12th Street location in 1978. (Continued on page 6) �4 I LOCAL Institutional Religion Couldn't Contain buddy's Spirit first met buddy when I was a preschool teacher at the Prince of Peace Nursery School in Over-the-Rhine. I met him only briefly then. He was encouraging neighborhood people and workers to attend the Over-the-Rhine Community Council meetings. In the 1980s he already had a reputation of being a great leader and a nonviolent “fighter” for the poor. I had LYNN WILLIAMS Contributing Writer continue now to work in Over-theRhine at the Contact Center. I was hired as an advocate working at the Drop Inn Center and there I got to know buddy. It would take a long, long time to type up a book about all the great things buddy did just in the short time I knew him Lynn Helped Organize Ohio Empowerment Coalition Credit: People's Movement Photos moved to Cincinnati from another county in Ohio a couple of years earlier and then moved to Overthe-Rhine to work and live. I lived in Over-the-Rhine for 20 years and from 1990 to his assassination in 1996. He was a completely unique person whom I will never forget. He was warm, compassionate and had a tremendous sense of humor. He had a “presence” about him that was unlike anybody I ever met. I could give many examples of his kindnesses to the down and out people who came across his path. Believe me, Pope Francis should know about him. Yet, buddy’s spirituality went far beyond institutional religions. Institutional religion couldn’t contain buddy’s spirit! I’ll list two examples of why buddy was a hero in my eyes, even though he would never have wanted to be called a hero. Catherine Howard, another great Over-theRhine activist who has since passed on to Eternity, and I were walking on Vine Street headed together to a meeting when we came upon an elderly woman crying on the sidewalk near 14th & Vine. She was standing among all her belongings with her furniture “put out” on the sidewalk. It was freezing cold and snow was falling. She told us she had been evicted although she had always paid her rent each month. Well, Catherine and I immediately got in touch with buddy at the Drop Inn Center and right away he brought the van to get her and all her belongings and bring them back to Drop Inn Center. We were furious that an elderly woman, whom we found out had a heart condition, could be treated like this. Later we We All Need To Be Working Together N o v 4 - N o v 17 , 2 0 16 | N o . 34 2 found out that it was even worse than this. She had somehow been paying rent to the wrong landlord because of a sale of the building. This is just one example of how buddy literally helped the down and out in Over-the-Rhine. When I was working at the Drop Inn Center, if buddy was in the van and saw someone passed out drunk on the sidewalk or street, he would stop the van to help the person. Buddy was the Good Samaritan the Gospels talk about. I can testify that I was in the van one day when we literally picked up an elderly woman passed out from the late stages of alcoholism and lifted her on the van to bring her back to the Drop Inn Center, get her cleaned up and a place in the women’s dorm. Buddy always said it was better for people passed out on the street to go to Drop Inn Center instead of to jail. I’ll never forget this woman as long as I live. This was one of my first experiences working at the Drop Inn Center. I had never come so close to an elderly woman in the last stages of alcoholism. She died about a month or so later from alcoholism, but she didn’t die alone on the street. Buddy would never ever have compared himself to Mother Teresa, but I sure did compare him to her. I know he has a special reward for his many kind acts of mercy in the World to come. Thank you, buddy, for inspiring me, and many others by your deep commitment to justice and compassion for humanity, one person helped at a time. ------------------------ TESS SOHNGEN with ALICE SKIRTZ and PAT CLIFFORD I Contributing Writer n the early 1980s, it became clear to many social workers and activists in Over-the-Rhine that reliable information and documentation about affordable housing in the community was needed in order to increase housing options for the growing number of people experiencing homelessness. Three shelter directors – Alice Skirtz from The Salvation Army, Barbara Poppe from Bethany House Services and buddy gray from the Drop Inn Center (DIC) – and an ever broader range of shelter directors from Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky formed the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless on May 30, 1984. Joe Beene, who had experienced homelessness prior to the formation of the Coalition, was another influential and inspirational founder. The Coalition followed the goals of buddy and others in the community, to advocate for the needs of those experiencing homelessness, and did so independently from government money and preferences. The decision was made to not seek 501(c)3 non-profit status and to keep the organization’s needs minimal: a location, a telephone, and a passionate membership. “In an amazing joint effort, with no funds, no hierarchy, almost no structure, we began to work for but more importantly with those who experienced the problem of homelessness,” said Alice Skirtz in her 2006 dissertation from Union Institute & University. “We soon realized that whatever interpretation or explanation was offered for the problem of homelessness, it was imperative that we keep focus on homelessness as a matter of failures in housing and not failures of homeless persons… Homelessness was about scarcity of affordable housing.” People who had experienced an addiction, homelessness or poverty or who came through the Drop Inn Center became a part of the Coalition’s story and staff. The current street newspaper, STREETVIBES, Spring Street Hunger Strike: Rev. Maurice McCrackn, buddy, Bev Merrill Photo Credit: People's Movement Photos is just one project stemming from the Homeless Coalition. It offers opportunity to work for systemic change and is a means of making an income for persons experiencing homelessness by becoming vendors of the newspaper. A forerunner of STREETVIBES was the community newspaper called VOICES. “The story of our housing efforts THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED of the next decade, 1988-1998, cannot be told without the life and work of buddy gray,” said Alice Skirtz. While still working for the DIC, buddy co-founded ReSTOC, which enabled the community to own real estate that could then be transformed into affordable housing units. Buddy worked with residents and persons (Continued on page 6) �5 LOCAL Someone felt that I was important enough to remember my name No. 34 2 | N o v 4 - N o v 17 , 2 0 16 B DONALD H. WHITEHEAD, JR. Contributing Writer uddy was first and foremost my friend. Our friendship developed from a service provider service receiver relationship to a genuine friendship and mentorship. I left sixteen years ago but Overthe-Rhine will always have a special place in my heart. I have many personal friendships that I maintain there. I return for events whenever asked to support my friends and organizations. I visit every opportunity that becomes available. My favorite story of buddy is our first time meeting. I was in the midst of a very difficult position in my life. It was buddy’s custom to greet all of the new residents in the Drop Inn Center. During that talk he asked us questions and shared the story of the Drop Inn Center and the struggles in Over-the-Rhine. Shortly after the presentation buddy came over to me and he talked a little more. I don’t remember everything he said but I do remember two things. Buddy called me Donald and I remember the feeling of pride that that brought me. For the first time in a long time someone felt that I was important enough to remember my name. The other thing I remember was the last four words he said, “I’m glad you’re here”. An image I see is buddy testifying at Cincinnati City Council meetings. I always remember how prepared he was and how eloquently he spoke. Always buddy appeared to be the smartest person in the room. Things have completely transformed in Over-the-Rhine. The community is one of the saddest examples of gentrification I have ever seen. On the other hand, many institutions remain in place. Overthe-Rhine Community Housing, Peaslee Neighborhood Center, the Homeless Coalition and others continue to fight against extremely powerful forces. Buddy’s legacy lives on through the longevity of these amazing organizations. I think gentrification has reached its peak and there is a small window of opportunity to reclaim some of the remaining properties for poor people. It is incredibly important to rally around those agencies still We are part of a movement freedom train BONNIE NEUMEIER Contributing Writer T he day I lost buddy on November 15, 1996, I couldn’t imagine twenty years out. I often wake up from dreams wanting to talk with him about what do we do now. I trusted so much in his strategic mind. And even more in his compassionate heart. We all still feel the deep loss of a friend and fellow justice seeker taken from us too soon. He was in the prime of his life, only 46. There isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not reminded of his daily hard work to improve conditions for sisters and brothers, poor, homeless, or stretching to make ends meet. Buddy took many punches for the team while he lived, and punches still even after his death. When are those in power going to get it right? Buddy did not want a “slum,” but wanted his neighbors not to be pushed out, wanted us to have a sense of self-determination in the neighborhood we call home, and wanted basic human rights for people. We have a right to this city, too. How are those goals against development? Buddy believed in community development. The kind where common folks are equal participants and have decision-making power over our lives and our neighborhoods. He definitely would not approve of us being pawns of corporate Cincinnati, being pushed out of sight in the name of revitalization. Buddy was mentored by many. He really believed in walking with and learning from the people. There are people who impacted him greatly, names that aren’t written in the history books, common folk who struggled every day but taught him how to carry on against great odds: Rosetta Hatton, Thaddeus Cheatham, Richard Winbush, Marie Cobb, Ruth Jones, Denise Crew, Charlene Robinson, Minnie Young, Nannie Hinkston, Carrie Johnson, George Dunson, Charlie Mason, Jimmy Render, Richard Bachelor, Tom Lee, Joe Beene, and the list can go on. Buddy was deeply moved through his involvement in resisting the war in Vietnam. There were many movements he was listening to and active in as a young adult: Civil Rights, Farmworkers, Women’s Movement and Labor Movement. He chose to walk with the people at the bottom. It was a natural progression to call what we were doing a poor people’s movement in Over-theRhine, carrying on the work that was Donald Whitehead speaks at 20th Anniversary of Recovery Hotel Photo Credit: Over-the-Rhine Community Housing fighting for relevance and their very existence. Buddy challenged me to be a part of the movement by using my gifts and talents to a cause that was much more important. He helped me to understand selflessness, preparation and community. I have moved on to the national fight and in many ways it mirrors the fight in Over-theRhine. We have to preserve and fight for the rights of people experiencing homelessness and already going on. Buddy believed in strengthening the numbers in this movement. He mentored many just as he was mentored. I don’t know of a meeting, a march, a presentation or an event that buddy went to without having some folk by his side. Our lessons were taught by journeying with him, on the job, in the street, in his truck, on a volunteer work crew, and at city hall. I am proud that we have carried on. I am proud of our movement’s leadership and their teams in all the grassroots organizations that continue the work upon the solid foundation that buddy helped to build. We understand we are part of a movement freedom train. It’s been on the track for years before us, and will continue beyond our lives. The fire of justice is in hearts and will burn as long as necessary. We continue to build peoples’ programs, to add affordable housing on line, to organize tenants against displacement. We continue to connect our neighbors with basic services, to organize to defend public parks for our children, to push for housing policies that demand fair and equitable development. We continue to stand with those challenging police brutality, to create circles where young girls and women can be creative and express their voices, to work with our youth so they are the next generation to be agents of THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED poverty. We face powerful political and economic forces that see poor people as obstructions in the road to prosperity, obstructions that are better cast aside. We must never be silent. Buddy taught us the power of protest, a lesson we must never forget. As Fredrick Douglass said: “Power concedes nothing without protest, it never has and it never will.” ------------------------. Carrie and Annabelle Johnson Photo Credit: People's Movement Photos change. We will continue to sing and do art and make poetry. Yes, our movement train is going down the track. Yes, we miss you buddy. And you know our hearts ache not only for you, but also for many others. In this twenty years we have lost many beautiful people who gave their energy and lives to building our beloved community. I want to call out the name of Carrie Johnson. It is just one year on November 14th that we lost Ms. Carrie. I imagine Carrie and buddy are rallying Nannie Hinkston and all those who have gone on to the spirit world, and they are trying to find a way to breathe hope into our hearts and wind in our sails. They know we can use both. Hope and wind to carry on. Thank you buddy, and Carrie and Nannie for your years of leadership. We will always remember… ------------------------. �6 LOCAL N o v 4 - N o v 17 , 2 0 16 | N o . 34 2 buddy's "schooling" of me in the matters of right and wrong forever changed my worldview” I met buddy through Sister Mary Grafe as we began Bethany House of Hospitality (now Bethany House Services) in the tradition of the Catholic Worker movement.  With a focus on social and economic justice, we connected to found the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless and the Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (now COHHIO).   I had no idea when I first met buddy that he would be part of forever changing my life. He instilled in me the fundamental belief that BARBARA POPPE Contributing Writer housing is a human right and access to a safe and affordable home is the only real solution to homelessness. He, along with others in the activist network of Cincinnati, taught me about direct action and civil disobedience, how to organize and mobilize people to show up for public hearings, how to testify about injustice and make the case for just solutions.   His fierce and unwavering commitment to justice and the people who the Mayerson Foundation where I worked to “educate the educators” about the appropriate ways to learn and serve others. I also served on the boards of ReSTOC, Peaslee, and Our Daily Bread. In 1984 I was a contented high school teacher and a very successful basketball coach in the suburbs of Cincinnati. Finneytown was a high school with lots of great students and parents, in a district that valued education and encouraged unique learning experiences. Yet, it was ME who had a lot to learn. I decided to take a graduate course from Miami University, which consisted of several weekend ended up at the door of the Drop Inn Shelter. After knocking at the door, we stepped inside to feel the warmth from the November air, but I was overwhelmed with the smell, sort of a combination of alcohol, body odor, and urine. Needless to say, I was very uncomfortable as I stepped into the shelter and past the benches where men were sleeping and staring into space. Since I had entered first, I became the “unofficial” spokesperson of the group. A young man with a full beard and long-pony tail, wearing bibbed overalls, was sweeping the floor and looked up as I approached and asked me who we were. I responded that we were from Miami University. He asked why we were here. I responded we were here to observe. He said rather quickly, “What do you think this is . . . the Cincinnati Zoo?“ I said no. He said, “I think you need to leave.” I went back to school for his masters in social work. Clifford volunteered for ReSTOC as an undergraduate at Xavier University studying Classical Languages. He was a senior when Xavier University held their first shanty town to raise awareness about homelessness. During his last semester, buddy approached him and offered him a job with the DIC. Clifford worked part time there and at the Coalition until he became Director of the DIC. As many organizations were responding to the homelessness crisis, Clifford remembered how buddy and the Coalition brought organizations together to share resources and information. “His approach to collaboration… was very influential, and that’s not always the case for people in charge,” said Clifford. Following buddy’s death, there was discussion about whether or not the strides buddy had made in the community would continue. Developers, some city council members and buddy’s critics were skeptical, but Over-the-Rhine community leaders like Nannie Hinkston were adamant that the work to improve the rights and lives of those experiencing homelessness and the fight for more affordable housing would continue. The work of this strong, committed collective of people and organizations did continue through those who were already a part of these organizations buddy had worked with to create, sustain and grow through many uphill struggles – Drop Inn, ReSTOC, Over-theRhine Housing Network, Homeless Coalition, Peaslee – and people who were still to come to Over-the-Rhine. story. The main image I have of buddy was his ability to focus on conversations he was having with other people. He was able to devote his full attention and give back thoughtful and meaningful responses to anyone who asked him for his time. Buddy was especially helpful and caring with me over the time that I knew him when I had serious mood swings that compromised my ability to function and work in the community on a day-to-day basis. He was consistently supportive and nonjudgmental towards me during these down spells. Buddy had a most unusual ability to keep himself focused on the work he was doing AND also be sensitive, compassionate and encouraging to his friends and acquaintances. He challenged me by setting a good example of how to relate to people I had never met before. He challenged me to be more patient, compassionate and nonjudgmental with people I am living and working with. The history of buddy gray's involvement in O-T-R and the people who made that history is important to acknowledge and incorporate into ongoing efforts to maintain decent housing and living conditions for the most vulnerable residents of O-T-R and surrounding neighborhoods in Cincinnati. Buddy's life work and commitment to the people is a good example for anyone anywhere who is trying to help other people. STEVE ELLIOTT I Contributing Writer SOHNGEN, SKIRTZ, CLIFFORD (Continued from page 4) experiencing homelessness to organize people in the same situation to go to city council meetings. He led the struggle to rescue and rebuild 1300 Vine Street after a major fire and the city’s plan to tear it down, and led the fight for Recovery Hotel when the city tried to rescind funding for the project. “He had the spirit of ‘we all need to be working together’,” said Pat Clifford, who became the Director of the Drop Inn Center in 1998 and served there until 2010 when he DICK CROWLEY (Continued from page 3) I had a pick- up truck, an old GMC. Buddy used to borrow the truck from time to time. One time when buddy borrowed the truck and had a passenger in the cab, buddy had to put the brakes on suddenly, the passenger door flew open and the passenger was nearly ejected from the truck. Fortunately, the passenger was able to hang onto the door for dear life and no one was hurt. Buddy got a big kick out of retelling that ----------------------- classes on a variety of topics, which would not be found in a traditional class. The schedule was appealing to a full time teacher, Friday night, Saturday, and then a reflection paper submitted on Sunday morning. We met at the Springdale Sheraton once a month, with a wide range of topics, lots of speakers and very interactive. The weekend class that changed my life, both professionally and personally, was called “City in the Night.” The thirty teachers were divided into groups of five or six, and then assigned to visit several social agencies in urban Cincinnati. My group was assigned to visit a downtown fire station, University Hospital waiting room, and the Drop Inn Center ShelterHouse on 12th Street in Over-the-Rhine. After our visits, we were then asked to meet on Fountain Square to share our experiences. After our visits to the fire station and University Hospital, my group What did buddy know about these people that I did not consider buddy to be my friend and mentor. I was an educator for over forty years, and feel that buddy was my teacher. My relationship with Overthe-Rhine is centered in the many hundreds of Finneytown students who participated in our service program, which invested hours of serving others at the Drop Inn Center, ReSTOC (now Over-the-Rhine Community Housing) and the Peaslee Neighborhood Center. Many of the students continued to support nonprofits and programs in Cincinnati after high school and college. After retiring from Finneytown, I served as a service-learning consultant for were denied housing in the face of great hostility from elected leaders and people in power was inspiring.  Buddy challenged my fundamental assumptions that America was a fair country that provided equal opportunity for all. One of my favorite memories is from the late 1980’s; the monthly drives to Columbus for meetings of the Ohio Coalition for the Homeless.  Buddy would get someone to loan us a car and we’d load up with a few Drop Inn Center residents, Sr. Mary and me.  The two hour drive to and from the meetings were filled with lessons from buddy about systemic and systematic injustices to people of color, families with low incomes, and people struggling with addiction and mental illness.   His “schooling” of me in the matters of right and wrong forever changed my worldview.  I am grateful for those lessons, his friendship, and his leadership through turbulent times.  When I confront tough decisions, I have often thought of buddy’s lessons and bravery in adversity so I am inspired to stand for justice.  I hope he’s smiling as we all strive to carry on his legacy. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED (Continued on page 10) ------------------------ �LOCAL 7 No. 34 2 | N o v 4 - N o v 17 , 2 0 16 He Knew We Could Be A Stronger Force if We United to Push For Change BILL FAITH, COHHIO Contributing Writer W hen many of us started homeless programs, soup kitchens or early supportive housing projects back in the late 70’s and early 80’s, we were pretty isolated in our own communities fighting our local battles. We were like little dots on the map spread out all over but we didn’t know much about each other. Buddy was one of the key people in connecting those dots because he knew we could be a stronger force if we united to push for change. He was one of a few key leaders in Ohio to form the Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (now known as COHHIO) and was one of the first in Ohio to help form the National Coalition for the Homeless. Without a doubt his dedication and passion was unmatched and continues to inspire me to this day. He connected the housing injustices we all worked on to the broader fights for systems change for racial justice, human rights and poverty. His drive to fight for housing justice - to seek and actually create real solutions for homeless people and other low- income people - helped me want to do more in my own work. This is true for people I know, who knew him then, all over the country. We took different paths. I became a housing advocate around the state government and buddy stayed rooted in working with people in Over-the- Rhine. For years we served on one of the national boards together. I would fly to the DC meetings, book a hotel room where the meeting was going to be and connect with the other board members who did the same thing. Almost every meeting buddy would show up at my door around midnight or so – having driven for hours in the van with a couple of resident leaders and say “you mind if we crash here?” (It wasn’t an actual question, really). Buddy had a wonderful sense of humor, he loved big bear hugs and he was a constant source of encouragement to everyone in the networks – from the new interns to the old veterans. Over the years, we had our own battles over strategies and tactics but those pale in comparison to the work we shared. While sitting in the hotel room one night in what turned out to be just a few weeks before he died, he said some of the kindest and most complimentary things anyone has ever told me. His was a heart of gold ------------------------ The most important thing to me is that buddy never left I DAVID MANN Contributing Writer was a member of Cincinnati City Council from 1974 until 1992 when I was elected to Congress for what turned out to be one term. I served as Mayor in 1981, 1982 and 1991. I returned to Council in 2013. My earliest memory of buddy gray was before I first came to council when he was the leader to keep the Drop Inn Center open and to obtain a permanent home for it at the union building on 12tth Street. After I became a member of council, buddy was a frequent visitor to City Hall as he advocated for issues affecting the Drop Inn Center, Overthe-Rhine and its residents. The first issue that comes to mind involved an O-T-R resident, Richard Winbush, who had been seriously injured at the complicated five points corner intersection at Vine, McMicken and Findlay Streets. Buddy advocated quite forcefully and correctly for crosswalks and traffic controls. Some at City Hall were put off by the numbers of residents that came with him in support and by buddy's steady uncompromising approach. He marshaled facts and presented them skillfully and articulately. Many asked, “Who is this young sloppily dressed kid from the suburbs down here mixing with poor people? He cannot know more than us but he does not politely assume that City Hall knows best. He must be a commie or something. After he gets his kicks, he will move on and leave those who he purports to serve.” The most important thing to me is that buddy never left. He served the folks in O-T-R until the day he died. He was an advocate for improved housing and more support for poor citizens throughout his years of service. Buddy worked hard to control residential property with the dream of renovating it for affordable housing. Buddy persuaded Council to adopt a motion promising to include the needs of the poor in any revitalization of O-T-R. He would marvel at all that has happened in buddy with "little buddy" out front of City Hall Credit: People's Movement Photos O-T-R in recent years. He would grieve at how poorly the community has stood by the formal motion that council adopted in response to his advocacy. Buddy always respected and supported neighborhood leaders such at Nannie Hinkston, long time president of O-T-R Community Council. I think often of buddy and how he touched so many lives in a short time. He touched mine though we were at odds on occasion. I always respected all that he did and I still do. ------------------------ buddy had a way of challenging each volunteer and staff member like no one else “b uddy was my mentor. I worked closely with him to learn and understand the day-to-day operations of a couple organizations he helped to start. Buddy wasn’t too big on titles. He just preferred dedicated and committed people who were willing to serve in any role that was needed. I sought to be someone buddy could depend on and carry through on what needed to get done,” said Andy Hutzel. “If I can only be defined by my relationships ANDY HUTZEL, JENN SUMMERS AND TESS SOHNGEN Contributing Writers with residents of the neighborhood, then that would be enough for me. What they have contributed to my being or person means everything to me. That relationship building started with buddy.” Hutzel first came to Over-theRhine as a high school volunteer from Elder High School, and continued to work with buddy as an intern at ReSTOC. He was one of many young people whose lives buddy touched and inspired. “buddy had a way of challenging each volunteer and staff member like no one else. He challenged you physically, mentally and spiritually. It took no time for him to push you to the edge (and beyond) of your comfort zone. That challenging and THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED pushing made you stronger and more confident as time went on,” said Hutzel. Another intern at the time was equally moved by buddy and by fellow community members: Jenn Summers. Working side-by-side with Hutzel and buddy, Summers remembers the 11:00 p.m. phone calls from buddy on a Friday night asking her and Hutzel to fax something important, the piles of papers lining (Continued on page 10) �8 TRIBUTE N o v 4 - N o v 17 , 2 0 16 | N o . 34 2 Photos and Poems of buddy gray buddy gray Photo Credit: People's Movement Photos MEMORIAL MARCH FOR buddy Photo Credit: Brewster Rhoads buddy's 40th Birthday at Peaslee THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 34 2 | N o v 4 - N o v 17 , 2 0 16 9 TRIBUTE MEMORIAL MARCH FOR buddy Photo Credit: Brewster Rhoads THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �10 HUTZEL, SUMMERS AND SOHNGEN (Continued from page 7) the stairs of the ReSTOC office, all marked by buddy with a red sharpie as “URGENT”, and the favorite lunch from Bang’s Market: cheese and mayonnaise sandwiches on white bread and chocolate milk. Together they collaborated on many projects around the community, but the one that first engulfed them into the fight for affordable housing was the struggle to develop the Recovery Hotel in 1994 -1995. “The hard, relentless work to bring that project to completion on a meager budget but with resiliency defined who buddy was to me. It took tough negotiating skills to acquire the building, political activism to bring the plight of the homeless to city hall, and stubbornness to not let up when the odds were against us,” said Hutzel. “I remember looking at those stacks of paper, and [buddy] had written ‘URGENT’ on the ones that… needed to get done,” said Summers. “But all of them had ‘URGENT’ LOCAL written on them, so we said, ‘How are we supposed to know where to start?’” Hutzel, Summers, and buddy raised money and put their sweat and bodies into the rehabilitation of the building (with the help of volunteers), despite the relentless opposition from the city and critics saying the building would blight the community with the stain of alcoholics and addicts. But the work that interns and people in recovery put into the Recovery Hotel paid off, and the building still provides 20 units of affordable housing – a home – to recovering alcoholics. Twenty-three years later, Hutzel and Summers still work in the neighborhood. Hutzel worked at the Drop Inn Center for several years and is now the Director of Housing Services for Over-the-Rhine Community Housing (OTRCH), the merger of Over-the-Rhine Housing Network (OTRHN) and ReSTOC. Summers became the General Coordinator of ReSTOC after buddy’s death and before the merger with Over-the-Rhine Housing Network. She is now the Director of the Peaslee N o v 4 - N o v 17 , 2 0 16 | N o . 34 2 ReStoc Work Crew outside of office Photo Credit: People's Movement Photos Neighborhood Center. “I think we continue to hold up the mission, vision and values that buddy instilled in the people and organizations in Over-the-Rhine and we continue to build on what we’ve been able to accomplish in the past 23 plus years,” said Hutzel. “Buddy was involved in purchasing our first building close to 40 years ago to house men and women at the Drop Inn Center and I am proud that the Drop Inn Center continues to be one of our largest referral sources for housing. If homelessness is not solved in 20 years, then I want us to continue to be providing quality, dignified housing to this same population in Over-theRhine.” ------------------------ STEVE ELLIOTT (Continued from page 6) responded, “I think you are right.” My initial thought, as my mind was trying to process the sights, smells and brief exchange, was “What did he know about these people that I obviously did not know?” He was protective of them as human beings and I so admired him for this. I felt uncomfortable, curious, challenged, humiliated and needing to process this experience. This encounter with buddy changed my focus about education and encouraged me to develop a service program at Finneytown that became a model for public schools in Cincinnati. As he shared later, I was just “coaching” another sport. It was his belief in the respect for others and the importance of building relationships with those you serve that became the cornerstone of the Finneytown program. “The two most important days in our life, are the day we are born and then the day we find out why.” This day at the Drop Inn was when I found out why. I learned rather quickly that I knew very little about how to develop a service program and that my personal philosophy of Ready-FireAim would be the process. The passion to improve the lives of others, and respecting everyone for their unique individuality, became the foundation of our program. The philosophy of the program was: good service is when those who serve become the learner, and those who are served become the teacher. When we served meals at the Drop Inn three times a month, the guideline was, if you had a chance to talk to guests, conversation was as important as serving. Thanks to buddy (and Bonnie), our program was aimed in the right direction. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �LOCAL It is a powerful experience to be awakened and feel that you belong 11 No. 34 2 | N o v 4 - N o v 17 , 2 0 16 B uddy was a friend and mentor. He encouraged me from the day that I met him to share what I knew about the deep need for affordable housing. I was a social worker working for the Hamilton County Department of Human Services in the Children’s Services division at the time. I had good conversations with buddy and mostly remember him as part of something larger. I felt part of the same community as buddy. I was young and naïve. I feel like I grew up through the community at the Drop Inn Center and in Over-the-Rhine. I found a place where I belonged. Buddy was central to that and so were many other people. It is a powerful experience to have a part of yourself awakened and to feel that you belong. I am currently the Executive Director of Over-the-Rhine Community Housing (OTRCH). OTRCH was formed out of the merger of Over-the-Rhine Housing Network (OTRHN) and ReSTOC. I was hired as the Director of OTRHN in 1993. Prior to that I was active with the homeless coalition in my role as the Housing Specialist at the County. One of the memories about buddy that stays with me is his absolute groundedness in justice. I can picture his face and his eyes as he spoke to people. He would look people in the eye and tell them about the people he knew who needed housing, about some injustice that had occurred and what should be done about it. Buddy would look at you like, “Yeah, can you believe that? Now lets get busy fixing it.” I remember touring the neighborhood of Over-the-Rhine with buddy. I remember the feeling of seeing the neighborhood in a totally different way than I had seen it before. I was probably accepting the mainstream narrative that the neighborhood was a bad place until I walked the neighborhood with buddy and I began to see the community here. It was a powerful experience. A fond memory of buddy was a meeting I had with him a few days before he died. We met at our MARY BURKE RIVERS Contributing Writer OTRHN office at 220 E. Clifton to talk about our financial struggles at the Housing Network. We worked out a solid plan and when he left I felt relieved that everything was going to be okay. When you during the interview nodding with encouragement. I smile when I think of his testimonies at City Hall, the way buddy spoke when he was sharing a truth, his foolproof arguments for Andy Hutzel and Mary B. Rivers Photo Credit: Colleen Kelly lacked confidence in a strategy or presentation he would just push forward as if it was a given that the plan or I would succeed. Even when things seemed dark he would be optimistic. I remember my first interview with a reporter about a housing issue. It was a phone interview with a radio reporter. I was on the second floor of the Drop Inn Center where we held our Homeless Coalition meetings. Buddy stood by my side justice. I picture him with his pen in hand and his spiral notebook. His comments were always smart and thoughtful. It was hard to argue with the integrity of his comments and his sincerity. I think buddy was able to draw smart people and kind people to his argument -- smart people couldn’t argue with what he was saying. I love how buddy interacted with people who were homeless. He treated them with such kindness Sr. Simone Campbell presents Election 2016: Working to mend the gaps S r. Simone Campbell joined the sisters of Nuns on the Bus, to discuss mending the economic and social divides in our country and counter political incivility with a message of MALIA PITTS Contributing Writer inclusion. Wednesday’s event was held at Christ Church Cathedral, on E 4th St. where Sr. Simone presented an interactive presentation on the policies that disproportionately impacts women and people of color, and challenged those in attendance to envision and share their thoughts THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED and respect. He knew everyone’s name. I see buddy in Andy Hutzel’s interactions with the residents at Jimmy Heath House. I see buddy at Jimmy Heath House where the people buddy cared so deeply about are treated with love, kindness, and respect. I see buddy at Recovery Hotel and I remember the fight to get it built and how 20 years later it is providing housing and support to people who were homeless and are now in recovery. Buddy would be so proud that Recovery Hotel continues on, strong and vital. A core group of us have carried on. It is how buddy would approach things that obviously needed fixing. It would simply be absurd to walk away and not continue the fight for housing, justice, and our place here in Over-the-Rhine. Buddy challenged me to speak about what I knew to be true, what I had experienced working side by side with families who were seeking housing. He convinced me that I had an important story to tell and that my voice was important. He challenged me to keep moving forward and to always seek solutions and be creative in seeking those solutions. I learned to look at the world through a different lens. I came to challenge conventional wisdom and to see the injustice in our systems that keep some people wealthy and comfortable while others struggle for basic needs. In 20 years – I assume I will be retired from here but hopefully still engaged. I will be 74. I hope that our buildings will still be serving our community of people who can’t access market housing. I do have some fear that we may be pushed out in a similar fashion that Drop Inn Center was moved - slowly undermining our work until it is palatable to enough people that we be removed. Given the current political climate in our country and the continued challenges people face to build wealth or simply live, I can’t imagine what 20 years from now might look like. Will there continue to be a widening gap between the wealthy and the rest of us? Will many more of us be struggling for survival? I love buddy. I feel very fortunate to have landed in Over-the-Rhine with this community of people who love and care for each other, and who are seeking justice and another way for us all to be in community. ------------------------ on what Cincinnati would look like if we were to vote to mend the gaps in income and wealth inequality, and improve access to democracy, healthcare, citizenship and housing. Sr. Simone Campbell, executive director of NEWTWORK and leader of The Nuns on the Bus, urges everyone to join them in mending the gaps because the (Continued on page 13) �12 I LOCAL What happens in these low-income communities have a relationship with what is happening in the world met buddy in Over-the-Rhine in 1969. I was working at HUB Services, an agency providing basic services to people in the area. Buddy had just come into the area and was helping mostly homeless people find a place to stay and to get other help. We became friends. I was very much impressed by his commitment to the people in the community. Buddy was able to secure and open a small place in the 1700 block of Vine Street for the homeless. I worked with him at this time to provide some services for these homeless people. A few years later buddy was able to move the shelter to the Bible Center on Main Street (1324 Main Street). Buddy and I and a few others worked at the shelter in the evenings providing a place for the homeless to stay. I remember going with buddy at night to some of the abandoned buildings and bringing the homeless to the shelter. In the winter months, we encountered a few people who died in the cold. In January of 1978 at midnight, the residents, along with buddy and others moved the shelter to a building on 12th Street where the Drop Inn Center really began. It T N o v 4 - N o v 17 , 2 0 16 | N o . 34 2 MIKE WILKEY Contributing Writer remained at this site until a year ago when it moved to Queensgate. During those early years, buddy and I, and a few others, began working on housing issues in the area. At this time, there was a government program setup to rehabilitate some of the old buildings in the community. Many of the people living in these buildings were being evicted without any help. Buddy and I and others helped these people to find another apartment and would try to get the City of Cincinnati to provide relocation money, which they were entitled to. We would also go to the offices of some of the developers, such as Denhart, to demand that they treat the people being evicted in a more humane way. Buddy and I and others would meet weekly to plan actions in the community to get more services. In the early years we had no money but we were committed to fighting for the neighborhood. We were able, with buddy's help, to win some victories and lose a few, but we stayed together and continued to struggle to change things. Buddy became a real leader during these years. He was determined to lead the community in a direction that helped the people in the area to have a better life. I know that he believed that everyone should have the basic necessities of life, not just the people at the top. Buddy also got involved with the Voices Newspaper, which came out once a month. Buddy was a great writer and could express himself very clearly. During the 70's a People's Movement of blacks and whites became a force for change in the community. I was very fortunate to be a part of this struggle. When I left O-T-R in 1978, I moved with my family to Colorado. I continued working with lowincome people and did some community organizing with them. I moved to Arizona with my family in 1985 and began working with an organization that brought together various churches to work on issues in low-income communities. A number of years later I moved with my wife to the Chicago area and now am involved in a number of issues such as gun control, immigration reform, climate change and raising the minimum wage. My son, Chris Wilkey, moved to the area a few years ago and started teaching at Northern Kentucky University and he began to make contacts in O-T-R and setup a program with another professor at Miami University in Oxford. He continues to be involved in the community today. Buddy gray and people from O-T-R have been, for me, the reason why I stay involved in these issues. Buddy had a view that what happens in these low-income communities have a relationship with what is happening in the world. We would talk about what was happening in Vietnam and other parts of the world and what was happening in O-T-R as all connected. Buddy had a universal understanding of this fact. We are all brothers and sisters. Finally, I would like to say that buddy was a very dedicated and committed person. He would do everything to help the homeless and others in the community to fight the power structure. He was my friend and I miss him. buddy's place: preserving, rehabilitating, and educating with the community he historical architecture first drew architect Tom Dutton to Over-the-Rhine, now a professor at Miami University, but his relationships with buddy and other community members has kept him active in the community for 34 years. One afternoon, buddy sat in Over-the-Rhine Housing Network’s front lobby with Dutton, waiting for the others to come to the meeting. Buddy looks around him -- he forgot his notebook. He was an avid note taker, carrying a legal pad in his backpack wherever he went. A couple times each year, buddy would stock up on legal pads only to go through them in a matter of months. The legal pad was like an extension of his arm, his never-give-up fight, his notes for the history and future battles of Overthe-Rhine, many times in verse. These notes and poems would touch and shape the community like his hand reaching out to pick someone off the pavement. But today he forgot it. His legal pad was in the Drop Inn Center, a fifteen-minute walk away. TESS SOHNGEN WITH TOM DUTTON Contributing Writers “I could drive you,” Dutton said. “No, we’ll walk.” The walk there and back took them twice as long. Everyone they passed on their way to the Drop Inn Center knew buddy and said hello. Some stretched their heads and arms out of the windows. Buddy knew everyone’s name and paused to talk to everyone. “We were pretty late to that meeting,” Dutton said. Preserving the architectural integrity and the rights of those who live in the buildings were vital goals of buddy and Dutton, despite the many claims that ReSTOC and buddy wanted to make Over-the-Rhine a permanent ghetto. The fight was not againstpreservationanddevelopment but rather the imminent removal of the poor through development that could gentrify the neighborhood. Walking down Vine Street today, one could see that buddy’s fear of displacement through development has come true. But to say that he opposed preservation is to ignore the buildings ReSTOC did save. After 1300 Vine Street erupted in flames from a fire built by two men sleeping in the vacant building to stay warm, the building once known as the Jimmy Skinner Building was no more than a pile of ash and bricks. When the city was ready to demolish the remaining building and start over, buddy and ReSTOC fought to save the building. With the help of community and a broad base of volunteers, the team rescued bricks from the rubble and worked to piece the building back together. The work needed to revitalize the building outlasted buddy’s life, but it continued. In 1999 the building reopened, built from many of the same bricks it had before the fire, and THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED provides 20 units of affordable housing to people just out of homelessness. Community members today know the building as “buddy’s place.” The first floor of buddy’s place is home to the Miami University Center for Community Engagement in Over-the-Rhine (CCE), founded by Dutton in 2002. The CCE brings together students, faculty and community members to collaborate on community efforts around social justice, human rights and designbuild projects for community centers and affordable housing. The Residency Program stemmed from the CCE and is celebrating ten years of engagement and learning in the community. Every fall, a multidisciplinary group of students from Miami University, led by Dutton and Bonnie Neumeier, take classes in buddy’s place in what some have called the “school of social life”. ------------------------ �STREET VOICE No. 34 2 | N o v 4 - N o v 17 , 2 0 16 MALIA PITTS (Continued from page 11) nation needs it, and the communities need it. “Democracy is about all of us being engaged in the hard work of making decisions. And the fact that our beloved congress is afraid of each other and often refused to engage the issues, the problems of our time is also a reflection of us that we let them get away with,” Sr. Simone said. Sr. Simone and The Nuns on the Bus believe that federal policies enacted since 1980, have exacerbated vast economic and social divides in our country. These divides are eroding the very fabric of our society today. “So what we’re trying to stir up, is to get everyone engaged. What is takes is relationship, courage, paying attention, and having a care for someone bigger than you,” she said. How did we get here? Sr. Simone stated it all started with the policies 13 of our nation. The good news is, if policies created the mess, policies can change the mess, but it requires all of us to work together to make that happen. “We’ve always been the place of the American dream, you work hard, you play by the rules, you get ahead. We still say that but it’s not true, and that’s what’s making our nation angry,” she said. During her presentation, Sr. Simone demonstrated a human bar graph with members of the audience, to show changes in income over the last 34 years. Between 1949 and 1979 everyone’s income went up about 100%. Due to policy choices that were made in 1990, that is no longer true. The human bar graph illustrated the shocking reality of how society is being driven apart by the income disparity of our nation. “Since this issue is about us, we need to look at who we are at this moment in terms of economic reality of our time,” Sr. Simone said. “We the people are better than this, we can A NEW BEGINING GOD IS GOOD, NOT SOME OF THE TIME BUT ALL THE TIME 24/7 I BELIEVE THAT BE THE REASON WE LIVE ON EARTH AND GOD LIVES IN HEAVEN LOOKING BACK ON MY LIFE AND THE SO MANY make a change,” she said. When asked to imagine how the city would be different if the gaps were mended, many of the audience m e m b e r s shared their opinions. C h e r y l Triggs, 42, b e l i e v e s Cincinnati would be more together and not so divided and separate like it is now. “ T h e r e will be more community passion, and Sr. Simone Campbell Presents Election 2016 more understandings Photo Credit: Malia Pitts of what people go successful federal programs are through,” she said. David Little, a spokesperson for protected and enhanced so as not to The Nuns on the Bus stated that, increase the current divides. “We are all a part of the problem,” “Cincinnati would be more utopian. Sr. Simone said to the audience. We would be more just, egalitarian and have more forward thinking,” “There is good news, we can all be a part of the solution. It’s going to take he said. While working to mend the all of us to help change the nation,” gaps, NETWORK will continue its she said. advocacy to ensure that current CHANGES THAT I WENT THROUGH LEARNING FROM REPEATED MISTAKES GOOD AND BAD UNTIL I LEARNED WHAT TO DO REALIZING TODAY KNOWING WHAT TO DO AND HOW TO DO IT PLUS THE METHOD TO USE I SEE NOW THAT HAVING KNOWLEDGE DOESN'T DETERMINE THE ROUTE WE CHOOSE I KNOW NOW THAT EVERYDAY ABOVE GROUND IS A DAY TO TAKE HEED AND LEARN I KNOW NOW THAT MY CHOICES WILL DETERMINE WHETHER I LIVE WITH GOD OR I BURN TODAY, KNOWING, UNDERSTANDING WITH THE REALIZATION THAT 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 THAT A NEW BEGINNING IS WHAT'S UP FOR THE POLITICIANS AND THAT INCLUDES YOU AND ME WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED ------------------------ �14 PUZZLES N o v 4 - N o v 17 , 2 0 16 | N o . 34 2 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 111 Across 1. Form 6. Adjoin 10. Exam success 14. Woven fabric 15. Money 16. Dull pain 17. Representative 18. Genuine 19. Sound of a contented cat 20. Foil 22. Fall vertically 24. Pull hard 25. Reported information 27. Person receiving support from an influential patron 29. Written evidence of payment 32. Type of tree 33. Speed competition 34. Borsch 36. Temperamental 40. Residue of a fire 41. Restorative 43. Compete 44. Evil spirit or ghost 47. Plant with pendulous flowers 48. Flowerless plant repuduced by spores 49. Large body of water 51. Deprive of freedom 53. High-pitched noise 57. Joust 58. Metal-bearing mineral 59. Edible fat 61. Short sleep 65. Departed 67. Female horse 69. Female relative 70. Notion 71. Level 72. Twist into a state of deformity 73. Student sleeping quarters, in short 74. Anything necessary but lacking 75. Kind of heron Down 1. Spline 2. A lofty level 3. Afresh 4. Voluntary self-punishment 5. Main course 6. Perform 7. Poet 8. Seize and take control without authority 9. Unverified explanation or concept 10. Worthless or oversimplified ideas 11. Instense 12. Gesture involving the shoulders 13. Twilled woolen fabric 21. Unforseen turn of events 23. Ode 26. Bobbin 28. Number in a brace 29. Reckless 30. Reverberation 31. Loose fitting cloak 33. Tatter 35. Aviator 37. Kitchen appliance 38. Desperate 39. Japanese currency 42. Faultfinder 45. Employ 46. Sediment from fermentation 48. Accessory to a larger system 50. Insightfulness 52. Rim 53. Of one substance throughout 54. System of principles or beliefs 55. Send or direct for treatment 56. Throw with great effort 60. Large woody plant 62. Approach 63. Unit of area 64. The dressed coat of a mammal 66. Woolen cap of Scottish origin 68. Conclusion PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 341 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 110 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 241 - MEDIUM SODOKU PUZZLE NO 240 - MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �RESOURCES No. 34 2 | N o v 4 - N o v 17 , 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. 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Title A name given to the resource November 4-November 17, 2016 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From the Director Pg 3: Buddy Gray 20-Year Remembrance Story Collection Buddy Had a Most Unusual Ability to Keep Himself Focused Pg 4: Institutional Religion Couldn’t Contain Buddy’s Spirit We All Need to Be Working Together Pg 5: Someone Felt That I Was Important Enough to Remember My Name We Are Part of a Movement Freedom Train Pg 6: Buddy’s “Schooling” of Me in the Matters of Right and Wrong Forever Changed My Worldview What Did Buddy Know About These People That I Did Not Pg 7: He Knew We Could Be A Stronger Force If We United to Push for Change The Most Important Thing to Me Is That Buddy Never Left Pg 8: Photos and Poems of Buddy Gray Pg 9: Photos and Poems of Buddy Gray Continued Pg 10: Hutzel, Summers and Sohngen Continued Pg 11: It Is A Powerful Experience to be Awakened and Feel That You Belong Pg 12: What Happens in These Low-Income Communities Have A Relationship with What is Happening in the World 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 4-November 17, 2016 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Dick Crowley Lynn Williams Tess Sohngen Alice Skirtz Pat Clifford Barbara Poppe Bill Faith David Mann Andy Hutzel Jenn Summers Mary Burke Rivers Mike Wilkey Tom Dutton Steve Elliott Donald H. Whitehead Jr., Bonnie Neumeier Malia Pitts buddy gray Brewster Rhoads The People's Movement Collen Kelley Bill Woods Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Alice Skirtz Andy Hutzel Barbara Poppe Bill Faith Bill Woods Bonnie Neumeier Brewster Rhoads buddy gray Collen Kelley David Mann Dick Crowley Donald H. Whitehead education Elections Jenn Summers Josh Spring Jr. Lynn Williams Malia Pitts Mary Burke Rivers Mike Wilkey Pat Clifford Photography Rehabilitation Steve Elliott Tess Sohngen The People's Movement Tom Dutton https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/63e92e00b22eb73d3036f708cc533bc9.pdf 79a7cefadbb35e54fcead2ae90dd14ea PDF Text Text November 6th - November 19th 2015 | Vol. 19 Issue 23 (No. 316) advocating justice | Building community History of Wage Theft in Cincinnati | 3 This issue sponsored by (Retired) Judge Mark P. Painter INSIDE THIS ISSUE Social Justice Walking Tours: Contested Spaces | 5 Housing First: Who Gets Left Behind? | 8 Hawaii, Portland, LA in State of Emergency Over Homelessness| 9 Cincinnati For Palestine Rally | 10 Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 LOCAL Do Human Rights Exist? JOSH SPRING Executive Director H ow many rights do you have? How many rights does another person have? Do different people have different rights? The real question is: “do human rights exist?” Because if “human rights” do exist, then they must apply to everyone who is human. I bring up this question because there are laws and societal assumptions in this city and across this country that suppose one of these two options: there are no human rights; or not every person is a human. There are those that say it can’t be that simple or that extreme. They claim there is a compromise position or middle ground. But how can that be? Let’s use a popular topic to consider this. In Cincinnati right now, three people who don’t know each other could be standing at a crosswalk: persons A, B and C. Person A says to person C, “Long day at work, headed home to the family?” Person C explains, “Yes, my boss is really on my case, can’t wait to sit down.” Person B says to person A, “Hey, I’m short a dime for the bus, any chance you have an extra one you could give me?” Person A responds, “No, I’m sorry, I only have enough for my fare.” Person B says to Person C, “Any chance you’ve got one?” Person C digs in their pocket, pulls out a dime and hands it to person B. The bus arrives, they all get on. This was a normal, human conversation. Each person asking a question or engaging in conversation. Were there any laws broken? Yes. Person B broke the law twice because he asked for a dime within 20 feet of a crosswalk. This is against the law in Cincinnati, but should it be? Why is it that in this example, person A can ask a question of person C, yet person B has broken a law because he asked for something; for help. This law either assumes human rights don’t exist, yet it is within the UN’s Universal of Declaration of Human Rights that in other locations would lead you to believe there are human rights, so this law must assume that not every person is human. Let’s be honest here, laws like this are created because one group of people feels uncomfortable or even afraid being approached by a group of people they see as differ- Nov 6 - Nov 19, 2015 | No. 316 ent. A law that bans speech based on what that speech is can never be good. Such laws inherently target specific people believed to be associated with that particular banned speech. Of course the example here is one of panhandling or as the municipal code labels it: “Improper Solicitation”. Anything that You, Me or Anyone else can do that would be illegal when panhandling or soliciting for something is already illegal in every circumstance and it need not be labeled specifically to people who are panhandling. Think about it: assault, menacing, battery, robbery, etc. There is no statistical evidence of a trend of people panhandling committing these crimes, but the fact is that if these crimes were committed, hopefully the perpetrator would be charged with a crime regardless of whether panhandling was happening or there was some other form of human interaction. To label an action wrong because it involves specific language ignores human rights and inherently targets a group of people. If there is any wonder as to if this is true in the case of panhandling, simply consider that everything someone could do wrong as a panhandler is already illegal, yet to date the local government has felt it necessary to tie it to people who panhandle. ------------------------ Making the Case for an Anti-Wage Theft Ordinance - Community Issues Forum Attendees Hear Why It Is Needed BILL WOODS L October 29th. A panel led by Brennan Grayson, Executive Director of the Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center, also made the case for a proposed Panel led by Brennan Grayson Photo: Alice Schneider advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org BLOG: streetvibes.wordpress.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor: Justin Jeffre Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Leslie Moorhead Director of Education: Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Justin Jeffre Layout: Peter Kobak Reception: Derrick Hudson, Iolanda Barton, Patricia J. Brown, Larry Johnson, Dante Contributing Writer ocal wage theft received intense scrutiny at the Community Issues Forum at Christ Church Cathedral on Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, Williams anti-wage theft City Ordinance. Such an ordinance, according to Grayson, would help prevent the all too prevalent practice of cheating workers out of all or part of their wages. What is wage theft? It can take many forms, explained Grayson, but it basically involves denying employees a portion of or the entire compensation for the work they have completed. Specifically, employers often fail to pay the minimum wage or proper overtime compensation, or they concoct various ways of not paying workers their initially agreed upon wages. Recent immigrants and the working poor are primary victims of this ugly practice, and Grayson noted that among low-wage urban workers, Latinos and African Americans are the most likely to experience wage theft. Wage theft, acknowledged Grayson, takes place on a daily basis in (Continued on page 10) THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Maintenance: Pete Roper CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Bill Woods, Curt Braman, Mark Mussman, Jim Luken, Justin Jeffre, Steve Sunderland, Ricardo Taylor, Ron English, Willa Denise Jones, Kim Green Photography/Artwork: Alice Schneider, CIWC, Mark Mussman, Jim Luken, Justin Jeffre, Aimee Willhoite, Bill Woods Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �No. 316 | No v 6 - N ov 1 9 , 2 0 1 5 LOCAL History of Wage Theft in Cincinnati: Bringing the Living Wage to Rumpke Recycling CURT BRAMAN Contributing Writer I n the spring of 2007, several workers contracted from the Day Labor temporary staffing agency TLC to Rumpke’s St. Bernard Material Recovery Facility, the largest of Rumpke’s recycling sorting plants, turned to the Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center (CIWC) for help. As it is for all workers paid sub-poverty wages, the practice of Wage Theft was common for those who found work through the Day Labor Halls. The Center with its partner organization The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH) had founded the Day Labor Organizing Project (DLOP) over 2 years prior in the fall of 2004. During that time DLOP had helped investigate the abusive behavior of TLC and the other Day Labor Halls in the region, and organized campaigns against the unjust and often illegal treatment of workers contracted out to many of the areas well-known companies. At the time Rumpke’s St. Bernard plant, employed about fifty workers every day to sort and separate the recyclable materials that had arrived. They separate plastics from cardboard, remove glass items, pull out trash, hazardous materials and sometimes even dead animals. If the processing machines are “down” or in need of maintenance, they clean the machines. The plant is the final stop for the contents of the ubiquitous plastic recycling bins that Rumpke trucks pick up all over Cincinnati. After all the sifting and sorting is done, bails of plastics, paper and cardboard, and containers of glass leave; sold by Rumpke to vendors for reuse. 3 It’s hard and dirty work, and its work on a City of Cincinnati contract that brings Rumpke over $2,100,000 per year with additional revenue from the sale of the final products. The TLC workers share? Seven dollars per hour less a mandatory $7.00 per day transportation charge, $15.00 for a helmet and a few more dollars for safety glasses and a vest. The majority of workers at the plant were employed by TLC and supplied two shifts of manpower. Then as now, nobody wanted to work Day Labor. Issues of homelessness, lack of transportation, criminal history, use of alcohol or drugs, lack of work experience or any of the many other problems that made holding a steady job nearly impossible kept people turning to Day Labor for subsistence. Since the summer of 2006, DLOP had held open weekly meetings in a conference room at Our Daily Bread, the Over-the-Rhine ministry that serves free hot lunchtime meals to several hundred of those in need. The reason for this location was simple. Many of the people who suffered from food insecurity and came for a free meal worked Day Labor. In fact one of the critical factors in starting DLOP was that the majority of Cincinnati’s homeless population worked. The weekly meetings attracted many of them who struggled to understand how life could be so hard and so unfair to those that got up early in the morning and made their way to the Hiring Halls. So the Rumpke workers’ stories were familiar ones to the group. In fact, DLOP had launched a public campaign that forced the Tempo- rary Staffing firms contracted by the Cincinnati Reds to supply ball park cleaning staff to abandon the requirements of long unpaid waiting time and excessive transportation fees the previous summer. Shortly after this event, in the fall of 2006, there was a campaign with contract workers supplied by Labor Works to Schwan’s Foods around similar issues culminated in a successful and well publicized law suit filed in April 2007. DLOP and Rumpke workers, including Frasier Kidd, Patience Fuller and Cleve Williams, began to bring their case to the public. The first step was a small group of informational picketers displaying signs and passing out leaflets as they followed the Rumple entry into the popular Findlay Market Opening Day Parade. Their presence was noted by the Rumpke officials and sensing an embarrassing public relations problem, Rumpke quickly agreed to a meeting with DLOP. The meeting between Don Sherman, members of the clergy and Rumpke was held in early spring of 2007 at the Peaslee Community Center. The meeting almost immediately ended when Rumpke found out the dispute involved the TLC workers. Like nearly all users of Contract Labor, Rumpke refused to recognize them as employees. This was familiar ground for the DLOP activists, but then came a startling game changer. In 2006, The United Steel Workers and The Sierra Club formed The Blue Green Alliance (BGA), the first groups in a national coalition that was based in the cooperation between labor and environmental activists. Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center marching for living wages Photo: CIWC THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Shortly after the formation of BGA, Susan Knight, a local political and social justice advocate, was brought on as the Director of the regional organization. One of her first jobs was to make contact with Cincinnati Labor Groups and Environmentalists and foster relationships among them. Among the first on board were members of the Miami Group of Sierra Club, including Debbie Clarke, Marie Koloshis and Joe Bowman. They were actively working with the City to reshape its recycling program. Don Sherman and Susan Knight quickly realized that DLOP’s Rumpke campaign had the potential power to help the broader reform to recycling practices, and the Sierra Clubs efforts would empower DLOP by framing its campaign in the context of environmental justice along with its goal of worker justice. On February 1, 2003, City Council passed a living wage ordinance applying to firms whose contracts with the city exceed $20,000. The law covers any service employee of the contractor or its subcontractors. In 2007, the law required employees without medical benefits be paid $10.70 per /hour. Rumpke and TLC were stealing nearly $4.00 an hour from these workers. In 2006 and throughout 2007, DLOP had rigorously pursued the passage of a new City Ordinance that would regulate the Day Labor Halls. Current CIWC Director Brennan Grayson, then a third year law student, worked tirelessly with City Council Members and their staffs. While eventually in 2008 the law would fail to be adopted, Council and the Mayor were already aware and sympathetic to the travails of working Day Labor as a result of that effort. The basis of the partnership with the Environmentalists was DLOP would not settle its labor claim apart from the reforms demanded in the recycling system, and the Sierra Club and BGA would not accept a new recycling contract without assurances that all Rumpke employees, including contract workers, would be covered by the Living Wage Ordinance. Soon, small delegations of TLC workers, DLOP and their allies in Labor and other Social Justice organizations began meeting with individual Council Members, exposing the Living Wage Violations and asking them to recognize the workers as covered by the ordinance. Don Sherman presented this information to Rochelle Thompson, Contract Compliance Officer for the City and asked that she investigate. Thompson recommended that the workers not be regarded as covered employees, largely based on several specious arguments contained in an email sent to her on September 27, 2007 by Charla Cabe, Rumpke Human Resources Director. The most remarkable one was that they didn’t really work on the recycling lines. At the time Rumpke’s website included a video of the plant, which showed the TLC workers (they were identified as contract workers by the color of their hard hats) working all the stations as the materials moved through the (Continued on page 6) �4 LOCAL Feb.12- 25 , 2015 | No. 297 The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition would like to thank 4EG, The Lackman and Lachey’s Bar for sponsoring the 2015 Streetvibes Music Fest at the Woodward Theater! The 2016 Day by Day calendar is now available online at http://cincihomeless.org/ THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �LOCAL Social Justice Walking Tours: Contested Spaces No. 316 | No v 6 - N ov 1 9 , 2 0 1 5 5 MARK MUSSMAN Staff Writer I ’m sure you’ve seen big groups of tourists walking around Over-the-Rhine, following a guide talking about historical events. The tours on Vine Street include Haunted Queen City, Rookwood Pottery, and an Underground journey. This time of year there seems to be endless streams of them walking down and blocking the sidewalk as they hear about murders, scandals, and squalor. But what if you want to learn about the Over-the-Rhine People’s Movement, or if you want to really understand what gentrification looks like in a neighborhood? This is where the Homeless Coalition’s Social Justice Walking Tours fill a void. On our walking tour, we learn about the historical context of the current wave of development in our neighborhood. I like to start the tour with a deeply historical discussion about the contested nature of the land – how was this before the white man came and conquered it? How did the people here communicate and relate to each other? How did they deal with disputes? These are questions that are not answered on any of the other tours given in the neighborhood. Moving from there, I skip ahead to more contemporary times when the land was cleared, the Northwest Ordinance forced the people of native descent to leave the area, and development began at a quick rate. It’s important to discuss how the neighborhood got its name, and how the changing demographics lead to the largest German population in America at the time. There are many things about that time that people think were perfect, but the reality was much more harsh than that. As we move through the streets, I discuss how the fabric of the neighborhood has changed, and with it the Why has this building been vacant for almost a decade? Find out on a tour. Photo: Mark Mussman people. I go into how the use of buildings has changed, and what brought us to this point today. I discuss the many times that the community got together to help an organization or individual who had a grand vision. I discuss how pieces of the neighborhood were literally rebuilt brick by brick. How does this contradict the media’s portrayal of the neighborhood? How do we stick together in tough times? What future do we want to have available here? One of the most important pieces of our tour includes a discussion of the affordable housing left in the neighborhood. Affordable housing helps people from ending up in the streets or at the shelter. It encourages people to work and raise families in a way that upholds the dignity we all deserve. Affordable housing also helps senior citizens and single-parent families in our neighborhood. In Over-the-Rhine it’s no secret that rents are raising at alarming rates, which is forcing people out of the neighborhood – but what does this actually look like? As I wind down the tour, I cover the changes to Washington Park, and what those changes mean for taxpayers and neighbors. I discuss the suit that we filed to reverse the unjust rules posted by the Park Board, and I talk about the events that have affected us greatly. It’s important to look at Washington Park since it is now being used as an example for everything from the ill-designed Issue 22 to the restructuring of Ziegler Park on the east side of Over-theRhine. The issues that are covered in the Homeless Coalition’s Social Justice Walking Tour vary from discussions about history, sense of place, changing facades, the power players, social service organizations, affordable housing, privatization, and more. If you are interested in bringing a group on the Homeless Coalition’s Social Justice Walking Tour, you can easily sign up on our website under Education. I hope that you will consider coming over and taking a very interesting Social Justice Walking Tour with the Homeless Coalition! ------------------------ How important was this space for the community before this was built? Find out on a tour. Photo: Mark Mussman THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �6 CURT BRAMAN (Continued from page 3) plant. DLOP responded to this tortured logic with a letter to the City Manager’s office which disputed Cabe’s claims and offered point by point arguments to refute them. The decision remained unchanged, but concern about the issue was gaining momentum throughout City Government. Another key element to the success of the campaign was the growing public and political will to expand recycling in the city. At the time, recycling was only available to single family and small rental properties. The popularity of the program caused civic leaders to want to extend it to large apartment buildings and businesses. In the summer of 2007, a new department, the City of Cincinnati’s Office of Environment & Sustainability (COES) hired Director, Larry Falken. Falken came to Cincinnati with an ambitious and multifaceted approach to making the city Green. He turned his attention to the Recycling Program upon arrival and was willing to listen, and perhaps even take counsel, from the local environmental activists including those from the Sierra Club. Throughout 2007 and 2008, public and stakeholders meetings devoted to the logistics and goals of expanding and revamping the Recycling Program were held. In every one, justice for the TLC workers was discussed. In the past, changes to the recycling contract with the city were largely made by amending the Rumpke contract. Realistically, Rumpke was the only local company with capacity to deliver the conditions of the contract, so the contract was renewed with a few changes, than rather awarded through a bidding process. With the City stalling on the question of whether or not the TLC workers were “covered”, DLOP and the BGA realized that a new contract with Living Wage provisions included might be the best way to di- LOCAL rect the campaign. The Rumpke workers, DLOP organizers and allies from Organized Labor continued to lobby city officials. The workers met and told their story to groups across the city. They addressed schools, church social action committees, and civic action groups; in short, to anybody that would listen. A rally at Washington Park, in October, led by Debbie Clarke and Marie Koloshis drew nearly 200 people. By the end of 2007, the City was forced to convene a hearing on the issue. On January 10, the workers went to City Hall to share their views in an informal meeting with city administrators and Council Members. Several of the workers described the process at the plant and their central role in receiving, sorting, and preparing the materials for shipment. According to the workers and DLOP, the contract was clear. It defines the term “recycling” to include the type of tasks performed inside the plant by these workers and leaves little room for misunderstanding. At the conclusion of meeting, one of the workers, Eddie, asked the city leaders, “Am I a covered employee? You’ve heard us describe the work we do. Now we want to know, do we deserve a living wage?” The city administrators answered his question by squirming and saying they would continue to investigate. City Hall continued to be unresponsive, but the idea of clearly codifying the living wage provision in a new recycling contract was floating around the building. The decision was made to, for the time being, shift the focus to Rumpke. The living wage demand was probably off the table with Rumpke, but the minimum wage violations by TLC could be ended. The workers were surprised when they were able to schedule a meeting with one of the plant managers Jeff Rumpke for February 15, 2008. About a week before the scheduled meeting DLOP organized a community dinner with a program that highlighted the state of the campaign Nov 6 - Nov 19, 2015 | No. 316 CIWC on Fountain Square Photo: CIWC and a request for solidarity. Over one hundred people attended the dinner held at First English Lutheran Church on Race Street in Over-theRhine. The February 15th meeting between 5 or 6 workers, Jeff Rumpke and a couple of line foremen went well. Rumpke management must have become all too familiar with all of the buzz surrounding both the recycling contract and the worker justice battle. Management listened and indicated that the fees for transportation and equipment might be excessive. Almost immediately, the first victory of the campaign happened. The fee for safety equipment was eliminated and the transportation fee was cut in half (it too would be eliminated in a few weeks). The next victory occurred in early May. City Council voted unanimously to reverse the Office of Contract Compliance’s decision and enforce the Living Wage Ordinance when Rumpke’s contract was up for renewal in June 2009. In addition the demands for expanded recycling capacity were included in the new contract. In an interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer in June of 2009, Rumpke promised to honor the requirement. All of the exhilarating victories won during the Rumpke came at price. An article in CityBeat by Dave Malaska stated that by February of 2010 less than half of the original TLC workers still had jobs. Rumpke converted to a highly automated processing system and only four of the fourteen jobs were given to the former Day Laborers. Over time, however, the things reverted to the old system. According to a report from recent a TLC employee who worked regularly at Rumpke in 2014 and 2015 approximately 54 positions are filled at the facility 5 days a week through TLC. Using these figures as a baseline, and figuring the spread between the city’s living wage and the Ohio minimum wage over the years 2010 to 2015, it is estimated that the wage increase, across the all temporary workers from 2010 to 2015, is at least $1,484,864 and counting, in additional wages. All of which is paid to an overwhelmingly group that is black and living in Cincinnati. Was it worth it? Patience Fuller, who lost her job in the Rumpke living wage struggle said her mother, a union steward at the old Hostess plant in Queen City, “would have had it no other way.” ------------------------ Now Hiring Caracole Caracole.org - Resident Assistant - Medical Care Coordinator Center for Chemical Addictions Treatment ccatsober.org - Resident Assistant Cincinnati Union Bethel cinunionbethel.org - Payroll and Accounting Coordinator - Early Childhood Education Site Manager - Head Start Disability and Mental Health Case Manager - Family and Community Engagement Manager - Assistant Teacher Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati lascinti.org - Legal Assistant (FullTime) Lighthouse Youth Services lighthouse.org - Multiple Openings Our Daily Bread ourdailybread.us - Kitchen Manager Shelter House shelterhousecinti. org - Shelter Director - Resident Aide THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Tender Mercies tendermerciesinc. org - Accounting Assistant The Exit Program theexitprogram.org - Accepting Ongoing Applications UpSpring upspring.org - Program Manager �7 LOCAL No. 316 | No v 6 - N ov 1 9 , 2 0 1 5 Peter Hames: “Engaging” the Community (P2) JIM LUKEN Contributing Writer “Sometimes you gotta go a long way out of the way in order to come back a short distance correctly.” – Edward Albee M eet Peter Hames (again). Former President of the Over the Rhine Community Council. Retired, but always busy. Selfdescribed as: tall, analytical, witty, innovative and rigid. One of Peter’s major areas of interest these days is “Citizen Engagement.” In short, Peter would like to see citizens (you) take charge of your communities, making your own life and your neighbors’ lives the richer by engaging in the dynamic processes of governing. Not an easy task, since—according to Hames—the citizens of our fair city (you) already have two strikes against them. This, thanks to the arcane (read: “corrupt”) way Cincinnati is governed and managed. More on this later. A month ago in this newspaper, we described Peter Hames’ exciting life as a young Marine, deployed off the shores of Cuba and North Vietnam in the early to mid­sixtiees. This time, we will focus on his life after retirement. One could hardly call Hames “retired,” in the traditional sense. Recently, I spent several weeks painting the exterior of the Hames house in the Mohawk area. On many of those days, Hames drove off two or three times to attend various meetings. In addition, he works hard to stay fit, doing Pilates several times a week, exercising at the Y, and playing as much golf as possible. “I’ve been working on my golf game,” he explains. “I call it a game, but it’s really torture. Except every now and then I get a good shot.” But what about all those meetings? It turns out that Peter Hames is doing something for free that he has often been payed to do during most of his work life: He is busting his 72 year­ old patootie, trying to make life better for the residents of his adopted city. That’s you and me. How did Hames become so involved in municipal and neighborhood affairs? One might say: organically. Just out of the service, the gung- ho Marine found himself face­ to­face with more blood than he had ever seen as a soldier. He took a job at meat­packing plant and found himself on what was called the “kill floor.” He couldn’t handle all the animal death, so he quickly enrolled at the University of Minnesota. At 23 he married. The marriage lasted nine years. He has a son back home who is 50. A lifetime in city government Hames then did post graduate work at the Hubert Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. His specialty was to work in policy analysis and municipal planning. After graduating he took a job as an intern at the St. Paul mayor’s office, remaining there for 13 years. Hames remembers his first big project was establishing the feasibility of implementing a citizen­based “suggestion” system. “I really love working at the local level,” Hames says, “where you can see things happen and make them happen.” He describes helping create profiles of various neighborhoods in the city, then writing a kind of “owner’s manual” for the citizens of St. Paul. He laughs. “We were big on re-inventing government, he recalls. “It was a breakthrough in customer service, a fine thing to do.” Hames spent most of his working life in various city/governmental departments in Minnesota, San Jose, and finally—18 years ago—Hamilton County. His final job before retiring was as Finance Director for the city of Montgomery. That retirement, eight years ago, brought Peter Hames into a very personal attachment to the Cincinnati neighborhood where he had chosen to live: Over-the-Rhine. He became involved in various activities here, including Neighborhood Enhancement, and National Night Out (promoting better police/neighborhood relations), Historic Conservation, and the Casino Neighborhood Working Group. A regular (and vocal) participant Peter Hames enjoying our parks Photo: Jim Luken Peter Hames at his home office Photo: Jim Luken at OTR Community Council meetings, in 2010 Peter was appointed to the Board of Directors, then voted President in 2011. His two year term ended, but he remained President for most of another year to help with the transition to an almost entirely new board. Regarding his time on the Board, Peter says, “It was a position where there was no end to the kinds of things you can do.” Citizen engagement His memories of his work on a “Better Neighborhoods” plan for St. Paul, Minnesota, led Hames to look carefully at the situation in Cincinnati. “I became aware of the absence of any kind of policy the city should have had, but didn’t.” He talked to other community councils about the situation. “We asked ourselves, ‘What could we do to enhance the quantity and quality of citizen engagement (CE) in Cincinnati?’” They decided to set up a group they named the Citizen Engagement Action Team (CETA).The team did a lot of research and work on the topic. They looked at other cities and their policies. “We came up with this report called ‘Strength in Unity,’ which is the city’s motto (although in Latin), calling for the strengthening of CE in Cincinnati. Three years ago, city council passed it. We’ve been spending the past 2 1 ⁄2 years trying to make progress in getting it implemented.” To put it mildly, things have not gone well in that regard. Progress has been more than slow. Hames blames this on the fact of changes in the administration (mayor and city manager), but mostly he believes that this isn’t their highest priority. “I’m not sure if our view of CE is congruent with their view.” Hames carefully explains what the Citizen Engagement team is trying to do. “It’s founded on several principles, THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED one of which—if you are effected by a decision, you should have a role in making the decision. And the city should be very aggressive in supporting that kind of decision making. Citizen engagement is not simply giving the citizens a notice of [this or that] meeting. It is engaging them in the decision-making process.” He continues: “And you know how corrupt they are down there [City Hall]. Corrupt is the wrong word. You know how they use those “emergency powers” all the time?” I told him I did not know about that. A “corrupt” city government. “They can use those emergency powers to put something on the agenda without notice. They suspend the rules that they had adopted, and now it’s gonna become law... immediately!” Normally very calm and collected, Hames is noticeably angry. “There’s been no notice. No citizen engagement. No opportunity for input. They do it all the time! “It’s ironic that something I used to work for when I was inside the organization [Twin City government]... for some reason, Cincinnati doesn’t value that.” I ask him why he thinks poor people in OTR aren’t more engaged in their city government, he responds, “Why should they be? They’re not listened to. If you look at the absence of citizen engagement for the white people in the city, why should the poor, black people expect more?” In the not too distant future, Peter Hames plans on returning home to his beloved St. Paul for good. Clearly, the city and our neighborhood will miss his energy and his passion. I, for one, am grateful to have known him, and to have watched as this quiet, respectful man gave his all to make things better here. I hope there will be others to fight the good fight, to continue this urban “turf war” in his absence. ------------------------ �8 WORLD Housing First: who gets left behind? ALEXANDRA PAMIAS www.INSP.ngo / Street Sense “There was a gentleman here this morning who, for whatever reason, had determined that I was a sorcerer and that I was trying to kill him,” Beau Stiles said to about ten people cramped in a small room one Wednesday morning in September. Computers lined the walls, all of them in use, but at the sound of his voice everyone pulled up a chair and turned to Stiles to hear what he had to say. Stiles is the program coordinator for Georgetown Ministry Center. He leads a community meeting like this one every week for the center’s guests. “First and foremost I assure you all: that was not the case. I was not trying to kill anyone,” Stiles went on. He proceeded to explain how the gentleman called the police, who came down to the homeless drop-in center to question Stiles and heard the man’s story. “They opted not to charge me with sorcery, which is a good thing,” Stiles said. “And he left.” His story was met with laughter, but ultimately there is a lesson to be learned. Stiles has no hard feelings towards the man. Although this situation may seem fairly comical to outsiders, it exemplifies a common problem for outreach centers: how to provide services to individuals experiencing homelessness who also have a mental disorder. Gunther Stern, executive director of Georgetown Ministry Center for the past 25 years, identified the biggest challenge he faces with one word: Anosognosia. “It is a syndrome associated with neurological disorders. About half of people with mental illness also have some degree of Anosognosia, which is the inability to understand that they have a problem,” said Stern. “So they might be yelling and howling at the wind but they don’t perceive that they have a mental illness.” This issue becomes especially deadly during hypothermia season, the period between November and March when temperatures regularly drop below 30 degrees Fahrenheit and endanger the lives of those living on the streets. The D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness approved it’s Winter Plan in September, which outlines how to best help people experiencing homelessness during this time. The 2015-16 plan includes a significant expansion of street outreach. In order to best help people with a mental illness that refuse help during hypothermia season, there is a process called FD12 that can be invoked to get them to safety. “If a person is exhibiting signs and symptoms of a mental illness and they are placing themselves in danger, there are police officers, mental health professionals, and a variety of people that have been trained to make that assessment,” said Dr. Tanya Royster, Director of the Department of Behavioral Health. “Then they can forcibly, involuntarily remove the person and get them to a safe situation.” Royster stressed the importance of evaluating people to make sure they are indeed experiencing metal illness. Free will is a right, and the govern- Housing First has been adopted universally, according to Stern. “The people that I work with are mostly missed by [Housing First] for two different reasons,” Stern said. “One is that they don’t get hit because they are too low functioning. Or the second is that they are too low functioning that they are unsuccessful once they receive housing.” He believes that half the people out there won’t be served by Housing First because they will refuse service. “There’s a woman, Janice, at the bottom of the street here who stays in the same place and every time I see her and ask her if she is interested in housing she says ‘I’ve got two hous- Winkfield examines an individual; he is complaining that his legs are sore. Photo: Alexandra Pamias ment can’t take that away without thorough examination. There is an ethical line drawn between forcing people to accept help and respecting their decisions as people with free will. “And that is hard for us, because we want to take care of everybody,” Royster said. “But in the end, people have some choice if they are mentally able to do so.” As a way to help people get off the street faster, District government has embraced the Housing First model. This form of permanent supportive housing is based on the concept that, first and foremost, an individual or family should obtain stable housing before they can properly address other issues such as addiction or unemployment. Stern emphasized that Housing First is a tool and not the end-all solution to homelessness. People are going to be left on the street even after es,’” Stern said. “She sleeps by the bank. And she shits and pees where she sleeps. There is not much I can do.” Stern and the Georgetown Ministry Center offer the homeless community services such as showers and laundry facilities, case management assistance, access to the Internet, phones, and medical care. Staff members, usually accompanied by medical staff, will regularly go on outreach runs to extend a helping hand to the homeless community and provide them with a friendly face and medical assistance. On a rainy Wednesday afternoon I accompanied Stern and nurse practitioner Devora Winkfield on one of these walks through the streets of northwest D.C. looking for people who might need healthcare. Medical professionals look for symptoms such as severe swelling, sores, or respiratory difficulties dur- Nov 6 - Nov 19, 2015 | No. 316 ing these outreach runs, according to Winkfield. Stern lead everyone around the area, stopping in locations where he knows people will be. Almost everyone we encountered knew him by name. The group made a brief stop at the West End Interim Library where Stern checked in to see if anyone needs help. “The library is probably the biggest day center in the country for homeless people,” he said. Just around the corner from the Foggy Bottom Metro station, Stern and Winkfield asked a man sitting on a bench whether he needed any help. While he initially refused, after a few minutes he decided to let Winkfield take his blood pressure. It was very high. Stern and Winkfield then discovered that the man is on medication and they advised him how to take it, which he had been doing incorrectly. “Same time every day, preferably with water and after a meal,” Winkfield told him. There is hope that he will listen to their advice. “We have to change the way we look at people with mental illness who decide to live on the street, and actually intervene whether they want us to or not,” Stern said. “I have been talking to the same people for 25 years. People do occasionally move up. But most of the people I talk to are still there. Or they’ve died.” There is no easy solution. People are difficult to engage in treatment, especially if they mistrust the system that is there to help them or if they deal with mental health issues, according to Tanya Royster. “So we know that there are a lot of people out there that we can continue to serve, but we could always do more,” Royster said. “Everyone could always do more.” Beau Stiles ended his opening statement at the Georgetown Ministry Community meeting by asking everyone to be sympathetic to those with a mental disorder. “It’s important to remember that we all have different perceptions,” Stiles said. “When you encounter that type of behavior, just be conscious that one - it’s probably not personal and two - it’s very real to them. And be sensitive to that.” ------------------------ One of many people experiencing homelessness in Northwest Wahington, D.C. where Georgetown Ministry Center completes outreach runs. Photo: Alexandra Pamias THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 316 | No v 6 - N ov 1 9 , 2 0 1 5 WORLD Hawaii, Portland, LA declare state of emergency over homelessness RUPAL RAMESH SHAH www.INSP.ngo / Spare Change News I n October, Hawaii became the third U.S. jurisdiction to declare a state of emergency over homelessness, following similar moves in Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon in September. This unprecedented trend makes it easier for cities and states to free up more housing and funds, as local governments struggle to combat rising rates of homelessness. On 16 October, the governor of Hawaii signed an emergency proclamation on the state of its homeless population. By signing this document and assigning $1.3 million for this initiative, Hawaii became the first U.S. state to declare an emergency to address homelessness. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hawaii’s population is approximately 1.36 million. While it may be a tropical paradise, Hawaii has the nation’s second highest rate of homelessness after Washington D.C. At a press conference, Governor David Ige declared, “The biggest deficit in the system is shelter space for families.” The governor has put a task force in place. Moving forward, the task force will only meet on an as-needed basis, but the governor stressed that there won’t be any institutional complacency in dealing with the issue. Ige added, “It is still a state of emergency in the sense that there are thousands of members in our community that continue to be homeless. It remains a serious issue in every county throughout the state.” According to Scott Morishige, the state coordinator for homeless residents, Hawaii has the highest rate of homelessness per capita of any U.S. state, at 465 people per 100,000 citizens. Morishige said, “The state has identified a little over $1.3 million that we would like to put immediately out into the community through these various contracts statewide.” The funding will initially be used to expand housing in neighboring islands, and will help to speed up the process of getting individuals and families into permanent housing. Morishige added that the funding will also assist people with their first month’s rent and security deposits. “There’s still much work to do. The alarming increase in unsheltered individuals and families over the past two years is particularly significant on O’ahu [the island home to the state capital, Honolulu],” he added. Los Angeles city council was the first to declare a state of emergency over homelessness on 22 September when it announced plans to appropriate $100 million to fund initiatives such as housing subsidies, and to keep the city’s winter shelters open for an extra two months. In Los Angeles, the number of people living on the streets has steadily increased in recent years. At a press conference, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced plans to release nearly $13 million for short term housing initiatives. He added that the bulk of that money will be dedicated to housing homeless veterans. Skid Row, located in downtown Los Angeles, has often been coined the homeless capital of the country. Los Angeles city council estimates that approximately 50% of Skid Row’s population lives under the poverty line. For the rest of the country, Skid Row elicits thoughts of trash, tents and shopping carts, but there’s a lot more to it. Against the backdrop of the large skyscrapers of Los Angeles, just a few blocks away, is a neighborhood that is “home” to the homeless. The contrast in the two populations, as well as the two drastically different sets of privileges the two groups enjoy, is striking. Connie Llanos, spokesperson for the Los Angeles mayor’s office stated, “An estimated 26,000 Angelenos are A couple walks past tents on downtown Los Angeles’ Skid Row, March 7, 2013. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson homeless today, which is why Los Angeles was the first city in the country to declare a state of emergency on homelessness, a distinction that allows the city to address the crisis with urgency and demonstrating the dire nature of this issue.” On 23 September, shortly after Los Angeles declared a state of emergency, the mayor of Portland announced a state of emergency for housing and homelessness in the city, setting aside a budget of $30 million. According to a press release, Mayor Charlie Hales wants more money, more shelters, and more homeless people off the streets. The mayor added that the declaration would allow them to work with city owned buildings to convert them into shelters. He envisions working to house all homeless veterans, women and people with mental health problems. Sara Hottman from the Portland mayor’s office said, “Mayor Hales and Chair Kafoury have committed to an investment of $30 million to address housing and homelessness. $10 million of that budget will come from the county’s funds and $20 million will come from the city’s funds. The mayor’s office will work with a consortium of groups including A Home for Everyone.” Hottman stated that the county will support the city’s efforts by implementing A Home for Everyone’s strategic plan, which includes health agencies under Multnomah County’s jurisdiction. She stated that the responsibilities are divided; the city has the housing bureau and is working to find facilities to create shelters and build affordable housing, while the county’s role is to provide human services, since successful housing placement also requires mental health, addiction and medical services. Ron Arp from the Portland Rescue Mission stated, “Regarding the 9 emergency declaration, our perspective is that we’re delighted to see additional focus being placed on the challenges surrounding homelessness. It’s a complex societal, economic, and community challenge. Portland is hardly alone, and it’s going to take more people working closely together over many years to ease the homelessness pressures faced by men, women and children.” He added, “Portland leaders have placed a strong priority on housing over the past decade, so we are particularly appreciative of the expanded focus to include emergency shelter and recovery programs. The latter two are where the nonprofit, Portland Rescue Mission, has focused its energies for the past 65 years.” Arp believes that Portland Rescue Mission is capable of serving more than 350,000 hot, nutritious meals this year. The organization provides emergency beds and transitional support for about 150 men and women and has the capacity to serve another 150 men, women, and children through their long term life-restoring programs. Portland Rescue Mission is privately funded by approximately 30,000 donors and hundreds of volunteers. The actions taken in Portland, Los Angeles and Hawaii to address homelessness reflects the seriousness of a widespread crisis across the U.S. that can no longer be pushed to the sidelines. Megan Hustings, interim director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, said, “Homelessness has been an emergency for thirty to forty years now. The cost of housing is increasing at a rate that people can’t keep up with. The National Coalition for the Homeless appreciates the cities and the states that are taking an initiative to seriously address homelessness.” However, Hustings stated that the root causes of homelessness need to be identified and addressed. She said, “In the short term, the emergency declaration is a reasonable solution. However, long term solutions need to be put in place.” ------------------------ People wait in a line stretching around the block as the homeless and needy are served a free Thanksgiving meal at the Los Angeles Mission on Skid Row in Los Angeles, California November 21, 2012. REUTERS/Jason Redmond THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �10 LOCAL Nov 6 - Nov 19, 2015 | No. 316 Cincinnati for Palestine Rally in Piatt Park JUSTIN JEFFRE Editor O n Friday October 23rd a rally was held by members of the Cincinnati Palestine Solidarity Coali- tion, Cincinnati Interfaith Workers’ Center and members of Black Lives Matter Cincinnati in Piatt Park to denounce the crackdown by Israeli Occupation forces on the West Bank. Organizers say that, “Under the banner of security, they have been harassing Palestinian youth and children, killing indiscriminately and without any accountability.” The crowd of about 30 people chanted, “Justice is our demand. No peace on stolen land. When Palestine is under attack, what do we do? free.” Fariba Nourian, an organizer said, “All of this is going on with the complicit silence of international institutions that turn a blind eye on the crimes committed by the Israeli government. The unconditional support of these criminal policies by the US government is what allows these atrocities to continue.” In a statement she said, “We must increase pressure here in the US and show up in mass to support the uprising against the unbearable conditions under which Palestinians live daily. We must demand an immediate end of the illegal and inhumane Israeli occupation!” Stand up, fight back.” And, “From the river to sea, Palestine will be BILL WOODS (Continued from page 2) Cincinnati, and local workers lose millions of dollars in pay every year. One of the primary roles of the Interfaith Workers Center is assisting workers who have been cheated, and two of these workers told their stories to Forum attendees. Salustro and Carlos Perez, a father and son who are recent Latino-immigrants, worked as framers on building projects in Cincinnati. ------------------------ Both were denied their full pay until the Workers Center intervened on their behalf. Although the Workers Center has been quite successful in helping many workers over the years, Grayson declared that it needed a greater local and public effort to prevent wage theft from taking place. He cited other city governments that have passed laws, and these examples prompted the Center to promote a Cincinnati ordinance. It launched the “Just Pay Cincy Campaign” last May, and it currently Rally at Piatt Park Photo: Justin Jeffre works with Vice Mayor David Mann to draft a specific ordinance to put before City Council by the end of the year. What would an anti-wage theft ordinance do? Although details of a final ordinance are still being worked out, it would essentially impact all entities participating in City economic development and incentive programs. These entities would be responsible for reporting all wage theft complaints and wage theft findings made against anyone they contracted or sub-contracted with. These entities would be THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED subject to specific City imposed financial penalties or fines once wage thefts are determined. The Center, concluded Grayson, is also building a coalition of religious, civic, and labor groups to support an anti-wage theft ordinance. An event is scheduled for City Hall on Wednesday November 18th. For details, call the Center, 621-5991. ------------------------ �11 LOCAL No. 316 | No v 6 - N ov 1 9 , 2 0 1 5 Freedom Navigators for Cancer Care: Youth Teams for Cincinnati STEVE SUNDERLAND Contributing Writer 1. Introduction: Recently I spoke at an inner city elementary school and a suburban high school on health in Cincinnati. Over 90% of the children, 6th graders in one school, and high school sophomores in the other, raised their hands when I asked how many had someone in their family with cancer. We talked about a parent that died, some brother or sister with cancer, and/or some family history of cancer that seemed to just persist from generation to generation. As we talked, it was clear that the youth felt isolated about what could be done. Some suggested the best we could do was to wear pink; others spoke of raising money for research. Prayer was also noted. These responses are not different from the average person who is coping with a family member facing cancer. Add to the difficulties of caring a lack of experience with medical institutions, insurance, and welcoming health individuals and institutions, and the difficulties facing a person with cancer are multiplied beyond one’s grasp. What the cancer citizen needs is a culture of support for themselves and their families. 2. What is a culture of support for cancer citizens? Simply, every person with cancer needs one team, one caring neighborhood, and linkage to cancer hospitals. Caring involves connection. Mortality can be reduced with relationships. Fighting cancer includes dialogue with support systems with the cancer citizen at the center. Helping people survive cancer is not usually thought about as a democratic enterprise. Yet, it is clear, the more barriers facing a person in their experience with the health care system, the more likely that they will experience both isolation, poor decision making, and ignorance about how they participate in their own survival. It is still not unthinkable that a person, ignorant of the complexities of cancer, will not be told where literature from the American Cancer Society can be obtained in their own language. With the flood of information about health insurance, it is still more likely that a cancer citizen is confused just how much is paid for by the patient and by the insurance company. Even though most professional health care workers know that the diagnosis of cancer can lead to emotional and psychological confusion that is persistent, it is still normal to find most people deeply confused about medical terms, treatment options, survival chances, side effects and their risks, and the “best” method for treatment. And feeling isolated and out of touch with any knowledgeable person who can assist in explaining the basics of the disease and the potential course of treatment. Instead of leaving the doctor’s office with a clear “road map” of the steps toward the best approaches, the individual and their families are left to find their ways through a “minefield” of decisions that may deter or disrupt the person’s key decisions. 3. 5 kinds of support cancer citizens need: Thinking about the person with cancer as a “citizen” with full rights, helps focus the kind of support needed. First and foremost for many citizens, is emotional support. Facing the fears of a cancer diagnosis can take place in a compassionate relationship that is ongoing. Nothing about stepping into the cancer treatment process can be better accomplished alone. Solid, fair, necessary, and caring relationships open opportunities for the citizen to have a person, in relationship, to bounce ideas off of, share concerns that may be irrational, and have a partner in the search to find the best next steps. Secondly, cancer citizens need to be informed about the complexities of their situation and have access to the latest information that is similar or identical to their case. The Election Results Are In JUSTIN JEFFRE Editor T uesday November 3rd turned out to be an interesting off year election. The election results rolled in late because Hamilton County had polling problems. A new system had been put in place and problems emerged that compelled Judge Robert P. Ruehlman to order an extension of poll hours to 9pm. Issue 1 passed which will make it harder to gerrymander districts on the state level. The League of Women Voters and Common Cause Ohio both had endorsed this bipartisan reform. Issue 2 also passed which critics find troubling. In a statement Com- mon Cause Ohio said Issue 2 would give Ohio’s partisan Ballot Board a poison pill with which to kill citizens’ initiatives it opposes. “A careful reading shows that it’s not actually limited to monopolies. Issue 2 would apply to initiatives that create a “monopoly, oligopoly, or cartel, specify or determine a tax rate, or confer a commercial interest, commercial right, or commercial license to any person, nonpublic entity, or group of persons or nonpublic entities, or any combination thereof, however organized, that is not then available to other similarly situated persons or public entities.” The key terms aren’t Information, provided by research that is understandable, or information provided by people who have already successfully been treated, or information from those who have been subjected to difficulties, all add up to supportive elements in how a citizen chooses to act. Thirdly, every cancer citizen needs some level of assistance in overcoming “basic” barriers related to finances, transportation, child care, employer release and other necessary life situations that may be planned for with able support. Fourthly, cancer citizens need support to persist in treatments, or be accompanied to second opinions, or be helped to understand how treatment will effect life chances, as well as some help overcoming the natural discomfort with regular, and often, painful treatments. Lastly, cancer citizens need support for facing the unknowns inside every cancer case. ‘What works? Will it work in my situation? For how long will a treatment take and with what kind of acceptable result? And, with some success, will the situation relapse into another level of cancer? And a thousand other questions. Caring support, in relationship, recognizes that there are questions that never go away irrespective of treatment and that these questions represent fears that are often deep and disabling. In conversations about taboo topics as well as discussions of questions that need to be asked to physicians that are awkward, there is a need for a caring team to work together on preparation, discussion, and review. 4. Creating Youth Freedom Navigators: As I talked with the teens about their interest in helping with cancer, and listened to their experiences trying to make a difference in often harrowing situations, I thought about the youth as a potential group capable of working in teams, in neighborhoods, with hospitals, alongside patient navigators, to credefined anywhere in the measure, so it’s precise meaning and application is anyone’s guess.” Issue 3 was handily rejected. It would’ve legalized recreational and medicinal use of marijuana. The Ballot Board referred to the constitutional amendment as a monopoly in their ballot language which essentially sealed its fate from the beginning. Mayor Cranley’s Parks Tax also was defeated by a large margin. The charter amendment would’ve created a permanent tax which the mayor would have largely controlled. The plan first began to unravel when longtime parks supporter and former Vice Mayor Marian Spencer revoked her support after she read the actual charter language. The Enquirer’s reporting helped embolden a grass roots citizen effort to defeat THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED ate and sustain the caring culture. We know that young people were critical in the Civil Rights Movement, working alongside community organizers in neighborhoods, assisting with the basics of protest for voting and school rights. We know that the most recent recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, Malala Yousafzai, 15 years old, has organized worldwide for the chance for girls and women to receive education, and in other countries, Africa, India, Haiti, Indonesia, youth have been critical in relief operations, providing support for medical care following disasters. American youth are important factors in elections at all levels. Youth are still joining the Peace Corp. And, in many urban areas, youth have been involved in critical social justice movements. There is every reason to believe that American youth, engaged in training and supervised programs, could make a serious effort in reducing cancer through creating a culture of support. Youth in schools and religious organizations could be encouraged to take concerted action for changing health outcomes in cities that have horrible cancer realities. They would become Freedom Navigators. If the insight about early detection leads to early success in cancer is true, then Freedom Navigators could assist patient navigators in spreading information about cancer, accompanying people to health centers and hospitals, and supporting individuals, especially when there is no one else available. A directory of youth Freedom Navigator cancer support groups could be tied to the United Way phone information system with youth being activated. The cancer citizen needs special support to participate with success in survival. It is time for a partnership with youth to make a difference. ------------------------ John Cranley speaking in favor of the Park Tax Photo: Justin Jeffre it. This broad coalition included the Audubon Society, the Charter Committee, The Sierra Club, COAST, the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, CityBeat, the Green Party, Believe in Cincinnati, a majority on city council and others. ------------------------ �12 LOCAL Nov 6 - Nov 19, 2015 | No. 316 What We Do RICARDO TAYLOR Contributing Writer & Streetvibes Distributor “Some of them say; you gotta do what you do, but for me that ring’s so untrue!” T he life of the street person often becomes a self-created dilemma, in other words, you reap what you sow! The concept of, ‘ By any means necessary’ sometimes has some harsh or unrealistic world views for some; it becomes the anthem for many street people. We start to believe that our survival depends on how much we can hoard! The more I can get the better my chances of survival! The mindset allows us to think that what’s really important is our own needs, and we therefore reject any sense of responsibility or moral objectives, and just act according to our own whims, disregarding the rights of, or having respect for others! Self-centeredness becomes our only resource, and we tend to take on an air of self-righteousness. “I can do whatever I want,” regardless of what others think or believe! Cheating, lying, and stealing becomes the norm, and anything goes, as long as I can fulfill my needs and wants, the hell with anyone else! This conviction of mind allows the individual to act out in many cases, oftentimes to an extent that any sense of morality is cast aside. The world of the street person tends to revolve totally around self, ‘I need to do for me’, and that allows for no outside interference. The rules of society are for those who have a place in that society, but too often those who live on the edges of society IE. The street person, with feelings of dejection exclude them from that sense of obligation and their actions seem both necessary and in order. “I have to do what I have to do”! As in the words of the old Temptations song...’Dealing in debt and stealing in the name of the lord’, the street person often losses any sense of right or wrong and just acts on opportunity. ‘We do what we do’! So, I would like to conclude with some clarity, of course when I say street people I am not talking about everyone who has the misfortune to live this life style, however, in a sense to afford awareness a scenario such as this it is to me a necessity to inform those who don’t get it, what it is! Ha! Reaping what we sow is the epit- Ricardo Taylor Photo: Aimee Willhoite ome of our actions, so the obvious isn’t quite so easy to see, in the sense of what some individuals engage in has no benefit, however, when caught up in the lifestyle all seems fair to the perpetrator of course we can understand that there is no excuse, yet, is there a remedy or an idea of re­education for those who are caught up in the what we do scenario? This we will have to see! It becomes the responsibility of a community to address and assist those who may find themselves in those orbits, however, the last line says that we are all responsible for ourselves as well as each other! ------------------------ 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. 316 | No v 6 - N ov 1 9 , 2 0 1 5 Spiritual Hope I have a dream Of a poor man’s honor Man of respect Praying for salvation Honoring hope Where legends was made Where dreams was born Saying, “I am a man amongst men” Standing tall In the eye of God For mother’s salvation Father’s respect Sister’s love Brother’s freedom May your wishes be merry May your dreams be fulfilled May your love not be conquered Out of the creation of Heaven Of love and compassion Born of spiritual blessings I say, “Peace be with you Let freedom ring May God bless you May Heaven take hold of you And Lord be with you RON ENGLISH Why the Tea Party Loves Dr. Ben Contributing Writer Ben Carson in a sound bite-wrath, Called Prez Obama a psychopath. Dr. Ben’s words of condemnation Make the Right feel great elation. Here’s a Black man being unkind About the Prez’s state of mind. If his smear ranks as the “basest,” Ben can hardly be called a racist. A THEFT IN THE ECONOMY It takes a thief to steal the people of the country’s 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 BILL WOODS Contributing Writer The Ghost The Ghost behind me Firing red, hot, heat at me Lying to me Worrying me Dripping sour honey on me Expanding out at me Looking for me It wants to destroy me Having no mercy for me It wants to deceive for thee Standing on the other side of me It wants to destroy me The Ghost KIM GREEN Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �14 PUZZLES Nov 6 - Nov 19, 2015 | No. 316 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 81 Across 1. Droop 4. Saturate 8. Faction 12. Frame of a ship 13. Exhort 14. Employee organization 16. Auxiliary 17. Whittle 18. Paris subway system 19. Iron and carbon alloy 21. Portable shelter 23. Repair 24. For each 25. Double-reed instrument 27. Beam 29. Decant 30. Front part of a vessel 31. Tender 34. Appointed assistant 37. Destiny 38. Fuss 39. Precipitation 40. Back muscle 41. Type of golf club 42. Small snake 43. Matured 45. Wander 47. Hymenopterous insect 48. Cooking vessel 49. Mush 50. Body of water 51. Vocalized 52. Append 55. Redact 58. Consideration in dealing with others 60. Worship 62. Aquatic bird 64. Cultivate by growing 66. Region 67. Hard material used as an abrasive 68. Succulent 69. Asterisk 70. Window glass 71. Let for money 72. Amateur radio operator Down 1. Matching set of furniture 2. Type of tree 3. Mirth 4. Consume a little at a time 5. Speaker 6. Concur 7. Sharp 8. Total 9. Foe 10. Make reference to 11. Ripped 12. Fastener 15. Show assent 20. Plunder 22. Slow pace of running 26. Purchase 28. Wonderment 29. Play on words 30. Nocturnal mammal 31. Agressive remark 32. Object of worship 33. Finished 34. Dreary 35. Alleviate 36. Tube 37. An interest followed with zeal 40. Allow 41. Mischievous fairy 43. Simian 44. Caprine animal 45. Operate 46. Seaweed 49. Regular customer 50. Austere 51. Relative magnitude 52. Large artery 53. Aspiration 54. Having a high price 55. Female sheep 56. Slightly wet 57. Notion 59. A great distance 61. Sprint 63. Cereal grass seed 65. Encountered SODOKU PUZZLE NO 215 - MEDIUM PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 315 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 80 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 214 - MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �RESOURCES No. 316 | No v 6 - N ov 1 9 , 2 0 1 5 Shelter: Women and Children Central Access Point 381-SAFE Bethany House 557-2873 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Mercy Franciscan at St. John OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206 2825 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45219 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 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 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 981-5800 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Salvation Army 762-5660 4600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Shelter: Men Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men City Gospel Mission 241-5525 Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 1805 Dalton Avenue, Cinti, OH 45214 Shelterhouse 721-0643 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Prospect House 921-1613 411 Gest St. Cinti, Ohio 45203 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 Parkway Center 661-4620 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 AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 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 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 Joseph House (Veterans) Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP 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 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 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 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 241-2965 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Housing: 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 15 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 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 Health Center for Respite Care 621-1868 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 Cincinnati Health Network 961-0600 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 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 Nov 6 - Nov 19, 2015 | No. 316 treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. ALMA SIMS SINCE 5/2014 ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BELINDA CHERRY SINCE 8/2015 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DEBORAH POINDEXTER SINCE 9/2012 DONALD YOUNG ELMORE MORRIS SINCE 5/2014 GINA MARTIN GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 GREGORY RAY SINCE 4/2015 JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009 JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2003 JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001 JONATHAN SLATER SINCE 5/2014 JOHN GAINES SINCE 12/2009 KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 KIM GREEN SINCE 1/2010 KRISTINE HOFSKY SINCE 3/2015 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MAURICE GOLSBY MAXINE GRANT SINCE 4/2015 QUEENACELESTINE LEVY RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 TARA HILL SINCE 4/2014 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 JOHN HORN JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008 J’TORI TYMAN SINCE 5/2014 W. KENNETH BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 LARRY FILES SINCE 6/2012 LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007 LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009 LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 MEACO WAITE MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MICHAEL BEHYMER MYRA WILSON RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 2001 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 TINA SINCE 4/2015 TODD HANLEY SINCE 5/2014 TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 VICTOR MUMPHRY LOTTIE MANNER NEBRASKA SINCE 3/2015 SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 PERVIS MENTON SINCE 8/2015 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2015 WILLIAM BURDINE SINCE 8/2009 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRAIG SMITH SINCE 5/2014 GLENDA CANTRELL GREGORY WILSON SINCE 1/2012 JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006 JOHNNY KERNS SINCE 9/2012 WILLIAM SIMMS SINCE 4/2014 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2015 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 6-November 19, 2015 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: Do Human Rights Exist? Making the Case for an Anti-Wage Theft Ordinance Pg 3: History of Wage Theft in Cincinnati Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: Social Justice Walking Tour Pg 6: Curt Braman Pg 7: Peter Hames Pg 8: Housing First Pg 9: Hawaii, Portland, LA Declare State of Emergency Over Homelessness Pg 10: Cincinnati for Palestine Rally in Piatt Park Pg 11: Freedom Navigators for cancer Care Pg 12: What We Do 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 6-November 19, 2015 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Bill Woods Curt Braman Mark Mussman Jim Luken Justin Jeffre Steve Sunderland Ricardo Taylor Ron English Willa Denise Jones Kim Green Alice Schneider CIWC Jim Luken Aimee Willhoite Bill Woods Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Aimee Willhoite Alice Schneider Bill Woods Cancer Care Cincinnati CIWC Curt Braman Election Hawaii Homelessness housing Human Rights Jim Luken Josh Spring Justin Jeffre Kim Green LA Mark Mussman Palestine Peter Hames Piatt Park Portland protest Rally Recycling Ricardo Taylor Ron English Rumpke Steve Sunderland Wages Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/2e2870501e546706613f8b3d3b690c03.pdf 127cb631a9a55c867527eb46941db712 PDF Text Text Immigration Protests Mark Reds Game CS13 Re-examines and Reinvents art page 6 page 7 Oct. 1-14, 2010 • Issue 185 • One Dollar ADVOCATING JUSTICE • BUILDING COMMUNITY Cost of Justice: $42,000 an Hour ­ Too much prosecution? By Eli Braun Contributing Writer “ ‘S mall potatoes’ is no defense,” a judge tells a defendant in a recent New Yorker cartoon. And while “small potatoes” might be a poor defense, it might be reason enough to keep a case out of court. That’s the thrust of a new study on the cost of prosecuting criminal defendants in Hamilton County. The study, which I helped research for the Ohio Justice & Policy Center (OJPC), asks the question: How much does it cost taxpayers to put people on trial, from their initial detention to a con­ viction or acquittal? The OJPC study only counted adult cases and exclud­ ed juvenile cases. It also excluded the costs of civil cases, policing (except testimony in court by police) and cor­ rections. Generally, if a program did not deal directly with adult crimi­ nal defendants, it wasn’t counted. The result was astounding: For every hour the Hamilton County Courthouse was open for adult criminal cases in 2008, taxpayers put up $42,000. That’s just under $400,000 per weekday and $2 mil­ lion per week. The cause, in part, is a flood of small-potatoes cases. Hamilton County files twice as many misde­ meanor cases annually as Frank­ lin County – despite comparable population size and demograph­ ics. The misdemeanor filing rate is 1 per 23 people in Hamilton County and 1 per 45 in Franklin County. In fact, Hamilton Coun­ Warped justice: Unnecessary prosecution drives up costs. Eli Braun. ty’s misdemeanor filing rate far exceeds Franklin County’s even after excluding cases stemming from workforce and for the entire com­ study, as the report explains, because Cincinnati’s regressive marijuana or­ munity’s safety. The study highlights “policymakers and taxpayers should dinance (see “Cincinnati’s Marijuana three points. understand the economic impact of Law Fiasco,” issue of May 15-31). First, during this economic misdemeanor arrests and subsequent downturn, counties have come to court functions.” ‘Flooding the system’ understand that prosecuting petty Second, regarding social impacts infractions such as loitering, open beyond money, an excessive misde­ Such heavy misdemeanor casel­ containers of alcohol and curfew meanor caseload needlessly creates oads carry enormous costs – not just violations can often lead to expensive for taxpayers’ wallets but for the city’s prosecutions. OJPC undertook the See Justice, P. 5 Serving the Ministry of Irritation ­ A woman priest point? That’s what Jesus is about – not about be­ ing consumers, not about the constant search for security.” works for reform ‘Another system of evil’ By Gregory Flannery Editor P eople gather at an undisclosed location to celebrate Mass. They face persecution if they are caught – not from the state, as in the early days of the Christian church, when the Ro­ man Empire forced believers into catacombs or, as in the 20th century, when communism forced Catho­ lics in Eastern Europe underground. These Catholics fear repression by their own religious leaders, the hierarchy of the Roman Catho­ lic Church. Their priest is a woman, Janice SevreDuszynska, who says God called her to the ministry. In 2008 a female Catholic bishop ordained SevreDuszynska. The Vatican holds that both women thereby incurred automatic excommunication. Catholics who attend a liturgy presided over by Sevre-Duszynska risk the same punishment, and she spoke on condition that the location of their gathering not be reported. Sevre-Duszynska says she celebrates Mass where she’s invited. She moved to Cincinnati last year when her mother-in-law’s health declined. For 25 years SevreDuszynska was a teacher in Lexington, Ky. For the past two years she has served as a priest. She sees her vocation as something more than a ceremonial Janice Sevre-Duszynska celebrates Mass. Robert Pohowsky. role – it is inevitably and vigorously political. “Jesus was very political,” she says. “They’ve got him so watered down. They want to stay in their comfort zone, but that’s not what he was about. He was about empowering people. If the church isn’t standing up for the poor and oppressed, what is the Last summer Sevre-Duszynska was one of 37 peace activists arrested during a demonstration at the Y-12 nuclear-weapons plant in Oak Ridge, Tenn. (see “A Joyous Hammer Strikes Again,” issue of Aug. 1-14). During the protest – she prefers the term “witness” – she danced a polka and wore a stole, or liturgical scarf, bearing images of children around the world. “To me, this is a sacrament,” she says. “It was great to be with all these peace- and justice-makers from around the world. That’s where I’m happiest – on the streets.” In 2002 Sevre-Duszynska was sentenced to three months in a federal prison for her participation in a protest at the School of the Americas at Fort Ben­ ning, Ga. She sees her liturgical role completely in sync with her political work, opposing what she calls “the idol­ atry of the weapons.” Indeed she points to priests and nuns who have participated in non-violent civil disobedience as “models of priesthood” for her. “These are the Old Testament prophets, people who address the powers that be,” Sevre-Duszynska says. “They say, ‘Is this how you treat my people? Is this taking care of the basic needs of my people?’ See Priests, P. 5 �2 The Vibe ­ By The Numbers ­ 710 The amount, in dollars, that Choctaw Indians sent to poor people in Ireland in 1847(see page 11). 1420 The address on main Street for CS13’s new gallery (see page 7). 1903 The year W.E.B. Du Bois wrote The Souls of Black Folk (see page 16). 400,000 The death toll for bats so far from white nose syndrome (see page 7). 100 The cost, in millions of dollars, spent by Hamilton County on adult prosecutions in 2008 (see page 1). 2009 The year the Rev. Mark Schmieder died (see page 14). 1 The number of decades Riccardo Taylor spent as a Streetvibes vendor (see page 12). 10,000 The number of ex-prisoners asking the Safer Foundation for help finding jobs (see page 8). 15 The date in September when supporters of immigrants’ rights unveiled posters at a Reds game (see page 4). 5,265 The cost, in dollars, to shelter and re-house a family of four after they’ve been evicted (see page 4). StreetWise By GreGory Flannery Editor A Year of Writing Artfully When Saad Ghosn wrote his second biweekly column for Streetvibes, he asked that we change the tag line we had first used, identifying his day job. Ghosn is a physician and a medical professor. He didn’t want those facts distracting readers from the subject of his column. He also organizes SOS Art, an annual exhibition of art on social and political themes. He is a busy man, and he takes both medicine and art seriously. Our Sept. 1 edition was the one-year anniversary of Ghosn’s column, “Artists as Activists” (see page 16). In the past year he has showcased the work of artists in Greater Cincinnati whose work in a wide range of media – painting, poetry, sculpture, mixed media – give expression to the human condition and the irrepressible urge to improve, even ennoble, it. We look forward to another year of “Artists as Activists.” Ghosn is one of a corps of volunteers whose writing, photography, layout and proofreading make Streetvibes what it is. Do You Find This Titillating? Of course, what Streetvibes is doesn’t appeal to everyone. In the past few weeks some street papers in the United States, including Streetvibes, have found themselves in conflict with the Catholic Church. Street Roots in Portland, Ore., lost funding from the Archdiocese of Portland because the paper publishes a resource guide that includes Planned Parenthood. That organization offers contraceptive and abortion services, of which the Catholic Church disapproves. In the case of Streetvibes, copies of a recent edition were distributed to a group of Catholic ninth-grade students, which probably was not a good idea. The Sept. 1 edition contained an interview with rock star John Mellencamp, who used vulgar language in referring to members of Congress. Catholic organizations have previously criticized Streetvibes for quoting people using coarse language. For what it’s worth, I bet that every one of the kids who received that issue of our paper was already familiar with the word that Mellencamp used. But we’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Streetvibes isn’t written for children. Let them enjoy such innocence as they can on their path to adulthood. We don’t use vulgar language in order to titillate – and no, that’s not a naughty word. People in distress sometimes use vulgar language, especially faced with the kinds of issues that are often the subject of articles in Streetvibes: Poverty, homelessness, oppression. We believe in quoting people as they really speak, and sometimes that offends certain readers. At the same time, our society has an unhealthy habit of believing some words – which aren’t at all vulgar – shouldn’t be spoken in public. The result can make certain problems worse, which is the point of Margo Pierce’s column, “Eight Minutes using the V Word” (see page 3). Ohio Didn’t Kill This Time We are pleased to report that Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland commuted the death sentence of Kevin Keith, who was scheduled to be poisoned Sept. 15 by prison guards. The state prefers to use the phrase “lethal injection” – a bit of word play that should offend all our readers, given that its use is intended to mask the odious nature of what is done. Keith benefited from a nationwide petition campaign calling on Strickland to spare his life. Many believe Keith is innocent. His supporters included more than 30 former state and federal judges and prosecutors, the Ohio Innocence Project, the National Innocence Network, more than 100 religious leaders and organizations and 13 leading experts on eyewitness and memory. Strickland changed Keith’s sentence to life in prison without parole. La Botz Says, ‘ONO, You Don’t’ Dan La Botz, Ohio’s Socialist candidate for the U.S. Senate, has filed a complaint accusing the Ohio Newspaper Organization (ONO) and its corporate members with making illegal corporate contributions to Rob Portman’s and Lee Fisher’s Senate campaigns. ONO is a for-profit business enterprise created by the eight largest newspapers in Ohio. ONO organized three televised debates (using television stations owned by ONO’s members). No candidate other than the Republican and Democratic candidates are allowed to participate in these debates (see “Dems and GOP Say, ‘Stay Away,’ ” issue of Sept. 15­ 30). By arranging the debate in such a way, ONO has, in effect, made an illegal corporate campaign contribution to Fisher and Portman, according to La Botz’s complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). “Clandestine deals between corporate America and its preferred candidates cannot be tolerated in free elections,” La Botz says. “If corporations, including news organizations, are to participate in American politics, they must – absolutely must – comply with the law. They must be neutral. They must be fair. They cannot simply shovel money, coverage, television exposure and political favors to the two major-party candidates. Nor can candidates legally bargain for these gratuities. “If they really believe in a democratic process and fair elections, the news organizations and candidates named in this complaint should take action immediately to include all other parties and candidates in the debates they are organizing. The FEC, as the guarantor of fair elections, should also act at once to ensure that I and other parties and candidates are included in these and other such debates. I think it important for these and for future elections to hold these candidates and their corporate sponsors accountable for their wrongdoing.” STREETVIBES October 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 E-mail: streetvibes2@yahoo. com Web site: 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, Paul Kopp, 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 Photography/Artwork Aimie Willhoite, Lynne Ausman, Anne Skove, Vinit Murthy, Jon Hughes, Brad Foster Proofreaders Jeremy Flannery The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati through coordination of services, public education, grassroots advocacy and Streetvibes. We are proud members of: �8 3 Column STREETVIBES October 1-14, 2010 M I N U T E S Using the V-Word Chronic vaginal pain is common but rarely discussed By Margo Pierce Contributing Writer When the pain your experience is socially acceptable – a headache, lower back pain, a sprained ankle – it’s a perfectly reasonable topic of conversation and frequently leads to sharing, “This medicine works for me.” But if you’re a woman and the pain you experiences results from just putting on a pair of panties and walking across the room, well, you’d best keep that little problem to yourself. What more than six million aren’t talking about much is vulvodynia – vaginal pain disorders. According to the National Vulvodynia Association (http://www.nva.org), this statistic represents a variety of pain disorders ranging from a rash and occasional irritation to constant pain or sharp pains during sexual intercourse. There is no known cause for vulvodynia and the only treatment is alleviating the various symptoms that are diagnosed. The current definition, according to the association, is “chronic vulvar pain without an identifiable cause.” “We cannot educate and we cannot better understand our bodies until we get rid of the stigma that’s attached to the word ‘sex,’ ” says Patty Brisben, founder of non-profit Patty Brisben Foundation for Women’s Sexual Health (www.pattybrisbenfoundation.org). “I want people to be more open because it’s not only going to be about us – it’s going to be happening to our daughters and our daughter’s daughter. It’s so important to learn more about our bodies. We pay that forward to our children by being able to openly talk.” So how does a woman deal with an ailment that has no known cause and no known cure? The first step is to pay attention to what your body is telling you – something isn’t right. Then persist in getting a diagnosis, even when you’re being told there’s nothing wrong with you. “We have to educate, and we have to allow women to know that this truly does exist. This is not in their mind,” Brisben says. “When women go see their health-care providers, they generally have to see seven doctors, and I’ve heard high as 16. A lot of women have suffered and still are suffering in silence because they have been dismissed by their doctors: ‘Maybe you should see a marriage counselor. Drink a bottle of wine (before sex). Get a good lubricant; it’s going to be so much better.’ ” The board of directors of the Brisben Foundation includes physicians who are treating women with vulvodynia. Brisben says more research and collecting information about this disorder is a top priority for the foundation. “We’re currently starting a registry and the women who are now being treated for vulvodynia can go in and report what’s going on Patty Brisben asks why it’s OK to say “erectile dysfunction” but not “vagina.” Jon Hughes/ Photopresse. with their treatment,” she says. “This is going to better educate our physicians on how to treat this. There is no cure. There is none because there is so little research done. Doctors are seeing more and more patients with this … and trying to find answers.” The stated mission of the Patty Brisben Foundation is to “support research to identify information and develop tools that enable women to have appropriate discussions regarding sexual health among themselves, with their family members, relational partners and health-care providers.” That last one – health­ care providers – is a special concern for Brisben. In addition to developing two educational videos to help educate physicians and their patients about vaginal pain disorders, Brisben says she wants women to understand that finding a doctor who will listen to their concerns is critical. “If you cannot go in and you cannot sit with your health care provider and you’re not able to open up to him or her about what’s currently going on with your body, if they’re not giving you sound information, they’re not talking to you …you need to look for another health-care provider – someone you are comfortable with, someone who is going to provide answers,” she says. Brisben expects doctors to do their homework. She says resources about vulvodynia are not as extensive as they need to be, but the information is out there and the docs need to learn all they can in order to help women. “I don’t think it’s fair for any woman to go to her health-care provider and not be able to get answers,” she says. “I want doctors to know that women should not suffer in silence anymore. They should be able to provide more answers and more information. “I’ve been in this industry working with women and sexual health and providing a safe environment for them to be able to have a platform to ask questions and learn more about their bodies. I take great pride in that. I love that. I fell in love with this platform early on. I’ve always wanted to be for all women … to be the one to go out and find these answers for women.” While vulvodynia is a priority for the Brisben Foundation, the organization advocates for women’s health in a variety of ways. Menopause, cancer, breast health, vaginal health, female sexual dysfunction, intimacy after childbirth and libido are the other areas unique to women – rarely discussed but deserving attention. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but breast health is hardly dinner-table conversation in most households. It is only by openly discussing and sharing information about women’s sexual health that we will begin to develop a healthy relationship with these issues, according to Brisben. Does this seem far-fetched? Consider the last time you saw a TV ad for erectile dysfunction medication. In her ideal world, Brisben would like to have women sitting in the bleachers at Little League baseball games or sitting around the dinner table discussing vulvodynia and the research efforts underway to find much needed answers. “This is when the suffering in silence will stop, and this is when our doctors will really be able to know that it’s important to … talk to women about these things,” she says. 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 do be a positive influence. �4 Issues STREETVIBES October 1-14, 2010 Study Backs Federal Eviction Aid ­ A little help now prevents homelessness later By Michelle Dillingham Contributing Writer U nlike with corporate institutions, it is a rare luxury in the world of socialservice non-profits to find the time and resources to conduct program evaluation and research. Funding for such “extravagant” activities is hard to come by – and yet so important as we seek to identify best practices (otherwise known as “good ideas that work”). Under the watch of Kevin Lab, a fellow social worker and director of programs at the St. Vincent de Paul Society, that agency was able to conduct research on the effectiveness of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP). EFSP dollars are federal monies for non-profits to provide emergency assistance for people who are homeless or at risk for homelessness. St. Vincent de Paul used EFSP funds for emergency rental assistance to those facing eviction. In 2007 they provided 128 households with rental assistance, then studied the follow-up data in 2008 to see how effective the assistance was. Their research revealed that a majority of households whom they assisted were able to avoid eviction for at least one year. They were a diverse demographic group, and a majority of those assisted were children. The data also pointed to indicators of increased or decreased likelihood of future eviction. Clients who didn’t face a court eviction hearing in the year prior to receiving EFSP assistance had a smaller chance of facing an eviction hearing after the assistance was provided. Less than one-third of clients who recently started a new job went on to face eviction. And only 9 percent of clients who were temporarily off work due to health reasons faced an eviction after receiving EFSP assistance. “EFSP rental assistance is a relatively low-cost, effective method of homeless prevention for households, especially those with children, facing a short-term financial crisis,” the study found. “EFSP funding should be increased to prevent a greater number of households from becoming homeless.” The study includes compelling cost comparisons showing how assisting a potentially homeless family in their apartment for at least one month with EFSP funds ($700) is significantly more cost-effective than the cost of sheltering and re-housing a homeless family of four ($5,265). Perhaps most important was the conclusion that, even though certain characteristics might be present in a household, no one characteristic can be seen as a determining factor of future housing stability. Lab emphasizes that the findings of the study “are not meant as tools to reject some requests for assistance but to alert us to the special help some people may need to carry forward and maintain their plan for housing stability.” For a copy of the study, contact Michelle Dillingham of Affordable Housing Advocates at 513-421-2701. Explore Your Fairy Tale Forest It’s more important than you realize By Sarah Robinson Contributing Writer I had the privilege this summer to intern at a nature sanctuary in the northern Appalachians of Ohio. The temperate broadleaf (deciduous) forest is southern Ohio’s backyard, but is sadly ignored or taken for granted by Ohioans. The forest here in southern Ohio is the same kind of forest that is in Europe and eastern China. It is also the most disturbed forest in the world. After all, people like to live in the same climates that all those trees, flowers, birds and animals like to live in, too. There are more species of oak, salamanders and mussels – to name just a few – here than in our partner forests around the world. But one legacy we do share lies more in the cultural than biological. Hundreds of years ago, before Europeans cut down most of their forest, people were living and writing in it, and carried those stories with them to the New World. Most of the fairy tales we tell in America are the ones that come from Europe, and they take place in the same kind of forest that is here in our backyard. I feel it every time I step out onto a trail here: “I am walking through a fairy tale.” I am from the West and an admitted nature snob, so I was not sure what I was getting myself into when I came here. I am happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The life teeming in these woods is different from what I am used to, but it is just as – if not more – important than the Redwoods of California or the Ponderosa Pine of the Rockies. Southern Ohio’s forest is known as a “biodiversity hotspot,” second only to the rainforest. It is home to the most impressive spring wildflower display in the country, and its fall color rivals New England. So get out there, explore. Look around you. Grab an identification book and start getting to know your neighbors by name. Some of them are disappearing quickly. But they are all important. Let’s not let our forest be known only by some out-of­ date children’s stories. �5 Local News ­ STREETVIBES October 1-14, 2010 Justice Continued from page 1 a large class of former offenders. The over-criminalization of “small potatoes” cases ends up scarring petty offenders as criminals, who then face barriers to jobs and education. Third, excessive caseloads prevent public-safety officials and prosecutors from identifying truly important cases. The study offers an analogy from Janet Moore, a former senior staff attorney at OJPC. Moore compares the county’s criminal justice system to a resource-intensive, resource-scarce hospital emergency room. “Flooding the system with lowerlevel misdemeanor cases is equivalent to swamping the ER with head colds and nosebleeds,” she says. It’s not easy to find the patient with a heart attack when the waiting room is full of minor cases – patients with little more than a sniffle, patients who should not be patients. The study continues, “In addition to obscuring the important cases, the flooded system makes it harder for judges, prosecutors, defenders and jail personnel to implement evidence-based best practices, such as risk/needs assessments and diversion programs that improve public safety.” The most concrete of these three considerations, of course, is the first: money, and it’s the principal subject of the OJPC study. The study aggregated expenditures spread across city and county departments in an unprecedented effort to calculate the full financial burden of court prosecution. In its own words, the study “provides hard numbers to substantiate the expense of pre-conviction operations and to provide an impetus to seek less costly alternatives like mediation.” In the end, the judicial budget made other county expenditures look like small change. The $100 million that the county spent on adult criminal prosecutions – at a rate of $42,000 per hour – was three-and-a-half times larger than what the county spent on public works. Public works includes stormwater management and road, bridge and highway maintenance. It was nearly 14 times larger than what the County spent on environmental functions, including solid waste, air quality and litter management. It was also 1.35 times larger than what many residents see as the county’s bloated recreational activities budget. In 2008, these courthouse expenses exceeded the city’s expenditures on Paul Brown Stadium, Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati Museum Center, the Zoo and even the riverfront development project – combined. Mediation steps up The problem is not that court budgets are bloated; it’s that the demand is too high. Simply cutting office budgets would therefore prove disastrous. In fact, the county’s public defender is already under-funded, according to a 2008 report by the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (see “The Best Justice You Can Afford,” issue of September 1, 2008). Their report, Taking Gideon’s Pulse, found that misdemeanor staff attorneys in Hamilton County handle nearly 2.5 times the caseload recommended by national standards – the equivalent of 30 attorneys handling the work of 74. On average, in 2008, a Hamilton County public defender spent just one hour and 42 minutes per misdemeanor case, including trials. A system can reduce costs by reducing the demand on courthouse functions, which could be as simple as reducing the number of cases filed in court. The county could revise its unusually draconian charging and prosecuting decisions to mirror those of Franklin County or other counties, or it could take steps to intercept small-potatoes cases before they reach the courtroom. One promising strategy has been mediation. Hamilton County approved mediation services in 1974 through a joint city-county effort. Thousands of misdemeanor cases were referred annually. Of these referrals, 80 to 90 percent were successfully diverted from court, with low recidivism rates. Diverted cases included assault, criminal damaging, trespassing, disorderly conduct and telecommunication harassment. In 2008 there were 14,399 cases in these categories – nearly 40 percent of the annual misdemeanor caseload – that were potentially eligible for mediation services. Despite these successes, pre-filing diversion to mediation in misdemeanor cases was effectively eliminated during the recent economic crisis. Yet mediation might be back on Hamilton County’s horizon. With a grant from the Ohio State Bar Foundation, a group of stakeholders will implement a mediation program over the next few years. The working group includes faith-based organizations, law enforcement, prosecutors, defense attorneys, the courts, OJPC, the YWCA and the Cincinnati Bar Association. The Cincinnati Mediation Project “uses trained volunteers overseen by professionals to bring low-cost/no­ cost dispute resolution services and education on mediation skills to highneed neighborhoods,” according to a recent program announcement. It works both “to address conflicts before they rise to the level of a police call” (conflict prevention) and to divert cases that do enter the criminal justice system (dispute resolution). “The criminal justice system is at capacity. You can’t consider new ideas when you’re struggling to complete what you’re mandated to do,” says Paul Komarek, the project’s director. The mediation program adds “play­ ers, resources, and techniques that are not currently available,” and most important, says Komarek, changes “who we think of as the consumer.” With $100 million at stake, disagreements might seem inevitable. But reforming an expensive court system need not pit one group against another. A system that diverts small-potatoes cases – or diffuses them before they become cases – benefits the entire community. Petty disputes would not need to assemble a judge, a bailiff, defense attorneys, prosecutors, sheriff’s deputies and other court personnel. With a smaller caseload, prosecutors could focus on tough cases and county leaders could invest in other priorities. Such a system could truly achieve, in the words etched above the courthouse pillars, “the first end and blessing of social union.” The study, “$42,000 for a Courthouse Hour: The Cost of Processing Adult Criminal Cases in Hamilton County, Ohio,” can be found at http:// www.ohiojpc.org/text/publications/ court cost.pdf Priests Continued from page 1 This militarization is another form of idolatry. These corporate, multi-national organizations get to do what they want without regard to the needs of the people. This is another system of evil.” The effects of war are not merely theoretical to Sevre-Duszynska. She first encountered them as a child. Her uncle was in Battle of the Bulge during World War II. When she was 10, her uncle told her, “Our parents and sisters and priests taught us not to kill.” The lingering pain of what he saw and did during the war made a mark on Sevre-Duszynska. One night before battle, her uncle was giving haircuts. “The next day he picked up body parts and had to put them in the bag,” she says. “His whole life was more or less traumatized with that single event. All I could see was the pain inside of him. It affected his whole being.” In Lexington, Sevre-Duszynska taught English as a second language. There, too, she saw the effects of war. “My children suffered from the ravages of war and economic disparities – children who lived through the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, children from different parts of Latin America,” she says. “I made my classroom into a sanctuary. That was very healing and a great joy.” ‘Changed by the fire’ Healing and joy are not always characteristics that women associate with the Roman Catholic Church. Sevre-Duszynska is active in Roman Catholic Womenpriests and directs its “Ministry of Irritation.” The organization supports women who believe they have priestly vocations. It once posted a billboard that said, “You’re waiting for a sign from God? Here it is: Ordain women.” Prior to being ordained by Bishop Dana Reyn- olds, Sevre-Duszynska sought to become a priest in a more conventional way. When a man was going to be ordained in a Catholic cathedral, she stepped forward, too, saying God had called her to the priesthood. It didn’t work. The Catholic Church forbids women from priesthood. “The argument of the Church is that there were no women at the last Supper,” she says. Catholics who support women priests argue, however, that, in the New Testament, it was a woman – Mary Magdalene – who first announced the resurrection of Jesus. Nor was Jesus’ crucifixion unique, according to Sevre-Duszynska. “The Romans crucified women and children, too,” she says. “Jesus experienced humanity. It wasn’t a superman thing.” Earlier this year the Vatican issued a statement again stating that women are forbidden to become priests. The context of the reminder infuriated Roman Catholic Womenpriests. “The ordination of women appeared on the list of most serious crimes against Roman Catholic canon law, or ‘delicta graviora’ – putting it in the same category as sexual abuse of children by priests, according to Vatican Information Service. … We demand an end to misogyny in the Catholic Church,” said a statement by the group. The issue of women’s ordina­ tion isn’t Sevre-Duszynska’s only criticism of the contemporary Catholic Church. “It’s not just adding women and stirring,” she says. “We’re worker priests. We’re about reforming and transforming.” She believes the church has strayed from its founder’s mission, reflected in the absence of people whom, she says, Jesus would welcome. “Where are women?” she says. “Where are homosexuals? Where are street people? The god of Jesus is full of compassion, walking with us, a fierce defender of the poor and marginalized.” Sevre-Duszynska’s own life has had its share of pain. Her mother died when Sevre-Duszynska was 15. She lost her 18-year-old son to a traffic crash 20 years ago. “I think you come out on the other side of a very difficult loss and you are changed by the fire,” she says. “I was transformed by that.” Transformation is at the heart of Sevre-Duszyn­ ska’s ministry. She rejects the idea that suffering in this life is meant to be endured in hope of paradise after death. “I see my priesthood really as empowering, liber­ ating, being a voice for the voiceless,” she says. “In the Old Testament, God said, ‘Forget the smoke from the sacrifices. I want you to work for the needs of my people.’ I never bought into this ‘next life.’ This is the place. We are here on this earth. We’re all here to care for one another, including the animals. Spirituality is not compartmentalized. The personal is the politi­ cal is the social is the religious. That’s how I name Jesus. There’s not a separation. Our personal lives are entwined with the political.” �6 Local News ­ STREETVIBES October 1-14, 2010 Time to Build a ­ ‘Reverent Fear’ ­ Homeless march meant as show of strength By Jesse Call Contributing Writer P eople concerned about homlessness will march Oct. 16 through Over-the-Rhine and downtown. “We want to throw away the fatalism. ... We believe that we will win,” says Josh Spring, executive director of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. As part of Homelessness Awareness Week, the nonviolent march will visit several sites that have been important in the struggle against homelessness, both positively and negatively. Spring says the march has a triple goal: • Inspiring those battling homelessness to organize together to stand up for their rights, especially those who believe nothing will change or that they are already defeated; • Educating the citizens of Cincinnati about homelessness on their streets; and • Showing the large number of people willing to stand against the “gentrifiers and developers” who are pushing homeless people away. “3CDC and City Hall should have a reverent fear of us – of the people,” Spring says. The Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) has long been a target of the Homeless Coalition because of its development plans, which have pushed people out of affordable housing downtown and in Over-the-Rhine and restricted access to several areas frequented by those experiencing homelessness, including Washington Park and Fountain Square. The march will include stops at more than a dozen sites, highlighting 3CDC’s role in furthering homelessness in Cincinnati, according to Spring. These include the still-vacant apartments on the 1300 block of Race Street, where people were forced out of their homes for “economic development” purposes in 2006; the Metropole Apartments, which for 30 years offered subsidizedhousing, but which 3CDC purchased and plans to convert into a boutique hotel; and Washington Park, where many people experiencing homelessness often congregate, now undergoing major renovations that, the Homeless Coalition fears, will make it a private park. 3CDC describes its work in Washington Park as “an important and critical next step in the overall, on-going renaissance of Over-the-Rhine (to create) beautiful, safe, public, green space ... for all neighborhood residents as well as visitors to enjoy,” according to a press release. The Homeless Coalition calls it “gentrification.” The march will also visit spots where allegedly bias-motivated crime against those experiencing homelessness has occurred, including near the Metropole, where a man was severely beaten. Other sites include daylabor halls, which “pay slaves’ wages and keep people in poverty,” Spring says. However, the coalition also hopes to feature organizations that have a positive impact, such as Venice on Vine restaurant, a job-training program operated by Power Inspires Progress; Rohs Hardware, which has a long history of employing Over-the-Rhine residents; and Over­ the-Rhine Community Housing. Speakers will talk about the importance of each site in the battle against homelessness. In addition, the Homeless Coalition is planning three “theatrical events.” The hope is that people will not feel alone in their struggle and will realize that “there are more of us than there are of them,” Spring says. Some might believe that actions such as marching and sharing fliers are outdated, but many of those are actually afraid of people organizing against them, according to Spring The march is scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 16, beginning at Buddy’s Place, 12th and Vine streets. For more information, call the Homeless Coalition at 513­ 421-7803. A sign opposing Arizona’s immigration law. Bradley R. Foster. Going to Bat for Immigrants ­ Protest at Reds game to ‘escalate the struggle’ By Eli Braun Contributing Writer O ne, two, three strikes you’re out at the old ball game, as the song goes. But it took just one strike for Dan Moore and Sarah Jaine Szekeresh to get booted from Great American Ballpark on Sept. 15, after unfurling a banner over the center field wall during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The banner, which reached nearly to the grass, proclaimed, “Not in Arizona, Not in Ohio: Immigration Reform Now,” with the words SB1070 crossed out. SB1070 is the bill number of the new Arizona law that targets undocumented people through racial profiling. It has been condemned by both civilrights leaders and the federal government. Moore and Szekeresh were arrested for disorderly conduct and spent six hours at the Hamilton County Justice Center. Charged with a fourthdegree misdemeanor, they face up to a $250 fine and 30 days in jail if convicted. The pair pled not guilty and will have a bench trial Oct. 4. Later during the baseball game, two other activists, Ruairi Rhodes and Zach Fisher, unrolled a second banner with the message, “Shame on Arizona, Don’t Spread the Hate.” It also plugged MoveTheGame.org, a website petitioning Major League Baseball to change the venue of the 2011 All-Star game, currently set for Phoenix. Rhodes and Fisher were not arrested. The protesters were tossed out for violating the stadium’s ban on political signs and interrupting the game, but it remains unclear whether violating stadium rules actually constitutes a criminal offense. Regardless, talking about his arrest misses the point, according to Dan Moore. “Immigrant families get arrested every day for bogus reasons, and these criminal records cause significant damage to their lives,” he says. “All this talk about being arrested – when I can go home and continue my job and my life – just dramatizes the true catastrophe going on in immigrant communities around deportation. Families get ripped apart. It’s hard to pity myself.” Nevertheless, the risk of arrest is a real concern for undocumented people. “It highlights the role that allies can play in the struggle for immigration reform,” Moore says. “Immigrants have owned much of it, but when it comes to tactics that would expose undocumented people to unnecessary risks and even deportation, allies must also step up. We must work to responsibly escalate the struggle.” Moore, who organizes lowwage and immigrant workers with the Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center, says the four protesters planned their action with the help of immigrant communities. Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones has pushed similar antiimmigrant legislation for Ohio. “It’s not acceptable there, it’s not acceptable here,” says Sarah Jaine Szekeresh, who was arrested with Moore. Protests have followed the Arizona Diamondbacks across the country. “We don’t have ambassadors between states,” Moore says. “Baseball games are as close as we get, and these actions communicate to people in Arizona that anti-immigrant hate will not be welcome here. It won’t be normalized.” The protesters’ message, disseminated on the Associated Press wire, reappeared in Arizona newspapers. Arizona’s SB1070 mandates that police apprehend people they suspect to be undocumented during the course of a police stop. No authority has clarified how police are supposed to discern someone’s nationality. In response, some activists have created T-shirts with the phrase, “Do I look illegal?” Several immigrant-rights and civil-liberty organizations have filed lawsuits against the law. These lawsuits claim that SB1070 violates two essential provisions of the 14th Amendment: the Equal Protection Clause, by subjecting people to police stops and detention based on their race or origin; and the Due Process Clause, by being impermissibly vague. The U.S. Department of Justice also sued in federal court, arguing that the Arizona law bypasses the federal immigration law and therefore violates the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause. In July, a federal district court agreed that SB1070 usurps federal authority over immigration and temporarily blocked some parts of the law. The state of Arizona appealed, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is scheduled to hear arguments in November. Moore was present in Phoenix on the day SB1070 went into effect. “What I took back,” he says, “is that people are more prepared now than ever before to raise the stakes on immigration.” In particular, “there’s a lot that allies can do in this struggle that has not been done so far.” And it seems they can have fun doing it. Ruairi Rhodes says the protest combined two of his great loves: immigration reform and Reds baseball. Moore says that when they unrolled the banner over the outfield wall, the people behind them couldn’t see it. “What’s it say?” they asked. Moore answered, “Pete Rose for the Hall of Fame!” A shorter version of this article appeared at WagingNonviolence.org. �Local News ­ STREETVIBES October 1-14, 2010 7 CS13 Finds a New Way of Doing Art Collective, original and not for sale By Brian O’Donnell Contributing Writer C incinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood has a reputa­ tion for being both historic and dangerous. Within the past decade, however, the community has become the center of Cincinnati’s art revival, calling itself home to numerous galler­ ies and cafés that peddle eclectic wares ranging from vinyl records to canvass paintings, all in the name of art. One Over-the-Rhine gallery creates art with no commercial intention. Contemporary Space 13 (CS13) doesn’t act like other galleries. It doesn’t even look like them. The “gallery” is simply a performance space, according to Aaron Walker, one of about 15 core members of CS13. Nick Swartsell and Walker are two of the faces making up what they say is a collective project to facilitate conversa­ tion and engage the community in art projects. “The main objective is a dialogue with the community that surrounds the space,” Walker says. “The goal of CS13 has always been to be plural.” The members of CS13 have back­ grounds ranging from fine arts to jour­ nalism to library science. Walker gradu­ ated from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning with a degree in fine arts. Swartsell studied political science and English at Miami University. Between them, they are only six years out of col­ lege. Youth is the norm for the group, with the oldest member age 30. Swartsell and Walker are reluctant to take credit for CS13. They’re hesitant to even have their names known; they consider the gallery to be a collective, with no leadership hierarchy. “We try to keep a low personal pro­ file,” Walker says. The less personal, the easier it is to be part CS13, he says. The gallery evolved from the demise of Murmur, a do-it-yourself music space in South Fairmount. When CS13 emerged from Murmur, Walker says, the focus shifted from strict music and art projects to exhibitions about social practice that would address the audi­ ence in that context. The friendships forged at that space led directly to CS13‘s formation in June 2009. “We’ve kind of shied away from any one person, like, being the face of the group,” Walker says. “It’s a collective endeavor.” As a collective, CS13 is always allow­ ing members to tackle different projects through varying media. Uniformity is no part of the collective. “I don’t think any of us understood what it would look like when it was finished,” Swartsell says. Even so, Walker and Swartsell sound like the de facto spokespersons for the gallery. When others are explaining CS13 and what it does, they look toward the duo for clear definitions. Walker de­ scribes the group as “structured enough that we’re stable but organic enough for surprises.” He says the vision for CS13’s future is “more of the same but better.” “Widening the conversation,” is Swartsell’s response. He and Walker share a desire to build on what CS13 learned and accom­ plished in the past year. If there is a need for increased efficiency, the gallery is clear about operating within its ideals. Walker says CS13 doesn’t sell art, and donations are solicited at musical events only to cover production costs. The space itself was always funded by its members. “I try to steer away from the idea of the artist as struggling,” Walker says. Many galleries act the part of art mavens but CS13 has taken a step back to make its art a collaborative learning process, Swartsell says. “One of the goals that’s emerged with CS13 is interaction,” he says. Aural Grid is a prime example. In this project, CS13 used contacts within the Over-the-Rhine to place musicians on the roofs of buildings in a two-block perimeter around Main Street, Orchard Street, Sycamore Street and 13th Street. Walker describes it as a rooftop soundscape that bordered on ambient. This kind of interaction generates buzz. Swartsell says CS13 receives a lot of support for exhibitions. The recent Out in the Open exhibition showcased one of the collectives’ goals – social dia­ logue. The exhibit, a collaboration with the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless included photographs and first-hand accounts about homeless­ ness and the neighborhood of Over­ the-Rhine. CS13 opens at a new location, 1420 Main St., with a celebration and Designed by Jesse Reed. fundraiser on Oct. 1 and 2. The event includes a potluck dinner the first night and 10 musical acts on the second. The goal is to get enough money to pay out­ standing bills and continued operating costs. “It’s just not done yet,” Walker says. Bat Fungus is a Problem for Humans ­ Extinction would mean more insects By Sarah Robinson Contributing Writer S omething is killing off the bats in this country, and scientists are stumped. Not too long ago, in the winter of 2006, bats were spotted lying dead outside some caves in New York. On their noses and wings was a white fungus (geomyces) that thrives in cold and humid condi­ tions such as caves. Scientists aren’t sure if the fungus is causing bat deaths or is a secondary symptom, but bats all over New England are waking up in the middle of their hibernation period, losing their fat stores and either starving or freezing to death. The fungus is highly contagious between bats. There are already places in New England where there are no more bats at all, and the fungus is rapidly spreading to the rest of the country. As of April 2009, 400,000 bats have died from this “white nose syndrome,” and the little brown bats could be completely extinct within two decades. White nose syndrome affects, in addition to the little brown bat, the tricolored bat, the northern long­ eared, the big brown, the smallfooted and the Indiana, which is already endangered. All these bats are insect eat­ ers, and their demise could mean disaster for agriculture, ecology and recreation. One bat can eat its own body weight in insects every night. Caves all over the United States might be closing in the next few years in an attempt to corral the spread of this devastating fungus. Bats are highly sensitive to dis­ turbances in their environment anyway, and as they begin prepara­ tions for their long winter hiberna­ tion, it is especially important to leave them be in their caves. “We don’t feel satisfied ending the con­ versation as we go into another year.” Pursuing these creative interests un­ der the context of community and navi­ gating the art world in a different way is how Walker perceives CS13’s goal. “That’s the payoff,” he says. �8 Beyond the Bootstraps ­ STREETVIBES October 1-14, 2010 Invisible Punishment Lasts a Lifetime ­ Former prisoners need a fair break By Margo Pierce Contributing Writer P rison isn’t just a punishment – it’s a place apart with its own culture and rules. The experience of prison changes not only the inmate, but the families, friends and the community from which the convicted individuals come. More than 80 percent of inmates leave prison, and yet almost no preparation is done by anyone in any of these groups to support successful reentry. The Safer Foundation in Chicago, Ill., helps inmates navigate the barriers to re-entry, according to B. Diane Williams, executive director. B. Diane Williams: It is our role to help people with criminal records help themselves. They are not com­ ing to us asking us to fix everything for them; they are asking for some tools and support for fixing those things that need to be fixed. All of our programs help people with criminal records, and our pri­ mary focus is employment. But we recognize that employment alone doesn’t work, so we form linkages with other programs, and we pro­ vide additional services ourselves so we can better prepare people to go to work. It’s really a much broader picture – what people call a reentry picture –than just an employment picture. If you think about this, people who have been in prison for any period of time … what they know about (their) community is exactly what they left when they went to prison. They don’t know any dif­ ferences, any shifts, any change. If there were not ATMs when they went to prison, they have no idea what an ATM is. So when they come home, they expect exactly what they left, be­ cause nobody has begun to prepare them for what they might experi­ ence; and that might be differences inside their households, on their blocks, in their communities at large. They’re looking for what was when they left. What was is what got A painting crew, part of the Safer Return initiative, paints viaducts along train lines in Chicago. Courtesy of Safer Foundation. them in trouble in the first place. If you’re in the institution for a very long time, you get to make very few choices. So if you aren’t prepar­ ing to make good choices when you go home…you find yourself falling into the same bad choices that you made before you went in. But according to Williams, it’s not enough to wait for a person to leave prison and see how s/he fares. The work has to start before the inmate gets out. B. Diane Williams: We go inside the prisons in a number of differ­ ent ways. One example is we go in what we call Welcome Panel format, which means we have people [with us] from the community to which that person’s returning; people will­ ing to help them make that transi­ tion home. Whether we do that face-to-face or through a video or teleconferenc­ ing format, we try to connect with them before they come home so that, when they come home, they have a support system. They know there’s someone there to help them with the transition. The word “rehabilitation” is seldom heard anymore. The fact is, people are more likely to leave prison with bigger problems than when they went in. That means they are not ready to successfully renter the community. B. Diane Williams: Some of the people who come to see us … need help before they can go to work. They need substance abuse treat­ ment or they need medical treat­ ment. When we are comfortable that somebody is ready to go to work, the first step for them will probably be one of the work crews that we run. We have bids on projects … and have responsibility for clean­ ing the street and snow removal and those kinds of things. We have a number of other opportunities where we are cleaning areas around train tracks … We’re moving into the area of urban landscaping and things like that so our people can get to work right away. By definition, these are low-pay­ ing opportunities. But the intent is to prepare them with both the soft skills and hard skills they can then use for permanent employment. Our goal there is to look for higher paying, better-benefit kinds of op­ portunities for people. Safer Foundation provides jobreadiness workshops and classes, but former inmates need more than just job preparation. They need to be able to navigate what Safer Foundation calls “invisible barriers.” B. Diane Williams: When we talk about invisible barriers, they’re everywhere. There are those people who don’t even know that they have a certain perspective on people with a criminal record; there are people who believe that everybody in our prisons have significant mental health issues, have killed lots of people, have raped lots of people, have commit­ ted very violent crimes. And what we know is that a great majority of people are not in prison for violent crimes. Employers assume that they are going to disrupt the workplace. Employers assume that they’re going to bring violent tendencies into the work place. They assume that they are not going to contrib­ ute. If you interview the employers who hire our clients, they will tell you the exact opposite. The em­ ployers will tell you that they are the people most appreciative of the opportunity. They are the ones em­ ployers find most flexible; they will do whatever is needed to be done in a given environment because they really appreciate having an oppor­ tunity to have that job. There are blanket scenarios that prohibit people from going to work, and the health care industry is a perfect example. If you have a retail theft, you can’t go to work in direct patient care in a health care facility. When that law first came about, we had many people coming to us asking for help. One particular nurse had been on her job for 20 years and they let her go. To help bridge the gap between the behavior that landed someone in prison and the reality of their behavior after conviction, some states are using “certificates of good conduct” issued by parole board or courts. These official documents tell a potential employer that the individual has “cleaned up” her/his act. With tens of thousands of people leaving prison every year, this makes re-entry into the workforce more likely… B. Diane Williams: We work with probably about 300 employers, but we have 10,000 people com­ ing to us who want jobs. The last three years we placed 2,500 to 3,100 people each year. Not everybody who comes to see us is ready to go to work, but we could certainly place more people if we have more opportunities. There is a word called “hope” that is often deemed as hokey. I will tell you that, if people don’t have hope, they don’t try. So one of the things we have to do is that we have to prove to people that opportunities do exist. I believe that the American people at large are people with good hearts who want to do the right thing, and this is the right thing. To hold somebody accountable for bad decisions for the rest of their lives is not the premise for this country. And yet it is the behavior of this country today. The people that we serve are their brothers, their sisters, their nieces, their nephews or their next-door neighbors. These are ordinary people who want to have ordinary lives but have made some bad deci­ sions or have been put into some bad situations. While they are not perfect, neither is anyone else on this planet perfect. But we can have a higher level of productivity in this country if we support these people in living their lives in the way they way they really want to live them. 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 is the third in an occasional series that will explore what it takes to Forget the Bootstraps in order to live a better life. �STREETVIBES October 1-14, 2010 Office Window By Rick Stansberger Fallen leaves are just leaves when they don’t have toddlers to throw them around, watch them twist down, grab handfuls and flap them like wings. “Come away from there!” says the teacher to the little ones “That is a professor!” as if naming a caged bear or a piece of road machinery. “No, they’re beautiful!” I walk to the glass and say, at a loss to tell her how they’ve transformed the day. Re-Assessing Shirley By Rick Stansberger One day her life went from You’re so gifted! If only you’d apply yourself! to There was an error in the way your test was scored and so she went into the general student population the gifted program got rid of a statistical anomaly and whatever happened after that wasn’t the program’s fault. My Father’s House By Willa D. Jones In my father’s house there are many mansions Many mansions, with many rooms to rest and pray in In good times, in bad times, day, night, sleep or wake times All the time I spend in my father’s house cause his house is mines When I was homeless, a drunkard, 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 I held onto my sanity, when my belief in pray was all I had As in any house with rules, my father has commandments of ten Even though I would make mistakes, I’d always repent of my sins 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 Taking what each day brings in pray and always believe Having faith to know that my father’s will is best for me While searching for God’s love, wisdom and understand­ ing 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 an­ nounce I learn that there is a place in my father’s house for every­ one 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 you soul to truly find yourself An understand that in our fathers house is where we’ll be forever safe with plenty of help Art by Anthony Williams Poetry Art & Literature 9 �10 Art STREETVIBES October 1-14, 2010 Cartoon by Anne Skove ­ Love writing? Or is taking photos your thing? Volunteer at Streetvibes and you could see your stuff in print! Contact Greg Flannery at 513-4217803 x 12 or by e-mail at streetvibes2@yahoo. com �STREETVIBES October 1-14, 2010 11 International News Development Aid in Recession By Samantha Bailie Street News Service I n times of eco­ nomic downturn, development aid often becomes an issue low on the agenda. With the deadline for the Mil­ lennium Development Goals approaching in 2015, some countries fail to keep their promises. Back in the 1970s the United Nations (UN) passed a resolution rec­ ommending that wealthy countries donate annu­ ally 0.7 percent Gross Na­ tional Income (GNI) to developing countries in Official Development As­ sistance in order to help the fight against poverty. This is still the target today, and every year the club of wealthy nations, the Organization for Eco­ nomic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), produces figures show­ ing how much each rich country gives in Official Development Assistance and what percentage of its GNI that figure repre­ sents. Dochas (the Irish As­ sociation of Non-Gov­ ernmental Development Organizations) recently warned of a significant aid shortfall to reach Mil­ lennium Development Goals. Ireland is well off track to deliver on its own projected aid lev­ els for 2010, even if still within European Union targets. Ireland had set itself the goal of being leader on international development; instead, however, the island has been continually cutting its overseas aid budget and breaking its promise to reach the 0.7 percent target by 2012, essentially affecting millions of the poorest people in devel­ oping countries. The aid figures do show an increase in the five years since the Mil­ lennium Development Goals were established, but a big shortfall in what donors initially stated they would provide. Ire­ land had been on track to achieve its aid targets un­ til 2008, when it reached 0.59 percent of national income. Last year, how­ ever, it cut the aid bud­ get by 224 million euro and this year has seen a further cut. Therefore the island is well off its own target for this year, being back to approximately 0.52 percent. The gov­ ernment has effectively given up on the 2012 deadline and has now moved its commitment to the 0.7 percent target by 2015. A recent opinion poll by Ipsos MRBI, commis­ sioned by Dochas, sug­ gested that Irish people believe that the govern­ ment should deliver on its aid promises to main­ tain its international reputation. The survey found that 81 percent of respondents agreed it was important for Ire­ land’s reputation that the government delivered on its aid promises of spending 0.7 percent of national income on overseas aid by 2015 at the latest. In the survey, respondents were asked if Ireland should con­ tinue to support overseas Where did the green go? Irish foreign aid (in millions) Ireland ponders its commitment 1500 1200 900 600 300 0 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Source: http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Data.aspx aid even with its current economic difficulties. The results showed a massive support for over­ seas aid, with 84 percent of respondents agreeing that it should continue, even in economic down­ turns. Dochas Director Hans Zomer says, “Public support for investing in overseas aid – even in an economic downturn – continues to be strong. This shows that people in Ireland believe in a just and fair world, and that the economic crisis shouldn’t be a reason for us to turn our back on the world’s poorest peo­ ple. The figures remind the government that people in Ireland feel strongly about our tradi­ tion and our obligations towards those less fortu­ nate than ourselves.” Irish people might be of the opinion that the government needs to follow through on promises; however, when it comes to personally giving to charity, a dif­ ferent problem is uncov­ ered. Trevor Anderson, Oxfam Ireland’s Head of Retail and chair of the Irish Charity Shops Association, says, “Ox­ fam Ireland experienced continued like-for-like growth every year for the past 10 years since our conception, and so this is the first time we have not seen the development we achieved in previous years. … We are currently 5 percent down on bud­ get and 4 percent down on last year.” When it comes to physically giving to char­ ities people are keep­ ing their hands firmly in their pockets, many claiming that “charity begins at home.” Let us remember however, that in 1847, in the time of great poverty and famine in Ireland, the Choctaw Indians, a poor, margin­ alized community them­ selves, collected $710, a small fortune, and sent it to help the starving and needy. Despite their own poverty, they did their best, something that Ire­ land should do now. As Dochas states with regards to contributing during a recession: “Aid is now not less afford­ able than before. The aid target is set in percent­ age of national income, meaning the aid budget goes up and down in line with the economy. In other words, it is equally difficult in good times as in bad to adhere to the target; in both cases it’s not a case of affordability, but of courage of convic­ tion.” © www.streetnewsser­ vice.org Want more Streetvibes? Check out the StreetvibeS blog at: http://streetvibes.wordpress.com �12 Column STREETVIBES October 1-14, 2010 A New Life Means a New Challenge ‘Streetvibes’ vendor turns a new page By Riccardo Taylor Staff writer Not often do we have the opportunity to start life over – that is to say, have a new begin­ ning. I am more than pleased to say that I have had just such an oppor­ tunity. I guess every new story should start at the beginning, so shall we began there. For more than a decade I have been involved with the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. This in itself is a milestone, for I generally don’t have time to be involved with anything for more then a brief period. Yet I find myself, with more than a decade with this entity. “Streetvibes: Show a little support!” If you have ever seen me on the street, that’s my familiar cry. Just imagine. For over 10 years that has been a part of my world, selling a street paper. Of course, you have to figure that that is not the only thing I do in order to live. I often have to find ways to survive – hus­ tling to eat or finding a place Say to sleep. One can become very accustomed to that life style, and in fact find oneself without any other options but to hustle in order to survive. The reality is that it can be such away of life that one starts to believe that there is no other way to exist. We all understand success is not what you do but how well you do it. Therefore, the ques­ tion is: To whose expense do we chalk this move? Like a game of chess, the objective is to capture the position of the other players. It’s not as calculated as “dog eat dog,” but you surely have to be willing to go the distance. As Malcolm X has said, “By any means neces­ sary.” Now just imagine. The real­ ity hits you that it doesn’t have to be this way. I can be differ­ ent, the world can be different, and all I need to do is put forth a little effort. Shockingly good fortune has reared its lovely head, oppor­ tunity has knocked, alas some relief, but not without effort on my part. Too often we don’t give ourselves the chance to engage change. No, it’s “I got to do what I do.” In reality we made that up. Stuck in your head – that it cannot be differ­ ent – you just keep the same old actuality, nothing based on reality. So we put some effort into alleviating our hardship, and the next thing you know an opportunity opens. Not to pat myself on the back, but I can declare some credit for the recent changes in my status. If you haven’t noticed (for those who know me) I have not been on the corner with Streetvibes. The fact is that I have moved up a step, if you will, and I am presently holding a position with the coalition that just might be the key to my future. Well, I guess, nothing ventured, nothing gained. The question might be what to do with the opportunity when it comes. This is perhaps the greatest challenge: learning and then understanding what it is I need to do. Actually, if you take that as a question rather than a state­ ment, then you find the answer is more complex then you’d think. Yes a challenge, know­ ing just what I need to do and what needs to be done. So often the opportunity comes, and with our inexperi­ ence, we allow our confidence to slack because we haven’t the self-belief that we can com­ plete the task. “Oh, it’s much easier to just do nothing and accept it like it is.” Yet opportunity is rare in the life of the streets. There is no change until you make that challenge that calls for you to do something about your situation. Again, it is not often ! ? t a h W “It is clear that, if we look only to retributive justice, we could just as well close up shop. Forgiveness is not some nebulous thing. It is practical politics. Without forgiveness, there is no future.” ____________ - Bishop Desmond Tutu, quoted in The Sunflower Riccardo Taylor, longtime Streetvibes vendor, has a new job. Aimie Willhoite. that we have the opportunity to start life over. I have had that opportunity dawn on my day, and now I have to take on the challenge which I have created for my own life, as it were. A new beginning! Now, for those of you who know me, my voice will not have that old familiar cry, “Streetvibes: Show a little support.” My voice will have to turn to action, and I will have to meet all challenges as they come. To the future, thanks for your good will. Riccardo Taylor, a former Streetvibes vendor, is now civilrights outreach coordinator for the Homeless Coalition. �Poetry STREETVIBES October 1-14, 2010 13 Ode to Washington Park by the Common People MAYOR MALLORY AND 3CDC It happened on your watch Mayor Mallory during your election our vote counted Will our voice count now? My friends and neighbors have felt ignored In so-called “community meetings” As you work to make a “new” attraction in our city Please consider the sacrifice you are asking of this place The more you take away the more misery will happen There is a culture and spirit here That is the people, the trees, the history Reconsider the disenfranchisement of the homeless and forgotten Listen to the people of Washington Park Not the corporate backers I am disgusted by the city’s blatant disrespect For the voices of the people without financial power To build a park that serves only to support the aesthetic beauty Determined by those who are passing through or own property is an injustice How dare you steal this from the community? We will say a prayer for you WASHINGTON PARK This is where it is This park is a public square to be used by all the people Friends, loved ones, family It’s a place to come to rest This park is home for me I see a lot of cool people It holds many memories It’s not right to destroy our history We are losing our community park. It’s a gathering place I’ve met people here who have given up, And most who are getting up Walking through the park on my way to Kroger’s I stumble on the most entertaining events Gospel music, community events, resources and outreach Are you still capable of hearing the voices of the forgotten? We are united in our need for peace and refuge We have made our wishes known A deep-water pool Breeze blowing through the ancient trees Sweet singing lullaby of the wind When I had no friend in the world Who could keep my deepest secrets? The trees have been my friends I watch the birds and squirrels here It’s my pleasure spot The old Linden deserves to live Save the trees they give us shade We want a USABLE recreation spot Including a basketball court Replant the buddy tree We need jobs Can you open the pool up? It’s hot and kids want to go swimming Many folks down here don’t have air conditioning I miss playing sharks and minnows with a pool full of kids I turned my first back flip inside this park I won several ribbons and felt good about myself Please give my child that same opportunity If you can find funding for all of your renovations You can find money to keep a pool open Wha t wil l we tell t he c hildr en? Jon Hugh es/P hoto pres I want the park fun with swings se. and a cleaner slide And older kids stuff It’s unsafe to have unsupervised water system Stories of the past connect in this sacred space Mama Look! Washington Park can be fixed for less than By Elisa Hill 48M I think the total budget for Social Services is I thought you were looking. about 2 million I thought you were looking. Where are our priorities? I thought you were looking out the corner of your eyes. 3CDC’s plans are anti-green and anti- I thought you were looking at my pain in the night’s sky. sustainable I thought you were looking when he tore off my clothes. Tradition is the heartbeat of a City I thought you were looking when he put that rag Skyline, Graeters, Grippos and over my nose. WASHINGTON PARK I thought you were looking when he kept walking past The poor and the homeless are a part of this our house. town I thought you were looking when he came in and sat We must be protected down on our couch. I walk through the park to get my kids I thought you were looking when he said, “Hello! I like Let’s keep the park for the people of Over­ your little dress.” the-Rhine I thought you were looking when I kept on getting Make the park accessible to ALL the upset. residents I thought you were looking but, I guess you were not. House the people of the park I thought you were looking when I felt my heart stopped. It should not be about money but about I thought you. people I thought you were. People is what makes this city I thought you were looking. Take care of the people I – Mama, look! And the people will take care of the city Why does change have to be bad for To all of the children we’ve lost to undeserving violence: residents that still live here? “Babies, we are looking. We will make a change!” Listen to the residents please Where is the low income housing, the weekly rental rooms Most Favored Nation The blue-collar housing around the park? We all cannot buy condos Gentrification needs to stop now For Tom Romano How did the city planners forget To plan for the community needs By Rick Stansberger This is absurd to have to wash clothes in a bathtub Here comes Claude We need a Laundromat desperately clutching his quiz. This is too much with only a little to work He’ll fight you two hours with over half a point. What did the children do to deserve to have “His Dad’s an MD, their school, a PhD, Swimming pool and basketball court taken and an MBA,” away? laughs Justin. What do you suggest we tell the children? “The only way he can beat that Lines taken directly from letters written by is to get himself named residents of Over-the-Rhine and concerned Most Favored Nation.” citizens at a rally July 2h to raise issue with Yes. the renovation plans of Washington Park. And right now Compiled by Bonnie Neumeier. you’re in his way. �14 Q&As with VIPs STREETVIBES October 1-14, 2010 Interview with Champ Dog of the late Rev. Mark Schmieder By Vickie Cimprich Contributing Writer Interviewer: Some of Mark’s many friends will be surprised to know that you are a poet. What about that? Champ: I don’t make poems as a rule, but when Mark’s friends held the roast for him, they asked me to come up with a little something. Interviewer: How do you account for the special friendship that Mark and you enjoyed? Champ: Well, as all who knew him knew well, Mark would give anyone the shirt off his back. And from the get-go, we both sensed that I had no use for the shirt off his back. So that was never an issue for us. Also, there was the riverboat. Early on it was understood that if I became Mark’s dog, I would be mascot of the Marco Polo and get to navigate a good part of the Ohio with him and his brother Carl. Interviewer: Is there any truth to the rumor that you’ve been seen sniffing around bushes on any church or civil property in Greater Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky? Champ: Not me. Interviewer: What about the scuttlebutt that you’ve been offered positions as visiting professor at the Athenaeum, the Pontifical Institute of the Josephinum or the Franciscan University at Steubenville lecturing on Great Dogs of the Bible? Champ: Ditto. Interviewer: What are your plans? Champ: I have a great home, keep well fed and well groomed. It’d be good to see service on the Marco Polo again. Long days drifting down the green Ohio, napping while Carl read the charts. Sometimes I dream of being a wolf in Umbria, in Italy. St. Francis and I talk over how things are, how different people see things. When I put my paw in his hand, St. Francis’s face is Mark’s face. Other dreams, I taste somebody’s sores. They taste like salt, like sweat or tears. Mark tells me that the person who tastes like this is Lazarus. Interviewer: Do you miss Mark a lot? Champ: Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen him since the last time he went out the door. Does seem like an awful long time since. The late Rev. Mark Schmieder. Clarissa Peppers ‘Let’s Go Somewhere Primitive’ ­ Seth Ewing Huff wants to think about it By Ariana Shahandeh Contributing Writer Seth Ewing Huff, one-fourth of the band The Retros, started by lead singer Mia Carruthers, began his solo music project, Archer’s Paradox, while still in high school. “Diamonds in the City,” a song from that album, was re-recorded with The Retros for their EP, We Will Grow, among the most revered songs on the EP. Huff spoke with Streetvibes about his hope for the band’s upcoming album, originality in lyricism and fame. Q: Another band member expressed an interest in working with a different producer for each song in the next album. Is this something you also want to pursue? A: Yeah, I would like to do that also. Maybe not every song, but definitely have a few different ideas going on throughout the entire (album). Q: Are there any producers you’d like to work with specifically? A: Is this a fantasy world? Can I pick anyone? Q: Yes. A: Kanye West, Dangermouse, etc. But with this next CD, I’d like to work with someone who doesn’t really have a “sound” but figures out what sounds best for the group really well. Like a Rick Rubin kind of guy: you can never really tell, “Rick Rubin produced this because it has a certain swag to it,” but he always makes a quality record. Q: I think you guys should produce “Above All the Sound” (originally produced by Archer’s Paradox and now being reproduced in an upcoming Retros album) with John Mayer. A: I tell you what, I wish we could get that. That would add to my dream for the band. We just play musical chairs with the instruments. I’ll go to drums for a song, Mia (Carruthers) will go to bass and keyboard, Stefan (Wright) will go to keyboard. I want to get that Beatles thing back, where it’s cool for everyone in the band to be a front man. I want it to be OK again to do that. I think producing with a bunch of different people on this album would be a step in that direction. I make hip hop beats for fun. I rapped on a song. Right now it’s not a healthy thing for a musician to be doing because (an artist) needs to be very “what you are: I’m this.” I’d like to break that. Producing with a bunch of different people would be another thing that would help us in (that) sporadic kind of movement. Q: What’s your favorite lyric off the Vampire Weekend album? A: It’s probably in the song “Run.” The one lyric – “So lead my feet away, ’cause all they do is stay, and I don’t think your eyes have ever looked surprised.” It’s the perfect reason to run away and find something else. That whole song is good; it’s got such a simple meaning: you and I, let’s go somewhere else and leave all this behind – let’s go somewhere primitive. I would love to do a big stunt like that someday to write an album to just go out in the middle of nowhere – just disappear – and then just come back with this product. It’s a little cliché’ now. Q: What are some other cliché’s musically? A: I’m tired of everybody talking about taking their clothes off. It’s not an original thought. Ever since clothes have been around, you can take them off. Just quit. Vampire Weekend uses very specific words in the song “Campus” about waking up and putting on a sweater. That’s a cool way of being literal. That’s like using that imagery to paint a picture. The not-cool way of being literal is when Kesha says, “There’s a hole in the wall, it’s a dirty free-for-all.” We know exactly what (she) is talking about; (she’s) laying it on way too thick. Pop music right now has found a way of making it literal and up front and make it not cool at all. You don’t even have to think about it. I want to think about it. Q: What’s the most original way you’ve heard love portrayed in a song recently? A: In music, love is always there somewhere. It’s like a story. There’s always got to be some sort of hint of love there. I was just listening to a new Kanye (West) song called “Monster.” Jay Z is rapping. He is talking about all these horrible things he does because he is a monster: (“Murder murder in black convertibles, I kill a block I murder avenues, Rape and pillage a village, women and children, Everybody wanna know what my Achilles heel is, Love - I don’t get enough of it.”) You are talking about doing all these horrible things that have nothing to do with love, and the reason you do it is because you don’t get enough love. That’s such a classic sob story but it was a cool way of portraying it. Yeah, Jay Z, I get what you mean there. I know you don’t actually do those things, but you are just making a statement. It’s the reason for a lot of people doing horrible things. It was just a cool way of putting love into a song called “Monster.” It was a cool way of just oozing it in there. Q: How do you feel about the idea of fame, both the destructive and exciting part of it? A: I honestly love every aspect of it and completely want to be engulfed in it. It’s one of my dreams. I could sit here and (say) “I want to do it all for the music – and I do – but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to be famous. I want as many people as possible to connect with some sort of art form that I produce, whether it’s music, or literature, or movies or some sort of visual (content). Q: You’re interested in other creative outlets? A: Oh yeah. Musicals, writing, movies. Entertainment in general just … baffles me with its awesomeness. I just love the way that stuff can make you feel. It’s hard to explain. I get so inspired when I see some sort of art form being accepted by a large group of people. Like when Avatar came out, everybody loved it. And I loved it so much more because everybody loved it. Q: You’re like the antithesis of a hipster. A: Ha! Exactly. It’s not because I’m trying to follow the pack or anything. I love it because it’s so cool that everybody likes this one thing; everybody came together to see this one thing. This reached out to many people. That’s awesome. That’s most inspiring to me. �15 Resources STREETVIBES October 1-14, 2010 Need Help or Want to Help? ­ Shelter: Women and Children Central Access Point Cincinnati Union Bethel St. Francis Soup Kitchen Churches Active in Northside 381-SAFE 768-6907 FreeStore/FoodBank 557-2873 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Bethany House 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 562-8841 872-9259 381-2247 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Health Resource Center Homeless Mobile Health Van McMicken Dental Clinic 357-4602 352-2902 352-6363 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Mental Health Access Point Mercy Franciscan at St. John 558-8888 981-5800 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214 131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter Crossroad Health Center 458-6670 977-4489 Treatment: Men Other Resources Shelter: Men Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 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 www.facebook. com/streetvibes cincinnati twitter.com/ streetvibesnews streetvibes. wordpress.com �16 Artists as Activists STREETVIBES October 1-14, 2010 Exploring her ‘Two-ness’ Ellen Price finds unity in art A rtists ctivists af·ford·abil·i·ty By Saad GhoSn Contributing WritEr A s the light-skinned child of a bi-racial marriage – mother white and father AfricanAmerican – the subject of race always proved both non-existent and ever present in Ellen Price’s life. The first question she remembers being asked in kindergarten by other African-American children was whether she was black or white. “I do not know,” was her answer,” later supplemented, after having queried her mother, by “I am colored, but fair … and nice” Price, a local artist and professor of art at Miami University, Oxford, grew up in a residential neighborhood of Queens, New York, mostly inhabited by well-off, middle-class, AfricanAmerican families. Raised by progressive, politically left-leaning and non-churchgoer parents, she was from an early age sheltered from the habitual societal interactions and class integration. Her home was her sanctuary, and she had a happy childhood, spending time drawing and playing with her sister, often visiting New York City, its parks and its wonderful museums with her mother, a former art teacher. When graduating a semester early from high school, she joined open life classes at the Art Students League in New York City, where she was really taken by drawing – the challenge, concentration, professionalism and sense of achievement it imparted. She decided to become an artist and a few years later obtained a bachelor’s degree in arts from Brooklyn College, then a master of fine arts degree in printmaking at Indiana University, Bloomington. All along, questions of race, ethnicity and identity were embedded in her mind. In her teens, obsessed with fitting in, she smoked mentholated Newport cigarettes to emulate other African-American girls of her school and befriended those who had an afro hairdo. She also unconsciously adopted a more southern accent. In college, finding herself in a mostly white world, she was quite sensitive to racist remarks she would occasionally hear, attributing them to ignorance and fear. These questions, however, did not clearly permeate her art until many years later. In college, Price’s paintings and prints were mostly based on the figure and sketches of people in the subway, reflection of urban life. In graduate school, many of her etchings were of cows, a possible link to their maternal character. Her subsequent artwork dealt with lawn ornaments, landscapes and trees – ornaments and trees often depicted lonely and isolated, as if stating their uniqueness, their somewhat disconnected identity. In 1993, more than a decade after the death of both her parents, Price lost her paternal uncle, the last link to her father’s family. She inherited from his estate a collection of photographs of relatives, many of whom she had never met before; all represented, however, her connection to the black side of her family. Reflecting on these images, on what they meant to her and to her history, she decided to use them in her art and make a statement. Instead of working with the full image and the entire portrait, Price decided to crop the face and feature only parts of it in her prints, thus alluding to both the incompleteness of information, and the often hidden and unknown side of reality. She did a series of these prints titled, So Many Why’s. Representing only fragments of the faces of her relatives, such as isolated lips, eyes, hair, semiprofiles, they indirectly and subtly raised many questions she had been having throughout her life about herself, her origin and her family. “Issues of identity and fragmentation have followed me everywhere,” she says. “As an individual whose African-American descent is not obvious, the space between what is revealed and what is hidden had become a familiar psychic territory. I made this indistinct zone inhabit my prints, and by using cropped elements of speech and hearing implied my incomplete knowledge of the subjects bearing my surname – as if at once I desired to know, connect and understand and at the same time acknowledged what I could never know.” Her print, By Halves, from the same series represents the half face of one of her relatives. Smiling, it elegantly challenges the viewer to discover its other side, weighing at one edge of the image as if pulling the past to unveil itself into the present, the unknown to merge into the known. It was also Price’s dealing with the dual aspect of her own personality. “In his 1903 book, The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B. Du Bois writes about the double consciousness, the ‘two-ness’ of African-Americans,” Price says. “My portrait series is my search to resolve my own ‘two­ ness’, to locate my identity in history.” Price keeps coming back to her portrait series, adding new prints as if in a permanent dialogue with her questioning of race and identity, with preconceptions of family and history. Her prints serve as a confrontation of prejudices regarding who is black. She would like people to connect to them and think about the issues they raise. She recognizes, however, that they are only the expression of her own experience that she wants to share – not impose. More recently, Price created prints based on war imagery: helmets, armors, military hardware. Her monotypes, Two of Each and Royale, juxtapose images of a crown with artifacts of European military history, thus highlighting the relationship between political power and war. Her etchings, Armor Study and Bassinet, examine humankind’s long history of organized warfare. Her latest monotypes depict explosions based on the recent Gulf of Mexico oil spill. When not doing her own art, Price teaches printmaking. In her teaching. She always tries to Top: Ellen Price in her studio. Tom Featherstone. Above: By Halves. Print and photo by Ellen Price shake students out of their complacency – provoke thinking and discussions about issues, encourage empathy, looking at the world differently. Price likes to quote Arthur Miller, who said: “That which is not made into art is lost.” Making art, showing it, communicating through it, is very important to her. “Art is what makes us human beings,” she says. “It brings the sublime, the spiritual; it transcends immobility. Art has been central to my life; it helped me claim my history and assert my identity. It keeps my questioning alive, and hopefully it triggers the same in the viewer.” Artists as Activists is a regular column highlighting Greater Cincinnati artists who use art as a vehicle for change. Saad Ghosn is the founder of SOS Art. Ghosn can be contacted at saad.ghosn@uc.edu. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2010 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource October 1-14, 2010 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cost of Justice: $42,000 and Hour- Serving the Ministry of Irritation Pg 2: Street Wise Pg 3: Eight Minutes Using the V-Word Pg 4: Study Backs Federal Eviction Aid Pg 5: Justice Continued Priests Continued Pg 6: Time to Build a ‘Reverent Fear’ Pg 7: CS13 Finds a New Way of Doing Art Pg 8: Invisible Punishment Lasts a Lifetime Pg 9: Arts & Poetry Pg 10: Arts & Poetry Continued Pg 11: Development Aid in Recession Pg 12: A New Life Means a New Challenge Pg 13: Arts & Poetry Continued Pg 14: Interview with Champ ‘Let’s Go Somewhere Primitive’ Pg 15: Resources Pg 16: Exploring her ‘Two-ness’ Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 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 Paul Kopp 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 Aimie Willhoite Lynne Ausman Anne Skove Vinit Murthy Jon Hughes Brad Foster Jeremy Flanner Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Aimie Willhoite Anne Skove Arts & Poetry B. Clifton Burke Brad Foster Corey Gibson CS13 David Heitfield Eli Braun Ellen Price eviction Georgia Bohannon Gregory Flannery Immigrants Ireland Jeni Jenkins Jeremy Flanner Jeremy Flannery Jesse Call Jon Hughes Joseph Szydlowski Larry Gross Lew Moores Lynne Ausman Margo Pierce Michael Fanning Michael Henson Michelle Dillingham Ohio Paul Kopp Prisoners Recession Rev. Mark Schmieder Saad Ghosn Samantha Groark Seth Ewing Huff Vinit Murthy https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/ad8d08fc6e9d2058dfa4f6edfe948492.pdf 379887362666d2e3c4f3287f109700d9 PDF Text Text American Journal of Public Health reports 37 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans Disabled and Proud - page 8 Storyteller Runs page 13 ... page 5 STREETVIBES $1 October 1 -15, 2009 • Advocating Justice, Building Community • Issue 162 CMHA Chief Denies Racism Charges Files suit against civil-rights lawyer over challenge to voucher policy By Mark Payne Contributing Writer A defamation lawsuit against attorney Bob Newman is the latest blow taken in his battle with Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority Chair Arnold Barnett. The suit, filed in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, accuses Newman of defaming Barnett in a CMHA Chair Arnold complaint Barnett calls himself filed with the ‘the new sheriff.’ United States Photo by Lynne Department Ausman. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The fight began when Newman filed a complaint on behalf of three African-American women who have had difficulties with the Housing Choice Voucher program, which provides housing to low-income residents. The complaint against CMHA and Barnett, accuses the agency of housing discrimination based on race. CMHA has 400 to 500 Housing Choice Vouchers that aren’t being issued even though approximately 10,000 people are on a waiting list for them, according to Newman’s complaint. About 90 percent of the people on the waiting list are African Americans, Newman says. “There is a huge demand for them, and they’re not getting them into the hands of people that need them,” he says. Newman’s complaint says CMHA has “adopted policies and practices which unreasonably interfere with providing vouchers to eligible persons.” At issue is the “work preference” policy, which requires CMHA to go through the waiting list and find employed people before moving on to unemployed people. The CMHA board voted to remove the policy, but reinstated it at Barnett’s request. “I am the new sheriff in town,” Barnett said shortly after his election as board chair, according to the complaint filed by Newman. Shortly after his election, Barnett also proposed the “Enforcement Campaign,” which would evict voucher-holding residents for “loud music and foul language.” In retaliation for the Aug. 18 complaint by Newman, Barnett told the Cincinnati Enquirer that he had called the executive director of CMHA and told him to buy as much property as possible in Newman’s neighborhood, according to a followup complaint by Newman. The Enquirer quoted Barnett saying, “I told our director to go see if we can buy any property in his neighborhood. … If (Newman) likes it so much, let’s give him a few.” Barnett’s comments violate Title VI of the Civil Right Act, which states, “The threat of the use of Section 8 vouchers or other public-housing units or resources to inflict a hoped injury on one who has filed a Fair Housing complaint with HUD is a violation of Title VI,” Newman’s complaint says. Newman seeks to have Barnett removed because he believes his threats are a violation of the mission of CMHA. In a statement to CMHA, Elizabeth Brown, president of Affordable Housing Advocates, said Barnett should step down if he doesn’t support CMHA’s mission. “Recent public comments by Arnold Barnett, the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of CMHA, have sparked a sense of outrage among our members,” Brown said. “He not only has insulted all the families living in CMHA housing, but has undermined the credibility of the authority in its program decisions and business operations.” Barnett, a republican activist in Green Township, owns an advertising agency. He did not return a reporter’s calls seeking comments. Keep Struggling – but Carefully Homeless Coalition remembers and recommits By Gregory Flannery Editor T he good news is the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is still active after 25 years. The bad news is the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH) is still active after 25 years. Last month GCCH held its annual meeting at Church of the Redeemer in Hyde Park. Josh Spring, executive director of the coalition, spelled out the mixed blessing that its anniversary represents. “How should this note hit us? Should this excite us or sadden us or a mixture thereof?” he said. “I believe, at its core, this note should deeply sadden us. For 25 years now there has been a grand need for the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. The truth is that when the coalition was founded, the founders did not dream it would still be needed 25 years later.” Tracing the origins of contemporary American homelessness to cuts in social-services spending during the Reagan administration, Spring lamented the fact that GCCH still has work to do. “Years later after exponentially more cuts and loss of affordable housing, we Staffers from social-service agencies enjoy a potluck at the annual meeting of the Greater are still here,” he said. Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Photo by Rob Goeller. “We are still here and we are still fighting old battles – bat- ti City Council to use zoning regula- Metropole Apartments against a plan tles such as the ones in 2009, which tions to restrict social-services agen- to turn their low-income housing should never have to be fought. We cies from locating in Over-the-Rhine, into a commercial hotel to serve the are fighting for the realization of basic • convincing council to restore downtown entertainment district, humanity for all.” $700,000 in funding for social-servic• defeating an effort to impose Given the fact that homelessness es agencies, a tax on panhandlers, persists, Spring detailed the work that • working to keep homeless• coordinating efforts to keep a GCCH has done in Cincinnati in the ness as a priority in the city’s social- cold-weather shelter open and past year: services funding, • Resisting efforts by Cincinna• organizing tenants at the See Struggling, p. 5 �2 The Vibe By The Numbers 37 the percentage of veterans from U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with mentalhealth diagnoses (see page 5). 10,000 the number of people waiting for housing vouchers in Cincinnati (see page 1). 567 the number of affordablehousing units provided by Over-the-Rhine Community Housing (see page 9). 14 the longest number of years Laure Quinlivan has lived in one place (see page 13). 25 the number of years since the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless was founded (see page 1). 30 the number of decorative trash cans created by the Vine Street Murals and Can-paign (see page 16). 12 years the age of a child whose teachers wrote her off as “brain dead” (see page 3). 2 lbs. 4 oz. Dominique Booker’s weight at birth (see page 13). 2.5 million the number of Americans affected by bipolar disorder (see page 10). 3 months the age of a child recently killed in Overthe-Rhine (see page 14). 20 the average number of copies of Streetvibes sold by Mary Mueller in a day (see page 6). StreetWise By Gregory Flannery Editor Banned by the Buddhists Homeless people who sell street papers such as Streetvibes aren’t always welcome. Earlier this year a Kroger Co. subsidiary banned vendors selling an edition of the Denver VOICE containing a reprint from Streetvibes. Now a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Cincinnati has asked Streetvibes vendors to stay away. An article in the Sept. 15 edition (“Rejoicing Against Oppression”) reported on a conflict between the Dalai Lama and Gaden Samdrupling Buddhist Monastery in Cincinnati. When the monastery presented Tibet Fest last month, the Clifton Cultural Arts Center, which hosted the event, agreed to allow Streetvibes vendors to sell the paper and even offered to provide a table and chairs – a welcome kindness to vendors who are used to standing outside in the heat or the cold or the rain, trying to sell the paper to make a few dollars for a meal. But Gaden Samdrupling Buddhist Monastery asked Streetvibes not to send vendors to Tibet Fest, saying that their presence would endanger the life of Kuten Lama, abbot of the monastery. No evidence was presented. The monastery even asked Streetvibes not to have vendors sell the paper on the sidewalk during Tibet Fest. If our vendors aren’t welcome on private property, they aren’t welcome. Homeless people are used to that kind of treatment, but it’s disconcerting that a Buddhist monastery would treat them so. The sidewalk in front of the Clifton Cultural Arts Center, however, is public property. But no vendors sold Streetvibes there during the festival. One vendor, Riccardo Taylor, said that he would stay away out of respect for the Tibetans. We are glad to report that no harm befell Kuten Lama as a result – although it makes no sense to us. Death, Be Not Proud What a bloody inconvenience: The state of Ohio spent two hours trying to poison Romell Broom, and it still didn’t work, leading the governor to postpone his execution and resulting in a lot of legal botherment from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio. Broom was scheduled to be poisoned – the official term is “lethal injection” – on Sept. 15. But the killers – the official term is “executioners” – had trouble finding a viable vein. For two excruciating hours they had a man strapped down, waiting to die, jabbing him with a needle. After 120 minutes of this torture, Gov. Ted Strickland finally issued a one-week reprieve, evidently hoping that Broom’s health will improve to the point that he can be killed in a more expeditious manner. The ACLU’s involvement fortunately brought about a longer delay, with a hearing scheduled Sept. 28 in federal court in Columbus. In addition to litigation, the Ohio Chapter of the ACLU appealed to human decency, calling for a moratorium on murder by the state of Ohio – the official term is “capital punishment” – following the botched poisoning. “This follows two other botched executions in Ohio, beginning with Joseph L. Clark in May 2006 and Christopher Newton in May 2007,” said a statement issued by ACLU of Ohio. “Both of these executions were eventually completed despite officials struggling to find viable veins on the men.” Whatever the outcome of the case in federal court, remember that people are slowly, painfully being tortured to death in your name. Then do something to stop it. Kill, Then Get Educated Another socially acceptable form of killing is soldiering – the official term is “military service.” A national magazine that caters to the U.S. armed forces has placed Cincinnati State Technical and Community College on its list of “Military Friendly Schools’’ for 2010. The magazine, G.I. Jobs, said Cincinnati State is among the top 15 percent of all colleges, universities and trade schools in meeting the needs of military veterans. The publication said the designation recognizes such criteria as full-time counselors for veterans, policies that protect the academic standing of soldiers called to active duty, networking opportunities and other campus events geared specifically toward veterans. “We have worked hard for years to make our campus and our programs accessible to the men and women who have worn our nation’s uniform,’’ said Cincinnati State President John Henderson, who is a military veteran. “Wearing our nation’s uniform” officially means soldiering – not federal jobs that involve uniforms such as park rangers, postal workers or other jobs that don’t involve the killing of human beings. It’s Good When Dopey Policies Fail But human progress advances in spite of ourselves. Consider this small example: Marijuana arrests in the United States have dropped for the first time since 2002, according to the FBI. Across the country in 2008, cops made 847,863 arrests on marijuana charges – 89 percent of which were for simple possession, more arrests for marijuana possession than for all violent crimes combined. An American was arrested on marijuana charges every 37 seconds. But that number was down from 872,000 marijuana arrests in 2007. “This slight dip in the number of marijuana arrests provides a small amount of relief to the tens of millions of American marijuana consumers who have been under attack by their own government for decades,” says Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project. “It's time to stop wasting billions of tax dollars criminalizing responsible Americans for using a substance that's safer than alcohol and to put an end to policies that simply hand this massive consumer market to unregulated criminals.” STREETVIBES October 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, Dave Scharfenberger, Margo Pierce, Paul Kopp, Jeremy Flannery, Michael Henson, David Heitfield, Larry Gross, Stephanie Dunlap, Saad Ghosn, Elizabeth Heath, Ariana Shahandeh, Riccardo Taylor, Dan Rozier, Eli Braun, Mark Payne Photography/Artwork Aimie Willhoite, Lynne Ausman, George Ellis, Rob Goeller, Anthony Williams, Berta Lambert Proofreader Jennifer Blalock The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati through coordination of services, public education, grassroots advocacy and Streetvibes. We are members of: �STREETVIBES October 1 - 15, 2009 8 By Margo Pierce Contributing Writer Column M I N U T E S 3 with Sandpaper Unconventional tutoring helps kids achieve conventional success might jump they’re spelling words. I’ve seen kids go from Ds and Fs to As and Bs overnight because they started jumping their spelling words. If a child is tactile, we use tactile techniques like writing on sandpaper or writing in rice or using sidewalk chalk on a bumpy surface. Pair that tactile ability with language arts, and they can learn.” more testing provided the answer. “He had a psychomotor Writing spelling words on problem,” Wihl says. “Most sandpaper or using a nubby children can see what people surface and chunky sidewalkare doing and replicate it, but chalk are not the usual ways he could not, so he had to kids learn how to write or spell have the muscles stimulated words. That’s a problem, acin order to learn how to move cording to Linda Wihl, foundhis mouth to make a particuer and volunteer coordinator lar sound. Once he was in that for the Alternative Learning sensory experience of learnProgram. ing speech, Children he learned to learn in “Every child is intelligent in his or her own way. If speak much d i f f e r e n t we pair that type of intelligence with their language more quickways, she arts, we can bridge the gap between academic ly.” says. Some achievement for children raised in low-income Wihl, then learn better households … if we use their intelligence.” the executive with visual - Linda Wihl director of teaching the Winton techniques Place Youth – using colors and pictures Wihl learned all this be- Center, started learning about – while others learn better cause her own child struggled sensory learning. Studying through hearing. But the use with trying to speak. techniques and methods that of music or sounds isn’t go“When my son was little, were helping her son, she saw ing to work as effectively for a he had a severe articulation the opportunity to help those child who is a kinetic learner delay, a speech problem,” children in her after-school – learning through touching she says. “We’re on the way tutoring programs. or other forms of movement. to the doctor’s office for his “I’m realizing that a lot When a child’s style of learn- 18-month visit and he started of what he was experiencing doesn’t match that used screaming at me, these same ing was the same thing that in a classroom setting, she vocalizations over and over the majority of low-income can be called “brain dead” or again. And I’m thinking he kids experience because they too stupid to learn. This hap- knows what he’s saying but have a certain type of intelpens a lot with low-income I have no clue … and I don’t ligence that they can take in children, according to Wihl. get it. I tried to talk to the doc- information but they didn’t “Every child is intelligent in tor about it. She kept saying I have the expressive ability,” his or her own way,” she says. was a pushy, working mom she says. “What I started do“If we pair that type of intel- who just was just trying to ing as I began learning these ligence with their language apply my work principles to sensory techniques is applyarts, we can bridge the gap my children and that didn’t ing those with the kids at the youth center. between academic achieve- work.” “For example I had a ment for children raised in After entering a traditional low-income households … if speech-therapy program, 12-year-old whose teachers we use their intelligence. however, her son made great kept telling me, ‘She’s brain “For example, if a child is strides in learning and was dead. We’ve written her off. kinetic, they’re really good at able to write notes to her. He She’s never going to be able to moving, athletic, then they still wasn’t able to talk, but learn.’ But I saw this spark in Tank Johnson, volunteer tutor, reading to kindergarten students. Linda Wihl is seated on the floor with the children. Photo courtesy of Alternative Learning Program. Linda Wihl is helping students succeed by allowing them to learn in a way that suits their personalities. Photo courtesy of Alternative Learning Program. her, and I said that’s not true. I kept working with her where she was at.” Add the efforts of sensorylearning tutors, and Wihl’s suspicions were confirmed: The teachers were wrong. “She had gone to school every day of her life but she still didn’t know the sounds of the alphabet when we started with her,” Wihl says. “Once we started the sensory stuff … within six months she was reading.” This kind of success was repeated over and over again and inspired Wihl to take sensory tutoring into the Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS). Begun in her neighborhood school of Winton Place, the in-school tutoring continues at Winton Hills Academy. Volunteers learn the sensorylearning techniques and pair up with children for one-onone assistance. Some members of the Woman’s City Club learned about the Alternative Learning Program through a presentation Wihl made and soon became its chief source of tutors. The club also encouraged Wihl to expand the program to include Rothenberg Preparatory Academy. “Every child we take in is below grade level when we start with them, and for the last two years every child leaving the program has been at or above grade-level in their language arts skills,” Wihl says. In 2008, 30 children benefitted from this unique program, but space makes reaching more children diffi- cult. New CPS buildings and educational programs are attracting more students to the public schools that were only built to serve current capacity. “In 2009 it looks like it’s going to be 27 (students) … because we’re having trouble finding spaces in the schools,” Wihl says. “Winton Hills, even when the new school opened a few years ago, was already overcrowded. So the room that was designed for our tutoring space has a class in it.” But the obstacles don’t compare to the positive results. “I used to work with a teacher trainer who said, ‘It may seem like a really tiny difference right now between this child and the child you didn’t work with. But when you make that tiny difference right now … when you intervene with a child in reading at kindergarten level, their life is different.’ They don’t experience the frustration and develop negative coping skills,” Wihl says. “There’s all kinds of statistics that show the relationship between the jail population and illiteracy and all kinds of related problems.” Even though she’s been able to find the tutors she needs when she needs them, Wihl is always ready to talk to anyone who wants to help her kids. If you’re just curious and want to learn more about, be prepared; her enthusiasm is contagious. Contact Linda Wihl via WihlLin@ cpsboe.k12.oh.us. 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 Community News STREETVIBES October 1 - 15, 2009 Coffee, Culture and Conversation Downtown shops offer a variety of experiences aren’t very conducive to sitting and relaxing but it has a few little tables, some of which are outside. Facing the entrance is an ice cream freezer. Posters for plays and concerts line the windows facing the street, and work By Paul Kopp by local artist is on display Contributing Writer and for sale. The staff all seem to be involved in the have grown to very much arts and it’s easy to strike up appreciate the idea of a conversation. a local cof“Musician, artfee shop over the ist, actor, jouryears. It is a place They seem the nalist: Everybody where people gathonly places who works here er to warm their indoors where is involved in the bodies and minds loitering is arts in some way,” in the morning. A acceptable: says barista Julia place where someAs long as Johanan. times one can sit you buy a Workers from and be alone to ei- drink, you can the various ofther work or simply sit as long as fices in the buildcalm down and reyou like. ing stop by for a lax after a long day. quick cup and to They seem the only chat up the staff. places indoors where loiter- If there isn’t a long line or ing is acceptable: As long as it’s later in the day, they’ll talk you buy a drink, you can sit as much as you want. As the as long as you like. They are 9-5 crowd lines up, at Joe’s it also perfect for meeting with seems the staff knows everyfriends or colleagues in an body’s name. Johanan says environment that, unlike a the most popular beverage bar or restaurant, caters more is either a caramel latte or to the idea of culture as a vital a “carmello,” created by the part of society. store, which consists of half Cincinnati has plenty of coffee, half steamed milk, coffee shops, each offering its caramel syrup and whipped own unique approach, with cream. These drinks seem to the variety offering choices match the mood of the place: for any mood, time of day or high energy. Lookout Joe’s state of mind. Here are a few also sells bagels from Bruegthat stand out downtown: ger’s and muffins, cookies and other pastries made by Art and conversation Dana’s Delights. I Lookout Joe’s Coffee on Seventh Street is nestled in the corner of the first floor of the Federated Building. Its small size and busy location Unexpected quiet Though it’s part of the largest chain of coffee shops in the world, Starbuck’s Café de Paris is on Garfield Place near Vine Street. Photo by Paul Kopp. at Fourth and Vine streets seems to have more character than others. The coffee, tea and assorted breakfast foods and pastries might taste the same as any other Starbuck’s, but the atmosphere is different. The lighting in the store is dim; and aside from the morning rush, it often seems empty during the day. This gives it a mostly quiet vibe. There are plenty of places to sit, mostly small two-seat tables lining the windows facing Vine Street. The shop also has a few tables outside. Yet not many people sit and hang out there. It’s a part of downtown that is primarily corporate. If you want to get away from a crowd and have some time to yourself, it’s a good place to stop. Starbuck’s is open till 11 p.m., which makes it stand out among other downtown coffee shops, according to barista Kristina Roach. So who is in Starbucks at 9 p.m.? It’s usually people working diligently on their laptops or stopping in for a cup of coffee after dinner or an event on Fountain Square. On the benches just outside the store is often a small group of homeless people; depending on the weather, they might go inside to warm up. The pumpkin spice latte is the store’s most popular drink. “People call all year round to see when we will be getting it in,” Roach says. The large nook The Coffee Emporium is on Central Parkway between Walnut and Clay streets. Photo by Lynne Ausman. With its combination of kitsch décor and large cafeteriastyle layout, the Coffee Emporium on Central Parkway is can be whatever you want it to be: a place to stop to have a simVive la différence ple lunch, to study, to have Café De Paris is on Garfield a meeting or just sit on one of the comfortable couches Place, just a few steps away and take in the artsy scenery. from Vine Street. Although When you first walk in, the far from France, the café is as large size of the place is the close to Paris as you can get in first thing you might notice. Cincinnati. Inside the café is Depending on where you sit, a diner-style countertop with it could either seem like a caf- stools and several mediumsize tables. There eteria or a cozy are also tables nook in someone’s home. The On the benches outside, which various seating just outside the seem to be most popular. Though configurations store is often a mostly a lunch make repeat visits small group of for more interesting, homeless people; destination downtown’s more because it seems depending on there is always the weather, they refined business be a new place to might go inside to types, the shop also makes a great sit, a new vantage warm up. café au lait. point from which Café De Paris to see things. In general, the environment is always seems busy in the afvery earthy, laid back in a nat- ternoon; but in the mornings ural way, as if it would be easy there are seldom more than to leisurely hang out there all one or two people there. The day, unlike other coffee shops atmosphere exudes a unique sense of calm, almost as if the downtown. Coffee Emporium offers people passing outside exist a wide range of coffees and in a different world. The staff usually consists teas from all over the world, which they brew themselves of the owner, Reda Ouahidy, and are on display. Co -Man- and a cook preparing for the ager Sierra Laumer says one lunchtime rush. The café’s of the most popular drinks is breakfast and lunch menus New Orleans-style cold brew offer a wide range of salads and sandwiches, which stand Toddy. “We serve it with a little bit out among other downof cream,” she says. “It’s just a town restaurants for their uniquely European sensireally strong cup of coffee.” The lunch menu is quite bilities and fresh ingredients. large. It includes soups from Salads range from a homeMyra’s in Clifton, muffins made hummus plate to the from What’s for Dinner? in Salade de Chavignon, which O’Bryonville and a large se- includes fresh greens, tomalection of sandwiches, rang- toes and cucumbers. It comes ing from hot grilled paninis with baguette slices topped such as the turkey and swiss with toasted goat cheese. to cold sandwiches such as Ouahidy says the most poputhe hummus and gouda. Lau- lar food item is the Café de mer says Mayor Mark Mal- Paris, a sandwich with chicklory is often there. If there is a en, brie, lettuce, tomato and business trying to tap into the sprouts. A radio plays mainnew vision of Over-the-Rhine stream American rock, which as a neighborhood for young is an interesting juxtaposition professionals and artsy types, to the European atmosphere the Coffee Emporium might they might be striving for, but somehow it works. be it. �STREETVIBES October 1 - 15, 2009 5 National News Off the Battlefield, War Keeps Killing Veterans of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan show high rates of mental illness By Eli Braun Contributing Writer T he White House’s decision on whether to raise U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan happens to come during Mental Illness Awareness Week – this year, October 4-10. Congress designated the national commemoration in 1990 to educate the public on the importance of behavioral health care. As these two events overlap, one might ask: How do wars impact the soldiers who fight them? Answer: Not well. An astounding 37 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans Keep Struggling – but Carefully (Continued from p. 1) • advocating on behalf of a homeless man harassed by two commercial real-estate developers. Kenny Havens, case manager at the Drop Inn Center was keynote speaker for the annual meeting. He urged GCCH’s member agencies and their staffs to be vigilant against the hazards of the professionalization of compassion: “You can serve the poor but also make sure you get health insurance, make sure you get a really good wage and have really clear boundaries. It seems a lot to ask for but also very selfish.” He harked back to Buddy Gray and other founders of GCCH, when modern American homelessness was a new phenomenon. “There was a strong, fierce passion. There was a willingness to give all that they have,” Havens said. “They were champions of the poor but not only ‘for the poor’ but also alongside them as friends.” Spring urged the member agencies that make up the coalition to remember its original mission and to work to make the coalition’s existence irrelevant. “It is not enough for us to struggle, keep what we have and figure out how to work around this homeless-creating and sustaining system,” he said. “It is not enough to jump over this homelesscreating and sustaining system. … We must continue to fight to house the individuals and families we know and we must figure out what each of us is supposed to be doing to systematically end homelessness. Together as a coalition-movement, we must completely eradicate homelessness, we must pull it up by its roots, and hit with a final death-blow.” For more information on GCCH visit our web site at www. cincihomeless.org entering U.S. Veterans Affairs hospitals between 2002 and 2008 received mental-health diagnoses, according to a new study of 290,000 veterans in the American Journal of Public Health. More than one 1 in five (22 percent) were diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is four to seven times the rate of PTSD before the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Almost one in five (17 percent) were diagnosed with depression. Some veterans were diagnosed with both or other conditions. The study found that those with greater combat exposure were more likely to suffer from PTSD. Across the United States, communities have struggled to meet the needs of their returning veterans. One particularly well researched investigation by the Colorado Springs Gazette, found a sharp rise in violent crime among Iraq War veterans. Their study was entitled, “The Hell of War Comes Home.” In one example from the Colorado unit, Anthony Marquez “used a stun gun to repeatedly shock a small-time drug dealer in Widefield over an ounce of marijuana, then shot him through the heart.” Since 2006, 10 members of Marquez’s 3,500-soldier unit have been arrested for murder, attempted murder, or manslaughter. The article notes that, while young men demographically have the highest murder rate in the United States, the brigade’s murder rate was 20 times higher than young men generally. Marquez later attributed his unstable behavior to the horrors of war. He explained that, if soldiers were hit by an improvised explosive device (IED), they would aim machine guns and grenade launchers in every direction and “just light the whole area up. If anyone was around, that was their fault. We smoked ’em.” Obviously, reducing violence would be the surest way to prevent PTSD. Beyond that, regular mental health screenings for returning veterans would “help overcome a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ climate that surrounds stigmatized mental illness,” according to another study in the American Journal of Public Health. Everyone would undergo an evaluation as a matter of protocol. The U.S. military has also recommended changes, including “enhanced reintegration support” for soldiers. In Colorado, Fort Carson’s 126page report on the violence among some veterans highlighted the need to protect soldiers who seek out behavioral health from “humiliation or belittlement.” After the violence, the military base doubled the number of behavioral-health counselors. The Colorado Springs Gazette reported that the base “tightened regulations to the point where a soldier visiting an Army doctor for any reason, even a sprained ankle, can’t leave without a mental-health evaluation.” Advocates hoped that awarding the Purple Heart to soldiers suffering from PTSD might “normalize” the illness, but the Pentagon decided in January 2009 to reserve the Purple Heart for physical injuries. As we figure out how to care for people coping with the “deadly echoes” of exploding grenades, perhaps we ought to start counting the domestic victims of these injured soldiers among the casualties of war. Poetry Corner Thinking of God By Tyresa Hall When I think of God, I don’t see an idol. When I think of God, I think of survival. God is the pure water I need to drink. God is the fresh air I need to breathe. There is not a being that governs all things When I think of God When I think of God, I feel at ease. When I think of God, I think of peace. God is the moon we expect to beam. God is the stars that guide our dreams. I see the teacher of everlasting serenity When I think of God. When I think of God, I become inspired. When I think of God, I want to reach higher. God is the Earth, She’s the mother to all life. God is relief so the soul can take flight. “In God’s name,” it’s pointless to pick a fight. For love is all God. Questions of Endurance By Tyresa Hall I sit and force my mind to explore, To go into realms I’ve never been before. I feel a chill when my feet hit the floor. What can I endure? Some souls search for the cure For true love that has been scorn. Others just choose to ignore. Some things are hard to endure. Colors fade as we mourn Over the melodies that have been born. But life is a game, and Time’s keeping score. How much more must I endure? �6 STREETVIBES October 1 - 15, 2009 Vendor Voice Street Life, My Life By Riccardo Taylor Streetvibes Vendor Ok, so we know what we are doing. The dollar bill is our objective, so, we need a hustle. Standing on a corner with a sign and a cup is too slow for me, so, I arm myself with Streetvibes. It’s an usually see some action. Strangers passing by when they stop to interact, it’s usuome of you may really looking to cop. “Drugs, member my past writor perhaps a ‘girl.’” Either of ings under the title these spell trouble for the Street Life. If not, then let us stranger. If they don’t know become acquainted. you, you subStreet Life is my acject yourself to count of the reality of “The money, huh, the money? It’s robbery or asstreet people. It is my always short, a few dollars, yet it makes sault. Yet, more outlet for the expres- you feel good. The idea that I’ve earned often than not sions of the frustra- these few dollars provokes the thought you come out tions, setbacks, and that I have a social worth.” ok. hopelessness that - Riccardo Taylor Well, we are those who live this life on our stroll. endure. The accounts A stop by the of life are real. The exposure investment. I buy the papers park can be alluring. People is on me the believability is (one quarter per paper), then laughing, talking, passing a on you. its work time. I have to stand 40 oz. from one to another, So let’s take a stroll. Gen- and represent both the paper everybody trying to drink erally, I walk by myself. How- and myself. more than the others. Of ever, since we are walking the The money, huh, the course after a few 40’s there same way, let’s walk together. money? It’s always short, a is going to be arguments, The importance is you few dollars, yet it makes you maybe a scuttle, if nothing have to know who you are feel good. The idea that I’ve else enough screaming and walking with, what your ob- earned these few dollars pro- hollering to send you on your jectives are, and the objec- vokes the thought that I have way. Leaving the park you see tives of the other person. a social worth. individuals sleeping off the Now that we have an unYeah, let’s stroll. I’ve got my drink on benches or near the derstanding, don’t ask ques- few dollars, so, I’m spending. trees. Yeah, the trees, that’s tions, nor expose your hand If I have the money, I do the where you have to relieve about what you are doing. talking. If you have the mon- yourself of all the beer. So be We step on the block, at- ey, I listen! careful where you lay! tuned to the happenings. The For many street people Cigarettes and a beer; we movement, the sounds, the walk and talk. The sidewalk this is all they have to do. All streets, a way of life. Con- isn’t easy. Television, radio, the frustrations of not havtrary to common belief there nor the press can sort the re- ing enough money, or a place is respect for in this way of ality of just what went down. to go and relax is relieved life; honor amongst the least, (Suckers and fools are prey. through hanging in the park, if you will. Yet, and still, there Get in the street, somebody engaging in whatever small are the gray spots; some peo- is going to benefit if you don’t pleasures the crowd is engaging in. ple you cannot trust, some know what you are doing.) I can’t spend much time situations where you have to If you watch across the be on guard, but, all in all it is street where you see a group here. You try to hold on to a a norm. of young guys gathered you’ll dollar or two for later in the S Riccardo Taylor. Photo by Aimie Willhoite. day. Although I made a few dollars selling Streetvibes, cigarettes and a beer leaves me a little short. I know I’ll need some money to eat and perhaps bus fare to get where I’ll need to be to find work, or to get a hustle on. So we walk, taking in the sights and sounds of the street. The days are fast; before you can really accomplish anything that enhances your situation, night is upon you and it’s time you find refuge until tomorrow. So, we part now until the next time. I’ll have to review what I saw today, since everyday has its own revelations. There is something that I saw or experienced that will be essential tomorrow when I get up and about. No two days are ever the same, so close attention to what occurs gives me one up on my survival for the day yet to come. Hey, I’ll see you later, but be sure you see me again and we’ll see the street in Street Life. Dancer, Student and ‘Streetvibes’ Vendor Mary Mueller likes working with people By Gregory Flannery Editor M ary Mueller enjoys jobs that involve working with the public. She was a go-go dancer in Newport for 15 years. She used to be a model for the Cincinnati Art Academy. She has worked as a waitress, as a housekeeper and taught pre-school children. “I love children,” she says. “They look at you like you’re God. When they ask you a question, they’re amazed that you know the answer.” Today Mueller sells Streetvibes. “I like talking to people,” she says. “I always try to make them laugh. When people say no, I try not to take it to heart. I know a lot of them are living paycheck to paycheck like me. Everybody has a bad hair day.” Mueller says she sells about 20 copies a day, supplementing the small amount she receives from Supplemental Security Income because of bipolar disorder. Mueller, who has a 28-yearold son in western Hills, was once homeless. “I broke up with a boyfriend and stayed at the Drop Inn CenMary Mueller can be found selling ‘Streetvibes’ at Seventh and Vine ter until I saved streets, near Skyline Chili. Photo by Lynne Ausman. up enough to get myself an apartment,” she Mueller, 48, would know. streets, near Skyline Chili. “It’s great at 12 o’clock be- says. She has also worked as a coscause everybody’s going to Now a resident of Overmetologist. the-Rhine, Mueller grew up “I have a beauty tip for all lunch,” she says. Mueller infuses her sales in Delhi Township, attending those women out there: Use eggs to mask your face,” she pitch with pleasantness for St. Teresa School, Seton High says. “It gets all the debris out harried office workers, hawk- School, Oak Hills High School and Cincinnati State Colof your skin and tightens up ing the paper in rhyme. your pores.” “For one buckaroo,” she lege. She dismisses popular Mueller likes to sell Street- says, “I’ll sell a Streetvibes to perceptions of the neighborhood where she now lives. vibes at Seventh and Vine you.’ “They say Over-the-Rhine is a bad place to live but I don’t think so,” she says. “It’s so convenient. There are stores everywhere. Downtown is the place to be.” But moving out of homelessness isn’t enough for Mueller. She is a student at Southwestern College, where she is training to become a massage therapist. She has one more year of classes before taking Ohio’s licensing exam. “I’m just a struggling student,” Mueller says. “You’re never too old to learn. You have to believe in yourself. You’re only as smart as you think you are.” She has already mastered the art of selling the benefits of medical massage. “It increases your circulation and body tone,” she says. “It can ease pain and relieve leg cramps.” When Mueller isn’t studying or selling Streetvibes, she has hobbies. “I love to sew,” she says. “I love to dance. I always have music on when I study. Music seems to make things better.” �STREETVIBES October 1 - 15, 2009 7 Issues Suicide Donuts and TV Stereotypes Stigma about mental illness is killing people C.A. MacConnell is a Cincinnati freelance journalist. By C.A. MacConnell Contributing Writer E ach time I tell my story, here’s what happens: I lose friends, jobs and acquaintances. Throw dating out the window, too. After I lose a job, some others won’t want to hire me. Not because of my job performance, stability, personality or education, but because of my diagnosis alone – the two words – bipolar disorder. As if, through writing and speaking about brain disorders, I have committed a crime. Which I haven’t. My record is clean. And I am clean. I’ve been sober for almost 12 years. People have doubted that, too. As I write this, I know that I face the possibility of overwhelming judgment. Soon. Anxiety sets in, then insomnia, then exhaustion. Not symptoms from my illness, but from the effects of stigma. I know the reality – that being open about my diagnosis and my honest experience with societal stigma will soon dramatically affect my life. It has happened in the past. And I know it could happen again. Damn, I’m tired. Tired from the fight. The fight against stigma. Bipolar disorder is a medical brain disorder, not a character flaw: “We now know that mental health disorders have a biological basis and can be treated like any other health condition. Even so, we still have a long way to go to overcome the many misconceptions, fears and biases people have about mental health, and the stigma these attitudes create.” (www.mayoclinic.com) Bipolar people have a neurochemical difference in their brains. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) writes, “Symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe. They are different from the normal ups and downs. …Like diabetes or heart disease, bipolar disorder is a long-term illness that must be carefully managed throughout a person's life.” I am not psycho, crazy, nuts. I am intelligent, devoted, sincere, and I thankfully have a supportive family. I work hard, pay my bills. I have a master’s degree. But every time I speak, I put myself at risk. Over the years I have traveled throughout Ohio, speaking on behalf of those with brain disorders. I have met with state representatives. I have spoken at universities, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and countless other organizations. I appeared on the Channel 9 News. I put my Paid Advertisements Make Our Earth Happy Hour face with it. One in five die Some say that brain disorders are not real diseases, but a crutch. Some say it’s solely an environmental, food or stress-related reaction. Sometimes these things can trigger a relapse, as with any chronic illness; but the source is brain chemistry, and it requires medical treatment. Others say it does not exist. The “all in your head” approach. Why would I make it up? So that I could enjoy criticism, lack of employment and loss? Right, I’m making up something so that I can endure years of pain and suffering and later be slammed for being honest? I’m making it up so that I can deal with extensive periods of medication trials and errors, numerous side effects and go in debt because of medical bills? Right, it would make sense that I would make this up. Ridiculous. “Bipolar disorder affects more than 2.5 million adult Americans every year. …As many as one in five patients with bipolar disorder completes suicide,” according to the NIMH. There are other brain disorders. My grandfather had Alzheimer’s disease, for example. Both are chronic, lifelong, lifethreatening illnesses of the brain. Yet with See Suicide, p. 10 Judge Mark Painter says Thank You To the people of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, who elected me as a judge in 1983, 1989, 1994, 2000, and 2006, always with more than 70% of the vote. Park + Vine I appreciate the trust you have placed in me and have tried to justify it these 27+ years. 1109 Vine Street at Central Parkway Thursday, October 15, 2009 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. As I move to my new position as the only American on the United Nations Appeals Tribunal, I will continue to judge each case strictly on its merits. But Sue Ann and I are not leaving town. Home will be where it has always been - right here in River City. Meet some of Community Shares’ environmental groups Sip some wine, grab a snack and shop local 10% of all purchases and the $5 suggested donation at the door will support the mission of Community Shares of Greater Cincinnati. Judge Painter’s Highlights: • • 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. • • • Service on Court of Appeals 1995-2009, Municipal Court 1982-1995. More than 400 nationally published decisions. Judge Painter is one of the most-published judges ever. Once case named one of six best in the nation for 2005. Over 230 seminars teaching lawyers and judges DUI law, appellate practice, and plain-language legal writing. Six books, including, Ohio DUI Law, Ohio Appellate Practice, The Legal Writer: 40 Rules for the Art of Legal Writing, William Howard Taft: President and Chief Justice, and Write Well: 25 Easy Rules to Improve Your Business and Professional Writing. Adjunct Professor of Law at UC for 21 years. Named Chesley Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law for 2008. More than 140 published articles, including a monthly column on plain English legal writing in Lawyers USA newspaper. www.judgepainter.org 103 William H. Taft Road • PH: 513-475-0475 • FAX: 513-487-4262 • www.cintishares.org Paid for by the Judge Painter Cte., Paul Gaffney, CPA, Treas., 11275 Springdale Pike, Cincinnati, Ohio Interested in advertising? Contact Lynne at 513-421-7803 x11. We have great rates and discounts for nonprofits. �8 STREETVIBES October 1 - 15, 2009 Local News They’re Just Disabilities, Not Definitions Starfire U students tell their stories F irst, a confession: I went to Starfire U not expecting very much. I’d been invited to listen to students’ speeches and critique them. I came away amazed at what I’d seen and heard. Starfire U is a post-secondary educational program for young adults with Down syndrome, autism and other disabilities. It combines the Starfire Council’s expertise in advancing socialization with traditional special-education techniques. I arrived with prejudices about the ability of people with these disabilities to articulate their feelings, thoughts and needs. They quickly shattered my prejudices – so much so that I asked the students to let Streetvibes publish their speeches. They do a far better job explaining than I could. Following is what they had to say. – Gregory Flannery, editor Kathleen Sheil: ‘I’m Proud’ Steven Anderson: ‘Give Them a Chance’ I am an advocate. Being an advocate, I teach others to respect people with disabilities. I am Steven Anderson, and I have autism, which is a disorder that affects the brain. Some people with autism might have a difficult time completing certain tasks. Other people with autism, like me, have difficulty fitting in and making new friends. Before arriving at Starfire, I was bullied at certain times in my life because of my disability. I used to feel like an outsider but at Starfire U, I have learned to build new friendships and that I can focus on my abilities instead of my challenges. While at Starfire, I met my three best friends: Nikki, Jovan and Matt. Starfire also offers evening and weekend programs for teens and adults who might have trouble making friends. I’m just like you. I like to read, watch movies, especially my favorite horror movie, which is Resident Evil. I like to spend time with my family. I like to volunteer at my church, and I am an assistant reader at Sunday worship services at First Lutheran Church. My greatest accomplishment was reaching the decision that I was tired of being left out and feeling like I was being treated differently because of my disability. In conclusion, you should support people with disabilities because, if you give them a chance, you’ll find out they might be just like you. Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Kathleen Sheil. I am here to talk to you about my life. I have two sisters and two brothers. I am a good friend and a good listener. I love my life, and I have a good heart. For high school, I went to Anderson and I had a lot of friends that went there. I also had gone to Turpin High School. When I was in school I was a cheerleader. I am on a swim team. I am on a bowling team as well. I love to talk to a group of people. I am on a soccer team. I am a part of the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati. I also do Leaders in Action, which is an advocacy group at the Hamilton County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. I used to work in food service and I am now with Starfire U. I also am learning how to live on my own at a place called LADD. I have many goals. My biggest goal is to be travel-trained by Metro, so that I can do some of my activities with my friends independently. I also want to get married some day, but I am not rushing anything! At Starfire U, I am part of the Ambassador’s Club, where we talk about how to be professional and how to represent ourselves. I am very proud that I have a lot of friends, and very proud of myself because I do a lot of great things. Oh by the way, I have Down syndrome, and I am proud of it. Jeremy White: New friends My name is Jeremy White, and I attend Starfire U. While at Starfire, I was doing the bike club. It gave me the opportunity to ride in the MS 150 Bike Ride. The ride was 150 miles long, and I finished. After the first ride, my bike got damaged and I had to borrow someone’s bike to finish the race. That was a lot of fun, and I am glad I had the chance to be in the ride. I am also good at pool, bowling and love to play games. I like video games and board games and really enjoy playing checkers. I live in Cincinnati and like the Reds. I like to eat at Frisch’s and order grilled cheese. I like coming to Starfire and going out, and it has given me the chance to make new friends. (Continued on p. 13) ! ? t a h W “Human rights are what reason requires and conscience demands. They are us and we are them. Human rights are rights that any person has as a human being. We are all human beings; we are all deserving of human rights. One cannot be true without the other.” -- Kofi Annan former Secretary-General of the United Nations ay S _____________________ �STREETVIBES October 1 - 15, 2009 Local News Housing, Stability, Then Sobriety 9 Jimmy Heath House will provide housing and services to chronically homeless By Dan Rozier Contributing Writer housing. Thirty percent of the agency’s revenue comes from federal, state and local government funding, in addition to private donations. OTRCH has employed a full-circle initiative in which properties dents be substance-free, the 25-unit Jimmy Heath House makes housing the top priorStay positive: That’s the ity. Rather than people going motto of Over-the-Rhine from shelter to shelter, the Community Housing hope is that the stability that (OTRCH), a non-profit corcomes with a permanent resporation that provides idence will translate into affordable housing and getting sober. commercial spaces in 110 “Our primary mission is to However, the “Housing buildings, containing a provide affordable housing First” method is sometotal of 567 units, grantin OTR – play a good role in what controversial in ing over 1,200 residents the communities and provide that it appears counternot only a roof over their affordable housing. Even intuitive to some because head, but stability in their commercial spaces, we try to residents are allowed to lives. get businesses that will serve continue to abuse subOTRCH is the product everyone in the community.” stances. Founded in 1992 of the 2006 union between - Sarah Allen by Dr. Sam Tsemberis as ReSTOC and Over-thepart of the Pathways to Rhine Housing Network. Housing program in New “Our primary mission is to are developed, maintained York City, the Housing First provide affordable housing and staffed with social work- model has been employed by in OTR – play a good role in ers to provide residents with similar organizations across the communities and pro- stable living. the country and emphasizes vide affordable housing,” OTRCH’s newest project, suitable, affordable housing says OTRCH Project Manager named for the late photog- as a basic human right. Sarah Allan. “Even commer- rapher, activist, and OverOTRCH plans to have full cial spaces, we try to get busi- the-Rhine resident, Jimmy support psychiatric and nesses that will serve every- Heath, will be on Odeon counseling services with the one in the community.” Street. The project takes af- help of the Elm Street Clinic One of the businesses sup- fordable housing a step fur- and Greater Cincinnati Beported by OTRCH, Choices ther by addressing an often- havioral Health, AlcoholCafé, was founded by Mike ignored group: those who are ism Council, and Healthcare Rogers, an OTRCH resident. constantly homeless because for the Homeless so that the The coffeehouse provides a their addiction to drugs or al- translation of sustainable comfortable gathering place cohol thwarts efforts toward housing to sustainable living for Over-the-Rhine residents. stability. is as smooth as possible. But it doesn’t stop with the While many affordable-liv“We have encountered development of affordable ing projects require the resi- some roadblocks, but we are Sarah Allen, project manager at Over-the-Rhine Community Housing hopes to begin construction of Jimmy Heath House in October 2009. Photo by Lynne Ausman. hoping to get construction of the Jimmy Heath House going by the end of October,” Allan says. “It will be support hous- ing for chronically homeless. This model has been used and proven around the country.” �10 Issues STREETVIBES October 1 - 15, 2009 Suicide Donuts and TV Stereotypes (Continued from p. 7) mental disorders, often the public reaction is completely different. I daily see Websites, Facebook quizzes and groups, TV shows, MySpace blogs –and on and on – either representing a brain disorder as scary or treating it lightly. This morning I talked with a woman What if it was called “Chemo whose son was Donuts?” That would cause diagnosed bian outrage. “MS Donuts?” polar after his And what if the names of the death. After? He donuts poked fun at these was afraid to illnesses? People would be reach out, due running in there with protest to stigma. Then signs. it was too late. I hear these stories constantly. Some of my friends have died because of this. Gone, dead. Due to stigma, sick people are afraid to seek help. Or they think treatment doesn’t work. So the next time you see a man or woman sleeping on the street, For more take a closer look. He/she could be sufinformation fering from an untreated medical illness. about the Exactly like me. I’m just lucky enough to stigma have support and medical help. Is that associated with brain fair? disorders, bipolar disorder, visit www. mayoclinic. com. Photo from “Psycho Donuts” web site. Misdiagnosis happens When patients enter a psychiatrist’s office and are dishonest about their sobriety, their behavior might mimic that of a bipolar individual. So they might get misdiagnosed. But in my case, my symptoms appeared full-force at one year of sobriety and got much worse by two years of sobriety, not better. It struck with classic timing – early twenties – a common case for bipolar individuals. My symptoms were real signs of brain dysfunction and had nothing to do with laziness or withdrawal. Are others misdiagnosed? Yes. In a July 29, 2009 issue of Science Daily, results of a recent study at Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University showed that “patients who had been over-diag- nosed with bipolar disorder were more frequently diagnosed with major depressive disorder, antisocial personality disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder and eating and impulse disorders.” This can happen due to many factors that depend on a patient’s symptoms, honesty, history with substance abuse, environment and more. Doctors are only at the baby stages of research. In bipolar individuals, the brain is wired differently, according to Jon-Kar Zubieta, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and radiology at the U-M Health System. “Now we must expand and apply this knowledge to give them a treatment strategy based on solid science, not on the current method of trial and error,” he writes. “We should also work to find an exact genetic origin and to relate those genetic origins to what is happening in the brain.” Doctors get a bad rep. But these misdiagnoses, these facts, are thrown into the limelight to promote stigma. Instead of glorifying mistakes and discouraging treatment, we desperately need support for research, funding for advocacy and education. Many doctors are right. Dead on. Problem is, by the time people get there, due to roadblocks of societal negativity, they’re often unwilling or so sick that it makes treatment utterly difficult. The correct diagnosis can take time. Individuals with bipolar disorder face up to 10 years of coping with symptoms before getting an accurate diagnosis, according to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. First, I was diagnosed with clinical depression. Then schizoaffective disorder. Then a general psychotic disorder. It took two years before they correctly diagnosed me as bipolar, and by then I was in a suicidal, comatose depression. With better understanding and more support from society in general, I might’ve avoided having such a traumatic episode. I am unbelievably lucky to be alive. Jokes can kill I am not psycho, crazy, nuts. I am intelligent, devoted, sincere, and I thankfully have a supportive family. I work hard, pay my bills. I have a master’s degree. My last episode was in 2005, when one of my medications stopped working, and we had to adjust the treatment plan. That took a while. Treatment for any chronic illness often takes a while. It takes time and unbelievable strength. When people are diagnosed with other chronic illnesses, the mass public shows genuine support. They have benefit shows, fundraisers. There is an enormous level of empathy. People with mental disorders get this response instead: In Campbell, Calif., is a new company called, “Psycho Donuts.” Its Web site says, “Psycho Donuts has taken donuts to the next demented level. …Psycho Donuts has taken the neighborhood donut and put it on medication, and given it shock treatment. …Even if you’re not certifiably insane yourself, you’ll still find a handful of donuts from the past.” A few of their donut choices are called, “Bipolar,” “Manic Malt” and “Psycho.” What if it was called “Chemo Donuts?” That would cause an outrage. “MS Donuts?” And what if the names of the donuts poked fun at these illnesses? People would be running in there with protest signs. Extremely abundant promotional tools such as this serve as great fodder for stigma; they need to be addressed with extreme seriousness. Stigma is deadly. Yet as of today, according to an America Online poll on Psycho Donuts, 60 percent of people think the “theme is appropriate.” Really? Tell that to the mother I know whose schizophrenic son committed suicide. Tell that to all of the countless people I know whose loved ones died due to the affects of stigma and lack of treatment. My illness is a scary joke? It’s OK for people to commit suicide as long as we have our donuts? It’s OK for some kid to end up in the psych ward again, as long as we have our Facebook fun? It’s OK for me to get abused at work, as long as the abuser’s clients keep rolling in? It’s OK for us to get scared at Halloween haunted houses when someone jumps out at us wearing a straight jacket, because it’s funny-scary, right? I’ve seen someone in a padded room. It is not funny at all. Go visit the top floors in hospitals, the psych wards. Yes, the top, top floors. We are still hidden there. And those are not funny either. My depression was so low in 1999 that medications couldn’t touch it. Shock treatments are actually called electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), because that’s what it is – therapeutic. Yet countless movies depict it as horrifying. I was under anesthetic. I felt no pain. The doctor was professional and kind. I had posttraumatic stress because of stigma, not because of the treatments. ECTs are commonly used today to treat severe depression and psychosis. This treatment literally saved my life. Every I could sit back and quietly time they are dehide it, but then I think about picted as painful, the countless people with no degrading, terri- support and no shot at getting fying or severely well. So if I can be a voice for strange, it deters others with brain disorders, I desperately sick will. people from getting the help they need. Many more lives could be saved if it weren’t for these harrowing representations. And yet we have to poke fun at brain disorders, don’t we? We have to have Halloween fun, TV scares, Internet groups and movies directed at making brain disorders into a freak show? All the while, people are dying. Is this 2009? ’Cause it sure feels like we’re stuck in the dark ages on this one. And I’m begging people to come out and see the light. I watch crime shows. As a writer, I’m very interested in the storytelling methods, the dialogue and the subtle clues. But here’s an idea: How about, every now and then, writers make one of the detectives have an illness, rather than the murderer? How about the detective gets sick, finds treatment and gets betFor more ter? Show that treatment works for once. information What if, on one show, a sick criminal about the found treatment and recovered? What if National the person started helping police, helpAlliance ing other criminals, becoming successon Mental ful, all while still managing an illness Illness, visit with successful treatment? www.nami. Sure, some people with brain disororg. ders are criminals. Some people without brain disorders are criminals. Some of my friends with brain disorders are highly successful professors, doctors, artists and more. Others are unemployed and struggling. Some are geniuses. They are all over the map, just like everyone else. So let’s show it like it is. How about on TV we see doctors, lawyers, comedians and police officers with brain disorders, because in the real world, this is the case. Not only would this be freeing for those with brain disorders, but it would also be fresh creatively. I want to see writers embrace both sides – the ones who get See Suicide, p. 11 �STREETVIBES October 1 - 15, 2009 11 Issues Suicide Donuts and TV Stereotypes (Continued from p. 10) sick, and the ones who get better. Because in life, many people do get better. Let me write for one of your shows, kill the stereotypes and make it real. I have seen the sickest of the sick recover, but, as Mental Health “Due to stigma, the typical Works explains, reaction encountered by “Due to stigsomeone with a mental ma, the typical illness (and his or her reaction enfamily members) is fear and countered by rejection.” someone with – Mental Health Works a mental illness (and his or her family members) is fear and rejection. Some have been denied adequate housing, loans, health insurance and jobs due to their history of mental illness. The stigma attached to mental illness is so pervasive that people who suspect that they might be mentally ill are unwilling to seek help for fear of what others may think.” ‘Imagining it’ For more information about the symptoms of bipolar disorder, http://www. nimh.nih. gov. Work. People with brain disorders get situations such as this. Once I lost my job due to a relapse. Fatigued, stressed and anxious, I knew that my medications needed adjustment. Daily growing more ill, I was terrified to tell anyone, because I had known severe consequences with revealing my illness to past employers. I did tell my boss that I needed a break. No break. Afraid to reveal my diagnosis, I got worse. I needed medical help, but instead I had to “tough it out,” keep my mouth shut, and then it was too late. I became incredibly sick and ended up in the emergency room soon after. Telling the boss is seen as so risky that “the vast majority” of workers with mental illness still hide their condition, according to Professor Marjorie Baldwin, an economist with the School of Health Management and Policy at the W.P. Carey School of Business and co-author of the study, “Perceived vs. Measured Stigma Against Workers with Mental Illness.” What if I could’ve said, “I need to see my doctor, change my meds and then I will be back full force.” I might’ve kept the job and avoided the relapse. I might’ve avoided a suicide attempt and a horrifying stay in a highly abusive psych ward that caused me to have flashbacks for years. I might’ve avoided a severely long recovery period during which I had to relearn how to read and write. Next job. I worked there for five years, and I worked hard. I loved the place, and many of the clients were like family to me. My illness never affected my work. During that time I only missed one or two days for the flu. No one knew about my medical history until I released a local cover story revealing my bipolar diagnosis, and the raw truths I’d faced. And then… Soon after, a man started harassing me at the workplace. He then e-mailed me creepy, sexual messages. All day long. He repeatedly showed up outside of my apartment building. It was clear to all those at work that this man was not well, and I knew I was in danger. I asked my boss to ban the stalker from the workplace, and my boss responded, “Are you sure you’re not imagining it?” My boss mentioned my bipolar article. After many years he suddenly doubted my level of competence, although I’d always been utterly professional and com- pletely competent. It wasn’t until I took the stalker’s e-mails to the police that my boss finally believed me and banned the man from the workplace. Later, a coworker had the same problem with a different man. She told the same boss, who didn’t question her at all. The boss got right on it and talked to the man, who didn’t return. While with me, there was a long period of doubt and embarrassment, with her, there was immediate support and action taken. Then one coworker began to abuse me regularly. Criticizing and degrading me, she constantly cut me down, bringing up highly personal issues and my illness in front of clients. Thinking back to the stalker situation, knowing I would be doubted, I kept my mouth shut and did my job. I never retaliated. I never talked negatively about the person. But finally, after a year of consistent abuse, I confronted the coworker directly. I simply asked the person to stop criticizing me in front of clients and to stop bringing up my personal issues at work. The response: “You just don’t understand my criticism because you’re too spaced out on medication.” Actually, I’m very sharp, smart and quick-witted. I told her this. In fact, I remember unbelievable detail. School was always easy. When I talk, sometimes I pause, but that’s because I think before I speak. That’s because I am sensitive, and I care about people, not because of medication. I finally told the owners, but the abuse got worse. Then, one owner was considering giving me an opportunity. I was excited. It had taken me years to work for it. But the abusive coworker talked to the owner on the phone, brought up my illness, and slammed my character in front of clients and coworkers. Again, my illness had never affected my job. The only reason people knew about it was because of the article I’d written. In reality, this person was furious that I might progress at work. Other coworkers saw it all happen. Although disagreeing with the way they treated me, no one spoke up or defended me. I had a meeting with one owner. I said, “Out of the five years I’ve worked here, and the nine years I have known you all, my illness has never affected my work life in any way, shape or form.” The owner completely agreed with me but did not fire the person. No consequences at all. The owners did nothing. On the Mental Health Works Website, there is a note to employers: “If you hear other employees discussing the details of the individual’s illness, you need to talk to the other employees and let them know it is inappropriate. If these conversations reveal discriminatory attitudes or could be seen to constitute harassment, appropriate disciplinary measures should be taken.” I had no choice. I left. Really, it was a forced exit. Who could take that constant abuse? They said they would call me if there was a change, if the abusive coworker left. That person finally left, but they never called me. So whether I reveal it or not, either way, I’m pretty well screwed. Gratefully, I had a lot of outside support after leaving. I have been well, happy and thriving for a long time. I work my hardest at living life and staying well. I work damn hard. Do some people run around ill without seeking help? Sure. Many times they can’t afford it. Or stigma scares them off. And some flat-out don’t want to get well. But it makes it crushingly difficult to get and stay well, considering the walls we face. Quiet no more For more People with lifelong, chronic illnessinformaes relapse. It’s part of the disease, and tion about there is no cure. But when we relapse, the harm we get scorned, abused, condemned caused by and attacked. There should be encourthe stigma agement and understanding for people of mental with brain disorders when they relapse, illness, visit not criticism, name-calling and general http://www. denigration encouraged by stigma. mentalIf I take my medications, go to therahealthpy and honestly tell the doctor how I’m works.ca feeling, keeping tabs on my medications, I have a good shot at staying well. Many people can get and stay well. But without critical support, it is nearly impossible. What if someone with diabetes was heading to the hospital for a checkup, and on the way, a crowd of people scorned and criticized her for being crazy? These are the hard truths we face. Treatment works. NAMI writes, “While there is no cure for bipolar disorder, it is a treatable and manageable illness. After an accurate diagnosis, most people can achieve an optimal level of wellness. Medication is an essential element of successful treatment for people with bipolar disorder.” I am incredibly high functioning, and for the most part, the only reason people know about my illness is because of my advocacy work. Sure, I could sit back and quietly hide it, but then I think about the countless people with no support and no shot at getting well. So if I can be a voice for others with brain disorders, I will. And if I have to lose jobs, friends, boyfriends, and experience insomnia because of it, so be it. It’s too important. I can’t sit back and be quiet anymore. I might have a brain disorder, but that’s not all there is to me. I am a writer, a teacher, a friend, a daughWe have to have Halloween ter, a sister. I am spiritual, fun, TV scares, Internet groups intensely cre- and movies directed at making brain disorders into a freak ative, thoughtshow? All the while, people ful and unique. I are dying. like horses, crisp fall air, seeing live bands, cool sneakers, slick words, photographs and paintings that make your heart sing. I laugh and cry and hope. Damn, I dream. When thunderstorms come, I sit outside, just to feel and hear the rain for all its worth. I am a complex woman who wears baggy jeans; and through all of the fear, I know that this fight has given me more strength than I ever could’ve imagined. Every day I am well, I am utterly grateful. So to those people in California, good luck with your donut venture, but know this: Because of the stigma that you are promoting, people are dying every day. Stigma is bullshit. We all deserve the chance to get better. And stay better. And live and work and be treated as multifaceted human beings. We deserve support – financially, physically, medically, mentally, spiritually. We deserve respect. And care. We deserve love. We deserve to be loved. We deserve to be treated with dignity. �12 STREETVIBES October 1 - 15, 2009 Puzzle Become a Fan of Streetvibes on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/streetvibescincinnati Acrostic Puzzle 1 E 2 18 K 19 35 C 53 P 54 72 H 90 J 91 109 C 3 B 4 B 5 E 6 E P H 20 F 21 I 22 36 D 37 K 38 C 39 C 55 H 56 A 57 73 P 74 K 75 H 92 I 93 B 94 I 95 K R 110 J 111 F 112 E 113 I C 7 B 8 C 9 M 10 H 11 K 12 A 13 G 28 K 29 B 30 K 31 N 46 O 47 G 48 65 C 66 J 83 F 84 23 D 24 B 25 I 26 H 27 A D 40 N 41 D 42 I 43 H 44 N R 58 F 59 P 60 C 61 C 62 K 63 K 64 H 76 G 77 L 78 P 79 K 80 F 81 R 96 D 97 J 98 I 99 J 100 E 101 N 102 D I 115 F 116 C 132 B 125 E 126 J 127 C 128 L 129 141 I 142 N 143 H 144 O 145 F 146 114 . D 130 E 131 M I 147 , F 148 L 149 G 150 Q . 45 B 82 117 D 118 , 133 C 151 C 152 B 134 B 14 D 15 A 16 O 17 32 C 33 D 34 A 49 O 50 P 51 N 52 E H 67 B 68 C 69 D J 71 R C 85 H 86 I 87 89 E , H I J 88 70 C B 103 M 104 P 105 G 106 119 E 120 K 121 O 122 C 123 J 124 K B 135 A 136 C 137 D 138 L 139 I 140 K 153 A 154 Q 155 I 156 I 107 Q 108 I 157 D 158 I L . An acrostic puzzle consists of two parts: (1) a hidden quote, laid out in crossword puzzle format, with each letter assigned a number and (2) a series of clues, with each letter in every clue's answer corresponding to a specific letter in the hidden quote. As each clue is answered, more and more letters are completed in the hidden quote, until eventually all clues are answered and the entire quote is revealed. Additionally, in this puzzle, the first letter of each correct answer to clues a) through k) spell out the speaker of this quotation’s First and Last Name. A) B) Former host of the Tonight Show. [two words] ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 153 15 27 56 12 34 135 ABC TV comedy from 1977 to 1981. [three words] Hint: begin with the number of Cincinnati City Council Members minus one ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 152 3 64 7 67 132 4 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 118 134 24 93 88 29 C) Ernest Hemingway novel and famous line from John Donne. [five words] ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 38 8 32 65 2 35 133 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 136 127 17 151 68 61 122 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 116 54 60 84 6 D) Other name of 1964 Mississippi Summer Project. [two words] ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 39 69 102 157 36 96 23 137 129 ___ ___ ___ ___ 14 117 33 41 E) Someone generous to wait staff. [two words] ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 119 5 130 1 100 52 89 112 125 By Puzzled Progressive F) Treatise by Euclid, or the period table of the ________. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 20 80 83 111 115 145 147 58 G) Reimburse ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 105 149 76 47 13 H) Sentence of capital punishemnet, ardently advocated by Simon Leis. [two words] ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 72 75 91 10 19 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 55 26 43 66 85 143 31 I) Not science, but what some Creation Museum fans want taught instead of Evolution. [two words] ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 21 25 98 141 156 114 155 146 106 48 94 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 158 42 113 86 139 92 J) Disgust and sickens, or what pornography does to Simon Leis ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 87 70 97 82 90 110 126 123 99 K) Dental feature of David Letterman. [four words] ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 140 124 79 62 63 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 11 37 95 18 120 30 28 74 L) Adobe, or popular TV medical drama on Fox ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 148 128 138 108 77 M) Basic question for reporters, or English rock band The _________. ___ ___ ___ 9 131 103 N) Hate, dislike intensely. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 101 40 44 51 142 45 O) Not thin, or what some might call the speaker of this puzzle’s quote. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 49 46 144 121 16 P) “It tolls ______ ______” (End of line from John Donne in Clue C above). [two words] ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 104 78 22 73 50 53 59 Q) Not night, or actress, singer Doris ____. ___ ___ ___ 107 154 150 R) Basic physical unit of heredity, or dancer, actor ______ Kelly. ___ ___ ___ ___ 109 57 71 81 Solutions on Page 15 �STREETVIBES October 1 - 15, 2009 13 Candidate Interview Storyteller Runs for City Council Former TV reporter Laure Quinlivan hits campaign trail, now as a candidate By Ariana Shahandeh Contributing Writer L aure Quinlivan, a former reporter at WCPO (Channel 9) is a Democratic candidate for Cincinnati City Council. She spoke with Streetvibes about panhandling, political ambitions and misinformation. How do you feel about (Jeff Birding’s) proposal about cracking down on panhandling? I think that's ridiculous. I would not support trying to get panhandlers a license. … The problem with panhandling is it turns off a lot of people who come downtown. It scares a lot of people, especially people who don't come downtown very often. Since I've done so much work in Over-the-Rhine, where I've been walking up and down Vine Street and Main Street and forever and on a lot of streets where my friends wouldn’t walk, it doesn't scare me. But I do understand their fear. How do you feel about criticism of Mayor Mark Mallory for visiting other cities to view their streetcar systems? I think people who criticize Mallory for taking trips to other cities to see best practices are very petty. He is our mayor, and he should be going to other cities to look at best practices. He should be taking trips to our sister cities and building the alliances and bridges that will eventually bring us business. Would they criticize the CEO of a company for travel when he goes to other branches and Former TV reporter Laure Quinlivan is running for Cincinnati City Council. Photo from Quinlivan campaign. also goes to his competitors? No. It's what you do when you are the leader of an organization. I think it's good. Crosstalk about the prestige of a political position… I think a lot of people in politics are attracted for that reason – not everyone, but a lot of people have dreams of becoming this and that. Me? I'm running because I just want to see some things get done in the city where I live and where I'm raising my kids, where I've chosen to stay. When I left Channel 9 at the end of '07, I had a job of- fers all over the place in other states. I just didn't want to go. I've made this my home. This is the longest I've ever lived anywhere: 14 years. That's why I didn't try to get another job somewhere else. I have no political ambition beyond city council, so it doesn't matter to me. What are a couple of specific projects you'd like ideally to put into action as soon as you can? The streetcar is a big push; I want to do everything I can to help sell that to the public. I interviewed the mayor of Portland. I interviewed the people who ride the streetcars there: “Why do you ride the streetcars? What are your thoughts?” So I'm putting together an in-depth report just like I would if I was on the I Team and I was assigned to do it, so that I can put it on my Web site and help educate people about the streetcar issue. The other thing that I hope that I can do something about is the blight issue with vacant buildings. That is just a constant refrain with neighbors and people – these va- cant buildings that, you know are kind of the eyesore of the neighborhood, and they attract drug dealers and prostitutes and all that. It's so hard to get those out of the hands of bad building owners. So here's my idea: to have a vacant building coordinator (whose) job (is) to systematically turn over bad buildings to new owners. That’s a best practice I learned from Columbus. (In) our city, it's no one person's job, it's no one person's department. It helps to have one person, someone who is the vacant buildings person. They get in touch with that owner. Sometimes it’s really hard to get in touch with the owner. I feel like that's a worthwhile position to fund since it's such a problem. I think everyone would be thrilled if they knew who to call to help them with the vacant buildings. What is something that you think the Cincinnati citizenry wakes up believing every day that isn’t true? Downtown is unsafe. Overthe-Rhine is just for poor people. We don't have anything going on here. I think those are some common misperceptions. That's part of the reason I think I can be effective on city council, because I am a reporter; I am a storyteller. I do have this comparison having lived elsewhere. And I do appreciate what we have, and part of it is just getting that message out in a better way. We haven't been very successful in promoting our city. Obviously we are not doing a good job in telling our story. Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of interviews with candidates for Cincinnati City Council. The opinions expressed here are not to be perceived as an endorsement or reflecting the views of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, which publishes Streetvibes. They’re Just Disabilities, Not Definitions (Continued from p. 8) Joe Brumm: ‘Listen to Me’ One thing you will find out about me is that I’m a talker. I like to ask people questions. I want to know about people that I meet. I have a brother named Johnny. He goes to Notre Dame. I have two loving parents, and I’m a pool shark. I’m also good at bowling. I often bowl strikes. I went to Purcell Marian High School, where I loved learning from my teachers. On my free time I eat at my favorite restaurants: Gold Star, Zip’s and Arthur’s. I also go online and check out Facebook. My favorite music is country. Brooks and Dunn are the best. “Only In America” is my favorite song. I just started Starfire U. I have made some new friends. I like Starfire because I get to talk to people. I want people to listen to me, because I have great things to say. I want to be the best Joe Brumm that I can be. Dominique Booker: ‘Stand for Something’ When I was born, you could fit me in the palm of your hands. My name is Dominique Booker and I am here to talk about some of the disabilities that I have and how I learned to deal with them on a daily basis. All of my disabilities started when I was born. I was born blind in my left eye which means that I can’t see anything in that one eye. The reason why I can’t see in that eye is because my retina didn’t attach to my pupil. I was born premature, which means that I was born very early and a lot of my major organs were underdeveloped. I weighed 2 lbs. and 4 oz. The doctors told my mother that I wasn’t going to make it because I was born so early. Another one of my disabilities is that I have asthma, which means that it’s hard to breathe sometimes if I do certain activities or if there’s a change in the weather. Since I was born so early, I had to stay in the hospital for nine months because of the complications that I had. During those nine months I had to learn how to walk and learn because the nurses taught me how to walk and talk. When I finally got out of the hospital, I was 1 year old. Now, I’m 22 years old, I’m an Oak Hills High School graduate, and I live a normal, happy life, only I just have challenges that I face every day. My goal is to live on my own and have a career in medical Assisting. One of my quotes is: “Stand for something, or you will fall for anything.” �14 STREETVIBES October 1 - 15, 2009 Reader’s Views To the Editor There are a couple reasons that I'm writing you today. Both of them are from the Sept. 1-14 2009 edition of Streetvibes. First, the better reason is the article by Riccardo Taylor, a guy who seems like, if it wasn't for some unknown calamity in his life, he'd be a drug counselor or professor somewhere instead of a Streetvibes vendor. His article on homelessness effecting specific groups of people like the elderly, the very young and uneducated puts a more human face on this issue. Most homeless people I see, but don't know personally, are raging drug addicts. They come to my neighborhood in Northside to buy and sell drugs. I know this because I've been around drugs most of my adult life. Anyone that is staring blankly glued to a bench, wildly screaming to themselves or barely being able to cross a street or drive a car through an intersection are not exactly the “Just Say No” crowd. They are on either crack or coke or looking to get some. It's the truth. The rest I see sleeping downtown outside the Netherlands hotel and it's like looking at grim death in the face. I was homeless when I was a young man, a few times, and so was my ex-girlfriend. She moved all the way to New Orleans before coming back home but neither one of us had to sleep in the streets. We relied on new friends and the cramped comfort of our cars. We both have gotten college educations since then (I worked my way through for six years) and a series of jobs to make sure we never have to really on strangers or meth heads named "Kaos" or "Jabba" for a place to sleep at night. So, living through the experience wasn't for nothing. Neither one of us were drug addicts. We were strong-headed people that didn't see things our parents’ way starting at a very early age. Secondly, the article entitled "Stop Snitching, for Justice's Sake" by Suhith Wickrema is the most irresponsible act of journalism I have ever seen in Cincinnati. The article should been titled "Stop Lying to Yourself". The article tells of James Duane's lecture topic of Eddie Joe Lloyd, who was arrested for murder but doesn't say who testified against him. This was probably due to a witness's false testimony – as many cases do. I was locked up due to false testimony by a crazy girlfriend. I have been unraveling her lies for years because the prosecutor's office failed to examine her "evidence" in the form of a forged e-mail they didn't even bother to verify. But even though she could also be seen as a "snitch" what she really was is a liar. Also, to further illustrate the real problem, I bring to your attention the Noele Washington case in Over-the-Rhine. Her accused killer, Mark Pickens alleged raped her the day before he killed her and killed two babies. This tragedy could have been stopped if her ex-boyfriend cooperated with the police after he was allegedly shot and nearly killed by Pickens. In other words, if he had "snitched" a 19-year-old woman, a 3-month-old baby, and a 9-year-old little girl would still be alive today. All it would have taken was man swallowing his pride going against popular opinion. That's a very small price to pay to save three innocent lives, isn't it? This article seems like a written contract with drug dealers to allow them to kill people like Noele Washington. That is irresponsible and unacceptable. Your decision to print this article greatly disappoints me and it dishonors people like Noele. Are they cows to be killed and whose memory is disgraced by silent, fearful conspiracies? Sorry to go out on a sad note but snitching and lying to a prosecutor's office, whose job is finding the truth, are two different issues. Remaining silent and enabling murderers to kill babies is immoral and borders on insane. Reader Survey Dear Readers, Over the last year, we have worked hard to improve the content, design and overall program of Streetvibes. We would greatly appreciate you taking the time to fill out this brief reader survey. We value your feedback and opinions. Please return your survey to 117 E. 12th Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. You may also e-mail your responses to streetvibeslayout@gmail.com. If you have other information or comments please feel free to let us know when you return your survey. Thank you, Gregory Flannery Editor Why do you buy Streetvibes? Where do you buy Streetvibes? What do you like most about Streetvibes? What do you like least about Streetvibes? What would you like to see in Streetvibes that isn’t in the paper now? Paul Schmitt Cincinnati Gender: (circle) Age: (circle) Income: (circle) Male Under 18 40 – 49 Less than $10,000 Female 19 – 29 50 – 59 $10,000 - $14,999 30 – 39 60 + $15,000 - $24,999 Cleo’s Joke Corner $25,000 - $34,999 Race: (circle all that apply) African American/ Black $35,000 - $49,999 Pacific Islander $50,000 - $69,999 White $70,000 and above Asian Lois Lane asked Superman to meet her at the ice-cream parlor. He asked why. She said, “Look, I am a reporter. I need a really good scoop.” Why didn’t they play cards on Noah’s Ark? Because he was standing on the deck. Hispanic Other: _____________________ Don’t forget to send us your survey. 117 E. 12th Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 or streetvibeslayout@gmail.com �STREETVIBES October 1 - 15, 2009 15 Resources Need Help or Want to Help? Shelter: Women and Children Churches Active in Northside 381-SAFE 768-6907 Central Access Point Cincinnati Union Bethel 300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 557-2873 Bethany House 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224 Salvation Army 131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 3600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 Crossroad Health Center 241-1064 Health Resource Center Homeless Mobile Health Van McMicken Dental Clinic 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Mental Health Access Point Mercy Franciscan at St. John 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 784-1853 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 DIC Live In Program Prospect House 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 Starting Over Center Independent Living Options Emmanuel Community Center 961-2256 1308 Race St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 961-4663 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Goodwill industries Healing Connections Mary Magdalen House 961-4080 2728 Glendora Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45209 Treatment: Both 1223 Main St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 351-0422 381-6672 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 AA Hotline CCAT Drop Inn Center 721-0643 Joseph House (Veterans) 241-2965 471-1100 221-3350 Hamilton County ADAS Board Recovery Health Access Center Sober Living Talbert House 946-4888 281-7422 681-0324 641-4300 Hamilton/Middletown 421-3131 569-1840 381-4242 Northern Kentucky 1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237 217 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Interfaith Hospitality Network Lighthouse Youth Center (Youth) 3330 Jefferson, Cinti, Ohio 45220 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 People Working Cooperatively The Caring Place United Way Women Helping Women St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry Housing: 721-4580 632-7149 381-1171 CMHA Excel Development OTR Community Housing 114 W. 14th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 721-8666 Tender Mercies 27 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 961-4555 751-0643 381-1954 Tom Geiger House Dana Transitional Bridge Services Volunteers of America Food/Clothing 621-5300 961-1983 Lord’s Pantry OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Catholic Social Action Community Action Agency Contact Center 1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 771-4800 751-0600 721-4811 351-7921 631-1114 211 977-5541 863-3184 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 Center for Respite Care 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 535-2719 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 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 579-8547 241-9400 421-1108 363-3300 421-2437 381-0111 859-491-8303 799 Ann St. Newport, KY Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. Legal Aid Society Ohio Justice & Policy Center Faces Without Places Stop AIDS Brighton Center Health 621-6364 Our Daily Bread Advocacy 241-2600 241-2563 621-5514 214 E. 14th St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Treatment: Women 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 558-8888 981-5800 Other Resources 721-0643 921-1613 Peaslee Neighborhood Center First Step Home 357-4602 352-2902 352-6363 458-6670 977-4489 NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach Shelter: Both Anthony House (Youth) 381-2247 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 562-8841 St. Vincent de Paul Charlie’s 3/4 House 661-4620 591-2246 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 872-9259 Justice Watch 241-0490 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 Mt. Airy Shelter 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Treatment: Men 241-5525 1419 Elm Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 FreeStore/FoodBank 762-5660 Shelter: Men City Gospel Mission 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 859-491-3335 859-559-5011 859-572-6226 Women’s Crisis Center VA Domiciliary VA Homeless 621-1868 Puzzle Solution T H I S T H E I R D I F P L T A G O E O D E R E A) B) C) D) S I S H O W T M O N E Y E R E N T E S E L L I N H E P E O P L E N U T S O U T S I A M E S . L E T T H O U G T I N G J ay Leno E ight is enough F or whom the bell tolls F reedom summer F E) F) G) H) I) J) K) H , T H B ig tipper E lements R eplay D eath penalty I ntelligent design N auseates G ap in his teeth I E . T , Y E Y T H E H A N W A E G S M A K ’ R E N T H E P T E R L L I N G Y E A N P D E O F R E D S M E B E C L E A O T S U G G J A L E D . M B L) M) N) O) P) Q) R) H House Who Detest Thick For thee Day Gene N E I Cincinnati City Council Member Jeff Berding referring to panhandlers speaking to news media, 7/17/2009. �16 STREETVIBES October 1 - 15, 2009 Column Collaborating, Creating, Changing Jan Brown Checco’s art is about spirit and community Until her mother’s death in 1987, Jan Brown Checco, a successful 2D artist, illustrator and graphic designer, used her art primarily as a commodity, mainly for commercial purposes; this is what her conservative parents expected her to do in order to earn a living. “When my mother died, I suddenly realized that my biological clock was ticking and that I needed to start expressing myself, to make a statement through my visual art” she says. “It was as if I gave myself permission to move in a different, more personal direction without having to justify why. My mother had a tragic death from terminal cancer; to survive my own despair, I began grieving through my art.” Brown Checco could only express her unspeakable pain in images. At the same time she was raising two daughters and pushing against prevailing anti-feminist ideas in the Bible. Her art became increasingly focused on her family, parenting, womanhood and indirectly herself. It was cathartic and therapeutic and helped her move on. “If you’re so formally removed from the art you’re making that it is not helping you, lifting you up, resolving something you cannot understand, then it is a pity,” she says. “For me, this is a fundamental function of art.” In 1987 Brown Checco came across Joseph Campbell’s views of how philosophy, religion, art history and cultures are interwoven. It led her to a different appreciation of spirituality and discovery of the Tao and Buddhism, which started manifesting itself in her art. Brown Checco has been making art as long as she can recall, finger painting at age 4 at her grandmother’s kitchen table. An art career was a natural path for her. She attended Miami University, then the Art Acadas emy of Cincinnati for her bachelor’s degree in fine arts; and the University By Saad Ghosn of Cincinnati College of Contributing Writer Design, Architecture, Art and Planning for her master’s degree. She is a painter and a sculptor versatile in many media and techniques. Over the past 15 years Checco has been using her design and management skills to create community-based art projects and cultural exchanges. Her aim is to strengthen artists’ collaborative abilities, give voice to individuals who otherwise are not heard, educate, inspire and facilitate communication. In 1993 she founded “Art in the Square,” a visual arts festival aimed at bringing the region’s talents of out of their studios to connect with the public. In 2005 she created the “Vine Street Murals and Can-paign” in Over the Rhine, a five-month project employing local children. These were the first public murals to appear downtown, accompanied by 30 colorful trash cans. In 1999 Brown Checco started facilitating artistic and cultural exchanges between Cincinnati and its Sister Cities, arranging for Cincinnati artists to present their work in Munich and for Munich artists to come to Cincinnati. In 2002 she invited master ceramic artists from each sister city to come to Cincinnati to create art for A rtists ctivists ‘Balance,’ a ceramic work, is inspired by the Confucian Li. Photo by Saad Ghosn. Jan Brown Checco is both an artist and arts organizer. Photo by Bill Howes. the pavilion in Theodore M. Berry International Friendship Park. In 2004 she organized an exchange including nine artists from Cincinnati and nine from Munich. The artists created drawings that were reproduced and given to participating artists from the other city. They were allowed to do whatever they wanted to the drawings to create their own new works. The same formula was repeated in 2007, including artists from Cincinnati, Munich and Liuzhou, China. The hundreds of original drawings and resulting redraws were exhibited in each of the sister cities. The project received an award from Sister Cities International for Innovation in the Arts and Culture. Brown Checco has been the lead designer for three Butterfly Shows at Krohn Conservatory, interpreting the cultures of China, India and next year, Japan. She is also art administrator for “The Black Brigade Monument,” the first piece of sculpture in the “Finding your authentic self, new Cincinnati Riverfront Park, playing your role in community scheduled for dedication in 2011. and being helpful, having The monument will tell the story a righteous motive, being of the company of black volunresponsible and responsive – I teers who, during the Civil War, try to live my life and what I organized to defend Cincinnati consider in my art.” from Confederate attack. - Jan Brown Checco She is also organizing the production of 145 pieces of art for a new building for special-need patients at Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Many of the works will be by patients and volunteers. Brown Checco’s art reflects her social and political views, her philosophy of life and her spiritual connectedness to nature and to her family. “For me, activism is about the essence of reality as pure activity, especially spiritual activity,” she says. “I practice it when I work in the garden, when I play with my grandchild, and also when I do my own visual art or am engaged in visual art projects with different people and demands. All end up being connected; it is seamless to me.” Thanks to visiting Chinese teachers she has hosted, Brown Checco learned about Taoism and Confucianism. Her ceramic piece, Balance, is a reflection on the Confucian Li (Code of Ethics), the equivalent of our 10 Commandments. The code consists of eight principles which, if practiced, are thought to lead to balance and harmony. The artwork includes two small ceramic figures, one representing “Excess,” bending under a burden, and the other “Lack,” looking at symbolic empty hands instead of at the things one has. Its message pertains to compulsive consumerism and greed and the need for a simpler, grateful and reflective life. “Finding your authentic self, playing your role in community and being helpful, having a righteous motive, being responsible and responsive – these are the things that should matter,” Brown Checco says. “They do matter to me, and that’s how I try to live my life and what I consider in my art.” 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 October 1-15, 2009 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: CMHA Chief Denies Racism Charges Keep Struggling- But Carefully Pg 2: The Vibe Pg 3: Eight Minutes with Sandpaper Pg 4: Coffee, Culture and Conversation Pg 5: Off the Battlefield, War Keeps Killing Pg 6: Street Life, My Life Dancer, Student and ‘Streetvibes’ Vendor Pg 7: Suicide Donuts and TV Stereotypes Pg 8: They’re Just Disabilities, Not Definitions Pg 9: Housing, Stability, Then Sobriety Pg 10: Suicide Donuts and TV Stereotypes Continued Pg 11: Suicide Donuts and TV Stereotypes Continued Pg 12: Puzzle Pg 13: Storyteller Runs for City Council Pg 14: Reader’s Views Pg 15: Resources Pg 16: Collaborating, Creating, Changing Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 1-15, 2009 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gregory Flannery Lynne Ausman Jeni Jenkins Lew Moores Dave Scharfenberger Margo Pierce Paul Kopp Jeremy Flannery Michael Henson David Heitfield Larry Gross Stephanie Dunlap Saad Ghosn Elizabeth Heath Ariana Shahandeh Riccardo Taylor Dan Rozier Eli Braun Mark Payne Aimie Willhoite George Ellis Rob Goeller Anthony Williams Berta Lambert Jennifer Blalock Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Activists Afghanistan Aimie Willhoite Anthony Williams Ariana Shahandeh Art Berta Lambert Café de Paris city council CMHA Dan Rozier Dancer Dave Scharfenberger David Heitfield Eli Braun Elizabeth Heath GCCH George Ellis Gregory Flannery housing Ira Jan Brown Checco Jeni Jenkins Jennifer Blalock Jeremy Flannery Jimmy Heath House Larry Gross Laure Quinlivan Lew Moores Lynne Ausman Margo Pierce Mark Payne mental illness Michael Henson Paul Kopp Racism Riccardo Taylor Rob Goeller Saad Ghosn Starfire U Stephanie Dunlap Students veterans Vine Street War