25 10 291 https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/71b9112470be7c70773e313e476440c7.pdf 751d1a63d720e9a2537bc1ca5c3263f2 PDF Text Text October 5th - October 21st 2018 | Vol. 21 Issue 18 (No. 391) advocating justice | building community Religious Peacemakers: Aaron Bludworth, A Mormon, Discovering & Sharing the Humanity of the Invisible Other| 3 This Issue is sponsored by (Retired) Judge Mark P. Painter INSIDE THIS ISSUE The Critical Issues that Know Your Rights! | 3 Candidates Should Be Adressing As They Campaign This Fall | 2 A Vote for Family and Freedom | 5 The Jubilee Revolution | 5 Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 LOCAL From The Director: The Heimlich Maneuver or Inaction? JOSH SPRING Executive Director I f two people were standing in front of you; one person having a nice meal and the other person was choking, unable to breath, what would you do? I think most people would probably try to assist the person who was choking in order to prevent that person from experiencing more pain and potentially dying. This is a question that would be easy for most people to answer. The choking person would be vigorously trying to dislodge what was blocking their breathing, but it would be clear that they could not do it by themselves. You would get up, go over and try to perform the Heimlich. [Editor’s note: The American Red Cross recommends a “five and five” approach to first aid. Five “back blows”, if that doesn’t work five "abdominal thrusts" also known as the Heimlich, then five more back blows if needed.] Even if you didn’t fully know how to provide Josh Spring Credit: Homeless Coalition the Heimlich, you would probably still try and if there were other people around, they would likely try as well and together; the person choking, you and others would most likely prevent increased pain and potential death. No brainer, right? In Cincinnati tens of thousands of people are teetering on the edge of homelessness because of forced displacement that comes from gentrification, being priced out of their neighborhood, slumlords, “neighborhood revitalization” and unfair-wage jobs. Every weekday dozens of households are evicted from their homes in a system that does not legislate protections against unjust evictions. So far this year, approximately seventy-eight percent of families with children who have sought family shelter have been turned away because family shelters are already so overcrowded, nearly ten percent of whom were sleeping outside, in cars or other such places. Adult shelters are seeing numbers of people beyond what they have ever seen before and the number of people living outside keeps rising. In Hamilton County we are short more than 40,000 homes affordable to households with low incomes, 28,000 of which are needed inside (Continued on page 7) The Critical Issues that Candidates Should Be Addressing As They Campaign this Fall W hat are the critical issues that local, state, and Congressional candidates should be addressing on the campaign trail this fall? At the Community Forum at Christ Church Cathedral on September 27th, a panel of community leaders took on the assignment of talking about many of the tough problems and public policy needs that often get lost in all the hoopla and attack ads of modern political campaigning. The panel included Michelle Dillingham, Executive Director of Community Shares, John Schrider, Director of the Legal Aid Society of Southwest Ohio, D. David Altman, an environmental attorney who specializes in defending average citizens, and Paul Breidenbach of the Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center. Michelle Dillingham focused on three issues during her presentation. She pointed to large funding needs for public education and human services, and she cited some of the concerns that have galvanized the women's movement since Trump's election. In terms of the safety net, she provided a long list from Food BILL WOODS Contributing Writer Stamps to child day care that have suffered cuts. At the same time these basic human services lose funding, Dillingham took note of the major tax cuts primarily benefiting well-off Americans that Congress and the Ohio General Assembly have enacted. These same tax breaks have left Public Schools and other education programs severely underfunded in Ohio. Meanwhile, the state's Local Government Fund that used to be a major local government resource has practically been eliminated. John Schrider continued with more statistics revealing the need for major government involvement to address growing poverty and income inequality. He called attention to Cincinnati's growth in poverty by (Continued on page 11) O c t 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 | N o . 391 Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org BLOG: streetvibes.wordpress.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor: Justin Jeffre Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Justin Jeffre Layout: Key Beck Reception: Larry Johnson, Anne Evans Maintenance: Pete Roper ----------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Bill Woods, Dr. Mark Mussman, Trenton Davis, Dick Croy, Jason Haap, Loa Bennett, Saad Ghosn, Sabrina Amos, Desmond Brown, Cleo Wombles, Kim Green, Willa Denise, Jones ----------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: Homeless Coalition, Dr. Mark Mussman, Justin Jeffre, Trenton Davis, Saad Ghosn, Bill Woods -------------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Bill Woods accepting last year's buddy gray award Credit: Homeless Coalition THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �LOCAL Know Your Rights! No. 39 1 | Oct 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 R ecently, the Homeless Coalition, in partnership with some of our member organizations like Legal Aid and HOME, put on an information session at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County at the Main Branch. We created an informational session that would be useful to all as it focused on historical and contemporary issues, renters, homeowners, and landlords. We broke it into several pieces, starting with the history of homelessness in Cincinnati, the issues that we are currently fighting against, including displacement and criminalization, the basic laws that protect the rights of citizens, and ways to protect yourself from spurious landlords. Finally, we ended with ways to get involved, including hosting informational sessions, speakers, and joining us in our fight to eradicate homelessness. The historical portion started with the 20th Century, and more specifically with Redlining. The underpinnings of Redlining include racism and classism, which essentially run current today. Redlining officially began after the Great Depression and exacerbated segregation in every city across America. A federal housing program forced People of Color into substandard housing, while giving white people the ability to build generational wealth. Combined with legally enforced segregation and restrictive covenants, AfricanAmericans were systematically denied the ability to create wealth through property ownership. After generations of racism in housing, we can certainly see the effects today on family wealth. Following the Civil Rights Movement, when housing discrimination based on race was outlawed, people of color continue to be cut out of housing opportunities. As former President Reagan’s policies of disinvestment in public housing decimated the quality of public housing, emphasis was put on religious institutions to create the safety net that people would need in a changing globalized economy. America began moving towards a service economy, which would push wealth to the very few. Reagan also perpetuated the myth that people “want to live outside” rather than viewing homelessness as a systemic issue. This began the era that we are currently in, of underfunding public housing while allowing it to deteriorate, and pushing money into private hands through programs like Section 8, which allow for private landlords to benefit from public money. Although people believe that there is plenty of Section 8 housing vouchers out there, the window to apply only opens up every few years, for a few days. Some people who get DR. MARK MUSSMAN Staff Writer (left) Jeniece Jones from HOME Shines a Spotlight on Housing (right) ohn Schrider from Legal Aid Speaks on Legal Aspects of Housing Credit Lé Thompson on the waiting list will still be on the waiting list 3 or 4 years later, when the application period is opened again. The Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting list is currently closed, it was last open for four days in January 2017; and before that in December 2014, and in 2012. Of all the low income renters in the United States, less more likely to be cost burdened in Cincinnati, while the average rent for an apartment in Cincinnati has skyrocketed to over $1100 per month. Minimum wages do not cover the cost of a two bedroom apartment. The typical person who makes minimum wage is a 35 year-old woman with children. Her children cannot close the door and do their homework, or find a place to decompress after 3 33.1 percent for Blacks. When it comes down to the laws that should protect people who are experiencing homelessness, there are three main Constitutional Amendments that apply: First Amendment’s protection of free speech; Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures; and the Eighth Amendment’s protection against cruel and unusual punishment. Each of these protections has been recently violated by Hamilton County and the City of Cincinnati. Fortunately, the Homeless Coalition is currently fighting the criminalization of homelessness in Federal Court, and we continue to push for these rights while we continue to push for housing and housing protections. Finally, a healthy standard of living, including housing, is part of the United Nations’ Declaration of Human Rights. An update to the Criminalization survey was given, which showed that nearly half of all survey respondents (people currently experiencing homelessness) had been harassed by law enforcement officers, even when they were not breaking any laws. The goal of the survey is to push for a Bill of Rights, that will include the Right to Rest, the Right to Move, the Right to Housing, and other important human rights. This led into understanding current Tenant/Landlord Laws, including discrimination, retaliation, researching your landlord, eviction, and filing a complaint. HUD funded housing rights were also discussed, including the right of residents to have advocates, like community organizers, present at meetings and discussions about changes in housing. Creating tenant organizations was also discussed before ending on ways to get involved in the fight to eradicate homelessness: Affordable Housing, Livable Wages, and Housing Protections. If you’d like to watch the facebook live video or access the slideshow, please visit our website: https:// cincihomeless.org/2018/09/13/ know-your-rights-forum/ (left) Josh Spring Executive Director of the Homeless Coalition give Historical Perspective (right) Mona Jenkins Director of Development and Operations Discusses the Housing Struggle Credit Lé Thompson than 25% who would be eligible for assistance actually receive it. This is occuring at a time when the cost of housing has risen, but wages have not. In Hamilton County, we are nearly 40,000 units short of lowincome housing for people making up at about $25,000. This means that people are living paycheck to paycheck, kids are sleeping on the floor, couches, sharing beds with infants, etc. People of Color are way a difficult day because Mom can’t afford a 2 or 3 bedroom apartment while public housing is full and Section 8 voucher waiting list is overburdened. She would have to work 104 hours per week to afford a 2 bedroom apartment on minimum wage. This is even more defined for Black families who are least likely to be home owners, as in 15-county Greater Cincinnati, homeownership rates are 74.5 percent for whites but THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �4 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED O c t 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 | N o . 391 �5 JUBILEE CAMPAIGN A Vote for Family and Freedom No. 39 1 | Oct 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 F TRENTON DAVIS amily is the bedrock of America. I have three younger sisters, and, even at 21, I still live at home with my two incredible parents. There is not a single thing that I am more thankful for than my family. When I was young, my Mother read me books at night. From age three to six, we would end up staying up until midnight because I’d ask to read “just one more book Mommy”. My Dad, he was always my coach. From baseball to basketball and soccer, he’s always been there on the sidelines cheering me on and supporting me. My family is the reason I dream. All those little moments that my family has invested in my success, that is the pursuit of happiness endowed by our Constitution, so many years ago. Who would I be without my Mom at home? What about my Dad? No books at night during my most important years of development. Nobody to teach me how to throw a curveball. There are thousands of Ohioan families that face this reality every day. We talk about the War on Drugs like it’s just a piece of our past, yet we still lock up more humans in America than any other country in the world. Public safety is important, but Ohio spends more than $1.8 billion Contributing Writer dollars every year on a prison system where too many people that pose little risk to society are incarcerated. We are ripping families apart. Mothers and fathers are being locked away from their families. Low-level drug possession offenses are felonies in Ohio, not misdemeanors. That means that non-violent parents, people that may be perfectly capable of raising strong families, are now separated from their kids. Felonies force authorities to send parents to state prison rather than local jails, so not only are they locked up, but they’re locked up far away. Moreover, we are committing injustice. Low-level possession offenses are as small as a sugar packet. So, we aren’t locking up vicious, dangerous drug dealers and kingpins, we are locking up friends, family members, and average citizens that suffer from addiction. Addiction is an illness. Instead of encouraging healing and rehabilitation, we strip people of their liberty. We are treating addiction, not as an illness, not even as a personal struggle, but rather as societal blight that should be locked away for none to see. We need to bring Ohioan mothers and fathers home. We need to heal the addictions of our nation, not cause more pain. We need to create freedom, not take it away. Healthy families are the foundation of our society. Strong, American families raise strong, American children. We need to enable people to heal and make sure not to separate them from Trenton Davis Credit: Jubilee Campaign the people that need them most. Approximately 2,600 of our neighbors are locked up in State prison with a low-level drug possession charge as their highest offense. If we reclassify their felonies to misdemeanors, we can bring mothers and fathers closer to their children. They’ll be free. And with the felony scratched from their record, they will have access to work that can support those families. The Jubilee Revolution I t was my good fortune to have known the late Jim Couts, a retired minister in Marietta, Ohio, who among much else in his busy life of service to people and the planet founded Jubilee Soil, whose mission was to manufacture healthy soil, improve the depth and quality of topsoil, and to increase food production utilizing sustainable, non-polluting methods of agriculture. Jubilee made soil by diverting food waste from local landfills, building local agriculture, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. At the time of his untimely passing Jim’s still young company had converted 225,000 pounds of food waste, much of it from local prisons, into extremely rich topsoil. He had been in communication with West Virginia state officials about using Jubilee soil to reclaim land devastated by mountaintop mining. The following is a piece I edited for him for inclusion on Jubilee’s website (which no longer DICK CROY Contributing Writer exists). I feel it is as timely today as when Jim wrote it: I first read John Howard Yoder’s Politics of Jesus shortly after it was published in the early 70’s and later discovered Andre Trocme, whose book by the same name predated Yoder’s work. Their premise was that the Jubilee laws of Leviticus and Deuteronomy were central to the teachings of Jesus, so central that they resulted in Jesus’ execution as a revolutionary. Reading those books and many that followed resulted in my conversion to Christianity. Much of the Old and New Testament suddenly made sense, especially the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus’ disdain for the wealthy and his love for the poor and oppressed. It was now clear to me why his church hierarchy – the temple priests, the Pharisees, Herod, and Caiaphas – clamored for his execution. I could now claim Jesus as Lord and mean it. I’ve come Instead of wasting law enforcement dollars on castigating people suffering from addiction, we can, instead, instill a culture of rehabilitation. We can create an earned-credit system so that qualified people can reduce their sentences by participating in group therapy and rehabilitation programs. Prison can cause trauma; some of the work will have to be healing those that have already suffered from the injustice of antiquated drug laws. November 6th, 2018 could be to the conclusion that one cannot fully understand the life and mission of Jesus without first understanding the role of the Jubilee. It’s a radical concept, some believe unattainable – but, to God, just common sense. In 2011, at age 69, I founded a for-profit company and named it Jubilee Organic Gardens. I was partly motivated by the need to be involved in an agricultural revolution that was beginning to grow. Thousands of folks were engaged in growing their own food, advocating for locally grown, healthful food, and supporting family farms. But my passion for the Jubilee also influenced my decision. I have found great comfort in associating myself with a Quaker meeting here in my hometown of Marietta, Ohio, but have been surprised by how few people who belong to Quaker communities acknowledge their Christian roots. Their reasons are sound and quite understandable. Orthodox THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED a day of Jubilee. We can release our prisoners. Vote YES on Issue 1. Issue 1 was carefully written by Ohioans to ensure public safety, but, also, to reunite families and build Ohio a more free, healthy, and prosperous future. There is no civil rights issue on the ballot more pressing than this. When the family is broken, the foundation of freedom is cracked. Help free Ohio. Vote for family and freedom. Vote YES on Issue 1. Christianity and organized religion in general offer little to those passionate about saving the planet, racial and economic justice, women’s rights, and the plethora of social justice issues which confront us daily. For me, including the Jubilee and its importance in Christian thought and practice is not only vital in giving clarity to our quest for social justice, but it also lends zeal, passion, and a real sense of truth to our causes. All this without having to sacrifice our intellect, modern science, or need for spiritual guidance. Ignoring our Christian roots is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. What exactly are the Jubilee laws or principles? They are explained in detail in Leviticus 25 and Deuteronomy 16 but actually dominate entire sections of both Old and New Testaments. The basic principle is as follows: God, out of love, gave us the Jubilee so that we and our planet might not only survive but, in addition, so that we might also be content and happy. The primary themes are care for the earth and care for our neighbors, especially the (Continued on page 9) �6 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED O c t 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 | N o . 391 �OPINION Why Should I Vote for Candidates or Parties I Don’t Trust? No. 39 1 | Oct 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 O ne night during my high school years, Frank Zappa appeared on an evening news program and announced a run for president. I was thrilled! I decided in that moment I would be an indefatigable volunteer for his campaign. Then, what seemed like just a few weeks later, Zappa was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and it eventually killed him in 1993. His campaign never actually got started. Maybe that was the beginning of my interest in non-traditional and third-party political candidates. When I voted in my first presidential election, in 1996, I cast a ballot for Ross Perot. And for almost every presidential election since then, I've voted for a third-party candidate JASON HAAP Contributing Writer - whether it was Ralph Nader, Jill Stein, or Gary Johnson. For every step along the way, I have been told how voting thirdparty is "dangerous" because it "steals votes" from the major party candidates. I've been told there is "too much at stake in this election." It's interesting to juxtapose this sentiment next to the fact that tons of Americans don't even bother to vote. I've been made to feel like voting third-party is more dangerous than not voting at all! I also object to the notion of endless emergencies. I don't think it will ever be appropriate, according to the major parties, to vote third-party. There will always be "too much at stake." Here's the thing: this problem is easily fixed. If we simply had rankchoice voting in this country, we'd never have to worry about these socalled "spoiler" votes again. As a liberal, Democrats love to demonize my voting choices, as if I'm contributing to their candidate losing because I selected a different, non-Republican candidate. But if Democrats would simply support rank-choice voting, then they would never need to worry about this again. If I ranked Gary Johnson or Jill Stein as my first choice, and Hillary Clinton as my second choice, then once it's clear Stein or Johnson cannot win mathematically, my vote would go Will You Stop the Snake from Eating Our Children? LOA BENNETT [Editor’s note: The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition has not taken a position on this issue.] I s the American government the epitome of Ouroboros (snake eating its tail), as it creates societal problems, including drug use to put children in foster care, instituting “the cure” of the prison pipeline in its failed attempt to sustain a “good” economy? Government programs are often enacted in such a way as to promote the failure of humans in favor of corporate systems. This November is your chance to break their stronghold by voting “no” on a Hamilton County levy increase to put children in the government “care” of the foster care(less) system. As reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer; “The heroin epidemic and budget cuts from the state have made the Job & Family Service's situation more urgent.”1 Yet what are we to make of prosecutor Joe Deters absconding nearly $100,000 of money intended to investigate and prosecute drug crimes?2 According JOSH SPRING (Continued from page 2) Cincinnati. If you have a low income and definitely if you are Black, being evicted, displaced, gentrified out and/or moved from place to place to place is a part of life. In 2017 at least 137 people who experienced homelessness died. Despite all of this growing pain, as a City, County and society we are giving the person enjoying the nice meal more food and indulgence they don’t need as the situation of the person choking continues to worsen. Contributing Writer to the Enquirer article, Deters redirected the funding toward his own financial interests. No, he didn’t steal money; the fund itself was created to have no oversight as to how the funds are spent.2 Deters has fed the problem of family breakdown while gorging himself on profits confiscated from property. Within the foster care system, the most vulnerable members of society are removed most often from loving homes and end up with greater levels of mental damage because the motivating force for the “caretaker” is often a secure paycheck. Vote “no” on the “protective service” levy to protect the sovereignty of the family. Children should not be a commodity to be used for economic profit. Nor should they be stunted as future wage earners with “high school dropout rates” that are “3 times higher for foster youth than other low-income children.” Only about 50% graduate from high school.3 The lack of value of giving government more money to We may fain care by discussing why they are choking or how we can educate them to take smaller bites. We may go a bit further and discuss gathering some people who are not choking together to discuss the best ways to end their choking. We may tell them we support their efforts to dislodge that which is blocking them up. Perhaps we will offer them a glass of water. Eventually the person consuming the nice meal who is being fed more and more by those present will express to someone that they are having trouble consuming their nice meals while having to view someone warehouse our children is backed by solid numbers. Statistics of people forced through the system are grim, as aging out of “care” 50% end up homeless (40% of homeless are under the age of 18, many foster runaways).4 Findings show that foster care placement increased arrest rate of the marginal child by 200–300%. Men who were placed in foster care as children are 23% more likely to be convicted of a crime as adults than their investigated but never-placed counterparts. Roughly 20% of the prison population under age 30, and 25% of all prisoners with prior convictions, spent part of their youth in foster care.5 This government perpetuates a cycle that keeps many of the unemployed imprisoned and/or homeless. Increasing our financial support of current government programs has been detrimental to people and our planet. Ultimately government has proven to be the Ouroboros consuming little ones to feed the insatiable appetite of its snakelike head. As automation and tariffs desperately trying to survive choking. They will explain that such a scene is bad for the restaurants business and that they, nor other people like them will continue to come there if such an unsightly scene continues. So, some people present will get up and tell the person who is choking that they must leave. They may be told that everyone cares about what they are dealing with, but their presence is upsetting other people and all of that coughing may spread sickness, so they must go. Perhaps you see what I am getting at. Despite one’s politics, background or much of anything else, THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 7 to Clinton. It's a simple concept and everyone can understand it. You know my theory? I think the Democrats are scared. They know there exists a possibility, with rank choice voting, that people will no longer be afraid to vote third-party, so they never advance the concept. They would rather try to bully me into voting for their candidate on the basis of fear. I will not vote based on fear. So, I think I'm not going to vote anymore, until rank-choice voting is an option in this country. I'm sure there are readers right now fearful my decision could lead to Republicans maintaining the control of the House or the Senate, or maybe they are even thinking about Trump in 2020. If anyone can demonstrate an error in my thinking, I welcome your feedback. Please send your email to whyshouldjasonvote@gmail.com. I will select the best arguments to address in an upcoming article. decrease employment, government foster care programs only increases the pool of victims for legal abduction. And it is America’s children who suffer the most. Don’t support a levy increase to finance the dismantling of society. We can reorient the snake of the government from turning our children into homeless, drugged, pawns of state economic gain. Vote “no” on the November tax levy and give the $69.00 to developing a relationship to empower our youth and struggling families in honorable ways, because as it has been stated many times, “No one is going to save us. We’ve got to take care of ourselves.” 1 With sales tax off the ballot, commissioners put an increase in the children’s services levy on ballot, Scott Wartman, Cincinnati Enquirer 2 Senator: Shame on Joe Deters for spending $16K on briefcases, Cecil Thomas, Opinion Contributer 3 National Foster Youth Institute 4 Covenant House 5 Does placing children in foster care increase their adult criminality? Matthew J. Lindquist, Torsten Santavirta, Science Direct https://www.usgovernmentspending. com/welfare_spending 6 A Critical Look At The Foster Care System: How Widespread a Problem?, LiftingTheVeil.org 7 Children are dying at alarming rates in foster care, and nobody is bothering to investigate, Ryan Grim, Aida Chavez most people in this situation would not choose to hand more and more to the person already enjoining their meal but instead would choose to try to assist the person choking in being able to regain the oxygen they need to live, or at least that is how most people would answer the question of what they would do. I know that some people would stand by and for a variety of reasons, do nothing, but most probably would not. So, why do we operate differently when the problem is systematic in nature? --------------------------------------- �8 RELIGIOUS PEACEMAKERS For Aaron Bludworth, a Mormon, Discovering & Sharing the Humanity of the Invisible Other, Namely the Homeless, & Helping Wherever He Can, Is Living His Faith A O c t 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 | N o . 391 aron Bludworth was born in a religious family that belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon Church. Both his parents were members of the church and he grew up attending services regularly, participating in Sunday school and became himself one of its official members when, at the age of 8, he got baptized. Growing up he also received religious teachings and good values from his parents. They would have regular family evenings when they will all meet, pray, read the scriptures and address their various needs. "This is something I still do now with my wife and five children," says Bludworth. "It gets us closer together SAAD GHOSN Contributing Writer and strengthens our faith." Bludworth also participated in the church's youth program, meeting socially with others his age, learning from retreats and conferences; also helping others whenever possible. He attended public school in Salt Lake City, then went for college to the University of Utah, graduating with a bachelor's degree in Political Sciences and Business Administration. While in college, he continued his involvement with the church, but also became interested in politics, standing on the conservative side, helping Republican campaigns and supporting conservative candidates locally and state-wide. "I am a conservative in beliefs," he says, "and one with traditional values." Right after college, Bludworth decided to take two years off and joined one of the missions of his church, in North Carolina. "Our church has 400 missions throughout the world," he states. "Their purpose is to spread the word means, away from home and with very limited contact, allowed only two phone calls to their family a year, on Christmas and Mother’s Day, and no dating. "This experience did me a lot of good," says Bludworth. "It changed me, helped me grow and mature. My oldest son, 19 years old, is right now on such a mission in Guatemala and I like to think that he will be getting 20 years of life experience out of What is the MORMON Religion The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), aka the Mormon Church, is a Christian church which is neither Catholic nor Protestant. It does not embrace the creeds developed in the third and fourth centuries, now central to many Christian churches. It believes that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to save all mankind from death and their individual sins, but it is nontrinitarian considering Father and Son as two separate beings who, nevertheless, along with the Holy Spirit, are one in will, purpose and love. It is restorative, considered by its members to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is central to the lives of the Church members who seek to follow His example by being baptized, praying His holy name, partaking of the sacrament of Eucharist, doing good to others and bearing witness of Him through both word and deed. LDS Church maintains that without the sacraments of the church, salvation is impossible, but also that the Church is universal and timeless, simultaneously open to anyone, living or dead. It also stresses community as an element of salvation, members establishing a web of eternal relations with other human beings and with God. LDS Church was started by Joseph Smith in Western New York in the 1820s. It takes its original name from the Book of Mormon, a religious text that Smith published, and which he said he translated from "golden plates," with divine assistance, after the angel Moroni appeared to him. The Book contains writings of ancient prophets and gives an account of God’s dealings with the peoples on the American continent. For LDS Church the Book of Mormon stands alongside the Old and New Testaments of the Bible as holy scripture. After Smith was killed in 1844, most Mormons followed Brigham Young, his successor, to the area that became the Utah Territory, and changed their name to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Joseph Smith, founder of LDS Church, wrote, “The fundamental principles of our religion are … concerning Jesus Christ that He died, was buried, rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.” LDS Church believes unequivocally that: 1. Christ is the Savior of the world and the Son of the loving Heavenly Father 2. Christ’s Atonement allows mankind to be saved from their sins and return to live with God and their families forever. 3. Christ’s original Church, founded on "one faith,” as described in the New Testament, had been gradually undermined after the death of Christ’s apostles, that it needed to be restored, and that LDS Church is its restoration in modern times. Aaron Bludworth and faith of our religion, proselytize, convert and recruit others to it." In fact, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints encourages its young members, men and women, ideally ages 18 to 20 but no older than 25, to devote two years of their life as missionaries, working side by side along another mission companion, to teach others about their religion. At the same time, they would provide charitable services, where they are, to help individuals and organizations whenever needed. "These are two very tough years," says Bludworth, "but also transformational. You learn to live in a different unfamiliar context, with companions you did not choose, who sometimes do not speak your language. You learn to accept and love them and rely on them in your day to day work. You learn also to deal with rejection and hurt feelings..." During these missions, the two companion missionaries try to meet people on the street, through friends or on social media, to introduce them to their religion. They may be rebuked or even insulted. They also live with very little money and few Credit: Saad Ghosn these two years. He is very happy despite his homesickness and all the encountered adversity." After he returned from his mission, Bludworth married his wife, now of twenty years, who had also returned from a similar mission, but in Scotland, and he pursued professionally a career in the trade show business that he had started while in college. He worked for the same company for 15 years in Salt Lake City, then spent a year in Las Vegas before moving to Cincinnati where he bought his own company in the same field. "I am President/CEO at  Fern Exposition & Event Services," says Bludworth. "We provide the infrastructure for shows and events of trade associations and we have 400 employees in offices throughout the USA." Because of his job Bludworth travels extensively both throughout the United States and worldwide. "My travels have opened my eyes," he says. "I have been exposed to different people who live differently, many on the streets who are poor (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. 39 1 | Oct 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 DICK CROY (Continued from page 5) poor. Today, our fear for our home, planet earth, and our agony for what is happening to the poor throughout the world, makes the Jubilee as relevant as today’s newspaper: • The Jubilee divides life neatly into sevens – Sabbaths. Rest on the seventh day, reflect, and recommit to follow the Jubilee laws. • Never, ever exploit the land. Nurture it. We are a stewards of the land. Treat the land as common property: “The land is mine, says the Lord.” – Genesis. • Every year leave enough of the harvest in the field for the poor to glean. • Every seven years, the year of the Sabbath, debts were to be cancelled to free the poor from indebtedness. The debtor prisons were emptied. • No planting the seventh year; allow the soil to rest. • And then following seven Sabbath years, 49 years, comes the Year of Jubilee, the 50th year. All the basic provisions applied: cancellation of debts, emptying the prisons, resting the land, leaving behind enough of the harvest for the poor to glean. And, in addition, all the land the rich had accumulated over the last 50 years since the last Jubilee was to be returned to the original owners! If actually carried out, that would have been a redistribution of wealth to end all redistributions of wealth. However, greed is not easily overcome. Between the Jubilee years, over that first 50 year period, the rich managed to “redefine” the Jubilee in their favor. Folks were often forced to sell their only livelihood, their land, but were never quite able to satisfy all their debts. Land was confiscated and whole families became indentured servants. Worst case scenario, folks were thrown into prison. Why was the Jubilee so important? Scripture assumes that if poverty becomes fixed in families or segments of society for long periods, or on the other side of that equation, if wealth becomes permanently lodged in the hands of a few, that society will eventually destroy itself. So if Jesus’ mission was to begin a movement to restore the Jubilee, if the feeding of the 5,000 – a significant beginning for a movement – scared the daylights out of the rich and the church hierarchy that supported the rich over the poor…if that’s what was going on during those 32 short years of Jesus’ life, then charges of sedition, of treason, make sense. Believing that Jesus’ mission was to bear our sins on the cross so we might someday slither off to heaven to live happily ever after makes little sense otherwise. If that had been Jesus’ mission, the church officials would have ordained him a rabbi and he would have been given a community service award by Pontius Pilate. After years of study and experience in a church that continually preaches a watered- down, narcissistic version JUBILEE CAMPAIGN of Jesus, with a church hierarchy that has far more in common with Herod and Caiaphas than with Jesus, I decided to take one last shot at putting my spiritual beliefs into practice. I formed a company and called it Jubilee. And since the main focus of the Jubilee principles was in agriculture – caring for the soil, redistribution of land from the rich to the poor – I chose to focus on agriculture, farming, and an attempt to contribute my part in restoring sanity to the way we grow food. Jubilee laws were written for an agrarian society and Jesus lived in an agrarian society. In that setting land and soil were wealth. And that is even truer today in an urban society feeding itself with food grown in sick soil laced with chemicals. With modern industrial agriculture we have managed to destroy over half of our topsoil. Soil has become more precious than ever in part because there is less of it with a lot more people to feed. Because both land and farmers are more scarce, the key word in industrial agriculture has become “efficiency.” That, more than anything else, explains our insane public policies. Get rid of the small family farm (too inefficient), build bigger tractors, combines and planters, and saturate the soil with chemicals that create the illusion of higher yields. And did I mention, disregard completely what all this does to the health of people who eat the food we grow? Add to this emphasis on efficiency the food processing industry, and what we are actually eating is poison – which does in fact kill us more efficiently. Waving the banner of efficiency, industrial agriculture now contributes a minimum of 25% of the greenhouse gases causing global warming – with petroleum-based fertilizers, tractors and combines that burn fossil fuel, and bigger, fewer farms requiring more shipping, from all over the world. My favorite example of this insanity involves tomatoes that are picked green in Florida, shipped to South Africa where they are infused with gases that turn them red, then shipped back to the U.S. with an advertising empire in the background convincing consumers that if a tomato looks pretty – a lovely bright red, perfectly round, without blemishes – then it must be good. Even if it tastes something like cardboard. Let me emphasize one more factor that’s extremely important – perhaps most important of all. The Jubilee principles call for simple living. Waste nothing. We have managed to convince ourselves that the only way to survive is to continue to grow the economy, in a world of finite and decreasing resources. To maintain the American way of life we have built our entire global political and economic system around consumerism. I equate consumerism with hog farming. Hogs, in this consumer economy, exist to eat and be eaten. Crowds charging the doors of Walmart on Black Friday remind me of a herd of hogs charging the slop trough, with each pig trying desperately to out-eat the others. The overwhelming flaw in this thinking is that if every citizen of the second and third largest economies in the world, China and India, were to consume in the same volume as American citizens, we would need seven planets the size of Earth to support such an economic system. IT IS NOT SUSTAINABLE! Are the Jubilee principles too radical to be “practical?” Not to God. Just common sense. Are they Communistic or Socialistic? There’s no ideology here, just common sense. Why would you lock poverty permanently into certain families or segments of society or even entire cities knowing that sooner or later all the people will suffer? Why would you allow wealth to accumulate in the hands of a few people knowing that will eventually destroy the entire community, as has happened to all civilizations from the beginning of recorded history? Milking the soil of all its nutrients, exploiting the soil until it has nothing left to give – OUT OF THE QUESTION! Why on earth would you do that? Why would you destroy your food supply? I believe that to God, it is unthinkable that we would destroy the soil and discard the farmers who nurture it. We should do everything possible to insure farmers’ survival. Their knowledge is invaluable and when they no longer farm, that knowledge is lost forever. We have adopted short-sighted, insane public policies that have insured the demise of most farmers in the U.S., and now we’re working on the rest of the world. When Earl Butz, Secretary of Agriculture in the 1970’s, declared, “Get big or get out,” the few got big while most got out. Let me suggest a bold premise: If the Jubilee principles became central to our public life and public policies, our planet would not be in danger of destruction. Good news and bad news. The good news, maybe we’re wrong; maybe the planet is capable of healing itself. The bad news: maybe it can do so only by getting rid of the human race. Consider the words of the poet, John Brehm: Often I wonder is the earth trying to get rid of us, shake us off, drown us, scorch us to nothingness? to save itself and all other creatures slated for extinction? Nature – the land, the soil, all of life, what we now call the ecosystems – is not passive; it reacts to abuse. Tornadoes pop up where they’ve never been before. Hurricanes appear in the off season and are more violent and destructive than ever. Drought and extreme weather patterns become part of life. With food shortages and the disappearance of THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 9 healthy soil comes war, more death, more destruction. Tragically, while exploitation of the land has brought unimaginable wealth to the few, it is the poor who suffer and the rich become more determined not only to survive but to insulate themselves from destruction by accumulating more resources, more wealth. At Jubilee Organic Gardens we try our best to put into practice our name. • Our first priority is restoration of the soil. We gather food waste by the tons, we ferment it, mix it with soil that’s depleted of organic matter and nutrients. We feed the soil not only organic matter but also concentrated microorganisms which benefit plants and make them healthy. • We treat manure so that it doesn’t pollute the waterways and groundwater but does what manure has always done: enrich the soil with nutrients and beneficial bacteria. • We hope to create ways for farmers to maintain their current yields, or even increase them, without using petroleum-based fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. • But the Jubilee is not just about soil; it is about creating community and a just society. • Our emphasis on Zero Waste is a call to restore the Jubilee principles. • The emptying of prisons is even part of our mission. At Noble County Correctional Institution we are helping to build greenhouses and train inmates for jobs in agriculture. We are trying our best to earn the right to be called “Jubilee.” Finally, I want to share what I think is perhaps the most important Jubilee text in all of scripture. Perhaps more than any other this text helps us understand what Jesus came to do: 4th chapter of Luke, Jesus quoting Isaiah 61. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release of the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and (I love this ancient translation) “to proclaim the coming of the Year of Jubilee.” I’ll close with prayer. Prayer keeps me centered and so I begin each day with a prayer I wrote several years ago on a gorgeous Sunday morning while sitting on the edge of my raised bed garden in the back yard – the first garden I called “Jubilee.” This is a sacred garden, prayers are said here. I pray that the hungry be fed, and I hear God say, “I’ve done my part, I’ve given you a garden. Now you do yours.” And again I pray that the hearts of those who cause hunger be transformed. And I hear God say, “I’ve done my part, I’ve given you my Son to restore the Jubilee. Now, you do yours.” �SHELTERHOUSE 10 (Greater Cincinnati largest homeless shelter) O 5 - O 18 , 2 0 18 | N LOCAL SHELTERHOUSE SHELTERHOUSE (Greater Cincinnati largest homeless shelter) (Greater Cincinnati largest homeless shelter) ct ct o. 391 The David and Rebecca Barron Center for Men 411 Gest Street Cincinnati, OH 45203 The David and Rebecca Barron Center for Men 513-721-0643 411 Gest Street The David and Rebecca Barron Center for Men Wednesday Cincinnati, OH 45203 411 Gest Street October 17, 2018 513-721-0643 Cincinnati, OH 45203 Wednesday, October 17,2018 513-721-0643 9:00 - 11:30 am Wednesday 9:00 – 11:30 am Shelterhouse is seeking employers to participate in our job fair! Areas of interest. Wednesday October 17, 2018 • Entry level October • 2018 Customer 9:00 –17, 11:30 am Service • Skilled labor Shelterhouse is seeking employers to participate in our job fair! Areas of interest. • Dishwasher and more…. 9:00 – 11:30 am • • • • • Entry level Shelterhouse is seeking employers to participate in our job fair! Areas of interest. • Customer Service • *11:15 Skilled labor Entry level a.m. - RAFFLE DRAWING • Dishwasher Customer Serviceand more…. *Qualified Skilled labor Participants- Unhoused RRH clients, housed DishwasherRRH and clients, more….and those who once participated in the Rapid Re-Housing Program. *11:15 a.m. - RAFFLE DRAWING Shelterhouse Contact: Lavelle Horne: lhorne@shelterhousecincy.org or (513) 614-6018 *Qualified ParticipantsUnhoused RRH clients, *11:15 a.m. - RAFFLE DRAWING housed RRH clients, and those who once participated in the ParticipantsRapid Re-Housing Program. *Qualified Unhoused RRH clients, housed RRH clients, and those who once participated Shelterhouse Contact: Lavelle Horne: lhorne@shelterhousecincy.org or (513) 614-6018 in the Rapid Re-Housing Program. Shelterhouse Contact: Lavelle Horne: lhorne@shelterhousecincy.org or (513) 614-6018 November 16 - December 8, 2018 For tickets please call (513) 381-2273 Purchase tickets online at www.cincyshakes.com AD Donated by Mark and Sue Ann Painter season sponsored by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �LOCAL No. 39 1 | Oct 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 BILL WOODS (Continued from page 2) 13,000 residents from 2007 to 2017, and to Hamilton County's current 40,000 gap in affordable housing units. Furthermore, the Queen City ranks among the top ten cities in the country in terms of housing evictions, a direct cause of poverty and homelessness. Although he applauds the establishment here of the Child Poverty Collaborative, Schrider stressed that piecemeal initiatives will not be sufficient. A comprehensive approach will require a lot of new federal and local dollars. David Altman began by showing Forum attendees a picture of air pollution in Ohio. Under the air nuisance law, Ohioans should be protected from this hazard by the state EPA. Since this Agency has not been effectively protecting citizens, Altman advised that voting in the upcoming midterm election would be a way to rectify this failure. Both the offices of Governor and Attorney General, he noted, are key to how the EPA operates. In terms of pollution protection nationally, a more environmentally friendly Congress could provide some restrictions on an Administration hell bent on dismantling our air and water pollution laws. Finally, Paul Breidenbach offered his commentary on immigration policies. "Although Cincinnati claims to be a sanctuary city," he SAAD GHOSN (Continued from page 8) and homeless. I make a point to talk to them whenever I can, to learn about them, their situation, their experience, and to help them in any way I can. A couple of years ago I also started photographing them." Interested in photography for a long time, Bludworth started using it to document the individuals, mostly homeless, he would encounter during his trips, and to tell their stories. His conversations with them would bring visibility and recognition to them. And sharing their pictures and stories through social media, primarily Instagram and Facebook, would help draw others into their circumstances, open their eyes to their existence, and possibly encourage them to understand them and see them differently. "In a recent comment on homelessness, our Church leadership stressed that its causes were multiple," says Bludworth, "and that our response to those in need defines us as individuals and communities."  And when asked what prompts him to do this, he is quick to answer that it is his faith and that, as a follower of Christ, he believes that everybody is a child of God and that, in a similar situation, "Christ wouldn’t just drive by." "We have an individual obligation to help those in need when we have the ability to do so, whatever the 11 declared, "this title means absolutely nothing." The policy of the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office is to inform ICE whenever an undocumented immigrant comes under its custody. This policy has led to a series of deportations. He emphasized that the fall elections have provided the opportunity to challenge this practice. The U.S. Senate and Congressional races also offer a chance to bring about fairer and more equitable immigration laws. During the discussion following the panel's presentations, a number of other issues were put forward. The potential losses in health care received attention, as well as the need for legislation that would lessen the impact of "big money" in political campaigns. Some attendees wanted to talk about State Issue I, and they were told that the next Forum on October 11th would focus on this proposed Ohio Constitutional Amendment to bring about criminal justice reform. --------------------------------------- (top) David Altman (bottom) John Schrider Credit: Justin Jeffre circumstances, and not only those who are like us," he adds. Juggling family, work and social life, Bludworth continues his committed involvement in the church, filling daily responsibilities such as meeting with families he has been assigned to, and helping other members whenever needed. He is an ordained priest and performs many of the temporal religious tasks. He serves also on the high council of the "stake" (diocese) of his church, visiting other congregations and addressing their needs, also helping organize, a couple of times a year, spiritual and educational conferences. In 2015, with leaders from Thomas Moore College, Hebrew Union College and other local religious and educational institutions, Bludworth, representing his church, helped found the Institute for Religious Liberty with the aim to celebrate and educate others about the constitutional privilege and right to freely worship and practice religion. The Institute, based at Thomas More College, organizes regularly academic symposia and lectures featuring internationally renowned speakers to address various issues that pertain to religious freedom. Bludworth is also one of the initiators of an ongoing dialogue between his church and the greater Cincinnati Jewish community in order to foster deeper understanding and exchange. Outside the church, Bludworth continues his many charitable and humanitarian activities, often involving both his family and his business. He helps, for instance, cleaning after tornadoes, helps homeless individuals he encounters and lends a hand at homeless shelters, gives food distribution with his family, supports financially and provides services to various organizations, such as "Be Concerned" and "Isaiah's House"... During the recent homeless crisis on 3rd street downtown Cincinnati, when he heard of a need for transportation to help relocate the homeless, Bludworth immediately offered the trucks and drivers of his company. The relocation however did not occur. "If I can use the ability and resources of our company to help our community, and if it is the right thing to do, I would not hesitate," he says. "I always try to involve others in the decision but in case of emergency, I use my prerogatives of CEO and make the decision myself." Last year, for instance, following the devastating hurricanes that hit Florida and Texas, the trucks of the company were used to drive collected goods from Cincinnati to the affected areas. And in Indianapolis, where there is a big tent city next to the Fern's office, the company allows the tapping of its water and electricity to benefit the residents. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED As for politics, Bludworth who once ran for chairman of the Utah Republican party and almost won, says he is now nonpartisan and antiparty. He has been drifting away from today’s Republican party disagreeing with its current leadership and with some of its values. "I am still very much a conservative," he states, "but regarding immigration, for instance, I would personally welcome bringing more people in our country as we are a rich country with a lot to offer; we can help many others improve their lives." "Within security limits, of course," he adds. Thinking of the future, Bludworth has no specific aspirations except to help where he can. He would like to continue meeting and helping those in need, especially the homeless, learning about their story, photographing them, and sharing who they are and their humanity with others. "This also affects me directly," he says. "Every conversation with someone else changes me, expands me and adds a new human dimension to me." More important, however, for Bludworth, this will be living according to the principles of the Gospel and in the steps of Christ and His disciples. "If I see someone struggling in the street and do not stop and help I would not be living my faith," he concludes. �12 STREET VOICE Tent City Across America (Part 1) SABRINA AMOS N ight went by quickly, rats running through the campground. Terry knows he saw a groundhog the size of a puppy sniffing around. Lots of stars in the sky tonight fading in and out behind gray clouds. It had been a long night. It had started to rain extremely hard for ten minutes and stopped. The wind was blowing really hard and leaves and trash were blowing through the camp. Three of four people came out and started to read, their flashlights beaming up and down the line of tents. The dog, Oliver, was running around through the camp. Living a life in tents was really hard. Life drives a stake through your heart and pride. People have to think positive that they can make it through this part of their lives and they can change and make it. Step by step appointments with the right people and you can meet your small goal, then the ultimate goal. In Tent City, light of day came early. Paul was awake before dawn. Since he lost his job at the bank, he thinks everything he did turned out wrong. He was on top of the business world and it went crashing down because the bank had to downsize employees. Paul had car problems and he was late too many times. Streetvibes Contributor “Good morning, Sally,” Paul said. “Good morning,” Sally said. She was in the next tent over. Sally was a former bakery owner and she got sick and behind on her bills. She ran her own store fifteen years. Her husband died and kids were grown. She was headed to the church four streets down to pick up any food they had to offer. Terry was collecting rocks for people to keep bugs and animals out of the tents. Terry had been working for a temporary service for five years. He partied his money away. He went to AA meetings from time to time. Paul was sitting outside the tent, chipping away at a log as big as his arm. Today was a hot, boring day. Small bits of wood flew through the air as he started to shape the head of a squirrel. His knife quickly chipped swirls for fur. The nice soft wood legs and arm came out fine. His hands were getting tired. He would start on the tail tomorrow. This was the 4th one he had made. They are for sale. Back in the corner, a loud humming sound could be heard. Billy, one of the boys, was blowing away on his harmonica. Hmmmm. Billy worked in restaurants all his life and he was a chef. A lot of restaurants closed down. He works in a shelter sometimes as a cook. He gets to eat good and bring food back to the group. Sometimes the food is piping hot. His dog, Whoo Whoo, was with him, sitting in front of his master. He was a pretty black lab. People occasionally stopped and listened and dropped off sandwiches, dog food, or a dollar. He had put in an application for lowincome housing this morning. Eva was cutting strips of a cotton shirt, making band aids for Bob’s foot. He stepped on a sharp piece of glass. He was grateful somebody cared. He really just had cheap shoes. Eva was a cashier in the layaway department at Walmart for 10 years. She had a small apartment to herself with lots of comfortable furniture and a washer in the downtown area. Then she lost her job when everything in the layaway department went up in smoke. The store told Eva to come back in six months and she was still waiting. Every day she thought about her job. Winter always came quickly… Terry came along and started playing the guitar. People were starting to crowd around them for a couple minutes to listen. Simon was trying to get a lighter. He got one candle and started a small wood fire in a steel drum. He got a nice fire going to throw in some potatoes with French bread someone dropped Fed Up DESMOND BROWN I ’m faced with the same drama everyday With not enough money to pay my way The invisible chains since the early days Is holding my people down ‘til they decay. I’m tired of being slapped I’m out of cheeks to turn. Made too many mistakes I’m outta lessons to learn. But why should I steady blame the white man? When I’m slipping in my own blood And being held down by black hands. Help me Father Which way do I go When I only see one road And it points to the ghetto Contributing Writer Where my people is down and out Dissed and disgusted Can’t pay their rent Because their pockets are busted They encourage us to open the door to opportunity But opportunity is killin’ brothers in my community That’s why I’m screaming “switch”!! Cause I’m really fed up. I was faced with 30 years But a brother still ain’t gave up Your Honor!! You overheard about that Black life Where you only got one choice Between a gun and a pocket knife, The judge asked me “Is it the struggle Or the greed in your eyes That made your ass hustle? See you give a brother a gun And he’ll show you his greed. Give him pen and paper And he’ll roll him some weed But they don’t see the bad luck in our situation Cursed with single parents, high blood pressure, aids and no education We know the problems But what is the solutions? We blaze our grenadiers and swishers To help the pollutions The biggest words we know is Millimeter, penitentiary and cemetery And teenage pregnancy in on the rise every January And brothers leaving their sons behind O c t 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 | N o . 391 off. Simon was a factory worker. He worked 10 years as a packer and then the factory closed. Simon was taking a training class to be a conductor and a supervisor in a factory five miles away. He gets text messages from the employment office. He misses his family. Paul stopped carving the wood. He had carved 4 squirrels, so he sewed his tent, which had a few holes in it. On windy days they hoped it wouldn’t blow down. He sat down and started to open four cans of beans with a knife, putting a small hole in the can first then prying it open. He passed the cans around. A woman who worked in a nearby restaurant pulled up in a van and passed out sandwiches. It was a fast day; night would be here soon and they had all made a little bit of money. Darkness began to fall as the sun hid behind the clouds and the moon started to peek out on the other side. Birds stopped singing and flew away to other trees. The fire glowed and the white and red lights of a fire truck flashed as the sirens rang out loud and clear three streets down. A small pickup truck came and dropped off cups of chili to 15 people. Terry sat up to be on night watch since he was asleep most of the day. The guitar was passed to him. The police drove by. Paul, Sally, and Henry were going to a City Hall meeting tomorrow. Call it a day in Tent City. [To be continued…] Without showing them the game And their mommas get stressed out And depend on Mister Cocaine So what is that young one to do? When his stomach is touching his back And his feet is too big for his shoes He put the burden in his own backpack And thinks that it’s cool Commence selling dope And drop out of school Nobody tried to show him the way So he tried to find one of his own He made the wrong turn He just a long way from home See where his daddy at He wasn’t there to show him the plan Where one race was a target And we was on the wrong end Our generation is fed up Been screwed too long We gotta stand up. Jokes for Today CLEO WOMBLES T elling jokes whenever I can. Here I am. This one I like to say about every day. What did the green grass say to the football field? If you water me, I’ll be rooting for you. What did the Buddhist monk say Contributing Writer to the guy at the hot dog stand? He said make me one with everything. Mr. and Mrs. Carrot were going down to the garden patch. A watermelon knocked Mrs. Carrot down. Now they get to go to the Garden hospital. The Garden Doctor said he had some good news and some bad news. The good news is that Mrs. Carrot is gonna live. The bad news is that she is going to be a vegetable for the rest of her life. Cleo Wombles Credit: Homeless Coalition THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �13 STREET VOICE No. 39 1 | Oct 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 YOUR WEATHER There was cosntant rain for weeks The coldness you could feel in the air THE INCOME INEQUALITY MOTHER GOOSE Rup - a -dup - dup, Economic indicators are up, But the poverty rate still climbs. Wetness was repeated Reasons for this are not funny. The bold thunder was loud with a wild roar Fat Cat get most of the money, Your weather Lord It cleans our Ocean’s shores The rain keeps our earth fresh and clean The constant rain it comes from you Without you Lord what would we do KIM GREEN Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer And workers receive a few dimes. BILL WOODS Contributing Writer ANGEL IN DISGUISE LIVING MY LIFE EACH DAY HAPPY AND FREE TRYING TO HAVE PEACE OF MIND LIVING EACH DAY WITH THE BLESSING OF BEING A STREETVIBES DISTRIBUTOR, ONE OF A KIND BEING ON THE STREET EVERYDAY I HAVE THE CHANCE TO MEET PEOPLE FROM EVERYWHERE THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY! THE RICH, POOR, HAPPY AND SAD. SOME JUST DON'T CARE! MY SAYING TO EVERYONE THAT PASSES ME IS ALWAYS THE SAME "HAVE A BLESSED DAY!" GOD HEARD ME, UP WALK A MAN NAMED TOM THAT I AM PROUD TO HAVE MET I MUST SAY EVERYDAY I FIND MYSELF HOPING THAT TOM WILL GET A PAPER AND WALK DOWN THE STREET HIS SMILE IS UPLIFTING AND REAL I FIND HIM EASY TO TALK TOO. PLEASE UNDERSTAND ME HE LETS ME KNOW THAT I AM NEVER ALONE AND ASK ME TO STOP LOOKING DOWN MY NAME IS TOM AND AS LONG AS YOU KEEP YOUR FAITH, ME AND GOD GOING TO BE AROUND NOW, IT SOUNDS LIKE I'M INSANE, I SEE GHOSTS, OR DO I BELIEVE THAT ANGELS REALLY EXSIST? NOT INSANE, DON'T SEE GHOST BUT I KNOW ANGELS EXIST! I ALSO KNOW THAT IF TOM STOPPED WALKING DOWN THE STREET, I'M GONNA BE PISSED WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �PUZZLES 14 O c t 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 | N o . 391 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 159 Across 1. Elevate Down 5. Significance of a story 1. Parts of a chain or event 2. Paragon 10. Military vehicle 3. Sudden burst of flame 14. Not in action 15. Pleasant odor 16. Woodwind instrument 17. Close 18. Corvine bird 19. Loose flowing garment 20. Actions affecting destiny in the next incarnation (Hinduism and Buddhism) 22. Give temporarily 23. Mush 24. Sledge 26. Erase 28. Molars 31. Flop 32. Moderate or restrain 35. Submerged ridge 37. Cook with dry heat 41. Country, initially 42. Stone pillar 44. Sheltered side 45. Shoulder gesture 47. Undercover agent 48. Complete duration of something 49. In favor of 51. Taut or rigid 53. Not present 56. Deprive of status or authority 60. Unit of potential 61. Judicious 64. Not at any time 65. Region 66. Nimble 68. A strong line 69. Male red deer 70. Pass along 71. Similar 4. Colony insect 5. Spoil 6. Using speech rather than writing 7. Wander 8. Make better 9. Came ashore 10. Underwater projectile 11. Approximately 12. Baronial 13. Main castle tower 21. Historic period 25. Aromatic plant used in cookery 27. Skulk 29. Swarm 30. Serf (Middle Ages) 32. Public transport SODOKU PUZZLE NO 289 - MEDIUM 33. Residue of burning 34. Old salt 36. Rasp 38. Any high mountain 39. Large body of water 40. Square root of 100 42. Fiend 43. Transmit 46. Outshine 48. Indefinite number but not many 50. Ahead 52. Transgression 53. Large artery 54. Desolate 55. Large feline 57. Ilicit 58. Reddish brown 59. Vogue 60. Immense 72. Accept something given 62. Storage tower 73. Monotone 63. Panache 74. Metallic element 67. Oculus PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 390 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 158 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 288- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �RESOURCES No. 39 1 | Oct 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 Central Access Point 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children Bethany House 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 557-2873 St. George Food Pantry 2554 Dennis St. 45219 Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 751-8771 Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 McMicken Dental Clinic 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti Mental Health Access Point NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 Other Resources Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 562-8841 621-7265 1528 Race St. 45202 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 Salvation Army 762-5660 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 St. Vincent de Paul 721-0643 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men 131 E. 12th Street 45202 Shelter: Men Shelterhouse 411 Gest St. 45203 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 1125 Bank Street 45214 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 1437 Walnut Street 45202 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 Parkway Center 661-4620 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Housing: 471-1100 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 Food/Clothing First Lutheran Church 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 421-0065 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 1730 Race Street 45202 Hamilton/Middletown 351-0422 381-6672 Joseph House (Veterans) 241-2965 Northern Kentucky Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP Advocacy Catholic Social Action Community Action Agency Contact Center Franciscan JPIC Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-3131 569-1840 381-4242 721-4700 421-7803 Legal Aid Society Ohio Justice & Policy Center UpSpring 241-9400 421-1108 363-3300 961-0600 Center for Respite Care 621-1868 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 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 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-572-6202 Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky 634 Scott St. 41011 859-291-4555 Want to advertise in Streetvibes? Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 You can support our mission and spread the word about your business. For more information contact Justin Jeffre at 513-421-70803 x 12 or email streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 386-7899 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio $100 for 26 issues 981-4200 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 Brighton Center (11-17 y/o) 799 Ann St. Newport, KY Health 621-5300 961-1983 381-0111 771-4800 579-8547 721-4811 AA Hotline CCAT 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 977-6800 859-572-6226 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart Goodwill Industries Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. Mary Magdalen House St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry 1522 Republic Street 45202 961-4555 381-1954 421-5211 241-2600 621-5514 1223 Main St. 45202 961-4663 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Tom Geiger House Volunteers of America Anna Louise Inn VA VA Homeless 961-2256 558-8888 351-3500 977-4489 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 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both 221-HELP 721-8666 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 Starting Over 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Talbert House Tender Mercies 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 921-1613 First Step Home 761-1480 721-4580 632-7149 381-1171 27 W. 12th Street 45202 Prospect House 352-6363 Center Independent Living Options Peaslee Neighborhood Center 215 E. 14th St. 45202 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women Caracole (HIV/AIDS) CMHA Excel Development OTR Community Housing 114 W. 14th Street 45202 784-1853 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Interfaith Hospitality Network Charlie’s 3/4 House 2121 Vine Street 45202 Shelter: Youth Shelter: Family 15 $150 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED for 26 issues and a $50 donation �16 O c t 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 | N o . 391 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BETTIE BAILEY SINCE 10/2017 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 BRIAN ADAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHARLES WILLIAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHRISTOPHER KAIHATSU SINCE 7/2017 CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DARREL ROZIER SINCE 7/2017 DAVID MCCANE SINCE 2017 ERIC VALDEZ SINCE 2/2017 GERALD FRANKLIN SINCE 7/2017 GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 HENRY BRELAND SINCE 7/2017 JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009 JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2000 JENNY BURTON SINCE 7/2017 JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001 JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006 JOHN HORN JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008 J’TORI TYMAN SINCE 5/2014 KIM NGUYEN SINCE 7/2017 KENNY BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008 LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007 LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009 LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MARK SHEARS SINCE 4/2012 MAURICE GOLSBY MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MIKE CARANO SINCE 4/2016 RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 1999 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 STACIA HOLLANDER SINCE 2017 STEPHANIE EAKES SINCE 7/2017 SYLVESTER WALKER SINCE 7/2017 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2011 VICTOR MUMPHRY WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 WINNIE RICE SINCE 7/2017 QUEENACELASTINE SINCE 7/2017 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 VIOLET COLLINS SINCE 2017 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2018 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource October 5-October 21, 2018 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From the Director The Critical Issues that Candidates Should Be addressing As They Campaign This Fall Pg 3: Know Your Rights! Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: A Vote for Family and Freedom The Jubilee Revolution Pg 6: How to Respond to Panhandling Pg 7: Why Should I Vote for Candidates or Parties I Don’t Trust? Will You Stop the Snake from Eating Our Children Pg 8: Religious Peacemakers Pg 9: Dick Croy Continued Pg 10: GCHC Pg 11: Bill Woods Continued Saad Ghosn Continued Pg 12: Tent City Across America (Part 1) Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 5-October 21, 2018 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Bill Woods Dr. Mark Mussman Trenton Davis Dick Croy Jason Haap Loa Bennett Saad Ghosn Sabrina Amos Desmond Brown Cleo Wombles Kim Green Willa Denise Jones Homeless Coalition Justin Jeffre Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Bill Woods Cincinnati Cleo Wombles Desmond Brown Dick Croy Dr. Mark Mussman Homeless Coalition Jason Haap Josh Spring Justin Jeffre Kim Green Loa Bennett Religion Rights Saad Ghosn Sabrina Amos Tent City Trenton Davis Voting Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/b015f4b13a1eb48ed5593f3ab8784d36.pdf 89240d3d86e1fd8e531c71e45e02bc24 PDF Text Text October 19th - November 1st 2018 | Vol. 21 Issue 19 (No. 392) advocating justice | building community Religious Peacemakers: Father George Hajj Puts His Faith into Action | 8 This Issue is sponsored by Cecilia and Tom Kloecker INSIDE THIS ISSUE Issue 1 - A Grassroots Proposal For Ohio’s Criminal Justice System | 2 Living Abundantly in an Age of Scarcity | 7 General Wayne Begins His March North |9 How Long Does it Take | 12 Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 LOCAL From The Director: The Promise of Tomorrow? I n the book of James, in the Christian Bible there is a verse which translated in English reads, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (James 4:14, New International Version). This verse has for years been very vivid in my mind. I think it creates a concise, stark image; an image that should spur on the way we live. An evening ago, I was leaving the office and was thinking to myself how I had not finished what I was working on, but that I would continue on the work the next day. Then I was reminded that I don’t have the promise of tomorrow. I really didn’t know if I would continue these tasks the following day, because I didn’t even know if I would be alive. Then I thought of the common phrase, “Live like there’s no tomorrow”, which has much the same connotation as the verse in James. And then I thought, JOSH SPRING Executive Director Josh Spring Credit: Homeless Coalition I really can’t completely “live like there’s no tomorrow” because there is not enough time in the moment to accomplish everything each of us is trying to accomplish in life. When I think of a mist I picture when you see your breath in cold temperatures. You blow out, it is clearly visible, but in almost an instant it is completely gone. When you consider how long humans have existed and how many people have been and may be in the future and the incomprehensible number of occurrences through time, it should be clear that our lives really are but blips on a grand radar screen which is greater than our mind’s eye can hold. In fact, when you think about the enormity of even the world as we know it, our lives really are that mist that is here and quickly gone. In truth, the length of our mist, as short as we know it will be in the grand scheme, is not known to us at all. We simply do not know when we will die. So, what do we do with this? Obviously, none of us can accomplish everything in the moment that we hope to accomplish before we die, and we really don’t know what tomorrow will hold or if we will even be here tomorrow or a minute or a second from now. I think the point is to know that we are a part of something (Continued on page 7) State Issue 1 - A Grassroots Proposal to Bring Some Common Sense and Healing to Ohio’s Criminal Justice System W hat do voters need to know about State Issue I before they go to the polls this fall. At the Community Issues Forum at Christ Church Cathedral on October 11th, attendees heard the inside story about this proposed Ohio Constitutional Amendment from one of the organizers and key campaigners for this issue. Elizabeth Hopkins, Staff Lead for Project AMOS, gave a detailed and impassioned presentation about why this proposal is badly needed. First of all, Hopkins stressed that Issue I emerged from a grassroots movement across Ohio dedicated to reforming a criminal justice system that many people realized wasn't working. Part of a statewide coalition called the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, AMOS initially assisted in the process of holding approximately 2,000 conversations with Ohioans about this system that is sending so many nonviolent offenders to prison. The consensus from these conversations was that "incarceration did not make people feel safer." Instead of healing communities, sentencing so BILL WOODS Contributing Writer many young African-Americans to prison for drug related crimes hurts neighborhoods and tears families apart. The next step was drafting a public proposal that would insure real reform of the criminal justice (Continued on page 11) O c t 19 - N o v 1, 2 0 18 | N o . 392 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: Sallie Mascus Layout: Key Beck Reception: Bonita Batton, Larry Johnson Maintenance: Pete Roper ----------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Bill Woods, Dr. Mark Mussman, Jason Haap, Tim Kraus, Saad Ghosn, Michael Earl Patton, Desmond Brown, Cleo Wombles, Kim Green, Willa Denise Jones ----------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: Homeless Coalition, RAINN, The Partnership Center, Steven Wuesthoff, LinkedIn, Saad Ghosn, Michael Earl Patton, Alice Schneider -------------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Bill Woods accepting last year's buddy gray award Credit: Homeless Coalition THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �3 LOCAL It Couldn’t Happen to Me No. 39 2 | Oct 19 - N o v 1, 2 0 18 A DR. MARK MUSSMAN common trope heard in advocacy circles is “It could happen to anyone.” Whether we are talking about homelessness and hunger, or disease and sexual assault, there tends to be a moment where people’s level of concern increases when they realize that it could happen to them, or someone close to them. In our work at the Homeless Coalition, we strive to uplift and amplify the stories of people who experienced homelessness so that the public can put a face on the issue. This humanizes an often distanced and muddied issue. Homelessness is a systemic issue, rather than a personal one, so this act is often confused as a “scared straight” tactic, even though the humanization of homelessness is what it will take to get people involved in the struggle for affordable housing, housing protections, and a livable wage. Following a recent Speaking Engagement with the Homeless Coalition, one of the audience members said the event will stick out in their head because “It could happen to anyone.” Each time I hear that, my heart sinks a little. The issue is really in that it erases historical and contemporary issues of equity, power, and control. Am I glad that people feels more strongly about the issue of homelessness because of this experience? Of course I am. But if you cannot see how the issue is related to structural violence, then your advocacy comes out of a place of selfishness, not out of a place of common decency, fairness, and Staff Writer equity. Let’s look at it through the lens of sexual assault. Could anyone be a victim of sexual assault? Of course. If you have a body or a mind, you can be victimized. But if 15% of women are raped, as compared to less than 3% of men, is it fair to erase the gender imbalance and say “Well, it could happen to anyone!”? That kind of mentality is not compassionate, nor is it realistic. It denies humanity to women who are deeply affected by this issue, and it doesn’t allow for a full scope to be developed because underneath that one statistic there is a culture of violence against women. Women are likely to experience aggressive sexual acts on a daily basis, whereas men rarely are victims of sexual confrontations like catcalling, unwanted sexual advances, verbal harassment, stalking, etc. The #MeToo movement was created by an African-American women because minority women are much more likely to be victims of sexual and violent crimes: Black women experience intimate partner violence at a rate 35% higher than white women. The Movement was co-opted by the majority, effectively erasing the intersectionality of sexual violence. Gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, economic class, and even physical location, impact the likelihood and severity of sexual assault; therefore, saying “It can happen to anyone” erases those who are most vulnerable in our society. This is also true for homelessness. Women are much more likely to be victims of sexual assault Credit: RAINN Homelessness is growing for women and children at the highest rates, but for women who are Black, Native American, or Latinx, the rates of homelessness (and poverty in general) are much higher than for white women. (There may be more white women living in poverty in the United States, but this represents a smaller percentage of white women than it does for Black women.) Black women in the United States will almost universally experience poverty either before or after their 65th birthday. This means their risk for homelessness, sexual assault, violent crime, adverse health, etc., are all disproportionately high. Saying “It could happen to anyone” ignores the structural issues that we do collectively have control over, and puts emphasis on individualism, which is messy and allows us to ignore the suffering by not acting. In the end, your advocacy should be based on the simple notion of equity — that all people deserve to be treated with fairness — with the footnote that there is no universally applied remedy. The forces that create equity for one person, are not the same for everyone. The likelihood that something will happen to someone is wholly based on factors that were determined before birth, and have little to do with choices someone has made. Unless we accept the truth about structural violence, including racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, etc., we will continue to hurt, and erase the lived experience of people who are victims of our unjust society, when we proclaim, “It could happen to anyone!” [Editor’s note: The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition is a nonpartisan organization.] African Americans are disproportionately affected by homelessness due to racism and continued oppression. Credit: The Partnership Center “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 Mark Mussman at MarkMussman@cincihomeless.org. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �4 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED O c t 19 - N o v 1, 2 0 18 | N o . 392 �LOCAL Something about friendship is bigger than ideas we may hold in a particular moment No. 39 2 | Oct 19 - N o v 1, 2 0 18 W ith Justin Jeffre's tenure as editor of Streetvibes coming to an end, I started reflecting on lessons I've learned from him - and the more I thought, the more I realized these lessons may have a universality given our current political moment. I first met him in 2005, and he was a Green Party candidate for Cincinnati Mayor. We were introduced by a candidate for City Council named Andrew Warner. "He's also from that band 98 Degrees," Andrew explained just before introducing us. At the time, I wasn't sure I had ever heard a 98 Degrees song. Instead, I had some stereotypes about "boy bands" and "pop music," mostly instilled through my cliquebased understanding of the world from high school. Pop music was for people who lacked intellectual depth, or so my adolescent ideas maintained. When it came to music, I was into artists like Frank Zappa. Zappa's music, and lyrics, challenge his listeners on almost every front. Zappa was experimental, controversial, and provocative - three traits I fancied attributing to myself, too. For me, pop music was predictable, formulaic, and not thought-provoking. What kind of people would listen to something like that? They must be predictable, formulaic, and non-thoughtprovoking people, I figured. This kind of narrow thinking is typical for adolescents, but what was I doing holding onto these ideas well into adulthood? What I found in Justin was the opposite of what I might have expected. He was smart, and politically radical. He had a keen connection to social justice, and to policy that targeted helping people, particularly the most vulnerable among us. I found him to be thoughtprovoking and intelligent, which was striking because that's the opposite of what I think about pop music. The truth, naturally, is that we are more than our tastes in something like music. This obvious lesson was one I should have known. After all, during the late nineties and early aughts, I absolutely loved watching The Jerry Springer Show, and I can only imagine what sorts of negative stereotypes might exist for fans of that program! People are not their interests. They are more than that. And now this next sentence marks the point in this article where I'm likely to lose readers... People are also not their ideas, or their beliefs, either. We are bigger JASON HAAP Contributing Writer than all those temporary aspects that are subject to change. Over my lifetime, I have changed my interests, and ideas, and even some of my core beliefs. But I'm still myself, in a matter of speaking. Through these changes, I have maintained core friendships and relationships. I believe these friendships are based on something more consistent about human identity than dynamic elements like our opinions du jour. I have a conservative friend, for example, who I cannot be Facebook friends with. We always argue, and unfriend each other. But this month, a new installment in the Halloween movie franchise comes out, and as soon as I heard I knew I had to call him to make plans to see it. We've been fans of Michael Myers since junior high school! That's the thing: there is something about friendship that is bigger than many of these smaller, limiting ideas we may hold at a particular moment in time. There is something to the core of our personalities, having nothing to do with politics and current events, and it constitutes a social connection my conservative friend and I have 5 maintained, in one degree or another, for over three decades. We need to learn to look past some of these differences in the name of fostering friendship. Friendship is more important, I think, than politics and ideology. In fact, it is through real friendships that people with different ideas will ever learn from each other. With friendship, our guards might be down, and we might be more apt to trust a differing opinion as opposed to judging everyone against the rubrics of our own dogmas. With my friend leaving his role at Streetvibes, I'm not sure how often my voice will appear in the paper moving forward. For all I know, his replacement will not send me regular emails nudging me to write something! But in the event, gentle readers, you hear from me less in the future of this newspaper, let me tentatively leave you with this lesson I learned, at least in part, from befriending Justin Jeffre. STEPHEN WUESTHOFF THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �6 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED O c t 19 - N o v 1, 2 0 18 | N o . 392 �JUBILEE CAMPAIGN Living Abundantly in an Age of Scarcity No. 39 2 | Oct 19 - N o v 1, 2 0 18 W e live in a world of Paradox. A Paradox is a phenomenon in which two opposing ideas or realities that are both seemingly true exist side by side in the same space and time. Paradox is the greatest of teachers because it is in that area of tension between opposing Truths that humans experience the deepest amounts of growth and learning. Knowledge itself is born out of paradox. As a high school history teacher, I knew that I was entering the most sacred of learning spaces when I could ask questions of my students that would force them to live in and struggle with the tension of opposing truths. For example: How could the early leaders of our country write truly revolutionary founding documents and governmental structures that proclaimed and institutionalized the political philosophy that all men (or people) were created equal, and then, at the same time they enslaved a whole population of people thereby making a mockery of the very ideals they held to be absolutely true? Here is another. How can the creation of one thing of social value lead to the destruction of another thing of equal and great social value? This question poses the dilemma of technological and philosophical progress. Is it really progress when an industrial revolution that massproduces the tools and materials necessary for a modern society to exist while at the same time it causes the destruction of the social and family structures that we all cherish? Or, The United States is often considered a country with the greatest amount of Freedom in the world. On the other hand, the United States also has the largest number of people in prison and the largest percentage of its people in prison than any country in the world. It is only by wrestling with JOSH SPRING (Continued from page 2) that is so much bigger than ourselves. We by no means are either able nor supposed to live on an island unto our own being. We should consider what we can do with our mist to positively affect the other mists around us and the mists to come and then act. The life that we have, when TIM KRAUS Contributing Writer the tensions or conflict that these contradictory realities create that we of its natural resources to provide enough to sustain every living being. We see and feel an abundance of Tim Kraus Credit: linkedin.com find ourselves most fully alive and at our most creative. This is not easy work. In fact, it is hard work. But it is essential for us to struggle with these kinds of lived contradictions if we are to create a better world for ourselves and for future generations. One of the most striking paradoxes that we experience today is that we live in a world of great beauty that is gilded by every sunset, sunrise, twilight, and starry night. And we also live in a world populated by an abundance of human talent; enough talent to make right almost all the challenges and problems that we face. In short, we have inherited a paradise of unfathomable proportions and possibilities that continues to give and inspire us daily. abundance and great scarcity; both, at the same time. If living on this earth for the past 66 years has taught me anything, it has taught me that we live in a world of abundance. We experience that abundance every day of our lives. We live in a world filled with the capacity But we also must recognize that there are limitations to the abundance that surrounds us. There are real issues of scarcity that are driven by the fact that we have squandered the abundance we inherited. We have abused and destroyed so many of we have it, is very valuable and we should invest it in long-lasting good. We should do this in concert with other people, spurring one another on to use the moment to accomplish our goals together, outcomes bigger than ourselves. The lack of promise of the next moment or the truth that each of our lives are minutely short, should not be a reason for sadness or stress, but instead should be reason for encouragement that we have the opportunity to use whatever time we have available to join other people in progressively pursuing the establishment of a just and empathetic world. (Easier said than done, I know.) I don’t mean any of this to read as overly philosophical or something THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 7 our natural resources that we now face the real possibility that we will not pass down to future generations a planet that can sustain human life in any of the ways in which we are accustomed. I do not need to recite the litany of endangered or extinct species of animal and plant life that have been depleted in our lifetimes. Nor do I need to review with you the impact of Global Climate Change. We all know that the collective human impact on this earth is so huge and so predominantly negative that something must be done to turn the trend of extinction and destruction around or we will no longer have an inhabitable planet. The paradoxical twist to this scarcity is that there is still enough of everything for everyone to live a reasonably good and comfortable life. The problem is that a very tiny percentage of the world’s population is unsustainably consuming and destroying close to 90% of the world’s resources leaving most of the world no option but to live in squalor. This is an issue of false scarcity. There is enough wealth and enough food in our world for everyone to live. No one should be starving, and no one should lack enough wealth to maintain a survivable standard of living for themselves and their descendants. But our predatory local, national, and world economies have created a world in which 62 of the world’s richest people now own more wealth than half of the rest of the world. Additionally, the top 1% of wealth holders control more wealth than the entire 99% of the world below them. This kind of lopsided economic order spells disaster for all of us. Rich and poor. Therefore, a Big Dream of a Better World is essential. Scarcity thrives on inequality and injustice and it demands inequality and injustice. The sharing of abundance, the sharing of salvation for all, the sharing of the oneness of our existence exposes the lie that many people must suffer so a few can have obscene levels of luxury. Universalism and the best thinking that every religious tradition all provide us with the tools we need to turn our predatory and slave holding world into a world of God’s abundance. [This article is adapted from a sermon given by Tim Kraus of the First Unitarian Church of Cincinnati.] --------------------------------------- like that. The truth of the limited space in time available to us and the important opportunity we have to invest it in life and justice is almost as practical as we can get. While all of us will often miss the mark as we make choices in the moment, this truth should serve to prompt us to be thankful for the moments we have and the opportunities to invest them. �8 RELIGIOUS PEACEMAKERS Father George Hajj, a Maronite, Always Puts His Faith into Action and Fosters Conditions to Allow Others Become Holy Persons "F O c t 19 - N o v 1, 2 0 18 | N o . 392 SAAD GHOSN Contributing Writer or me, social justice and faith are inseparable," says Father George Hajj, pastor of Saint Anthony of Padua Maronite church, located on Victory Parkway, in Cincinnati. "And faith without action is only echo." Hajj was born in the country of Lebanon in a Maronite family where secular and religious lives were closely married and intertwined. Growing up, his parents would always refer to religious events as milestones for those of daily life, associating, for instance, in the summer, the Feast of the Assumption to a change in weather, or the Holy Cross Day to the onset of rain. His parents also raised him with strong moral values, teaching him not only to help the vulnerable and those in need but, as well, to be compassionate and nonjudgmental. "We were always taught to hate the sin but love the sinner," he says. Being the first grandchild, Hajj grew up very close to his paternal grandfather of whom he carried the name and whose unshakable faith strongly influenced his. This latter instilled in him his own good values, teaching him to have complete trust in the work of God in his life, and to always be thankful for God's mercy, giving back to others. "My grandfather had a small cookie jar in his business store and would regularly put in it 10% of his daily income for the poor and the needy," states Hajj. "I learned from him this tithing and have been practicing it myself ever since my first earned income while at the university." For schooling, Hajj attended three different Maronite schools where he strengthened his faith and put it regularly into action. As a student member of the Knights of Mary, a Christian youth organization, he would regularly do volunteer work for families in need and go to camps in poor villages helping with various needed chores. After high school he joined the Lebanese University, studying Archeology, and graduated with a Master's degree. While there he became a member of the Christian Students Youth and participated in their weekly prayer services and masses, in drives of goods and foods for students financially strained and for home shelters, in camps and spiritual retreats. He was not much involved into politics even though Confiding in his girlfriend, "a faithful woman with wonderful values" as he describes her, she encouraged him to know himself and to make up his mind about priesthood or about committing to a family with her. Wanting to be certain, Hajj decided to join the seminary to test himself and get a clearer idea on where to take his life. He went to the Maronite seminary in Washington, DC, kept an open What is the Maronite Church The Catholic Church is comprised of twenty-one Eastern and one Western (Roman) Churches. They all share the same: Dogmatic Faith, Seven Sacraments, Moral Teachings, and Unity with the Pope of Rome. Their worship, however, differs and each: • Encompasses a unique liturgy, theology, spirituality and discipline • Is characterized by its own cultural and linguistic tradition • Is guided by a Patriarch, Major Archbishop, Metropolitan or other Hierarch, who along with their Synod of Bishops are in full communion with the Pope.  The Maronite Church is one of the 21 Eastern Catholic Churches. It is headed by a Patriarch, and has over forty Bishops who shepherd the many Dioceses in Lebanon, the Middle East and throughout the world. The Patriarch governs the Church in a synodal manner with his body of bishops. He resides in Bkerke, Lebanon. The Maronite Church dates back to the early Christians of Antioch. It uses Syriac as its liturgical language, a dialect of the Aramaic that Jesus spoke. It takes its name from the hermit-priest, Saint Maron, who lived an ascetic life in Syria and died in 410 AD. Within a few years after his death, over 800 monks adopted his way of life, built the Monastery of Saint Maron on the Orontes, Syria, center of their faith, and became known as the Maronites. Later, the Muslim invasions (7th -10th Centuries), coupled with conflicts from within the Byzantine Empire, caused the Maronites to flee the plains of Syria to the natural protection of the mountains of Lebanon. By 687, they organized themselves around Saint John Maron, whom they elected Patriarch of the vacant See of Antioch, and thus developed as a distinct Church within the Catholic Church. Maronites can attend and worship in any other Catholic church. Today there are approximately 3 million Maronites throughout the world. Due to emigration since the 19th century, approximately two-thirds of them live within the worldwide Lebanese diaspora in Europe, the Americas, Australia and Africa. Approximately 1 million live in Lebanon where they represent roughly 20% of the population. The Maronites played and still play an influential role in Lebanon's politics. Father George Hajj he participated in marches, for instance against the Syrian presence in Lebanon, and in defense of various human rights. "Christian values were driving me rather than political affiliation," he says. "My goal was to be a good citizen, to become the light, salt and levain of the earth, and to bring love and God's values wherever I was." Twenty-five years old and with a degree in Archeology, Hajj was convinced by his parents not to pursue a doctorate in that same field but rather to travel to Detroit in the US, to live with his aunt and study Business Administration. He enrolled there at Oakland University and graduated a few years later with a Master's degree. While at the University he continued practicing his faith, attending church and praying, but his time was full, studying and working. He was also dating, feeling successful academically, socially and financially. "I had had, however, and for a long time, a strong inner longing for a consecrated life in the church, but had always hesitated about it," he says. Credit: Saad Ghosn attitude, and immersed himself in everything the place offered, studying theology, reading the scriptures, praying, participating in various church activities. "Everything was telling me to be there," he says. "I listened, stayed for 4 years, felt deeply fulfilled, was ordained priest and was assigned afterwards for one year to serve the Maronite church in Cleveland, OH." There, Hajj shadowed and helped the pastor, learned from him, was in charge of the church's youth group, taught a class in Syriac and started a new group for the men of the parish, called the Sons of Mary. "The purpose was to form the men by prayer, by scripture studies, by programs that helped them put their faith into practice, giving back to the church and to their human fellows, particularly those in need," says Hajj. After Cleveland, Hajj relocated to Cincinnati as the pastor of its Maronite church; this was four years ago. The Cincinnati church, which had been in existence since 1910, was the home of a large group of Christians of varying (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 �LOCAL General Wayne Begins His March North 9 No. 39 2 | Oct 19 - N o v 1, 2 0 18 MICHAEL EARL PATTON O n September 11, 1793 General Wayne finally received his orders to march against the Indians and on October 7, he did. His main force was stationed at a camp he called Hobson’s Choice, a little downstream from Fort Washington in Cincinnati. The town itself had too many vices to tempt his troops so rather than lodge his men in and around the fort he had a new camp built on a spot of high ground. I do not know exactly how far downstream it was but it almost certainly was before Mill Creek. The name of the camp indicates that General Wayne was far from satisfied with its location. His march began from there and troops from Fort Washington joined. Contributing Writer independence, even the former British prohibition against settlement north and west of the Ohio became a dead letter. The young United States took the position that the Indian tribes could not and did not actually own the land. All they had was the right to occupy the land. This was called the “Discovery Doctrine,” which was upheld as recently as 2005 in a U.S. Supreme Court decision. In essence, the Discovery Doctrine said that the land belonged to the governments of the Western discoverers of that area (“I claim this land for …”). Sales of land by the Indians to individuals were null and void on their face. Treaties with the Indians actually involved their ceding the right to occupy certain land. Even at the time many thought that this was a violation of fundamental human rights, but its effect is still felt today. In the Treaties of Fort Finney (near the mouth of the Great Miami) and Fort Harmar (near present-day Marietta, Ohio) some Indians did cede the right to occupy southern Ohio. They saw this as the only way to avoid war. It was not about the payment they received, though in some cases Indians probably signed away rights to land they probably did not and could not occupy anyways – not all Indians agreed as to who had rights to what. The Indians who signed in no way represented the majority yet the American officials touted success. George Washington, along with many others, wanted to open up southern Ohio to settlement. Of course, money was to be made. Many had, or expected to get, tracts of land that would make them wealthy if only they could get the Indians off it. Yet under the Articles of Confederation, which was the constitution that was the framework for the national government immediately after Independence, there was almost no standing army. It had mostly been disbanded and at one point was down to about eighty men, mostly stationed at West Point. In case of a foreign invasion, the idea was to call upon the states for their militias. After breaking away from one empire, many did not want to start creating another. But enough others, such as George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, did want a stronger Fort Washington Monument Plaque Fort Washington Monument Credit: Michael Earl Patton Credit: Michael Earl Patton Wives, girlfriends, and children of the soldiers stayed at Fort Washington. When representatives from the United States and King George III signed the Peace of Paris in 1783 which ended the Revolutionary War, the group who was going to be the most affected was not even present. American Indians, who were almost all of the population west of the Appalachians and north of the Ohio River, did not agree that they were now living on land that was no longer theirs. Britain had even prohibited settlement from the Thirteen Colonies west of the Appalachians in 1763. This was too extreme to enforce so the line was redrawn in 1768 at Fort Stanwix in New York, restricting settlement west and north of the Ohio River. There was some self-interest involved since leaving such a large tract of land for the Indians also meant that the British would still enjoy a lucrative trade in furs with them. But some Indians, who were not a party to the Treaty of Fort Stanwix, resented losing Kentucky and took to arms to stop the settlements there. With Military Roads Sign Credit: Michael Earl Patton THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED national government. This meant doing away with the consensus form of government under the Articles and going to majority rule. It also meant the power to tax and raise money to keep troops, and a president who also acted as commander-in-chief. The new constitution, with the same basic form as we have today, took effect in 1788 and George Washington was elected the first president. He took office in 1789. It did not take long for him to get active about creating an army and using it. Fort Washington was started in late 1789 and soon there were military expeditions from there against the Indians. The heartland of the Miami Indians was around present-day Fort Wayne, Indiana. In 1791 General St. Clair led a major expedition with the intention of conquering this area and building a fort. The Indians ambushed him while he was still on his way and inflicted massive casualties – St. Clair barely escaped with his life. President Washington replaced St. Clair with General Anthony Wayne, a hero of the (Continued on page 12) �10 LOCAL O c t 19 - N o v 1, 2 0 18 | N o . 392 Do you live in a low-income situation? YOU ARE WELCOME HERE. Are you a struggling student? Or an artist? YOU ARE WELCOME HERE. Even if you're just unsure if live theatre is your "thing," and want to see what we offer without stretching your budget: YOU, TOO, ARE WELCOME AT THE KNOW. All Wednesday performances in our MainStage season are part of the where we offer half the available seats for and offer the rema.ining half for FREE AT THE DOOR on the night of the show. \ WELCOME EXPERIMENT, $5 IN ADVANCE, The 2018–2019 Welcome Experiment made possible in part with support from Judge (Ret.) Mark P. Painter �(JW November 16 - December 8, 2018 For tickets please call (513) 381-2273 Purchase tickets online at www.cincyshakes.com AD Donated by Mark and Sue Ann Painter season sponsored by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 2 | Oct 19 - N o v 1, 2 0 18 BILL WOODS (Continued from page 2) system. The decision was made to reclassify crimes, and to make many non-violent acts misdemeanors rather than felonies. Studies show, stressed Hopkins, that convicting people arrested for drug related offenses to prison terms creates huge and often permanent obstacles for them, and that prison certainly does not help a person overcome his or her addiction. Issue I, then, reclassifies current felonies for obtaining, possessing, and using illegal drugs to misdemeanors. It prohibits jail sentences for these acts unless a person is arrested for a third time within a twenty-fourmonth period. If passed by the voters, the Amendment would be retroactive and include people currently serving prison terms for obtaining, possessing or using drugs. Hopkins refuted the argument that Issue I would make it difficult to prosecute drug dealers, as she noted that sellers caught with a large quantity of an illegal drug would not meet the criteria of the Amendment. She also emphasized that the projected dollars saved by implementing the Amendment would be earmarked for rehabilitation and treatment programs. Another facet of Issue I will impact a large number of people serving prison terms. Unless SAAD GHOSN (Continued from page 8) backgrounds and diverse cultures, most of them connected somehow to the Middle East. It was frequented not only by Maronites but also by individuals of other faiths such as Orthodox, Melkite, Coptic, Latin... Under Hajj's leadership it has seen its cohesiveness increase and functions now as one united family, enriched by its differences. Hajj maintains a good blending of the secular and religious lives of its parishioners, preparing them to be the best for themselves and for others, living their Christian values, and always putting their faith into action. The church offers various classes in scriptures, Aramaic, art and social studies, also various activities geared to the different age categories of the parishioners. The MYA, Maronite Young Adults, ages 18 to 35, for instance, gather regularly, socialize, but also participate in programs of spiritual formation, of moral teaching, of various social justice activities such as serving in soup kitchens, helping the needy, doing actions of mercy. A movie night, a book club, speakers from out of town or from the community, present them with meaningful topics and messages, followed by enriching discussions. A new group, the MYO, Maronite Youth Organization, does 11 LOCAL convicted for murder, rape, or child molestation, inmates will qualify for reduced sentences if they participate in educational programs or rehabilitation work. Those who take part in such programs can reduce their sentences by as much as 25-percent. Another group who will benefit from Issue I is made-up of people who have served their time, but are then sent back to prison for a parole violation such as missing a meeting with a Probation Officer. Hopkins noted that approximately 27-percent of Ohio's inmates are in prison due to such violations. Under the Amendment, such parole missteps would only be misdemeanors not punishable by prison time. Although Issue I is vocally opposed by certain judges and prosecutors, Hopkins thinks the people of Ohio are ready for a more workable and compassionate criminal justice system. This grassroots initiative, she emphasized, was tested throughout the state while collecting the 730,000 signatures to qualify the proposal for the ballot. During the campaign, the Ohio Organizing Collaborative has also registered 180,000 new voters. The key, said Hopkins, is to get out the word and to make sure supporters actually vote. --------------------------------------- Elizabeth Hopkins, Spokesperson for Project AMOS Credit: Alice Schneider the same with youth ages 12 to 18. A supportive group of women also exists to meet and pray, visit the sick, provide material support to various charitable organizations. There are also religious education classes offered every Sunday to children. The church recently bought 2 adjacent buildings to its sanctuary. It currently uses them as educational centers, but they may also become centers for charity works, even possibly living quarters for the needy or elderly. Recently, Hajj proposed to his congregation a new program, yet to be implemented, consisting of giving a certain % of the church income in charity. "We are currently studying the structure of the program," says Hajj, "keeping in mind the importance of not only providing fish to eat but also a fishing pole to help survive." With other Catholic and Orthodox local churches, Hajj founded the One Church of Mercy, a group of churches whose mission is to bring together the different Christian faiths in the metropolitan Cincinnati, to know each other, participate in common rituals, work through prayer, exposure and with government agencies for the persecuted, religious or otherwise, in the Middle East. The group, started in 2015, organizes major events throughout the year. Last year, for instance, it sponsored the public viewing of the movie "Our Last Stand" ​which told the story of an ​ Assyrian-American ​school ​teacher ​ from ​New ​York, ​who spent ​her ​ summer ​vacation ​traveling ​to ​Iraq ​ and ​Syria ​to ​help ​raise ​awareness ​ about ​the ​plight ​of ​the ​Christian ​ communities ​(Assyrian/Chaldean/ Syriac) ​threatened ​by ​civil ​war ​and ​ ISIS. ​The movie was followed by a community debate. Last March, a Lenten prayer service for unity and religious freedom, gathered Roman Catholics, Eastern Rite Catholics and Orthodox in appreciation of diverse, yet complimentary, rituals. The event was an effort to strengthen bonds and also pray for persecuted Christians around the world. On Sept 14 also of this year, The Exaltation of the Holy Cross, a common divine liturgy also took place at the St. Anthony of Padua church, and included an educational program on religious persecution. It also addressed, in particular, the situation of the Christians in the Holy Land. Hajj also involved his church heavily in the 1st Cincinnati Festival of Faith which took place recently at Xavier University, and at which the church choir performed. "We are involved with various charitable organizations such as Soup Kitchens, Food pantries... and we provide various services according to people's needs like visiting the sick, helping parishioners at their THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED home, etc." says Hajj. "We add our voice to those that already exist, thus being part of the Garden of Eden and contributing to it." Hajj does not see himself doing things differently in the future, but rather better. The Christian mission he follows will remain the same and his actions and those he will try to impart on his church will always be after the message of the Beatitudes, the blessings that Jesus listed in the Sermon on the Mount. He points to the fact that the Cross of the Maronite Church has 8 dots, 2 at each end, which represent the 8 beatitudes. "We, disciples of Christ, are asked to take care of the poor, the meek, etc." says Hajj. "We have to be reminded that we are also the poor, the meek, etc. and that we need to take care of each other, walk together on this bumpy road, and contribute to a better world." Many of Hajj's efforts are devoted to projects and actions that form the human and make the human a holy person, able to improve and sanctify the other, thus adding peace and justice in the name of Christ. His inspiration is his Maronite faith, also the teaching he has constantly received, to always put his faith into action. --------------------------------------- �12 STREET VOICE I Need a Beer DESMOND BROWN Contributing Writer I called her Pocahontas Couldn’t talk to her like I wanted to Because Deters was poking behind us Chased to a land where dog’s shit Chased from that land, I guess the dogs are better And we ain’t shit Took many losses Prayed a million crosses Shift gears I wish Pocahontas was here A shear delight… she’s not though So, I need a beer Self-medicated, situations over and over Deep thought, mental depression, revenge contemplated Tears of blood cleanse the sinner like suds Greed dirties us like mud We been chewed up and spit out like cud Overzealous egos MICHAEL EARL PATTON (Continued from page 7) American Revolution. There was an attempt to negotiate with the Indians to get them to surrender southern Ohio, but the Indians having just won a major victory were in no mood to give up. General Wayne used that time to secure supplies, train his troops, and widen the road he would be taking. There is a historical monument marking the site of Fort Washington near Lytle Park. There is also a plaque Top ranked zeros Pinpoint Cranley like bingo Short man complex like Nero Open arms are up in arms Mayor sued his own city Chivalry is dead and there is no charm Armies and coalitions News cameras and politicians Unfair laws got members of the Colony missing Jealousy arose because of the blessings Ambulance calls because of the stressing Citations written because of the pressing Wisdom gained because of the testing I wish Pocahontas was here She’s not so I need a beer ------------------------------on Central Parkway supposedly giving the route north of Generals St. Clair and Wayne. This part of the inscription seems to be in error. The plaque says they went west along a route that corresponds to presentday Central Parkway, but a couple old maps that I examined show no road there. General Wayne had widened the road that St. Clair had made to 44 feet. His first destination was Fort Hamilton. Surely this road would have remained in use after the campaign was over. It did elsewhere and along the first part of his route O c t 19 - N o v 1, 2 0 18 | N o . 392 HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE? Waiting on the bus It’s good to have a bus schedule. Buses and the streetcars are sometimes delayed And I get impatient sometimes But I’m accepting things as they are. Living by a schedule is okay But being homeless, it is hard to say Finding where to go For good showers, and shelters too. You learn as you go. No matter how long it takes You have to live the best Way you can CLEO WOMBLES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer was initially called “Wayne Trace.” I have noticed a couple roads named either Wayne or Anthony Wayne just to the west of I-75 in Cincinnati and Lockland. I do not know for certain, but my guess is that these are part of the route he took. I took much of the information about the actual movement of Wayne’s army and some of the background information from the book Autumn of the Black Snake: The Creation of the U.S. Army and the Invasion that Opened the West by William Hogeland. “Black Snake” was a term of respect the Indians gave to General Wayne because of his exceptional, constant vigilance. Unlike his predecessor General St. Clair to whom they had given a crushing defeat, they could not surprise or ambush him. It is the best book I have found about this part of American history. The events of 225 years ago secured Cincinnati’s future and set this country firmly on a certain path, yet remain largely unknown to the general public. I plan to do at least a couple more articles on this subject. Streetvibes Writing Circle S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �13 STREET VOICE No. 39 2 | Oct 19 - N o v 1, 2 0 18 THE JOURNEY ADVICE FOR VOTERS MOTHER GOOSE The path has been a journey Voters be nimble. Time traveled through time Days gone bye Voters be aware. Memories and thoughts remembered Attack ads aim to Love and pain uncovered What’s important is now realized and If I could of, should of is thought about But time goes bye Confuse and scare. BILL WOODS Contributing Writer Time whispering something YOU AND I Time’s journey not forgotten Where has this journey landed you You and I must make a pact KIM GREEN Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer To be mindful of how we act Toward each other no matter what And not hold hatred down in our gut We must understand that everyone is unique And know that a change is what everyone seeks With time and patience, with help from up above We can conquer the hatred we feel and replace it with God’s love For only with God’s guidance and his so many blessings Will we understand living life together without ever guessing We’ll finally know what it is to live on this planet together To love each other for who we are and not what we are for now and forever!!! WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �PUZZLES 14 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 160 Across Down 1. Supplication 1. Preen 5. Part of a hospital 2. Relating to the moon 9. Look searchingly 3. Access 13. Part of a ladder 4. Era of history 14. Woodwind instrument 15. Malicious burning 17. Incorporate 19. Out of fashion 20. Spoil 21. Assimilate 23. Storm center 24. Be nosey 25. Layer 26. Level 29. Female chicken 30. Well-being 32. Reverberation 35. Strong wind 38. Mythological nymph 40. Contest or fight 41. Sheltered side 42. Wan 43. Small donkey 45. Soapstone 47. Decelerate 48. Promptly 50. Playing card 52. Notion 53. Part of the ear 55. Nocturnal mammal 58. Part of a circle 60. Surgical drill 62. Fuss 63. Discontinue 66. Subvert 68. Used with a mortise to form a joint 69. Small pond 70. Fiend 71. Salacious 72. Material, can be used as fuel when dried 73. Rind O c t 19 - N o v 1, 2 0 18 | N o . 392 5. Verbiage 6. Humiliate 7. Rotating mechanism 8. Cervid 9. Drivel 10. Epoch 11. Indispensable 12. Reflecting optimism 16. Indicating maiden name 18. Admission receipts at a sports event 22. Hymenopterous insect 27. Vehicle 28. Pass by 29. Car modified for greater speed and acceleration 30. Part of a shoe 31. Aura SODOKU PUZZLE NO 290 - MEDIUM 32. Flow back or recede 33. Change of government illegally or by force 34. Severe tropical cyclone 36. Singing voice 37. Pasture 39. Form of condensation 44. Single 46. Floor show 49. Tackiness 51. Fractional monetary unit 53. River embankment 54. Drama set to music 55. Flatbottom boat 56. Worship 57. Cloth used for drying 58. Perform 59. Bobbin 61. Frolic 64. Female hog 65. Conclude 67. Jump lightly PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 391 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 159 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 289- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �RESOURCES No. 39 2 | Oct 19 - N o v 1, 2 0 18 Central Access Point 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children Bethany House 557-2873 St. George Food Pantry 751-8771 2554 Dennis St. 45219 Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 621-7265 1528 Race St. 45202 Churches Active in Northside 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 Other Resources FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 Salvation Army 762-5660 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 131 E. 12th Street 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 215 E. 14th St. 45202 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 Goodwill Industries 771-4800 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. 579-8547 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 1125 Bank Street 45214 Shelter: Men Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men Shelterhouse 721-0643 1223 Main St. 45202 Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 411 Gest St. 45203 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 Talbert House 751-7747 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton County Office of Reentry 946-4304 138 E. Court Street Room # 101 First Floor 2121 Vine Street 45202 1437 Walnut Street 45202 Prospect House 921-1613 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Starting Over 961-2256 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 Parkway Center 661-4620 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women Shelter: Youth Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Interfaith Hospitality Network McMicken Dental Clinic 352-6363 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 NAMI of Hamilton County 351-3500 PATH Outreach 977-4489 591-2246 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 Shelter: Family 15 First Step Home 961-4663 Hamilton/Middletown 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 St. Raephaels 981-4200 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Joseph House (Veterans) Northern Kentucky Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both 471-1100 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Housing: 241-2965 1522 Republic Street 45202 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 OTR Community Housing 381-1171 114 W. 14th Street 45202 Talbert House 221-HELP Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street 45202 Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Volunteers of America 381-1954 Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 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 Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 Food/Clothing Health First Lutheran Church 421-0065 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 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 Want to advertise in Streetvibes? Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-572-6202 Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky 634 Scott St. 41011 859-291-4555 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 VA 977-6800 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 859-491-8303 799 Ann St. Newport, KY Advocacy Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 UpSpring 363-3300 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 Brighton Center (11-17 y/o) 961-0600 Center for Respite Care 621-1868 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 You can support our mission and spread the word about your business. For more information contact Justin Jeffre at 513-421-70803 x 12 or email streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 5 E. 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For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2018 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource October 19-November 1, 2018 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From the Director State Issue 1 Pg 3: It Couldn’t Happen to Me Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: Something About Friendship is Bigger than Ideas We May Hold in a Particular Pg 6: How to Respond to Panhandling Pg 7: Living Abundantly in an Age of Scarcity Pg 8: Religious Pacemakers Pg 9: General Wayne Begins His March North Pg 10: GCHC Pg 11: Bill Woods Continued Saad Ghosn Continued Pg 12: Michael Earl Patton Continued Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 19-November 1, 2018 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Bill Woods Dr. Mark Mussman Jason Haap Tim Kraus Saad Ghosn Michael Earl Patton Desmond Brown Cleo Wombles Kim Green Willa Denise Jones Homeless Coalition RAINN The Partnership Center Steven Wuesthoff LinkedIn Alice Schneider Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Alice Schneider Bill Woods Cleo Wombles Criminal Justice System Desmond Brown Dr. Mark Mussman Homeless Coalition Issue 1 Jason Haap Josh Spring Kim Green LinkedIn Michael Earl Patton Ohio RAINN Religion Saad Ghosn Steven Wuesthoff The Partnership Center Tim Kraus Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/2f980a5d8a31c7d763a20a53b7e5ace0.pdf 8075af9bb0db578a7484ed223bab52e8 PDF Text Text N o v e m b e r 1 6 t h - N o v e m b e r 3 0 t h 2 0 1 8 | Vo l . 2 1 I s s u e 2 1 ( N o . 3 9 4 ) advo cating justice | building communit y Any opinions in this issue are of the authors and don't necessarily represent Streetvibes or The Homeless Coalition. In Politics: Morgan Mitchell The Treatment of Political Organizers by the Democratic Party Contributing Writer M any people dream of making a difference with their lives. In America, we are told that the best way to make a difference and create change is to enter politics. Politicians build platforms on creating change and promise to do so, but only if they get elected first! That’s where political organizers come in. Political organizers are usually in their twenties, fresh out of college and eager to pursue their dream of making a difference. They’re the ones knocking on doors, calling voters, registering people to vote, texting voters, and recruiting volunteers to help. This is the dirty work that isn’t normally talked about when discussing the glitz and glamour of working in politics. Yet it is arguably the most crucial work, without political organizers (or campaign workers if they are working for a specific candidate) these candidates and political parties wouldn’t have any momentum. Un f o r t u n a t e l y, political organizers are exploited for their labor, especially by the party that claims to have the working class’ best interest in mind: Democrats. Political organizers for progressive nonprofits and campaign workers for Democratic candidates often work 9am-12am, seven days a week. They are not paid overtime, are very rarely given benefits, rarely make a living wage, are not allowed to take days off, are given weekly or daily quotas that are nearly impossible to meet, and more often than not are fire-at-will employees (meaning they can be fired at any moment with no warning and without explanation) Many organizers aren’t even aware that their horrific working conditions are exploitation because campaign managers and non-profit state directors know what language to use to gaslight and blind political organizers to their exploitation.. Continued on page 9 This Issue is sponsored by (Retired) Judge Mark P. Painter Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 COALITION N o v 16 2 - -NNov. o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Nov. 30,2 02018 394 From The Director: Why Is My Head Wet? I f you flip off the lights in a room, walk through the room and run into a pole, do you ask what happened? Probably not, because you know what happened. If you do the same thing the next day, do you ask what happened that time? Nope. If you fill a glass with water and then dump it on your head, do you ask why you are wet? What about if you turn a stove burner on and hold your hand on it, do you wonder why your hand hurts? If you dump a bucket of dirt on someone else, do you ask them why they are so dirty? No, probably not. Outside of mental health decompensation, none of this makes any sense. You don’t ask why these things are happening because you already know the answer, and you know how to prevent them from happening again. If you heard a weather report which called for rain and you left the windows of your car (if you have one) open and later came out to find a soaked seat, would you try to figure out how your seat got wet? Would you call your friends together to study how rain gets from outside a car to inside a car and on a seat? Would you re-listen to the weather report and try to figure out how better to understand what the report meant? No, you would express frustration at having left the window open, especially when you knew rain was predicted, you would try to dry your seat and commit to not leaving the window open again. If you park that same car, get out to walk into the office and someone hollers at you that your left your lights on, likely you would say thanks and then turn around and turn your lights off. Why? Because JOSH SPRING Executive Director Josh Spring Credit: Homeless Coalition you know if you leave them on it is likely your battery will lose power and your won’t be able to start your car when you return. You don’t wait for proof that this will happen because logic dictates it will, you don’t want to risk it and likely past experience tells you choosing to not put in the effort to walk back and turn off the lights will result in more problems in the future. So why when it comes to much more important decisions do we very often chose to not follow basic common sense? As a society, city and county we invest millions of dollars in luxury housing, give tax abatements to companies that displace people from their homes, allow landlords to evict without just cause, don’t require companies pay a living wage, subsidize tourist bars and shops that drive out neighborhood-serving businesses and applaud the removal of people with lower incomes from neighborhoods as revitalization and then act surprised when housing instability and homelessness increase. We enact policies that support the depletion of affordable housing and then say we are not sure why we have homelessness to the extent we do and so we must study the problem more and then perhaps temporarily pilot possible solutions. Maybe we don’t yet have the right people in the room to figure out what is going on or maybe there is some best practice model we haven’t considered. Give me a break. If you have a house and you invite your friends over to be entertained by shooting off fireworks in the living room and your house catches fire and you and your friends stand outside watching, debating how best to use the garden hose to decrease the fire when you should be calling the fire department and your house burns down, again outside of some extreme circumstances, you don’t get to say you didn’t know what to do. If you get a new house and this time you only use small fireworks inside, you don’t get congratulated for improving. You don’t get to call people in to do a study to try to figure out how to prevent fires in your home, because the answer is always going to be that you must stop the activity that is causing the fires in the first place. These are all just little analogies, but what if people are trapped in the house and can’t get out of the fire? In 2017, in Hamilton County, least 137 people suffering from the effects of homelessness died. Contributing Writer R esidents of Alms Hill Apartments enjoyed a Halloween Celebration put on by the Alms Residents’ Association on Monday, October 29th. The Alms Hill Apartments contains 200 units of HUD subsidized apartments that have been at risk of closure multiple times in the last 5 years. Residents have worked hard and partnered with the Cincinnati Homeless Coalition and Legal Aid Society to combat slumlords and HUD to keep their homes open and affordable. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org BLOG: streetvibes.wordpress.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor: Gabriela Godinez Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Sallie Mascus Layout: Key Beck Reception: Bonita Batton, Larry Johnson Maintenance: Pete Roper ------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Alms Hill Residents Celebrate DAULTON KING Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. The Alms Halloween Celebration proved to be a timely event, not just because of the 31st around the corner, but because on Tuesday, October 30th new ownership took over the Alms. The new owners, Related Affordable, have promised to keep the building well-maintained and affordable while completing millions of dollars in renovations for the residents. Kimetta Ann Carter, Public Relations and Advocate for The Alms Residents’ Association expressed “We happily welcome Related Affordable. We anticipate great results and appreciate them stepping up to the plate”. Residents have been long fighting for this sustainable solution to their housing insecurity. Stephanie Moes from Legal Aid society shared “The residents have fought hard to preserve and improve housing at the Alms and Avondale properties for the last three years. With Related acquiring the properties, we hope that they will finally have an owner ready to join them in their efforts to make these properties premier affordable housing in our community.” The Alms Residents’ Association, Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati, and The Cincinnati Homeless Coalition are all optimistic regarding the future of the Alms. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Josh Spring, Brian Taylor, Morgan Mitchel, Daulton King, Micheal Earl Patton, Patricia Patton, Allie Graff, Bill Woods, Trenton Davis, Cleo Wombles, Willa Jones, Sabrina Amos, Dr. Mark Mussman, Vicky Warfield ------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: Homeless Coalition, Wikipedia (Fair Use), Morgan Mitchell, Gabriela Godinez ---------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �No. 39 Nov 230, - N2018 o v 19, 2 0 18 Nov. 163-|Nov. | No. 394 3 COALITION Underreported: Out of the Shadows DR. MARK MUSSMAN Contributing Writer O Homelessness is not just people sleeping on the street or in a shelter. When two families are living together due to economic necessity, it is called being “doubled-up,” which is a form of homelessness. People living in their cars are experiencing homelessness. People who are couch-surfing, going from place to place, or just staying in the same place, are also experiencing homelessness. If you don’t have food on the table and parental guidance, that’s called being “homeless at home,” which affects a great deal of school-aged children in our city. These are just some of the underreported types of homelessness that greatly affect our city today, whether it be concealed or in plain sight. If your family is not on the lease, you are experiencing homelessness. Doubling-up is a common tactic that is used, generally within families, to help keep people off of the streets and out of shelters. Typically, doubling-up allows one family to bring in another while Shelter beds, like these in Northern Kentucky, remain full year round. Photo Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman they try to work on their independence. In time, doubled-up families may face pressure from landlords, family members, school systems, and others to move out of the property. The family on the lease may decide they have had enough, and the other family is once again looking for options. Doubling-up isn’t seen as a solution to homelessness because of the tenuous nature of the relationships that ensure stability. After the new anti-homelessness laws were created this summer, people living in a car risk criminal charges in Hamilton County. Anyone who is found creating a “domicile” on public land is at risk for arrest. This may put pressure on PATH team members who are tasked with verifying the location of someone who is sleeping in their vehicle. The PATH team must see an individual or family sleeping outside, or in a vehicle, to grant them a homelessness certificate. This certificate grants them access to different services, including housing (when available), and is seen as the first step to getting off of the street. Strategies are developed when living in a vehicle, such as showering at the YMCA or the Mary Magdalen House, spending time at the Library to warm up, and trying to use the vehicle to make money through odd jobs. A couple of years ago, I wrote an article about a man who lost his foot to frostbite after sleeping in his car during the winter. Couch-surfing is something that is relatively common among college-aged young adults, but people of all ages are forced into this category of homelessness. When someone has no place of their own, they often find refuge in the homes of their family or friends. Couch-surfers may try to give back by doing chores around the house, or keeping things cleaned up. There tends to be a time-limit to couch-surfing because people want their own space back or there are issues with the building management. Couch-surfers may lose their place on the couch when they are perceived as having nothing to give back for their presence. It is possible that someone may only couch-surf for a few days, but it probably would last a few months or more because securing stable housing is very difficult and time consuming. When someone has a roof over their head, but no food on the table, or parents working all hours of the night, they are and they are battling homelessness in one form or another. When we do the PIT Count in January, we are compiling data from shelters, supportive housing, and other institutions to create a number to represent the people who are experiencing homelessness in our city, county, state, Tents near the Casino only represent a small number of people experiencing homelessness. Photo Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman experiencing a type of homelessness. When they are sleeping on a couch or on the floor, this is another form of homelessness: homeless at home. When you understand that there is no place in the United States where someone who is making minimum wage can afford a two bedroom apartment, you realize that the children are sleeping on the couch and the on the floor. They don’t share dinners together, and often the only meal they receive is the one they get at school. Homeless at home is a place where hunger and homelessness meet, and where many of our youth are located in Cincinnati. More than 75% of African-American children in Cincinnati live below the poverty line due to pervasive racism, which means that most of them go without the food they need and nation. We also join in teams to physically find and count people who are sleeping on the street, in doorways, under bridges, in woods, etc. These numbers go to the federal government to determine how much funding is needed to address the problem. Although we spend many hours on this endeavor, we only count people in 3 of Cincinnati’s 52 neighborhoods. People who are doubledup, couch-surfing, homeless at home, or living in their cars are almost completely left out of this count. The limitations of this one-night count are endless, even though we strive to include as many people as possible. Hopefully, this will make you cautious about any statistic you read about homelessness, and you now why people are under-counted when we are examining homelessness. Cincinnati “Solves” Homeless Crisis by Hiding it ROBERT BROWN Contributing Writer W hen the city issued the initial 72-hour eviction notice to the homeless encampment at 3rd St. and Plum St., I imagined it was due to embarrassment if not abject shame. “Welcome to Cincinnati, here are our citizens”. How can people be evicted from nowhere? The city’s compromise only provided a five-day reprieve, a few more trashcans and a couple of Portalets. When that encampment was relocated, the primary achievement was reclaiming tail-gating real estate for Bengals fans, many of whom break all the city’s open container laws and get drunk and disorderly in public – all with impunity. What’s more, the inference has been advanced that the “campers” refused to go to perfectly good shelter spaces, when in fact they are largely overcrowded, under-resourced. Shelters are life-sized petri dishes for the cultivation of diseases, including but not limited to hepatitis A, B and C, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, lice, scabies and bed bugs. One might argue that the public crisis we are witnessing is positive in that it elevates the conversation we should be having. Prior to engaging in the dialogue, we must dispel the stereotypes often attached to people experiencing homelessness and other marginalized populations. When I engaged the people in the 3rd Street encampment, now dubbed the Colony, I was struck by the sheer strength of their community. They appear to care for and about one another, protect one another, provide for one another and defend their rules and standards. They have literally saved the lives of community members through Narcan interventions and have successfully persuaded others to enter rehabilitation programs. Other Cincinnati neighborhoods would welcome such a strong sense of community. Surely amongst those experiencing homelessness there are substance abusers, people with mental/behavioral health issues, even lazy THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED people, but arguably, the numbers are proportional to the general population. The simple fact is that Hamilton County is short about 40,000 housing units. What people experiencing homelessness need is permanent, affordable, supportive housing along with appropriate job training, behavioral health counselling and other resources. We appear to be disinclined to invest in this actual and affirmative solution, but are willing to devote resources to projects and endeavors that will actually exacerbate the problem. There is shame in this spectacle and even more apathy. �4 COALITION THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED N o v 216 - N v 19,30, 2 02018 18 | N| oNo. . 393 Nov. - oNov. 394 �No. 39 ov 2 30, - N o2018 v 19, | 2 0 18394 Nov. 163 -| N Nov. No. LOCAL 5 Attendees discuss healing, solidarity and action in wake of anti-Jewish killings in Pittsburgh BRIAN TAYLOR Contributing Writer C ongregation Beth Adam, in collaboration with the Jewish Community Relations Council, held a special event November 4 to commemorate the lives of 11 people killed October 27, in an anti-Semitic attack on Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Synagogue in Pittsburgh, program focussed on handling grief and sadness, helping others in pain and changing the world for the better. They also made butterflies intended to be sent to congregants at Tree of Life. Robert Barr, founding Rabbi at Beth Adam, moderated the event and gave opening remarks to the gathering. “The world is reeling from the murder of 11 innocents in Pittsburgh simply because they were Jewish.” He noted that in Judy and Bob Danenberg address November 4 gathering at Congregation Beth Adam synagogue. Photo Credit: Sam Cooper Pennsylvania. The meeting -- preceded two days earlier by a special service that drew hundreds -- was attended by 150 people from various religious and ethnic communities throughout the city. Dozens of children of the Beth Adam congregation greeted participants before leaving to attend a separate addition to his tie with Tree of Life as a rabbi, he had a very personal connection as part of his family lives in Pittsburgh and specifically attend the embattled synagogue located in Squirrel Hill. After seeing a video presentation coming out o the massacre, he reached out to Tree of Life congregants, Bob and Judy Danenberg to see if he could replay the video to his congregation. They agreed but also volunteered to travel into town to participate in the November 4 event. Bob Danenberg, a Tree of Life member for 35 years, explained that 15,000 people — 30% of Pittsburgh’s Jewish population — reside in Squirrel Hill. He described the thriving community and the close-knit connections of families in the area. “This is of the worst attacks in the history of the Republic…. The shooter had an AR 15 assault rifle and 3 Gloc 57 handguns. He used all of them during the attack and he had a shotgun in the car.” “Many of the bodies,” Danenberg added, “were not immediately identifiable” after the shootings. According to the Jewish Chronicle, the alleged shooter, Robert Bowers (46), posted threats against Jews and immigrants on social media prior to the attack. Judy Danenberg began by reading off the names of those killed. They included: Joyce Fienberg (75), Richard Gottfried (65), Rose Mallinger (97), Jerry Rabinowitz (69), Cecil Rosenthal (59), David Rosenthal (54), Bernice Simon (84), Sylvan Simon (86), Daniel Stein (71), Melvin Wax (87), and Irving Younger (69). She told a story about each of them, highlighting who they were and their contributions to synagogue and to her, personally. She also made mention and honored the 6 people injured during the attack, including 2 congregants and 4 police officers. “The JCC (Jewish Community Center) has become a place to mourn the massacre,” she noted as she described how the incident has lead many from the community to pull together and rejoin the synagogue and the three congregations it houses. Danenberg ended her remarks in a spirited proclamation that “Through all of this WE — people of all walks — will become stronger, tighter than we have ever been.” “This is a wake up call,” Bob Danenberg said. “This can’t be sugar coated. We think it can’t happen to us. It can.” “What do we do now?” he asked. “We can’t let hatred dominate. We have to take measurable and lawful actions to counteract hatred and anti-Semitism. Take some form of action today!” he ended. Beth Adam organized an open discussion period, in which people present raised questions about self defense and preparedness, discussed the current political and social climate as related to anti-Semitism, and talked about the links between this attack and other attacks against Black people and immigrants. Several asked questions about the efforts to repair the synagogue. Messages of solidarity came from Hindu and Muslim individuals as well as antipolice brutality activists. “This has been a week of profound darkness,” Brian Jaffe of the Jewish Foundation, told the meeting. But he reflected on the broad international solidarity that continues to come in and pointed out that “nearly every synagogue and Jewish community in the country experienced an underestimation of support.” “Take what you’ve heard, take what you’ve learned today and turn it into action,” urged Robert Barr in closing the event. NRA and Mass Shootings PATRICIA PATTON I Contributing Writer f you have ever shivered at the grim escalation of mass murders across America, you are not alone. According a CNN report, there have been mass killings in the United States dating back to 1966 to the most recent in 2018. From Las Vegas to Connecticut to Virginia, trying to make sense of these senseless acts seems futile. As I attempt to make sense of this ever-growing ludicrous behavior, carried out by seemingly average looking citizens who in effect have mastered the art of blending their presence inside the masses to commit these crimes, I am filled with more hopelessness than resolve. The culprit is the NRA. Perhaps if we attempt to understand the origin of this organization, we can find a course that would lead to finally unraveling the mounting existence of these unwelcome tragedies that we continue to witness. How did this organization become so powerful? How and in what ways did its influence reportedly lead to so much devastation? According to the online publication “How the NRA Works,” the organization began way back during World War II when its humble beginnings were formed to promote and encourage rifle shooting. The organization continued to grow, and reportedly at one time offered more than 7000 firearms to Great Britain to use as a tool of defense against the German invasion. The NRA website today boasts nearly 5 million members who advocate and support 2nd amendment rights. Its members and advocates exist in places you wouldn’t expect. For example, this same website’s list of affiliates and support is daunting, and its presence is felt in unimagined established institutions such as schools, banks, and traditional media. According to the Business Insider, the NRA provides special offers and discounts to high profile businesses such as FedEx, Hertz, and Apple. In addition, the high school where 17 students were killed last month reportedly supported the killer through a school program, which had its genesis in the NRA. The program was designed to teach students shooting skills. Reportedly, the organization continues to provide money to various schools for ROTC training in Florida and other states THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED throughout the U.S. The NRA provides a substantial amount of political contributions to a number of well-known politicians such as Marco Rubio, Mitch McConnell, and Ohio’s Rob Portman, to name a few. Who would have thought that such trusted people and institutions would be indirectly behind this organization that has been relentless in its efforts to maintain power and secure wealth at all costs? Who would have known that the previous efforts to stop gun sales by increasing background checks would repeatedly be ignored in lieu of the goal to increase wealth and maintain power? An organization with such humble beginnings has grown as to influence the world. �6 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED N o v 216 - N v 19,30, 2 02018 18 | N| oNo. . 393 Nov. - oNov. 394 �No. 39 3 |- N ov 2 -30, N o2018 v 19, |2No. 0 18394 Nov. 16 Nov. 7 LOCAL Post-Kavanaugh Is No Different Than Pre-Kavanaugh ALLIE GRAFF Contributing Writer L **Trigger Warning: rape, racism** iberals are up in arms about Brett Kavanaugh’s appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States. According to some, Kavanaugh’s confirmation was a death knell to a decent, respectable institution. Personally, I believe he is a racist and a rapist who deserves only abhorrence. Looking at the facts, it’s clear the Supreme Court has never been decent or respectable. A comrade of mine, the venerable Senay Kenfe, said, “I can easily compile a list of Supreme Court Justices who sat on the court, that your ancestors didn’t march and protest against, that passed down decision after decision that took rights after rights from the rest of us.” Some examples given by Kenfe: 1876, United States v. Reese, the constitutional right to allow disenfranchisement of black people and poor people of all skin colors; 1896, Plessy v. Ferguson, federal legalization of racial segregation; 1903, Lone Wolf v. Hitchcock, the U.S. government has the constitutional right to break all treaties with indigenous peoples. October 9th 2018 the Supreme Court decided they would not hear the case Brakebill v. Jaeger. This means that possibly tens of thousands of indigenous people who live in the area the United States recognizes as North Dakota will have trouble voting or be entirely disenfranchised from voting. A recent North Dakota state law required voters to have identification with a residential street address. A good deal of indigenous people in the state do not have a street mailing address and are only listed at a P.O. Box, the address of which appears on any state-issued identification. The indigenous voters, after fighting the law in the lower courts, brought it all the way to the Supreme Court. And they were turned down. They will not get the opportunity to overturn the unjust law before November 6th 2018. Though Brett Kavanaugh did not preside over or influence this decision, he and the other justices still have power to create problems. Roe V. Wade might be overturned in the near future. If Roe v. Wade is overturned and I need an abortion then the chances I will die will skyrocket. There is a very real risk of the court overturning this ruling. Is this any more egregious than the previous 229 years worth of treacherous mandates passed down by this body? The Supreme Court with Kavanaugh will not be good for us because the Supreme Court has never been good for us. Author’s Note: The author has zero faith in voting in electoral politics (especially not for any capitalists) but strongly believes in everyone’s right to vote. The New Soccer Stadium in the West End Michael Earl Patton I Contributing Writer t looks like construction of the FC Stadium in the West End will begin soon. It will be built on the site of the current Stargel Stadium and some nearby properties. The basic concept has been released and can be found on the FCC website. It will be a modernistic design, about 120 feet tall, brightly lit, and with a canopy covering most seats. I went to the October 16 meeting at the Carl H. Lindner Family WMCA in the West End to listen to the presentation by FC Cincinnati and learn more. I want to outline here some aspects of the stadium that have received little, if any, attention from the regular media. As I had noted in an earlier article, the size of the stadium does require Cincinnati to vacate a couple blocks of Central Avenue. Not the betterknown Central Parkway, which it partly parallels, but still a significant street in its own right. Residents and commuters will have to find a different way. I myself use it occasionally. At the meeting the prediction was that the legislation would be in “2 or 3 weeks,” but as I write this I have not seen anything official. The public streets in the area needed for the new stadium, including a portion of Central Avenue, will be taken up. The deconstruction of the streets will form one of the bid packages for quotes. All work is being broken up into smaller chunks to facilitate bidding by smaller and minority contractors rather than have only “mega” contractors do the work. Demolition of the vacated streets will form one of the bid packages. The buildings to be torn down will be “cleaned up” first. This means that hazardous materials such as asbestos and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls, which are environmentally toxic compounds and probable human carcinogens that were formerly widely used) will be removed. The stadium will be built adjacent to a residential area. Yes, there is a high school stadium there now, but this will be much, much bigger and taller – about 120 feet tall. I do not know of any privacy fence that could do anything worthwhile. On the other hand, the new Stargel Stadium will be built in a residential area on vacant land had been slated for further residential housing. People who bought houses there expected to live adjacent to other houses, not a high school stadium. Utilities are now being moved. There is a water main 42 inches in diameter that currently runs under Stargel Stadium. It will be moved, probably to under Ezzard Charles. It is a redundant line in that other water mains can handle its water on a temporary basis. It will be shut off, moved, and restarted. When I asked how much of all this was being paid for by the city (i.e., the taxpayers), no one present had an answer. Jeffrey Berding, who probably did know the answer, had already left the meeting. Copies of the Community Benefits Agreement, which was signed by Jeffrey Berding of FC Cincinnati, was available at the end of the meeting. Among other things the agreement states that FCC’s full time hourly employees will be paid at least $15 per hour. No mention, however, is made of what its part-time employees will be paid. This is important because many stadium workers will be part time as they will primarily be needed on game days. There is very little that is mentioned about the parking situation. There might be a permit program enacted but details are unclear except that any plan depends upon a majority vote of the West End Community Council. As for parking during events at the stadium, FC Cincinnati commits to work with a working group of community representatives to develop a strategy. While it is nice that they commit to work with the neighborhood, it appears that FCC does not yet have a strategy to provide the several thousands of needed parking places, nor is it clear what that strategy would be. There will be monthly reports to the Port Authority, so there will be more details in the future. MEP Height of Proposed Soccer Stadium along John Street THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �FEATURE 8 N o v 216 - -NNov. o v 19, 2 02018 18 | N o . 393 Nov. 30, | No. 394 The Dark Side of Justice: Dred Scott v. Citizens United TRENTON DAVIS Contributing Writer I n 1839, a man and his wife traveled down the Mississippi River towards Louisiana. He and his wife had been married for about three years and were traveling over a thousand miles from the Wisconsin Territory to Louisiana. He, a thirty-nine-year-old Black man, was likely unaware of how this trip would change his life. And change the course of American History. Before the trip, Dred Scott lived in Wisconsin and Illinois: free states where slavery was prohibited. After living in free territories for eight years, in 1847, Mr. Scott found himself in a Missouri court, suing for his freedom. Three years after that, in 1850, a court ruled that Dred Scott and his family were free. Then, in 1852 and 1854, the decision was overturned, and the courts subsequently upheld the decision that Dred Scott was not free. In a final appeal to “Justice”, Dred Scott appealed to the Supreme Court. The majority opinion was read in March of 1857. Dred Scott, as well as all Black people in America, had no rights in federal court. Blacks were told that they were the property of people. 157 years later, in January of 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations deserve the same rights that were denied to Dred Scott. It took until 1868 for the 14th Amendment to guarantee that no “State [may]… deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” That was 249 years after the first slave arrived; and yet, equality under the law was still not guaranteed. In 2008, a conservative media group created a documentary called Hillary: The Movie. Because of its proximity to a primary election, a concurrent US law called the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act would have forced Citizen’s United to disclose the names of funders and identification of sponsors. The corporation sued for its right to the freedom of speech. And in 2010, corporations were not told they deserved less than equal rights in federal court. Corporations were not told that they were the property of people. Rather, the Citizen’s United vs. FEC decision said that “All men [and corporations] are created equal”. The first corporations in the US arrived around the time of the Revolution- sometime in the 1770s. However, the first major corporation, Boston Manufacturing Co. was formed in 1813. Depending on which date you choose to acknowledge, the modern corporation waited between 197 and 240 years for its freedom. Now, we are here. Almost 400 years after the first slave arrived. Our nation is now de-facto segregated. Black men are shot armed only with their blackness. Kneeling protesters are told to silence the sound of their blackness. In our great city of Cincinnati, “Residents… of Mount Lookout or Columbia Tusculum live to an average age of 88 years old, which is about 10 years longer than most Americans. However, just a few miles away in the Image Source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ neighborhood of South Fairmount, Dred_Scott_v._Sandford life expectancy is more than 20 years people now; perhaps, they should be at shorter.” (Krisberg, 2014) the front lines defending those rights Social and economic disparities as well. permeate all aspects of our culture. We’ve seen corporations take Could we call upon corporations to a stand for freedom. Nike did it by help lead a movement that guarantees backing Colin Kaepernick. Who will equal rights to all by investing in Black be next? businesses and culture? After all, corporations have the same rights as Reflections On The Midterm Elections BILL WOODS Contributing Writer What are we to make of the results of the midterm elections? Too little time has elapsed to draw any definitive conclusions. Nevertheless, a few reflections seem to be in order. For one thing, a huge blue wave transforming U.S. politics did not take place. Furthermore, despite President Trump's victory tweets, a red wave did not occur. While Democrats can point to a major shift with their Party winning a majority of seats in the House of Representatives, Republicans can brag about picking up some extra Senate seats. Taking back the House of Representatives is actually a significant event for the Democrats, and it provides at least a two-year reprieve for those of us who believe in democracy. It required the Democrats to win at least twenty-three Republican House seats, and the number now stands at thirty-four or thirtyfive. Among the new House members are a number of women including a Muslim and a Native American. When the new Congress convenes in January, the House will be a much more diverse body then it is today. This Democratic House will serve as a check on the Trump Administration and the Republican controlled Senate. Plans to further cut housing and other critical safety net programs can now be blocked, and the ongoing efforts to eliminate the Affordable Care Act will end. Senator Mitch McConnell's goal to reduce funding for Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security in order to balance the budget will be challenged by Democrats who will show that the growing deficit can be directly linked to the huge 2017 tax cuts for corporations and the rich. As for forging innovative new policies, it is too early to tell whether any positive bipartisan legislation will be possible in Washington D.C's politically polarized environment. Ohio failed to join Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan; states that reversed their 2016 support for Trump and turned blue in 2018. Buckeye voters did return Sherrod Brown to the U.S Senate and elected an AfricanAmerican woman, Melody Stewart, to the Ohio Supreme Court. With its extremely gerrymandered legislative districts, Ohio kept its Republican majorities in the State Legislature, and no Congressional districts flipped from Republican to Democrat. Even though Ohio had its highest midterm voter turnout since 1994, the impact of new city and suburban voters was blunted in those districts drawn to counter metropolitan political preferences. What really revealed the Republican strength in Ohio were the outcomes of the races for the state's executive offices. The victory of Mike DeWine over Rich Cordray for Governor was more decisive than all the polls had indicated. Except for extreme gerrymandering, the factors that led Ohio to remain in the red column have yet to be evaluated. In reviewing local elections, Cincinnati and Hamilton County's returns give this area a deep blue hue. Longtime County Commissioner Chris Monzel lost his race to Stephanie Summerow Dumas, and now Democrats hold all the three Commission seats. If they had only run in Hamilton County, Jill Schiller and Aftab Pureval would be headed for Washington, D.C. as newly elected members of Congress. Meanwhile, the Children's Services Levy, which was opposed by many Republicans, won handily. In terms of other ballot issues, the City Charter Amendment proposal that would return City Council elections to two-year terms won out over the proposal for four year staggered terms. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED In addition, the proposal to restore individual contribution limits in campaigns for City Council and for Mayor received 87-percent of the ballots cast. However, activists who worked hard for the passage of State Issue I, the proposed Ohio Constitutional Amendment designed to reform the criminal justice system, saw their effort go down to defeat. This grassroots initiative to reduce penalties for non-violent crimes in Ohio was supported by reform groups and religious coalitions such as Project AMOS, but many judges and district attorneys opposed it as too sweeping a measure. The midterms appear to have restored some balance to our system of government, but there is still much to do to renew the democratic process at all levels. The fact that these elections will end up costing an estimated 5.2-billion dollars exposes the warping role of "big money" in political campaigns. Efforts to insure the right to vote and to eliminate partisan gerrymandering must also go forward. Reformers need to make a slogan out of the closing lines of a famous poem by Robert Frost. "We have miles to go before we sleep." �No. 39 Nov 2 30, - No v 19,| 2 0 18394 Nov. 163 -| Nov. 2018 No. 9 FEATURE Exploitation in Politics: The Treatment of Political Organizers by the Democratic Party Continuation from page 1 MORGAN MITCHELL Contributing Writer Common phrases organizers will hear from their bosses are: “Not everyone is cut out for this kind of work,” or “this is what you’re passionate about so it doesn’t feel like work,” or “this is necessary in order for us to win the election,” or “you were warned about this in your interview” or “this is for a good cause,” as if a cause that exploits labor can ever be considered “good.” Organizers are made to feel special, like superhero martyrs sacrificing themselves for the greater good. When in reality, no one is cut out to be exploited and work over 40 hours a week. Unions fought for 40 hour work weeks because studies show that working over 40 hours has negative effects on both employees and consequently the organization or company they are working for. Ihaab Syed, Secretary of the Campaign Workers Guild, a union recently formed by former campaign workers that fights for the rights of campaign political organizers, told Street Vibes that campaign workers need to reject the premise that overworking yourself and allowing yourself to be exploited is the path to victory for the causes that you care exploit them, right? Not necessarily, one could love their factory job, but still deserve a living wage and overtime. Syed also noted that if this kind of work is something you are passionate about, you should find a way to make it sustainable so you don’t have to change careers after experiencing burn-out. Full-time organizers who pursue this as a career are usually salary workers, meaning they aren’t paid hourly and don’t clock in or out. That seems convenient in theory, no matter what--you get paid for 40 hours a week. But exemption laws allow these workers to get exploited and work way over 40 hours and not get paid for it, all legally. At an event titled “Lunch and Learn” held at the University of Cincinnati’s Women’s Center on September 20th, when asked how to avoid exploitation in a field that regularly exploits workers, Kelly Freeman, Central/Southern Ohio Organizer for NARAL Pro-Ohio, and Stephanie Kollmann Baker, Senior Field Manager at Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region, said that one has to just get lucky with who their boss is and hope they are not allowing their employees to work over eight hours a day or 40 hours a week. That is hardly ever the case. If employers or the law aren’t going to help fight back against this Andy Thorburn’s campaign for CA39 House of Reps. He lost in the primaries. about. “It’s not fair to ask people to work past their breaking point.” By saying that people who are passionate about their job shouldn’t feel exploited, organizers’ employers are making them feel separated from the rest of the working class they belong to, above them in a sense. The exploited factory workers aren’t passionate about their work so that’s why it’s wrong to exploitation, what is? Unionizing. The Campaign Workers Guild is working with campaigns trying to do just that. Their website says, “We are campaign workers from across the United States who are committed to improving our work conditions, empowering organizers, and promoting healthy career longevity.” The Campaign Workers Guild works to improve pay, create processes to prevent and report sexual harassment, and fight for “the basic labor protections that all workers deserve.” Their end goal is for political campaign organizers is for their work to be fairly compensated, their experience properly valued, and their rights adequately protected. “Until then, we organize.” The Campaign Workers Guild has unionized over 23 campaigns, including the Ohio Democratic Party’s for union busting, to represent them at bargaining meetings. Only recently did the Democratic National Committee finally start paying their interns after it was reported that Republicans are more likely to do so. This doesn’t mean that Republicans are the party for the working class, their legislation and voting records say quite the opposite. Republicans just have donations from special interest groups such as the NRA that give more than enough Ohio democrats showing support for the Campaign Workers Guild. coordinated campaign, the Campaign for Ohio. On top of supporting unions like The Campaign Workers Guild, Democrats must also focus on electing more working class people into Congress and working on campaign finance reform. Right now according to data collected by Vox, “workers make up less than three percent of the average state legislature and the average member of Congress spent less than two percent of his or her entire precongressional career doing the kinds of jobs most Americans go to every day.” This means that a vast majority of the candidates exploiting their workers have never been in their shoes and studies show these Democrats won’t vote or draft legislation to help the workers that are the reason they got elected. Syed said that there is a lot of hypocrisy in political workplaces where they say they fight for 15 dollars an hour and healthcare for all, but then don’t give that to their workers. Syed mentioned that the Ohio Democratic Party hired Republican lawyers that specialize in “union avoidance,” which according to Syed is the polite term THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED funds to pay their interns. Fighting for campaign finance reform and publicly funded campaigns will even out the playing field between the two parties and there will be less pressure to work twice the amount of hours as Republicans in order to match their visibility bought with hundreds of advertisements. Right now, both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are enemies to the working class and until campaigns and political nonprofits stop exploiting their workers, Democrats can’t claim to be “progressive” or the party the working class can believe in. With 2020 elections just around the corner, Syed says campaign workers need allies on the outside who help push for them and support them emotionally and the best way to support campaign workers is to let them know unions exist that can and will represent them, they don’t have to be afraid to stand up for their rights and working conditions they want to see. Remind them It’s illegal to be retaliated against for trying to form a union at your workplace and back them up with whatever they decide to do. United we bargain, divided we beg. �10 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED N o v 216 - -NNov. o v 19, 2 02018 18 | N o . 393 Nov. 30, | No. 394 �STREET VOICE No. 39 Nov 2 30, - No v 19,| 2 0 18394 Nov. 163 -| Nov. 2018 No. 11 Walking in Over-the-Rhine The Struggle What was all of the fighting for human rights really for? Why struggle for rights when half of the world is wrong? Now that’s an eye sore! What are the marchers saying or what’re the boycotts all about? I have lived here most of my life. In the 1960s I went to Washington Park Elementary. Seeing the way things are going is very positive for me. From Fountain Square to Findley Market. Why do the people still cry for “Jesus to help?” For in God people know there’s no doubt What does being homeless have to do with all these dilemmas? Why the homeless get beat while the wrong There are a lot of nice restaurants like Venice on Vine. Their pizzas and hoagie taste great. Seeing all the old buildings being remodeled is really great. go free just to be later called a killer? I think the change is for the better to me. Today we as a people still have control of our I used to be hooked on heroine. I am now 28 years and 11 months clean. choices and decisions, So today let’s not forget the past, the marches, the boycotts or we’ll be in a collision, Collision course with the good, the bad, the ugly and the black and white syndrome, Collision course of who can do better or why should I help the person who’s all alone, We must never forget we live one day at a time so we must live just for today, We need never forget no matter how we live Just being able to walk and know that I am not feeling depression and all that comes with my old way of life. I live in a place called Tender Mercies. I have been there for 9 years. It is community housing for people who have mental disorders. I love it there because I have a place to lay my head and feeling really blessed to be there. in this life, we all will die anyway! I go to the YMCA everyday too. So since we all have that same common Seeing life from a positive point of view most of the time. Helps me to go throughout my day in a more positive way. ground which is six feet deep, Forgive the past and recognize that our future with God’s blessing is what we need!!! WILLA D. JONES Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer And now this is all I have to say. CLEO WOMBLES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �12 STREET VOICE N o v 16 2 --N o v 19, 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Nov. Nov. 30,22018 394 Short Story: Tent City Across America (Part 3) SABRINA AMOS Contributing Writer M r. Scott called Paul and offered to rent a bus to send everyone to Arrow City. People were excited about the trip. Eva was going to apply at the Walmart there. The days passed by quickly. There was less sunlight during and the temperature was in the 40s. Music was blasting through the camp continuously. Terry worked hard to collect fire woods. Three fire drums were burning at the same time. Paul was leaning against a tree as the leaves fell around him. The police drove by and looked at their camp. A policeman read their flag and the sign that said “God has blessed us. Praise Him and thank you to anybody that helped us to survive because we are citizens too.” Paul looked up into the racing clouds and said, “Thank you, God. We don’t want any trouble because the police left.” College kids approached the camp passing out hand warmers, gloves, and socks. Miss Sally passed out loaves of bread as everyone stood in line for bowls of chili from the truck on the street. The dog was in the front of the line on the side eating his bowl of chili. One of the regular donators was across the street taking pictures. The next day the bus arrived early. The bus pulled up and everyone ran out by the street with signs that said, “Welcome. Thank You. Big Hugs. Because it’s illegal to be homeless in this city.” Terry came out playing the song “I’m Happy” and everybody sang with him. The white Coach bus was quickly packed with equipment until nothing was left but a large steel drum. Dark smoke floated high among the clouds. Everyone was seated. Soft jazz music played and people sat with cups of hot chocolate and coffee. Some of the women began to silently cry tears of joy and said, “Praise God, we made it through these terrible times in this city.” The bus rolled out. Mary yelled out, “Such a glorious morning to be moving!” People started to sit back in their seats after small blankets were passed out. Three hours later, the bus pulled up to a rest place for gas. People got out to go to the bathroom and Billy walked the dog, who had been under his seat. They quickly reloaded the bus. Mary fell down while trying to get back because she didn’t take her pills—she had a mental health issue. Paul’s foot had gotten infected. He kept it bandaged as much as possible. It felt good to sit with his feet up. A few people called the temporary services they worked for and told them they would not return. One was told that there is a temp service office in the area of Arrow City. At one point, Mary’s husband Dave started to cuss because the bus wasn’t moving fast enough and he said their situation wasn’t being handled right. Mary said, “Calm down. All you need to do is find your pills.” He also dealt with mental health issues. As they got closer to Arrow City, they approached a burning building. There were at least fifteen cops nearby. Paul yelled that this was the first time they were very close to the police and they didn’t have any fear. Finally, the bus reached its destination and started to unload behind Mr. Scott’s building. Mr. Scott was at the back door telling people to put their things around the back door and use the conference rooms or settle outside. Everybody gathered in a circle for prayer and said, “Praise God, we have arrived!” Edited by Katelyn Lusher Streetvibes Writing Circle S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �STREET VOICE No. 39 Nov 230, - N2018 o v 19, 2 0 18 Nov. 163- |Nov. | No. 394 The Politically Polarized Mother Goose As I was walking to my poll to vote, I met a neighbor in a bright red coat. I politely asked where he had been? He said: "To make America great again." He then quizzed me: "How about you?" I said: "I'm on my way to turn Ohio blue." So, there was not much left for us to say. We're examples of a divided U.S.A. BILL WOODS Contributing Writer Shame Have you ever felt a shame So deep That You forgot who you are? So deep That You forgot If you were ever anyone, at all? And you don't know If you ever were Or ever will be Sorry enough For what they did to you. VICKY WARFIELD Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 13 �PUZZLES 14 Nov 2 o v 19, 18 | N o . 393 Nov. 16- -NNov. 30,2 02018 | No. 394 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 163 Across 1. Freshwater fish Down 5. Cramp 1. Wheeled vehicles 10. Uncommon 2. Blazing 14. From a great distance 3. Detection instrument 15. Spotted horse or pony 4. Assumption 16. Comply with 17. Travel by horse 18. Part of a church 19. Finishing line of a foot race 20. Hobo 22. Fabric used to dress wounds 23. Purposes 24. Soap opera 26. Weedy annual grass 28. Fleet 31. Man or boy 32. Affectation 35. Injure or wound seriously 37. Massive tropical tree 41. Female sheep 42. Related 44. Wonderment 45. Part of a flower 47. Small pond 48. Friendly nation 49. Fuel 51. Direct the course 53. Arachnid 56. Arid land 60. Mental or physical pain 61. Portable shelter 64. Flat metal tumbler in a lock 65. Song for solo voice 66. Attempted 68. Proboscis 69. Space for inserting a coin 5. Health resort 6. Tablet 7. Not in favor 8. Support or foundation 9. Deadly 10. Large circular room 11. Humiliate 12. Repulse 13. Optics 21. Animal foot 25. Acidic fruit 27. Garden tool 29. Cultivate by growing 30. Multiplied by 32. Liveliness and energy 33. Be in debt 34. Unit of play in tennis 36. Marketplace 38. Buddy 39. Nocturnal bird 40. Tonality 42. Happy 43. Require 46. Foment 48. Store of arms and ammunition 50. Resolve 52. Snakelike fish 53. Inclined to anger with overtones of menace 54. Earlier in time 55. Broadcast again 57. Conjure up 70. Relating to the moon 58. Organic compound 71. Similar 59. Tendency to change 72. Heaped wood used in a 60. Fastener for a door or lid funeral rite 62. Square root of eighty-one 73. Foe 63. Squad 74. Give temporari 67. Desiccated PUZZLE SOLUTIONS CROSSWORD #161 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 293 - MEDIUM SODOKU PUZZLE NO 291- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 Nov 230, - N2018 o v 19,| No. 2 0 18394 Nov. 163-| Nov. Central Access Point 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children Bethany House 557-2873 RESOURCES St. George Food Pantry 751-8771 2554 Dennis St. 45219 Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 621-7265 1528 Race St. 45202 Churches Active in Northside 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 591-2246 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 Salvation Army 762-5660 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 131 E. 12th Street 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 1125 Bank Street 45214 Shelter: Men Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men Shelterhouse 721-0643 Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 411 Gest St. 45203 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 2121 Vine Street 45202 1437 Walnut Street 45202 Prospect House 921-1613 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Starting Over 961-2256 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 Parkway Center 661-4620 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women Shelter: Youth Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Shelter: Family Interfaith Hospitality Network First Step Home 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 114 W. 14th Street 45202 Talbert House 221-HELP Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street 45202 Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Volunteers of America 381-1954 Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP Advocacy Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 VA 977-6800 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 Food/Clothing Health First Lutheran Church 421-0065 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 215 E. 14th St. 45202 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 Goodwill Industries 771-4800 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. 579-8547 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 1223 Main St. 45202 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 Talbert House 751-7747 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton County Office of Reentry 946-4304 138 E. Court Street Room # 101 First Floor Hamilton/Middletown Northern Kentucky 241-2965 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 UpSpring 363-3300 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 Joseph House (Veterans) 1522 Republic Street 45202 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 OTR Community Housing 381-1171 Other Resources AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Housing: McMicken Dental Clinic 352-6363 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 NAMI of Hamilton County 351-3500 PATH Outreach 977-4489 St. Raephaels 981-4200 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both 471-1100 15 859-491-8303 ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-572-6202 Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky 634 Scott St. 41011 859-291-4555 Want to advertise in Streetvibes? Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 Brighton Center (11-17 y/o) You can support our mission and spread the word about your 961-0600 business. For more information contact Gabriela Godinez Feregrino, Center for Respite Care 621-1868 email streetvibes@cincihomeless.org 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 386-7899 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 1730 Race Street 45202 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio $100 for 26 issues $150 for 26 issues and a $50 donation THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �16 N o v 216 - N o v 19, 2 02018 18 | N . 393 Nov. - Nov. 30, | oNo. 394 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BETTIE BAILEY SINCE 10/2017 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 BRIAN ADAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHARLES WILLIAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHRISTOPHER KAIHATSU SINCE 7/2017 CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DARREL ROZIER SINCE 7/2017 DAVID MCCANE SINCE 2017 ERIC VALDEZ SINCE 2/2017 GERALD FRANKLIN SINCE 7/2017 GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 HENRY BRELAND SINCE 7/2017 JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009 JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2000 JENNY BURTON SINCE 7/2017 JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001 JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006 JOHN HORN JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008 J’TORI TYMAN SINCE 5/2014 KIM NGUYEN SINCE 7/2017 KENNY BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008 LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007 LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009 LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MARK SHEARS SINCE 4/2012 MAURICE GOLSBY MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MIKE CARANO SINCE 4/2016 RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 1999 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 STACIA HOLLANDER SINCE 2017 STEPHANIE EAKES SINCE 7/2017 SYLVESTER WALKER SINCE 7/2017 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2011 VICTOR MUMPHRY WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 WINNIE RICE SINCE 7/2017 QUEENACELASTINE SINCE 7/2017 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 VIOLET COLLINS SINCE 2017 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2018 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource November 16-November 30, 2018 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Exploitation in Politics Pg 2: From the Director Alms Hill Residents Celebrate Pg 3: Underreported Cincinnati “Solves” Homeless Crisis by Hiding It Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: Attendees Discuss Healing, Solidarity and Action in Wake of Anti-Jewish Killings in Pittsburgh NRA and Mass Shootings Pg 6: How to Respond to Panhandling Pg 7: Post-Kavanaugh is No different than Pre-Kavanaugh The New Soccer Stadium in the West End Pg 8: The Dark Side of Justice Reflections on the Midterm Elections Pg 9: Exploitation in Politics Pg 10: GCHC Pg 11: Street Voice Pg 12: Short Story Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource November 16-November 30, 2018 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Brian Taylor Morgan Mitchel Daulton King Micheal Earl Patton Patricia Patton Allie Graff Bill Woods Trenton Davis Cleo Wombles Willa Jones Sabrina Amos Dr. Mark Mussman Vicky Warfield Homeless Coalition Wikipedia (Fair Use) Morgan Mitchell Gabriela Godinez Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Allie Graff Alms Hill Bill Woods Brian Taylor Cincinnati Cleo Wombles Daulton King Democrats Dr. Mark Mussman Dred Scott FC Gabriela Godinez Homeless Coalition Josh Spring Kavanaugh Micheal Earl Patton Morgan Mitchel Morgan Mitchell NRA Patricia Patton Pittsburgh politics Sabrina Amos Shootings Soccer Trenton Davis Vicky Warfield Wikipedia (Fair Use) Willa Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/b435990c9158e8301824bf2d2df46d8a.pdf d72aacbfba979670978264c9e8f84bf3 PDF Text Text D e c e m b e r 1 4 t h - D e c e m b e r 2 8 t h 2 0 1 8 | Vo l . 2 1 I s s u e 2 3 ( N o . 3 9 6 ) 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. Push Back or get Pushed Out Local public art found in Over-The-Rhine Article on page 8 This Issue is sponsored by Cecilia and Tom Kloecker Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 12 �2 COALITION N o v 14 2 - -NDec. o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Dec. 15,2 02018 396 From The Director: E very year at this time we work with our Member Organizations to gather the names of people whose lives were cut short by homelessness throughout the year. This is a very grounding process. It is the ultimate proof of why our Homeless Coalition must exist and why we as a society, must end homelessness. People have immeasurable value. In this human existence you cant get simpler than the sanctity of human life. As we are always proclaiming, homelessness is a systemic problem that can be ended with significant systemic change and replacement of the existing structures that cause and sustain it. We are not finished collecting this year’s list of peoples’ names, but thus far, the average age of people who have passed is fifty-one. How can it be that we have a problem caused by lack of investment in affordable housing, publicly incentivized displacement and gentrification, unjust eviction processes and criminalization that results in the death of people and we haven’t fixed the problems? Greed, prejudice, ethnocentrism, racism and classism sit strongly as pieces of the foundation that continue to uphold this life-stealing problem. And often, people turn a blind eye to oppression, hardship and suffering and are distracted by less important decisions or are afraid to risk their own balance to fight. Sometimes people feel they don’t have enough power to make change. Human Life JOSH SPRING Executive Director Josh Spring Credit: Homeless Coalition Many times when a person dies, it is said that: “it was their time to go”. And certainly, many people have had the opportunity to reach the natural end of their days on earth. But for people whose lives have been shortened by homelessness, for the people on this year’s list, it was not “their time to go”. “Their time to go” whenever that would have been, was stolen. They and those around them were deprived of that time and all the time in between. The general standard when a person steals is that they are prosecuted (even when that isn’t always the right thing to do). When someone directly murders another person, the standard is that they are tried for a crime. What about when it’s a society? What about when it’s systems, run and maintained by people? Shouldn’t we as a people bring these systems to trial, prove their guilt and dismantle them? The immeasurable value of human life dictates that we must do all that is humanly possible to prevent loss of life and instead empower fruitful, joyful lives. Through organizing, advocating, educating each other, demanding, strategizing, and building our peoples’ strength, we can accomplish this. We truly can end homelessness. Just like the death of our people this year at the average age of fifty-one was not inevitable, neither is homelessness. Homelessness ends human life, but the systems that create it are created by humans and can be ended by humansby us! Thank you to all of you who are using your own strengths and experiences to be a part of fighting for processes, interactions and systems that have a foundation of valuing people and stand as a force against injustice. Please join us on Friday, December 21st at 5:30 PM in Washington Park as we join with people across the country on National Homeless Memorial Day. Together we will honor and remember those of us who have left earth early because of homelessness and we will further galvanize our commitment to ending homelessness. Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor: Gabriela Godinez Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Sallie Mascus Layout: Gabriela Godinez Reception: Bonita Batton, Larry Johnson Maintenance: Pete Roper ------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Brian Taylor, Micheal Earl Patton, Bill Woods, Willa Jones, Dr. Mark Mussman, Kim Green, Robert Park, Siqi Cheng, Leah Rutz, Yuliya Milkitin, Kristina McKinley, M.T. ------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: Homeless Coalition, Wikipedia (Fair Use), Morgan Mitchell, Gabriela Godinez ---------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 Nov 215, - N2018 o v 19, 2 0 18 Dec. 143-|Dec. | No. 396 3 COALITION The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition is Awarded Yuliya Mikitin Contributing Writer O n December 6th, 2018 the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition attended the Tri State of Financial Institutions League Holiday Luncheon. According to their website, “TSL is a community and forum of small community banks, savings and loan associations, savings banks and building loan companies in Northern Kentucky and Southeastern Indiana”. They have generously chosen us as their designated charity for 2018 and for that we are so thankful because without outside donations from our members and from people within the TSL community we wouldn’t be able to do the work that we are doing. In April they provided us with sanitary items to help alleviate the costs of running the office and then this past event we received a $7,500 donation. Lauren Bailey and I were in attendance and Lauren gave an amazing speech on the different areas of work that we focus on such as advocacy, education, and Streetvibes. After the speech, someone attending the event donated a gift card to us that we plan on using at our Annual Dinner on December 13th. We were surprised that so many of the professional bankers attending the event donated their money to our great cause and were able to later make connections from Lauren’s speech and reach out to us and donate the gifts they received in the gift exchange. I cannot stress the importance of our organization members and outside donations that keep us above water. We are proud to not be government funded or funded through organizations that do not support everything that we stand for. The Homeless Coalition and their work is truly for the community and keeping affordable housing affordable while providing some direct services such as the Streetvibes newspaper. Thanksgiving has passed but we are always grateful. Happy Holidays and thank you again to TSL for their hospitality and kindness. Findlay Playground Leah Rutz Contributing Writer T he opening sentence of a Cincinnati Local 12 article published in late October titled, Over-the-Rhine park that's a hotbed for crime closing; new park to be built, reads as follows, “In the hopes of pushing out the bad guys and building a better park, Findlay Playground in Over-the-Rhine will close.” This language immediately registers to me as classist propaganda used to attack the low-income residents of Over the Rhine. The phrase that sticks out the most being, “bad guys.” This playful term is an indication of the glossed over discrimination towards certain race and class demographics in Over the Rhine, the vast majority of Findlay Playground users. Working class people of color. The author of this article must be referring to them, because there’s no way he is referring to criminals. Crime maps have shown that there is no specific “hotbed” in the playground, contrary to the title of the article. I critically perceived this article as an announcement of plans to displace more OTR residents, this time heading north of Liberty, as much of the region south of Liberty has already been touched by the gentrifying hands of private developers. The tactics for reducing crime in a park were left up to the imagination since this and other articles gave no specific information, and I imagined heavy policing, privatization, and inaccessibility. At the very least, closing the park would have an impact on those who use it. I had a lot of questions for the city and the Cincinnati Recreation Commission, the current owners of the property, so I sent some emails. One of my questions was answered: the renovation plans will in fact involve private developers as well as public and faith based organizations. The other questions, like, when will the community input take place? And, what are the demolition and construction plans for the park? What is the timeline? Remained unanswered. I understand that the plans supposedly will not be concrete until proper community engagement has taken place, but it’s also abundantly obvious that a closing wouldn’t have been publicly announced if the CRC didn’t already have at least an idea of what was to become of the park. I was told that safety and design issues were identified through the CPTED process, which stands for Crime Prevention through Environmental Design. Nothing else was specified. Such a lack of transparency for a public space is not appropriate. I also had questions for the people who live near the playground and use it regularly, so I’ve asked them too, in canvassing groups with the Cincinnati Homeless Coalition. Our questions started out vague and broad, and so did the people’s responses. There was a general disposition of somberness or apathy towards the closing. Some people said that they’d really like to see a better playground for the kids, maybe get a bathroom and nicer grills. One individual I spoke to was interested in increased security, but most others were not. Many people spoke of their disdain for greater police presence because they have been subject to stop-and-frisks while walking home from a corner store or leaving work. A stop-and-frisk is the act of a police officer briefly detaining a civilian and searching them for weapons or contraband. These stops are very racially charged, inconvenient and humiliating for those being detained just for walking through a public space. To a lot of the people I talked to living north of Liberty Street, increased police presence does not make them feel safer, it makes them feel paranoia, criminalized, and less safe. Another frequent topic that came up when park users started to share a little bit more about what closing and renovating Findlay would mean to them, was the aftermath of the Washington Park makeover. One individual gestured towards the table where he was playing dominos and pointed out that Washington Park didn’t have any tables anymore for people to sit for extended periods of time. Someone said that it’s clear which population these parks are serving when you stop to recognize that basketball courts were replaced with a dog park. A few people told me that they’d been shooed away from the space near the dog park for loitering without THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED a dog. One person agreed when I asked if it felt like the city cared more about dogs than people. Most of the folks we canvassed felt certain that they’d no longer be welcome in one of the only neutral free public places that existed in OTR after the closing and reconstruction. They felt, to put it frankly, that the park closure and renovation was a plan to attract White middle class Cincinnatians and further displace working or unemployed people of color who could not or prefer not to pay for private amenities. I agree with them. From what I’ve come to understand, criminality is a systemic issue that favors the wealthy and punishes the poor. The crime of carrying an open container, for instance, is illegal in a public place like a park, but conveniently, it is legal when it is sold in said park and money can be made off of it. If you can afford the time and expenses of owning a dog, then you get a VIP pass to Washington Park. But if you don’t, and you perhaps instead need to take a nap on a bench, you are escorted away so that you don’t make the dog owners feel uncomfortable. While public parks are a major player when it comes to the affordability and accessibility of a neighborhood, the issue of displacement goes far deeper than that. Cincinnati in particular has got a lot of soul searching to do when it comes to this sort of displacement. Perhaps we can start by asking ourselves, who are the “bad guys” here? �4 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED N o v 214 - N v 19,15, 2 02018 18 | N| oNo. . 393 Dec. - oDec. 396 �No. 39 ov 2 15, - N o2018 v 19, |2No. 0 18396 Dec. 143 -| N Dec. 5 LOCAL The Hidden Costs of Being a Sexual Assault Survivor Siqi Cheng Contributing Writer O n August 23rd, I went into the University of Cincinnati Medical Center (UCMC) emergency department seeking a sexual assault forensic exam, commonly known as a “rape kit.” After roughly six hours of examination, I was discharged with an after-visit summary which included the names of the antibiotics and blood tests I was given and a two-page attachment on sexual assault. I had a campus-based advocate from Women Helping Women accompany me during the emergency room visit. She informed me that the cost of the emergency room visit, along with the rape kit, would be covered by state funding that serves and supports sexual assault survivors. State funding for these emergency services is crucial because emergency room visits and the forensic exams conducted by specially trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) are expensive. A forensic exam bill alone is anywhere from $900 to $1200 per survivor. According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the US, evidence from sexual assault forensic exams increases the likelihood of identifying the perpetrator, carries significant weight in court, holds perpetrators accountable, and prevents future sexual assaults from occurring. In fact, prosecution of sexual assault is unlikely to proceed without DNA evidence. On October 26th, I received a bill from my insurance company notifying me of the amount of money I owed UCMC for my emergency room visit two months prior. The bill came as a total surprise. The fact that I was charged for my emergency room visit has serious implications. All sexual assault forensic exams take place in a hospital’s emergency unit. If survivors are billed for these visits, it means they need to have the financial means to cover the emergency medical care and forensic exam. This financial barrier deters survivors from seeking care and preserving forensic evidence, decreasing their chances to effectively pursue justice. Making sense of my emergency room bill was incredibly difficult. I called the UC Health patient financial services department five times asking for clarification. First, I wanted to know which services I was being charged for. Second, I wanted to discuss how getting an emergency room bill could be a privacy violation. I wasn’t expecting one to be sent to my home. If the bill was sent to my parents, it would have forced me to disclose the assault to them before I was ready. Third, I wanted to know more about the state funding that supposedly covers sexual assault exams through a program called “SAFE” (Sexual Assault Forensic Examination). Since these exams take place in emergency units, why aren’t the bills covered? And what will it cost for a survivor to have an exam? None of my conversations with all UC Health representatives were helpful. One told me they would draft an email to me and their supervisor. It’s been roughly two weeks and I have yet to receive that email. Most of the representatives I spoke to informed me my bill was flagged for review because of my initial inquiry and that they would get back to me once the review was through. Another rep told me that the state of Ohio only covers the SANE cost and facility fee during the survivor’s emergency room visit; other essential parts of medical care like antibiotics to prevent STIs and physician's fees aren’t covered. That isn’t true. I met with my Women Helping Women advocate to discuss the funding issue. I saw this an opportunity to press for more state funding to cover emergency room costs and alleviate the financial burden for survivors to seek care and preserve crucial evidence. The advocate was surprised to learn that I was billed for my emergency room visit since I only accessed the forensic exam, antibiotics, and blood tests to test for Hepatitis-C and HIV. She reached out to her colleagues inquiring about the situation, and I finally got the answers I needed. The sexual assault exams that are funded through the Ohio Attorney General’s office include emergency room bills. SAFE’s website states that the program “pays for the cost of a forensic examination and the antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent sexually transmitted infections. The program reimburses medical facilities directly in the hopes of reducing the burden of dealing with billing issues for survivors of sexual assault.” I called the SAFE office to ensure that I understood the language correctly. The person I talked to asked which services I received in the emergency room. Then she told me to disregard the bill and that she would contact UC Health about the issue. I researched why UCMC would send the bill to my insurance company despite the fact that they could get reimbursed from the SAFE program. UCMC has been a tax-exempt nonprofit since 1996, meaning that it pays no income taxes and no property taxes. In exchange for the tax break, UCMC is legally mandated to provide a benefit for the community as a safety net hospital by serving a proportionately higher number of uninsured, Medicaid, Medicare and low-income individuals than other non-safety net hospitals. The reimbursement rate from public coverage programs like Medicaid and Medicare is less than the amount billed or the amount that a private insurance company would pay. SAFE funding operates much like a public coverage program. By transferring the cost to my insurance company and me to get a dollar-to-dollar reimbursement, UCMC has prioritized their financial needs with little concern for me as a patient and a sexual assault survivor. Surviving my sexual assault has been a difficult. I’m still trying to understand and process the experience. The emergency room visit was the first step for me to seek care, healing, and justice. So much of the process I went through was laden with barriers due to UCMC’s practices. I was fortunate enough to have the personal network, literacy, and time to look into the funding issue and find a resolution. Not every survivor can say the same. The emergency room bill is only a small part of the immediate cost of surviving sexual assault. According to National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, rape is the most costly of all crimes to its victims, with total estimated costs at $127 billion a year (excluding the cost of child sexual abuse). Research has estimated that each rape costs $151,423. UC Medical Center and UC Health need to take concrete steps to support sexual assault survivors. They need to work with survivors and advocates to develop information about options for hospital billing. If survivors access services not covered by criminal justice reimbursement, UC Health needs to create a clear process implemented with informed consent policies that will maintain the patient’s privacy and address any safety concern. In order to build a supportive community and culture for survivors on campus and beyond, we need to acknowledge survivors’ financial needs and enforce better treatment when we navigate the consequences of obtaining medical care. If there’s a remote possibility that the cost of an emergency room visit would make forensic exams inaccessible for financial reasons, we’re failing survivors. I hope to be the last survivor wronged by UCMC. (If you’re a survivor and you receive an emergency room bill for your forensic exam, please contact SAFE program at 614-466-4797 or email at SAFE@OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov.) The Unhuman Condition Kristina McKinley Contributing Writer A man has never asked me what it is like to go through a menstrual cycle, out of concern or even morbid curiosity. No man has ever asked what happens to me during the week that my body and my brain get hijacked. Hormones make me think the world is out to get me and everything makes me cry. I can put a smile on my face but no one talks to me because I might crack and break into pieces. What I have heard from men is, “It’s just cramps…” like they have ever experienced anything similar. It makes me want to plant a swift kick to their nuts so to explain, “That pain in your belly might come close to what I deal with every month.” I have been conditioned my entire life to think that I should just be able to push through this and function normally while I’m experiencing immense pain that - in an article I read recently - was equated to the pain of a heart attack. A HEART ATTACK. My condition has a name. It starts with a “D” and is long and difficult to pronounce. Kind of like the pain I feel when I’m experiencing cramps – long and difficult to articulate. No one would ever ask this of men. They’ve skipped class and called off work for much less and, “it’s okay, because they’re men.” The functioning world is like one big boys’ club. Medically, I have done everything I can do. Countless conversations with my reproductive health physician, birth control to manage the pain, and Aleve in the biggest doses the bottle says I can have… just to try to go to work and stay upright for 8 hours. Sometimes I can muscle through. Other times, I have to leave early and I have no good excuse except that my body is revolting against me. A male staff member asked me if I was feeling better after having to leave early the day before. “Is it the weather or allergies or…?” His inquiry was lengthy. How do I explain to a man that my period nearly kills me every month when even the word “period” makes men’s eyes peel back in horror THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED and disgust? It’s how they’ve been conditioned, since they were teens. How women and men have been conditioned prevents women from having honest conversations with their partners, co-workers, and friends about things that affect them on a regular basis. If my bosses were men, I would never dream of asking to leave early. A woman is expected to power on through her day; even though, secretly, she has a headache, pain that feels like a heart attack in her uterus, total body tiredness, and her brain can’t focus because all of the emotions are about to boil over and create an all-out sob fest for no reason other than someone smiled in her general direction. �6 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED N o v 214 - N v 19,15, 2 0 2018 18 | N| oNo. . 393 Dec. - oDec. 396 �No. 39 3 |- N ov 2 -15, N o2018 v 19, |2No. 0 18396 Dec. 14 Dec. 7 LOCAL IHN: Living Your Spirituality to Help Others MICHEAL PATTON I Contributing Writer HN, the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cincinnati and one of the members of the Homeless Coalition, had their Faith in Action Breakfast at Crossroads Oakley this past December 5. About two hundred supporters attended. I was there, both as a long-time supporter of IHN and also because I wanted to hear keynote speaker Jim Wallis. He is a best-selling author and the founder of Sojourners, a Christian magazine that reports on social justice issues. It was time well spent. IHN provides homeless families – dogs and cats included! -- with emergency shelter through its interfaith partners or host congregations who provide hot meals and shelter for the night. Its 2017 Annual Report lists dozens of host, support, and funding congregations, from Catholic parishes to the Tri-State Free Thinkers. During the day the families meet with the IHN staff at the day center to plan what the families need to do to get back into long-term housing. And, of course, those who are employed continue to work at those jobs. IHN follows a “housing first” strategy – first take care of the family’s housing needs and then work on the other issues. This strategy has been endorsed by HUD, the Department of Housing and Urban Development. IHN’s annual report puts some numbers to this: 366 families for a total of 1,290 individuals, 66% of them were children and 28% of the individuals had some kind of disabling condition. And success: after two years 85% of the families served in the IHN shelter stayed in their housing and did not return to homelessness. Keynote speaker Jim Wallis talked about the need for the people of faith to change the world because what is needed to be done will not happen without them. As he put it, people of faith are the ones who stop trains that have to be stopped. Service to others opens our eyes, and not just to people whom we know. As he put it, meeting people whom he was “never supposed to meet” changed his life. And, if we do not learn from people whom we help, we are not really helping. At times Jim Wallis spoke of how seriously wrong some things are with our country. He called racism “America’s Original Sin.” It was not slavery, although that is often given as the answer. One problem with that answer is that since we have gotten rid of slavery, the implication is that we have also cleansed ourselves of original sin even as we ignore racism. American slavery was based on the social construct that one people were inferior to another. Greeks and Romans had slaves but did not base it on this lie. Some of their slaves even taught the children of their owners – which would have been unthinkable in American slavery. He talked about the GI Bill paying for a college education and FHA loans to white soldiers who had served in World War II. With an education and a house you reached middle class. Racism ensured that no black soldiers got those benefits. I asked him about that after his talk because I was pretty certain that the legislation itself was not racially biased. I also felt keenly about this issue since I know my own father benefited from the GI Bill, having served in the Korean War. I became an engineer in large part because my father was one, and that was because of the education he received through the GI Bill. Jim Wallis explained that the problem was the banks and the universities who excluded blacks, not the laws. It is possible that there were exceptions but he did not know of any. He spoke of the different perceptions between blacks and whites while looking at the same events. Most whites, 72%, think that incidents of police brutality and killings of blacks are isolated incidents while 82% of blacks think they are systemic. Because of this there is “The Talk,” which is when black parents instruct their kids how to behave in the presence of a white police officer. Jim Wallis is hopeful. Hope is not optimism since optimism is a mood or feeling. He said this is the winning side but we cannot see the party yet. We are not needed at the party but are needed now. He closed his talk with his definition of hope: Hope is believing in spite of the evidence and watching the evidence change. The closing benedictions were by ministers from congregations of diverse faith that support IHN. Rabbi Ben Chaidell of the Adath Israel Congregation went first and pointed out that at Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism, there is a reading from the prophet Isaiah which states fasting is not enough. We must also practice social justice and help the poor and the oppressed [Isaiah 57:14 – 58:14]. Imam Ihab Mohamed of the Ihsan Community Center pointed out that differences in faith were far less important than the similarities. Other benedictions were by Pastor Chuck Mingo of Crossroads Oakley and Reverend Connie Simon of the First Unitarian Church of Cincinnati. More information about the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cincinnati is found at their website, www.ihncincinnati.org. -Speaker Jim Wallis (left) and Imam Ihab Mohamed All-in-Cincinnati – A New Policy Agenda and Coalition to Address Poverty in Cincinnati BILL WOODS Contributing Writer C incinnati recently received some bad news from the U.S. Census Bureau. The city experienced a 4.2 percent increase in poverty from 2007 to 2017. This revelation of ten thousand more residents falling below the poverty line comes at time when a major project to reduce child poverty by ten percent, the Child Poverty Collaborative, is now in its third year. Attendees at the November 29th Forum at Christ Church Cathedral heard about a new initiative to address inequity and poverty in this city. "All-In Cincinnati " represents both a diverse coalition and an agenda to tackle these critical issues. Two members of the All-In Cincinnati Core Team, Michael Coffey of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation and Eileen Cooper Reed, former Director of the Children's Defense Fund's Cincinnati office, described AIC's evolution and progress to date. They also spent much of the session fielding questions and listening to the experiences of community activists and social service workers in the audience. What makes All-In Cincinnati unique? Eileen Cooper Reed stressed that this initiative was "all about policy." Unlike many previous undertakings that focus on establishing one or two big programs, All-In Cincinnati emphasizes policy development and implementation as the key elements to bringing about a more equitable community. The local group that started ALL-In Cincinnati was inspired by a conference sponsored by Policy Link several years ago in Los Angles that encouraged cities confronting major inequity issues to take this policy driven, coalition building approach. After returning to Cincinnati, the group decided to work with Policy Link, a national research and action institute that promotes racial and economic equity, to develop a plan and strategy to put such a process in place. Working quietly behind the scenes, a group of community organizations and funders began meeting. It includes the Urban League, LISC, the Child Poverty Collaborative, Project AMOS, the Black United Front, Strive Partnership, the City's Human Relations Commission, Interact For Health, the United Way, and the Greater Cincinnati Foundation. The first public action of this informal coalition, explained Michael Coffey,was the release last month of a report, "All-In Cincinnati: Equity Is The Path To inclusive Prosperity." The report synthesizes all recent data concerning inequity and poverty in Cincinnati, and it presents a policy agenda for forging a more equitable city and county. Recognizing that poor families and individuals do not have access to jobs that pay a living wage or to affordable housing, many of AIC's recommendations deal with these two issues. One section of the report focuses on "increasing the economic security and mobility of vulnerable families and workers, especially women of color who face barriers to employment." Another section calls for increasing access to "high quality, healthy, affordable homes," as well as policies that prevent displacement. Race, noted Coffey and Reed, must be acknowledged as a factor if progress is ever to be made in reducing inequity in Cincinnati. Both the report and the AIC coalition accept this fact, and women of color are spotlighted as the group that needs the greatest attention if we are serious about making progress. "Black and Latina women are the most THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED likely to be working full time," says the report, "and still remain economically insecure." Some of the veteran community activists in attendance agreed with AIC's focus on developing effective policies. Their concern was whether All-In Cincinnati has the will and ability to get such policies enacted and implemented. Several attendees talked about the difficulties in taking on the often indifferent or opposed political and economic establishment, and kept asking the speakers whether funders like the United Way would fund the kind of organizing needed to mount a successful grassroots policy campaign? Michael Coffey stressed the openness of the AIC process, and that anyone could attend its monthly meetings. In fact, he said that it was critical that all groups and individuals working on issues related to poverty and inequity join forces in effective collaboration. He also recognizes the major efforts needed to bring about needed but long overlooked change, and he invited anyone interested at the Forum to attend AIC's meeting that afternoon. �FEATURE 8 N o v 214 - -NDec. o v 19, 2 02018 18 | N o . 393 Dec. 15, | No. 396 Push Back or Get Pushed Out Dr. Mark Mussman Contributing Writer A t the last Over-the-Rhine Community Council meeting, representatives from Urban Sites and the Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce came with updates regarding a proposed Service Improvement District (SID) for the southern section of Over-the-Rhine. Downtown currently has a SID that funds Downtown Cincinnati Inc’s Downtown Ambassador program to physically clean up the sidewalks of downtown, and they wish to extend this type of program into Over-the-Rhine now that the property tax base has theoretically increased to an amount that could sustain the burden. This type of program can be characterized as a form of Neoliberalism, which is not a political ideology as much as an economic ideology. Simply put, neoliberalism can be seen in the privatization of public goods, services, funds, and wealth. We have seen unprecedented neoliberalism in Cincinnati in recent years. From the privatization of the City’s Planning Department in 2005 (now returned to the city), to the privatization of The Banks, Fountain Square, Washington Park, and Ziegler Park, there has been a concerted effort to funnel public money into private hands, such as the private non-profit organization 3CDC. 3CDC currently has “preferred developer” status from the City, which basically puts them in front of any line for public land and services. The designation as “preferred developer” is unclear at best, as there is no formal publicly controlled mechanism for the designation. It may have been the result of a backroom deal, lacking needed transparency. The prefered developer designation makes 3CDC a quasi-governmental organization, and as such, the President and CEO makes more than half a million in compensation each year, dwarfing even the City Manager or Mayor’s salaries. 3CDC has been funding sidewalk sweeping for some years in Over-theRhine, south of Liberty. According to the representatives, 3CDC has been providing about $250,000 each year to provide this service. They claim that there are 13 workers, who are paid a living wage with benefits. There are several questions to what is considered a living wage, and what benefits are received. 3CDC has stated that this program is no longer sustainable, and the proposed SID would generate $500,000 a year to establish and maintain a new non-profit to run the program. The proposed SID would be a shift of the economic burden from 3CDC to property owners in the neighborhood. Property owners would vote on the SID, not residents. The votes are also weighted, in that they need 60% of the linear footage to vote for the SID for it to pass. Once, passed, all property owners would be assessed an additional property tax to pay for the SID. The representative claimed that 3CDC and Urban Sites together own about 30% of the linear footage in the neighborhood, which means their two votes gives them 50% of the votes needed. Adding Over-the-Rhine Community Housing, Model Group, and POAH into the mix, it is unclear how many actual property owners would be needed to pass the SID. Questions as to whether the SID would increase rent in the neighborhood were downplayed at the meeting by the representatives. They said that it would not increase rents, although they did not provide any research to back up this claim. For those of us who live in “organic” affordable housing, we worry that increased taxes will force our rents to increase. Our landlords don’t receive subsidies from the government or promises from 3CDC regarding our tax burden. It is implausible that rents would remain affordable with additional taxes levied on our properties. Taken alone, the SID seems to be eroding naturally occurring Pool fees rose from 4 dollars a year to 4 dollars a day for youth through privatization affordable housing. But it needs to be seen in a much larger context. At the same meeting, there was a discussion of the privatization of the alley behind the Transept, on 12th and Elm Streets. At the meeting in October, it was stated that Model Group has purchased the alley behind Findlay Playground so that they can park their personal vehicles on it. Alleyways that have been granted a private lease for 4-5 years by the City have been found to be illegal closed off after their leases, or closed off without a lease by the organization Spring in Our Steps which strives to preserve public alleys and stairways. We are seeing a loss of alleyways in the West End to privatization, including the FC Cincinnati Stadium, which will also permanently close Central Avenue. The Stadium is displacing Taft High School’s stadium, many small businesses, a church, and many historic buildings, including the State Theater. This is just the beginning of displacement in the West End, where we are already seeing the loss of affordable housing at the Arts Apartment, and threats to Stanley Rowe Tower. Currently, there is a fight for Findlay Playground, which is located near McMicken on Vine Street. Past privatized parks include Washington Park and Ziegler Park. Washington Park is plastered with advertising from Bud Light, Southwest Airlines, Taft’s Ale House, Rhinegeist, 50 West, Christian Moerlein, PNC Bank, UC Health, and CommonBond. The cost to use the park is off the charts, as compared to other Cincinnati Parks. It has private security, with cameras, hostile design throughout, and a liquor license. Results of privatization of Ziegler Park include a swimming pool that went from $4/year to $4/day for the youth. The basketball courts can now be reserved for a fee, and the basketball court is simultaneously a Futsol Court, boasting sponsorship from FC Cincinnati. A representative from the CRC (Cincinnati Recreation Commission) said their goal it to make Findlay Playground “income generating” which may mean a parking garage, a stage area, or something else. Cincinnati Police have made recommendations to remove all seating, whether official or unintended, and put in a fitness course and dog park. The removal of the play area, grills, and basketball court, according to the police, would help remove people from the park. Other public initiatives, like the Liberty Street Pedestrian Safety Plan have been put on hold for private interests (FC Cincinnati), which erodes public control of our resources. Millions of public TIF monies that were earmarked for the Liberty Street improvements were transferred to the FC Cincinnati Stadium project. So in addition to the loss of the pedestrian safety improvements, the money was funneled into a private project. On Liberty and Elm sits a vacant field, which for many years was used to grow produce for Findlay Market. Now, as developers fight with residents as to what they can develop there, the field remains empty, and no produce is being grown for the community. There are parallels between these developments and the Main and Schiller development which is threatening a community garden and basketball courts. Fortunately, community organizations and youth are studying how to do development differently, with a focus on preventing displacement. Unless there is a concerted effort to fight Neoliberalism, we will lose all public spaces, facilities, and services to privatization. Just as there is an effort to privatize the federal Postal Service, there is clearly a increase cost privatization represents. Whether it be a publically funded SID, or the use of a park or swimming pool, the cost to use a private facility increases for the user. These costs will ultimately result in higher rents, as we saw when Ziegler Park was updated and nearby residents had their rents raised significantly. The landlord cited the updated park as the reason why the rents were increased. Ultimately, those residents were priced out of the neighborhood and they were forced to move. Who will be next? Spring in Our Steps fights to retain public spaces. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �9 FEATURE No. 39 Nov 2 15, - No v 19,| 2 0 18396 Dec. 143 -| Dec. 2018 No. Rent the Courts Notice for Ziegler Park. Alley behind Findlay Playground, being used for private parking. Facing pressure, Peaslee put This Building Not for Sale on their new mural. Central Avenue faces permanent closure for FC Cincinnati stadium, other alleys lost. Alleyway reportedly purchased by Model Group, bordering Findlay Playground. A fenced off Findlay Playground and Park area. Findlay Playground fenced off, displacing park attendees Central Avenue closed for FC Cincinnati Stadium. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �10 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED N o v 214 - -NDec. o v 19, 2 02018 18 | N o . 393 Dec. 15, | No. 396 �No. 39 Nov 2 15, - No v 19,| 2 0 18396 Dec. 143 -| Dec. 2018 No. 11 LOCAL It’s Time to Heal the Community Robert Brown I Contributing Writer was intrigued by the 2009 health care debate – actually nearly mesmerized. What particularly struck me was the quality of the public discourse or, more precisely, the degradation of the quality of the public dialogue. It was as if fact and truth had left the building and objective reality had become a quaint notion. In a lot of ways it appeared to be the political equivalent of the “dozens”. As quickly as the first “yo mama” was implied or expressed, the conversation veered into the ether where any hope of cobbling a solution to the vexing and challenging issue of providing adequate health care to our population was obliterated. I was prompted to take a closer look. Doubtless, the U.S. has an abundance of health care resources. Our providers are talented, competent and committed. They are among the best trained in the world. Our universities engage in cutting-edge and revolutionary research driving the development and adoption of advanced medical treatment and technology. Our facilities are first-rate and maintain superior capabilities. These institutions strive to establish and promote everhigher levels of quality, patient care and safety. Looking closer though, our abundance of health care resources may in fact be an embarrassment of riches. The quality of any system is measured not only by the inputs but also by the outputs – in this case, our health outcomes. One metric by which health outcomes are assessed is cause-specific mortality rates – for the top causes of death, how many folks perish. Based on this single metric, U.S. health outcomes are mediocre at best. Actually, our outcomes are among the absolute worst compared to those of the balance of developed countries. There are even some third-world countries that have lower mortality rates than ours. While these national results are shockingly dismal, looking further we find that there’s more bad news. Narrowing the focus to metro Cincinnati, the mortality rates for the top ten causes of death are measurably higher than the national results! As we follow this path from merely mediocre to dismal, we find there’s even more. Narrowing the focus again to individual communities, we find particularly higher mortality rates in inner-city urban neighborhoods. There is even one neighborhood in Cincinnati where the mortality rate is nearly twice the rate of metro Cincinnati. Not only are these results abysmal, the disproportionality alone screams for attention and action. And may also reflect a shameful and unacceptable failure of humanity. Why the disparity you ask? The structural inequalities found in the general society are often magnified in inner-city urban communities. We find higher poverty, higher unemployment and higher crime rates. These conditions contribute to the deterioration of the social fabric of the community as well as the erosion of the physical infrastructure. Many in the population have limited capital resources and are denied access to health insurance. With little money and no insurance, it is unlikely that a person would have a regular source of primary medical care. Not only is it an economic burden to go to the doctor, it is an economic burden just to get to the doctor. Once there, the person must pray that the doctor doesn’t prescribe any medication because that too is unaffordable. So the person waits until the condition becomes unbearable and wanders into the emergency room or urgent care center. These institutions are not intended or structured to be primary health care sources. They do what they do in spades – competently and efficiently. But as a source for primary care, they are absolutely inappropriate. What about self-care? If a person eats properly and exercises, the person has the opportunity to maintain a reasonable level of good health. That’s right. Unfortunately, in many innercity communities, access to healthy diet options – fresh produce, low-fat, nutritious selections – are severely limited. The daily walk, jog or bicycle ride is constrained because the sidewalks are a mess. In addition, some residents choose not to be exposed to the risk of catching a stray bullet. Cynical explanations for the health inequities we observe cite free will as the underlying cause for the disparity. Constructed on an “us versus them” framework, “those people” are sicker, poorer than us, are dying more abundantly than us, because of the poor choices they make. They are impulsive, shiftless and lazy. They choose to be where they are – as if suggesting they want to endure misfortune and suffering. I believe this is a dangerous position to take. Not only does it betray a certain contempt for less fortunate people – who knows, maybe even for ourselves – , it ignores the reality that our acceptance of such dystopian conditions has a real effect on all of us and all our communities. Just because “those people” don’t live in your neighborhood doesn’t mean they are not your neighbors. What about points of access for health care? While it appears that many in the inner-city may lack access to “private” docs and caregivers, there are a number of community health centers offering a full range of care options – adult and pediatric clinical, dental, mental health care resources. There are FQHC’s (Federally Qualified Health Centers) specifically established to serve underserved communities, city-funded health centers, faith-based centers and other privately-funded clinics. I know the perception exists that “clinics” are subpar and somehow inferior to “private” medical care. I don’t know how widespread this impression is, but in my experience the quality of these community-based health centers rivals any private source. Not only are the people who staff these institutions as committed, competent, caring and dedicated as any others, in some cases, because of strong partnerships with the major hospitals and teaching institutions, service quality is enhanced. In an attempt to mitigate the economic condition and insurance status of the patients, many of these centers charge on a sliding scale based on income. I come from the day and age where the doc who birthed you was the doc who took you out. Not only did this same doc treat your parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncle and cousins, the doc would actually show up at your house to treat you. We are well beyond this idealized past. But the idea raises a fundamental question – a question rarely discussed. It centers on the relationship between the patient and the caregiver. I believe this is one of the most important and significant relationships a person can have. Patients need to find a caregiver they trust. They deserve and must demand someone who is accessible and present, sensitive to the nuances and subtleties of the individual patient. Patients must be encouraged and feel free to be completely open and candid and timely. The caregiver carries the additional burden of educating the patient about the parameters of his condition. The caregiver must make the patient understand the relationship between behavior and his condition and teach him to understand what symptoms to expect and how to respond. What we’re talking about here is health literacy and self care. This is a function of the partnership between patient and caregiver. The patient needs to be self aware – must learn to “listen” to his body – and must be able to communicate to a caregiver who is capable of listening and hearing what is going on. This degree of sensitivity is not limited to the primary caregiver, it must infuse the entire health care delivery organization. Why is it important that you know this information? Researching this information, I was thunderstruck by the seriousness of this issue. As I mentioned, my interest was ignited by the 2009 health care debate – and so was my frustration. Whenever this issue is discussed, dissemblance rears its ugly head. It’s kind of like watching a really, really bad magic trick, clumsy misdirection and all. We need to make this a central issue of open, vigorous, honest public discourse. When the PTB’s – Powers That Be – decide on allocation of resources to craft effective solutions to these challenges, we need the information to keep them honest. We need to know that we are waging the battle for ALL of us and we are being effective, efficient and successful. As such, I invite your input and feedback. Boeing’s VW Moment Robert Park Contributing Writer W ell, they didn’t do it on purpose, putting the travelling public at potentially fatal risk the way VW did when they scammed the diesel exhaust emissions regulations. The Boeing aircraft company joined the IT mafia and said let’s program the airplane and dumb-down the pilots so that we don’t have to worry about them putting their plane into a fixed stall (going too slow to stay flying). But we don’t want to make it look like a significant operating change that would require a lot of re-training for airlines buying the new Boeing 737 Max. So the marketing people had their way, the new manuals looked like an easy transition, no biggie. It just so happened that if you needed to switch off the automatic stall preventer in a hurry because it got confused and insisted on flying the plane into the ground, it wasn’t so easy to figure out how to do it. Some of the manuals may have even been defective, not to mention inadequate training requirements. It didn’t help that Lion Airlines, in Indonesia, had some bad habits of its own. The people telling us that selfdriving cars are going to be better than sliced bread ought to be having a few sober moments here, themselves. It’s those darn sensors; why aren’t they as smart as people. All those simulations with perfect streets, weather, signage, painted lines, no construction, predictable drivers, etc. looked really good. But even a million lines of code can’t stand up to the real world. And it would THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED be nice for a lot of us if our car could last 10 years without having multiple brain and nervous system transplants. So here are two morality plays for the corporate decision-makers planning our future. In the VW case, the splash back was a multi-billion dollar hit on Germany’s proudest players and richest thug-families (think Porshe). At Boeing, the liability is still unfolding on the 189 deaths and loss of the 100 million dollar plane. Maybe their lawyers can stick a lot of it on Lion Airlines… but then maybe Lion Air can stick it back on Boeing. �12 STREET VOICE The White House Christmas List Mother Goose The Donald has a Christmas list. At the top of his list is "The Wall." N o v 14 2 --N o v 19, 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Dec. Dec. 15,22018 396 Winter Haiku Night falls early now, Cutting short the bounds of day It hardly sends out a message As Winter beckons Of glad tidings to us all. BILL WOODS BRIAN TAYLOR Contributing Writer Contributing Writer About a Good Boy Perked ears, widened eyes Scratched doors, excited whimpers. "Time to go outside." M.T. Contributing Writer Streetvibes Writing Circle If you would like to submit a story for publication in streetvibes, come join Katelyn Lusher and Chris Wilkey for a group writing session! S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 Nov 215, - N2018 o v 19, 2 0 18 Dec. 143- |Dec. | No. 396 The Struggle STREET VOICE This Xmas 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!!!! WILLA D. JONES Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer This Xmas Has lots of hope And cheer for the New Year Family, and friends, Have lots of smiles And are near Presents, are here And dinner Will be served Lots of hope And love The promise of hope Seems to be Here on earth So give love And lots of thanks To God above To all families Big and small Merry Xmas to you all KIM GREEN Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 13 �PUZZLES 14 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 168 Across Down 1. Postage token 1. Celestial body 6. Hit with something flat 2. Melody 10. Line made from twisted 3. At the peak fibers 4. Method 14. Private instructor 5. Deliver a sermon 15. Expect and wish 6. Diffident 16. Finished 7. Rich soil 17. Positively charged 8. Month electrode 9. Writing implement 18. Tall story 10. Adult male swan 19. Flock 11. Open 20. Revoke 12. Variety show 22. Kind of mineral 13. Appliance for 24. Regret removing moisture 25. Sprocket 21. Closed circuits 27. Not as heavy 23. Matured 29. Extreme excess 26. Monetary aid 34. Pasture 28. Annoy continually 35. Former currency of Italy 29. Scale drawing 36. Animal feet 30. Animation 38. Adult male duck 31. Divisions of geological 42. From a great distance time 43. Informal photographs 32. Plaid 45. Desiccated 33. Mindful 46. Bird shelters 37. Mettle 48. Genuine 39. Song for solo voice 49. Make vocal music 40. Chess piece 50. Assistance 41. Boundary 52. Form a mental image 44. Cut 54. Sore 47. Sieve 58. Small cask or barrel 51. Compulsory force or 59. Type of tree threat 60. Clean-cut 53. Tropical lizard 62. Debris 54. Part of a corolla 67. Hints 55. Form of legal defense 69. Give off 56. Urge or force 71. Pointer 57. Restrict or confine 72. Assist in wrongdoing 61. Unit of length 73. Storage tower 63. Food from the husks 74. Inexperienced of cereal grains 75. Plant with pendulous 64. Two-masted sailing vessel flowers 65. Score of zero in squash 76. Cook slowly in liquid 66. Pitcher 77. Ire 68. Pig pen Nov 2 o v 19, 2 02018 18 | N o . 393 Dec. 14- -NDec. 15, | No. 396 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 389 - MEDIUM 70. Drag behind PUZZLE SOLUTIONS CROSSWORD #40 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 383- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 Nov 215, - N 2018 o v 19,| No. 2 0 18396 Dec. 143-| Dec. Central Access Point 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children Bethany House 557-2873 RESOURCES St. George Food Pantry 751-8771 2554 Dennis St. 45219 Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 621-7265 1528 Race St. 45202 Churches Active in Northside 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 591-2246 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 Salvation Army 762-5660 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 131 E. 12th Street 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 1125 Bank Street 45214 Shelter: Men Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men Shelterhouse 721-0643 Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 411 Gest St. 45203 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 2121 Vine Street 45202 1437 Walnut Street 45202 Prospect House 921-1613 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Starting Over 961-2256 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 Parkway Center 661-4620 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women Shelter: Youth Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Shelter: Family Interfaith Hospitality Network First Step Home 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 471-1100 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Joseph House (Veterans) Housing: 1522 Republic Street 45202 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 OTR Community Housing 381-1171 114 W. 14th Street 45202 Talbert House 221-HELP Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street 45202 Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Volunteers of America 381-1954 Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 241-2965 Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP Advocacy Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 VA 977-6800 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 UpSpring 363-3300 Food/Clothing Health 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 First Lutheran Church 421-0065 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 1730 Race Street 45202 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 15 Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 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 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 961-0600 business. For more information contact Gabriela Godinez Feregrino, Center for Respite Care 621-1868 email streetvibes@cincihomeless.org 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 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 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �16 N o v 216 - N o v 19, 2 02018 18 | N . 393 Nov. - Nov. 30, | oNo. 394 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BETTIE BAILEY SINCE 10/2017 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 BRIAN ADAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHARLES WILLIAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHRISTOPHER KAIHATSU SINCE 7/2017 CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DARREL ROZIER SINCE 7/2017 DAVID MCCANE SINCE 2017 ERIC VALDEZ SINCE 2/2017 GERALD FRANKLIN SINCE 7/2017 GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 HENRY BRELAND SINCE 7/2017 JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009 JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2000 JENNY BURTON SINCE 7/2017 JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001 JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006 JOHN HORN JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008 J’TORI TYMAN SINCE 5/2014 KIM NGUYEN SINCE 7/2017 KENNY BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008 LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007 LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009 LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MARK SHEARS SINCE 4/2012 MAURICE GOLSBY MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MIKE CARANO SINCE 4/2016 RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 1999 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 STACIA HOLLANDER SINCE 2017 STEPHANIE EAKES SINCE 7/2017 SYLVESTER WALKER SINCE 7/2017 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2011 VICTOR MUMPHRY WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 WINNIE RICE SINCE 7/2017 QUEENACELASTINE SINCE 7/2017 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 VIOLET COLLINS SINCE 2017 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2018 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource December 14-December 28, 2018 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From the Director Pg 3: The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition is Awarded Findlay Playground Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: The Hidden Costs of Being a Sexual Assault Survivor The Unhuman Condition Pg 6: Hoe to Respond to Panhandling Pg 7: IHN: Living Your Spirituality of Help Others All-In-Cincinnati Pg 8: Push Back or Get Pushed Out Pg 9: Feature Pg 10: GCHC Pg 11: It’s time to Heal the Community Boeing’s VW Moment 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 December 14-December 28, 2018 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Brian Taylor Micheal Earl Patton Bill Woods Willa Jones Dr. Mark Mussman Kim Green Robert Park Siqi Cheng Leah Rutz Yuliya Milkitin Kristina McKinley M.T. Homeless Coalition Wikipedia (Fair Use) Morgan Mitchell Gabriela Godinez Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF 3CDC Bill Woods Brian Taylor Cincinnati Dr. Mark Mussman Findlay Playground Gabriela Godinez GCHC Homeless Coalition IHN Josh Spring Kim Green Kristina McKinley Leah Rutz M.T. Micheal Earl Patton Morgan Mitchell Over-the-Rhine poverty Robert Park Sexual Assault Siqi Cheng Wikipedia (Fair Use) Willa Jones Yuliya Milkitin https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/ab3de947bdd825e108df5c91d23a3a2b.pdf b83266fdf36937487c6fc08fd33f12de PDF Text Text J a n ua r y 2 5 t h - F e b r ua r y 8 t h 2 0 1 9 | Vo l . 2 3 I s s u e 2 6 ( N o . 3 9 9 ) advo cating justice | building communit y Keep An Eye On... Any opinions in this issue are of the authors and don't necessarily represent Streetvibes or The Homeless Coalition. By Dr. Mark Mussman Article on page 8 This Issue is sponsored by Cecilia and Tom Kloecker Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 12 �2 COALITION N ov 2 o v 19, 0 18 || N o . 393 Jan. 25- -NFeb. 8, 22019 No. 399 From The Director: Are Niceties the Cost of True Niceness? Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor: Gabriela Godinez Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Sallie Mascus Josh Spring giving a speech. Credit:Amanda Meet Layout: Gabriela Godinez JOSH SPRING Executive Director O ften people in Cincinnati have this sense that one should always act both nicely and politely. For example, at times we have been criticized after gatherings and meetings for continuing to press questions, saying things that make some uncomfortable, questioning motivations, etc. Often these criticisms haven’t necessarily been of the content of what we were saying, just simply the fact that we were forcefully speaking or acting; that we were not being nice. Now, of course there is nothing generally wrong with being nice. However, not all situations call for niceties. Some issues call for being direct and truthful. Well all situations call for being truthful, but the truth often isn’t nice. That is a part of what is interesting about this prescription to be polite and nice. How often is it truthful and how often is it a cover for what is really going on? How often are we choosing to ignore real problems and not stop or change the systems that are causing them or take on the people at the helm of those systems? We live in a city where the life expectancy of a person can twenty years less depending upon which side of a particular street they live on. In Hamilton County over 56,000 households are trying to fit into less than 16,000 homes they can afford because we are short 40,000 affordable homes. As a result, on an average day in 2018, nearly 90 percent of families with children who sought shelter, were turned away, because there wasn’t room. If you are Black in Cincinnati you are more likely to be evicted from your home, be displaced so that someone who is white with more money can move in and more likely to die at a younger than average age. In the last 15 years we have spent at least a couple billion dollars on housing, yet homelessness is the worst it has ever been, because we have built luxury housing for people who already had homes at the expense of housing people with lower incomes can afford. We play host to some of the largest corporations in this country and even the world, yet there is no requirement that people be paid a living wage. In 2018 more than 109 people died with their lives cut short by homelessness. The thing is, none of this is nice or polite. Of course, when we are criticized, these are the truths we are speaking or the motivation for what we are saying or doing, but when I say, ‘none of this is nice or polite’, I’m not referring to the important reason’s to not be nice when confronting systems that cause these major problems and deaths. I mean literally these systemic problems are not nice or polite. In a town where politeness and niceties socially are championed, why don’t we choose these for those things that matter the most like the opportunity for a healthy life, with housing you can afford and income that covers needs? I think the reason is because as a community we end up putting more value on the superficial acts of being nice and polite. Holding corporations, legislators, developers, etc. accountable and forcefully making change as united People isn’t polite and nice. Our community often chooses the niceties of social interaction over the true niceness and politeness that would mean equal access to needs; conversational respect over respect of human life. Reception: Bonita Batton, Larry Johnson Maintenance: Pete Roper ------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Ashley Archibald, Zachary Headings, Tharanga Yakupitiyage,Riham Alkousaa, Danielle Engolo, Dr. Mark Mussman , Bill Woods, Birgit Müller, Maurice Golsby, Willa Denise Jones, Zy’auna Crawford, Kimore Gover, ------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: Homeless Coalition, Freeimage. com, Gabriela Godinez, Street Sense, Inter Press Service, Hinz& Kunzt, Reuters, Amanda Meek ---------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 Nov 28, - N o v 19, 2 0 399 18 Jan. 253 -| Feb. 2019 | No. 3 U.S. NEWS Microsoft loans $500 million to address the county’s housing crisis ASHLEY ARCHIBALD Real Change M icrosoft’s leaders announced 16 January that the company would forward $500 million in loans and grants to spur the construction of affordable housing throughout King County, Washington [which includes county seat Seattle], in an effort to lessen the twin crises of housing affordability and homelessness in its home region. The company will invest $225 million at lower-than-market-rate returns targeted at subsidizing the preservation and construction of middle-income housing on the east end of the county as well as $250 million at market-rate returns to support lowincome housing throughout the county. The remaining $25 million will be doled out in grants to address homelessness, according to a blog post by President Brad Smith and Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood. The first $10 million of that money will go to boost existing efforts, including the Home Base program, which helps people avoid eviction and funding the new joint agency between Seattle and King County to combat homelessness. To put the scale of the investment in perspective, Mayor Jenny Durkan wrote that the city of Seattle and other partners have invested $710 million in affordable housing over the past two years, which they anticipate will create 4,000 new affordable homes by 2022. According to the post, the company spent eight months designing the plan in partnership with real estate site Zillow, the Boston Consulting Group and Challenge Seattle, an alliance of leaders from the region’s 18 largest employers. The infusion of funds is important, but it’s only the beginning, Smith and Hood wrote. “Even more capital will be required. And more critical still is the need for public policy changes to make it easier and more attractive to build affordable housing,” the post reads. The gap between the number of jobs created and the number of housing units is vast. Microsoft found that since 2011, the number of jobs has spiked 21 per cent while the number of housing units constructed rose by only 13 per cent. The result is a severe pinch in supply that caused housing prices to rise 96 per cent in just eight years. The increase in prices has a direct impact on homelessness. An oftcited study found that for every $100 increase in rent, homelessness jumped up by 15 per cent. Despite significant improvements in the number of households exiting homelessness, the overall homeless population continues to grow year on year. Elected officials celebrated the announcement but acknowledged that the new investments were just part of a regional solution and that more help was needed from all levels of government and the private sector. “The problem is tremendous. This investment is a wedge of the pie chart that is a solution but just a wedge,” said King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci. “I hope this will motivate and challenge the rest of us, in government and the private sector to fill out the rest of that pie. We need workforce housing, affordable housing, assisted living, housing for people experiencing homelessness, senior housing, all of it.” Funding to build and preserve housing is one critical piece of the solution, but the political will to get it built — sometimes in the face of severe public opposition — is another. Seattle is in the midst of a fight over its Mandatory Housing Affordability policy, which opponents believe will disrupt the character of their neighborhoods and potentially result in more displacement of households that are hanging on by a thread. “That is one of our big challenges, that’s a rock we have to push up the hill,” Balducci said. Balducci represents the east side of King County, and lives in a neighborhood that was developed to house workers being reintegrated into communities after the wars of the mid20th century. There was opposition then too, she said. “People who lived there before my single-family neighborhood was built used to charmingly refer to it as ‘the monstrosity up the hill,’” Balducci said. She argues that creating new housing for low- and middle-income households will make for a healthier community by providing access to high-opportunity areas that are aligned with upward mobility and success. “That’s what we should be all about,” Balducci said. “We should be all about opportunity.” Courtesy of Real Change / INSP. ngo Serving up food and literature ZACHARY HEADINGS Street Sense A t the corner of 15th and Irving NW in Washington D.C., on a cold November morning, a man stands beside a cart laden with granola bars, fruit, bottles of water, and books. As people hurry by on their morning commute, he calls out, “Good morning! Free books! Free food!”. His name is Christopher Stewart and he tries to do this every month. Stewart is the librarian at Bell High School/Columbia Heights Education Campus, which serves 1,400 students in grades 6 - 12. He started offering food and books at that corner when he was first hired last year. The “brunch” that he offers is a continuation of a program that Stewart implemented when he worked at the Bellevue Public Library in Anacostia. He says that the brunch is an opportunity to recognize the epidemic of homelessness in the District and to encourage others to think about how they can help. “When people feel like they want to tackle homelessness, it becomes such a big issue that they draw back and say, ‘I can’t do anything about it. It’s too big’,” Stewart says. “In the grand scheme, [the brunch] is small. But it could brighten someone’s day.” More than 20 people stop at Stewart’s table during his hour on the corner. CHEC students make up most of Stewart’s patrons, but they are not his only focus. “It’s not necessarily targeted specifically at people who are homeless, because we want to build community,” Stewart explains. “I want people who are homeless, people who have homes, students, teachers, and everyone to just come and eat together and to discuss a great book and see how many similarities they have, as opposed to differences.” Frederick Carter, who lives nearby, strikes up a conversation with Stewart on his way past the table to catch a bus. While he does not take a book, Carter is appreciative of the offer of both books and food. “It’s always good to see a blessing first thing in the morning,” he says. Stewart describes having books on the street, free to pick up, as “liberating.” Anyone walking by on the street is welcome to stop and chat, grab some food, and take a book. Even if they do not have time to read, Stewart encourages public transit users to take a book and leave it on the seat. “It makes all the difference,” he says. Not long after Carter continued on his commute, several CHEC students hurried by Stewart’s table. The bell had rung and they were facing detentions, according to Stewart. “Did you all have breakfast?” he asked. “You’re already late. You may as well have something to eat.” Some of the students grabbed granola bars and water and hurried to class; others stayed for a few moments to talk about books they had read. A few students listed their interests and asked Stewart which book they should take. Some people don’t feel comfortable going to public libraries, according to Stewart. A common feeling of being overwhelmed by the contents of a library or insecure about one’s own research abilities while in a library has been labeled as “Library Anxiety ” in recent years. However, Stewart is more concerned about people avoiding public libraries due to their associations with government. For example, a 2017 essay published by Time magazine outlined discrimination against undocumented people in libraries and the organization Libraries Everywhere published a detailed report about concern over immigration enforcement in libraries. It is not all about the books, however. The food is an important aspect, too. “It’s amazing how things can happen and trickle into something else,” Stewart says. “You know, ‘I didn’t eat this morning, so I’m going to go THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED into work mad, so I’m not going to give great service, so I’m going to get fired from work. So now I can’t pay my bills. So something as small as feeding [people] is huge.” Right now, the brunch is a local event. The books were either donated by the American University radio station, WAMU, or purchased by Stewart at a thrift store. He purchases the food from local grocery stores. In the future, Stewart wants to scale it up. “I want to offer this each month, in each ward,” Stewart tells me. “[I want to have] an actual table set up with books and food. No formalities, just [the] community coming together for five seconds or five minutes to grab a bite to eat, pick up a book, and/or discuss a great read.” He plans to start offering the brunch in every ward next summer. Stewart’s eventual goal — or “hopeful dream,” as he puts it — is to open a small café that “empowers readership and has great food.” He wants it to be a pay-what-you-will establishment, where those that pay nothing are treated the same as those that pay a lot. “Community, hospitality, and a safe space is the goal,” Stewart says. “[That’s] where relationships are cultivated and where strangers become family.” Courtesy of Street Sense / INSP.ngo �4 ADVERTISMENT THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED NJan. o v 225 - N v 19, 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 - oFeb. 8,22019 399 �N o. 39 3 |- N ov 2 8, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Jan. 25 Feb. | No. 399 5 GLOBAL Eat Plants, Save the Planet A plantain farm on the outskirts of Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. Current food production is among the largest sources of environmental degradation across the world. Credit: Friday Phiri/IPS THARANGA YAKUPITIYAGE Inter Press Service W hile the modern agricultural system has helped stave off famines and feed the world’s 7 billion residents, the way we eat and produce food is posing a threat to future populations’ food security. With an expected increase in population to 10 billion by 2050, ensuring food security is more important than ever. However, current food production is among the largest sources of environmental degradation across the world. If such production and consumption patterns continue, we will soon exceed our planetary boundaries needed to survive and thrive. “It was quite dramatic to see how much those planetary boundaries would be exceeded if we don’t do anything,” said Marco Springmann, one of the authors of a report examining the impact of the food system on the environment. “The food system puts pressure on land management, in particular deforestation. If you knock down too many forests, you basically really mess up the regulating system of the ecosystem because forests store carbon dioxide but they also are habitats for wild species and biodiversity reservoirs,” he added. Over 40 per cent of the world’s land has been converted or set aside for agriculture alone. This has resulted in the loss of more than half of the world’s forests. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) notes that commercial agriculture is a key driver, especially the production of beef, soy beans, and palm oil. This can be seen in the Amazon where trees have been cut down and land converted to make way for agricultural activities such as cattle ranching and soy cultivation, much of which is used as animal feed rather than for human consumption. In fact, half of the planet’s usable land surface is devoted to livestock or the growing of feed for those animals, an area equivalent to North and South America combined. The intensive use of fertilisers has further diminished land productivity, leading to degradation and even desertification. Moreover, such actions have contributed significantly to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). According to the “Options for keeping the food system within environmental limits” report, published in the Nature journal, the food system emitted over 5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2010 alone. The study also estimates that the environmental effects of the food system could increase by 50-90 per cent without any targeted measures, beyond the “safe operating space for humanity.” Springmann pointed to three ambitious measures that are necessary in order to stay within environmental limits including technological improvements which can increase sustainable food production and thus decrease the demand for more cropland. Another measure seems to be even more daunting: shifting to a plantbased diet. “If you go even more plantbased that would be even better for greenhouse gas emissions, and also it is more well-balanced and better for your health. The estimates are such that we would reduce the pressure on land use if we changed our diets,” Springmann said. The Nature report found that dietary changes towards healthier diets could help reduce GHG emissions and other environmental impacts by almost 30 per cent. A new report from the EAT-Lancet Commission also highlighted the need for dietary changes for environmental sustainability and public health. “The food we eat and how we produce it determines the health of people and the planet, and we are currently getting this seriously wrong,” says one of the commission authors Tim Lang. “We need a significant overhaul, changing the global food system on a scale not seen before in ways appropriate to each country’s circumstances. While this is unchartered policy territory and these problems are not easily fixed, this goal is within reach.…the scientific targets we have devised for a healthy, sustainable diet are an important foundation which will underpin and drive this change,” he added. EAT-Lancet Commission’s recommended planetary health diet requires the consumption of red meat to be cut by half, while vegetables, fruit, and nuts must double. North America has one of the highest meat consumption rates in the world. In 2018, American meat consumption hit a record high as the average consumer ate over 222 pounds of red meat and poultry. If they are to follow the planetary health guidelines, North Americas would have to cut their consumption of red meat by 84 percent and eat six times more beans and lentils. While plant-based diets have THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED gained popularity in the region, seen through the success of the Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger companies, Springmann noted that information alone may not be enough to promote dietary changes. “Of course everyone can change their diet and it would be great if they can do that. But if it is not made easy for the average consumer to do that, then many people won’t do it,” he said. Springmann suggested changing the prices of food products to include health and environmental impacts. Beef for example would need to cost 40 per cent more on average due to its contribution to GHG emissions. This provides governments with potential revenue to invest in other areas such as the subsidisation of healthier products. In addition to dietary changes, the EAT-Lancet Commission state that zero loss biodiversity, net zero expansion of agricultural land into natural ecosystems, and improvements in fertiliser and water use efficient are needed. “The transformation that this Commission calls for is not superficial or simple, and requires a focus on complex systems, incentives, and regulations, with communities and governments at multiple levels having a part to play in redefining how we eat,” said The Lancet’s Editor-in-Chief Richard Horton. “Our connection with nature holds the answer, and if we can eat in a way that works for our planet as well as our bodies, the natural balance of the planet’s resources will be restored. The very nature that is disappearing holds the key to human and planetary survival,” he added. Courtesy of Inter Press Service / INSP.ngo �GLOBAL 6 NJan. o v 2 25 - N-oFeb. v 19,8, 20 18 | |NNo. o . 393 2019 399 With clubs and churches, Berlin becomes home for migrants RIHAM ALKOUSAA Reuters A li Mohammad Rezaie does not celebrate his birthday because his Afghan parents never noted the date he was born. Yet he knows exactly when he arrived in Berlin to seek asylum: 15 October, 2015. That day changed his life. "It wasn't a special day. I was tired and had been on the road for two months," he said of his overland journey through the Balkans. Since then he's sung in a choir and done internships and temporary work at a nursing home, a bakery, hotels and restaurants. It is a far cry from the village of his birth 26 years ago. More than one million people have come to Germany as migrants since 2015 under Chancellor Angela Merkel's open door policy. Since then, migration has divided Europe and helped propel a rise of far right parties. Rezaie is among those doing their best to make Germany home, but integration is a journey with many highs and lows and it requires more than simply finding a job and learning German. One woman who helped him is Chris Wachholz. They met at the choir and she later invited him to cook and practice German at the home she shares with her husband. A common interest in motorbikes deepened their friendship. "Meeting this family was like being given an opportunity for my birthday. They are like my ... mother and father," he said. But his immigration status prevents him taking further steps. His Syrian migrant Haidar Darwish performs during a show at Silverfuture club in Berlin, Germany, July 8, 2018. REUTERS/Alessia Cocca asylum application was rejected and he can only stay on as a 'tolerated person', which means he will not be deported but lacks secure status. As a result, it is unlikely the temporary job he has found preparing food and cleaning at the Lufthansa lounge at Berlin's Tegel airport will be made permanent. "I have an apartment here. I know many nice people. If they deport me I'll lose everything," he said. His fear is exacerbated because his Afghan ethnic group, the Hazaras, have faced attacks from militants in Afghanistan. Many migrants say they are welcomed by Germans but others say they have experienced hostility. At the same time, a handful of militant attacks by migrants have enabled some politicians to argue they represent a threat to German society. For some, though, the move to Germany has meant new freedom. Haidar Darwish was dancing in Schwuz, one of Berlin's oldest gay clubs, last year when Israeli student and drag queen Judy La Divana approached him and asked him to perform in her show. He had never danced on stage in his homeland Syria, but La Divana convinced him to try. "Now, many people ask me when and where my performances take place so they can come. Not to brag about it," he said. Syrian migrant Haidar Darwish performs during a show at Silverfuture club in Berlin, Germany, July 8, 2018. REUTERS/Alessia Cocca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED To supplement this income, he works at Bruno’s, a fashion and erotic shop that targets gay men. "I found out that the store manager ... had come to my shows many times and we'd even danced together once," he said. Sexual freedom was not the main reason he left Syria in 2016 - the country is at war, after all - but it represents a discovery he would not trade. For others, the quest for freedom has been fraught. Joseph Saliba was nine when his father sent him to work for a friend in Damascus who restored wood and mosaics. He slowly fell in love with the craft and later become a wood restorer. His business was booming when war broke out in 2011. Scared of being drafted into the Syrian army, he decided to flee to Europe three years ago. His German language class went on a field trip to Berlin Cathedral and immediately he felt a connection. He offered to volunteer in restoration work at the church using tools he had made himself. A year later, the church offered him a paid job. The church became a home but not Germany. Authorities refused to give him a refugee travel document and referred him to the Syrian embassy in Berlin. Saliba said he did not want to enter the embassy of the government from which he had fled and he is suing the German government to get a refugee passport. "I fled the lack of freedom to get freedom here," he said. "I didn't find this freedom here." Courtesy of Reuters / INSP.ngo �NJan. o. 3925 3 |-NFeb. ov 2 -8, N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 | No. 399 GLOBAL 7 Morocco’s Migrant Workers Struggle to Send Money Home Last year, global diaspora remittances totalled 650 billion dollars, three times the amount of foreign aid given to developing countries. Credit: Kristin Palitza/IPS DANIELLE ENGOLO Inter Press Service M orocco may have hosted the United Nation’s historic Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) conference. But when it comes to remittances— migrant employees, entrepreneurs and business owners all face the same challenge in Morocco: sending money legally to their home countries. Remittances is an all-important issue for migrants and their families left in the land of their origin, and one of the compact’s 23 objectives. However, Moroccan legislation limits money transfers abroad, in effect preventing migrant workers supporting their families or investing in their home countries. “I have been working for more than four years now in Morocco, but I have never been able to invest in my home country,” says Esther, a Congolese migrant working as a journalist in Morocco. “I cannot help my family, because Moroccan money cannot be sent abroad.” Last year, global diaspora remittances totalled 650 billion dollars, three times the amount of foreign aid given to developing countries. This continual familial fiscal flow significantly helps reduce poverty, by providing funds for health, education, and the launching of businesses. Morocco’s own diaspora plays a significant part in its own economy. Money transfers from the Moroccan diaspora reached more than 60 billion dollars in 2015, representing six per cent of the country’s GDP, according to a 2017 World Bank report. Nevertheless, if Morocco is aware of the importance of its diaspora’s role in its economy, that isn’t reflected in its financial policy that does not allow the country’s migrant workers to also contribute to the development of their home countries. Like most migrant workers in Morocco—the majority of whom come from sub-Saharan countries—Esther fell back on informal money transfer networks to sustain her family, giving money to an agent in Morocco. “Several times I sent some money to my family through these informal networks, but I was never at ease because it is risky,” Esther says. “Most of the time you don’t know the person you are negotiating with. He or she might steal your money.” She recalls that two years ago, her cousin, also living in Morocco, fell victim to a dishonest money transfer network that he had used before. “My cousin used to make money transfers with a friend of his. But one day, he gave his friend 17,000 dirhams ($1,900) to transfer to his family. The guy vanished.” Due to such risks, some migrants adopt other strategies, such as annual fiscal pilgrimages, taking the money limit permitted by Moroccan customs. Emilie, a Congolese hairdresser in Casablanca, travels back to her home country every six months to buy merchandise and deposit earnings in a Congo account. “I have no choice, I have to travel regularly in order to save my earnings at home, knowing that I cannot leave Morocco with a big amount of money,” Emilie says. But while this option allows migrants to subvert money transfer barriers and the risks of dishonest brokers, it costs much more because of the flight, which for many migrant workers is unaffordable and hence makes the strategy unfeasible. Unbeknownst to most migrants, a Moroccan law actually does allow people to send a set amount per year— 10 000 dirhams (1,050 dollars)—to each member of a person’s immediate family. But this method requires lots of paperwork and proofs of identity. Also, members of the same family must have the same name and if not the case—a common occurrence among families in sub-Saharan families—the bank will reject a transfer demand or demand additional papers legalized at the THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED embassy. Often banks simply decline to assist. Observers note how it’s not just migrant workers who are negatively impacted by tight money transfer rules in countries like Morocco that drive people to use illegal money transfer networks: government exchequers lose out on the likes of fees and taxes generated by legal transfer systems. “Despite these constraints, I think it is a step [in the right direction] to be able to send money, even if it is only for family support,” says Esther, while noting how investment remains a challenge. “I thought about buying an apartment in my country, but it is not possible to send a big amount of money.” Objective 22 of the GCM’s cooperative framework aims to “Establish mechanisms for the portability of social security entitlements and earned benefits.” Whether that proves good enough for migrant workers in Morocco remains to be seen, now that the compact has officially been adopted as of the morning of 10 December. “If I leave Morocco today and return back to my home country, there will be nothing there for me,” Esther says. “It is really a pity after so many years of work.” Courtesy of Inter Press Service / INSP.ngo �FEATURE 8 N o v 225 - N o v 19, 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Jan. - Feb. 8,22019 399 Keep an Eye On… DR. MARK MUSSMAN Staff Writer T he new year always brings a renewed interest. People head in droves to the gym for the first, attendance at Church spikes, and people’s resolutions stay on their mind. In a year, a great deal of things change. This year, we need to be vocal about things that have a disparate impact on people experiencing homelessness, as well as, those who are on the edge of homelessness. The following are a few things that we need to stay on top of this year. Pricey Policies For your housing to be considered “affordable,” you should be spending no more than 30% of your income on your housing, including utilities. Last year, Duke Energy raised everyone’s bill by $200, spread over the course of the year. This rate hike was approved by the Ohio Legislature, and there was literally fees and tickets that people who park in the residential parking spots may be able to cover some of the program costs, but what is the psychological effect on people who get parking tickets when visiting the neighborhood? The eventual fall out of this program may force the City to scrap the program, or to extend it north of Liberty. It is a new cost that we all need to keep our eyes on. Privatization of Public Space Privatization is a perennial issue that affects us all. In the past, I have written on neoliberalism, and the quest to turn public wealth into private riches. We are seeing a robust movement of privatization in Cincinnati, and across the country, which is draining our collective wealth in exchange for individual riches. For example, over the past two years, we lost Ziegler Park to 3CDC, who now controls who is able to use the park, when, and how. They provide private security to force people who are experiencing homelessness away from the park. Others have see the concerted effort put in place to remove people from the park. This loss of public space continues in other ways as well. Looking up and down the sidewalk, you will see more restaurant and bars stumbling out into public space. The loss of sidewalk space represents a serious loss of our community. When bars get seating space on the sidewalk, they create a permanent barrier so that people will be allowed to drink alcohol on the sidewalk. While this represents a double standard, as people who are experiencing homelessness are criminalized for the same behavior, it also means that people with disabilities, families with strollers, and large families, are obstructed on the sidewalk. Ultimately, this means that we are pushed out from our usual spaces. Forced to find new routes. Renaming to Own The so-called Over-the-Rhine Brewery District plans to have a banner year in 2019. The Brewery District Community Urban Redevelopment Permit Parking Signage in Over-the-Rhine nothing that we could do to stop it. This year, we are looking at higher food prices, higher cable and internet prices, and higher parking costs. In Over-theRhine, south of Liberty, all on-street parking will now be either metered or permit only. The cost to park in Overthe-Rhine has increased dramatically recently, and it is the most expensive outside of the Central Business District. Whether you will be paying at the meter, or for the parking permit, you will be spending more time looking for parking, and more time walking from your parking spot. The residential parking program needs to over-sell the spots to be successful. By using my basic math skills, I’ve found that at full price, the City must sell 1250 parking spots to break even. (There are projected program costs of around $75,000, and the permits cost $60 each. An unlimited number of permits will be sold.) There are only 500 parking spots, so each spot will have been, at least, double sold. The complained that the 3CDC workers have “banned” them from park bathrooms. 3CDC has leased out the park decades from the City, but they should still maintain their public status. Unfortunately, many people feel that the park is private now. In 2019, we are looking at the privatization of Findlay Playground. Model Group, a large developer, has plans to lease the alleyway next to the park. Last week, I noticed a fence around the alleyway, which to me, confirms that Model was successful with their privatization. Currently, there is a fence around Findlay Playground, and local organizers are trying to collect the stories of those who frequent the park. I have written extensively about how the police and the City team up to create a hostile environment in their quest for gentrification of Overthe-Rhine. Check out the police lights set up around Findlay Park, watch the increased patrols, and you will clearly Corporation (BDCURC) is getting ready to unveil their own wayfinding signs north of Liberty. You may have already seen medallions in the sidewalk, but have you seen the giant signs that are blocking the sidewalks in some places? The Brewery District’s Master Plan’s mission clearly shows a lack of inclusion of low-income residents: “To envision investment and development opportunities for businesses and real estate developers that will be supported by the neighborhood, and that will help guide efforts for physical public improvements to accommodate such development.” By renaming the part of the neighborhood, the Brewery District is trying to remodel the neighborhood into a false vision of the past, which is only inclusive of white, rich, and alcohol guzzling tourists. Look out for other things being renamed, including streets, so-called “Districts,” and other public spaces. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Housing Protections and the Affordable Housing Trust Fund In Ohio, renters have very few protections. Your landlord can refuse taking your rent, then evict you for non-payment of rent. This practice is a threat to stable housing. While change in Ohio may take long, we are looking to push forward housing protections that would stop this type of deceitful practice. Along with the local Affordable Housing Trust Fund, housing protections such as these will ensure people will be able to stay in their homes. Unfortunately, the Trust Fund isn’t funded yet, so we will be working this year to ensure funding for affordable housing. The Homeless Coalition is currently fighting for the right of selfdetermination in federal court. If we are successful, we will have prevented the stripping of many Constitutional Amendments, including Freedom of Speech and protections against cruel and unusual punishment and the seizure of personal property. This lawsuit will have a large regional impact, and is definitely something to watch this year. Special Improvement District (SID) Another thing to keep your eye on this year is the proposed Special Improvement District (SID) for southern Over-the-Rhine. A SID has existed downtown for a couple decades, which funds Downtown Cincinnati Inc. (DCI). DCI employs people as Downtown Ambassadors who spend the days and night sweeping up the sidewalks and gutters. They are also available for people who have questions. As I have written before, 3CDC, Urban Sites, and the Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce, are planning on hoisting a SID on the southern part of Over-the-Rhine. They are using scare tactics to pressure residents at the Community Council to accept the tax plan. Only 60% of the property owners (based upon the linear footage) need to vote for the SID to impose a tax on all of the properties in the proposed SID. In the end, this will cause rents to raise, and will increase homelessness in our area. It will also create a force to police the streets, pushing people who are experiencing homelessness into the shadows. When SIDs are created, laws criminalizing homelessness are likely to follow. When people are forced into the shadows, they are more likely to be victims of violent crime. Each of these issues negatively impacts the lives of those who are experiencing homelessness and those who are on the edge of homelessness. Without the efforts of the Homeless Coalition, our member organizations, and our supporters, many of these changes would go by without note, and the voices of those who are affected would be lost. �N o. 39 ov 28, - N o v 19, 2 0 18 Jan. 253 -| N Feb. 2019 | No. 399 FEATURE (Top Left) Large Sidewalk Medallion for Brewery. (Middle Left) Sidewalk Seating for Local Bar. (Top Right) Findlay Playground Fenced Off. (Middle Right) Permit Parking Signs Go Up in 2019. (Bottom Left) Sidewalk Blockage for Brewery District. (Bottom Right) Large Signage at Grant Park. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 9 �10 GLOBAL N o v 225 - N o v 19, 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Jan. - Feb. 8,22019 399 Rescuing People At Sea Is A Sailor’s Responsibility BIRGIT MÜLLER I Hinz&Kunzt t was a full-blown distress call that the German Shipowners’ Association issued to politicians. Between 2014 and 2016, more and more commercial ships were rescuing drowning refugees in the Mediterranean – and it was leaving the German Shipowners’ Association feeling overwhelmed. One ship owner from Hamburg was – and continues to be – particularly hard hit. Christopher E.O. Opielok supplies oil and gas rigs off the Libyan coast. “Our crew members are seeing people die; they are drowning in front of our eyes,” he told German tv channel n-tv in 2015. His crews succeeded in saving the lives of 1,500 refugees during this period. A lot has happened since the height of the crisis. The ship owners’ SOS was heard, and both the EU and German Navy have since sent ships to help – periodically, at least. They are supposed to put a stop to people smuggling, “but they have also saved the lives of refugees,” says Ralf Nagel, Chief Executive Officer of the German Shipowners’ Association. There are a number of aid organisations who go out on special ships to rescue refugees, he adds: “That has been a big help for commercial shipping.” It is a good thing because, unlike aid organisations’ ships, most commercial ships are not suited to rescuing dozens, let alone hundreds, of people at sea. “Cargo ships are built for the quick transportation of goods, so they normally have high sides,” one captain told Hinz&Kunzt. This means that rescuing people at sea is a major technical challenge, he added. Using a pilot ladder is only a possibility for a few, strong people and life boats can usually only take a few people. In addition, there is often too little food, water and life-saving equipment, including blankets, on board – let alone facilities for adequately accommodating cold and dehydrated people and providing medical care. “Some refugees freeze to death within minutes [of being brought] on board after we have pulled them out of the water,” ship owner Opielok told n-tv. The psychological strain on the crew members was – and is – huge as a result. “Many crews are traumatised,” Opielok continued, “and many people are have looked for another job.” For ship owners, such rescue operations are also commercially disadvantageous. “But insurance covers many of the costs,” says Nagel, the German Shipowners’ Association CEO. It reimburses the costs for fuel, supplies and life-saving equipment. “The biggest burden is borne by people working at sea,” he says. Every shipping company and captain would, of course, pick up refugees if they were asked for help. “Rescuing people at sea goes without saying,” Nagel says. “Every sailor knows how dangerous it can be at sea. And an overloaded dingy with 150 people on board is always an emergency situation.” Rescuing people at sea is not just a matter of honour for sailors: it is also governed by international law. “The only time when it’s a matter of discretion is when the rescue would put the lives of the crew at risk,” Nagel clarifies; for example, if a ship needed to approach a burning oil platform to help people. “Then the captain can decide to keep a [safe] distance because the risk of explosion,” Nagel explains. “But if I see a sinking dinghy, fundamentally, there’s no room for discretion.” In practice, ships are ordered to the scene of an accident by the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC), which knows where every ship is at any given time. Captains must obey the orders of the MRCC, whether or not they can then continue on their delayed journey. “We can’t evade our responsibility or simply pass by – that’s not on,” Nagel says. “Any captain who doesn’t follow an order can face criminal prosecution, including retrospective prosecution.” Those saving lives can also face problems. In June, Italy refused the Danish container ship Alexander Maersk permission to enter an Italian port. This was not despite, but because, of the face that the ship had 100 rescued migrants on board. “If a German ship had been affected, we would have put pressure on politicians,” Nagel says. And that is what the Danish government and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) did: Italy eventually allowed the Alexander Maersk to enter the port of Pozzallo, after days of waiting. Translated from German by Holly Bickerton Courtesy of Hinz&Kunzt / INSP. ngo Helpers from Sea-Watch spotted an overloaded dingy at the end of May in the middle of the Mediterranean. The refugees were able to be saved and brought ashore. Mitten auf dem Mittelmeer entdecken Helfer der Sea-Watch Ende Mai ein ¸berf¸lltes Schlauchboot. Die Fl¸chtlinge konnten gerettet und an Land gebracht werden. Credit: CHRIS GRODOTZKI / SEA-WATCH.ORG THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �N o. 39 3 |- N ov 2 8, - N o v 19, 2 0 18 Jan. 25 Feb. 2019 | No. 399 STREETVOICE 11 Commissioner Driehaus, Councilman Mann, and County Issues in 2019 Commissioner driehaus and councilman mann reflect on issues confronting county and city government in 2019 at the first community issues forum of the new year. Image from Freeimages.com BILL WOODS Contributing Writer W hat are the important issues confronting City Council and the Hamilton County Commission in 2019 and beyond? Councilman David Mann and County Commissioner Denise Driehaus addressed this question as well as assessing how they see local government's role in future developments and plans at the first Community Issues Forum of the new year. Instead of speaking separately, the two elected officials informally talked in tandem and responded to the many questions of Forum attendees. Budget issues, according to both Mann and Driehaus, are the first big hurdles facing both the City and the County. Driehaus explained that the County confronted a $28-million deficit that must be dealt with. At the moment a hiring freeze is in place, and cuts have been made to basic services. She indicated that a hike in the sales tax might well be necessary. Although the projected City deficit is not as high as the County's, It still adds up to millions of dollars. Traditionally, noted Mann, the Police and Fire budgets are held harmless, and these services take a huge percentage of the City's revenue. That means that other services and departments must absorb the cuts. Mann, who chairs the Finance Committee, was critical that too much revenue has been lost in recent years due to the City's cutting of a large portion of its share of the property tax. Driehaus and Mann talked about the negative impacts on their budgets due to the major loss of money from the State Local Government Fund. They told Forum attendees to tell Governor DeWine that this funding needs to be restored. Both implied that the long-standing mantra of "no new taxes" is making government at all levels unworkable. Several members of the audience asked the speakers about tax abatements and their impacts on revenue for public services. They questioned whether these abatements were really needed to bring in businesses and spur development. Mann defended tax abatements as a tool that had been necessary to broker developments that had improved the city's economic climate. However, he said that the City's abatement policies were under review, and that stiffer requirements were now being written into abatement agreements. He mentioned a proposal being considered by Council to require major housing projects to include a percentage of affordable units in their developments in order to qualify for abatement. Staying with the theme of housing, Mann said the City has established a fund to help tenants who are evicted from housing to survive the crisis of suddenly having no place to live. Citing the book, "Evicted," he acknowledged that evictions create a myriad of problems including homelessness. Mann also noted his support for the recent establishment of an affordable housing trust fund, but he admitted that this fund still lacked a funding base. Attendees pressed Driehaus about the Sheriff 's cooperation with ICE in terms of contacting ICE officials when the County is holding an undocumented immigrant. This policy, they declared, has brought about some tragic deportations. Driehaus agreed to meet with advocates of immigrant rights to further discuss this ongoing issue. Both Driehaus and Mann voiced their support for improving the declining bus service. They said that SORTA needed to put forward a plan with an adequate tax proposal, and they mentioned growing grassroots support for having a public transit system that connects city residents with the suburban job base. Mann and Driehaus told Forum attendees they had enjoyed this informal give and take with them. They promised to come back in the fall. The Forum on January 31st will feature Josh Spring, Executive Director of the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, providing an update on homelessness in Greater Cincinnati. HIV Services in Cincinnati MAURICE GOLSBY I Contributing Writer t’s important that people are aware of what’s going on with HIV services. It happened to me, it can happen to anyone. No one is exempt from HIV. I came across these services when I was in jail. They told me where to go, and the Northern Kentucky Health Department asked me if I wanted to be a part of a support group. I said yes, and that’s how I heard about Positive Souls. We have a group called Positive Souls for HIV positive men and a group called Girlfriend to Girlfriend for HIV positive women. There’s another support group called Neamans and Caracole has a support group as well. Only men of color are in Positive Souls and only women of color are in Girlfriend to Girlfriend. Positive Souls is the oldest support group, around since 1999. They’re like family to me now. We lost a lot of members, people who founded the group. Some of them died from HIV/AIDS, cancer, one got killed. Caracole offers you case management and house management. Once you get a case manager, she’ll do anything you ask her, within reason. She’ll take you to a doctor if you’d like her to. Housing manager will call a furniture place to get your furniture. It’s called New Life Furniture. The case workers keep track of what I’m doing and not doing. I can’t lie to her. She has it all right in front of her and says, “Maurice, this is what you need to do.” I moved in on a Tuesday, by Friday they delivered my furniture. I was fully furnished, bed and everything. I always slept on the floor before and later came up with a bed. I only had to sleep on the floor for two nights this time! If you live in northern Kentucky, there’s the Northern Kentucky Health Department. They have HIV/AIDS THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED support services. I get a $20 gift card for groceries from them. I got a lot of donations from friends, like pots and pans, and a church called Higher Faith. They also donated a bed when I was living in Mt. Washington. Pots, pans, dishes, the whole nine yards. If anyone needs to know anything with support groups, come talk to me. I have no problem telling people about it. I have no problem sitting down and talking to people. Someone said, “You have HIV? You don’t look like it.” Well, I do. It’s safe to be around me. We look like everyone else. �12 STREETVOICE Girls Writing Circle Peaslee Neighborhood Center has a continued partnership with Rothenberg Preparatory Academy, conducing the Girls Writing Circle in the after school program. Our circle creates an open and safe space for girls to express themselves, and be heard and validated by their peers. Our hope is to give our girls an opportunity to discover and display their creativity, opinions, and voices through a process that is grounded in respect and an appreciation for each girls’ unique gifts. Blossoming I love when the flowers are blossoming. They smell delicious And are pretty. When they are blossoming, I think of when my hands Are opening and closing. I like when the flowers Are blossoming Because they open As slow as a turtle. ZY’AUNA CRAWFORD Junior Writer N o v 25 2 - -NFeb. o v 19, 2 0 18 || No. N o . 399 393 Jan. 8, 2019 Creeping Thistle A woman that I am very close with Is my mama. We are very alike, But we’re also different. I love her with all my heart, And I know she loves me. Me and my mama have fun times, Sometimes we have bad times. But when all that’s done, I know that my mama is the person That I can turn to, And I know she will always Have my back, No matter the situationIf I’m wrong, Or if I’m right. I just love my mama With all my heart. I love her smile, Her laugh, The way she talks, The advice she gives me. She is my whole heart, And I love her And I always will. I am blessed to call her my Mama. KIMORE GOVER Junior Writer Streetvibes Writing Circle If you would like to submit a story for publication in streetvibes, come join Katelyn Lusher and Chris Wilkey for a group writing session! S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �STREETVOICE No. 39 Nov 28,- 2019 N o v 19, 2 0 399 18 Jan. 253- |Feb. | No. The Federal Government Shutdown Mother Goose 13 A Wall Did you ever think about a wall ? Or the meaning of it to us all ? Pussy cat, pussy cat, why the big frown? "I'm upset by the government shutdown. So many services unavailable to us all, So Trump can rant about his stupid wall!" BILL WOODS Contributing Writer Today we have several walls Walls between the rich and the poor Walls that define prejudice what a eye sore Walls that stop the people from having voices Walls that deny people to have choices So what are our lives worth or living for If we as a people don’t come together to open the door To the realization we are being controlled And without the faith in God our souls we sold I believe we have enough walls in our lives Why pay for another wall we already have strife We as people must come to understand That only threw God grace will we live in this land WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �PUZZLE 14 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 188 Across Down 1. Annoying person 1. Optical device 5. Accumulate 2. Ahead of time 10. Hymenopterous insect 3. Abrade 14. Speed contest 4. Stress 15. Highest part in choral music 5. Perform 16. Friendly nation 6. Post 17. Metallic element 7. Not in favor of 18. Largest satellite of Saturn 8. Celestial bodies 19. Bellow 9. Form of musical 20. Parially melted snow composition 22. Former currency of Italy 10. Hawkish 23. Stringed instrument 11. With relatively 24. Large indefinite number high volume 26. Pace 12. Roofing material 28. Speak up 13. Funeral mound of wood 31. Diving bird 21. Chance event 32. Chess piece 25. Cut into cubes 35. Fossil fuel 27. Artifice 37. Tennis stroke 29. Average 41. Lyric poem 30. Part of a roof 42. Act of help or assistance 32. Cooking vessel 44. Lubricant 33. Fuss 45. Add up 34. Sodden 47. Net 36. Roster 48. Quantity of paper 38. Fish eggs 49. Railway vehicle 39. By way of 51. No longer new 40. Type of wood 53. Pronouncement 42. Spline 56. Devastate 43. Scorch 60. Bill of fare 46. Charge of wrongdoing 61. Oaf 48. Change to the contrary 64. Asian pepper plant 50. Measuring sticks 65. Concludes 52. Research workplace, 66. Bordered in short 68. Memorization by repetition 53. Impenetrable 69. Continent 54. Country 70. Pass along 55. Good example 71. Self-satisfied 57. Particles 72. Kind of duck 58. Garb 73. Sludge 59. Lament 74. Catch sight of 60. Food product NJan. o v 225 - N o v 19, 0 18 || N o . 393 - Feb. 8,22019 No. 399 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 391 - MEDIUM 62. Large sweet juicy fruit 63. Squad 67. Staining substance PUZZLE SOLUTIONS CROSSWORD #188 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 390- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �N o. 39 ov 2 8, - N o v 19, 2 0 18 Jan. 253 -| N Feb. 2019 | No. 399 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 211 - N o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Jan. - Jan. 25,2 02019 398 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BETTIE BAILEY SINCE 10/2017 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 BRIAN ADAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHARLES WILLIAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHRISTOPHER KAIHATSU SINCE 7/2017 CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DARREL ROZIER SINCE 7/2017 DAVID MCCANE SINCE 2017 ERIC VALDEZ SINCE 2/2017 GERALD FRANKLIN SINCE 7/2017 GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 HENRY BRELAND SINCE 7/2017 JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009 JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2000 JENNY BURTON SINCE 7/2017 JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001 JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006 JOHN HORN JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008 J’TORI TYMAN SINCE 5/2014 KIM NGUYEN SINCE 7/2017 KENNY BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008 LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007 LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009 LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MARK SHEARS SINCE 4/2012 MAURICE GOLSBY MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MIKE CARANO SINCE 4/2016 RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 1999 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 STACIA HOLLANDER SINCE 2017 STEPHANIE EAKES SINCE 7/2017 SYLVESTER WALKER SINCE 7/2017 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2011 VICTOR MUMPHRY WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 WINNIE RICE SINCE 7/2017 QUEENACELASTINE SINCE 7/2017 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 VIOLET COLLINS SINCE 2017 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2019 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource January 25-February 8, 2019 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From the Director Pg 3: Microsoft Loans $500 Million to Address the County’s Housing Crisis Serving Up Food and Literature Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: Eat Plants, Save the Planet Pg 6: With Clubs and Churches, Berlin Becomes Home for Migrants Pg 7: Morocco’s Migrant Workers Struggle to Send Money Home Pg 8: Keep an Eye On… Pg 9: Feature Pg 10: Rescuing People at Sea is a Sailor’s responsibility Pg 11: Commissioner Driehaus, Councilman Mann, and County Issues IN 2019 HIV Services in Cincinnati 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 January 25-February 8, 2019 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Ashley Archibald Zachary Headings Tharanga Yakupitiyage Riham Alkousaa Danielle Engolo Dr. Mark Mussman Bill Woods Birgit Müller Maurice Golsby Willa Denise Jones Zy’auna Crawford Kimore Gover Homeless Coalition Freeimage.com Gabriela Godinez Street Sense Inter Press Service Hinz & Kunzt Reuters Amanda Meek Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Amanda Meek Ashley Archibald Berlin Bill Woods Birgit Müller Cincinnati city council Danielle Engolo David Mann Dr. Mark Mussman Freeimage.com Gabriela Godinez Hinz & Kunzt HIV Homeless Coalition Inter Press Service Josh Spring Kimore Gover Maurice Golsby Microsoft Migrants Morocco Reuters Riham Alkousaa Street Sense Tharanga Yakupitiyage Willa Denise Jones Zachary Headings Zy’auna Crawford https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/53661ad19eef5e7b4a30527f1f110dc9.pdf fcb84e824733936f2ff12487d6dacc09 PDF Text Text F e b r ua r y 7 t h - F e b r ua r y 2 1 t h 2 0 1 9 | Vo l . 2 3 I s s u e 3 ( N o . 4 0 0 ) advo cating justice | building communit y Any opinions in this issue are of the authors and don't necessarily represent Streetvibes or The Homeless Coalition. This Issue is sponsored by (Retired) Judge Mark P. Painter Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 12 �2 COALITION N ov 2 o v 19, 0 18 || No. N o . 400 393 Feb. 7 -- NFeb. 21,22019 From The Director: Soccer, Sound, Symphonies and Displacement Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor-in-chief: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Sallie Mascus Josh Spring giving a speech. Credit:Amanda Meet Layout: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino JOSH SPRING Executive Director F C Cincinnati has petitioned the City of Cincinnati to make a significant zoning change to the area of the West End they want to build a stadium. Council Members are saying that before they vote on this change, they need to see a completed study that shows how noise from the stadium will adversely affect functions at Music Hall. As this discussion occurs, we are struck by the fact that the topic of housing and displacement is largely absent. The weak community benefits agreement signed by FC Cincinnati on which the city council vote last year regarding stadium funding hinged, included that a study of affordable housing and adverse effects would be complete. This study, being done by an out-of-town firm is not due to be finished until June. However, the preliminary research shows that likely thousands of people’s housing would be threatened. The preliminary research mirrors what our organization has been saying since last year. FC Cincinnati said they would not displace anyone. While we have said, even if that is true, the stadium will lead to development Reception: Bonita Batton, Larry Johnson prospecting, gentrification, increased rents and displacement. However, true to form, FC Cincinnati has already displaced neighborhood small businesses and residents. Why is it that city council is saying that before they vote on this zoning change, they must first be able to read the report on the negative affects the sound from a stadium would have on Music Hall, yet they have not required that the report on housing and displacement be completed first? Both common sense and the preliminary findings of the study indicate thousands of people could be displaced from their homes through a significant loss of affordable housing and rising costs to people who own their homes. We, of course, believe that spending millions of dollars, especially public dollars to benefit the billionaire owners of FC Cincinnati is wrong. Not investing very large sums into digging our way out of our current housing crisis (40,000 homes short, 28,000 in the City) is wrong. Not having necessary protections against unjust evictions and displacement for profit is wrong. We are working to get the city to establish significant, annual revenue sources for the newly established Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which passed last year after more than a year of our advocacy. We are working to get legislation that would actively protect people’s right to not unjustly be put of their homes. But come on, shouldn’t it be widely accepted that the ability for individuals and families to stay in their housing and neighborhood and not experience homelessness is more important than the quality of sound at Music Hall? Shouldn’t it be on the tips of the tongues of all city council members that certainly a study regarding housing loss would get at least the same deference as a study about sound affecting symphonies, ballets and operas? Please take the time to email city council at citycouncil@cincinnatioh.gov and tell them not to vote on anything for a soccer stadium without having been able to thoroughly consider the completed housing study. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Maintenance: Pete Roper ------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Humberto Marquez, Amanda Becker, Kris Janssens, Robert Park, Adeshola Ore, Andres Martinez Casares, Dr. Mark Mussman, Bill Woods, Key Beck, Kim Green, Willa Denise Jones, Mariela Jara, emilio Godoy, Felix Winternitz, ------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: Homeless Coalition, pngtree. com, Gabriela Godinez, wraphome.org, Amanda Meek ---------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �No. 39 | Nov 21, 2- N o v 19, 2 0 18 Feb. 7 3- Feb. 2019 | No. 400 3 COALITION Wholly Unrecognizable DR. MARK MUSSMAN I Staff Writer recently attended a college reunion where a couple people used the same term to describe Cincinnati today: wholly unrecognizable. I listened to them say that Over-theRhine has changed so much that they couldn’t even believe it was the same place when we graduated school nearly 20 years ago, in 2001. I heard them talk about restaurants and bars that they uncritically visited while on vacation or with family. I realized then that the optics of the City had changed so much, but nothing else substantial has changed, especially when it comes to poverty, homelessness, and civil rights. Recent reports put the ethnic diversity of Cincinnati around 1950’s United States. We are mostly just Black and white, with a sprinkle of other ethnic identities. And by a sprinkle, I mean less than 5%. African American people are routinely denied healthcare, education, transportation, housing, and other basic necessities. Redlining continues to this day. Schools are more segregated now than ever, as more than half of our schools are 90% (or more) one ethnicity. Most students in public schools (82%) are economically disadvantaged. Home ownership rates among Black families (34%) are less than half of that for white families (74%). Other objective measures show that Black and white Cincinnatians live in two separate cities. Median household income comparisons show a stark reality: Black median household income at $24,272, compared to white median household income at $57,481. When applied to housing standards of affordability, it becomes clear that Black families are being priced out of their own neighborhoods. For example, a recent developer received preferred developer status on a Vine Street property in Over-the-Rhine through a City RFP process. This developer came to the Over-the-Rhine Community Council meeting in January seeking a letter of approval. Since the Community Council has prioritized affordable housing, the developer claims that 1 of 4 units will be affordable at 60% AMI. At 60% AMI, this means that most people in Cincinnati (59.99%) cannot afford this apartment. And when you take in the great disparity between Black and white resident income, this essentially removes any likelihood that a Black person or family would be able to move into this apartment. I often hear claims that crime has decreased due to investment in Over-the-Rhine and other inner core neighborhoods. But the reality is that crime may actually increase throughout the region due to instability. When people are forced from their neighborhood into other neighborhoods, there are turf issues and issues of representation. According to Census data, at least 25% of all people in Cincinnati moved within the last year, but certainly for some groups this number is higher. Cincinnati crime stats mimic national trends of decreasing incidents of violent crime; however, in 2002 Cincinnati saw 64 murders, and in 2017 there were 70. This is a slight increase, but meaningful when thinking about how things have or haven’t changed. Overall, Cincinnati is classified as having more crime than 95% of American cities. Larger looming issues, such as representation in the police force, have remained unchanged. 68.1% of sworn police officers in Cincinnati are white, while the white population in Cincinnati is less than 50%. One police officer as the LGBTQAI liason. One police officer as the Homelessness liaison. Shouldn’t all officers be trained to deal with LGBTQAI and individuals who are experiencing homelessness? Also deeply concerning is the disparate way African Americans are treated within the criminal justice system. While African Americans only represent 12.5% of Ohio’s population, they are 45% of incarcerated Ohioans. While Justice is purportedly Blind, people of color are more likely to be sentenced to death for killing a while person than killing a person of color in Ohio. A white body is seen as infinitely more valuable than a person of color. Your zip code affects your sentencing as well. And neighborhoods in Cincinnati remain so segregated, that our region is #5 in racial segregation. Economic segregation in our region is also near the top of the charts. And your zip code could add, or remove, 20 years to your life expectancy. In terms of homelessness, we know that systemic and interpersonal racism continue to decrease the housing stability of people of color. African Americans are overrepresented among those experiencing homelessness because of Slavery, Jim Crow, Redlining, Urban Renewal, Mass Incarceration, and Gentrification. Without the generational wealth that white people were handed by the federal government, people of color have no level playing field. Areas that were once deemed “white only” continue to be almost all white. Inner city neighborhoods that were economically neglected since the 1930s, where Black families were forced to live for many generations (because they were legally denied entry to other neighborhoods until the Fair Housing Act in 1968) are now being displaced by white generational wealth. Black families cannot compete with that. African American wealth is predicted to be $0 by 2050, meaning that generational wealth is still exclusively a white policy benefit. Today, the shelters are still full. We are still short 40,000 units of affordable housing in Hamilton County (35,000 in Cincinnati). While obvious visual changes may have occurred, structurally we are still the same Cincinnati. We continue to criminalize homelessness while privatizing public resources. Our education, transportation, healthcare, public services, etc., are still segregated. Some things have changed: neighborhoods such as Overthe-Rhine, Mt. Auburn, and Walnut Hills have each lost thousands of Black residents since 2001. Between 2000 and 2010 the City of Cincinnati as a whole lost more than 9,000 Black residents. Our neighbors are being forced out by white generational wealth, and we have no mechanism focused on equity. The wealth and income gap between Black and white Cincinnatians has grown, and without a determined focus on affordable housing, living wages, and housing protections, we will continue to see two separate Cincinnatis: one for Black people, and one for white people. A Day Devoted To Community Organizing BILL WOODS ContributingWriter A re you concerned that citizens are often overlooked in public decisions in Cincinnati, Columbus, and Washington, D.C.? On Saturday February 23rd, the Murray and Agnes Seasongood Good Government Foundation is holding day long forum on citizen organizing. With the title "The Power of Organizing - Finding Your Community's Voice," the forum will feature panels and discussion groups on everything from basic neighborhood organizing to building coalitions in order to pass ballot initiatives. Karen Hobart Flynn, the President of Common Cause, will be the event's keynote speaker. Flynn has a wealth of experience in organizing to bring about political reform. Before joining Common Cause's staff in Washington, D.C., she chaired Common Cause in Connecticut. She led a grassroots movement in the state that successfully brought about the public financing of election campaigns. When she first came to Washington, she was a regional director of a number of states including Ohio. As national president, she supports state chapters that are organizing to protect voting rights or to bring about redistricting reform. A number of local organizers will be sharing their expertise and experiences as members of panels and as group discussion leaders. Josh Spring, Executive Director of the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, Jennifer Summers, Director of the Peaslee Neighborhood Center, Michelle Dillingham, Director of Community Shares, Alice Schneider of Applied Information Resources, and Catherine Turcer, Director of Common Cause/ Ohio are a few of the people involved in the day. Other local organizations taking part are CUFA, the Sierra Club, Bold New Democracy, One Westwood, Invest in Neighborhoods, and the Woman's City Club. After Karen Hobart Flynn's keynote address, a panel led by Liz Blume of the Seasongood Board will explore common roadblocks that often get in the way of community problem solving and organizing. Following this panel, attendees will meet in discussion groups dealing with ways to organize around diverse issues that range from neighborhood concerns to the promotion of citywide policies. A luncheon discussion will deal with the question of why citizen organizing is critical at this moment in U.S. public life, and an afternoon panel will focus on some local organizing activities that are currently underway. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Next, Jeff Blevins, Chair of Journalism at the University of Cincinnati, will give a brief presentation on the role of the news media in community life and the ways grassroots movements can cultivate news coverage for their actions. Finally, a wrap up session will allow attendees to talk about, "where do we go from here?" Since promoting good government is the goal of the Seasongood Foundation, it believes that citizen involvement in public decisions is critical to achieving that end. The Seasongood Board hopes that the Forum on February 23rd will stimulate some projects for future Foundation funding. This event will take place at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Cincinnati from 9:00 to 4:00. For further information about attending, call (513)721-2180. �4 ADVERTISMENT THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED NFeb. ov 27 - -NFeb. o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 21,2 02019 400 �N o. 3973-|Feb. Nov 221, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Feb. | No. 400 5 U.S. NEWS Deb Haaland becomes one of first two Native American congresswomen AMANDA BECKER Reuters T he day before Deb Haaland was sworn in last week as a freshman lawmaker in the most diverse U.S. House of Representatives class in history, she said the weight of being one of the first two Native American women to serve in Congress had not yet fully hit her. Haaland, 58, had just conducted a brief staff meeting and was sitting in her new office on Capitol Hill as staffers got phones working and solved logistical problems like wrestling a printer through a narrow doorway. The first-time elected official represents New Mexico's 1st Congressional District and is a member of the state's Laguna Pueblo tribe. "Congress has never heard a voice like mine," the Democrat said. "As the first Native American woman in Congress, I know that there will be an expectation on me by tribes across the country to be somebody that can move their issues forward," Haaland said. "That's absolutely something I feel optimistic that I will be able to do." She said there is an "epidemic" of missing and murdered indigenous women, and Haaland would like Congress to hold additional oversight hearings on the issue and make sure tribal justice systems have the resources they need to conduct proper investigations. Also at the top of her list is combating climate change, which threatens fragile tribal lands. "If you're not scared to death right now about climate change, you're not reading the Deb Haaland works in her office at the U.S. Capitol before being sworn in as one of the two first Native American women in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, U.S., January 3, 2019. REUTERS/Brian Snyder news," she said. Haaland is one of a recordbreaking 102 women who will serve in the 435-seat House during the 20192020 session. There are many firsts among them. Haaland and Sharice Davids of Kansas, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, are the first Native American women. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan are the first Muslim women. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Jahana Hayes of Connecticut are the first black women to represent their states. All are Democrats. When Haaland was born in 1960, Native Americans did not have the right to vote in New Mexico - despite being granted full U.S. citizenship by the federal government in 1924. They got it in 1962, making the Southwestern state the last in the nation to extend it. On Thursday, Haaland welcomed her new constituents to an open house at her congressional office before being sworn in on the House floor. She wore traditional tribal garments to the ceremony, including a pomegranate blossom necklace of silver and turquoise, signifying protection and strength, made by a Laguna artist. After raising her hand to take the oath of office with her peers, the consequence of the milestone sunk in. Overcome with emotion, Haaland turned to embrace Davids, borrowing the edge of her new colleague's scarf to dab away her tears. Courtesy of Reuters / INSP.ngo Who Shut down the shutdown? ROBERT PARK Contributing Writer W ho ended the shutdown? The Democrats? Nancy Pelosi? Mitch McConnell? None of the above. The shutdown got shut down when workers took Laguardia Airport off-line on Friday, January 25. A rolling disaster of massive commercial disruption was about to unfold for capitalist America and that pushed the GOP over the edge. Disgusted and outraged employees – TSA security and FAA air traffic controllers – did what their unions should have done at least two weeks ago. We don’t know what positive role IF ANY their national union leadership played here. More likely, as with all great accomplishments for workers rights, the real leadership probably came from the bottom, from the workers collectively voting with their feet. In past momentous worker actions (like getting the 8 hour day) what typically happened was some outrage finally broke the camel’s back and thousands of workers hit the streets, with their leadership frantically racing to catchup with the members. We’ll have to watch and see if the current union leadership at the top even bothers to get out and walk quickly, let alone run; to acknowledge the profound lesson we just learned, again. What happens in three weeks? Maybe the next shutdown should be pre-empted by a strong credible threat: next time it won’t take three weeks to stop it, we’ll stop it on day two. The federal unions should sign on to a pledge: “You want shutdown, you’ll get shutdown, motherfucker.” They could even toss out the idea of a general strike so that the rest of us can get involved in determining our future. It’s about time the labor movement showed the Democratic Party for what it is: why didn’t THEY call for a walkout and promise protection? This would have been a great opportunity to encourage a lot of Trump’s base to re-think their world view. The federal THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED unions that should have immediately responded to the shutdown include: the American Federation of Government Employees (TSA, IRS, Social Security, Homeland Security, CDC..), National Treasury Employees Union, National Air Traffic Controllers Association. And of course the AFL-CIO - the American FEDERATION of Labor – itself should have been there instead of doing nothing like they did when Reagan fired our air traffic controllers years ago (1981). This isn’t just about Trump or the GOP, or even the pathetic Dems; the labor movement needs house-cleaning, redemption and resurrection. They could set the agenda for America if they wanted to. �GLOBAL 6 NFeb. ov 2 7 - -NFeb. o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 21,2 02019 400 40 Years Since the Khmer Rouge Regime Came to an End in Cambodia A tourist peers at photographs of people who died in Khmer Rouge custody Credit: Robert Carmichael/IPS KRIS JANSSENS Inter Press Service T he anniversary is not actually celebrated. After all these years, talking about the Khmer Rouge is still controversial. This is partly because the genocide came ‘from within’. Almost every family has a feud that goes back to this dark history in the seventies. How could this have happened? The Marxist guerrilla movement was able to grow with support from North Vietnam. The Cambodian General Lon Nol, who came to power in 1970 after a coup, wanted to fight these communists and was backed by the United States – at the time involved in the Vietnam war. American bombings hit many civilians, who started to dislike the government and welcomed the Khmer Rouge soldiers when they marched into capital city Phnom Penh in 1975. But euphoria soon turned into fear. You were in danger if you were considered to be ‘intellectual’. Being able to read, speaking foreign languages or even wearing glasses could be fatal. In the documentary Iron Legs, by filmmaker Vanna Hem, San Sovan explains how she escaped death. “They asked me to write something”, she recalls. She is left-handed, but used her right hand and produced some barely readable words. She could walk out freely - being labelled ‘illiterate’. Starvation and torture Guerrilla leader Pol Pot wanted an agrarian society, without external interference. People had to leave the cities and were forced to work on the field. Many died from starvation, exhaustion or sickness. The regime was very suspicious and every possible enemy was tortured and killed. The ‘Tuol Sleng’ or ‘S21prison’ in Phnom Penh, where these executions took place, gives a clear impression of this violence. As it is a former school building, you can still see the classrooms that were later turned into torture chambers. The building remained untouched since the seventies. I visit this genocide museum with Toby, a young Thai man who comes to Cambodia’s capital for the first time. As we walk through the building, Toby becomes very quiet. “Shall we go now?” he asks after a while. When he learns about Khmer Rouge soldiers killing children, he’s done with the visit. The regime figured that children would only take revenge once they’d find out their parents were murdered. Judgment In a scarce interview, with American journalist Nate Thayer, Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot would later say “his conscious is clear”. He acknowledges he killed enemies of the movement, but “we had to defend ourselves. To say that millions died is too much”. The interview took place in Anlong Veng, close to the Thai border, where Pol Pot survived for over 20 years after his regime collapsed. He died in 1998 and was never brought to justice. The same goes for most of the other leaders of the movement. There is, however, a Khmer Rouge tribunal. In November last year, the court gave its final verdict, after twenty years of investigations. Two senior leaders, Nuon Chea (92) and Khieu Samphan (87), were both sentenced to life imprisonment. One was ‘Pol Pot’s right hand’, the other one ‘head of state’. Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch (76), had been sentenced to life before. He was the chief commander of the S21 prison. These are the only convictions made by the “Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia” (ECCC) since it came to existence in 1997 in collaboration with the UN. The total cost of the court is about $300 million. Barely taught I discuss the result of the court with some young Cambodians. “Thanks to the trial, people are at least talking about this difficult period”, someone says. “In my school there was very little information about the Khmer Rouge during history class, although the regime lasted almost four years.” Just think how European schools teach intensively about the empowerment and the consequences of the Nazi-regime - comparable to Khmer Rouge when it comes to atrocities and number of victims. Immediately after the Second World War, the Nuremberg trials helped to cope with the traumas. Controversial Prime Minister Why did it take so long in Cambodia, only to sentence three people? THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED “If they would dig deeper, they will inevitably arrive at the responsibility of today’s politicians,” someone says, “… thus of Hun Sen,” he whispers immediately after. I’m getting used to Cambodians lowering their voice when they talk about their prime minister. Not out of respect, but out of fear to get into trouble. The current prime minister Hun Sen was a troop commander under the Khmer Rouge regime. But he always denies he played an active role in the genocide. In 1977 he defected to Vietnam. The Vietnamese, who invaded Cambodia two years later, made him part of the new Cambodian government. In 1985 he became the prime minister, which he still is today. Future Hun Sen did indeed oppose the idea of finding more perpetrators, “as this could cause a civil war”. It is one of his favourite statements to defend his policy - which is a factual dictatorship. He refers to the peace and stability his governance brought during the last fifteen years. This is a popular message among the generation of Khmer Rouge survivors. But this country has a very young population, almost two-thirds of them being under the age of 30. This generation was born after the civil war and did not grow up in fear. These are young, ambitious people with dreams and hopes for the future. Lots of them don’t need a tribunal to give their verdict on the current politicians who clearly have their roots in this dark past of the Khmer Rouge. �NFeb. o. 397 3 -| Feb. Nov 221, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 | No. 400 GLOBAL 7 Bullets Against Pots and Pans in the Crackdown on Venezuela’s Protests HUMBERTO MÁRQUEZ Inter Press Service T he protests in Venezuela demanding an end to the presidency of Nicolás Maduro in the last 10 days of January, whose soundtrack was the sound of banging on pots and pans in working-class neighbourhoods, had a high human cost: more than 40 deaths, dozens wounded and about a thousand detainees, including 100 women and 90 children under 18. In Catia, a working-class neighbourhood west of Caracas, a number of young people were shot dead between 21 and 25 January, while National Police and military National Guard commandos demolished improvised roadblocks and barricades made with trash, managing to quash the protests. “They managed to do it. The local residents say that in the streets where several of these boys fell, silence and solitude have prevailed after 6pm. The pots and pans have not returned,” said sociologist Rafael Uzcátegui, head of Provea, an organisation that has been recording human rights violations in the country for decades. These protests have two special elements: they are taking place in neighbourhoods and sectors that until recently formed part of the government’s social base, reflecting the anger felt by the poor in the face of the country’s socioeconomic collapse, which has turned their protests into “mini-Caracazos,” recalling the violent protests given that name in February 1989, which resulted in hundreds of deaths. Furthermore, they have been submerged in the institutional crisis that has had the country in its grip since January and which has put Venezuela at the forefront of world geopolitics, with a struggle for power that is also playing out between the governments of the United States and other countries of the Americas and European countries, on the one hand, and China, Russia and Turkey, on the other. Maduro, 56, who governed the country from 2013 to 2019, was sworn in on 10 January for a second term after winning an election in May 2018, the results of which were not recognised by the legislature or by most of the opposition or the governments of the Americas and Europe. The election was called outside the legal timeframe by a National Constituent Assembly composed solely of government supporters, the electoral authority banned the main opposition parties and leaders, and a cloud of irregularities enveloped the campaign and the voting day itself, according to complaints from local and international organisations. The opposition-controlled National Assembly refused to recognise Maduro’s re-election and the president of the legislature, Juan Guaidó, 35, declared himself acting president on 23 January, before a crowd in Caracas, while mass opposition demonstrations were held in some 50 cities. Since 21 January, when 27 members of the National Guard mutinied in a barracks in the neighborhood of Cotiza, north of Caracas, refusing to recognise the re-election of Maduro, “cacerolazos” – pots-and-pans protests – spread, and groups of local residents in poor neighborhoods of the capital and cities in the provinces improvised barricades and clashed with the security forces and irregular civil groups of sympathisers of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). Looting of shops also broke out in several cities in the provinces. The 21-25 January crackdown left 35 people dead, dozens injured by bullets or plastic pellets, and 850 arrested. “On 23 January alone, 696 people were arrested – the largest number in a single day of protests in 20 years,” said lawyer Alfredo Romero, director of the Penal Forum, an organisation that follows the question of those detained for political or social reasons. The Forum counted 12,480 arbitrary detentions from February 2014 – the year of the first mass protests against Maduro – to October 2018, classifying 1,551 people as political prisoners, of whom 236 were still in prison when the report was produced. The list has now grown with those arrested so far this year. Since Maduro first took office in 2013, Provea and other human rights groups have reported that at least 250 people have died in street protests. Romero said the state uses a “revolving door” strategy: when political detainees are released, usually on parole, another group is arrested for similar reasons. In January, “the order the security forces received was to arrest protesters. It is clear that the government decided to assume the cost of stopping the protest in the poorer areas, which in the past were ‘Chavista’ but have now turned against Chavismo,” he said. Chavismo was the political movement of Hugo Chavez, president from 1999 until his death in 2013. Demonstrators clash with security forces during a protest of opposition supporters against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas, Venezuela January 23, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins For two decades, the urban poor and working-class supported Chavismo, but they have now increasingly turned against Maduro, exasperated by the high food prices, the collapse of services such as water, electricity, health and transport, and the increasingly acute shortage of medicines or cooking gas. Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in Geneva on 29 January that “just over 40 people have been killed” and of these “at least 26 were allegedly shot dead by security forces or progovernment armed groups during the demonstrations.” Provea contends that at least eight people were killed in extrajudicial executions in Caracas and two provincial cities when members of the National Police’s elite FAES squad entered their homes. “FAES receives training for lethal action, against extortion or kidnapping. It is not trained to handle public order situations. Its codes and weapons, which are highly lethal, are not in proportion to the rules of proportional and gradual use of force applicable in situations of popular protest,” said Uzcátegui. The arrests, which included 100 women and at least 90 children and adolescents, “have been carried out in indiscriminate sweeps, to spread fear and discourage protests,” Romero said. One such case is that of Jickson Rodriguez, 14, who is epileptic as a result of an old head injury. He and his young friends were banging on pots and pans near his family’s barbershop on the night of 22 January in Villa Bahia, which is located in Puerto Ordaz, an industrial city on the banks of the Orinoco River, 500 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED kilometres southeast of Caracas, when National Guard units captured him and six others and took him to a barracks that guards a steel plant. “Since I wasn’t crying, I was the one who received the most blows. I told the guards, ‘Why are you beating us when we’ve already been arrested?’ and they slapped me. They gave me blows to the head. I told them ‘you can’t hit me on the head, I have epilepsy, and they told me: ‘Shut up, you’re a detainee’,” he told his family and journalists a few days later. “I found him, handcuffed, after searching for him in various places where they were holding people, the afternoon of the following day,” said his mother Rosmelys Guilarte, 39, a hairdresser who also has three daughters. “He was beaten on the soles of his feet, so there would be no visible bruises. He had a convulsion while he was in detention, which is why he was handed over to me two days later.” Jickson “was accused by the judicial police of participating in looting that took place miles from where we were banging on pots and pans that night – something that was impossible. He has orders to report to the authorities every 30 days. I try to get him to rest a lot, this has been really hard on him,” she said from her home. For Uzcátegui, “the government’s strategy has three components: repression in the face of the discontent shared by most of the population, betting that the current political conflict will wane, and attempts to limit the visibility of the crisis by going after the media and journalists.” Courtesy of Inter Press Service / INSP.ngo �FEATURE 8 N ov 2 o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Jan. 11- -NJan. 25,2 02019 398 Haitians abandon forgotten town, isolated for over a decade (Top Left) Anita bathes his son Romenson Exalus at their house in Boucan Ferdinand, Haiti, April 10, 2018. (Top Right) Boys walk along a trail, that was used in the past by terrain vehicles connecting with Bois Negresse, on the outskirts of Boucan Ferdinand, Haiti, October 10, 2018. (Bottom Left) Children attend a class at the school at a Baptist church in Boucan Ferdinand, Haiti, October 10, 2018. (Bottom Right) Residents dance at a bar in Boucan Ferdinand, Haiti, April 8, 2018. Sunday evening is the only time when the bar is open and residents gather there to socialise and dance. Credit: REUTERS/Andres Martinez Casares ANDRES MARTINEZ CASARES Reuters N ear the bottom of the island of Hispaniola in southeast Haiti is a forgotten village, cut off from its own country, and slowly emptying as its residents leave for the neighbouring Dominican Republic. Without health services, electricity, or paved roads, Boucan Ferdinand lost its only road to the nearest Haitian town, Bois Negresse, in devastating floods back in 2004. Some of its residents have left for the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince and others cling on to a precarious life. Many have crossed illegally into the more prosperous Dominican Republic. "They do not have access to basic social services, this situation is at the root of the mass migration to the Dominican Republic," said Jean Gilles Viola, mayor of the municipality that governs Boucan Ferdinand and around 20 other villages. Those who remain live in thatch and stick hovels, collecting rainwater to drink and at constant risk of infectious diseases. Some children, in impeccable blue uniforms, walk to a school in the town of Chapotin - a trip that takes an hour and a half over a narrow path, impassable in the rainy season. In the village are two makeshift classrooms, run by the Baptist and Catholic chapels. "This year my children will not go to school," said village farmer Wilber Jean in October, as his children played nearby. "Here you pay a ton. There," pointing across the border, "the president pays." Children collect firewood or graze small flocks of goats and sheep to help their parents. During planting time, many skip school in order to help on the farms, earning less than $2 a day. In the mornings, the village smells of burning firewood brought by the children as the women make breakfast: sometimes there is pasta, but more likely coffee and a piece of bread. Often there is rice and beans. Meat, a luxury. Haiti, which according to the World Bank is the poorest country in the Americas, has not recovered from a powerful earthquake that hit it on 12 January 2010, leaving more than 200,000 dead. The countryside has been emptying out. Less than half of Haitians live in rural communities compared to 84 per cent in 1960, World Bank data shows. Boucan Ferdinand seems to have THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED fallen off the map. Radios mainly capture Dominican signals. "I'm tired of looking for stations in Haiti," complained Polo, a 64-yearold man who returned here with his wife and one of his grandchildren after spending more than 40 years in the Dominican Republic. Aurana Augustin 'Timatant' sold bread and sweets until a few months ago when the left half of her body was paralyzed. Today, the grandmother spends her days lying in bed. The nearest Haitian health centre is across a mountain, so she has been crossing the border on a mule to seek care in the Dominican town of Duverge. The local government wants to rebuild the road taken out by the floods but lacks the financial means, said the mayor. �N o. 39 Nov 221, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Feb. 73- |Feb. | No. 400 FEATURE 9 What's in a name? Everything, say Australia's indigenous people ADESHOLA ORE Reuters T he north bank of Melbourne's Yarra River is dotted with a series of Aboriginal-made art installations. The eel-shaped winding paths, the metal shields and the message sticks are a reminder of the original inhabitants of this part of Australia. The riverside area, Birrarung Marr, is one of the locations that a local heritage trust takes visitors to on its indigenous-led guided walking tours so they can learn about the area's First People. That includes their names for various sites. For the Wurundjeri People, the river's name is not the Yarra but the 'Birrarung' – which means 'river of mists'. "Having the river recognised as the Birrarung can be really important," said Rob Hyatt, education manager for the Koorie Heritage Trust, and leader on some of the tours. "It's not just a name. It is actually a cultural site." Although 'Yarra' is an Aboriginal word that means 'flowing river', Hyatt said, the waterway was mistakenly given that name by one of the city's early founders. To the Wurundjeri People, the river remains the Birrarung, said Hyatt, which is why the Wurundjeri Council has pushed to have the name restored. National debate Indigenous Australians trace their lineage back 60,000 years, and across the country a growing number of groups - from Aboriginal-led organisations to grassroots movements and politicians - want Aboriginal names used for geographic landmarks rather than the names given by settlers. The debate about the country's colonial history reignited in January after the federal government proposed ordering local governments to conduct citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day – 26 January, which marks the arrival of the first fleet of British settlers in 1788. Several local councils have stopped holding citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day because of concerns the date is insulting to Aboriginal people. For many indigenous Australians, 26 January is "Invasion Day", the start of Britain's colonisation of Aboriginal lands and their brutal subjugation. The government's proposal was seen by many as offensive. The country's 700,000 or so indigenous people track near the bottom of its 25 million citizens in almost every economic and social indicator. Jonathan Richards, a fellow at the University of Queensland's School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, Aboriginal elder Max Eulo performs a smoking ceremony during an official function on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, Australia, November 27, 2013. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on February 10, 2016 said that the government was failing to meet a number of goals aimed at improving the lot of its embattled aboriginal population as he released its tenth annual report card on indigenous issues. Just two of seven targets in the 2016 Closing the Gap report, which outlines the government's record in meeting its own targets on issues such as infant mortality, life expectancy and economic performance, are on track to be met. Picture taken November 27, 2013. REUTERS/David Gray said some place names - such as The Leap and Murdering Creek - reflect frontier violence against indigenous people. "There are also names of places that commemorate individuals who are known to have been violent towards Aboriginal people. It's right across Australia," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone. "This is Aboriginal country, every single part of it. To use the Aboriginal names is a really good way to remind people of the truth." In some places that has happened: the globally recognised sandstone landmark Uluru was known as Ayers Rock until 1993, when the Aboriginal name Uluru was included in its dual name. Many Australians now refer to it simply as Uluru. And in June 2018, the Electoral Commission agreed to change the name of the federal seat of Batman in Melbourne's inner-north to Cooper in recognition of indigenous activist William Cooper. John Batman, considered one of Melbourne's founding fathers, was accused of involvement in the massacre of Aboriginal people in Tasmania during the early 1800s. The inner-city Melbourne council of Darebin wants Batman's name removed from a park in its area, part of a wider effort to rename places associated with him. Susan Rennie, mayor of Darebin, said the move was very well accepted locally, though there was some back- lash from people living "well outside of Darebin". "We did receive some negative and at times very angry feedback from people who aren't part of our community who felt as though we weren't acknowledging history and the role of Batman in Australia," she said. Darebin's experience also shows that the process does not always run smoothly: its bid to rename the park Gumbri, in honour of a Wurundjeri elder, was rejected by the Geographic Names Victoria office in June after family members of the late elder opposed the use of the name. Rennie said the council was working with indigenous groups such as the Wurundjeri Council in considering new options. "The history of John Batman and his treatment of Aboriginal people was seen as being really problematic in terms of having a local park named after him," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone. "It's important for Wurundjeri People to see their language and their names and places recognised in writing, but it's equally important for Australians who aren't First Nations people to understand and see that connection in everyday things." Broadly positive In the north-east state of Queensland, two mountains considered sacred to the native Darumbal People were renamed in May: Mount Jim Crow and Mount Wheeler reverted back to their indigenous names of Baga THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED and Gai-i respectively. The renaming followed the award of native title for the region to the Darumbal people in June 2016. Such title legally recognises indigenous groups as the traditional owners of a tract of land. Nyoka Hatfield, an elder of the Darumbal People, said the name Jim Crow was "akin to apartheid" in South Africa. "Jim Crow is the name of the racist system that they had in the United States of America. A lot of people associated the words Jim Crow with that racist system," Hatfield said. And although some letters to local newspapers and comments on social media had criticised the name reversal, the positive responses had outweighed the negative. "People say it's wonderful. They are speaking the traditional language and getting to know the traditional language," she said. It is not the only recent change in Queensland: in 2017, the state government restored the name for the Fraser Island part of the Great Sandy National Park to K'gari, which for the local Butchulla People means 'paradise'. Hatfield, who teaches the Darumbal language and culture in schools, said she hoped that renaming places would lead to a wider understanding of the country's indigenous past. "Whatever part of Australia you live in, you should know its history." Courtesy of Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation / INSP.ngo �10 GLOBAL NFeb. o v 27- -N o v 19, 0 18 | |N o . 393 Feb. 21,22019 No. 400 Mexico’s Forests, Both Victim of and Solution to Climate Change EMILIO GODOY Inter Press Service " I dream of a healthy, sustainable, well-managed forest,” says Rogelio Ruiz, a silviculturist from southern Mexico, who insists that “we have to clean it up, take advantage of the wood, and reforest.” These activities are essential for the ecosystem, especially to adapt to the impacts of climate change, said the president of the La Trinidad Communal Lands Commissariat, in the municipality of Ixtlán de Juárez, in the state of Oaxaca, some 840 km south of Mexico City. Forest habitats are precisely one of the best natural mechanisms for mitigating climatic change, but at the same time they face the consequences, such as rising temperatures, variations in rainfall regimes and the spread of pests. The ecoregion where La Trinidad is located, the Sierra Juárez mountains, is well aware of this. Since 2017 it has been facing an outbreak of the pine sawfly, which eats the needles of the pine tree, the most common species in this area of central Oaxaca. Local organisations estimate that some 10,000 hectares are at risk from this pest. Ruíz explained that 106 of his community’s 805 hectares have been damaged. La Trinidad has a traditional Mexican system of government for collectively-owned and worked land, which is different from an “eijido” because the land here cannot be sold. In September, “we applied aerial fumigation” of a biopesticide and now “we will use handpumps,” said the community leader, one of those attending the celebration in Ixtlan this month of the 35 years of struggle against the private forest concessions that were once predominant here. The struggle gave rise to community- 2014. These undertakings exemplify the development of Mexican community forestry, considered a global model, for its success in generating social, economic and environmental benefits. In 2016, Mexico, the secondlargest country in Latin America, with 1.96 million square kilometres (196 million hectares), had 20.3 million hectares of temperate forest, 850,000 hectares of mesophilic mountain forest, 50.2 million hectares of scrubland, 7.9 million hectares of grasslands, 11.5 million hectares of rainforest and 1.4 million hectares of other vegetation, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography. he non-governmental Mexican Civil Council for Sustainable Forestry lists 4,886 forest communities and ejidos, of which some 2,100 commercially exploit the forests. But only seven million hectares, in the hands of some 600 communities, operate with a management and conservation plan, a requirement for obtaining approval for the harvesting programmes promoted by the state-run National Forestry Commission. Mexico’s timber production totals seven million cubic metres annually, of which Oaxaca in the south contributes just under seven per cent. Forest ecosystems provide water to urban areas, regulate the water cycle, provide food, and capture carbon dioxide (CO2), the gas responsible for global warming, among other ecological services, according to scientific studies. As a result, in the face of the threats posed by climate change, forests require public policies that generate better economic incentives, offer legal certainty about land tenure, expand markets and increase productivity, say silviculture organisations and experts. Ixtlan, which means “place of threads or fibres” in the Zapotec language and where 600 hectares have Workers from the forest community of Ixtl·n de Ju·rez inspect seedlings to be planted in the forest they manage within the municipality of the same name, in the southern state of Oaxaca, Mexico. Their plan is to build a seed orchard to generate pine species more resistant to climate change. Credit: Emilio Godoy/IPS managed forests like this one. La Trinidad, made up of 291 community members and their families, has a permit to annually extract 5,000 cubic metres of wood during an eightyear management plan, in effect since been damaged, has undertaken the fight against pests by experimenting with five species of pine in the community nursery. “In November and December, we do seed selection. We want fastergrowing, pest-resistant species. We are The Sierra Ju·rez forest in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca is vulnerable to the effects of climate change, but at the same time it can help fight the phenomenon. Credit: Emilio Godoy/IPS confident that the new species will be more resistant,” explained Sergio Ruiz, forestry advisor for the community enterprise Santo Tomás Ixtlán Forest Union. The community of Ixtlán, also in the municipality of the same name, owns 19,125 hectares, of which 30 per cent is used for forestry. Its activities also include ecotourism, a gas station, a shop, a furniture factory and a water bottling plant. In 2018, the community nursery provided 360,000 seedlings, 100,000 of which went to reforestation while the other 260,000 were donated to nearby communities. The hope is to create a seed orchard. A study under preparation by the state-run Technical University of Sierra Juárez analyses climatic factors such as temperature, moisture and soil conditions in Ixtlán. In 2015, Mexico emitted 683 million tons of CO2, making it the second largest polluter in the region after Brazil. Of that total, 20 million tons came from the loss of forest lands. This Latin American country adopted its own goal of zero deforestation by 2030, a real challenge when average annual logging represents 200,867 hectares lost between 2011 and 2016, according to estimates by the Superior Audit of the Federation, the Mexican government comptroller’s office. Other sites in the Sierra Juarez mountains are also exposed to climate change, although their height above sea level temporarily protects them from insects. Such is the case in the municipality of San Juan Evangelista, where silviculturists are preparing to adapt their forests to the phenomenon. “It is important to clean up the forest, because it takes away combustion power and the risk of pests. In addition, managed forests allow more carbon sequestration than unmanaged forests. They can help prevent climate change from accelerating,” said Filemón Manzano, technical adviser to the forestry community in that municipality. Analco, which means “on the other side of the river” in Nahuatl, consists of THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 150 community members, the owners of 1,600 hectares, of which 1,000 are covered by forests and 430 of which are exploited. The community operates a nursery for 3,000 seedlings. Manzano and academics from the state-run Postgraduate College of Agricultural Sciences are preparing research on CO2 absorption by managed forests, estimated at five tons per year per managed hectare. Under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, Mexico pledged to reduce, by 2030, up to 14 million tons of annual CO2 emissions from land use, land use change and forestry, by promoting sustainable forest management, increasing productivity in forests and jungles and promoting forest plantations. But the outlays needed to implement mitigation measures would total 11.789 billion dollars up to that year, at a cost of 53 dollars per ton of CO2. Zero deforestation would require 7.923 billion dollars and sustainable forest management would require 3.861 billion dollars. In July, the Mexican forestry sector proposed a long-term policy, greater investment, an adequate legal framework, strengthening community forest management, community participation in the design of measures and a link to climate change, as part of the “Forests with people, forests forever” campaign. Rogelio Ruiz called for more support to better care for the ecosystem and thus reap more benefits. The study “Toward a Global Baseline of Carbon Storage in Collective Lands”, published in September by the Rights and Resources Initiative, a Washington-based global network of 15 partners, estimated that Mexican community forests trap 2.8 million tons of CO2. Manzano called for more forest management. “We want to show how managed forests contribute to the conservation of the planet. It’s going to be important to have more resistant species and create a good mix of species,” he said. Courtesy of Inter Press Service/ NSP.ngo �N o. 39 Nov 221, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Feb. 73- |Feb. | No. 400 11 GLOBAL Shedding Light on Forced Child Pregnancy and Motherhood in Latin America MARIELA JARA Inter Press Service R esearch and campaigns by women’s rights advocates are beginning to focus on the problem of Latin American girls under the age of 14 who are forced to bear the children of their rapists, with the lifelong implications that entails and without the protection of public policies guaranteeing their human rights. The Latin American and Caribbean Committee for the Defence of Women’s Rights (Cladem) addressed the issue of teenage girls who fell pregnant as a result of rape, in a 2016 study in 14 countries of the region, to remove the cloak of invisibility. Julia Escalante, a Mexican lawyer and Cladem regional coordinator, said that it was the case of Paraguayan girl Mainunbuy (not her real name) that motivated them to delve deeper into the issue. The girl became pregnant in 2015 after she was raped by her stepfather and was not allowed to have an abortion. Cladem and Equality Now turned to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in May of that year, which urged the Paraguayan state to protect the Paraguayan girl’s life and rights. But that did not happen, and since then similar cases have arisen in the South American country, the last one in November. “The case of Mainunbuy led us to ask what is happening in other countries of the region. We found a lack of policies to prevent pregnancy and childbearing among children, and to protect the rights of girls,” she said. A study published this year by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) reported that this is the second region in the world, after Sub-Saharan Africa, with the highest teenage pregnancy rate, with 66.5 births per thousand girls and adolescents, compared to a global rate of 46. In addition, of the 7.3 million births to adolescents under the age of 18 that occur each year in the region, more than two million are to girls under the age of 15, and if the trend continues that figure will reach three million by 2030. Cladem’s study of 14 countries, Child Mothers. Forced Child Pregnancy A group of girls from the Amazon region of Peru, the region with the highest teen pregnancy rate, including girls under 14. Latin America is the second region in the world in terms of teen pregnancy, only behind sub-Saharan Africa. Credit: Mariela Jara/IPS and Motherhood in Latin America and the Caribbean, underscores that according to the laws in this region, all births to girls under the age of 14 are legally the result of rape or statutory rape. Organisations that defend women’s rights in the region say that a forced child pregnancy occurs when a girl under the age of 14 becomes pregnant without having sought or desired it and faces obstacles that keep her from having an abortion if she so wishes. Cladem’s data on births to girls under 15 reveal that in 2015 there were 122 in Uruguay, 1,432 in Peru, 1,444 in El Salvador, 1,600 in Nicaragua, 2,787 in Argentina, 6,045 in Colombia, 10,277 in Mexico, 13,332 in Bolivia and 26,700 in Brazil. This Lima-based regional network that is active in 15 countries is carrying out the campaign “Child Pregnancy is Torture”, which has contributed to raising awareness about this silenced issue in the international community. Escalante emphasises the responsibility of governments, which it called upon to gather specific, brokendown statistics on pregnancies and childbirths to girls under 14 years of age. It also called for prevention Some 14,000 girls have been raped in the last six years,î reads the poster on the left during a demonstration in Lima on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which is celebrated Nov. 25. Rape is the cause of child pregnancy and forced motherhood in Peru, as in other Latin American countries. Credit: Mariela Jara/IPS measures through comprehensive sex education with a gender perspective from early childhood onwards, the inclusion of such content in the media, and a halt to the sexualisation of girls in the media. At the same time, it demanded that States remove the normative, legal and cultural obstacles that prevent access to abortion for pregnant girls, and thus avoid irreparable damage to their physical and mental health. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has been sounding the alert on the steady rise in teen pregnancy and motherhood in Latin America and the Caribbean. In a 2014 report, it noted that 20 per cent of pregnancies to girls under the age of 18 involved girls under the age of 15 who had been raped. Speaking to IPS, Olga Isaza of Colombia, Unicef ’s deputy representative in Peru, first specified the figures for child motherhood in the country, which serves as an example of the phenomenon in the region. She said that between 2011 and 2017, the public health system attended 14,325 births to girls under 15. In addition, in 2015 the National Registry of Identification and Civil Status registered 1,538 newborns to mothers between the ages of 11 and 14 years. “In 71 per cent of the cases, the fathers of these newborns were older than 18, which confirms the sexual abuse underlying these pregnancies,” Isaza said. The annual teen pregnancy rate in Peru is 13 per cent of all pregnancies – a percentage that rises as high as 30 per cent in Amazon jungle regions such as Loreto. “The group of girls under 14 is the one that worries us most because there is a relationship of submission and power that leads to girls having children, girls whose rights to be protected against all forms of violence and to live according THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED to their age and to grow up are violated,” said the U.N. official. Isaza mentioned five policy recommendations to ensure the rights of adolescents and young people presented in Peru by the United Nations agencies, led by UNICEF and UNFPA (the U.N. Population Fund), and which can be adopted in other countries. For example, the design of comprehensive policy packages to address the development aspect of children under 14 and access to friendly health services at appropriate times of the day and with specially trained personnel, as well as comprehensive sex education and making such information available to the girls’ families. “It is about the home and school being safe spaces for every child and adolescent, for them to have health, education, protection against all forms of violence, and participation in their communities,” Isaza said. He added that priority should be given to the areas of greatest risk in each country and that, in order to be effective, these measures of comprehensive action by the State must be culturally appropriate, including personnel trained and qualified to provide quality services, and a sufficient budget to be implemented efficiently. Isaza noted that 13 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which make up the Development Agenda 2030, are directly associated with children and adolescents, in order to reach that year with this generation in better conditions in terms of health, education, justice, protection and gender equality. “And the only way to do that is to make the SDGs a commitment of the States and for each segment of society to assume its role and live up to it, to agree on a broad social consensus,” she stressed. Courtesy of Inter Press Service / INSP.ngo �12 What’s Going On STREETVOICE What’s going on ask singer Marvin Gaye What’s going on in our world of today Stealing from each other, killing one another Lying, cheating and still calling each other brother Disillusioned by what our lives should really be Misunderstanding that we’re all born in sin, you and me Forgetting each day to let live and let love Forgetting to give all praises due to God up above Everyone needs to take time out to pray And ask God to forgive our sins each and everyday To replace hate with peace and love where ever we can Only then can we see what’s going on all over the land So for me this is what’s really going on We as a people must come together before all life is gone!!! WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer Nov 2 N o v 19, 0 18 || No. N o . 400 393 Feb. 7 -- Feb. 21, 22019 Homelessness Homelessness is a place that, has a lot of drought Homelessness is cold with wet nights, Homelessness is a cardboard box that a person calls their home To receive a blanket or a kind word means a lot to a person, sleeping on the curb If you open your eyes tell me what you see That person experiencing homelessness on the street one day could be you or me! KIM GREEN Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer Streetvibes Writing Circle If you would like to submit a story for publication in streetvibes, come join Katelyn Lusher and Chris Wilkey for a group writing session! S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �STREETVOICE No. 39 | Nov21, 2 - 2019 N o v 19, 2 0400 18 Feb. 7 -3 Feb. | No. A Succinct Analysis Of The Recent Federal Shutdown Things in D.C. got really chancy, But holding firm was Speaker Nancy. Trump had tantrums to get his way, Homelessness Sidewalk people. Street smart. Ron English, a diva in chalk. Sebastian, the sombrero-clad bicyclist. Memories surround Carl at the old Carl’s Bar. Raymond Thunder-Sky, adorned in a hard- But Speaker Nancy refused to play. hat helmet; Now we are in a three week break, green wig. And grownups better negotiate. BILL WOODS Contributing Writer 13 Fifi Taft Rockefeller, feisty in sequins and They are all Mayors of 12th Street. Screen doors. Slammed shut. Suddenly open. Nickels. Dimes. A Gateway Quarter brawl. Corner dealer. Cops stop. They smile. All once farmland here. Long before the Drop. Rows corn. Holstein cows. Dairy airs. Hillbilly feuds. Zombie Amish. Jammed cicada jelly. Accidental empires. Cobble-stone alleys of the Rhine. A hungry legend. Perhaps apocryphal tale. Batavia’s lost gold ingots, buried. What lies beneath. Somewhere hidden. A secret under our 12th Street rubble. Gold-miners still dig here. Like fierce gerbils. Welcome to 12th Street. FELIX WINTERNITZ Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �14 PUZZLE Pet Horoscopes by Dusty Changepurse N o v 27--N o v 19, 0 18 || N o . 393 Feb. Feb. 21,22019 No. 400 Leo (Ace of Coins) - I know you think your bird is a birdbrain, but look who’s chirping. I kid. For you bird lovers, this is the time for you to learn something new about your pet. Birds need to be stimulated, not just locked in a cage and forgotten.Try a new snack, a new toy, or a new activity. Maybe even a new friend? Your Leo pet needs something Aquarius ( Three of Swords) - Training is prob not going new in their life. Sadly, they may have some issues related to well and trust me when I say both you and your pet are their feathers this month, so keep an eye on that. frustrated. Be careful of your tone and attitude with your pet right now. Aquarius pets are in their feelings this month. Positive reinforcement is what your pet needs now. You may Virgo (Three of Coins) - You and your pet need to work on think your you are calm and assertive, but your pet hears a routine. Sure, you are doing your best, but right now that routine is what is lacking. This is the month that you both stern and demanding. need to double down on your hard work. Working hard together may bring you closer than you think. If you just Pisces (Seven of Cups) - If you are a repetile parent, hooray! got a new pet and are feeling overwhelmed, surprise,l this Your scaly friends are having a good month, but beware is what you signed up for. All Virgo pets, and their owners, of things relating to water. Water bowls, dehydration, need to focus on working hard now so that it is easy later. swimming, etc. Meaning, make sure your pet has enough, but not too much. Also, check to see they aren’t having any skin issues. Feel free to give them a neat treat this month Libra (Knight of Swords) - You and your furry friend (and because they have a vet appointment and they will not be snakes) have been at each others necks. You have been feeling the struggle, and your pet notices it. Please don’t happy. think it has to be you or them. This is the month that you both need to work on patience. I promise you that if you Aries (Ace of Wands) - You and your pet have been playing stick it through the squeeze, you will leave the experience mind games with each other. Where is that mystery pee feeling more knowledgeable. smell coming from? Can I trust them not to knock over my plants? Your pet is having boundary issues. Heck, we all are right now. You may need to use empathy to find out what is Scorpio (Knight of Coins) - Scorpio pets are pretty chill really the problem. Maybe they are under-stimulated or they this month. It is all about spoiling them this month. Your miss you. Boundaries is the name of the game this month. scorpio pet would love some sort of grooming. They are feeling themselves and not everyone can give themselves Asserting those boundaries now will pay off, trust me. a purrrfect cleaning. It is time to make your pet shine and smells good. Also, the cards didn’t say this, but feel free to Taurus (The Tower) - The old regime has fallen. You may add a new outfit to their closet. They could use the self-care think you have things under control, but when you put those day. Just saying. two pets together, something always seems to go wrong. Your pets are needing more autonomy, and sadly you may have to give it to them. Think about expanding the area your Sagittarius (Six of Cups) - Cha-Ching! If you have wanted furry friends can visit. A trip to a park, or pet daycare, may an exotic fish, get it. Exotic fish are having a particularly good month. If you are already up to your gills in fish, then be what you need to nip the behavior in the bud. add more? Your water-living friends will feel like a monarch under the sea for a while. You may have noticed them being Gemini (The Emperor) - Who is running the house, you extra social already. You may as well splurge on them, or them? And yes, that is what your pet is asking, not you. because they will bring luck with them. Sidenote: If you just Gemini pets love to rule the roost. Why else would they perch lost a pet, this may be the month to consider adding another on the back of the sofa, or hid in the top of the closet? Even friend to join the family. Moving on can be painful, but you though you feel like you don’t know shih-tzu, know that you may be surprised once you open your heart again. are, in fact, a great fur parent. Your gemini pet must learn that both of you can rule in this kingdom. Wait. What? Capricorn (The Empress) - Um, is your pet-a-preg-nent? Yay, and congrat! If not, then check on them. Some pets may be Cancer (The Devil) - Um Sorry? The Devil card doesn’t mean dealing with digestive issues this month. Trust me when I your pet is evil, although when you come home to house full say, Capricorn pets are going through it this month. Your of ripped cushions, shredded toilet paper, and garbage amiss pet family may see some growth this month. You may need you question that assertion. This card means your Cancer to consider how many pets is too many pets. Also, I sense pet has been suppressing some things and they are bound to some pets will deal with leg issues this month. So take care burst out. This could be an injury, a sickness, or some form during play. of trauma. Search for the root cause of the erratic behavior before thinking they are a lost cause. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 Nov 2 - N o v 19, 2 0 18 Feb. 73- |Feb. 21, 2019 | No. 400 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 NFeb. o v 2 7- -NFeb. o v 19, 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 21,2 2019 400 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BETTIE BAILEY SINCE 10/2017 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 BRIAN ADAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHARLES WILLIAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHRISTOPHER KAIHATSU SINCE 7/2017 CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DARREL ROZIER SINCE 7/2017 DAVID MCCANE SINCE 2017 ERIC VALDEZ SINCE 2/2017 GERALD FRANKLIN SINCE 7/2017 GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 HENRY BRELAND SINCE 7/2017 JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009 JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2000 JENNY BURTON SINCE 7/2017 JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001 JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006 JOHN HORN JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008 J’TORI TYMAN SINCE 5/2014 KIM NGUYEN SINCE 7/2017 KENNY BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008 LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007 LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009 LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MARK SHEARS SINCE 4/2012 MAURICE GOLSBY MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MIKE CARANO SINCE 4/2016 RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 1999 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 STACIA HOLLANDER SINCE 2017 STEPHANIE EAKES SINCE 7/2017 SYLVESTER WALKER SINCE 7/2017 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2011 VICTOR MUMPHRY WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 WINNIE RICE SINCE 7/2017 QUEENACELASTINE SINCE 7/2017 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 VIOLET COLLINS SINCE 2017 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2019 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource February 7-February 21, 2019 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From the Director Pg 3: Wholly Unrecognizable Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: Deb Haaland Becomes One of First Two Native American Congresswomen Who Shut Down the Shutdown? Pg 6: 40 Years Since the Khmer Rouge Regime Came to an End in Cambodia Pg 7: Bullets against Pots and Pans in the Crackdown on Venezuela’s Protests Pg 8: Haitians Abandon Forgotten Town, Isolated for Over a Decade Pg 9: What’s in a Name? Pg 10: Mexico’s Forests, Both victim of and Solution to Climate Change Pg 11: Shedding Light on Forced Child Pregnancy and Motherhood in Latin America 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 February 7-February 21, 2019 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Humberto Marquez Amanda Becker Kris Janssens Robert Park Adeshola Ore Andres Martinez Casares Dr. Mark Mussman Bill Woods Key Beck Kim Green Willa Denise Jones Mariela Jara Emilio Godoy Felix Winternitz Homeless Coalition Pngtree.com Gabriela Godinez Wraphome.org Amanda Meek Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Adeshola Ore Amanda Becker Amanda Meek Andres Martinez Casares Australia Bill Woods Cambodia Child Pregnancy Climate Change Deb Haaland Dr. Mark Mussman Emilio Godoy Felix Winternitz Gabriela Godinez Haiti Homeless Coalition Humberto Marquez Indigenous People Josh Spring Key Beck Kim Green Kris Janssens Latin America Mariela Jara Mexico Motherhood Native American Pngtree.com Protests Robert Park Venezuela Willa Denise Jones Wraphome.org https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/76d26bae37374821b5f46bb15d745d7f.pdf e6034159406b27a1ce27535f28e13ead PDF Text Text Any opinions in this issue are of the authors and don't necessarily represent Streetvibes or The Homeless Coalition. BLACK HISTORY MONTH Special Edition This Issue is sponsored by Cecilia and Tom Kloecker Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 12 �2 COALITION N o v 21-March 2 - N o v 19,7,22019 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Feb. 401 From The Director: History Isn’t a Series of Stories Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor-in-chief: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Executive Director: Josh Spring Josh Spring giving a speech. Credit:Amanda Meet JOSH SPRING Executive Director W hen we talk about history, we tend to discuss particular individuals, groups or campaigns that were covered in abundance by the press and that accomplished specific changes. Or we look at history as a series of highlighted stories through decades. These parts of history are very important and certainly can serve as inspiration for our work continuing. But not looking at the whole picture and instead seeing history as a limited number if inspirational stories can make systemic change seem unobtainable. Take for example the “Civil Rights Movement”. We learn about “Brown v. Board of Education”, “Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott”, the “Little Rock Nine”, the “Lunch Counter Sit-Ins”, “Ruby Bridges”, “Freedom Riders”, “Marches, Dogs, Hoses and Bombs in Birmingham”, the “March on Washington”, “I Have a Dream”, the “Civil Rights Act”, the “March to Montgomery”, the “Poor Peoples’ Campaign” and the assassination of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I list each of these in quotations because the way history is taught and discussed, these actions have in many ways been made into products that sell books, movies and are used by corporations to fain care. For many they have become stories of the past you hear about, with larger than life characters who had some genius ideas, unfettered focus and through these this limited list of events, accomplished major changes. What do most people think about this information? They feel uplifted and thankful. What does history told in this way lead most people to do? You might say to yourself, “Well, I can’t have that unfettered focus because I have to go to work, I have to feed my kids, I have to pay the rent” or “I have to find a home, I have to avoid harassment by the police, I have to deal with family issues, I have to play with my children…”. Or perhaps, “Well, I don’t have any genius ideas”, “I’m not good at giving speeches”, “I don’t know how to lead a march or organize a boycott.” So then we say, “I really wish we had a ‘Martin Luther King’ today, we really need a strong leader.” But here’s the thing, history, systemic change and over-throw of systems don’t actually happen in a series of stories led by fearless, other-worldly strategic geniuses with nothing else going on in their lives. No, changing systems and creating and implementing new systems are accomplished by the hard work of many people, with different sets of strengths and limitations and with lots going on in their lives. The larger than life characters in these stories were not larger than life. They struggled, screwed up, got distracted at times, had other close people to care for, got confused and were not isolated islands spitting out perfect ideas and plans. These stories are not story-book at all. They all involve people going to long meetings, arguing about tactics, trying to agree on goals, planning actions and then having to reschedule them, implementing plans that work and plans that don’t. People didn’t one day just decide to make some major move that would have long-lasting impact. People planned, evaluated, fed their kids, attended marches, went to school, gave speeches, cleaned their dishes, cried, looked for employment, clapped, struggled to pay the rent, felt scared but supported each other, read, led, followed and everything else humans have to do both to live and force change. The gathering of people created support systems that allowed this to be possible. We learn about all of these stories that from the tell of it seemed to achieve major accomplishments through a limited number of wonderful actions. We don’t learn about all of the many, many more other actions, both successful and unsuccessful. We don’t learn about the many boycotts in small towns, the neighborhood marches to stop displacement, the workers gathering to demand fair wages, the many lawsuits to challenge inhumane municipal laws, the disruption of discriminatory meetings, the rallies against red-lining, the establishment of neighborhood-serving organizations, the sit-ins at public offices, etc. We don’t learn about the hours, days, months and years of knocking on doors, streetcorner conversations, hanging flyers, making phone calls, cooking meals for gatherings, documenting evidence, honing statements and crafting demands. People and organizations behind current inhumane systems want us to think that movements are the result of one or a few special people. In fact, they, themselves, want to believe that too, because, for them the reality that movement and the topple of injustice is led by small groups of regular people who build into larger and larger groups of regular people, is much scarier. We have the power. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Sallie Mascus Layout: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Reception: Bonita Batton, Larry Johnson Maintenance: Pete Roper ------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Patricia Patton, William Schomberg, Simon Daveson, Alessandro Jedlowski, Felix Winternitz, Key Beck, Dr. Mark Mussman, Bill Woods, Janiah Miller, Kim Green, Willa Denise Jones, Janiah Miller, June Alexander, Ricardo Taylor, Mo Poetry Phillps ------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: Homeless Coalition, canva.com, Gabriela Godinez, Amanda Meek ---------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �No. 39 3 | Nov 2 7, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Feb. 21-March | No. 401 3 COALITION Segregation Then, Segregation Now DR. MARK MUSSMAN Staff Writer T he Cincinnati region is home to segregated neighborhoods and schools. The typical American mantra is that we have overcome segregation and with that, we’ve created a level playing field. Recently, I wrote about how little has changed in Cincinnati over the past couple of decades, and I mentioned that schools are more segregated now than ever, especially when it comes to income segregation. As an educator, I wanted to dig deeper into racial segregation in our schools. There is considerable educational research that shows that educational success is only linked to two indicators: family income and school expenditures on curricular materials. In Ohio, these two things are intricately linked, as school funding is dependent on property taxes. In a few rare cases, there are some communities who are able to offset their residential property taxes with commercial property taxes, but for the most part, if a neighborhood has expensive homes, the schools in the neighborhood will be able to spend more per student. The school that spends the most in Ohio, spends nearly $40,000 per student on their education. In Hamilton County, Indian Hill spends the most per student; in 2016 that number was nearly $20,000. These amounts dwarf the $10,000 spent on each student in Cincinnati Public Schools. As my work brings me in and out of schools on a constant basis, I am always surprised when I visit a non-segregated school. It is rare, but it does happen. I wondered what this would look like, on a statistical level, so I began doing a data search. The State of Ohio keeps records on public schools, but does not provide information on charter, private, or religious schools. Since the segregation in the Catholic Schools in Cincinnati seems to be anecdotely related to racism: as my family members have vocally said they will send their children to Catholic schools because there are “too many Black people” in the public schools, I can readily and wholeheartedly say that the push for a Catholic school education comes more out of racism than their adherence to Catholic beliefs. However, the Catholic schools in Cincinnati aren’t completely white, as many schools are completely Black, especially at the elementary level. An example of this is in East Walnut Hills, where St. Francis de Sales Elementary is almost entirely African American, and Mercy Montessori, just a few blocks away is mostly white. Until the demographic information is made available, we can just go from our experience, and know the Black Catholic schools and the white Catholic schools. Focusing on the public schools has the benefit of also thinking deeper into the racial dynamics of the neighborhood, or municipality, in which the schools operate. In my research, I am including the demographic data from 49 local schools. I was unable to get Ohio data from Dater, Gamble, Taft, and Seven Hills School, which I suspect are each racially segregated. I also had to use Mason Middle School data, as the high school data wasn’t on the state’s page. Finally, Harrison High School data was not available. However, the data I did collect represents more than 50,000 students in the Cincinnati region, in Ohio. I did not include Northern Kentucky, although recents reports put that region near the top of the most economically segregated schools in America. When school desegregation efforts were in full swing in the 1970’s, the definition of segregation was a school with 70% or more of one race or ethnic group. This is the standard that I am using here. The results below show that most students in Cincinnati go to a segregated school. The level of segregation would be shocking, if we didn’t expect this to be the case. Of the 50,274 students in the 49 local schools, 34,814 students attended racially segregated schools. Far more than half of the attendees. 9 schools have less than 10 African American students in attendance: Ross, Claremont-Eastern, BethelTate, New Richmond, Goshen, Taylor, Mariemont, Batavia, and Madeira. The total population of these schools is 5,237 students. Less than 90 students total, in all of these schools, are African American. Ross High School has the distinct honor of the most white, at 98%. Other schools that are 90% or more white include: Amelia, Loveland, Turpin, Anderson, Oak Hills, Milford, and Little Miami Local School District. Schools in the 80-89% white category include Lebanon, Kings, Reading, Monroe, and Indian Hill. Schools that are 70-79% white include: Wyoming, Lakota, Deer Park, and Norwood. This leaves Sycamore on the border at 67% with a 8% African American population. It should be noted, that these levels of segregation are not natural, and that segregation comes from decades of racism in housing, education, employment, transportation, health care, etc. None of this “just happens” but rather it is a concerted effort by banks, real estate professionals, racist policies, and policing. Many of these communities were “Whites Only” communities, through redlining, restrictive covenants, and other concerted efforts to exclude people of color from settling there. This is also not some historical issue, if it was, then we wouldn’t continue to have severely segregated schools. There’s another side to this, where schools are segregated at more than 70% African American. The most segregated Black school is Woodward, (again Taft data wasn’t available, which I suspect is very highly segregated as well), with 94% African American, and 1% white. Shroder comes in second at 93% African American, followed by Hughes at 90%, Aiken at 86%, Withrow at 83%, North College Hill at 81%, Western Hills at 78%, Mount Healthy at 74%, and Virtual High at 70% African American. Other than North College Hill and Mount Healthy, these are Cincinnati Public Schools. Generational poverty creates a more expensive remedy for these schools, as schools are forced to pick up more slack, even serving two or three meals a day, ramping up wrap-around services such as medical care, and providing familybased education options. Schools that are majority white have less additional expenses because of the generational wealth that our public policies granted them over the last generations. There are some schools that aren’t so severely segregated, but I might argue are still segregated, but they have a larger Hispanic or Asian population, which tilts the numbers into 3 boxes, instead of two: African American and white. This includes Princeton, which is 23% white, 46% African American, and 21% Hispanic. While no one is a majority alone, it reaches segregation levels while including Asian and Pacific Islander as well. Also, I would put Mason City Schools into this category as well, with 61% white, but less than 4% African American. There is a large Asian population in Mason schools, at 24% of the student body. Winton Woods also fits in this category with 27% of the students of Hispanic, Asian, or multiracial identity. A discussion about the socalled “model minority” in education, what that means for other minorities, and how this dilutes race-based measures, will need to be saved for another article, but it’s an important consideration when looking at the statistics. We are left with 11,120 students who attend desegregated schools, based upon the formula I discussed above (70% threshold). Each of the following 10 schools have less than 70% of a single race or minority grouping. The percentage of African American and white students total in each school is between 80 and 88 percent. While these numbers may not accurately portray the community within which the school resides, as there are other schools, such as charter and religious schools, it may make a statement about the school’s commitment to creating a social system that enables students to make informed decisions on their exposure to people of different ethnicities. Four of the schools, Clark Montessori, Oyler, SCPA, and Walnut Hills are Cincinnati public schools, while the other six are mostly suburban schools: Colerain, Fairfield, Finneytown, Lockland, Northwest, and St. Bernard/Elmwood Place. Only one school, SCPA is more than 50% African American, at 53%. These numbers don’t get to deeper issues of representation. What does it matter if a school’s student population is desegregated if there are no African American teachers or administrators? How are Black students treated differently when it comes to punishments, or even advance courses such as AP? What is the graduation rate for African American students? What is the level of police presence in each school? How are the relationships different between students and staff, including detention guards and so-called School Resource Officers? But what we can gleam from this data is that we are still in an active mode of segregation when the vast majority of our students attend extremely segregated schools, live in segregated neighborhoods, and ultimately, live segregated lives. Graph Shows that most students attend segregated schools, with the vast majority of white students attending segregated schools. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �4 ADVERTISMENT THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED N o v 221-March - N o v 19, 7, 2 02019 18 | N o . 393 Feb. | No. 401 �No. 39 3 | Nov 2 - 7, No v 19,| 2 0 18401 Feb. 21-March 2019 No. 5 U.S. NEWS Reflections On African-Americans And Politics - 1963-2019 BILL WOODS ContributingWriter H ow have AfricanAmericans fared in the political process in the last five and a half decades? This period covers the flowering of the Civil Rights Movement and the election of the first African-American President. It's a time frame that produced major advancements, but also left large problems and issues to be addressed. When Streetvibes editor Gabriela Godinez-Feregrino decided to dedicate this issue to Black History Month, she asked me to do a piece on AfricanAmericans and politics. As an aging white man, I took on this assignment with trepidation. Nevertheless, I determined to offer my observations on this theme beginning with the year I graduated from college in 1963. Much of the South was still legally segregated in the early 1960s, and I graduated from a Midwestern college that still accepted national fraternities on campus that prohibited AfricanAmericans from membership. During the summer after graduation in 1963, I landed a temporary job writing press releases for the City Charter Committee, Cincinnati's reform political party. It was a Council election year, and Charter was determined to reelect Theodore M. Berry, an African-American attorney, to that body. Under the PR-voting system (proportional representation), Berry had been elected to Council by large margins, but the voters abolished PR in 1957. Political observers at the time attribute the successful effort to eliminate proportional representation to a whispering campaign that Berry was getting too powerful and might eventually become mayor. That summer was also the backdrop for the March on Washington, where thousands of African-Americans rallied for Civil Rights. I remember on that August afternoon, Forest Frank, the Director of the Charter Committee, called me into his office to watch this event on a small television set. In that setting, I heard Martin Luther King give his "I have a dream" speech. It was impossible not to be moved by his powerful words, and I think I unconsciously thought that this was an historic moment. From August onward, Dr. King became one of the key figures in the Civil Rights movement, and more and more effective, peaceful protests took place throughout the South. Meanwhile here in Cincinnati that November, Theodore Berry won back a seat on Council. In the next few years, the movement moved forward on a number of fronts throughout the country. For instance in Washington, D.C., a flurry of activity took place. Lyndon Johnson became an activist President after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and he was able to move legislation along that had been bogged down for a long time. One of the major Civil Rights laws that passed during this period was the Voting Rights Act, an act that for years helped eliminate state laws designed to prevent African- Americans from voting and participating in the political process. President Johnson also launched what he called "The War on Poverty," a plan that brought about urban projects such as the Community Action Program, Model Cities, and additional funding for housing and job training. These initiative weren't sufficient to eliminate poverty, but they did provide needed assistance to inner city Black neighborhoods. These Civil Rights advances caused several backlashes in the country. Politicians such as Alabama Governor George Wallace made his reputation by defying the new federal laws, and the once solid Democratic South began its shift to the Republican Party. The urban riots that took place in cities across the nation from 1966-1968 were in part due to Black inner city residents feeling that all the fanfare about Civil Rights and desegregation had not done much to improve their lives. Meanwhile more AfricanAmericans were elected to public office. Changing urban demographics made this possible, and when Carl Stokes was elected Mayor of Cleveland in 1967, he became the first African-American mayor of a major U.S. city. When I was teaching at Wilmington College in 1969, I interviewed the Mayor when he received an honorary degree at the College's graduation ceremonies. This trend continued. Not only were more and more AfricanAmericans selected as mayors, but also a number of them were elected to Congress from cities such as Detroit, Cleveland, and New York City. In fact, Lewis Stokes, Carl Stokes' brother, was elected to Congress from a Cleveland area district, and he served for years as an influential member of the Congressional Black Caucus. A precursor to Barack Obama's successful campaign for President in 2008 was the Rev. Jesse Jackson's credible bid for the Democratic nomination for that office in 1988. In short, the progress of AfricanAmericans winning public office has gone forward to the present day. Finally, Barack Obama was elected to the nation's highest office for two terms. At the moment, at least two African-Americans are vying for the Democratic nomination for President in 2020. Nevertheless, several major problems plague our political system today that makes life difficult for millions of African- Americans. The influence of "big money" in political campaigns at all levels gives way too much influence to wealthy interest groups. Little attention in recent times has been paid to growing poverty and income inequality, and a large percentage of low-income families and individuals are African-American. The safety net of programs and services for people in need has been gutted over the last three decades. Reforms must put in place that will make average Americans, and especially people in need, the focus of attention of our elected representatives. A second problem for AfricanAmericans is their minimal influence on the Republican Party. In the last fifty years, the Party of Lincoln has become the white man's party, and Republican officials tend to ignore Civil Rights issues or issues of urban poverty. This fact makes the Democratic Party the only political outlet for AfricanAmericans. In summary, African-Americans have had a lot of progress politically over the last half-century, and that fact should be celebrated. However, it must not be ignored that the U.S. is at turning point in dealing with some critical economic, social, and political issues. We all must make some adequate public responses to them or accept a steady decline. Racial Analysis within Homelessness PATRICIA PATTON Contributing Writer I t was a chilly crisp morning as I walked to the bus stop on my way to work. Almost daily after I arrive and secure my space to wait, I am confronted by a frumpily dressed white male asking for money to buy him a cup of coffee. My feelings are mixed: should I give him something or should I, as so many others do, dismiss him? Should I reply with the standard response, “why don’t you get a job?” While I often comply by giving them a dollar or two, long after my act of generosity the questions in my head remain. Why am I helping a white male? I mean, given their gender and race, they run the world; the sky’s the limit. I wonder do they know the power they possess? The question inspired me to look further into the challenges this population faces, so I did some research and found that according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness there are currently 10,095 homeless people across the state of Ohio. In addition, Take Away, a public radio program, states that African Americans comprise 12.6 percent of the population, yet 40 percent are classified as homeless. Furthermore, Dr. Marion Moser Jones, a professor with the University of Maryland School of Public Health who has studied the homeless from 1985-2015, states that the causes of homelessness between the two races differ. For blacks discrimination, social isolation, and drug abuse could factor. While for whites homelessness is usually due to or is the result of mental illness, disability, and alcohol abuse. Also factor in a limited availability of housing for blacks and economic inequalities in general. While both races share the devastating reality of homelessness the reasons and or causes of the condition veer. Black woman who become homeless are usually more likely to have THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED experienced sexual abuse, while white women are more likely to be victims of physical abuse. Blacks are more likely to have experienced poverty in childhood, while white homeless adults experienced varying forms of abuse coming up. In conclusion, these studies suggests that non-profit agencies designed to help the homeless should not only think about providing housing for them, but look into the array of cultural differences, and needs that contribute to this chronic condition. I believe that with this in mind we will inspire long lasting change and hence diminish the chance of homelessness from recurring again and again. �GLOBAL 6 N o v 221-March - N o v 19, 7, 2 02019 18 | N . 393 Feb. | oNo. 401 African churches boom in London's backstreets Members of the eternal sacred order of cherubim & seraphim church parade through the street to celebrate their annual thanksgiving in elephant and castle, london, britain, july 29, 2018. the church was founded by moses orimolade tunolase in 1925 in nigeria and is attended by worshippers of nigerian descent who come from all over the country for services. reuters/simon dawson WILLIAM SCHOMBERG & SIMON DAWESON Reuters O n a cold, grey Sunday morning, in a street lined with shuttered builders' yards and storage units, songs of prayer in the West African language of Yoruba ring out from a former warehouse that is now a church. The congregation, almost entirely dressed in white robes, steadily grows to around 70 people as musicians playing drums, a keyboard and a guitar pick up the pace of the hymns. Some women prostrate themselves on the floor in prayer. In the sparse formerly industrial building, its interior brightened by touches of gold paint, a speaker reminds the group of a list of banned activities -no smoking, no drinking of alcohol, no practicing of black magic. In a street outside, a pastor flicks holy water over the car of a woman who wants a blessing to ward off the risk of accidents. The busy scene at the Celestial Church of Christ is repeated at a half a dozen other African Christian temples on the same drab street and in the adjacent roads - one corner of the thriving African church community in south London. Around 250 black majority churches are believed to operate in the borough of Southwark, where 16 per cent of the population identifies as having African ethnicity. Southwark represents the biggest concentration of African Christians in the world outside the continent with an estimated 20,000 congregants attending churches each Sunday, according to researchers at the University of Roehampton. Reflecting the different waves of migration to Britain in the 20th Century, Caribbean churches began to appear in the late 1940s and 1950s as workers and their families arrived from Jamaica and other former British colonies. African churches opened their doors in London from the 1960s, followed by a second wave in the 1980s. Migrants, many of them from Nigeria and Ghana, sought to build communities and maintain cultural connections with their home countries by founding their own churches, often founded in private homes, schools and office spaces. As the communities grew, the churches moved into bigger spaces in bingo halls, cinemas and warehouses, gathering congregations of up to 500 people where services are streamed online by volunteers with video cameras. There is a striking contrast with the empty pews at many traditional Church of England churches where congregations have dwindled for years. "We pray for this country," said Abosede Ajibade, a 54-year-old Nigerian who moved to Britain in 2002 and works for an office maintenance company. "People here brought Christianity to Africa but it doesn't feel like they serve Jesus Christ anymore." Anyone travelling around south London on a Sunday morning will see worshippers, often dressed in dazzlingly coloured African clothes, making their way to churches, each with their different styles of worship. Hymns are sung only in African languages in some temples, or only in English at others. Some pastors take worshippers for full immersion baptisms in the cold of the English Channel. Others believe that when congregants suddenly start speaking in unknown languages it marks the presence of the Holy Spirit. But the researchers from the University of Roehampton found things that many churches have in common, including a drive for professional advancement, a commitment to spend three hours or more at Sunday service and typically very loud worship. “That is how we express our joy and gratitude to God," Andrew Adeleke, a senior pastor at the House of Praise, THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED one of the biggest African churches in Southwark, in a former theatre. “The church is not supposed to be a graveyard," Adeleke said. "It is supposed to be a temple of celebration and worship and the beauty is to be able to express our love to God, even when things are not perfect in our lives." For some, the noise from amplified services is a problem, leading to complaints to local authorities from residents. But many churches face bigger challenges than unhappy neighbours: Some provide food for people struggling to make ends meet, or work with young people at risk of recruitment by gangs. Andrew Rogers, who led the University of Roehampton researchers, said pastors had to juggle retaining the churches' African identity while appealing to children of first generation immigrants, many of whom have never lived outside Britain. They typically have a more liberal world view which can be hard to reconcile with conservative Pentecostal teachings. Rogers recalled speaking to one pastor who lamented he was unable to talk about religious miracles to his children. "If the church doesn't adapt, then they are going to leave and look elsewhere," Rogers said. Courtesy of Reuters / INSP.ngo �GLOBAL N o. 39 3 | Nov 2 - 7, N o2019 v 19,| 2 0 18401 Feb. 21-March No. 7 Netflix and Nollywood: What the streaming giant’s involvement in Nigeria’s massive film industry means ALESSANDRO JEDLOWSKI Reuters G lobal streaming service Netflix set its eyes a few years ago on Nigeria’s film industry, better known as Nollywood. Distribution of Nigerian movies on Netflix started around 2015. At the time the American giant bought the rights of blockbusters such as Kunle Afolayan’s October 1st, Biyi Bandele’s Fifty and several others, after they had already been distributed in Nigerian cinemas. During the Toronto International Film Festival 2018, Netflix announced the acquisition of worldwide exclusive distribution rights for Nollywood star Genevieve Nnaji’s debut film as director, the comedy Lionheart. The film marked the first Netflix original film from Nigeria. Many saw this as the beginning of a new era in the relationship between one of the world largest streaming platforms and Africa’s most prolific film industry. But, is this actually true? Is Netflix going to transform Nollywood? And how significant will its impact on the Nigerian film industry be? Difficult questions These are not easy questions to answer. Nollywood’s economy and modes of production are unlike those of most other film industries. Over the past 20 years, Nigerian films have circulated mostly on videotapes and Video Compact Discs (VCDs). This distribution system made the industry widely popular across Africa and its diaspora. But it prevented Nollywood from consolidating its economy and raising the quality of film production. Piracy dramatically eroded distribution revenues and producers had trouble monetising the distribution of their films. Nollywood prioritised straight-to-video distribution because cinema theatres had almost disappeared in the country (as in most other parts of Africa) as a result of the catastrophic economic crisis that affected Nigeria in the 1980s. New multiplexes have emerged since the beginning of the 2000s. However, today there are only about 150 widescreens for a population of almost two hundred million people. The cinemas that exist are often too expensive for most of the population that used to buy and watch Nollywood films when they were distributed on tapes. Within this context, many in the industry thought that streaming could be the best solution to the industry’s problems with distribution. However, a closer look to the history of what has been labelled the “Nigerian Netflix” (iROKO.tv, the leading streaming platform for Nigerian contents) shows that the reality is more complicated. When the company decided to move its headquarters from Manhattan to Lagos it encountered countless difficulties. They were mainly connected to the costs of infrastructure development in Nigeria and to the hostility of local distributors who controlled Nollywood’s economy since its creation. Weak internet Internet connection in Nigeria is still too weak and expensive to guarantee easy access to streaming platforms. As a result, Nollywood content distributed by iROKO.tv and Netflix circulates mostly in the diaspora. Netflix is aware of this problem and is investing in infrastructures to secure a better connection for its Nigerian audiences. But larger investments seem to be necessary to produce a significant impact on audiences’ behaviour. Accessing Nollywood films via piracy or local screening venues will continue to be, at least in my view, the key strategy adopted by the largest percentage of Nigerian viewers. Netflix could have better chances in across Africa through its Africa Magic channels, has reacted nervously to Netflix’s increased interest in African markets. MultiChoice wants Netflix to be more closely regulated. These two aren’t the only telecommunication “superpowers” in the field. France’s Canal Plus and the Chinese StarTimes have also made a few investments in Nollywood over the past few years. The competition among all these actors will probably have a positive impact for viewers across Nigeria and the continent. It could bring lower subscription fees for streaming and TV content packages. There are also likely to be new investments in content production and infrastructures. And there’s larger continental and global exposure for Nollywood films in the offing. Foreign investments It remains to be seen how good these developments will be for Nollywood producers. Until now, foreign investments in Nollywood have mostly translated into “more of the same” content. Working conditions for crews and actors have remained the same – basically, low budgets and quick shooting schedules. in production budgets. Rather, they invest in better structuring distribution networks to extract as much profit as possible from the Nigerian industry. And most African audiences are indeed happy with how Nollywood is, even if they tend to complain regularly about the low quality and the repetition of film contents and aesthetics. The fact that Nollywood as it is keeps on attracting audiences makes investors reluctant to change the scale of their production budgets. There are a few bigger productions, with higher production standards, that have emerged over the past few years in Nollywood. But they have hardly been the result of investments made by foreign firms like Netflix, Canal Plus or MultiChoice. Nigerian producers are those who are mostly concerned about raising the quality of Nollywood films. They want to give better content to their audiences and reach global screens. In most cases, the people investing money in these kinds of projects have been independent producers or groups of investors related to the new business of multiplexes in Nigeria. In my view, the question is: will these people benefit from Netflix, so as to continue investing in higher quality A boy is seen through a camera monitor as he acts in a scene during the making of "Ake", a film based on the childhood memoirs of Nigerian writer Wole Soyinka, in Abeokuta, southwest Nigeria July 16, 2013. Nigeria's movie business, often known as Nollywood, is one of the biggest in the world. Most films are produced in local languages - Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo among them - while many others are made in English. Nollywood also has a growing audience among Africans living abroad, keen for a taste of home, whether watched in south London hairdressers or rented from Texas video stores. Nigeria shot its first film, "Palaver" (Trouble), in 1904. Picture taken July 16, 2013. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye penetrating the country’s elite market, as richer people in Nigeria and across Africa have easier access to reliable power supply and internet. This might be the reason why MultiChoice, the South African telecommunication giant controlling much of Nollywood distribution In fact, big investors seem to be mainly interested in Nollywood’s already established popularity with African audiences. Making Nollywood more palatable for international audiences doesn’t seem to feature. This means that in most cases they are not ready to invest bigger money THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED content? Or will Netflix and other international companies end up taking over the industry to make it only a bit more of the same? Courtesy of The Conversation / INSP.ngo �FEATURE 8 N o v 221-March - N o v 19,7, 2 02019 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Feb. 401 Sidewalk Smart FELIX WINTERNITZ Contributing Writer R on English is busy dodging delivery vans and the odd streetcar when we first meet at the corner of 12th and Vine. It seems fated we’ll cross paths almost immediately three more times, once as he’s displaying his chalk art along Main Street during a Final Friday, then later on the crowded avenue outside the Pendleton Art Center, and finally sharing the Metro bus to Madisonville (on Jan. 20, 2019) where English is busy preparing to premiere his showing of paintings at the neighborhood’s community center. “On the street outside” is a phrase that probably best describes this Picasso of the sidewalk set. He’s a longtime outsider looking inside the Cincinnati art world from a distance, a bad boy who inhabits the streets and corner stoops of OTR rather than the posh galleries of, say, a Mount Adams or Hyde Park. “Hey, I know you!” English shouts at our last random meeting. It’s seems like karma has come calling, fateful crossings which demand a story on this outgoing street personality. English, for his part, is happy to converse about painting: “My hand just starts to move, and I don’t know if I’m in control of it,” says English of his creative process. “It’s more like a dream.” In a sit-down interview, Ron Ron English, Over-the-rhine street artist, posing with original work. Photo Credit: Felix Winternitz English appears animated and enthusiastic, prone to bold statements. English, in fact, is likely Over-therhine’s most visible street artist. His meandering home base can be found along Main and Vine adjoining the Liberty strip; his colorful chalk-on- cardboard canvas, however, proves universal … “I want to believe in myself so that I can leave my legacy behind,” English remarks. “I want to live a life of honesty, righteousness, and in peace. … I have a dream of happiness and spiritual blessings, of a poor man’s honor, to achieve and thrive for growth, to form myself to be a very unique person.” Ron English’s medium is plainly cardboard, chalk and colored pencils. He’s a vendor for the street-corner shoppers, selling his wares to make a living. His gallery is somewhere between the Brewery District in “NoLi” (North of Liberty) and the Gateway Quarter in “SoLi” (South of Liberty). English artfully crosses between these two districts, two distinct realms of Liberty that are worlds apart. “I say you should be around people because you love them for who they are and not what they have,” states this artist, advocating – without any prompt – his unusual lifestyle; he gladly elaborates on his perceptions. “Love is the true power.” Local artist Ellen Stedtefeld prizes the three English originals she owns: “I like the vibrancy of his pastels, but I like the precision of the colored pencils. Both have a great sense of energy and life. “For my birthday, my sister and her boyfriend bought me three original artworks by Ron English,” continues THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Stedtefeld. “As I understand, English considers himself as an outsider artist as he has little to no formal training, but a strong desire to create. “Like many outsider artists, he makes his work out of humble materials –cardboard, colored pencils and chalk pastels – and he sells them on the streets in downtown Cincinnati,” explains Stedtefeld of her fondness for the sidewalk art. “As the resident art expert in the family, I am often asked ‘Is that really art?’ and in the case of Ron English, I give a resounding YES.” For an outsider, Ron English certainly has his fans. The Prairie Art Collective recently showed a selection of English’s pastel drawings on cardboard as well as a site-specific mural. As the reception announcement put it, “A well-known street artist, he’s seen showing his work on doorsteps and street-corners. English produces Cubist pastel drawings ‘inspired by the Lord.’ ” The ebth.com web sales site currently lists this English original for $35: “An original triptych of marker and crayon drawings on found cardboard by contemporary Cincinnati artist English, (who) mainly produces Cubist figural drawings. These images depict stunning minimalistic abstracted portraits of three men drawn in black ink with subtle blue crayon accents. The pieces are titled Man, Man, and Lincoln.” �No. 39 3 | Nov 2 -7, N2019 o v 19,| No. 2 0 18401 Feb. 21-March English even attracted the attention of well-known muralist Jan Brown Checco as part of a community project entitled the “Murals and Can-paign” project. The themes and images consisted of temporary murals created for the Vine Street corridor between Central Parkway and Liberty Street. The inspiration came from the hearts and minds of young people living in Over the Rhine. The workshop engaged 60 participants during five months at Peaslee Neighborhood Center, a convocation teaching the teens “to be more aware of the importance of public art and its responsibility to uplift life on the streets.” Finally, there are these observations from the Intu Outsider Art web site, produced by a tag-team of area artists: “We drove down to Main Street bustling with the activities of the monthly Final Friday. We knew our destination. We FEATURE saw Ronald English sitting on the stoop [and] was conversing with passers-by and had cardboard and his colored pencils. He waved excitedly and raised a framed piece as a flag. “We parked and by the time we had gotten to the storefronts of Shadeau and Envoi, he had already made his way down the street. [English] said he had heard about ‘this website’ and said he wanted to sell the drawing he had done of a personality from American Idol. He said ‘it looks just like her ... it's Susan Boyle.’ “We purchased the work and began to pursue answers regarding his (recent) absence. He explained that he had been in the hospital for months recovering from the amputation of six more toes. He had previously had three removed, results of gangrene. “We spoke about the direct or obvious transference of Ronald’s mood to the tone of the work. Choices in subject, tone, color, fragmentation, all appear as parallel.” Ronald Leroy English was born in Cumminsville in 1955. He attended school here, won school spelling bees and excelled in sports, particularly basketball as a center. He mentions that he has a “bunch” of brothers and sisters as well as half-brothers and sisters. English says he served in the Army National Guard, according to one online artist’s biography. During the time he was away in National Guard service, his mother was murdered. English says he returned to discover he had no remaining possessions or a home. He’s since lived on the streets, experiencing the desperation associated with substance abuse. English has participated in art projects sponsored by behavioral services associated with mental disease. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 9 His various projects have linked him with Visionaries and Voices, the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, and Our Daily Bread. English says he actually began drawing in the late 1990s. He was staying in a room with the door open and he woke up to see paint cans in the hallway. It’s exactly as one onlooker observed, amid the crowd at the Pendleton Art Center: “That was his moment of discernment, his lightningbolt flash of percipient insight.” (Cincinnati’s English, by the way, is not to be confused with the betterknown artist Ron English, a nationally known figure who coined the term “POPaganda” to describe a trademark fusion of high and low imagery, mixing superheroes and comic strips with art history iconography in a prolific output of paintings, billboards and sculptures.) �10 STREETVOICE N o v 221-March - N o v 19,7, 2 02019 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Feb. 401 Street Life: Our Reality RICARDO TAYLOR Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer F or those of us who are invested in the life of the streets, there are never moments of mirage. Times when we thought/ believed those instances where we saw or imagined relief from our selfimposed plight in life. It is always the same, that reflexive appearance, like our reflex ion in a mirror. Our reality, existing momentarily in hopes and dreams of a presupposition of what life is supposed to be, only having to return to the reality of our true existence! How easy is it to see that relief from the immediate sufferings, which we often find ourselves with promises of tomorrow? “Well I know that Friday is payday, so I can spend what I have and then take care of my bills on Friday!” Only to find that when Friday comes my bills have doubled! So, often we find that our intent is not so much a reflection of our ability or our being, but better stated a mirage of our desires. Our experiences tell us that the reality we perceive is unreal, yet we continue to commit ourselves to acts that we know are non-beneficial towards our welfare or well-being. A mirage! Our image suffers the reflection of ourselves, and we hardly see ourselves in reflection and instead see ourselves in an arena of whom we’d want or try to be! The self becomes lost in a sort of fantasy, losing the way we view the world, and of course our true selfimage. We often start to lose hope, that most fundamental grasp of sanity! We become that mirage of self, and we know from experience, that when hope dies, we prey instead of pray and our lives spin out of control! That oh, so, miserable feeling of self-image becomes the mirage of our longings in such that we find ourselves in the mirage of whom we’d like to be; allowing our reality to become the stage of that thin line between reality and the wishes we have for our wellbeing. That no man’s world where only hopes and dreams exist: Our Reality. Roots June Alexander Contributing Writer W hen you asked us about our roots the first thing in my mind was my hair. Instantly, the smell of heat and grease came to mind. Roots conjured up images of a child’s straw bottomed chair and family voices. When I was young my hair was long and my mother washed it every Saturday night to ready for Sunday and the school week to come. In some strange adult way this was entertainment to my daddy. He would come into the kitchen and tease me. It hurt to have my mother comb out my hair. “Sit still,” mamma yelled. “Hold your ear so I don’t burn it!” All this and Daddy’s teasing made me cry harder. He didn’t have to go through this girl torture! “Stop it!” I screamed!” That only lead my grandmother to chime in, “Make sure you get deep down to her roots! Make sure those roots are good and straight! Years later Black Pride, Dr. King, power signs and our roots personified by the Afro.. Unfortunately the afro was not meant for me. The afro became another symbol of my “roots” awakening. The afro was proud like the black power sign. It stood high, which was more than I could say for my hair. It just curled up or fell back down to my shoulders. On a good day I managed to look like an electrocuted porcupine. Of course, well- meaning elders explained, “You can’t do that. You got good hair.” Many years later I was in college away from my mother’s hot combs, so I decided to have a relaxer put into my hair. Against wise counsel, I went to a beauty parlor and got me a relaxer. After all I was paying for it with my own money. And it was with more of my money I had to pay a doctor to tell me why my hair fell out. My roots landed me at the white beauty shop. In her deep southern accent the hairdresser asked carefully, “Baby, who your people…who your folks…” At first I didn’t understand; or better yet, I suddenly developed that great American disease…denial! She made a shield with her body against the other patrons and held my face in her hands. As discreetly and as compassionately as she could she asked, “Baby, how much white people in you?” All I could do was laugh. I replied, “ According to my great-great aunts our family didn’t get black until 1952.” She mellowed and continued to treat my scalp and left-over hair. All the while she keep talking about how I couldn’t do my hair like other black girls and it ain’t how light the skin is that always tells the mixture, it’s other things…and so on and so forth. Her account of black and white mixing and back in the day when people were passing faded into another awakening. It turn in to my grandfather who looked like an old version of Sean Connery and my grandmother’s dark skin. My granddaddy’s pain of not being neither here nor there; his pain of knowing his white cousins lived just across the street and it couldn’t be acknowledged until after death tornadoed into his painful discovery about his brother being taken from the family because his brother’s skin was too dark. My grandmother’s constant battle with self-image because she came from slaves and field hands with dark skin and coarse hair. My grandmother’s every moment trying to prove she was just as good as the more educated, light skinned upper class relatives on my grandfather’s side of the family. My grandmother's self-hatred turned into poison. Watching a once loving woman become evil and bitter because she looked and loved more like Hattie McDaniels than Halle Berry break my granddaddy’s heart knowing there was nothing he could do to change the world—gave me pain. Roots!? How dare you ask me about my roots. Is this your idea of some cruel and twisted joke? You know about my roots. You took them from us. Just like that hot comb, your heated disdain and hatred for us burned and destroyed my roots. My soul, my light, and my compass-- you took from me. My aunts and my mothers tried to hide me because we were witches and healers like our ancestors. Just like the torture of straighten my hair was to make me more comfortable to white THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED people. Straightened out or white out my roots. You took our art, music, and even our religion away from us. And if that way enslaving enough you lied about Egypt, the Bible, classical music even art. We were all there. From the very beginning, we were there! You took my soul. You took our souls and then you want to know why we act the way we do. What did you expect? We would all become black Ken and Barbies? And integration, the same lie you sold the Native Americans and the Aborigines. You didn’t want to integrate you wanted to annihilate. But it didn’t take. It can’t take…and so here we are all living in niggerdom. You striped us of everything that made us human. Our healers, our teachers, our witches, our religions, and our earth. And you wonder why we are living in niggerdom. But the joke is on you, look at your own children killing themselves to achieve an unnatural standard of beauty, life and success. All the while killing your own with a religion filled with hate and bigotry. Deciding who can love and who is worthy to pursue happiness. No! The joke is on you because now your children are all living in niggerdom. We are all wondering around with addictions, medications, gentrification, and anlationtion. With no hope of being human or humane again we are all now living in niggerdom. I’m not the only one whose roots have been straightened. �STREETVOICE Black History Month: The What, The Why, The How No. 39 3 | Nov 2 -7, N2019 o v 19,| No. 2 0 18401 Feb. 21-March KEY BECK Contributing Writer B lack History Month can be a time of celebration, activism, or even remembrance. It can also cause some to have confusion as to what we are celebrating. Is it black people, black accomplishments, or maybe black excellence. In short, it is all of those things. Black History Month was created to highlight the impact the black Diaspora had on the world from inventions to cultural events. It has a strong history of gaining a deeper understanding of all the contributions black people have made throughout history. Black History Month started out as “Negro History Week,” and it was imagined by Carter G. Woodson and other African-Americans, such as minister Jesse E. Moorland. It is important to note that in our current climate and point in time, the use of the word “negro” is pejoritve and an “in-group” term, meaning folx who do not identify as black should not voluntarily use it. Same can be said for other “N-Words,” that are often used against people of the Black Diaspora. Black history month started out as merely a cultural holiday celebrated by individual black people, church groups, and community organizations. It wasn’t fully realized until 1976, when the month of February was officially designated as Black History Month. Black History Month (or also sometimes called African-American History Month in the United States) isn't just an American celebration, there are months devoted to celebrating black history all over the world. The United Kingdom first celebrated Black History Month in 1987 thanks to the organized leadership of Ghanaian analyst Akyaaba Addai-Sebo. In Canada, Black History Month was officially recognized in December of 1995, following a motion introduced by the first black Cana- dian woman elected to Parliament, the Honourable[sic] Jean Augustine, MP of Etobicoke-Lakeshore. (Fun fact: Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month.). There are many reasons why Black History Month should be important for everyone. It not only educates people about the numerous contributions that black people have helped create, but it also uplifts all people by educating them about a culture full of innovation, resilience, and inspiration. For black folx, learning about their culture helps them to understand how their culture has impacted the world. It also gives them hope that adversity can be challenged and defeated. It should also be noted that it illuminates the many barriers that still exist such as racism and white supremacy. So while we celebrated these accomplishments, we must remain vigilant and never become complacent. We need to engage 11 our communities in the fight for racial equity. We must break the silos and start collaborating together with other marginalized communities. We must also educate ourselves on the folx who came before us like Sarah Goode (Folding Cabinet Bed), Granville T. Woods (Multiplex Telegraph) and Charles Richard Drew (Blood Cells Separation). We must support our inner-city public schools and black organizations. We must insist that our kids curriculum contain the history of black people (as well as other marginalized groups). It is important to recognize and celebrate all the accomplishments of the Black Diaspora. It starts with recognition, recognition leads to acknowledgement and acknowledgement results in celebration. Celebrating Black History Month is something that makes all of us better people because it teaches us to value history and the people who create it. Gentrification: The Destruction of the Poor JANIAH MILLER I Contributing Writer grew up in Newport, Kentucky, but I still had connections to Cincinnati because of my family, they live across the 52 neighborhoods, there are a few to name, Amberly Village, Madisonville, Walnut Hills, and Evanston. Although a family member told me that Cincinnati was not safe in some areas and to always be cautious, I overlooked that notion. I started thinking about why it got that reputation and came to find out it was because people had been predisposition to believing that a bunch of poor, black, and brown people lived there that wasn’t necessarily the whole case anymore. Sure, there were poor black and brown people who lived their but with a growing gentrified Over-theRhine that had begun to change. When I say “change” it was not because the people who lived there got the help and resources they needed, it was because they were being ousted from their own community. Places that were near and dear to the Over-the-Rhine community like the Drop-Inn Center were pushed to the outskirts of Cincinnati, out of sight out of mind. As this displacement continues to happen these community members continue to fight to have a voice and stand their ground for the community that they have held and loved so near and dear to their hearts. With its struggles, they still love it because it’s a place called home, not like wealthy “non-profits” in disguise to turn a profit off the poor to build some posh new building. They disguise themselves to the public by saying they are making Over-the-Rhine an “up and coming” place, a renaissance, but really, they are pushing out the community to make room for affluent individuals while overlooking that the 53% of children in poverty that live in Cincinnati are not going to go away with a fancy new building. Instead they are helping speed the process up of intergenerational poverty through econcide, the urbanization and removal of certain groups through economic opportunities. I came to learn that certain neighborhoods would get these labels cast on them— society is predisposed to stigmatizing the poor, and people of color, we are bad because of our zip code THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED and then disposable when found that something we had was valuable, i.e, our neighborhoods. Therefore, everything is not what it seems to be, sure people in OTR might be poor and are people of color but why? What circumstances led this neighborhood to get this way? What’s their story? Bonnie Neumeier, long time Over-the-Rhine community advocate says, “Often the institution looks at poor people as if they are just looking for a handout, lazy, no good work ethic when these people have led some of the greatest under talked about social movements that have happened in history—our people aren’t sitting on our laurels waiting for a handout. We organized a movement that tried, still tries, to figure out community-based solutions to uses facing us.” My vision for OTR is to be a city that does good for the community and not just people who can bring a profit. There doesn’t need to be gentrification to beautify and revitalize a community. Let’s start giving equitable resources to communities that are already being displaced as if they are cattle. It will become easier to “other” problems of housing inequality because they will feel individualized since everyone is being spread out to different places, it will be harder to pinpoint areas that need the most resources. Gentrification is the destruction of the poor; it doesn’t give them a place. �12 Can You STREETVOICE Can You shut em down? Does the world believe that this is the worlds solution Can you shut em down? Keeping factory’s open with no work, now that’s pollution Can you shut em down? The free clinics, people homeless, no more Drop Inn Center Can you shut em down? Washington Park, the sanitation workers, I can’t help but litter Can you shut em down? Over the rhine was white then it was black, I thought we were all together Can you shut em down? I’m confused so tell congress I really thought they knew better Can you believe in your heart that the decisions of our country are either republican or democratic? Can you believe that out of all the people in the world two simple parties be worthy of so much static? Can you close your eyes to the reality of the fear that has such a tight grip on our nation today? Can you keep living shut down and shut up? I’m baffled but not lost for words I can honestly say For me, learning to live without doubt or fear in my life and keeping God so close to my heart I have no doubt that without God’s blessings this world is doomed to fall completely apart With much faith and without any reguards for the republicans or democratics controlling my being Without any doubt what so ever today I know that almighty God is the only real thing So can you shut em down? Now slow down and take the time to think,what do you really understand? You need to come back into the days of Adam and Eve and remember when only God ruled the land! WILLA DENISE JONES N o v 21-March 2 - N o v 19,7,22019 0 18 || N o . 393 Feb. No. 401 Homelessness Homelessness is a place that, has a lot of drought Homelessness is cold with wet nights, Homelessness is a cardboard box that a person calls their home To receive a blanket or a kind word means a lot to a person, sleeping on the curb If you open your eyes tell me what you see That person experiencing homelessness on the street one day could be you or me! KIM GREEN Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer Streetvibes Writing Circle If you would like to submit a story for publication in streetvibes, come join Katelyn Lusher and Chris Wilkey for a group writing session! S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 21-March 39 3 | Nov 2 7, - N o v 19, 2 0 18 Feb. 2019 | No. 401 STREETVOICE Presidents' Day 2019 Did this year's Presidents' Day Cause you sadness and dismay? A yearning to turn back the clock, And feeling nostalgia for Barack. Would you even replace Donald With a Prez known as Ronald? And who could ever call it daft, To prefer an Adams, Tyler or Taft? BILL WOODS Contributing Writer 13 I Don't Want to be Black I don't want to be black, Those are the words that my ten year old son told me with tears in his eyes. He is tired of being viewed as a threat. 5'1, 130 pounds, broad shouldersEasily mistaken for a man, A man who is black, Another black man, who could easily be shot in the back. Seen as having a weapon, Even when he is empty-handed. Seen as resisting arrest, Because he doesn't understand why he is arrested. Seen as obstructing when what is obstructed is his liberty, Not wanting to be black, Because there's too many things he is taught not to be. Not wanting to be black, Even though his black role models are hard-working, Educated examples of who to be. Not wanting to be black, Because it's hard to be black, and feel free. Warned that when in the presence of police don't move, Don't turn, never run, Don't grab or hold onto anything, That they can say is a gun. Watch who you hang with, What is seen is not always what is perceived. Warned over and over, So I won't be the nextBlack mother left to grieve. Told to never become irate, Even if he is falsely blamed or accused. That " Hands up, don't shoot," Really means don't move! Because " I was in fear for my life," Is the excuse they will use, And even when there is evidence, That is not the truth, Justice is refused. MO POETRY PHILLIPS Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �PUZZLE 14 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 200 Across 1. Intense adverse criticism 5. Skewer 9. Stitches 13. Racing sled 14. Overwhelming fear and anxiety 16. Ellipse 17. Assist in wrongdoing 18. Assuage 19. Abnegate 20. Trials 22. Trader 24. Record of events on a voyage 26. Story 27. Incantations 30. Conundrum 35. Actor's prompt 36. Dig 39. Worthless material 40. Deficiency 42. Mythological water nymph 44. Stable gear joining two draft animals 45. Be of use to 47. Virtue 49. Annoy 50. Relating to the mind 52. Not moving as quickly 54. Taxis 57. Prevarication 58. Preside over 62. Young animals 66. Mature 67. Pal 69. Stolen goods 70. Examination by word of mouth 71. Vast multitude 72. Group of three musicians 73. Water source 74. Bird shelter 75. Assist PUZZLE SOLUTIONS CROSSWORD #189 Down 1. Musical notation 2. Part of the ear 3. Historic periods 4. Large hemispherical drum 5. Health resort 6. Part of the hand 7. Recess 8. Jewelled headdress 9. Soft drink 10. Tied 11. Have need of 12. Cunning 15. Oscillation 21. Exchanged for money 23. Chickens 25. Narrow secluded valley 27. Smooth in manner 28. Smooth brown oval nut 29. Close violently 31. Frozen 32. Orchard 33. Manufacturer 34. Peak 35. Marine mollusk 37. Compete for something 38. Corn spikes 41. Tools for a specified purpose 43. Aromatic herb 46. Decorative fabric 48. Work hard 51. Coniferous tree 53. Riches 55. Nobleman 56. Keep aside for future use 58. Morass 59. Opaque gem 60. Small wooded hollow 61. Concludes 63. To a greater extent 64. Painful sore 65. Halt 66. Angry dispute 68. Up to the present time Nov 2 - N o v 19,7, 20 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Feb. 21-March 2019 401 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 391 - MEDIUM SODOKU PUZZLE NO 391- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 3 | Nov 2 -7,N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Feb. 21-March | No. 401 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 ov 2 - N o v 19, 7, 2 02019 18 | N o . 393 Feb. 21-March | No. 401 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BETTIE BAILEY SINCE 10/2017 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 BRIAN ADAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHARLES WILLIAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHRISTOPHER KAIHATSU SINCE 7/2017 CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DARREL ROZIER SINCE 7/2017 DAVID MCCANE SINCE 2017 ERIC VALDEZ SINCE 2/2017 GERALD FRANKLIN SINCE 7/2017 GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 HENRY BRELAND SINCE 7/2017 JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009 JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2000 JENNY BURTON SINCE 7/2017 JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001 JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006 JOHN HORN JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008 J’TORI TYMAN SINCE 5/2014 KIM NGUYEN SINCE 7/2017 KENNY BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008 LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007 LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009 LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MARK SHEARS SINCE 4/2012 MAURICE GOLSBY MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MIKE CARANO SINCE 4/2016 RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 1999 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 STACIA HOLLANDER SINCE 2017 STEPHANIE EAKES SINCE 7/2017 SYLVESTER WALKER SINCE 7/2017 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2011 VICTOR MUMPHRY WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 WINNIE RICE SINCE 7/2017 QUEENACELASTINE SINCE 7/2017 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 VIOLET COLLINS SINCE 2017 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2019 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource February 21-March 7, 2019 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From the Director Pg 3: Segregation Then, Segregation Now Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: Reflections on African-American and Politics Racial Analysis Within Homelessness Pg 6: African Churches Boom in London’s Backstreets Pg 7: Netflix and Nollywood Pg 8: Sidewalk Smart Pg 9: Sidewalk Smart Continued Pg 10: Street Life Roots Pg 11: Black History Month Gentrification 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 February 21-March 7, 2019 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Patricia Patton William Schomberg Simon Daveson Alessandro Jedlowski Felix Winternitz Key Beck Dr. Mark Mussman Bill Woods Janiah Miller Kim Green Willa Denise Jones Janiah Miller June Alexander Ricardo Taylor Mo Poetry Phillps Homeless Coalition Canva.com Gabriela Godinez Amanda Meek Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Alessandro Jedlowski Amanda Meek Art Bill Woods Black History Month Canva.com Dr. Mark Mussman Felix Winternitz Gabriela Godinez Gentrification Homeless Coalition Janiah Miller Josh Spring June Alexander Key Beck Kim Green London Mo Poetry Phillps Netflix Nigeria Patricia Patton politics Ricardo Taylor Segregation Simon Daveson Street Life Willa Denise Jones William Schomberg https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/30973030a13e519f9cfaa5ddbbe68dac.pdf fc110684f0882284106d2d3130e0d217 PDF Text Text M a r c h 7 t h - M a r c h 2 1 t h 2 0 1 9 | Vo l . 2 3 I s s u e 5 ( N o . 4 0 2 ) advo cating justice | building communit y Any opinions in this issue are of the authors and don't necessarily represent Streetvibes or The Homeless Coalition. ARTICLE ON PAGE 8 This Issue is sponsored by (Retired) Judge Mark P. Painter Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 12 �2 COALITION N o v 27--Mar N o v 19, 0 18 || No. N o . 402 393 Mar 21, 22019 From The Editor: Anti-vax Movements and Social Media GABRIELA GODINEZ Editor-in-chief W ith the recent measles outbreak, the antivaxer movement has come to the foreground once again. I’ve seen many media outlets, both entertainment and news media, come out with pieces about the topic, though you don’t need to be Vox, Jubilee, or the Washington Post to share your opinion. All you need is internet access and a social media profile. 18-year-old Ethan Lindenberger knows this all too well. Ethan is known at this point as the Ohio teenager who went against his mother’s wishes and got vaccinated once he no longer needed her consent. On March 5th he spoke in front of a senate committee hearing where he discussed his upbringing and subsequent defiance. He grew up without being vaccinated because his mother, like many other anti-vaxers, thought it would cause autism as well as other brain issues. He said that his mother found most of her “evidence and information” through social media. According to the Associated Press, even when his mother was presented with facts from sources like the CDC she still didn’t agree with the findings, saying that her child has been made “the poster child for the pharmaceutical industry.” When Ethan showed her mother scientific facts, she responded,“that’s what they want you to think.” There is much to unpack just with that bit of information alone. Let’s just pretend for a moment that vaccines did in fact cause autism. They don’t, just to be clear, but let us pretend. Anti-vaxers with this belief would rather have their child die of measles or polio, treatable illnesses, than have a child with autism. That is a piece of this issue that often gets overlooked because unfortunately our society favors able-bodied and able-minded people. Ethan’s mother is not alone in these beliefs. The dangerous antivaxers movement creates a hotbed of misinformation all throughout social media. It could be said that most antivaxers are concerned parents that are fed falsehoods and conspiracy theories through their social media timeline. When we repeatedly click specific articles, like specific posts, or view certain videos, the algorithms of those platforms continue to show you similar posts. This makes it simpler for vulnerable people to fall into an echo chamber of misinformation. Youtube has taken steps to try and combat misinformation by adding links of information about specific topics covered in conspiracy videos. However, most of the time these are Wikipedia links, which are easily dismissed by people who are already lost to the conspiracy theories. Facebook as of the time of this editorial has not included any sort of effort nor has Twitter. In our current culture of exclusively reading headlines and retweeting/ sharing without further investigation, it often doesn’t matter if the articles and theories are debunked by credible sources. I do understand there is so much frustration with the healthcare system in America. Many times drugs are pushed by big pharma, doctors dismiss marginalized folks, and often it feels like no one is listening, but allowing children to be susceptible to treatable diseases wont hurt the capitalist healthcare system. It will only hurt those children and people with autoimmune disorders. There are cases where children react negatively to vaccines. I admit that should not be ignored. Those are cases where they wouldn’t be forced have vaccinations in order to attend public schools; these children would instead be one of those who benefit from herd immunity. The problem with these cases not being fully discussed on social media is when they are used as cases to promote the lack of vaccination in other children who are fully capable of doing so. This is not a simple issue, and it’s not even an issue of it’s own. All this comes from misuse of social media, disillusionment with the healthcare system, and the social media echo chambers we create. I don’t think there is any one solution, but for now we can continue to read credible sources and share those on our social media feed to combat the misinformation. Don't forget to treat anti-vaxers with compassion when you share scientific facts. Unfortunately, most of the time when people make up their minds, there is very little anyone else can do to persuade them to change. Hopefully, like Ethan, these children survive and find accurate sources to be able to take their fate into their own hands. Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor-in-chief: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Sallie Mascus Layout: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Reception: Bonita Batton, Larry Johnson Maintenance: Pete Roper ------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Gabriela Godinez, Holly McCall, Kahara Nakahara, Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Shaylim Valderrama, Key Beck, Dr. Mark Mussman, Bill Woods, Tess Sohngen, Kim Green, Willa Denise Jones, Robert Park, James Brown, Cleo Wombles, ------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: Pngtree.com, canva.com, Gabriela Godinez, Dr. Mark Mussman, INSP.com ---------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �3 COALITION No. 39 | Nov21, 2 - 2019 N o v 19, 2 0 402 18 Mar 73-Mar | No. From The Director: Education Opportunities JOSH SPRING Executive Director Y ou may or may not know that our Homeless Coalition has a robust public education program. We strongly encourage you, your friends, family, employer and any group you may be a part of to take advantage of our education opportunities. Regularly people call us wondering if they can volunteer in some way. Often folks want to do something like a coat or clothing drive. We welcome people who want to get involved in our work by explaining that the best way to start getting involved is through listening and being educated. We offer several different experiences for individuals and groups of any size. Our longest-running opportunity is our Speakers’ Bureau. Our team of individuals who have personally experienced homelessness are teamed up with our Director of Education, Dr. Mark Mussman. Together one of our Speakers and Dr. Mark present to crowds of all sizes from one or a few people to hundreds of people. They present to people of all ages; children, youth, adults and in many settings, whether it be at our office, a school, place of worship, business, community council, service organization, etc. Through Speakers’ Bureau, those attending learn about the personal experience of homelessness from someone who knows how to time for discourse, questions, insights and comments. In order to sustain the program, the hosting group pays $80, $40 of which compensates our Speaker for their time and $40 of which covers a portion of the costs to the Coalition. Most Speaker’s Bureau activities last for an hour to an hour-and-a-half, but we are able to work with hosts to hone the event to the needs of the group. If you are reading this, you must know about our many committed Streetvibes Distributors. But you probably don’t know about our Streetvibes Distributor Shadow opportunity. Have you ever wondered what it is like to attempt to sell newspaper on the sidewalk while dealing with the stereotypes of some passersby, the eyes that turn away, the nasty comments, potential harassment as well as the good wishes and friendly responses? What is it like to attempt to get a person who likely hasn’t experienced homelessness themselves to purchase a paper about social justice issues, poverty and homelessness? Through our Shadow experience, groups can learn from an experienced Streetvibes Distributor about the many facets of their work and then the group joins our Distributor in going to the sidewalks and attempting to distribute the paper. To finish the experience, attendees and our Distributor spend time discussing what the responses from the general public were like, how those taking part felt, why there are stereotypes and how to deal with them. Very often, participants walk Students at a local High School host a speaker from the Speakers Bureau. make their experience accessible to many different audiences. Attendees also gain understanding of what societal and systemic policies and decisions have caused, maintained and grown homelessness and the systemic changes we must make to end homelessness. And of course there is away with knowledge and increased understanding they didn’t even know they were missing. We charge $80 for this event to cover some of our costs. As the Homeless Coalition we are constantly involved in organizing with people to stop gentrification and the displacement, disruption and scattering of communities that is inevitably apart of it. In Hamilton County we are short 40,019 affordable homes. But how Instead Citywide Shantytown offers an extended period of time to learn, discuss, debate, listen, teach and grow. Students participate in the Streetvibes Distributor Shadow program. did we get here? Our Over-the-Rhine Peoples’ Movement Social Justice Walking Tour is a great opportunity to both audibly and visually learn about how we reached our current affordable housing and homelessness crisis and to better understand why so many adults and children in Cincinnati and Hamilton County are experiencing homelessness or housing instability. Participants join Dr. Mark in walking up and down streets learning about specific examples displacement and how they happened. People taking part will learn about the public policies and private influence and control that has caused so many people so much hardship. Participants will also learn how we can do things differently, how we can leverage the powers of our local government to save affordable housing, prevent displacement and build new affordable housing. For this, we also charge $80 to cover some of our costs. You may have heard of our Citywide Shantytown opportunity. Most often high schools and universities take part in this awareness raising opportunity. At times business have decided to join also. Shantytown can be honed to the particular group. Most often, groups of people sleep outdoors, learn about the personal experience of homelessness from one of our Speakers’ Bureau Speakers and spend an extended period of time discussing with our Speaker and Dr. Mark about why we have homelessness and what we can do as a society to end it. Attendees are able to spend time discussing personal experiences with each other and exchanging ideas of how they can get involved. Shantytown is not intended to mimic homelessness or experience homelessness, as that can’t be done by sleeping outdoors by choice for a night. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Finally, our Cincinnati Urban Experience (CUE) provides opportunity for groups of people to join us for an extended period of time; usually for a week or a weekend. During this time, groups take part in all of the educational programs explained above, but also spend time volunteering with some of our Member-Organizations and learning directly from our directservice Member-Organizations about what they do and why and how they do it. The extended time, allows for education about more aspects of needed change, including more information about how affordable housing can be developed, the need for living wages, efforts to stop the theft of wages, immigration reform, changing the processes by which people exiting jail and prison so people have the opportunity for sustainability, the importance of medical care. In general, CUE allows groups the opportunity for a more intense look at the systems and societal decisions that cause and perpetuate homelessness and how it requires organized social movement to end it. Of course, we are biased about the value of our educational programs, but our bias comes from years of honing these opportunities and receiving positive feedback from so many people who say their perspectives and even ambitions were changed for the positive. If you are able, check out our website at www.cincihomeless.org. Please reach out to Dr. Mark Mussman, do discuss how we can work together to provide one or multiple of these opportunities for you and/or people you know. He can be reached at markmussman@cincihomeless.org, 513-421-7803 and 117 E. 12th Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. �4 ADVERTISMENT NMar ov 2 7 - -Mar N o v 19, 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 21,22019 402 March 1 - 23, 2019 For tickets please call (513) 381-2273 Purchase tickets online at www.cincyshakes.com AD Donated by Mark and Sue Ann Painter season sponsored by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �NMar o. 397 3 -Mar | Nov 221, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 | No. 402 U.S. NEWS 5 The Strike A 1968 sanitation workers' strike brought Martin Luther King to Memphis and changed history. Fifty years later, Cleophus Smith, a striker, recalls the events leading to King's death. Cleophus Smith, left. Photo By Richard L. Copley HOLLY MCCALL ContributingWriter C leophus Smith remembers the night of 4 April, 1968, like it was yesterday. “I was trying to get some rest, when I heard commotion and screaming outside, and my wife came and woke me up,” says Smith, known to friends as “Cleo.” “She said, ‘Dr. King has been shot.’" he recalls. “All hope is lost,’ I said to myself." Smith, 75, was one of the Memphis Sanitation Department workers striking for better working conditions when Martin Luther King traveled to Memphis that April as part of his Poor People’s Campaign to support the strikers. The strike began after two sanitation workers were crushed in a malfunctioning city trash truck on 1 February, 1968. The subsequent walk-out was sanitation workers’ third attempt to strike. “In both ’65 and ’66, the men walked out, but at the time, the workers were mostly older,” Smith says. “They were threatened with losing their jobs or going to jail, so they went back. It was like they got out on a limb, then the limb got sawed off.” Two years made a difference: Smith, then 24, was hired 15 April, 1967, as part of a hiring wave that resulted in a demographic change in the department. Soon he and some of the other young Turks, including labor organizer T.O. Jones, decided it was time to make change. “One of the older men said to about 30 of us, ‘You young men are going to mess our jobs up,” recounts Smith. “We said, ‘with respect, sir, we’re trying to make situations better for you and for us.’” King was in town on 28 March to join strikers for what was supposed to be a non-violent march. “I got close enough to shake his hand,” Smith says. History shows the march became violent when protesters who weren’t employees of the sanitation department used the opportunity to break windows and vandalize downtown Memphis businesses. In an all-too-familiar scene from the Civil Rights Era, police responded in kind. “I got sprayed with mace and got a dog sicced on [set upon] me,” says Smith. “I hit that German Shepherd on the nose and it went down. The cop standing there unsnapped his holster and said to me, ‘hit him again.’” Smith recounts how he took off running to his mother’s house, which was near Clayborn Temple AME Church, itself a safe haven for those in the Civil Rights movement. “I ran into my mother’s house and she said, ‘Son, you look like you seen a ghost,” he says. “I said, ‘Mama – I almost became a ghost!'" King returned to Memphis 3 April and was assassinated by James Earl Ray the next day. Smith credits Jones, Reverend Ralph Abernathy, and Jesse Epps of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) for leading the strike to a successful conclusion a few weeks after King’s death. “We really thought things were over (after King’s death,) but two or three weeks later, the Mayor (Henry THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Loeb) signed the labor agreement,” Smith says. For 30 years after Memphis signed an agreement with AFSCME, conditions greatly improved for sanitation workers, according to Smith. But the last 20 years, it’s gone “haywire,” he says, with renewed racial discord coming from both blacks and whites. “I think if Dr. King were alive today, it would kill him from grief to see how things are going,” Smith says. And that, he says, is why 51 years after he started his career with the Memphis Department of Sanitation and 50 years after a strike brought King to the city, and to his fate, he’s still on the job. “Last year, a friend asked me when I was going to retire, and I said: ‘There’s justice to be done. If you see something is wrong, you do what you can to make it right. "I just try to get this job done.” Courtesy of The Contributor / INSP.ngo �GLOBAL 6 NMar ov 2 7 - N o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 -Mar 21,2 02019 402 Malnourished Venezuelans Hope Urgently Needed Aid Arrives Soon CARLOS GARCIA RAWLINS & SHAYLIM VALDERRAMA Reuters Y aneidi Guzman has lost a third of her weight over the past three years as Venezuela's economic collapse made food unaffordable and she now hopes the opposition will succeed in bringing urgently needed foreign aid to the South American country. Guzman's clothes hang limply off her gaunt frame. The 38-year-old is one of many Venezuelans suffering from malnutrition as the once-prosperous, oil-rich OPEC nation has seen its economy halve in size over the last five years under President Nicolas Maduro. Venezuelans' diets have become ever more deficient in vitamins and protein, as currency controls restrict food imports and salaries fail to keep apace with inflation that is now above 2 million per cent annually. Growing malnutrition is one of the reasons Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido has moved ahead with his plans to bring supplies of food and medicine into Venezuela by land and sea on Saturday, despite resistance from Maduro. Maduro, who denies there is a humanitarian crisis, has said it is a "show" to undermine him. On Thursday, crowds cheered as Guaido led a convoy of opposition lawmakers out of Caracas on an aria Guitia carries her son Yeibe Medina after bathing him at home near San Francisco de Yare, Venezuela, February 18, 2019. The pair live with Guitia's five siblings and parents in a one-room tin shed with a dirt floor and no running water. Work is scarce and they live off payments for odd jobs and a monthly government handout of heavily-subsidised basic food supplies. They have taken to inventing meals with what little they have like lentils with plantain from the trees in their backyard. Guitia said her son had lost weight over the past five months until Caritas gave them some nutritional supplements. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins not provided details on how they would bring in the aid. In response, Maduro denounced the aid, saying in televised comments that he was considering closing the border with Colombia and would close the border with Brazil. Aid has become a proxy war in a battle for control of Venezuela, after Guaido in January invoked a Yaneidi Guzman, 38, shows the food she has in her kitchen at home in Caracas, Venezuela, February 19, 2019. Guzman has lost a third of her weight over the past three years as Venezuela's economic collapse made food unaffordable and she now hopes the opposition will succeed in bringing urgently needed foreign aid. She is one of many Venezuelans suffering from malnutrition. "It's not that I want to be rich, or a millionaire", Guzman said. "But I do want to give my children a good future, to make sure I can take them to the doctors when they get ill ... and that they eat well." REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins 800 kilometre (500 mile) trip to the Colombian border where they hope to receive food and medicine. Guaido has constitutional provision to assume an interim presidency, saying Maduro's reelection last year was fraudulent. "I hope they let the aid in," said Guzman, who despite holding down two jobs cannot make enough money for the tests, supplements or proteinrich diet that doctors have prescribed her. She and her husband make less than $30 per month and prioritize feeding their three young children. While there is a vacuum of government information, almost twothirds of Venezuelans surveyed in a university study called, "Survey on life conditions," and published last year, said they had lost on average 11 kilograms (24 pounds) in body weight in 2017. On the wall of Guzman’s home in the poor hillside district of Petare in the capital Caracas, hangs a wooden plaque with the psalm "The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing." Yet her fridge is empty except for a few bags of beans. Sometimes she wakes up not knowing what she will feed her family that day. Mostly they eat rice, lentils and cassava. While Guzman says she would welcome the aid, she is concerned the one-off shipment would be a drop in an ocean given Venezuelans' needs. "You don't only eat once," she said. Some political analysts say Saturday's showdown is less about solving Venezuela's needs and more about testing the military's loyalty towards Maduro, by daring it to turn the aid away. Some aid agencies like Catholic THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED relief agency Caritas are already on the ground providing what help they can. In San Francisco de Yare, a town 70 kilometres (45 miles) south of Caracas, Maria Guitia's one-year-old baby's belly is distended and his arms thin. The pair live with Guitia's five siblings and parents in a one-room tin shed with a dirt floor and no running water. Work is scarce and they live off payments for odd jobs and a monthly government handout of heavilysubsidised basic food supplies. They have taken to inventing meals with what little they have like lentils with plantain from the trees in their backyard. Guitia said her son had lost weight over the past five months until Caritas gave them some nutritional supplements. The United Nations and Red Cross have cautioned against the politicization of aid. The United States, which is pushing Maduro to step down, sent aid for Venezuela to a collection point in neighbouring Colombia in military aircraft, in a show of force. Guzman dreams of living once more not off foreign aid or government handouts but her own work. "It's not that I want to be rich, or a millionaire," she said. "But I do want to give my children a good future, to make sure I can take them to the doctors when they get ill ... and that they eat well." Courtesy of Reuters / INSP.ngo �NMar o. 397 3 -Mar | Nov 221, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 | No. 402 GLOBAL 7 Tokyo Street Count KAHARA NAKAHARA The Big Issue Japan 12.30am, the middle of the night. Shinjuku station, after the last train Groups visit 9 areas mall groups of people in down jackets and other winter garments gather in Shinjuku station after the last train departs. Among them are young and old, men and women. These are volunteers who are going to take part in the Winter Tokyo Street Count taking place on the nighttime streets. Tokyo Street Count is a homeless census on the streets at night. Citizens take part, and it is organized by the Advocacy and Research Centre for Homelessness (ARCH), a civil society organization that makes policy suggestions and conducts research on the homelessness issue. The volunteers take to the streets of Tokyo by foot after the final train and record the number of homeless people and their sleeping conditions. Since research began in January 2016, the census has been conducted in 11 wards in Tokyo prefecture. The census for this winter is planned in three parts. The first takes place on January 20, beginning at half past midnight, and counts the four wards of Shinjuku, Shibuya, Chiyoda and Chūō. There are about 30 people taking part in the survey in Shinjuku, including students and members of supporting organizations. The ward is divided into 9 areas such as Shinjuku Station West Exit area, City Hall and Central Park area, and a group of 3-4 people visit each. Mr. Takuya Kitabatake (a co-representative of ARCH) briefs the groups about their confidentiality obligations and other matters to note, before they allocate their roles and head to the streets at 1am. The group we are accompanying is visiting the area around Shinjuku station. Even in the middle of the night, neon lights are shining brightly. To make sure there are no omissions in the survey, the group must cover all the streets in the area under their responsibility. They mark their walking route on the map, making sure they don’t miss the backs of any buildings or small alleyways. When they see any homeless people, they make detailed notes of the location, number of people, living conditions (cardboard huts, sleeping bags, etc.) and gender. If they see people on the move, they also make a note of details that describe their characteristics, such as “XX Plaza, a man in his 50s, navy blue top, red bag”. Since the person on the move might be re-counted at their destination, the headquarters checks for duplicate records using this information. S The census ends at 3am There are 582 homeless people in the four wards By 2.30am, half of the planned roads on the map are marked out. As we walk around, we see people wrapped in sleeping bags and dozing off while seated, people living in houses made from cardboard boxes, and people walking around carrying their bags in order to warm up in the cold weather – all sorts of living conditions that cannot be summarised in just the one word: “homelessness”. We are also surprised to see people using unexpected places as beds, like those sleeping in the dark space between buildings, or lying quietly at the roots of garden plants. Ms. Takahashi, a university student studying social welfare, took part in this study for the first time. “Homeless people are clearly visible on the streets at night. It’s a somewhat strange feeling,” she said. Indeed, you feel a different kind of presence of the homeless people, who hardly stand out in the bustle of the daytime. Mr. I, who has been a volunteer since it began in 2016, said, “It is nice that citizens can easily join the Street Count. With more people joining in, I hope it raises awareness and encourage people to ask, for example, ‘I wonder how that man is doing?’” The survey of the designated area is done by 3.30am. As they return to the headquarters, the volunteers exchange their thoughts while waiting for the first train. A woman who joined the activity for the first time said, “There are many kinds of lifestyles – there are people who make houses with cardboard boxes, and there are people who only have a sleeping bag.” Another woman, joining for the second time, said, “It would be great if the life suited to each person could be sustained even after they received support.” A little while later, it is announced that based on today’s survey, conducted by 91 citizens in total, there are 582 people living on the streets in the 4 wards. Protocol for homeless people in public spaces ARCH, which runs the Tokyo Street Count, was founded in 2015 by students and graduates studying urban design at Tokyo Industrial University. They regard the issue of homelessness as “an ‘urban issue’ that concerns jobs, housing and public spaces, and therefore people from all walks of life”. The purpose of the count is to “capture the actual situations of homeless people, which is not achieved by the current survey conducted by the Tokyo government”. The survey by the Tokyo government is carried out in daytime, in parks, streets, alongside rivers and in stations, and many administrative plans are based on the figures obtained from it. However, 55.6 per cent of people work during the day despite their homelessness [National survey of homelesness by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in 2016]. The current survey cannot capture those who only live on the streets at night. In answer to this, ARCH carries out the survey between the time of the last train and dawn. The result is that, although in 2017 the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced that there were 5534 homeless people in Japan and 499 homeless people in Tokyo’s 11 wards, the Summer Street Count in the same year revealed 1307 homeless people in Tokyo’s 11 wards, about 2.6 times the figure of the government survey. It is also remarkable that there are 440 citizens (762 participations) in total, from junior high school students to seniors in their 60s, who have taken part in the survey so far. Mr Kitabatake said, “To realise a metropolis where people support each other, it is important to firstly acknowledge the existence of others. I hope that more people can take part in the Street Count and that this will become an opportunity for people to realize that homeless people do exist.” As the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games draw nearer, the group is making suggestions for “Tokyo to establish its position as taking serious action regarding the homelessness problem”. ARCH takes reference from Australia’s legacy, where a “protocol for homeless people in public spaces” was reached, spurred on by the 2000 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Sydney Olympics. Mr Kitabatake, who visited Sydney after the protocol was concluded, said: “From this protocol, it was acknowledged that homeless people also have the right to be in public spaces. In fact, even in parks there, you can now see white-collar workers and homeless people taking naps on the same lawn, all as citizens leading their lives. People value and support each other. I believe that if there are more places like this, we can have a strong society that is also kind and gentle.” It is ARCH’s hope that Tokyo will strive to become such a city. The Tokyo Street Count takes place every year in the summer and winter. Let’s consider what it means to be a ‘kind and gentle’ neighbourhood as we walk the streets at night. Information about ARCH (Advocacy and Research Centre for Homelessness) A civil society organization founded in October 2015. The team conducts research and advocacy relating to the issue of homelessness. Members are pro bono workers including researchers, students, field workers and legalists. On the other side of the lavish and grand event of Tokyo 2020 are people who are disadvantaged socially and economically, the organization works towards the goal of a society that leaves behind a legacy of diverse people living together and supporting each other’s lives, rather than one where socially and economically disadvantaged people are pushed to the sidelines while a huge event takes place in Tokyo in 2020. Translated from Japanese by Lily Su Courtesy of The Big Issue Japan / INSP.ngo �FEATURE 8 NMar o v 2 7- -Mar N o v 19, 0 18 || N o . 393 21,22019 No. 402 Boarded Up DR. MARK MUSSMAN Staff Writer H ow many people need to die on the street before we enact long-lasting systemic change? Last week, we honored the life of Danny Lee Miles, just 61 years old, on the corner of Race and Liberty. Danny Lee is just one of what will likely be over 100 people who die in Cincinnati because of homelessness in 2019. Every person who spoke at the memorial commented on how they wish they could have done more, that there is a crisis, and that Danny Lee was a kind and gentle soul. The details of his passing were unknown at the memorial, but we do know that he died alone, outside, in the cold, on a night with temperatures in the 20’s. The emotions on the corner ran high as clothing items and food were handed out to whoever needed them. Organizers, who want to honor Danny Lee, said that these items were being given out in honor of Danny Lee, from Danny Lee himself. Curious passerby who stopped to asked what was going on were shocked to learn of Danny Lee’s passing, and many had stories to share about reaching out to him, and sharing food with him. Danny Lee’s life didn’t need to end short. He had been living in a Northside group home for many years before finding himself out on the streets in October of 2018. A person connected with the group home said that he Block resident points to the boarded up doorway, around the corner on Liberty was de-comping, which means that his mental state wasn’t able to handle stressors. This may have led him out to the street last fall, but the system ended up failing him. Several organizations and individuals had helped him while he was staying on the corner of Race and Liberty Streets, but ultimately, they were unable to prevent his death. Danny Lee had been estranged from his family for almost two decades, but their communication with the organizers was similar to that of those who passed him by each day - they wish they had done more. It seems that his mental state had put up barriers between him and his family for some time. Although Danny Lee attended the University of Louisville and received an EMS Certificate, he was unable to care for himself at the end of his life. Some questioned if we could have forced him into the shelter, after all, Prince of Peace operates a winter shelter literally across the street. Prayers, pleas, and calls for system change were the focus of the memorial. One family, who lives on the block, attended the memorial because they had brought him blankets, mittens, and Employees from Alabama Fish, across the street, came over to offer their condolences THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED other items over the past few months. The young kids looked on as their mother spoke, “...I even offered to get him an Uber to the homeless shelter one night because it was very cold. But he was like ‘I’m okay, I’m okay.’ You know that was the kind of person he was, he didn’t ever ask for help, ever, but because we saw him everyday, we wanted to help. It breaks my heart that we live in a city that would board up a doorway, to keep him from being seen on a main street, rather than give him the help that he needed. He was human being. He was more than just a homeless face. He had a family. We loved him. We were his family.” Danny Lee passed away in the doorway on Race Street, just out of sight from busy Liberty Street. He had been sleeping in the doorway on Liberty, but the doorway was recently boarded up. It seems clear that the purpose of the board was to prevent him from sleeping there, in the eyes of someone, to remove the blight. Since the doorways on Race Street, on the same building were not also boarded up, it seems clear that this was about visibility - they don’t want people to see poverty in the gentrifying neighborhood. As “OTR” creeps northward into Over-the-Rhine and FC Cincinnati decimates the West End, only two blocks from where Danny Lee died, the push to remove signs of poverty have been elevated. But what does it mean to push people further into the shadows? Liberty Street is literally a battleground right now. The City is back at the drawing board regarding the Liberty Street Pedestrian Safety initiative. The southern part of Overthe-Rhine may have a SID forced upon us, forcing affordable housing out of the area. North of Liberty, the Brewery District continues its plan to �N o. 39 | Nov 2 - N o v 19, 2 0 18 Mar 73-Mar 21, 2019 | No. 402 FEATURE 9 Father Reynaldo Taylor opens with a prayer, standing near him are Bison, Brian Garry, and Sam Landis turn the neighborhood into a museum, erasing all contributions and existence of African Americans from the neighborhood. Liberty Street is a major traffic artery, with “rush hour” from 7am to 7pm during the weekdays, as it connects the two interstate highways. Those of us who cross Liberty daily know the dangers of the street, but dying, alone in the cold, is not on the agenda of any of these current battles. Streetvibes Distributor and Contributor, Kim Green made an impassioned plea for affordable housing at the memorial. She used her voice to bring light to the pressing issues that we face in the neighborhood today. At the podium, Kim proclaimed that “here in a city where developers are coming in, taking historical buildings, making them into storefront eateries, it’s really heartbreaking… today people are buying these buildings, they are trying to genocize (sic)... move affordable housing out. The churches, the Homeless Coalition, and [the shelters], they are doing their part to try to help with affordable housing. The City of Cincinnati and City Council are to be ashamed of themselves to let this happen. City Council stand up, help your community - let’s get affordable housing!” We know how to eradicate homelessness through affordable housing, livable wages, and housing protections, but it seems to me that people are still stuck in the mentality that it’s the fault of the individual, so therefore we have no responsibility. This mentality can be traced back to the Reagan Administration, who pushed the idea that churches should be responsible for dealing with homelessness, not the government. Unfortunately, the government has manufactured the current housing and homelessness crisis. By dismantling public housing in favor of privatization, by rewarding developers for displacing residents in favor of market-rate housing, by allowing wages to fall way below a livable wage, by giving landlords carte blanche protections to Recently boarded up doorway on Liberty Street THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED deny and remove people from housing, the government has created and maintained a system that has resulted in the crisis we have today. We have been to too many funerals over the past few years. The Homeless Coalition’s memorial service that takes place on the longest night of the year counted over 110 people last year who died due to homelessness. Over the past year, the City and County have worked together to make it an arrestable offense to live outside on public or private property. The claim that people who are living outside pose a significant threat to the public is wrong, and forces people further into the shadows, further into isolation. Here we have an individual who was seen every day, yet was in danger himself, and the system wasn’t enough. We are short 40,000 units of affordable housing. All the shelters are over capacity. The jail is also overcrowded. Unless we do a major affordable housing push, a push for livable wages, a push for housing protections, the number of people who lose their lives to homelessness will continue to rise. While so many people are gaining from the displacement of people from our neighborhood, shouldn’t they take on some of the burden? We’ve lost more than 2400 units of affordable housing in Over-the-Rhine over the past 10 years. We are hemorrhaging our neighbors, yet someone is making a great profit off of it, using benefits and public incentives that come out of our taxes. The family who helped Danny Lee with blankets and mittens and offered to get an Uber to the shelter ended their memorial statement with this call to action. “We live on a block with all these vacant buildings. No one’s doing anything with them but making a profit eventually… we have to do better as a people. We just got to do better. No one should have to die outside, alone, in the cold.” �10 LOCAL NMar o v 2 7- -Mar N o v 19, 0 18 || N o . 393 21,22019 No. 402 The Power And The Need For Citizen Organizing BILL WOODS ContributingWriter C itizen organizing of every type received attention at an all day forum on Saturday February 23rd. Two hundred plus activists took part in "The Power of Organizing - Finding Your Community's Voice," an event sponsored by the Murray and Agnes Seasongood Good Government Foundation. Speakers, panels, and breakout discussions focused on how citizens can have an impact on government policy and the decisions that effect their communities and neighborhoods. The day began with a keynote address by Karen Hobert Flynn, the President of Common Cause U.S.A. Although Flynn now heads an organization that spends a lot of time and energy promoting political reforms at the national level, she believes in citizen organizing at all levels. In fact, Flynn began her career organizing at the grassroots. Reflecting on how state legislators often try to avoid contact with constituents, she revealed that one of her strategies as a young activist was to corner representatives right before they entered the bathroom. Flynn had some of her previous successes at the state level. She played a key role in organizing the adoption of public financing for campaigns for state elective offices in Connecticut. As a regional director for Common Cause, she assisted a number of state chapters, including Ohio, in their reform efforts. She stressed that some of Common Cause's best work continues to take place in the states, and she noted its success (in collaboration with other groups) in passing redistricting reform in Ohio last May. Flynn emphasized the importance of having the Seasongood event at this particular moment in U.S history. Citizen organizing to preserve our democratic institutions is critical. On a positive note, she proclaimed that citizen involvement in groups such as Common Cause has greatly increased in the last two years. The morning panel that followed the keynote focused on the nuts and bolts of organizing. Featuring local people with diverse organizing experiences, the panelists emphasized how they went about recruiting and working with volunteers. For instance, if citizens are going to give their time and talents to an organizing effort, they need to be appreciated and to believe that their involvement makes a difference. If it's a major effort involving a coalition of groups, one panelist stressed that a corps of leaders must evolve that works well together and trusts one another. All the panelists noted organizers must prepare their groups for unexpected setbacks, which can often be used as learning experiences. Moderated by Liz Blume of the Season Good board, the panel included Jennifer Summers of the Peaslee Neighborhood Center, Dorothy Smoot of the Partnering Center, Bill Woods of Applied Information Resources, and Nicole Edwards of the Sierra Club. One of the most valuable parts of the day occurred before lunch. Attendees split into three groups, and these breakout sessions allowed everyone to say why they were there. These sessions also encouraged people to present their ideas about needed organizing projects in Cincinnati. As an example, many neighborhood representatives noted that neighborhoods are isolated and need some kind of coalition in order to be heard and taken seriously by public officials. Over lunch, two full time community organizers, DeMario Cooper of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, and Katy Heins of Community Change, shared their thoughts on the theme "Why Organize?" Heins began by saying that organizing is all about providing sufficient power to citizens to insure that they have an impact on public decisions that effect their lives. On a variety of issues from fair wages to affordable housing, Community Change works with citizens in various cities and states to bring this about. DeMario Cooper agreed with Heins' statement about "power." Often working in low-income AfricanAmerican neighborhoods, he described the inequities that exist without effective organizing. He was especially blunt about the inequities confronting Black males. As an example, he pointed to the huge percentage of Black males who serve prison terms in this country and the deep hole this places them in once they are released. Issue 1, on last November's ballot, was a justice reform initiative that would have eliminated much of the unnecessary incarceration in Ohio. Although the organizing effort for Issue 1 by groups such as the Ohio Organizing Collaborative ended in defeat, Cooper already sees some positive next steps emerging from that campaign. A final panel also featured diverse citizen organizers discussing their recent work and how they go about it. Catherine Turcer, Director of Common Cause/Ohio, described the organizing that went into the campaign to bring about redistricting reform in Ohio. She depicted how the successful state-wide signature gathering by volunteers for the grassroots Constitutional Amendment proposal persuaded members of the Ohio House and Senate to draft a real reform proposal of their own which the voters passed overwhelmingly passed last May. Panelist Josh Spring, the Executive Director of the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, told attendees about his work in organizing tenants. Tenants, especially those living in publicly assisted apartments, often need to know their rights in order to stand up to landlords who fail to maintain their buildings or who are attempting to evict them in order to raise rents or to sell their properties to developers. Spring has been successful in his goal of working with tenants so that they successfully speak and take action for themselves. As a conclusion to the day, David Altman, Executive Secretary of the Seasongood Foundation, and Michael Coffey, of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, talked with attendees about the availability of grants for citizen organizing. Altman noted that it was a good sign that two local foundations not only saw the need for citizen involvement in public decisionmaking, but they also recognized the importance of organizing that involvement. Opi-Hate At The Top ROBERT PARK ContributingWriter A monotonous seemingly endless series of almost daily full-page ads in the NY Times from Purdue Pharma explained what a responsible company they are and how hard they’re trying to help with the opioid overdose crisis. This company is the maker of OxyContin and other opioids, and is owned by one family, worth about 13 $billion according to Forbes magazine. The recent history of Purdue Pharma, described in the NY Times (Jan.16, 2019) is visible because of law suits. In 2007 the company paid a 634 $million fine on federal criminal charges against top management, members of the Sackler family. They were charged with lying about the dangers of OxyContin in promoting the drug to doctors. More than 200,000 opioid overdose deaths have occurred since 1996 when the drug was introduced. The Sackler executives were removed from management of the company but continued to run it, according to subsequent law suits. Massachusetts attorney general, Maura Healey, is suing Purdue right now and new information has appeared as a result. Aside from further evidence of wonton murderous profiteering (about one billion $ per year in OxyContin sales), some insight into how these people think has emerged from internal company documents. When president of the company in 2001, one Sackler brother wrote: “we have to hammer on abusers in every way possible… They are the culprits and the problem. They are reckless criminals.” Ruling class contempt for the working class: this is about as clear as it gets. Thousands of people with injuries caused by their work, or by accidents, with pain from appropriate medical treatments or from deferred or absent medical care, trying to keep their lives on track and deal with family obligations, they are the criminals. Kids that don’t see a livable future are the criminals. Trump’s losers, which includes most THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED of us whose attainments in life didn’t depend on bullying, cheating or lying, we are the criminals. These are not anomalous ruling class attitudes, they are normal. Their class education trains them to think that way (although some wealthy people with a strong streak of honesty and integrity actually acknowledge, to themselves at least, a more accurate view of reality). Workers are blamed for industrial injuries and illnesses when process design and operating procedures are the culprit; students are blamed for enormous debt; homeowners devastated by banking fraud are blamed for reckless borrowing. We need to figure out who the criminals are, folks. �N o. 39 | Nov 2 - N o v 19, 2 0 18 Mar 73-Mar 21, 2019 | No. 402 11 LOCAL Diet, Childhood, and Homelessness: An Ohio Study TESS SOHNGEN ContributingWriter N ew Ohio Study Provides Insights into Food Access for Homeless Youths at a Drop-In Center When you’re young and don’t have a suitable place to live, how do you eat? A recent Ohio study examined exactly what food is provided at a youth drop-in center to answer this question. This study is the first of its kind to go into the service center and evaluate the food available to the 60-plus youths it serves every day. While previous research has taken a broader lens to the food resources available to homeless youths, the results of this new study demonstrate what’s possible when a service center can provide a quality food environment to adolescents – and the “x-factor” for doing so. How Many Youths Experience Homelessness? Deemed “The nation’s invisible homeless population”, more teens and young adults are living on the street than ever before in US history, and their numbers are rising. In one year, nearly 1.7 million youths will experience homelessness. These unaccompanied youths — any person under the age of 25 living without adequate housing and without a parent committing petty crimes for food or shelter. In their eat-or-be-eaten world, homelessness is the gatekeeper to experiencing violence, acute and longterm illness, and food insecurity. The Food Environment for Unsheltered Youths As many as 96% of youths experiencing homelessness are also affected by food insecurity, according to research by the Canadian Journal of Public Health, which has published several studies around youth homelessness and food resources in Toronto, where youths are also a growing portion of the country’s homeless population. Here is just one example of how fast and deep the knife can cut for unsheltered youths. The lack of access to nutritional and adequate food has long-term negative health effects for young men and women. “Inadequate nutrition can permanently alter children’s brain architecture and stunt their intellectual capacity, affecting children’s learning, social interaction and productivity,” according to Feeding America’s 2018 Child Food Insecurity Module. New Study – Evaluating Food Sources for Homeless Youths With limited resources to find work and money, homeless youths often 1 in 6 children 13M experiences hunger in the United States Number of children who live in "food insecure" homes in the United States Source: www.nokidhungry.org or guardian – are more vulnerable to the consequences of homelessness. Without guardian supervision, these young men and women are more prone to victimization – trading sex and unpaid work, panhandling, and turn to charitable services, crime, and begging for food. Here are the mostcommon food sources for homeless youths, according to a study published in Public Health Nutrition journal: (65%) admitted to theft as a means to food, (63%) food supplemented by welfare agencies, (61%) begging for money or food, (44%) begging for food items, and (34%) asking for help from friends and relatives. In a new and groundbreaking study from the Ohio State University Institutional Review Board, researchers evaluated the food at one of resources used most-extensively by youths experiencing homelessness: drop-in centers. Drop-in shelters targeted specifically for youths are typically the initial point of service for these young people since they are less restrictive than other service centers and aim to build trust and relationships with these adolescences. But how are they able to provide food to youths, and does the food meet their health needs? The researchers evaluated the variety and quality of food provided at a youth drop-in center in the Central Ohio region, assessing the type of food available, how accessible it was to youths in the center’s kitchen, and the health quality of those items. Their findings were surprising to the researchers. Not only did the center offer a fairly high variety of fruits and vegetables but also limited obesogenic (unhealthful) foods accessible to the adolescents they served. The X-Factor for Providing Adequate Food at Drop-in Centers These findings sharply contrasted previous studies and hypotheses predicting that food provided at these types of shelters did not meet adolescent’s nutritional needs. Researchers speculate a notable x-factor THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED for why the results from the Central Ohio study are so different: available funding. The level of funding available to drop-in centers is a crucial determinant of the types of food organizations can offer its homeless populations. When the welfare center relies on charitable donations of food, the quality, quantity, and nutritional value of the food available plummets. On the contrary, centers that can afford to pay staff, purchase food, and cover the costs of rent and utilities does not depend on donated food. This drop-in center in Central Ohio purchased most of the food it provides to young people from local food banks. The center also provides laundry, shower facilities, recreational activities, links to additional community resources, and beds to adolescents. On average, the center sees between 60-80 homeless youths ages 14-24 daily, with two to three new clients arriving each day. In Summary The study was the first of its kind and could contribute to more research in the future that examines homeless youth’s food environment. However, since the study was conducted at the only youth drop-in center in the metropolitan area – and considering the money available to the center – these finding don’t attest to the food environment and availability of youth shelter houses elsewhere in the country. This study simply shows that with adequate funding, services can be an adequate food resource for youths experiencing homelessness. �12 A Friend To be called a friend is sometimes very hard to be To be a friend is a honor with many responsibilities To have a friend is someone STREETVOICE Gusty Winds The Sky was dark The Sun was gone you can depend on To have a friend with you when all hope is gone Being human beings we all fall short of God’s grace The arrival of Rain made the Gusty Winds Come Being human plus a friend The Air can be a difficult race was cool Due to difficult the rain circumstances in every persons life To put trust and faith in someone can be only strife felt good As I embraced the Gustv Winds See So for me I keep the faith and never forget to pray As I sing that old hymn what a friend we have in Jesus Each and every day!! WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer and Son God Loves you more than me! KIM GREEN Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer No More Tears I woke up this morning and smelled the coffee. You just don’t know about life, until you wake up. I was born November 13th, 1970. Life is real. Life is precious. I’ve been through hell and back, but I’m here. Psalm 116:8—"For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling or stumbling.” N ov 2 N o v 21, 19, 2019 2 0 18 || No. N o . 402 393 Mar 7 --Mar Take Time Time- Everything in life takes time Time to plant Time to be born Time to die But let us remember To spend time with our loved onesMy mom and dad are no longer alive I can no longer hug them I got stabbed through the heart on July, 1994. I had two heart attacks on March, 2006. November 20th, 2018 they took an old heart valve out, and replaced it with a new one. They put a pace maker in on February 8th, 2019. and say hi and that I love Yes, life is so precious. The kids today are not raised the way we were. the time you will remember I need the old school people to come cleanup the streets. JAMES BROWN Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer you If your mom and dad are still alive please give them a long hug and tell them you love them Your heart and mind will feel so good that you took that and even more days you can do You will know that God has blessed all of you CLEO WOMBLES Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer Streetvibes Writing Circle If you would like to submit a story for publication in streetvibes, come join Katelyn Lusher and Chris Wilkey for a group writing session! S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �STREETVOICE No. 39 | Nov21, 2 - 2019 N o v 19, 2 0402 18 Mar 7 3-Mar | No. Just Because THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY DEBATE Just because I’m homeless does not mean I deserve to be forgotten. Just because I’m homeless doesn’t meant I should not be seen Are you not feeling a sense of urgency 13 Just because you have fine clothes and a nice home does not make you a better woman or a better man. Do you love to watch the sunset? Do you like Just because I’m homeless doesn’t mean I should have no rights in my homeland to count the stars? emergency? I may not have fine clothes or a nice home, but I do have plenty of dignity, and my vote still matters. the troubles in your heart? How would you define a bonafide I may not have a briefcase, a smartphone, and busy appointments, but I still have dreams and hopes for the future. laugh out loud, play their games, and let them I just need to find my way back home again. Do you hide their eggs on Easter? Read their About The Donald's national crisis? Wouldn't be like a sneak attack by Isis? When you walk by, I can see that look in your eyes, and I wonder what are you afraid of? You remind me of how it used to be for me. I want you to know that just because you are busy does not mean you will always be so free. Does it seem to you to be a bogus call, To say it's for money for a border wall? BILL WOODS Contributing Writer Just because I’m homeless does not meant I forgot what it’s like. Are you worried about keeping your job forever? Paying your bills on time? What the doctor may say? And wondering if your pension will still be there some day? Just because I’m homeless doesn’t mean I cannot see. Everyone is walking fast like they are in a hurry. Everyone has that look in their eyes, wondering what I am doing out here? What happened to me? Wondering how I survive? Every day is a very long day in my world and I am worried too, you see. Do you like to walk in nature so you can forget When you play with your children do you believe they are so smart? card out loud on Mother’s Day? Watch the fireworks on the Fourth of July, and go to bed early before Christmas the oldfashioned way? Just because I’m homeless doesn’t mean I forgot about those old traditions, I just do my best to ignore what it’s like to sleep at the down town missions. I wish you could visit with me for a day, a week, or a year, so you could really know what it’s like being out here. Maybe you think it just doesn’t matter because it could never happen to you, is that right? Sometimes I want to wave just to see if you would wave back to me. Maybe you think we don’t have much in If I tell you my name, would you at least offer me a smile as if I am still important? common because of where you sleep at night. I want people to see me but when they do, I just look down at my shoes. I don’t really want your pity and would rather It’s easier that way you see, just because I’m homeless you think you know about me. Just because you don’t live where I live, or sleep where I sleep does not mean you understand. WAYNE SHIPMAN Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED be left alone I know we really have so much in common But we go our separate ways just because I have no home �PET HOROSCOPES 14 NMar o v 27- -Mar N o v 19, 0 18 || N o . 393 21,22019 No. 402 Pet Horoscopes by Dusty Changepurse Pisces (Ten of Swords) - Have you have had it? Are sensing the that the end is near? The future is bleak, I know. Maybe it’s the end of your pet’s life, maybe its the end of puppyhood, or maybe it is just the end of your rope with even having a pet. Either way, this is a month of transitions, so know that sometimes it is best to find a way to process loss and move to a more positive place. Hard decisions need to be had for your pet this month. Aries (Seven of Cups) - Abundance is the name of the game, but, everything comes with a price. Remember my forewarning of this being a month of closure and things ending so know that dreams are often realized when we keep their limitations in mind. Your pet has been feeling spoiled these past few weeks, but what happens when the spoiling stops? Beware of negative behavior from your pet(s) when the going stops being good. with some insomnia/late night shenanigans, so be prepared. And yes, I know that is literal, but remember it isn’t their fault. Your Leo pet has been feeling some extra energy and vibes these weeks, so they are trying to make sense of the world and the rules. Remember, new pets means new accidents. Virgo (Eight of Swords) - Wow! Are you feeling the squeeze? Well your pet is fur sure. Your pet is feeling quite bound and restricted. It may not just be about the rules either. They are afraid of messing up. Try to help instill some confidence in your pet this month. I am always one to say that self-care is so important, but sadly pets don’t know this. Your pet has been making sacrifices and now it is your turn. Give up some of your personal time for some pet R and R. They actually need this now more than ever. Throat, mouth and ears are going to be affected this month. Taurus (The High Empress) - Your pet is on one, but it is as it should be. Yep, here kitty kitty, we got catnip! Sadly, you Taurean pet is having an internal conflict with balance. They may need some nature in their life to help center them. This is a time for you to bring some nature or creativity to your pet’s life. Also, this is a good time to set some boundaries for your pets. Remember we reward good behavior, not just giving them treats for “not being bad.” and your pet knows it. You both have your feelings, emotions and actions aligned and that is where you need to be. Your job is to move together through the journey of life and learn from each other. I will warn you that your pet is going through a jealousy phase this month, so beware. Basically, if you are introducing new (fur) people into your household consider limiting access between temporarily. This may help mitigate any negative territorial behavior. Sagittarius (Page of Wands) - Listen bird, you are one egotistical, free-spirited cutie pie. Wait, how do you do that? Yes, be prepared to be amazed by your fine feathered friend. They are all about the creative sparks and making things happen. Don’t worry, they are going to show you just how awesome birds can be. But be warned, this new found confidence can lead to flying away. If you let your pet friends have free range, keep a vigilant watch. This sense of freedom may cause them to flutter away. Capricorn (Six of Swords) - Your pet needs a vacation. A vacation from you, from life, from everything! So why not take them to the doggie spa or kitty coral. You will need to keep an eye on them because they are feeling a lack of engagement. There may be something holding them back, so figure it out and help them push through. They will feel challenged, but together you can be successful. This is a time of transition, so it is important that you are present with your pet. Gemini (The Hermit) - Your pet (and maybe you) will be feeling slightly overwhelmed and withdrawn this month. Perhaps think about spending some extra time with your pet or maybe they need some alone introspective time. I mean sure, they are happy to see you when you get home, but beware of destructive behavior when they are alone. Honestly, your smart furbaby has probably learned to hide all their mischief (and damage). So look in hidden corners and nooks, you may find that item you have been missing for while now. Cancer (Ace of Wands) - Usually this card means one is feeling inspired or growth. I personally find it is usually a clue for us to rely on your intuition to figure something out. Well, our reptile friends especially are using this skill to grow… right out of the cage. If you have a reptile, they are going to be an escape artist this month. Be sure to watch their living environment. Whatever your solution may be, know your pet is overthinking things. So simplify. If you are thinking of getting a new pet, well, you have your answer. Leo (The Moon) - The only thing to do is howl at the moon! Okay, we get it! It’s 2 a.m. and everything is exciting, but just go to sleep. This is a time of transformation within your pet. They learning to lean into their personality. Your pets will be dealing Libra (Seven of Pentacles) - So you have put in the hard work, and now you can start to see the results. Finally. That furbaby has finally learned all the cute tricks. Even the birdiebrains are finally getting it. I mean, who doesn’t need a bird who can tell a knock knock joke. For this moment, just enjoy the successes of your training. If you are in the middle of a training program, keep at it. You will definitely reep the benefits. Remember, it is about the big picture here. Plan for the future. So the trainings isn’t for the tricks, it is help the behavior. Scorpio (Knight of Cups) - Moving forward should be the goal for your pet. You have a good thing going Aquarius (Three of Wands) - You see all that kitty? Everything the apartment light touches is yours. Okay that may sound like a scene from a cartoon, but that is because you kitty feels like the monarch of the household. That is probably true. You are in the midst of change, so it is important to keep up the momentum. Your pet is going to be looking for new adventure and the plans have be set, so time to operationalize it. This may be a time to introduce new toys, tricks and challenges to their care. Make them look forward to something new. Hey, it only takes a string and a feather do this, but why not make it sound like an epic challenge About the Author: Dusty Changepurse (they, them, their) is cultural and creative artist whom infuses spirituality, creativity and social justice into their work and everyday life.They have been providing tarot-based guidance, readings, and pet horoscopes for a couple of years. They believe tarot is a useful tool for self-reflection, knowledge growth, and self-care. They enjoy crystals, kombucha and vegan food. The horoscopes presented should not be seen as medical/ veterinary advice. If you or your pet needs actually medical assistance, please see a medical professional. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �N o. 39 | Nov 21, 2- N o v 19, 2 0 18 Mar 73-Mar 2019 | No. 402 Central Access Point 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children RESOURCES Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 621-7265 1528 Race St. 45202 Churches Active in Northside Bethany House 557-2873 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 591-2246 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 Salvation Army 762-5660 St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 131 E. 12th Street 45202 1125 Bank Street 45214 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men Shelter: Men Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 Shelterhouse 721-0643 2121 Vine Street 45202 411 Gest St. 45203 Prospect House 921-1613 1437 Walnut Street 45202 Starting Over 961-2256 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 Parkway Center 661-4620 First Step Home 961-4663 Shelter: Youth 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Shelter: Family Interfaith Hospitality Network Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Joseph House (Veterans) 471-1100 1522 Republic Street 45202 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 OTR Community Housing 381-1171 114 W. 14th Street 45202 Talbert House 221-HELP Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street 45202 Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Volunteers of America 381-1954 Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 VA 977-6800 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 Food/Clothing First Lutheran Church 421-0065 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 1730 Race Street 45202 St. Francis Seraph Ministries 549-0542 St. George Food Pantry 2554 Dennis St. 45219 751-8771 St. Anthony Center 1615 Republic St. Advocacy Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 241-2965 Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP Housing: 15 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 UpSpring 363-3300 Health Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 Other Resources Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 215 E. 14th St. 45202 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 Goodwill Industries 771-4800 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. 579-8547 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 1223 Main St. 45202 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 Talbert House 751-7747 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton County Office of Reentry 946-4304 138 E. Court Street Room # 101 First Floor Cancer Justice Network 404-3882 Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels 981-4200 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center (11-17 y/o) 859-491-8303 ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-572-6202 Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky 634 Scott St. 41011 859-291-4555 Want to advertise in Streetvibes? You can support our mission and spread the word about your business. For more information contact Gabriela Godinez Feregrino, 961-0600 email streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Center for Respite Care 621-1868 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 386-7899 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio McMicken Dental Clinic 352-6363 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 NAMI of Hamilton County 351-3500 PATH Outreach 977-4489 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �16 NMar ov 2 7 - -Mar N o v 19, 0 18 | |N o . 393 21,22019 No. 402 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BETTIE BAILEY SINCE 10/2017 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 BRIAN ADAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHARLES WILLIAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHRISTOPHER KAIHATSU SINCE 7/2017 CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DARREL ROZIER SINCE 7/2017 DAVID MCCANE SINCE 2017 ERIC VALDEZ SINCE 2/2017 GERALD FRANKLIN SINCE 7/2017 GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 HENRY BRELAND SINCE 7/2017 JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009 JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2000 JENNY BURTON SINCE 7/2017 JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001 JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006 JOHN HORN JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008 J’TORI TYMAN SINCE 5/2014 KIM NGUYEN SINCE 7/2017 KENNY BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008 LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007 LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009 LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MARK SHEARS SINCE 4/2012 MAURICE GOLSBY MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MIKE CARANO SINCE 4/2016 RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 1999 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 STACIA HOLLANDER SINCE 2017 STEPHANIE EAKES SINCE 7/2017 SYLVESTER WALKER SINCE 7/2017 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2011 VICTOR MUMPHRY WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 WINNIE RICE SINCE 7/2017 QUEENACELASTINE SINCE 7/2017 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 VIOLET COLLINS SINCE 2017 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2019 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource March 7-March 21, 2019 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: Anti-Vax Movements and Social Media Pg 3: Education Opportunities Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: The Strike Pg 6: Malnourished Venezuelans Hope Urgently Needed Aid Arrives Soon Pg 7: Tokyo Street Count Pg 8: Boarded Up Pg 9: Boarded Up Continued Pg 10: The Power and the Need for Citizen Organizing Opi-Hate at the Top Pg 11: Diet, Childhood, and Homelessness Pg 12: Street Voice Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Pet Horoscopes Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource March 7-March 21, 2019 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Gabriela Godinez Holly McCall Kahara Nakahara Carlos Garcia Rawlins Shaylim Valderrama Key Beck Dr. Mark Mussman Bill Woods Tess Sohngen Kim Green Willa Denise Jones Robert Park James Brown Cleo Wombles Pngtree.com Canva.com INSP.com Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Anti-Vax Bill Woods Canva.com Carlos Garcia Rawlins Cleo Wombles Dr. Mark Mussman education Free Lunch Program Gabriela Godinez Holly McCall INSP.com James Brown Josh Spring Kahara Nakahara Key Beck Kim Green Ohio Pngtree.com protest Robert Park Shaylim Valderrama Social Media Strike Tess Sohngen Tokyo Venezuela Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/a46f6681ebb263af0e88cb7345ccaebb.pdf c4065713ea27f6b061ea040b491a7b45 PDF Text Text M a r c h 2 1 s t - A p r i l 4 t h 2 0 1 9 | Vo l . 2 3 I s s u e 6 ( N o . 4 0 3 ) advo cating justice | building communit y Any opinions in this issue are of the authors and don't necessarily represent Streetvibes or The Homeless Coalition. Showcasing articles about women, and featuring women's creative writing This Issue is sponsored by Cecilia and Tom Kloecker Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.com Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 12 �2 COALITION Nov 2 N o v 19,4,22019 0 18 || N o . 393 Mar 21- -April No. 403 From The Editor: Of Fear and Hate GABRIELA GODINEZ Editor-in-chief O n March 15th, 2019, two consecutive acts of horrific terrorism hit Christchurch New Zealand as a Muslim community engaged in prayer. The first attack was at the Al Noor Mosque; the second was at the Linwood Islamic Centre. 50 people were murdered and 50 more were injured. The youngest victim of the massacre was New Zealand born Mucad Ibrahim. In this article, the murder nor his accomplices will be named following New Zealand Prime minister Jacinda Ardern’s example. Prime minister Arden spoke about the Chirstchurch mosques terror attack saying, “he may have sought notoriety but we in New Zealand will give him nothing. Not even his name.” The terrorist, wanting global attention, live streamed the gruesome shooting on Facebook. Facebook announced the first report on the live stream “came 29 minutes after the video started”, a report that only came after it was reposted to 8chan by another user. The live stream had been viewed 4,000 times before it was removed. The Christchurch terrorist clearly wanted to not only ignight fear but also recruit other right wing extremists into becoming terrorists by publishing a manifesto similarly to the July 22, 2011 Norway terrorist who murdered 70. Unfortunately, and sadly unsurprisingly, the New Zealand terrorist seems to have made an impact on right wing extremists. YoutubeInsider, a verified Youtube Twitter account, tweeted: “We wanted to give an update on our actions since Friday’s horrific tragedy. We’ve removed tens of thousands of videos and terminated hundreds of accounts created to promote or glorify the shooter.” According to the Washington Post, 1.5 million videos of the Christchurch attacks were removed within 24 hours but many videos still are out there simply because of the magnitude of videos uploaded. Prime minister Arden stated, “it is our view that it cannot, should not, be distributed, available, able to be viewed. It is horrendous… Ultimately the responsibility does sit with them [social media companies].” Internet service providers in New Zealand have blocked sites like 4chan and 8chan, which have not removed the Christchurch shooting video. These sites are known as breeding ground for right wing extremists. 8chan in particular is widely regarded as one of if not “the most vile website on the internet.” According to Vox, the shooter described Trump as “a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose.” This lead many people to turn around and point the finger to the U.S. President, but that sentiment is misguided. Trump did not cause the New Zealand shooting. Trump and the New Zealand shooting are tumors of the same disease of white supremacy. This highly contagious, lethal disease of white supremacy has not infected any one country, it can be, and is, found all over the world. This is a disease founded on fear, hate, resentment, which all ultimately manifests into violence. White supremacy did not start with Trump, and it most certainly will not end with Trump after he is out of office. This is an insidious illness that affects us all. Not even 24 hours after the massacre, the New Zealand government had already promised gun laws would change “including a ban on semi-automatic rifles,” according to The Guardian. Prime minister Arden urged the surrender of firearms and many New Zealanders actually agreed. The Guardian reported that at least 37 firearms had been handed to police officers around the country” without the legal need to. However, this is not only about guns. This is about white supremacy and the simple fact that it seems we only talk about it when we are faced with death. If we do not unite now, stand in solidarity with one another or show up for one another, then what’s the point? What are we doing sending “thoughts and prayers” to one another? Why even bother talking about this if we’re just going to act like everything is fine a month later? The New Zealand massacre is an act of terrorism that should not only spark conversation, but instigate action within legislation, our national and global societies, and most importantly within our local communities. Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org www.cincistreetvibe.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor-in-chief: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Sallie Mascus Layout: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Reception: Bonita Batton, Larry Johnson Maintenance: Pete Roper ------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Gabriela Godinez, Bill Woods, Hellen Hill, Anastasia Safioleas, Seulki Lee, Jen Ham, Ericka Russel, Felix Winternitz, Kristina Mckinley, Jada Jones, Ta'Anna Gamble, Savanna Donaldson, Willa Denise Jones, Desmond Brown, ------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: canva.com, Gabriela Godinez, INSP.com ---------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 | Nov 2 4, - N o v 19, 2 0 18 Mar 213-April 2019 | No. 403 COALITION 3 From The Director: Diligent Impatience JOSH SPRING Executive Director Are you angered by the inequities in Cincinnati and Hamilton County? In the last twenty years in the city of Cincinnati we have given out $3.4 billion in property tax abatements, predominately to wealthy individuals and companies. As we pour tens of millions into infrastructure for a soccer stadium, we are short 40,019 affordable homes and people die under bridges without a home. City Human Services funding is well below its prescribed levels and the winter shelter is not fully funded, yet we budget public funds to private business support ventures with the unproven claim that they somehow improve our city (see City of Cincinnati FY 2019 Budget, page 10). We grant zoning variances to wealthy, exclusive housing developers while in on an average day in 2018, nearly 90 percent of families with children who sought shelter were turned away because the housing crisis has left no room in shelters. On average, Black Men live ten years less than white men and Black Women live about six years, seven months less than white women, but we have an operational streetcar. You should be angered by all of this and more, deeply angered. But please work to not be idly angry. Sometimes we hear people say that there is nothing we can do about these oppressive realities. We hear the perspective that large sums of money always rule the day and so we can’t win. But, there is a lot we can do, and we can win. We have to gather ourselves together, name the injustices and name those who orchestrate and benefit from these injustices. We must say how our city, county, community and society should operate and we have to force it into existence. We need to strategize actions, implement campaigns, evaluate results and adjust our strategies without changing our foundational stances. We have to encourage, challenge and support our partners in the struggle. We must build leverage stemming from our growing numbers of people and our experienced strength. We need to employ unexpected tactics. We must hold ourselves and systems in general to basic standards of morality. We have to be willing to say what is right and what is wrong. We should not settle for less than what is just and righteous. Organizing, building leverage and exacting action does not mean systemic change and/or replacement will come quickly. It most certainly, will not. So, we must do our best to keep in our mind’s eye the vision of what our city and county will look and operate like when justice, morality and empathy rule the day. In that vison of the future, who is making decisions and through what processes are they made? What will our neighborhoods look like? What about our schools and recreational spaces? How will housing be accessed and who will public lands and funds benefit? We can get there one step at a time. I don’t mean that in some abstract, fluffy, make us all feel better sort of way. I mean it in a real sense. We fight for changes, sometimes we lose and sometimes we win and the wins and loses come in all sizes with differing levels of consequential impacts, but we must chart each success, no over or under state it and tick away at the steps it will teach to reach our just destination. Please don’t read this as a statement that we should be patient. We should not be patient in the struggle to justice. Patience in this fight will not get revolutionary result. Instead we are charting a course for the long-haul; a course that we must march with diligent impatience. Ohio's 2011 Gerrymandered Districts Quietly Challenged In U.s. District Court In Cincinnati BILL WOODS ContributingWriter W ell hidden from public view on the eighth floor of the Potter Stewart Building in downtown Cincinnati, a legal case of major importance to democracy has moved forward for the last two weeks. A lawsuit alleging that Ohio's current Congressional Districts are unconstitutional is being heard by a three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court of Southern Ohio. The plaintiffs in this case are the League of Women Voters of Ohio, the A. Phillip Randolph Institute, and residents from the state's sixteen Congressional Districts. The defendants are Republican elected officials such as the Secretary of State, the Governor, and leaders of the Ohio General Assembly. Readers will remember that Ohio voters passed last May a Constitutional Amendment designed to end one party gerrymandering in the state. However, the new redistricting process will not be used until 2021, and the plaintiffs in this case are challenging the constitutionality of the Congressional Districts that were drawn in 2011. The goal is to prove that fairer Districts need to be drawn for the 2020 election cycle. The ACLU of Ohio (American Civil Liberties Union) provided the legal team for the plaintiffs, and it spent the first four days of the trial making the case that the Districts created in 2011 constitute violations of the First and Fourth Amendments. ACLU lawyers called several of the citizen plaintiffs to testify as well as representatives of the League of Women Voters and the A. Phillip Randolph Institute. Former State Senator Nina Turner and Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, both Democrats, also testified that Ohio Democrats had no influence on Congressional District map-making in 2011. ACLU lawyers spent the bulk of their time questioning expert witnesses such as William Cooper, a demographer who specializes in using Census data and the geographic realities of a state to draw compact political district maps that primarily keep intact counties and large cities. Cooper explained that not only was it possible to create district maps that were fairer and less partisan than Ohio's 2011 Congressional Districts, but he provided remedial maps that he had drawn for this state. Two other political scientists, Dr. Chris Warshaw and Dr. David Niven also offered analyses of the highly partisan nature of Ohio's sixteen Congressional Districts. When shown the 2011 District map, this partisanship is not difficult for the average person to see. For instance, Democratic Cincinnati is split into two districts and then combined with enough Republican suburban and rural counties to make two safe GOP seats. Franklin County and Columbus feature similar splits and suburban additions. The most outrageous geographic aberration is "the snake on the lake," a District that extends along Lake Erie from Toledo to Cleveland and takes in parts of numerous counties. Thus, even though President Obama carried Ohio in both 2008 and 2012, Republicans continue to hold twelve Congressional seats to four for the Democrats. The expert witnesses in their testimonies focused on the skillful manipulations that went into making the 2011 Districts so one sided. What factors have brought about this recent movement throughout the U.S. to advocate for fair election districts? Since the Constitution leaves it to individual states to create political districts, gerrymandering has existed in some form throughout our history. Although reform groups such as Common Cause and the League of Women Voters have called for redistricting reform for years, it was too esoteric an issue for average people to grasp until the 2011 district THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED maps took effect. What happened in 2011 was the perfection of one party gerrymandering through the use of computers. Computer experts could mould Census and political data into maps that insured a large majority of districts for one party. This perfection of gerrymandering may be leading to its downfall. Suddenly, this highly partisan mapping in states like Ohio, North Carolina and Texas received a lot of news media attention. Once lonely reformers were joined by a larger base of outraged citizens who were now aware of why their elective districts were so uncompetitive. Groups in states across the country began challenging gerrymandered districts in court cases or through ballot initiatives. In Ohio, state and Congressional District mapping have been reformed when voters passed Constitutional Amendments in 2015 and 2018. The current Federal Court case in Cincinnati is coming to a close at a time when the U.S. Supreme Court is about to hear two cases challenging gerrymandered districts in North Carolina and Maryland. The rulings in these cases could have major impacts on future state redistricting, and the Court will hear them during the last week in March. Stay tuned. �4 ADVERTISMENT NMar o v 221 - N-April o v 19,4, 20 18 | |NNo. o . 393 2019 403 March 1 - 23, 2019 For tickets please call (513) 381-2273 Purchase tickets online at www.cincyshakes.com AD Donated by Mark and Sue Ann Painter season sponsored by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �N o. 39 3 |-April Nov 2 -4,N2019 o v 19,| No. 2 0 18 Mar 21 403 5 U.S. NEWS Homeless in a woman’s body HELEN HILL I Street Roots n the 2017 Multnomah County [in Oregon] “Point In Time” homeless count, 1,355 adult women were identified as homeless, making up 36 per cent of the total homeless population. This was up more than 16 per cent from the 1,161 women counted in 2015, and more than double the 662 women counted in 2009. What is it like for the growing numbers of women who are experiencing homelessness? We asked five of our vendors to talk about what women living on the streets experience. Amy is currently living underneath the Morrison Bridge with her boyfriend Sean. Olivia (not her real name) is single and sleeps under the Burnside Bridge. Aileen has just moved to Dignity Village with her husband Charles. Jay is single, transgender, and in a temporary shelter. Barbra lives in a small tent community within the downtown core. Amy It’s a chilly evening in late November. A freight train shrieks past, the ear-splitting roar echoes through the tunnel of concrete piers under the east end of the Morrison Bridge. Bright lights high overhead stay on through the night, illuminating a changing community of people who shelter here. There is a roaming colony of rats. When it rains, a fast creek runs down ditches on either side of the rough-tiled pavement where sleeping bags are laid out for the night. Amy has slept under the Morrison Bridge with her boyfriend and fellow Street Roots vendor Sean Sheffield for nearly three years. She transcends cultural assumptions of the homeless. She has never taken drugs or alcohol. She was recently appointed shift supervisor at her regular job at the Portland Airport Starbucks. She is open-hearted, cheerful and hardworking. She says she was worried at first about living under the bridge, “I thought I would freeze to death,” but now she is used to it and doesn’t feel the cold or the rain that sprays them “like spritz on a ship” when the wind blows. Every other week they look forward to taking her paycheck and staying in a motel for several nights. Amy doesn’t feel safe without Sean nearby. “I think it’s harder for women on the street,” she said. ”Whenever Sean has to sell (Street Roots) after dark, I don’t like it. I’m always looking behind me and 360 degrees around me. We all look out for each other, we walk by and say ‘Hey, are you OK? Are you feeling threatened?’ I am a little suspicious when guys say that, but with a female, it feels good that we are looking out for each other.” Portland police offer welcome protection, she said. On 20 November, there were two homicides in a homeless camp on the west side of the Morrison Bridge. “There were those two shootings, but the police came to check on us,” she said. “I thought that was really cool of them to do that. They woke us up and asked us how we were doing, they told us there were two homicides, and they did it twice during the night, they were sincerely concerned for our safety, they woke up the people behind us to make sure they were OK too.” Olivia Olivia is small in stature but strong, self-sufficient and confident. She’s been staying on her own under the Burnside Bridge. She is acutely aware of the sexism on the street and the challenging situations women face. “The biggest misconception is that it’s easier for a woman on the street, because people think you can get stuff for free. And they think you can get into shelters easier, but it’s not true,” she said. “Guys say you don’t have to be on the streets, someone will take you home. Takes a man to let you know: Hey, you can just be a prostitute, you don’t have to be homeless. Not every girl is a prostitute just because she’s homeless. “I am constantly harassed every day. Guys don’t leave you alone. ‘Hey beautiful, hey girl.’ Do they think girls really like that? My first name isn’t ‘hey,’ my last name isn’t ‘girl.’ “Everyone knows me, it’s a small town, this homeless community. I make sure I keep a good reputation, I don’t do drugs, I won’t go where they are partying too much. But it’s the same bothering at night as you get in the daytime. “Men always say it’s easier for women to get housing. Other vendors think I can sell more papers because I’m a girl. But it’s not fun being treated like a prostitute every day or being afraid at night, it’s definitely not easier.” Aileen Aileen is a streetwise artist, seamstress and poet. She and her husband, Charles, have camped in a tent and lived in a camper. They recently returned to Dignity Village after the city repeatedly ticketed and threatened to tow their camper. “I have had forced moves, gunshots in the middle of the night, flashing lights, but I’ve always had Charles with me,” she said. “It’s one of those things even if you don’t camp together as a camp family, you camp together in numbers for safety. You need to get to where you can trust people. “I’ve seen women spread their sleeping bags out alone, As for the safety, honestly, I don’t think it’s any different male or female, because the older you are, you are just as vulnerable as any female. “But just being a female, people will take advantage of you, if you look weak and vulnerable, someone will take advantage of you. “You can cast that very strong don’t-fuck-with-me look. You can get training. My brother was military. He wanted to teach me self-defense, so he put me in a couple different holds. He didn’t expect me to grab his ears and say ‘meet the knee,’ but that was my instinct when he put me in the hold. He was thrilled with it, but he said, ‘if that’s your instinct, I don’t need to teach you.’ “I’m defending my life, I am the only one who has the right to say when my life ends. I use a power stance when I need to, you can bring yourself that strength. “I’m always watching, there are so many things to watch.” Jay Jay is a gifted artist. He identifies as both male and non-binary. He lives in a temporary shelter. “As a person with a woman’s body, I think male-identified people have more options,” he said. “There are more shelter and housing options for single males than for single women or single transgender or non-binary people. “I am more likely to have predators target me, or bullies target me, they view me as a weak woman, small, frail. I am more likely to have guys proposition me, like they say they will let me stay with them if I will be their girlfriend. I don’t think homeless men have to deal with that situation. “You are between a rock and a hard place. You don’t want to live in a shelter, but you also don’t want to sell your body for housing either, which is what a lot of guys offer. You get to where you just don’t want to talk to any guys at all, it seems like just predators approaching. “I think homeless men also get THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED assaulted, but as someone in a woman’s body, I am more likely to end up dead or be sexually assaulted.” Barbra Barbra had a successful professional career as a market researcher. Her career ended when she became disabled in 2010 due to a brain lesion. She became homeless a few years later. She describes herself as “a miracle walking.” Barbra is an effective activist, serving on committees at Sisters of The Road and with the Old Town Chinatown Neighborhood Association. She was recently chosen as an advisor to a team of OHSU doctors who are creating a syllabus to investigate and serve the homeless. She also volunteers for the Metro Trash Initiative, brainstorming strategies to help people experiencing homelessness dispose of trash and recycling. She lives with her boyfriend in a tent community of 12. “I’ve always been with a man,” she said. “You have all these dangers, you have people who will kill you for your money, your backpack – even if they don’t know what’s in it. When you have a male partner, your chances of that are not as much. Maybe you have a dangerous boyfriend who will beat you and do bad things to you but they aren’t going to take your livelihood, they won’t take your wallet and your phone, so you make a decision; as long as I don’t do this, this won’t happen, as long as I don’t drink, this guy won’t beat me, so I’m safe through all these things. No one will beat me up or rape me or steal from me because I have someone there with me all the time. “You talk to women on the streets, they will tell you, ‘I was raped.’ ‘My babies were taken,’ and that’s the reality of it. You have to pick the best out of the worst. I don’t think anyone understands. I have a lot of respect for the women who sleep alone, I couldn’t do it.” Her advice to other women on the streets: “Trust your instinct. If you have fear, there is a reason it is there. Trust the gut, don’t trust your brain or heart. If your gut says don’t walk down that street, don’t trust that man, listen to it.” “There are more and more of us coming out,” Barbra said. “We can’t stop it, I would like to think we would all band together and keep each other safe. I don’t want women out there alone, how vulnerable do we need to be?” Courtesy of Street Roots / INSP.ngo �GLOBAL 6 NMar o v 2 21 - N-April o v 19, 4, 2 02019 18 | N o . 393 | No. 403 A Phair go ANASTASIA SAFIOLEAS L The Big Issue Australia iz Phair is on the phone from her home in Los Angeles, reminiscing about the early 90s. She’s been doing a fair amount of reflection since the reissue of her debut album, Exile in Guyville, last year. A surprise hit in 1993, Exile… would go on to sell nearly half-a-million records. It triggered her meteoric rise as rock’s “naughty girl”, with her sexually-charged lyrics and low-fi pop sound. Twenty-five years later, it has been repackaged with songs from her previously unavailable Girly-Sound tapes, and she’s hitting the road again, having now embraced the crippling stage fright that stubbornly dogged much of her career. “I didn’t like performing – I was petrified, and I had a lot of nerves,” says Phair of that time. “I saw myself as an artist, not as a performer… I had to learn to become a live performer. I suffered long enough until I finally found a way to regulate it. I didn’t drink. I didn’t do anything. I just whiteknuckled it!” She laughs, and then adds, serious again: “There’s no substitute for experience. I don’t think anyone is buying it when you watch performers faking it – it’s pretty obvious.” No-one can accuse the Chicago native of faking it. Exile to Guyville, her song-by-song response to the Rolling Stones’ 1972 album Exile on Main St, became a critical and commercial sensation despite its intentionally sparse production and those upfront lyrics. Perhaps the most notorious and oft-quoted line is when she deadpans “I want to be your blowjob queen” on ‘Flower’. But don’t mistake this for cheeky banter. There is a dark streak running through her songs. On ‘Fuck and Run’ she intones: “I can feel it in my bones/I’m gonna spend my whole life alone.” Exile… came before the dawn of the digital music age. A time when the music industry was characterised by mostly male-run record companies, releasing mostly male performers. Commercial radio often refused to play female artists back-to-back, lest listeners changed the station. And Phair didn’t find the supposedly liberal alternative music scene any more welcoming for female artists. “I remember feeling that very acutely. I was making some sort of stand just for the right to make music at all,” she states. “It’s a bit bittersweet. I didn’t make [Exile…] from a happy place. I really held my feet to the fire, to a certain extent. I was very serious in that record. I was frustrated and unhappy and I was speaking matterof-factly about things a woman like me wasn’t supposed to say out loud,” she pauses: “I didn’t feel like it was a good place to be a woman anywhere.” While her voice may have been surrounded by the cocksure growl of grunge, there was a groundswell of female performers also making a mark, such as PJ Harvey, Tori Amos, Courtney Love and riotous all-girl group L7. “I remember feeling there were voices in music that were spurring me on, like the riot grrl scene. There was a movement afoot, pushing back,” she says. “Now I think the music industry has left the hands of the labels and gone into a more democratic zone. People can search for the music they want. Fans want to listen to female artists and it has opened the flood gates.” Mitski is currently on high rotation in the Phair household. As is the new album by Lana Del Rey. And Phair regularly uses social media to reach out to female artists. “I feel like the music industry has changed for the better for women. There’s a huge generation of young women who are making music their own way, producing their own music, performing it – they are incredibly autonomous compared to when I was their age.” As Phair prepares for a batch of Australian shows, she is also getting ready to release her first book, a memoir titled Horror Stories. “They’re stories about my life that touch on how we become the people that we are. It’s almost an exploration on the way we have arranged or ordered our memories and then become the stories that we tell ourselves about who we are and where we’re going. Those sort of impactful moments…the small horrors in life. It’s THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED very personal.” There is also new music on the way, although don’t hold your breath for her much-reported collaboration with Ryan Adams. Around the lead-up to the 2016 US election, Phair found herself working with the unpredictable indie rocker on another song-by-song response album, this time using The Beatles’ White Album as inspiration. “There was a lot of humour with what we were doing, and when Trump was elected the humour went out of our entire country. It felt so oppressive and so morally repugnant it stopped an artwork in its tracks. At that point it wasn’t the right moment for something so funny and light. I doubt we’ll resume working on it. Trump is still not that funny!” she laughs soberly. “But I’ll leave a door cracked open for it.” Courtesy of The Big Issue Australia / INSP.ngo �N o. 3921 3 |-April Nov 2 -4, N 2019 o v 19,| 2 0 18403 Mar No. GLOBAL 7 South Korean women abandon makeup to fight male domination A Japanese tourist (L) talks with an employee at a shop of Missha, a budget brand of Able C&C in central Seoul August 6, 2013. Most of the Korean cosmetics firms are targeting the mid-to-low end of that market by rapidly opening stores and bombarding customers with hundreds of new products each year. Korean beauty brands have little global renown, but in Asia they are household names because of perfectly groomed celebrities. Picture taken August 6, 2013. REUTERS/Lee Jae-Won SEULKI LEE Reuters S outh Korean university student Yim Ji-su used to sacrifice up to two hours of sleep each morning for her laborious makeup routine - from applying foundation and concealer to perming her shoulder-length hair. But about six months ago, she joined a growing band of young women who have given up makeup and cut their hair short to rebel against longheld ideals of beauty they claim to have been subjected to in male-dominated South Korea. The phenomenon has sparked debate in the beauty-obsessed nation, and brands are rethinking their marketing strategies to cater to the growing movement. "We are not dolls, we are human beings," said Yim, a third-year student in Korean literature from the capital Seoul. She was bare-faced and sporting a buzz cut. "By escaping this corset, I feel like I am myself again," she said, adding that a number of students at her campus have also jumped on the bandwagon. South Korea's wide range of skincare and cosmetic products has earned the industry the name "K-beauty", a term reminiscent of the moniker "K-pop" which refers to the booming pop music scene. South Korea has become one of the world's top 10 beauty markets, according to global market research firm Mintel, with many women taking it to the extreme of plastic surgery to reach uniform beauty standards. But it is also known as a socially conservative country - it has one of the worst gender wage gaps among developed nations, and is ranked 115 out of 149 countries in the World Economic Forum's 2018 Global Gender Gap report. Against this backdrop, discontent among women about society's patriarchal aspects has been slowly growing. “I would kill myself ” Tens of thousands of women took to the streets in Seoul last year to protest against the spy-camera porn phenomenon, where victims were filmed illicitly when changing or having sex. Around the same time, a small group of women also began joining what is known as the "Escape the corset" movement, taking to social media to post images of themselves destroying their cosmetics. YouTube star Lina Bae used to offer makeup tutorials on the video sharing site, but in a viral video last June, she revealed the dark side of the rigid beauty standards and the ridicule she has had to suffer. In her video, which has attracted nearly 7 million views, Bae said some viewers told her "I would kill myself if I were you" and "Didn't know pig can make up". She said many women were so insecure about their own appearances that they have to put on makeup even for a short trip to nearby supermarkets. "I am not pretty but it is fine," said Bae, whose real name is Bae Eunjeong, as she wipes away her bronze eyeshadow and red lipstick in the video. "I will not be able to wear this corset forever," she added. Despite the growing movement, analysts said the K-beauty sector is unlikely to be affected, and Mintel data showed it is expected to reach a retail market value of $11.4 billion in 2019, from $10.7 billion in 2018. "(It) is a movement that is emerging among South Korea's younger generations today, but it is a trend that has not yet reached the mainstream public," said Hwa Jun Lee, a senior beauty analyst at Mintel in Seoul. But he warned brands not to take the trend lightly. Some companies have already begun responding to the growing movement by shifting away from the existing rigid beauty standards to emphasise minimalism, with "all-inone" beauty products that simplify skincare routines, said Lee. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Popular Korean cosmetics brand Missha, meanwhile, has featured a short-haired female model in one of its latest commercials, and other local brands like LAKA are the same. "While still in its nascent stage, it is important for brands to note that the 'Escape the corset' movement has the potential to grow further in the future," the analyst said. Sustained effort Supporters of the movement said giving up makeup is only the start of a bigger push for greater gender equality, as South Korean women confront daily sexism. "It is about women's choice... The movement is about changing our everyday culture," said Shin Jiye, a 28-year-old politician who stole headlines last year when she ran for the post of Seoul mayor but lost. But campaigner Heather Barr said it would be a long haul for feminists in South Korea to achieve greater women's rights, including introducing stronger legislation against abuse and sexual harassment. "(It) will take a sustained effort, but they show no signs of giving up," said the senior women's rights researcher at global watchdog Human Rights Watch. Writing and additional reporting by Beh Lih Yi. Courtesy of Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation / INSP.ngo �FEATURE 8 N o v 221 - N o v 19,4, 20 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Mar -April 2019 403 A Normies Game: Rules and Instructions Not Included JEN HAM ContributingWriter M y partner of one month casually sits on the couch next to the shoe rack. He’s scrolling through social media as I cycle through my shoes, muttering about a missing pair. He glances over, plucks the left suede boot out from behind other weathered trail blazers and asks, “oh by the way, are you partially blind?” An innocent question: there’s no judgement in his voice, only curiosity. My heart stumbles. I thought I had been passing so well. I actually thought I had been passing too well and would have to sit him down and break it to him over tea and pillow talk. “Yeah.” I respond relieved and anxious for the 30 seconds between my answer and his response. “Mmm, yeah kind of noticed.” He chuckles, looks down at his phone. I tug on my suede boot, knot the laces in a blasé manner belying the bigger knot tightening in my stomach. Should I say something more? What’s he thinking? Does this change things? Is he going to treat me differently? Does he still want to be with me…? “Hey babe, we should leave soon, yeah?” He helps me into my coat, checks his watch, and digs for his car keys. He’s already moved onto the next topic, unfazed, unconcerned. I’m baffled that my outted legal blindness hadn’t completely ruined the evening, mood, relationship…. Living with a disability has always been this game of passing. To pass or not to pass? Can I pass? I never had to come out as woman. As Asian. As heterosexual. Yet I constantly find myself having to decide whether to come out as disabled or not: whether to come out or pass. Living with Cone-Rod Dystrophy, a degenerative eye condition resulting in partial or full blindness, there are times when I’m not given the choice. My built environment outs me, if not as partially blind then at the very least as distinctly other. It’s not obvious, or maybe it is. The way I linger too long at cross walks, trip up ill-contrasted steps, or stare dreamily off into the distance when someone’s trying to make eyes at me. I wonder what they think of me. Do they see me haphazardly passing? Do they notice? Do they care? More importantly, why do I? This game of passing is like this: you can choose to mask your disability and gain entrance into the kingdom of the well, of the able-bodied normies (or normates as feminist Crip scholar Rosemarie Garland-Thomson calls them) or you can choose to come out as disabled. The rules to the game work like this: you must decide in what situations would you benefit from coming out as disabled and in what situations is it down right stupid and dangerous to not? I like playing the game riskily— I’ve always had a sweet tooth for testing my limits. I’ve played this game with myself, round after round: do I choose to pass as able-bodied in a classroom? A grocery store? A dimly lit, crowded bar or coffee shop? En route to a shuttle? En route to campus? With strangers, new partners, new friends? Almost every time the answer is yes! Pass baby pass. Collect your 200 fake points and make it to the next round. For the last 20 years I’ve played this game and I’ve only been hit by a car once—it was more of a tap, but I made sure to slap the hood in rebellion after. So, what if I get knocked around here or there? So, what if I go in for a hug and knock beer to the floor, shattering the glass cup into a million shards of pain up the bartender’s ass? So, what if I have to memorize every inch of campus to stay vertical? It’s worth it right? Being included in the in-crowd’s worth it right? What’s cooler than being a full functioning normate? Passing soon twisted into something else entirely. It became a rigorous life schedule of “not, but.” Where my identity started taking shape to be a negotiation of what I’m not and from that negative, then what I am. I’m not that kind of disabled, the weak and helpless fetishized saint, but I’m the sexy kind that completely transmutes her disability out of existence with phenomenal passing topped off with hypersexuality. Everything the disabled person w a s — e v e r y stereotype or assumption—I strove neurotically to disprove. I would take the maximum amount of credit hours in college, I would never use the accommodations given to me from my university’s disability services, I would have a boyfriend, I would party, I would have a sex life, I would have friends, a gleaming GPA, a competitive internship, a fit body, trending clothes, flirtatious stimulating conversations and then by the end of it all a gold star from the collective normates saying yes I was one of them. I was to be the epitome of heteronormative femininity and objectively successful. It wasn’t until three years ago that I started questioning this madness. It was my last year of undergrad and my first feminist theory class. We were reviewing queer scholarship and this idea of performing our genders came up. Queer scholars made the argument that gender is not natural but rather a grand illusion marketed by social and cultural norms. This made me wonder if then disability was also an illusion. My whole life I thought being disabled was my fault. That my genetics had turned against me and cursed me against any happiness in normative society. For the longest time I had it in my head that my difference in ability made me a burden, made me lesser, and so everything I did was in reaction or compensation to that. But if my disability was cultural…? What did that me an? Could it be that my different ability was just that: a different ability a n d that the THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED disability was the ugly illusion society conditioned me to believe? Was I socialized to be able-bodied and hate anything that was not abled including myself like how women were conditioned to be hyper-feminine and to hate any non-binary gender expression? I began wondering what living as outed would look like. What letting go of shame and overcompensation would feel like. Would be as liberating as suffrage, burning bras, and saying no? But where’s my movement? Where are my fellow revolutionary Crips claiming the rights to their bodies, burning “special needs” from our vocabulary, and saying no to inaccessible built environments? I’m trying really hard to empower myself, embrace my identity but unlike being a woman and easily finding feminists to support me, I can’t seem to find the same for my Crip identity. And I think it’s because society is not quite there yet. The normates haven’t acknowledge disability as a social construct ordered by their inaccessible policies or structures. The normates haven’t done the intellectual or emotional work to reinvasion different abilities as a contribution to human diversity. The normates don’t understand that the accommodations given to differently abled individuals is a reproduction of hierarchical power dynamics privileging able-bodied/ableminded individuals: that “integrating” differently abled individuals into mainstream obviates the fact that differently abled individuals do not automatically belong to society by virtue of living in it. Reclaiming my identity as Crip—a historically derogative term that much like queer is being refurbished by the differently abled—isn’t just on me. I can only do so much emotional labor. It has been 3 months since that encounter at the shoe rack…. So yeah clearly, I’m still working through the insecurities of reclaiming Crip. My explanations of my needs are not perfect, but he asks questions and wants to know more. Informing normates while building relationships of connection and uncondit iona l positive regard to start building an affirmative community is also part of being Crip. I still catch myself passing, I still stare dreamily into the distance and dance with car side mirrors but I’m only hu(wo)man and a Crip one at that. �No. 39 | Nov 2 -4,N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Mar 213 -April | No. 403 9 FEATURE Moments of Sisterhood ERICKA RUSSEL ContributingWriter W hen I first taught my sister how to French braid her hair, she was initially mesmerized by the skill I retained from my aunt. She smiled in awe as I told her I learned the basic braid in the third grade, taught to me by Olive during lunch. My sister and I always sat together: in our shared bathroom, on either side of our beds, or on the living room floor, in front of Barbie Mariposa playing on the TV. Silk strands of our shared DNA gliding between confident fingertips. Reaching the end of the tail, secretly and silently wishing it took longer. For then we could sit longer, connected in an intimacy not easily matched elsewhere. It is the process itself that I crave most when I feel emptiness, disappointment, futility. Both of us have always kept our hair long, perhaps to immortalize the need to continue braiding. Many times, we’ve shared opinion in keeping our hair lengthy for as long as possible. I laugh outwardly when I think of the times we’ve accidentally yanked a knot, or burned ears and necks with a flat iron, or stolen each other’s remaining hair ties. Of course, fighting was plentiful, but I always knew it was over when one of us offered to work the other’s hair. My sister is far from me now. Yet, I promise, every time we reunite, we instinctively reach for the other’s tresses. ~ In fifth grade, I began menstruating. No, I was not suddenly a woman, nor was I anywhere near prepared to handle the time, care, and understanding it took. I was shocked by the smell, discomfort, and never-ending underwear stains. But, with me, were my friends, my sisters. Suggesting we go to the park rather than the community pool. Offering me jackets to tie around my waist. Finding a quarter in the direst circumstances. Checking my butt when I attempted to casually stroll by. This wasn’t the first, nor would it be the last, time we would be so hasty to help one another. Pizza, milkshakes, candy bars, chips, sodas, donuts, Oreos all littered our sleepover shag carpet. Vividly, I recall Yana’s birthday party. All 15 of us in that basement, no pillow fights, no lewd pajamas. No, I do recall each of us actively, eagerly listening as we all expressed our future dreams. Dream jobs, fame, traveling, success, tattoos, houses, commitments... It amazes me how well we thrived when we were together. How beautiful our growth looked. We taught and continue to teach each other how to cope with an existential crisis. In whichever basement or bedroom we found ourselves, we always slept close despite the scope of the room. Although, our energies blended together could fuel us through the night. ~ In college, being surrounded by successful, brilliant, persevering, and barrier-breaking women, I felt a breath of relief and acceptance. Here, we all amalgamated in our various struggles and oppressions, our dreams and our failures. Not only that, but overcoming such things, while finding the time to uplift those sisters around us. Asking a stranger in class if she had a tampon, and she hands you three. Walking each other home, knowing we shouldn’t have to but still enjoying the extended company. Standing up for each other, raising our voices for improvements, building and contributing to better places and experiences. In the dorms, my roommate and I used to plan our showers together, so we could share music and the occasional shower thoughts. We became sisters so fast, it reinforces my belief that we’ve all lived multiple existences. She helped me break the barely cracked shell of living in a small, rural town. I discovered new styles, new music, and new standards. She was patient and understanding in showing me the expanse and umbrella of equality. With neither distance nor time, is it possible to fade a sisterhood. ~ My aunt gave me truth before I knew I needed it. She told me of how much of a failure she was to her mother, my grandmother. However, she still remains to be the happiest woman I know. Meredith: forty-eight, never married, no children, still living in an apartment. Meredith: forty-eight, college graduate, recently completed Masters, single—not lonely, tattooed, settled by apartment leases, proud pet owner… She relived the slow decay of her mother’s hope for grandchildren and, thusly, of her disownment. She told me how she’d fallen in love more times than she thought possible. The first quote of anarchy she gifted me was, “I don’t believe any of that Adam and Eve shit.” Every time I see my aunt, I feel bolder, more confident, self-assured. I remember who I am has nothing to do with the phrase: “Who I am supposed/expected to be.” And then there is Shannon. Her skin has grown so thick she cannot be scathed, anymore at least. Shannon: thirty-five, married, children—zero, miscarriages—eight. Shannon: thirty-five, college-graduate, lead aquarist, awarded researcher, happily married, tattooed, anti-organized religion, no single-use plastics. As of when. Shannon continues to show me strength I never believed I would see first-hand. But we see her otherworldly fertility everywhere: in her jellyfish, sea turtles, sea horses, octopi, pipefish, pufferfish, and flounder at the aquarium, in her dog, cat, and four chickens, in her garden and house plants. Wherever she is, growth surrounds her. ~ If I were to try to explain what sisterhood means, I would have to attempt to translate an entire verbal and nonverbal language. I would fail in displaying the subliminal connection that runs deep within every one of us, waiting to be stroked to flame. I would stutter to articulate the level of intensity in which we fight to be better for ourselves and each other. I would have to simplify a battle cry of a thousand languages. I would do our resilience an injustice. Most likely, along the way, I would misquote our ancestry. To put it she battled, her mother continued to blindside her with too many questions briefly, we rise together. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �10 LOCAL N o v 221 - N o v 19,4, 20 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Mar -April 2019 403 "10 _______ Women" History Project Spotlights Local Figures Who've Made a Difference FELIX WINTERNITZ Staff Writer C all them feisty or fierce, dare-devils or trail-blazers, but the following names are being nominated as some of the most remarkable females in Cincinnati's history: Theda Bara, Virginia Coffey, Dorothy Dolbey, Cora Dow, Sarah Fossett, Dottie Kamenshek, Irma Lazarus, Ruth Lyons, Edna Murphey, Jessie Partlon, Jennie Porter, Venus Ramey and Frances Trollope. Meet these groundbreaking women, the likely members of the first graduating class of "10 _______ Women," which is a new grant project funded by People's Liberty at Findlay Market. The concept behind the project is essential enough: team leaders are currently gathering together modernday news-makers and notables, then urging them to nominate the most astounding, unapologetic female contenders in the history of this metropolis. Approximately two-dozen voters assembled on a recent Thursday evening, for instance, to nominate the initial round of candidates, all while sifting through pages of biographies and piles of profiles. This was just the first step in the "10 _______ Women" celebration, directed under the guidance of coordinators Kristin and Jeff Suess, who first proposed the history project. Kristin is a local arts administrator, while her husband Jeff is an author and historian. "A lot of it had to do with Jeff 's writing at the Enquirer," observes Kristin. "Jeff would be curious and come home to share some of these stories with me. We realized if we were learning about these women for the first time, then there must be others. This project will celebrate 10 historic women who made an impact on Cincinnati. A few names will be familiar to some, but most are women who are not part of our collective memories, but should be." The organizers behind "10 _______ Women" are leaving the descriptor name blank for the moment. It will later be filled in as appropriate, with say, "10 Amazing Women" or "10 Trail-blazing Women." Other descriptors under discussion are persistent, subversive, fascinating, plucky and even kick-ass, all titles to pay tribute to what common element may distinguish and unite this first nominated class. Some names quickly rose above the top field during the first evening's voting. (One ground rule: No living person could be nominated to be honored in this spotlight.) Among the "10 _______ Women" candidates now under serious consideration are: Theda Bara, the silent-film star who served as trail-blazer for women in Hollywood; Virginia Coffey, first AfricanAmerican elected as director of the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission. Dorothy Dolbey, first female vicemayor of Cincinnati. Cora Dow, ground-breaking pharmacist and entrepreneur. Sarah Fossett, an African-American role model who became a social justice advocate as well as a founder of the Underground Railroad. Dottie Kamenshek, a notable female baseball player immoratilized by actress Geena Davis in the film "A League of Their Own.” Irma Lazarus, tireless arts champion. Ruth Lyons, a formidable force in the arena of early television as well as children's rights proponent. Edna Murphey, developer of the first antiperspirant. Jessie Partlon, pioneering columnist at the Cincinnati Post in the early 1900s and a dogged public advocate for women's suffrage. Jennie Porter, an African-American community leader. Venus Ramey, a 1944 Miss America winner who went on to organize voting rights campaigns. Frances Trollope, the author who infuriated the city with her accounts of her life here. The project's scope is intended to encompass months of further voting and refinement, seeking input from any number of opinionated, informed current-day women, inspired by participating judges such as Molly Wellman and Joan Kaup. On March 8 (International Women's Day), nine of the 10 selections will be announced, with a call to the community to crowd-source the final class member. Some time in June, the final list of these "women who made a difference" will be released. Their admirable legacies will then be celebrated via a number of multi-media platforms. Plans include the creation of a digital archive, as well as commissioned video, dramatic reenactments and public art initiatives. A highlight of the storytelling aspect will be the creation of an educational booklet to be offered free to local schools. The project's digital "landing space" will ideally serve as a how-to resource for future efforts, locally and/or in other cities. "We want the girls of today to be inspired and emboldened by the women of yesteryear," say Kristin and Jeff Suess. "We sincerely hope there will be successive 'classes' of women after this first class." Womanhood KRISTINA MCKINLEY ContributingWriter W ith the election of our current president, new life has been breathed into the Women’s Rights movement with simultaneous marches happening in cities all over the country and the world. The first march occurred January 20, 2017 with women protesting, en masse, the inauguration of our 45th president. His sexist remarks about women and his blatant misogyny have emboldened the female population to rise up and speak out. The #Metoo movement (bringing to light the overwhelmingly unchecked issue of men in powerful positions forcing women into uncomfortable situations of sexual harassment and assault) has only added fuel to the fire and women are no longer sitting idly by. Mr. President has made every move he can to make reproductive health unattainable for women by threatening to defund Planned Parenthood. He has stacked the deck with cabinet members and Supreme Court nominees who will aid him in any way to overturn Roe v. Wade. One of 45’s first orders of business was to reinstate the global gag rule. This prevents international health organizations from receiving U.S. funding if they even so much as provide an informative pamphlet about abortion. This kind of legislature endangers the lives of so many teenagers and young women who often die during childbirth. So, the fight for reproductive rights and freedoms stretches far beyond our own borders. Women have been fighting for basic human and equal rights for 170 years. It wasn’t until 1840 that the first woman graduated from college. The Equal Pay Act didn’t pass until 1963. It wasn’t until 1972 that the federal courts passed Title IX preventing discrimination based on gender to federally funded schools. It took this country until 1994 to pass the Violence Against Women Act. It was a short eight years ago that The Affordable Health Care Act was signed into law so private health insurance companies had to provide birth control without co-pays or deductibles. The things that make me uniquely me are being turned into fodder and used against me in order to push some agenda that doesn't serve me or any woman today. Womanhood has been politicized. Women are still not paid equal wages to men for equal work. Women still do not have full body autonomy to decide their individual reproductive health concerns because THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED some old white dude wants to use it as his way of being elected (or reelected) into office. In spite of the supposed separation of church and state, religious beliefs still manage to dictate our legislation. Our government is forcing its way into our homes to decide what is right for us. I find it difficult to understand women of any faith, any political camp, standing by and watching our rights morph into some scary Handmaid’s Tale-like version of existence. Women haven’t been winning; we’ve been tricked. Chiseling ever so slowly away at true equality and we’re tired. With the resurgence of energy into the Women’s Rights movement, winds of change are brewing. �11 LOCAL No. 39 | Nov 2 -4,N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Mar 213 -April | No. 403 Girl's Writing Circle Poems Respect and Guidelines Black Girls Rock These pieces are from the Girls Writing Circle program with Peaslee Neighborhood Center and Rothenberg Preparatory Academy What are things that make us all strong? Black girls will always be strong No matter what happens. We will always be together And we will always be sisters. TA’ANNA GAMBLE Junior ContributingWriter My mom taught me to respect others. She taught me that, So others can treat me With Respect. My dad taught me to be honest. He taught me that Because if you lie, You will get in trouble even more. And if you tell the truth, You might not get in trouble. My granny taught me, To be patient. So I won’t get mad, Or jealous. JADA JONES Junior ContributingWriter People First SAVANNA DONALDSON A ContributingWriter n individual is more than one identity and is more than an outward appearance. Experiencing homelessness does not mitigate hopes, dreams, love, aspirations, and ultimately humanity. Oh, but how society declares so. Society in all its individualism cannot spare a glance at a person experiencing homelessness. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs states a person needs shelter, food, and security to begin a process toward self-actualization. But the most fundamental portion of Maslow’s theory is lacking in that it does not include the necessity for relationship: touch, eye contact, a smile and acknowledgement. People experiencing homelessness due to displacement and gentrification should not be forgotten, disregarded and dehumanized. Human beings should be valued above pets, development, businesses, and money. The issue of homelessness is more than effort and grit, especially when systematic barriers hinder a person from overcoming. How can someone be expected to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and get their neck crushed by the system at the same time? Issue of poverty and homelessness are not surface levels but deep rifts of intersectionality that lead to living on the streets, panhandling, and hoping for a bed in overcrowded shelters. I learned this and so much more during my Alternative Break with the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition. I felt that we literally lived in the community and became apart of it because by the time we left some of the residents knew our faces and we knew theirs. What’s that called? Community. A community is not comprised of foreign businesses operated from another city or even 3CDC. Expensive, single operated units will not cut it either. A group of familiar faces and culture create communities: the candy store, laundry mat, churches, schools, bakery, and friendly neighbors. Yet, urban development is prioritized above people. It should be people first and that my friend is priceless. A blank check of potential that will never be cashed because a return on the investment is not eligible for tax THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED rebates. Invest in affordable housing, fully funded schools, parks, and livable wages. These investments may not be considered millennially chic and probably not Instagrammable but necessary. This kind of investment is for a lifetime and thus the best kind. �12 Life Goes On STREETVOICE N o v 21 2 - -April N o v 19, 0 18 || No. N o . 403 393 Mar 4,22019 Untitled These year being gone rest assure history repeats itself right Still had connects here The mind is a terrible thing to waste with the memories we hold so dear Same areas went safe Labels cast in them The thought of days gone by i can see a picture of history in my mind The memory of today as we remember our history with our Energy things isn’t what it seems to be. Equitable resources. hearts combined The mind is forever living and by gods grace we will forever go on The mind with a memory, funny you don't rermember the day you was born! The day your memory comes into play you believe in Not too happy with this Not feelings sense of community Missed old time neighborhood store hearing strangers The day you were grown , your parents could not tell you bout the dangers The understanding that life goes on is for you to see and Keen to reach our destination Leaning on others for their help Respecting each other beleive God is good 24 7!! I beleive we all will live forever can you Listening is a job sometimes believe me! WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer CLEO WOMBLES Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer Streetvibes Writing Circle If you would like to submit a story for publication in streetvibes, come join Katelyn Lusher and Chris Wilkey for a group writing session! S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 | Nov 24, - N o v 19, 2 0 18 Mar 213-April 2019 | No. 403 STREETVOICE THE DIVIDED CONGRESS MOTHER GOOSE So pleased was citizen Norm! He loved the House's reform Making it easier for him to vote. He had to accept a grim fact. The Senate will block this Act, Since Mitch is a rigid, old goat. BILL WOODS Contributing Writer 13 Alienated From a Society That has a history of alienating societies I rather live out my struggles, my nightmares, Than participate in this bias reality, We are collateral damage of these monopolies, CEO’s with multiple zero’s in their salaries, Such an economic tragedy, They advertise and appease to the middle, But neglect the lower class of society, We need to come together and alighn our attributes and qualities, Our failures and technicalities, Who is amongst us ready to say “follow me” Social equality is a myth, To be humble and guard your tongue Is a gift, A rambling mouth is a downfall to an upshift gears of war is at our front door the president mouth is foul and my ears cant take anymore forever documented by twitter quotes our 1st step is to vote our 2nd step is to hold our leaders accountable unite as we stand the rest of the world is taking note targeted and trapped in this cage called the ghetto I cry, Because the nose that was created for the black man wont let go, I know brothers that pray to the Smith and Wesson Calico, They want whats yours because their come up Is stagnant and way too slow To my knees I fall and my face is low Praying for a systemic change A sober mind and a potus That has discretion a bout his tempo Blond hair, blue-eyed ego, What wall? Brown lives matter, Why? Children’s blood plattered, Because black fathers was targeted and scattered Alienated from a society That has a history DESMOND BROWN Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �PUZZLES 14 N ov 2 o v 19,4,22019 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Mar 21- N -April 403 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 101 Across 1. Cattle farm Down 6. Wooden pin 1. Ecstatic 9. Cutlass 2. A great distance 14. Ablaze 3. Three squared 15. Mature 16. Spooky 17. Overwhelming fear and anxiety 18. An opposing argument 19. Rapidly 20. Kind of table 22. Pit viper 24. Pastry item 25. Chicken 26. Beer 29. Ness 31. Olympic field event 36. Pile 38. Breakers 40. Flat-bottomed boat 41. In a relaxed manner 42. Mythical cave-dwelling creature 44. Song 45. Affirm 46. Stead 47. Violence by an unruly mob 48. Erase 50. Rational 52. Single 53. Edible tuber 55. In the past 57. Plug 62. Bother 66. Pontifical 67. Frozen 69. A relative by marriage 70. Sports venue 71. Deplete 72. Baked in an oven or on a griddle 73. Cash 74. Female sheep 75. Measuring instrument 4. Thin potato chip 5. Feverish 6. Step 7. Self 8. Writing style 9. Furniture item 10. Sobbed 11. Using speech rather than writing 12. Food grain 13. Cervid 21. To the lowest degree 23. Conjunction 25. Valiance 26. In front 27. Depart 28. Tripod 30. Knitting stitch SODOKU PUZZLE NO 392 - MEDIUM 32. Box lightly 33. Oddity 34. Employee organization 35. Condition 37. Heaped wood used as a funeral rite 39. Jumping insect 43. Relating to the moon 49. Oculus 51. Self-interest 54. Come into existence 56. Unit of weight 57. Junk e-mail 58. Starchy tuberous root 59. Overt 60. Part of a window 61. Frolic 62. Sort 63. Smudge 64. Bowling alley 65. Pitcher 68. Sound made by corvine birds PUZZLE SOLUTIONS CROSSWORD #200 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 391- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 | Nov 2 4, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Mar 213 -April | No. 403 Central Access Point 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children RESOURCES Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 621-7265 1528 Race St. 45202 Churches Active in Northside Bethany House 557-2873 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 591-2246 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 Salvation Army 762-5660 St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 131 E. 12th Street 45202 1125 Bank Street 45214 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men Shelter: Men Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 Shelterhouse 721-0643 2121 Vine Street 45202 411 Gest St. 45203 Prospect House 921-1613 1437 Walnut Street 45202 Starting Over 961-2256 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 Parkway Center 661-4620 First Step Home 961-4663 Shelter: Youth 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Shelter: Family Interfaith Hospitality Network Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Joseph House (Veterans) 471-1100 1522 Republic Street 45202 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 OTR Community Housing 381-1171 114 W. 14th Street 45202 Talbert House 221-HELP Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street 45202 Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Volunteers of America 381-1954 Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 VA 977-6800 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 Food/Clothing First Lutheran Church 421-0065 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 1730 Race Street 45202 St. Francis Seraph Ministries 549-0542 St. George Food Pantry 2554 Dennis St. 45219 751-8771 St. Anthony Center 1615 Republic St. Advocacy Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 241-2965 Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP Housing: 15 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 UpSpring 363-3300 Health Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 Other Resources Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 215 E. 14th St. 45202 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 Goodwill Industries 771-4800 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. 579-8547 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 1223 Main St. 45202 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 Talbert House 751-7747 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton County Office of Reentry 946-4304 138 E. Court Street Room # 101 First Floor Cancer Justice Network 404-3882 Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels 981-4200 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center (11-17 y/o) 859-491-8303 ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-572-6202 Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky 634 Scott St. 41011 859-291-4555 Want to advertise in Streetvibes? You can support our mission and spread the word about your business. For more information contact Gabriela Godinez Feregrino, 961-0600 email streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Center for Respite Care 621-1868 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 386-7899 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio McMicken Dental Clinic 352-6363 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 NAMI of Hamilton County 351-3500 PATH Outreach 977-4489 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �16 N o v 221 - N o v 19,4, 20 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Mar -April 2019 403 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BETTIE BAILEY SINCE 10/2017 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 BRIAN ADAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHARLES WILLIAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHRISTOPHER KAIHATSU SINCE 7/2017 CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DARREL ROZIER SINCE 7/2017 DAVID MCCANE SINCE 2017 ERIC VALDEZ SINCE 2/2017 GERALD FRANKLIN SINCE 7/2017 GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 HENRY BRELAND SINCE 7/2017 JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009 JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2000 JENNY BURTON SINCE 7/2017 JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001 JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006 JOHN HORN JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008 J’TORI TYMAN SINCE 5/2014 KIM NGUYEN SINCE 7/2017 KENNY BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008 LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007 LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009 LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MARK SHEARS SINCE 4/2012 MAURICE GOLSBY MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MIKE CARANO SINCE 4/2016 RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 1999 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 STACIA HOLLANDER SINCE 2017 STEPHANIE EAKES SINCE 7/2017 SYLVESTER WALKER SINCE 7/2017 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2011 VICTOR MUMPHRY WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 WINNIE RICE SINCE 7/2017 QUEENACELASTINE SINCE 7/2017 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 VIOLET COLLINS SINCE 2017 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2019 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource March 21-April 4, 2019 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: Of Fear and Hate Pg 3: Diligent Impatience Ohio’s 2011 Gerrymandered Districts Quietly Challenged in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: Homeless in a Woman’s Body Pg 6: A Phair Go Pg 7: South Korean Women Abandon Makeup to Fight Male Domination Pg 8: A Normies Game Pg 9: Moments of Sisterhood Pg 10: “10____Women” History Project Spotlights Local Figures Who’ve Made a Difference Womanhood Pg 11: Girl’s Writing Circle Poems People First Pg 12: Street Voice Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Pet Horoscopes Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource March 21-April 4, 2019 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Gabriela Godinez Bill Woods Hellen Hill Anastasia Safioleas Seulki Lee Jen Ham Ericka Russel Felix Winternitz Kristina Mckinley Jada Jones Ta'Anna Gamble Savanna Donaldson Willa Denise Jones Desmond Brown Canva.com INSP.com Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Anastasia Safioleas Bill Woods Canva.com Cincinnati Desmond Brown Ericka Russel Felix Winternitz Gabriela Godinez Hellen Hill INSP.com Jada Jones Jen Ham Josh Spring Kristina McKinley Ohio Savanna Donaldson Seulki Lee South Korea Ta'Anna Gamble Willa Denise Jones Women Rights https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/957fbcd9739da8619c5f438e1cb8fb38.pdf f7d490725352f59eba4747545b12c5a2 PDF Text Text April 4th -April 18th 2019 | Vo l . 23 Issue7 (No. 404) 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. Disappearing Communities 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 24--April N o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 April 18,2 02019 404 From The Editor: A Dying Planet GABRIELA GODINEZ Editor-in-chief W e all know that we are continuously hurting the planet. The Intercontinental Panel for Climate Change came out with a new report with data from over 6,000 scientific studies According to the IPCC, “global warming is likely to reach 1.5°C between 2030 and 2052 if it continues to increase at the current rate.” This will result in “higher climate related risks” and we will continue to see an increase in extreme weather patterns. Eventually we will reach a state where we will not be able to exist on this planet, if we don’t do anything about it. At 1.5°C, severe polar icecap melting will allow sea levels can rise up to 2.5ft and destroy habitat for many arctic wildlife. This is estimated to affect 69 million people. As ocean water increase, a world 1.5 degrees hotter means fresh water will become more scares, affecting about 30 million people. If nothing changes, we will reach the irreversible affects of 2°C global warming resulting in 150,000,000 premature human deaths, not including the deaths that will be caused by heat wave, drought and famine. Many of us think that our part to play is to recycle. While that is important, it makes a very small dent, and most of us are doing it wrong which hurts more than it helps. In a recent Vox video, they explain how most Americans don’t actually know how to recycle properly. If we contaminate anything in our recycling bins, facilities often have to dispose of entire batches of once recyclable goods. Many experts say because of this, unless you are completely sure without a doubt in your mind, do not recycle it. Pizza boxes for example, contrary to popular belief, cannot be recycled because of the grease contamination. Milk and juice cartons as well as cans need to be cleaned out or else a similar issue will occur. In Cincinnati, we use single stream recycling for the most part, which means that citizens put glass, metals, and paper products into the same recycling bin. However, this allows for a higher rate of contamination. When we as the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition went to Blue Ash Elementary to speak about homelessness to students, we saw that they were not using the single stream system. This is a fantastic way to teach children what can and cannot be recycled with a lower contamination rate because separate bins clearly state what can go inside. One more thing you can do to help our planet and our neighbors survive is to eat less meat. You don’t have to become a vegan, thought that would drastically lower your carbon footprint. Simply voting with our money can help lower gas emissions. If we eat less meat, and therefor lower the demand and production of meats, we can help a lot. Live stock release CH4, a gas that is 25 times more intense than CO2. It also takes about 1 billion tons of grain to feed these current livestock, resulting in high uses of fresh water, land, pesticides, and fertilizer. However, individual change is not enough. The global accords signed in the Paris Agreement will not be enough. According to the ICPP, we will not be living in the inhabitable planet we know if we do not reduce CO2 emissions drastically. We will have to switch completely from fossil fuel to renewable energy. It is extremely frustrating to know that the bulk of this issue cannot be solved by recycling or bicycling to work more. Those are things you should still do to help, but the winning lap will have to be run by corporations. We as citizens need to pressure our governments to make stricter laws on production for companies that directly and indirectly hurt the planet. Whatever America does will affect the world, and vice versa. We cannot sit idly and allow ourselves to be exterminated by greed and ignorance. Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org www.cincistreetvibe.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor-in-chief: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Sallie Mascus Layout: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Reception: Bonita Batton, Larry Johnson Maintenance: Pete Roper ------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: D R . V EE R AB H A D R A N R A MA N A TH A N "MOST OF THE POLLUTION COMES FROM THE WEALTHIEST 1 BILLION, THE WORST CONSEQUENCES WILL BE FOR THE POOREST 3 BILLION" Gabriela Godinez, Bill Woods, Maged Srour, Bill Joiner, Kieran Gulibert, Mervyn Horgan, Edith Wilson, Dr. Mark Mussman, Liz Triestle, Madison Brit, Willa Denise Jones, Kim Green, James Brown, June Alexander ------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: canva.com, Gabriela Godinez, INSP.com, Dr. Mark Mussman ---------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 | Nov 218, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 April 43-April | No. 404 COALITION 3 A Letter of Thanks BILL JOINER Board Member R ecently the Coalition has received a couple of anonymous gifts to help us support our work. Because these gifts were anonymous, we cannot send the donors a note to express our appreciation. We hope the donors read Streetvibes, and if they do, they will accept this as our thank you, and our expression of that appreciation. Some anonymous donations come from persons who have funds at the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, and we also wish to thank GCF for supplying this mechanism for giving anonymously. Bit whether you give anonymously or with your name attached, your gifts are appreciated and necessary for the Coalition to carry on its work. The Coalition takes no funds from government agencies, ensuring our independence to speak on behalf of homeless persons, without possible intimidation over the loss of operating funds. This makes our budgets tight, and is a limitation on our ability to do everything possible to overcome homelessness. This is especially true now as we pursue new efforts to assist persons in low-income complexes, to improve what often can be dangerous and unacceptable living conditions. These complexes are often owned by outof-state exploitive entities, with the sole objective of extracting money rather than providing decent housing for people in need. With 40,000 lowincome resident units short of the need in Hamilton County, residents in these complexes often put up with terrible conditions because of the fear that their individual complaint could result in their eviction. This is a fear that is especially present if a family with young children is involved, as is often the case. Recent action by the Coalition has been to organize tenants, creating a governance structure in each complex, with rules and officers, who can now represent them collectively, and weaken the power of retaliation by an exploitive landlord. If conditions warrant it, this gives an organization standing if legal action is needed to force an exploitive landlord into corrective actions. The Coalition, working with Legal Aid and the City of Cincinnati, has used this to save the Alms Hotel and other low-income complexes owned by an exploitive New Jersey owner, and put these properties in receivership while remedial measures are underway to make the properties livable, This year we added an additional full-time staff member to aid our executive director in this work. But that is a new cost on a budget that has often had a yearly shortfall. We are very appreciative of any help, however small, from any donor. But even more than the practical need we have for donations, is the willingness of individuals to express their belief that homelessness is wrong. It ruins lives, especially of children, who get behind, and often fail to catch up with the education of their peers, and usually subjects them to adult lives in poverty. Last year we received an impressive collective donation from the children of an elementary school in Blue Ash. It was mostly in the form of coins, representing the wealth of small children and their want to help other children in need. That donation was more meaningful to me personally than any other donation we received last year, because those children were making personal sacrifices and expressing an empathy sometimes lost, as we get older. Again, thanks to all you who have been donors, anonymous and not anonymous, your generosity and sense of caring means a lot. Bill Joiner Board Member Greater Cincinnati's Affordable Housing Crisis: Lisc Takes Up The Challenge BILL WOODS Board Member G reater Cincinnati finds itself in the midst of an affordable housing crisis of major proportions. An organization that has both documented this crisis and promoted initiatives to address it is The Local Initiatives Support Corporation of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky (LISC). At the Community Issues Forum at Christ Church Cathedral on March 21st, Paola Garrido Estevez, Special Projects Associate for LISC, reviewed LISC's research, initiatives, and current effort to promote an affordable housing strategy for Cincinnati and Hamilton County. The fact that Cincinnati and Hamilton County combined have an affordable housing deficit of 40,000 units was announced in a LISC study in 2017. A follow up project, "100-Percent Housing," collected information about thousands of vacant units in Greater Cincinnati in an effort to use these vacancies as one way to decrease the affordable housing gap. Currently, LISC has taken up the cause of advocating for an affordable housing strategy for the city and county. Using a power point presentation, Estevez discussed these efforts. Besides coming out with the shocking number of 40,000 units of affordable units needed, LISC's 2017 study, "Housing Affordability in Hamilton County," researched the complex factors creating this crisis. The poverty rate, noted Estevez, has increased markedly, while available affordable units continued to decrease. Since 2000, the number of Hamilton County Households in poverty grew by 40-percent. The Federal Government through HUD has long been the major source of funding for housing for families and individuals in poverty, but at the same time that area poverty grew, money for all types of subsidized housing shrank dramatically. Cincinnati and Hamilton County now have 500 fewer federally subsidized units than they did fifteen years ago. Meanwhile, the bulk of private construction both in new housing and rehabs has primarily been for more expensive developments. Thus, for every 100 of the lowest income households in Greater Cincinnati, only 28 units of affordable units are available. The 2017 LISC study could be characterized as "the bad news report," but Estevez went on to describe the organization's effort a year later to examine how thousands of vacant units in Cincinnati and Hamilton County could be utilized to close the affordable housing deficit. This initiative, "100-Percent Housing," initially used a team of four surveyors to confirm actual vacancies and to examine housing conditions. This twelve week effort found 5,161 vacant units in Cincinnati and 1,352 in the THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED rest of Hamilton County. A majority of these units were also in good condition. The next task, Estevez declared, was to bring together housing stakeholders in the city and county to plan initiatives that would turn these vacancies into available affordable housing. This work continues. Establishing an affordable housing strategy for Cincinnati/ Hamilton County is LISC's new priority. With a housing crisis of this magnitude, emphasized Estevez, City and County Governments, plus the other major housing stakeholders, must buy into a long-range strategy to seriously address it. LISC has convened two meetings with various groups to collaborate on what should go into such a strategy, but it now plans to do more background work and research before holding further sessions. Estevez said that LISC seeks to collaborate with other neighborhood and housing partners in all its initiatives. �4 ADVERTISMENT THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED N ov 2 4 - -April N o v 19,18, 2 02019 18 | N . 393 April | oNo. 404 �No. 3943 -April | Nov 2 18, - N o2019 v 19,| 2 0 18404 April No. GLOBAL 5 Climate Strike: Hundreds of Thousands Unite for the Planet’s Future MAGED SROUR Inter Press Service F riday 15 March saw hundreds of thousands of young people across the world take to the streets to join the climate strike. “We are demonstrating today for our planet and for our future. This is the place where we and those who come after us will live,” said Jennifer, a 16-year-old girl from Rome, the Italian capital, who opted to join the protests. The climate strike has become a symbol of the global movement that aims to urge governments and institutions to take serious steps to implement the Paris Agreement and save the planet. It is a unique voice that united over 125 countries in more than 2,000 places around the world. Protestors want to ensure that actions—which include reducing CO2 emissions, eliminating the use of plastics, promoting more sustainable agriculture—are wisely managed within the United Nations deadline of 2030. In a nutshell: take concrete action today to save the world of tomorrow. Jennifer was following the example of Greta Thunberg, the Swedish 16-yearold girl who, without realising it, gave birth to a global movement. Indeed, this wave of youth activism began in August when Thunberg camped outside the Swedish parliament. She accused politicians of failing to uphold their commitments to fight climate change as agreed to under the Paris climate accord. In a short time, word of her civic engagement spread worldwide and the young Swedish teenager became an international celebrity who was invited to speak to climate negotiators in Poland in December, as well as to the global elites at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Thunberg has become an example for many young people across the world who have begun to organise themselves to promote similar initiatives. Her name has even been proposed to the Nobel Committee as a candidate for the Peace Prize. “We have nominated Greta because the climate threat may be one of the most important causes of war and conflict,” parliamentary representative Freddy Andre Oevstegaard said. “The mass movement that she has triggered is a very contribution to peace.” Not only a responsibility of the youth Although it was an event mostly organised by young people, some did not like the fact that adults are seemingly handing over the responsibility of caring for the planet to the youth. “Thanks to the efficiency of healthcare, those who are 60 years old today could still live for another 20 or 30 years. So it is not true that the future is ‘ours alone’. The future belongs to all of us,” another young protester in Rome said. Politics was not exempt from criticism. “I think that this global ‘climate strike’ is important for the whole community because the environmental problem has a strong political component in it. If it is true that a lot is in the hands of individual initiatives and in the commitment of each of us, it is also true that there are mechanisms which are very complex and that can only be managed by politics,” said Matteo Cappello, a naturalist from Sapienza University in Rome, specialising in environmental sciences and sustainable development. “Not only ordinary young people and not only ordinary adults: responsibility must be universally shared and it obviously must include those who manage the decision-making processes,” he added. The climate strike was embraced by a wide and varied audience in Rome. Among the mass of people, there were large numbers of teenagers and also university students, young workers, families and the elderly. Lodovica Cattani, a graduate in Political Science who has been specialising in Arctic studies and sustainability, participated in the event not just as a citizen but also as a worker who aims to deal with these issues in her professional life. “I am 28 years old and have been volunteering with the organisation Climate Reality Leaders for six years now, precisely because when I was in high school I could already see that global warming was becoming a problem and that we were going to see the results in the next decades to come. I felt there was need to be informed and take action,” she said. “The youth who have the power to succeed” “In my opinion, the Earth has a spirit that occasionally manifests itself when it really cannot bear any more. This time it manifested itself in the form of Greta and of these thousands of young people,” said Sandro, a 60-yearold farmer who came from Tarquinia, a town 100 km away from Rome, to demonstrate in the capital city. “I really hope that these young people will go ahead and continue to pursue their dream because it is truly in their hands. My generation is responsible for many of today’s environmental disasters and often has no open-mindedness or ability to reverse this course. It is young people who have all the potential to succeed.” Courtesy of Inter Press Service / INSP.ngo Thousands of youth gather in Rome on Friday, Mar. 15, to join the climate strike, a global movement that aims to make governments and institutions aware of taking serious steps to implement the Paris Agreements and save the planet. Credit: Maged Srour/IPS THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �GLOBAL 6 N ov 2 4 - N o v 19,18, 2 02019 18 | N| oNo. . 393 April -April 404 Washrooms for customers only: Peeing with dignity in the city MERVYN HORGAN AND EDITH WILSON The Conversation E veryone needs to use washrooms, but public washrooms are hard to find. Just ask anyone with colitis, or who has ever cared for a child who really needs to go. Toronto, for example, has only one free and public washroom for every 9,213 residents. So, where do we go, when we really need to go? Whether or not we like to admit it, many have probably managed to sneak in to use a washroom that is designated with a sign as “Washrooms for Customers Only” (W4CO) when we have not been customers. Last year, in a well-publicized incident at a British Columbia Tim Hortons, a woman was denied washroom access; she defecated on the floor and threw the faeces at employees. While the ick-factor might distract us, there’s an important issue of human dignity at play here, both for all of us who need washroom access, and for the often minimum-wage workers on the frontlines in managing access to this most basic and essential resource. Employees allow washroom access despite rules Surprisingly, there’s very little research on “Washrooms for Customers Only” rules and their enforcement. We decided to address this and designed an exploratory study to figure out the prevalence of W4CO rules, and how they are enforced. The results were not what we expected. In North America, it seems that W4CO signs are everywhere. After visiting 202 cafés and restaurants along a sample of five of Toronto’s busiest strips, we were surprised to discover that just over one-third of these businesses had W4CO signs. Almost half of all chain businesses had W4CO signs, while only one in five independent businesses did. These numbers paint only a partial picture. To follow up on this basic count, Edith observed interactions between staff and prospective washroom users in both independent and chain coffee shops. Across all 92 interactions observed, there was not one single instance of anyone being denied access to a washroom, despite the presence of W4CO signs. Management might put rules restricting washroom access in place, but employees consistently use their discretion in defence of basic human dignity. To get a better understanding of how discretion works, Edith Photo by Olivier Collet on Unsplash interviewed 15 frontline café and restaurant staff charged with managing washroom access. Participants shared that denying access to a washroom was rare, reserved for times when they felt they had to. Some workers said that they would deny access if someone was aggressive or erratic or showing signs of substance abuse, but they tended to feel bad about the possibility of misjudging someone. Others said they denied access to people who were rude. All but one interviewee stressed that denying access to the washroom was rare. Some discussed purposely subverting management policy by supporting unrestricted access to washrooms. Many participants brought up Toronto’s lack of public washrooms. There did not appear to be a city guide for bathrooms, and so Edith made a complete list and accompanying map of all public access washrooms in Toronto. MAP EMBED CODE: <iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/d/ embed?mid=1waDSZxNxLTWNSG MTaLq7WWknm3BLd3ZA&hl=en" width="640" height="480"></iframe> How people dealt with difficult situations, though, was based mainly on the volume of traffic that they had to deal with at their workplace and the frequency of upsetting incidents. Workers in bustling locations where mental health issues, substance abuse, and homelessness are visibly present were more willing to call the police when they felt it was necessary. In less busy shops, especially independent ones, some interviewees said they would instead handle whatever situation came up themselves. Police, they said, were just as inexperienced and unable to deal with mental health and addictions crises as they were. Possible dire consequences for the person going through the crisis if the police got involved made these interviewees more willing to take on that labour themselves. In Toronto, the memory of the killing by police of Sammy Yatim, who was struggling with mental health issues, still looms large. Overall, for most staff, W4CO rules are not regularly applied. They seem to exist as a shield to be used if workers felt like they needed to deny someone access for safety reasons. In short, workers use W4CO rules as an imperfect solution to a difficult problem. Much more than places to pee Besides the obvious, what happens in these washrooms? In interviews with café and restaurant workers, over half of the participants talked about working in businesses where they dealt with used needles in the washroom. Two participants reported that someone had overdosed in the washroom at their place of work. One discussed finding someone who needed emergency medical assistance at least once a month. Almost all workers had dealt with hazardous waste (including blood, faeces and vomit) at their workplace. Participants felt that the lack of services for Toronto’s most vulnerable populations results in a downloading of crisis-management labour onto THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED the city’s minimum-wage café and restaurant workers. When asked for policy solutions, workers emphasized more supervised injection sites (Toronto currently has only three); more public washrooms; and the extension of housing-first projects. Housing first is an approach that considers a stable place to live as an essential human right and as a necessary foundation to other care like addictions counselling. Toronto currently has one successful pilot. But there are still over 5,000 people experiencing homelessness in the city. Overall, this initial research points to an unforeseen consequence of not providing essential aid for people living with homelessness, mental health issues or substance abuse problems. As long as we fail to provide comprehensive services that address these needs, low-wage workers throughout the city will continue to deal with difficult and sometimes frightening incidents in their daily work lives. Mervyn Horgan is an associate professor of sociology at the University of Guelph, and a visiting fellow of the department of sociology at Yale University Edith Wilson is a master of sociology whose research specialises in washrooms for customer only use in Toronto Courtesy of The Conversation / INSP.ngo �No. 394 3 -April | Nov 2 18, - N o2019 v 19, |2No. 0 18404 April GLOBAL 7 Migrant workers face abuse, slavery threat in post-Brexit Britain KIERAN GUILBERT Reuters M igrant workers coming to Britain after Brexit for temporary jobs in farming, construction and cleaning risk being exploited and falling into modern slavery under government plans to minimise labour shortages, according to labour rights experts. The two schemes - one for migrants from non-European Union nations to work on Britain's farms for six months and another for workers from "lowrisk" countries to stay for a year - could create expendable workforces prey to abuse, campaigners said. From farms to hotels, European workers are key to the British economy, and the government is scrambling to ensure businesses have enough workers to fill the gap once Britain leaves the European Union and free movement of people ends. While the nature and date of Britain's departure is up in the air, charities and activists say that the interior ministry and anti-slavery agency may struggle to protect migrant workers. Upfront visa and travel costs under the two schemes could leave shortterm migrant workers vulnerable to debt bondage, while a lack of access to public funds could trap them in abusive workplaces, said Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX). "There is a clear contradiction between Britain's efforts to tackle modern slavery and its rush to bring in workers post-Brexit," said Caroline Robinson, director of the charity. "These short-term, rapid solutions will do massive damage to the government's claim of being the world leader in tackling modern slavery," she said. Without access to housing and unemployment benefits, migrant workers arriving under the schemes could struggle to leave abusive employers, or end up destitute and homeless, increasing their risk of being trafficked, FLEX said in a recent report. The two schemes could fuel a "continuous churn of low waged workers with limited access to support or rights," it said. The government has acknowledged the risk of abuses under the farm scheme - a pilot that will see 2,500 workers from Moldova, Russia and Ukraine arrive in the coming months - but activists said it has not outlined Migrant workers pick grapes at a vineyard in Aylesford, Kent, Britain, October 5, 2018. Picture taken October 5, 2018. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez how it would address these concerns. A spokesman for the Home Office (interior ministry) said it would continue to work closely with stakeholders across the country on the future "skills-based immigration system". "This includes consideration of how we will best protect against exploitation and other safeguarding issues," he said, without giving any further details. Despite being hailed as a global leader in the anti-slavery drive, Britain is undergoing a review of its landmark 2015 law amid criticism that it is not being used fully to jail traffickers, drive firms to stop forced labour or help victims. Brexit could hamper Britain's anti-trafficking efforts in myriad ways - from European law enforcement cooperation to child trafficking from France - according to the police and activists. Stretched Britain's Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), the nation's anti-slavery agency, said it was working with labour providers to address growing concerns about staff shortages. About 15 per cent of low-skilled workers in Britain come from EU nations, at least 500,000 people, according to a 2018 report by the Migration Observatory at Oxford University. Farmers have raised alarm over a lack of workers to harvest fruit and vegetables and say crops are rotting in the fields, while hospitality companies have voiced concerns about a staffing crunch with little interest from British job seekers. "Brexit will potentially present some challenges in terms of there being more scope for labour exploitation," said Michael Rich, head of the GLAA, which gained police-style powers in 2017 and a wider remit to probe labour offences across the economy. "So we need to be more on our guard," he said, adding that the GLAA was looking closely at the seasonal farm workers pilot. Charities including FLEX have called for measures such as a hotline for temporary migrant workers to report abuse, bilateral labour rights agreements with sending nations, and the licensing of labour providers to be extended beyond just agriculture. Yet the GLAA's broader scope and focus on tackling the most egregious cases of modern slavery has stretched THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED the agency thin as the threat posed to temporary migrant workers by Brexit draws near, said Cindy Berman of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI). "I'm worried that the GLAA will have less time and resources to work on prevention," said Berman of the ETI, a coalition of trade unions, companies and charities promoting workers' rights. "We need beefed up labour inspections to ensure minimum wages, decent working hours and health and safety regulation," she added, while also calling on businesses to improve their due diligence as they face growing scrutiny over labour practices. Britain is home to at least 136,000 modern slaves, according to the Global Slavery Index by rights group Walk Free Foundation - a figure 10 times higher than a government estimate from 2013. At least 7,000 suspected victims of slavery were uncovered in Britain last year, up a third on 2017, according to data that activists said last month raised concerns about the government's ability to support a growing number of survivors. Courtesy of Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation / INSP.ngo �FEATURE 8 N o v 2 4- -April N o v 19, 2 02019 18 | N o . 393 April 18, | No. 404 Disappearing Communities DR. MARK MUSSMAN Staff Writer O ver the years, Over-theRhine has been changed by outside forces. People who live in the rich, white neighborhoods, have come into our small neighborhood and stood for one thing: displacement. Their explicit goals: to displace corner stores, to displace crime, to displace our institutions, to supplant their version of public goods onto our assets. We have lost so many of our neighbors over the last few years, that we know at least 2400 units of housing have been lost to gentrification, never to return. But let’s not confuse progress with the status quo. As I’ve written before, the changes happening in Over-theRhine are not progress, as they are just the wealthy making decisions for everyone who has less resources. This is not progress. This is the status quo. The Cincinnati Recreation Commission has been at the center of many of the losses we have succumbed in the neighborhood. The loss of our public pool at Ziegler Park, the potential loss of Imagination Alley, the potential loss of Findlay Playground. There has been a makeshift fence around Findlay Playground for months now - displacing the normal patterns of residents who utilized the park for years, perhaps even decades. The alley, Goose Alley, which borders Findlay Playground has been sold or leased to private owners on the west side of the alley. This prevents the public from taking in the murals that are along the wall there - a public art project that many will never get to enjoy, due to privatization. Larger questions of ownership of Findlay Playground have been discussed in my articles before, but it brings into the light how vulnerable our public assets are due to gentrification. It’s easy to understand gentrification if you understand the word displacement. Gentrification is displacement. The story of Over-the-Rhine goes back a long time, and it wasn’t some sort of German utopia - even if that’s what current developers claim as they fetishize our history. The Adena, Hopewell, Osage, and other Native Americans were killed and pushed back by the colonizers who arrived at the Ohio river shore. They were displaced, yet their story is never considered as part of the history of Cincinnati. The displacement that is occurring today is the fall-out from the Great Depression, and the federal policies that resulted from the depression. The Federal Government desired to create social economic policies to uplift the populace out of poverty. However well intended, African American people were systematically cut out from that plan. Moreover, African Americans were labeled “vermin” by the same government that is meant to represent them. The Home Owners’ Loan Act (HOLA) was part of the New Deal, and it prioritized white people and communities over people of color. It is regarded as one of the greatest tools that Public Art Now Inaccessible on Goose Alley THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED created generational wealth that white families have today. Black people were denied participation in the program, so much so, that over 98% of the loans went to white people. Black people, even if they could participate economically, had the door shut in their faces. Today, the wealth gap persists between Black and white communities, largely because of the discrimination that was legal at the time, (yet still persists today.) What does this have to do with Findlay Playground? Well, following the money available, approximately 120 billion dollars (1930-1970 dollars), the white people who participated in HOLA, used the federal money to create white-only communities, which we affectionately call the “suburbs” today. Racial segregation policies, such as restrictive covenants and straight up “Whites Only” ordinances, were not found to be unfair until 1968, after the HOLA program ceased giving out the low interest, fixed rate, mortgages. White wealth was created through home ownership, and Black families �No. 3943-April | Nov 218, - N 2019 o v 19,| 2 0 18404 April No. FEATURE Findlay Playground Remains Fenced Off Until Income Generating Plan is Released were shut out of both the opportunity to participate in HOLA through redlining, and they were shut out from communities of wealth through legally supported racist housing policies. So what were their options? Black families were forced to live in areas centrally located to the cities, which have seen the most disinvestment and the most loss of wealth. From the 1960’s to the early 2000’s, these inner city neighborhoods were vilified, strangled by disinvestment, and told to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Meanwhile, the federal government infiltrated movements to improve the conditions in Black neighborhoods, while simultaneously destroying them with an influx of illicit drugs and the eve of mass incarceration. The police continued their legacy from the “slave catching” days and separated as many families as possible to create chaos in Black communities. So, what do Black communities have left, when the City has abandoned them, the wealthy Whites have created their own separtist communities, and the grip of racism keeps them from getting “out of poverty” even though they do all the things that they are told to do? Cincinnati still has no possibility of upward mobility for African American residents to this day. Our only assets then, besides our neighbors, are our public assets. Most of the buildings in Over-the-Rhine are massive, owned by out-of-state landlords, or local white people, who are out to make a buck. Fortunately, the Over-the-Rhine Peoples’ Movement was able to acquire buildings, because without those, we would have very little control over housing in Over-theRhine. But, for the most part, the only assets that we share together are our parks, our playgrounds, our schools, our sidewalks, alleys, streets. 3CDC took aim at each of these public assets and has worked to privatize them and force out the existing residents for new, whiter, wealthier, ones. This has been totally at the expense of low-income Black residents and moderate to low income white residents, who enjoyed the first wave of gentrification and are now being forced out for the next wave of wealthier white people with generational wealth. Today, the police have become such a fixture in our neighborhood, that it’s not uncommon seeing them driving the wrong way up Republic Street, or sneaking around corners in their cruisers, creating an atmosphere of distrust and hostility. The main role of the police is to split families up, not keep them together. The main role of 3CDC is to displace poverty to another location, not uplift people out of poverty. The main role of the CRC should be recreation, but it’s becoming more clear that their bottom line is No Irony Lost on Colonial Fencing Blocking Goose Alley THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 9 a financial consideration. So, as they strive to make Findlay Playground “income generating” they are literally siding with wealthy over our neighbors who find themselves being squeezed out of their own neighborhood by generational white wealth. I wonder if the Director of the CRC, who is making the decisions behind the sale and lease of our public lands, knows the specific history of Over-theRhine. I wonder if he understands the important role of public assets and the current attack upon them. I believe that if he understood the pain and anguish that we experience when we lose our public spaces, that he would work harder to defend them, rather than look at them as ways to make money. The CRC Director is not a Cincinnati native, which follows the trend of hiring outside of our own community. His view of Cincinnati started in 2016 when we arrived to start as the Director of Recreation. His understanding is not the same as someone who grew up “Down da Way,” and who spent their youth on the basketball courts that have been lost now. He doesn’t see the city from our perspective, and his interactions at our community council meetings show that he is only concerned about the almighty dollar, not about the enrichment of the youth and community who are the true owners of the public assets on which he sits. His position is not one from unencumbered racism and class warfare. Cincinnati has a specific history, which didn’t start, nor end, with the German immigrants, but which is a rich cultural tapestry of many immigrants and migrants who deserve to access our public assets. �10 LOCAL N o v 2 4- -April N o v 19, 2 02019 18 | N o . 393 April 18, | No. 404 All Saints School donates over 3,400 books to Literacy Network LIZ PRIESTLE Contributing Writer A ll Saints School donated over 3,400 books to the Literacy Network of Greater Cincinnati (LNGC). Students and employees at All Saints School took part in a book drive from March 19-March 29, 2019. Students at All Saints School were encouraged to bring in their gently used children’s books to donate to the Literacy Network. This is the fourth year for the All Saints Book Drive. Collectively All Saints has donated 11,447 books to the Literacy Network for their literacy programs! The Literacy Network was grateful to have a group of volunteers from United Parcel Service (UPS) assisting with this generous donation. The UPS team joined the Literacy Network to load, transport, and sort this mammoth book donation. The Literacy Network participates in numerous book drives throughout the year with partners from various schools and companies. They then distribute the books to over 50 Little Free Libraries, Boys & Girls Clubs, local elementary schools and to LNGC volunteers to give to the students they tutor. Literacy Network President Michelle Otten Guenther stated, “I am deeply grateful to the families, students and staff at All Saints and the incredible team at UPS for their generous support of our mission. Today was a wonderful example of the great things that can happen when our community pulls together.” About The Literacy Network The Literacy Network champions the development of literacy in the individual, the family, the workplace, the school and the community by raising awareness, improving access and serving as a catalyst for literacy efforts. The Literacy Network is also the home of Winners Walk Tall, a character UPS workers & All Saints Students loading over 3,400 books donated to the Literacy Network programs. building program for youth. All of the programs offered to adults and children are free and funded from private grants, donations and fundraising efforts. Racists Go Home MADISON BRITT Contributing Writer S ince 2016, the idea of a wall at the U.S México border has been endlessly contested across countless platforms. It has been the subject of national debate, caused a government shutdown, and, most recently, lead Donald Trump to declare a national state of emergency to secure funding in hopes that he would be able to fulfill his campaign promise at long last. The wall’s detractors certainly have good reason; according to research published by the ACLU, a border wall could inflict serious cultural, economic, and environmental damage on border communities. Furthermore, the research suggests that the “overall number of people attempting to cross into the United States without authorization remains unaffected by walls and other enforcement measures,” and has been in steady decline for years. Existing segments of border fencing have forced migrants to take increasingly dangerous routes through the Arizona-Sonora desert. Neither the border fencing nor the harsh desert has deterred migration to the United States. These strict border policies have been linked to an increase in migrant deaths, and an in-depth look at policy outcomes conducted by Princeton University’s Douglas S. Massey indicates that such policies have largely backfired, and in fact created a self perpetuating cycle of migration. Despite the evidence that a border wall will not be an effective immigration or border control policy, many are still in favor of Trump’s proposed wall at the border and are increasingly frustrated with the government’s unwillingness or inability to fund it. This frustration is manifesting here in Cincinnati, a city where Cincinnati Compass estimates 12.3% of area residents are foreignborn, a number which is growing rapidly. On Tuesday, the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza hosted an “Ohio Town Hall” entitled “We Build the Wall”, lead by conservative pundit Steve Bannon, former chairman of Breitbart news and chief strategist in Trump’s White House. The meeting also featured Brian Kolfage, who started a GoFundMe to pay for a border wall, Kris Kobach, former Kansas Secretary of State, along with other conservative pundits and politicians. This meeting was, as one might expect, an outpouring of hateful, dangerous, and non-factual rhetoric about Mexicans, immigrants, and sanctuary cities. According from detailed notes and recordings Cincinnati activists obtained at the event, much of the discourse at the event blamed immigrants for human trafficking, increased presence of dangerous drugs, including fentanyl, and criminal and gang activity in the states. The speakers directly recommended a privately funded and controlled border wall to combat the government’s inefficiency, “[literal]... push back against the government, and even “devise a plan to go after and dismantle and destroy Mexican cartels and their networks,”. In face of this alarming rhetoric, it is pivotal to consider Cincinnati’s positionality as a Sanctuary City, meaning. This, in its most basic sense, that the city won’t aid ICE in deportations, but the concept of sanctuary means much more than this. According to an analysis of present day Sanctuary by Myrna Orozco and others, the designation of a place or city as “sanctuary” indicates that it is a place of refuge, safety, and respect. Cincinnati’s sanctuary status is admittedly complicated, as a City Beat THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED article by Nick Swartswell explains, but the pushback against the sanctuary movement by Bannon and the like is clear - at the We Build the Wall event frequently labelled the sanctuary movement as unlawful and in defiance of U.S sovereignty. Despite these complications, Cincinnati has committed on paper to being a Sanctuary City. Activists in the city are attempting day by day to create cities and neighborhoods that are equitable for all Cincinnati residents, and a small crowd gathered outside of the Hilton in downtown Cincinnati to protest the event, and loudly tell its participants and attendees to “Go home”, to unequivocally state “you and your wall are not welcome here,”. As a city, we should follow their example. When we proclaim ourselves to exist as a safe space for immigrants and refugees, we dedicate ourselves to keeping racist and dangerous rhetoric about immigration out of our home. We should protest events like “We Build the Wall” to let those proponents of unethical and ineffectual walls that they are not welcome here, complain to the venues that host them, and show our immigrant neighbors, brothers, and sisters that we stand with them in solidarity. �No. 3943-April | Nov 218, - N 2019 o v 19,| 2 0 18404 April No. STREETVOICE 11 How I Came Into My Own JUNE ALEXANDER I Contributing Writer was standing outside of myself in a dream. Whispers from ancient feminine wisdom bombed my ears with, “listen, watch, feel, and be.” Art Deco geometrics and jewel tones dripping from the opulence of the decor in the train car. The sounds of train wheels clacking over miles of wealth and greed; furs and gems, while the alluring comfort beckoned, come stay and see. Women, older than time; fat, brown-Black in their maid’s and caretaker’s uniforms conversing about the One they were preparing for the throne. A scene reminiscent of old Hollywood movies. The darkened Mammies adoring and adorning the white beauty was all--and is all--too familiar in movies and in life. But this “dressing” was different!. After all of the idolizing and goddesfying the silken veil fell from the mirrors and the women (in chorus) sang “Look,” Their hands like a great raging river pulling their jetsam to a great body, stood proud, hopefully beaming in their own radiance. They trumpeted once more, “LOOK!” My spectator self moved forward with the woman. Slowing time, we walked towards the trinity of mirrors and saw. We saw--no! I saw Me. And so begin my spiritual conception: The prayers which would call forth this Great Body. This conception was violent, hateful, and curel. Unspeakable acts done to a young girl at the hands of the men who were supposed to educate and protect her. Men whose skin color mimicked her own. Touching, taking, keeping her in her place as their slave masters did to them. But somehow this was worse-they looked like and were supposed to be, her--my fathers and uncles; my brothers. They were supposed to be my shield from the racist, from the white privilege hell bent on systematic corruption of my mind, body, and spirit--but my brothers got there first. And the betrayal of my mothers and my aunts and my sisters--”men will be men." ; “boys will be boys” was the only answers slaves could give. So now I had to be Diana, hunting alone, The prize..myself. A lone warrior, fighting the battles inside and outside my house. No allies, I prayed to the great parents, “Hear me. Send one to stand with me.” And the prayer was answer. Not just one took up the call, but many. Not just human, but packs, prides, flocks, and hordes. Even a murder of crows lead by Bastet paved the way for Her. At first, I was afraid of Her. She coiled around me, she slithered beside my bed, she whispered, “First, stop listening to your oppressors. You belong to all that’s Holy! Be uplifted, we have not forsaken you .Isis will guide you with all the creature-spirits sent long before to make way for your birthing. And my sister, Athena will give you knowledge of the ancients.” And so begin my spiritual conception: “Sheba, hold your head up. Stay awake. Before the truth was ever spoken to a human it’s seeds were planted in the Earth; Pangea we so affectionately call her. The Venus herself both safe and dangerous, joyful and sorrowful. You are fire and air; water and earth. Yin and Yang. Winter and Summer; Spring and Fall; Life and Death; Love and Balance. Only in your sacrifices will you be born whole!” And with that, my fate was sealed. As ordered by the great Mother, death and birth comes hand in hand. During the time when the ancestral mothers were gathering; coming with my own mother’s sweet chariot my mother taught me lessons she was too afraid to teach while in here own slavery. Now, freed of society, she and all my ancestors guided me to my chrysalis, my next womb, my sarcophagus. So it is done! Time flooded me with images of my rape, my exile, bullying, mental illness, homelessness and the new threat of malicious women and molesting men trying to turn my soul as septic as my illness turned my body. And my nightmares which traveled with me from shelter to shelter. Screaming night terrors of children running from monsters and demons. And my desperate attempt to save these children ...to save me. Saving me from the racism, the sexism, the sizeism, the homophobia, others’ phobia of my being humane even to my enemies; the classism and the invisible and just plain unwanted; the you too black, you ain't black enough; to hide your talents under a bushel because it makes the men uncomfortable, it scares the white people, it angers the black women, it blasphemes the religious, or why live the truth when living a lie will make you rich. And finally, the passing and masking until there is no color left in your Soul. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Stop, stop. Stop, stop! “ Please, I don’t want this. Don’t make me in your image. I want to only love the neighbors I agree with. I want a religion that supports my hate. Drench me in apathy. At least teach me to hate myself.” Prayer not answered. Infact, every breath I took ushered in the voices, the prayers of the forgotten. Spirits of dead babies and the enslavement of their minds reaching out to me like hollowed shells of misery beggin me not to forget them. While stranger after stranger spoke to me. ”You run from God.” “Don’t hide sister, tell the truth. Walk the truth. Live the truth.” Numbness Guite surrender Next, the fire of dragons warmed my bath. The birds dipped me in this new and inviting womb. All the while, from north, south, east, and west; high and low and beyond the soldiers of wolves vowed to protect me. The She, the pig presided over my wrapping, she spoke of my body being made for healing. You are to carry the ancestors voices into a new Eden She answered questions I had pondered so long. “Why?” she read from my soul.“You cry”, she said, “because others can’t. You feast because others can’t.You love because others won’t. You are the presence of all color. Only drums could beat this drowning; this sounding. I thought I had felt pain before. Nothing is as painful as seeing your own transgressions and their consequences. Now, couple that pain with Empathy. Every growing inch of my wings silently screamed with horrifying stories of our hatred for each other. I could feel the painful annihilation of our children’s minds, bodies and spirits. Stripped over and over by monopolies’ and tyrants’ greedy nationalism. I was tortured by the people’s mistrust and despair. Betrayed by those they elected to protect and to serve. Betrayed by religious leaders who made God in their image.The image of selfishness, elitism and only their pursuit of happiness. I said this was how I came into myself...I should have said how I am coming into myself. My wings are not yet strong enough. Once I am fully impassioned with all the hopes of my peoples...all of my peoples and even the creatures’ pains will be my amour!l And when at last , I am called forth from this cocoon Babylon will fall! Wth the songs of multitudes Babylon’s days are numbered in these words ”I am proud to free slaves, I am proud to be “sick and tired”, I am proud to be called sister, mother, daughter, child, wife, lover, healer, visionary, crazy, truth teller, advocate, preacher, protector of the innocent, teacher, wisdom, witch… I am proud to be called Woman! �12 Believe It STREETVOICE The Gate Believe it when you see someone bundle up sleeping in the street Believe it when you see someone looking in the garbage for food to eat Believe it cause all of these things are real and none are made up Believe that there are many men, women and children who are down on their luck Believe that with the economy all twisted and headed straight to hell Believe that there are many who just give up, commit suicide or take leave for a jail cell Believe that to the homeless, jail with three hot meals, cell buddies for friends and a cot Believe to some may mean nothing but to the homeless means one hell of a lot Believe with faith all things are possible for all including you and me Believe in God, have faith, and pray then change will come all you have to do is believe N o v 24 --April N o v 19, 0 18 | |N o . 393 April 18,22019 No. 404 The gate is open It isn't locked there are no locks on the gate You must decide to enter or not There is no turning back one you enter the gatee Baffled and unsure yet wanting to continue the gate is straight ahead open the door enter if possible tell me what you see at the place Where no one Needs a key KIM GREEN WILLA DENISE JONES Contributing Writer Streetvibes Distributor Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer Streetvibes Writing Circle If you would like to submit a story for publication in streetvibes, come join Katelyn Lusher and Chris Wilkey for a group writing session! S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �STREETVOICE No. 39 | Nov 218, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 April 4 3-April | No. 404 THE WATERED DOWN MUELLER REPORT MOTHER GOOSE Dear old Mother Magee Went and turned on her TV, To find out Mueller's conclusion. But A.G. Barr's brief, four pager Both upset and enraged her, Especially the words "no collusion." 13 Life on Life's Terms I’ve been selling Streetvibes since May 7th, 2009, the old and new school Streetvibes. But the new people got to know how to sell papers, Everyone has their “pitch,” Mine starts with “Good morning” “Have a good afternoon” “Have a good evening!” In my position, you have to deal with the people. BILL WOODS Contributing Writer You have to deal with attitudes and everything else. I always sell papers at Reds Opening Day, right on vine and Central Parkway by the Kroger building. In dealing with the people coming down from the suburbs or different neighborhoods for Reds’ Opening Day, I have to deal with people who are dumbfounded when they see me. They look at me like a nobody. I get motivated. I don’t mess with Duracell but I mess with Everready batteries all day every day. The bunny is back. I’m from up north, from Detroit. I been down here since July 2002. I came down here the year after the riot. My mother said we all the same color but when I came down here I had to deal with a bunch of racist motherfuckers. I don’t mess with the KKK, I will bring the Black Panthers in here and we’ll occupy Cincinnati. I’m trying to bring the Homeless Congress back and I need some sponsors. JAMES BROWN Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �PUZZLES 14 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 102 Across 1. At that time 5. Slide without control 9. Singing voice 13. An actor's portrayal 14. Internal 16. Prevaricator 17. Translucent mineral 18. Female relative 19. Edible flatfish 20. Taut or rigid 22. Brass instrument 24. Peculiar 26. Group of three singers 27. Amiable 30. Male feline 35. Mongrel 36. Delicacy 39. Flashlight 40. Charter 42. Religious doctrine 44. Whittle 45. Embellish 47. Commence 49. Liveliness 50. Panic 52. Sent via the postal service 54. Bird shelter 57. An argument in favor of 58. Selecting what seems best of various styles or ideas 62. Bird of prey 66. Certain 67. Excluded from use or mention 69. Stomped heavily 70. Region 71. Edible bulb 72. Female red deer 73. Garment 74. A meeting arranged in advance 75. Jittery PUZZLE SOLUTIONS CROSSWORD #101 Down 1. A slow pace of running 2. Be optimistic 3. Zeal 4. Wrestling hold, can be half or full 5. Transgression 6. Create with needles and wool 7. Torpid 8. Interior layout and furnishings 9. In addition 10. Large predatory feline 11. Story 12. Metal-bearing mineral 15. Send money in payment 21. Redact 23. Item of footwear 25. Move with sudden speed 27. Usher 28. Mistake 29. Fermentation sediment of an alcoholic beverage 31. Swab 32. Have a great desire for 33. Strong and sharp 34. Those people 35. Informal conversation 37. Colony insect 38. Squad 41. Wander from a direct course 43. Snare 46. Not any 48. Become fatigued 51. Right-hand page 53. Abhor 55. Support or foundation 56. Shinbone 58. Monetary unit 59. Ship's company 60. Containing little excess 61. Water hen 63. Power system 64. Yearn 65. Miniature whirlpool 66. Droop 68. Single person or thing N ov 2 o v 19,4,22019 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Mar 21- N -April 403 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 393 - MEDIUM SODOKU PUZZLE NO 392- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 | Nov 2 4, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Mar 213 -April | No. 403 Central Access Point 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children RESOURCES Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 621-7265 1528 Race St. 45202 Churches Active in Northside Bethany House 557-2873 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 591-2246 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 Salvation Army 762-5660 St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 131 E. 12th Street 45202 1125 Bank Street 45214 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men Shelter: Men Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 Shelterhouse 721-0643 2121 Vine Street 45202 411 Gest St. 45203 Prospect House 921-1613 1437 Walnut Street 45202 Starting Over 961-2256 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 Parkway Center 661-4620 First Step Home 961-4663 Shelter: Youth 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Shelter: Family Interfaith Hospitality Network Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Joseph House (Veterans) 471-1100 1522 Republic Street 45202 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 OTR Community Housing 381-1171 114 W. 14th Street 45202 Talbert House 221-HELP Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street 45202 Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Volunteers of America 381-1954 Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 VA 977-6800 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 Food/Clothing First Lutheran Church 421-0065 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 1730 Race Street 45202 St. Francis Seraph Ministries 549-0542 St. George Food Pantry 2554 Dennis St. 45219 751-8771 St. Anthony Center 1615 Republic St. Advocacy Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 241-2965 Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP Housing: 15 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 UpSpring 363-3300 Health Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 Other Resources Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 215 E. 14th St. 45202 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 Goodwill Industries 771-4800 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. 579-8547 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 1223 Main St. 45202 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 Talbert House 751-7747 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton County Office of Reentry 946-4304 138 E. Court Street Room # 101 First Floor Cancer Justice Network 404-3882 Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels 981-4200 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center (11-17 y/o) 859-491-8303 ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-572-6202 Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky 634 Scott St. 41011 859-291-4555 Want to advertise in Streetvibes? You can support our mission and spread the word about your business. For more information contact Gabriela Godinez Feregrino, 961-0600 email streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Center for Respite Care 621-1868 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 386-7899 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio McMicken Dental Clinic 352-6363 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 NAMI of Hamilton County 351-3500 PATH Outreach 977-4489 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �16 N o v 2 4- -April N o v 19,18, 2 02019 18 | N o . 393 April | No. 404 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BETTIE BAILEY SINCE 10/2017 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 BRIAN ADAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHARLES WILLIAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHRISTOPHER KAIHATSU SINCE 7/2017 CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DARREL ROZIER SINCE 7/2017 DAVID MCCANE SINCE 2017 ERIC VALDEZ SINCE 2/2017 GERALD FRANKLIN SINCE 7/2017 GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 HENRY BRELAND SINCE 7/2017 JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009 JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2000 JENNY BURTON SINCE 7/2017 JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001 JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006 JOHN HORN JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008 J’TORI TYMAN SINCE 5/2014 KIM NGUYEN SINCE 7/2017 KENNY BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008 LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007 LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009 LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MARK SHEARS SINCE 4/2012 MAURICE GOLSBY MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MIKE CARANO SINCE 4/2016 RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 1999 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 STACIA HOLLANDER SINCE 2017 STEPHANIE EAKES SINCE 7/2017 SYLVESTER WALKER SINCE 7/2017 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2011 VICTOR MUMPHRY WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 WINNIE RICE SINCE 7/2017 QUEENACELASTINE SINCE 7/2017 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 VIOLET COLLINS SINCE 2017 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2019 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource April 4-April 18, 2019 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: A Dying Planet Pg 3: A Letter of Thanks Greater Cincinnati’s Affordable Housing Crisis Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: Climate Strike Pg 6: Washrooms for Customers Only Pg 7: Migrant Workers Face Abuse, Slavery Threat in Post-Brexit Britain Pg 8: Disappearing Communities Pg 9: Disappearing Communities Continued Pg 10: All Saints School Donates Over 3,400 Books to Literacy Network Racists Go Home Pg 11: How I Came into My Own Pg 12: Street Voice Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Pet Horoscopes Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 4-April 18, 2019 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gabriela Godinez Bill Woods Maged Srour Bill Joiner Kieran Gulibert Mervyn Horgan Edith Wilson Dr. Mark Mussman Liz Triestle Madison Brit Willa Denise Jones Kim Green James Brown June Alexander Canva.com INSP.com Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Bill Joiner Bill Woods Brexit Britain Canva.com Climate Change Dr. Mark Mussman Edith Wilson education Findlay Playground Gabriela Godinez INSP.com James Brown June Alexander Kieran Gulibert Kim Green Liz Triestle Madison Brit Maged Srour Mervyn Horgan Migrants protest Slavery Strike Willa Denise Jones