26 10 291 https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/64484cfcc69013082b0635b590d5f555.pdf 33c0f088f15d553ea1643bc21e15032c PDF Text Text April 18th - M ay 2th 2019 | Vo l . 23 Issue 8 (No. 405) 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. How To Bury A Story Article on Page 8 This Issue is sponsored by Cecilia and Tom Kloecker Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.com Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 12 �2 COALITION N o v 218 - N v 19,2,22019 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 April - oMay 405 From The Editor: No Autonomy: Eugenics and Abortion GABRIELA GODINEZ Editor-in-chief A bortion law and reproductive rights have always been a hot topic in the United States, but recently there has been a push of multiple different conservative bills around the country. On April 11, one of the most dangerously limiting abortion bills in the U.S. was passed in Ohio by governor Mike DeWine. Once a medical professional can detect a fetal heartbeat, an abortion is no longer legal. That can be around 6 weeks into a pregnancy, about the same average amount of time a person takes to realize they are pregnant. I say person and not woman because within the rhetoric of abortion and reproductive rights many people get ignored. Non-bianary folks and trans men don’t often get a mention in this conversation, which only does the cause a disservice. There is no point in excluding people when these restrictions clearly affect them as well. Anyone who can get pregnant has to be included in the conversation. Not only cisgendered women can get pregnant, and not all cisgendered women have the ability to get pregnant. It is not the job of anyone with a uterus to be an incubator and reproduce on command. For that and many other reasons, though this is largely a women’s rights issue, it also is an over all human rights issue. Reproductive rights in the United States have always been used to attack and control people. Today we need to remember that reproductive issues have white supremacist roots. While there are bills trying to stop abortions, at the same time women of color are more likely to be pushed by doctors to use birth control. This is todays residual affects from Americas racist and sexist past. In 1909, California passed eugenics laws, which would later inspire the German Nazis. According to the L.A. Times, Adolf Hitler once wrote “There is today one state in which at least weak beginnings toward a better conception [of citizenship] are noticeable. Of course, it is not our model German Republic, but the United States.” With a foundation like this, we cannot ignore how race plays a factor in reproductive rights. According to PBS news, “used as a means of controlling “undesirable” populations – immigrants, people of color, poor people, unmarried mothers, the disabled, the mentally ill – federally-funded sterilization programs took place in 32 states throughout the 20th century.”The Huffington Post reminded us that by 1970, toward the “end” of the eugenics movement, over 60,000 U.S. citizens were sterilized. This is right around the time that abortion was made legal in 1973. If today, those who were fighting for “the rights of unborn children” were truly pro-life, they would be fighting for the lives of the 15 million children who are experiencing poverty right now. They would be fighting for the black children who are victims of police brutality. They would be fighting for the lives of the 5,800 undocumented children who were sexually abused in U.S. immigration detention centers and under U.S. custody. The conversation in government has always been about what uteruses are allowed to have children, and which are to be forced to have children. Over a century later after the start of the eugenics movement in the United States, citizens and residents are still fighting for the right for marginalized and oppressed bodies to have control over our own lives. 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: Gabriela Godinez, Bill Woods, Josh Spring, Helen Hill, Kieran Gulibert, Michael Taylor, Joey Williams, Dr. Mark Mussman, Seth Weber, Timothy Bay, Willa Denise Jones, Kim Green, , June Alexander ------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: canva.com, Gabriela Godinez, INSP.com, Dr. Mark Mussman, Pngtree.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 3 |-N ov 2 2, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 April 18 May | No. 405 COALITION 3 Wade Street and Central Avenue Tenants Release New Statement JOSH SPRING Executive Director A pril 9th, we, FightBack Cincinnati: Wade Street & Central Avenue Tenants United stated publicly our demand that Jeff Berding and FC Cincinnati cease trying to displace us from our homes and instead publicly commit to not putting us out of our homes, re-start regular maintenance of the properties and meet with our group no later than April 16th. This was communicated widely through media outlets and a letter signed by us explaining this was sent directly to Jeff Berding. Mark Mallory, on behalf of FC Cincinnati has stated that FC Cincinnati called together Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME), Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses, Council on Aging, Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority and Iris Roley of Black United Front to meet this Friday morning at 10 AM to assist with making plans to move Ms. Mary Page from her home. This is Jeff Berding and FC Cincinnati’s attempt to make it appear like they care and are doing something good. There are several problems with this disingenuous attempt by Jeff Berding: • Ms. Mary Page has made it abundantly clear that she does not want to leave her home. She likes her home and greatly values her nearby support system of neighbors, friends, family and health caretakers. • This attempt by FC Cincinnati would do nothing positive for the rest of us, from whom, Jeff Berding and FC Cincinnati are also trying to steal our homes. • Our organization, FightBack Cincinnati: Wade Street & Central Avenue Tenants United are a unified body with a singular list of demands, primary of which is to not displace us from our homes. • As of now, Jeff Berding and FC Cincinnati have not responded to our issued demands and have not responded to us to schedule a meeting with our group. Because of our intention to remain in our homes, our group directly reached out to these organizations. We asked them to support our position, and in support of us to work directly with us and not through FC Cincinnati. As a result, our Tenants United group has met directly today with some of these organizations and is planning future meetings with all of these organizations as we work in pursuit of our demands. Jeniece Jones, HOME Executive Director, says, “HOME’s primary responsibility is to people facing problems with fair housing. We have learned that tenants living in properties owned by FC Cincinnati would like for us to meet with them in order to better understand their fair housing rights. This is our most pressing obligation.” Iris Roley of Black United Front expressed that she will not be attending a meeting with FC Cincinnati because she stands with the Tenant group’s position that they not be forced from their homes and she understands that they have called for a meeting with FC Cincinnati to be held on their own timing and terms. As FightBack Cincinnati: Wade Street & Central Avenue Tenants United we remain steadfast in our demands issued yesterday: Jeff Berding and FC Cincinnati, do not steal our homes. We are looking forward to Jeff directly responding to us to schedule a meeting with us. Appalachian Cincinnati: How Is This City's Appalachian Community Faring Today? BILL WOODS Board Member B eginning in the 1940s, Cincinnati became the destination for thousands of individuals and families migrating from rural Appalachia, and over the years a distinct urban Appalachian community developed here. How is this community faring today? At the Community Issues Forum at Christ Church Cathedral on April 4th, Michael E. Maloney, a longtime urban Appalachian leader and scholar, and Maureen Sullivan, former Director of the Urban Appalachian Council, provided some answers to this question. The recent book, "Hillbilly Elegy," noted Maloney, has brought a lot of attention to Appalachians, both rural and urban. J. D. Vance's story of growing up as a child of a drug addicted mother who had migrated from rural Appalachia goes beyond his personal experience by offering some negative stereotypes about Appalachian culture in general. In fact, Maloney is one of the contributors to a newly published book of essays, "Appalachian Reckoning: A Region Responds to Hillbilly Elegy." The message of Maloney and the other authors of this book challenges Vance's generalizations about lazy hillbillies and white welfare queens, and it portrays a much more diverse population and culture. This greater diversity and more complex culture were also portrayed in a poem read by Maureen Sullivan at the beginning of the Forum. The poem represents a compilation of statements by Oyler School students of Appalachian descent. Sullivan and Maloney emphasized that today's urban Appalachians are diverse and can't be labeled with any simple stereotypes. Maloney, who is also an urban demographer, went on to describe how Greater Cincinnati's current Appalachian population is spread throughout the region, with over half the people living in towns and suburbs beyond the inner city. In Cincinnati itself, neighborhoods where Appalachians live have changed over the years. Over-the-Rhine became a major residence for Appalachians in the 1950s and 1960s, but by the 1980s, Lower Price Hill emerged as their primary neighborhood. In terms of numbers, Maloney noted that approximately half a million people of Appalachian background live in the Greater Cincinnati region. Economic hardship remains a problem for a large number of Appalachians. He estimated that 8,000 families in this area are below the poverty line, and this number translates into about 30,000 people. Hit hard by the 2008 recession, many Appalachians have never completely recovered from this severe economic downturn. Neighborhoods like Lower Price Hill, explained Maloney, are in worse shape today than they were twenty years ago. One problem that has always confronted urban Appalachians is the unwillingness of governments and other institutions to recognize them as a distinct group. A current example, cited by Maloney, is the initial failure of leaders of the Child Poverty Collaborative to include Appalachians in their planning. For this reason, leaders like Maloney and Maureen Sullivan strive to make themselves part THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED of major initiatives to improve the lives of Cincinnatians. For instance, Sullivan and Maloney are involved in the Equity Coalition, a recent effort to deal with income inequality and the continued growth of poverty in the city. When asked whether urban Appalachians are losing their identity after one or two generations away from the region, Maloney and Sullivan replied that the answer is both yes and no. For some, they confessed, the identity has become blurred or ceased to have relevance. Others remain staunch upholders of their roots. Maloney pointed to the interest shown by public school students in Lower Price Hill and college student he has worked with in recent years. Ironically, he noted, a new pride of identity has emerged in the rural Appalachian region. Both Sullivan and Maloney are concerned about creating a new generation of leaders who will replace them as Appalachian spokespersons. They recently created a leadership project, and they are working to strengthen the Urban Appalachian Community Coalition. �4 ADVERTISMENT THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED N o v 2 18 - N-o May v 19, 2, 2 02019 18 | N o . 393 April | No. 405 �No. 3918 3 | -NMay ov 2 - 2, No v 19,| 2 0 18405 April 2019 No. 5 U.S. NEWS Life on the Streets: Sick with nowhere to go Photo by Brittany Colette on Unsplash HELEN HILL Street Roots F or those who are housed, feeling the first tinges of a winter cold or flu means settling in on the couch with hot tea and soup, a warm comforter and a list of Netflix movies to watch. Rest, fluids and access to a warm shower and a clean toilet let the immune system eventually kick in, and after a week or two, or even a few days, most are healthy again and ready to return to work, the garden and the family. For those who are living on the streets, a common cold can develop into a potentially life threatening illness. This year, serious cases of flu and pneumonia have been rampant among the Street Roots community and have landed several in the hospital. The seasonal cold, rain, wind and snow this February and March have taken a toll. We talked to some of our vendors about what it’s like being sick and on the streets. “I stay healthy as long as I stay out on the streets,” vendor John Smith said. “I get sick whenever I use the emergency shelters in extreme weather because we are all crowded in there, but when the nightly shelters don’t open, that’s hard too.” John agreed that chest colds that progress into pneumonia are the most dangerous illness on the streets. When I asked him what he does when he feels he is coming down with a cold, he said: “I just try to find a spot where I can curl up and rest during the day. If you go to the day shelter, it’s a madhouse and you can’t rest there. You can nod off, but you’re not safe; you have to hold onto your bag. Yeah, it’s tough being sick out there.” A vendor who wished to remain anonymous said his secret weapon is iodized salt. “I flush my nostrils with iodized saltwater,” he said. “If I have a cough or a scratchy throat, that helps me not get pneumonia and flushes out the bacteria. It doesn’t allow the bacteria to enter the lungs.” He also addressed the danger of open wounds: “Cuts take longer to heal outside. If I cut myself recycling or if I have an open wound, it takes a long time to heal. Normally it might take a few days for a wound to heal, but on the streets, it can take weeks or months, and it can get infected. I use iodized salt on wounds. It’s easy to get. I learned it from my grandmother. She put me in a bathtub with iodized salt when I got bit by a cat when I was a kid.” Mark Herinek was blunt. “I am 59 years old,” he said. “I spent three months on the street and got pneumonia.” Mark was in a coma while his body healed. “You’ll die eventually if you don’t get housing or get off the streets,” he said. “Now I’m in the missions.” Brian Lane said he hasn’t been well since he “got caught out in the rain.” “You just have to suck it up,” he said. “There’s nothing you can do if you don’t get enough sleep. Sleep is important. It gives you a mental and physical morale boost. I’m usually so tired I can’t tell if I’m sick or not.” Brian recently went to the hospital after waking up on the streets vomiting violently. He called an ambulance and was treated for flu at a local hospital. When he was released at 2am, he had nowhere to go. “I was dog tired. I went down under the pier out of the wind to sleep. When I woke up, my new boots were gone,” he said. Brian eventually made it back to Street Roots, where another vendor gave him an extra pair of shoes from his storage unit. Mark Rodriguez knows exactly when he got sick. “I had to sleep in the snow. It was freezing. Thankfully they had the Portland Rescue Mission open all the next day, and I could sleep inside in a chair where it was warm,” he said. “You just do what you can do. Sleep is the main thing. I would just like to rest right now, but I have to keep moving, sell papers, make money.” Jason Scheer agreed that the worst part of staying healthy is lack of sleep. “To find somewhere to rest takes skilled planning. You can stay in an unused doorway or inside some churches, but you have to know where it’s safe to go. Some pastors let you sleep inside,” he said. Rex has frequent bouts with diarrhea due to a pancreatic condition. “I will always have problems,” Rex said. “I crap my pants all the time, and my self-esteem is so bad. That’s why I come here to Street Roots, because I can use the bathroom. “People in stores look at you when you need to use the bathroom like you’re going to steal something. Places where they feed you don’t have bathrooms, and we have trouble washing our hands. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Look at my hands; would you eat with these?” Rex asked. “If you go to a mission for a clean pair of pants, they borderline humiliate you. I have had to sit in my shit for 12 hours. I was told they don’t give out pants till 9 a.m.,” he said. “A lot of people like me, we shouldn’t have to be humiliated to take care of our own health. They make you feel like you’re not human if you have health problems. “There’s a five-minute limit on most bathrooms, but a lot of times you have to clean it before you use it, and that takes up practically the whole time,” he said. “Yesterday I was at McDonald’s, and one of the employees was trying to film me through the cracks in the door to see if I was shooting up in there.” Vendor George McCarthy was resting in the office with an obvious fever. “There’s a psychological aspect to being sick,” he said. “You feel vulnerable, nervous and depressed. If you get a horrible flu, you have nowhere to go; you have nowhere to be. You have to keep going around here or there, get on a bus, get off. It brings into focus a lot of things about homelessness. You are depressed already. You’re outside in the cold. It’s noisy. Inside, you’re always in an institutional environment with no ability to have influence over that environment. You are sick, vomiting, and you are well aware you have nowhere to go, no way to get well. It’s wretched. You feel like any social bond you had with society is broken." Courtesy of Street Roots / INSP.ngo �GLOBAL 6 N o v 2 -18 No 19, 2, 2 02019 18 | N . 393 April - vMay | oNo. 405 Ahead of LGBT+ crackdown, fleeing Bruneians fear for friends back home MICHAEL TAYLOR Reuters As a transgender woman growing up in Brunei, Zoe [not pictured] saw the country's slide towards conservatism from an early age, so plans to introduce strict new Islamic laws this week came as no surprise. The 19-year-old, who was born male but identified as female from early childhood, is now awaiting the outcome of her asylum application in Canada after fleeing her country late last year. "Even before Sharia law, LGBT+ people could be prosecuted under civil law," Zoe told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, which is identifying her by only one name for her protection. "I've always been scared of living my life openly in Brunei. I still am. I still think about how I present myself, because I was conditioned to survive." Brunei, a Muslim-majority former British protectorate with a population of about 400,000, is due to implement Sharia laws from 3 April, punishing sodomy, adultery and rape with the death penalty, and theft with amputation. The laws, elements of which were first adopted in 2014, could see LGBT+ people whipped or stoned to death for same-sex activity. Some aspects of the laws will apply to non-Muslims. "I knew it was going to happen," said Zoe, who hopes to one day undergo hormone therapy and formally change her name to the one she sometimes goes by. "Our oil reserves were dwindling and the sultan needed a way to control the economy once he started to enforce taxes and reduce the high subsidies." The Brunei Prime Minister's Department did not respond to an emailed request for comment. Brunei does not hold elections and any discontent is assuaged with generous government polices including zero taxes, subsidized housing, and free healthcare and education. Zoe, who is worried that her LGBT+ friends back in Brunei do not fully appreciate how dangerous the situation will soon become, faces an uncertain future. "If I get sent back to Brunei, I will confess who I am and what I believe in to the Bruneian authorities," she said. "I'd rather die being true to myself than resenting a long life. I wish that Muslims who want Sharia law just keep it with themselves and God. Not enforce it onto other people." Asia’s silence Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, 72, is A woman walks in front of a poster of Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, one of the world's richest men, in Bandar Seri Begawan, April 11, 2015. The royal wedding ceremony of Brunei's Prince Abdul Malik and his bride Dayangku Raabi’atul ‘Adawiyyah Pengiran Haji Bolkiah will be held at the Nurul Iman Palace in Brunei's capital on Sunday. REUTERS/Olivia Harris the world's second-longest-reigning monarch and prime minister of oil-rich Brunei. He ranks as one of the world's wealthiest people. Since details of the new laws were announced, actor George Clooney and musician Elton John are among celebrities who have called for a boycott of hotels owned by the governmentowned Brunei Investment Agency. Britain, Australia, New Zealand and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights have all called on Brunei to abandon changes to its penal code. "It is seriously regrettable that Brunei's decision contravenes a number of international norms on human rights," New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement. Matthew Woolfe, founder of human rights group The Brunei Project, said it was now very unlikely that Brunei would backtrack, but diplomatic pressure from Asian countries could help ensure the laws were not enforced fully. "We want to see more Asian governments coming out and speaking out on this. They have been too quiet," said the Australia-based campaigner. Socially conservative attitudes prevail across Asia, with Myanmar, Malaysia and Singapore banning sexual relationships between men, while Indonesia has seen an increase in raids targeting LGBT+ people in recent years. Members of the Association of South East Asian Nations, which did not respond to requests for a comment, have a principle of non-interference in each others' domestic affairs. "I'm not aware of any Asian country having come out and said anything about these laws," said Woolfe. ‘Barbaric laws’ Brunei, which neighbours two Malaysian states on Borneo island, already enforces Islamic teachings more strictly than Malaysia and Indonesia, the other majority Muslim countries in Southeast Asia. Previously homosexuality was illegal in Brunei and punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment, while the sale of alcohol is banned and evangelism by other religions is forbidden. Ging Cristobal, project coordinator at OutRight Action International in Manila, urged other Muslim countries in the region to put pressure on Brunei. "In reality, Brunei will not succumb to pressure from countries that are not Muslim-majority countries," said Cristobal. "Brunei might say that other regions are imposing on Asia, so it would be good to see other Asian nations condemn these barbaric laws." Better to leave Shahiransheriffuddin bin Shahrani Muhammad is a gay man who fled Brunei last year after being charged with sedition for a Facebook post that was critical of the government. Now seeking asylum in Canada, THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED the 40-year-old was surprised at the speed with which the new Sharia laws were being implemented. "I expected it to happen, just not so soon," he said. "I thought there would be more time for people like me in Brunei to realize that it's better to leave." Many people in Brunei back the Sharia laws because of rising unemployment and crime, he said. The death penalty has rarely been used in Brunei and the burden of proof needed to secure a conviction for samesex activities is very high, he added. Nonetheless, for LGBT+ people, the prospect of going to trial is terrifying, carrying the risk of being the first person to be stoned, he added. Even if exonerated, they face being stigmatized for the rest of their lives Cristobal said the new laws gave licence "for other people to see LGBTIQ (people) as criminals and commit violence and abuse towards them". Khairul, 19, is a gay Muslim man living in Brunei who now fears for his future. "With the added laws that affect the LGBTQ+ community, I am scared," said Khairul, who asked not to be identified by his real name for fear of reprisals. "My life here will become more complicated and hard. "The fear of dying has become a reality, while the hope of being accepted by family is now just a dream." Courtesy of Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation / INSP.ngo �N o. 39 18 3 |N 2 - 2, N o2019 v 19,| 2 0 18405 April - ov May No. GLOBAL 7 Without papers, Uighurs fear for their future in Turkey KIERAN GUILBERT Reuters Without work or residency permits in Turkey and unable to renew their Chinese passports, Qurbanjan Nourmuhammed and his family live in uncertainty in Istanbul, cut off from their son who returned to Xinjiang three years ago. Nourmuhammed, his wife and five children came to Turkey in 2015, facing increased pressure from China to abandon Islamic practices such as wearing a headscarf, growing a beard and closing their restaurant for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. China has faced growing international criticism for setting up facilities that United Nations experts describe as detention centres holding more than one million Uighurs and other Muslims. Beijing says it needs the measures to stem the threat of Islamist militancy, and calls them vocational training centres. Ismail Cengiz, founding secretary general of the Istanbul-based East Turkestan National Center, said that some 35,000 Uighurs live in Turkey, which has been a safe haven for them since the 1960s. Turkey is the only Muslim country that has regularly expressed concern about the situation in Xinjiang, due to its close cultural links with the Uighurs who speak a Turkic language. While Uighurs had no problems in Turkey until three or four years ago, Ankara's security concerns and stronger ties with Beijing reversed that trend, said Seyit Tumturk, president of a rights organisation called the National Assembly of East Turkestan, the name A masked Uighur boy takes part in a protest against China, at the courtyard of Fatih Mosque, a common meeting place for pro-Islamist demonstrators in Istanbul, Turkey, November 6, 2018. REUTERS/Murad Sezer that Uighur exiles use for Xinjiang. Perceptions of Uighurs suffered after some went to fight with jihadists against President Bashar alAssad's forces, because of the Syrian government's close ties with Beijing, Tumturk said, adding China has ramped up pressure since then. Nourmuhammed has not heard from his son Pakzat since he went back to Xinjiang in 2016 to visit his grandparents. A friend of Pakzat's told Nourmuhammed that Pakzat was detained upon arrival at the airport in Urumchi. He believes the government Gulgine Mahmut holds a placard with a picture of her son Pakzat at her home in Istanbul, Turkey, December 12, 2018. Pakzat is believed to be at one of the facilities that United Nations experts describe as detention centres and the Chinese government calls vocational training centres. Pakzat went back to Xinjiang in 2016 to visit his grandparents. A friend of Pakzat's told her husband, Qurbanjan Nourmuhammed, that Pakzat was detained upon arrival at the airport in Urumchi. "When my son was arrested, he was only a 16-year-old kid. His younger siblings ask us constantly when they'll be united with their older brother," Mahmut said. REUTERS/Murad Sezer accuses him of having links with extreme Islamists. The Xinjiang government did not respond to a request for comment. The family regularly attends protests around Turkey in the hopes of having their voices heard. "When my son was arrested, he was only a 16-year-old kid. His younger siblings ask us constantly when they'll be united with their older brother," Pakzat's mother Gulgine Mahmut said. "I don't believe he was involved in a crime; I think he was falsely accused." Nourmuhammed is unemployed as he waits for a residency permit he applied for in 2017 to be approved. Gulgine and their four children have been issued with permits, which risks tearing the family apart if Nourmuhammed is deported. Nourmuhammed said his family also lost touch with relatives in Xinjiang, who asked not to be contacted due to fears that the government will associate them with jihadists. Uighurs also cannot renew their Chinese passports at the local embassy when they expire and they are only given a document that will allow them to return to China, said Munevver Ozuygur, President of the East Turkestan Nuzugum Culture and Family Foundation. Some 15 Uighurs said they expect Turkey to pay more attention to their plight and give them the permits to THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED allow them to work and benefit from the healthcare system. After a gunman, believed to be an Uzbek national, killed 39 people in a popular Istanbul nightclub on New Year's Day 2017, Turkey took a more careful approach to people from central Asia, tightening the vetting process for new arrivals, Tumturk said. "Not all of the people whose passports have been labelled as risky... are problematic people," he said. "People who can't retrieve a required document from China can experience the same issue." Cengiz said many Uighurs had begun to fear they may be sent back to China. "Turkey was seen as the only country that could stand up to China. In the past year, they have been fearing for their existence in Turkey," he said. However, some hope has returned after Turkey took a harder stance against China at a U.N. Human Rights Council meeting last month, where Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu criticised Beijing for the alleged mistreatment of Uighurs and called for authorities to protect the freedom of religion. "There is a positive development in the favour of East Turkestan," Ozuygur said. "Turkey started to give China the message that it is aware of the oppressions that Uighurs experience in a proper way with a diplomatic attitude." Courtesy of Reuters / INSP.ngo �FEATURE 8 N o v 2 18 - N-oMay v 19,2, 20 18 | |NNo. o . 393 April 2019 405 How to Bury a Story DR. MARK MUSSMAN Staff Writer T he old adage in news broadcasting, “if it bleeds, it leads,” helps create the belief that the world is more dangerous than it really is. Violent crime is at its lowest point in generations, yet people still believe that the world is more dangerous today than ever before. While mass shootings have become commonplace, the likelihood that a random act of violence will affect you are slim to none. The vast majority of crime occurs between people who are connected in some way. Rape and molestation are more common among family members, acquaintances, friends, and social groups than the random person on the street. Yet, we start early with “stranger danger” which may lull children into the false belief that their family and friend group are safe from harming them. Our limited, and perhaps distorted, worldview can be more harmful when we believe falsehoods touted by media. Currently, community groups, including the Homeless Coalition, are in a media battle surrounding residential displacement in the West End. The soccer company, FC Cincinnati, has bought several buildings in the West End, and they are currently trying to remove the long-term residents, including 99 year-old Ms. Mary Page. The optics on this are pretty astounding, as Ms. Mary is bedridden and seeing her, hearing her story, is compelling. Yet, local news media is attempting to bury the story to protect the wealthy elite who own the soccer business. This is the type of story that should be running nationwide by now, yet, it is barely making rounds on local news sites. While Ms. Mary is just one of many, (FC Cincinnati’s own housing study, to be released the summer, shows that more than half of the residents of the West End, not including public housing, are at risk of losing their homes in the next 3-5 years), the stress of displacement may not just result in homelessness, it could also end her life. One of the ways corporate media tries to bury the story is through oversimplification. Media may try to frame things as only two sides, and that each side has only their own interests at heart. In the case of the soccer stadium, it is presented as the soccer stadium is just trying to be built, you know, for the economic development, or progress. This viewpoint does not take in the months of organizing against the stadium, the residents who almost unanimously tried to stop the stadium from coming to their community, the land-swap deal with Cincinnati Public Schools, the many variances and zoning changes that were brought to City Council, research that shows that stadiums are economic wastes, and the whole history of the Bengals’ stadium deal - which we are still paying for in the county. Trying to simplify the issues also leads to a forgone conclusion, such as we saw in the news this week, which FC Cincinnati CEO and Owner Carl Lindner III FC Cincinnati Owner and Negotiator Jeff Berding claimed that the residents must move for the stadium. Not only does this ignore the promises made by Jeff Berding of FC Cincinnati to “not displace anyone” it also defies logic - they do not need to move, but the business interests don’t value their lives because they are not in the targeted demographic for the stadium or the newspaper. Another typical tactic used to bury a story is discredit the sources, those who are affected, and those who are helping to organize and amplify voices. Discrediting is seen in the titles assigned to people involved: community leader becomes “activist;” community organizer becomes “advocate;” community member becomes “bystander.” We see this time and time again, and it’s written into the history as well. Somehow, without having political aspirations at all, we at the Homeless Coalition are accused of staging the fight against displacement “for political gain.” I have yet to figure out what that gain is. How do we gain politically when we are aligning ourselves with the people who are thought to have the least amount of power? If we wanted political gain, wouldn’t we align ourselves with the most powerful? This kind of logical fallacy is prevalent in the media as it attempts to discredit the hard work that organizing entails. Other ways that sources have been discredited this week, include statements regarding Ms. Mary’s caregiver and family member, who lives in Mt. Auburn, that claim that she’s not worried about losing her own housing. What does that have to do with THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED this issue? Unless we are talking about multi-neighborhood gentrification, it’s irrelevant. We should all be worried about displacement, and it should not be down-played by the media. But the goal here was to say that it doesn’t really affect the caregiver, so why is she even speaking about it? Even more egregious than the previous examples, is when the news media clearly side with the oppressor, or agitator. In the case with FC Cincinnati, media outlets were quick to cite false information provided by FC Cincinnati, including that they were working directly with Ms. Mary (and others) to help them through this transition. FC Cincinnati was attempting to hide their new ownership of the buildings, and they were not at all in contact with the residents being displaced, other than notices to vacate the building. By repeating lies over and over, that FC Cincinnati is being altruistic, trying to help, when they have not even had a phone call or meeting with the residents, is a clear example of bad journalism. But beyond bad journalism, or what might be called fake news, it also shows how eager the media is to take what the powerful and wealthy have to say and run with it. It should have never been in print without verifying the facts. There have been other false statements made by FC Cincinnati over the years, including that no one would be displaced, and without a critical media to analyze these false messages, we are left with a mouthpiece for the soccer business. Distracting the reader/viewer is �FEATURE No. 3918 3 |-NMay ov 2 -2, N2019 o v 19,| No. 2 0 18 April 405 FC Cincinnati Owner Chris Lindner also done to ensure that the whole picture isn’t received. A promotional video for the proposed soccer stadium ran on top of a recent article about the community members who FC Cincinnati is attempting to displace from their homes. The video, with its upbeat and driven music, shows fancy sketches of the possible stadium, comparisons with existing buildings in the area, including the football stadium, and glamorizes the stadium site. The video itself is overpowering, and I even watched the video thinking it was going to be about the victims, but it turned out to be a promotional video provided by FC Cincinnati. I watched the entire video before realizing that it didn’t even relate to the content of the article. The video itself is so hype that I was exhausted after watching it and I didn’t even read the article. Hours later, after realizing that I missed the content, I had to go back to the news site skip the video, and read the article. To distract us from tragic displacement, I also noticed non-story news popping on the front page of corporate media sites. For example, stories about the 7 Hills student who died in his van last year, and failures of the 9-1-1 system somehow became news again. Lists of hole-in-the-wall restaurants started popping up on corporate media’s social media. The story will be buried through distraction and oversaturation of nonnews. Sports plays a specific role in distracting the public from inequalities and inequities that negatively affect our community’s quality of life. Finally, the use of logical fallacies is prevalent in the reporting around the displacement of the low-income, mostly Black, residents in the West End. An Operation Vortex style blitz is being touted by the Cincinnati Police Department as a solution to the crime of the West End. These type of activities only serve to displace crime to another part of the city. The notion that everyone in the community is a criminal is not only harmful, but serves specific interests, including that of FC Cincinnati and land speculators. When Media Cameras Record on Wade Street but Reporters and Media Distort THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 9 social media pointed this out last year, the Cincinnati Police Department fired back by claiming this is what they do every year. So, every year, they label an entire neighborhood as criminal and become aggressive with them. Does anyone else see this as a problem? We cannot simply compare FC Cincinnati, with its unlimited monetary resources, with the low-income community it is attempting to control. These are not equal comparisons, and should not be treated as such. We should be mindful of the tactics used to bury the story: oversimplification, forgone conclusions, discredit and deny, siding with the oppressor, distracting the community, using promotional materials as news, using blanket statements that vilify entire communities, and pretending that the villain the victim have the same amount of power. Like rape and sexual assualt, the attempt by FC Cincinnati and its corporate partners to take the West End for their own use, is about power and control. FC Cincinnati, with the blessing of Cincinnati Public Schools, Cincinnati City Council, and the Hamilton County Commissioners has the power to do many things, but they cannot erase the power of the people who are organized and unified with a single demand: to remain in their safe and affordable housing, ultimately, to not be removed from their own community. �10 LOCAL N o v 2 18 - N-oMay v 19,2, 20 18 | |NNo. o . 393 April 2019 405 3rd of Main JOEY WILLIAMS Contributing Writer B eing on the third floor of the Main library branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County brings back memories. The memories exist here together as if all of time were crammed in one place. I can even sense the memories that haven’t happened yet. It’s difficult to grapple with sitting here in this place that has experienced so many iterations of me and been the backdrop for so many moments. Some were determined, ambitious moments but there have been many aimless ones too. Here I have been depressed, inspired, hopeful, and occasionally incredibly skeeved out. But no matter how you spin it, this place is one of life, community, and connection. At nearly this exact desk probably a good seven years ago, I studied for my undergraduate classes. My focus was on international nuclear security and I was feeling especially motivated that morning. It wasn’t long though before a friendly man, dressed in a dapper but slightly too large suit, from the next desk over made contact. Michael was talkative in the way that always seems a bit strange in such a guarded world but I liked him and I liked his energy. I chattered excitedly about nuclear security in a way that probably seemed too talkative for such a guarded world but he didn’t mind. He pulled out a picture of his daughter for me to see, and with the most exquisite confidence told me he believed in me that I would keep the world safe for her. I’m not sure if I really believed I could make the world a safe place for anyone’s daughter but it mattered to me that someone truly believed I could. I’m not a religious person but when Michael invited me to his church, I knew I would go. At his church that summer I swayed and fanned myself as music played, women cried, and men writhed in the aisles in a transcendent communal experience of pure spirituality. I’m still not religious but to this day I look back with amazement and joy on the experience that sprang to life on the third floor of the public library. “Are you a social worker or something,” a man asked only minutes after my conversation with Michael. I definitely was not (although his guess turned out to be a lot more accurate years down the road than I ever would have imagined). He was bleary-eyed and seemed defeated. I wasn’t a social worker but I have felt as defeated as he looked. I asked him to have a seat at the desk where Michael had just been. He smelled like alcohol, stale and fresh, but I think tears would have welled in his eyes regardless as he spoke about how much he loved his daughter and how much he wanted to be the best he could be for her. I can’t even recall what else we talked about but his distress slowly seeped away. We smiled and laughed and when he asked if it would be okay if he got a hug, I didn’t hesitate. In that third floor library conversation and that hug I’d like to think I passed the encouraging energy from a man who believed I would protect his daughter to a man who just wanted to be better for his own daughter. Years later I would be in that same room on the third floor on a weekend night after the library had closed for the evening. It was an annual Staff Association party, a fantastic gettogether for library employees. I’d worked for the library two years by that point but that particular Staff Association dinner would be my first and last. I had given my notice weeks earlier and the following Monday would be my very last day. It felt cosmic and meaningful to wrap up my tenure at the library with a giant party with free food, alcohol, cupcakes, and music while surrounded by all the amazing friends I’d made while working at the library. I soaked it all in, fully aware of its significance in the moment. I stayed until everyone else had left except my inner circle (comprised of people I’d grown to really love) and one very inspiring unabashedly drunk coworker from another branch. It was the perfect way to close such an important chapter. As I sit here now six months later, I find myself still struggling to navigate life changes set into motion all those months ago. Some of the people I spent that evening with are still in my life; many are not, a reality that has been especially difficult to navigate. But as I sit here now on the third floor of Main, I feel all the moments that have been and all the moments that have yet to come. And while all the variations of “hey girl, where’s your boyfriend” and “I like the colors in your hair” that I have received here today aren’t quite the sense of community I was looking for, they have been exactly the reminder I needed that life is still happening, people are still connecting, and there’s still a world out here waiting for me to reach out and connect. Trans Marxism: The Music of the Future TIMOTHY BAY ContributingWriter T rans Marxism is a term that is being discussed with increasing frequency in socialist spaces. As queer individuals turn to the revolutionary movement, we are seeking ways to make our mark, to adapt the traditional methods and ideas of the left to our particular experiences, and to use the theoretical tools we encounter to theorize our lives. But what does it mean to have a Trans Marxism? Not simply in the descriptive sense that the present author is both a non-binary person and a Marxist, but in the more general sense of how the emerging Trans Marxism can act as a distinct theoretical paradigm within the Marxist project. To a certain degree this theoretical project is tied to identity, to the creation of trans affirming spaces in the socialist movement and the understanding of how the hegemonic transphobia of bourgeois society has impacted revolutionary movements and organizations, and to the development of trans and non-binary cadres to fight against oppression and for human liberation. On another level, Trans Marxism means the application of the theoretical tools developed by Marxism— historical materialism, dialectical philosophy, and Marxist economic theory—to the history of the queer community, the experience of being trans in capitalist society, and the structure of transphobic oppression in the context of class exploitation. One thing we desperately need as a queer revolutionary movement is a thoroughgoing historical materialist examination of trans history —and liberal attempts to theorize transphobic oppression always fall short because of their inability to offer the kind of class analysis that Marxism provides. Furthermore, it is reasonable to suggest that dialectical materialism becomes an extremely intuitive philosophy precisely when the question of trans and nonbinary individuals is brought to the fore (with the slogans "beyond binaries” and “no binaries” that are being raised in regards to gender being excellent summaries of dialectical thinking even to comrades who have never read a word of Marx or Hegel). It’s also worth pointing out that Marxist dialectical philosophy is simply incompatible with the existence of a rigid gender binary; the existence of such would disprove essential Marxist precepts and the very existence of trans, non-binary, and agender people validates the dialectical method of thought. Beyond that however, something that doesn’t get discussed as often is Trans Marxism signifying the understanding that Marxism itself is a project of transition. In his preface to Finance Capital, Rudolf Hilferding suggested a division between Marxism as a scientific method of understanding the world and socialism/communism as a political movement. This view de facto prevailed throughout the 2nd International, where it was largely taken for granted by the ‘orthodox’ leadership that Marxism was simply a question of philosophical ideas set in stone and could be separated from the practical work of building up the THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED party and trade union apparatuses, advocating for social reforms, and conducting electoral campaigns. Understanding Marxism as being in process of transition, as constantly testing its own validity through the revolutionary process and as existing as a product of a certain historical moment (namely of the proletarian class struggle to overthrow capitalism), means a total break that view. A Trans Marxism is a Marxism that cannot be separated from the political movement, that can truly exist only in the course of struggle, and is a realized in terms of concrete socialist organizing more than it terms of a set of abstract beliefs. In that sense, Trans Marxism is the rightful successor of Rosa Luxemburg’s and V.I. Lenin’s efforts to unify socialist theory with socialist practice, of Trotsky’s permanent revolution and transitional program, and of Marx’s famous declaration in the Theses On Feuerbach that “the philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point is to change it.” �No. 3918 3 |-NMay ov 2 -2, N2019 o v 19,| No. 2 0 18 April 405 11 LOCAL Escaping Eviction in Cincinnati SETH WEBER I Contributing Writer magine this: you’re injured, out of work and can’t afford to pay your bills. Your pipes are leaking, leading to high utility costs, and your landlord won’t fix them. You’re scheduled to be in eviction court and without an attorney, you’ll most likely have an eviction filing on your record. This seems like a pretty hopeless situation where no one – not even the justice system – is willing to help you. Agencies such as the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati out there looking out for the city’s most vulnerable, however. City council passed an ordinance in January that will appropriate $227,000 to eviction prevention. An agency has yet to be chosen as a recipient, as progress on a request for proposal (RFP) has been slow but steady, said Vanessa White, chief of staff for council member Greg Landsman. An RFP will be sent out by July 1. That amount of cash may sound like a lot, but it’s small compared to what social service agencies in Hamilton County spend on eviction prevention alone. St. Vincent spent $700,000 on eviction prevention in 2017. Strategies to End Homelessness (STEH), Cincinnati’s Unified Funding Agency for homelessness, spent more than $920,000 on eviction prevention in 2017, according to their 2017 IRS forms. Even still, Mary Reid, St. Vincent’s social services director, and STEH President and CEO Kevin Finn have expressed this is just a drop in the bucket in the face of the problem. STEH’s eviction prevention fund was just 4 percent of the $22.2 million it spent in 2017. The rest went to keeping people experiencing homelessness off the street and in shelters. Most of the eviction prevention funding comes from state and local governments, while the federal government funds homelessness programs, Finn said. Hundreds of dollars more on average are spent keeping individuals off the street than are spent on aid with rent or utilities, Finn said. Little public spending goes towards eviction prevention, however, because officials don’t want it to be “wasted” on people who aren’t going to end up experiencing homelessness if they are evicted. Low-income residents who aren’t getting help often pay up to half their income on rent, said Nick DiNardo, managing attorney at the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati. This is corroborated by a 2017 housing affordability report authored by the Community Building Institute at Xavier University. The report states a third of households in Hamilton County are paying more than 30 percent of their income on housing, which is considered a cost burden. “Throughout Hamilton County this is particularly pronounced among extremely low income households,” the report states. “Three quarters of these households spend more than 30 percent, or more than 50 percent, of their income on housing, making it difficult to pay for other essential expenses.” The housing market is not looking hopeful for these folks, as Hamilton County’s poverty rate has risen from 13 to 18 percent since 2000 and there are 500 fewer subsidized housing units since that time. Forty thousand more subsidized housing units are needed to meet demand, the Xavier University report states. Until the demand is met, those living in unaffordable housing often have to rely on the aid on agencies like St. Vincent. About 100 to 150 applications for assistance come through St. Vincent a week, said Claire Palmer, a client advocate. Out of those, about a dozen or so are chosen by a team of three or four people who look through the applications and debate who should be given aid. With an average of $300 to $400 given to each applicant, Claire says they need to be selective to stay within budget. Palmer and a few others on staff sat around a table, reciting the stories of people seeking help. Those they heard from range from a single mother trying to keep a roof over her children’s heads, to an elderly couple behind on utilities. The group asked each other questions in an attempt to narrow down the applicants. What is this family’s income? Why did that woman lose her job? For many applicants, the only income consists of government benefits. Some are out of work due to an injury. The process is quite subjective, Palmer said, and deciding who needs help the most is left up to their best judgement. “That’s the good thing about St. Vincent de Paul: we have guidelines, but you can go with your heart here,” Palmer said. “We’ve had different people come through here who say this should be more scientific. It never works because the human part always comes through.” After applicants are chosen, they come into the West End office where they talk about what trouble they’re facing. One couple, Kimberly Newman and David Bertke, applied for help because they were out of work. Newman’s contract at Duke Energy had ended and Bertke lost employment after injuring his knee on a forklift. They were seeking help for their water bill, for which they owed $900. The couple and Palmer agreed the skyhigh bill was likely due to a leaking pipe. They were also paying out of pocket to keep cockroaches at bay which had been infesting the house since they’d moved in. Bertke said they don’t want to pay for fixes the landlord should be making, but they don’t want to pay for another security deposit, either. “We’re caught in a Catch-22,” he said. “Do we pay into [the landlord’s] money trap or do I pay to move?” On top of everything, they were behind on rent and struck a deal with the landlord that has them paying $500 a week. The next day they had to be in eviction court. Newman said she already had evictions on her record, which as DiNardo says, can make finding decent housing challenging. “Once you have one eviction filed against you, you enter a different world of rental housing,” DiNardo said. “You have the regular housing, and then you have the sub-world of rental housing.” In this “sub-world” where tenants pay the same rate for worse housing, DiNardo says landlords tend to ignore problems like Newman and Bertke were facing and often retaliate against complaining tenants by seeking eviction. It’s difficult to prove such retaliation, he says, especially when one does not have proper representation. Tianna Henry came to St. Vincent looking for help on a Duke Energy bill of more than $1000. She wasn’t dealing with a vindictive landlord, but did have to deal with poor living conditions. It was the dead of winter and the Section 8 unit’s heating wasn’t working properly. Henry said she may have considered braving the cold if she were alone, but she wasn’t willing to subject her four young children to such conditions. Later, she couldn’t come back if she wanted to because the unit failed an inspection. Palmer seemed frustrated and confused with the apparent lack of care such landlords show. “[Some landlords] don’t really care about fixing things, especially if they don’t live close,” she said. “They’re getting the full amount of rent, so why can’t they run it like a proper business?” Thanks to Duke Energy’s “winter rule,” tenants can pay a steep discount to have their energy reconnected. In this instance, $175 was needed, and Palmer was quick to write the check for Henry. Ever since the children’s father died, Henry said it’s been difficult to make ends meet. “If it wasn’t just me, it might not be so hard,” she said. “I’m just walking on the edge right now.” After writing the checks, Palmer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED took the time to talk with everyone about budgeting, as she finds budgeting skills to be vital to keeping one’s head above water. Try as they may, workers at St. Vincent have a hard time keeping up with those they help. Palmer says she and others will call them to check up, but often don’t hear back once the person walks out the door. If you can’t find help to pay off your rent or utilities, you face an even tougher challenge: Ohio’s justice system. In Ohio, the court is not required to provide tenants with representation, leading to 98 percent of tenants facing court without an attorney, said Rob Wall, director of the Hamilton County Municipal Court Help Center. Often the only legal assistance tenants get is the free advice provided by the team at the help center. Wall said they often see dozens of people a day, though such a resource is rare in Ohio; Franklin and Hamilton Counties are the only places in Ohio which provide such a service. If Wall and his team think a case can be taken on, they pass it along to the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati, who represent tenants free of charge. The team at Legal Aid is small, and can only take a select few eviction cases a month out of the thousands which go through the Hamilton County courthouse. Eviction cases are heard in a small room in the courthouse’s first floor. Blink and you’d miss a case during the proceeding which tend to fly by in seconds. If the tenant comes to defend themselves or are represented by Legal Aid, it could last a little longer – maybe a couple minutes. To those like Nick DiNardo, the managing attorney at the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati, the basic human need for a roof over one’s head is of such vital importance that tenants ought to have court-appointed representation. “It seems to me if you have a right to an attorney for spending one night in jail, I think you can make a pretty strong argument that the public should have some sort of right to appointment of council,” he said. New York City began appointing lawyers to tenants in 2017 and according to a 2018 report by New York City’s Human Resources Administration, $77 million was spent on tenant legal services, assisting 33,000 households. “Eighty-four percent of households represented in court by lawyers were able to remain in their homes, not only saving thousands of tenancies, but also promoting the preservation of affordable housing and neighborhood stability,” the report states. �12 STREETVOICE N o v 218 - N o v 19, 0 18 || N o . 393 April - May 2,22019 No. 405 Witches T here they were "throned" on my front porch; every summer; shelling peas, snapping beans; All Knowing… They give birth, life, and call down sweet chariot while gently singing the dying into that River.All There they were in bright the while their chairs-big dresses: yellows, reds, their thrones--rocking blues, purples, oranges, sorrow away and giving greens; rhythm to joy. Dresses dancing around With each moment of life overly large, abundant calling up and gathering baby producing hips. up the song comes the shout! Dresses rocking, molding and cradling the curves It starts with a lap or an of breasts made to feed apron full of peas leaping nations into the atmosphere. Bowls overturned, clanging their There they were sitting on symphonic introduction my front porch preparing in existence. for winter, preparing for harvest, preparing for And in unison with the whatever storm was going freedom of the peas, to come.. the women dance their souls out of their bodies Beautiful, radiant, women like rainbow whales on with raisin and coco skins- emerald seas. -reds and purples dancing around their cheeks and Free! Free! from the eyes.. bondage society can hold. They laugh watching the many children dodge the bees, skin their knees, and grin at each other trying so hard to please Overlapping choruses of “How I got over,” “Nobody knows,” and “Amazing Grace drummed out on the wooden plank porch. A symphony of aged bare They sit on the porch... feet; a ballet of earthy Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, round bodies painting and Spirit...keeping the God’s grace. world turning, growing, cleansing. and just being. They think of the times when there were no peas, One day I too will be a no beans, no food to share.. praying witch. They remember when they I too can say to God in could not own their own confidence and strength.. houses, their own lives, their own bodies or even “You promised…” their own dreams. I want my big flowing And the screams, the dress, my rocker, my wailings crescendo into large bag for healing and an opera of “Thank you, concealing the emptiness Jesus,” “Lord, have mercy,” that brings apathy and war. and “Glory! I want to use the fat of my body to draw out and hold Glory! chaos and poisons and Glory! Hallelujah!” gently return them, cleans and whole as flowers and One day, One very Holy trees. day, if I am blessed and awakened; resurrected and I want my body filled taken..I too will sit with with every creature, light the Five wise women...the and dark, I want to sit... witches. to sit on a porch and see my children; my children Slowly, I’m reaching that filled so full of love they porch so high; that porch can’t help but to walk almost level with the sky. justice, eat justice, breath justice, teach justice and Where “Old” is beautiful give peace. and “Fat” means harvest and wolves and pigs are I want to be that witch, that both in Vogue. woman, that elder, that wise crone filled with all One day, if I keep my my colors. Sitting on that broom handy; ready to porch, rocking with the clean my would-a-should- white painted clap boards a-could-haves; making as my halo; shelling peas my hearth a place for all; and snapping beans to feed, comfort, and teach share. many nations; laugh to the storms and cry after the JUNE ALEXANDER sun; nurse the moon with Contributing Writer my own eternal light... 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 ov 2 2, - N o v 19, 2 0 18 April 183 -| N May 2019 | No. 405 Intoxication Intoxication is being drunk if only for a little while Intoxication can become a bad habit with a crooked smile On Securing His Base Being high and drunk all alone really makes no sense Being homeless, a panhandler and a drunk can be a bad defense The fear of not knowing what your next move can possibly be Can be intoxicating without a drink, please believe me The fear of failure constantly day in and day out Can be a eye opener to a drunk to make a change, no doubt Once you realize that there is another way to live everyday To work, maintain your money and eventually find a place to Trump loves to rant about law and order When he Tweets about the southern border. He's busy creating new Hispanic scapegoats, As the way he keeps his anti-immigrant votes. At all his rallies you can be certain he caters To his adoring base of right-wing haters. stay Things start to fall in order for you surely but slowly As you start to make a change in your life ever so boldly Intoxicating thoughts will no longer be able to hold you back BILL WOODS Contributing Writer Understanding that with the help of God you can get your life on track So don’t stay intoxicated by the fears of the world today Go to church, read the bible and get on your knees and pray! WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer The Sorrow of Tomorrow The sorrow of tomorrow Is here today The future looks Dim and gray The Earth has been Polluted Children in the world Are starving and crying Many animals are now extinct But this doesn't affect the way The killers of them think Their motives are furious And notorious Wash your hands Rinse your food These are the basic rules Our waters are polluted Ozone layer's almost gone A whole lot of viruses People are dying and crying Farm land unreliable People are getting killed Mankind is dying The sorrow of tomorrow is here today! THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 13 �PUZZLES 14 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 103 Across 1. Set of rules, principles or laws 5. Concentrate 10. Money 14. Overt 15. Entertain 16. Having the capacity to do something 17. Baseball glove 18. First public appearance 19. Juicy fruit 20. Unable to move or resist motion 22. Orderly 23. Receive something given 24. Breakfast food 26. Plant with pea or bean seedpod 28. Smell 31. Sense organ 32. Immense 35. Having a sharp biting taste 37. Fatigued 41. In the past 42. Crane framework 44. Owed and payable immediately 45. Taut 47. Dark shade of blue 48. Bard 49. Flow back 51. Property rental contract 53. Bowl-shaped depression 56. Approximately average 60. Melt 61. Untamed 64. Snapshot 65. Sharpen 66. Separate 68. Affirm 69. Impulse 70. Happen again 71. Coniferous tree 72. Something done 73. Foe 74. Oracle PUZZLE SOLUTIONS CROSSWORD #102 N o v 2 18 - N-oMay v 19,2, 20 18 | |NNo. o . 393 April 2019 405 Down 1. Standup comedian 2. Speak up without fear or hesitation 3. Dissuade 4. Beseech 5. Craze 6. Portent 7. Raise to the third power 8. Common 9. A small sofa 10. Removal of an opponent's piece in chess 11. At right angles to the length of a ship 12. Quench 13. In this place 21. Seafarer 25. Fail to win 27. Look with amazement 29. Between dawn and noon 30. Pertaining to hearing or the ear 32. Large open vessel for storing liquids 33. Historic period 34. Male offspring 36. Rend 38. Fuss 39. Regret 40. Up to the present time 42. Amount owed 43. Bluish shade of green 46. Wrack 48. Maybe 50. Be cautious about 52. Soak through 53. Disagreeable task 54. Scope 55. Mature 57. Motion picture 58. Expiate 59. Depress 60. Heavy dull sound 62. Delicate woven fabric 63. Percussion instrument 67. Attempt SODOKU PUZZLE NO 394 - MEDIUM SODOKU PUZZLE NO 393- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 3918 3 |-NMay ov 2 -2, N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 April | No. 405 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 18 - N-oMay v 19, 2, 2 02019 18 | N o . 393 April | No. 405 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 18-May 2, 2019 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: No Autonomy Pg 3: Wade street and Central Avenue Tenants Release New Statement Appalachian Cincinnati Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: Life on the Streets Pg 6: Ahead of LGBT+ Crackdown, Fleeing Brunelans Fear for Friends Back Home Pg 7: Without Papers, Uighurs Fear for their Future in Turkey Pg 8: How to Bury a Story Pg 9: How to Bury a Story Continued Pg 10: 3rd of Main Trans Marxism Pg 11: Escaping eviction in Cincinnati 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 18-May 2, 2019 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gabriela Godinez Bill Woods Josh Spring Helen Hill Kieran Gulibert Michael Taylor Joey Williams Dr. Mark Mussman Seth Weber Timothy Bay Willa Denise Jones Kim Green June Alexander Canva.com INSP.com Pngtree.com Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Abortion Appalachian Bill Woods Canva.com Cincinnati Dr. Mark Mussman Evictions Gabriela Godinez Helen Hill INSP.com Joey Williams Josh Spring June Alexander Kieran Gulibert Kim Green LGBTQ+ Michael Taylor Pngtree.com Seth Weber Timothy Bay Trans Marxism Turkey Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/038618098a44c6fc00567007ba8cb810.pdf 3976352d7c80afa3ef484d362db2bd9f PDF Text Text M ay 2nd - M ay 16th 2019 | Vo l . 23 Issue 9 (No. 406) 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. UnderThe Law 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 22 -- N o v 19, 0 18 || N o . 393 May May 16,22019 No. 406 From The Editor: Individuals In A Society: Intersectionality and Homelessness GABRIELA GODINEZ Editor-in-chief W hen we talk about homelessness in America it is easy to go into the stereotype of a man, likely a veteran, on the streets panhandling since he doesn’t have a job. While that narrative of homelessness if far too common and can be true, it is not the only experience. Though there are people living on the streets, we have to recognize the other versions of homelessness that are not immediately visible. Many people experiencing homelessness do in fact have jobs, but don’t have their own place because of a surplus of luxury apartments and lack of affordable housing. This can lead to people doubling up, meaning two families live in one home where they would otherwise be living separately. Similarly, some people experiencing homelessness might be couch surfing, where a person might have a place to stay with friends or family but not have a permanent home to call their own. It is important to identify the different stories that come from experiencing homelessness in America, and being able to see how they manifest in our society. People experiencing homelessness can be and are of all genders, races, sexualities, etc. Ignoring the intersectionality within homelessness will only hurt the issue further. Homelessness is a race issue. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, “African Americans make up more than 40% of the homeless population, but represent 13% of the general population.” Since the United States is still largely segregated, people of color are more likely to live in areas that have fewer resources including proper education and job opportunities. Institutionalized racism still affecting our American society causes people of color from under-resourced areas to end up experiencing homelessness at some point in their lives. Homelessness is an LGBTQ issue. According to the UCLA School of Law, about 40% of youth experiencing homelessness is LGBTQ. Children who come out as queer, or are outed against their will, are likely to either be kicked out of their homes or run away if they live in a homophobic community. Many communities in America still don’t largely accept the LGBTQ community, which results in a lower life expectancy and a higher risk of experiencing homelessness for LGTBQ folks. Homelessness is an accessibility and health issue. The National Alliance to End Homelessness reported that “on a given night in 2017, 20 percent of the homeless population reported having a serious mental illness, 16 percent conditions related to chronic substance abuse, and more than 10,000 people had HIV/AIDS.” They also reference the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reporting, “People living in shelters are more than twice as likely to have a disability compared to the general population.” Homelessness is a complex, multifaceted issue. Unfortunately, the list goes on and on. When we stick to only one version of a story, we only attempt to mend that version. People of privilege, whether inadvertently or not, end up putting folks into easy to understand boxes that all look exactly the same. That not only makes it difficult for us as a society to address the issue, but also strips people of their identity. To tackle the issue of homelessness we have to tackle all social justice issues. While this might sound exhausting, it is necessary. Homelessness does not come at the fault of a single person, but at the fault of a society made up of individuals that would rather look away when others get knocked down. Of the people experiencing homelessness as of 2017: 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 34 % (192,875 people) lived in a place not meant for human habitation 7.2 % were veterans (40,056 people) 7.4% were unaccompanied children and young adults (40,799 children and young adults) 66.7 % (369,081 people) were single individuals 33.3 % (184,661 adults and children)were people in families Source: National Alliance to End Homelessness 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 Writers: Gabriela Godinez, Bill Woods, Josh Spring, Dustin Dandliker, Jordi Conella Detrell, Emelio Godoy, Dr. Mark Mussman, Melissa Lilly, Raya, Willa Denise Jones, Martha Stephens, Alexander Monaco ------------------------------------------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. �No. 39 | Nov 16, 2- N o v 19, 2 0 18 May 2 3- May 2019 | No. 406 3 COALITION From The Director: Come Out and Say "NO WAY" JOSH SPRING Executive Director A s Jeff Berding and FC Cincinnati try to kick seven households out of their homes, they are also asking our City for yet another benefit. Jeff Berding and FC Cincinnati are trying to steal the homes of people from ages 99 to 5 and simultaneously are asking our city to change the zoning rules for them. Already they have the City Planning Commission and City Council approving a major zoning change, which allows them much more leeway in construction. Now, they are asking for approval of a major amendment to the original zoning benefit they received. This means, if approved, it would include 421 Wade Street. This is where they are trying to force people from their homes. Sitting close by is 1559 Central Avenue where they are also trying to remove people. Perhaps they thought the many people who care about basic human rights would not notice this, but we do. There is one more important meetings about this coming up and we need everyone to come out and demand that our City not provide another benefit to FCC Cincinnati if they still plan to displace people from their homes. A city planning commission hearing will be held Friday, May 10, 2019 at 9 am in Two Centennial Plaza on the 7th floor. On Tuesday April 30th, 2019, FightBack Cincinnati and the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition attended the Public City Planning Staff conference about Fc Cincinnati’s request for the zoning change. We still ask people to support our cause and loudly demand that FC Cincinnati agree that they will not tell any of the residents at Wade Street & Central Avenue to leave or threaten evictions. A meeting between the tenants and FC Cincinnati has to be held to be able to reach an agreement. Tenants are also asking that FC Cincinnati renovate 1559 Central Avenue and give ownership to Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses, allowing those currently residing in 1559 to stay there. We know that this would still displace those in 421 over to 1559 Central Avenue, but in an effort to reach a resolution, the tenants are offering this compromise. In order for this to happen, FC Cincinnati will have to pay any associated moving costs and financial compensation to each tenant. Last year, Jeff Berding and FC Cincinnati publicly told everyone they would not displace anybody. Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME), the region’s fair housing watchdog, told FC Cincinnati they have significant concerns that FCC is acting in violation of federal fair housing law. Federal fair housing law prohibits discrimination of people of specific races or color and people who are differently abled. The tenants say, “we are all either Black and/ or have handicaps.” Jef Berding and FC Cincinnati have not responded to HOME. As of now, even after a brief meeting with Jeff and FC Cincinnati on Friday April 26th, FC Cincinnati is still telling the tenants to leave their homes. An Overlooked Piece Of Good News BILL WOODS Board Member W ith Trump's "national emergency," the Mueller Report, and other horrendous news swirling around Washington, D.C., one positive action that took place in the nation's capital this spring received very little attention. On March 8th, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1- the For the People Act. This piece of legislation sets the gold standard for political reform in this country. It includes reforms on voting rights, gerrymandering, and "big money" in campaigns. The bad news is Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s declaration that the "For the People Act" won't even get a hearing in the Senate. The Senator from Kentucky's commentary on this bill makes it sound like any genuine effort to renew the health of democracy represents a political attack on the Republican Party. Nevertheless, this comprehensive reform deserves a great deal more attention than it has yet received in order to make people aware of its potential for improving the current political process. First of all, H.R. 1 is not just a political ploy to insure the election of Democrats. Traditional reform groups such as the League of Women Voters and Common Cause strongly support it. In fact, Common Cause worked behind the scenes with the drafters of the bill to insure that certain reforms were included in the final version. When it came up for review in the House, Karen Hobert Flynn, President of Common Cause, testified for H.R.1 before the House Oversight and Reform Committee. What is in the bill? Protecting and enhancing voting rights certainly remain a focus of the proposed legislation. Election Day would become a national holiday, and a variety of steps are put forward to make it easier for people to register and vote. For Federal elections, the proposed law attempts to minimize the impediments that states often adopt to make it more difficult for some groups to vote. It calls for the availability of Internet registration, and an automatic registration process. It revitalizes the Voting Rights Act that had been weakened in recent years, and it calls for all states to restore the right to vote for ex-offenders who have been released from prison. A redistricting reform that would essentially eliminate gerrymandering is included in the House Bill. It proposes to establish non-partisan state commissions to draw Congressional district lines every ten years. This method would do away with the highly partisan process that currently exists in many states, and such a citizen commission would also improve Ohio's new plan adopted by the voters in 2018. H.R. 1- even tackles the major problem of "big money" as a dominant factor in today's political campaigns. It calls for disclosure of major donations to candidates for Congress. Although certainly not a cure, disclosure at least gives public exposure to "Fat Cat" efforts to influence elections. The bill also provides limited public financing for campaigns. A certain number of small donations will trigger a percentage of public dollars to aid candidates who are not receiving huge THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED PAC contributions. However, Supreme Court rulings such as the Citizens United Case still make it extremely difficult to diminish the influence of "big money" on the political process. H.R.1- also establishes reforms for administering elections. It seeks to protect the voting process from any tampering by domestic or foreign organizations, and it lays out guidelines for preventing hacking and other forms of fraud. It also mandates sufficient funding to pay for administrative improvements. In conclusion, reformers need to call attention to the many needed changes that would occur if the For the People Act became the law of the land. For those who believe that a renewed democracy is critical to addressing other growing problems such as income inequality, poverty, health care, racism, and climate change, the passage of H.R. 1- would be a major step in the right direction. Who knows? If reformers make enough noise and the news media picks up the message, Republicans in the Senate might feel pressured to at least give this bill a hearing. �4 ADVERTISMENT NMay ov 22 - -NMay o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 16,2 02019 406 May 17 - June 2, 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. 3923-|May Nov 216, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 May | No. 406 U.S. NEWS 5 To make it on the streets, I had to look like you: not homeless DUSTIN DANDLIKER Street Roots T here are people walking around downtown Portland every day who presently are or once were homeless. You would never know based on their appearance. I am one of those people. An investigation by The Oregonian revealed that unhoused people made up 52 per cent of arrests in 2017. Far too much of the time and tax dollars spent by Portland’s law enforcement in 2017 was devoted to nonviolent, addictionrelated and other low-priority infractions. I was homeless for most of 2017, and the spectre of imprisonment for being poor was very real. To look “not homeless” is not merely a matter of pride, but also survival. To look “not homeless” meant looking like I had money. I carried only what I could fit in a backpack. I never carted a sleeping bag or extra duffel. I definitely never carried anything but food in plastic bags. Above all, I never carried a garbage bag. Doing any of the above would have painted a target on my back for harassment by cops and branded a scarlet letter on my chest, ensuring avoidance by fellow citizens and store owners. Like many other houseless citizens, I sought sanctuary at the Central Library and Portland State University. I could pass for a student or patron of the arts. I usually showered three times a week. I had to take opportunities where I could; otherwise, I had to go without. Remaining unwashed and smelly, again, meant unwanted attention. Dad had a single room occupancy (SRO) apartment at the Patton Home. I could clean up there, for a while, but once the manager got wind of me doing so, she enforced an ostensibly preestablished regulation that guests could not shower while visiting residents. After that, I could only cajole Dad into allowing me to bathe maybe once a week. He only consented when the manager or custodial staff were off shift or otherwise occupied. Doing so meant he risked losing his own housing. The unfortunate reality of poverty is desperation. Warm food, clean water, shelter, safety and hygiene are customary privileges for most people in the United States. When was the last time you missed your morning routine for a few days out of necessity? For people in poverty, however, these basic needs are never guaranteed. I showered at shelters only as a last resort because some of my peers would take clothing, shoes and anything of durable value if they had no immediate alternative; acts of desperation. Shelters are afforded only the bare minimum when it comes to amenities because ending homelessness is an unpopular cause. So, I had no safe place to stash my belongings when attending to my hygiene. If I wanted to clean up at a shelter, I had to keep one eye on my gear while keeping soap from dripping into it. Tricky and only viable if I wasn’t already exhausted. I rarely sat down to a hot meal in a safe place; certainly not in any place I felt at home. When I was alone, I bought meals exclusively at grocery stores and only if they had inside seating and accepted food stamps. I ate outside only in picnic weather. And when I did, I made sure I was at Pioneer Square or a public park during the day so as not to draw law enforcement’s attention. Other times, if I could manage my PTSD symptoms and I had someone with me, I would patronize the oftencrowded Sisters of the Road Cafe. We could buy healthy, hot meals for a buck and a quarter. They accepted food stamps and barter labor. We were waited on and treated with respect. Sisters of the Road ascribes to “gentle personalism.” As they put it, “Gentle personalism is profoundly about love.” Free meals seem segregated to acceptable “poverty sectors”, however. Most meals are offered at the shelters, usually along Burnside in Old Town. I worry the programs there may be priced out by gentrification someday. I was lucky to have family that still loved and supported me regardless of my income. Many houseless folks – especially the elderly and people with severe mental illnesses – are not. When my food stamps ran out, I could count on Dad for a sandwich or hot breakfast. When he had the money, we would go out to coffee and see a movie. Those days I felt the most legitimate like I was finally a part of the larger community again. I saw other people use disguises similar to mine, although more nuanced. A couple of men I knew from the Portland Rescue Mission wore full suits, tie and jacket included. They each had only one such outfit and they meticulously cleaned them every day. One of the two gentlemen even had a briefcase. Perhaps they had jobs that required formal wear, but they returned to the shelter every night. Dresses and blouses clogged the donation area at the Rescue Mission. However, most women I observed preferred work clothes often miscategorized as men’s apparel because they were baggy and durable. More than a few shaved their heads too. I can’t say for certain, but I imagine many of them feared the added risk of sexual assault. Conversely, I have additional layers of biological camouflage. I am a large, white male, so I passed through psychosocial barriers without detection. I have never bunked down in a doorway worried someone might sexually assault or harass me. Additionally, I walked unimpeded through stores and other public places without concern for racial profiling. Provided I kept clean and unencumbered by additional belongings, I could sometimes purchase food, sit in a coffee shop and even get away with using the bathroom without buying anything. Illustration by Kat Davis THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED People living outside are shuffled to the margins of society then blamed for falling off the edge. They send police to confine us, sanitizing the public conscience and keeping us out of your neighborhood. We ride public transit to the farthest terminals. We hide in Forest Park or the deep, undeveloped areas of the suburbs. We squat in empty houses and unused industrial areas. Yet, once found out, “your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore ... the homeless, tempest-tost” are arrested, hospitalized or segregated in shelters. Portland’s “cesspool” is ruthlessly cleaned by police sweeps, but the baby gets thrown out with the bath water. We are your neighbors, sons and daughters, grandchildren and grandparents. We try everything to look like you – not homeless – to humanize our struggle. We have a right to exist, unimpeded by prejudicial fears. Homelessness is inconvenient to store owners and commuters, but it is a lifeand-death struggle for those citizens living through it. We are doing so much just to survive, just to get by. Please, educate yourselves about the underlying causes of poverty, rather than judging on appearance. Engage in dialogue with us. I challenge you to take an elderly homeless person to lunch with you. These are creative, compassionate solutions to our mutual dilemma that are waiting for your talent and input. If you can’t contribute your time or money, at least use your voice to change the law instead of calling the cops. �GLOBAL 6 NMay ov 2 2 - -NMay o v 19, 18 | N o . 393 16,2 02019 | No. 406 Migrant Farm Workers, the Main Victims of Slave Labour in Mexico EMILIO GODOY Inter Press Service “T hey mislead the workers, tell them that they will be paid well and pay them much less. The recruiters and the employers deceive them,” complained Marilyn Gómez, a migrant farm worker in Mexico. Gómez, a member of the Mixteco Yosonuvico of Sonora Cerró Nublado cooperative and the mother of two girls, said that the migrant workers are forced to buy whatever they need in their employers’ stores – “where everything is super expensive” – because they aren`t allowed to leave the farm. “There’s no social security, no contracts, we work very long hours. They take advantage of the fact that people need work,” said Gómez, who began to work in the fields with her family at the age of 13, picking grapes and vegetables in the northern state of Sonora. The 27-year-old migrant worker and activist, who has worked sick and has frequently worked for more than 12 hours a day for just a few dollars, has harvested fruit and vegetables near the town of Miguel Aleman, part of the municipality of Hermosillo, about 1,600 kilometres north of Mexico City. Her account illustrates the working conditions of migrant farm workers, who provide substantial returns to their employers and who put vegetables and fruit on the tables of Mexican and U.S. consumers. They are generally peasant farmers who migrate temporarily or permanently from the southern states to harvest export crops in central and northern Mexico. They routinely suffer violations of labour rights, and of their rights to housing, education, health and a healthy diet. And they lack work contracts, adequate working conditions, social security and overtime pay, according to the report “Violations of the rights of agricultural day laborers in Mexico“, launched on 21 March in Mexico City by the National Network of Agricultural Day Labourers, to which Gómez belongs. In Mexico, migrant farm workers or day labourers are the main victims of slave or forced labour, according to this and other local and international studies. The National Network, made up of workers’, indigenous and academic organisations, has identified cases of labour exploitation, human trafficking and forced labour and/or services. The latest National Survey of Occupation and Employment, from 2017, placed the number of migrant farm workers at 2.9 million, while the governmental Programme of Care for Agricultural Day Laborers put the figure at 1.54 million, plus 4.41 million family members who follow them as they move about. The government of leftist President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who took office on 1 December 2018, dismantled the programme and has not yet put in place its successor. Regional context There are 1.95 million victims of slave labour in the Americas, five percent of the world total, according to the 2018 Global Slavery Index, produced by the non-governmental Walk Free Foundation, based in Australia. Forced labour represents 66 per cent and persons, especially women, in forced marriage, account for 34 per cent. The region has, on average, a prevalence of 1.9 people living in modern-day slavery per 1,000 inhabitants. And one-third of the victims of forced labour were in debt bondage, while the Latin America and Caribbean region accounted for four percent of all exploited labourers in the world. While Haiti, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic had the highest rates, Brazil, Mexico and Colombia had the absolute largest numbers of people in situations of slavery. In Brazil, Latin America’s giant, with a population of 208 million, 369,000 people were living in modernday slavery, representing 1.8 per 1,000 inhabitants. In Mexico, the second largest regional economy with 129 million inhabitants, 341,000 people were living in slavery conditions, or 2.71 per 1,000 people, while in Colombia, the fourth largest regional economy with a population of 45 million, the figure was 131,000, or 2.7 per 1,000. Modern-day slavery includes human trafficking, forced labour, debt bondage, forced marriage, and commercial sexual exploitation, according to the Walk Free Foundation. For Mayela Blanco, a researcher at the non-governmental Center for Studies in International Cooperation and Public Management, migrant farm workers in Mexico are vulnerable to falling prey to trafficking for labour exploitation. “There is a recruitment chain in which the recruiters offer people work and an advance payment to draw them in, but there is no contract. In some places, they don’t get paid until the end of the work period,” said Blanco. There are a growing number of studies on this phenomenon in the Mexican countryside, and there has been no improvement for day labourers. The “2018 List of goods produced by child labor or forced labor“, published by the U.S. Department of Labor, includes reports on people forced to work in the production of chili peppers in Mexico. “Many of these victims report being recruited by middlemen, called enganchadores, that lie to workers about the nature and conditions of the work, wages, hours, and quality of living conditions,” the document states. Cases of forced labour in chili peppers production predominantly occur on small and medium-sized farms and have been found in states such as Baja California, Chihuahua, Jalisco, and San Luis Potosi, according to the report. “Once on the farms, some men and women work up to 15 hours per day under the threat of dismissal and receive subminimum wage payments or no payment at all,” it adds. Meanwhile, “Some workers face growing indebtedness to company stores that often inflate the prices of their goods, forcing workers to purchase provisions on credit and limiting their ability to leave the farms,” the report says. In Mexico, the company stores on factories and rural estates in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were known as “tiendas de raya”, where the workers were forced to buy their provisions – just like the company stores of today. The U.S. list also includes cattle ranches and peanut farms in Bolivia, textile factories and logging companies in Brazil, and Brazil nut harvesting and the logging industry in Peru. Washington bans the entry of goods produced with forced labour, under the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act, in force since 2016 and based on the old Tariff Act of 1930. Since 2015, the governmental THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED National Human Rights Commission has issued at least six recommendations for violations of the rights of migrant farm workers, which are non-binding proposals. In one of them, issued in 2018 for violations of several human rights for trafficking in persons, such as child labour in the form of forced labour, the Mexican Commission highlighted abuses against at least 62 migrant workers belonging to the Mixtec indigenous people, including 13 adolescents. The members of the indigenous group, originally from the central state of Guerrero, were harvesting cucumbers in the western state of Colima. Of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, number eight, which promotes decent work, sets among its targets the implementation of “immediate and effective” measures to eradicate forced labour, ban modern forms of slavery and human trafficking, and ensure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour. Despite some advances and international commitments, Latin America and the Caribbean are making only moderate progress in the fight against this phenomenon. The Global Slavery Index gave the region an average rating of “B” and indicated that Argentina, Chile and Peru improved their status compared to 2016, while Brazil, Mexico and Central American countries remained the same. Blanco says the conditions faced by migrant workers in Mexico are seen as normal and that they are not considered victims. “They run the risk of losing their jobs. We have not seen a response from the authorities,” she said. Gómez, who is still a migrant worker harvesting fruit and vegetables but now in decent conditions, said the government should intervene. “The institutions don’t do what they are supposed to do; we are asking that they take action and ensure our rights,” the activist said. The National Network made recommendations such as a census of employers, the monitoring of working conditions, a comprehensive programme to address the issue and a census of migrant workers. Courtesy of Inter Press Service / INSP.ngo �GLOBAL N o. 392 3 -| May Nov 216, - N2019 o v 19,| No. 2 0 18406 May 7 Franco’s invisible legacy: books across the Hispanic world are still scarred by his censorship Photo by Alfons Morales on Unsplash I JORDI CORNELLÀDETRELL The Conversation t’s 80 years since the end of the Spanish Civil War, when General Francisco Franco’s populist forces finally overcame the leftist resistance and plunged the country into full-blown dictatorship. Decades after his death, Franco continues to cast a long shadow over Spain, from the rise of the far-right Vox party to the hundreds of mass graves of people who died in the war that are still waiting to be exhumed. One other hugely important legacy that few people are aware of is the continuing effect on books, both in Spain and throughout the Spanishspeaking world. To this day, translations of many world classics and works of Spanish literature are being reprinted using expurgated texts approved by the dictator’s censors – often without publishers even realising it, let alone readers. It has had a chilling effect on freedom of speech over the years, and must be addressed as a matter of urgency. Between 1936 and 1966, every single book published in Spain had to be submitted to a national board of censors for examination. The censors would decide whether the text should be banned altogether or was fit for publication, in which case they would stipulate any necessary changes. After 1966, when a new law that partly liberalised freedom of speech was introduced in the country, publishers could voluntarily decide whether to submit a text for censorship. However, the authorities still retained the ability to withdraw any book from circulation that they deemed unacceptable. Franco’s censorship laws sought to reinforce Catholicism and promote ideological and cultural uniformity. The censors enforced conservative values, inhibited dissent and manipulated history, especially the memory of the civil war. Sexually explicit material was banned, as were alternative political views, improper language and criticisms of the Catholic church. Spain abandoned these policies after Franco’s death in 1975, yet most of the same texts are still widely available today. Ira Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby is available in more than 20 different Spanish-language editions, for instance, including an electronic one, all of which lack two extended passages that according to the censors glorified Satan. James Baldwin’s Go and Tell it on the Mountain is only available in a version with cuts that include references to birth control and details about the sex lives of the main characters. The publication of this expurgated text is sponsored by none other than UNESCO. Many literary works by some of Spain’s most important 20th-century writers have suffered similar fates, including those by Ana María Matute, Camilo José Cela, Juan Marsé and Ignacio Aldecoa. In some cases, such as George Orwell’s Burmese Days and Ian Fleming’s Thunderball, censored parts have even survived in retranslated and restored versions. With no one under the age of 40 even alive during the dictatorship years, few people are even aware of the problem. Public libraries are encouraging people to read thousands of volumes without realising they are censored. Many of these texts have been imported to Latin America, sometimes even being republished in Santiago Abascal, leader of Spain's emerging far-right party VOX, speaks during a rally in Barcelona, Spain, March 30, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio Perez different countries with their censored parts intact. It means that a fairly large proportion of the world’s population is being routinely denied access to literature as it was intended to appear. Why censorship never ended It is a well known fact that Spaniards have found it difficult to confront their traumatic recent history. The so-called “pact of forgetting”, a tacit decision among the Spanish political elites not to question or examine the past, was seen by many as vital to make the transition to democracy possible in the late 1970s and 1980s. For years, this included a general amnesia about Franco’s cultural policies: even when books were retranslated to restore censored parts, few people said anything about it. Spain’s 2007 Law for the Recovery of the Historical Memory was a major step away from these years of forgetting. It condemned the dictatorship and established compensations for people who endured political violence during the regime. It also initiated the removal of statues and other public symbols which glorified Franco’s reign. Yet other cultural artefacts, such as books, were overlooked. The upshot is that Spain’s literary censorship problem is alive and well today. Indeed, it is arguably getting worse: it is easy to release digital versions of these classics, so Franco’s hand even reaches into Kindles and tablets. We are talking about one of the most long-lasting yet invisible legacies of his regime. The effect on culture in Spain and in other Hispanic countries is almost incalculable. Censorship has certainly distorted many people’s perception of the civil war and its consequences. Many readers will also be ignorant of writers’ real points of view regarding important social issues THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED such as gender roles, birth control and homosexuality. The question is how to deal with this complex problem – particularly now that the Vox party, which is expected to do well in the upcoming election, has promised to repeal the Law of Historical Memory on the grounds that it manipulates the past. The most important task is to raise awareness among the reading public. This needs clear support from the Spanish government, plus serious engagement from the whole literary sector, including libraries, publishing houses, translators, archives, cultural publications and writers themselves. The technologies that are giving new life to the problem could be used to help: a public database of restored texts, for instance, could become an important tool. The point is that while Spain has increasingly been addressing the impact of Franco’s regime in the country’s social and historical memory since the early 2000s, the process of coming to terms with the past is far from complete. The pact of forgetting has not only marred Spain’s democratic progress, it has severely damaged the country’s cultural heritage. Spain and the rest of the Spanish-speaking world will not be free from Franco’s censorial shadow until this issue is publicly and decisively addressed. With people on the ascendant who would prefer to turn back the clock, there is no time to lose. Jordi Cornellà-Detrell is senior lecturer in Hispanic Studies at the University of Glasgow Courtesy of The Conversation / INSP.ngo �FEATURE 8 N o v 22- -N o v 19, 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 May May 16,22019 406 Under the Law DR. MARK MUSSMAN Staff Writer “W hy don’t the people with too much money help the people who are struggling to get out of poverty?” This is the question that a middle-schooler asked me after an Over-the-Rhine People’s Movement Walking Tour this week. The student had just been exposed to the real history of our neighborhood and was noticing the stark contrasts between the rich and the rest of us. Noting the number of BMW’s that were parked on each block, the student was confused as to how people would just ignore suffering around them as they sauntered into bars and restaurants, trying to ignore the people holding signs and asking for help. The middle school student pointed it out on every block between 12th and 14th Streets, along Vine Street. Wealth and income inequality are so pervasive in the United States right now, that some have said it hasn’t been this bad since before the Great Depression. Our walking tours provide people with a perspective that is purposefully left out of the other walking tours in the neighborhood. After yesterday’s tour with the middle school students, one of the chaperones pulled me aside to thank me for starting off with the Native American presence in the area. She told me that “most people just don’t even care about the destruction of Native American communities… they just act like they never existed.” While this is something that I understand to be true, it made me connect the dots between the person who is denial about wealth inequality who just parked his BMW and scuttled into a boutique on Vine Street and the people who believe the earth is flat, or that vaccines cause autism, or that climate change is not the fault of humans. All of these people have one thing in common - their inability to look directly at facts and accept them. But the facts behind wealth inequality reveal something even deeper about the American psyche. Wealth inequality has been an obvious characteristic of American from day one, when the wealthiest man in America was elected our first President and the people who were tabulated as his wealth, people from Africa who were enslaved, had absolutely nothing other than some fictionalized debt to pay to America’s founding. African Americans have always been held back by white people in this country through laws and practices. The laws, or de jure, have been crafted to keep African American people from obtaining and retaining wealth. Laws such as slavery in the south, and the Black Codes in the north, gave way to a legal process in which African American people are exploited for their labor, ideas, innovations, and companionshop. Students at the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition engage in a Streetvibes Shadow activity. Black Codes in Ohio required all African American people who desired to live in Ohio to have two white people vouch for them at a courthouse and pay a large sum of money. The state of Ohio was literally built using these funds, as the law went into effect within a year of statehood. Other northern states, such as Illinois, also used laws to make it legal to sell the labor of African Americans who were otherwise residing in a “free state.” These laws continued through the end of slavery and into the Jim Crow era. Jim Students host Willa Jones from the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Speakers Bureau. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Crow was marked by segregation and laws that kept African Americans out of the housing market and forced them into segregated communities that were disinvested in for decades. The ability to create generational wealth that was given by federal policies to white people was forbidden by law for Black people. These laws didn’t end with the era of Jim Crow, they were just replaced by the era of mass incarceration, in which we currently reside. America has never been meritocracy, and we have never had a level playing field. At a speaking engagement this week, we heard from Melissa M. who shares her story of homelessness, that basically lasted the first 50 years of her life. She discusses her journey to her first apartment, including times of isolation and loneliness that come from homelessness. With the rise of criminalization of homelessness, we are indeed seeing more de jure implications for people experiencing homelessness. When Melissa slept on the sidewalk before she found housing, it wasn’t illegal to do so, but today it is different. Last year, Mayor John Cranley and County Prosecutor Joe Deters made it illegal to experience homelessness in all of Hamilton County, on public or private land. When the police and sheriff started to enforce this law, real people were hurt. One man had a heart-attack when they came to sweep his tent off of Third Street. Another man jumped off a bridge into the Ohio River. A young woman was interrogated by the police at the encampment near the Casino and walked off before her ride to the youth shelter arrived. She had no shoes, and was possibly being sex-trafficked, but the network of people that was assembled to help her had not arrived before she was scared off by the police, never to be seen again. These laws have �No. 39 Nov 216, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 May 23- |May | No. 406 Students with a member of the Speakers Bureau. had direct impact on the lives of people who are struggling to get help in a city where most people are turned away from shelter and the lack of affordable housing is literally sending more than 100 people to an early grave each year. Another kind of discrimination that occurs without the direct application of laws, is what is called de facto, which occurs because of market and social trends. When real 9 FEATURE estate agents direct potential buyers into certain neighborhoods, this is a form of de facto segregation. When parents choose specific schools based upon their racial makeup, or when people choose churches with people who are of their “own race,” these are forms of social control that advocate for segregation, for a social hierarchy. De facto segregation is occurring every day. I need to be clear that while blockbusting was used to lower prices in white segregated communities, there is a new type of blockbusting occuring in our inner-ring neighborhoods, where African American people are simultaneously seeing their property taxes go up, yet the sale value of their homes going down. It is not a success when a neighborhood becomes more “diverse” if the power of the minority groups is non-existent. Melissa also spoke to the group about how she is housing insecure because of the proposed FC Cincinnati soccer stadium project. She has been living in the West End for a couple of years now, becoming more active in the community. She sees her friends receiving eviction notices directly from FC Cincinnati’s property manager, and she is worried that her home will be next. FC Cincinnati commissioned a housing report to be released this summer that already shows that 53% of the West End residents are likely to lose their housing in the next 5 years. Imagine if someone told you that half of your neighbors would be gone in 5 years, how would you feel about your neighborhood? The forces of displacement have been ignited by the proposed soccer stadium, yet the team refuses to take responsibility for it, as Jeff Berding, team spokesperson, claims that they have not committed any crimes. Well, that’s a low bar, don’t you think? When we know that de facto segregation, discrimination, racism, etc., occurs on a daily basis, we’d hope to have higher standards for a project that is receiving millions in city taxpayer subsidy. When we think about the middleschool perspective of what is right and just, it’s hard to understand why we allow the millionaire class to make the laws, enforce the laws, feel they are above the law, while everyone else suffers under the law. Criminalizing homelessness is not the answer, but perhaps we should criminalize those who make people homeless, like the real estate lobby, the landlords, the developers who through entire communities out on the street, the bankers who still redline, the politicians who allow for the illegal funding of our schools, the healthcare systems that function for profit, the polluters and carbon emitters who are at fault for global warming, and the fossil fuel industry that killed public transportation. Let’s first start by taking away the subsidies for luxury development and soccer stadiums, and focus our budget on the lack of affordable housing in our county and city. We will never have enough money to satiate the rich, but we do have enough to ensure everyone has a safe and affordable place to live. Students in Over-the-Rhine after working with the Education Department from The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �10 LOCAL N o v 22- -N o v 19, 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 May May 16,22019 406 Nakba Tour: Palestinian Stories MARTHA STEPHENS Contributing Writer F riends, I’m writing about an event of a few weeks ago at the Clifton Mosque. I expect very few of us who read this paper are indifferent to the sufferings of the Palestinian people. The two Palestinian women who led the event at the Mosque are still living in the camps in Lebanon where many families fled when they were evicted from their village in Palestine. The Mosque hosted a marvelous gathering for these two women on March 27. Food and talk and good history and information was the program. A black solidarity group was a co-sponsor. The two women are traveling the country with the Nakba Tour. You may recall that “nakba” is the Arabic term for the long march into exile when much of Palestinian land was given over to the State of Israel back in 1948. The younger speaker gave us an interesting history of all that happened before and during those early years of exile, and then she sat down by the older woman and helped her tell exactly what it had been like for her and her family. The intruding forces, along with many other men, killed her husband. They didn’t want any men to survive. Since ancient times, this community had a rich life in their village on the coast. They farmed, fished, and were able to other towns with their catch and their produce. When the women had suddenly to pack up and get out, they could take very little with them as they fled across the border into Lebanon. The older woman we met, Um Akram, told us about her long life in the camps with what was left of her family. They had to walk quite a ways, for instance, just to visit the toilets near the fences of the camp. We can read more online about the Nakba Tour, and of course all the details of the Palestinian struggle can be studied at length through other media sites. Many in the U.S. want our government to stand by the Palestinian people in their attempts to resist their confinement in the virtual prisons of Gaza and the West Bank. A few weeks after this event at the Clifton Mosque, a leader of the Mosque, Karen Dabdoub, whose husband is Palestinian, was the speaker on April 9 at the Tuesday forum of Progressive Democrats. She gave a splendid talk about Muslim beliefs and the pain many Muslims abroad experience when being unable even to visit here for weddings and funerals. The stories these women have to say are important and need to be heard. Humanizing a crisis makes it easier to understand, deconstruct, and therefore attempt to fix. These are topics that the Progressive Democrats discuss at our weekly meetings. Readers of Streetvibes might be interested in joining the weekly forums of Progressive Democrats. We meet every Tuesday at 12:00 for lunch and good talk at the Blue Gibbon Restaurant on Sherman Avenue. Um Akram and her young Palestinian co-host Where’s the Harm in Sex Offender Registration Laws? ALEXANDRA MONACO Contributing Writer F or a moment, let’s imagine that you have just been sentenced to 10 years in jail. You serve your time and are then released. Being a formerly incarcerated individual, you lack strong social ties or relationships, cannot find a job due to your record or label as an “ex-convict”, often cannot return to formal education (high school, college, professional education), you are now barred from financial aid, often experience homelessness, and have the criminal justice system breathing down your neck through your parole or probation officer. Now, let’s consider that your charge was for a sex offense. In addition to the above, you also have to register as a sex offender, which often leads to more challenges. What exactly does this entail, though? You are bound by Sex Offender Registration and Notification (SORN) Laws, which require you to publicly register as a sex offender, restrict where you can live and work, require that you notify your neighbors that you have a sex offense charge, and control who you can and cannot interact with (including your family and sometimes your children). According to Dayton Daily News, you and 17,000 other people in the state of Ohio are affected by these SORN laws. SORN laws are controversial and difficult to understand. These laws were created to help keep the public informed and safe. While this goal is important and admirable, we must think critically about the effectiveness and impact of these laws. Is the public actually safer because of these laws? Do they truly help curb repeat offending? Do the benefits outweigh the costs? Or, are they helping to perpetuate the barriers discussed above? To put it simply, no. There is a vast body of research about the effectiveness and consequences of SORN laws that suggest that the public is minimally affected by these laws. There is little evidence that there are any lasting positive effects of these laws. In fact, some scholars suggest that communities experience a false sense of security because they focus on “stranger danger”, which accounts for a very small percentage of sex offenses. Thus, communities are prepared for a crime that will likely not occur in their neighborhoods. Further, according to one study published in 2018 by Jill Levenson, there is no evidence that residence restrictions prevent sex crimes, or that registered sex offenders who live closer to child-oriented locations (e.g., schools, playgrounds, or bus stops) are more likely to reoffend than those who live farther away. In fact, another study from a researcher at Barry University stated THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED that few people seem to search registries on a regular basis. When they do, even fewer take preventative measures after viewing a registration website—even if they find someone who is registered in their neighborhood. Not only are these laws largely ineffective, it seems people are not taking advantage of them or taking them very seriously. All of these research findings suggest that SORN laws are largely ineffective at “protecting the public” and do not prevent repeat offending, either. The general public is often afraid of the idea that people labeled as “sex offenders” are more likely to become repeat offenders than other types of offenders. However, according to a researcher at Barry University, research has consistently determined that “sex offense recidivism rates are lower than generally assumed, averaging between 5% and 15% across studies.” This is lower than most other types of offenses. In addition to being largely �No. 39 Nov 216, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 May 23- |May | No. 406 LOCAL 11 Where’s the Harm in Sex Offender Registration Laws? Continued... ineffective, these laws make it incredibly difficult for formerly incarcerated individuals to become reintegrated into society after their incarceration. The limitations placed on people that have to register as a sex offender are vast. Finding a job after incarceration is even more difficult for this population, as they are required to maintain a certain distance from schools, playgrounds, bus stops, and other child-oriented places. Housing restrictions and limited employment opportunities often push this population into homelessness. One man was even prohibited from living with his own children due to his criminal history. For the population of people that were charged with sex offenses, their imprisonment does not end once they are released from jail or prison. Knowing that SORN laws are largely ineffective and create a lasting negative impact for those intertwined in them, it is time for these laws to be redrafted to become more efficient, effective, and considerate. To learn more about the laws in your state, and to help change them, please call or local officials and state legislators. Changes in laws and practices like these begin with individuals and communities. Unfortunately, these are conversations that most people feel uncomfortable having. Let’s get comfortable with the uncomfortable and make a change. “The Tribune Of the People”: Marxism and The Struggle Against Oppression RAYA ContributingWriter I n What Is To Be Done?, Lenin argued that a socialist party must be a “tribune of the people” that “is able to react to every manifestation of tyranny and oppression, no matter where it appears” and “is able to generalize all these manifestations and produce a single picture of police violence and capitalist exploitation.” For such a party, there can be no singleissue movements, only one totalistic struggle that unites all the oppressed and exploited groups in society. Whether one begins with the question of trans liberation or combatting climate change, it immediately become obvious that the fundamental question is one of overthrowing the capitalist system. Likewise, anyone who wishes to seriously challenge capitalism and the economic inequality it generates, must necessarily develop a program for the liberation of those groups uniquely oppressed impacted by it. Homelessness, for instance, cannot be meaningfully addressed as an economic issue without engaging with the racist, homophobic, and transphobic systems that lead to people of color and queer people to experience it disproportionately. Nor can queer or black homelessness be addressed without raising the question of why homelessness exists at all in a society that has more than empty homes to shelter everyone experiencing homelessness at the present time and developing a program of struggle against the capitalist system that produces such absurdities. This understanding and totalistic commitment is the foundation for the solidarity of individual revolutionaries with all movements of the oppressed and exploited people, and upholding this solidarity is foremost among the duties that a revolutionary party imposes on its members. Marxists begin from interconnection of all types of oppression within capitalist society and seek to overturn it. As Malcolm X put it “you can’t have capitalism without racism,” and as socialist feminists have always emphasized “There will be no women's liberation without revolution. from and unaffected by the struggles of that group but choosing to lend their support to it, but are part and parcel of every oppressed group and every movement that arises from the initiative of the oppressed and exploited. The liberation of each oppressed group is the precondition for the liberation of any one oppressed group. Those organizations that base themselves on single-issue reformist There will be no revolution without women's liberation.” The struggle against every type of oppression and explication is linked to the struggle against every other type and the victims of any one type of oppression are harmed by existence of every other type. Marxists are not allies of any oppressed group, standing separately programs, as well as those supposedly revolutionary organizations that postpone radical ends to distant future in favor of a moderate practice in the present, become safety valves of the prevailing world order. Through a million unnoticed and unplanned actions their sense of political possibility and imagination is lost, their purpose is THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED narrowed to the point were discussion of their original goals can seem almost heretical, and they turn on their most militant and committed members. They co-opt and contain the spontaneous dissent of the oppressed and exploited masses, becoming barriers to the end of oppression and exploitation. Worse, those organizations which merely propose a program of limited reforms or of ameliorating some of the evils of the system within the system can often become directly involved in perpetuating oppression. The task of revolutionaries must be, therefore, to ensure the closest possible unity between educating and organizing on behalf of radical goals and everyday political practice. The struggle for reforms within the context of the present world order should take the form of transitional demands that leads to the questioning of that order and expose the oppressive nature of prevailing power relations. When activists are attacked by police for protesting against white supremacy, or even for demanding the preservation of local libraries, they receive an unforgettable lesson on the institutional function of law enforcement agencies in class societies. For its part, the revolutionary party gains the confidence of the masses through its participation in the spontaneous movements that emerge from them and in the struggle for the demands raised by these movements. Members of a revolutionary party are distinguished from individuals spontaneously drawn into ongoing struggles only by their theoretical understanding of the situation and their commitment to the international revolutionary movement as a whole. �12 STREETVOICE Nov 2 N o v 19, 0 18 || No. N o . 406 393 May 2 -- May 16, 22019 Dreams Over-the-Rhine I was born in Cincinnati in 1950 into a first generation German family named Beck. My nana, grandpa, momma and our extended second-­‐generation family of aunts and uncles all lived together in a historic Ohio farmhouse. The home was one of the first built in the Ohio Valley by an English family surnamed Edwards. It was reputed to be part of the Underground Railroad, sheltering runaway slaves in the coal cellar. Cincinnati was settled in 1788 on the banks of the Ohio River across from Kentucky. At the end of the Civil War in 1865, free Blacks and runaway slaves came across the river seeking better lives and less prejudice. After the Great Depression of the 1930s Appalachian families from rural Kentucky hills crossed the Ohio with new dreams. Cincinnati was an immigrant crucible of Germans, Jews, and the Irish. In reward for their hope, the city gave many immigrants small opportunity and large restrictions, The 50’s were a conservative era in segregated Cincinnati. Our white family visited the neighborhood of Over–the-­‐Rhine once a year just before Christmas to shop at Findley Market, the oldest operating food market in Ohio. That’s where Aunt Martha would buy a goose for Christmas dinner, like straight out of Charles Dickens. Going to the market was like going to another world for me; I loved it! Over-the-Rhine got its name from working-class German immigrants who lived on one side of the Erie Canal and laughingly referred to it as the Rhine River. A historic urban area that has undergone recent gentrification, I have come back home to “Cincy” to explore the trendy, now predominately white neighborhood called “OTR”. My first stop is the old location of The School for Creative and Performing Arts on Sycamore Street. The history of the magnet school involved a mandate to integrate. When I taught Theatre at SCPA, directors double cast all black and white actors, singers and dancers with “non-traditional casting” based on talent, not race. The school has now been converted into pricey condominiums for ex-suburbanites. The newly built arts school near Music Hall admits talented students grades K-12. It is tuition free for kids from all of Cincinnati’s neighborhoods based upon potential. Eric Kunzel helped establish the funding for the new SCPA near historic Music Hall. Maestro Kunzel conducted the Cincinnati Pops in its hay day and invited the SCPA children’s choir to perform at Music Hall on many occasions. The kids dreamed big. Today I listen proudly to the young female vocal group called “The Baby Grands” singing in the renovated Music Hall. It is a mixed group of twelve young women with individual artistic dreams, singing their hearts out on that hallowed stage in Over-the-Rhine. As I embrace their dreams of finding fame through the arts, I remember the reality of Harry Belafonte’s statement about racism made in October of 2002: “If you walk into South Central Los Angeles, into Watts, or if you walk into Over-the-Rhine in Cincinnati, you’ll find people who live lives that are as degrading as anything that slavery had ever produced, They live in economic oppression. They live in a disenfranchised way.” Over-the-Rhine is now franchised. There’s a Graeter’s Ice Cream parlor, and an upscale Taste of Belgium restaurant in the same block as the millennia’s’ favorite soul food restaurant The Eagle. I go to The Eagle for lunch, and sit next to a couple of white businessmen in suits, eating free-range fried chicken with collard greens. I can’t help but wonder, “Where have all the black neighborhood street folks gone? Where are the poor, white Appalachians living in the fringes of Over-the-Rhine? As I leave The Eagle, I run into an African American in a wheelchair selling the newspaper Streetvibes. In an article titled Disappearing Communities, Dr. Mark Mussman states that Over-the-Rhine has been drastically changed by outside forces. People who live in the rich white neighborhood, have come into our small neighborhood and stood for one thing: displacement. Dr. Mussen’s research mentions that at least 2400 units of housing have been lost to gentrification, “never to return. Cincinnati still has no possibility of upward mobility for most African American residents today, Most of the buildings in Over-­the-­Rhine are owned by out-­of-­state landlords or local white people who are out to make a buck.” Understanding economic displacement is complex. I scan the Cincinnati Enquirer for a few quick headlines: “Cincinnati’s poverty rate among five highest for US cities.” The city’s poverty rate grew faster than the nation as a whole in 2002 to 2017. In the Cincinnati Public Schools, 81.9 percent of students qualify for meal assistance. Median household income has not recovered from the 2008 recession in seven of Greater Cincinnati’s fifteen counties. Poverty is worse in 1/3 of those counties. Statistics in Cincinnati show that the Great Recession stole wealth. Some jobs came back after the recession but financial security didn’t. Family medical expenses keep rising. When forced to leave Over-­ ‐the-­ ‐Rhine, the only place to go may be to public housing, which is so tight as to be considered realistically unavailable. There are only 43 affordable rental units for every 100 extremely low-­‐income households. The alternative is living on the streets with the rest of the local homeless population. “On the streets” in reality means staying in a homeless shelter with 86% of the homeless population in Hamilton County. According to the 2017 census, 1,692 of the homeless are children. And that number is on the rise in Over-­‐ the-­ ‐Rhine. I think of the talented neighborhood children at the School for Creative and Performing Arts. And I think of the beautiful play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, which opens with the poem “Harlem” by Langston Hughes. The first line of the poem begins: “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?” The dreams of displaced people from Over-the-Rhine are not just detoured. They seem to be dead. But I can’t end my Cincinnati homecoming journey with such negativity. I know that it is time to recognize that our differences shared become our personal riches. We have to move heaven and earth to find homes and finally come home. I have read about the work that the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church has done to provide warm beds for the homeless when the temperatures drop. It isn’t a home. On Sunday I go to Quaker meeting. As I study the bulletin of the Cincinnati Friends Congregation, I discover their organization called “Tender Mercies” with the mission to provide “Security, Dignity, and Community” to homeless adults in Over-­‐the-­‐Rhine. Security means a housing environment where residents’ safety is priority. Dignity means housing that allows residents to develop economic strengths. Community is housing that offers family while affirming the individual. I learn: “The Quaker congregation achieves its mission by maintaining 134 units of permanent housing in six buildings in Over-­ ‐the-­ ‐Rhine. Our model of housing addresses the root causes of homelessness by providing community supportive services through Bethany House. Bethany House empowers homeless and atrisk families with solutions to achieve housing stability and long-term self sufficiency.” And so the dream is renewed: to respect our differences by helping others, as we would like to be helped. Respectfully, I quote: ”There but for the grace of God, go I”. MELISSA LILLY ContributingWriter 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! THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �STREETVOICE No. 39 | Nov16, 2- N o v 19, 2 0 406 18 May 2 -3 May 2019 | No. Lives That Matter After all i been threw being homeless i live to be a part of history to live to see a black president and a white women nominated The Mueller Report Revisited what's the mystery it seems like god has a plan for people to come together and be at peace and know we all live and we all die so why the racism doesn't The Mueller Report, the Mueller Report! The A.G's synopsis was biased and short. cease still it matters what color , religion and what creed you are things matter today whether you work or find a place to live so who's scared i believe we as a human race teach our children what to believe in and how i believe if we don’t show our children love with understanding we dead now Now that we have a much longer version, We can read about the lies and perversion. It now seems time for citizens to beseech That Congress takes action to impeach. all lives matter knowing that all lives end, life being so short what is the fight let people be blessed in who they are rich or poor just give BILL WOODS Contributing Writer respect that's right so whether you support the homeless or not pray it won’t be you someday WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 13 �PUZZLES 14 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 104 Across 1. Hen-peck 4. Destiny 8. Dainty 12. Exclusive 13. Esurient 14. Communication medium 16. Leonine animal 17. Hoop 18. Harvest 19. Livid 21. Matured 23. Merchandising agreement 24. Beverage 25. Fiend 27. Wonderment 29. Young kangaroo 30. Consumed 31. Pair 34. Acquiescence 37. Seize 38. Outer part of a wheel 39. A sudden impact 40. Pouch 41. The present location 42. Beer 43. Musical work 45. Fractured 47. Pole 48. Distilled from fermented molasses 49. Amphibian 50. Female swan 51. Crack in a lip 52. Consume 55. Rodents 58. Period of time 60. At that place 62. Repent 64. A small piece of anything 66. Length by width 67. Team race 68. Field sport 69. Building containing a skating surface 70. Gender 71. High-pitched bark 72. Small vegetable PUZZLE SOLUTIONS CROSSWORD #103 Down 1. Dissonance 2. Hawaiian greeting 3. DNA segment 4. At a great distance 5. Building were birds are kept 6. Undertone 7. Boundary of a surface 8. Be nosey 9. Lift up 10. Notion 11. Move about in a confused manner 12. Spline 15. Poem 20. Midday 22. Information 26. Acquire 28. Entanglement 29. Hard black form of lignite 30. Part of a circle 31. Long and difficult journey 32. Finishing line on a racetrack 33. Presage 34. Slightly open 35. Musical composition for one voice or instrument 36. Sledge 37. Fuel 40. A quantity of money 41. Box on a pole for carrying bricks 43. Metal-bearing mineral 44. Inferior in strength or significance 45. Constrictor 46. Ecstatic 49. Exhiliration 50. Relating to punishment 51. Small boat 52. Strange and frightening 53. Walk of life 54. Hard durable wood 55. Spoil 56. Detail 57. Carbonated drink 59. Catch sight of 61. Stringed instrument 63. Oculus 65. Sharp explosive sou N o v 22--N o v 19, 0 18 | |N o . 393 May May 16,22019 No. 406 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 395 - MEDIUM SODOKU PUZZLE NO 394- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 Nov 2 - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 May 23- |May 16, | No. 406 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 NMay o v 2 2- -NMay o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 16,2 02019 406 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 May 2-May 16, 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: Come Out and Say “No Way” An Overlooked Piece of Good News Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: To Make It on the Streets, I Had to Look Like You Pg 6: Migrant Farm Workers, The Main Victims of Slave Labour in Mexico Pg 7: Franco’s Invisible Legacy Pg 8: Under the Law Pg 9: Under the Law Continued Pg 10: Nakba Tour Where’s the Harm in Sex Offender Registration Laws? Pg 11: “The Tribune of the People” Pg 12: Dreams Over-the-Rhine Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource May 2-May 16, 2019 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gabriela Godinez Bill Woods Josh Spring Dustin Dandliker Jordi Conella Detrell Emelio Godoy Dr. Mark Mussman Melissa Lilly Raya Willa Denise Jones Martha Stephens Alexander Monaco Canva.com INSP.com Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Alexander Monaco Bill Woods Canva.com Dr. Mark Mussman Dustin Dandliker Emelio Godoy Gabriela Godinez INSP.com Jordi Conella Detrell Josh Spring Martha Stephens Marxism Melissa Lilly Mexico Migrants Slavery Oppression Over-the-Rhine Palestine Raya Sex Offender Registration Laws Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/9abbc67e6d0fa1bef32756ec4b59171f.pdf 0be75669333ca39bf82a0c94c8e471c6 PDF Text Text M ay 16nd - M ay 30th 2019 | Vo l . 23 Issue 10 (No. 407) 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. Affordable For What? Article on Page 8 This Issue is sponsored by Cecilia and Tom Kloecker Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.com Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 12 �2 COALITION N o v 16 2 - -NMay o v 19, 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 May 30,2 2019 407 From The Editor: Money Over People GABRIELA GODINEZ Editor-in-chief O n Thursday, May 9th, 2019 tenants from Wade Street and Central Avenue held a press conference. The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, FightBack Cincinnati, and faith leaders were in attendance and advocated for the rights of Wade Street and Central Avenue Tenants United. The tenants continue asking for their demands to be met by FC Cincinnati in a timely matter, calling out FCC directly at the press conference. Tenants, along with several faith leaders, gave short statements about their opinions and frustrations regarding the subject. It is clear that the tenants feel lost, forgotten, abandoned, and it isn’t difficult to see how they arrived at such emotions. One speaker said they felt that FCC was saying, “I see you, and I don’t care.” A sentiment echoed by many others in their speeches. What many people pointed out was the fact that this is not simply a money issue, but also a moral issue. This is not only about the demands the tenants are making that FCC is refusing to fulfill, it’s also the fact that anyone has to make any demands at all, that anyone has to go through this in the first place. The group is demanding that FC Cincinnati renovate 1559 Central Avenue and “give ownership to Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses, allowing those currently residing in 1559 to stay there and for those residing in 421 Wade Street to move once completed.” Knowing that some folks will still be displaced, this is still a compromise that the tenants are willing to make. While FC Cincinnati keeps dancing around the demands, coming up with halfhearted rebuttals and counteroffers, the rest of us have a front seat to the chaos that our local leadership has allowed. Our local political leadership has chosen FC Cincinnati money over people. The moral issue that plagues Cincinnati is that our city has decided that lives don’t mean as much as the money corporations can bring. Pastor Ennis Tate put it well when he said, “FC Cincinnati can only do what they are allowed to do.” Many of us who live in Cincinnati feel that we are not directly affected by this issue, but we have the power to affect this issue. The burden that is put on tenants being evicted affects their mental and physical health; as neighbors who don’t feel personally burdened, it is our responsibility to be there for them however we can. There is no such thing as “this isn’t my fight to fight.” Wade Street and Central Avenue Tenants United are helping themselves but they still need our support. We all need to put pressure on our City Council and FC Cincinnati to do the right thing and put the rights and concerns of people first. It is ridiculous that eviction is a legal option in our city. It is ridiculous that displacement is accepted by our City Council. Since we already know that displacement is going to happen in this case, the Tenants United are demanding that FC Cincinnati pay “any associated moving costs and financial compensation to each Tenant.” It is sad that this is even a demand a person has to make to be able to continue living their lives, but it is infuriating that FC Cincinnati can’t just accept and comply with the demands. This is a corporation made up of individuals that are uprooting the lives of those living in the West End, and they don’t even have the moral capability to fulfill these demands. This is an egregious example of greed and blatant disregard for human lives. 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 STOP SUPPORTING FC CINCINNATI 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 ------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Gabriela Godinez, Bill Woods, Jordi Cornella Detrell, Katelyn Lusher, Poorvi Vora, Robert Park, Dr. Mark Mussman, Aliyah Cole, Kim Green, Willa Denise Jones, 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. �No. 39 Nov 230, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 May 163-|May | No. 407 3 COALITION Ohio Reformers Notch A Victory: Gerrymandered Congressional Districts BILL WOODS I Board Member n the struggle to restore the health of democracy, reformers gained another victory last week. A three judge panel of the U.S. District Court of Southern Ohio found that the Congressional Districts that were adopted by the Ohio General Assembly in 2011 were drawn to create results that greatly favored one political party. The Court ruled that new districts be established, and it gave the General Assembly until June 14th to draft them. The League of Women Voters of Ohio, the A. Phillip Randolph Institute, and citizens representing the state's sixteen Congressional Districts filed the suit that led to this ruling. The American Civil Liberties Union provided the legal team for the plaintiffs. As reported in the April 4th edition of Streetvibes, the case took place over a two-week period this March in a courtroom in the Potter Stewart Federal Building in downtown Cincinnati. The three-judge panel led by District Judge Timothy S. Black heard ACLU lawyers make the case that the 2011 Congressional Districts were so blatantly gerrymandered that they violated the Constitutional rights of Ohio voters. Attorneys for the defense (Republican State officials) argued that Congressional redistricting that year had been carried out in the traditional manner, and that the results adequately represented Ohio residents. The ACLU legal team focused much of its time on highlighting the testimony of expert witnesses. One of the witnesses, William Cooper, a demographer, provided maps that he had drawn for Ohio that were both more compact and less partisan than the districts that were adopted in 2011. Cooper specializes in using Census data and geographic realities to draw up fair and compact political districts for states. Other redistricting experts hammered away at the complete disregard for compactness by the 2011 map makers that led inevitably to the twelve Republican held Congressional seats compared to four seats for the Democrats. Usually judged to be a swing state with an even number of Republican and Democratic voters, Ohio was carried by President Obama in both 2008 and 2012. On the other hand, defense witnesses attempted to portray Ohio's 2011 Districts as entities that accurately fit a Republican leaning state. The very large number of split counties, cities, and townships that were made in order to draw the current Congressional District maps seemed be a major factor in determining the three judge panel's decision. Seventythree municipalities and twenty-three counties were split to come up with the 2011 districts. An alternative plan that was shown to the judges included fourteen county splits and twentyseven splits of other municipalities and townships. The judges wrote in their decision: "Either the Republicans were exceedingly lucky, or their map drawers made exceedingly expert use of political data to manipulate district lines to secure the most seats and the least amount of competition possible." Republican state officials plan to appeal the decision. Attorney General Dave Yost hopes the U.S. Supreme Court will overturn the District Court's order to prepare new Congressional District maps in time for the 2020 Congressional elections. As readers may recall, the Supreme Court heard two anti-gerrymandering cases last month, but no verdicts have yet been announced. Ohio reformers are naturally pleased with the U.S. District Court's decision. Until the results of this case, most activists thought that they would have to wait until 2022 to have fair Congressional elections in this state. New districts will be drawn in 2021 using the reform guidelines included in the Ohio Constitutional Amendment that was passed by the voters a year ago. Alice Schneider, a board member of the Ohio League of Women Voters, is hopeful that the Court's ruling will give Ohioans fair and competitive Congressional elections in 2020. These are critical times, she noted, and people need to be able to believe that representative democracy works. STREETVIBES SOIRÉE SPONSORED BY URBAN ARTIFACT M A Y 3 1, 2 0 1 9 @ 8 : 0 0 P M HOSTED BY THE GREATER CINCINNATI HOMELESS COALITION THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �4 ADVERTISMENT N o v 216 - N v 19, 2 02019 18 | N o . 393 May - oMay 30, | No. 407 May 17 - June 2, 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 �No. 39 ov 2 30, - N o2019 v 19,| 2 0 18407 May 163 -| N May No. U.S. NEWS 5 To Make It On The Streets, I Had To Look Like You: Not Homeless HELEN HILL Street Roots W aiting in line sucks. We’ve all had to do it, and we will again. It’s exasperating and humbling, and it robs us of a precious, finite commodity: time. But when you are living in poverty and in need of the basic tools of survival, such as food, shelter, health care and access to hygiene, the hours of a day lost to waiting in line can rise to a demoralizing, soul-crippling level. I asked our vendors to talk about waiting in line early one Friday morning, while we were all waiting in line outside Street Roots for the lights to come on and the doors to open. Vendor Erik Sweger commented: “That’s all we do. Being homeless, you have to wait in line constantly. You go for housing, you wait in line. To get a mat to sleep on, you wait in line. To get food, you wait – and not even for good food. We’re always being told to wait. We are spending a hell of a lot of time waiting in line. And because we’re homeless, we have a couple bags we’re carrying, so that makes it harder. “It’s really frustrating,” Erik said. “You think, ‘I could be doing something else more productive’. Why is it taking so long? When I was growing up, they would show news clips about people waiting in line in Russia because of food shortages. Now it seems like that’s what we’re doing here. From what I hear, we’ve surpassed Russia; they don’t wait in line so much anymore. It’s getting like the Depression. I imagine we are nearly equal to what the lines during the Depression were like.” Jennifer Bradford has a different perspective about waiting in lines from her wheelchair. After years of being housed, she had a stroke this past year, and four days later, her leg was amputated due to a blood clot. She speaks very slowly; her speech was affected by the stroke. “For me, it’s really hard because I used to walk everyplace and do everything for myself,” she said. “Now that I’m in a wheelchair, people kind of push past me and cut in front of me, and because I’m homeless, they think it’s OK. I wait for the MAX, and when it comes, I try to press the button, but they don’t open the door, and they take off. Every place I go, there’s always a line for something, and I have a hard time explaining, saying what I need.” New vendor Gabriel Bradford is a young man experiencing homelessness for the first time. He’s been on the streets only a few months. “I lost my ID, lost my job, lost everything. It just kind of led me here,” he said. “I used to have a lot of judgment about homeless people. Why aren’t they out there getting a job? They have all day. But what people don’t understand is how busy you actually are when you’re homeless. If you are an addict and want to stay clean, you need to go to a meeting. You need to be at a shelter at a certain time for a shower. You need to be at certain places to eat three meals a day. So you’re constantly busy and running around all day. It’s a challenge. “It’s good for us to learn to be patient, waiting in line. It’s a spiritual journey. When we lose everything, we can focus on God instead of Netflix or our new couch. I feel more blessed homeless than I have ever with all my stuff. It was a challenge to look at it that way, especially when it was cold out. But if you can make it through that, you can make it through anything.” Kerry Anderson put it very simply: “You stand in line to wait for everything. At the end of the line, you get nothing. If you are trying to pursue something, it takes up most of the day,” he said. “You can go to the Red Door and get free clothes and free food, but that’s a long line you have to get in to wait,” Billy Turner said. “I can stand at my corner for that hour and sell papers.” For Magpie Blue, waiting in line is a physical challenge, as well as a mental one. “I don’t do well physically standing for long periods of time,” she said. “Waiting in line is time consuming. Waiting for a bathroom is No. 1. Food is No. 2. And I do a lot of waiting for the streetcar, for MAX.” Magpie estimates she spends 20 per cent to 30 per cent of each day waiting in line. Leah Filar has wanted to write a poem for some time about waiting in line. “You know the song ‘Signs, signs, everywhere a sign’? Well, I want to write a poem that goes ‘Lines, lines, everywhere a line.’ When you are homeless, it’s double the lines,” she said. “You get up in the morning and stand in a line to use the bathroom, and you get five minutes, usually two minutes until someone starts banging on the door. If you’re lucky, you get to pee and brush your teeth. You have to get in line to sign up for a shower. Then you have to show back up and wait in another line to get in the shower. Then you’ve got 15 minutes to shit, shower and shave. Then Photo by Hal Gatewood on Unsplash THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED you have to get in another line if you want clean clothes to wear. And then mealtime, and a lot of times these feeds, the lines are around the corner. Blocks long. When they open up new Section 8 housing, people camp out and wait through the night.” Raven Thickett spoke of the unending focus needed to get through her days. “Housing, food, showers – you have to pick one, and that’s all you’ll be able to do that day because of the long lines. What goes through my head is the fact that I’m not getting anywhere. In order to get out of the homeless position, you have to have all your ducks in a row, everything together. You technically can only take care of one task at a time. “I’ve been stuck in this predicament because of that. It’s like a merry-goround with nothing merry about it,” Raven said. “The wait for a typical food bank is an hour or two hours to get basic pantry food,” vendor Lori Lematta said. “Waiting for buses, looking for housing, waiting for your doctor. I have appointments all week long to get better, but you’re just worn out chasing survival. That’s what it feels like.” Courtesy of Street Roots / INSP.ngo �GLOBAL 6 N o v 216 - N v 19,30, 2 02019 18 | N| oNo. . 393 May - oMay 407 Opting In: The Value of Vaccines THARANGA YAKUPITIYAGE Inter Press Service S ince the introduction of vaccines, diseases such as measles and polio were quickly becoming a thing of the past. However, the world’s progress on immunisation is now being threatened. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 85 per cent of the world’s children received basic vaccines, including the measles and diptheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccines, which can protect them from infectious diseases that cause serious illness and even death. In fact, measles immunisation resulted in an 80 per cent drop in measles-related deaths between 2000 and 2017 worldwide. Still, access to vaccines remain elusive for many out-of-reach communities. In 2017, an estimated 20 million infants did not receive the DTP vaccine, 60 per cent of whom live in just 10 countries, including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, and Nigeria. A rising anti-vaccination movement is also threatening to dismantle progress. In the United States, there are now more than 700 cases of measles across 22 states making it the highest figures the country has seen since 2000. The phenomenon has prompted some states to not only make immunisation mandatory, but also to ban unvaccinated children from public spaces. IPS spoke to WHO’s Coordinator of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation Dr Ann Lindstrand on the challenges of immunisation and the way forward. Inter Press Service (IPS): How is the overall global picture regarding immunisation, and why does immunisation matter? Dr Ann Lindstrand: Immunisation matters because it is one of the most effective health interventions that we have, and it has saved millions of lives. I don’t think there is any other health intervention that works that well, with such high coverage, worldwide. Just looking back at what we have gained from immunisation—back in 1963 when we didn’t have any vaccine for measles, there were about 2.6 million deaths every year due to measles. Now, that figure has reduced by 95 per cent. The last figures we have are from 2017 with an estimated 110,000 deaths—so there has been a tremendous health gain. Same with polio—30 years ago, we had widespread polio crippling people but now it’s only endemic in two countries Afghanistan and Pakistan with only 33 cases confirmed cases last year. Now the newer vaccines like HPV [human papillomavirus] will help us reduce numbers of cervical cancers and new vaccines on the horizon like the Ebola vaccine which is used in outbreaks in Africa right now has really played a critical role in stopping the spread of the current outbreak in the DRC. Just this month, the first ever malaria vaccine is being piloted in routine immunisation programs in three countries. We still need to reach more. We still need to reach the last 15 per cent and we need to close equity gaps to reach those furthest away. WHO and others have pointed to the anti-vaccination movement as one of the biggest health threats in the world. How concerning is the move away from vaccinations, and what does this mean for people around the world? Is this a new challenge for WHO? It is an area of concern, yes. But it is not the global picture. We do not have the data to say that hesitancy has increased but we have seen that with social media and the internet, misinformation is spread more widely and easily. That’s something we are really worried about. In some areas, there is a resurgence of disease because of unacceptably low coverage rates or that people are refusing vaccines. We need to see this in a historic perspective. Anti-vaccine messages have been around for just as long as vaccines have been around—these things come and they go. But it worries us and we need to be right there to tackle to spread of vaccine misinformation. It is really important to put out the right messages. I work as a paediatrician and I have talked to a lot of parents who have had these concerns and it takes a lot of effort. At the heart of it, it is really the health worker who is sitting there with the [parent] who have concerns or have heard something on the internet or media, and they need to be able to respond to their questions and to listen and respect the concerns of parents. And that those health workers actually have the capacity and time to respond, both with the social ability to listen to the parents’ real concerns and A young boy in Pakistan receives an oral polio vaccine (OPV). Over the last 30 years huge progress has been made against polio and it is now only endemic in 2 countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, with only 33 cases confirmed cases last year. Credit: Ashfaq Yusufzai/IPS also provide the scientific evidence. There is a lot of work in training healthcare workers which is ongoing and we need to keep doing that. We need to equip healthcare workers with the right methods, words, scientific evidence to reassure parents. The bigger picture for us to improve health is for children everywhere to get vaccinated on time and every time. We need to increase access so that vaccine services are made convenient and welcoming so people want to go there, that we are good at putting out credible information from the beginning including what are the facts, what is the evidence. Some U.S. states are enacting mandatory immunisation laws or even barring those who have not received vaccines from certain public spaces. Do you agree with these steps, or does more need to be done? The only disease where WHO actually recommends mandatory proof of vaccination applies to yellow fever and for international travellers in certain countries. Beyond that, it is up to every country to make decisions based on existing disease epidemiology, their laws and regulations, and if it is the best way to go. Many countries have achieved high immunisation coverage without mandatory immunisation. It is a complex area—how do you sanction parents? How far do you go to enforce laws when they are in place? That is a conversation that every country needs to have before even considering any of the mandatory vaccinations. I think it is important to encourage THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED countries to invest in and protect their individuals and communities from vaccine-preventable diseases and then remove barriers—have few access barriers when it comes to cost and convenience. Make it simple and easy. Make the choice of vaccines the social norm. What is your message for people around the world regarding the importance of immunisation? Immunisation is a fantastic health intervention. It is a right for all children, and it is also a shared responsibility. As we have seen with the recent outbreaks, no country and no individual can afford to be complacent about vaccines. It is important that we look at not just putting out fires or responding to outbreaks after they have happened—that’s expensive, ineffective and it costs lives. What is more important is to have sustainable prevention, thinking and ensuring that everyone everywhere is vaccinated at the right time with the right vaccines and throughout their life course. It also important to see that vaccines are not just for saving lives, it helps children to learn, grow, keep them in school instead of sick, avert disabilities and long-term consequences. It reduces the health care costs for a country, and protects families and communities from sliding into poverty. There is no debate to have on the benefit or the risk between vaccines and the vaccine-preventable diseases. We need to continue to protect people also in the future, and we really need to invest in trust in vaccines and in our healthcare system. Courtesy of Inter Press Service / INSP.ngo �No. 39 3 |- N ov 2 30, - N o2019 v 19, |2No. 0 18407 May 16 May GLOBAL 7 How the world’s largest democracy casts its ballots People wait in queues to cast their votes at a polling station during the third phase of general election in Guwahati, India, April 23, 2019. REUTERS/Anuwar Hazarika POORVI VORA The Conversation A bout 600 million Indian citizens are expected to cast their votes over a period totalling 39 days and ending 19 May, in the ongoing election for their country’s parliament. There are roughly 900 million eligible voters, and the country has typically seen about two-thirds of them turn out to polling places. I have been working on the security of electronic voting systems for more than 15 years, and, along with other colleagues, have been interested in understanding how a nation can tally that many votes cast over such a long period. India uses a domestically designed and manufactured electronic voting machine – as many as 4 million of them at 1 million polling places, at least some in extremely remote locations. The first version of the Indian electronic voting machine debuted in the state election in Kerala in 1982. Now they’re used in elections throughout the country, which happen on different days in different areas. How does it work? When a voter arrives at the polling place, she presents a photo ID and the poll officer checks that she is on the electoral roll. When it’s her turn to vote, a polling official uses an electronic voting machine’s control unit to unlock its balloting unit, ready to accept her vote. The balloting unit has a very simple user interface: a series of buttons with candidate names and symbols. To vote, the voter simply presses the button next to the candidate of her choice. After each button press, a printer prints out the voter’s choice on paper and displays it to the voter for a few seconds, so the person may verify that the vote was recorded correctly. Then the paper is dropped into a locked storage box. The whole system runs on a battery, so it does not need to be plugged in. When it’s time for the polling place to close at the end of the voting day, each electronic voting machine device and paper-record storage box is sealed with wax and tape bearing the signatures of representatives of the various candidates in that election, and stored under armed guard. After the election period is over and it’s time to tally the votes, the electronic voting machines are brought out, the seals opened and the vote counts for each control unit are read out from its display board. Election workers handtally these individual machine totals to obtain the election results for each constituency. Security protections – and concerns The Indian electronic voting machine primarily runs on specialized hardware and firmware, unlike the voting machines used in the U.S., which are software-intensive. It is intended for the single purpose of voting and specially designed for that, rather than relying on a standard operating system like Windows, which needs to be regularly updated to patch detected security vulnerabilities. Each machine requires only a connection between a balloting unit and a control unit; there are no provisions to connect an electronic voting machine to a computer network, much less the internet – including wirelessly. This design does offer some Polling officials seal a Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machine at a polling station after the end of the third phase of the general election in Kochi, India, April 23, 2019. REUTERS/Sivaram V protections against possible tampering with how votes are recorded and tallied. The Election Commission of India has repeatedly claimed that the electronic voting machines are tamperproof. However, a scholarly study has demonstratedthere are ways to rig the machines. In particular, the simplicity of the design allows for simple attacks, such as intercepting and modifying the signal carried over the machine’s cable. The Election Commission has not made public any independent security evaluations, so it’s unclear exactly what is – or isn’t – possible. Parties that lose elections often suspect malfeasance and question the equipment. Manufacturing the machines As I and others have observed, when the machines are being made, there are a number of opportunities for someone to physically tamper with an electronic voting machine in ways that preelection device testing might not detect. The machines’ software is designed, written and tested at two electronics companies owned by the government of India: Bharat Electronics Limited and Electronics Corporation of India Limited. The chips for the machines are manufactured outside India. In earlier versions of the machine, the chip manufacturer also wrote the machine code into the chip; today the electronics companies do it themselves. At any time during manufacture, testing and maintenance, it may be possible to introduce counterfeit chips or swap out other components that could let hackers alter the results. The Election Commission of India argues that any manipulation or error would be detected because the electronic voting machine is tested frequently and candidate representatives have opportunities to participate in mock THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED elections immediately before a machine is used in a real election. However, it is possible to make changes that will not be detected. Testing can reveal only some problems, and the absence of problems during testing does not mean that problems do not exist. Auditing the machines’ results There is, however, a mechanism for detecting attacks – that printedout paper bearing the vote and stored securely with the electronic equipment. A 2013 Supreme Court directive asked the Election Commission to create that process to protect the integrity of the balloting process. In each constituency, five electronic voting machines will have their results audited by comparing a manual count of the printouts with the electronic tallies. (This means about 1 or 2 per cent of each constituency’s machines will be tested.) Opposition parties have asked the Supreme Court to order audits of half of all electronic voting machines, but that may not happen with this year’s election. While the electronic voting machine system is useful and functional, officials and observers shouldn’t assume there’s no way to tamper with the results. The Election Commission should certainly continue to improve testing and provide public reports of independent testing. However, because no technology can be tamper-proof, each election outcome should be verified by a manual audit, to ensure that the results are correct, whatever they may be. Poorvi Vora is professor of computer sciences at George Washington University Courtesy of The Conversation / INSP.ngo �FEATURE 8 N o v 216 - -NMay o v 19, 18 | N o . 393 May 30,2 02019 | No. 407 Affordable For What DR. MARK MUSSMAN Staff Writer W e are in the middle of an affordable housing crisis. The crisis is not just in Cincinnati but it is widespread throughout Hamilton County and the region. With over 40,000 units of affordable housing missing in Hamilton County alone, we are facing an unprecedented housing challenge. They're many different ways to calculate whether or not someone is paying too much for their housing, but commonly we believe that if you pay more than 30% of your income towards your housing, you are then paying too much and are rent burdened. When families are rent burdened, they are just one paycheck away from a crisis that can negatively impact their lives. In Cincinnati, we have many different organizations that are fighting to make sure that we have affordable housing available to all, but they haven’t stopped the free market from creating a very difficult situation for many families. We are fortunate in Overthe-Rhine to have organizations that are ensuring that some families are able to remain in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, over the past 15 years, we have lost more than 2,400 units of low income affordable housing in our neighborhood alone. Organizations like Over-the-Rhine Community Housing enable us to not only sustain units of affordable housing but also bring new units online. Over-theRhine Community Housing has been partnering with other organizations, like Tender Mercies and Community Matters, to create new housing in Overthe-Rhine, the West End, and Lower Price Hill. Tender Mercies works with adults with developmental disabilities (and histories of homelessness) to ensure that the most vulnerable in our community have stable housing. They use a “housing first” model to get people into housing while they deal with mental illness or addiction. Tender Mercies has a couple of buildings on 12th Street, and a few more throughout the neighborhood. They have been a model for SRO housing (single room occupancy housing) throughout the region and perhaps the country. Tender mercies and Over-theRhine Community Housing have partnered on new housing in the West End. This new building, on Ezzard Charles, will provide housing for people who are today housing insecure. Combined with the nearly 500 units of affordable housing that Over-the-Rhine Community Housing provide, we are lucky to have such a comprehensive organization in the neighborhood. Over-the-Rhine Community Housing not only provides affordable units of housing, but it also runs the Jimmy Heath House and the Recovery Hotel. The Recovery Hotel gives people a chance to get through drug and homelessness recovery while not giving them a time limit to do so. The Jimmy Heath House provides wrap-around services, such as social workers, to make sure that people will be successful in recovery and out of homelessness. The Jimmy Heath House also houses the employment pipeline, which gives people an opportunity to work toward full-time employment at several local organizations including Nehemiah Manufacturing, Building Value, and the City’s Parks Department. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Another organization in the community that provides affordable housing is the Preservation of Affordable Housing, or POAH, which has taken over many of the formerly Brickstone properties. Brickstone was a part of the developer Model Group. Brickstone was known for creating and sustaining high quality affordable housing throughout the city. Many Brickstone buildings are scattered throughout Over-the-Rhine, Mount Auburn, and other surrounding neighborhood including Walnut Hills and Avondale. POAH manages Brickstone and some Model Group buildings. One of the buildings that Model Group owns and POAH is the manager, is Parkway Towers. Parkway Towers has been a building for older adults and people with disabilities for many years. Over the last few years, there have been some changes at Parkway Towers, which have been concerning to the residents. Not only has management changed, but also ownership. Residents are now being forced to leave the building for a renovation to widen the hallways. The Parkway Towers’ tenant organization has been negotiating through the whole process. They have created a survey of the residents to ensure that the people who are most vulnerable will be able to return to the building. This process started with a 45 day notice for residents to vacate a couple of years ago, but with the organizing of the tenants, and with Legal Aid and the Homeless Coalition, they’ve been able to remain in their home so far. Other organizations in the neighborhood, that help create and sustain affordable housing, are very limited. There is some organically occurring affordable housing in Overthe-Rhine, but many are disappearing very quickly. �No. 39 Nov 230, - N2019 o v 19,| No. 2 0 18407 May 163 -| May FEATURE 9 barriers between communities who are in need and those who are able to facilitate those needs. Ultimately, however, it is the responsibility of our government to make sure that people have safe and affordable housing. The way to calculate whether or not you are paying too much, is by taking 30% of your take home pay and applying that to your housing, including your utilities. There is also a nationally recognized fair market value for one, two, and three-bedroom apartments. The fair market value is determined by the cost of living in any given area. For our area, a onebedroom at fair market value is about $645 per month. The amount for a two-bedroom apartment is about $800 per month. And the fair market value for a three-bedroom apartment is a little bit more than $1,100 per month. This fair market value is essentially what the federal government would pay if you were receiving a subsidy for your housing. Certain governmental programs will pay approximately 120% of the fair market value for a unit. Those who receive these subsidies might be receiving a Section 8 voucher, where they are able to find housing in the private market. Other people might be receiving a subsidy through the organization that owns the building or on their own. Many years ago, the federal government decided to move away from project-based housing and into the subsidy of private units. The idea was deconcentrate poverty, but little data has shown that this effect has been positive for the community. To look at it from another perspective, think about the concentration of wealth in certain neighborhoods in our community, and consider whether or not low-income subsidized housing would be welcome in that community. Chances are pretty high that that community of concentrated wealth would work hard to block low-income affordable subsidized housing in their community. So whether or not poverty has been deconcentrated is still up to further research. We do know that concentration of wealth has created THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Fortunately, in Cincinnati, we have an organization called Affordable Housing Advocates, who is advocating for affordable housing throughout our region. But when it comes down to it, housing is always a question of affordability. When a low-income unit is taken offline, chances are it will never return. Without advocates working day and night throughout the year to create more affordable housing, we will never chip away at our 40,000 units shortage of affordable housing. While organizations listed above are doing housing work to ensure that affordable housing is available, each one of these organizations has a waiting list that means that people can take months, to even years, to getting safe and affordable housing. This is a structural issue that needs a systemic solution through local, State, and federal governments. The market will not solve this problem, so a reliance on the market will only make the issues worse, and affordable housing will be even more difficult to obtain. �10 LOCAL N o v 216 - -NMay o v 19, 18 | N o . 393 May 30,2 02019 | No. 407 Archiving 22 Years of Streetvibes KATELYN LUSHER Contributing Writer S treetvibes has been a fixture in Over-the-Rhine for over 20 years. Veteran distributors are often contributing writers in the paper and over 400 issues have been produced since its inception. However, while Streetvibes has documented a rich history of activism in Cincinnati for quite some time, it is nearly impossible to explore this history because it is simply not available to the public. For the past year, I have been attempting to change that. In May 2018, I was asked to join a community book project committee at Peaslee Neighborhood Center. This project is a collaborative effort with activists, academics, and community members in Over-the-Rhine and the objective is to gather writing from grassroots organizations, writing groups, and neighborhood residents from the 1960s onward. Chris Wilkey (Northern Kentucky University English professor and longtime activist in Over-the-Rhine) and I volunteered to gather significant Streetvibes articles to include in the book since we are at the Homeless Coalition once a week for our writing group. We both knew that past Streetvibes issues are stored in filing cabinets upstairs at the Coalition, but we had no idea what we might find up there. In June, we started sifting through the print issues manually, with very little results. It was hot and humid and there is no air conditioning on the second floor, so looking through these archival materials meant that there was very little air circulating and news print was getting all over our hands. We tried to find very specific issues that other committee members requested, but the archive is difficult to accurately search in print form. Twenty five years ago—or longer— it was expected that archival work was often dreary, dirty, and tedious work. Today, we possess technologies and tools that aid archival research and make it accessible to all. Streetvibes, however, has yet to have a consolidated, digital archive that anyone can easily look up and search. After several days of “old-fashioned” archival work in that stuffy attic, I asked Chris, “Aren’t any of these issues digital? Why are we doing this?” To my surprise, I found out that the Streetvibes archive has never been fully digitized or made accessible to the general public. At our next meeting, I half-jokingly said that I would apply for a grant to fully digitize the Streetvibes archive. About four months later, I did exactly that. In October 2018, I received a grant from the Cincinnati Project to fund the Streetvibes archive project. With the funds from this grant, I started digitizing the archive in early February 2019. So far, I have made PDFs of all the issues dating from 1997 to 1999. This summer, I will continue digitizing the issues which are only available in print (1997 to 2004) and continue building the archive’s internet presence. When it is finished, the archive will be accessible to anyone with internet access on a computer, tablet, or smartphone. Katelyn Lusher posing with an old issue of Streetvibes, working on the archiving process. On The Front Lines: Lessons For Trouble-Makers ROBERT PARK Contributing Writer B oot camp for Congress people: Rashida Tlaib, a new Congresswoman, was part of a group invited to Harvard University after the 2018 election to learn about how government works and how to do their new job. Guess who was teaching? It was CEOs from General “Close the Auto Plants” Motors, from Johnson & “Drug Profiteer” Johnson, and Boeing “Sorry About The 737 Max” Aircraft Company. The best example from this Harvard “bipartisan, preeminent educational and preparatory” program of how the U.S. ruling class engages in political manipulation was provided by Mr. Gary Cohn, former President/CEO of Goldman Sachs, who informed the eager students that “you guys are way over your head” and “you don’t know how the game is played.” Not even subtle. He could have added “our lobbyists are ready and waiting to help you draft legislation.” This guy is precisely why we need progressives in Congress. This story was laid out in an email fund-raising letter from Congresswoman Tlaib. That letter is a fine example of how progressive fundraising should be done: it should always inform and teach, not just complain that some self-imposed fund-raising target deadline isn’t being reached. Lesson: Do good acts and the money will follow (Bernie showed that). Elizabeth Warren in Mississippi: When she took progressivism to a Town Meeting at a college campus in the Deep South, students there asked some great questions. Questions often provide valuable teaching moments. In Mississippi, Warren dropped the ball. One young man worried that he was from a very “red” area where almost everyone voted for Trump; “how do you propose to reach these people who vote against their own interests?” he asked with earnest concern. Warren responded like a stump robot, listing all her great positions that address these people’s interests (Medicare for all, bust the big banks, consumer rights, etc.). That was the whole point of the question: it doesn’t matter that she aligns with their true interests; something is keeping them from hearing it. Is it the past failure of the Democratic Party to fight for workers’ rights in the South? Is it racism, the bludgeon than enabled the catastrophic Civil War, that forced lower class white farmers and workers to have to compete against cheap slave labor, that has successfully derailed universal health care in America since the 1950s, that has kept the South anti-union forever, that has empowered corporate flunkey politicians in the South for generations? THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED These are huge issues that must be confronted and openly examined by progressives otherwise we will all lose. Another student’s question: how to stop the flow of unwelcome immigrants into our country from South of the border? Warren’s answer: we must act on our values of compassion, empathy and diversity (would have warmed the hearts of Boston liberals). Not a word about 75 years of neocolonial policies in Central and South America in support of U.S. businesses and their local collaborating thugs. Decimated societies now riven with drug networks; dysfunctional client states (Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Brazil…) or ex-client states (Venezuela). Difficult questions are great opportunities. Lesson: Draw the big picture of class power and its consequences. �No. 39 Nov 230, - N2019 o v 19,| No. 2 0 18407 May 163 -| May LOCAL 11 “The Tribune Of the People”: Marxism and The Struggle Against Oppression ALIYAH COLE ContributingWriter P risons are making our youth suffer. Being incarcerated can make trauma even worse. The American Criminal Law Review Journal defines trauma as, “an experience that threatens a person’s life, safety, or wellbeing.” There are 549 young people, between 11 and 20 years old, incarcerated in Ohio; 11.7% of these young people come from Hamilton County. The Ohio Department of Youth services released the Monthly Fact Sheet for March 2019 and the report reveals that an astounding amount of them have a mental health case open: 61%. Trauma can present itself in different ways. The Journal of EvidenceInformed Social Work published in 2016 that trauma presents itself in ways such as “posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, addictive behaviors, emotion dysregulation, reactive aggression, dissociation, and/or serious offending behaviors.” Now imagine yourself as teenager being charged for a crime. You face being taken away from your family, placed in a locked down facility, confined to that space, and being physically restrained from time to time. Imagine adding trauma to this already stressful equation. This is a reoccurring experience happening all over the United States to our young people. According to a report from the U.S. Department of Justice, there are over 45,000 kids locked up in the United States on any given day. Arrest rates for youth have been decreasing but young people who have been locked up before are still returning to these facilities at high rates, says the Urban Institute. Some may say that prisons are needed to scare youth straight to get their behavior to change. But if kids are traumatized by being locked up, and are returning to these facilities’ multiple times, what needs to change? What is needed for a successful reentry for kids with trauma? 1. Implement a Trauma Informed Care framework throughout the juvenile justice system Published in the 2016 American Criminal Law Review Journal, it was said that, “the juvenile justice system has not caught up with the contemporary understanding of trauma's impact on offending and the latest best practices for treatment of trauma.” One way to change this issue is implementing Trauma Informed Care (TIC). TIC considers the trauma people have experienced and implement services that feel safe, empowering, and welcoming. The juvenile justice system can change reentry programming to become more therapeutic and address the specific trauma needs of young people. In Cincinnati, Ohio Lighthouse Youth and Family Services is a trauma informed agency that provides alternative placement for boys who have committed a crime. At this facility the young people receive mental health services. They also have the chance to learn how to plant and care for vegetables and flowers, as well as participate in community service projects as a part of their reentry process. In addition to TIC reentry programs, direct staff members at agencies serving youth who have experienced the juvenile justice system should go through TIC trainings. Some may say that training is an additional cost, however giving direct line service staff the tools to handle trauma means less instances of retraumatizing young people. When there is unidentified trauma and limited treatment options, young people who suffer do not get the care that they need and can cycle back through the system. Giving young people with trauma the care they need means a decrease in facility population size and the money saved from the decrease could be used to fund the trainings. 2. Give young people the tools to advocate for themselves Reentry is not a one size fits all experience. Based on their experiences, living situation, and age they will have different kinds of barriers to face. The Center for Children's Advocacy has books and videos for young people that teach them the rights they have while in a detention center and how to speak up for themselves if they are in a shelter or treatment facility. This would give the young people tools they can take with THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED them as they transition back into their communities. 3. Peer support while youth are reentering Once the young person is back into society, navigation can be overwhelming. It can be hard for a young person to find a job, get reliable transportation, or even figure out how to get a new social security card. Having someone to show them the ropes can be beneficial for their wellness and overall experience while reentering. If you are a Cincinnati community member looking to provide support, The HELP Program takes mentor volunteers to work with people who are reentering. For those who still want to help but may have less time, The Voice of Black Cincinnati has created a list of 70 felony friendly job places in Cincinnati. Job referrals for people who are reentering can go a long way. During my work with homeless and at-risk young people many of them have been a part of, or recently left the juvenile justice system. When these young people shared stories of trauma, it was important to lead with compassion during my time with them. These young people want to be heard, included, and supported. Service providers and community support plays a vital role in young people’s transition back into their community. By implementing TIC in reentry programs, TIC training for direct line staff members and community peer support, we can give these young people a brighter future. �12 STREETVOICE N o v 16 2 --N o v 19, 0 18 | |N o . 393 May May 30,22019 No. 407 Forest For The Trees:trees For The Forest. Two trees, Annabelle and Carrie; Sisters; great, strong, hardwood, blossoming trees sweep through Over the Rhine Sowing seeds of “Baby, just keep working one day it will be alright.” Or “Child, tell me what you need.” Two sisters and their adopted Sister Mary feeding babies, watching, testing, guiding us with wisdom. In their steadfast foundation they held down community council and guided heavily laden souls to places like Peaslee, Daily Bread, the Drop Inn Center and God. Sisterly trees from days before I was born, made a place for protection while mending the wings of battle worn birds And Ed and Bob giving “Tender Mercies” and shelter to wingless and bewildered flocks while gentle Sister Kath made sure these birds could still celebrate holy days. And Baba and June keeping the flames of ancestral voices until the wingless, the flightless are able to soar. Great Eagle! Great Eagle swoops down with no care until a prayer filled oak screams, “You better beware! Our Home is not for Sale!” The old Clift watching the Eagle, “ you still have to take refuge from you position in the sky. You still have to land, to feed, to heal ; no there is no forever you can Tom; giant fir, O great evergreen sing your truth fly” about those who look like you. Filter the lies though your branches calling out Tall trees reach up though the canopy and protect your privilege brother's forgetfulness our progeny. Remind them of the time Tree roots turn the creeks around; let the storms They were once colored know this is still solid ground! They were once immigrants They were once poor and needed a boot strap...a Great oaks like great Mothers, spread your branches boot Lend voice to those who have been cut silent They were once New Deal and G.I. Bill! Stand for those whose limbs have been severed Ignite those flames long extinguished Dorothy and Bonnie; Bonnie and Dorothy--two Inspire, Inspire , their wings to fly higher sisters intertwined like oak and walnut. But ultimately, protect; protect them from corporate Dark and light wood growing from the same root. investors who digest our homes our neighborhood; Echoing a chorus of “our children, our children, our ancestor’s bone while pooping and peeing and our children, our beloved community” defecating coins. Because one day great Eagle you will All the while Buddy’s nourishing tree; felled, but have to land in this Hell of your own making. And I eternally feeding those creatures long forgotten. pray; I hope there is an Annabell or Carrie or Sister Alice and Chris; Jen and Jenn; Tammy, Rachel Mary there to nurse your broken wings. and John; Elizabeth and Pat and BeBe and Larry and Monica and Janet and Kathleen and Mary and Mary Once again I call. Old trees make a forest; make a and Josh and Amy; Liz and Trish and Angela; Terry home. Conjure up peace in an old witch's bones. So and David and Roxzann and so on and so on. I can sleep once more like the days so long ago when Educating the birds there were no humans to destroy our homes. Feeding the birds Housing the birds JUNE ALEXANDER Giving hope to the birds ContributingWriter Giving song, words, and prayers to the birds 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! THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �STREETVOICE No. 39 Nov 2 - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 May 163- |May 30, | No. 407 Drop The Bottle World Going Around Being 61 yrs old today traveling state after state Drop the bottle just let it go Surviving being homeless i am lost at this rate Let it fall I have never knew so many things rely on politics I never knew to get a new president there would be kicks I never believed a president had time for things like twitter As the world is being divided between the rich and poor i am bitter I thought the kkk, the confederates and supremacy were in Let it break Let it crack Always try to help yourself Stay on track You don't need the bottle my history To communicate or relax But the world goes around to see today a repeat of history Let the poison go is misery And ask God for help I pray to end confused people whether you be foreign, white or black Into the realization that we all bleed red we all live to die that's a fact I appreciate upgrading but to belittle those who appreciate Just let him steer He's there all day He's always near Give it to him but can't afford And do pray Here is homelessness, hunger, immigrants and the Remember God is waiting politicians at a closed door And he does care The world goes around things from history repeat but to know who's world KIM GREEN Contributing Writer Streetvibes Distributor Is to know how to appreciate god's world an not fall into a mixed up curl Just remember the world goes around i have seen rich and the next day broke I,ve seen living and dead tomorrow i see the world today i pray for life Without misunderstanding of who i am where i come from with no strife WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor Contributing Writer A Youth Movement To Save The Planet Mother Goose A teenager named Janet Learned all about the planet, And global warming's impact. She joined a lot of her peers, Who voiced the same fears, Protesting it's now time to act BILL WOODS Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 13 �PUZZLES 14 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 105 Across 1. Limited in size or scope 6. Zeal 10. Desiccated 14. Kind of fairy 15. Stem of a tree 16. Impersonate 17. Assumed name 18. Item of footwear 19. Compass direction 20. Withstand 22. Nocturnal insect 24. Litigate 25. Helot 27. Blandish 29. Relating to heraldry 33. Epoch 34. Precipitation 35. Similar or related 37. Three note major or minor chord 41. Lodge 42. Large internal organ 44. Singing pair 45. Mix up or confuse 48. Rend 49. Portable shelter 50. Fuss 52. Embellish 54. Evil spirit (folklore) 58. Uncommon 59. Frozen water 60. Utter 62. Pale 66. Disposed of to a purchaser 68. Quality of voice 70. Near 71. Large woody plant 72. Tournament for amateurs and professionals 73. Tightly twisted cotton thread 74. Afresh 75. Tall woody perennial grass 76. Organic compound Nov 2 o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 May 16- -NMay 30,2 02019 407 Down 1. Dissonance 1. Box lightly 2. 1,760 yards 3. Center point of rotation 4. Communication channel 5. Smaller in size, amount or value 6. Flow out 7. Textile machine for weaving yarn 8. Remote in manner 9. Stinging plant 10. Simian 11. Cook with dry heat 12. Publish 13. Discourage 21. Test 23. Male red deer 26. Holy person 28. Mariner 29. Song for solo voice 30. Currency of South Africa SODOKU PUZZLE NO 396 - EASY 31. Psyche 32. Ashen 36. Not at any time 38. Notion 39. Female relative 40. Shower with love 43. Summarize briefly 46. Circuit 47. Redact 49. Latticework 51. Public speaker 53. Seer 54. Panorama 55. Fruit of the oak 56. Noisy riotous fight 57. Run off secretly to marry 61. Leg joint 63. Geographically disoriented 64. Small island 65. Cervid 67. Condensation 69. Finish PUZZLE SOLUTIONS CROSSWORD #104 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 395- EASY PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 Nov 230, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 May 163-| May | No. 407 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 216 - N o v 19, 2 02019 18 | N o . 393 May - May 30, | No. 407 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 May 16-May 30, 2019 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: Money Over People Pg 3: Ohio Reformers Notch a Victory Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: To Make It on The Streets, I Had to Look Like You Pg 6: Opting In Pg 7: How the World’s Largest Democracy Casts its Ballots Pg 8: Affordable for What Pg 9: Affordable for What Continued Pg 10: Archiving 22 Years of Streetvibes On the Front Lines Pg 11: “The Tribune of the People” Pg 12: Street Voice Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource May 16-May 30, 2019 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gabriela Godinez Bill Woods Jordi Cornella Detrell Katelyn Lusher Poorvi Vora Robert Park Dr. Mark Mussman Aliyah Cole Kim Green Willa Denise Jones June Alexander Canva.com INSP.com Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Aliyah Cole Bill Woods Canva.com Democracy Dr. Mark Mussman Gabriela Godinez INSP.com Jordi Cornella Detrell June Alexander Katelyn Lusher Kim Green Marxism Ohio Oppression Poorvi Vora Robert Park Streetvibes Archive Vaccines Voting Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/c896327de8f22e9965a621c5571067dd.pdf 6022060a6cc541e5167260abdae84e01 PDF Text Text M ay 3 0 t h - J u n e 1 3 t h 2 0 1 9 | Vo l . 2 3 I s s u e 1 1 ( N o . 4 0 8 ) 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. INVISIBLE Disability 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 30 2 - -NJune o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 May 13,2 02019 408 From The Editor: KKK Rally In Dayton Gabriela Godinez Editor-in-chief A KKK affiliate group received a permit in Dayton, Ohio to rally on May 25th, 2019 in front of the city courthouse. Left wing groups such as the Democratic Socialists, the Black Panthers, and Antifa, along with many others, decided they would not sit idly by while a KKK group celebrated their racism. Activists decided to organize a counter protest at the same time as the KKK demonstration, making Dayton officials nervous they would become the next Charlottesville. When the day came, there were police on foot, horses, and bicycles surrounding the closed off rally and counter protest area, some police carrying rifles. There were about 4 people on the roofs of two different buildings, watching intently, as well as a helicopter that seemed to circle the area from time to time. Needless to say, the entire event was heavily policed. People protesting the KKK were fenced off from the original racist demonstration, making it difficult to see what the other side was doing or saying. Though, once the event officially began at 1pm no one seemed interested in looking at the KKK but instead were enjoying each other’s company. The environment was over all positive, folks chanting in unison and creating a sense of solidarity. Once it started to get later in the event, people started to wonder where exactly the KKK was. People started to gather around the fence and faced the area that was sectioned off to the KKK, were only about 9 members stood with racist propaganda. Their sign, “diversity = genocide” was barely visible from the other groups viewpoint. At this time, there were about 300 people counter protesting the KKK which apparently couldn’t get anyone to show up. The protesters headcount peeked at about 600, while the KKK group never got any larger. At this point all the counter protestors realized what a colossal failure the KKK rally had been and it seemed that people started to utilize their time to talk to like minded strangers. There were people from Cincinnati and Columbus, as well as other areas, that had gathered to show solidarity for one another against racism, and they were taking this opportunity to have a positive time. If you were at the center of the rally, you were surrounded by chanting, people passing water bottles and fruit, and had an overall sense of safety. However, if you looked at the edge of the protest you would see the intense police presence that might have left you a bit on edge. The city of Dayton estimates that all the police presence and resources they took for the protest ended up costing over $600,000. What can we learn from this protest/rally? Activist groups need to collaborate more often and show up for each other, because it might not just be 9 people we’re facing next time. The KKK is a threat to the black and brown community, and there weren’t just racial groups at the event. There were different socialist and communist groups as well as faith groups. When we show up for each other we are a force to be reckoned with. No one group brought hundreds of people, and no one group should be expected to. Each individual activist group needs to continue existing and working on their specific issues and passions. However we need to continue showing up for our neighbors when they ask us to, and May 25th was a beautiful example of what happens when we do. 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: Gabriela Godinez, Bill Woods, Johannes Lehard, Aliza Saunders, German Orizaola, Josiane Kougheu, Dr. Mark Mussman, Simon Bland, David Cortright, Depthstroke the Cypher, June Alexander ------------------------------------------- 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 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. �No. 39 Nov 213, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 May 303- |June | No. 408 HOMELESSNESS 3 Homeless People Aren’t Just Sitting Around – They Actively Strive To Improve Their Lives Johannes Lenhard The Conversation W hen I first met Daniel* in front of Shoreditch High Street station in London, I didn’t know how exhausting begging was. He was constantly moving, often through cold and rain. He addressed random passers-by all day long, mostly facing ignorance from their side if not verbal and physical aggression. He told me: “Many people think, that if they give, that keeps me on the street – but it really makes life bearable. It’s not all about money … What I appreciate is respect. Respect and understanding make me feel like a human being.” Daniel was hustling to survive – in search of resources, like money and food, but also respect. Begging is a means to this end and hard labour in every sense of the word, both physical and emotional. It isn’t just a passive activity of passing the time to get through the day but an active form of engagement that is often reflected on and thought through. As a long-term unemployed homeless person, it was one of the only ways for Daniel to survive. This kind of activity – and others such as finding and making shelter – are forms of labour and work that are worth taking seriously, both in order to support people like Daniel on an immediate, personal level, and ultimately to adapt government policies accordingly. An active process Homelessness is exploding across the West. Rough sleeping in the UK alone has risen by almost 170 per cent since 2010. Altogether, one in 200 people is homeless in the UK. Similarly, in France, according to official government statistics, the number of homeless people rose by 50 per cent between 2001 and 2011. Based on six years of work on homelessness in London and Paris, most recently two years of full-time fieldwork in the French capital, my research has tried to generate a bottomup understanding of how homeless people survive and make a living. My research has shown me that most homeless people are not passively suffering but that they often actively try to make their lives better. Two examples of men – Pascal* and Carl* – help to demonstrate this. Pascal, a Congolese man in his early 20s. I met him in Paris in summer 2015, and found he had a well thought-through daily work routine to earn money through begging. In the mornings, he was trying to catch the commuters coming into the Gare de l'Est. At lunchtime, he stood in front of a specific, busy boulangerie in the ninth arrondisement, a rather well-off residential area of the city. In the afternoon, he was at Gare de l’Est waiting for the trains bringing German tourists he could easily relate to in a language he speaks. Pascal had developed these different spots where he could approach different groups – lunchgoers he would see several times a week, random but compassionate tourists, people that likely speak his language – with different tactics. For every group, Pascal also had a specific way of addressing them, a specific spiel touching on different points: he needed money for the train, or wanted to buy food, or to get himself a night in a shelter. He knew from experience that different groups are more likely to give when they hear a certain narrative. Pascal was the norm rather than the exception of the homeless people I engaged with on the streets around the city’s train stations. For him and the others, begging was not just sitting around, but an active process of labour, often a first step to order and routine. Seeking shelter Homeless people also don’t blindly rely on social services for housing, a process that can take from months to years. Many of them actively choose spots, collect material and symbolically construct shelters for themselves within the cities they live in. Carl, a young German I met early in 2015 in Paris, was one of them. “They call me the train man – even though I don’t even sleep there anymore. But I found it,” Carl explained to me with pride when I asked him about his shelter. He took me to see the train he was talking about, close to the metro stop Créteil in the south of Paris. It was an old inter-city train waiting to be moved to where it would eventually be recycled. “This used to be my job – intelligence, finding things – and finding this train was easy,” he said. “I just used Google maps, and a day later I started sleeping here … I just ripped out the old curtains and used them as a blanket. The compartments are perfect, a little home.” The fact that the trains were easy to reach, less than 30 minutes from the Gare du Nord, and were available for stable intervals of time, made them the perfect mid-term shelters for people like Carl. Many others followed Carl to the train in the months after his discovery. A different group of people I spoke Photo by Tom Parsons on Unsplash THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED to slept in a spacious parking lot under the banking district. Others preferred the security of a public place surveyed by the police such as the area directly around train stations. Most of them would come equipped with cardboard, blankets, duvets or plastic bags to keep their laundry and other utensils. All of them were actively trying to make a home on the street while being homeless. Daniel, Pascal and Carl are only three of the many people I have observed over my years of working with people on the street. Many are struggling to survive within both physical and institutional structures which in many cases try to support them, but in many others keep them on the street. Understanding the efforts these people go to to make their lives better will help institutions such as homeless charities, NGOs and government agencies to support them by building on their own efforts – rather than imposing new, and at times alien, initiatives on them. *All names have been anonymised to protect the identity of interviewees. Johannes Lenhard is a PhD researcher in social anthropology at the University of Cambridge Courtesy of The Conversation / INSP.ngo �4 ADVERTISMENT N o v 230 - N o v 19, 2 02019 18 | N . 393 May - June 13, | oNo. 408 May 17 - June 2, 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 �No. 39 ov 2 13, - N o2019 v 19,| 2 0 18408 May 303 -| N June No. HOMELESSNESS 5 Stress On The Streets Aliza Saunders Street Roots S treet Roots wanted to learn more about what being able to relax means when you don’t have a home. We shouldn’t have been surprised that this exploration turned into conversations about the experience of stress on the streets. An intense job interview or narrowly catching the bus might cause an immediate and even thrilling dose of stress, which called acute stress– according to the Mayo Clinic. Not all stress comes in small spurts, however. Chronic stress is defined by the American Psychological Association as being a “grinding stress that wears people away day after day, year after year.” It’s a form of stress that can be debilitating. This form of stress can result in serious psychological and physical health consequences, such as anxiety, insomnia and a weakened immune system. The American Institute of Stress has compiled an exhaustive list of 50 common symptoms of stress that includes difficulty in making decisions, depression, trouble with learning, lack of care in appearance, and rapid and mumbled speech. Like many psychological conditions, chronic stress manifests in diverse and sometimes non-linear ways. In addition to daily uncertainties, such as finding the next meal or staying dry during a rainy night, people who are or who have recently been homeless have often also experienced childhood trauma, which can contribute to deep and sometimes crippling stress in adulthood. For 13 years, Mykel Garner lived on the streets and faced immeasurable amounts of stress. He was abandoned by his grandmother to Child Protective Services when he was 8 years old, and, since then, Garner has lived in more than 10 group homes, struggled with addiction, been shot three times, and spent time in a psychiatric hospital. “When I was on the streets, I didn’t have a choice,” Garner says. “I had to just be submissive and admit that I had been beaten and, basically, in the end, I just wanted to die. I tried so many times to just give up.” Despite these challenges, about three years ago, Garner felt the most relaxed he had in a long time. He was clean and sober with a sponsor and attending recovery meetings. Garner felt accepted, hopeful, and a part of something. Around that same time, Garner was also moving into his apartment, where he has lived for the past two years. While it alleviated many of the stressors he had faced on the streets, moving into an apartment also introduced new ones. According to Garner, the owners of his housing unit have tried to evict him four times, and now he has been getting ill and feels that he has not been effectively diagnosed. “Now, with housing, it’s like someone has control over me, and they basically have control over … (my) life or death,” Garner says. “If I go back to the streets the way I am, I don’t think I’ll make it without going to prison or getting killed,” he continues. “I just don’t see myself making it because it took everything I had to make it through everything I did this far in life.” Heather Harrington has been living on the streets for two years, and, like many homeless individuals, she faces the daily stress of making enough money, the struggle of keeping warm despite harsh weather conditions, and protecting her belongings from theft. She also has to navigate those living around her. “I’ve never seen so many people who seem lost, and they need help,” she says. “They’re just wandering around ... talking to themselves or sleeping in the middle of the sidewalk or screaming at the top of their lungs to someone who’s not there. It’s stressful. It puts me on edge.” Like Harrington, Amy Turco, who has been living on the streets for about two years, also finds it difficult to navigate other people living on the streets, especially with heightened noise levels under the Morrison Bridge and the lack of privacy. “When there’s more than a few people in the same area that [my boyfriend and I] are at, that becomes a little stressful because the privacy breaks,” she admits. Turco, though, has been able to find relaxation in both nature and through her job at Starbucks. Turco recently went to the Japanese Rose Gardens and visited The Grotto. Turco says that she loved experiencing nature – the streams, birds and flowers – as well as the peaceful church music. At her job, Turco is also able to relax and enjoys spending time with her coworkers. “I laugh a lot at work,” she says. “I like the people I work with, and they bring the laughter out of me, especially when I’m really feeling down. One of my co-workers brings in this Bluetooth speaker, and when we’re washing dishes and cleaning up at night, she’ll play it, so I dance.” Turco and her boyfriend are currently looking for apartments, but they both enjoy the occasional times that they can spend a night in a motel and relax while watching television. Finding that his health had become compromised after living in shelters for about 12 years, John Smith began living on the streets last year. Smith currently takes medication for high blood pressure, which he attributes to both his family history and the extreme stress of being homeless. “Being out on the streets, you never let your guard down because that’s when you end up getting hurt,” he says. Sometimes, he is able to spend time at his wife’s home, as well as visiting his daughters’ homes, where he can finally let his guard down and relax indoors. About a year ago, Smith went to his hometown, Sweet Home, Oregon, to spend his birthday with his high school friends. “I was in a safe place,” he recalls. Jerrick Harrenstein currently lives in a shelter, where he has gone every night this past winter. Harrenstein Photo by Christian Erfurt on Unsplash THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED battles daily with mental health issues and often feels like his stress is inflicted on him by his surroundings. “I’m stressed out all the time,” he says. “It’s part of life – my life.” He says that he is able to relax in the shelter in the evenings, after his day is over. Leo Rhodes, a homeless advocate, has been homeless for 30 years and has been in housing for the past eight. Rhodes was met with violence when living on the streets. “I fell asleep on the waterfront, and I got hit over the head three times with a pipe,” he tells me. “That brings a lot of stress on you.” Since he has been in housing, Rhodes still feels extreme stress, specifically due to several projects he is working on to aid and advocate for homeless individuals as a part of Right To Dream, Too and other similar organizations. Those who are or have been homeless often live with lingering and sometimes chronic stress due to the combination of years of trauma with the difficulties of daily stressors. Even so, these folks frequently show resilience in the way they are able to cope. However, many people living on the streets have been through so much trauma and loss, leading to this chronic stress, that they are now unable to simply relax. “I don’t ever feel relaxed living on the fucking streets,” Harrington says. “It takes a while to even feel relaxed again. I could go from here into a house, and I won’t be relaxed. I’ll never be the same. It’ll never be the same. It’s called PTSD, I think.” Courtesy of Street Roots / INSP.ngo �GLOBAL 6 N o v 230 - N v 19,13, 2 02019 18 | N| oNo. . 393 May - oJune 408 Chernobyl: How The Site Of A Nuclear Accident Has Become A Refuge For Wildlife 33 Years Later Germán Orizaola The Conversation R eactor number four of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant suffered an explosion during a technical test on 26 April 1986. As a result of the accident, in the then Soviet Union, more than 400 times more radiation was emitted than that released by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima (Japan) in 1945. It remains the largest nuclear accident in history. Decontamination work began immediately after the accident. An exclusion zone was created around the plant, and more than 350,000 people were evacuated from the area. They never returned. And severe restrictions on permanent human settlement are still in place today. The accident had a major impact on the human population. Although there are not clear figures, the physical loss of human lives and physiological consequences were huge. Estimates of the number of human fatalities vary wildly. The initial impact on the environment was also important. One of the areas more heavily affected by the radiation was the pine forest near the plant, known since then as the “Red Forest”. This area received the highest doses of radiation, the pine trees died instantly and all the leaves turned red. Few animals survived the highest radiation levels. Therefore, after the accident it was assumed that the area would become a desert for life. Considering the long time that some radioactive compounds take to decompose and disappear from the environment, the forecast was that the area would remain devoid of wildlife for centuries. Chernobyl wildlife today But today, 33 years after the accident, the Chernobyl exclusion zone, which covers an area now in Ukraine and Belarus, is inhabited by brown bears, bisons, wolves, lynxes, Przewalski horses, and more than 200 bird species, among other animals. In March 2019, most of the main research groups working with Chernobyl wildlife met in Portsmouth, England. About 30 researchers from the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Belgium, Norway, Spain and Ukraine presented the latest results of our work. These studies included work on big mammals, nesting birds, amphibians, fish, bumblebees, earthworms, bacteria and leaf litter decomposition. These studies showed that at present the area hosts great biodiversity. In addition, they confirmed the general lack of big negative effects of current radiation levels on the animal and plant populations living in Chernobyl. All the studied groups maintain stable and viable populations inside the exclusion zone. A clear example of the diversity of wildlife in the area is given by the TREE project (TRansfer-Exposure-Effects, led by Nick Beresford of the UK’s Centre for Ecology and Hydrology). As part of this project, motion detection cameras were installed for several years in different areas of the exclusion zone. Ian Bancroft/Flickr Creative Commons Henrik Isamrker/Flickr Creative Commons The photos recorded by these cameras reveal the presence of abundant fauna at all levels of radiation. These cameras recorded the first observation of brown bears and European bison inside the Ukrainian side of the zone, as well as the increase in the number of wolves and Przewalski horses. Our own work with the amphibians of Chernobyl has also detected abundant populations across the exclusion zone, even on the more contaminated areas. Furthermore, we have also found signs that could represent adaptive responses to life with radiation. For instance, frogs within the exclusion zone are darker than frogs living outside it, which is a possible defence against radiation. Studies have also detected some negative effects of radiation at an individual level. For example, some insects seem to have a shorter lifespan and are more affected by parasites in areas of high radiation. Some birds also have higher levels of albinism, as well as physiological and genetic alterations when living in highly contaminated localities. But these effects don’t seem to affect the maintenance of wildlife population in the area. The general absence of negative effects of radiation on Chernobyl wildlife can be a consequence of several factors: First, wildlife could be much more resistant to radiation than previously thought. Another alternative possibility is that some organisms could be starting to show adaptive responses that would allow them to cope with radiation and live inside the exclusion zone without harm. In addition, the absence of humans inside the exclusion zone could be favouring many species – big mammals in particular. That final option would suggest THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED that the pressures generated by human activities would be more negative for wildlife in the medium-term than a nuclear accident – a quite revealing vision of the human impact on the natural environment. The future of Chernobyl In 2016, the Ukrainian part of the exclusion zone was declared a radiological and environmental biosphere reserve by the national government. Over the years, Chernobyl has also become an excellent natural laboratory for the study of evolutionary processes in extreme environments, something that could prove valuable given the rapid environmental changes experienced worldwide. At present, several projects are trying to resume human activities in the area. Tourism has flourished in Chernobyl, with more than 70,000 visitors in 2018. There also plans for developing solar power plants in the area, and for expanding forestry work. Last year, there was even an art installation and techno party inside the abandoned city of Prypiat. Over the past 33 years, Chernobyl has gone from the being considered a potential desert for life to being an area of high interest for biodiversity conservation. It may sound strange, but now we need to work to maintain the integrity of the exclusion zone as a nature reserve if we want to guarantee that in the future Chernobyl will remain a refuge for wildlife. Germán Orizaola is a researcher at the University of Oviedo Courtesy of The Conversation / INSP.ngo �GLOBAL No. 39 3 |- N ov 2 13, - N o2019 v 19, |2No. 0 18408 May 30 June 7 How the world’s largest democracy casts its ballots Emmanuel Eteme Biolo, a girls' U17 team coach, talks with his team during half-time of the match at the Rail Foot Academy field in Yaounde, Cameroon, May 4, 2019. The academy currently trains around 70 girls, most of whom come from poor backgrounds and would otherwise not be able to afford even their own soccer boots, said Biolo. "Here they have everything: coaches, jerseys, training equipment, a physiotherapist, and the guidance we give them all the time. Gaelle Enganamouit really wants these kids to be the next generation," he said. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra Josiane Kouagheu Reuters W hen Gaelle Asheri first started playing soccer in the dirt streets near her home in Cameroon's capital, she was the only girl on the informal neighbourhood teams which used stones for goal posts and kept score by chalking results on a wall. Asheri, 17, and her teammate Ida Pouadjeu, 16, are now among the first wave of girls being trained by professional coaches at the Rails Foot Academy (RFA) in Yaounde. It was set up in January to foster female soccer talent in a country where many still see the sport as a man's game. "I used to train with boys, so with boys there were some exercises I was not allowed to do because I am a girl," Asheri said, describing how she was seen as more fragile than her male counterparts. "But reaching here it was just another world, I was forced to do abdominal exercises, forced to do all harsh work so you reach a level where tears usually come out with sweat." The academy gets its name from the train tracks that hem the playing ground and turn into informal stands for the local spectators, who gather to watch the girls' teams play all-male sides. Global interest in women's soccer is growing and FIFA hopes over a billion viewers will tune in to watch the Women's World Cup in June. Cameroon's national side, known as the Indomitable Lionesses, was one of three African teams to qualify. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra Gaelle Enganamouit, the founder of Rails Foot Academy (RFA), is depicted on the facade of a hairdressers' shop in Yaounde, Cameroon, May 2, 2019. Enganamouit, the star player of Cameroon's team known as the Indomitable Lionesses, one of three African teams to qualify for the Women's World Cup in June, was the brains behind RFA - the West African country's first female soccer academy. Her own experience as a young player in Yaounde showed her that it was important for women to have their own space to train, she told FIFA in January. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra Its star player, Gaelle Enganamouit, was the brains behind RFA - the West African country's first female soccer academy. Her own experience as a young player in Yaounde showed her that it was important for women to have their own space to train, she told FIFA in January. The academy currently trains around 70 girls, most of whom come from poor backgrounds and would otherwise not be able to afford even their own soccer boots, said coach Emmanuel Biolo. "Here they have everything: coaches, jerseys, training equipment, a physiotherapist, and the guidance we give them all the time. Gaelle Enganamouit really wants these kids to be the next generation," he said. Asheri attends the academy on Saturday mornings and after school on Wednesdays, changing out of her uniform - a belted blue knee-length dress - into her team's matching kit. She is studying for her final baccalaureate exams, but the dream for her and Pouadjeu is to play soccer at a professional level like their benefactor. "I've seen Gaelle (Enganamouit) play on TV. I've never missed one of her matches. She plays so well, I want to be like her," Pouadjeu said. Both girls initially faced opposition from family members who were worried that the sport was unfeminine. But neither have been deterred by such prejudice. "I picked up the ball, I kicked it and I never looked back," Asheri said, recalling the childhood street soccer games with her male cousins and neighbours. Courtesy of Reuters / INSP.ngo REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �FEATURE 8 Nov 2 o v 19, 2 02019 18 | N o . 393 May 30- -NJune 13, | No. 408 Invisible Disabilities Dr. Mark Mussman Staff Writer T here is a saying floating around the internet that goes something like “Be kind to people, everyone is fighting an invisible battle.” This idea, that people are struggling, seems to be particularly true in some neighborhoods. If half of Cincinnati’s children live below the poverty line, and 75% of Black children living below the poverty line, the struggle is not invisible, it is more than palatable. Institutional racism and structural violence are seemingly “invisible” to affluent, or even marginally wealthy, white people. We just can’t see the barriers that are put in the way of people who have a different experience than us. That is how the system is designed: create separate realities so that the discord between the groups is more visible than the structural, or systemic, violence that hides just below the surface. We are seeing this type of conflict play out today with the abortion (so-called) debate. Some people just want to be in control of their own bodies, while some people think this is debatable. the rest of the day to relax and selfcare. Selfcare isn’t a luxury for me, it is a matter of health. Invisible disabilities are wideranging and may affect more than 10% of the American population. Different conditions that cause chronic pain, fatigue, mental illness, and dizziness often lead to invisible illnesses. People are often accused of lying about their condition because it’s not possible to see the pain that someone is in, just their reaction. People with invisible disabilities often hide their pain because it is hard for other people to We see the same thing when looking at disability. One out of five Americans will have a disability at some time in their life. This statistic comes from my work 15 years ago, so I wonder if the number is actually higher today. I cannot imagine what life would be like without my disability. Every decision I make literally depends on what my disability will allow me to do. How much water I drink, what I eat, what type of exercise I can do, how many spoons I have, are all dependent on my disability. But from the outside, my disability isn’t very visible, so it is known as an “invisible disability.” I’ll let you in on a few disability secrets, like what I mean by the number of spoons I have. There is a metaphor that I was resistant to the first time I heard about it called the spoon theory. This idea says that when we wake up each day, a person has a set number of spoons, or energy that they can devote to simply just living. When you have a disability, the number of spoons you have varies from day-to-day, and each activity you do takes a spoon away. So for some, just getting out of bed and getting ready for the day may use up all the spoons that person had for the day. I may have days like that from time to time. My spoons are based upon the amount of pain I am in. I constantly experience discomfort, and most of the time, I am in pain. If I use up all of my spoons in the morning, I must take THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED understand what they go through on a daily basis. It would be impossible to feel what someone with fibromyalgia feels in their bones, or what someone with vertigo experiences when the world starts moving around them. We can only see how they respond to those feelings, and we must trust them. �No. 39 Nov 213, - N 2019 o v 19,| 2 0 18408 May 303 -| June No. FEATURE 9 the doctor more often and be forced to pay more co-pays, just by virtue of needing to go to the doctor more. Costly blood tests are paid out of pocket, because even though you’ve hit your deductible, it somehow doesn’t cover certain costs, like blood tests and physician charges in hospitals. When I bring up a health issue with my primary care physician, who generally listens, it often boils down to “it’s probably from your chronic illness, just showing up in this way.” Everything that is wrong with me is somehow connected to my invisible disability, which is frustrating because I want to get help, but also part of the reality - I will never be apart from my invisible disability. I am fortunate that my family has been so supportive of me over the years. They help me financially and morally. They give me hope that things can get better, and they also share with me the suffering they go through, so that we can commissurate on our experiences. When my doctors show compassion towards me, even through my disability, they make me feel important and worthy of their care. (I have had very bad encounters with doctors, who have misdiagnosed me, refused to look me in the eye, and had bad bedside manner.) My coworkers at the Homeless Coalition are also very supportive; they are willing to step in and help out when I need it, and to carry the load for me when I am too weak to carry it myself. I am forever grateful for the support that I receive, but I also have to struggle with autonomy as I am the one most affected by my invisible disability. One of the biggest stressors that people with invisible disabilities face is the medical industry itself. When someone is lucky enough to finally get a diagnosis, all other issues are often attributed to that condition. Our medical system then places this disability as a “pre-existing condition” which can raise our premiums, deny coverage, or even supplant “free” disease screenings with full-cost procedures. As someone who has been in and out of medical care for two decades with my chronic illness, I can say that our medical system is truly broken. The amount of time that I have to spend dealing with insurance companies, hospitals, doctor’s offices, billing, etc., is a heavy burden. Getting the insurance company to cover necessary procedures and medication can take months. A healthy person might be surprised at the out-of-pocket costs that I run each month. Medications that cost $7000 a dose, with 4 doses a month, is certainly a broken system. This amounts to $338,000/year in medication alone. What kind of world puts that cost on life-improving medication that prevents issues down the road, while simultaneously increasing the risk for other health issues? The system is clearly broken. Doctor visits can be difficult with invisible illness. First off, you will visit THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED At times I hear people talk about complaining as if it’s a bad thing. I know that I complain all of the time, and sometimes you just need someone to hear you. When it feels like the inside of your body is screaming, why should you be the only one to hear it? I don’t always complain, but I also don’t hold back when I want to say something. I recently was pulled over for speeding, and I made a point of telling the police officer that I was in severe pain, not as an excuse, but as a way to humanize myself. Ultimately, however, people with invisible disabilities like myself, should be in therapy for the pain and experience, but also for society’s inability to understand the extent in which we are suffering. Sadly, the access for mental health care is often difficult to navigate and is certainly expensive. When you only have so many spoons, how many can you use on fighting a system of inequality? �10 U.S. NEWS Nov 2 o v 19, 2 02019 18 | N o . 393 May 30- -NJune 13, | No. 408 Us Is Already Fighting A Conflict With Iran – An Economic War That Is Hurting The Wrong People David Cortright The Conversation Many are worried about the risk of war with Iran after the Trump administration leaked discussions of a troop deployment in response to claimed threats to U.S. warships in the region. And in recent days, the rhetoric has only gotten more heated, with President Donald Trump saying a war would be “the official end of Iran.” Iranian officials responded in kind. But the truth is, the U.S. has been fighting a war with Iran for decades – an economic war fought via sanctions that has intensified over the past year and has already been devastating to innocent civilians in the country. Not only that, it’s also undermining long-accepted principles of international cooperation and diplomacy, a topic I’ve been researching for the past 25 years. Carrots and Sticks Many nations have recognized that sanctions work best as tools of persuasion rather than punishment. Sanctions by themselves rarely succeed in changing the behavior of a targeted state. They are often combined with diplomacy in a carrots and sticks bargaining framework designed to achieve negotiated solutions. Indeed the offer to lift sanctions can be a persuasive inducement in convincing a targeted regime to alter its policies, as was the case when successful negotiations involving the U.S. and Europe led to the Iran nuclear deal in 2015, which ended sanctions in exchange for Tehran shutting down much of its nuclear production capacity. A year ago Trump withdrew the U.S. from that accord and not only reimposed previous sanctions but also added further restrictions, including so-called secondary sanctions that penalize other countries for continuing to trade with Iran. Multilateral vs. Unilateral Sanctions In an increasingly globalized world, unilateral sanctions like these – in which one country goes it alone - are rarely effective at achieving their end result, which in this case in regime change. Multilateral sanctions involving several or many countries have greater impact and make it more difficult for targeted individuals or regimes to find alternative sources of oil or other goods. And getting authorization through the United Nations or regional organizations provides legal and political cover. When the U.N. Security Council imposed targeted sanctions on Iran in 2006 over its illicit nuclear activities, for example, members of the European Union were able to join the U.S. and other countries in applying pressures that brought Iran to the bargaining table. That’s what led to the negotiated nuclear deal nine years later. The U.S. circumvented this voluntary multilateral process when it withdrew from the accord and unilaterally imposed “extraterritorial secondary sanctions.” These barred nations or companies that buy Iranian oil or other sanctioned products from doing business in the U.S. Although most countries disagree with the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran deal and some reject such sanctions as an infringement on their own sovereignty, they are powerless. They cannot afford to lose access to dollar financing and the U.S. economy and thus are forced against their will to do Washington’s bidding. Iranians pay the price Oil exports and national income are dropping, inflation is rising, and economic hardships are mounting. The Iranian rial lost more than 60% of its value in the last year, eroding the savings of ordinary Iranians. Life is becoming increasingly difficult for working families struggling to make ends meet. There are indications that the new sanctions are inhibiting the flow of humanitarian goods and contributing to shortages in specialized medicines to treat ailments such as multiple sclerosis and cancer. Cargill and other global food giants have halted shipments to Iran because of the lack of available financing. Punishment of the Iranian people seems to be a deliberate policy. When asked recently how the administrations expects sanctions to change the behavior of the Iranian government, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo acknowledge they won’t be to do that and instead suggested it’s up to the people to “change the government.” In other words, the pain of sanctions will force people to rise up and overthrow their leaders. This is as naïve as it is cynical. It reflects the long-discredited theory that sanctioned populations will direct their frustrations and anger at national leaders and demand a change in policy or the regime. Sanctions have never worked for this purpose. The more likely result is the classic “rally around the flag” effect. Iranians are critical of their government’s economic policies, but they also blame Trump for the hardships resulting from sanctions. Governments subject to sanctions are adept at blaming economic hardships on their external adversaries, as Iran’s religious and elected leaders are doing now against the United States. Tehran is likely to respond to tightening sanctions by giving greater authority to companies associated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, a major branch of the Iranian military, further empowering the very hardline forces Washington claims to oppose The White House is ignoring these realities and pressing ahead with draconian trade sanctions, hoping to increase the pain until Iran’s leaders cry uncle. There is no sign of surrender yet from Tehran, nor is there likely to be, but over time pressure may build on both sides to reach a settlement. The damage done to the institutions of diplomacy will remain, however, along with the need to restore confidence in the principles of international cooperation. David Cortright is director of policy studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Courtesy of The Conversation / Insp.ngo Men shop at a store in Murshid Bazar, the Iranian market in the old part of Dubai, United Arab Emirates November 5, 2018. Picture taken November 5, 2018. REUTERS/Christopher Pike THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 Nov 213, - N 2019 o v 19,| 2 0 18408 May 303 -| June No. 11 U.S. NEWS Public shaming, private grief Simon Bland Big Issue North A misjudged tweet and a wave of social media hate led to the 2017 suicide of porn star August Ames. But as author Jon Ronson discovers in his new audiobook The Last Days of August and its accompanying stage tour, the truth surrounding her death – and who’s to blame – is a much murkier tale. Ronson spoke to Big Issue North about his reporting, the porn industry and the dangers of social media. The Last Days of August is your second podcast set on the fringes of the porn industry, following 2017’s The Butterfly Effect. What keeps you coming back? When I finished The Butterfly Effect I thought that would be it. But when August Ames died I just thought that given I’m probably the only person in the world to have done stories about porn and also public shaming on the internet, that I should approach August’s husband Kevin because I’m uniquely qualified. What was it about the story that you wanted to uncover? My ambition was to be small. I thought I was going to write a 3,000word article for The Guardian where I would bring August to life, but also bring to life the people who tore her apart. I wanted it to be an equal opportunity exercise in empathy. It was only during fact checking that suddenly this whole new mysterious, extraordinary story presented itself. That’s when we decided to make The Last Days of August. You wrote extensively about the dangers of Twitter in your 2015 book So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed – but you’re still on Twitter. Has your vigilance increased? I’m definitely Eve after eating the apple. I have no embarrassment in comparing myself to Eve but I try to always be positive, kind hearted and upbeat on Twitter. It’s been my little contribution to slightly rebalancing the tone of Twitter away from constant rage and judgement to something just a little bit more empathetic. Since you released Publicly Shamed, we’ve had the #MeToo movement. Do you think people are taking more responsibility for their actions on social media? I think there’s still a problem. Since Publicly Shamed came out, we’ve had shaming campaigns like Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, Oscars So White and a bunch of others, which have been incredibly positive, but the negative side of things like that – the pulling someone out of the crowd who doesn’t deserve it and giving them a huge punishment for almost no crime – still exists too. What do you think the solution is? The really important thing people need to think about now is: how do you retain the really positive stuff while trying to eliminate the really negative stuff? We have power now in certain circumstances. It’s up to the people to decide how severe somebody’s punishment should be. We’re basically all judges but there are no leatherbound books on our shelves setting a thousand years of precedent. That’s the problem. There are detective elements to your investigative storytelling. Do you think you could have been a private investigator in another life? My producer Lina Misitzis could have been a private investigator because she loves that stuff and is brilliant at it. I think in another life I would have been a psychologist. When I work with Lina, she brings the investigative feel and I bring the psychology and humanness to it. Many of the conspiracy theorists you wrote about in your 2001 book Them now have a platform, thanks to Trump. Are you keeping an eye on that? Totally. At one point I thought I’d write a book about how the people that I wrote about in Them now have so much more power, but I decided not to because I just find it really hard to return to the same stories. If the mystery isn’t there then I don’t feel impassioned enough to do the story but I think I’m going to do an audio story soon about that – about the newfound power of these people I interviewed back in the 1990s. As someone attracted to extreme stories, have you ever considered writing about Brexit? I wouldn’t be the right person to do Brexit because I’ve been living in America for nearly seven years. I could do Mastermind when it comes to Trump – I know everything about what’s happening with Trump, Mueller and collusion. I honestly know less about Brexit than anybody living in Britain so I would not be the right person to do it. You’re a self-described anxious person but you’re regularly on tour. Is it difficult stepping out on stage every night? It’s increasingly difficult. I used to love being on stage. It used to feel like a place where nothing bad can happen, a safe space. I don’t feel that anymore. My anxiety levels have gone up. I had one bad show in London where I was jet-lagged and I’d taken a bit too much melatonin to try and get over it and I was a little too groggy and slightly disassociating. That became quite a traumatic memory and, as a result, being onstage did make me more anxious. The main reason why I do it is because most writers don’t do it well and I know that I can do it pretty well. It’s not because I love it – because I find it quite exhausting and anxietyinducing these days. What can audiences expect from your upcoming live show? I’ve got high hopes for this new show. I think The Butterfly Effect stuff is really funny but then the show will get increasingly dark and sad in a way that hopefully will be moving for people. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED It’s going to be a big range of emotions. I had a little bit of a mental collapse making The Last Days of August and I want to talk about that. I have these funny bespoke porn clips that I want to show too. It’s the summation of where I’m at in terms of my thoughts on journalism, mental illness and work. I feel like I’ve got a lot to say and that’s going to make it different to my other shows. Jon Ronson – ‘Tales From the Last Days of August & the Butterfly Effect’ is at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, 18 May, Leeds Town Hall, 19 May and Albert Hall, Manchester 22 May. The Last Days of August is available as a podcast Courtesy of Big Issue North / INSP. ngo �12 STREETVOICE N o v 30 2 -- N o v 19, 0 18 | |N o . 393 May June 13,22019 No. 408 Weeping May Endure For A Night, I’m remembering my Mother; and my Mother’s mother; and my Mother’s mother’s Mother who was born into slavery. I use to wonder, “How?!” How could this gentle woman who always fed me bananas and cookies from a small paper bag still smile. Knowing someone chose to see her as property, livestock, and less than human didn’t make her hate; indeed, it made her more loving. I asked her how could she still be so hopeful. In her simple words she replied, “Weeping may endure for a night, but Joy is going to come in the morning They never told me what they meant. They never told me while they were alive, anyway. Then that day came. That day when The Black man and his Black wife, and his Black children, and their Black grandmother stood on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington D.C. The day young and old alike found hope. Women took notice of The wife’s power and intellect. Although this family was its’ own altarpiece, The wife could stand alone, a forever masterpiece. A painting that called upon the “joy” of all in these United States. At that moment Hope My mother’s Mother (when she was young) sat in the living beaconed. Dr. King’s dream may not be fully realized, but it is no room of a white lady she knew and had nursed back to health. longer an impossibility. The elderly white lady took one look at my Grandmother and scoffed, “I never thought I would see the day a Nigger would sit That great morning cultivated and nurtured by centuries of up in my living room.” tears and death and struggle not only empowered those so long My Grandmother’s cool reply was, “...and you still haven’t seen forgotten, but it frightened the Plantation. ..Once I was blind but one.” After the telling of this story, I asked, “Grandmamma, why now I see…or rather once you were blind but now you see. did you ask God to forgive that woman? She laughed, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy is going to come in the morning. You, the Plantation saw a mighty river of colors and creeds. You finally saw the sheep and the lion side by side chanting: we My Mother’s life was made harder by Jim Crow, misogyny, will no longer accept your excuses; we will not accept “someday”; and “you’re not as pretty as me.” I remember all the times we we will not accept “not enough”; we will not “know our places”; would go to eat out and white people got served before us. My we will no longer hide our dreams in closets. Hand in hand we Mother left these places screaming at the owner or manager will stand in this morning. A morning bought with the centuries while simultaneously hauling hungry and disappointed children of our Mother’s tears. Yes, they wept in the moonlight, they back into a hot Alabama summer, no air conditioned car. She prayed in the silence of the dark, transforming their tears to chanted her prayer, “No child of my will bow down to a white amniotic fluid protecting and growing a new Blackness: a true man. These white people don’t know, I’m the wrong Negro. They collective of many nations standing in the rays of a glorious might not overcome, but y'all will.” morning proclaiming this is our time! She took odd jobs during the day and went to school at night. So..? For all of you seeing and living through midnight and Yet, she still took care to make sure we were well dressed; well nightmares remember most of us, including the original tribes of groomed; well educated; well cultured and well mannered. A this land had no voice and were murdered trying to Vote. chorus of after school classes filled with educational games, Bible study, and stories of our people. After daddy was killed Mamma Weeping may endure for a night, but joy is going get us to managed to get us to college all on scholarships while she only vote in the morning! had one good Sunday dress. Whatever it took for her to see our black heads held high so we could look any white person in the eyes. And under her breath she would mutter, “I’m not raising JUNE ALEXANDER slaves. You get an education so you can be free!” I asked her was ContributingWriter all the sacrifice worth it? She took a deep cleansing breath and sang, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy is going to come in the morning.” 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! THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �13 STREETVOICE No. 30 39 3- |June Nov 213, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 May | No. 408 J. C. TOLD D. C. TO MOVE TO CINCY No father… No Mother… Sibling rivalry Rivals sanity As I question My first lesson… “Family comes first.” You know what hurts? Having a dependency On inconsistency… There is a light at the end Of the tunnel but all I see when I look into the abyss Is the kiss That would relieve me of my pain… Sleep was greeted by Local law’s lullaby Of unjustified colors yet serene. Knowing that I was clean, This false comfort was home to me. My heart remains silent And accept the violent Acts of circumstance Remain in a lustful trance With events that some who call trauma… Reality TV has predetermine drama While my life is film in karma Yet I don’t feel balanced. Jersey City Made me. Resiliency Was from DC To JC Who will be a strong woman in her own right Some day. At the age of 8, that night When I was at an emotional low, Her suggests encourage my courage to grow… Moving closer to my happiness Was all that matters regardless Never visiting Cincy Outside of Who Dey on TV. Is unforgiving In this salary based economy… Words of encouragement Reminds me of the detriment Of what I have not achieved. I did believed However, Forever Entangled in compelling Arguments agree on telling My confidence Is nonsense… At the same time, I find Empty promises saying How she loves me While No child Here for the huggie… So my self esteem Has been impounded My motivation is grounded And anyone can drive me… CRAZY!!!!! Where is sanctuary For the broken, bruised and wary? Where I could take time? Make time For desires that I use to have… Depthstroke the Cypher Contributing Writer Is it helpful to have a loving pet to get you through these stressful times? May be I expect Too much Wanted people to treat me Like I treat them yet all I see Are reasons... Reasons to snap Reasons to take a forever nap Because bills, you can’t take them with you. If I apply For SSI I should qualify however These barriers are not forever. Poll Dog The cash assistance Offers limited existence And the quality of living Poll Question By Bill Woods THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �PUZZLES 14 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 106 Across 1. Under-water breathing device 6. Domesticated animal companion 9. Unexpected slide 13. Ravine 14. In the past 15. Blank area 16. Relating to birds 17. Swindle 18. Claw 19. Pull back 21. Item of clothing 23. Father 24. Name of the plantation in Gone with the Wind 25. Astern 28. Molten volcanic rock 30. Homopterous insect 35. Snare 37. Saucy 39. Bulbous herb with single showy flower 40. A slow pace of running 41. Religious doctrine 43. Cleansing agent 44. Herbaceous plant with aromatic seeds 46. Annoy 47. Basic knitting stitch 48. Potent 50. Spline 52. Staining substance 53. Strong sweeping cut 55. Weep 57. Flower merchant 61. Legislator 65. Woven fabric 66. Simian 68. Gauntlet 69. Entertain 70. Pitch 71. Common 72. Persistently annoying person 73. Female sheep 74. Ahead of time PUZZLE SOLUTIONS CROSSWORD #105 Down 1. Evidence of previous injury 2. Grotto 3. A single undivided whole 4. Supervisory committee 5. Toughen steel or glass by gradually heating and cooling 6. Treaty 7. Self 8. Polynesian country 9. Junk e-mail 10. Coarse curly-leafed cabbage 11. Symbol 12. Depression in a surface 15. Narrow sea channel 20. Adjust or conform 22. Part of a circle 24. Sully 25. Book of maps 26. Anterior 27. Perissodactyl mammal 29. Swerve 31. Point formed by two intersecting arcs 32. With relatively high volume 33. Personal journal 34. Fruit, malus pumila 36. Currency of Cuba 38. Relate 42. Taunt 45. Motor 49. Fuel 51. Part of a shoe below the laces 54. Condition 56. Lightweight wood 57. Excited state of agitation 58. Acidic fruit 59. Burden 60. Remainder 61. Scorch 62. Enlistment term 63. Elliptical 64. Depend 67. Foot of an animal Nov 2 o v 19, 18 | N o . 393 May 30- -NJune 13,2 02019 | No. 408 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 397 - EASY SODOKU PUZZLE NO 396- EASY PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 Nov 213, - N2019 o v 19,| No. 2 0 18408 May 303-|June 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 230 - N o v 19, 2 02019 18 | N o . 393 May - June 13, | No. 408 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. 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ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BETTIE BAILEY SINCE 10/2017 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 BRIAN ADAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHARLES WILLIAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHRISTOPHER KAIHATSU SINCE 7/2017 CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DARREL ROZIER SINCE 7/2017 DAVID MCCANE SINCE 2017 ERIC VALDEZ SINCE 2/2017 GERALD FRANKLIN SINCE 7/2017 GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 HENRY BRELAND SINCE 7/2017 JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009 JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2000 JENNY BURTON SINCE 7/2017 JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001 JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006 JOHN HORN JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008 J’TORI TYMAN SINCE 5/2014 KIM NGUYEN SINCE 7/2017 KENNY BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008 LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007 LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009 LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MARK SHEARS SINCE 4/2012 MAURICE GOLSBY MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MIKE CARANO SINCE 4/2016 RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 1999 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 STACIA HOLLANDER SINCE 2017 STEPHANIE EAKES SINCE 7/2017 SYLVESTER WALKER SINCE 7/2017 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2011 VICTOR MUMPHRY WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 WINNIE RICE SINCE 7/2017 QUEENACELASTINE SINCE 7/2017 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 VIOLET COLLINS SINCE 2017 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2019 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource May 30-June 13, 2019 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: KKK Rally in Dayton Pg 3: Homeless People Aren’t Just Sitting Around Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: Stress on the Streets Pg 6: Chernobyl Pg 7: How the World’s Largest Democracy Casts its Ballots Pg 8: Invisible Disabilities Pg 9: Invisible Disabilities Continued Pg 10: Us is Already Fighting a Conflict with Iran Pg 11: Public Shaming, Private Grief Pg 12: Street Voice Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource May 30-June 13, 2019 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gabriela Godinez Bill Woods Johannes Lehard Aliza Saunders German Orizaola Josiane Kougheu Dr. Mark Mussman Simon Bland David Cortright Depthstroke the Cypher June Alexander Canva.com INSP.com Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Aliza Saunders Bill Woods Canva.com Chernobyl David Cortright Democracy Depthstroke the Cypher Disabilities Dr. Mark Mussman Gabriela Godinez German Orizaola INSP.com Iran Johannes Lehard Josiane Kougheu June Alexander KKK mental illness Simon Bland Voting https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/f38cb82a2a10a2f46b8844fc49376eb8.pdf e81eddc932e7469c71d8d4f104e1cb7f PDF Text Text J u n e 1 3 t h - J u n e 2 7 t h 2 0 1 9 | Vo l . 2 3 I s s u e 1 2 ( N o . 4 0 9 ) 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. Pride Issue THIS SPECIAL PRIDE MONTH ISSUE FEATURES LGBTQ WRITERS AND TOPICS This Issue is sponsored by Cecilia and Tom Kloecker Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.com Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 12 �2 COALITION N o v 13 2 - -NJune o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 June 27,2 02019 409 From The Editor: Ohio and the LGBTQ Community Gabriela Godinez Editor-in-chief There are many LGBTQ people in Ohio, and there are many Pride festivals held around the state to celebrate them. In Cincinnati, Second Sunday on Main featured Pride-centric decorations and the official Pride festival is set to be held June 22nd. All over Cincinnati you can see pride flags, many featured in bars and in restaurants. While this is great and wouldn’t have even been conceivable 50 years ago, that doesn’t mean we get to wipe our hands clean from the past, or ignore the fact that there are issues still to work on to this day. On June 8, 2019 members of the nationalist socialist movement showed up to a pride event in Detroit. They came with the intention to ignite fear and incite violence. There is footage of these Nazis ripping up Pride and Israeli flags while chanting and yelling obscenities. One of the issues that the internet found specifically with this footage was how the police were escorting them seemingly to protect them, the Nazis, rather than the more vulnerable folks who were being verbally harassed by this group. If you want to read more about the police and the LGBTQ community be sure to read Dr. Mark Mussman’s article featured on page 8. This is a very clear example of how much America still has to grow. According to the Federal Bureau of investigation 17.7% of hate crimes were from bias against sexual orientation and 1.7% were from gender identity bias as of 2015. In 2017 there were 1,338 individual victims of official hate crimes because of their sexual orientation. Although same-sex marriage has been legal in the United States since 2015 that doesn’t mean that the LGBTQ community is treated the same way as cisgendered heterosexuals in the United States. Only 15 states allow second parent adoption within same sex couples. Ohio is not one of those states. Statewide Ohio has no protections for discrimination against the LGBTQ community this means it is legal for employers to fire workers, landlords can deny housing, business owners can refuse goods and services, all on the basis of sexual orientation. Though federally there are marginal protections according to Ohio law hate crimes fall under bias against race color religion or national origin this leaves out gender identity and sexual orientation. There are no explicit state wide anti-discrimination laws to protect the LGBT community. Gay conversion therapy is still legal in Ohio, although six individual cities now ban this abuse. While having cities take a stand in favor of the LGBTQ community’s basic human rights, it is important that it be in our state legislation. All of this isn’t to say that we aren’t allowed to celebrate. We should be allowed a chance to take a moment and breathe. The LGBTQ community has come a long way in our society. No one can argue that it is worse today than it was 50 years ago, but that isn’t the point. We should strive to change more legislation, change more within our society, so that future generations can say they have it better than we did. Go out and celebrate pride month, it’s good for the soul. Camaraderie and engaging in festivities helps recharge us. Allies just have to remember that the fight isn’t over. If you’re going to party with us, you have to be ready to fight with us as well. Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org www.cincistreetvibe.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor-in-chief: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Volunteer Editors: Katelyn Lusher, Chris Wilkey Distributor Program Manager: Sallie Mascus Layout: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Reception: Bonita Batton, Larry Johnson Maintenance: Pete Roper ------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Gabriela Godinez, Bill Woods, Alison Young, James Petty, Kathleen Hinkel, Mawethu Nkosana, Aliza Saunder, Dr. Mark Mussman, Raya, Quiver Watts, Key Beck, Clarity Amrein, Maya Stockman, Cleo Wombles, June Alexander, Willa D. Jones, Kim Green, ------------------------------------------- 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 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 Homeless Coalition do not endorse candidates for public office. �No. 39 Nov 227, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 June 133-|June | No. 409 HOMELESSNESS 3 Carelessly linking crime to being homeless adds to the harmful stigma and disadvantage he faced. This was in stark contrast to the wealthy privilege of his killer, Easton Woodhead, who The Conversation was found not guilty of murder because he news of Courtney of mental impairment. Herron’s death has shocked There is therefore an entrenched Melburnians. While full duality at work, in which homelessness details are yet to emerge, leads to victimisation and yet also both she and the man charged with causes offending. This is inaccurate and murdering her have been widely simplistic. reported as being homeless. It’s The roles of the law and the media revealing how news media use this Why is the association of information in framing their coverage homelessness and crime so strong? of what happened. There are two main factors. Media use of the term “homeless” First, many behaviours made is rarely neutral. This is not to say necessary by homelessness are someone’s housing status should never criminalised. Simply trying to survive be included in reporting such events. puts people who are experiencing However, we should be wary of how homelessness in direct contact with the media coverage connects homelessness criminal justice system. to violent crimes. In Victoria, for example, begging Before continuing, we should is a criminal offence. Other laws that say we have relied entirely on the unfairly target the homeless include indecent exposure laws, which result in homeless people being arrested for going to the toilet or washing themselves in public (because they lack the option to do so in private). The second factor is the persistent linking of homelessness and crime in the media. News stories proliferate in the tabloid media about aggressive beggars, foreign backpackers pretending to be homeless to make money and people who exploit their pets as they beg for donations. Coverage of the homeless camp at Flinders Street Station in Melbourne during the 2017 Australian Open tennis tournament routinely described inhabitants as drug dealers, criminals and professional troublemakers. Being homeless means being vulnerable When reading about any event involving people experiencing homelessness, we should remember that being homeless involves serious vulnerability. Homelessness is better understood not as a condition itself, but as a manifestation of multiple vulnerabilities: mental illness, Jon David Guerrero, 40, appears at a competency hearing charged with attacking five homeless men by driving railroad spikes into the heads of his victims, chronic ill-health, unemployment, killing three of them in San Diego, California, U.S., March 20, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake disadvantage, lack of education, histories of trauma or neglect, substance information reported in the media to For readers, knowing Herron was hobo” alongside Miller’s mug shot on dependence and, always, poverty. This write this article. homeless helps us understand her the front page. remains the case regardless of whether Connotations of homelessness vulnerability. Women experiencing The equation of people experiencing the person in question is a victim, an For victims of crime who lack homelessness face a range of risks and homelessness and criminal behaviour offender, or a bystander. stable housing, news media use their challenges, such as higher risks of sexual can appear natural or logical. However, Alison Young is a professor of homelessness as evidence of their violence, exploitation and assault. it is anything but: people experiencing criminology at the University of vulnerability. For perpetrators without In contrast, Hammond’s homelessness are more likely to be Melbourne housing, media use their homelessness homelessness has been reported in a victims of violent offending, not its James Petty is an honorary fellow as a context and explanation of their way that frames the act of violence he perpetrators. of criminology at the University of behaviour. has been charged with. Yet how does Also in 2014, Morgan Wayne Melbourne On the Monday following Herron’s it help us understand this horrific act? “Mouse” Perry was killed while sleeping Courtesy of The Conversation / death, The Guardian ran the headline: Housing status is not generally included rough in Melbourne. His homelessness INSP.ngo “Homeless man appears in court in reporting: we don’t see headlines like revealed the intense marginalisation Alison Young and James Petty T charged with murder of Courtney Herron”. Including the adjective “homeless” in the headline means the accused, Henry Hammond, 27, is from the outset defined by a lack of housing, and by any adverse associations that might relate to individuals experiencing homelessness. In this context, the expression “homeless man” indicates how “homelessness” can be read as shorthand for criminal offending. It’s striking that news reporting of Herron’s homelessness has tended to use expressions such as “of no fixed address”, rather than “homeless”, perhaps indicating an awareness of the adjective’s negative associations. The Age quotes an acquaintance as saying Herron should be “remembered for the lovely woman she was and not just another homeless person who died on the streets”. “Man who lives in renovated Victorian terrace accused of murder”. In fact, criminal behaviour by homed people, in the form of family violence, is the main driver of homelessness in Australia. The relationship between homelessness and crime is thus more complex than media coverage suggests. Hammond’s homelessness may well be an aspect of what has happened, but news headlines like The Guardian’s tap into a longstanding association in some people’s minds between homelessness and criminality. Victims and perpetrators Following the 2014 killing of Renae (Yuk Ling) Lau by Scott Allen Miller in King’s Domain, Melbourne, the media depicted Miller as a dangerous monster. His homelessness was central to this framing. One news outlet (The Advertiser) ran the headline “Killer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �4 ADVERTISMENT N o v 213 - N v 19,27, 2 02019 18 | N| oNo. . 393 June - oJune 409 May 17 - June 2, 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 �No. 39 ov 2 27, - N o2019 v 19, | 2 0 18409 June 133 -| N June No. PRIDE MONTH 5 50 Years After Stonewall: The Most Marginalized Still Face Oppression Kathleen Hinkel StreetWise A t the heart of the story of the Stonewall Rebellion are homeless LGBTQ youth, transgender people of color and a threatened place of refuge: a gay bar that welcomed the outcasts of society. The Stonewall Inn was a community center of sorts for drag queens and queer youth rendered homeless by familial or societal rejection. Admission at the Stonewall Inn was not expensive and homeless youth could easily scrounge up their admission through panhandling. Once they were in, they could socialize and have a sanctuary for the night. Dick Leitsch, a gay journalist who was the executive director of the Mattachine Society in 1969, once described the Stonewall saying: “It catered largely to a group of people who are not welcome in, or cannot afford, other places of homosexual gathering. The ‘drags’ and the ‘queens,’ two groups which would find a chilly reception or a barred door at most other gay bars and clubs, formed the ‘regulars’ at Stonewall. The Stonewall became ‘home’ to these kids. When it was raided, they fought for it. That, and the fact that they had nothing to lose other than the most tolerant and broadminded gay place in town, explains why the Stonewall riots were begun, led and spearheaded by ‘queens.’” This month we proudly celebrate the 50th anniversary of the uprising at the Stonewall Inn and the 50 years of making strides towards equal rights and acceptance for the LGBTQ community. The Stonewall Rebellion is arguably the most pivotal event in queer liberation’s history; it fired up the modern LGBTQ rights movement, which continues its march towards equal rights and acceptance of LGBTQ people today. Conversations around gay rights in the United States are often divided into two eras: before and after Stonewall. Before Stonewall, LGBTQ individuals faced harrassment, discrimination and potential prosecution for living their lives openly. Because of this, few queer people lived their lives openly. There were several laws that criminalized homosexual behavior and there were no protections in place that would prevent an employer from firing someone who was queer. The American Psychiatric Association even listed homosexuality as a disorder; a person could be institutionalized for being gay. Multiple accounts acknowledge the Stonewall Rebellion as the beginning of gay pride. “Being gay before Stonewall was a very difficult proposition. We felt in order to survive we had to look and act as rugged and manly as possible in order to get by in a society that street kids essential to the Stonewall individuals. was really against us,” says Geanne Rebellion were several trans people The heroes at the heart of the Harwood, who had been in a gay of color including Marsha P. Johnson, Stonewall Rebellion unfortunately relationship with Bruce Merrow for Sylvia Rivera and Miss Major Griffin- remain among the queer communities’ 40 years in 1969. “When Stonewall Gacy, who continued as renowned most marginalized populations happened, Bruce and I were still in the activists for trans rights for decades. today. LGBTQ youth still represent closet, where we’d been for almost 40 Since police raids were common at a disproportionate amount of the years. But we realized this had been a gay bars in 1969, there has been a lot homeless youth population at 40 per tremendous thing that had happened of discussion about why the uprising cent. The reason for this is the same at Stonewall - it gave us a feeling we happened at the Stonewall Inn versus reason that queer youths landed on weren’t going to be remaining closeted another establishment. A commonly the streets in the late 1960s: societal for very much longer. Soon thereafter spread (and debunked) myth is that and/or familial rejection. Trans people we did come out of the closet.” the coincidence of Judy Garland’s today, especially trans women of color, New York City, home of the funeral earlier that night across town continue to be disproportionately Stonewall Inn, had numerous laws on its had inspired the city’s drag queens subjected to harassment; five books in 1969 that criminalized queer to revolt. A more legitimate reason is transgender women have already lifestyles. Two members of the same sex that the Stonewall was the only place been murdered in 2019. On top of were not permitted to dance together. that allowed people to dance with each violence and harassment they also face If people did not wear a minimum of other. Still, the most likely explanation discriminatory government policy such three clothing items that matched their for why the uprising happened at the as the recent ban on military service. supposed gender at birth, they could be incarcerated for “sexual deviancy.” Bars were not permitted to serve alcohol to gay people and therefore the New York State Liquor Authority would not give out licenses to gay bars. Gay bars still existed, but most operated without a license and were controlled by the mafia, who saw an opportunity to profit off a marginalized community that needed a place to gather. The mafia would open establishments without a license as “bottle bars” or private clubs and bribe police to stay away. Between operating without a license and the criminalization of gay lifestyles, police raids were common at gay bars in 1969. The Stonewall Rebellion, also often referred to as the Stonewall Uprising, happened in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969. New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn without Demonstration at City Hall, New York, 1973. Courtesy of New York Public Library, Manuscripts and warning, violently hauling patrons Archives Division. Photo by Diana Davies. out of the bar and arresting 13 people. Crowds gathered on the street and Stonewall Inn is that the bar uniquely Fifty years after Stonewall, gay instead of dispersing, as was common welcomed the most marginalized bars still serve as sanctuaries for the at these raids, they fought back against members of the queer community and queer community and will continue to the police, throwing bricks, bottles when their only refuge was threatened, do so. In addition to gay bars, LGBTQ and other objects, as six days of queer they fought for it. community centers such as Chicago’s resistance ultimately ensued. Since Stonewall, there has been Center on Halsted exist to offer refuge The oral history of what sparked a lot to celebrate in terms of LGBT and a welcoming space that offers the riots features great anecdotes about rights. On its first anniversary, June 28, services for the LGBTQ community. what kicked off the melee that night 1970, queer New Yorkers celebrated When reached for comment on the in the Village. A popular account is “Christopher Street Liberation Day” concept of queer safe spaces and that the first punch was thrown by a and marched from the Stonewall Inn the challenges facing the LGBTQ black butch lesbian resisting arrest. to Central Park in New York’s first gay community today, Mariah Emerson of This person is believed to be Stormé pride march. A day before the New the Center on Halsted had this to say, DeLarverie, a well-known drag king York march, on June 27, 1970, Chicago “In a climate where hate language fuels who had been performing popular activists hosted their own gay pride hate violence, and the essence of “safe shows at places like the Apollo Theatre march to commemorate the Stonewall spaces” could be compromised in the for years. After being beaten in the anniversary. They marched from blink of an eye, community is our refuge. head with a baton by an officer, she Washington Square Park to what is As the most comprehensive LGBTQ punched the officer back and shouted now Daley Plaza, where they gathered community center in the Midwest, to lingering bystanders “Why don’t you around the Picasso chanting “Gay it is our honor and responsibility to guys do something?”; catalyzing their power to gay people!” Pride is now uplift and create space for the LGBTQ counterattack on the police. celebrated by millions across the globe community— in all of its intersections.” The crowd swelled to hundreds of annually with many cities celebrating Safe spaces for queer people to gather, people that night who threw bottles and on the anniversary of the Stonewall dance and meet similar people remain chanted “GAY POWER!” Hundreds Rebellion. The uprising paved the way essential to healthy growth for the continued to return for six days in for activism that has led us to marriage LGBTQ rights movement. a massive demonstration of queer equality, mainstream representation Courtesy of StreetWise / INSP.ngo resistance. Among the drag queens and and workplace protections for LGBTQ THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �GLOBAL PRIDE 6 N o v 213 - N v 19,27, 2 02019 18 | N| oNo. . 393 June - oJune 409 LGBTQI Rights in the Balkans: A Perpetual Struggle Mawethu Nkosana The Conversation R omanian Adrian Coman and his American-born partner Clai Hamilton had two major reasons to celebrate when they tied the knot last June. One of course, was their marriage. The other was the historic legal victory they scored when their case before Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) led to the recognition of same sex marriage for the purpose of freedom of movement in the European Union (EU). The case, challenging current law, represented a significant victory for LGBTQI rights, in particular in Eastern Europe. The couple had married in Belgium in 2010 and later decided to settle in Coman’s native Romania. But Hamilton was denied residency rights because the civil code does not recognise same-sex marriages. So, they took the matter to the Romanian courts, which referred it to the CJEU. Romania currently ranks 35th out of the 49 countries assessed by the European region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA-Europe,), in terms of its equality laws and policies. Romania compares fairly favourably – when it comes to protecting and promoting LGBTQI rights – to many other Balkan states. But there is an apparent disconnect between the Romanian government’s intentions and public opinion. While the government adopted anti-discrimination legislation in 2000 and decriminalised consensual samesex relationships the following year, it did an about-face in 2008 when it changed the civil code to ban same-sex marriage and civil partnerships. But 10 years later, referendum voters rejected an attempt to enforce this prohibition at the Constitutional level. In this, Romania is not alone. Uncertainty over LGBTQI rights manifests in a variety of ways across the Balkan region, a massive swathe of territory stretching across Eastern Europe from Turkey in the south to Romania in the north. This uncertainty is a breeding ground for further discrimination, the non-implementation of more liberal civil regimes and the official apathy toward the commission of crimes against members of the LGBTQI community. For example, in 2015, Slovenia’s parliament passed a same-sex marriage bill with a vote of 51-28. But Slovenians disagreed: nine months later, they rejected the new law in a referendum, by a margin of 63 to 37 per cent. Across the Black Sea from Romania, an incident in Armenia demonstrated the challenges that still lie ahead for LGBTIQ rights in this general part of the world. Last week, around 100 demonstrators gathered outside the national assembly in the capital, Yerevan, to protest a speech in parliament by a transgender activist: Lilit Martirosyan’s address at a hearing organised by the United Nations and the Armenian Human Rights Defender’s Office. While fuelled by party politics, the protests were clearly transphobic. In some places a more liberal legal framework has been established but greater tolerance is not guaranteed. Croatia passed the Life Partnership Act in 2014, granting same-sex couples the same rights as their heterosexual counterparts – except for adoption, although a parent’s life partner can become a child’s partner-guardian. This was despite an opinion poll the previous year, showing that almost 60 per cent of Croats thought that marriage should be constitutionally defined as being between a man and a woman. This raises questions around the enforceability and public acceptance of the Life Partnership Act. Greece presents a more extreme example of public opinion rising against political decisions. Despite its parliament approving civil unions for same-sex couples in a landslide 194-55 vote four years ago, when polls showed that only a third of citizens supported such a reform, public attitudes toward the LGBTQI community remained hardened. In its 2019 review of LGBTI rights, ILGA-Europe reports the prevalence of homophobic and transphobic speech in Greece, in particular by clergy. It notes also the an International LBTQI youth and student organization ranks Greece as one of the least inclusive countries around LGBTQI issues in education. The ILGA-Europe review also describes the shocking 2018 murder of LGBT+ and HIV activist Zak Kostopoulos, who was fatally beaten by an Athens jewellery shop owner, a second person and police officers. Despite videos of the incident being made public, the media made later-discredited claims that he had been trying to rob the shop and had been under the influence of drugs. REUTERS/Antonio Bronic THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED The other side of the coin is where authorities, even when they are not backed by legislation, foment hatred and violence toward the LGBTQI community – as in Turkey, where homosexuality has been legal since 1858, although sexual orientation, gender identity and same-sex relationships are not recognised in civil rights laws. In November 2017, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared the empowering LGBT people to be “against the values of our nation”. A week later, the governor’s office in the capital, Ankara, banned all LGBT cultural events in that city. Deep-seated prejudice towards the LGBTQI community in the Balkans – in contrast to Western Europe, where studies and polls consistently show more liberal attitudes – have been further inflamed by the influx over several years of refugees from conflict zones in the Middle East. LGBTQI refugees from countries like Iraq and Syria escape sexual orientation or gender discrimination and persecution in their homelands, only to face it once again in the Balkans. Fearful, many do not report their sexual orientation or gender identity when applying for refugee status. This invariably leads to their applications being rejected and them being repatriated to their home countries. If they stay, or move to another country, their illegal status means they are often forced to support themselves through high-risk occupations such as sex work. And because they enjoy no legal rights, they are at risk of official persecution and have no recourse should they be victimised by the general public. The win for LGBTQI rights in the Coman-Hamilton judgment is without doubt important, and it stands proudly among other small victories in the Balkans region. But what positive changes there have been are incremental, and often negated by continued prejudice and a lack of will to implement reforms. Until public and official attitudes undergo a paradigm shift in every one of the Balkan states – irrespective of whether or not their civil regimes are currently transforming – the region’s LGBTQI community will continue to be denied basic human rights and disproportionately suffer indignity, discrimination and violence. Mawethu Nkhosana is an LGBTI activist and the crisis response fund administrator at CIVICUS, a global alliance of civil society organisations. Courtesy of Inter Press Service / INSP.ngo �No. 39 3 |- N ov 2 -27, N o2019 v 19, |2No. 0 18409 June 13 June GLOBAL PRIDE 7 'This time is real': Taiwan counts down to Asia's first same-sex weddings Aliza Saunders Street Roots L esbians Chu Pei-syuan and Liang Tsung-hui will this week tie the knot for the second time - this time at home, after Taiwan became the first place in Asia to allow same-sex marriage. Taiwan's parliament legalised gay marriage last week, reinforcing its reputation as a beacon of liberalism in Asia, but the move has divided the selfruled island. The bill, which offers same-sex couples similar legal protections for marriage to heterosexuals, will take effect on Friday and Chu and Liang will be among the first to wed under the new law. "Finally we are no longer strangers in the eye of the law - we will be recognised as a couple," said 32-yearold Chu, a part-time retail worker in the capital Taipei. The pair, who met 12 years ago when they volunteered at an LGBT+ charity and fell in love, married in Canada in 2012, using up three years of savings to travel there. But the marriage was only "symbolic" as it was not recognised back home, said Liang, a 35-year-old social worker. This Friday, they will join about 200 gay couples who have booked to register their marriages on the first day of the law being in force, with mass weddings also planned. Limitations The bill passed just days before a deadline set by a top court which ruled in 2017 that Taiwan must legalise samesex marriage by May 24 - and it was not without controversy. Two-thirds of voters in a November referendum voted to retain the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman under the current civil law. Same-sex marriage in Taiwan will be allowed under a separate new law - a move the government said respected both the court ruling and the referendum results. Even then, conservative and religious groups tried to stage a lastditch attempt last week for a watereddown version of the bill which offered less protections, but failed. There will be limitations under the new law, however. It allows same-sex marriages only between Taiwanese, or with foreigners whose countries recognise same-sex marriage. Same-sex couples will only be allowed to adopt children biologically related to at least one of them. "It's still a compromised version (of what we wanted) but it's the closest to our ideal expectations," said Jennifer Lu, the chief coordinator of the Marriage Equality Coalition Taiwan, an alliance that spearheads the gay unions campaign. "This is the best scenario for us at the moment," said Lu, who has a longtime lesbian partner, describing the move as "historic". A push for same-sex marriage has been slow elsewhere in Asia, where socially conservative attitudes still prevail. Thailand has drafted a civil partnership bill that would legally recognise same-sex couples as civil partners, but LGBT+ activists said it does not grant marriage equality. The same-sex marriage issue has become a political hot potato for Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, who campaigned on a promise for marriage equality in the run up to 2016 polls. It had become divisive even within her ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which suffered a poll defeat last year that was blamed partly on Tsai's reform agenda. The new measure could also undermine her bid to seek a second term in elections next year. The Coalition for the Happiness of Our Next Generation, which has campaigned against gay marriage, warned the public would "strike back" at the next general election in 2020. "The will of some seven million people in the referendum has been trampled," the group said in a statement. Pink economy But on the Aiguo East Road dubbed the "Bridal Street" in downtown Taipei, bridal shops welcomed the news, expecting an uptick in gay couples signing up for wedding photoshoot packages that can cost more than $3,000. LGBT+ group Marriage Equality Coalition Taiwan said legalisation could spur the "pink economy", with couples spending at least $23,000 on weddings. "Once it is legalised it will not be controversial anymore and people will be much more open about their sexuality," said Fanny Pan, a manager at Lishe Wedding, one of more than 10 bridal shops on the street. "It really shows Taiwan does not discriminate against anyone," she said. Chu and Liang said they now felt their rights as a couple were protected. Chu recalled how when she was treated for depression a few years ago, Liang was not allowed to stay because hospital authorities did not recognise their relationship. On Friday they will join others at a mass wedding ceremony in the city centre, wearing tailor-made matching shirts. "We have married before, but this time it is for real," said Liang. Courtesy of Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation / INSP.ngo A same-sex marriage advocate holds a rainbow flag before rendering signatures to call for a referendum over equal marriage, outside Central Election Commission in Taipei, Taiwan September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �PRIDE MONTH 8 N o v 213 - -NJune o v 19, 2 02019 18 | N o . 393 June 27, | No. 409 No Pigs at Pride Dr. Mark Mussman Staff Writer H ave you ever had a nightmare that was so stressful that you consciously woke yourself up? In my experience, these are the dreams where the cops show up. The police force has been a destabilizing factor in American life for far too long. The Appalachian experience in Cincinnati has been to avoid the police, because they split up our families. Police are an offshoot of so-called slavecatching, they enforce unjust laws, and they have no place in Pride. Total institutions are processes where individuals are indoctrinated into the institution by means of removing identities and supplanting them with the institutional viewpoint. Boot camp, insane asylums, jail, and police academies are all considered total institutions. Individuals who go into these institutions are socialized and acculturated into cogs in a machine. Your name is removed, your connection to the outside is hindered, your body is the property of someone else and is often adulterated in some way (prohibition of certain hair styles, for instance.) The purpose of total institutions is to make sure that the inhabitants work for the machine, rather than against it, by placing a new identity onto those on the inside. This is why there are no good cops, as they are all working to protect wealth and criminalize poverty. This is done by criminalizing difference; therefore, all people who are outside a certain profile become the enemy of the state. Pride has its origin in the Stonewall Rebellion of June, 1969. The Stonewall Inn had been an important, inclusive, nightclub for the community of LGBTQIA+ (or queer) people in New York City. Many cities, including Cincinnati, had laws against queer people. In fact, some sodomy laws have been recently repealed (although “sodomy” is not just an act done by queer people, as most laws intended to hurt some people end up hurting all people.) In Cincinnati, it was illegal to do business as a trans person, because they feared that there was some type of dishonesty occuring, just in how someone presents themselves. The night of the rebellion was not the first time, nor the last, that police forces have harassed queer people who are just trying to live, but it was a flashpoint that garnered attention. When Stonewall was raided, it was the youth experiencing homelessness who pushed back first, and began to fight the police officers. The police were humiliated and hurt, as they fell back and were taunted by a spontaneous chorus-line of trans women women who mocked the police. Seeking liberation from the police oppression, Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson were both key players in the rebellion. It’s important to remember the contributions of trans women of color experiencing homelessness who essentially started the rebellion. Without them, we would not have Pride today. It’s also important to remember that Stonewall was a rebellion, not a riot. Queer people were being systematically erased from society, unless you were wealthy and recieved some kind of social status. When the police raided Stonewall Inn, it was at a time when there were no other queer bars that allowed trans people and people who were experiencing homelessness in their establishments. A clear injustice is that queer people face homelessness at a higher rate due to family rejection and other discrimination. Just like in Cincinnati in 2001, Stonewall was a rebellion, not a riot, as they were fighting against injustice. Today, the Cincinnati Police Department has one LGBTQI+ liaison. One out of 1000 officers has specialized training to “deal” with queer people. The police have been notoriously harsh to queer people, by misnaming, misgendering, and brutalizing us. Just the part of police culture that refers to people by adjectives (“male,” “female”) rather than pronouns or nouns, is so dehumanizing, yet it part of the police culture. In the early 2000’s, Cincinnati Pride warranted lines of police in riot gear hiding in alleyways downtown. It was clear that they were not there to protect us, but to turn on us as soon as they got the order. Today’s police THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED presence at Pride may be “friendly” but have no doubt that they will turn on us if given the order. Even with the constant threat of brutality that queer people face, it is not the police who find solutions, but the community who comes together to support us. Police don’t make communities of color, queer people, or women safer, as they often are the very people who brutalize us, but rather, they are threats to our very liberation. Within the historical and contemporary context, it is clear that the police have no place at Pride. They are in constant conflict with our desire to be free and to live our lives without fear. No police officer has stopped a hate crime against us, and they actually provide no remedy. If anything, it’s the courts who could provide some remedy, and police are just a part of the system as an accessory. If you do encounter a police officer, remember that you do not need to offer them any information, even if you are being accused of a crime. You can ask them if you are free to go, or if you are being detained. Tell them that you do not consent to a search. Ask to see the search warrant. Tell them that you will not speak. Demand to speak to your lawyer. Remain calm. Police will find anything that you do criminal, so it’s very important to remain calm and to know your rights. Ask for their badge number, then ask them to leave. We can turn our nightmare into a dream by removing the cops from Pride. �No. 39 Nov 2 27, - No v 19,| 2 0 18409 June 133 -| June 2019 No. 9 PRIDE MONTH Stonewall 50 Years On: Stop The Commercialization of Pride Raya Contributing Writer I n 1969 police raided a gay bar and patrons fought back. Tired of being kicked around by abusive officers and frustrated by the everyday brutalities of capitalism, queer people took their fate into their own hands in a spontaneous outburst of resistance. Spontaneity quickly gave way to organization; it was the era of the Gay Liberation Front, the Lavender Menace, and the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR). In those early days, the most oppressed were in the lead. STAR became the model: it fought for trans rights, embraced socialist ideas, attacked mass incarceration and police brutality, allied itself with the Black Panthers and the Young Lords, and became a center for homeless activism. Mass action and socialist organizing was the order of the day, and it worked. The queer liberation movement began to grow and make gains. With growth, however, ‘respectability politics' began to gain a foothold. Wealthy cisgender white gay men, saw trans liberation as an embarrassment and fear black liberation and socialist demands as a direct threat to their power. And when right-wing attempts to weaponize the AIDS crisis were met with the fury of ACT UP, co-optation and commercialization became a deliberate strategy of some sections of the ruling class. Today police, who spend 364 days a year brutalizing queer people, are invited to attend celebratory Pride Parades (not even protests!) sponsored by major corporations. To add injury to insult, it is perfectly legal in Ohio for those very same corporations to fire queer employees simply for being queer and for landlords to refuse to rent to queer tenants. Doctors can refuse to rest queer patients, queer children can be tortured through state sanction conversion therapy, and state’s hate crime law provides no protections based on sexual orientation or gender identity. 50 years after Stonewall queer people in Ohio and elsewhere remain disproportionately homeless, arrested, raped, suicidal, unemployed, and impoverished. Pride is an achievement of our community’s refusal to be ashamed of our existence and live our lives underground, but as it stands today it is also a vehicle for the capitalist class to subvert our movement into the safe channels of consumerism. It’s time we took it back. We need a protest not a party, and we will make our voices heard at Cincinnati Pride and across the country. Marxists, from Bebel’s 1898 protest against German homophobia to the Bolsheviks decriminalization Pride flag listing different brands of alcohol hangs outside of a local Over-the-Rhine bar that reads, "Proud Supporters of Cincinnati Pride." of homosexuality in the early Soviet state (Stalin re-criminalized it when he killed the Bolsheviks), have always fought for LGBTQ+ rights and today’s socialist movement is no exception. The Democratic Socialists of America, the International Marxist Tendency, and other left-wing organizations are fighting for a vision of queer liberation premised on a rejection of the capitalist takeover of Pride and it’s implicit assumption that queer people are valuable only insofar as they have money to spend. Only by abolishing capitalism, by seizing the commanding heights of the economy and bringing them under democratic control, can we build a society free of all types of oppression and exploitation. Only through a socialist revolution led by the most marginalized and oppressed people in society can we finally tear down the capitalist systems of homophobia and transphobia. Today our demands are: No corporations or cops at Pride, end housing and employment discrimination, establish a universal healthcare system, and ban conversion therapy. Tomorrow they will be for the socialist revolution and a building of a new world. Amplifying the voices of LGBTQ prisoners Quiver Watts Street Sheet C asper Cendre’s small apartment has stacks of letters, envelopes, and artwork in every corner. On their monitor is a spreadsheet with hundreds of names, a chronological record of every letter received and the order in which to respond. A decorated frame holds a brightly colored depiction of David Bowie, who looks on with twinkling eyes. This is the home of ABO Comix, a prisoner solidarity collective and small press based in Oakland working to amplify the voices of LGBTQ prisoners throughout the US and to assist them with financial, legal, mental and emotional help and solidarity. The project started in 2017 when a group of friends got together in a community garden to look through some comics, and the conversation moved toward prisoner solidarity work. “I’ve been working with prisoners for about a decade, and Io and Woof had been working on comic projects for about as long,” said Casper. “And we thought it would be cool to kinda just bridge the two things.” They took out ads in papers that were distributed in prison across the nation inviting submissions of comics and stories, not knowing if they would hear back from anyone. They received hundreds of letters in response from people who were really excited about it. “We went from thinking ‘maybe someone will submit a comic to us’ to having just like, so much mail and so much art and like, tons of new friends.” Over the next year they worked with a few dozen artists to refine their work and eventually raised enough funds to publish their first LGBTQ+ comic anthology. Once the book was published they paid out to all of the artists who had been part of the collection, sending money into the commissary accounts of more than twenty comic artists. All the funds from book sales go to assisting queer people in prison. “Because our mail load is so overwhelming and the need is so overwhelming, we receive hundreds and hundreds of letters, and generally it’s just me writing back to people,” says Casper. “I’ve thought about like, yeah I need to create some boundaries. But I haven’t, because you get really emotionally invested in people, and they generally don’t have anyone else on the outside. So when you get letters from people saying you’re the only person they’ve had contact with during their whole length of incarceration, it’s really hard to just say no.” The need is very clear, as queer incarcerated folks have so little support, and often face serious bigotry while in prison. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Casper tells me that his friend Joseph Oguntodu, a queer man of color who has been writing to him since 2017, was recently killed by his cellmate in Texas. ABO Comix hosted a service for him on 7 April at the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center. Courtesy of Street Sheet / INSP.ngo ABO Comix logo �10 PRIDE MONTH N o v 213 - -NJune o v 19, 2 02019 18 | N o . 393 June 27, | No. 409 Black and Proud or Black and Loud? Key Beck Contributing Writer P ride is a celebration with a long history of violence, liberation, oppression and freedom. For some folx (folx is a gender neutral word for “people” or “a group”), these terms aren’t consistent with their experiences, but for others this truly illustrates their conflicted experiences with pride. I think it is essential to acknowledge that the experience of pride celebrations like that of LGBTQ2SIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/ or Questioning, Two-Spirit, Intersex and Asexual) experiences, are not a monolith. Everyone within the LGBTQ+ community experience their sexual orientation and gender identity in different ways, so it is understandable that Pride, a number of summer celebrations meant to highlight the positive impact of LGBTQ+ identities in society, is experienced in different ways as well. Just a historical note; the original Pride was based in civil unrest due to police harassing LGBTQ+ people (especially people of color) and requiring bars to pay a sum of money to avoid arrest and/or harassment. When the bars refused to pay police off an additional time, the officers chose to arrest many transgender and gender non-conforming patrons of the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village. During the arrest, the infamous “brick heard around the world” was thrown at police leading to a couple days of civil unrest in the New York community. There was a series of spontaneous demonstrations over the next couple days, all with the purpose of securing queer liberation. It is important to understand this history to understand why some LGBTQ+ may have a distrust of police, pride celebration organizations and police taking part in pride celebrations. As an openly out, queer, nonbinary person of color who wears makeup, my experiences with pride celebrations are starkly different from my homo-normative, white, cis-gender, straight-passing LGBT counterparts who imbibe on queer-themed libations, consume strategically marketed rainbow capitalism, and participate in festivities free from community abuse and oppression. At a recent pride parade, this experience was felt as I walked around to onlookers gawking at my clothing and makeup because “I was BRAVE to wear my outfit and makeup.” I literally would notice people looking me up and down and making a sour face, as if they drank spoiled milk, before they broke out in laughter with friends. At one pride celebration, a group of people followed me around the celebration pointing and snickering at my gender expression. Not all pride celebrations are bad though. Some organizations are starting to get it. They are highlighting the most marginalized of our communities and yielding space for them, their stories and their experiences. They are trying to understand the roots of Pride; a celebration of the diversity, resistance, belonging and liberation within the LGBTQ+ community. One example happened with Indianapolis Pride. There were multiple points in the celebration where pansexual, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, and asexual folx were specifically called out and were told they were loved. Lizzo, a feminist, body-positive female singer made a point to stop her show and share her love of the LGBTQ+ community saying, “Trans live matter, black lives matter, LGBTQ lives matters.” This small statement had such an impact for many LGBTQ+ folks of color in the crowd. We felt seen. We felt heard. We felt acknowledged. It is this kind of intentional work that needs to be done for allies, LGBTQ serving organizations and community members. We should be at a point in society where we understand the impact of rejection and non-affirming communities. Researchers from the Family Acceptance Project, an organization focused on studying family rejection, shares data yearly. They found that family rejection leads to 30% of LGBTQ youth experiencing abuse and leading to around 43% of youth experiencing homelessness. Some other health disparities to think about would be that LGBTQ+ youth are three times more likely to experience elicit drug use, three times more likely to engage in safe sex, six times more likely to experience depression and eight times more likely to have suicide idea or death by suicide. These statistics clearly show that LGBTQ youth are experiencing a lot of trauma based on their identity. When you add other experiences of poverty, oppressions and other prejudice, or identity-based rejection, LGBTQ+ folx experience a very unique and specific type of rejection. It is important to point this specific type of rejection out to fully acknowledge the ways multimarginalized folx within the LGBTQ community experience even higher rates of rejections from those who may blend or conform to societal norms. Pride should be a time of celebration, remembrance and liberation. We need to move away from infusing our celebration with capitalism, exclusion and disparity. We all have work to do, but it shouldn’t rest on the shoulders of the multi-marginalized. The job of liberation should be on those in the majority, those with power and those who hold privilege. We need to directly say the words, “black lives matter and trans lives matter.” It is on all of us to ensure that pride is what it was meant to be: a rebellion against oppression and a pathway to freedom. Numbers and Figures Clarity Amrein Contributing Writer A m I the sum of my experiences? Am I the result? My first kiss is in the woods by my house from a boy who held his mohawk up with Elmer’s glue. My next kisses and the first time I ever have fingers inside of me is from my friend, a girl, whose skin smells like cinnamon and whose parents fight a lot. A year later, just shy of fourteen, I am held down and raped by my neighbor’s younger brother. Is this my first time or was she? Maybe they cancel each other out and I’ve been a virgin this whole time? Am I the ongoing calculation of my experiences – a ledger updated regularly? I have boyfriends throughout high school, but only the last one ever hit me. I was stuck on someone else when I met Audrey my sophomore year of college and I wish I would’ve gone to her instead. After a year in a new city, my long-term partner announced that they were transitioning genders and we stayed together for another year. During my last months of undergrad, my college girlfriend and I initiate a threesome with a guy from the band we saw that night. After graduation, I fall for a greying older man when he calls me “kiddo” because it’s easy to mix the feelings of sexual attraction and the longing for a father I never had. This year, new and unfamiliarly strong feelings arise for a brilliant woman I worked with. I move through life person by person, moment by moment. Am I the sum of my experiences? Is my life all the more rich by the brief or complicated loves I’ve experienced with men, women, and non-binary people? Or am I the cheating, greedy pansexual they all warned you about? Am I the piece of tape they hold up in abstinence-only sex education class that doesn’t stick to anything anymore because it’s been used so many times? How come when I ask Kristen out at a house show in college she tells me I’m not even gay enough to be there, let alone go out with her? Are there too many boys on the ledger and I have to sleep with more girls to even the count? But if I sleep with more people, will future partners cringe at the total? How come they called me a whore before I ever touched anyone and why do they still say it no matter how many people I’ve slept with? Why do they think I have diseases when I’ve always used a condom? Am I the sum of my experiences? Am I queer enough to be at this meeting? At this protest? At this bar? Do I have to show my list of names to get in? Do I have to lie about my list of names to get in? Am I a shirt with too many stains on it, a flower with all the petals plucked off? Am I liberated, a free spirit, or a silly girl going through a twelve-year-long phase? Do I have to cut my hair? Do I have to keep my armpits and pubic hair unshaved to prove I’ve loved someone other than a man? Should I apologize for the past or wear it like a war medal? Am I only the sum of my experiences? Am I only the sum of the people I’ve had sex with? Does the answer depend on who’s doing the math? I’ve had an abortion, been seriously ill, dabbled in sex work, and been strapped to a hospital bed against my will. I’ve had poems published nationally, got my degree, traveled some of the world, and became a budding activist and artist in my city. Do these factor into my ledger? Do I come out in the positive or negative? Am I good enough yet or do I still owe? It’s June again and Pride month becomes more and more important to me every year (despite its rampant commodification). I am reminded that I fall somewhere on the spectrum and within the rainbow, and by extension THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED this month is for me too. For once, I am reminded that I am not the sum of my personal or sexual experiences, and I don’t have to apologize for them to be here. I am reminded that I do not have to quantify my queerness and provide the receipt to be here. I am reminded, rejuvenated to fight for true radical queer liberation, for the lifting of painful stigmas about sex, gender, and sexuality that have plagued me all my life, for the socioeconomic and political equality of the most marginalized LGBTQIA+ people because this month is about all of us - and it demands the unification and solidarity of our whole community. On this particular day in June, I feel proud to be pansexual and sexually fluid. I am not an arithmetic sum of my sexual experiences; I am defined by the love and effort I am capable of giving to other human beings and by the acts of service I perform for the world around me. I am defined by being honest about and accountable for my past. I am defined by what I learn and utilize from every experience. I am not a ledger, a worn out piece of tape, or a series of regrets. I am pansexual because my head and heart know no limitations. For me, rigidity does not compute. �No. 39 Nov 2 27, - No v 19,| 2 0 18409 June 133 -| June 2019 No. PRIDE MONTH 11 The Intersection of LGBTQ, Students, and Music Maya Stockman Contributing Writer T he music community consists of almost anyone you can think of; very few people can say that they neither consume nor produce music in some way. At some capacity, almost everyone in the world might passively listen to music, actively seek out types of music they like, attempt to create music for leisure, or make their career out of music. Music is mass consumed by almost any type of person, many of which identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community. The LGBTQ+ community is broad, but it’s still a minority. A 2017 survey by gallup.com found that the LGBT population consisted of 4.5% of Americans at the time, though it’s important to notice this number is not reliable. Coming out about ones identity can be uncomfortable, dangerous, sometimes even life-threatening. Many LGBT youth don’t come out until later in life in fear of being abandoned by family. LGBT culture is noticeable and open in pop culture, and sometimes the lines are blurred. Many pop culture references like the phrases “yaas,” “queen,” “slay,” or “werk” are all terms that have been gleaned from queer culture and have become daily phrases for young people, whether or not they identify as members of the community at all. This is all fun and games until the LGBT community looks for inclusion and equality and gets rejected. One of these areas of life that is important to feel included in is the arts. Music can be the way that people express their emotions, and it can also be the way that some people get involved outside of themselves. Music might help a gay teen who is in the middle of discovering themselves find a space where they feel safe. According to the Music Educators Journal, “LGBTQ students in many parts of the United States often experience hostility on the part of other students, teachers, and administrators.” Music does so much for the LGBT community, but the music community often rejects them. As in all forms of media, representation in music is important. The biggest wave of LGBT growth hasn’t just been musicians coming out as gay, but the fact that society is becoming increasingly more comfortable with talking about the fact that their favorite musicians, such as David Bowie, Elton John, Leonard Bernstein, and many others, were most definitely members of the LGBT community. However, just because these two communities interact doesn’t mean that the LGBT community is being adequately represented in music. Every year, more pop stars like Lady Gaga, Janelle Monáe, and Sam Smith come out as being LGBT in some way. With each popular musician who does this, many young LGBT students in music classrooms are instantly validated and they’re given more of a voice than they had before. When these adults that LGBT youth identify with come out, speak out, and make art that they can relate to, it speaks volumes to these kids and reassures them that they can be who they are unapologetically. All too often there’s a pop tune released by an artist, and the lyrics make it abundantly clear that heterosexuality is always the implied default. It’s hard for LGBT youth to relate to that. In an interview with “queer pop” artist Be Steadwell, she makes a point to mention that “being queer, a song where a woman is talking to a woman is exciting. I don't have that many of those songs in my life, and it's exciting and I identify with it.”3 These two communities, the music community and the LGBT community, have so much overlap. The LGBT community has more cultural influence than people realize, and music is one of their main ways of communicating and connecting with other communities. If this is the case, why isn’t there enough representation? Why does it have to be a big deal when a musician brings their LGBT-ness into their music? What can people do to foster more inclusivity in music? It might not be hard to believe, but the best way to foster a positive musical experience for LGBT youth starts in the music classroom. According to William Southerland, “Music classrooms may be uniquely supportive educational environments for LGBTQ students because by their very nature, group music-making may lead to greater social understanding.” The classroom can foster many different types of environments for children. Whether this be a positive environment or not is up to many important adults: parents, teachers, administrators, secretaries of education, congressmen, senators, etc. Anyone who has a minor influence on the way American classrooms are conducted has a significant impact on those students. The decisions these Very Important Adults make can be as impactful as life or death decisions. Southerland also mentions in his article that homophobia is still rampant in classrooms, despite the growing awareness of that community. Part of being in the LGBT community is knowing that there are many people who might wish horrible things upon you. LGBT children cannot do anything about this fact except to accept the fact and hope they can find a safe space. For many of these LGBT children who are newly rejuvenated by the music of Lady Gaga or Sam Smith, the music classroom is where that happens. Music class might be the only class where certain LGBT students feel they are able to express themselves. In an interview with my friend Morgan Bates, who is an independent graduate student in Eugene, Oregon studying trumpet performance, I asked her about how her queerness had affected her music making. She answered eloquently, “Being openly queer involves being vulnerable every day of my life. I think that coming out helped me let my guard down, and the more comfortable I am with myself, the better I sound [when making music]” For many other students like Morgan, being openly LGBT can open up a whole new world of music making. Conversely, making music can help students identify themselves because of how vulnerable music making can be. The music classroom has a beautiful opportunity to become a safe space for these students. Participation is vital to a music classroom’s environment and to the success of the students. Students’ willingness to fully participate depends on the attitude of the teacher and how much the students feel they can trust and respect that teacher. When teachers create an emotional safe space for their students, they immediately set up a classroom in which students will look forward to taking risks, expressing themselves, and unlocking their full creative potential. Even though the LGBT community continues to grow and become a hot topic of discussion each day, the music community stays closed off. Music has been around for as long as humanity. Unfortunately, the music community continues today to be almost exclusively cisgender, white THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED men. These members of the music community are targeted most often and pandered to, are the producers or composers who are often financially supported more or talked about more, and are critics who “decide” what is musically relevant or “good” about music at the time. Women, children, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community are rarely talked about at all. Providing this tiny minority where the music community and the LGBTQ+ community overlap with the recognition and the representation it deserves will have such worthwhile results. Studies have already shown that giving people the support they need and deserve can do wonders for mental health – why doesn’t this carry throughout this specific community? Morgan Bates, when asked about the rewarding aspects of being a member of the music and the LGBTQ+ community at the same time, said “I love the fact that playing the trumpet sets my identity free. I play one of the loudest, most dominant instruments in the orchestra while being an underrepresented individual in this industry … Playing the trumpet gives me power when society tends to strip it away.”4 It’s becoming more and more prevalent to the leaders of our nation that these LGBT-identifying musicians need our attention, support, and help. The two communities, the music community and the LGBTQ+ community, have an overwhelming amount of overlap in multiple areas, so we need to stop pretending this overlap doesn’t exist within people, too. �12 Baby Girl STREETVOICE N o v 13 2 --N o v 19, 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 June June 27,22019 409 THANK YOU BETHANY HOUSE Hi my name is Cleo Wombles. At age 18 years old I was Bethany House, thank you for being there when I involved in a relationship. My girlfriend got pregnant. I got needed you. I was sent to Cincinnati from a battered a job and got married. Every day for 14 months I would women’s shelter in the Deep South. I needed protection walk to see my baby daughter. from some dangerous people who I had confronted She had all together 19 operations. Not enough intestines- about child abuse. The battered women’s shelter was started out with 8 inches. Supposed to be 8 or 100 or more. not a fit for me, but Darlene Robinson (the director With saddens and grief she passed after 14th months. It then) took me in. Darlene, her staff, and her family-- was a hard time. including her sister Beverly and their mother Ms. Vee- Got divorced. After 9 years I went to Good Samaritan -sheltered and championed a very frightened woman Hospital- on the 9th floor they had a plaque of her on the who had no family and no other place to go. For a wall. person who felt punished for doing a good deed, these I started sketching it. a nurse opened the door. women made sure I felt welcome and safe. She said, “do you know that girl?” The Sisters of Charity, who I believe started I told her that she was my daughter. Bethany House, decided that no child and their mother She was the nurse who used to take care of her. I told her I would hear those same words another famous mother did not have any pictures of her. heard: There’s no room at the inn. In contrast to a state To my surprise she opened a file cabinet. She handed me a file folder that had 9 large pictures of her. I asked the nurse if I could hug her. We embraced each other with tears and compassion. As I left I told her God bless. Out of my sorrow came joy. Cleo Wombles Contributing Writer Streetvibes Distributor that goes on about God and Jesus the Charities, Darlene and her staff and family actually served the “least of these.” I challenge you, members of Cincinnati City Council, to help these people keep these beds so the world will not remember this city years later as the city that told mothers and babies, “There is no room at the inn.” Don’t be another group of people whose faith starts and ends with that hour or two in church. Tell the whole world, “Here in Cincinnati, there is room at the inn and that room includes Hope! JUNE ALEXANDER ContributingWriter Streetvibes Writing Circle If you would like to submit a story for publication in streetvibes, come join Katelyn Lusher, Chris Wilkey, and Alex McIntosh for a group writing session! THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 Nov 227, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 June 133- |June | No. 409 STARTING OVER STREETVOICE After being homeless and living on the street for five years After the loss of all i had i owe a lot of my recovery to my peers After the talbert house, bethany house and the drop inn center I found the off the street program only then did my life remove the bender They taught me how to communicate and speak without doubt, fear or shame They gave me all the insight needed and if i failed only i would be the blame I felt reborn and started singing ain’t no stopping me now TRUMP VERSUS PLANET EARTH In its usual, arrogant acts of defiance, The Trump Administration debunks Science. Do you find it more than a little strange, That Trump flatly denies climate change, And that he has made it a primary cause To dismantle EPA's environmental laws? Is Trump measuring his own self worth, By his efforts to destroy planet earth? BILL WOODS an i stop looking back Contributing Writer I found a place of my own where i could be alone and get NO LOVE INSIDE my life back on track Next i found cincinnati homeless coalition who liked and What a scary world appreciated my poetry Let me know that i was not homeless alone and for them caring i have loyalty They introduce me to the street vibe paper for the Take a lok at yourself from inside Do you see a dr. Jekyll and mr. Hyde? cincinnati homeless coalition Saying my being homeless my poetry needed to be shared sounds like a mission Finally i found myself on findlay market where my life found a new direction Is it true? There's no love inside of you To love your neighbor as yourself The day the coalition told me that findlay market agreed to give me a section So many new friends, mr. Pottery man, mr. Popcorn man an the seasoning lady Talking about how we all must pay bills, save money and be happy now not maybe I've learned starting over is the will within yourself where there is power With the belief and faith that you have in yourself you 13 We are all sisters and brothers We're supposed to love each other Didn't you listen as a kid to your mother? To love yourself and each other Love inside, starts within yourself will change hour by hour Willa D. Jones Contributing Writer Streetvibes Distributor THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �PUZZLES 14 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 106 Across 1. Under-water breathing device 6. Domesticated animal companion 9. Unexpected slide 13. Ravine 14. In the past 15. Blank area 16. Relating to birds 17. Swindle 18. Claw 19. Pull back 21. Item of clothing 23. Father 24. Name of the plantation in Gone with the Wind 25. Astern 28. Molten volcanic rock 30. Homopterous insect 35. Snare 37. Saucy 39. Bulbous herb with single showy flower 40. A slow pace of running 41. Religious doctrine 43. Cleansing agent 44. Herbaceous plant with aromatic seeds 46. Annoy 47. Basic knitting stitch 48. Potent 50. Spline 52. Staining substance 53. Strong sweeping cut 55. Weep 57. Flower merchant 61. Legislator 65. Woven fabric 66. Simian 68. Gauntlet 69. Entertain 70. Pitch 71. Common 72. Persistently annoying person 73. Female sheep 74. Ahead of time PUZZLE SOLUTIONS CROSSWORD #105 Down 1. Evidence of previous injury 2. Grotto 3. A single undivided whole 4. Supervisory committee 5. Toughen steel or glass by gradually heating and cooling 6. Treaty 7. Self 8. Polynesian country 9. Junk e-mail 10. Coarse curly-leafed cabbage 11. Symbol 12. Depression in a surface 15. Narrow sea channel 20. Adjust or conform 22. Part of a circle 24. Sully 25. Book of maps 26. Anterior 27. Perissodactyl mammal 29. Swerve 31. Point formed by two intersecting arcs 32. With relatively high volume 33. Personal journal 34. Fruit, malus pumila 36. Currency of Cuba 38. Relate 42. Taunt 45. Motor 49. Fuel 51. Part of a shoe below the laces 54. Condition 56. Lightweight wood 57. Excited state of agitation 58. Acidic fruit 59. Burden 60. Remainder 61. Scorch 62. Enlistment term 63. Elliptical 64. Depend 67. Foot of an animal Nov 2 o v 19, 18 | N o . 393 June 13- -NJune 27,2 02019 | No. 409 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 397 - EASY SODOKU PUZZLE NO 396- EASY PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 Nov 227, - N2019 o v 19,| No. 2 0 18409 June 133-| June 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 213 - N o v 19, 2 02019 18 | N . 393 June - June 27, | oNo. 409 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 June 13-June 27, 2019 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: Ohio and the LGBTQ Community Pg 3: Carelessly Linking Crime to Being Homeless Adds to the Harmful Stigma Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: 50 Years After Stonewall Pg 6: LGBTQIA Rights in the Balkans Pg 7: “This Time is Real” Pg 8: No Pigs at Pride Pg 9: Stonewall 50 Years On Amplifying the Voices of LGBTQ Prisoners Pg 10: Black and Proud or Black and Loud? Numbers and Figures Pg 11: The Intersection of LGBTQ Students, and Music 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 June 13-June 27, 2019 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gabriela Godinez Bill Woods Alison Young James Petty Kathleen Hinkel Mawethu Nkosana Aliza Saunder Dr. Mark Mussman Raya Quiver Watts Key Beck Clarity Amrein Maya Stockman Cleo Wombles June Alexander Willa D. Jones Kim Green Canva.com INSP.com Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Alison Young Aliza Saunder Balkans Bill Woods Canva.com Clarity Amrein Cleo Wombles Dr. Mark Mussman Gabriela Godinez INSP.com James Petty June Alexander Kathleen Hinkel Key Beck Kim Green LGBTQ+ Mawethu Nkosana Maya Stockman Ohio Pride Pride Month Prisoners Quiver Watts Raya Stonewall Students Taiwan Willa D. Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/8faa59f4d9a99c225d4b0a1a3f313d19.pdf d43181c53711ae4586d11d0fca3b3e73 PDF Text Text J u n e 2 7 t h - J u l y 1 1 t h 2 0 1 9 | Vo l . 2 3 I s s u e 1 3 ( N o . 4 1 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. U.S Soldiers with 541st Engineer Company, Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force 7, position concertina wire on a practice barricade at Naval Air Facility El Centro in California, Dec. 4, 2018. U.S. Northern Command is providing military support to the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to secure the Southern border of the United States. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Asia J. Sorenson) Editorial on the next page. (pg 2) 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 Nov 2 o v 19, 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 June 27- -NJuly 11,22019 410 From The Editor: Detained and Confined Gabriela Godinez Editor-in-chief C ongresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently said, “the fact that concentration camps are an institutionalized practice in the ‘home of the free’ is extraordinarily disturbing.” When met with outrage she tweeted that she refuses to apologize for calling the border camps exactly what they are: concentration camps. Right-wing propaganda media like Fox News jumped on the opportunity to say that the comparison was insulting to the communities who perished and to those who survived the Holocaust. In the United States, and many other places in the world, the term “concentration camps” is strongly associated with the Holocaust, but that is not when the term was coined. The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition for “concentration camps” reads as “a place where large numbers of people (such as prisoners of war, political prisoners, refugees, or the members of an ethnic or religious minority are detained or confined under armed guard.” Its first known use was in 1897. Because of this right-wing propaganda-guided shift of focus, TV journalists end up hosting debates in attempts to seem fair and unbiased. These debates and airtime ends up legitimizing arguments about semantics rather than the fact that children are dying under U.S. custody. While it might be important to discuss the meaning of terms since no one seems to agree on facts, it is mostly being used to waste time and energy so people become so tired of the topic that people end up ignoring actual atrocities. This is known as a “straw man” which the M-W dictionary defines as “a weak or imaginary opposition (such as an argument or adversary) set up only to be easily confuted.” One fact that we should be able to agree on is that these border camps in the U.S. are areas where large numbers of people, such as refugees and members of an ethnic group, are detained and confined under armed guard. We don’t have to call them the same thing, but we have to focus on the fact that they are happening and that they are deplorable. Slate has reported that the “U.S. Border Patrol is refusing citizen donations even as it holds migrant children without access to soap and toothpaste.” The New Yorker reported that “hundreds of immigrant children who have been separated from their parents or family members are being held in dirty, neglectful, and dangerous conditions at Border Patrol facilities in Texas.” This was almost not discovered, the article reads, because the Clint Facility usually houses a maximum of 104 adults and those investigating were reporting on child-focused conditions. But it was later reported to be housing “approximately three hundred and fifty children.” In another article by the Associated Press, “a traumatic and dangerous situation is unfolding for some 250 infants, children, and teens locked up for 27 days without adequate food, water and sanitation” in El Paso Texas. We should be able to agree that none of these cases should be acceptable nor should they be taking place in the United States of America. Many of the people being detained in these camps are not crossing the border illegally. According to The American Immigration Council, “The Refugee Act established two paths to obtain refugee status—either from abroad as a resettled refugee or in the United States as an asylum seeker.” If someone crosses the border into the U.S. seeking asylum, they are doing so legally. Many of these legal asylum seeking immigrants are being held in these camps and according to NBC News, federal data shows that 24 immigrants have died while under ICE custody. According to Vice News, this number does not include children that have died under other federal agencies, or those that have died shortly after being released from ICE custody. GQ published an article on June 5, 2019 stating “in July of 2018, 37 detained migrant children boarded vans in Texas so they could be reunited with their parents at the Port Isobel Detention Center. But when they reached the Immigration and Customs Enforcement–run detention facility, they had to wait. And wait. It took 39 hours and two nights spent sleeping in vans for the last child to be processed and reunited with their family, with most of the 5- to 12-year-olds waiting at least 23 hours in the center's parking lot.” This is not a new issue; this is deeply ingrained into our American history. It is part of our beginning, middle, and present. This country was built by murdering those who were already here, and then moving the surviving Native American into areas that the government deemed fit. In the 1900 the American government built concentration camps in the Philippines during the American-Philippine War. Years later Japanese Americans were displaced and moved into camps, stripping them of their possessions and jobs, all while dehumanizing them in the process. Now we are here, with camps at the border that rip families’ apart, let people die, and the cycle continues. It is up to us to vote, protest, and organize to say that we no longer will let this continue. S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org www.cincistreetvibe.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor-in-chief: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Volunteer Editors: Katelyn Lusher, Chris Wilkey Distributor Program Manager: Sallie Mascus Layout: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Reception: Bonita Batton, Larry Johnson Maintenance: Pete Roper ------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Gabriela Godinez, Bill Woods, Lungelo Ndhlovu, Sarah Shearman, Nacho Doce, Jake Spring, Tharanga Yakupitiyage, Angus Berwick, Dr. Mark Mussman, Depthstroke the Cypher, Willa D. Jones, James Brown, Felix Winternitz ------------------------------------------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 Homeless Coalition do not endorse candidates for public office. �No. 39 Nov 211, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 June 273-| July | No. 410 HOMELESSNESS 3 Zimbabwe's Economic Crisis Driving Boys Experiencing Homelessness Into Illegal Gay Sex Trade Lungelo Ndhlovo Reuters O n a sunny morning in the central business district of Zimbabwe's second city Bulawayo, 14-year-old Tapiwa is basking in the sunlight on a busy pavement. After running away from his abusive stepmother last year, Tapiwa turned to sex work to earn a living on the streets. He is one of the rising number of homeless children in a nation crippled by a cash crunch that has led to shortages of fuel and price hikes of basic necessities. Child rights' groups said the sexual abuse of underage girls was widely discussed but to date little attention had been given to the boys caught up in the Ncube Siphiwe, a senator for Bulawayo Metropolitan province, said the authorities were aware of this trend, with abandoned beer halls converted into unofficial venues for sex work. "Of course, we know what is happening in the city ... we don't support this as leaders and parents because it makes children lead a bad life," she said. Bulawayo City Council spokesman Nesisa Mpofu confirmed the authority has leased unused beer halls to the community for businesses and had no say on how tenants ran those places. "We are not aware of the 12th Avenue brothel but that should be reported to the Zimbabwe Republic Police," she said, adding that this would now be investigated. Sikholiwe Ncube, programmes officer at the Bulawayo-based Thuthuka children living rough is scarce but the Social Welfare Department estimated Zimbabwe in 2017 had more than 4,700 children working and living on the streets of major cities Harare, Mutare, Bulawayo and Beitbridge. "This year the number of children living on the streets of Bulawayo has risen due to the economic meltdown in the country. Children as young as 10 years are on the streets," Ncube said. Thuthuka Street Children's home estimated there were between 150 and 250 street children in Bulawayo's city centre, eking out a living mainly by begging while some engaged in criminal activities and others ended up in the sex trade. This put them at risk of HIV with the southern African country having one of the world's largest HIV epidemics, with about 13 per cent of A Zimbabwean street kid sleeps in an empty bus terminus, which would normally be full of commuters, in Chitungwiza, 20 Km's south of Harare July 3, 2001. The country is on the first day of a two-day national stayaway in protest against a recent 70 per cent increase in the price of fuel. REUTERS/Howard Burditt sex trade to survive. Gay sex is illegal in Zimbabwe, carrying a prison sentence of up to three years, but non-governmental organisations (NGOs) said reports of rising numbers of underage boys selling themselves on the streets were rife. "There is a brothel on 12th Avenue here in the city where my friends and I solicit for sex in exchange for money," said Tapiwa, adding his clients usually paid $10 for 30 minutes. Zimbabwean parliamentarian Street Children's Home, said the nation's economic crisis has forced more children onto the streets, leaving them vulnerable. For after suffering from decades of decline, Zimbabwe is also facing a drought and devastation from Cyclone Idai that has further dashed hopes that the economy will quickly recover in the wake of the downfall of Robert Mugabe in a coup in 2017. More living rough Historic data on the number of 15-to-49-year-olds and 57 per cent of sex workers living with the virus in 2017, according to UNAIDS. Yet Bulawayo residents in the central business district have little sympathy for street children. "They are a nuisance," said Nigel Matupire, a local shop. "Every day I clean up their mess in front of my shop door." Sex for money Selling sex has become a daily reality for Munashe, 15, from THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Mberengwa District in Zimbabwe's central heartlands. "I come from a very poor background and I lost both parents then I decided to come to Bulawayo to look for a better life," said Munashe, on a street corner. Initially, he travelled to South Africa where he said he lived under a bridge until someone told him about the sex trade. "I laughed at the idea that men pay for sex with us until he one day (took) me to his clients. But life was tough at that point," he said. He said he moved back to Bulawayo after the South African police started to crackdown on homeless people and at first begged before moving into the sex trade. "I get a lot of money from the sex trade to survive in the streets," Munashe said. Danai Chirawu, a lawyer at the Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association (ZWLA), said children under 16 cannot consent to sex under the law but there were some grey areas. Heterosexual sex between a man over the age of 16 and a girl between the ages of 12 and 15 is legal if the girl consented while sexual intercourse between a girl below the age of 12 and a man aged over 16 is automatically classified as rape. Sex between men or boys – of any age – is illegal but prosecutions are rare, according to a British government report that found authorities more commonly harassed LGBT+ people for loitering, indecency and public order offences. Bulawayo's Chief Inspector Precious Simango said there had not been any reports of underage boys in the sex trade but every police station had a special "Victim Friendly Unit" for such cases to be recorded if they did come up. However, the Sexual Rights Centre (SRC), a non-profit organisation that supports marginalised vulnerable groups such as sex workers and the LGBT+ community in Bulawayo, said there had been an increase in the number of children in the sex trade. "As an organisation we see that as child exploitation," said Mojalifa Mokoele, SRC programmes officer. "It is not sex work, it is exploitation of minors and children into sex work. This is something that we speak against as an organisation." Courtesy of Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation / INSP.ngo �4 ADVERTISMENT Tours focus on the historical and contemporary struggles and successes of the Overthe-Rhine Peoples' Movement. Learn what gentrification looks like and how displacement affects community members. N o v 227 - N- oJuly v 19, 2 02019 18 | N o . 393 June 11, | No. 410 Social Justice Walking Tours Cost: $80/Group (max 20 in each group). Sign up today: https://cincihomeless.org/ please-register-youreducation-event-here/ THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 3927 3 |-N ov 2 11, - No v 19,| 2 0 18410 June July 2019 No. U.S NEWS 5 High Hopes: Will 'Cannabusiness' Turn Around Deprived Communities? Sarah Shearman Reuters H aving witnessed the fallout from drug and alcohol abuse in his struggling Maori community, Manu Caddie was always "quite anticannabis". But now the youth workerturned-entrepreneur believes the plant will bring prosperity to indigenous New Zealanders. A global upshot in cannabis legalisation has led to a "green rush" by investors into the fast-growing industry, worth some $12 billion in 2018 - equal to The Bahamas' annual economic output - data from Euromonitor International shows. A crop of social entrepreneurs also believe there is room for businesses to do good, as well as profit, from the plant. "Our community has a history of cannabis overuse probably and people relying on it, and it has caused all sort sorts of issues with prohibition and people going to jail," Caddie said over the phone from New Zealand. "The dream is we could have some sort of ethical cannabis company that looks after the workers and looks after the environment," said Caddie, whose Hikurangi Cannabis start-up won New Zealand's first medicinal cannabis licence last year. As Canada, Uruguay and almost a dozen U.S. states have legalised cannabis for both medicinal and recreational use, tobacco, alcohol and pharmaceutical companies are moving into the market with weed-infused drinks, foods and medicines. With New Zealand due to vote next year on legalising recreational cannabis, growth is set to continue. Research company Euromonitor International predicts the industry's value will rocket by almost 1300 per cent to $166 billion by 2025. Best weed Caddie lives in Ruatoria, a remote town in eastern New Zealand where 94 per cent of people are Maori that has one of the country's highest unemployment rates, according to 2013 government census data. Its green rolling hills earned an unofficial reputation for growing New Zealand's best weed after a Rastafarian community settled there in the 1960s. Caddie and his business partner Panapa Ehau, spotted an opportunity in 2017 to tap into this local expertise and grow legal cannabis, offering locals the chance to buy shares in Hikurangi Cannabis through a crowdfunding campaign. "We tried to emphasise to people how risky it was," said Caddie, "because there are no guarantees, but those people who put money in were prepared to do so and it was quite humbling." Several locals dipped into their savings and pensions to buy a stake, with about NZ$2.4 million ($1.59 million) raised in total to back the company, which has yet to make a profit. While health impact of legalisation is fiercely debated around the world, Caddie is optimistic that it could create legalisation of the commercial production of hemp - a type of cannabis plant with no or little THC, the ingredient which makes users "high". It is unclear whether the entire plant will be legalised at federal level but several states may fully legalise marijuana this year. Marginalised minorities risk being shut out from the emerging industry Founded in 2016, the dispensary which has two stores and aims to open five more by 2020 - helps poor locals and ex-convicts who might struggle to access capital, start cannabis businesses with loans and grants. Customers can also invest between $1,000 and $50,000 at their local dispensary in return for equity, and 10 per cent of profits go into community Photo by Matteo Paganelli on Unsplash jobs and money and keep some people out of prison, while the risk of addiction to medical products like lozenges and balms is low. Although Maori only make up 15 per cent of New Zealand's population, more than 50 per cent of prisoners are Maori, according to the Department of Corrections, which runs prisons. Half of Hikurangi Cannabis' 25 staff are Maori, including four Maori growers. The company - now valued at NZ$30 million after receiving further investment - is training more, with the aim of having 100 staff by the end of next year, Caddie said. "If there is a way to grow the plant they love and do it legally, they are super keen on that," he said. Opportunity In the United States, black and Latino communities that have been criminalised for decades for illegally selling weed are also keen to benefit from the marijuana boom. The Food and Drug Administration is holding a public hearing about the sale of cannabis after the December due to a ban on licensing people with criminal records to grow or distribute the crop, as well as high start-up costs and regulations on the type of property to be used. "People that were once convicted for crimes that are no longer considered crimes need to have a platform to get involved in cannabis," said Jessica Steinberg, managing director of the Global C, a consultancy firm for cannabis businesses. Eight in 10 people who launched a cannabis business or have an ownership stake in a marijuana company are white, according to a survey by Marijuana Business Daily, a U.S. news site. Only six out of 10 Americans are white, census data shows. "There is this opportunity to create and shape an industry the way it should be - with balance and equity - but that is not necessarily the reality," said Steinberg. The People's Dispensary, a social enterprise that sells cannabis for medical and recreational use in California and Oregon, aims to do just that. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED initiatives, such as cookery classes and donations to homeless people. "There is no way we could make all of this money and not give back to our communities ... which have been overly policed, overly incarcerated, because of prohibition," said Christine De La Rosa, chief executive of The People's Dispensary. But opening up the legal cannabis industry to marginalised communities is not just about doing good - it also makes good business sense, said De La Rosa, who used cannabis to treat her lupus, an autoimmune disease which almost killed her. "People on lower incomes spend more on cannabis ... If you don't pay attention to people of colour, the formerly incarcerated and women, you are going to lose," said De La Rosa. "Because I'm a person of colour, I'm part of that underserved community, and I know that underserved community would rather come to me." Courtesy of Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation / INSP.ngo �GLOBAL 6 N o v 2 27 - N-oJuly v 19, 2 02019 18 | N . 393 June 11, | oNo. 410 Brazil's Mangroves On The Front Line Of Climate Change Nacho Doce and Jake Spring F Reuters ishermen like Jose da Cruz have made their living for decades hunting for crabs among Brazil's vast coastal mangrove forests, dense thickets of twisted plants in deep black mud that grow where fresh-water rivers meet the brackish Atlantic Ocean. Cruz, who is known by the nickname Vampire because of his distinctive teeth, doesn't use a rod and reel or a net. Instead he parks his two-foot-wide boat at the shore of the Caratingui river and wends his way on foot through the tangle of mangroves to dig out crabs with his hands from the dark muck. He slowly begins to blend into his surroundings as he becomes increasingly caked in mud, sometimes lying flat to submerge his arm in search of crabs. He pulls out two of the spikeylegged creatures, larger than his hands. The four or five dozen he captures in a day will earn Cruz about 200 reais ($50) per week, enough to get by, he said. But this tenuous livelihood is facing a series of threats, including rapid alterations to the environment caused by climate change, and Cruz's average daily catch is half of what it was 10 years ago. In that time, the water line has advanced 3 metres inland from where it used to be, according to Cruz. A battery-powered radio may be his principal connection to the outside world, but Cruz knows about global warming. "Nature is upset. ... In Antarctica, it's melting, nature is melting," he Unofficial community known as "The Train" because the mud houses are arranged single file along the edge of the Caratingui river like train cars, is seen next to mangrove forests, in Cairu, state of Bahia, Brazil April 5, 2019. REUTERS/Nacho Doce said. "People, you have to have some awareness about what is happening. It's clear what is happening." Climate scientists lend credence to Cruz's interpretation of what he sees. Rising water levels, they say, are a sign of global warming, which also causes water temperatures to rise, killing off some marine life. Globally, scientists have warned that water temperatures are increasing far faster than expected, which drives rising sea levels. Climate change and human development are putting 1 million species, a large share of which live in marine environments, at risk of extinction, according to a report published this year. These changes in turn are threatening the dozen or so families in Cruz's village that depend on the coastal ecosystem. His unofficial community is known as "The Train" because the mud houses are arranged single file along the edge of the Caratingui river like train cars. The low-lying island, otherwise covered in mangroves, is quickly receding under the water. Water levels have risen 20-30 centimetres over the past 100 years in coastal Bahia state, where Cairu is located, according to climate researcher Carlos Nobre at the University of Sao Paulo. Mangroves cover 13,989 square kilometres along Brazil's coast - an area larger than the U.S. state of Maryland - and are a vital protection against climate change, according to biologist Renato de Almeida with the nearby Federal University of Reconcavo da Fisherman Jose da Cruz, who is known by the nickname Vampire because of his distinctive teeth, listens to the radio inside his house, in Cairu, state of Bahia, Brazil, April 5, 2019. REUTERS/Nacho Doce THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Bahia. One acre of the ecosystem absorbs as much or more carbon dioxide as a similar area of Amazon rainforest, he said. They protect the coast from eroding as intense storms grow more frequent as climates shift, the two scientists say. The plants themselves are resilient, following water levels as they rise, but creatures like the crabs and oysters that Cruz harvests less so. Global warming is causing water temperatures to rise, which can kill off crabs and other animals in their food chain if it becomes hotter than the narrow range they are adapted to, Almeida said. Hotter water is also more acidic, which corrodes the shells of crabs and other marine life, he said. To be sure, global warming is not the only threat. Overfishing - by fishermen exactly like Cruz - is likely also a major reason for the decline in the crab and other fish populations as urban demand for seafood expands, Almeida said. Growing tourism has led to the clearing of mangroves to make way for small inns and piers that pop up along the coast, the researchers said. Increased traffic can disrupt oysters from growing on riverbanks and the constant inundation from passing vessels can erode the attachment of mangroves to the soil. Areas like The Train will face more rapid change in the years to come. Even if all greenhouse gas emissions were halted today, water levels could rise another 2 or 3 metres in the next 200 years, 10 times as much as the last hundred, according to Nobre. "It's not just here. It's not just me. There are many fishermen that depend on getting food from the mangroves day-to-day," Cruz said. Courtesy of Reuters / INSP.ngo �N o. 39 3 |-NJuly ov 2 11, - N o2019 v 19,| 2 0 18410 June 27 No. GLOBAL 7 An Escalating War on Reproductive Rights Tharanga Yakupitiyage Inter Press Service A bortion has long been a contentious issue across the world, and the debate is only heating up, prompting women to stand up and speak out for their reproductive rights. In response to increasingly restrictive policies, civil society is taking action to help protect abortion rights. “The failure of states to guarantee reproductive rights is a clear violation of human rights,” said President and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) Nancy Northup. “The centre is committed to using the power of law to ensure that women and girls…are guaranteed access to sexual and reproductive health rights and services,” she added. Human Rights Watch’s Senior Researcher Margaret Wurth echoed similar sentiments, stating: “No rape survivor should be forced into motherhood without the chance to consider a safe and legal abortion.” Girls, Not Mothers Latin American countries have some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world. For instance, Nicaragua has a complete ban on abortion while Guatemala has an exception only when a girl or woman’s life is at risk. Though the risk of maternal mortality increases when pregnancies occur in girls younger than 14, still many girls are forced to give birth. According to CRR, over 2,200 girls between the age of 10 and 14 gave birth in 2018 in Guatemala. In Nicaragua, eight of 10 sexual violence survivors are girls under 13 and the country has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Latin America with 28 percent of women giving birth before the age of 18. Fatima was only 12 years old when she became pregnant after being raped by a man in her community in Guatemala. Though the pregnancy was risky, health care providers never offered her a legal abortion. After more than a year of abuse by her priest, Lucia became pregnant at the age of 13 in Nicaragua. Fatima and Lucia are now young women and two of four women who have brought their cases to the United Nations Human Rights Committee with the support of organisations such as CRR and Planned Parenthood Global in order to seek justice and demand access to safe and legal abortion. “Too many young girls in Latin America, and around the world, have been put in situations that threaten their rights and put their lives at risk because they are not able to access abortion care,” said head of Planned Parenthood Global Leana Wen. “Forcing young girls to continue a pregnancy no matter their circumstances or wants, is not only cruel, but will have devastating impacts for them, their families, and their communities,” she added. People around the world have since showed solidarity for the four women, posting #NinasNoMadres - they are girls, not mothers. U.S. regresses Access to abortion has also become a point of contention in the United States as a total of 27 bans have been enacted across 12 states so far in 2019. Most recently, Louisiana signed a bill banning abortions once a heartbeat is detectable, known as a “heartbeat bill.” A foetal heartbeat can occur as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, often before many women know they’re even pregnant. The legislation does not include exceptions for rape or incest. If the bill becomes law, any doctor who performs an abortion could face imprisonment for one to 10 years and/ or a fine ranging from 10,000 to 100,000 dollars. Missouri has passed a similar bill with a penalty of up to 15 years in prison and the loss of a doctor’s professional license. Missouri’s last and only abortion clinic was expected to close on Friday, but a judge granted a restraining order that temporarily allowed the clinic to continue. If the clinic had closed, Missouri would have been the first state in 45 years without access to abortion. While abortion is still legal at the federal level, such moves threaten safe, accessible and affordable abortion care across the country. “We are very concerned that several U.S. states have passed laws severely restricting access to safe abortion for A demonstrator in Buenos Aires wears a T-shirt with the slogan "my body, my rights," one of the slogans of the so-called green tide - the colour adopted by the movement for the legalisation of abortion, which is beginning to spread to other Latin American countries. Credit: Fabiana Frayssinet/IPS THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED women, including by imposing criminal penalties on the women themselves and on abortion service providers,” said UN human rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani. “We are calling on the United States and all other countries to ensure that women have access to safe abortions. At an absolute minimum, in cases of rape, incest and foetal anomaly, there needs to be safe access to abortions,” she added. Not only does a complete ban on abortion drive women and girls to seek unsafe “back street” methods of termination, but a study found that women and girls are also more likely to experience short-term anxiety and loss of self-esteem, economic insecurity and poverty, and continued exposure to intimate partner violence. But there is hope yet. Organisations such as the American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal have filed lawsuits to help protect abortion rights in the U.S. And the UN can play a role globally too. In 2001, a 17-year-old Peruvian girl, known only as K.L., was denied an abortion after being diagnosed as having a foetus with anencephaly at 14 weeks. The refusal had serious mental and physical consequences on her health as she was forced to continue her pregnancy and her baby, once born, only survived four days. Working with human rights lawyers, K.L. filed a complaint with the UN Human Rights Committee, which concluded that Peru violated international human rights law and its actions constituted “cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.” It was the first time a UN Committee held a country accountable for failing to ensure access to safe, legal abortion. The committee also ordered financial compensation to K.L, who finally received it a decade later in 2015. “In seeing justice delivered in K.L.’s case—watching it go from A to Z—we are part of an inspiring historic moment,” said Lilian Sepúlveda who directs CRR’s global legal programme and was one of the attorneys involved in the case. “We are witnessing the results of advocates’ dedicated perseverance and the power of the UN and other international bodies to ensure our basic human rights to dignity, health, and freedom from ill-treatment,” she added. Such efforts are more urgent than ever to ensure access to justice as well as safety and health for women and girls. Courtesy of Inter Press Service / INSP.ngo �FEATURED 8 N o v 227 - N v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 June - oJuly 11,2 02019 410 They Fled Venezuela's Crisis By Boat Then Vanished deportations and beefed up coast-guard patrols to intercept smugglers' vessels. Reuters Trinidad and Tobago, with a population of more than 1.3 million taxi dropped Maroly people and among the highest incomes Bastardo and her two small in the region, has been a particular children by a cemetery magnet. not far from the shore in Since 2016, almost 25,000 northeast Venezuela. She still had time Venezuelans have arrived in Trinidad, to change her mind. according to government figures, many Eight months pregnant, Bastardo without documentation. The United faced forbidding choices in a nation Nations last year estimated 40,000 whose economy has collapsed. Give Venezuelans were living in Trinidad, birth in Venezuela, where newborns straining the government's ability to are dying at alarming rates in shortageassist them. plagued maternity wards. Or board a Traffickers have been known to crowded smuggler's boat bound for abandon their human cargo in rough Trinidad, the largest of two islands waters and force female and child that make up the Caribbean nation of passengers into prostitution. A shortage Trinidad and Tobago. Her husband, of spare parts in Venezuela means Kennier Berra, had landed there in boats often take to sea in disrepair. February, found work and beckoned Most migrants leave Guiria in open, low-slung wooden vessels with patched hulls and jury-rigged outboard motors. Smugglers often stuff these boats well beyond their 10-person capacity, locals familiar with the trade said. But for Maroly Bastardo, the grinding hardships of life in Venezuela loomed as the greater danger. She was feeling exhausted and increasingly anxious about her health and that of the baby in the event of a difficult labor. "Things are too rough here girl," Bastardo texted an aunt in the days leading up to her departure from Venezuela. "I can't give myself the luxury of staying here all beat down." Bastardo's ill-fated journey was reconstructed in interviews with her Carolina Gil shows a picture of her daughter Maroly Bastardo, an eight months pregnant woman who, family members, friends and the along with her children, her husband's sister, uncle and father, disappeared in the Caribbean Sea after relatives of others missing from the boarding a smuggler's boat during an attempt to cross from Venezuela to Trinidad and Tobago, at her Ana Maria, along with authorities home in El Tigre, Venezuela, June 4, 2019. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado and people involved in the human her to join him. escape a nation in freefall. smuggling trade. Bastardo's mother, Carolina, Years of economic mismanagement Bastardo grew up in El Tigre, an begged her to stay. by the socialist government have interior boomtown in Venezuela's Neither Bastardo or her children crippled the oil-rich nation with famed Orinoco Oil Belt, the source of could swim. Barely three weeks earlier, hyperinflation, shortages and misery. much of the nation's oil wealth. 27 people had gone missing after a An estimated 4 million people - about Carolina, Bastardo's mother, migrant boat went down in the narrow 12 per cent of the populace - have fled worked in the kitchen of a fancy hotel stretch of water separating Venezuela the South American country in just the that catered to visiting oil executives. from Trinidad. The 20-kilometre strait, last five years. Bastardo attended private school and known for its treacherous currents, is The vast majority have travelled talked of becoming a doctor. She and nicknamed the Dragon's Mouths. overland to neighbouring Colombia her little sister, Aranza, sang songs in But the 19-year old hairdresser was and Brazil. But in images reminiscent the bedroom they shared. determined. On 16 May, she and the of desperate Cubans fleeing their The good times faded with kids packed into an aging fishing vessel homeland in decades past, Venezuelans mismanagement of state-run oil along with 31 other people, including increasingly are taking to the sea in company PDVSA by late President three relatives of her husband. They rickety boats. Hugo Chavez and his successor Nicolas snapped cellphone photos from the Prime destinations are the nearby Maduro. With government loyalists at shore near the port town of Guiria, islands of Aruba, Curacao, Grenada and the helm of the company, oil revenue where thousands of Venezuelans have Trinidad and Tobago off Venezuela's funded social programs while basic departed in recent years, and messaged Caribbean coast. Formerly welcoming maintenance and investment tumbled. loved ones goodbye. of Venezuelans, who once brought Skilled petroleum professionals fled The craft, the Ana Maria, never tourist dollars, all have clamped down for opportunities abroad. Despite arrived. No migrants or wreckage have hard on these mostly impoverished possessing some of the world's largest been found. migrants. Their governments have oil reserves, Venezuela has seen oil A man believed to be the boat's tightened visa requirements, increased production slump by about 75 per cent Angus Berwick A pilot, a 25-year-old Venezuelan named Alberto Abreu, was plucked from the sea on 17 May by a fisherman and taken to nearby Grenada. Abreu told his rescuer the Ana Maria had sunk the night before. He fled before police could complete their investigation, Grenadian authorities said, and hasn't been spotted since. Bastardo's anguished mother, Carolina, clings to hope that perhaps a lesser tragedy has befallen her daughter and grandchildren. She prays smugglers are holding them hostage to extract more money, and that any day now she will get the ransom call. "My heart tells me they are alive," Carolina said. "But it's a torture." The disappearance of Bastardo, five relatives and her unborn child underscores the ever-more perilous lengths Venezuelans are taking to THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED since the turn of the century, when it was producing 3 million barrels a day. The fallout hit El Tigre hard. The swanky hotel closed its doors and Carolina lost her job. Bastardo quit school at age 16 to earn a few dollars a week cutting hair. She and Berra, a construction worker, had two children, Dylan and Victoria. With another baby on the way - a little boy they planned to name Isaac Jesus - Berra left in February for Trinidad. He found a job frying chicken and laid plans for his family to follow. Bastardo would require a Caesarean section, her third. The prospect of giving birth in the local hospital terrified her, her mother said. Venezuela's national healthcare system, once considered a model for Latin America, is now plagued by shortages of imported drugs, equipment and even basics like rubber gloves. Thousands of doctors and nurses, their salaries ravaged by inflation, no longer show up for work. At the Luis Felipe Guevara Rojas Hospital in El Tigre, signs at the maternity ward inform women in need of Caesareans to bring their own antibiotics, needles, surgical sutures and IV drip. Even electricity isn't a given. Doctors there said the power fails almost daily, forcing them to rely on backup generators. Infant mortality rose sharply, to 21.1 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2016 from 15 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2008, reversing nearly two decades of progress, according to a study published in January in The Lancet medical journal. Mothers, too, are dying at higher rates during childbirth, the study said. Some 11,466 babies died before their first birthday in 2016, up 30 per cent from the year before, according to the most recent figures from Venezuela's Health Ministry. "Any woman who gives birth in a Venezuelan hospital is running a risk," said Yindri Marcano, director of the El Tigre hospital. Trinidad would almost certainly have better medical care, Bastardo and Berra reckoned. An extra incentive: a child born there would be a citizen and could make it easier for them to obtain legal residency someday. Family members would accompany Bastardo to watch out for her and the little ones, 3-year-old Dylan and Victoria, 2. On 2 April, Bastardo, the children, and her sister-in-law Katerin traveled 500 kilometres by taxi to the port of Guiria. Located on Venezuela's remote and lawless Paria Peninsula, the city is known as a hub of migrant tracking and drug running. There they joined Berra's father, �No. 39 ov 211, - N2019 o v 19,| No. 2 0 18 June 273 -| N July 410 FEATURED A local resident points on a map at an area nicknamed the Dragon's Mouths, where Maroly Bastardo, an eight months pregnant woman, along with her children, her husband's sister, uncle and father, disappeared in the Caribbean Sea after boarding a smuggler's boat during an attempt to cross from Venezuela to Trinidad and Tobago, in Guiria, Venezuela, May 23, 2019. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado Luis, and his Uncle Antonio, who would also make the trip. The six settled into a rundown hotel above a Chinese restaurant to make final preparations. They hung out with a friend of Luis's, Raymond Acosta, a 37-year-old local mechanic. Luis took charge of securing their places in a smuggler's boat. A construction worker, he and his wife had already emigrated to Trinidad and had helped other relatives make the journey in recent years. Acosta said Luis had negotiated a price of $1,000 for all six members of the party: $400 payable up front, with the balance due in Trinidad, U.S. dollars only. But as the departure approached, the smuggler jacked up the price. They would need an extra $500 cash up front. Rather than back out, Luis had his wife in Trinidad drain their savings, and he arranged for a contact there to transport the cash to Guiria. Another setback followed on 23 April: A migrant boat heading for Trinidad with 37 passengers overturned in the Dragon's Mouths. Rescuers found nine survivors and a corpse; the rest remain missing, according to Venezuela's Civil Protection and Disaster Management Authority. Smugglers hunkered down for a few weeks, according to people involved in the boat trade in Guiria. The family's crossing was delayed. News of the accident unnerved Bastardo's mother in El Tigre. The night before the scheduled departure, Carolina begged her daughter to reconsider. Bastardo replied via text: "Mothers have to do what they can to help their children....Don't worry. Better times are coming." On Thursday, 16 May, Acosta took the six voyagers to a taxi stand, where they said their goodbyes around 3pm. They were headed to the small fishing village of La Salina, 4 kilometres from Guiria, to meet their boat, and were relieved to be finally getting underway, Acosta said. He said he felt uneasy that none of the family took a life jacket in case the smugglers didn't have enough to go around. He also fretted about the possibility of an overloaded boat. "People are now more desperate," Acosta said. "I always told Luis that they shouldn't go if there were too many passengers on board." Before they boarded, Bastardo snapped a cellphone photo of Katerin, Dylan and Victoria with their backs to the camera, staring out to sea. She sent it to her family. The plan was to arrive at the Trinidadian port of Chaguaramas under cover of darkness. The 70-kilometre journey from Guiria typically takes about four hours, putting them in port around 8.30pm at the latest. Luis wanted his son there early. "At 6.30 in Chaguaramas, be waiting," he texted Berra at 4.37pm as their voyage got underway. Those who know the route say pilots headed for Chaguaramas carrying migrants typically navigate along the coastline until reaching the eastern tip of the Paria Peninsula around nightfall. At that point, the lights of Trinidad’s towns are visible as they prepare to enter the final 20-kilometre stretch, the Dragon's Mouths. Evening turned to night. The Ana Maria didn't show. Berra said he paced anxiously until police arrived at midnight on the Chaguaramas dock and told him to leave. He said he returned early Friday morning and waited all day and deep into the second night. Still nothing. He repeated the vigil on Saturday. "After the first sinking, Maroly was afraid, but she still wanted to be here with us," Berra said in a phone interview from Trinidad. Back in El Tigre, Bastardo's family was growing uneasy. She and the others were not returning text messages. On Friday, they heard instead from someone identifying himself only as Ramon. Locals in Guiria said Ramon had helped arrange for their relatives to cross by boat to Trinidad without documents, including on the Ana Maria. The vessel had engine trouble, Ramon wrote, but would soon be on its way. "We are going to change the motors and continue," Ramon said in text messages. In a telephone interview, Ramon said he works for an operation that takes 9 Abreu was identified as the man in the photos by relatives of people on the Ana Maria who saw the Facebook post. Venezuela's Civil Protection agency confirmed he had been rescued. In a 24 May statement, police in Grenada said a man "in need of urgent medical attention" was rescued 17 May by a vessel in waters between Trinidad and Grenada and brought to Grenada for treatment. They said the man, a Venezuelan national, left the hospital without "authorisation." His whereabouts remain unknown. Venezuelan authorities barely searched for the Ana Maria. The Civil Protection authority, in charge of maritime rescue, had no boats to send. Its half-dozen-or-so vessels are all in disrepair or missing parts, said Luisa Marin, an agency official in Guiria. The Venezuelan military sent out a boat from Guiria on Saturday, 18 May, two days after the Ana Maria vanished, but the craft malfunctioned after 20 minutes and had to return to harbour, Marin and other locals said. Trinidad's coast guard conducted its own search in Trinidadian waters, but spotted no signs of the Ana Maria or its passengers, National Security Minister Stuart Young said publicly on 21 May. With no wreckage or bodies found, A view of a maternity room of Felipe Guevara Rojas Hospital in El Tigre, Venezuela, June 3, 2019. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado people to Trinidad legally, with a limit of 10 passengers per vessel. He said he was simply passing along information given to him by an unidentified smuggler to ease the family’s fears. He declined to give his surname and denied he was involved in any illicit activity. By Saturday, 18 May, reports of the Ana Maria's disappearance had surfaced in the news and social media. In an early morning Facebook post, Robert Richards, an American fisherman, said he had found a "young man" on Friday afternoon, floating 50 kilometres offshore of Trinidad, "fighting for his life." Photos accompanying the post showed a figure in a life jacket bobbing near a piece of floating debris. Richards said the man had "been in the water for 19 hours...on a boat that sunk the night before with 20 other people on board, so far no other survivors." Richards, whose Facebook page says he resides in the U.S. Virgin Islands, has not responded to calls and text messages seeking comment. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED some relatives of the missing say they believe the migrants were kidnapped by criminal gangs. But Trinidadian authorities have not presented any evidence that this happened. The National Security Ministry declined to comment. Bastardo's mother, Carolina, 38, says she no longer sleeps. She scours the news and social media for any shred of information. Every time she reads that Trinidadian authorities have apprehended yet another group of undocumented Venezuelan migrants, she wonders if her Maroly might be among them. "It just causes me more agony: Is it her? Is it not her?" Carolina said from her porch in El Tigre, staring into the distance. Bastardo's nine-year-old sibling, Aranza, says she believes her big sister is still alive. The child's birthday is coming up 30 June. She tells her mom the only present she wants is to have Bastardo and the others back. Courtesy of Reuters / INSP.ngo �10 LOCAL N o v 227 - N v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 June - oJuly 11,2 02019 410 A New Local Initiative To Establish A Citizens' Organizing Round Table Bill Woods Contributing Writer An initiative moves forward to establish a Citizens' Organizing Round Table in Cincinnati. The purpose of the Round Table is to enhance citizen organizing in this area. Supported by a grant from the Murray and Agnes Seasongood Good Government Foundation, Applied Information Resources will plan and administer this initiative. This initiative is an outgrowth of an all day forum sponsored by the Seasongood Foundation in February. The event, "The Power of Organizing - Finding Your Community Voice," highlighted a variety of diverse organizing efforts. It featured panels and discussion groups on everything from basic neighborhood organizing to building coalitions in order to pass ballot initiatives. The theme of the forum and also the Round Table initiative is that without effective organizing average citizens are often overlooked in public decision making in Cincinnati, Columbus, and Washington, D.C. The growing power of "big money" in politics in recent decades has made it harder and harder for citizens to compete with lobbyists and powerful institutions in shaping policies and legislation that often impact their lives and neighborhoods. The goal of the Round Table will be strengthening the citizen voice through organizing. AIR's first task will be to put together an informal coalition of citizen organizers that will meet regularly to discuss local community organizing needs. By creating an entity comprised of people who represent diverse local citizens' organizing initiatives, AIR envisions a group that shares information, assists various community organizing activities, assesses the health of citizen involvement, and collaborates on issues when appropriate. A number of people who fit this description were involved in the February forum, and AIR will seek to include them as members of the Round Table. Initial organizations that will be asked to participate include the Peaslee Neighborhood Center, the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, Invest in Neighborhoods, the Sierra Club, CUFA, the Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center, the Woman's City Club, Community Shares, the League of Women Voters, Bold New Democracy, and Project AMOS. AIR hopes that the Round Table will begin informal meetings by late summer. At the start of its existence, the Round Table will be asked: "What can the group do to strengthen citizen involvement in public decision making and in addressing critical community issues? An important second question is: "How can the Round Table reach out to citizens and grassroots groups that need organizing assistance? For further information about this initiative, call AIR at 381-4994. Hatch Me If You Can! Felix Winternitz I Contributing Writer t’s more than a hundred years come and gone since the last passenger pigeon on this planet, a copper beauty by the moniker of Martha, perished at the Cincinnati Zoo. Now, the play-land’s genetic sequencing czars are apparently preparing to revive the late, lamented species. For sure, most berserk cloning activists across the globe are squawking loudly in face of a stunning “quiller” memorandum – a birdbrain proposal, if you will– recently leaked in a Snowden tweet and later confirmed through a viral bird’s-eye “peep show” on YouTube. So people are definitely talking. Rumor is, these zoologists intend to parcel out passenger-pigeon pro-creative parts, chromosomes (long preserved inside a block of ice), with of all wild things, a bald eagle. So what here could POSSIBLY go wrong? For newcomers in the room, we offer a ruffling chit-chat with the chief stew-ologist at the Cincinnati Zoo and Soup Gardens, the esteemed Doctor F.N. Stein. First question: You’ve applied to the government, Doctor Stein, for permission to reverse engineer an entirely fresh species, crossing the biological strain of a passenger pigeon with the grand symbol of our once-proud country, the iconic Bald Eagle, to create a so-called Passenger Peagle. Isn’t this flighty concept something akin to crossing kittens with puppies- producing what, Kuppies, Pittens? “A fascinating query. It reminds me of a fact-finding mission I took to Guatemala last summer, in search of the Horned Guan Orcophasos derbianus. The natives call this spry fellah the “Flying Unicorn.” Now, back on point, if you are actually asking me WHY the Cincinnati Zoo of all places is breeding “pass-pigs,” as I prefer to call ‘em, well, I acknowledge the Queenly City is not routinely considered the eugenics capitol of the world. But we do possess in hand the only earthly cellular remains of the very last passenger pigeon on the planet, “Martha,” and her DNA sequence stringies belong to us, thank you very much (so don’t you dare tread on her piddle-biddle molecules until we’re totally done culturing).” Astounding. So it’s your nimble scheme, Mister Green-genes, to shake up Martha’s genomes in the mad laboratory equivalent of a Cuisinart, toss in some heaping teaspoons of predatory raptor BBQ wings and graft a whiff of carnivorous subatomic essence, all just to witness what baffling bootleg molecular mass might eject? Hmmm. What could be the down-side with this peculiar pecking order, other than to disrupt the biological order of the ages? “You absolutely fail to glimpse the panoramic picture, the bird’s-eye view. We are talking fertile ground here. I have a vision of recuperating America’s once-great prairie lands restored to their native state, to a past century of yore when trillions and trillions of these stupendous critters traversed the cloud atlas, regenerating like rabbits into the most prolific beak brand in North America. In the mid-1800s, the migrating buggers could turn the heavens black for hours, eclipsing the sun while emitting a sound best described as fierce mudslide gurgle. These innocent lovelies harmed no one (their voodoo pooh-doo excepted); the squabs simply thrived on their benign diet of beechnuts and buckeyes.” Twitchy. But back to smidgeons of homing pigeons fabricated from across creation’s eggy eons, your mutant cockatoo progeny, your particleaccelerated birds on the fringe. You’re up to a notion no less than remixing and re-mastering the Intelligent Architect’s handiwork, all to restore the universe to what celestial balance, exactly? “Yep, we are certainly busy here reshaping the fluttering cosmos. What better state than Ohio, where hunters sniped the last-recorded wild pass-pig, the wholly quail." Sketchy. So back to terra firma, if you can manage to reach sub-orbit. ... You say you’re turning to the test tube (well, hello, Dolly!) to encapsulate all the inherent sex appeal of locust plagues, flying cockroaches and eerie cicadas – all wound up into one impeccable bug-eyed creature with feathers and a predatory razor beak? “No comment. Oh, did I happen to notate that esteemed ornithologist THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED John James Audubon first documented the carrier pigeons in his immensely illustrative journals, while he was still executive stevedore and exterior taxidermist for the Cincinnati Natural History Museum & Ye Olde Curiousity Shoppe. That was surely back in the day, when the institution proudly displayed shrunken pygmy skulls, Marsha Brady memoirs and Tea Party position papers. All this billow talk should surely make sweaty copy for you and your newsroom colleagues.” Random. So Martha picked Cincinnati to take her ultimate dirtnap, flapping herself as she did along a blue skyway to the Big Nowhere?” Don’t depend on any winged rumors or cackling gossip here. The fox is in the hen-house. “It’s not the proudest moment here at our Betty Crocker Zoo-Soup and Britannical Gardens. Or “Zupe” as our excellent marketing department now phrases it. Poor Martha went to her reward at the distinguished age of 29 years.” Disturbing diatribe, Doc. Kerplunk! “Darwin! My fall-back stock response in these kind of pernicious interviews, above all else fails, is “Darwin.” Call it my-can’t-lose escape claws. Quoth the Raven, never-muchmore. That, and I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout birthin’ no whiffling preschool pigeons.” �No. 39 ov 211, - N2019 o v 19,| No. 2 0 18 June 273 -| N July 410 11 LOCAL Participatory Budget Dr. Mark Mussman Staff Writer W hen you look around your neighborhood, what do you see? Do you focus on the people, going on about their day? How about the buildings and the businesses in them? We rarely take time to look deeply at the publicly owned assets that make up our community, but when they are in disrepair, we notice that someone needs to do something about it. But, who? And when? I want to feature the 4 or so blocks between Liberty and McMicken on Vine Street. The Vine Street Corridor is known as the main street between the east and west sides of the city. As Vine Street snakes its way up from the urban basin, it passes main institutions, such as the University of Cincinnati, the hospitals, the Zoo, churches, schools, and parks. Of course, many neighborhoods and housing is also located on, or near, Vine Street. I don’t know the exact origin of the name “Vine” for the street, but my theory is that it was named Vine Street because of Longworth’s hillside vineyard that spanned the hillside from Fairview to Reading Road. Therefore, a trip up Vine Street would bring you to the Vineyard before anything was built beyond the hillside. Local governments who struggle to fund necessary things like sidewalks, sewers, utility poles, and lighting, while at the same time finding funding for millionaire pet projects, should be ashamed of themselves. On this stretch of Vine Street, which is the most important street in our entire city, you can feel the shame of disinvestment. Broken sidewalks, crumbing curbs, rusty lights, and bootleg utility poles, all line Vine Street between Liberty and McMicken. A crumbling infrastructure greets the residents of this stretch when they walk out of their doors each day. The amount of pride someone takes in their neighborhood is probably affected by disinvestment like this. Yet, residents are blamed for not taking care of the neighborhood when litter is visible, or grafitti covers a wall. So many of the buildings are boarded up, yet many families are raising their kids along this corridor. A participatory budget is a type of governmental public input process. Essentially, when residents get to have input on the city’s budget, the values of the people are expressed. Our current budget process could be described as a “sham” because it is all about political posturing. The City Manager proposes a budget that outrages everyone just so the Mayor can come in and “save the day.” The community input sessions are shameful displays of inhumanity as people have to argue not to have their projects or positions put on the chopping block. The sessions generally last hours, with only some City Councilmembers in attendance. It’s important for people to show up, but it all just seems like political theatre to me. What if we started with the budget of the people, and then approved slight modifications from politicians? Do you think we would give the majority of our budget to the police? Or do you think if the people chose where our money went, that we might put more than a paltry 1% of our budget into human services? A participatory budget would allow for us to tip the scales towards equity, rather than having an administration with no vision squander our money on things that do not affect our quality of life. Heading back to Vine Street, I want to point out something that blew my mind when I noticed it. Back in the 1800’s we had a robust publically funded and run streetcar system. The streetcar was electric, so electric lines followed each route into the suburbs. Today, there are only a few remnants of the system: the turtle-shell lights you will see behind Music Hall, on Reading Road, and throughout the city; the random tracks busting through the road on Highland Avenue; the Car Barn on Vine Street; and the old electric poles. Some of the electric poles have been converted into light poles downtown. But there’s something unique about these poles from the 1800’s along this little stretch of Vine — they are holding up pieces of wood that hold the live Dangerous metal pole cut and left jagged. Photo by Dr. Mark Mussman utility lines. This is the most bootleg thing I’ve seen in years, which is just a reflection of how much the city values the residents of this part of Over-theRhine. I believe this is something that should cause outrage in our community. Not only has the CRC decided to close Findlay Playground without true public input, not only has the city allowed the sidewalks and lights to deteriorate, but we have probably the most unsafe and cheapest utility poles in the nation. The fact that they are from the 1800’s and were made for the streetcar, not for Duke Energy, should be a real concern to everyone. How can we allow this Sidewalk deteriorating. Photo by Dr. Mark Mussman THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED type of disinvestment continue? I guess we’ll see what happens as 3CDC storms up Vine Street over the next few years. They have already started working on the old brewery building, and many smaller developers have already started to set their vision on creating expensive market rate housing along the corridor. Once the low-income families are pushed out, and their apartments become condos, do you think the city will keep these bootleg utility poles? Or do you think somehow, now, after 150 years, they will find the money to upgrade the poles to a safe condition? �12 STREETVOICE ODE TO THE SECURITY OF THE FIFTH FLOOR I think back when i first saw my apartment on the fifth floor I recall feeliinf relieved, good and happy finally moving in. Then i heard the opening of a door Right then i figured i had moved into a good, quiet and safe place Or elese i had moved on the wrong side where nothing would be sacred not even in my space But as the years past and we grew into neighbors learning to respect one another I learned that we on the fifth floor had the only real security who was my neighbor a black brother As long as my neighbor was here i never had to worry about strangers hanging around on my floor As long as my neighbor was here i never worried about unwanted guess knocking on my door Since i've learned that all good things often come to an abrupt end I realize now that i will forever remember and i will miss my neighbor, my security and my friend So may god bless you and keep you always and forever more And may he bless you with the job you do so well being security for heavens front door..... Willa D. Jones Rest in peace micheal tombs Contributing Writer Streetvibes Distributor N o v 27 2 - -NJuly o v 19, 0 18 || N o . 393 June 11,22019 No. 410 TEARDROP First of all, I want to apologize for my last article published in this newspaper.In that article I talked about my experiences selling Streetvibes in Cincinnati, having grown up in Detroit. At one point in the article, I mentioned the KKK and used vulgar language. For this, I am sorry. I’m from up north in Detroit and my mother Senithia Brown taught us about racism back in the day, about how we all still share the same blood. I’ve been selling Streetvibes since May 7th, 2009, so I just celebrated my 10th year anniversary. I would like to give a shout out to my Kroger people, Suder’s Art Store, The Little Mahatma, and everyone else. Since day one, you’ve all supported me. I have my good days, and my bad days. All the money I make goes towards household bills. Selling Streetvibes is a full-time job. I miss my mother and father and the rest of my family and friends that are in heaven or locked up. I wish they were here to see what’s going on in this world today. Selling Streetvibes gives me the opportunity to support my community while remembering all that my mother and father have given me. They gave street knowledge. My mother was strict, but she still loved and cared for me. My father taught me how to shoot dice, play chess, and play pool. Playing these games helped me see how life is so precious. We need to bring back the Pledge of Allegiance and the American flag to our school classrooms. Thanks to all our military people across the globe, for all the service they have put in to keeping this country safe. For every teardrop that comes out of my eye, I know that there is somebody, somewhere, who really needs help in this lifetime. James Brown ContributingWriter Streetvibes Distributor Streetvibes Writing Circle If you would like to submit a story for publication in streetvibes, come join Katelyn Lusher, Chris Wilkey, and Alex McIntosh for a group writing session! THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �13 STREETVOICE No. 39 Nov 2 - N o v 19, 2 0 18 June 273-|July 11, 2019 | No. 410 THE MSer My reality Depresses depression. Between stages And ages, What enrages me Is how my body Disagrees... THE HOUSE'S DILEMMA MOTHER GOOSE Speaker Nancy, oh Speaker Nancy, Please stand... Watch how you land... A side of me does not feel... Knife thrusts are fake but the pain is real. How do you deal with Trump's lies? "The thing that sticks in my craw Is his great contempt for the law, Walk this way... Talk this way... Slurred speech Would impeach Recovery However, the discovery Of Neuro impulses Misfiring causes Those not afflicted To believe that I am addicted To some of that "Feel Good." And the Constitution he defies!" BILL WOODS Contributing Writer I am still learning About my limitations Through pain sensations. I survived a 4 collusion Yet my body is indecisive in the decision Of how to live. Weakened immune system Strengthens my wisdom. My impairments do not detour my drive. I accomplished more with one eye than those who are alive But not living. Death is unforgiving So I do what i must To bring awareness as I discuss My joys and my disqust... One day at a time... In brief moments I find Familiarity... I wish I could hold on to the similarity Of who I was before July 25th, 2001 But I blinked. My day is almost over before I begun My daily rituals which are fear factor obstacles. A simple task that seem impossible... Today, I'm possible! will change hour by hour Depthstroke the Cypher Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �PUZZLES 14 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 107 Across 1. Goodwill 6. The night before 9. Lawsuit 13. Access a computer 14. Cacophony 15. Relating to a particular neighborhood 16. Approximately 17. Fuel 18. Main artery 19. Demean 21. Innumerable but many 23. Bind 24. Partially carbonized vegetable matter 25. Indefinite but relatively small number 28. Entice 30. Full-bodied 35. Translucent mineral 37. Line made of twisted fibers or threads 39. Mixed drink usually served in a bowl 40. Scintilla 41. Tripod 43. Prevaricator 44. Fragrance 46. 5,280 feet 47. Drill 48. Source of danger 50. Hit with something flat 52. Novel 53. Bird structure 55. Unit of play in squash 57. Small crown 61. Impresario 65. Higher up 66. Rodent 68. Fragment 69. Relating to the sun 70. In the past 71. South American cudchewing animal 72. Relate 73. Liveliness and energy 74. Church officer PUZZLE SOLUTIONS CROSSWORD #106 Down 1. Happy 2. Loose flowing garment 3. Highly excited 4. Judicature 5. Involve or imply 6. Boundary 7. By way of 8. Follow, as a result 9. Slow-flying bird resembling a duck 10. 4,840 square yards 11. Replete 12. Distinctive and stylish elegance 15. Portable computer 20. A tie in tennis 22. Spoil 24. Persevere 25. Force onto another 26. Era 27. Colorless binary compound 29. Wander 31. Electric lamp 32. Jointure 33. Frighten 34. Tossed 36. Well-defined track 38. Small wooded hollow 42. Tether 45. Person who makes leather from skins and hides 49. Golf peg 51. Folks 54. Elongated piece of leather 56. Cloth with parallel diagonal lines or ribs 57. Actors in a play 58. Woodwind instrument 59. Roster 60. Ellipse 61. Halt 62. Made of fermented honey and water 63. The highest point of something 64. Approach 67. Historic period N o v 227 - N o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 June - July 11,2 02019 410 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 1- EASY SODOKU PUZZLE NO 396- EASY PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 Nov 211, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 June 273 -| July | No. 410 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 227 - N v 19, 2 02019 18 | N o . 393 June - oJuly 11, | No. 410 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 June 27-July 11, 2019 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: Detained and Confined Pg 3: Zimbabwe’s Economic Crisis Driving Boys Experiencing Homelessness into Illegal Gay Sex Trade Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: High Hopes Pg 6: Brazil’s Mangroves on the Front Line of Climate Change Pg 7: An Escalating War on Reproductive Rights Pg 8: They Fled Venezuela’s Crisis by Boat Pg 9: They Fled Venezuela’s Crisis by Boat Continued Pg 10: A New Local Initiative to Establish a Citizens’ Organizing Round Table Hatch Me if You Can! Pg 11: Participatory Budget 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 June 27-July 11, 2019 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gabriela Godinez Bill Woods Lungelo Ndhlovu Sarah Shearman Nacho Doce Jake Spring Tharanga Yakupitiyage Angus Berwick Dr. Mark Mussman Depthstroke the Cypher Willa D. Jones James Brown Felix Winternitz Canva.com INSP.com Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Angus Berwick Bill Woods Brazil Cannabusiness Canva.com Climate Change Depthstroke the Cypher Dr. Mark Mussman Felix Winternitz Gabriela Godinez Gay Sex Trade INSP.com Jake Spring James Brown Lungelo Ndhlovu Nacho Doce Reproductive Rights Sarah Shearman Tharanga Yakupitiyage Venezuela Willa D. Jones Zimbabwe https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/ca0c77979a08fdbfbf87f660b545edb6.pdf d97a88adc3e3084ab83ab388da14ea42 PDF Text Text J u l y 2 5 t h - A u g u s t 1 s t 2 0 1 9 | Vo l . 2 3 I s s u e 1 5 ( N o . 4 1 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. The Big Squeeze 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 ov 2 o v 19, 0 18 || No. N o . 412 393 July 25- -NAug 1, 22019 From The Editor: HUD Changes, Who Benefits? Gabriela Godinez Editor-in-chief In May there was a proposed rule change within the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The proposed rule change would require households of mixed citizenship status to verify said status in order to continue receiving assistance. This means that if a household contains a family member that is not of legal status, this household will be in jeopardy. According to a letter written by Megan Hustings, the managing director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, this proposed change would put many undocumented immigrants as well as legal citizens in harms way. She writes, “the proposed rule would force families legally accessing housing assistance to lose their homes, needing help from an already overwhelmed homeless assistance sector.” Hustings wrote this letter to condemn the proposed changes and argues it will only hurt, not help anyone. In a household with an undocumented head of household but with U.S. citizen children, this household will most likely stop attempting to receive assistance. This will then increase the likelihood of the household to experience homelessness. Hustings writes, “Since 70% of mixed status families currently receiving HUD assistance are composed of eligible children and at least one ineligible parent, it is likely that these families will forgo the subsidies to avoid separation.” This is only going to increase the population of people who experience homelessness living within our borders. The argument for a long time has been that people without legal documentation are a burden on our society. People who subscribe to this belief might use this proposed rule change to show how undocumented citizens receive benefits from the United States without actually contributing to it. This is rhetoric echoed by President Trump. It is also a lie. In an article for Vox, journalist Alexia Fernandez Campbell writes, “Millions of undocumented immigrants file tax returns each year, and they are paying taxes for many benefits they can’t even use.” Furthermore, according to data gathered by the IRS, individuals without a social security number paid $23.6 billion in income tax in 2015. This is not an argument about whether or not we allow people of unknown status keep receiving “benefits,” this is an argument for how we want to treat the people living within our borders. What type of America do we want to live in? What type of home are we trying to create? This proposed rule change says that we want to live in a country that leaves people behind, ignores the root of the issues, and wants all of our neighbors to look, talk, and act exactly the same as we do. Even though this is an obvious attack on undocumented folks, those are not the only people who would be harmed by this new rule. The rule requires multiple steps to prove documentation. Hustings writes 25% of the African American population doesn’t own a photo I.D. as well as 18% of citizens over the age of 65, and 12% of citizens making less than $25,000 a year don’t own proof of citizenship. When we attack one vulnerable population, we attack all of our vulnerable populations. So again I ask, what type of America do we want to live in? I want to live in one that helps uplift vulnerable and marginalized populations. I want an America that doesn’t allow assistance programs to decide who is worthy of receiving assistance. This proposal is saying that in this America, you prove that you are worthy of help, and if you can’t prove it then you aren’t worth our work. That is not the America I want to live in. Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org www.cincistreetvibe.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor-in-chief: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Volunteer Editors: Katelyn Lusher, Chris Wilkey Distributor Program Manager: Sallie Mascus Layout: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Reception: Bonita Batton, Larry Johnson Maintenance: Pete Roper “Through four decades of public education, community organizing and policy advocacy, we have come to understand that widespread poverty and homelessness is not caused by personal failing, as most stereotypes lead us to believe. Rather, we see clearly that extreme poverty and homelessness have been caused directly by Federal, state and local policies that fail to invest in health and wellbeing of the entire community.” ------------------------------------------- -MEGAN HUSTINGS, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS ------------------------------------------- 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 CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Gabriela Godinez, Bill Woods, Kate Ryan, Daniel Trotta, David Barnett, Thomas Peter, Dr. Mark Mussman, Farah Master, Lisa Mauch, Angela Hursh, Willa D. Jones, Ashley Archibald, Depthstroke the Cypher, Kim Green Photography/ Artwork: , 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 Homeless Coalition do not endorse candidates for public office. �No. 39 Nov 21, - N o v 19, 2 0 18 July 253 -| Aug 2019 | No. 412 3 HOMELESSNESS Endless Kiddie Tunes To Spikes In Doorways – Eight Insidious Ways Cities Shun People Experiencing Homelessness Kate Ryan Reuters W hile homeless people are among the most vulnerable to the kind of ferocious heat that scorched Europe in June and is blasting U.S. cities this month, officials have adopted some novel approaches to pushing them out. Although some cities have made strides for homeless populations, others concerned with public health, tourism and image have taken steps to drive away or criminalize people living on the street, who make up about 25 per cent of the world’s urban population, according to the United Nations. Here are eight ways cities and urban businesses shun the homeless. 1. The West Palm Beach, Florida parks department has put a new spin on playing music, hoping to deter loitering by playing children’s songs all night long to keep people from sleeping by a park pavilion until trespassing laws can be enforced. 2. Cities across Europe, from London to Hamburg, are seeing more so-called ‘hostile architecture’, such as arm rests dividing benches and metal spikes placed in doorways to discourage sleeping. 3. Cape Town, South Africa has seen an increase in complaints about fines issued to homeless people this summer owing to enforcement of a 2007 by-law that prohibits bathing or urinating in public, erecting a shelter or starting a fire in an unauthorized area or blocking pedestrian traffic. 4. In 2018, a car park in a wealthy Paris neighbourhood raised eyebrows when cold water was sprayed on anyone without a resident’s permit to prevent the homeless from seeking shelter. A bookstore in New York City, a luxury auction house in California and a salon in Britain also drew public outcry for using sprinklers to deter sidewalk sleepers. 5. Parliament approved a law in 2018 banning sleeping in public streets in Hungary, increasing the penalty from a fine to an arrest and confiscation of property for those who refuse a shelter or work programs. 6. Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur has banned soup kitchens within two miles of the city centre, where more than 1,000 people are homeless and others who live in poverty rely on kitchens for daily meals. 7. An “urban camping” ban in Denver, Colorado in the United States bars homeless people from using tents, sleeping bags, bed-rolls and blankets to protect themselves from the elements. 8. In 2018, towns in Sweden banned begging, following the leads of Greece and Romania. Sources: Reuters, European Parliament, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, National Health Care for the Homeless Council, European Federation of National Associations Working with the Homeless Courtesy of Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation / INSP.ngo Tents and tarps erected by homeless people are shown along sidewalks and streets in the skid row area of downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 28, 2019. REUTERS/Patrick T. Fallon News that the popular but irritating ‘Baby Shark’, and other twee kids’ songs, are being used to move on homeless people taking shelter in certain areas of Florida beachfront is not surprising – cities have been using insidious tactics to shun their homeless populations for decades. To highlight this, Reuters picked out some of the most egregious examples. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �4 ADVERTISMENT Tours focus on the historical and contemporary struggles and successes of the Overthe-Rhine Peoples' Movement. Learn what gentrification looks like and how displacement affects community members. NJuly o v 2 25 - N-oAug v 19,1, 2 2019 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 412 Social Justice Walking Tours Cost: $80/Group (max 20 in each group). Sign up today: https://cincihomeless.org/ please-register-youreducation-event-here/ THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �NJuly o. 39 3 |-NAug ov 2 1, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 25 | No. 412 5 U.S NEWS Nine-year-old helps teach educators about queer youth Daniel Trotta Reuters W hen a third-grade teacher from Texas asked her mostly 8-year-old students what they wanted to be when they grow up, one of them wrote on the white board: "drag queen." That response came from Keegan, now 9, a "gender creative" kid, in his mother's words, illustrating just one of the challenges facing educators as they accommodate the range of gender identities that students might express. In order to protect them from potential harassment, the family and school, at their request, have not been fully identified. Educators who for centuries have divided students into boys and girls are now figuring out better ways to address students who are non-binary, gender fluid and gender nonconforming, in addition to transgender kids, whose gender identity differs from the one they were assigned at birth. By one survey nearly three per cent of youth in Minnesota fall under these categories, identifying with neither gender, or both, or trans, or just defying a traditional male/female binary option. Some school districts in the United States are using more genderneutral language, addressing students by their preferred pronouns, which can be "they," "them," "theirs" for an individual, or the invented "zie," "zir," "zirs," which are used as a substitute. Some schools also allow students to easily change their preferred name or gender identity. The degree of acceptance for such students can literally be a matter of life and death, experts say. A national survey of 34,000 LGBTQ youth aged 13 to 24 released last week found 39 per cent seriously considered suicide in the past 12 months, as did more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth, according to the Trevor Project, a pro-LGBTQ group focused on suicide prevention. Another study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health in 2018 and based on a cohort study of 129 trans and gender nonconforming youth aged 15 to 21, found that suicide attempts plummet 65 per cent and depression symptoms fall 71 per cent if they are allowed to use their chosen name at school, home, and work, and with friends. The issue comes up long before adolescence as gender identity typically manifests itself in children by kindergarten. "What's at stake is nothing less than the future lives of these children and own health as a society," said Eliza Byard, executive director of GLSEN, a national advocacy group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) students. Texas, his mother said. "We expected a lot of pushback from the school and we expected some intolerance, but we've been very with a photographer on this project, he said he was gay. Minneapolis Public Schools in Minnesota offer some of the most Keegan, 8, who identifies as gender creative, drag name Kween-Kee-Kee, poses for a photograph after completing his first drag performance during the Austin International Drag Festival 2018 near Austin, Texas, U.S., November, 18, 2018. REUTERS/Amanda Voisard "We still live in a world where the most marginalized are not receiving the support and affirmation that they need in order to achieve academically and thrive personally. And we all will benefit when that is true," Byard said. Transgender rights have risen to the fore in recent years and LGBTQ people have just marked the 50th anniversary since the Stonewall uprising of 28 June, 1969. The protests by patrons of a New York City gay bar, who fought back against police harassment, is considered the birth of the modern LGBTQ rights movement. Keegan is one student who has benefited from the Stonewall legacy. He plays soccer and video games and also likes to dress as a girl, using the name Kween-Kee-Kee when in drag, his parents say. Among his mentors are a pair of real-life adult drag queens. He usually goes by the pronouns "he," "him" and "his." Keegan has found acceptance and support at his school in a conservative, Christian suburb outside of Austin, surprised," said Keegan's mother. Keegan's teacher paid close attention during the lesson on financial literacy, when other students aspired to be doctors and dentists and Keegan wrote "drag queen." "One of the students asked, 'What's that?' and Keegan kind of said 'I don't know' and moved past it," said his teacher. "But I do see little, like, hints of him trying to make people aware that this is something that he is, something that he does." Neither Keegan's teacher nor his principal said they received any formal training on educating gender nonconforming students and have worked with intuition and observation. The teacher wants to let Keegan bring up the subject "at his own pace." His parents, too, have wanted to "let Keegan be himself " and not impose any norms on him. They said they were surprised on Friday when, five years after he first started wearing dresses and a full year after they began cooperating THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED extensive guidelines for teachers, students and parents as part of its Out4Good program supporting LGBTQ children, outlining polices developed over 20 years on names and pronouns, gendered activities and facilities, and safety and bullying, said Jason Bucklin, the Out4Good coordinator. Some 2.7 per cent of Minnesota high school students identify as transgender or gender nonconforming, according to a 2017 University of Minnesota study. A gender-inclusive curriculum can prevent the kind of bullying that typically begins in grade school and can evolve into homophobia by middle school and sexual harassment or dating violence by high school, Bucklin said. "It isn't just about the transgender students," Bucklin said. "It is about bringing everybody into the classroom and having the ability to feel successful." Courtesy of Reuters / INSP.ngo �GLOBAL 6 NJuly o v 2 25 - N-oAug v 19,1, 20 18 | |NNo. o . 393 2019 412 The man from Bradford who was essential to Australia’s role in the Moon landings David Barnett Big Issue North When he was growing up in Bradford in the 1940s, Mike Dinn’s father was a wool salesman, travelling around the area with his samples from the local mills. Perhaps that’s what fired the young boy’s interest in engineering and electrics. “We had the benefit of a car,” says Mike, now 86, from his home near Canberra, Australia. “Because of my father’s job, and that was unusual in those days. So I used to take an interest in that and how it worked.” Or perhaps it was the Meccano set, the venerable construction toy beloved of generations of children, that the young Mike found under the tree one Christmas morning at the family home in the city’s Little Horton area. Or maybe the electric train set he received on another occasion. “To be honest, I’m not sure what it was that started it all off,” says Mike. “Certainly, my parents had no background in that sort of thing. But somehow I got an enthusiasm for the topic, and I was away.” Whatever fired Mike’s interest in electrical engineering, it was to set him off on a rather amazing journey which would see him on the front-line of history. Everyone has seen the footage of Neil Armstrong taking his first step on to the surface of the moon in the early hours of 21 July, 1969. Millions watched it all around the world as it happened. And that was all thanks to Mike Dinn, the lad from Bradford who ended up playing a pivotal role in NASA’s epoch-making Apollo 11 moon landing half a century ago. When Armstrong made his giant leap for mankind, Mike was working as the deputy director of the Honeysuckle Creek tracking station near Canberra, a facility boasting an 85-foot dish turned to the heavens. Mike had been there since 1967 and the site was part of NASA’s manned spaceflight network. Together with similar tracking stations in Madrid and California, Honeysuckle Creek was part of a network that offered continuous, over-lapping contact with the Apollo 11 mission. No matter how the Earth turned or where the moon was in its orbit or at what point on its flight Apollo 11 was, at least one of the three stations would have a direct link with the mission. And when Armstrong put his boot into the lunar dust of the Sea of Tranquility at 2.56am GMT on 21 July, it happened on Mike’s watch. Mike rather disarmingly calls it “very pleasing… the highlight of my Mike Dinn career.” But while the world was holding its breath as the pictures from the moon were relayed across the world from Mike’s control suite, he and his team of 25 couldn’t just sit back and enjoy the spectacle. Now 86, he recalls, “One had to keep one’s eye on the ball and focus on the job at hand. We had a big team all operating specialist equipment, and though we all knew we were playing a vital part in the mission everyone had to concentrate on their own part so we didn’t really have the luxury of stepping back and watching the show.” Throughout the mission, Mike’s team were responsible for sending communications up to Apollo 11 and receiving data back down, and relaying it all to mission control in Houston. They would patch through voice comms and send instructions to the spacecraft’s systems, and receive telemetry on how the craft was bearing up to the rigours of space, and biomedical data on the astronauts themselves. It’s often said that today’s mobile phones have more computing power than was used to send Apollo 11 to the moon, but Mike Dinn had no actual computers to help with the job at Honeysuckle Creek. “We had a bank of lights and meters showing us what was happening,” he says. “Everything was analog – switches and dials, not computers, and we had to have several back-up systems… plans B to D at least, in case Plan A went wrong.” Mike’s journey from small boy studying his father’s car to key role in the moon landing really began at Bradford Technical College, where he studied for an electrical engineering degree from 1951 to 1955. After graduating, he took a job with EMI Electronics in Hayes, where he did an apprenticeship working on airborne radar. In 1959 he returned to Bradford. He had married a local girl, Trudy Walsh, and took up a position at English Electric’s Aircraft Equipment Division in Thornbury. He’d barely been there a year when he was offered a temporary contract working with the Australian Air Force on aircraft testing. It was a big move for Mike, his wife Trudy, and their two small children, but they decided to do it for the three-year duration of the contract. From there he was offered the job at the Tidbinbilla tracking station, and though he admits he was “dropped in the deep end” with this new discipline, by the following year he had made deputy director at the Honeysuckle Creek station… right as the race for the moon stepped up in earnest. “It was a hugely exciting time for space travel, but I was in my mid thirties and I took things as they came,” says Mike. “The Apollo missions were just getting going and the first one I was involved with was Apollo 7, which was the first test of a command module in orbit, then Apollo 8 was a quite dramatic mission as it was the first test THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED of a module actually circling the moon. That was the mission we at Honeysuckle Creek really came into our own, and then, of course, the next logical step was to quickly move towards getting a manned mission to land on the moon.” Mike’s association with the Apollo programme didn’t end with the career highlight of the moon landing, though. He was also in the hot seat for the illfated Apollo 13 mission, which had to be aborted when an oxygen tank exploded on the spacecraft. He was preparing for his shift as Honeysuckle Creek came online to take over the comms with the mission when he heard the fateful words issue over the speakers: “Houston, we have a problem.” He says, “We provided the comms for the next eight-to-ten hours, and that was a hugely challenging day.” Mike retired in 1994, and was awarded Public Service Medals by NASA in recognition of his contributions. He lives with Trudy and their ever-growing wider family near Canberra. Mike Dinn might have come a long way since playing with his first Meccano set as a boy in Bradford, and been at the forefront of the most historic moments in space exploration history, but he knows that giant leaps for mankind do not happen at the hands of individuals. He says, “I was the leader and the orchestrator of what we did, but everything was a team effort.” Courtesy of Big Issue North / INSP.ngo �NJuly o. 3925 3 |-NAug ov 2 -1, N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 | No. 412 GLOBAL 7 Frustration Of Surviving Pricey Hong Kong Stirs Protest Anger Thomas Peter and Farah Master Y Reuters oung people in Hong Kong have been at the forefront of violent protests over a proposed extradition law that have shaken the city and angered Beijing. At the root of the protests is concern over what many people see as school teacher, sitting on rainbowcoloured sheets in her 7.4 square metre (80 square feet) bedroom explained how Hong Kong people felt stifled by Beijing: "They control people more and give us less freedom." But Wai said other problems made life increasingly difficult, in particular what she said was an unfair housing policy that only seemed to make the rich richer. China denies interfering in Hong Kong and warned this week that the violent protests over the proposed legislation allowing extraditions to mainland China were an "undisguised challenge" to the formula under which it is ruled. Fung Cheng, a 25-year-old graphic designer living with his parents and brother, vented his frustration at a system that he believes has robbed next year. But the protesters want it scrapped and have called for Lam to step down. Michael Ho, a bespectacled 24-year-old graduate who also lives with his parents, said the protests were also about unjust circumstances that prevent young people living their dreams. "It's just hopeless for young people to grow, to develop their career because A combination picture shows native Hong Kong resident Fung Cheng, 25, a graphic designer, who lives in a flat with his parents and brother, posing for a picture in his five square metre bedroom of his family's apartment in Hong Kong, China, June 27, 2019 and residential apartment blocks in Hong Kong, China, June 29, 2019. Cheng vented his frustration at a system that he believes has robbed him of the chance to ever have his own home. He said Hong Kong's Beijing-backed governor Carrie Lam, who was chosen as leader in 2017 in a vote by an electoral college approved by Beijing, just didn't listen to the people. "It's the system's problem ... they don't need a vote to be the government, there is no democracy," he said. REUTERS/Thomas Peter A combination picture shows native Hong Kong resident Eunice Wai, 30, a primary school teacher, who lives with her parents and a brother, posing for a picture in her 7.4 sq metre bedroom of her family's apartment in Hong Kong, China, June 25, 2019 and laundry hanging out to dry in a residential apartment complex in Hong Kong, China, June 27, 2019. Wai explained how Hong Kong people felt stifled by Beijing: "They control people more and give us less freedom." But she said other problems made life increasingly difficult, in particular what she said was an unfair housing policy that only seemed to make the rich richer. "Housing is one of the most important ones. We have so little room in Hong Kong and people find it hard to buy a flat. The property companies control the market." REUTERS/Thomas Peter the inexorable erosion of civil liberties and the city's autonomy by an evermeddling Beijing, that refuses to grant full democracy in the former British colony. But many young people in one of the world's most densely populated and expensive cities are also infuriated by sky-high living costs, and a feeling that a home of one's own is just a dream. Reuters spoke to 11 young people in their tiny bedrooms in their parents' homes about their political concerns and frustrations about life in the Chinese-ruled city. Eunice Wai, a 30-year-old primary "Housing is one of the most important ones. We have so little room in Hong Kong and people find it hard to buy a flat. The property companies control the market." The former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula that allows freedoms not enjoyed in the mainland, including freedom to protest and an independent judiciary. But many in Hong Kong resent what they see as Beijing's creeping control and its refusal to let its residents directly elect their leader. him of the chance to ever have his own home. Cheng, perched on his bunk above a white desk in his five square metre (54 square foot) bedroom, said Hong Kong's Beijing-backed governor Carrie Lam, who was chosen as leader in 2017 in a vote by an electoral college approved by Beijing, just didn't listen to the people. “It's the system's problem ... they don't need a vote to be the government, there is no democracy," he said. Lam has suspended the hated extradition bill and said it would lapse THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED of the pricing problem," Ho said. On average, people seeking public housing in the city of 7.4 million people have to wait 5.5 years. The average living space is 40 square metres (430 square feet). Roy Lam, who lives with his mother and four sisters, said young people were determined to stand up for what they deserved but it was hard to stay positive. "We do also sometimes think 'let's just give up, let's just move to someplace else'." Courtesy of Reuters / INSP.ngo �FEATURED 8 NJuly o v 225 - N v 19, 0 18 || N o . 393 - oAug 1,22019 No. 412 The Big Squeeze Dr. Mark Mussman Staff Writer I s all development good? This question comes up time and again during discussions, community meetings, and city-wide proceedings. There are some individuals who believe that $1 of investment is worth it, no matter what. With this attitude, there is no consideration for the current residents, the residents who are being displaced, workers, the built environment, or the natural environment. From my perspective, it is a dangerous viewpoint, as we are in a changing world that requires extra care and thought when doing development. So then, how can development be quantified and measured to ensure that it doesn’t have an adverse effect on the community? Fortunately, Peaslee Neighborhood Center has been studying this issue for a long time, and they recently put together the Equitable Development Rubric. (If you’re not familiar with a rubric, you can think of it as a checklist with subcategories.) After doing their research, Peaslee is making recommendations on development in several areas, including: Housing Affordability, Jobs and Labor, Community Input, and Community Footprint. Just for good measure, they have an Extra Credit section that includes Diversity and Inclusion, Public Space and Infrastructure, Natural Environment, Community Organizations and Programs, and Local Enterprise. According to the Rubric, the hope is that developers and the community will “prioritize goals of equity around class and race; increase knowledge and transparency of important public processes; facilitate is being squeezed in on all sides. These geographic considerations, coupled with lifestyle trends and decades of public neglect, have made Over-the- creative, empowering work across neighborhoods; and create a framework that equips citizens to organize for meaningful change in our local policies and practices.” We are currently feeling a real “squeeze” (as I describe it) in Over-theRhine. This is not a comfortable hug- Rhine a desirable, yet nearly unlivable, place to call home. The loss of affordable housing in the neighborhood has been significant. Across the country, over the past ten years, the United States has lost most, more than 60%, of all affordable housing. The percentage lost in exclusively market-rate, then you will receive no points. This is most likely due to the fact that we are more than 40,000 units short county-wide of affordable housing for our neighbors with the lowest incomes, yet we have more than enough housing above the area median income. To receive all four points, your project must include 65% of the units affordable at 60% AMI or less, or at least 30% of the units are affordable at 30% AMI or less. AMI means area median income. AMI can be calculated using the Neighborhood (lowest), City (middle), or County (highest) AMI, which are different from each other. The Rubric makes note of this, and shows affordable housing rents at 30% and 60% of the County AMI. When it comes to the labor put into the development, to score highly, you must abide by Cincinnati’s Wage Theft Ordinance and all labor laws, as well as meet Ohio Prevailing Wage Contractor Responsibilities, and pay all adult employees a local living wage and meet the criteria for federal Section 3 Business Concerns, which ensure that individuals who are local, and have low incomes, are included. According to the Rubric, the highest scores can only be attained by “projects that will generate a significant number of new, post-construction jobs.” While these items may seem onerous, the fact is they represent a model that does not exploit workers, particularly lowincome workers, who deserve to have a living wage and protections from Wage Theft. type-squeeze, but more of a painful and unending squeeze. With downtown to the south, hemmed in by highways to the East and West, and the hillside with the University of Cincinnati and the hospitals to the north, Over-the-Rhine Over-the-Rhine continues to grow as developers claim that they must move to market-rate housing to survive. The Rubric’s point system gives a clear way to score projects, including on housing affordability. If your project is Whenever a development is proposed, it should include community input beyond an announcement of the project at a single community council meeting. To even get a single score, a developer must go beyond a community THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �N o. 39 3 |- N ov 2 1, - N o v 19, 2 0 18 July 25 Aug 2019 | No. 412 9 FEATURED council meeting and hold an accessible public input session, take the input and rework their plans to include feedback from the public. This new plan must be re-presented at a community council. and strengthen the use and quality of the community benefit. While this tends to lean towards the preservation of actual physical spaces, to receive the full points a development must also To receive the full points, the project must do everything already discussed and local, low-income residents must hold at least 20% of positions within the project’s governing board. Included in the intermediary points is “support from a majority of non-profit organizations in the neighborhood that primarily serve a low-income population.” These community input protocols are designed to ensure that the community has a voice in the development. The final standalone category covers the community footprint, which includes recreation, green, and social gathering spaces, as well as, small, neighborhood-serving business, social services, housing, trees and vegetation. The goal of this section is to preserve financially contribute “to further the positive impact of the asset(s).” The recent development on Race/15th/ Pleasant is perhaps a good example of a development that did not follow this directive, as the “Field of Greens” playspace was destroyed for a gravel parking lot for construction materials. In order for a project to be eligible for Extra Credit, they must have scored at least 50% on the previous sections. The Extra Credit will be added to the total score, opening a possible additional 20 points. In terms of Diversity and Inclusion, the City’s Equal Employment Opportunity Program criteria must be met to receive a single point, and to receive the full points the 7 principles of universal design must be meaningfully incorporated, and the project must provide space available for use by the general public. For Public Space and Infrastructure there must be contributions to public funds, redevelopment of public space, be welcoming to people of all income levels, and be located in a primarily low-income area. The Natural Environment category is based upon LEED certification. To receive full points in Community Organizations and Programs, the project must be “owned and occupied by a non-profit or community based organization with the primary purpose of meeting an established community need... and low-income residents will be directly served.” The last category, Local Enterprise, awards a highest score to THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED projects that “provide commercial space to a worker-owned cooperative.” Peaslee aims at getting developers, community councils, and eventually the City, to use the Rubric when considering development in every neighborhood. The first steps have been to educate the public about the Rubric and demonstrate the need for each community. If these criterion were adopted city-wide, and used to determine where public subsidies were granted, even in cases of tax abatement, the City would be actively working towards a more equitable future. As we experience the squeeze in Over-theRhine, it would be more than beneficial to fully adopt and regulate development to ensure that our neighbors have a future here, in their home. �10 LOCAL NJuly o v 225 - N v 19, 0 18 || N o . 393 - oAug 1,22019 No. 412 Honor Book Collection From Library Available at OhioMeansJobs Center Lisa Mauch Angela Hursh T Contributing Writer he Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County is committed to supporting residents looking for work or aspiring to a better, more financially and emotionally fulfilling career. To this end, the Library is in a longstanding partnership with OhioMeansJobs (OMJ). Starting July 17, the Library expanded this partnership to a new place: the OhioMeansJobs Center at 1916 Central Parkway. For the past year, a dedicated member of the OMJ team, Cindy Frietch, stocked the lobby at the Center with books for clients of all ages to enjoy. Thanks to the support of The Friends of the Public Library, an honor book collection of donated materials is now located at the OMJ Center. Clients can now take books home and enjoy them. “Every day we serve parents who are trying to make their lives and the lives of their children better by finding a new job—but often they need to bring their children with them,” said Frietch. “Reading is such an important part of lifelong success. I wanted the families that are here waiting for service to be able to enjoy a book, as well as to take a book home with them.” When Paula Brehm-Heeger, the Library’s Eva Jane Romaine Coombe Director and board member of the Southwest Ohio Region Workforce Investment Board (SWORWIB), heard of Frietch’s efforts during the SWORWIB SuperAwards ceremony, she knew a new way the Library could help. “Books and making connections that better serve our community are part and parcel of what makes the Library special,” said Brehm-Heeger. “Creating an honor book collection at OhioMeansJobs is another way we can help connect people with the world of ideas and information.” ABOUT SWORWIB & OHIOMEANSJOBS (OMJ) CENTER: SWORWIB procures the service provider for OMJ/Cincinnati– Hamilton County that works every day to connect job seekers and employers. By bringing together business, government and the community into a collaborative unit, the OMJ Center is able to create a more skilled and better- trained workforce. The collaboration results in more successful employers, increased tax revenues generated by new or better jobs for previously unemployed or underemployed individuals, and improved social services through reduced reliance on public assistance. THE Remembering Marian Spencer - A Model For Reformers To Keep On Getting On Bill Woods Contributing Writer When originally planned, the aim of this article was to review the current status of political reform locally, in Ohio, and in the U.S. in general. Then one of Cincinnati's leading, longtime reformers died. Marian Spencer, known for her major Civil Rights achievements in the Queen City, passed away on July 9th. Although we need to celebrate Marian Spencer's Civil Rights' victories such as the integration of Coney Island, we also must remember how she vigorously championed political reform throughout her life. Proportional Representation (PR) stood out as her particular reform cause, but she also supported a wide range of other political reforms. For instance, she became involved in the successful campaign in 2001 to pass a City Charter Amendment that addressed "big money" in Council and mayoral elections. Spencer, the first AfricanAmerican woman to serve on City Council, saw a direct link between Civil Rights and political reform. She saw that protecting the vote for everyone is a key to protecting other rights. Her dedication to Proportional Representation stemmed from the fact that this system of voting usually insures that a significant minority can elect a representative to office. Cincinnati used PR to elect Council members from 1925 to 1957, and several African-Americans won seats under this system. In fact, the local referendum to eliminate PR in 1957 succeeded because of a racist campaign that warned that Councilman Theodore M. Berry was gaining too much influence and might become mayor. As a young Civil Rights leader during that period, Spencer would have felt the sting of that campaign and its results. She threw herself into the unsuccessful campaigns to bring back PR, and as a Charter Committee board member she taught this reform Party that Proportional Representation was every bit as important as the City Manager System that was also adopted in 1925. When several younger Charter leaders wanted to oppose the 2008 Charter Amendment proposal to readopt PR, Spencer, then in her eighties, helped rally enough board members to insure Charter's endorsement. Ever the optimist, she was buoyed by the close results of that fall's campaign. A month before Marian Spencer's death, reformers in Ohio and across the country were disheartened by the Supreme Court's decision that it was not the role of the federal courts to intervene in how states draw districts for elective office. This five to four decision marked a major setback for the movement to end the worst forms of gerrymandering in the U.S. Here in Ohio, the decision of the U.S. Federal Court of Southern Ohio that new districts must be drawn before the 2020 election is now void. Remembering Marian Spencer's lifelong commitment to keep working for Civil Rights and reform even when confronting huge obstacles should provide current reform activists with a model for going forward. Even if Ohio won't have un-gerrymandered districts in 2020, the Constitutional THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Amendments passed by the voters in 2015 and 2018 will insure fairer redistricting processes in this state after the completion of the 2020 Census. Although frustrated about the Supreme Court decision, Catherine Turcer, Executive Director of Common Cause Ohio takes the position of needing to move ahead on educating citizens about this state's new Redistricting Amendments as well as advocating other needed critical political reforms. Thus, if we wish to honor Marian Spencer's life, we need to move ahead in pursuing her goal of eliminating all the obstacles that often block or make it difficult for many citizens to vote. Further, we must take on the dominance of "big money" in elections that is warping democracy and making average people feel that their voices aren't heard. Spencer's words say it all: "I didn't accept a 'no' when it was wrong. It has been my responsibility to change things." �N o. 39 3 |- N ov 2 1, - N o v 19, 2 0 18 July 25 Aug 2019 | No. 412 11 U.S. NEWS Queencare Empowers Black Women While Fighting Gentrification Ashley Archibald Real Change M onika Mathews opened the squat, cylindrical container, scooped out a bit of lavender-scented cream and rubbed it into my hand. She instructed me to cup my hands near my face and breathe in… 1,2,3,4,5 … and breathe out. The cream — not lotion, she emphasized — is meant to nourish the skin. The scent is meant to nourish the soul. Mathews is the founder of QueenCare, an organic skincare line that’s run out of a boutique in Columbia City. The storefront is small, with products lined up on shelves, and the office area where she met this reporter is up a treacherous spiral staircase. “We create a new product every month,” Mathews said. QueenCare is the profit-making arm of the growing empire that Mathews founded almost two decades ago — an empire that stakes a claim for Black people in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood and empowers young Black women and men to do the same. Mathews has already created a nonprofit that seeks to create Mathews said. Sixteen years ago, Mathews incorporated the Life Enrichment Group (LEG), a nonprofit that went into local schools and worked with students to provide academic support. “I saw a need and started volunteering to fill that need,” Mathews said. Stereotypes against children of color are numerous. Mathews wanted to disrupt that cycle and bring culturally relevant help to the students in her neighborhood. It was meant to provide academic support, but the project grew into more. Mathews founded the Young Queens group, which operates out of South Shore PK-8, Garfield High School and Cleveland High School. There, young Black women and other young women of color work to build community and skills in a world that devalues them. She also secured funding to run a program that brings high school students to colleges for visits and tours, an attempt to get young people who might not think that college is for them to envision themselves as students in higher education. From that point, it was a natural evolution to offer the internships, Mathews said. Monika Mathews, the owner of Queencare, right, shows Jamillah Goodrich one of the products sold in her new store in the Columbia City neighborhood of Seattle. community and promote healing for Black girls and women. Now she’s expanding, offering six internships to Black women in sales, administration and retail management. It’s all part of a long-term strategy to build capacity within the community not just through professional skills, but through selfcare, Mathews said. “It’s a self-love revolution,” On Niya Thomas’ first day as a retail management intern, Real Change was there to interview her. She was on break from Virginia State University, a historically Black university, where she was studying business management. Thomas was no stranger to customer service. She’d been working at her father’s Philly cheesesteak shop since she was Kiana Green, 17, shows a customer one of the skin care products at QueenCareís new storefront in Columbia City. Green is a participant in the Life Enrichment Groupís Young Queens Youth in Business program. young. But this was her first chance to get a look behind the curtain. The experience is about more than learning how business works, she said. “It’s self-care, self-love, sisterhood,” Thomas said. At QueenCare, she has a chance to Durkan announced that 8 December, 2018, was QueenCare’s day, in honor of acquiring their own retail space. Success hasn’t slowed Mathews down in the least. She wants to expand from working in schools to founding one and establishing a transitional Terri Hendrix 15, is a participant in the Life Enrichment Groupís Young Queens Youth in Business program. learn about the pricing and marketing that goes on behind the scenes of most shops. Mathews’ product and project has attracted support from local government and funders who see the value of investing in local organizations. United Way of King County awarded LEG a grant through its Youth in Business program, and Mayor Jenny THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED housing facility for young people. She has plans to grow QueenCare and found outlets in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and even Nairobi, Kenya. “This is my legacy,” Mathews said. Courtesy of Real Change / INSP. ngo �12 THE LETTER WRITING CHALLENGE STREETVOICE I am sending out a “Writing Letter Challenge”. The letter can be written by hand or typed. Let us step away from the computer or any other electronic devices and convey messages through written expression. So get the pen or something to write on. You do not have to be a poet or someone with vocal talent. Your thoughts can sing on pages. Your words could be the poetry that someone needs to read. The challenge is to get your feelings out without using emojis or clicking buttons. WRITE TO SOMEONE YOU CARE ABOUT WRITE TO SOMEONE YOU MISSED WRITE TO SOMEONE YOU HURT The Chessmaster Chessmaster who has many puts them years of dedication in Checkmate and determination with vigorous training to strive for excellence Concentration and focus Has paid off Chess WRITE TO SOMEONE WHO INSPIRES YOU is a game WRITE ABOUT WHAT IS ON YOUR MIND The purpose of this challenge is to explore complete thoughts, getting feeling out both positive and negative and to keep the Postman employed besides someone receiving a bill. Then, get the physical address as well as a stamp and mail the letter to the person you were writing to. You can challenge the person to whom you are writing by suggesting that they writing you back and suggest that they write someone else as well. The challenge also helps to enhance patience. WHO WILL ANSWER THE CALL OF THIS CHALLENGE? Now that will be fun!!! PLEASE HELP PASS THE WORD... Be the hero in your story… Be the change that you want to see… Be grateful… Be humble… Be the greatness that you are destined to be… D. C. wuz hear…. Depthstroke the Cypher Contributing Writer When the The Chessmaster WRITE TO SOMEONE WHO HAS HURT YOU WRITE ABOUT WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING N o v 25 2 - -NAug o v 19, 2 0 18 || No. N o . 412 393 July 1, 2019 where your mind is the tool It's over Game Locked What can they do When the Chessmaster brings out his tools Game Over It's BAM The Chessmaster Rules Each piece has a special move Tick Tock Tick Tock Sometimes its played with a Speed Clock Kim Green ContributingWriter Streetvibes Distributor Streetvibes Writing Circle If you would like to submit a story for publication in streetvibes, come join Katelyn Lusher, Chris Wilkey, and Alex McIntosh for a group writing session! THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �13 STREETVOICE No. 39 Nov 21,- 2019 N o v 19, 2 0412 18 July 253-|Aug | No. BANASUN VACATION It was a I often wonder if I had never experienced homelessness would I have met people I know now Such as the Off The Street Program, Cincinnati Homeless Coalition an Findlay Market WOW LITTLE BOY BLUE REACTS TO TRUMP'S MILITARY PARADE Remember Little Boy Blue Wore red, white, and blue To honor the 4th of July. Up to date the Homeless Coalition an Findlay Market But Trump's D.C. charade, With many tanks on parade, allows me to sale this paper With Street Vibes in my life on Findlay Market I met so Caused Boy Blue to cry. many people I need a napper One day I come to the Market an I see somebody setting BILL WOODS Contributing Writer up something different an new I wondered what can it be ? Ice cream I was SHOCKED to find out my Vacation was due After watching the blending of so many different fruits an juices I was ready for a taste SHOCKED the flavor an taste is one that made me understand just what a Slushy is no waste So come on try this VACATION, relaxing with all of us on O.T.R. at Findlay Market downtown Come outside on your VACATION looking for something cool relaxation that's close around Try a SLUSHI I've tried it an I feel BANASUN is the one for me On Findlay Market looking for a SLUSHI BANASUN that's where I'll be Willa D. Jones Thank you Contributing Writer Streetvibes Distributor THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �PUZZLES 14 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 107 Across Down 1. Stalk 1. Male red deer 5. Possessed 2. Long hollow cylinder 8. Scorch 3. Panache 12. Bulbous plant 4. Stingy hoarder 14. Female animal 5. Part of a shoe 15. Desire 6. Veneration 16. Humiliate 7. Style of glazed 17. Snakelike fish earthenware 18. Building offering lodging 8. Black bird and meals 9. Detest 19. High ranking officer 10. Report or maintain 21. Ornate manner of speaking 11. Depend 23. Relieve from 13. Danger 24. Rapid active commotion 15. Part of a song 25. Mediterranean fruit tree 20. Worship 28. Deposit of valuable ore 22. Illuminated 30. Disorderly fighting 24. Sultry 35. Part of the eye 25. Number one 37. Let for money 26. Very angry 39. Beauty shop 27. Presumption 40. Rant 29. Depression in a surface 41. Come after 31. Grains of rock or coral 43. Small semi-aquatic 32. Slumber salamander 33. Further down 44. Warhorse 34. Way in 46. Change direction 36. Outstanding tournament 47. Cervid player 48. Bid 38. Divot 50. A great distance 42. Represent as if in 52. Inquire in a meddlesome a play way 45. Ten years 53. A small compartment 49. Color 55. Crib 51. Cook by dry heat 57. Bluster in an oven 61. Steadfast 54. Venue 65. Speedy 56. Private instructor 66. Actor's prompt 57. Boast 68. Took without consent 58. Complain bitterly 69. Part of a church 59. Part of a church 70. Employ 60. Despicable 71. Sum 61. Ooze 72. Mirth 62. Short letter 73. Deplete 63. Group related by 74. Rip blood or marriage NJuly o v 225 - N v 19, 0 18 || N o . 393 - oAug 1,22019 No. 412 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 2- EASY 64. Contained 67. Country, initially PUZZLE SOLUTIONS CROSSWORD #107 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 1- EASY PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �N o. 39 ov 2 1, - N o v 19, 2 0 18 July 253 -| N Aug 2019 | No. 412 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 NJuly o v 225 - N- oAug v 19,1,22019 0 18 | |N o . 393 No. 412 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 July 25-August 1, 2019 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: HUD Changes, Who Benefits? Pg 3: Endless Kiddie Tunes to Spikes in Doorways Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: Nine-Year-Old Helps Teach Educators About Queer Youth Pg 6: The Man from Bradford Who was Essential to Australia’s Role in the Moon Landings Pg 7: Frustration of Surviving Pricey Hong Kong Stirs Protest Anger Pg 8: The Big Squeeze Pg 9: The big Squeeze Continued Pg 10: Honor Book Collection from Library Available at Ohio Means Jobs Center Remembering Marian Spencer Pg 11: Queencare Empowers Black Women While fighting 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 July 25-August 1, 2019 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gabriela Godinez Bill Woods Kate Ryan Daniel Trotta David Barnett Thomas Peter Dr. Mark Mussman Farah Master Lisa Mauch Angela Hursh Willa D. Jones Ashley Archibald Depthstroke the Cypher Kim Green INSP.com Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Angela Hursh Ashley Archibald Australia Bill Woods Black Women Bradford Daniel Trotta David Barnett Depthstroke the Cypher Dr. Mark Mussman education Farah Master Gabriela Godinez Gentrification Hong Kong HUD INSP.com Kate Ryan Kim Green Lisa Mauch Marian Spencer Moon Landing protest Queencare Thomas Peter Willa D. Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/2b8492c1cdd5c7cbea6eab079b7bd687.pdf 11043f2a04646aac25b2984e2cb7c957 PDF Text Text A u g u s t 8 t h - A u g u s t 2 2 n d 2 0 1 9 | Vo l . 2 3 I s s u e 1 6 ( N o . 4 1 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. Article on Page 8 This Issue is sponsored by Cecilia and Tom Kloecker Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.com Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 12 �2 COALITION N ov 2 o v 19, 0 18 || No. N o . 413 393 Aug 8 -- NAug 22, 22019 From The Editor: White Supremacy and Gun Violence Gabriela Godinez Editor-in-chief O n August 3rd, 2019 a 21 year old white supremacy terrorist opened fire in El Paso, Texas killing 22 people and injuring several others. Since we as a country know this story far too well we started the cycle. A rush of fear as we read the news that soon becomes a prolonged simmering anxiety followed by “thoughts and prayers” posts on social media. The news commentators fight with other commentators about whether or not gun control is an appropriate topic to discuss so soon after a shooting. As a society our nerves are heightened, as individuals we sink deeper into our political ideology. But before we could move on to whatever our next phase in the cycle might be, we wake up to news of another shooting in Dayton, Ohio. Not a full day later, we are forced to mourn 9 more people killed by a violence obsessed man who shot 41 bullets in 30 seconds. Now with our fear doubled we must continue the following days hearing debates that we’ve heard before. Some debates we shouldn’t even be having anymore such as “is it too soon to talk about this?” This deadly weekend helped answer that question relatively quickly given the fact that it is obvious there isn’t enough time between massacres to “mourn and give thoughts and prayers.” On July 27th there was a shooting at a Brooklyn festival where according to NBC news “gunfire killed one person and wounded 11 others at a community festival” There was another shooting in July 29th in a Wisconsin neighborhood that ABC News reported left, “five people dead — including the suspected shooter — and two others injured.” We don’t have time between shootings to fully mourn as a country or as a society. Candice Keller, an Ohio Representative from the Republican Party was quick to voice her opinion on her personal Facebook page after the Dayton shooting. Keller, from Middletown Ohio (a 33 minute drive from Dayton), accused “the liberals” of playing the “blame game” after a shooting occurs. She claimed to know exactly the causes of these shootings, including the lgbtq community, peaceful protestors, immigrants, and anyone who isn’t a straight white red white and blue blooded American. In one swoop she offended practically every marginalized group and blamed them for crimes committed by white male americans. Keller is not a violence obsessed armed gunman, and because of her statements and her lack of physical violence she shows us a very important truth about America. White supremacy is not a radical ideology in the United States, it is as common and as American as apple pie. That is the problem. These aren’t uncommon ideas. We need a dramatic social shift, but that takes a lot of work between community members, and it takes a lot of time. This is why we simultaneously need gun control policy now. Like the Dayton community members said to the Ohio Governor, “do something.” We can’t sit through debates about who is to blame or what is wrong, we can do that as a community and as a society, what we need our elected officials to debate is what is going to go into the new policies. We need our local government to do something, our state government to do more, and our federal government to follow suit. We can’t stop the Candice Kellers of the world from spewing ignorant hateful ideology, but we can stop the 21 year olds that want to drive 9 hours to kill Latinos. With all this said, there is another conversation that needs to be had that seems inappropriate to have. When we see so much hate and violence every day we can start to deteriorate mentaly, but paradoxically trying to take time to take care of ourselves can seem selfish. We need to take care of ourselves as activists, as members of our community, and simply as human beings. In New York City on the night of August 6th, a dirt bike backfiring sent the entirety of Times Square in a panic. The pedestrians thought that there was an active shooter among them and they ran for their lives. There was no shooter, but as the New York Times put it: “the panic was still real.” This is evidence that America is traumatized. We need to acknowledge that even if we aren’t personally affected, it is normal to feel afraid. We, unfortunately, have every reason to be afraid. Hopefully our work to change policy will also ease our fear but we cannot do so if we ourselves are emotionally drained. We need to take time to take care of our well being so that we can keep fighting for a better America. Be kind to yourself, be kind to your neighbor, and try to find peace however you can. Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org www.cincistreetvibe.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor-in-chief: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Volunteer Editors: Katelyn Lusher, Chris Wilkey Distributor Program Manager: Sallie Mascus Layout: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Reception: Bonita Batton, Larry Johnson Maintenance: Pete Roper ------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Gabriela Godinez, Bill Woods, Carey L. Biron, Rachel Savage, Rebecca Rosman, Nadia Kanji, Dr. Mark Mussman, Vassilis Triandafyllou, Lisa Mauch, Angela Hursh, Willa D. Jones, Kenneth Weartz, Andy Shenk, Kim Green ------------------------------------------- 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 Photography/ Artwork: , 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 Homeless Coalition do not endorse candidates for public office. �No. 39 | Nov 22, 2- N o v 19, 2 0 18 Aug 8 3- Aug 2019 | No. 413 HOMELESSNESS 3 'Medical Respite' Offers A Place To Rest In U.s. Cities Battling Homelessness Carey L. Biron Reuters H enry Jones had been living on the streets of Washington, D.C. for more than a decade when his health finally started failing. Sick, suffering from alcoholism, and increasingly unable to walk, he sought to check into an emergency room in the US capital — but intake workers there refused to admit him, he said, because he did not have an acute condition. He was at risk of falling through a major hole in the social safety net. A case worker told him he could go to a shelter, where he could at least get a bed for a few nights. Or he could try another option: a small organisation that offered medical services to the homeless, as well as a place to simply rest. Jones went with the second option, an organisation called Christ House that gave him medical care and a bed to sleep in. Later, it helped him stop drinking, get a permanent home — and even a job. "Being on the street, people look down on you, thinking that's the way you're going to live the rest of your life," said Jones, who now works at Christ House. "And that's what makes Christ House much different from any other place: The people help you get back up on your feet," he said, sitting next to the showers that he oversees for use by homeless people. Founded in 1985, Christ House was one of the first places in the country to offer a service that is increasingly being embraced in cities nationwide: medical respite, or recuperative care, which seeks to fill a gap between what emergency rooms and shelters can provide. "This is a grey area: If you're housed, you'd be discharged from a hospital and given instructions to stay off your feet," said Julia Dobbins of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC) umbrella group, which published standards on the issue in 2016. "But people without homes don't have a safe, clean place to recover, and that's a gap in care," she added. While homeless shelters exist across the United States, these typically close during the daytime, Dobbins said: "We criminalise homelessness in this country, so people can't lay around — they have to be up and moving." Respite facilities offer rest and recuperation, but also give workers a chance to see what support patients A medical worker checks out a resident at Christ House in Washington, D.C., in March 2019. Handout photo courtesy of Vincent Hunter photography might qualify for, connect them to other services, and generally offer them "time to think about what is the next step in their life," she said. Complicated cases Christ House said it is an unusually expansive operation, offering 24-hour medical care, housing and more. Medical director and co-founder Janelle Goetcheus recalled one resident last year who before coming to the centre had been living on a park bench near a local hospital — and going back and forth for cancer radiation treatment. Christ House gave the man a place to stay during his treatment and facilitated his trips to the hospital. Some patients' needs are straightforward, said Goetcheus: for instance, a woman has surgery on her leg and needs a place to mend for a few weeks, the type of rest she would not be able to get at a shelter or on the street. Other cases are far more complicated, involving multiple acute and chronic illnesses and mental health problems, often exacerbated by years of sleeping rough, substance abuse and lack of medical attention. Goetcheus said that since the early days when Henry Jones came to the organisation, the health problems plaguing Washington's homeless population have worsened. This is particularly true for the increasing numbers of homeless elderly people, those with mental health problems and undocumented migrants, for whom complex medical care is often impossible, she added. "For the hospitals, there is a lot of pressure to have very discreet (specific) admissions for acute medical needs and then get people discharged," she said. "So more people are ending up on the street. Struggle for funding Medical respite programmes have grown by about a third since 2012, going from 60 to 80 initiatives nationwide, according to the NHCHC. Yet nationally, programmes vary widely, with little agreement even on what medical respite means, although that is starting to change. But there is growing consensus among researchers that the approach appears to offer significant cost savings for hospital systems and public coffers. In one 2018 study, researchers with Brandeis University in Massachusetts found that respite programmes could save several thousands of dollars per hospital patient by cutting down on expensive readmissions. As yet, however, long-term funding remains the single biggest obstacle for respite programmes, according to health and homelessness experts. Most respite projects have an THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED average of three funders, said Dobbins, and the vast majority of respite centres are unable to bill the federal government as medical providers, so they depend on philanthropy and a patchwork of public and other funding sources. Sean Barry, a spokesman for the American Hospital Association, said the industry group does not have a public stance on medical respite, but noted it has referenced "improved care transitions and reduced readmissions" as two benefits of such programmes. The federal government does support respite programmes, to some extent. A spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said that although respite programmes are not covered as a matter of course, states can apply for federal assistance under Medicaid - a joint federal and state health program for the poor - on a case-by-case basis. ‘Really difficult place’ Interest in respite is growing significantly, said Dobbins, whose office oversees a respite network of more than 1,000 members, up from 840 in 2015. A respite initiative at Portland's Central City Concern, a non-profit, will soon include a specific focus on mental health — a factor that is largely missing among respite programmes, Dobbins said. Central City Concern, which has been running a respite care project since 2005, will seek to take in patients who have been newly discharged from psychiatric hospitals. But a coordinator stressed that mental health inevitably underpins their work anyway. "Anywhere there's homelessness, we should be expecting there is need for mental health support," said Jordan Wilhelms, a programme manager with Central City Concern. The vast majority of the organisation's patients have mental health issues, often undiagnosed, Wilhelms said. "We're looking to catch folks at a really difficult place in their life" and help them start to make progress toward their own goals, he added, which are usually finding housing, treatment and a community. "And without a layer of access to mental health support, those things are pretty well undercut," Wilhelms said. Ultimately, he said, the new mental health focus will be another opportunity to make connections with people who do not have many in their lives. "That's part of the magic" of the respite approach, he said. Courtesy of Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation / INSP.ngo �4 ADVERTISMENT Tours focus on the historical and contemporary struggles and successes of the Overthe-Rhine Peoples' Movement. Learn what gentrification looks like and how displacement affects community members. NAug ov 28 - -NAug o v 19, 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 22,2 2019 413 Social Justice Walking Tours Cost: $80/Group (max 20 in each group). Sign up today: https://cincihomeless.org/ please-register-youreducation-event-here/ THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �N o. 3983-|Aug Nov 222, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Aug | No. 413 U.S NEWS 5 Lgbt+ Women Footballers Score As Male Players Fear To Come Out Rachel Savage and Rebecca Rosman W Reuters hen 'The Gay Footballer' tweeted, "I am a proud gay man" in early July, it seemed the 29-year wait for a top tier male player to come out publicly would soon be over. But the @FootballerGay account, which amassed 50,000 followers, was deleted last week after its anonymous owner, who claimed to be a Championship player - English football's second division - tweeted, "I'm not strong enough to do this." Real or not, the episode stood in stark contrast to the dozens of openly lesbian and bisexual female players who took to the pitch during the Women's World Cup, led proudly by the United States' winning captain Megan Rapinoe. After the team's 2-0 victory over the Netherlands in the final this month, Rapinoe tweeted, "Science is science. Gays rule," alongside a photo of her celebrating with teammates Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger, who are engaged to each other. "I think homophobia comes from sexism," said Joanna Lohman, who played nine times for the U.S. women's national team. "Gay men have the stereotype of being more effeminate so ... (that) goes against the stereotype (of) what a male athlete should be. "Sportswomen are already viewed as more masculine," said Lohman, 37, who is openly lesbian and retired from professional football earlier this year. "So coming out as gay as a woman isn't necessarily going against the stereotype of gender roles." Discrimination People involved in men's football said it has never been more ready for a high profile player to come out. Justin Fashanu, England's first - and only openly gay player, went public about his sexuality in 1990. He died by suicide in 1998. In June, Andy Brennan became Australia's first professional male footballer to come out while still playing, after now-retired U.S. trailblazer Robbie Rogers did so in 2013. In Germany, Thomas Hitzlsperger, now VfB Stuttgart's head of sport, was the first star to come out, one year after retiring. "Homosexuality in football is something that continues to really bother people," said Yoann Lemaire who was physically attacked and received death threats as the first openly gay player in his French amateur football league back in 2003. "(Professional football players) are advised to avoid talking about homosexuality," said Lemaire, who in 2017 founded Football Ensemble, a group that works with students across France to break down stereotypes about gay people. The support shown for 'The Gay Footballer' was a positive development, whether he was real or not, said Eric Najib, manager of Stonewall FC, an LGBT+ club founded in 1991. "(But) if this is a genuine footballer who wanted to come out and felt at women's after transitioning gender. "There's a lot more emphasis on the social side in the women's game," Hamilton said. "Whereas in the men's game, it's so focused on winning I feel like that takes over everything." But Jim Hearson, a player with LGBT-friendly team London Titans, said men's football is becoming more accepting. "In terms of players, I don't think in the men's game, when evidence suggests they are "overwhelmingly supportive," said Rory Magrath, an expert on football at England's Solent University. But homophobic abuse can still be heard in stadiums around Europe. In March, France's Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu expressed shock after hearing multiple such chants during a game between Paris Saint- Keegan, 8, who identifies as gender creative, drag name Kween-Kee-Kee, poses for a photograph after completing his first drag performance during the Austin International Drag Festival 2018 near Austin, Texas, U.S., November, 18, 2018. REUTERS/Amanda Voisard the last minute unable to do so, for whatever reason, it's an indictment of where the national game is," he said. A spokesman for England's governing Football Association (FA) said it is committed to tackling all forms of discrimination and "to help create a safe and comfortable environment for any player to come out, if they wish." Sexism Female players said going against gender stereotypes by playing a traditionally male sport fosters a more inclusive atmosphere among women. "All women of my generation, and earlier, who play football have had to be brave in learning to defy sexism and what others in society think of them," said Becca Hirst, 23, who plays for London's Leyton Orient. "That creates a sense of solidarity and perhaps ... a more understanding culture around not subscribing to traditional prejudices about sexuality." Blair Hamilton started out playing for Aberdeen University's men's football team, and switched to the it's a dressing room issue at all these days," he said. Bigger problems, he said, are the larger financial stakes and public spotlight at the top of the game, as well as the perception that club chairmen and owners from countries with homophobic laws may take issue with an LGBT+ player, meaning an openly gay footballer may have more to lose by coming out. FIFA, which runs the World Cup, has come under fire for awarding the 2018 men's competition to Russia - where it is illegal to spread "gay propaganda" to children - and to Qatar, where gay sex is outlawed, for 2022. "FIFA is committed to ensuring that everyone will be welcome, to building bridges of cultural understanding and to creating an inclusive experience for all participants ... including from the LGBTI+ community," a spokesman said by email. Chants Football fans are often "treated as a scapegoat" for anti-LGBT+ sentiment THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Germain and Marseille. The French Football League issued a 50,000 euro ($55,700) fine against second division club Lens in May after its fans made homophobic chants against a rival team. LGBT+ female players are not safe from bigotry either. "I seem to offend people by the way I look, presenting as a masculine woman with a mohawk," said the U.S.'s Lohman. But the confidence of the openly lesbian and bisexual players at the Women's World Cup appears to herald change. "I was absolutely buzzing," said Hirst of Leyton Orient. "Growing up, we are starved of LGBT+ representation and seek it out where we can for validation and comfort. So to feel as if you belong naturally in a space is so important." Courtesy of Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation �GLOBAL 6 NAug ov 2 8 - -NAug o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 22,2 02019 413 Hidden In Plain Sight: Sex Trafficking In Canada Nadia Kanji Inter Press Service H uman trafficking for sexual exploitation has been steadily increasing in Canada. The most recent statistics indicate that 2016 had the highest recorded rate of human trafficking, with one police-reported incident for every 100,000 people in Canada. Despite these staggering numbers, reported cases make up just a small part of a larger, secretive industry where most incidents of sex trafficking fall under the radar. The effects of this are relatable for Rhonelle Bruder who, after facing discrimination and bullying in her small hometown outside of Toronto, Ontario, decided to drop out of high school and move to the city. When she ran out of money, she started living in youth shelters and was later on introduced to a man who would become her trafficker. Bruder explained that initially he was kind and attentive, and provided her with a sense of belonging. When the conversation came up about how she could make money to get back on her feet, he told her she would be able to buy a condo and travel if she danced for just a couple of months. “He was pitching a dream; a dream I was desperate to believe because the reality of my life was unbearable. I was willing to believe almost anything he said because he provided me with both a sense of belonging and was a protective figure in my life,” she said. Once women are trafficked, pimps typically enforce a debt trap, telling girls and women that they need to pay off their debt to them for things like entering the country or paying for motels. This was true for Timea Nagy, another survivor of this industry. At the young age of 20, while living in poverty in Hungary and facing a large amount of debt, Nagy responded to an advertisement in the newspaper to work as a babysitter in Canada. What looked like a legitimate recruitment agency was, in fact, a way to lure her into the sex industry against her consent. “We were starved, sleep deprived, and threatened constantly,” she states in her newly-released memoir Out of The Shadows. Nagy also states that she was frequently sexually assaulted until she managed to escape with the help of two people at the club where she worked. Her trafficker was eventually charged with sexual assault but was found not guilty. Law Enforcement Nagy, now a social advocate who works to bring about changes in the Canadian Justice System around human trafficking, says that law enforcement is more lax in Canada compared to the United States. Convicted traffickers in the US are given 155-year sentences, whereas in Canada, traffickers will get an eight-year sentence at the most for the same crime. Human trafficking is currently the third-largest crime in the world. Both Nagy and Bruder state that there is too much of a focus on law MeetMe are new recruiting grounds for traffickers. “Young people post everything about their lives online, so it’s not hard for traffickers to identify the most vulnerable victims and begin the grooming process,” she said. First Nations Women and Girls This is especially true for Indigenous youth in Canada, where there exists a colonial legacy of separating First Nations children from their families they make up only four percent of the population. “The focus needs to be on accessible services for Indigenous women and girls, with Indigenous-led community services,” Finestone said. “We cannot forget the feminisation and radicalisation of poverty [and how it intersects with this issue]. People need more choices to earn an income.” Other efforts have focused on providing resources to front line service Photo by Dmitry Schemelev on Unsplash enforcement to deal with this issue, and not enough on preventative measures and reforming services in vulnerable communities. “A lot of the focus is on helping survivors which is important. But we also need to be educating young people so that they aren’t vulnerable to traffickers,” said Bruder. “Had there been someone to talk to, or if I had guidance, maybe I wouldn’t have left home. There needs to be interventions in young people’s lives before they go down these paths.” Many pointed to the child welfare system as being one of the most targeted places for sex traffickers. “The child welfare system is a trafficker’s Costco,” said Nagy told. “They know where the group homes are and that children don’t feel welcome. No one reaches out to them the way pimps do.” Traffickers typically wait outside of youth shelters and target them as soon as they age out of the child welfare system, knowing that they are often vulnerable. Seventy-two per cent of trafficked victims in Canada are under the age of 25, and 51 per cent of trafficked girls have been involved in the child welfare system. Bruder added that social media sites such as Facebook, Snapchat, and and placing them in residential schools to forcibly assimilate them into a settler culture. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged and apologised for this cultural genocide, but a closer look reveals that this has taken on a new form. “There are currently more Indigenous children in the welfare system than there were in residential schools,” said Elana Finestone of the Native Women’s Association of Canada. “These are the intergenerational effects of residential schools, [basically] colonialism passed on through generations,” she said. Traffickers target First Nations youth in this way, by waiting outside shelters and nearby bus stops. Finestone added that First Nations’ communities are often over policed and under protected. “If women report physical violence, the police might not take it seriously, assuming they are homeless and alone and no one cares.” Canada’s National Inquiry to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women was released this past June and demonstrates the disproportionate impact of human trafficking on Indigenous youth. In 2016, nearly half of the trafficking victims were Indigenous women and girls, although THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED providers. The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking launched a multilingual hotline for trafficking victims across Canada this past May. The centre’s CEO Barbara Gosse said law enforcement is currently maxed out on this issue and underresourced, which needs to change. The hotline, which is strictly confidential, was created to collect data on the incidence of human trafficking in Canada and assist victims and survivors with a localised response. Moving Forward Through therapy, meditation, and mindfulness, Bruder says she is finally able to speak out about her experience. She is the founder of a grassroots organisation called the RISE Initiative which supports at-risk youth. Nagy worked as a mobile care worker for six years with Walk With Me Canada Victim Services to help law enforcement approach victims. She left that position and is now focused on rehabilitation of survivors through a social enterprise called Timea’s Cause. She believes there needs to be a national trauma-informed employment program for survivors. Courtesy of Inter Press Service / INSP.ngo �NAug o. 398 3 -| Aug Nov 222, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 | No. 413 GLOBAL 7 A Year Since Greece's Deadliest Wildfire, Wounds Remain Open Vassilis Triandafyllou Reuters A year since Greece's deadliest wildfire tore through coastal towns near Athens, killing 102 people, the road to normalcy for its survivors is long and dotted with burned down homes and barren land. On the side of one street, a giant white cross rises among black and wilting pine trees. "In memoriam 23-718," it reads. The resort town of Mati, a wooded area overlooking the sparkling sea east of the capital, was popular with pensioners and children at summer camps. On 23 July, 2018, a fire tore through it, killing people in their homes or cars and forcing others to jump off cliffs or into the sea. On the first anniversary of the disaster, it resembles a ghost town. A seaside cafe once humming with beach-goers is now empty, its charred tables and chairs long cleared away. A dry, golden thistle bush has grown outside a home where, a year ago, fresh flowers hung in memory of those who died there. Elsewhere, one house has a new roof and freshly painted walls, but stands desolate on a patch of scorched land. "It was hell. We couldn't do anything," Panagiotis Fragos, a Mati resident, said during a memorial service for the victims, recalling the night of the blaze. "I cry all the time since then. It would have been better if I had also died, if I had come to an end," he said. Across Mati, what used to be a pine forest has been reduced to tall piles of charred tree trunks. A plot of land where 26 people were found dead, some locked in a tight embrace as the flames closed in, has been cleared of any semblance of life. "It is very difficult to go on, day by day," said Giorgos Kariris, whose wife died in the fire. "It is very difficult for me and for others to wake up in the morning and not have the person you existed with in life - your child, your mother, your father - to embrace, to kiss," he said. "It cannot be described." Twenty people, including former and current regional and local officials, have been charged over the wildfire, including with involuntary manslaughter and causing bodily harm due to neglect. The previous government attributed the fire to arson and dismissed accusations it failed to evacuate residents in time. The newlyelected government has announced a series of relief-measures for the survivors. At the memorial on Sunday, where white roses were tossed into the sea, survivors said they were still waiting for permits and compensation to begin rebuilding their lives. Courtesy of Reuters / INSP.ngo A combination picture shows a burnt slope following a wildfire that killed 102 people in 2018, July 24, 2018 (L) and the same slope a year later in the village of Mati, near Athens, Greece, July 23, 2019. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis A combination picture shows an electricity pole standing among burnt trees following a wildfire that killed 102 people in 2018, July 25, 2018 (L), and newly grown bushes on the same slope in Neos Voutzas, near Athens, Greece, July 22, 2019. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �FEATURED 8 NAug o v 28- -N o v 19, 0 18 | |N o . 393 Aug 22,22019 No. 413 Double Stadards Dr. Mark Mussman Staff Writer T hrough phrases like “Judge not, lest ye be judged,” “People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones,” and “Treat others how you would want to be treated,” we may be taught at an early age that judging people is wrong. When it comes to homelessness and poverty, the judgements are often part of mainstream American culture as well. Stereotypes of laziness, dirty, drug addicted, mentally ill, and uneducated people are often weaponized against people in poverty, as well as people from particular neighborhoods or regions. Appalachian people are characterized as poor even though their labor and resources continue to be exploited. Black communities are at a decidedly large disadvantage and portrayed as lazy and incapable, even before birth, yet our country’s wealth was literally built from the labor of Black people who were enslaved for hundreds of years. The stereotypes not only mischaracterize whole groups of people, but they say more about the people who hold them in their heads than anything else. The Homeless Coalition’s Education Program offers a series of events and activities to break down stereotypes and to instill an understanding of homelessness. We do this because a better informed public is more able and willing to fight injustice, such as the criminalization of homelessness, with the information and experience they gain through our programs. We have been working with schools, community groups, churches, and others to help gain a firm understanding of the issues facing the people experiencing are equipped with a pitch and they are able to go into the streets to try to distribute the paper. As a controlled panhandling experience, participants homelssness and our responsibility as active citizens. The issue of Double Standards came up again last week, and it is worth examining it further. During a Streetvibes Shadow Activity, where a Streetvibes Distributor (in this case, Lee McCoy) tells the group witness many things, including people ignoring them as they walk by. Last week, one of the youth was convinced that a businessman, who said he had no money to donate, was lying to him. As the youth was telling the story, he quickly said, “but it’s ok, because he homelessness who fly a sign and panhandle, who, by and large, are accused of lying about their need, their use of the money received, even if they are actually experiencing homelessness. The student quickly excused the businessman for lying, so why do we hold other people to a higher standard, especially when they have less resources to uphold the standard? Hearing from our Speakers, like Cleo, Sam, Willa, and Melissa, you can see how double standards created difficult circumstances in their lives. When you are being put in a box by society even when you try so hard to break out, the notion of becoming your true authentic self is challenged by people around you that are judging you for your past, rather than your current work. The work ethic of each of the Speakers during their homelessness was far greater than what someone who inherits their wealth is likely to pursue. Just trying to figure out where to sleep, bath, eat, or get work requires a severely high level of commitment and hustle. Yet, people experiencing homelessess are routinely judged as lazy, even though most men experiencing homelessness have a job - the wages are too low to sustain a high standard of living. On our walking tours, we see Double Standards in action where fancy restaurants are able to take half of the sidewalk for outdoor seating. The permanent barriers are required for alcohol sales and consumption on the sidewalk. A person works a hard day about themselves, Streetvibes, the program’s values, and the City’s AntiSolicitation Ordinance, participants was in a hurry anyway,” which made me question the double standard that we have regarding people experiencing and then wants to relax with a beer, if they can afford to do it in their home or get a craft brew at a fancy restaurant, THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �N o. 39 Nov 2 - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Aug 83- |Aug 22, | No. 413 they can do it on the sidewalk. But if they are experiencing homelessness and sitting on a stoop, they could be criminalized for that. The same double standard is seen in Washington Park, which has a liquor license and several craft beers from which to choose. If you bring in a bagged beer from the store, you may be hassled or fined for bringing it into the park. Is this Double Standard fair and just? People often wrongly believe that drug addiction and mental illness are the main causes of homelessness. This FEATURED enables us to feel better about society’s failures, and our desire to not help people. What is even worse is that drug addiction and mental illness are not the fault of the individual who is suffering, so even if these were the causes of homelessness, more compassion, not a turned back are what would be needed. Since homelessness is a result of policy decision about housing, wages, and civil rights, we need to seek justice in these areas, rather than focusing on what an individual experiencing homelessness can do to change their current condition. Drug addiction and mental illness are often caused by homelessness, so we need to expand our rapid rehousing programs along with affordable housing, livable wages, and housing protections to reduce homelessness in our region. While it may be easy for us to judge in our society, we must remember to move past the Golden Rule, which I cited above, and move to the Platinum Rule: "Do unto others as they would have you do unto them, not as you would have them do unto you." We THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 9 can’t just rely on our own values to craft how we interact with the world we must ascertain and use the wishes and values of others to create a world in which everyone is valued, regardless of our own personal worldview. In that world, the Double Standards fade to the back, and we are able to see people as who they are, not what they represent to us. If you are interested in participating in any of our education programs, or if you’d like more information, please visit our webpage: cincihomeless.org �10 Aug 8 - Aug 22, 2019 | No. 413 LOCAL Community Action Agency Partner With Library N o v 2 - N o v 19, 2 0 18 | N o . 393 Lisa Mauch Angela Hursh C Contributing Writer incinnati and Hamilton County are in the midst of an eviction crisis. There are more than 12,000 evictions a year in Hamilton County, a rate of eviction 34 percent higher than the national average. Legal Aid and Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency have created a new program designed to mitigate this crisis. The goal is to keep families stable in their homes by preventing evictions. The Eviction Prevention Assistance Program is conducting a series of information sessions on renters’ rights and options. The first of these information sessions takes place 6-8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 12, at the Miami Township Library, 8 North Miami Ave., Cleves. The next session is 6-8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 19, at the Norwood YMCA, 2039 Sherman Ave. Advocates from Legal Aid and Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency help low-income renters, who are worried about potential eviction, understand and access the resources available to them. Through the Eviction Prevention Assistance Program, eligible renters, who are behind on their rent but are able to pay the rent going forward, may receive emergency cash assistance to bring them current. Renters may also be eligible for free legal representation by Legal Aid. ABOUT THE COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY Founded in 1964 by the late Theodore Berry, Sr., CAA is a private non- profit organization that offers various services to low-income individuals and families. The organization was created as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s historic “War on Poverty.” For more information, call us at 513-516-1966 or visit www.cincy-caa.org ABOUT THE LEGAL AID SOCIETY OF GREATER CINCINNATI Legal Aid Society of Southwest Ohio, and affiliates, are nonprofit law firms dedicated to reducing poverty and ensuring family stability through civil legal assistance. They assist lowincome families and individuals in seven Southwest Ohio counties: Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton, Highland and Warren. Legal Aid is located at the Donald P. Klekamp Community Law Center Building at 215 E. Ninth Street, Suite 200, Cincinnati, OH, 45202. Visit www.LAScinti.org or call 513-241-9400. ABOUT THE YMCA OF GREATER CINCINNATI is one of the area’s leading nonprofits focused on engaging individuals and families in youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. The YMCA ensures these opportunities are available to everyone no matter their ability to pay, with generous support from community partners and donors. The Y strives to help members achieve goals, make friends and find a true place of belonging. The YMCA of Greater Cincinnati operates 13 membership branches, the Melrose Impact Center, an overnight camp and 80 early childhood learning centers across Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati. For more information, visit MyY.org. Photographs From Protest Against Concentration Camps on the Border Kenneth Weartz Contributing Photographer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �N o. 39 Nov 2 - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Aug 83- |Aug 22, | No. 413 11 LOCAL Compiling A Laundry List Of Critical Issues Bill Woods Contributing Writer A ugust is here, and it's all too easy to succumb to the summer doldrums. One way to shock oneself from falling prey to this lull is to compile a list of critical problems that need to be addressed. Here then is a laundry list of important issues that continue to confront us locally and nationally. The issue that haunts groups such as Advocates for Affordable Housing and the Homeless Coalition is the affordable housing shortage of 40,000 units that exists in Cincinnati and Hamilton County. This shortage has expanded over the years due to major cuts in the budget for federal housing programs and trends such as displacing low-income residents from gentrified neighborhoods. AHA and the Coalition developed a plan for an affordable housing trust fund and then convinced Council last year to establish it, but at this juncture it lacks an adequate funding base. The next step in the coming months is securing a large and steady source of revenue either through legislation or a grassroots ballot initiative. Related issues are growing poverty, insufficient wages for many individuals and families that keep them on the edge of poverty, and the extreme income inequality that now exists locally and nationally. The slow and steady shredding of safety net programs and services by Congress and the Ohio General Assembly over the years is one major cause for these human dilemmas. The current Administration continues this trend with efforts to cut thousands of people off the Food Stamp rolls, while it touts the huge corporate tax cuts that were enacted over a year ago. Activists need to continue to fight these cuts and advocate for creative new assistance measures. Protecting the environment looms as an issue that needs immediate attention, but the monumental impact of global climate change often causes us to just throw up our hands in despair. Furthermore, the Trump Administration continues to weaken environmental regulations dealing with air, water, and land pollution, while it slowly dismantles the Environmental Protection Agency. Beyond striving to encourage the U.S. House of Representatives to do what it can to stop this Administrative assault, it is difficult to pinpoint the best immediate steps for citizens to take. A conversation with David Altman, a noted environmental attorney, reveals that there are some steps that can be taken locally. He noted that City Council passed an ordinance several years ago aimed at protecting neighborhoods from various forms of pollution, but that this law has never been implemented or funded. This area's Sierra Club also needs members and supporters as it takes on polluters that create health hazards for citizens living in various communities. This same grassroots vigilance is needed to fight anti-environmental legislation proposed by the Ohio General Assembly. The emergence of virulent racism and the plight of immigrant families and individuals also call out for public involvement. Individual participation is probably most effective when people become involved with local organizations and coalitions that are already working on these issues. For instance, the Greater Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center is a good contact for someone concerned about immigrant rights. A topic that must be included in this laundry list is political reform. A major reason why so many critical issues confront us today is the fact that government at all levels isn't functioning very well. This unhealthy state of our democracy can be directly linked to practices that the economic and political establishment utilize to control the system such as gerrymandered districts and huge campaign contributions. "Big money" has become more and more of a driving force in our political process, and it leaves average citizens believing that their voices aren't heard and that elections are bought. Reformers at the local, state, and national levels must coalesce and work doubly hard to take back the system. Although in Ohio and several other states progress has been made in curbing gerrymandering, the Supreme Court has made reform extremely difficult especially in terms of addressing the crisis of big money in political campaigns. By equating campaign contributions with free speech, the Court has weakened the voices of average citizens while making dominate the speech of wealthy contributors. Campaign reform initiatives are daunting, but activists need to work with groups like Common Cause and the League of Women Voters in order to make government again work for "we the people." One issue that has recently been added to the laundry lists of a number of activists is the problem of how to make local governments more involved in the crises such as poverty that exist in their communities. Many of the current safety net issues and the affordable housing crisis stem from the loss of state and especially federal funds. City governments have been accustomed over the years to expect the federal government to pay for these programs and services. Thus they have focused on basic services like police and fire while emphasizing local tax cuts or tax abatements to developers. Most current public policy assessments would warn not to expect a sudden turn around in federal domestic spending. If this is the case, then it behooves activists to convince local elected officials to begin taking on some of the local issues that they have formerly left as the responsibility of federal agencies. Such advocacy will also require helping these officials get beyond the mantra of "no new taxes." Here in Cincinnati, the first battle in this campaign is winning adequate funding for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. This article represents a first crack at putting together a laundry list of critical issues. Obviously other important issues exist and deserve our attention. Nevertheless, this list should prevent us from succumbing to the summer doldrums. Why SORTA Needs To Put Metro On The Ballot Andy Shenk Contributing Writer O n Tuesday, September 17, SORTA (Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority), which oversees Metro bus service, will vote on whether or not to pursue a transit levy in 2020. This decision has been a long time coming. Cincinnati has not gone to the polls for transit since the ill-fated Metro Moves campaign in 2002 and has never approved a ballot measure for transit since bus service became a public enterprise in the early 1970s. Despite tremendous cuts to service and fare increases in recent decades, there has been almost no effort from elected or civic leaders to address the city’s lackluster public transportation. The Better Bus Coalition, founded in spring 2017, has worked hard to address that apathy. We have shown up to public SORTA board meetings, built benches for bus riders, introduced a bus-only lane downtown and helped ensure regular media coverage of SORTA’s chronic (and growing) budget shortfalls. Riding the bus in Cincinnati is not easy. My partner and I and now our one-year old rely almost exclusively on the bus to get around, as do thousands of other households in the city and county. Too often, buses are late, run infrequently, or simply suspend service on the weekends. There are no all-night buses for people who work late (or very early). Bus stops, even in the heart of the city, rarely feature benches or shelters and we know how fickle Cincinnati weather can be. A few days ago, I wanted to take my son on a little excursion on the 21. Waiting at a stop downtown (Race and 4th) with two other people, the bus inexplicably blew past us, turning left on Race before circling around to Elm via 3rd. We never had a chance to board. These are the types of things that happen far too often, making Cincinnatians late to work, school, daycare, and all of the important things we do on a daily basis. Everyone who rides the bus has a dozen stories or more just like this one. Why? Because Cincinnati has a long legacy of neglecting public transportation. Let me be clear, the Better Bus Coalition staunchly supports the bus drivers and hard-working employees that keep our patchwork system stitched together. When I missed the 21, the driver was almost certainly following instructions from a dispatcher. The oversight was not sending someone out earlier to tape a notice that the stop had been moved (at least temporarily). These are the kinds of mistakes that happen when you fail to provide proper funding for a bus system. Positions go unfilled, buses break down, and riders are left stranded on hot summer afternoons. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Fixing a bus system is not easy. It takes hard work from advocates to keep the pressure on our elected officials and a shift in civic thinking to stop treating buses as a necessary evil and instead respect them as an asset in the effort to build an equitable, accessible, and thriving city. The SORTA Board meeting on September 17 is an important step in this process. The Board, which features seven city appointees and six county appointees, has been notoriously reluctant to put a tax measure on the ballot, even as deficits balloon. If SORTA doesn’t act now, the entire system could collapse due to higher fares and further reduced service. The meeting is at 6:00 pm, September 17 in the SORTA offices at 602 Main St, 11th Floor. The Better Bus Coalition encourages everyone who is able to attend and voice your support for public transportation and the thousands of Cincinnatians who rely on the bus every day. �12 Deep Sea There's a story to be told about the Deep Sea and the Ocean's Roar Many treasures were lost in the sea far down below the Ocean's floor where there is no Sun just water below the surface of the ground But traveling Deeper STREETVOICE Nov 2 N o v 19, 0 18 || No. N o . 413 393 Aug 8 -- Aug 22, 22019 in is Green and Brown If youlisten to the underground Below you can hear the waves as they roll Are their Mermaids in the Ocean's Sea or maybe an Old wise tale let not to go free You have to travel Deep when you're in the Sea Just be Prepared for what you might see Kim Green ContributingWriter Streetvibes Distributor Streetvibes Writing Circle If you would like to submit a story for publication in streetvibes, come join Katelyn Lusher, Chris Wilkey, and Alex McIntosh for a group writing session! THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �13 STREETVOICE No. 39 | Nov22, 2 - 2019 N o v 19, 2 0413 18 Aug 8 -3 Aug | No. REMEMBERING Do you ever think of the days of the past? Do you ever think those being the good days, why they couldn’t last? Remembering when we were children doing everything our elders said THE RACIST TWEETS MOTHER GOOSE Citizen Simon met a newsman Who asked him for his views. Said citizen Simon to the newsman: "Trump's tweets give me the blues. Remembering eating breakfast, lunch, dinner and even He uses them to defame and bully, But now they've sunk to the basest. what time it was for bed As time passed some of us traded going to church for drinking beer and wine Some of us grew up and changed so fast that we just Trump's recent words show us fully, Our President is a racist." BILL WOODS Contributing Writer simply ignored the signs As time passed everything changed all the rules even people, places and things But time goes on carrying us with it, and we know it can’t end until the fat lady sings! So we keep going on trying to keep up with time and loosing our sense of being free Today we never forget to lock all door, windows and try When you listened to Robert Mueller Testify before congress, did you think to yourself “this guy is too fair and decent to be a civil servant in the Trump era?” never to go out alone, you see! So much robbing, backstabbing, shortchanging and all of the senseless killings I love to let my mind drift to the past because the present is so hard dealing! So for me taking my memories back as far as I can Keep me in tune and my eyes open to the future as I pray for people all over God’s land! Willa D. Jones Contributing Writer Streetvibes Distributor Poll Question By Bill Woods THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �PUZZLES 14 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 107 Across Down 1. Stalk 1. Male red deer 5. Possessed 2. Long hollow cylinder 8. Scorch 3. Panache 12. Bulbous plant 4. Stingy hoarder 14. Female animal 5. Part of a shoe 15. Desire 6. Veneration 16. Humiliate 7. Style of glazed 17. Snakelike fish earthenware 18. Building offering lodging 8. Black bird and meals 9. Detest 19. High ranking officer 10. Report or maintain 21. Ornate manner of speaking 11. Depend 23. Relieve from 13. Danger 24. Rapid active commotion 15. Part of a song 25. Mediterranean fruit tree 20. Worship 28. Deposit of valuable ore 22. Illuminated 30. Disorderly fighting 24. Sultry 35. Part of the eye 25. Number one 37. Let for money 26. Very angry 39. Beauty shop 27. Presumption 40. Rant 29. Depression in a surface 41. Come after 31. Grains of rock or coral 43. Small semi-aquatic 32. Slumber salamander 33. Further down 44. Warhorse 34. Way in 46. Change direction 36. Outstanding tournament 47. Cervid player 48. Bid 38. Divot 50. A great distance 42. Represent as if in 52. Inquire in a meddlesome a play way 45. Ten years 53. A small compartment 49. Color 55. Crib 51. Cook by dry heat 57. Bluster in an oven 61. Steadfast 54. Venue 65. Speedy 56. Private instructor 66. Actor's prompt 57. Boast 68. Took without consent 58. Complain bitterly 69. Part of a church 59. Part of a church 70. Employ 60. Despicable 71. Sum 61. Ooze 72. Mirth 62. Short letter 73. Deplete 63. Group related by 74. Rip blood or marriage N o v 28--N o v 19, 0 18 || N o . 393 Aug Aug 22,22019 No. 413 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 2- EASY 64. Contained 67. Country, initially PUZZLE SOLUTIONS CROSSWORD #107 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 1- EASY PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 Nov 2 - N o v 19, 2 0 18 Aug 83- |Aug 22, 2019 | No. 413 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 NAug o v 2 8- -NAug o v 19, 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 22,22019 413 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 August 8-August 22, 2019 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: White Supremacy and Gun Violence Pg 3: ‘Medical Respite’ Offers a Place to Rest in U.S. Cities Battling Homelessness Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: LGBT+ Women Footballers Score as Male Players Fear to Come Out Pg 6: Hidden in Plain Sight Pg 7: A Year Since Greece’s Deadliest Wildfire, Wounds Remain Open Pg 8: Double Standards Pg 9: Double Standard Continued Pg 10: Community Action Agency Partner with Library Pg 11: Compiling a Laundry List of Critical Issues 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 August 8-August 22, 2019 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gabriela Godinez Bill Woods Carey L. Biron Rachel Savage Rebecca Rosman Nadia Kanji Dr. Mark Mussman Vassilis Triandafyllou Lisa Mauch Angela Hursh Willa D. Jones Kenneth Weartz Andy Shenk INSP.com Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Andy Shenk Angela Hursh Bill Woods Canada Carey L. Biron Concentration Camps Dr. Mark Mussman Gabriela Godinez Greece Gun Violence INSP.com Kenneth Weartz LGBTQ+ Lisa Mauch Metro Nadia Kanji Photography Protests Rachel Savage Rebecca Rosman Sex Trafficking Vassilis Triandafyllou White Supremacy Willa D. Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/63002a5e8e058053809cdb6d6100078c.pdf 876160ed03a535a1f1cf7fd1f0549802 PDF Text Text A u g u s t 2 2 t h - S e p t e m b e r 5 t h 2 0 1 9 | Vo l . 2 3 I s s u e 1 7 ( N o . 4 1 4 ) advo cating justice | building communit y R e jec ting Title X Any opinions in this issue are of the authors and don't necessarily represent Streetvibes or The Homeless Coalition. Editorial On Page 2 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 ov 2 o v 19, 0 18 || N o . 393 Aug 22- -NSept 5,22019 No. 414 From The Editor: Rejecting Title X Gabriela Godinez Editor-in-chief I n February, the Trump administration announced a change in Title X policy. Title X is a grant program that allocates federal money to organizations on the basis of providing the public with information surrounding family planning and preventive health services. Planned Parenthood was the largest organization that receives Title X funding until August of 2019 when the organization refused the funding. This refusal is in response to the changes made in the policy, which is being referred to as a “gag rule.” Organizations receiving Title X funding will now be required to restrict the information they give individuals regarding abortions. They are no longer allowed to give referrals to doctors that preform abortions and are only allowed to ambiguously refer doctors that may or may not preform the medical procedures. According to the New York Times, Planned Parenthood receives about “$60 million annually through the federal program.” They have done so since the 70’s when the program was created. According to PBS News Hour, “more than 1.5 million low income women rely on Planned Parenthood for reproductive health services.” This sort of care varies from birth control to STI screenings, not only abortion information and counseling. The New York Times also reported that the Department of Health and Human Services made a statement where they accuse Planned Parenthood and other organizations refusing Title X funding of “blaming the government for their own actions…They are abandoning their obligations to serve their patients under the program.” However, these organizations don’t see themselves as abandoning their patients, instead they feel quite the opposite. Organizations like the American Medical Association say this new restriction negatively affects their work as medical professionals. They see that they, instead of providing health care, would have to ignore all of the options available to pregnant folks. Alexis Mcgill Johnson, the Acting President of Planned Parenthood, stated, “I want our patients to know: while the Trump administration may have given up on you, Planned Parenthood never will. Our doors are open today, and our doors will be open tomorrow. Our patients come to us because they expect the best information and health care available. But the gag rule would make it impossible for us to uphold that commitment.” Other organizations are now walking away from the Title X program feeling the same way. Maine Family Planning is also rejecting the program stating, “ the Domestic Gag Rule… would fundamentally compromise the relationship our patients have with us as trusted providers of this most personal and private health care. It is simply wrong to deny patients accurate information about access to abortion care.” Now all of these organizations are going to have to find funding from other donors. Though we have already seen these organizations such as Planned Parenthood have a surge in donations, it will be interesting to see how sustainable this will be. We don’t know yet how this will affect these organizations with the lack of federal funding, but we can be sure the care provided will be filled with accurate information with the patient’s well being coming first above all. S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org www.cincistreetvibe.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor-in-chief: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Volunteer Editors: Katelyn Lusher, Chris Wilkey Distributor Program Manager: Sallie Mascus Layout: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Reception: Bonita Batton, Larry Johnson Maintenance: Pete Roper ------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Gabriela Godinez, Bill Woods, Lacy Wallace, Peter Y. Sussman, Felix Winternitz, Nick Brown Dr. Mark Mussman, Anuradha Nagaraj, Roli Srivasta, Carey L Biron, Willa D. Jones, Bobby Morris, Kim Green ------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: , Gabriela Godinez, INSP.com, , ---------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition do not endorse candidates for public office. �No. 39 Nov 25, - N o v 19, 2 0 18 Aug 223 -| Sept 2019 | No. 414 3 HOMELESSNESS Homeless in Trump’s America Peter Y. Sussman Street Spirit A man who lives at taxpayer expense in luxurious public housing in Washington, D.C. has started a campaign against those who aren't so lucky. There’s something that repels him about homeless people, and in two appearances in recent months, the president began to clarify what it is. Speaking in Iowa in June, Donald Trump took a double shot at immigrants and the homeless (whom he sometimes equates), saying, “You see what’s happening in California. ...The Democratic-run cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco—do you see what’s happening to those cities? Can you even believe it, what’s going on there? People are getting sick just by walking down the street. They’re getting actually sick, including police officers, who are incredible, the job our law enforcement does is incredible.” OK, so the problem is not primarily that people are being forced by economic, medical or social circumstances to live on the streets; it’s that other pedestrians—especially incredible police officers, for some reason—are repelled by their presence on our shared sidewalks. He mentioned the smell, and he mentioned needles, as he often does. In the fusillades of ridicule and rhetoric that President Trump has fired against various classes of American citizens, it would be easy to overlook any one of his many targets, but noticing and remembering are hallmarks of a thriving conscience. So before they slip from our collective memory entirely, let's consider Trump's words in early July on homelessness and consider what they represent. After Trump returned from Japan that month, he reported back to his base at Fox News that, as one fawning moderator put it, “the cities are clean. There’s no graffiti. No one going to the bathroom on the street. You don’t see junkies.” Trump took the bait and ran with it. “It’s very nice, isn’t it?” he said. There are addicts, of course, all over this country and abroad, with perhaps a higher concentration recently in America's rural white areas, but how very nice the president finds it not to see them on the sidewalks. American rural addicts are perceived as someone's more sympathetic relatives, unlike the more visible addicts who annoy him so much on "Democratic" city streets. Indeed, the very fact that addicts are visible makes them more useful for his political purposes. They're valuable, anonymous props that he can point to with theatrical horror and disgust. Egged on by his Fox cheerleader, Trump said it was “very sad” what was happening in “some of our cities. ...New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, they’ve got a major problem with… filth.” By “filth,” he meant homeless people and he meant excrement, as soon became clearer. As with many other fastidious and insecure people of outsized privilege, germs or excrement are particularly repulsive to the president. Areas that aren’t gold-plated to his taste are not simply unfamiliar or vaguely uncomfortable; they are “shitholes,” to use Trump’s inelegant term for vast, impoverished areas of the world. In a fleeting concession to conscience, Trump said that “...some of them have mental problems where they don’t even know they’re living that way.” He quickly discarded the notion that unhoused people might be the victims of circumstances beyond their control, saying, “In fact, perhaps they like living that way. They can’t do that.” Do you see what happened there? The president quickly switched from unsupported speculation to the assumption that people enjoyed living in poverty and squalor—and then he chastised them for the motivation he himself had just ascribed to them: They liked “living that way,” and “They can’t do that.” Climbing further out on a speculative limb, Trump began parading his historical ignorance and promising to take action—of some kind—on a problem he clearly didn’t begin to understand. “It’s a phenomena [sic] that started two years ago,” he said, with all the assurance of presidential authority. (That suggests that homelessness began with the start of his administration. It’s not what he intended to remind his audience, but his autonomous mouth frequently betrays him in that way.) Then, speaking as the nation’s leader, the preacher of our common values, he declared, as he so often does, “It’s disgraceful.” Trump returned later in the interview to his determination that “something” must maybe be done: “So we’re looking at it very seriously. We may intercede. We may do something to get that whole thing cleaned up. It’s inappropriate. Now, we have to take the people and do something. We have to do something.” In short, stand by for “some other things … important things.” The silver lining is that in the past this president has generally forgotten the important things his rudderless mouth had promised. And in significant ways, Trump’s ends are served by raising the spectre of a threat and then leaving it unresolved. He gives his THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED aroused “base” a common target for righteous indignation without going to the detailed, time-consuming and collaborative trouble of fixing the problem he’s identified and leaving his base content. Their arousal is his greatest strength, so he must leave them aroused. This president’s most dangerous impact is in identifying “the issue” for his followers. Granted, his policies have destroyed stable institutions, societal norms, and years of legislative consensus, but even more important are the ways he’s poisoning public values by reframing our perceptions. In the process, problems, to the extent that they are problems, become more intractable, more difficult to resolve. You can't legislate your way out of a fantasy. At another point in his July diatribe on Fox News, Trump betrays more of his motivation: “I own property in San Francisco. … [Y]ou take a look at what’s going on with San Francisco, it’s terrible.” With people like Trump, it’s always personal, often in ways only a psychotherapist could unearth. The implications of Trump’s mindset are clear. It is not that social dislocation and despair exist; it’s that he (or tourists, property owners or police officers) must see the homeless or smell them as they walk down the street; that it’s happening in areas where he himself has property. If you've spent your life with no greater ambition than to be at least one socioeconomic rung above the next person (a Queens guy dreaming of Manhattan status), then the higher you get, the more vulnerable you feel. Sadly, history has shown us that such fragile people often resolve their grandiose inner turmoil by imposing destructive forms of order on others, usually at the expense of easy targets on the lowest social and economic rungs. Even more sadly, this particular Queens guy is a rich professional brander who has persuaded many of his socially insecure followers that their own grievances are his. We've heard it again and again from diehards at his rallies: "He's one of us." We have paid, and for some time will continue to pay, a heavy price for this deeply troubled man's insecurity, and as usual, the first ones to pay that price will be those who don’t have the financial resources or inherited influence to buy their way into the corridors of privilege and power where the governing values of a country are articulated and its rules are forged. Courtesy of Street Spirit / INSP.ngo �4 ADVERTISMENT Tours focus on the historical and contemporary struggles and successes of the Overthe-Rhine Peoples' Movement. Learn what gentrification looks like and how displacement affects community members. NAug o v 2 22 - N-oSept v 19,5, 20 18 | |NNo. o . 393 2019 414 Social Justice Walking Tours Cost: $80/Group (max 20 in each group). Sign up today: https://cincihomeless.org/ please-register-youreducation-event-here/ THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �N o. 39 3 |-NSept ov 2 -5, N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Aug 22 | No. 414 5 U.S NEWS Could a national buyback program reduce gun violence in America? Lacey Wallace The Conversation A mericans own nearly half of the world’s guns, with approximately 120 firearms for every 100 U.S. residents. Gun control policies may someday restrict new gun sales. But what impact can they have when Americans already own millions of guns? Some have pointed to gun buybacks as a potential solution to this problem. I have spent years studying American attitudes toward guns and gun policies, including smart guns and open carry. I know that gun owners feel strongly about their identities as gun owners, making it difficult to create a strategy for taking guns off the streets. US gun stock The sheer number of guns is part of the challenge. The United States has the largest civilian-owned stock of guns in the world. At the end of 2017, the Small Arms Survey reported that there were an estimated 393 million firearms in the United States – and that’s not even counting guns owned by the police and military. That represents 45.8% per cent of the world’s civilian-owned guns. Yemen has the second-highest rate of gun ownership per person in the world, with just 52.8 firearms per 100 residents. More than 40 per cent of U.S. adults live in a household with at least one gun. About half of all civilianowned guns in the U.S. are owned by just three per cent of U.S. adults. These gun owners have an average of 17 guns each. Most other gun owners average about three guns at home. Reducing numbers Gun buyback programs are designed to reduce the number of firearms by purchasing guns from private owners, and typically destroying them. Gun buyback programs are not new. Following a mass shooting in 1996, Australia banned automatic and semi-automatic rifles and shotguns and instituted a national gun buyback program. In a year, Australia purchased about 650,000 firearms from private residents, estimated to represent about 20 per cent of the country’s privately owned guns. Research evaluating the effects of the buyback found a 42 per cent decrease in homicide rates and a 57 per cent decrease in suicide rates in the seven years after the legislation passed. But some researchers are still uncertain whether this decrease was due to the buyback, or whether it was simply part of an existing downward trend. U.S. cities have experimented with buybacks on a much smaller scale, even though the Pew Research Center reports that more than 70 per cent of gun owners say they could never imagine themselves not owning some sort of firearm. One of the earliest examples occurred in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1974, Baltimore police paid residents US$50 per firearm, collecting roughly 13,500 over a two-month period. Rather than reduce crime, homicides and assaults spiked during the buyback. It is unclear why, but two months is a short time period for a clear pattern to emerge and crime rates in cities across the country were increasing through much of the 1970s. Baltimore is not unique. A 2008 crime and in youth violence. If the goal is to reduce crime, getting shotguns or broken firearms off the street will likely have little effect. Guns obtained through a 1994 to 1996 buyback in Milwaukee also differed from those typically used in suicide and homicide. The Boston Police Department tried again in 2006. Learning from their past mistakes, the police offered a $200 gift card for each handgun – but no cash or gift card for rifles or shotguns. At the conclusion of the program, the Boston Police Department reported that more than 85% of submitted firearms were handguns, closely matching the types of guns used in crime. to submit them to law enforcement. Gun buybacks are financed by taxpayer dollars and are generally paid for by local agencies rather than through state or federal funding. A local jurisdiction’s budget will limit the amount of firearms it can purchase and destroy, reducing the likelihood that a gun buyback will have an observable impact on local crime rates. Law enforcement involvement Typically, gun buyback programs are run by law enforcement. Understandably, criminal offenders may be hesitant to come to the local police station or interact with law enforcement – even if they are promised exemption from prosecution A man walks with his firearm during a community gun buy-back program in White Plains, New York, U.S., April 13, 2018. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton review of the existing research by Matthew Makarios and Travis Pratt in the journal Crime & Delinquency found that gun buyback programs have generally been ineffective in reducing crime in the U.S. Challenges include the types of guns purchased, the involvement of law enforcement, and the costs involved. Types of guns purchased Gun buyback programs often place no restrictions on the types of guns that can be purchased. Civilians frequently bring in old firearms, guns in disrepair, rifles, or shotguns. Sacramento, California, implemented a gun buyback program in 1993. Nearly a quarter of all guns submitted were not in working order. The Boston Police Department also attempted a gun buyback program in 1993 without a restriction for weapon type. Only about half of submitted firearms were handguns. That’s significant because we know from existing crime data that although some mass shooters use more powerful weapons, handguns are the type of firearm most often used in violent The number of shootings decreased by 14% in Boston in the year after the buyback and continued to decrease through 2010. Other jurisdictions followed Boston’s example. In 2015, 13 police departments in Massachusetts instituted a buyback program with higher amounts paid for types of firearms more frequently used in crime. As a result, they were able to collect more handguns. But three out of five people who sold their guns said they still had one or more guns at home. Cost and profit Experience shows that some people will attempt to profit from gun buybacks by submitting inexpensive or broken firearms worth less than the cash incentive offered through the buyback. In Baltimore, one buyback participant claimed she was going to use the buyback money to purchase a larger weapon. In Oregon, private citizens waited outside the gun buyback locations to purchase firearms and ammunition from owners before they could go inside THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED for weapon possession. Boston attempted to address this concern in 2006 by designating sites like churches as drop-off locations. Other jurisdictions have held gun buybacks run by nonprofit groups, but law enforcement officials are frequently on-hand as security, or to help take the guns to be destroyed after the buyback. No sizeable US impact So far, gun buybacks in the United States have been a community-based, grassroots endeavor with limited impact. Their feasibility on a state or nationwide scale is unclear. Cost alone may be a prohibiting factor. Assuming a $50 per firearm incentive, reducing the U.S. gun stock by one per cent would cost $196.5 million. Inevitably, only some of the guns purchased would have been used in future crimes. Lacey Wallace is an assistant professor of criminal justice at Pennsylvania State University. Courtesy of The Conversation / INSP.ngo �LOCAL 6 NAug o v 2 22 - N-oSept v 19, 5, 2 02019 18 | |NNo. o . 393 414 A Deadly Disruption: The Invasion of Electric Scooters Felix Winternitz Contributing Writer T he streets of OTR can be dangerous, but perhaps not for the reason you might think. I've been nearly side-swiped – twice, yet – by the electric motor scooters that are so prevalent. As a pedestrian, I find the influx of these devil's spawns most alarming. Once, the scooter culprit who almost mowed me down was just 14 years old; he'd borrowed his mother's VISA card to achieve his audacious adventure, cruising the sidewalks without a driver's license. Like many riders, he wore no safety helmet. Think about it: These demonic, forrent devices can apparently be obtained with no confirmation that the drivers are schooled in the rules of the road. Or in the rules of the sidewalk, for that matter. They can reach a cruising speed of 15 mph. Some are evidenced being driven in a damaged condition. My first near miss occurred at the entrance of A Taste of Belgium restaurant. My favorite waiter could only shake his head and bemoan the state of the streets. By way of anecdotal evidence, the waiter offered sympathy while bemoaning "We hear complaints sometimes from our customers. Sometimes, these folks are driving with earplugs while listening to their music." The scooters roar by on the sidewalks or along streets, careening notably Vine and its connecting crossings. Some of the drivers can be seen exiting from the plethora of bars along Vine, combining with alcoholic intoxication to inflate the haywire mix. Adding injury to insult is that these sidewalk road warriors can often be seen absurdly checking their e-mails and social media accounts, even as they cruise along wildly. There seems to be no confirmation system to guarantee the driver on this motorized vehicle is insured, in event of a crash with an unwary walker. Is there any Cincinnati council person who represents the interests of Cincinnati's pedestrian population? Who regulates this overnight industry locally? There were 39 Cincinnati pedestrians struck by some kind of vehicle, just in February. All this comes on the heels of news reports that the number of pedestrian deaths in America has reach a 30year high. In fairness, the reports also blames smart-phone distraction and the increasing prevalence of SUVs. The Governors Highway Safety Association white-paper shows pedestrian traffic fatalities have soared, with more than 6,000 deaths in 2018. A frightening statistic. Pedestrian deaths now account for 16 percent of motor-vehicle crash deaths, up from 12 percent just a decade ago. "We're killing way too many pedestrians. This has got to be a top priority," observes Jonathan Adkins, executive director of the non-profit Highway Safety Association, which monitors stats from state and local police agencies and commissioned this report. Yes, many of these deaths have occurred as pedestrians cross at intersections on crosswalks, at their own risk. But many among the stunning body count are simply innocent walkers strolling along metro sidewalks, victims obscenely slammed to the concrete. "It's very bleak," comments Richard Retting, who wrote the report. "We're seeing a complete reversal of the progress that had been made in the 1980s." Retting's report notes fatalities have risen 45 percent since 2009. "Drivers need to keep in mind [that they] have a machine and capability to kill someone else." As the Enquirer recently noted: "They're here: The electric scooters so loved – and so hated – in other cities. Seemingly overnight, Bird, a vehiclesharing company, dropped off its electric scooters on Cincinnati streets. Want-to-be riders can download the Bird app and rent a ride to scoot around town. ... The rental process is quick – you'll need a credit card and a driver's license." Rides are $1 initially plus 15 cents per minute. The maximum charge is $100 for 24 hours. The company claims no responsibility for enforcing insurance coverage. According to the Bird terms of service: "All applicable laws (including, without limitation, those applicable to traffic, pedestrians, parking, charging and electric vehicles) must be obeyed, including any helmet laws in your area. ... Rider represents and certifies that he/ she is familiar with the operation of the vehicle, and is reasonably competent and physically fit to ride the vehicle. By choosing to ride a vehicle, rider assumes all responsibilities and risks for any injuries or medical conditions. You are responsible for determining whether conditions, including, without limitation, rain, fog, snow, hail, ice, heat or electrical storms, make it dangerous to operate a vehicle. You are advised to adjust your riding behavior and braking distance to suit the weather, visibility, surrounding environment, and traffic conditions." Bird says it recommends against operation of a vehicle while carrying or holding a briefcase, backpack, bag, or other item that can alter balance or impair safe operation. "If you choose to use such an item, Bird recommends that you ensure the item fits snugly to your body and does not impede your ability to operate the vehicle safely." Ha! Words of assurance can be cheap. These scooters are dockless, meaning riders can blithely leave them wherever they happen to stop. I've seen scooters lying sideways on the sidewalk, blocking passers-by, or leaned against doorways and against storefront businesses. Once, an abandoned scooter blocked a wheelchair ramp. A few times, I've even seen two riders piggy-backing along in tandem on one single scooters (both were carrying backpacks, yet another potential hazard to safe steering). And along with the e-scooter backlash have come the lawsuits. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Perhaps the most high-profile case was filed last October, when Bird and Lime, along with two manufacturers of the vehicles they use, Segway and Xiaomi, became the subject of a punitive classaction suit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Nine plaintiffs accused the companies of “indiscriminate, negligent, grossly negligent and/or unlawful ‘deployment’ … of fleets of defective” scooters in that city. The web site CityLab recently queried: "The rise of the rented e-scooter has brought safety fears and injury-related lawsuits. What happens when a new mobility mode meets the American legal system?" In other words, who gets blamed when something goes wrong? Back to the Queen City: "It's unclear what notice, if any, Cincinnati officials had prior to Bird's arrival" according to a recent Enquirer story. In other words, local public servants were blind-sided. After introduction of emergency interim rules, Cincinnati City Council’s Law and Public Safety Committee last September approved an ordinance that would change the city’s municipal code to specifically ban scooters on sidewalks. Currently, it's a general ban against riding any “powered means of transportation” on sidewalks. It’s a $100 fine for the first offense. For my part, I'm not seeing any riders getting a ticket. Councilman David Mann thinks Bird should be on the hook. “Because otherwise, they don’t have any real incentive to make sure this stuff doesn’t happen,” Mann told the newspaper. “I’ve been saying to myself, it’s just a matter of time before we have a serious injury. ... Bird is a profitmaking activity which has landed here for one purpose, to make money for someone,” Mann stated. “Profit is fine, but the damage inflicted by any enterprise must be assumed by the business, not an innocent public." Let's hear it for that. As Mann astutely observes: "It’s equally clear people are flouting those rules, and the company seems to be shrugging that off." Mann reports he sees people on a daily basis barreling down the sidewalks, blowing through red lights and going the wrong way down one-way streets. He’s also not sure the 18-and-up policy is being properly enforced. “I’m approaching it as a lawyer,” he said. “How can Bird be required to assume serious responsibility that will cause them to take serious steps? I’m all for having fun, but let’s understand that the sidewalks are a shared space.” The electric scooter industry is on a collision course with the rights of pedestrians. Here's hoping for, if you'll excuse the expression, a concrete resolution. �LOCAL NAug o. 3922 3 |-NSept ov 2 -5, N2019 o v 19,| No. 2 0 18414 7 Cincinnati History in Perspective, Part 1 Dr. Mark Mussman I Staff Writer t has been said that Cincinnati has always been a city of immigrants, but perhaps it should be rewritten as a city of homelessness. Going back 40,000 years, people have always lived among these 7 hills. The Hopewell, Shawnee, Adena, and Osage were just some of the people who lived here before the invasion. There were major earthwork mounds and other features that were created over the span of tens of thousands of years. In a matter of a hundred years, we destroyed all the evidence in the downtown basin. The Cincinnati Tablet was found near the Shelterhouse’s new location, on Mound Street, but all the other evidence has been removed. Even Bald Knob, which I believe was a sacred place, was removed for infill of Union Terminal. To the south, the Cherokee and Chickasaw, among others, lived in the hills of Kentucky before removal. The French and Indian War ended in 1763, and the removal process started shortly after that. In 1788, Cincinnati was originally known as Losantiville, which combined several languages to mean “the city across from the Licking River.” 200 years ago this year, Cincinnati officially became the city’s name, named after a Roman general and farmer, and the society that bares its name. For many years, Cincinnati was geographically smaller than downtown today. With Fort Washington near the location of the Taft Museum, all the area to the north was known as “Indian Territory” and it was considered unsafe to travel, as Native Americans were being attacked, killed, homes destroyed, and captured, in order for the invaders to take the land, which would eventually become Cincinnati. Our policies have always pushed people into homelessness. In 1804, Ohio enacted the Black Code, which required all Black people to register with the local magistrate, have two white people vouch for them, and pay a hefty sum, just to live in Ohio. Ohio used that money to build and create systems of oppression for Black people that continue to exacerbate homelessness. Ohio was literally built upon the backs of Black people as these laws were in effect until 1849, just one year after the mass migration out of Europe began. In 1848 a social movement in Europe began. Seeking our First and Second Amendment rights, the Forty Eighters left Europe for North and South America, as well as Australia. More than 30,000 Germans settled here in Over-the-Rhine (before it was called that), and built the buildings we still have today. Over-the-Rhine has the largest collection of German Italianate architecture anywhere in the their idea of “native” had nothing to do with Native Americans, they pretended that they were more worthy of the land here. Many laws preventing Catholics from building and owning land were created by lumping them in with Native Americans and Black people, who were barred from owning land or even protection through the courts. There was even an election day conflict that involved shooting a cannon over the canal. Eventually, the Germans became “white” and were able to fully participate and benefit from societal advantages. Up until World War I, schools, newspapers, books and other minimum wage kept up with inflation - the cost of living - the hourly rate would be over $22 today. Contrasting that with the federal minimum wage of $7.25, which Kentucky follows, it’s clear to see that the minimum wage needs to become a livable wage. But there’s one thing that came out of the Great Depression that’s not so obvious, and that’s the home ownership program that created the suburbs that we know today. Most housing in Cincinnati was built before housing discrimination (based upon race) was still very much legal and practiced widely. The federal home ownership program was notoriously racist, as International delegation takes walking tour with Dr. Mark Mussman world because the World Wars largely destroyed the German buildings in Germany. The Germans came here, homeless, with little wealth, but many trade skills. Candle and rope making, beer and wine producing, masonry and woodworking, were some of the opportunities that the immigrants had. There was great conflict between the “Nativist” and immigrants. The white Nativists felt superior, even though Over-the-Rhine People's Movement Public Walking Tour August 2019 publications were in the German language. Many schools were bilingual, German and English. During the War, street names were changed (Bremen became Republic, Frankfort became Connecticut, Berlin became Woodrow, Hamburg became Stonewall, Hanover became Yukon, etc.), people were deported, and it is said that it became “illegal to speak German” in Cincinnati. After the War, the US weathered the Great Depression, and Cincinnati’s location along the river helped us stay afloat with cheap transportation. When it comes to housing the Great Depression has shaped the United States more than almost anything else. The Cincinnati that we know today was a result of Great Depression programs and post-war efforts. Even today, you can find WPA stamps on bridges, roads, playgrounds, schools, and other important developments. The Great Depression also set a minimum wage (except for tipped employees, incarcerated individuals, and people with developmental differences), which was supposed to be enough to buy a home, send your children to school, and put food on the table. If THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Black people were called “vermin” in our government documents. The resulting Redlining shaped our city and country. From 1934-1970, the federal government gave out $120 billion in low-interest, fixed-rate loans to build the suburbs. Over 98% of the loans went exclusively to white people to build generational wealth. Even though there was a generally level playing field after the Great Depression since no one had money, Black people were excluded from the home ownership program, denying them the opportunity to create generational wealth, or even housing stability. Today, we continue to feel the effects of this discriminatory practice as Black people are more likely to experience homelessness and have overall much less family wealth. Coupled with contemporary racism, Black people in Cincinnati face many barriers and obstacles. If you’d like to learn more about the history and contemporary issues facing Cincinnati, please schedule a Over-the-Rhine People’s Movement Walking Tour through our website: cincihomeless.org �FEATURED 8 El Paso attack upends white normalization plan Jeff Schoep, former chairman of the National Socialist Movement, speaks during a rally at the state capitol in Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S., November 10, 2018. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart Nick Brown Reuters T wo years ago, America’s white nationalist movement stunned the country. NeoNazi demonstrations in Charlottesville, Virginia, had turned deadly when a far-right protester drove a car through a crowd, killing one and injuring dozens. Some movement leaders regrouped. Instead of stoking outrage, they set out to build support with another tack: Looking normal. The larger goal was what many white nationalists call “Phase 2” — gaining mainstream acceptance for far-right ideas widely rejected as repugnant and getting white nationalists into positions of influence. The normalization effort included softened rhetoric and social gatherings that, for many groups, would increasingly replace confrontational rallies. “The strategy is internally focused now — having families get together,” said alt-right blogger Brad Griffin, a self-avowed white nationalist from Montgomery, Alabama. He fondly recalled a river-tubing trip he organized in 2018 for friends who had attended a local white nationalist conference. The goal of such low-key gatherings, he said, is to spread far-right ideology away from the public spectacle of a public protest. “It’s a lot more fun to do that than to go out and tangle with Antifa” — members of America’s farleft “anti-fascist” movement — “and get hit with piss balloons in the street.” Griffin spoke in an interview before last weekend’s massacre in El Paso, Texas — an event that has scrambled the calculus for the movement’s aspiring normalizers. On Saturday, authorities say, 21-year-old Patrick Crusius shot and killed 22 people and wounded two dozen more shortly after a manifesto appeared online explaining his motivation and decrying a “Hispanic invasion” of the United States. The El Paso attack has also put new pressure on a man some white nationalists praise as helping advance their movement: Donald Trump. The U.S. president has come under sustained criticism for his racially incendiary rhetoric since launching his candidacy in 2015 — including his repeated use of the word “invasion” to describe immigration along the U.S.Mexico border. On Monday, Trump issued his most forceful disavowal of white supremacism to date. “In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry N o v 222 - N v 19,5,22019 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Aug - oSept 414 nationalist and white supremacy,” Trump said in response to the weekend’s shootings. “These sinister ideologies must be defeated.” After Charlottesville, the lie-low approach was seen as a necessity by some in the movement. Many white nationalist groups were sued and lost access to social media, which has caused them to avoid public confrontations, said Heidi Beirich, who studies farright groups for the Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit civil rights organization that tracks extremists. “We haven’t seen many rallies since Charlottesville,” she said. The combination of bad press, prosecutions and lost access to social media, has “depressed people in the movement” and created a sense that “maybe the softer approach is the way to go.” The shootings, and Trump’s repudiation, leave the normalizers in a difficult, perhaps impossible spot. Their gambit was always a stretch. A Reuters photojournalist has observed the approach up close — at a children’s nursery in a “church” run by the Ku Klux Klan (KKK); a restaurant-and-bar that caters to white supremacists in Georgia; a barbecue held in Arkansas by the ShieldWall Network, a self-avowed neo-Nazi group with dozens of members. Even as they described their hopes of mainstreaming, many members of these and other groups also voiced the violent tropes that animate the movement. One is the so-called Great Replacement conspiracy theory, common in white nationalist circles, Members of the ShieldWall Network hold up balloons decorated as the face of Adolf Hitler and give a white-power hand signal as they celebrate the German fascist's birthday outside Atkins, Arkansas, U.S., April 20, 2019. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �N o. 39 3 |- N ov 2 5, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Aug 22 Sept | No. 414 9 FEATURED Members of the ShieldWall Network, a white nationalist group, burn a swastika and cross during a party outside Atkins, Arkansas, U.S., March 9, 2019. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart which holds that leftist elites are engineering the replacement of white majorities globally through policies that encourage mass migrations as white birth rates decline. The manifesto tied to the El Paso shooting referenced the replacement theory in explaining why the shooter chose to kill Hispanic people. Asked in a May interview how whites could regain demographic dominance, ShieldWall’s leader, Billy Roper, told Reuters that promoting a higher birth rate among white people is helpful, but “bullets” would be faster. Roper said his organization doesn’t advocate anything illegal but that he “couldn’t disagree” with the goals of the mass shooter who murdered 51 people at two Muslim mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand in March. That killer, too, had cited the replacement theory as a motive. In a phone interview after the Texas massacre, Roper said he didn’t support the killings. But the victims, Roper said, “were just pawns in the Jewish game of demographic replacement of whites,” adding that such “cultural conflicts” are an “unfortunate fact of modern life” in an increasingly diverse nation moving closer to racial “balkanization.” The strategy of trying to couch such extreme views in mainstream rhetoric is not new. One of the highestprofile examples of the normalization tack is that of David Duke, a former KKK grand wizard who traded the klan’s signature white robes and pointy hats for a business suit, adopted more mainstream conservative talking points, and made the runoff election for Louisiana governor in 1991. Duke lost by a wide margin but drew support from about half the state’s white voters. The normalization effort is also not universal. Some far-right groups are still known for confrontation, including the Proud Boys, who last October fought with people protesting a Republican Club event in New York City. In Draketown, Georgia, Pat Lanzo runs a restaurant-and-bar that white supremacists have claimed as their own. Lanzo insists the Georgia Peach Oyster Bar is merely a celebration of free speech. “We’re not racist,” he said. “We hate everyone equally.” The decor inside his bar is filled with the kind of racist tropes that remain a hard sell with mainstream America. His menus feature a drawing of a Klan member relaxing on a hammock made of two lynched black corpses tied together at the feet. And Lanzo has rented his property to neoNazis and klan members for cross burnings, a traditional show of force by the KKK in the American South. The image-scrubbing by today’s white nationalists belies a long history of violence by far-right ideologues. In the ten years ending in 2018, murderers motivated by far-right ideology took the lives of 124 people in 62 incidents, according to the U.S. Extremist Crime Database, a collaboration of criminal justice researchers from multiple universities. The statistics include white supremacists but also those with other far-right agendas that are not focused on race, such as anti-government militants. Thomas Robb, the national director of The Knights Party, a group formerly named the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, said the movement should think beyond confrontations and rallies. “When the rally’s over, what do you do?” said Robb in an interview before the El Paso shootings. “Our goal isn’t so much to get membership, but influence. When people come to our website, they see responsible people who aren’t using the ‘N word’ in every sentence.” Instead, Robb said, the aim is to “speak like Corporate America” as a way to make far-right ideas more palatable to a broader audience. White nationalists have always debated whether putting “reasonable clothing” on their movement would get them further than street clashes and violence, said Mike German, a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, a left-leaning policy institute. But the approach appears to have gained momentum under Trump in part because of the president’s racially divisive rhetoric, said German, who previously spent years undercover with white nationalists as an agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). “Before, white nationalists were trying to shove their way into the mainstream,” German said. “Now, they’re being invited in.” It’s far from clear whether many true believers are ready for life in the mainstream. This past April in Russellville, Arkansas, a lakeside college town, three members of the ShieldWall Network gathered to rent a houseboat and cruise around Lake Dardanelle. A Reuters photojournalist went with them. Moods were light; they toasted one another with Fireball whiskey shots, THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED laughed when one of them dropped his phone in the lake and cooed as another cuddled with his pregnant wife. Later that night, the group would initiate a new recruit, Nicholas Holloway, and burn wooden swastikas. Two months later, in June, Holloway and two other ShieldWall members on the boat that day — Julian Calfy and John Carollo — were arrested for allegedly beating a gay man and holding a gun to his head after luring him to Calfy’s home with a false dating advertisement, according to police reports. Calfy remains in jail, while the other two members are free on bail, according to a spokesman for the Pope County, Arkansas, Sheriff ’s Office. Each is charged with thirddegree battery, first-degree terroristic threatening and first-degree criminal mischief in connection with the attack. Neither the defendants nor their attorneys could be reached for comment. Griffin, the alt-right blogger, condemned the El Paso shooting in stronger terms than other extremists who spoke to Reuters, calling it and other mass shootings by avowed white nationalists “insane tragedies.” At the same time, Griffin said he supported resegregation of the races, echoing one of the core principles of the manifesto that authorities tied to the Texas shooter. The continuing violence, he said, undermines any attempt by the movement to gain more mainstream acceptance. At this point, he said, most white nationalists would rather just “stay out of the debate.” Courtesy of Reuters / INSP.ngo �10 GLOBAL N o v 222 - N v 19,5,22019 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Aug - oSept 414 Freedom, money, babies: Indian women rescued from slavery count their losses Anuradha Nagaraj and Roli Srivastava F Reuters ive months into her pregnancy, Soniya was still carrying heavy sacks up steps at the rice mill in south India where she was forced to work to pay off a family debt. By the time she was rescued, her baby had died. Soniya spent four years in debt bondage, the most prevalent form of slavery in India, to pay off a family loan of 50,000 Indian rupees ($725). Like many women in her situation, she had no access to health care. Her rescuers said she appeared malnourished, frail and on the point of collapse, had her hands wrapped around her stomach and refused to speak. "Health checks are not mandated after a rescue, but the lost expression in her eyes suggested that something was amiss," said Megraj Kasim, the local officer in charge of rescue and rehabilitation of bonded workers. "We rushed her to a hospital, but it was too late," he said, from Vellore district in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. A series of rescues this year have highlighted the plight of the hundreds of pregnant and lactating women working in brick kilns, rice mills and on farms across India, often to pay off debts they did not incur. "The women are silenced into submission by threats, which is why their trauma is often unheard," said Helen Barnabas, a counsellor with the International Justice Mission, an antitrafficking charity. "In almost every rescue, there is at least one pregnant woman or one nursing a newborn, who have been denied medical access, forced to work and gone through trauma that they are rarely able to articulate. The cruelty is unimaginable." India's labour ministry did not respond to emails or calls from the Thomson Reuters Foundation on the issue. ‘Heartbreaking’ stories India identified more than 135,000 bonded workers in its 2011 census despite banning the practice in 1976. It says more than 300,000 people have been pulled out of slavery since 1976 and has committed to rescue and rehabilitate more than 10 million bonded labourers by 2030. Kasim said the testimonies of women who had lost their children were the toughest to record, but gave the "true picture of the extent of exploitation". "The women don't speak easily and we work very hard on gaining their trust," he said. "But when they trust you enough to speak, their accounts are heartbreaking. Even the toughest officials are moved by their suffering, especially if they lose a child." Kasim has now mandated health checks in all rescues in his region, a move the Tamil Nadu government is looking to enforce across the state in the future. Barnabas said women from tribal areas were often told to treat themselves like their grandmothers did using traditional herbs, depriving them of access to modern medicine," "But the tragedy is that when they lose their child, they often don't blame the mill owners but themselves and say they have angered their gods and goddesses," she said. "It takes them years to understand that it was not their fault." Born into bondage Ashtama Devi, 35, spent the last trimester of her pregnancy in the searing heat of a brick kiln in the northern state of Haryana. She went back to work within 15 days of her delivery, leaving her baby boy in the care of her seven-year-old son in their tin roofed hut next to the brick kiln. When they were rescued six months later, the child had blisters all over his body that Devi attributed to the intense heat he was exposed to from birth. "I baked bricks and worked 14 hours every day (during my pregnancy)," said Devi by phone from Delhi after she was rescued last month. "My employer would beat up my husband when he asked for permission to take me to the doctor." She recalled how during her two earlier pregnancies, health workers in her home village ensured she had nutritional supplements and she also received 1,400 rupees cash from the government when she delivered. In bondage, she had no such care and gave birth to an underweight baby. "My baby weighed 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) when he was born. He is really weak," she said. Devi, who was lured into bondage with an advance payment of 15,000 rupees and the promise of a better life, was among 80 people rescued last month, 32 of whom were children. Nirmal Gorana, convener of the National Campaign Committee for Eradication of Bonded Labour - a network of campaigners - said Devi's baby was severely malnourished when he was rescued and his condition is still critical. "The children when we reached the site were all visibly weak, had skin diseases and none of them had any clothes on. They were living in the searing heat next to brick kiln under a tin roof shed," Gorana said. Manki Devi, who was among those rescued from Haryana, gave birth earlier this month to a baby that died within an hour. For Soniya, who still believes she is pregnant and is undergoing counselling, the days ahead will be tough, Barnabas said. "We find that they go through long spells of depression before they really understand what happened," she said. "And then the sadness will be replaced by rage." Courtesy of Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation / INSP.ngo A girl carries bricks to be baked in a kiln at a brickyard on the outskirts of Karad in Satara district, about 396km (246 miles) south of Mumbai February 13, 2012. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �N o. 39 3 |- N ov 2 5, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Aug 22 Sept | No. 414 GLOBAL 11 'We will become homeless': U.S. residents fear housing rule change could force them out of homes Carey L. Biron Reuters F ears are mounting across the United States over a proposal by President Donald Trump's administration that would force tens of thousands of families to choose between splitting up or being homeless together. The proposed rule change, on which a national public comment period ended in July, would deny public housing assistance for "mixedstatus" households — those in which at least one member is an undocumented immigrant. Housing secretary Ben Carson said in May - when the change was first proposed - that it was a necessary move to reduce long wait times for housing assistance. But housing researchers and advocates say the proposal would not have the desired effect and would instead lead to higher rates of homelessness. Analysis from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said the rule change would affect more than 108,000 people. That includes 55,000 children, many of whom are American citizens with an undocumented parent, according to the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA), a national nonprofit focusing on affordable housing. That is the situation facing Cari Torres in Los Angeles, California. The single mother from Jalisco, Mexico, is undocumented, but her son was born in the United States. "If the rule goes on, we will be homeless, my son and I," she said, noting that rental rates in Los Angeles are very high and affordable housing largely unavailable. Torres, 37, said she and her son would probably be forced to stay with friends: "I don't know, and, honestly, I can't imagine how bad this could be." She added that many other people she knows are in a similar situation and are "afraid of what could happen". Like many U.S. cities, Los Angeles is already dealing with an acute housing crisis. The city's homelessness rate rose by 16 per cent in the past year alone, according to government figures released in June. "There are over 50,000 people in the county experiencing homelessness, and we're going to add something like 20 per cent more through this policy," said Bill Przylucki of People Organized for Westside Renewal, a community development group in Los Angeles. "And the people who would be added are folks who are even more vulnerable because they would face challenges to employment and accessing benefits because of this status issue," he said. U.S. taxpayers do not subsidise housing for undocumented immigrants under current policy; rather, subsidy rates are prorated depending on the number of eligible members in a household. The rule change would do away with that prorating, instead making the entire household ineligible if a single member is undocumented. In a May meeting with lawmakers, Carson said he sees the prorating process as "giving aid and assistance to people who are here illegally". He also noted that residents who lose housing assistance under the The sun sets on a public housing project in Brooklyn known as the "Pink Houses", where Akai Gurley was killed by what the New York Police Department is saying could be an accidental discharge in New York November 21, 2014. A New York City officer shot and killed an unarmed man in a dimly lit stairwell of a Brooklyn housing project, in what may have been an accidental discharge of his weapon, the police commissioner said on Friday. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED new rule could get deferrals of up to 18 months to give them time to find somewhere else to live. The housing department did not respond to a request for additional comment. The proposal brought in more than 30,000 responses during the recent two-month comment period, which Przylucki characterised as unusually large for a housing policy. He also said 90 per cent of those comments - which were publically available - were negative. Several pending legislative changes from Democratic lawmakers, floated since the proposal was made public, would bar the housing department from implementing the change. For now, community advocates like Przylucki are pushing back against what he said is a wave of fear and misinformation, explaining to residents that the proposal may not go forward, while planning for people to remain housed if it does. "Fear has been effectively instilled on this and, of course, housing authorities are very concerned about that," said Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the CLPHA, whose members manage about 40 per cent of U.S. public housing. "I think we've reached universal consensus that we have a (housing) crisis. And the scarcity of resources is what is making the waiting list so long — not mixed family status," she said. As with any U.S. regulatory change, the housing department is required to go through and respond to all submissions received during the public comment period before it decides on its next step. Zaterman and others said that process would typically take several months. "A lot of costs in the public sector are related to housing instability and homelessness, and to have a policy that clearly would result in exacerbating that problem is contrary to everything we stand for," said Zaterman. On Monday the Trump administration also announced that starting in October, it intends to make it more difficult for legal immigrants to become U.S. citizens or get residency if they have used public benefits, including housing assistance. "If implemented, the rule will grant immigration officers the authority to punish immigrants for accessing services legally," said Ali Noorani, executive director of advocacy group the National Immigration Forum, in a statement. Courtesy of Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation / INSP.ngo �12 Finding Courage STREETVOICE Having been in a state of fear for most of my adult life, I have struggled with “Finding Courage.” I looked for courage from others. My parents mainly. I looked for courage in drugs & alcohol, in pretending to be someone other than myself. What I found out recently, is my courage has to come from within. This is not a new revelation, it's just finally hit home or finally got through my thick skull. To be more clear about what I mean about “Find Courage,” I got my first apartment and began living on my own 9 months ago. May not sound like a big deal, but you have to understand, I'm 56 years old and I'm doing this. Imagine the embarrassment, the fear, the pride that's involved in this. It's been a struggle I must admit. I fell back into my old habits and have fallen on hard times. This is where the "Finding Courage" comes into play. I found the courage to not stay stuck. I've been doing what I can to seek help. I've swallowed my pride and gone out and told people, “hey I'm in trouble, help!" Never before would I have done this. Not doing it 100%, I'm still fearful of some hurdles I have to climb over, but I'm working on it. They call it "Fear of the Unknown" or "Anxiety.” I've reached out for help with that. My courage has come from within and my prayers to God. I have been praying daily for his help. He has been there for me. He has put people in my path to give me help and support and I have been open to accept it. One thing I must say is that I'm so afraid to give up what I have, but right now I can't keep the things I have if I don't get into action. I ruined my opportunity at this. Not saying I can't rebuild again, just have to have the Courage and Patience to start over. At times I forget that patience is another key component me "Finding Courage.” It's not going to happen in an instant, it's going to take some time. Also making a decision and sticking to it is another thing I have to be conscious of. Making good decisions. I haven't had much luck with that in the past, but at least I'm aware of it. So today I take a leap of faith and open up to get over the hurdle that is causing me sleepless nights. Realizing that it's me that is the biggest hurdle that I must climb over is the one that is the toughest. I have to get out of my own way in order to get back on track. N o v 22 2 - -NSept o v 19, 0 18 || No. N o . 414 393 Aug 5, 22019 I have to say that nothing is impossible in my life today. I can do the things that I have been so scared to face. I have the Courage I have been looking for and I have the confidence in myself to see it thru til the end. To bring this to a close, I just want to say to anybody like myself who have found themselves in a situation in life that seems unbearable. Breathe and relax. If I can do it so can you. It will take some swallowing of Pride which was hard for me to do, but it has been worth the temporary pain that I was having. I can sleep today, I can hold my head up and look myself in the mirror and see a man who is not the person he once was. I am a new man. A man who has " Found Courage!!" Bobby Morris Contributing Writer The Birds Your Birds are amazing Dear Lord What a wonderful Sound to hear Your birds singing their beautiful songs from all around They all join in with their little tweets and churks The older birds work hard to help the little ones learn to grow teaching them how to join in on the songs The baby birds grow So many different types of birds Some red robins Some hummingbirds Some baby sparrows Some wild Some loud each bird is so precious with its own different style The birds learn to fly and soar high Kim Green ContributingWriter Streetvibes Distributor Streetvibes Writing Circle If you would like to submit a story for publication in streetvibes, come join Katelyn Lusher, Chris Wilkey, and Alex McIntosh for a group writing session! THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 Nov 25, - 2019 N o v 19, 2 0 414 18 Aug 223-|Sept | No. A New Beginning STREETVOICE God is good, not some of the time but all the time 24/7 I believe that be the reason we live on earth and god lives 13 Reality Tv Or Fantasy Land? What has become known as "Reality TV," Is quite far from the realities of you and me. in heaven You see beautiful women vying for a hubby, Looking back on my life and the so many changes that i And rich housewives who rarely are tubby. The show, The Apprentice, was quite unreal. went through Learning from repeated mistakes good and bad until i It turned a failed realtor into a very big deal. A more accurate label would be "Fantasy TV," With "distortion-warnings" for you and me. learned what to do Realizing today knowing what to do and how to do it plus BILL WOODS the method to use Contributing Writer I see now that having knowledge doesn't determine the route we choose I know now that everyday above ground is a day to take heed and learn I know now that my choices will determine whether i live with god or i burn When Trump read his teleprompter speech about the Dayton and El Paso tragedies, did you wonder why he mentioned Toledo? Today, knowing, understanding with the realization that yesterday is pasted Praying and hoping my words will linger in your memory making a change to last If you haven't paid attention to your life may you look back and see That a new beginning is what's up for the politicians and that includes you and me Willa D. Jones Contributing Writer Streetvibes Distributor Poll Question By Bill Woods THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �PUZZLES 14 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 107 Across 1. Passport endorsement 5. Take notice of 9. Bitter quarrel 13. Golf club 14. Notion 15. Pointer 17. Young male horse 18. Grime 19. Tenet 20. Heavy block where hot metals are shaped 22. Prejudice 24. Notable achievement 25. Cereal grass seed 26. Not in use 28. Pastry item 30. Color 31. Animal coat 32. Travel a route regularly 35. Modernize 38. Charter 39. Regret 40. Narrow secluded valley 41. Part of a journey 42. Scintilla 43. On the sheltered side 44. Something intended to deceive 46. Small storeroom for food 48. High-pitched bark 49. Peculiar 50. Pack of cards 51. Append 52. Conceited 53. Small fruit seed 56. Endure 59. Slender 61. Evade 63. Theatrical performer 65. In addition 67. Region 68. Musical instrument 69. Without speed 70. Approach 71. Sketched 72. Rational 73. Small wooded hollow PUZZLE SOLUTIONS CROSSWORD #107 Down 1. Clergyman 2. Satire 3. Figure out 4. Not in favor of 5. Concealed 6. Comestible 7. Spooky 8. Information 9. Craze 10. Wear away 11. Exhort 12. Concave shape 16. Batch 21. Rhythmicity 23. Incite or stimulate 27. Scheduled to arrive 29. Anger 30. Prohibit 31. Mediterranean fruit 32. Poke 33. Stringed instrument 34. Period of time 35. Horrible 36. Supplication 37. Unfathomable 38. Jinx 41. Boy or man 42. Irritate 44. Brick carrier 45. Betting ratio 46. Hawaiian garland 47. Skin condition 50. Sweet dark purple plum 51. Make amends 52. Country house in ancient Rome 53. Food processed in a blender 54. Paragon 55. Sometimes found in an oyster 56. Circuit 57. Turns litmus paper red 58. Celestial body 60. Young girl 62. Bring ashore 64. Angry dispute 66. Be indebted to N o v 222 - N v 19, 0 18 || N o . 393 Aug - oSept 5,22019 No. 414 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 2- EASY SODOKU PUZZLE NO 1- EASY PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 ov 2 5, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Aug 223 -| N Sept | No. 414 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 NAug o v 222 - N- oSept v 19,5, 20 18 | |NNo. o . 393 2019 414 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 August 22-September 5, 2019 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: Rejecting Title X Pg 3: Homeless in Trump’s America Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: Could a National Buyback Program Reduce Gun Violence in America? Pg 6: A Deadly Disruption Pg 7: Cincinnati History in Perspective, Part I Pg 8: El Paso Attack Upends White Nationalist Normalization Plan Pg 9: El Paso Attack Upends White Nationalist Normalization Plan Continued Pg 10: Freedom, Money, Babies Pg 11: ‘We Will Become Homeless’ 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 August 22-September 5, 2019 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gabriela Godinez Bill Woods Lacy Wallace Peter Y. Sussman Felix Winternitz Nick Brown Dr. Mark Mussman Anuradha Nagaraj Roli Srivasta Carey L Biron Willa D. Jones Bobby Morris Kim Green INSP.com Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Anuradha Nagaraj Bill Woods Bobby Morris Carey L Biron Cincinnati Donald Trump Dr. Mark Mussman El Paso Electric Scooters Felix Winternitz Gabriela Godinez Gun Violence India INSP.com Kim Green Lacy Wallace Nick Brown Peter Y. Sussman Roli Srivasta Slavery Title X White Supremacy Willa D. Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/cce77aed66a739b794e093d1eff30244.pdf 046f3aded6b239c37b7c698898b7d1da PDF Text Text S e p t e m b e r 5 t h - S e p t e m b e r 1 9 t h 2 0 1 9 | Vo l . 2 3 I s s u e 1 8 ( N o . 4 1 5 ) 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. Barriers and Belonging Feature On Page 8 This Issue is sponsored by Cecilia and Tom Kloecker Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.com Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 12 �2 COALITION N ov 2 o v 19, 0 18 || N o . 393 Aug 5 -- N Sept 19,22019 No. 415 From The Editor: A New School Year, The Same Stories Gabriela Godinez Editor-in-chief I f you have been following with the editorials here at Streetvibes you will know that we frequently discuss issues that have a deeprooted hateful history in our country. Topics like racism, sexism, and homophobia have an extensive history in our country that lead to where we are today. These are also stories that are often left out of our children’s textbooks. We need to teach our children the true origins of America, where our society is today, and give them the tools to make their communities a better place as they grow up. We can start by telling the new generations the truths and forgotten histories of this land. Professor Hasan Kwame Jeffries argues that we need to tell the Tours focus on the historical and contemporary struggles and successes of the Overthe-Rhine Peoples' Movement. Learn what gentrification looks like and how displacement affects community members. Cost: $80/Group (max 20 in each group). Sign up today: https://cincihomeless.org/ please-register-youreducation-event-here/ stories of slavery, like that of the year of 1619, the year that American Heritage says “shaped America” as “an English privateer brought kidnapped Africans to sell as slaves.” I also don’t remember being told anything of detail about the rebellions of slaves in America. In A History of Pan African Revolt, C.L.R James describes a rebellion in Virginia in August of 1831. Enslaved Africans killed around 55 enslavers, but we aren’t taught about the bravery of these Africans because textbooks are written not to tell the truth, but to tell the story America today wants to remember. The language that is used in textbooks also helps to recreate the narrative. Words like “removal” or “reorganization” are nicely packaged vocabulary that really means murder, theft, and stolen land. Social Justice Walking Tours When we do talk about atrocities, we only briefly discuss the topic. This is often the case when the history we are talking about isn’t as far away as the genesis of the White America. Topics like lynching are often glossed over and made to seem as if there were a few bad men and we are past all that now. We should at least teach our high school students about Emmett Till, the 14-year-old boy who was brutally tortured and murdered for no other reason than a white woman said he made unwanted advances toward her. A statement that, years later, she said was a fabrication. We also don’t talk about the lynching of Mexicans in the Southwest. According to NPR “recent research reveals that Mexican workers and landowners were the targets of mob lynchings.” The list of forgotten histories goes on and on and on. I am saying that these topics cannot and should not be abbreviated and yet here I am writing a short editorial about the matter. The problem is that there is simply not enough space in this paper to mention every single atrocity America has tried to forget. But there is enough time to mention them within all the years students are in school. If our children are old enough to protest and bring light to complex topics like climate change and gun control, then they are mature enough to understand how we got here in the first place. Knowing how this country was truly molded will help them understand how to properly tackle our modern issues. These new generations want to know the truth, and with world at their fingertips by way of the Internet, we should at least try to guide them through the truth before they learn the harsh truth on their own. We are getting better at telling our history, but there is still so much to improve on. S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org www.cincistreetvibe.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor-in-chief: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Volunteer Editors: Katelyn Lusher, Chris Wilkey Distributor Program Manager: Sallie Mascus Layout: Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Reception: Bonita Batton, Larry Johnson Maintenance: Pete Roper ------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Gabriela Godinez, Bill Woods, Lacy Wallace, Peter Y. Sussman, Felix Winternitz, Nick Brown Dr. Mark Mussman, Anuradha Nagaraj, Roli Srivasta, Carey L Biron, Willa D. Jones, Bobby Morris, Kim Green ------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: , Gabriela Godinez, INSP.com, , ---------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition do not endorse candidates for public office. �No. 39 | Nov 19, 2- N o v 19, 2 0 18 Aug 5 3- Sept 2019 | No. 415 3 HOMELESSNESS Climate Change Is Already Amplifying the Affordable Housing Crisis Jared Brey Next City W hen Hurricane Michael tore through the Florida panhandle last October, it killed at least 43 people, caused an estimated $25 billion in damage, and destroyed thousands of homes. In Mexico Beach, Florida, where the storm made landfall and the damage was concentrated, nearly half the homes were destroyed and almost all of them were damaged. Many residents were still living in substandard housing six months after the storm, and competing for a shrunken pool of rental units with workers who had come to town to assist in the storm recovery, according to a report in The Washington Post. Other areas of Florida were already facing challenging housing shortages. And earlier this year, the state legislature once again pulled money from an affordable housing trust fund to pay for other programs, including disaster relief. Housing damage from extreme weather events like Hurricane Michael “further compounds the nationwide affordable housing crisis,” the Center for American Progress, the left-leaning D.C. think tank with close ties to the Democratic Party, wrote in a report released earlier this month called ‘A Perfect Storm: Extreme Weather as an Affordable Housing Crisis Multiplier’. “Efforts to address the devastating impacts of natural disasters … have thus far failed to consider the threat multiplier effect that more extreme weather and scarce supply of affordable housing has on frontline communities — those most likely to experience the worst and first climate impacts,” the report says. “Solutions that offer only temporary relief in the wake of disasters and/or are directed to wealthier households and homeowners will perpetuate the loss of affordable housing stock that, when damaged, is often demolished rather than rebuilt. Moreover, they will increase displacement, housing poverty, and homelessness.” Catastrophic weather events are becoming more frequent. In the last three years, for example, weather events like storms, floods, and wildfires that caused at least $1 billion in damage, adjusted for inflation, doubled the yearly average during the period between 1980 and 2018. “One of the reasons we wanted to write something like this was because, I think, people get caught up in thinking and hearing that climate change is some kind of distant threat,” says Heidi Schultheis, a co-author and senior policy analyst in the Poverty to Prosperity Program at CAP. “It feels a little bit intangible. We don’t see it affecting our day to day lives. We really wanted to bring home to people that this is not a distant threat. This is very much happening right now.” The report cites a March study from the National Low Income Housing Coalition which shows a nationwide shortage of 7 million housing units for low-income renters. That shortage disproportionately harms low-income communities of color and people with disabilities. Natural disasters not only exacerbate homelessness by destroying existing housing, but they also have outsized mental and physical health impacts on people who are already experiencing homelessness, the report says. The report, which was published six months after the United Nations Security Council held a discussion about climate change as a global “threat multiplier,” makes a number of recommendations for ways that the federal government as well as state and local policymakers can “build strong, healthy, fair, accessible, and affordable communities that are resilient to future climate change impacts.” Congress, for example, should direct HUD and FEMA to coordinate evacuation efforts and housing assistance in the wake of national disasters in racially equitable ways and in compliance with the Fair Housing Act, the report says. Congress should also expand federal funding for rental assistance and homelessness services programs, it says. In addition, leaders at the state, local, and federal levels should invest in climate resilient infrastructure and community development projects that don’t create displacement, while adopting design guidelines that account for greater extreme weather risks. Specifically, the Center calls on Congress to pass the Reforming Disaster Recovery Act of 2019, which would address the equitable disaster funding recommendations, and for HUD to fully implement the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, which would require housing authorities to address local segregation. States and cities also need to acknowledge the increasing frequency of extreme weather events and plan for them, says Valerie Novack, the 2019 Portlight Fellow for the Center’s Disability Justice Initiative, and a co-author of the report. For many cities, damages from weather events that impact housing aren’t even big, headline-grabbing tropical storms or hurricanes, but more workaday floods or storms that can happen on a regular basis, Novack says. And governments also need to acknowledge the time it takes to recover from the biggest disasters. “If it really takes us a decade to recover, and these events aren’t going to slow down, then what’s the reality of the scope of recovery year to year?” Novack says. Heidi Schultheis says that while the authors didn’t conduct original research for the report, they sought to compile existing information in a way that emphasized the racial justice and disability justice aspects of the climate-change and affordable-housing challenges. “The people most impacted are really those with the least power,” Schultheis says. Guillermo Ortiz, a research assistant for energy and the environment at the Center for American Progress and lead author of the report, says the report is meant to build a case for federal action on the twin crises of climate change and affordable housing so that cities and states can respond more quickly and holistically to extreme weather events. “We can develop recommendations and solutions, but ultimately, we need political will here in D.C.,” Ortiz says. “Eventually folks on the ground are going to have to deal with these things one way or another, and we want to make sure they have the resources to act at the local level.” This article was originally published by Next City, a nonprofit news organisation whose journalism amplifies solutions and helps spread them from one city to the next city. Support its work at www.nextcity.org. Ten feet of water flooded nearly 20 percent of the neighborhood throughout the city of Minot, N.D., leaving more than 4,000 homes inundated by flooding Credit: Photo by Jesse Lopez THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �4 ADVERTISMENT THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED NAug o v 2 5- -NSept o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 19,2 02019 415 �N o. 39 Nov 219, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Aug 53-|Sept | No. 415 5 U.S NEWS Life on the Streets: The proliferation of private guards Helen Hill Street Roots P rivate security guards are ubiquitous these days. They silently survey the public in stores, on sidewalks, in schools, on campuses, in malls, at apartments and in hotel lobbies. For 20 years, Street Roots vendors have watched the proliferation of private security forces on our streets, and they have strong opinions about their actions in the community. Some vendors interviewed for this article expressed a sense of comfort and security when private guards are around. Others were frustrated at being told to move or threatened with arrest after months, or years, selling Street Roots at what they had understood was a legal post. Some said they think private guards overstep their jurisdiction when they remove people from sidewalks and doorways. Others said they think they target the homeless based on appearance, both inside stores and outside on public sidewalks. A few reported violent incidents in which they were physically threatened or harmed by guard patrols at night, with only their word to back them up. Private security guards do not wear body cameras. Brian Hibler said he feels the increased presence of private security whenever he’s in major stores, such as Fred Meyer or Safeway. “They follow me around when I walk in,” Hibler said. “It depends on how you are dressed, how you look that day, if you have a backpack. I was in Fred Meyer’s with my daughter yesterday, and I swear at least five were following us, and it was embarrassing and irritating, and we ended up not getting anything and just left. We didn’t like it at all. It’s not nice at all. We get profiled. If I wear a baseball cap and a backpack, I get followed. My daughter is 27. She has a good heart and doesn’t steal. She felt really embarrassed. “Maybe there is a better approach than throwing a bunch of security people at some of the problems that are going on within the stores,” Hibler said. “I believe the private security guards are pushing boundaries,” Tina Drake said. “They are going outside of their jurisdiction and their training, especially pushing people away from places they can legally be. I was recently at Target, where I used to sell (Street Roots) because they are under new security. Now I cannot stand on the street corner and sell there anymore. I got told to leave the other day, leave the sidewalk. I feel they are overstepping because they are pushing people away from places they can legally be. She was kind, but she told me I had to leave the area. I’ve been there for quite a few years.” Another vendor, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “Yesterday a friend and I had a conversation with a security guard outside Sisters of the Road. He was kind-hearted and said he wished he could help people instead of just carry out the law on private and public property. It just seemed like his heart was in the right place.” Belinda Estermeyer and John Kadubec are also supportive. Belinda said the security guards are basically “like hall monitors” in her apartment building. John Kadubec “never had a problem and is glad they are there. second – I happened to be walking by a garbage can – and the security guard stopped me and said, ‘You can’t be doing that here.’ I said, ‘Doing what?’ He said looking for cigarettes and taking them out of the garbage. I said I wasn’t; I just happened to turn my head and happened to look down. He was demanding my ID and said I would be trespassed off the property. They said they could restrain me until the police got there. I said I was just someone walking on the sidewalk; I didn’t touch anything. He laughed at us, and we turned around and walked away.” Vince Masielo said he’s had tough interaction with private security at Right 2 Dream Too, the city-sanctioned rights. If they threaten to sweep or remove you, tell them to get the real police, someone who actually has real authority in the area.” Sean Sheffield said he believes security guards are overstepping their bounds. “Their jurisdiction is only the property they are supposed to be on. If you are private security for an office building, outside that door, that’s not your jurisdiction. I’ve had encounters with them telling me I can’t be on a public sidewalk. I say to call the cops and we’ll decide who’s right on this one.” Roger Cavitt sells Street Roots at Powell’s City of Books downtown. “I’ve been on that side of the street Photo courtesy of Stephen Woods/Flickr/Creative Commons They keep everything in order,” he said. Stephanie has had very different experiences. “We were resting at Fred Meyers,” she said. “We had only been there for 20 minutes, and he (a private security guard) said I was disturbing the other customers. We had a shopping cart with our stuff we’d bought in it, but it was under a table, nowhere near anyone. He told us to get out of the building and demanded right there by the front door that we had to take all our belongings out of the shopping cart in just a couple minutes and be off the property. He didn’t let me grab a garbage bag to put it in. He said it was loitering. “Another time we were at Jantzen Beach. They have armed security,” Stephanie said. “I was walking down the sidewalk. I looked down for a establishment for people experiencing homelessness, located near the Moda Center. “The Moda Center has its own security, and big venues bring more private security, and if they don’t know about the homeless village, they can act aggressive and domineering,” Masielo said. “Sometimes you get good, honest people. Sometimes you get jerks. I’ve never been into anything physical. Others have and gotten hurt. “There’s a relationship between homeless and police, and that’s not the same as between homeless and private security,” Masielo added. “People should know you don’t have to ever say your name. They have no right to anything the police can lawfully get from you. You have to know the difference. Don’t be alone. Know your THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED for two years. Recently a guy started yelling at me – he initiates it – so this security guard walks over and tells me to move. I tell him I’m not moving because I am totally legal. We already measured it and everything. He called me a panhandler for selling the paper. He said he didn’t want me there. So I moved a block down. My attorney says just be quiet about it. I lost my spot. I was making a bunch of money. “I just notice what they do with homeless people. I see them chase them around. And they have a bias against black musicians; they say they are too loud, they have to leave. It’s the way they do it. They don’t do it with any respect. The white musicians play all day, whatever they want to do.” Courtesy of Street Roots / INSP. ngo �LOCAL 6 NAug ov 2 5 - -NSept o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 19,2 02019 415 The Community Issues Forum Kicks Off Its New Season At The Peaslee Neighborhood Center With A Focus on Citizen Organizing Bill Woods Contributing Writer The Community Issues Forum kicks off its new season on September 12th with a forum focusing on neighborhood organizing. A panel led by Joele Newman, Lead Organizer for the Peaslee Neighborhood Center, will discuss Peaslee's Equitable Development Rubric, tax abatement policy reform, the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, and "just cause eviction" policy. Normally held at Christ Church Cathedral, this session will take place at the Peaslee Neighborhood Center, 215 East 14th Street in Over-the-Rhine, at 12:00-noon, on that Thursday. Holding the Forum at Peaslee is fitting because of the Cathedral's strong ties to this neighborhood center in OTR. Long known for its diverse programs and services for neighborhood residents, Peaslee added community organizing to its mission when outside developments threatened the day to day lives of the people that it serves. Several years ago, Peaslee staff organized mothers and young people in a grassroots campaign that successfully stopped an upper-income housing development that would have eliminated the community's only basketball court and needed recreation and park space. Out of this organizing effort emerged the idea of the Equitable Development Rubric. The Rubric is essentially a set of guidelines for neighborhoods to use in measuring the impact a development would have on the health, safety, and livability of their areas. In the last six months, Peaslee has spoken to numerous groups about its design, and received support from several neighborhoods. Besides the Rubric, Peaslee works in coalition with the Homeless Coalition, the Legal Aid Society, and other grassroots groups to promote tax abatement reform, more equitable policies to guide eviction procedures, and funding for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Panelists will join forces with Joele Newman to inform Forum attendees about these efforts. Peaslee and the Homeless Coalition also just joined the new Citizens Organizing Round Table, an informal network aimed at promoting community organizing to assist average people to have a greater impact on government decision-making. The Round Table joins Christ Church Cathedral in sponsoring this Forum at Peaslee. This fall marks the 39th year of Community Issues Forums sponsored by Christ Church Cathedral. Free to the public, lunch can be purchased at the Forums that generally meet at noon every other Thursday from September to June. Although Forums cover a range of topics, they primarily focus on critical community issues and subjects that deal with social, economic, and political Justice. The Forum returns to Christ church Cathedral on Thursday September 19th at noon. Candidates for the Cincinnati School Board will make their cases for serving on this body. Initiatives to curb gun violence will receive Forum attention on October 3rd and October 17th, and a Halloween Forum on October 31st will focus on "The Horrors of Dark Money in Politics." The Revolution And Civil War in Spain Raya Contributing Writer The revolution and civil war in Spain in the 1930s represent a somewhat unique moment in history, when an incredible variety of political parties and programs were put to the test and given the opportunity to prove their worth. Further, the eventual victory of Franco’s fascist armies makes this a cautionary tale that ought to warn revolutionaries today against making the same mistakes as the Republican camp. The main political line inside the Republican camp, promoted by the Communist Party (PCE) and the Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), was the Popular Front. It was this political line, sanctified by the Stalinized Comintern, that did more than any other to ensure the defeat of the Republic and the victory of fascism. This fatal error was reinforced by the refusal of the anarchists, organized in the CNT and FAI, to take power and form a revolutionary government when given the opportunity. The Stalinist, reformist, and anarchist approaches to the civil war and revolution in Spain all failed, and we believe studying the reasons for those failures is of great relevance for revolutionaries today. The Popular Front was a multiclass formation that sought to unite all “progressive” and “democratic” forces in the struggle against Franco—the price of which was the abandonment and/or indefinite postponement of revolutionary aims. In practice, it meant putting the revolution “on hold” in order to fight the civil war “first.” But civil war is ultimately a class war, and to emerge victorious, the working class can rely only on its own revolutionary methods and organizations. This alliance of sections of the left with the liberal bourgeois—or rather, with the pale shadow of the liberal bourgeois, most of whom had no scruples supporting Franco if the alternative was workers’ power—undermined the war effort at every turn. As no inroads against private property of any kind could be tolerated by these politicians, the Republic fought with its hands tied behind its back and took the working class down with it. As an example, the Popular Front refused to take revolutionary measures for the confiscation and redistribution of the land, leading the pro-Republican peasantry to feel as though it had little to fight for. This was a missed opportunity to break the back of Franco’s forces by giving both his soldiers and those living in fascist-controlled areas a powerful incentive to revolt. The government also refused to support self-determination for the Spanish colony of Morocco, which allowed Franco’s forces to use it as a key power base, which could have been crippled by a strong independence movement there. Additionally, it is impossible to know how many lives were wasted by the Popular Front policies of keeping weapons needed on the front lines back in the rear— for use in repressing the revolutionary workers—and denying adequate supplies to the revolutionary militias that proved to be among the most determined anti-fascist fighters. What is known is how quickly the “Republican” bourgeois capitulated to Franco and how demoralized the Popular Front left the revolutionary workers and peasants. The road not taken, the only path to victory in the revolution, was to form a proletarian united front, embrace the class nature of the war, and rally all the oppressed and exploited sections of society in the struggle for their own liberation. The Spanish Revolution also showed the anti-revolutionary aspects of the anarchist insistence on the “abolition of the state”—in the abstract—as the primary task. Faced with an actual revolution and the opportunity to take power in order to transform society, the Spanish anarchists refused. Claiming to be against all types of state organization, the CNT/FAI leaders showed themselves in practice to be against only such governments as would advance the revolution. In the Catalan capital of Barcelona, Lluis Companys flatly informed the CNT/ FAI that power was in their hands if they choose to wield it—and was met by the anarchists’ refusal to match the power they had obtained in the streets with governmental power. Instead, the CNT opted to leave the Catalan government in office, tacitly offering consent to its anti- THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED revolutionary policies. Later, anarchist theory notwithstanding, the CNT went from merely consenting to the government to actively participating in it as the CNT ministers joined the Popular Front government. If the CNT/ FAI anarchists had moved to form a revolutionary government and aligned with the POUM to dismantle the Popular Front and wage a revolutionary war against the fascist tide, their victory would have been assured. Of course, if they had done so, they would not have been anarchists and would have had to accept that the revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat is a necessary stage in the socialist transformation of society after all. In his article, “The Lessons of Spain: Last Warning,” Trotsky wrote: “A new generation of revolutionists is now being educated by the lessons of the defeats. This generation has verified in action the ignominious reputation of the Second International. It has plumbed the depths of the Third International’s downfall. It has learned how to judge the Anarchists not by their words but by their deeds. It is a great inestimable school, paid for with the blood of countless fighters!” The defeat of the Spanish Republic was the result of the classcollaborationist policies of its leaders and the absence of a powerful Bolshevik party to offer an alternative. This should serve as a lesson to revolutionaries today and ensure that the mistakes of the past are never repeated. �NAug o. 395 3 -| Sept Nov 219, - N2019 o v 19,| No. 2 0 18415 LOCAL 7 The Cincinnati Health Department and UC Health Team Up to Expand Access to Healthcare Services to Meet the Needs of the Avondale Community Health Department City of Cincinnati T he Cincinnati Health Department (CHD), in partnership with UC Health, is proud to announce the opening of a new 19,000 sq. ft. fullservice healthcare facility in the heart of the Avondale neighborhood. The Ambrose H. Clement Health Center is an anchor project embedded within the Avondale Town Center development and the direct result of the growing demand for additional services in the community. Constructed by The Community Builders, and jointly operated by CHD and UC Health, the facility at 3559 Reading Rd. will serve the healthcare needs of the Avondale community and provide access to first-class, culturally competent care within walking distance for residents of the neighborhood. Services will include adult medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics/ gynecology, mental health services, pharmacy, WIC and health insurance enrollment assistance, and laboratory services. “Our partnership with UC Health allows us to bring primary care services closer to Avondale and our surrounding communities, and will continue to work closely with them to meet the healthcare needs of the general population as well as the underserved,” stated Commissioner Melba R. Moore, MS, CPHA, Cincinnati Health Department. The new location and additional space allow for more exam rooms, better space for the delivery of team-based integrated care, nutrition education and other parenting classes, and the opportunity to work with many more families and provide more services. “This community needs more high-quality care for both kids and adults. We are finding that families are more anxious, more depressed, more sedentary, and less interactive than they were just a decade ago,” added Commissioner Moore. “We see families in despair, hungry, and without their basic needs being met every day. The rate of food insecurity, substance abuse disorder, infant mortality, obesity, depression, suicide and anxiety are growing at alarming rates, and we have to take action to help our community members.” There are several physicians and mental health providers at the new facility, which will allow for more children and families to be seen. The Cincinnati Health Department will staff the health center with family nurse practitioners Katherine Redman, MSN, APRN-CNP, FNP-BC and Lauren Gering, APRN, FNP-BC. UC Health clinicians will staff the health clinic. They include: • UC Health Obstetrics & Gynecology: William J. Moravec, MD; Clinque Davis, CNP • UC Health Primary Care/ Psychiatry: Robert Pulliam, MD • UC Health Psychiatry: Jackie Collins, MD; Maria Espinola, PsyD; Stephen Benoit, PhD, MA, LPCC “UC Health is proud to partner with the Cincinnati Health Department to improve the physical and economic health of the communities we serve,” said Richard P. Lofgren, MD, UC Health president & CEO. “We have heard loud and clear that we must ensure broader access to care and must address health disparities. This new health center will provide first-in-class, culturally competent care within walking distance for residents.” In 2018, the Cincinnati Health Department increased overall annual patient volume to 58,754 patients and over 115,103 total patient visits. Of those, 15,011 were referrals, 68 percent were insured, and 178,964 total number of prescriptions were filled. “At UC Health, we believe that access to quality healthcare is an important building block that helps our community prosper, grow and thrive,” said Nita Walker, MD, senior vice president of ambulatory services for UC Health. “This new health center will grow our capacity to meet the needs of more patients who need healthcare. It will also allow us to further integrate physical and behavioral health services, which is so necessary to truly address the community’s needs. I am confident that this health center will be a valuable resource that will serve people for years to come.” Prior to the relocation, the Clement facility had been located at the corner of Burnet Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive for the past five years. Why Don’t Cincinnatians Ride The Bus? Andy Shenk Contributing Writer So often, in conversations with well-meaning friends, I get blank looks when I tell them I ride the bus. For much of Cincinnati, our bus system is a mystery. Sure, everyone has seen Metro buses on the street, but riding one is inconceivable. I listened to a podcast a few years ago that was discussing public transportation in Cincinnati and specifically Metro. I'll never forget what one of the hosts said, "I don't even know where most of Metro's routes go!" Coming from someone who lives in the city, and would identify as an urbanist, I knew that his ignorance was only the tip of the iceberg in our city. I'll be the first to admit that it took some time to learn Metro's system. The 19 and 24, which run identical routes from Government Square before splitting at the intersection of Vine and MLK, are horribly confusing. The numbers do not align geographically. In fact, there is no rhyme or reason whatsoever to the numbering system, with the 6, 21, 32, and 33 serving the West Side and the 1, 4, 11, and 43 serving East Side neighborhoods. The 64 starts at Glenway Crossing and takes a staggering 65 minutes to reach Government Square, while the 46 begins at the Zoo before snaking through Avondale and almost every point in Uptown on its way downtown. But when you don't have a car, which is far more common in Cincinnati than many would like to admit, you figure out how to ride the bus pretty quickly. I started by trying to memorize the route schedule on the 1, the first bus I rode regularly when I moved to town. After a few years, I transitioned to the Google Maps app on my phone, which calculates bus schedules in an instant and makes improvisational bus riding much easier. By now, when I'm Uptown, I know exactly where the 17, 19, 24, 31, 43, 46, 51, 78, and Metro*Plus go and which one is my best bet, depending on the schedule and how far it is to walk. It's an amazing sense of freedom to hop off the 21 in Westwood and know a 20-minute walk north will bring me to the 64. Sometimes, after a Xavier game in Norwood, instead of waiting for a 4 stuck in traffic on Montgomery, I enjoy a leisurely walk up Woodburn to the intersection with Gilbert, where I catch the 4 home. I know that I'm privileged. Now a stay-at-home dad, I don't have to worry about being late to work because of a delayed bus or missed transfer. I'm not trying to drop a kid at daycare early in the morning before doing it over again in the afternoon. As someone who lives downtown, I don't have to choose between riding a crosstown bus that comes once or twice an hour or taking the much longer trip to Government Square for a transfer. Those are the downsides of Metro's underfunded system, something the Better Bus Coalition is trying to change. But even without any improvements, it drives me crazy when I see people driving places they could ride by bus and save on stress and parking. Unless THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED it's after midnight, the bus is almost always the best option between Uptown and Downtown. Urban neighborhoods like Walnut Hills, East Walnut Hills, East Price Hill, Clifton, Mt Auburn, and Northside have good to excellent bus service. How many new residents moving into the city, not to mention long-time residents, even consider the bus? Imagine if Cincinnatians' were as comfortable with Metro's bus routes as they are driving the headache-inducing street grid? In fact, considering how stressful driving here can be, learning about the alternatives seems like an obvious choice. Why is it again that so many Cincinnatians don't ride the bus? Submitted By: Carey L. Biron Rachel Savage Rebecca Rosman Nadia Kanji Vassilis Triandafyllou Lisa Mauch Angela Hursh Kenneth Weartz Andy Shenk �FEATURED 8 N o v 25--N o v 19, 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Aug Sept 19,22019 415 Barriers and Belonging Gates Blocking off the public CRC property and sidewalk. Photo by Dr. Mark Mussman Dr. Mark Mussman Staff Writer T here’s nothing more special than a sense of belonging. When we grow up, we may have a small family or a large one, and we can enjoy the feeling of being part of something larger. Being a part of a family may bring us feelings of warmth, kinship, and security. Family may mean spending Sundays with your cousins growing up, or participating in family outings that create life-long memories. Once we are thrust from the nest, we are forced to create new connections through school, religion, work, and community life. When someone knows your name, remembers you, gives you an indication that they have been following your work, there is certainly a sense of pride. You want to work harder, make yourself known, and contribute to the positive events in your community. You’d do anything for your family, to make sure they feel that they are loved, while setting sensible boundaries. But what happens when you are rejected by your family? We know that LGBTQ youth are more likely to be rejected by their families, which leads them into homelessness. Homelessness during the teenage years means instability, and difficulty participating in typical teen things, such as sports, music, theater, school. All of those memories are shuffled together with thoughts of survival and, perhaps, even suicide. Rejection means that our youth are being approached for survival sex; they are being mistreated, and they are experiencing life-lasting trauma even before their 18th brithday. In a matter of hours, after being rejected from their families and put out on the street, the effects of PTSD begin to rewire their brains, hardening a once open and elastic mind, and create a heightened state of fight, flight, or freeze. Family rejection is perhaps one of the most cruel things that anyone can experience, simply because it is from your own kind, your own family. But what if the kind of rejection we experience comes from the world around us? LGBTQ folks have long experienced rejection, so we’ve learned to create our own communities. From the gay bars, community centers, art organizations, to house parties, tea dances, and bath houses, LGBTQ folks have been forced to find our community outside of the mainstream. The simple matter of being excluded from typical contracts (like marriage) for so long, has created a separate way in which we see the world - a world that is wrought with rejection and displacement. Rejected from our families, our social groups, our political, educational, and economic communities, we sought new ways to relate and conceptualize the world. It has also led to higher rates of drug use, risky sex, and suicide. While many of the barriers that LGBTQ people face are structural, the fight continues for inclusion and appreciation of the views and experiences that we have. As an individual, each of us wants to bring our gifts to the world in our own way, but barriers may prevent us from fully participating in society. LGBTQ people have had to go underground because of the danger that society has posed, which is why “visibility” has become such a buzzword. Everyone needs to be seen as part of society, not shamed for just existing. So, what does it look like when we apply a lens of rejection to race in Cincinnati. Does it look like underfunded schools that are 99% Black? Does it look like Black average income is half of white average income? Does it look like a city with no upward mobility for Black residents? Does it look like 1000 Black residents forced out of Cincinnati each year? Does it look like the denial of access to high quality health resources to Black residents? Does it look like a 20-year difference in life expectancy for Black and white residents? Does it look like disparate treatment by the police? It looks like all of these things and more, but the actual physical barriers that exclude people of color from participating in society are disturbing, to say the least. Fencing outside of a bar and restaurant divides consumers and pedestrians using the same sidewalk. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �N o. 39 Nov 219, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Aug 53- |Sept | No. 415 FEATURED 9 Findlay Playground fenced off to create an income generating space. Photo by Dr. Mark Mussman If you’ve been following Streetvibes over the past year, you have seen a couple of articles relating to Findlay Playground, also known as Findlay Park. It is at Five Points on the northern border of Over-the-Rhine, at the intersection of Findlay, McMicken, and Vine Streets. The park currently has a fence around it, closing it off from use. This fence has been up for almost a year, yet the progress around the reopening of the park has been very slow. A preliminary report draft has emerged with spurious content. The Cincinnati Recreation Commission (CRC) should be charged with neglect and dereliction of duties due to its inability to deliver on its promise to provide the space that we publically own to the public. Due to Cincinnati Police Department (CPD) pressure, without the input of people who use the park, and without the approval of the Over-the-Rhine Community Council (OTRCC), the CRC put a fence around the park. CPD made bold, baseless claims that every person who uses the park is a criminal, and it is only used for criminal activity, yet children and families used the playground daily. A fence went up. This is a good place to point out that the word “gentrification” simply means displacement. One group of people is displaced for another group. Closing Findlay Park is both an act of violence by removing people from a public space, but is also a tactic of gentrification. Model Group bought the block behind the park and has already leased the public alleyway between the block and the park, and put a locked gate and fence around the alleyway. (You may remember that Model Group pushed out many people on the blocks surrounding Findlay Park, all of them were Black people who lived there for many years, and many of them over 65 and on fixed incomes.) Model Group had a specific vision to bring affluent white people into the Findlay Market area, including their own family members. In this vision, they revamp the park to push out Black people who may live in poverty. They don’t want to even see them. So, what started with a questionable police report on the park, leading to a fence going up and slight modifications to the park, has finally led to a park-like gathering just a block south on Republic at Green Street. At that intersection, Model Group’s Brickstone (perhaps now POAH controlled), Cornerstone Renter Equity, and the Over-the-Rhine Rec Center abut each other. The Rec Center has a second floor overhang, which is great for people trying to avoid a rainstorm that passes through. People who live near the corner enjoy hanging out with people who were displaced from Findlay Park. Each day this summer, it has been a joyful place, where people listen to music, talk with each other, and enjoy the day. Personally, I walk through there regularly, and often I leave with a hug and smile, an acknowledgment. It is a park-like setting for those who were displaced. This past month, crowd control fencing went up around the CRC and Cornerstone, blocking off the public sidewalks and parts of the publicly controlled Rec center property. This is in direct violation of human rights, and may even violate city ordinances. But, no matter what the legality or morality of the fencing, it sends a very clear message - you are not welcome, you are a nuisance, and you don’t deserve a place in this community. At the last Over-the-Rhine Community Council Meeting, the police officer said the fence went up because “people gather there,” not because of issues of crime, not because there was violence, simply because they exist. “If you are Black and poor in Cincinnati, there is no place for you here.” This is the message that these gates send. To think about this more deeply, contrast these gates with the bar outcroppings that take up the sidewalk on almost every street in the neighborhood. The corrals designed to keep wealthy drinkers inside the business clash with the barriers put on the sidewalk to keep people out. This is what gentrification looks like, and the violence of it; the rejection, and the racism, contribute to PTSD. Combine PTSD with the isolation that the barriers actively are trying to achieve, and you will have higher drug use, risky sexual practices, violence, and suicide. Rejection has a long-lasting effect, and until we remove the barriers that prevent people from belonging, we will be actively harming our Space blocked off behind the rec center so that no one can use it. Photo by Dr. Mark Mussman THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �10 GLOBAL N o v 25--N o v 19, 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Aug Sept 19,22019 415 Bees: How Important Are They And What Would Happen If They Went Extinct? Philip Donkersley The Conversation B ees – including honey bees, bumble bees and solitary bees – are very important because they pollinate food crops. Pollination is where insects move pollen from one plant to another, fertilising the plants so that they can produce fruit, vegetables, seeds and so on. If all the bees went extinct, it would destroy the delicate balance of the Earth’s ecosystem and affect global food supplies. There are more than 800 wild bee species within Europe, seven of which are classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as critically endangered. A further 46 are endangered, 24 are vulnerable and 101 are near threatened. While it’s unlikely that all bee species will be wiped out anytime soon, losing these threatened species would still have a big impact on pollination around the world, wiping out plant species, some of which we rely on for our food. But the problem goes far beyond bees. In fact, honeybees are responsible for only one third of crop pollination and a very small proportion of the wild plant pollination. There are a diverse range of other insects including butterflies, bumblebees and small flies that do the rest of the work – and it looks like these insects are in trouble too. A recent study suggests that as many as 40 per cent of the world’s insect species are in decline. Insects are facing extinction rates that are eight times higher than vertebrates. In Germany, scientists have recorded losses of up to 75 per cent of the total mass of insects in protected areas. These trends lead scientists to believe that about a third of all insect species – that’s nearly 2m – may be threatened with extinction. And that figure is growing by over 100,000 species every year. Yet hard data on threatened insect species is lacking, with only 8,000 records actually assessed by the IUCN. Here’s a rundown of what scientists believe to be the top causes of declines in insect diversity and abundance. Invasive species Invasive predators, parasites and disease-causing bacteria called “pathogens” have been blamed for the collapse of honeybee colonies around the world. Recently, the spread of the Asian Hornet in Europe has caused great concern. This species preys on honey bees, and a single hornet is capable of killing an entire hive. There is some evidence that wild bees in North America have declined in the face of fungal and bacterial diseases. Of course, in the past bees have coexisted with these pathogens. The fact that scientists have seen more bees lost to these diseases in recent times is probably linked with the bees’ increased exposure to pesticides, which can damage their immune systems. Pesticides Pollution – particularly from exposure to pesticides – is a key cause of pollinator decline. There are three types of chemical pesticide widely used in the UK: insecticides targeting insect pests, fungicides targeting fungal pathogens of crops and herbicides targeting weeds. Insecticides contain chemicals that can kill pollinators, so they’re clearly a threat. But they may not be the greatest problem pollinators experience. Herbicides are actually used five times as much in farming as insecticides. These weed killers target a huge variety of the wild plants that bees need to forage. Environmentally-friendly farming schemes recommend planting wildflower strips on the edge of crops, to provide safe refuge and food sources for pollinators. Yet drifting clouds of herbicide from growing fields can contaminate these wildflower strips. The most cutting-edge research suggests glyphosate (the most commonly used weed killer) can impact the gut microbes of bees, which can have devastating implications for their health. Although exposure to herbicides and pesticides used by farmers is likely to be one of the main causes of pollinator decline, the chemicals used by city authorities and civilian gardeners might also be harming bees and other insects. So, for the bees’ sake, it’s best to avoid using them where possible. Climate change Global warming is believed to be a major driver of wild bee declines. Some wild bees can only survive in a narrow range of temperatures. As their habitats get warmer, the places where they can live grow smaller. For example, some might be forced to live at higher Photo by Boris Smokrovic on Unsplash THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED altitudes, where it’s cooler, reducing the space they have to live in. Habitat destruction The way land is farmed has been associated with declines in biodiversity and pollination. Farming destroys the kinds of spaces that bees use to nest, it takes away the diversity of food that bees use to forage on and it even has wider impacts on other animals like wild birds, mammals and amphibians. While countless insect species are currently going extinct, those that remain are taking their place, so it’s unlikely that crops will stop being pollinated any time soon. Generalist species such as the bufftailed bumblebee, the European honey bee and common small black flies, which can survive in a huge range of temperatures and conditions, will become the main species pollinating our food sources, while rarer, more specialist species will decline. But as generalist species move in to take the place space left by the losses of specialists, and complex ecosystems become dominated by a couple of generalists, the whole system becomes far more susceptible to a single sudden change. Insects form the base of many intricate food webs, their decline will result in a complex cascade of impacts on vertebrates, threatening ecological stability. Philip Donkersley is a senior research associate in entomology at Lancaster University Courtesy of The Conversation / INSP.ngo �N o. 39 Nov 219, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Aug 53- |Sept | No. 415 GLOBAL 11 Mexican Women Are Angry About Rape, Murder And Government Neglect – And They Want The World To Know Luis Gómez Romero, María de la Macarena Iribarne González Reuters W earing green bandannas and dousing police in pink glitter, last month Mexican women staged a furious protest in Mexico City after a 17-yearold girl reported being raped by four police officers. Officials have sent mixed signals about ongoing investigations of the case, and Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum triggered fury among feminists when she said there would be no “fabrication of suspects.” The alleged police rape has hit a nerve in Mexico, where women face extremely high rates of violence and incessant catcalling. Another teen girl was reported being raped by a Mexico City policeman days before the women’s march, which drew an estimated 2,000 people and included both violent property destruction and wrenching tributes to Mexico’s missing women and girls. With 1,812 women murdered between January and July this year – about ten a day – Mexico is Latin America’s second-most dangerous country for women, after Brazil, according to the United Nations. More than 200 Mexican women have been kidnapped so far in 2019. Yet Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador – who was elected last year in a landslide with a progressive gender agenda and promises to “transform” Mexico – has not followed through on promises to expand women’s rights. In fact, his administration has rolled back some the few federal policies designed to protect and empower Mexican women. Women in the workplace Under austerity measures meant to curb public spending, the Mexican government in February ended an internationally lauded day care program that allowed low-income families to sign up for state-subsidized child care close to their workplace or home. Rather than pay subsidies to this network of private day care facilities, the Mexican government now gives vouchers worth about US$80 every two months directly to families. Each family may now decide whether to send their children to day care or pay “a sister, an aunt or a grandma,” López Obrador said in a February press conference, giving parents more choice in their child care. The suggestion that female relatives should care for Mexico’s children infuriated women’s groups and human rights organizations in Mexico. In a joint statement, 17 civil society groups said the new policy would “strengthen gender streotypes” and “promote discrimination and gender inequality.” It reminded the president that women do 70 per cent of all domestic work in Mexico and that grandmothers already care for 50% of all young children not in their parents’ care. Mexico’s subsidized child care network, which has served 2 million children since it was established in 2007, has been successful in enabling more women to work outside the home. According to a 2017 government evaluation, the day care network had relieved 1,825,394 parents of child care duties for 34 hours a week over the past decade. A significant percentage of the communities served by the day care network were either very poor or home to a predominately indigenous population, according to the U.N. Women were the primary beneficiaries. Mothers who used government subsidized day care were 18% more likely to have gotten a job between 2007 and 2017 compared to those who did not receive government-subsidized child care, according to a government program evaluation. Even so, Mexico still has the second-lowest female participation in the workforce among developed countries, behind Turkey. Only 4 out of 10 women are employed outside the home. Defunding women’s shelters The Mexican government disappointed feminists again when the government announced in March that it would additionally slash funding for women’s shelters and instead give the money directly to victims of domestic violence. Worldwide, women are most likely to be murdered by a male partner and may be unsafe in their own homes, making shelters a vital sanctuary. In Mexico, the number of women stabbed or strangled at home rose 54 per cent between 2012 and 2016. In March 2019, the same month the cuts were announced, Mexican police received 56,590 reports of domestic violence – a 16 per cent increase over February 2019. The plan to stop funding women’s shelters funding was met with immediate and fierce backlash. Women take part in a protest called "They Don't Protect Me, They Rape Me" to demand safety in the city and justice for two teenage girls who, according to local media, were apparently raped by policemen, in Mexico City, Mexico, August 16, 2019. Picture taken, August 16, 2019. REUTERS/Mariana Greif THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Advocates for victims of domestic violence warned that cutting shelter funding would expose women and children to even more danger. Public uproar forced López Obrador to retreat. “The women’s shelters will remain,” he said on 7 March, announcing a new plan to expand the Mexican government’s role in the “protection, attention, punishment and eradication of violence against women and girls.” Women’s shelters have nonetheless seen substantial budget cuts under the government’s austerity measures. News reports in June revealed that 29 per cent of Mexico’s 81 publicly funded domestic violence shelters received no federal funding at all for the second half of the year. Women’s rights ‘not a priority’ López Obrador, a leftist firebrand who won the Mexican presidency in a landslide, remains very popular eight months into his six-year term. To quell criticism that it doesn’t care about women, his administration in late May announced the launch of a European Union and United Nations program in Mexico to eliminate violence against women. The investment of €7 million, or about $7.7 million, is called the Spotlight Initiative. It will target three Mexican states with high rates of violence against women: Mexico state, Chihuahua and Guerrero. The EU program’s goals are to design public spaces that are safer for women, facilitate women’s access to justice and protection services and to “fundamentally change the perception of women within their families and in society.” A spokesperson for the European Union told the Spanish newspaper El País that López Obrador initially rejected this initiative because gender “was not a priority” for his government. After the Mexico City women’s march, López Obrador defended his government’s dedication to women’s issues. “That’s our main issue – to guarantee the safety of men and women,” he said. The president also criticized demonstrators for defacing a famous monument with feminist slogans. He urged Mexican women to protest in a “responsible way, without violence,” and to “protect the cultural and artistic patrimony of Mexico.” Luis Gómez Romero is a senior lecturer in human rights, constitutional law and legal theory at the University of Wollongong. María de la Macarena Iribarne González is a lecturer at the school of law at the University of Wollongon. Courtesy of The Conversation / INSP.ngo �12 STREETVOICE Have I Forgot What Love Is About I wonder is that a true statement or is it that I have been looking in the wrong place. Like when you think you have her but she keeps on saying “we are just going to be friends” and she could have said friends before lovers. But how long can that last when you in your pockets and you don’t mind giving her this on that, like she is your woman. Do you start thinking like everybody play the fool sometimes, and you start thinking in the back of your mind, in your heart, and soul that she is thinking “I got his nose wide open.” If I was a truck driven I could make a u turn and she still Bills Here come another one, Just like the other one, Bills Work hard today Pay a bill tomorrow It's tiresome, And you still have to borrow Can't save anything for tomorrow come back to me. Now don’t get me wrong like I can’t Bills, everyone has them see this, cause I do. I even tell her “when the well run dry Some, live on the streets don’t blame me,” but I feel that she think that is not going to happen but like I have told her several times I am not going to keep on beating my head against the wall. Well guess what, while I was writing this I just hit pay dirt. It might hurt me but enough is enough maybe it was the light I needed to see to bring me out of this madness and all I can say is thank God. Will I go back again? I don’t think so, under no circumstance. You know God know my heart and he know it is good. Maybe I had to go through this but when the smoke clears and I can see the forest for the tree I know I am out of the woods. A lesson well learned but won’t happen again and I hope what I have shared will give you food for thought. Don’t do like I did cause if you do you will be just as miserable. Good luck in love wherever you find it. Lee McCoy Contributing Writer Streetvibes Distributor Nov 5 2 -- Sept N o v 19, 0 18 || No. N o . 415 393 Aug 19, 22019 To do without them The rich, the poor Everyone, needs a little bit more Rent, phone, electric bills, And micellaneous, It's all so strenuous, It's all so strenuous Bill collectors call and say, Are you gonna make a payment today? Don't you wish your bills would go away? Then we could all have a happier day. Kim Green ContributingWriter Streetvibes Distributor Streetvibes Writing Circle If you would like to submit a story for publication in streetvibes, come join Katelyn Lusher, Chris Wilkey, and Alex McIntosh for a group writing session! THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 | Nov19, 2 - 2019 N o v 19, 2 0 415 18 Aug 5 -3Sept | No. Home At Last 13 STREETVOICE Those are words used by so many at the end of a day Those are good words until you find that in your home you can't stay After being homeless for five years and fighting for the anna louis inn Finding a apartment starting my life over i thought my fight was over then I began to see old building being reconstructed granting jobs for so many To see new restaurants all over town i figured it was a good thing to eat plenty I began to see people being moved out of their homes where they'd lived for years Doesn't mater whether you blind, cripple or crazy you have no say so my dear Then i saw how expensive restaurants were i went to wendys and they were gone I saw beer brewys on every corner, parking lots for their customers i got scared Then the demolish of the store next door to me gave me the sense to get prepared After standing up for the rights of so many i'm ready to stand up for my rights I just found out that my home had been sold years ago now i am ready to fight Still not understanding the politics, city or government policies and rules I just see the poor being move out of the riches way and i feel it's cruel The point is not that the buyers of your home is paying for your move an packing That was easy but wonder when they'll be back to move you again packing So i trying to find a home where i will be safe with no fears of a changing world With no control over these changes other than to protest and shout out loud I put it all in the hands of god and know and believe he has a plan for this cloud Now i can't believe home at last for i don't know how long my home will be mines To be home alone we all need to put all faith an trust in god let him read between the lines THE NO MITTENS NEEDED MOTHER GOOSE The three little kittens, They lost their mittens, But then they did not cry. They knew climate change Made the weather strange, And December like July. BILL WOODS Contributing Writer Willa D. Jones Contributing Writer Streetvibes Distributor THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �PUZZLES 14 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 108 Across Down 1. Stalk 1. Male red deer 5. Possessed 2. Long hollow cylinder 8. Scorch 3. Panache 12. Bulbous plant 4. Stingy hoarder 14. Female animal 5. Part of a shoe 15. Desire 6. Veneration 16. Humiliate 7. Style of glazed 17. Snakelike fish earthenware 18. Building offering lodging 8. Black bird and meals 9. Detest 19. High ranking officer 10. Report or maintain 21. Ornate manner of speaking 11. Depend 23. Relieve from 13. Danger 24. Rapid active commotion 15. Part of a song 25. Mediterranean fruit tree 20. Worship 28. Deposit of valuable ore 22. Illuminated 30. Disorderly fighting 24. Sultry 35. Part of the eye 25. Number one 37. Let for money 26. Very angry 39. Beauty shop 27. Presumption 40. Rant 29. Depression in a surface 41. Come after 31. Grains of rock or coral 43. Small semi-aquatic 32. Slumber salamander 33. Further down 44. Warhorse 34. Way in 46. Change direction 36. Outstanding tournament 47. Cervid player 48. Bid 38. Divot 50. A great distance 42. Represent as if in 52. Inquire in a meddlesome a play way 45. Ten years 53. A small compartment 49. Color 55. Crib 51. Cook by dry heat 57. Bluster in an oven 61. Steadfast 54. Venue 65. Speedy 56. Private instructor 66. Actor's prompt 57. Boast 68. Took without consent 58. Complain bitterly 69. Part of a church 59. Part of a church 70. Employ 60. Despicable 71. Sum 61. Ooze 72. Mirth 62. Short letter 73. Deplete 63. Group related by 74. Rip blood or marriage N o v 25-- N o v 19, 0 18 || N o . 393 Aug Sept 19,22019 No. 415 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 3- EASY 64. Contained 67. Country, initially PUZZLE SOLUTIONS CROSSWORD #107 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 2- EASY PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 Nov 2 - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Aug 5 3- |Sept 19, | No. 415 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 NAug o v 222 - N- oSept v 19,5, 20 18 | |NNo. o . 393 2019 414 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 September 5-September 19, 2019 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: A New School Year, The Same Stories Pg 3: Climate Change is Already Amplifying the Affordable Housing Crisis Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: Life on the Streets Pg 6: The Revolution and Civil War in Spain Pg 7: Why Don’t Cincinnatians Ride the Bus? Pg 8: Barriers and Belonging Pg 9: Barriers and Belonging Continued Pg 10: Bees Pg 11: Mexican Women are Angry About Rape, Murder and Government Neglect 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 September 5-September 19, 2019 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gabriela Godinez Bill Woods Lacy Wallace Peter Y. Sussman Felix Winternitz Nick Brown Dr. Mark Mussman Anuradha Nagaraj Roli Srivasta Carey L Biron Willa D. Jones Bobby Morris Kim Green INSP.com Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Anuradha Nagaraj Bees Bill Woods Bobby Morris Carey L Biron Cincinnati Civil War Climate Change Dr. Mark Mussman Felix Winternitz Findlay Park Gabriela Godinez Healthcare INSP.com Kim Green Lacy Wallace Mexico Murder Nick Brown Peter Y. Sussman Rape Roli Srivasta Spain University of Cincinnati Willa D. Jones