27 10 291 https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/a70170681ffae36bc1941005492bdcee.pdf 36c0289a98bd932cb051af357d704902 PDF Text Text O c t o b e r 3 1 s t - N o v e m b e r 1 4 t h 2 0 1 9 | Vo l . 2 3 I s s u e 2 2 ( N o . 4 1 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. An Altered State of Homelessness 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 31 2 - -NNov o v 19, 0 18 || N o . 393 Oct 14,22019 No. 419 From The Director: Dear Mayor Joseph Meyer City of Covington, Kentucky Attempting to Legislate Separation of People Without Homes From People With Homes. Josh Spring Executive Director This comes in response to the proposed ordinance that would limit the operation and location of “emergency shelters” and “cold shelters” in the City of Covington. The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition is an alliance of approximately sixty organizations in Hamilton County and Northern Kentucky working to alleviate and end homelessness and the thousands of people experiencing homelessness and housing instability in our area. We find Covington’s proposed ordinance deeply troubling for several reasons. Numerous studies and reports show that, throughout the United States, the primary cause of homelessness is a critical shortage of housing affordable to people with low incomes. In fact, the number of people experiencing homelessness increased exponentially beginning in the 1980s when the federal government cut spending on affordable housing while maintaining and even increasing subsidies for housing affordable only to people with higher incomes. These policies continue, so that from 2017 to 2021 federal spending subsidizing homeownership for people with higher incomes is expected to be 471.69 percent higher than spending subsidizing housing for people with low incomes. Similarly, local governments have increasingly decided to devote local dollars and tax incentives to development of homes for people with higher incomes at the expense of housing affordable to people with low incomes. These decisions have resulted in the closure and decreased production of affordable housing in cities across our region and country. The consequence of these national and local policies is an affordable housing shortage at crisis levels with a corresponding increase in the number of people thrust into homelessness and suffering the trauma that comes with it. In order to reduce and eventually S end homelessness, local governments must invest in the development and preservation of housing affordable to people with low incomes and not allow public funds and incentives to support developments that close affordable housing and or fail to include any affordable housing. The most troubling and most problematic element of the proposed ordinance is that it treats people experiencing homelessness, and the shelters, working to keep people alive while searching for housing, as the cause of homelessness and as a threat to the rest of the public, from whom they must be kept separate and out of view. The ordinance not only characterizes your neighbors as dangerous for being without a home, but it also ignores decades of research, study, and professional experience. Exclusion ordinances like this one are not new. Legislatures have attempted to separate people at least since 1896, and such legislation does nothing but harm the affected communities. Specifically, with respect to homelessness, such ordinances serve only to further marginalize people and organizations providing basic services, to decrease the opportunity for viable solutions, and to cause an increase in crimes targeted against people experiencing homelessness while simultaneously wasting tax- payer dollars by shifting the focus away from what works. Across the country, such laws criminalizing people experiencing homelessness and direct service providers working with people without homes have been challenged in public forums and in federal courts. In September 2015, the Department of Housing and Urban Development began requiring local continuums of care, to explain whether or not their local municipalities are criminalizing people without homes and what is being done to stop it. In December 2015, the Department of Justice issued a statement saying that local municipalities should stop criminalizing people without homes. Increasingly, federal courts are siding with the fundamental right to live with dignity and not be marginalized or criminalized by exclusion ordinances such as this one. In just the past two years, several different federal courts have ruled against exclusion ordinances criminalizing people experiencing homelessness, to the point where some other municipalities are considering repealing them altogether. Under Covington’s proposed ordinance, emergency shelters would not be allowed “to be located within 1000 feet if a [sic] public or private schools, universities, colleges, student housing, senior housing, child care facilities, public parks, businesses licensed for on- or off-site sales of alcoholic beverages or parole/ probationer home or halfway house.” This would make it nearly impossible for a shelter to lawfully locate within the City, which appears to be the purpose of the ordinance. Excluding shelters while homelessness still exists and is getting worse is like excluding or closing veterans’ hospitals while wars continue. Furthermore, this location restriction assumes that people without homes will somehow harm the various places listed, and that being without a home makes you dangerous to people with a home. The restriction ignores the fact that people who need shelter have children who go to school or child-care facilities, that they attend college, that they have friends and family who live in student or senior housing, and it assumes they have no right to readily access public parks. That a shelter could not lawfully locate within 1,000 feet of a business that sells alcoholic beverages embodies a common stereotype, in that it assumes most people experiencing homelessness are struggling with addiction, which is not true. The restriction also assumes that if people are struggling with addiction, their proximity to the sale of alcohol will somehow affect the nature of their addiction, which is an unfounded assumption with no basis in fact or reality. To read the full letter please visit cincihomeless.org 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, Andy Pope, Kristina Cooke, Dr. Mark Mussman, LoA Beinit, Haley Edmonson, Hannah Westwater, Alexandra Gehrhardt, James Brown, Willa D. Jones, ------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: Gabriela Godinez, INSP.com, Blake Burrell ---------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition do not endorse candidates for public office. �No. 39 Nov 2 - N o v 19, 2 0 18 Oct 313- |Nov 14, 2019 | No. 419 HOMELESSNESS 3 Paralyzed: The Demons That Prey On The Homeless Andy Pope Street Spirit W hen one is homeless, one is by definition exposed to all kinds of elements that escape the confines of one who lives indoors. Weather is only one such element. There are also predatorial elements—people who invade the space of someone who has no physical barrier to separate them from intruders of the night. There is also another kind of predator sometimes encountered in the darkness. This is the supernatural predator, often colloquially referred to as a “demon”—an entity that invades one’s dream states, or states of halfsleep. Homeless friends of mine reported being “hassled” or “attacked” by malevolent entities that seemed to hover over various outdoor spots where we tried to sleep. I sometimes sensed these invasions as well. Typically, I would become paralyzed, and suddenly feel as though an invisible hostile creature was grabbing me and rubbing or scratching me with things that felt like paws or claws. Sometimes I would feel as though I were being pounded upon. I would hear abusive voices as this happened: “Andy, you scum bag!! You are a total piece of shit!!!” Whether these were truly alien invaders from outer space, or merely the subconscious reflection of my own low self-esteem, I cannot say. I've learned that the half-sleep state in which these attacks occur has a name: sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis is a condition where one is awake to one’s surroundings but lacks motor control. In other words, you’re not awake enough to move your body, but awake enough to know what’s going on. It often strikes during times when the usual patterns of sleep have been disrupted. In my experience, very few things have disrupted my normal sleep patterns as much as the overall conditions of homelessness. As a person who has had sleep paralysis since the age of 14, I am among the eight per cent of the population for whom this condition is commonplace. When I was homeless, I noticed that these intrusions would be different depending on when and where they occurred. For example, intrusions in Ohlone Park were different from those that took place on the steps of St. Joseph the Worker church or outside of the Rubicon building. I always sensed that I was being assaulted by some kind of invisible entity, but the nature of the entity would differ according to where it was that I was trying (unsuccessfully) to sleep. If I were to take a daytime nap on Bart, however, I noticed that I was free of these mysterious assailants. However, when the train would stop, sometimes they would attack. This gave rise to the theory that they lived in a reality that intersected the normal Earth-based reality at certain spots, but that they were unable to traverse the surface of the Earth—at least not at speeds corresponding to those of rapid transit. This theory is reminiscent of the concept of the “tesseract” expounded in the book A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine d’Engels. Another theory had to do with the veracity of these demon-riddled reports. How plausible were they really? How credible were those who reported them? And most of all, who was most likely to believe them? I could not help but notice that those who were impoverished, homeless, on disability, working poor, or low-wage blue collar or assembly line workers were the quickest to embrace and believe my reports of sleep paralysis. Often, people in the lower socio-economic brackets would share their own similar experiences of encounters with “demons.” But people in the scientific community, upper level academics, white collar workers, and corporate business people seemed often to scoff at our accounts, writing them off the same way they wrote off all of our statements. To be sure, this is another type of paralysis, one that is relentless, and occurs in broad daylight. Whatever the cause or effect of these widespread stories, one thing seemed most disturbingly clear. There were legions of demons haunting the realm of the disadvantaged, the underprivileged, the unprotected, and the abandoned. Whether they meet us in dream states or in harsh reality, there are far more homeless demons than meet the eye. Andy Pope is a freelance writer who live in the Pacific Northwest, and the author of Eden in Babylon, a musical about youth homelessness in urban America. *** We are the haunted, not the horrors (By Stefani Echeverría-Fenn) Science has now proven that trauma can be passed down intergenerationally; that rats whose mothers were exposed to stressors like water can epigenetically inherit a special fear of water. Before we had this science, nearly every culture on Earth had ghost stories. Nearly every culture on Earth intuitively understood that unresolved traumas will continue to haunt and walk among us for as long as we refuse to reckon with them. That painful histories must be acknowledged, not simply buried, or we will wake up in the middle of the night terrified and haunted. I started #37MLK—an autonomous encampment in Oakland—because I am haunted in the daylight too. I escaped long-term homelessness by the skin of my teeth ten years ago. In 2010, my Oakland neighborhood (Ghost Town) was still cheap enough to rent a one bedroom for $800, no credit check required. I still live in that place, haunted by the fact that if I were only 10 years younger, I'd still be homeless. Post-gentrification, identical units to mine now start at $2500; an unthinkable sum for folks transitioning out of being unhoused. The spectre of my slum landlord hovers, trying to push all of us long term tenants out so he can raise the rent. More than anything though, I am haunted not by ghosts but by the memories of what it felt like to be a THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED ghost myself. All those years as a homeless disowned queer youth, I felt myself a phantom-- completely invisible to the housed as they hurried by me on the sidewalk. Never truly seen as human, only a threat going bump in the night whenever I dared cry out that something was terribly wrong. After I was housed, after I began a new life as a fancy Berkeley PhD student, I was expected to just forget about it all. Forget about the street communities that sustained me when no one else would. Ghosts do not forget though, that's how they come to be. Ghosts refuse to leave homes quietly for the convenience of new owners. We at #37MLK are the ghosts that rich landlords will never be able to exorcise. Who refuse to be shipped out of our communities and our block, but stay here haunting the powerful; our very presence refusing to let them forget their own histories of violence. It is white violence that first called Black people spooks, and the legacy of white supremacy continues to haunt this block. We obtain the old records of racist real estate redlining on this block. We stay around the very buildings unscrupulous landlords evicted us from. We offer this land back to the living Ohlone people whose ancestral spirits still walk this land, their burial shellmounds harmed terribly by the nearby Emeryville malls. We are the communities haunted by these histories that polite society would have us forget, and if we are ghosts we are holy. Stefani Echeverría-Fenn is a founder of #37MLK and The Sportula: Microgrants for Classics Students. She is a PhD student and adjunct lecturer of Latin and Ancient Greek at UC Berkeley and The Jesuit School of Theology. Courtesy of Street Spirit / INSP.ngo �4 ADVERTISMENT THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED NOct ov 2 o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 31- N - Nov 14,2 02019 419 �N o. 39 Nov 214, - N2019 o v 19,| No. 2 0 18 Oct 313 -| Nov 419 5 U.S NEWS Migrant Mother Misses Home But Prays Not To Be Sent Back I Kristina Cooke Reuters rma Rivera is praying. As on every Sunday, the 33-year-old Honduran mother bows her head at a neighbourhood church. She has dressed her children, Jesus, 5, and Suany, 8, in their best clothes and implored them to sit quietly beside her. She prays that her husband, Jose, who was murdered back home, is “in a good place.” She prays to be strong for her kids in this new country, to live long enough to see them grow up. She prays for the family members she left behind. Rivera views her new life with conflicting emotions. For their first year in the United States, she and the children were guests in a relative’s house, and she constantly worried they were outstaying their welcome. Recently, she and her sister, who arrived from Honduras a few months ago, rented a small apartment together. Rivera, Suany and Jesus share an inflatable mattress in a bedroom with Rivera's teenage niece. “We don’t have a lot, but we are happy,” she said. After walking thousands of miles north through Guatemala and Mexico, where in the spring they sought protection in a caravan, the three asked for U.S. asylum in May 2018 at the port of entry near San Diego, California. They spent three weeks in U.S. custody, then convinced an immigration official they had a “credible fear” of returning home. They were released pending court hearings to decide their fate - a process that could take years. As grateful as she is to be in America, Rivera is homesick. She breaks into tears as she lists the relatives and close friends she misses. “But because of what happened, I don’t want to go back,” she said. According to an asylum officer’s notes, Rivera told the officer in May 2018 that her husband, a farmer, was murdered by field workers after he threatened to report them to authorities for stealing valuable palm fruit from the land he tilled. In the fertile Bajo Aguan region where the family lived, a violent Irma Rivera, an asylum-seeker from Honduras, prepares children Jesus and Suany for church at their home in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.- REUTERS/Loren Elliott Irma Rivera, an asylum-seeker from Honduras, spends time with her children Jesus and Suany upon getting home from work in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.- REUTERS/Loren Elliott conflict is raging over land rights. The area has been flagged by Human Rights Watch as an epicentre of murders “with impunity." After the murder, “everything fell apart for me,” Rivera said. The same group that killed her husband – never apprehended by police - threatened the rest of the family, forcing her to sell their house and flee with the children. Since then, she has heard, her village has only become more dangerous, and even more families are making their way north. Rivera arrived in the United States with straightforward expectations. “I thought the children would go to school, and I’d work, and I’d get settled,” she said. “But it’s been very difficult here.” She is still grieving for her husband. Every time something new happens, she said, “I want to tell him about it.” She is not yet able to work legally, and has struggled to make rent and pay lawyers' fees. She relies in part on the generosity of family and friends. Recently an American woman asked her a question in English and she was embarrassed because she couldn't understand, let alone reply. Her kids miss Honduras, too - the many children in their extended family, not to mention their dog, Rocky. But they are adapting, faster than she is. Suany, who attends a bilingual school, speaks both English and Spanish with her new friends. Jesus has learned a few words and phrases, among them: “What is your name? What are you doing?” And: “Car!” Rivera watched the news in August about the white supremacist in El Paso who targeted immigrants and Latinos in a mass shooting. “It’s racism,” she said - something she worries about but says she has never experienced in this country. She prays she and the children will be able to stay here. Recently, Rivera said she heard of a woman denied asylum and given 30 days to leave the country. “To know that could happen…” She doesn't finish the thought. Courtesy of Reuters / INSP.ngo Irma Rivera, an asylum-seeker from Honduras, attends a church service with her family in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. Irma's husband, Jose, was murdered back home. Still grieving for her husband, she has struggled to adjust to American life. - REUTERS/Loren Elliott THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �LOCAL 6 NOct o v 231 - N v 19, 2 02019 18 | N o . 393 - oNov 14, | No. 419 Hope On The Streets LoA Beinit ContributingWriter A vision in red has come to Cincinnati and some on the streets who have seen this have become quite unsettled. A human dressed in crimson red from head to toe with a painted white face is walking through areas very slowly. Children run away in terror. Grown men move closer to their friends, actually pushing them closer to this foreboding beacon, trying to save themselves. The powerful and prayerful performance is a micro portion of a worldwide movement. This moving human being is a Red Rebel of the Extinction Rebellion. What is the significance of the Red Rebel? The Red Rebel is the attraction to get people to think of the scariest thing facing society: our future. Stories of mammals, reptiles and birds all dying are only stories, for most people have long been divided away from nature in their everyday life. The seasons are failing but our thoughts are too quick to lose recognition of this as we move from one temperature controlled environment to another. Our planet is being plundered causing these extinction events, yet do we feel we have a choice outside of consumer purchasing? The Red Rebel is the recognition that we are one blood no matter how hairy or scaly our skin condition. This revolution of unity is even for the trees for it has been proven their destruction is all based on profiteering by banks and corporations. Human life is destroyed as we are used as commodities to keep profitable the medical/ pharmaceutical system. Our children are stolen as another commodity by the federal government. The Red Rebels are the collective pain and prayers of all beings. They are the embodiment of quiet, prayerful, flame of rage. How dare the false power and principle of money destroy what eons of time has made in diverse life forms. The Extinction Rebellion is the grown up response to Greta Thunberg's action of bringing children around the world to use their Fridays to school their individual governments about the average humans desire for more say in creating a healthier, livable world. In the autumn of 2018 in the United Kingdom Extinction Rebellion began. This year it grows through over 600 cities. It is Occupy Wall Street armored up with love. We use non-violent disruption to stop the business as usual destruction of every creatures’ home. It was very amazing to see the swarming to close down streets for 5 minutes at a time to share with the drivers the impact of changing “business as usual”. On September 25 2019, San Francisco participated in a major action essentially shutting down Wall Street West; 6 bank headquarters’, the consulates of Canada and Brazil along with the senator’s office. At 7: 30 in the morning twenty circular murals were laid out covering the road of two city blocks. When I walked past a bank it was a uniformed officer telling the customer the bank was closed for the day, in recognition of the profiteering off environmental damages. I saw no police brutality, nor was it known that anyone was arrested, (as activists were prepared to be), but a community in celebration for a day of smog-less streets. There were indigenous prayers, music, dancing, clowning around and free food. This is something we could do here and now. In fact, these streets flooding with humanity is already happening as seen through the BLINK activity where lights, parades and community shut down many streets. I even had a police officer say it would be a nicer way to be, walking within community at a pace where we could all promote peace. Disruptive non-violence can be such a pleasant thing. Building community is natural choice, as seen in nature where a plant, a creature, and micro-beings fill the niches to create a symbiotic balanced unity. Sometimes there is an encroacher that needs to be set in a boundary as we see in the Extinction Rebellion revelry against destructive corporate greed. There is another boundary that is nigh to expand, the interest increase of 40 acres and a mule in this 400th year of slavery recognition. The JubileeCincinnati.org movement is tackling the business as usual by examining why our tax dollars are buying up land through the Port Authority keeping us complicit in our own gentrification when we ourselves should be custodians of our land. We ourselves have the rite to our food and animals; it is an abomination to deny it for the sake of someone’s profit. Our water and air, our education and employment and finances These are the gifts of our creator, not some corporate livelihood. This is our world, we have every rite to live the way we do without being cemented over for others progress because they wrote laws that consume the life out of us. It will require an open mind to reexamine what we are doing and why. Plus, how do we want our actions to affect the myriads of creatures in the world around us? Are we capable of being worthy of royal life? Are there enough willing to live awake and live in a more community healing way? Will 3.5 percent of our population be willing to change their ways to counter the “enormous catastrophic breakdown"(Rabbi Jeffrey Newman) of our earth unraveling? Are people working cooperatively? New Evidence of Cincinnati's Housing Crisis Bill Woods ContributingWriter "W hile the region has experienced successes, we are leaving lots of our neighbors behind, and this will not change without significant, intentional, sustained effort - an effort that will mean we have to change how we allocate resources, and address long term socioeconomic issues." This quote comes from "Fair Housing Assessment," a just released report completed by Xavier University's Community Building Institute for the City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. The report, authored by Liz Blume, the Director of CBI, assesses the region's housing market and the ability of different groups to find adequate, affordable housing. Such assessments are required every five years from cities and urban regions that receive funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). How is Greater Cincinnati's housing market doing in terms of providing adequate and affordable housing for all its population groups? The opening quote indicates that although the City and County have rebounded from the Great Recession of 2008, a large percentage of AfricanAmerican residents and other lowincome individuals and families have not fared well. In fact, this report reinforces the recent LISC-study that THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED found that Cincinnati and Hamilton County possessed a shortage of 40,000 affordable housing units. The report highlights some facts that showcase the affordable housing crisis. The area's homeless population in 2017 totaled 7,197. Meanwhile, 8,465 households experienced evictions from 2014 - 2016. Of the 54,200 residents living in the most depressed, disinvested neighborhoods, 75-percent were Black, and these neighborhoods housed 7,122 families with children. �N o. 39 ov 2 14, - N 2019 o v 19,| 2 0 18419 Oct 313 -| NNov No. One of the focuses of these regular assessments is the extent of racial segregation in urban regions. Have federal laws prohibiting racial segregation in terms of renting and selling housing had an impact on where people live in a city and a region? The report notes, that over the years, Greater Cincinnati has been one of the most segregated urban regions in the country. The current assessment finds that although this region had improved statistically in recent decades, the last ten years brought increased segregation that erased these improvements. The new report also found overt discrimination impacting the housing opportunities of people with disabilities, young people, and families with children. The report declares that housing discrimination and housing affordability are separate issues, but they are nevertheless "tightly intertwined." It acknowledges that the major affordable housing shortage "exacerbates" problems confronting LOCAL African-Americans and other groups protected by ant-discrimination laws in their search to find adequate housing. With fewer affordable housing units being built or rehabbed, existing zoning codes and rising rents dovetail to make the search for housing almost impossible for these individuals and families. The assessment includes maps that detail the housing patterns existing in Greater Cincinnati. It also reviews factors over time that has inevitably led to the current affordable housing crisis. The emphasis on promoting growth and commercial development in neighborhoods like Over-the-Rhine has led to displacement and a loss of once available affordable units. At the same time, wage inequity has made rising rents a mounting obstacle for the working poor. Meanwhile, the current public transit system fails to connect city residents to better paying jobs available in the metro area, while high priced housing and restrictive zoning make it impossible for the development of more mixed income housing in the suburbs. Probably the biggest factor of all is the steady cutting of public dollars for various housing assistance programs (especially federal funding) since the 1980s. What is to be done? The report provides a series of recommendations focused on increasing resources and improving systems. In terms of resources, the top recommendation is to establish affordable housing trust funds at the city and county levels (City Council established such an entity this year.). Increased support for community and regional organizations that create and assist affordable housing is also endorsed, while the report also backs further support for agencies that protect vulnerable households. A final recommendation calls for community and economic investments in north central Hamilton County. In terms of system improvements, the assessment calls for expanded public transportation. It sees a need for the creation of more lending practices 7 that assist African-Americans and other protected class households, and also changes in zoning codes that "open new areas for protected class households. It calls for better housing code enforcement, and the ability and commitment of local governments and agencies to better respond to individual and family housing crises. The release of this report comes at an opportune moment. LISC (the Local Initiatives Support Corporation) is working on a housing plan for the region, and groups such as the Homeless Coalition and Advocates for Affordable Housing are gearing up for a ballot initiative to provide adequate funding for the City's Housing Trust Fund. "Fair Housing Assessment" by Xavier's Community Building Institute adds yet another credible document calling for serious and immediate action to address Greater Cincinnati's affordable housing crisis. (The full report is available on line: http:/ bit.ly/ fairhousing2019) Rothenberg: More Than Just Their Test Scores Haley Edmonson ContributingWriter S itting down for the girls writing circle that I help lead every Monday up at Rothenberg, the energy is soaring as my kids greet me and find their name tags. Fighting over who gets to sit next to me and talking about the drama from their day at school, they bring a big smile to my face as they always find something to compliment me on. The whole goal of the circle is to give the fourth to sixth grade girls in the after school program at Rothenberg a safe space to talk about challenges but also to lift up one another. I always leave surprised with their maturity and kindness for their age as somehow they always find a way to make me feel safe and lift me up as well. But my positive outlook is not one commonly upheld within the community nor would the state of Ohio or Department of Education would reciprocate. Rothenberg has recently received yet another “F” on the state’s education report card, deemed solely on state test scores. Printed boldly on the Ohio Department of Education’s website are the words “Great things are happening in Ohio schools!” yet the blaring red letter grade on the school overview’s page makes that statement hard to believe. The report card has now set the tone for the school year and Principal Alena Smith’s first year as the head of the school. The fact is, Rothenberg’s demographics already set their students and school as a whole to fail in the eyes of the Department of Education. Ninety-nine percent of students at Rothenberg are in low-income households and ninety-five percent are African-American. Our current system fails them through inequitable funding. Since the property taxes determine the funding available to public schools, low-income neighborhoods will receive significantly lower amounts of funding than their high-income counterparts causing a large disparity between educational systems. Even as the demographics of the community of Over-the-Rhine has changed, the school’s have not despite some of the higher property taxes. Schools have also seen millions of dollars taken out of education, as the bounty of tax abatements for development directly affects their funding. Privileged families take their children outside of the city for education and take their sum of tax money with them to their new respective schools. They would say they don’t have their kids go to Rothenberg because it’s a “failing” school. Yet anyone working within the walls of Rothenberg would tell you that they are a community, providing services far beyond other schools in the district to ensure the success of not only their students, but their entire families. Ms. Dorothy is a long time community member that has worked within the schools’ walls for years and has had all of her children and now grandchildren attend. She is satisfied with the results that Rothenberg is producing despite the adversity they are facing and is proud of who her kids have become with the help of this schools’ education. One of her kids is in fact now a teacher there themselves. Ms. Dorothy volunteers and runs the Parent Resource Center there, providing support in every realm possible from housing, to food, to a comforting hug. This resource center, is not only valuable supplying resources to the deficits within the school, but is also entirely unique to Rothenberg. No other school in Cincinnati Public Schools assesses and assists the student’s needs outside of the classroom that affects their education. No other school has a strong parent base looking out for the interest of all of the students, not just their own. So is it fair to label our schools like Rothenberg and the students that learn within its walls “failing?” It’s important to acknowledge that this grade based exclusively off of test scores isn’t necessarily fair nor shows the other positive things happening. It doesn’t convey the compassion of the teachers and staff for their students and families. It doesn’t communicate the other real-world lessons they have learned from a young age regarding personal hardships and community adversities. Rothenberg offering the services and caring community to allow students to achieve their greatest heights, in of itself is spectacular. What’s happening in Rothenberg is a story happening in many schools and contributing to the idea that public schools just don’t suffice anymore. The failing school rhetoric radiating in our nation has contributed to the rise of charters, magnets, and private schools, pulling sums of money out of the public education system. In turn this has made education for low-income students less attainable as now some neighborhood schools like St. Francis Seraph School, are no longer free. Rothenberg is now the only neighborhood public elementary school as development and the Department of Education has shut the remainder down despite some of their outstanding marks. What is now the Peaslee THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Neighborhood Center, used to be a neighborhood elementary school, and was considered one of the best schools in Cincinnati despite the bad connotation the city had of the community surrounding it. Talking to a student teacher within St. Francis Seraph now, she mentions that her students are fearful that something will happen and they will no longer be able to attend the private school, meaning they would have to go to the “failing” Rothenberg. Our students believing the notion that our public schools aren’t good enough and should have to pay to receive a “better” education, shows the dangerous effects of the failing school rhetoric. While test scores can make important assessments, they don’t assess everything that our schools have to offer and other learning equally imperative to our students and society. The state doesn’t see my girl’s explaining to me the importance of loving yourself and standing up for what’s right. The state doesn’t see one of my girl’s whispering to another, “I think you are beautiful” after questioning her beauty. The state doesn’t see one of my girl’s struggling to stay awake and participate in a circle she loves because she didn’t sleep last night for one of the various struggles that cause a lot of our kids are unable to come to school with a good night’s rest. Their test scores might not be where they should be, but the resilience and the kindness exuding from these students that can’t be measured makes them more successful than other kids in “A” rated schools. The Ohio Department of Education might say Rothenberg is failing, but the City of Cincinnati and the Department of Education is failing Rothenberg. �FEATURED 8 N ov 2 o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Oct 31- -NNov 14,2 02019 419 An Altered State of Homelessness Dr. Mark Mussman Staff Writer R ecently, the Council of Economic Advisers, an agency within the Executive Office of the President, released a document entitled The State of Homelessness in America. The document attempts to provide information about the problem of homelessness, as well as, the solutions to reducing homelessness. We have seen many reports on homelessness and poverty throughout the years, but I felt compelled to address this one because it has the potential to cause severe harm throughout the country. The document begins by stating the causes of homelessness in America. We know that the lack of affordable housing, the lack of livable wages, and the lack of housing protections all contribute greatly to homelessness. Each of these aspects are connected, as if someone has a larger income, they would be able to afford more for housing. The document does say, in the Executive Summary, that incomes do contribute to the inability to afford housing; however, none of the remedies address this cause, and it is not explored in detail in the study. The causes that are given are largely based on stereotypes and aren’t consistent with a nuanced understanding of the issues surrounding poverty. In this document, good weather becomes a catalyst for homelessness. The idea that people are choosing to live outside is a dangerous fallacy. People do not wish to live outside where they are more likely to experience adverse health outcomes, harassment, and violent crime. To blame the weather on homelessness is like blaming the moon for nighttime. It is far-fetched and disconnected from reality. There was no discussion on how to address the good weather aspect of homelessness either, although we do know that climate change will continue to increase homelessness, and as the earth warms, inhabitable areas of the planet will continue to increase. The study also blames high quality, hygienic, shelters for homelessness. The belief that people are leaving their safe and affordable homes to live in shelters is faulty at best, dangerous at worst. Some areas have a Right to Shelter law, which means that people who show up, shelter must be provided in a reasonable manner. The document says that these laws raise the quality of the shelters which makes them more desirable; thus, attracting people from their homes into shelters. On top of good weather and high quality shelters, according to the document, people are experiencing homelessness because it is too desirable to live on the street. The document says that people are leaving their safe and affordable homes to live in the street because municipalities have become too soft on people seeking shelter on the street. In cities, like Cincinnati, we have criminalized homelessness THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED through our anti-solicitation laws, our encampment laws, and now Hamilton County’s anti-homelessness laws. The last law, the county-wide law, allows the police to arrest anyone, on private or public land, who they suspect is experiencing homelessness. This law has not decreased homelessness, but it has made it more dangerous for people who are experiencing homelessness, especially for Black people who are more likely to be brutalized by the police, jailed unlawfully, and suffer long-term economic issues related to the criminalization of homelessness. The document goes to further �No. 39 Nov 214, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Oct 313-| Nov | No. 419 stigmatize homelessness by relying on an out-of-date stereotype that mental illness causes homelessness. While some people may experience homelessness due to mental illness, it is because they aren’t able to access the proper support to remain housed. We also know that the trauma related to the experience of homelessness stays with an individual for their entire life. The trauma of not knowing where you’ll sleep, and what you may have to give up of yourself to rest, can begin to affect your brain functioning within hours of experiencing homelessness. Other typical tasks, such as eating and bathing, become an emotional and physical challenge, further increasing trauma. Not to mention interactions with institutions who are meant to help, but instead deny you aid, that exacerbate suffering. Scapegoating drug users as the cause of homelessness, as this document does, is also a fallacy. The causes of drug addiction are depression, isolation, and loneliness. A person who experiences FEATURED homelessness will experience each of those risk factors, which may contribute to drug use. Drug use itself, however, is rarely a cause of homelessness. Blaming drug abuse and mental illness is a way to detract from the actual causes of homelessness by making it seem like a person has made the wrong choices, or they themselves are immoral. Addressing these issues is practical, but it is only addressing a symptom of a larger issue. The document goes on to obfuscate the issue by presenting economic models that may have been ripped out of an introductory economics textbook. The discussion on the graphs amounted to the idea that housing costs too much to produce, so therefore, if we reduce the cost of production, then the rents will drop. This became the tactic to end homelessness: deregulation. The document presents deregulation as the main solution to ending homelessness. They believe that removing building codes, permits, environmental, housing, and wetland protections, combined with reducing energy efficiency and labor requirements, that the cost of housing would decrease so much, that in a city like San Francisco, rent would drop 55%, leading to a drop in homelessness by 54%. The quality of housing is not considered in this model. Safety is not considered in a model that removes building codes and other protections. In fact, this plan may actually increase homelessness by permitting building in floodplains, reducing labor standards, and reducing the need for inspections and building trades, among other issues. While it’s hard to stomach the narrative that is created in this document, it is worth taking some time to digest. The final parts of the document make the claim that homelessness is increasing, and any count is not going to be accurate. This was, in my opinion, the only accurate part of the document, but it was only done to say that the Obama Administration failed when it comes to homelessness — it was a jab at THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 9 President Obama. Overall, the document relies heavily on stereotypes, in terms of the causes of homelessness, and it only relies on boot-strap approaches to ending homelessness. The major solutions that they propose are dangerous and will increase homelessness. The document says that the police should be supported in their brutality against people experiencing homelessness. The document says that building codes and other community safety considerations (environmental, for instance) are too costly and should be removed. It says that rent control also increases homelessness, but does not address or illustrate how it is a cause of homelessness. Like much of the document, it is based upon beliefs, so that it can put the solution on the individual (who needs drug rehab and mental services) rather than on an economic system that ensures income and wealth inequality. �10 GLOBAL N ov 2 o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Oct 31- -NNov 14,2 02019 419 “People Are Getting Desperate”: The No-Deal Brexit Crisis Facing Foodbanks Hannah Westwater The Big Issue UK A no-deal Brexit could leave thousands of already vulnerable people without access to food, a global human rights organisation has warned. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the government is not taking action to ensure that people don’t bear the brunt of soaring food prices and supply shortages in the case of the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal – which will happen if a withdrawal agreement isn’t reached before October 31. HRW Western Europe researcher Kartik Raj said the UK government “knows full well” that food provision will suffer after a no-deal Brexit, adding: “Instead of preparing to help families and let them know what’s on offer, it’s turning its back on them.” Last month the government published its predicted effects of leaving the EU without a trade deal after being pressured by parliament. The Operation Yellowhammer document showed that the UK’s food system is expected to be disrupted on every level, with low income and marginalised people hit the hardest. (The paper was dated ten days after Boris Johnson began his term as Prime Minister – he has since insisted that contingency plans for a no-deal Brexit have “massively accelerated” since he moved into Number 10.) The benefits freeze, poor housing provision and damaging policies like Universal Credit have resulted in soaring numbers forced to rely on foodbanks in recent years. The Trussell Trust, which accounts for 1,200 of the 2,000 foodbanks in the UK, said earlier this year that demand for food parcels had increased by 73 per cent in five years. Frontline staff and food poverty experts are troubled by the likelihood that a no-deal Brexit will herald disaster for people already struggling to get enough to eat. “The issue is that they’re so busy and up against it already. Demand is increasing all the time,” said Sabine Goodwin, coordinator of the Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN). “But if food prices go up even a little bit it will have a huge impact. Foodbanks are thinking about it and worrying about it but there’s so much to do in the here and now. And it seems that there isn’t enough information out there for them to know how to prepare or protect themselves, even if they could.” The IFAN wants the government to invest in local welfare provision and boost hardship funds so that people who need the means to buy food are helped with cash that will allow them to “go to shops and buy food like everybody else” rather than “propping up an already broken system of foodbanking”. “Wages need to be upped across the board, zero-hour contracts shouldn’t be in use, affordable housing needs to really be affordable, and be available,” Goodwin added. “This no-deal Brexit scenario or the possibility of should really act as a wake up call to us all. This situation is already an emergency and action is needed now. Not tomorrow, now. People are becoming desperate.” Single parent families led by women, people who receive benefits and pensioners plus refugees and asylum seekers are likely to be disproportionately affected by a breakdown in the food system postBrexit because large numbers of them already rely heavily on foodbanks. Rajesh Makwana is the director of Sufra NW London, a charity that provides food aid to the community in Brent. Demand has nearly tripled in the past three years, he explained, and the organisation has to buy in supplementary food because donations aren’t enough to feed everyone who needs help. They’re expecting to have to fundraise for and spend extra money. “If the impact of Brexit is going to be on the cost of food then that has huge implications,” he said. “We make sure that everyone gets enough food to last five-to-seven days in their parcels. If that’s a family of four, that’s the equivalent of a trolley full. “So an increase in the price of food will have two effects. Firstly, it will push our food budgets up dramatically. Secondly, more people are likely to need to use the foodbank because their weekly bill will increase. Many of them are living off such a small amount that a tiny increase in cost could totally change their ability to access food.” Food aid workers all seem to agree that any preparation must be strictly hypothetical because they have been given too little information to know how they can Brexit-proof their foodbanks’ operation. “We’re just nervous,” Makwana adds. “We were already nervous because of Universal Credit, which could be rolled out here at any point. This adds another layer to that. But small community charities don’t have time to do proper analysis of this. There are no resources to let them calculate the risks, and the government isn’t telling us anything. “You just have to expect the worst and plan for it. But that’s difficult to do because we’re already dealing with the worst. It’s already a broken system.” Independent foodbanks, of which there are around 800, are likely to be the worst hit due to tight budgets. The timing of a potential no-deal Brexit could hit them hard, too. With the UK set to leave the EU at the end of this month, workers are concerned about how Christmas donations could suffer – an influx of food which they rely on to keep low-income households fed well into the next year. Robin Burgess, CEO of HOPE Centre in Northampton which tackles homelessness and delivers cooking lessons as well as food aid, said: “Virtually every foodbank is affected by the two basic principles – that food donations are at their highest around THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED harvest and Christmas. “If no-deal does hit, there is a massive risk that donations will be down. And if you don’t do well on those two pulses of food that means you run out sooner into next year. As it is, most providers are scraping the bottom of the barrel by August.” Charity Fareshare redistributes surplus food around charities and community organisations. They warned that if all the organisations helping vulnerable people across the UK access food had to buy that food instead, it would cost them a collective £5m – per month. There are also concerns that a no-deal Brexit could impact schools, hospitals and social care providers which all rely on a supply of nutritious food. Aid workers are demanding a two-pronged approach – a focus on preventing poverty for future generations and help lift families out of it in the short-term, including removing the no-deal Brexit cliff edge – to solve the problem. A government spokesperson said: “The reasons for people using food banks are complex and they cannot be attributed to a single cause. But we are committed to tackling poverty and ensuring that vulnerable people get the support they need, which is why we continue to spend £95 billion a year on working-age benefits. “We have a highly resilient food supply chain in the UK and this will not change if we leave the EU without a deal.” Courtesy of INSP.ngo / The Big Issue UK bigissue.com @BigIssue �No. 39 Nov 214, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Oct 313-| Nov | No. 419 11 GLOBAL Dortmund’s Threat Of Terror From The Right Alexandra Gehrhardt bodo S ince the death of Walter Lübcke, a local government official on central Germany, the discussion around banning neo-Nazi organisations in the country has gained much more traction, especially regarding the neo-Nazi terrorist group known as Combat 18, who have ties to the suspected perpetrator of Lübcke’s murder. “It’s absurd that Combat 18 has never been banned,” says sociologist Hendrik Puls, who bodo spoke to about right-wing networking and its journey to Dortmund. The death of the head of the Kassel city government, Walter Lübcke, a racist attack in Wächtersbach, rightwing death threats and death lists are we experiencing an explosion of right-wing rhetoric and terror? There’s an increase in the number of extreme right-wing threats, serious violent disorder and investigations into neo-Nazi groups or individuals accused of creating criminal or terrorist organisations or orchestrating dangerous criminal acts. That is quite an explosive sentiment. The parallel development is striking. In the past few years, Germany has set in motion a discourse about immigration, migration, and seeking asylum and something has been created that I would characterise as a right-wing social movement. At the same time, there’s a new parliamentary player, in the form of the AfD [Alternative for Germany, a far-right political party], which has pushed this cheap propaganda. Is it a new phenomenon? No. We’ve seen huge acts of violence from the right again and again for decades. In the 70s and 80s, organised neo-Nazi groups already existed. These groups prepared themselves for an armed battle and carried out bombings and murders. Walter Lübcke’s suspected murderer is a well-known neo-Nazi. He was sentenced for participating in another attack at the Dortmund DGB [trade union activists] Demo in 2009. There are speculations about Combat 18 links. But what is Combat 18? Combat 18 was founded in the 1990s as a type of club or gang in England. Over the course of the 90s, the group took control of the Blood & Honour network. This large neo-Nazi organisation was active in the right-wing rock business and always understood itself to be a political organisation that discussed and disseminated the concept of an armed struggle. Over time it developed into an international network that mainly appeared under the name Blood & Honour or Combat 18. Since the start of the 2000s, the network has incorporated neo-Nazis from Dortmund. The Dortmund band Oidoxie has staged itself like no other as a Combat 18 band. They have advertised their affiliation with the organisation in their songs and become a propagandist of right-wing terror. There's a series of very explicit lyrics and demands that are associated with the so-called “leaderless resistance”, a concept that the National Socialist Underground (NSU) also oriented itself with. Do they only make music? Blood & Honour and Combat 18 have two main activities: Firstly, organising concerts. Secondly, Combat 18 has always been linked to the promotion of an armed struggle and right-wing terror in England as well as in Germany. In conspiratorial books, right-wing terror concepts were presented, and advice was given on how to create cells. Thus, Combat 18 became a label for an armed struggle. Since 2000, Oidoxie has had traceable contact with leaders in England, Scandinavia, and Belgium. The band was seen by them as legitimate representatives of the German network. Combat 18 has never been banned. Which is absurd because the German Federal Ministry banned Blood & Honour in 2000. Combat 18 wasn’t included in that ban, although its self-designation was always that of an armed uprising. This meant that only a part of the neo-Nazi organisation was affected by the ban. Dortmund’s neoNazis don’t count. Which paths lead to Dortmund? For years, safety authorities had said that Combat 18 had no structures. Now the Office for the Protection of the Constitution says that, since 2013, there is such a structure which includes people from North Rhine-Westphalia and Dortmund. In the run-up to the re-evaluation, there were disputes in the committees of enquiry. Whilst on the other hand, anti-fascist groups, including EXIF research, published extensive material that disclosed the structures of Combat 18. One person who appears prominently is Dortmund neo-Nazi Robin Sch. He’s most likely the person who recently appeared in a video message as a spokesman for Combat 18 in Germany. Sch was already on his way into the environment of Oidoxie, which operates as a kind of comradeship-stewards-force called ‘Oidoxie Streetfighting Crew’ and was involved in a Dortmund neo-Nazi drug dealing ring. Now, he’s put himself in the position of figurehead of Combat 18. Combat 18 leadership figures also met at a large demonstration in 2016. It was clear at this demonstration that the people who were already part of Combat 18 in the 2000s also stayed in contact. Robin Sch and members of Oidoxie were also there. It was interesting that, for the first time in years, the Englishman Will Browning was there - one of the founders of Combat 18 was back in Germany among their ranks. Thus, this unified front was made public. They also dealt with the work of security authorities at the North Rhine-Westphalia NSU investigation committee. How should we steel ourselves against right-wing networks? There’s a danger that the state cannot prepare you for acts of violence. It would also be false to claim that every attack can be stopped. In addition, a massive restriction of basic rights, a completely policed state, would be necessary. 100 per cent safety cannot be certain. In the discussion of right-wing terrorism after the NSU, the accusation THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED that the authorities of the Protection of the Constitution had lacked analytical capability and knowledge was often raised. I think that that was not the case at all. There was a huge amount of information about how violent the neo-Nazis were, information about the concepts, plans, and weapons were circulating in the neo-Nazi scene because the neo-Nazi scene had infiltrated the leadership of undercover informants. The Protection of the Constitution authorities have lingered over safety. They have intervened in a series of possible bans with the argument that underground structures are uncontrollable. In the long run, that decision has solidified the scene, rather than hindered the violence. In the meantime, calls to ban Combat 18 are getting louder. How sensible would a ban be? Bans always have a symbolic effect as well. It already had the purpose of sending out a signal. The tragic thing is that the practical results of the ban are questionable when dealing with a structured neo-Nazi network that was founded over 20 years ago. Has it shaken the foundations of the scene? Impeded its activities? I don’t think so. Hendrik Puls researches neoNazism and right-wing terror. He was a member of the Green Party in the NSU Investigation in the North Rhine-Westphalia State Parliament and holds a doctoral degree in the Junior Researcher Group ‘Right-Wing Violent Delinquency and Practice of Law Enforcement’ (www.nfg-rexdel. de), sponsored by the Hans Böckler Foundation at Ruhr University in Bochum. Translated from German by Catherine Castling Courtesy of bodo / INSP.ngo �12 STREETVOICE N o v 31 2 -- N o v 19, 0 18 || N o . 393 Oct Nov 14,22019 No. 419 Appreciation Appreciation is a word that can be reckoned with Appreciation is something we often times consider a myth Appreciation is something I give to God each for my living above ground And for his blessing of putting people in my life so stable and sound To understand just what it is that I as a person need to honestly appreciate And to know that my mission of appreciation will not be a simple piece of cake Through being jailed and being homeless not to mention in the world all by myself I’ve learned to appreciate the hand that God to me has gracefully dealt I’ve learn to never forget the past and look forward to each day even though not promised I’ve learned to forgive but not forget and stop being a doubting Thomas I recognize and therefore appreciate the changes my life have ultimately taken I’ve learned to appreciate my faults for without them there would be no lesson I’ve learn to recognize my short comings and now I appreciate God’s Almighty Blessings Willa D. Jones Contributing Writer Streetvibes Distributor Streetvibes Writing Circle If you would like to submit a story for publication in streetvibes, come join Katelyn Lusher, Chris Wilkey, and Alex McIntosh for a group writing session! THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �STREETVOICE No. 31 39 3- Nov | Nov 14, 2- N o v 19, 2 0 18 Oct 2019 | No. 419 Good Day Bad Day 13 The Administration's Race To Weaken Environmental Laws Mother Goose I woke up this morning Got a smell of coffee You don’t have to be homeless to sell Streetvibes You got a job but Streetvibes pays for the gas to get to work I don’t mess with Duracell batteries I mess with Energizer batteries The bunny is back Trump's Administration is on a recent streak, In its goal to make environmental laws weak. First it weakened the Endangered Species Act, Ignoring reputable studies and scientific fact. It next decided that it would take down a peg A long standing and effective clean water reg. Last but not least comes its mean legal snare To force California to have more polluted air. It’s so sad what’s going on in this world today We losing people or they’re getting locked up BILL WOODS Contributing Writer Some people panhandle instead of selling papers and I tell them to sell Streetvibes You have to motivate them somehow instead of asking for handouts It’s so hard because I’ve been selling papers for over 10 years But I get tired of people giving me funny looks They ask me why I’m sitting out here I’m still by where the Kroger used to be I still see the same people Corporate people too and they treat me alright I have my good days and bad days I’m mad the café in Kroger closed I don’t get breakfast like I used to Because the kids eat their breakfast there but they can’t do it anymore James Brown Contributing Writer Streetvibes Distributor THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �PUZZLES 14 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 109 Across 1. Passport endorsement 5. Take notice of 9. Bitter quarrel 13. Golf club 14. Notion 15. Pointer 17. Young male horse 18. Grime 19. Tenet 20. Heavy block where hot metals are shaped 22. Prejudice 24. Notable achievement 25. Cereal grass seed 26. Not in use 28. Pastry item 30. Color 31. Animal coat 32. Travel a route regularly 35. Modernize 38. Charter 39. Regret 40. Narrow secluded valley 41. Part of a journey 42. Scintilla 43. On the sheltered side 44. Something intended to deceive 46. Small storeroom for food 48. High-pitched bark 49. Peculiar 50. Pack of cards 51. Append 52. Conceited 53. Small fruit seed 56. Endure 59. Slender 61. Evade 63. Theatrical performer 65. In addition 67. Region 68. Musical instrument 69. Without speed 70. Approach 71. Sketched 72. Rational 73. Small wooded hollow PUZZLE SOLUTIONS CROSSWORD #108 Down 1. Clergyman 2. Satire 3. Figure out 4. Not in favor of 5. Concealed 6. Comestible 7. Spooky 8. Information 9. Craze 10. Wear away 11. Exhort 12. Concave shape 16. Batch 21. Rhythmicity 23. Incite or stimulate 27. Scheduled to arrive 29. Anger 30. Prohibit 31. Mediterranean fruit 32. Poke 33. Stringed instrument 34. Period of time 35. Horrible 36. Supplication 37. Unfathomable 38. Jinx 41. Boy or man 42. Irritate 44. Brick carrier 45. Betting ratio 46. Hawaiian garland 47. Skin condition 50. Sweet dark purple plum 51. Make amends 52. Country house in ancient Rome 53. Food processed in a blender 54. Paragon 55. Sometimes found in an oyster 56. Circuit 57. Turns litmus paper red 58. Celestial body 60. Young girl 62. Bring ashore 64. Angry dispute 66. Be indebted to N o v 31 2 - -NNov o v 19, 0 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Oct 14,22019 419 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 4- EASY SODOKU PUZZLE NO 3- EASY PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 Nov 214, - N2019 o v 19, 2 0 18 Oct 313-|Nov | No. 419 Central Access Point 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children RESOURCES Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 621-7265 1528 Race St. 45202 Churches Active in Northside Bethany House 557-2873 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 591-2246 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 Salvation Army 762-5660 St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 131 E. 12th Street 45202 1125 Bank Street 45214 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men Shelter: Men Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 Shelterhouse 721-0643 2121 Vine Street 45202 411 Gest St. 45203 Prospect House 921-1613 1437 Walnut Street 45202 Starting Over 961-2256 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 Parkway Center 661-4620 First Step Home 961-4663 Shelter: Youth 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Shelter: Family Interfaith Hospitality Network Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Joseph House (Veterans) 471-1100 1522 Republic Street 45202 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 OTR Community Housing 381-1171 114 W. 14th Street 45202 Talbert House 221-HELP Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street 45202 Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Volunteers of America 381-1954 Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 VA 977-6800 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 Food/Clothing First Lutheran Church 421-0065 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 1730 Race Street 45202 St. Francis Seraph Ministries 549-0542 St. George Food Pantry 2554 Dennis St. 45219 751-8771 St. Anthony Center 1615 Republic St. Advocacy Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 241-2965 Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP Housing: 15 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 UpSpring 363-3300 Health Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 Other Resources Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 215 E. 14th St. 45202 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 Goodwill Industries 771-4800 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. 579-8547 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 1223 Main St. 45202 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 Talbert House 751-7747 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton County Office of Reentry 946-4304 138 E. Court Street Room # 101 First Floor Cancer Justice Network 404-3882 Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels 981-4200 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center (11-17 y/o) 859-491-8303 ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-572-6202 Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky 634 Scott St. 41011 859-291-4555 Want to advertise in Streetvibes? You can support our mission and spread the word about your business. For more information contact Gabriela Godinez Feregrino, 961-0600 email streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Center for Respite Care 621-1868 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 386-7899 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio McMicken Dental Clinic 352-6363 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 NAMI of Hamilton County 351-3500 PATH Outreach 977-4489 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �16 N ov 2 o v 19, 18 | |NNo. o . 393 Oct 31- -NNov 14,2 02019 419 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 October 31-November 14, 2019 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: Dear Mayor Joseph Meyer Pg 3: Paralyzed Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: Migrant Mother Misses Home but Prays Not to be Sent Back Pg 6: Hope on the Streets New Evidence of Cincinnati’s Housing Crisis Pg 7: Rothenberg Pg 8: An Altered State of Homelessness Pg 9: An Altered State of Homelessness Pg 10: “People Are Getting Desperate” Pg 11: Dortmund’s Threat of Terror from the Right 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 October 31-November 14, 2019 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gabriela Godinez Bill Woods Andy Pope Kristina Cooke Dr. Mark Mussman LoA Beinit Haley Edmonson Hannah Westwater Alexandra Gehrhardt James Brown Willa D. Jones INSP.com Blake Burrell Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Alexandra Gehrhardt Andy Pope Bill Woods Blake Burrell Brexit Cincinnati Dortmund Dr. Mark Mussman Gabriela Godinez Haley Edmonson Hannah Westwater INSP.com James Brown Joseph Meyer Kristina Cooke LoA Beinit Migrants Willa D. Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/71b9112470be7c70773e313e476440c7.pdf 751d1a63d720e9a2537bc1ca5c3263f2 PDF Text Text October 5th - October 21st 2018 | Vol. 21 Issue 18 (No. 391) advocating justice | building community Religious Peacemakers: Aaron Bludworth, A Mormon, Discovering & Sharing the Humanity of the Invisible Other| 3 This Issue is sponsored by (Retired) Judge Mark P. Painter INSIDE THIS ISSUE The Critical Issues that Know Your Rights! | 3 Candidates Should Be Adressing As They Campaign This Fall | 2 A Vote for Family and Freedom | 5 The Jubilee Revolution | 5 Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 LOCAL From The Director: The Heimlich Maneuver or Inaction? JOSH SPRING Executive Director I f two people were standing in front of you; one person having a nice meal and the other person was choking, unable to breath, what would you do? I think most people would probably try to assist the person who was choking in order to prevent that person from experiencing more pain and potentially dying. This is a question that would be easy for most people to answer. The choking person would be vigorously trying to dislodge what was blocking their breathing, but it would be clear that they could not do it by themselves. You would get up, go over and try to perform the Heimlich. [Editor’s note: The American Red Cross recommends a “five and five” approach to first aid. Five “back blows”, if that doesn’t work five "abdominal thrusts" also known as the Heimlich, then five more back blows if needed.] Even if you didn’t fully know how to provide Josh Spring Credit: Homeless Coalition the Heimlich, you would probably still try and if there were other people around, they would likely try as well and together; the person choking, you and others would most likely prevent increased pain and potential death. No brainer, right? In Cincinnati tens of thousands of people are teetering on the edge of homelessness because of forced displacement that comes from gentrification, being priced out of their neighborhood, slumlords, “neighborhood revitalization” and unfair-wage jobs. Every weekday dozens of households are evicted from their homes in a system that does not legislate protections against unjust evictions. So far this year, approximately seventy-eight percent of families with children who have sought family shelter have been turned away because family shelters are already so overcrowded, nearly ten percent of whom were sleeping outside, in cars or other such places. Adult shelters are seeing numbers of people beyond what they have ever seen before and the number of people living outside keeps rising. In Hamilton County we are short more than 40,000 homes affordable to households with low incomes, 28,000 of which are needed inside (Continued on page 7) The Critical Issues that Candidates Should Be Addressing As They Campaign this Fall W hat are the critical issues that local, state, and Congressional candidates should be addressing on the campaign trail this fall? At the Community Forum at Christ Church Cathedral on September 27th, a panel of community leaders took on the assignment of talking about many of the tough problems and public policy needs that often get lost in all the hoopla and attack ads of modern political campaigning. The panel included Michelle Dillingham, Executive Director of Community Shares, John Schrider, Director of the Legal Aid Society of Southwest Ohio, D. David Altman, an environmental attorney who specializes in defending average citizens, and Paul Breidenbach of the Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center. Michelle Dillingham focused on three issues during her presentation. She pointed to large funding needs for public education and human services, and she cited some of the concerns that have galvanized the women's movement since Trump's election. In terms of the safety net, she provided a long list from Food BILL WOODS Contributing Writer Stamps to child day care that have suffered cuts. At the same time these basic human services lose funding, Dillingham took note of the major tax cuts primarily benefiting well-off Americans that Congress and the Ohio General Assembly have enacted. These same tax breaks have left Public Schools and other education programs severely underfunded in Ohio. Meanwhile, the state's Local Government Fund that used to be a major local government resource has practically been eliminated. John Schrider continued with more statistics revealing the need for major government involvement to address growing poverty and income inequality. He called attention to Cincinnati's growth in poverty by (Continued on page 11) O c t 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 | N o . 391 Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org BLOG: streetvibes.wordpress.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor: Justin Jeffre Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Justin Jeffre Layout: Key Beck Reception: Larry Johnson, Anne Evans Maintenance: Pete Roper ----------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Bill Woods, Dr. Mark Mussman, Trenton Davis, Dick Croy, Jason Haap, Loa Bennett, Saad Ghosn, Sabrina Amos, Desmond Brown, Cleo Wombles, Kim Green, Willa Denise, Jones ----------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: Homeless Coalition, Dr. Mark Mussman, Justin Jeffre, Trenton Davis, Saad Ghosn, Bill Woods -------------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Bill Woods accepting last year's buddy gray award Credit: Homeless Coalition THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �LOCAL Know Your Rights! No. 39 1 | Oct 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 R ecently, the Homeless Coalition, in partnership with some of our member organizations like Legal Aid and HOME, put on an information session at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County at the Main Branch. We created an informational session that would be useful to all as it focused on historical and contemporary issues, renters, homeowners, and landlords. We broke it into several pieces, starting with the history of homelessness in Cincinnati, the issues that we are currently fighting against, including displacement and criminalization, the basic laws that protect the rights of citizens, and ways to protect yourself from spurious landlords. Finally, we ended with ways to get involved, including hosting informational sessions, speakers, and joining us in our fight to eradicate homelessness. The historical portion started with the 20th Century, and more specifically with Redlining. The underpinnings of Redlining include racism and classism, which essentially run current today. Redlining officially began after the Great Depression and exacerbated segregation in every city across America. A federal housing program forced People of Color into substandard housing, while giving white people the ability to build generational wealth. Combined with legally enforced segregation and restrictive covenants, AfricanAmericans were systematically denied the ability to create wealth through property ownership. After generations of racism in housing, we can certainly see the effects today on family wealth. Following the Civil Rights Movement, when housing discrimination based on race was outlawed, people of color continue to be cut out of housing opportunities. As former President Reagan’s policies of disinvestment in public housing decimated the quality of public housing, emphasis was put on religious institutions to create the safety net that people would need in a changing globalized economy. America began moving towards a service economy, which would push wealth to the very few. Reagan also perpetuated the myth that people “want to live outside” rather than viewing homelessness as a systemic issue. This began the era that we are currently in, of underfunding public housing while allowing it to deteriorate, and pushing money into private hands through programs like Section 8, which allow for private landlords to benefit from public money. Although people believe that there is plenty of Section 8 housing vouchers out there, the window to apply only opens up every few years, for a few days. Some people who get DR. MARK MUSSMAN Staff Writer (left) Jeniece Jones from HOME Shines a Spotlight on Housing (right) ohn Schrider from Legal Aid Speaks on Legal Aspects of Housing Credit Lé Thompson on the waiting list will still be on the waiting list 3 or 4 years later, when the application period is opened again. The Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting list is currently closed, it was last open for four days in January 2017; and before that in December 2014, and in 2012. Of all the low income renters in the United States, less more likely to be cost burdened in Cincinnati, while the average rent for an apartment in Cincinnati has skyrocketed to over $1100 per month. Minimum wages do not cover the cost of a two bedroom apartment. The typical person who makes minimum wage is a 35 year-old woman with children. Her children cannot close the door and do their homework, or find a place to decompress after 3 33.1 percent for Blacks. When it comes down to the laws that should protect people who are experiencing homelessness, there are three main Constitutional Amendments that apply: First Amendment’s protection of free speech; Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures; and the Eighth Amendment’s protection against cruel and unusual punishment. Each of these protections has been recently violated by Hamilton County and the City of Cincinnati. Fortunately, the Homeless Coalition is currently fighting the criminalization of homelessness in Federal Court, and we continue to push for these rights while we continue to push for housing and housing protections. Finally, a healthy standard of living, including housing, is part of the United Nations’ Declaration of Human Rights. An update to the Criminalization survey was given, which showed that nearly half of all survey respondents (people currently experiencing homelessness) had been harassed by law enforcement officers, even when they were not breaking any laws. The goal of the survey is to push for a Bill of Rights, that will include the Right to Rest, the Right to Move, the Right to Housing, and other important human rights. This led into understanding current Tenant/Landlord Laws, including discrimination, retaliation, researching your landlord, eviction, and filing a complaint. HUD funded housing rights were also discussed, including the right of residents to have advocates, like community organizers, present at meetings and discussions about changes in housing. Creating tenant organizations was also discussed before ending on ways to get involved in the fight to eradicate homelessness: Affordable Housing, Livable Wages, and Housing Protections. If you’d like to watch the facebook live video or access the slideshow, please visit our website: https:// cincihomeless.org/2018/09/13/ know-your-rights-forum/ (left) Josh Spring Executive Director of the Homeless Coalition give Historical Perspective (right) Mona Jenkins Director of Development and Operations Discusses the Housing Struggle Credit Lé Thompson than 25% who would be eligible for assistance actually receive it. This is occuring at a time when the cost of housing has risen, but wages have not. In Hamilton County, we are nearly 40,000 units short of lowincome housing for people making up at about $25,000. This means that people are living paycheck to paycheck, kids are sleeping on the floor, couches, sharing beds with infants, etc. People of Color are way a difficult day because Mom can’t afford a 2 or 3 bedroom apartment while public housing is full and Section 8 voucher waiting list is overburdened. She would have to work 104 hours per week to afford a 2 bedroom apartment on minimum wage. This is even more defined for Black families who are least likely to be home owners, as in 15-county Greater Cincinnati, homeownership rates are 74.5 percent for whites but THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �4 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED O c t 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 | N o . 391 �5 JUBILEE CAMPAIGN A Vote for Family and Freedom No. 39 1 | Oct 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 F TRENTON DAVIS amily is the bedrock of America. I have three younger sisters, and, even at 21, I still live at home with my two incredible parents. There is not a single thing that I am more thankful for than my family. When I was young, my Mother read me books at night. From age three to six, we would end up staying up until midnight because I’d ask to read “just one more book Mommy”. My Dad, he was always my coach. From baseball to basketball and soccer, he’s always been there on the sidelines cheering me on and supporting me. My family is the reason I dream. All those little moments that my family has invested in my success, that is the pursuit of happiness endowed by our Constitution, so many years ago. Who would I be without my Mom at home? What about my Dad? No books at night during my most important years of development. Nobody to teach me how to throw a curveball. There are thousands of Ohioan families that face this reality every day. We talk about the War on Drugs like it’s just a piece of our past, yet we still lock up more humans in America than any other country in the world. Public safety is important, but Ohio spends more than $1.8 billion Contributing Writer dollars every year on a prison system where too many people that pose little risk to society are incarcerated. We are ripping families apart. Mothers and fathers are being locked away from their families. Low-level drug possession offenses are felonies in Ohio, not misdemeanors. That means that non-violent parents, people that may be perfectly capable of raising strong families, are now separated from their kids. Felonies force authorities to send parents to state prison rather than local jails, so not only are they locked up, but they’re locked up far away. Moreover, we are committing injustice. Low-level possession offenses are as small as a sugar packet. So, we aren’t locking up vicious, dangerous drug dealers and kingpins, we are locking up friends, family members, and average citizens that suffer from addiction. Addiction is an illness. Instead of encouraging healing and rehabilitation, we strip people of their liberty. We are treating addiction, not as an illness, not even as a personal struggle, but rather as societal blight that should be locked away for none to see. We need to bring Ohioan mothers and fathers home. We need to heal the addictions of our nation, not cause more pain. We need to create freedom, not take it away. Healthy families are the foundation of our society. Strong, American families raise strong, American children. We need to enable people to heal and make sure not to separate them from Trenton Davis Credit: Jubilee Campaign the people that need them most. Approximately 2,600 of our neighbors are locked up in State prison with a low-level drug possession charge as their highest offense. If we reclassify their felonies to misdemeanors, we can bring mothers and fathers closer to their children. They’ll be free. And with the felony scratched from their record, they will have access to work that can support those families. The Jubilee Revolution I t was my good fortune to have known the late Jim Couts, a retired minister in Marietta, Ohio, who among much else in his busy life of service to people and the planet founded Jubilee Soil, whose mission was to manufacture healthy soil, improve the depth and quality of topsoil, and to increase food production utilizing sustainable, non-polluting methods of agriculture. Jubilee made soil by diverting food waste from local landfills, building local agriculture, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. At the time of his untimely passing Jim’s still young company had converted 225,000 pounds of food waste, much of it from local prisons, into extremely rich topsoil. He had been in communication with West Virginia state officials about using Jubilee soil to reclaim land devastated by mountaintop mining. The following is a piece I edited for him for inclusion on Jubilee’s website (which no longer DICK CROY Contributing Writer exists). I feel it is as timely today as when Jim wrote it: I first read John Howard Yoder’s Politics of Jesus shortly after it was published in the early 70’s and later discovered Andre Trocme, whose book by the same name predated Yoder’s work. Their premise was that the Jubilee laws of Leviticus and Deuteronomy were central to the teachings of Jesus, so central that they resulted in Jesus’ execution as a revolutionary. Reading those books and many that followed resulted in my conversion to Christianity. Much of the Old and New Testament suddenly made sense, especially the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus’ disdain for the wealthy and his love for the poor and oppressed. It was now clear to me why his church hierarchy – the temple priests, the Pharisees, Herod, and Caiaphas – clamored for his execution. I could now claim Jesus as Lord and mean it. I’ve come Instead of wasting law enforcement dollars on castigating people suffering from addiction, we can, instead, instill a culture of rehabilitation. We can create an earned-credit system so that qualified people can reduce their sentences by participating in group therapy and rehabilitation programs. Prison can cause trauma; some of the work will have to be healing those that have already suffered from the injustice of antiquated drug laws. November 6th, 2018 could be to the conclusion that one cannot fully understand the life and mission of Jesus without first understanding the role of the Jubilee. It’s a radical concept, some believe unattainable – but, to God, just common sense. In 2011, at age 69, I founded a for-profit company and named it Jubilee Organic Gardens. I was partly motivated by the need to be involved in an agricultural revolution that was beginning to grow. Thousands of folks were engaged in growing their own food, advocating for locally grown, healthful food, and supporting family farms. But my passion for the Jubilee also influenced my decision. I have found great comfort in associating myself with a Quaker meeting here in my hometown of Marietta, Ohio, but have been surprised by how few people who belong to Quaker communities acknowledge their Christian roots. Their reasons are sound and quite understandable. Orthodox THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED a day of Jubilee. We can release our prisoners. Vote YES on Issue 1. Issue 1 was carefully written by Ohioans to ensure public safety, but, also, to reunite families and build Ohio a more free, healthy, and prosperous future. There is no civil rights issue on the ballot more pressing than this. When the family is broken, the foundation of freedom is cracked. Help free Ohio. Vote for family and freedom. Vote YES on Issue 1. Christianity and organized religion in general offer little to those passionate about saving the planet, racial and economic justice, women’s rights, and the plethora of social justice issues which confront us daily. For me, including the Jubilee and its importance in Christian thought and practice is not only vital in giving clarity to our quest for social justice, but it also lends zeal, passion, and a real sense of truth to our causes. All this without having to sacrifice our intellect, modern science, or need for spiritual guidance. Ignoring our Christian roots is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. What exactly are the Jubilee laws or principles? They are explained in detail in Leviticus 25 and Deuteronomy 16 but actually dominate entire sections of both Old and New Testaments. The basic principle is as follows: God, out of love, gave us the Jubilee so that we and our planet might not only survive but, in addition, so that we might also be content and happy. The primary themes are care for the earth and care for our neighbors, especially the (Continued on page 9) �6 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED O c t 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 | N o . 391 �OPINION Why Should I Vote for Candidates or Parties I Don’t Trust? No. 39 1 | Oct 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 O ne night during my high school years, Frank Zappa appeared on an evening news program and announced a run for president. I was thrilled! I decided in that moment I would be an indefatigable volunteer for his campaign. Then, what seemed like just a few weeks later, Zappa was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and it eventually killed him in 1993. His campaign never actually got started. Maybe that was the beginning of my interest in non-traditional and third-party political candidates. When I voted in my first presidential election, in 1996, I cast a ballot for Ross Perot. And for almost every presidential election since then, I've voted for a third-party candidate JASON HAAP Contributing Writer - whether it was Ralph Nader, Jill Stein, or Gary Johnson. For every step along the way, I have been told how voting thirdparty is "dangerous" because it "steals votes" from the major party candidates. I've been told there is "too much at stake in this election." It's interesting to juxtapose this sentiment next to the fact that tons of Americans don't even bother to vote. I've been made to feel like voting third-party is more dangerous than not voting at all! I also object to the notion of endless emergencies. I don't think it will ever be appropriate, according to the major parties, to vote third-party. There will always be "too much at stake." Here's the thing: this problem is easily fixed. If we simply had rankchoice voting in this country, we'd never have to worry about these socalled "spoiler" votes again. As a liberal, Democrats love to demonize my voting choices, as if I'm contributing to their candidate losing because I selected a different, non-Republican candidate. But if Democrats would simply support rank-choice voting, then they would never need to worry about this again. If I ranked Gary Johnson or Jill Stein as my first choice, and Hillary Clinton as my second choice, then once it's clear Stein or Johnson cannot win mathematically, my vote would go Will You Stop the Snake from Eating Our Children? LOA BENNETT [Editor’s note: The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition has not taken a position on this issue.] I s the American government the epitome of Ouroboros (snake eating its tail), as it creates societal problems, including drug use to put children in foster care, instituting “the cure” of the prison pipeline in its failed attempt to sustain a “good” economy? Government programs are often enacted in such a way as to promote the failure of humans in favor of corporate systems. This November is your chance to break their stronghold by voting “no” on a Hamilton County levy increase to put children in the government “care” of the foster care(less) system. As reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer; “The heroin epidemic and budget cuts from the state have made the Job & Family Service's situation more urgent.”1 Yet what are we to make of prosecutor Joe Deters absconding nearly $100,000 of money intended to investigate and prosecute drug crimes?2 According JOSH SPRING (Continued from page 2) Cincinnati. If you have a low income and definitely if you are Black, being evicted, displaced, gentrified out and/or moved from place to place to place is a part of life. In 2017 at least 137 people who experienced homelessness died. Despite all of this growing pain, as a City, County and society we are giving the person enjoying the nice meal more food and indulgence they don’t need as the situation of the person choking continues to worsen. Contributing Writer to the Enquirer article, Deters redirected the funding toward his own financial interests. No, he didn’t steal money; the fund itself was created to have no oversight as to how the funds are spent.2 Deters has fed the problem of family breakdown while gorging himself on profits confiscated from property. Within the foster care system, the most vulnerable members of society are removed most often from loving homes and end up with greater levels of mental damage because the motivating force for the “caretaker” is often a secure paycheck. Vote “no” on the “protective service” levy to protect the sovereignty of the family. Children should not be a commodity to be used for economic profit. Nor should they be stunted as future wage earners with “high school dropout rates” that are “3 times higher for foster youth than other low-income children.” Only about 50% graduate from high school.3 The lack of value of giving government more money to We may fain care by discussing why they are choking or how we can educate them to take smaller bites. We may go a bit further and discuss gathering some people who are not choking together to discuss the best ways to end their choking. We may tell them we support their efforts to dislodge that which is blocking them up. Perhaps we will offer them a glass of water. Eventually the person consuming the nice meal who is being fed more and more by those present will express to someone that they are having trouble consuming their nice meals while having to view someone warehouse our children is backed by solid numbers. Statistics of people forced through the system are grim, as aging out of “care” 50% end up homeless (40% of homeless are under the age of 18, many foster runaways).4 Findings show that foster care placement increased arrest rate of the marginal child by 200–300%. Men who were placed in foster care as children are 23% more likely to be convicted of a crime as adults than their investigated but never-placed counterparts. Roughly 20% of the prison population under age 30, and 25% of all prisoners with prior convictions, spent part of their youth in foster care.5 This government perpetuates a cycle that keeps many of the unemployed imprisoned and/or homeless. Increasing our financial support of current government programs has been detrimental to people and our planet. Ultimately government has proven to be the Ouroboros consuming little ones to feed the insatiable appetite of its snakelike head. As automation and tariffs desperately trying to survive choking. They will explain that such a scene is bad for the restaurants business and that they, nor other people like them will continue to come there if such an unsightly scene continues. So, some people present will get up and tell the person who is choking that they must leave. They may be told that everyone cares about what they are dealing with, but their presence is upsetting other people and all of that coughing may spread sickness, so they must go. Perhaps you see what I am getting at. Despite one’s politics, background or much of anything else, THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 7 to Clinton. It's a simple concept and everyone can understand it. You know my theory? I think the Democrats are scared. They know there exists a possibility, with rank choice voting, that people will no longer be afraid to vote third-party, so they never advance the concept. They would rather try to bully me into voting for their candidate on the basis of fear. I will not vote based on fear. So, I think I'm not going to vote anymore, until rank-choice voting is an option in this country. I'm sure there are readers right now fearful my decision could lead to Republicans maintaining the control of the House or the Senate, or maybe they are even thinking about Trump in 2020. If anyone can demonstrate an error in my thinking, I welcome your feedback. Please send your email to whyshouldjasonvote@gmail.com. I will select the best arguments to address in an upcoming article. decrease employment, government foster care programs only increases the pool of victims for legal abduction. And it is America’s children who suffer the most. Don’t support a levy increase to finance the dismantling of society. We can reorient the snake of the government from turning our children into homeless, drugged, pawns of state economic gain. Vote “no” on the November tax levy and give the $69.00 to developing a relationship to empower our youth and struggling families in honorable ways, because as it has been stated many times, “No one is going to save us. We’ve got to take care of ourselves.” 1 With sales tax off the ballot, commissioners put an increase in the children’s services levy on ballot, Scott Wartman, Cincinnati Enquirer 2 Senator: Shame on Joe Deters for spending $16K on briefcases, Cecil Thomas, Opinion Contributer 3 National Foster Youth Institute 4 Covenant House 5 Does placing children in foster care increase their adult criminality? Matthew J. Lindquist, Torsten Santavirta, Science Direct https://www.usgovernmentspending. com/welfare_spending 6 A Critical Look At The Foster Care System: How Widespread a Problem?, LiftingTheVeil.org 7 Children are dying at alarming rates in foster care, and nobody is bothering to investigate, Ryan Grim, Aida Chavez most people in this situation would not choose to hand more and more to the person already enjoining their meal but instead would choose to try to assist the person choking in being able to regain the oxygen they need to live, or at least that is how most people would answer the question of what they would do. I know that some people would stand by and for a variety of reasons, do nothing, but most probably would not. So, why do we operate differently when the problem is systematic in nature? --------------------------------------- �8 RELIGIOUS PEACEMAKERS For Aaron Bludworth, a Mormon, Discovering & Sharing the Humanity of the Invisible Other, Namely the Homeless, & Helping Wherever He Can, Is Living His Faith A O c t 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 | N o . 391 aron Bludworth was born in a religious family that belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon Church. Both his parents were members of the church and he grew up attending services regularly, participating in Sunday school and became himself one of its official members when, at the age of 8, he got baptized. Growing up he also received religious teachings and good values from his parents. They would have regular family evenings when they will all meet, pray, read the scriptures and address their various needs. "This is something I still do now with my wife and five children," says Bludworth. "It gets us closer together SAAD GHOSN Contributing Writer and strengthens our faith." Bludworth also participated in the church's youth program, meeting socially with others his age, learning from retreats and conferences; also helping others whenever possible. He attended public school in Salt Lake City, then went for college to the University of Utah, graduating with a bachelor's degree in Political Sciences and Business Administration. While in college, he continued his involvement with the church, but also became interested in politics, standing on the conservative side, helping Republican campaigns and supporting conservative candidates locally and state-wide. "I am a conservative in beliefs," he says, "and one with traditional values." Right after college, Bludworth decided to take two years off and joined one of the missions of his church, in North Carolina. "Our church has 400 missions throughout the world," he states. "Their purpose is to spread the word means, away from home and with very limited contact, allowed only two phone calls to their family a year, on Christmas and Mother’s Day, and no dating. "This experience did me a lot of good," says Bludworth. "It changed me, helped me grow and mature. My oldest son, 19 years old, is right now on such a mission in Guatemala and I like to think that he will be getting 20 years of life experience out of What is the MORMON Religion The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), aka the Mormon Church, is a Christian church which is neither Catholic nor Protestant. It does not embrace the creeds developed in the third and fourth centuries, now central to many Christian churches. It believes that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to save all mankind from death and their individual sins, but it is nontrinitarian considering Father and Son as two separate beings who, nevertheless, along with the Holy Spirit, are one in will, purpose and love. It is restorative, considered by its members to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is central to the lives of the Church members who seek to follow His example by being baptized, praying His holy name, partaking of the sacrament of Eucharist, doing good to others and bearing witness of Him through both word and deed. LDS Church maintains that without the sacraments of the church, salvation is impossible, but also that the Church is universal and timeless, simultaneously open to anyone, living or dead. It also stresses community as an element of salvation, members establishing a web of eternal relations with other human beings and with God. LDS Church was started by Joseph Smith in Western New York in the 1820s. It takes its original name from the Book of Mormon, a religious text that Smith published, and which he said he translated from "golden plates," with divine assistance, after the angel Moroni appeared to him. The Book contains writings of ancient prophets and gives an account of God’s dealings with the peoples on the American continent. For LDS Church the Book of Mormon stands alongside the Old and New Testaments of the Bible as holy scripture. After Smith was killed in 1844, most Mormons followed Brigham Young, his successor, to the area that became the Utah Territory, and changed their name to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Joseph Smith, founder of LDS Church, wrote, “The fundamental principles of our religion are … concerning Jesus Christ that He died, was buried, rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.” LDS Church believes unequivocally that: 1. Christ is the Savior of the world and the Son of the loving Heavenly Father 2. Christ’s Atonement allows mankind to be saved from their sins and return to live with God and their families forever. 3. Christ’s original Church, founded on "one faith,” as described in the New Testament, had been gradually undermined after the death of Christ’s apostles, that it needed to be restored, and that LDS Church is its restoration in modern times. Aaron Bludworth and faith of our religion, proselytize, convert and recruit others to it." In fact, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints encourages its young members, men and women, ideally ages 18 to 20 but no older than 25, to devote two years of their life as missionaries, working side by side along another mission companion, to teach others about their religion. At the same time, they would provide charitable services, where they are, to help individuals and organizations whenever needed. "These are two very tough years," says Bludworth, "but also transformational. You learn to live in a different unfamiliar context, with companions you did not choose, who sometimes do not speak your language. You learn to accept and love them and rely on them in your day to day work. You learn also to deal with rejection and hurt feelings..." During these missions, the two companion missionaries try to meet people on the street, through friends or on social media, to introduce them to their religion. They may be rebuked or even insulted. They also live with very little money and few Credit: Saad Ghosn these two years. He is very happy despite his homesickness and all the encountered adversity." After he returned from his mission, Bludworth married his wife, now of twenty years, who had also returned from a similar mission, but in Scotland, and he pursued professionally a career in the trade show business that he had started while in college. He worked for the same company for 15 years in Salt Lake City, then spent a year in Las Vegas before moving to Cincinnati where he bought his own company in the same field. "I am President/CEO at  Fern Exposition & Event Services," says Bludworth. "We provide the infrastructure for shows and events of trade associations and we have 400 employees in offices throughout the USA." Because of his job Bludworth travels extensively both throughout the United States and worldwide. "My travels have opened my eyes," he says. "I have been exposed to different people who live differently, many on the streets who are poor (Continued on page 11) Religious Peacemakers is a regular column highlighting Greater Cincinnati individuals who use their faith and religious beliefs for peace and justice. Saad.Ghosn@uc.edu is the founder of SOS (Save Our Souls) Art, an organization that promotes arts as vehicles for peace and justice and for a change. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 39 1 | Oct 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 DICK CROY (Continued from page 5) poor. Today, our fear for our home, planet earth, and our agony for what is happening to the poor throughout the world, makes the Jubilee as relevant as today’s newspaper: • The Jubilee divides life neatly into sevens – Sabbaths. Rest on the seventh day, reflect, and recommit to follow the Jubilee laws. • Never, ever exploit the land. Nurture it. We are a stewards of the land. Treat the land as common property: “The land is mine, says the Lord.” – Genesis. • Every year leave enough of the harvest in the field for the poor to glean. • Every seven years, the year of the Sabbath, debts were to be cancelled to free the poor from indebtedness. The debtor prisons were emptied. • No planting the seventh year; allow the soil to rest. • And then following seven Sabbath years, 49 years, comes the Year of Jubilee, the 50th year. All the basic provisions applied: cancellation of debts, emptying the prisons, resting the land, leaving behind enough of the harvest for the poor to glean. And, in addition, all the land the rich had accumulated over the last 50 years since the last Jubilee was to be returned to the original owners! If actually carried out, that would have been a redistribution of wealth to end all redistributions of wealth. However, greed is not easily overcome. Between the Jubilee years, over that first 50 year period, the rich managed to “redefine” the Jubilee in their favor. Folks were often forced to sell their only livelihood, their land, but were never quite able to satisfy all their debts. Land was confiscated and whole families became indentured servants. Worst case scenario, folks were thrown into prison. Why was the Jubilee so important? Scripture assumes that if poverty becomes fixed in families or segments of society for long periods, or on the other side of that equation, if wealth becomes permanently lodged in the hands of a few, that society will eventually destroy itself. So if Jesus’ mission was to begin a movement to restore the Jubilee, if the feeding of the 5,000 – a significant beginning for a movement – scared the daylights out of the rich and the church hierarchy that supported the rich over the poor…if that’s what was going on during those 32 short years of Jesus’ life, then charges of sedition, of treason, make sense. Believing that Jesus’ mission was to bear our sins on the cross so we might someday slither off to heaven to live happily ever after makes little sense otherwise. If that had been Jesus’ mission, the church officials would have ordained him a rabbi and he would have been given a community service award by Pontius Pilate. After years of study and experience in a church that continually preaches a watered- down, narcissistic version JUBILEE CAMPAIGN of Jesus, with a church hierarchy that has far more in common with Herod and Caiaphas than with Jesus, I decided to take one last shot at putting my spiritual beliefs into practice. I formed a company and called it Jubilee. And since the main focus of the Jubilee principles was in agriculture – caring for the soil, redistribution of land from the rich to the poor – I chose to focus on agriculture, farming, and an attempt to contribute my part in restoring sanity to the way we grow food. Jubilee laws were written for an agrarian society and Jesus lived in an agrarian society. In that setting land and soil were wealth. And that is even truer today in an urban society feeding itself with food grown in sick soil laced with chemicals. With modern industrial agriculture we have managed to destroy over half of our topsoil. Soil has become more precious than ever in part because there is less of it with a lot more people to feed. Because both land and farmers are more scarce, the key word in industrial agriculture has become “efficiency.” That, more than anything else, explains our insane public policies. Get rid of the small family farm (too inefficient), build bigger tractors, combines and planters, and saturate the soil with chemicals that create the illusion of higher yields. And did I mention, disregard completely what all this does to the health of people who eat the food we grow? Add to this emphasis on efficiency the food processing industry, and what we are actually eating is poison – which does in fact kill us more efficiently. Waving the banner of efficiency, industrial agriculture now contributes a minimum of 25% of the greenhouse gases causing global warming – with petroleum-based fertilizers, tractors and combines that burn fossil fuel, and bigger, fewer farms requiring more shipping, from all over the world. My favorite example of this insanity involves tomatoes that are picked green in Florida, shipped to South Africa where they are infused with gases that turn them red, then shipped back to the U.S. with an advertising empire in the background convincing consumers that if a tomato looks pretty – a lovely bright red, perfectly round, without blemishes – then it must be good. Even if it tastes something like cardboard. Let me emphasize one more factor that’s extremely important – perhaps most important of all. The Jubilee principles call for simple living. Waste nothing. We have managed to convince ourselves that the only way to survive is to continue to grow the economy, in a world of finite and decreasing resources. To maintain the American way of life we have built our entire global political and economic system around consumerism. I equate consumerism with hog farming. Hogs, in this consumer economy, exist to eat and be eaten. Crowds charging the doors of Walmart on Black Friday remind me of a herd of hogs charging the slop trough, with each pig trying desperately to out-eat the others. The overwhelming flaw in this thinking is that if every citizen of the second and third largest economies in the world, China and India, were to consume in the same volume as American citizens, we would need seven planets the size of Earth to support such an economic system. IT IS NOT SUSTAINABLE! Are the Jubilee principles too radical to be “practical?” Not to God. Just common sense. Are they Communistic or Socialistic? There’s no ideology here, just common sense. Why would you lock poverty permanently into certain families or segments of society or even entire cities knowing that sooner or later all the people will suffer? Why would you allow wealth to accumulate in the hands of a few people knowing that will eventually destroy the entire community, as has happened to all civilizations from the beginning of recorded history? Milking the soil of all its nutrients, exploiting the soil until it has nothing left to give – OUT OF THE QUESTION! Why on earth would you do that? Why would you destroy your food supply? I believe that to God, it is unthinkable that we would destroy the soil and discard the farmers who nurture it. We should do everything possible to insure farmers’ survival. Their knowledge is invaluable and when they no longer farm, that knowledge is lost forever. We have adopted short-sighted, insane public policies that have insured the demise of most farmers in the U.S., and now we’re working on the rest of the world. When Earl Butz, Secretary of Agriculture in the 1970’s, declared, “Get big or get out,” the few got big while most got out. Let me suggest a bold premise: If the Jubilee principles became central to our public life and public policies, our planet would not be in danger of destruction. Good news and bad news. The good news, maybe we’re wrong; maybe the planet is capable of healing itself. The bad news: maybe it can do so only by getting rid of the human race. Consider the words of the poet, John Brehm: Often I wonder is the earth trying to get rid of us, shake us off, drown us, scorch us to nothingness? to save itself and all other creatures slated for extinction? Nature – the land, the soil, all of life, what we now call the ecosystems – is not passive; it reacts to abuse. Tornadoes pop up where they’ve never been before. Hurricanes appear in the off season and are more violent and destructive than ever. Drought and extreme weather patterns become part of life. With food shortages and the disappearance of THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 9 healthy soil comes war, more death, more destruction. Tragically, while exploitation of the land has brought unimaginable wealth to the few, it is the poor who suffer and the rich become more determined not only to survive but to insulate themselves from destruction by accumulating more resources, more wealth. At Jubilee Organic Gardens we try our best to put into practice our name. • Our first priority is restoration of the soil. We gather food waste by the tons, we ferment it, mix it with soil that’s depleted of organic matter and nutrients. We feed the soil not only organic matter but also concentrated microorganisms which benefit plants and make them healthy. • We treat manure so that it doesn’t pollute the waterways and groundwater but does what manure has always done: enrich the soil with nutrients and beneficial bacteria. • We hope to create ways for farmers to maintain their current yields, or even increase them, without using petroleum-based fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. • But the Jubilee is not just about soil; it is about creating community and a just society. • Our emphasis on Zero Waste is a call to restore the Jubilee principles. • The emptying of prisons is even part of our mission. At Noble County Correctional Institution we are helping to build greenhouses and train inmates for jobs in agriculture. We are trying our best to earn the right to be called “Jubilee.” Finally, I want to share what I think is perhaps the most important Jubilee text in all of scripture. Perhaps more than any other this text helps us understand what Jesus came to do: 4th chapter of Luke, Jesus quoting Isaiah 61. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release of the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and (I love this ancient translation) “to proclaim the coming of the Year of Jubilee.” I’ll close with prayer. Prayer keeps me centered and so I begin each day with a prayer I wrote several years ago on a gorgeous Sunday morning while sitting on the edge of my raised bed garden in the back yard – the first garden I called “Jubilee.” This is a sacred garden, prayers are said here. I pray that the hungry be fed, and I hear God say, “I’ve done my part, I’ve given you a garden. Now you do yours.” And again I pray that the hearts of those who cause hunger be transformed. And I hear God say, “I’ve done my part, I’ve given you my Son to restore the Jubilee. Now, you do yours.” �SHELTERHOUSE 10 (Greater Cincinnati largest homeless shelter) O 5 - O 18 , 2 0 18 | N LOCAL SHELTERHOUSE SHELTERHOUSE (Greater Cincinnati largest homeless shelter) (Greater Cincinnati largest homeless shelter) ct ct o. 391 The David and Rebecca Barron Center for Men 411 Gest Street Cincinnati, OH 45203 The David and Rebecca Barron Center for Men 513-721-0643 411 Gest Street The David and Rebecca Barron Center for Men Wednesday Cincinnati, OH 45203 411 Gest Street October 17, 2018 513-721-0643 Cincinnati, OH 45203 Wednesday, October 17,2018 513-721-0643 9:00 - 11:30 am Wednesday 9:00 – 11:30 am Shelterhouse is seeking employers to participate in our job fair! Areas of interest. Wednesday October 17, 2018 • Entry level October • 2018 Customer 9:00 –17, 11:30 am Service • Skilled labor Shelterhouse is seeking employers to participate in our job fair! Areas of interest. • Dishwasher and more…. 9:00 – 11:30 am • • • • • Entry level Shelterhouse is seeking employers to participate in our job fair! Areas of interest. • Customer Service • *11:15 Skilled labor Entry level a.m. - RAFFLE DRAWING • Dishwasher Customer Serviceand more…. *Qualified Skilled labor Participants- Unhoused RRH clients, housed DishwasherRRH and clients, more….and those who once participated in the Rapid Re-Housing Program. *11:15 a.m. - RAFFLE DRAWING Shelterhouse Contact: Lavelle Horne: lhorne@shelterhousecincy.org or (513) 614-6018 *Qualified ParticipantsUnhoused RRH clients, *11:15 a.m. - RAFFLE DRAWING housed RRH clients, and those who once participated in the ParticipantsRapid Re-Housing Program. *Qualified Unhoused RRH clients, housed RRH clients, and those who once participated Shelterhouse Contact: Lavelle Horne: lhorne@shelterhousecincy.org or (513) 614-6018 in the Rapid Re-Housing Program. Shelterhouse Contact: Lavelle Horne: lhorne@shelterhousecincy.org or (513) 614-6018 November 16 - December 8, 2018 For tickets please call (513) 381-2273 Purchase tickets online at www.cincyshakes.com AD Donated by Mark and Sue Ann Painter season sponsored by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �LOCAL No. 39 1 | Oct 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 BILL WOODS (Continued from page 2) 13,000 residents from 2007 to 2017, and to Hamilton County's current 40,000 gap in affordable housing units. Furthermore, the Queen City ranks among the top ten cities in the country in terms of housing evictions, a direct cause of poverty and homelessness. Although he applauds the establishment here of the Child Poverty Collaborative, Schrider stressed that piecemeal initiatives will not be sufficient. A comprehensive approach will require a lot of new federal and local dollars. David Altman began by showing Forum attendees a picture of air pollution in Ohio. Under the air nuisance law, Ohioans should be protected from this hazard by the state EPA. Since this Agency has not been effectively protecting citizens, Altman advised that voting in the upcoming midterm election would be a way to rectify this failure. Both the offices of Governor and Attorney General, he noted, are key to how the EPA operates. In terms of pollution protection nationally, a more environmentally friendly Congress could provide some restrictions on an Administration hell bent on dismantling our air and water pollution laws. Finally, Paul Breidenbach offered his commentary on immigration policies. "Although Cincinnati claims to be a sanctuary city," he SAAD GHOSN (Continued from page 8) and homeless. I make a point to talk to them whenever I can, to learn about them, their situation, their experience, and to help them in any way I can. A couple of years ago I also started photographing them." Interested in photography for a long time, Bludworth started using it to document the individuals, mostly homeless, he would encounter during his trips, and to tell their stories. His conversations with them would bring visibility and recognition to them. And sharing their pictures and stories through social media, primarily Instagram and Facebook, would help draw others into their circumstances, open their eyes to their existence, and possibly encourage them to understand them and see them differently. "In a recent comment on homelessness, our Church leadership stressed that its causes were multiple," says Bludworth, "and that our response to those in need defines us as individuals and communities."  And when asked what prompts him to do this, he is quick to answer that it is his faith and that, as a follower of Christ, he believes that everybody is a child of God and that, in a similar situation, "Christ wouldn’t just drive by." "We have an individual obligation to help those in need when we have the ability to do so, whatever the 11 declared, "this title means absolutely nothing." The policy of the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office is to inform ICE whenever an undocumented immigrant comes under its custody. This policy has led to a series of deportations. He emphasized that the fall elections have provided the opportunity to challenge this practice. The U.S. Senate and Congressional races also offer a chance to bring about fairer and more equitable immigration laws. During the discussion following the panel's presentations, a number of other issues were put forward. The potential losses in health care received attention, as well as the need for legislation that would lessen the impact of "big money" in political campaigns. Some attendees wanted to talk about State Issue I, and they were told that the next Forum on October 11th would focus on this proposed Ohio Constitutional Amendment to bring about criminal justice reform. --------------------------------------- (top) David Altman (bottom) John Schrider Credit: Justin Jeffre circumstances, and not only those who are like us," he adds. Juggling family, work and social life, Bludworth continues his committed involvement in the church, filling daily responsibilities such as meeting with families he has been assigned to, and helping other members whenever needed. He is an ordained priest and performs many of the temporal religious tasks. He serves also on the high council of the "stake" (diocese) of his church, visiting other congregations and addressing their needs, also helping organize, a couple of times a year, spiritual and educational conferences. In 2015, with leaders from Thomas Moore College, Hebrew Union College and other local religious and educational institutions, Bludworth, representing his church, helped found the Institute for Religious Liberty with the aim to celebrate and educate others about the constitutional privilege and right to freely worship and practice religion. The Institute, based at Thomas More College, organizes regularly academic symposia and lectures featuring internationally renowned speakers to address various issues that pertain to religious freedom. Bludworth is also one of the initiators of an ongoing dialogue between his church and the greater Cincinnati Jewish community in order to foster deeper understanding and exchange. Outside the church, Bludworth continues his many charitable and humanitarian activities, often involving both his family and his business. He helps, for instance, cleaning after tornadoes, helps homeless individuals he encounters and lends a hand at homeless shelters, gives food distribution with his family, supports financially and provides services to various organizations, such as "Be Concerned" and "Isaiah's House"... During the recent homeless crisis on 3rd street downtown Cincinnati, when he heard of a need for transportation to help relocate the homeless, Bludworth immediately offered the trucks and drivers of his company. The relocation however did not occur. "If I can use the ability and resources of our company to help our community, and if it is the right thing to do, I would not hesitate," he says. "I always try to involve others in the decision but in case of emergency, I use my prerogatives of CEO and make the decision myself." Last year, for instance, following the devastating hurricanes that hit Florida and Texas, the trucks of the company were used to drive collected goods from Cincinnati to the affected areas. And in Indianapolis, where there is a big tent city next to the Fern's office, the company allows the tapping of its water and electricity to benefit the residents. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED As for politics, Bludworth who once ran for chairman of the Utah Republican party and almost won, says he is now nonpartisan and antiparty. He has been drifting away from today’s Republican party disagreeing with its current leadership and with some of its values. "I am still very much a conservative," he states, "but regarding immigration, for instance, I would personally welcome bringing more people in our country as we are a rich country with a lot to offer; we can help many others improve their lives." "Within security limits, of course," he adds. Thinking of the future, Bludworth has no specific aspirations except to help where he can. He would like to continue meeting and helping those in need, especially the homeless, learning about their story, photographing them, and sharing who they are and their humanity with others. "This also affects me directly," he says. "Every conversation with someone else changes me, expands me and adds a new human dimension to me." More important, however, for Bludworth, this will be living according to the principles of the Gospel and in the steps of Christ and His disciples. "If I see someone struggling in the street and do not stop and help I would not be living my faith," he concludes. �12 STREET VOICE Tent City Across America (Part 1) SABRINA AMOS N ight went by quickly, rats running through the campground. Terry knows he saw a groundhog the size of a puppy sniffing around. Lots of stars in the sky tonight fading in and out behind gray clouds. It had been a long night. It had started to rain extremely hard for ten minutes and stopped. The wind was blowing really hard and leaves and trash were blowing through the camp. Three of four people came out and started to read, their flashlights beaming up and down the line of tents. The dog, Oliver, was running around through the camp. Living a life in tents was really hard. Life drives a stake through your heart and pride. People have to think positive that they can make it through this part of their lives and they can change and make it. Step by step appointments with the right people and you can meet your small goal, then the ultimate goal. In Tent City, light of day came early. Paul was awake before dawn. Since he lost his job at the bank, he thinks everything he did turned out wrong. He was on top of the business world and it went crashing down because the bank had to downsize employees. Paul had car problems and he was late too many times. Streetvibes Contributor “Good morning, Sally,” Paul said. “Good morning,” Sally said. She was in the next tent over. Sally was a former bakery owner and she got sick and behind on her bills. She ran her own store fifteen years. Her husband died and kids were grown. She was headed to the church four streets down to pick up any food they had to offer. Terry was collecting rocks for people to keep bugs and animals out of the tents. Terry had been working for a temporary service for five years. He partied his money away. He went to AA meetings from time to time. Paul was sitting outside the tent, chipping away at a log as big as his arm. Today was a hot, boring day. Small bits of wood flew through the air as he started to shape the head of a squirrel. His knife quickly chipped swirls for fur. The nice soft wood legs and arm came out fine. His hands were getting tired. He would start on the tail tomorrow. This was the 4th one he had made. They are for sale. Back in the corner, a loud humming sound could be heard. Billy, one of the boys, was blowing away on his harmonica. Hmmmm. Billy worked in restaurants all his life and he was a chef. A lot of restaurants closed down. He works in a shelter sometimes as a cook. He gets to eat good and bring food back to the group. Sometimes the food is piping hot. His dog, Whoo Whoo, was with him, sitting in front of his master. He was a pretty black lab. People occasionally stopped and listened and dropped off sandwiches, dog food, or a dollar. He had put in an application for lowincome housing this morning. Eva was cutting strips of a cotton shirt, making band aids for Bob’s foot. He stepped on a sharp piece of glass. He was grateful somebody cared. He really just had cheap shoes. Eva was a cashier in the layaway department at Walmart for 10 years. She had a small apartment to herself with lots of comfortable furniture and a washer in the downtown area. Then she lost her job when everything in the layaway department went up in smoke. The store told Eva to come back in six months and she was still waiting. Every day she thought about her job. Winter always came quickly… Terry came along and started playing the guitar. People were starting to crowd around them for a couple minutes to listen. Simon was trying to get a lighter. He got one candle and started a small wood fire in a steel drum. He got a nice fire going to throw in some potatoes with French bread someone dropped Fed Up DESMOND BROWN I ’m faced with the same drama everyday With not enough money to pay my way The invisible chains since the early days Is holding my people down ‘til they decay. I’m tired of being slapped I’m out of cheeks to turn. Made too many mistakes I’m outta lessons to learn. But why should I steady blame the white man? When I’m slipping in my own blood And being held down by black hands. Help me Father Which way do I go When I only see one road And it points to the ghetto Contributing Writer Where my people is down and out Dissed and disgusted Can’t pay their rent Because their pockets are busted They encourage us to open the door to opportunity But opportunity is killin’ brothers in my community That’s why I’m screaming “switch”!! Cause I’m really fed up. I was faced with 30 years But a brother still ain’t gave up Your Honor!! You overheard about that Black life Where you only got one choice Between a gun and a pocket knife, The judge asked me “Is it the struggle Or the greed in your eyes That made your ass hustle? See you give a brother a gun And he’ll show you his greed. Give him pen and paper And he’ll roll him some weed But they don’t see the bad luck in our situation Cursed with single parents, high blood pressure, aids and no education We know the problems But what is the solutions? We blaze our grenadiers and swishers To help the pollutions The biggest words we know is Millimeter, penitentiary and cemetery And teenage pregnancy in on the rise every January And brothers leaving their sons behind O c t 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 | N o . 391 off. Simon was a factory worker. He worked 10 years as a packer and then the factory closed. Simon was taking a training class to be a conductor and a supervisor in a factory five miles away. He gets text messages from the employment office. He misses his family. Paul stopped carving the wood. He had carved 4 squirrels, so he sewed his tent, which had a few holes in it. On windy days they hoped it wouldn’t blow down. He sat down and started to open four cans of beans with a knife, putting a small hole in the can first then prying it open. He passed the cans around. A woman who worked in a nearby restaurant pulled up in a van and passed out sandwiches. It was a fast day; night would be here soon and they had all made a little bit of money. Darkness began to fall as the sun hid behind the clouds and the moon started to peek out on the other side. Birds stopped singing and flew away to other trees. The fire glowed and the white and red lights of a fire truck flashed as the sirens rang out loud and clear three streets down. A small pickup truck came and dropped off cups of chili to 15 people. Terry sat up to be on night watch since he was asleep most of the day. The guitar was passed to him. The police drove by. Paul, Sally, and Henry were going to a City Hall meeting tomorrow. Call it a day in Tent City. [To be continued…] Without showing them the game And their mommas get stressed out And depend on Mister Cocaine So what is that young one to do? When his stomach is touching his back And his feet is too big for his shoes He put the burden in his own backpack And thinks that it’s cool Commence selling dope And drop out of school Nobody tried to show him the way So he tried to find one of his own He made the wrong turn He just a long way from home See where his daddy at He wasn’t there to show him the plan Where one race was a target And we was on the wrong end Our generation is fed up Been screwed too long We gotta stand up. Jokes for Today CLEO WOMBLES T elling jokes whenever I can. Here I am. This one I like to say about every day. What did the green grass say to the football field? If you water me, I’ll be rooting for you. What did the Buddhist monk say Contributing Writer to the guy at the hot dog stand? He said make me one with everything. Mr. and Mrs. Carrot were going down to the garden patch. A watermelon knocked Mrs. Carrot down. Now they get to go to the Garden hospital. The Garden Doctor said he had some good news and some bad news. The good news is that Mrs. Carrot is gonna live. The bad news is that she is going to be a vegetable for the rest of her life. Cleo Wombles Credit: Homeless Coalition THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �13 STREET VOICE No. 39 1 | Oct 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 YOUR WEATHER There was cosntant rain for weeks The coldness you could feel in the air THE INCOME INEQUALITY MOTHER GOOSE Rup - a -dup - dup, Economic indicators are up, But the poverty rate still climbs. Wetness was repeated Reasons for this are not funny. The bold thunder was loud with a wild roar Fat Cat get most of the money, Your weather Lord It cleans our Ocean’s shores The rain keeps our earth fresh and clean The constant rain it comes from you Without you Lord what would we do KIM GREEN Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer And workers receive a few dimes. BILL WOODS Contributing Writer ANGEL IN DISGUISE LIVING MY LIFE EACH DAY HAPPY AND FREE TRYING TO HAVE PEACE OF MIND LIVING EACH DAY WITH THE BLESSING OF BEING A STREETVIBES DISTRIBUTOR, ONE OF A KIND BEING ON THE STREET EVERYDAY I HAVE THE CHANCE TO MEET PEOPLE FROM EVERYWHERE THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY! THE RICH, POOR, HAPPY AND SAD. SOME JUST DON'T CARE! MY SAYING TO EVERYONE THAT PASSES ME IS ALWAYS THE SAME "HAVE A BLESSED DAY!" GOD HEARD ME, UP WALK A MAN NAMED TOM THAT I AM PROUD TO HAVE MET I MUST SAY EVERYDAY I FIND MYSELF HOPING THAT TOM WILL GET A PAPER AND WALK DOWN THE STREET HIS SMILE IS UPLIFTING AND REAL I FIND HIM EASY TO TALK TOO. PLEASE UNDERSTAND ME HE LETS ME KNOW THAT I AM NEVER ALONE AND ASK ME TO STOP LOOKING DOWN MY NAME IS TOM AND AS LONG AS YOU KEEP YOUR FAITH, ME AND GOD GOING TO BE AROUND NOW, IT SOUNDS LIKE I'M INSANE, I SEE GHOSTS, OR DO I BELIEVE THAT ANGELS REALLY EXSIST? NOT INSANE, DON'T SEE GHOST BUT I KNOW ANGELS EXIST! I ALSO KNOW THAT IF TOM STOPPED WALKING DOWN THE STREET, I'M GONNA BE PISSED WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �PUZZLES 14 O c t 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 | N o . 391 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 159 Across 1. Elevate Down 5. Significance of a story 1. Parts of a chain or event 2. Paragon 10. Military vehicle 3. Sudden burst of flame 14. Not in action 15. Pleasant odor 16. Woodwind instrument 17. Close 18. Corvine bird 19. Loose flowing garment 20. Actions affecting destiny in the next incarnation (Hinduism and Buddhism) 22. Give temporarily 23. Mush 24. Sledge 26. Erase 28. Molars 31. Flop 32. Moderate or restrain 35. Submerged ridge 37. Cook with dry heat 41. Country, initially 42. Stone pillar 44. Sheltered side 45. Shoulder gesture 47. Undercover agent 48. Complete duration of something 49. In favor of 51. Taut or rigid 53. Not present 56. Deprive of status or authority 60. Unit of potential 61. Judicious 64. Not at any time 65. Region 66. Nimble 68. A strong line 69. Male red deer 70. Pass along 71. Similar 4. Colony insect 5. Spoil 6. Using speech rather than writing 7. Wander 8. Make better 9. Came ashore 10. Underwater projectile 11. Approximately 12. Baronial 13. Main castle tower 21. Historic period 25. Aromatic plant used in cookery 27. Skulk 29. Swarm 30. Serf (Middle Ages) 32. Public transport SODOKU PUZZLE NO 289 - MEDIUM 33. Residue of burning 34. Old salt 36. Rasp 38. Any high mountain 39. Large body of water 40. Square root of 100 42. Fiend 43. Transmit 46. Outshine 48. Indefinite number but not many 50. Ahead 52. Transgression 53. Large artery 54. Desolate 55. Large feline 57. Ilicit 58. Reddish brown 59. Vogue 60. Immense 72. Accept something given 62. Storage tower 73. Monotone 63. Panache 74. Metallic element 67. Oculus PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 390 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 158 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 288- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �RESOURCES No. 39 1 | Oct 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 Central Access Point 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children Bethany House 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 557-2873 St. George Food Pantry 2554 Dennis St. 45219 Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 751-8771 Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 McMicken Dental Clinic 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti Mental Health Access Point NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 Other Resources Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 562-8841 621-7265 1528 Race St. 45202 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 Salvation Army 762-5660 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 St. Vincent de Paul 721-0643 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men 131 E. 12th Street 45202 Shelter: Men Shelterhouse 411 Gest St. 45203 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 1125 Bank Street 45214 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 1437 Walnut Street 45202 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 Parkway Center 661-4620 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Housing: 471-1100 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 Food/Clothing First Lutheran Church 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 421-0065 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 1730 Race Street 45202 Hamilton/Middletown 351-0422 381-6672 Joseph House (Veterans) 241-2965 Northern Kentucky Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP Advocacy Catholic Social Action Community Action Agency Contact Center Franciscan JPIC Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-3131 569-1840 381-4242 721-4700 421-7803 Legal Aid Society Ohio Justice & Policy Center UpSpring 241-9400 421-1108 363-3300 961-0600 Center for Respite Care 621-1868 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 859-491-8303 ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-572-6202 Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky 634 Scott St. 41011 859-291-4555 Want to advertise in Streetvibes? Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 You can support our mission and spread the word about your business. For more information contact Justin Jeffre at 513-421-70803 x 12 or email streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 386-7899 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio $100 for 26 issues 981-4200 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 Brighton Center (11-17 y/o) 799 Ann St. Newport, KY Health 621-5300 961-1983 381-0111 771-4800 579-8547 721-4811 AA Hotline CCAT 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 977-6800 859-572-6226 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart Goodwill Industries Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. Mary Magdalen House St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry 1522 Republic Street 45202 961-4555 381-1954 421-5211 241-2600 621-5514 1223 Main St. 45202 961-4663 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Tom Geiger House Volunteers of America Anna Louise Inn VA VA Homeless 961-2256 558-8888 351-3500 977-4489 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 Talbert House 751-7747 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton County Office of Reentry 946-4304 138 E. Court Street Room # 101 First Floor Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both 221-HELP 721-8666 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 Starting Over 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Talbert House Tender Mercies 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 921-1613 First Step Home 761-1480 721-4580 632-7149 381-1171 27 W. 12th Street 45202 Prospect House 352-6363 Center Independent Living Options Peaslee Neighborhood Center 215 E. 14th St. 45202 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women Caracole (HIV/AIDS) CMHA Excel Development OTR Community Housing 114 W. 14th Street 45202 784-1853 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Interfaith Hospitality Network Charlie’s 3/4 House 2121 Vine Street 45202 Shelter: Youth Shelter: Family 15 $150 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED for 26 issues and a $50 donation �16 O c t 5 - O c t 18 , 2 0 18 | N o . 391 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BETTIE BAILEY SINCE 10/2017 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 BRIAN ADAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHARLES WILLIAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHRISTOPHER KAIHATSU SINCE 7/2017 CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DARREL ROZIER SINCE 7/2017 DAVID MCCANE SINCE 2017 ERIC VALDEZ SINCE 2/2017 GERALD FRANKLIN SINCE 7/2017 GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 HENRY BRELAND SINCE 7/2017 JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009 JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2000 JENNY BURTON SINCE 7/2017 JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001 JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006 JOHN HORN JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008 J’TORI TYMAN SINCE 5/2014 KIM NGUYEN SINCE 7/2017 KENNY BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008 LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007 LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009 LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MARK SHEARS SINCE 4/2012 MAURICE GOLSBY MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MIKE CARANO SINCE 4/2016 RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 1999 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 STACIA HOLLANDER SINCE 2017 STEPHANIE EAKES SINCE 7/2017 SYLVESTER WALKER SINCE 7/2017 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2011 VICTOR MUMPHRY WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 WINNIE RICE SINCE 7/2017 QUEENACELASTINE SINCE 7/2017 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 VIOLET COLLINS SINCE 2017 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2018 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource October 5-October 21, 2018 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From the Director The Critical Issues that Candidates Should Be addressing As They Campaign This Fall Pg 3: Know Your Rights! Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: A Vote for Family and Freedom The Jubilee Revolution Pg 6: How to Respond to Panhandling Pg 7: Why Should I Vote for Candidates or Parties I Don’t Trust? Will You Stop the Snake from Eating Our Children Pg 8: Religious Peacemakers Pg 9: Dick Croy Continued Pg 10: GCHC Pg 11: Bill Woods Continued Saad Ghosn Continued Pg 12: Tent City Across America (Part 1) Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 5-October 21, 2018 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Bill Woods Dr. Mark Mussman Trenton Davis Dick Croy Jason Haap Loa Bennett Saad Ghosn Sabrina Amos Desmond Brown Cleo Wombles Kim Green Willa Denise Jones Homeless Coalition Justin Jeffre Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Bill Woods Cincinnati Cleo Wombles Desmond Brown Dick Croy Dr. Mark Mussman Homeless Coalition Jason Haap Josh Spring Justin Jeffre Kim Green Loa Bennett Religion Rights Saad Ghosn Sabrina Amos Tent City Trenton Davis Voting Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/e02f4e00dc7f9ddb4170d43133e21fb1.pdf a00d93a4ec8cf8ba939d6d78cca80f63 PDF Text Text October 6th - October 19th 2017 | Vol. 20 Issue 47 (No. 366) advocating justice | Building community Don't Privatize Our Library | 9 This Issue is sponsored By (Former) Judge Mark Painter INSIDE THIS ISSUE Why Metro is Critical to Issue 2 | 7 the Disabled Community | 3 Religious Peacemakers: From US vs THEM to Only US TOGETHER | 8 Institutional Racism Still Lives | 5 Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 LOCAL From The Director: The City Manager Is Trying to Stop Sexually Obscene, Vulgar and Indecent Activities A couple weeks ago the city Department of Transportation and Engineering (DOTE) began jackhammering and removing concrete benches along Third Street. These benches run for several blocks on the south side of Third Street. For years different people without homes have utilized the space these benches create to sleep and rest. When we learned this was happening, we immediately knew the purpose of removing these benches was an attempt to stop people from sleeping and resting behind them. On September 21 Harry Black, the City Manager, released and FYI Memo confirming what we already knew. In his memo Mr. Black states that DOTE had “…received a number of complaints…” about the benches and that “in response, a meeting was convened of nearby property owners and stakeholders, DCI [Downtown Cincinnati Incorporated], CPD [Cincinnati Police Department] and others who raised concerns…”. He goes on to say, “Specific concerns were raised related to the ability of individuals to sit or lay behind the benches, creating a visual barrier JOSH SPRING Executive Director for patrol officers.” He says “…the stakeholders asked that the benches and trees be removed.” This is the first part of the City Manager’s argument supporting the decision for the City to pay its employees to remove these benches. His argument here is very simple: an unspecified number of complaints were received from unspecified people or organizations (we don’t know which, not that it matters), the City had a meeting with an unspecified group of “property owners and stakeholders”, DCI and CPD; this group had specific concerns about people sitting or laying behind the benches and asked that the benches be removed, and the City started removing them. It’s that simple. Now if you were to ask the unnamed “property owners and stakeholders” they may say it was not simple, because they have been complaining about people resting on Third Street for years. The truth is representatives from some companies in the business district have been complaining for years. We have met with such groups on multiple occasions in the past. At no point have they pursued any solutions to homelessness, most notably, housing. These companies have not invested in affordable housing, they have not publicly advocated for housing or anti-displacement polices. Instead, they have complained about people utilizing public space to seek mediocre respite. They have spent time complaining about and defaming people doing something which is in no way wrong or illegal. Webster’s defines “stakeholder” as, “one who is involved in or affected by a course of action”. In this story who would be most affected by the course of action discussed by this group? Obviously, the different people resting on Third Street would be most affected. But do you think the City Manager’s office put any effort into inviting people seeking sleep on Third Street to be a part of the discussion? Of course not. It is very safe to assume that the Manager’s office never had even a glimmer of a thought of doing so, because the (Continued on page 12) MAYORAL CANDIDATES MAKE SOLO APPEARANCES AT THE COMMUNITY ISSUES FORUM T his fall features a campaign for mayor in Cincinnati. On September 21st and September 28th, Mayor John Cranley and Council member Yvette Simpson made solo appearances at the Community Issues Forum at Christ Church Cathedral. As the top two finishers of last May's primary, they now contend for the city's highest elected office. In the informal setting of the Cathedral 's Forum Room, Cranley and Simpson spent a good deal of time responding to questions from the audience. They both emphasized their commitment to reducing Cincinnati's high poverty rate, and talked about their initiatives for doing just that. Although both are Democrats, they revealed the differences that have emerged at City Hall in the last four years. Mayor Cranley spoke at the Forum on September 21st. "The City," he declared, "is moving in the BILL WOODS Contributing Writer right direction." He cited job growth downtown and in the neighborhoods, and new projects such as the expansion of Children's Hospital as evidence. Forbes Magazine, he noted, has for the past two years named Cincinnati as the best U.S. city for someone with a college degree. The Mayor credits his leadership in helping to bring about Cincinnati's recent progress. Solving the Pension crisis, balancing the budget, and hiring more fire fighters, and police officers during his term as Mayor gave people and institutions new confidence in City Government. His highest priority, however, has been reducing poverty, especially children in poverty. Although he realizes that much work still needs to be done in reducing the City's high poverty rate, Mayor Cranley is proud of the initiatives he has championed during the last four years. He supported an (Continued on page 6) Yvette Simpson and Rob Richardson at Community Issues Forum Credit: Alice Schneider THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 6 Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org BLOG: streetvibes.wordpress.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor: Justin Jeffre Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Justin Jeffre Layout: Key Beck Reception: Larry Johnson, Anne Evans Maintenance: Pete Roper ----------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Bill Woods, Jeremy Moses, Troy Jackson, DR. Mark Mussman, Jason Haap, Michael Earl Patton, Saad Ghosn, Emma Wilson, Dick Croy, Bobby Morris, Kim Green, Willa Denise Jones, ----------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: Alice Schneider, Better Bus Coalition, Biblestudytools.com, Dr. Mark Mussman, Saad Ghosn, Bryce Phillips, Stephanie Phillips, Google images, Bill Woods --------------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �LOCAL Why Metro is critical to the Disabled Community No. 36 6 | O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 A 3 JEREMY MOSES s anyone who saw the press conference that the Better Bus Coalition held a few months back will know, I'm a 32-year-old man with spina bifida who uses the bus for all travel except in medical emergencies. Metro has been critical to my independence as an adult, especially since I moved from my parents' home in Florence, KY to an apartment in Springdale in February of 2016. In fact, the key thing I knew I had to have when I moved was easy access to the bus to be able to go anywhere within the city, the county, and the region. Imagine with me a community without Metro service at any time of the day other than weekday peak hours. That's the reality facing Sedamsville, Riverside, Fairfax, Mariemont, and Milford along the US 50 corridor, assuming the current proposed restructuring goes into effect in December as planned. These communities will lose not only offpeak fixed route service, but they will also be doubly hit because this will severely compromise Access ADA paratransit service (which is provided to those within 3/4 of a mile of a Metro stop who cannot use the regular service during Metro's non-express operating hours). I don't know how many people currently using Access in this area are impacted, and it may not be significant. I submit, however, that even one is too many. Now... Imagine that happening across a wider section of the current system. The results would be, as I stated in June, disastrous, and here are three reasons why. Access to key services: We are about to see how people in the communities I've listed above will lose access to the rest of the county during the midday and evening. Contributing Writer For example, many people with disabilities require complex levels of care including access to specialists in areas such as urology, neurology, and orthopedics. What happens if someone who isn't eligible for Access has a 1 pm appointment? These service cuts will make getting from the affected communities to the city's main hospitals and doctors' offices into a FIVE-HOUR journey. You heard me right... There will be people who have to leave home at 7-8 am to make a 1 pm appointment! The return trip becomes a similar four-plus-hour trip when it used to take two. This will severely impact not only the patients (who now must plan, for example, to take an entire day off work for a single appointment) but also doctors, causing a domino effect that reduces the quality of healthcare everyone receives. This doesn't even consider access to jobs as well as things like grocery shopping and leisure opportunities that are also lost as a direct result of cuts to service. Loss of housing options: Those within 3/4 of a mile of a current stop will find themselves faced with a "lesser of several evils" choice: either continue to reside where they do now and be forced to rely on any family or friends willing to help; move to a location inside the reduced footprint of Access; or find themselves in group housing. Accessible housing options do exist, but many are either too pricey or even further from the Metro footprint. I got lucky in 2016 -- I moved to a location with access to two routes where I could independently get around. Numerous relocations would mean fewer housing options available to those who want to move to Cincinnati, and that in turn means that there's lost opportunity for economic growth -- which affects everyone. See where I'm going with this? Loss of independence: I mentioned the group housing option above. To a lot of people with disabilities, this is often seen transportation would leave no other option than to move to assisted living. That can be demeaning. To conclude, the community at large needs and deserves investment in a stable, well-funded transit system. It does not need or deserve the system getting slashed to the point of being almost worthless. This is true of those with disabilities as well. A sales tax measure to fund Jeremy Moses riding on Metro Credit: Better Bus Coalition as the last resort. Group housing is seen as a step backward, a loss of one's right to be independent and an admission that you can't support yourself. Essentially, it's being kicked somewhere that no one likes to be kicked, a low blow to one's self esteem. That, in turn, can also lead to negative effects on mental health -- another area where we as a society are still lacking. Without Metro and Access service, while one may be able to functionally support oneself and be financially stable, the loss of Metro bus service will go a long way towards making that a reality. But we cannot afford to continue to kick this can down the road. If Hamilton County voters do not approve the ballot measure in 2018, the pain felt by the US 50 corridor will soon be felt by many, many more in Hamilton County. We have to act, we have to act today, and I implore you to support Metro. --------------------------------------- “Other Fields” TROY JACKSON O Contributing Writer ver the past few years, I’ve been struck by the Biblical story of Ruth. The book begins with Naomi and her husband fleeing Bethlehem due to famine and lack of resources. They depart a place of scarcity and head to the Eastern side of the Dead Sea to Moab, where they find provision and where Naomi’s sons marry two Moabite women. Tragically, over the next several years, Naomi’s husband and two sons die, leaving her and her daughtersin-law economically and physically vulnerable. The social safety net for women in those days came from one’s sons and the men in their lives. All were gone. When Naomi hears that the famine has passed, she decides to return to Bethlehem and leave here daughters-in-law behind to re-marry. But Ruth demurs, insisting that she return with Ruth: “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” When Ruth and Naomi arrive in Bethlehem, they have to find a source of provision, and are blessed to return during the barley harvest. In the book of Leviticus, God had made provision for vulnerable immigrants, orphans and widows through a practice called gleaning. Those harvesting crops were not to go through the field a second time, and not pick the crops all the way to the edge. The crops left behind were available to those in need, and they could pick these leftover crops for themselves and their families to have necessary food. So Ruth went out to glean, and ends up in Boaz’s field. Over the course of the next few chapters, and through a series of interventions, Boaz protects, provides, rescues, and redeems Ruth, and by extension, saves Naomi. Boaz and Ruth get married, and an immigrant woman from Moab becomes the greatgrandmother of King David. Let me be clear: in America, we do well when we embody the spirit THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED of Boaz. We respond to pain and suffering and hurt and vulnerability by helping one person at a time. Perhaps you have heard the (Continued on page 7) Ruth and Boaz Credit: biblestudytools.com �4 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 6 �No. 36 6 LOCAL Institutional Racism Still Lives | O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 DR. MARK MUSSMAN A fter the Great Depression, our government enacted several programs that were designed to increase the wealth and prosperity of the American people. One of the most successful, and financially stable, programs that was created was the Federal Home Administration’s (FHA) home ownership program. All Staff Writer as we look around Over-the-Rhine and other inner-city neighborhoods, and we question “Why are all these buildings vacant?” we have a better answer than “white flight.” The disinvestment of the inner cities was built upon a system that saw African Americans as vermin and by denying loans to people of color, no matter their ability to pay back the loans. So once again, the wealth of some Americans is dependent on the denial of wealth to other Americans. The system of redlining wasn’t just a map with some colors and a rating system – it also included commentary about specific neighborhoods. The maps, If You're Not Outraged You're Not Paying Attention - Heather Heyer quote at Rally Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman the economists knew that if we gave an incentive for people to reinvest in their homes, or create their own single-family homes, they could pass that wealth on to their offspring. Owning real estate would create a middle class – which did in fact happen. The white middleclass that exists today is largely, if not fully, due to the FHA program which gave out over 120 billion dollars to people to create single family homes in the suburbs. When we were taught about “white flight” we were taught that it was more of a separatist movement, rather than an economic advantage. But, proximity to them would reduce the value of property. The term redlining comes from the maps that were drawn in major cities that enabled real estate agents, mortgage lenders, and community leaders to deny home ownership loans to people of color, based upon the collective value seen in their neighborhood. You have to remember that no one had any wealth after the Great Depression, so when we think about citizen’s ability to pay off any loans, we must recognize that poverty was so widespread that program needed to be propped up in such a way to ensure success – and this was done Empathy JASON HAAP H Contributing Writer ave you heard of Daryl Davis? He achieved some fame for being a black guy who befriended over 200 members of the KKK, ultimately getting them to reject their racist ways. What about Theo E. J. Wilson? He gave a TEDx Talk this year. He's a black guy who created an online persona to join white supremacist discussion boards - and, much to his surprise, discovered empathy for the people he met there. These men did the opposite of what seems "normal" - they reached out to those who hated them, and sought to understand. They did not just call their opponents "racist Nazis," starting a dramatic though probably pointless argument like I see happening all around me these days. Do we need to practice more empathy? As a liberal, I get it: an initial reaction may be to insist that those made by the Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC), included things like: “Infiltration of: Negroes”; "Respectable people but homes are too near negro area"; "It is 100% poor class Negroes practically all on relief. A high wall, however, prevents their spread"; "Negro district on edge of section, but splendid cooperation of all residents in this section will always prevent spread." Wholesale denial of these wealthaccumulating loans to people of color resulted in more than 98% of the loans going exclusively to those who were considered “white” at the time. This federal policy, combined people are the ones needing to practice empathy, as their lack of it is likely how they came to be racist, sexist, anti-Semites in the first place. But you can't yell away someone's racism. And I don't really think you can ignore it, either. Pretending something doesn't exist is no strategy for making it disappear. Recently, I've been thinking long and hard about the "Backfire Effect." Contrary to how many of us think our minds should work, research shows that when confronted with material contrary to our beliefs, we actually dig in and believe our original thoughts even more. For the most part, you can't argue a racist into being nonracist any more than a racist can THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 5 with restrictive covenants and Home Ownership Associations (HOA) laws, provided no support or availability of quality housing to people of color – even if they could afford it. Restrictive covenants were legally binding terms put on the sale of a building – used to prevent the sale of property to people of color. Inside of the deed, whole communities restricted who could buy the property based upon skin color. HOA’s had the ability to restrict the sale of the property to white people, and if someone sold their home to a person of color, they would face severe economic punishments (including the absolute loss of the property and fines, imposed by the local court system). HOA’s would buy properties if they thought a black family was interested, just to prevent the sale as well. This created the white middle class at the expense of people of color. While this disgusting system was officially ended with the Fair Housing Act of 1968, redlining still continues in many ways. In fact, just this year, two local banks (Guardian Savings Bank, and Union Savings Bank) settled a lawsuit out of court which accused them of redlining. These banks only have branches in white majority neighborhoods and charged people different rates depending on their skin color. Both of these banks are locally managed and owned by the same entity. These types of behavior happen more regularly than you might believe – a few years back 5/3 Bank was in the hot seat for giving people different auto loan rates depending on your skin color. And it happens time and again in other sectors besides housing and loans: education, healthcare, transportation, etc. There is no wonder that Cincinnati ranks 74 out of 77 big cities in America for black upward mobility – it simply doesn’t exist here. This is due to economic factors that crippled the ability of people of color to create and maintain wealth – solely for the benefit of white citizens. Cincinnati Map: https://library. osu.edu/projects/redlining-mapsohio/maps/Cincinnati_map.JPG --------------------------------------argue with you and turn you into one! When talking about the Backfire Effect, many people think it a great explanation for why people on the other side of the political aisle don't "get it." There's just one problem: the Backfire Effect is not a partisan thing. Liberals suffer from it as much as Conservatives, or anyone in the middle. Here is an empathy experiment I've been trying recently: when presented with perspectives I think are "wrong," I remind myself this could be the Backfire Effect kicking in. Is everyone who disagrees with me automatically an evil person who (Continued on page 12) �6 LOCAL BILL WOODS (Continued from page 2) increase in human services funding to job training programs assisting single mothers to qualify for decent jobs. The Mayor also promoted the Child Poverty Collaborative. Housed at the United Way, the Collaborative just announced a plan to lift 5,000 families out of poverty in the next five years. Recent data, he said, already shows significant progress in this effort. Council member Yvette Simpson then spoke at the Forum on September 28th. Citing the recent Urban League study, "The State of Black Cincinnati 2015: Two Cities," she announced that her efforts as Mayor would be devoted to making Cincinnati one city. "A great city," she declared, "should not be defined by how well the most successful are thriving." Her definition of a great city is one that is providing a better life to "the least of these." Needless to say, Simpson is very concerned about Cincinnati's high poverty rate and its ranking as the fifth most segregated city in the U.S. "We must create equity," she stressed, "and a city that works for everyone!" She emphasized the need to create an environment within the City Administration that listens to neighborhood residents and not just to wealthy developers. YOU CAN SUPPORT THE O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 6 When asked about the shortage of affordable housing, Simpson said she supports the initiative to establish a local housing trust fund. She confided that she is working with members of Cincinnatians For Affordable Housing on legislation to create such an entity. Her concerns are that the fund has an adequate revenue source and an accountable public administration that is dedicated to chipping away at the affordable housing deficit. Council member Simpson advocates grassroots rather than top down efforts to address poverty. She named several neighborhood projects where the residents are very involved in putting together the services that will help them address some of the day to day problems that keep them in poverty. She supports the Child Poverty Collaborative, but she also worries that it is too top down in its structure. As Mayor, she would work to further promote this grassroots approach. In the question period, a Forum attendee brought up the need to make 3CDC more accountable to the public. Simpson acknowledged the difficulty in making this essentially private entity more transparent. She agreed that when 3CDC is working on a public project such as Washington Park, the City needs to better insure that it listens to and woks with neighborhood residents. • Donate by texting the word “Homeless” to 444999 • Join Community Shares Workplace Giving • Donate on our website through PayPal at www.cincihomeless.org/donate-2/ • Send us a check to show your support. 117 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 We receive NO public funding. We rely on the generosity of people like you. Log in to Kroger Rewards and search for the Homeless Coalition, or use our NPO 82944. Every time you use your Kroger Plus card, you will be supporting us. It will NOT affect your gas points! When you shop online at Amazon, sign up for Amazon Smile program at www.smile.amazon.com and select “Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless” as your non-profit. A portion of your smile.amazon.com purchase will be donated to us each time you shop at no additional cost to you! Participate in a 30 Day Challenge or book a speaker or activity. Learn more about homelessness, our speakers, and how to become a better advocate for people experiencing homelessness! Download a printable PDF on our website: cincihomeless.org/30-day-challenge Write a letter of support for the Coalition, affordable housing, or livable wages to City Council: CityCouncil@Cincinnati-OH.gov Donate NOW! GC_HomelessCoal THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED GCHomelessCoalition �No. 36 6 LOCAL | O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 W ill Ohio Issue 2 be the beginning of more affordable drug prices, or will it backfire and cause prices to go up? If the voters approve this measure in November, the State of Ohio will be required to pay no more for prescription medicines than what the Veteran Administration pays. There is a lot to unpack in this simple sentence. Both the “for” and “against” sides are eager to help voters understand their respective positions. Recently the Blue Ash Northeast Democratic Club hosted a discussion on Issue 2 with two Democrat activists on opposite sides. David Little (“for”) and Leo Pierson D’Cruz (“against”) are good friends with each other, progressive activists, and came to totally different conclusions about Issue 2. David Little has also contributed articles to Streetvibes. I went to see what I could learn. One clarification: Issue 2 is about enacting a new law. Its formal name is the Ohio Drug Price Relief Act. It is not an amendment to the Ohio Constitution. If passed the Ohio Departments of Aging, of Health, of Insurance, of Jobs and Family Services, and of Medicaid would pay the lower drug prices it mandates. That is MediCAID, not MediCARE. Medicare is administered by the federal government and there is a federal law which prohibits negotiating lower drug prices for this program. The opponents of Issue 2 are correct when they state that the TROY JACKSON (Continued from page 3) story of the Star Thrower, inspired by Loren Eiseley: An old man walking on the beach at dawn sees a young boy picking up starfish that had washed ashore the night before and hurling them into the ocean. The old man asks why, when there are so many and he could not possibly make a difference against such odds. The boy reached down and found another starfish, hurling it into the sea and said, “It made a difference to that one.” The story is a great reminder that acts of compassion and mercy are vital as each person matters to God. No act is too small for God and God’s people. And it seems to me that there is a fallacy in the way the story of the Star Thrower is used. The fable implies the despair and hardship facing human beings happens by accident, and can be addressed with a few short seconds of activity. It places the rescuer in the place of a savior, opening up troubling paternalism that reinforces positions of superiority and dependence. Put simply, people created in God’s image are not starfish, and they don’t wash up on the shore by accident. Ruth can be read from another angle, with particular focus on Ruth 7 Issue 2 MICHAEL EARL PATTON Contributing Writer law would not force drug companies to lower their prices for most Ohioans. On the other hand, David Little said the expectation is that this would just be the start of negotiating for lower drug prices across the board once voters realize that such a thing is possible. While Medicare is prohibited from negotiating for lower drug prices, the Veteran’s Administration is not. The average discount they receive is 24%, and this would become the new baseline for drugs which the State of Ohio buys if Issue 2 passes. This measure would not prohibit Ohio from negotiating even lower drug prices. On the other hand, Leo D’Cruz pointed out that the full text of the law is only 3 pages, which he said was far too short to truly implement it. (The ballot language is only a summary of the law, not the law itself. One can look up the actual text on-line or, when you go to vote, ask an election worker for a copy. In general, only tax levies have their full text on the ballot. There should be the full text available for review of any issue on the ballot that has been summarized.) Both David Little and Leo D’Cruz agreed that over-priced drugs are a huge problem. Those who have to pay full price know this first hand (for a while I was one of those). David Little favors a state-by-state incremental approach. Leo D’Cruz strongly favors drug price reform at the federal level. 2, and what it says about Bethlehem. This is not the romanticized Bethlehem of Christmas Carols. Let us consider what Bethlehem was like for other women forced to glean in other fields. Think about the implications of just a few verses from Ruth 2: Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. Keep your eyes on the field that is being reaped, and follow behind them. I have ordered the young men not to bother you.” –Ruth 2:8-9a When [Ruth] got up to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, “Let her glean even among the standing sheaves, and do not reproach her.” – Ruth 2:15 Naomi said to Ruth, her daughterin-law, “It is better, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, otherwise you might be bothered in another field.” –Ruth 2:22 Sometimes the translation of the text into English blunts the sordid truth. Ruth was told to avoid these other fields because they represented a clear and present danger to her wellbeing. These vulnerable women in Bethlehem were constantly in danger of physical and sexual assault. Every day, as they sought to find enough food to stay alive, they had to guard against unwanted advances. David Little, while not opposed to a federal solution, says it is not going to happen. Leo D’Cruz says that Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown has already introduced legislation. David Little responded that Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who made a national health care system a centerpiece of his campaign, has endorsed Ohio Issue 2. And so the forum went, not angrily, but definitely with strong and chambers of commerce. But some organizations do support Issue 2, along with individuals such as former director of Veteran Affairs Max Cleland and, as mentioned above, Senator Bernie Sanders. The language about paying the petitioners’ “reasonable attorney fees” to defend the law did come up for discussion. I know there is an ad against Issue 2 which says they would be reimbursed for “unlimited” attorney fees, but the actual language says “reasonable.” David Little said Yes on Issue 2 Maling Credit: Michael Earl Patton emotions. Both sides have many people and organizations that have gone on record as supporting one side or the other. Judging from the lists of endorsers in the literature I picked up at the forum, I would say that the “No” side had more backing from medical and veteran organizations, that the pharmaceutical industry has filed 70,000 lawsuits and that this kind of language is common on ballot issues. The initiative was supposed to be on last year’s ballot but it was delayed by lawsuits, which the backers eventually won. The language also So while we my celebrate Boaz for the mercy he provides for Ruth, there is no indication that he used his power and position to protect other women even in his own fields. He tells his workers not to “bother” Ruth, implying that he would look the other way were they to “bother” another woman gleaning in his fields. And he certainly does not challenge the cultural norm by working to make sure every woman who gleans in Bethlehem is safe from rape in the fields. While on the one had we can celebrate Boaz for his willingness to redeem and protect Ruth, we also must acknowledge that the people of Bethlehem failed to act to protect vulnerable women in their community, and this was a failure of justice. The renowned German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, whom the Germans killed for his participation in a plot to kill Hitler, once said, ““We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.” When we give clothing and canned goods to the local mission, when we tutor a child who is struggling to learn to read, and when we offer job training to a person getting out of prison, we are doing good work. We are doing our part to bandage the wounds of society’s victims. But sooner or later, we need to find out why so many people are being ground to a pulp. Micah 6:8 is very clear: “What does the Lord require of you, but to Do Justice, and to Love Mercy, and to Walk Humbly with Our God.” Sooner or later, we must move from conversation about justice, and actually begin to do justice. No matter what we do, may we look beyond ourselves and remember the other women, the other fields, and those whose hearts are crying out for Justice in this broken world. God hears their cries. May we also hear their cries. If you are interested in getting more involved in the work of justice, we invite you to join AMOS, the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati, and other community partners on Sunday, October 15th for a candidates forum. We will engage with candidates for Cincinnati’s Mayoral and City Council races at New Prospect Baptist Church, 1580 Summit Road, Cincinnati, 45237 from 6-8 PM. We will focus on racial equity and justice, with particular focus on the State of Black Cincinnati report from the Urban League in 2015. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED (Continued on page 9) --------------------------------------- �8 RELIGIOUS PEACEMAKERS From US vs THEM to Only US TOGETHER: Lieutenant Joe Richardson Gets Rid of Labels and Lives with Mindfulness & Compassion O O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 6 n the attendance board at the police station to which is assigned Lieutenant Joe Richardson, his colleagues often write next to his name and instead of "In" or "Out", "At Temple", and this is even when he is on duty. In fact, Richardson, a Buddhist, lives his religious beliefs at all moments of the day and wherever he is. They have become an integral part of him and of who he is; they dictate his thoughts, actions and reactions; and have transformed him and his daily life into the real temple of his faith. "Searching for a religious identity, I became attracted to Buddhism because of its emphasis on compassion," says Richardson, "also for its Boddhisattva ideal to always work for the benefit and enlightenment of all human beings." Not keen, however, on the idea of "reincarnation", he was reassured by a statement from the Dalai Lama that one does not have to espouse all Buddhist beliefs in order to become a Buddhist. Born in Belleville, a small village of Northern Ohio, Richardson was not raised religious but, nevertheless, with strong moral values. His parents expected him to always be respectful and well behaved. Growing up he was not exposed to diversity, but rather to a very homogenous white community with little to no encounters with minorities such as Blacks, Latinos, or gays. Like his father he was very conservative, with extreme rightwing views, and deeply believed SAAD GHOSN Contributing Writer that anyone or any group who had a problem was entirely responsible for solving it. In 1985 and at the age of 18 he joined Miami University to study political science and was an active member of its college of Republicans. Three years later, he dropped out of school, got married and joined the police department. "Becoming a cop appealed very much to me," he says. "I was big and imposing, and always protected my weak friends from the bullies. I felt I had the ability to help others." Richardson came to police hood with altruistic ideas and no prejudices. He succumbed, however, quickly to its culture of separation, the work tending to impose a perspective of "Us" versus "Them", the good guys against the bad ones, police versus civilians... "Cops learn to see themselves as guardians, like sheepdogs, and view criminals as wolves," Richardson states. "That also reinforces the usversus-them mentality." This mentality accompanied Richardson all the way until 1999 when he was promoted supervisor and was assigned to work with "Citizens on Patrol" in East Price Hill. His initial skeptical approach to the group changed quickly when he encountered instead wonderful individuals who were friendly, competent, responsible, policesupporting and who wanted to help What Is BUDDHISM Buddhism, founded by Siddhartha Gautama (563– 483 BC), the Buddah, a rich prince who led a life of an ascetic mendicant, in Nepal, teaches people how to end their suffering by cutting out greed, hatred and ignorance. For Buddhism, doing bad things brings bad consequences, and good things, good ones; and good and bad do not cancel out. This cause-and-effect chain is reflected in the endless cycles of life, death and rebirth (reincarnation) in which Buddhism believes. The ultimate goal of a Buddhist is to reach the state of enlightenment (Nirvana) and liberate oneself from endless reincarnation and suffering. Buddhists do not believe that Buddha is a god, but rather a human being who has woken up and sees the true way the world works; and that this knowledge represents the final extinction of desire. Buddhists take refuge in the three Jewels, the Buddha, the Dharma (the way to live life as taught by the Buddha), and the Sangha (the congregation of monks and other Buddhists). They are encouraged to follow five  precepts, or rules: not to hurt a living person or animal; not to take something that is not given; not to engage in sexual misconduct; not to lie or say hurtful things; not to take intoxicants (like alcohol or drugs) which cause heedlessness. Some see Buddhism as a religion, others as a philosophy, and others as a way of finding reality. take care of their own problems and improve their neighborhood. "They all became my friends and they showed me that there were things outside the police department which were as good as within, in order to address neighborhood issues," he says. Richardson's new perspective was also quickly reinforced by the Lieutenant Joe Richardson April 2001 racial riots in Cincinnati which followed the killing of unarmed African American Timothy Thomas by a white policeman. These uprisings prompted a self-reflection within the police organization as a whole and an examination of police actions at all levels. "It was a wake-up call," says Richardson. "I was almost simultaneously inside the department looking out and outside looking in. It made me realize that policing was something we had traditionally done "TO" the community instead of "WITH" the community and that it needed to change. And I wanted to be a part of that change." Serving as a liaison to community councils and neighborhood groups, Richardson would attend their meetings, talk to them regarding security and police issues, and listen to their complaints. He would always strive to be open, receptive and honest, and bring back the awareness he acquired from his interactions to his superiors and other police officers. "It ceased to be only about zero tolerance and jailing the offender, the approach prevalent before," he says. "Trying to understand the issue, seeing it from different viewpoints, and collaborating to finding a solution, became instead the focus." This new vision coincided in Richardson with his discovery of Buddhism which also stresses in its teachings that there is no Us vs Them, that in fact there is no Them but just all of Us, and that, as a result, it becomes difficult to hate someone who is part of you. Richardson progressively learned more and more Credit: Saad Ghosn about Buddhism. He frequented and attended classes at the local Buddhist temples, first the Therevadan monastery in Forest Park, then the Tibetan one in Colerain where he discovered a very strong sense of "sangha", community. In 2011 he took his refuge vows as a declared Buddhist. "To me Buddhism is how to live life," he says. "I don’t do it for the promise of heaven or eternal life. I do it to make me a better me now and in the future." In fact, every morning Richardson meditates and prays with the explicit purpose to be reminded to be a good Buddhist throughout his day. In 2014, wanting to learn more about religions, he decided to pursue his education and joined the University of Cincinnati focusing on religious studies. He graduated last month with a Bachelor's degree and hopes to pursue a Master's degree in the near future. At the police department, Richardson is now responsible for enlarging the Police Academy into a regional enterprise. It is where (Continued on page 11) Religious Peacemakers is a regular column highlighting Greater Cincinnati individuals who use their faith and religious beliefs for peace and justice. Saad.Ghosn@uc.edu is the founder of SOS (Save Our Souls) Art, an organization that promotes arts as vehicles for peace and justice and for a change. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 6 A 9 LOCAL Don’t privatize our Library | O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 EMMA WILSON library is a beautiful space. It is here where the knowledge of communities’ lives. This is a place that anyone can access free of charge, a haven of safety for those who may have nowhere else to go, a wealth of information available to anyone and everyone who passes through these doors. According to a recent internal survey, circulation in this library system is up by 13 percent since 2016. So why we must ask, is one of the busiest library systems in this country planning to sell off half its main branch to the real estate development corporation 3CDC. Let me tell you a little bit about 3CDC and how wide their devastating reach has extended. Yesterday I was down here on the plaza canvassing for this rally. It took all of ten minutes before I met an individual who lived in the Metropole public housing building. Only a few years ago, 3CDC bought the building and forced every single resident from their home Contributing Writer Cycles of poverty, homelessness, and addiction that working people experience are masked by the veneer of a shiny gentrified city. Working people are living under the shadow of corporate dominance that continues to extend its reach ever further unless a mass movement of working people is built to stop the privatization of our public spaces. I spoke to a lovely woman also sitting in the plaza. In our conversation, she expressed her fear of the future. If the North Building is sold she said. What is to stop them from setting their sights on the South building? What is going to stop them when they set their sights on other library branches? Other public services? Let me be clear Private interests will never defend our public spaces when they stand to make a profit. The sole purpose of the corporations represented on the library board is to accumulate Library board meeting with County Commissioners Credit: Bryce Phillips so it could be renovated into yet another fancy hotel establishment. Another establishment that serves as a playground for the rich instead providing housing for the working poor. MICHAEL EARL PATTON (Continued from page 7) helps protect the petitioners, that is, those individuals who are named as being behind the initiative, if they are sued by the pharmaceutical industry in connection with this issue. An editorial in the Columbus Dispatch passed out by the “No” side discusses if Issue 2 might cause drug prices to go up for veterans. They concluded it might if drug makers profit at our expense. It's on us: the public – the workers, patrons and community members to defend our public spaces from private takeovers. Just last Friday, Charlie Cambell was handcuffed, detained and cited by a library staff security guard for refuse to provide a better price for the VA so that they can charge everyone the normal, high price. In the end, I decided that I would vote “Yes” on Issue 2, the Ohio Drug Price Relief Act. I wish that I could see the effects of the law more clearly, but that may not be possible since if it passes it will be the first in the country. I wish there were a federal law mandating affordable drug prices, but I can’t hold my breath any longer. As David Little pointed out, if this law “Breakdown Stereotypes” holding a sign that said “3CDC: Hands off Our Library”. This was a violation of free speech, point blank. In response to our plans for this rally, the library administration announced on Monday that they would drop the charge against Charlie and suspend the staff security guard that carried out his detention. That because working people deserve the right to the city. We deserve the right to shape our cities in our interests because we produce all of the wealth in this society and it is stolen from us by the corporations and the 1%. We’re fighting for a broad movement that can become strong enough to bring the fortune 500 companies under democratic control and end their exploitation of the masses of working people. Save our Library Campaign Supporters Credit: Stephanie Phillips is not the kind of justice that we are fighting for. We demand that the staff security guard who carried out Charlie’s detention and citation be immediately reinstated without suspension or reprimand of any kind. The right to free speech has been attacked inside and outside of the workplace on this issue, and we do not blame someone who is simply doing their job for carrying out the will of the corporate-controlled library board. We will not be silenced and we stand with all the library workers who have been forced into quiet opposition to the library board's plans to sell this cherished public resource. We demand that the North building not be sold or privatized. We want a democratically run public space. We’re here today Socialist Alternative calls for an end to budget cuts to education and social services. We need full funding for all community needs. A major increase in taxes on the rich and big business, not working people. Throughout the country, we’re fighting for a $15 minimum wage, an end to police brutality, and for free healthcare for all. We need a library board that represents the interests of library patrons and employees and our communities - not the Fortune 500 companies. Cuts to public space, cuts to health care, cuts to education, represent the inability of the capitalist system to provide for the most basic human needs in the wealthiest country in the history of human society. It’s up to us to gather a massive force of people who can break this cycle of exploitation and throw off the attacks on our public spaces and resources. was really going to cause drug prices to go up, why is the pharmaceutical industry pouring so many dollars into defeating it? What grates me even more is that I know many drugs and devices were developed using taxpayer dollars. The development of the $600 EpiPen autoinjector device, for example, was funded by the military to provide a means for troops to give themselves a lightning-quick antidote in case of a chemical attack. The federal government should mandate that the company making it charge consumers a price that covers costs plus only a small profit. As mentioned above, Issue 2 would be a law, not a constitutional amendment. If it needs to be tweaked or adjusted, that is a realistic expectation. We need to give it a try. [Editor’s note: The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition has not taken a position on Issue 2 at this time.] “Eradicate Misinformation” The Coalition for the Homeless provides Education and Service Programs that help to portray a more accurate and holistic picture of homelessness in Cincinnati. We believe an educated public can be a more compassionate public, willing to dedicate time and effort towards creating solutions to homelessness. The “Voice of the Homeless Speaker’s Bureau” program is made up of individuals currently experiencing homelessness or who have experienced homelessness, who share their experiences. The program is designed to put a face on homelessness and raise awareness about those struggling in our community. To schedule a speaker, contact Dr. Mark Mussman at MarkMussman@cincihomeless.org. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �10 LOCAL O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 6 December 21 - 31, 2017 For tickets please call (513) 381-2273 Purchase tickets online at www.cincyshakes.com AD Donated by Mark and Sue Ann Painter season sponsored by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 6 LOCAL OTZ & THE DOG BOY 11 | O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 but this was mainly to check out the bald spots caused by his mange and it infuriated him. Everyone always got a laugh out of that. My brother Douggie and I always had a lot of fun with him too. Otz's daily routine was so set you could have kept time by it. Every morning just after nine o'clock, when the last faint remnants of fog were vanishing from the Muskingum River in front of our house, you could expect to see his gnarled old head peer suspiciously around the corner of the hedge bordering our cinder driveway. He always looked up, then down, then back up the drive towards our house. Then, slowly, he'd make his long cautious walk up to the back yard. Glancing from side to side as he approached, poor old Otz tried to muster as much dignity as he could. Douggie and I might be hidden beside the garage, or on the flat garage roof or in the hedge. Then when Otz was just a step or two away, we didn't jump out at him; that would have been too crude, too obvious. We'd discovered that it was far more effective to poke our heads out very casually, without uttering a sound, letting the expressions on our faces alone say, "Why hello, Otz." And Otz would immediately growl, turn around and go trotting stiffly back to the wooden stairs down to his house, muttering indignantly the whole time. "Grrrummmmbleummumble-rum-rumble grrumrumumble," was his traveling music all the way back to the little cabin perched on a hillside behind our hedge. By this time Douggie and I would both be gasping for breath beneath our fiendish laughter. "Poor Otz!" we would howl. "Aww...here, Otz! Here, Otzie!" Unfailingly, he would cast a wrathful look back over his shoulder and growl even louder -- "GRRUMMM-RUMBLE-RUMRUM!" -- before disappearing around the corner of the hedge. His owners took a dim view of such behavior and persuaded Dad to help put a stop to it; he told us the next report he got of our teasing Otz would mean an automatic whipping. Well, it couldn't have been more than a couple of days later that we got caught peeking around the hedge at Otz, setting off a low rumble that had the whole rickety porch of that cabin vibrating. When I saw the screen door swing open, all I could think of was Dad's strong right arm. "Ah hah -- caught him, didn't you, Mr. Stevens?" I managed to get out without losing a beat. "I caught both of you!" he contradicted me. A few minutes later Dad had us out breaking our own individual switches off of the apple tree. That's one of the last whippings I ever got, and I've often wondered whether it was Dad's stinging blows (which I can still feel) or guilt at having attempted to blame the whole thing on Douggie that has kept the memory fresh all these years. Whether it was the whipping or the fact that I started school soon afterwards and suddenly found it beneath my dignity to fool with a scrawny old dog, I did finally leave teasing Otz to my brother. It seems that Otz became something of a hermit after that; perhaps he'd finally learned he just wasn't welcome up under the apple tree. Maybe one of the younger and stronger dogs, or Br'er Coon's sharp teeth, took a piece out of his scaly hide. In any case his reclusiveness compelled Douggie to develop our old game into a fine science. During the day, when Otz's owners were both at work, Douggie would take half an hour or more to sneak stealthily down the hill and around the cabin behind the high back porch where Otz now spent most of each day on a doormat, looking balefully out over his little world. There were several big nail kegs overturned beneath the porch, and Douggie would climb carefully onto the one farthest from the door, then creep noiselessly from keg to keg until he was right under Otz's nose. Picture Otz lying there curled up on the mat or stretched out in the sun gazing into space, eyes glazed and heavy-lidded as he nurses some private grudge or thinks back over the long years to happier, more carefree days...when suddenly, a big moon face rises slowly over the horizon of the plank porch floor. Not a sound: just a big snicker-shaped grin curving from one dirty ear above a fat little chin to the other. It happened several times a week but Otz, perhaps a little senile by now, was always taken by surprise. "GRR-RUM-Rum-Rummmble!" And there'd go Douggie in case the woman who lived there was home unexpectedly and might catch him -- Otz still trembling with rage, the stiff grey hairs raised on the back of his neck like a horse's cropped mane. Then one day a surprising thing happened. A strange car pulled up in the driveway and stopped at the head of the stairs down to Otz's cabin. Two teenage boys, a girl about twice my age and their parents got out of the car. One of the boys whistled and shouted, "Here, Boots! Here, Boots!" My brother and I looked at each other, then sauntered down to see what all the commotion was about. We were about halfway down the drive when up those steps streaked crippled old Otz. You'd have thought he was a puppy, the way he jumped and skipped and danced around, all the time crying with joy. The girl and boys each picked him up and hugged him. I think their mother even had tears in her eyes. Otz was so happy to see them. Our own mother learned later that when these people, who had obviously been Otz's family at one time, had moved to the city they'd had to give him away because it was too dangerous for him there. When they left him behind once again, Otz couldn't understand why he still wasn't allowed to go with them. He stood in the driveway at the top of the stairs for a long time after they drove away. My brother says it was only a few days later that old Otz died. the chief of Middletown police, who, for instance, added social awareness and emotional intelligence to his officers' training. At work and with his colleagues, Richardson tries to live by example, with honesty, and according to his Buddhist faith. "When needed, I do not hesitate to be the hand who stops somebody to only go so far and no further, or to say, “that’s wrong”, “that’s mean”, or “that’s bigoted”. I’ve had to learn that a lot more good comes from consistently being the person willing to say, “this is not welcome here”," he states. Richardson would like to learn more about the Black Lives Matter movement and establish a liaison with its local leaders. He thinks that communication and respect are keys for dealing with any community. "At the start, I was a white male protestant policeman part of the majority. When I started getting rid of labels, I saw the diversity and embraced it. Others stopped being my enemy; they became part of me, me and me vs me and them." Richardson aims at living his life truthfully, honestly, with mindfulness and compassion. He aims also at being a Boddhisattva, at helping bring everyone else along to a better place. DICK CROY ...In Which Otz Lives a Very Short Happy Life E verybody -- Br'er Coon and all the real dogs -- hated Otz. Br'er Coon was the almost tame raccoon who lived with us for a year or so when my brother the Dog Boy and I were growing up in the Appalachian hill country of Southeastern Ohio. He thought he was a dog (Br'er Coon I mean, although this was equally true of my brother at the time), a sort of superdog actually, and even though they all knew he wasn't, none of the real ones would have considered contesting the issue with him. The dogs themselves were all sex slaves in the male harem of Libbet, our female collie, who held court under a big apple tree in our back yard. Old and disagreeable, with bad breath and a chronic case of mange, Otz hung around most of the time on the back porch (nobody'd ever heard of decks in those days) of a cabin down the road from our house. He was an irascible little runt, a faux fox terrier with a chip on his shoulder, who limped slightly for sympathy. Every day when he headed home in a huff, grumbling and growling down our long driveway, his limp was worse than when he had wandered up the drive an hour or so earlier. He didn't limp on the way up because he wasn't entirely abject, just mean and ornery. He hoped the painful hobble back to his house would make all those who had once more banished him from the back yard feel guilty again. It was an old story we had all gotten really tired of. Actually, most of the dogs just ignored Otz. He was beneath contempt: a foul little creature who couldn't catch a rabbit if they were in the same cage together -- who couldn't even open his mouth without grumbling about something. Oh, once in a while one of them would sidle over and give Otz a perfunctory sniff when he came into the yard, SAAD GHOSN (Continued from page 8) civilians are trained to become police officers, and where policemen get their continuous professional training as required by the State. Richardson would like to expand the program, and, in addition to social justice, bring more diversity training to it, also introduce mindfulness and equanimity as topics of discussion. He likes to quote Rodney Mutterspaw, Contributing Writer "Thank You" to Retired Judge Painter for his ongoing generosity. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �12 T LOCAL Movement To Improvement his is something I thought I wouldn’t be writing about for at least 3-4 months from now. But things have changed. I don’t know if it’s God’s plan or the people who run the place I am staying at. It’s funny, I came here with a plan to get my recovery, get gainfully employed, build a nest egg and move into an apartment. I gave myself a year to accomplish these things. I have succeeded in all those areas, except the nest egg. It’s not quite where I would like it to be for me to move on but, Life happens. I have to say I’m sad in a way JOSH SPRING (Continued from page 2) Manager clearly does not see our people as “stakeholders”. So, for years company representatives and DCI have complained about people sleeping on Third Street. Over these years the City has responded by having CPD officers harass people sleeping on Third street and has corroborated the unfounded fears of people who are housed against people who are not housed. The city has also, in a variety of ways supported the displacement of people from housing and the closure of affordable housing while investing virtually no City dollars into affordable housing until a year or so ago when Vice Mayor Mann’s motion to put a relatively (yet important) small amount of one-time funds into affordable housing was approved. The City also spent a decade cutting the already relatively meager funds allocated to Human Services. In this context and in the context of increasing homelessness in our City, people the City Manager considers “stakeholders” complained and asked that the benches be removed and the city started removing them. In his memo Mr. Black states that “This area has also been identified as an issue in our Panhandling Stakeholders meetings.” He explains that this group includes JASON HAAP (Continued from page 5) fails to understand reality? As much as I'd like to think so, I recognize how crazily egomaniacal that sounds! So, instead of trying to convince my "opponents" they are wrong, I am trying to train myself to understand their perspectives first. Not in an off-handed way, but in a deep and meaningful way. This has caused me some uncomfortable cognitive dissonance, and I think that means I'm successfully combating the Backfire Effect in an attempt to establish empathy. Let me leave you with these excerpts from Wilson's TEDx Talk: A lot of these guys were just O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 6 BOBBY MORRIS Contributing Writer but also fearful and Joyous at the same time. All these emotions are hitting me at the same time. It’s sad to be leaving a place that gave me the time and environment to get some Recovery. It’s fearful because I’m starting a “New Adventure” (thanks Babe), and Joyous because It’s letting me know that the future is bright for me. Haven’t decided or even found a place, but I am eager to do just that. 9 months ago I was on the verge of suicide. And today I’m living life and happy (most of the time) living it. Once I became willing to do somethings and change somethings doors began to open. Along with doors, my heart opened to what I could be. Having this dream and this hope allows me to attack each day with vigor and laugh at myself and my faults. You see before I used to see my faults as negative attributes of myself. Now I see them as something I need and can change. Change is the Key word for me today. I have changed me, my outlook, my surroundings, my friends. All in the name of Peace within myself. How can this be? This can be because “…representatives from DCI, 3CDC, REDI, Strategies to End Homelessness, CPD, [the Manager’s] office and other city departments…” Strategies to End Homelessness (STEH) administers the local Continuum of Care for the Homeless process and system funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Kevin Finn who is the President of STEH wrote, “My feeling is that it is very disingenuous of the City Manager’s office to even mention the meeting in his memo, given that this action was never discussed in the meeting, much less approved.” Why do we need a meeting meant to curb panhandling, an action which is legal? In front of the City Council Neighborhoods Committee, Manager Black stated that the goal is to, “…increase the buffer between panhandlers and people who work downtown and are coming downtown to enjoy it; to create more space between the two…” It is worth saying here that we attended the first meeting of this group. In this meeting we re-iterated that panhandling is not illegal because people have the basic right to speak, that there is nothing morally wrong with panhandling and those organizations represented need to invest time, money and political advocacy into the creation and preservation of affordable housing. We also stated that the proposed donation meters were a terrible idea, which statistically produce virtually no positive results and simply reduce human contact, which is a bad thing. After that meeting we fell off the email invite list. In his memo he goes on to say that “It has been determined people are using this space behind the benches to engage in lewd and lascivious activities”. Lewd is defined as sexually unchaste or licentious, obscene and vulgar. Lascivious means lustful, wanton action arousing sexual desire, indicating sexual interest or behavior especially that is considered indecent or obscene. Despite the fact that earlier in his memo the City Manager states that it is a problem that the benches create a “visual barrier for patrol officers”, here he says it has been determined that people are engaged in these “lewd and lascivious activities”. Talk about defamation, you are clearly prejudiced against people without homes, people with homes complain about the presence of people without homes, you remove the protective barrier people seeking sleep have, you get caught and you say folks were engaged in sexually obscene, vulgar activities which reflect or produce sexual desire. I was trying to stop obscene, indecent and vulgar activities in public. Give me a break. If that were not enough he goes on to claim that the plan was to replace the benches with “…benches I have put my Life in the Hands of my God. See I no longer run things my way. Don’t get me wrong I do make mistakes but my God has a way of correcting them so that I can see them and learn something. It’s not easy every day, but just for me to be willing to do this is a step in the right direction. Movement to Improvement is the title (thanks Angelo), but it should and can be titled Moving Forward or Growing Up! Either way it’s a positive thing no matter what words I use. Life is a constant thing that comes with the passing of time. In God’s Time, not Mine has become my mantra. As I end this piece I can only think of the how much I have in store for me in the coming weeks. allowing more transparency and thus more accommodating to ensure a safe environment”. So, in addition to acting lewd and lascivious, the City Manager believes people sleeping on Third street cause the area to be unsafe. What is actually unsafe is having a city with a shortage of thousands of units of affordable housing, continuing housing displacement, underfunded Human Services, etc. to the point that an increasing number of people don’t have a home and sleep outside where the risk of a hate crimes attack is very real. On top of that the City is working to stop people from sleeping in a location out of a list where every option is bad, but chosen for the safety in numbers, the well-traveled and watched street and the lit sidewalks, as well as at least the minimal sense of security provided by the benches. This is what isn’t safe. I mean think about the big picture here. The city has provided no legal protections to stop displacement, has funded gentrification, gives tax abatements worth millions to companies creating exclusive living spaces, invests extremely little in affordable housing, harasses people who sleep outside and/or panhandle, has cut Human Services, defames people’s character, etc. and then says, oh you are sleeping behind a public bench on a public sidewalk, well were going to take it away so you are even more exposed. regular Joe's. A lot of outdoorsmen. Hunters. Computer nerds. Some of them family guys with videos of their families. ... And I'm going to tell you what else led to the momentum of the alt-right: the left-wing's demonization of everything white and male. If you are a pale-skinned penis-haver, you are in league with Satan! Would you believe that some people find that offensive? ... However, one thing kept screaming at me through the subtext of those arguments ... why should I be hated for who I cannot help but be? As a black man in America, that resonated with me. --------------------------------------- Daryl Davis with a Klansman Credit: Google Images THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 6 13 STREET VOICE | O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 SON THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF INSULTS Son talk to me Mommy needs to know What you feel And what you see Son talk to me Mommy loves you With all her heart Seems like we have been drifting apart It’s a feeling, I feel in my heart Prez, Prez, President Trump, Via Tweets or on the stump, Who did you insult today? "I attacked Senator McCain, Then Susan Collins of Maine, Plus the NFL and the NBA." I will never let anything keep us apart In the heart is where we need to start Like the good old days BILL WOODS Contributing Writer When learning and hoping were part of our start YESTERDAY And we would talk Let’s start over son Because you are my heart KIM GREEN Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer Yesterday is long gone and so very far behind Yesterday is something only in our minds does it shine Yesterday is when the elders had troubles far away Yesterday I except is the past so I live only for today Someone said tomorrow is not promised and yesterday has past Someone said right now is what’s going on so tell me how long can it last I believe that a mixture of the past and the present in the world of today Is all we need to endure for the future belongs to only God I say So why not live one day at a time and each moment experience the treasure I believe our lives would be much easier, happier and full of God’s love and pleasure! WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �14 PUZZLES O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 6 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 135 Across 1. Acquire 4. Part of the hand 8. Constrictors 12. A narrow way or road 13. Comply 14. Lawful 16. Foreboding 17. A thin strip 18. Far beyond the norm 19. Total 20. Indicating maiden name 21. Possesses 23. Group of things of the same kind 24. Fashion 26. Definite article 28. Nocturnal bird 30. The night before 32. Fish traps 36. Decapod 39. Skin condition 41. Desperate 42. Lout 43. Aromatic herb 45. Operate 46. Male red deer 48. Convention 49. Small hard fruit 50. Sea swallow 51. Understand 52. Self 54. Employ 56. Inundated 60. Deciduous tree 63. Ballet step 65. Pelvis 67. Health resort 68. Percipient 70. Stretched tight 72. Prescribed selection of foods 73. Suggestive of the supernatural 74. Wheel shaft 75. Not in active use 76. Hemispherical roof 77. A quantity of paper 78. Mousse Down 1. Complete extent or range 2. Foe 3. Square root of one hundred 4. Impersonate 5. Having a strong healthy body 6. Pasture 7. Traditional story accepted as history 8. Redden 9. Lubricant 10. Subdivisions of a play 11. Father 12. Results from costs exceeding revenue 15. Make lacework by knotting or looping 20. Novel 22. Consumed 25. Tennis stroke 27. Conclusion 29. Workplace in short, for scientific research 30. Follow as a result 31. Garment that covers the head and face 33. Republic of Ireland 34. Proper alignment 35. Transmit 36. Monetary value 37. Charge per unit 38. A great distance 40. Feel concern or interest 44. On the sheltered side 47. Large African antelope 49. Female hog 51. Large body of water 53. Space between two things 55. Fling 57. Stage whisper 58. Trance 59. Detest 60. Playing card 61. Sleigh 62. Champion 64. Celestial body 65. Polynesian dance 66. Detail 69. Objective 71. Cutting tool SODOKU PUZZLE NO 265 - MEDIUM 72. Archeological site PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 350 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 134 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 264- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 6 RESOURCES | O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 Central Access Point 15 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children Bethany House 557-2873 1730 Race Street 45202 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 St. George Food Pantry 751-8771 2554 Dennis St. 45219 Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 621-7265 1528 Race St. 45202 Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 352-6364 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 McMicken Dental Clinic 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti Mental Health Access Point NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach 131 E. 12th Street 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 Other Resources St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 215 E. 14th St. 45202 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 Salvation Army 762-5660 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 Shelter: Men Shelterhouse 721-0643 1125 Bank Street 45214 411 Gest St. 45203 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 1437 Walnut Street 45202 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 2121 Vine Street 45202 Prospect House 921-1613 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Parkway Center 661-4620 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 Starting Over 961-2256 Shelter: Youth Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women Shelter: Family Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both Interfaith Hospitality Network First Step Home 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 471-1100 Housing: 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 OTR Community Housing 381-1171 Joseph House (Veterans) 241-2965 1522 Republic Street 45202 114 W. 14th Street 45202 Talbert House 221-HELP Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street 45202 Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP Advocacy Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Volunteers of America 381-1954 Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 VA 977-6800 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 Food/Clothing First Lutheran Church 421-0065 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 UpSpring 363-3300 Health 961-0600 Center for Respite Care 621-1868 OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 Goodwill Industries 771-4800 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. 579-8547 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 1223 Main St. 45202 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 Talbert House 751-7747 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton County Office of Reentry 946-4304 138 E. Court Street Room # 101 First Floor Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels 981-4200 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center 799 Ann St. Newport, KY ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 for 26 issues 859-491-8303 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-572-6202 Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky 634 Scott St. 41011 859-291-4555 You can support our mission and spread the word about your business. For more information contact Justin Jeffre at 513421-70803 x 12 or email streetvibes@ cincihomeless.org $100 558-8888 351-3500 977-4489 Want to advertise in Streetvibes? Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 352-6363 $150 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED for 26 issues and a $50 donation �16 O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 6 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. 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Title A name given to the resource October 6-October 19, 2017 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From the Director Mayoral Candidates Make Solo Appearances at the Community Issues Forum Pg 3: Why Metro is Critical to the Disabled Community “Other Fields” Pg 4: 4th Annual Oakley Masquerade Pg 5: Institutional Racism Still Lives Empathy Pg 6: GCHC Pg 7: Issue 2 Pg 8: From US vs THEM to Only US Together Pg 9: Don’t Privatize Our Library Pg 10: GCHC Pg 11: OTZ & The Dog Boy Pg 12: Movement to Improvement Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 6-October 19, 2017 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Bill Woods Jeremy Moses Troy Jackson DR. Mark Mussman Jason Haap Michael Earl Patton Saad Ghosn Emma Wilson Dick Croy Bobby Morris Kim Green Willa Denise Jones Alice Schneider Better Bus Coalition Biblestudytools.com Bryce Phillips Stephanie Phillips Google images Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Alice Schneider Better Bus Coalition Biblestudytools.com Bill Woods Bobby Morris Bryce Phillips Dick Croy Dog Boy Dr. Mark Mussman Emma Wilson Google Images Issue 2 Jason Haap Jeremy Moses Josh Spring Kim Green Library Mayoral Metro Michael Earl Patton Ohio Racism Saad Ghosn Stephanie Phillips Troy Jackson Voting Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/90a4b32d4d99e79877119b4377d8a45d.pdf 87e50875e8555b7a15a3c779ad9e02b5 PDF Text Text October 7th - October 20th 2016 | Vol. 20 Issue 21 (No. 340) advocating justice | Building community Farm Workers Call For BoyCott | 10 This issue sponsored by (Retired) Judge Mark P. Painter INSIDE THIS ISSUE Charity White Challenges Design | 3 Shantytown Season Kicks off | 5 Duke's Revised Pipeline | 7 Patricia Garry Recognized For her Work| 5 Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 LOCAL From the Director: Does Financial Growth Prove You are a Good Christian Working for God? JOSH SPRING D Executive Director o large profits and a high salary mean you are successful? If you work hard, create a business strategy, execute it and as a result receive large dividends does that mean God is smiling on you, your family and your company? Are great financial returns evidence of following a firm spiritual faith? I raise these questions because there are people who trust the Christian faith (as well as other faiths too, but I am focusing on the Christian faith in particular here) that believe evidence of following the teachings of God, Jesus and the Bible include significant financial gain. In other words, if you take certain actions and they benefit you and those close to you financially, then you successfully followed your religious faith. From where does this belief come? Some sources include: the understanding that God cares about every aspect of your life including your business endeavors and finances, the Bible teaches that we should work hard and hard work pays off, the Bible says that a person will be proved a follower of Jesus by the “fruits” of her or his life; Jesus taught that we will “reap what we sew”, Jesus told a parable about a boss who before leaving for an extended period of time gave money to three different employees; one employee buried the money in the yard because he was afraid of losing it and angering the boss and the other two employees took risks, invested it and when the boss returned he praised the employees who strategized, took risks and reaped profit and rebuked the man who did not have the faith to take the risk. These are just a few sources from which the belief that for Christians financial gain means there is also spiritual success and growth. Here is the problem: each of these examples are good beliefs to live by; God does care about the holistic person, hard work is important, the true ingredients of a person are shown by her or his “fruits”, we do eventually reap what we sew, and creating strategy and taking risks do show faith; but not just any personally perceived payoff should be considered proof that any action taken to get there was in alignment with God’s vision. What if in the parable of the boss and two employees, one had buried the money and the other two had used the money to purchase someone else’s home, displaced them from their home, renovate it and sold it to wealthier people for a large profit? These employees still would have created strategy, worked hard and operated with the faith that there would be a payoff. The employees may have even used some of the money to “relocate” those displaced. Do you think in this version of the story Jesus would have made the two real-estate developer employees the good moral examples? Or would they too have been shown to be examples of acting immorally; taking risks and reaping financial payoff, but through unjust means and in fact that their “fruit” showed they were not following the beliefs they claimed? While the story did not include Smart cars, dumbeddown drivers, fawning regulators, and eager personal- injury lawyers ROBERT PARK D Contributing Writer riving is a complex task. It is a skill that can improve even after years of experience. For the designers and programmers of socalled smart cars, driving is a serious challenge: the result might not achieve society’s minimal expectations and requirements. It may go the way of the supersonic airliner and the betamax video machine. The incentives appear to be twofold: 1) getting rid of people who drive something for a living (taxis, trucks, delivery vans..), and who think they deserve a living wage, and, 2) providing for consumers having too much disposable income another IT gadget with which to degrade their and our existence. The fundamental flaw in this marketing strategy comes down to liability. A system which is designed to not require close driver involvement decides to hand-off responsibility in the split second just when things get difficult. No driver is going to pay attention for endless periods when the need for their intervention has been downgraded to almost zero. It’s the old problem of watching dials in the nuclear power plant. Furthermore, drivers born and raised in the smart car era won’t be much good at driving to begin with, especially when things go wrong. Kids can’t even add in their heads any more. The smart-car lawyers have probably this example, my guess is that if it did, Jesus would have added in a fourth employee in order to have a moral example of how to act. The point is that when Christians simply claim they are living and working within the will and calling of God because their efforts show financial payoff, they are at minimum very short-sighted. And more than likely they are actually trying to quiet their conscience. The real source for this sort of perspective is human greed and desire to control one’s surroundings. Consider the many years of televangelists who have taught health and wealth or prosperity gospel. They tell us that the more money we give them, the more money God will give us because God’s goal for us is to be financially wealthy. In fact, they proclaim that God shows pleasure and reward in us through financial growth. Simply put; if your financial coffers are increasing it is because you are pleasing God. In the parable, the boss says to the two employees who followed his vision: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” What can we extract from this? The boss cared about the results (“well done”), the methods ("good”), and the motivation (“trustworthy”). In the deceitful health and wealth gospel all that God cares about is the portion of the result that shallowly benefited yourself. Justice is found in the why and how as well as the result. ------------------------ O c t 7 - O c t 2 0 , 2 0 16 | N o . 34 0 Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org BLOG: streetvibes.wordpress.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor: Justin Jeffre Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Leslie Moorhead Director of Education: Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Justin Jeffre Layout: Key Beck Reception: Derrick Hudson, Iolanda Barton, Patricia J. Brown, Larry Johnson Maintenance: Pete Roper figured this all out. Anyone buying a smart car will be signing a statement saying that the owner and any permitted driver of the vehicle assumes responsibility at any time when called for by the not so smart auto-pilot. You can be sure there will be a black box recording this. No accident will ever be a smart car’s fault. If there’s a sensor performance problem (and there will be many) it’s the driver’s fault that maintenance was lacking. What about splattered mud, ice, flying debris, heavy rain. Let’s look at a glowing claim for this promising technology: “It will reduce accidents.” Have studies shown that most accidents happen because responsible drivers weren’t aware of their surroundings or didn’t know how to steer or choose appropriate speeds? The behaviors at high risk for causing accidents will be in people choosing not to defer to a computer. They will find adherence to speed limits rather unacceptable. The bob-and-weave bullies won’t use it. In fact, they’ll be encouraged to take advantage of smart cars they encounter on the (Continued on page 7) THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Robert Park, Tess Sohngen, Malia Pitts, Dr. Mark Mussman, Michael Earl Patton, Mike Brown, Steve Sunderland, Jason Haap, Lee McCoy, Kim Green, Willa Denise Jones, Bill Woods Photography/Artwork: Tess Sohngen, Patricia Garry, Dr. Mark Mussman, Michael Earl Patton, Mike Brown, Bill Woods Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �LOCAL Charity White challenges the design of public spaces with her own designs No. 34 0 | O c t 7 - O c t 2 0 , 2 0 16 T hroughout history and across the country, designers and urban planners have worked to create public spaces that function for the needs of the people and draw others into the city. These public spaces are also designed to keep some people out. Leading the discussion through her exhibit “Prescriptive Space,” art activist Charity White challenged the ways in which public spaces are designed to shun homelessness and poverty, held at Miami University Center for Community Engagement in Over-the-Rhine, Sept. 30. “With this series I really wanted to keep that conversation open,” said White of the discussion around homelessness and space in cities across the United States. Among the many changes urbanization has brought to cities like Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine district, designs for public spaces have less and less invited homeless people in and instead attempted to push the “problem” out of the city. “Every action has a reaction. There are always unintended consequences,” said White. “Prescriptive Space” is the most worked as an art teacher in the Chicago public school system. After months of trying to engrain in students’ heads what they needed to know” about art, she had a paradigm shift in her way of thinking about, and teaching, art. She and the students “re-appropriated” the deteriorating art room into a space that worked for and represented the students. She took this new mentality with her to Florida. “I started working on projects that would make me go out into the community. They made me investigate my space a little bit more, and I started to learn a little bit about how decay and environments and public space look differently than [they] looked in Chicago.” White started creating humanlike ceramics, placing them in public and abandoned spaces and documenting the public’s interactions with the stone humans. Her first piece was of a young girl outside a vacant apartment in a gentrifying neighborhood of Chicago. The apartment stood next to a fancy, new restaurant. “It’s a boarded-up building that recent series she has done and her first exhibit in Over-the-Rhine’s Final Friday, an event held on the last Friday of each month where artist and galleries showcase their work to the public. Before moving to Gainesville, FL to complete her MFA in ceramics at the University of Florida, White is supposed to be ignored, supposed to be walked past. But what does it mean to bring people into that environment, to make them aware of that building that’s supposed to be silent?” White said. A camera on the building captured people’s interactions with the girl, allowing White to investigate how people interact with her sculp- TESS SOHNGEN Contributing Writer “Breakdown Stereotypes” tures placed in public spaces. The statue of the girl was taken by a man living in the abandoned apartment, but White continued to investigate public space and interaction using this sculpture and video project. “I became less interested in these public spaces and more interested in the people who were occupying this space and how public space and private space were defined,” said White. “I became really interested in understanding how public spaces are being designed and being manipulated.” This lead to her project “Prescriptive Space” where she created three life-sized sculptures representing homeless individuals and placed them on benches in the downtown of Gainesville, FL. This occurred while the city underwent initiatives to change the locations and accessibility of resources for its homeless population. “Dealing with the growing issue of homelessness within Florida, and in the presence, they weren’t trying to fix the problem, they were trying to move the problem,” said White. “They were almost trying to inconvenience the homeless out of the downtown.” Again, White recorded the interactions people had with the sculptures, and the results were heartbreaking. Many people posed to take selfies with the statues; others touched and teased the statues; and two were violently assaulted. One statue of a man was broken into several pieces and re-arranged on the bench without his Converse shoe. The woman statue was kicked, and her bottom half fell off the bench, breaking off her foot. No one put a blanket or coat over the statues. “My sculptures, as they have grown in size and become life-size, they also started to become stand-ins for people,” said White. “We have issues of that here where there will be people sleeping on the street and the bar crowd gets out and they’ll just lay down next to them and take selfies,” said Mark Mussman, Director of Education at the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition. If the treatment of her statues on Main St. were any indication of the public perception of homelessness and space, what message does this send about how people experiencing homelessness are perceived and treated in public spaces? “It was originally believed that these parks and public spaces were there for the betterment of our society,” said White. “But as time has shifted… there are areas that… have the appearance of being completely open to the public… but really, you’re there to exist as a consumer, and they are actually private property. So if there is someone there that does not want you there and does not deem you a desirable person in that local, (Continued on page 9) “Eradicate Misinformation” The Coalition for the Homeless provides Education and Service Programs that help to portray a more accurate and holistic picture of homelessness in Cincinnati. We believe an educated public can be a more compassionate public, willing to dedicate time and effort towards creating solutions to homelessness. The “Voice of the Homeless Speaker’s Bureau” program is made up of individuals currently experiencing homelessness or who have experienced homelessness, who share their experiences. The program is designed to put a face on homelessness and raise awareness about those struggling in our community. To schedule a speaker, contact Mark Mussman at (513) 421.7803 x14 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 3 �4 LOCAL O c t 7 - O c t 2 0 , 2 0 16 | N o . 34 0 PATRICIA GARRY IS RECOGNIZED FOR HER WORK IN COMMUNITY DEVELPOMENT P atricia Garry, executive director of CDC Association of greater Cincinnati, was nationally recognized for her work in community development. On August 30th, in Cleveland, Ohio, she was awarded the 2016 Diane Sterner Award for Community Economic Development Association Leadership. The award recognizes an individual’s work based on consistent commitment that results in benefits to the community development field and industry. Garry was nominated for the award by her colleagues for her leadership in community development in Cincinnati and all throughout Ohio. She was surprised when she got the call that she was the award winner. “My oldest son was in an accident in the summer and died in June,” Garry says. “My staff was telling me I need to go to Cleveland and they even invented a workshop with our back office and I just didn’t want to go, I wasn’t feeling it at the moment. So finally they called and told me that I won and it was a wonderful feeling especially at that time,” She says. In 1979 Garry, along with other community leaders, realized they spent so much time teaching people about community development, they weren’t getting anything done. They came up with a solution to create an MALIA PITTS Contributing Writer organization that provides pure training on community development, advocating, and researching on new ideas. That is when they created the CDC Association of Greater Cincinnati, which was at the time known as the NDC Association of Greater Cincinnati. “There was a time where there was no community development, no community councils, there was no infrastructure like that,” Garry said. “Other members of the community and I formed city councils and we would bring people in, and they would bring people in and pretty soon we formed a community and made things happen,” she said. Patricia Garry THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED When Garry began her work in this field she never expected to stay in the field for so long, but she’s glad she did because she was able to be involved with the city’s transformation. “I can drive all over town and remember what neighborhood and who the leader was and what the meetings were all about,” Garry said. “I’ve seen this city and this organization start from something small and turn into something beautifully big,” she says. Garry retires from CDC in December, she believes they’re ready for a new fingerprint, someone fun and willing try some new things when it comes to continuing the growth of the organization. “CDC is on such a roll, they’re getting bigger and better by the minute. This becomes my time to back slowly away,” Garry says. “You don’t wait for a crisis. You leave when you feel your job is done and that it will be in good hands” she says. When asked what is next after retirement, Garry says she will always be involved in community development whether through volunteer work or other things. “I love my job, I spent my whole life doing this, so it will take some time for me to just be done with this completely,” Garry says. ------------------------ �5 LOCAL No. 34 0 | O c t 7 - O c t 2 0 , 2 0 16 Shantytown Season Kicks Off DR. MARK MUSSMAN A Staff Writer s we pulled into Taylor High School’s parking lot, it was clear that this year’s Shantytown was going to be a little different from last year. Taylor High School is in the Three Rivers Local School District just west of Cincinnati. A newly built school stands stately in the background, past the school rolling hills of trees. The school looks like a college – stately, large and sprawling. In the foreground a series of communally built cardboard boxes form a ring in the grass. These cardboard boxes are the home of nearly 40 students for the night. When Sam Jackson, the speaker, and I exit the car we immediately hear the excitement level grow. I overhear a student running through the parking lot say “Is that Sam Jackson?!” to students, who are excited to see Sam again, to come sit with us for Sam’s story. Shantytown is an opportunity for students to learn more about homelessness and how to become an advocate. Typically held in October, which is Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Month, schools across the region hold Shantytowns to raise awareness about homelessness by hosting a sleep-over at the school. Most schools will sleep outside in makeshift cardboard boxes, while others will seek refuge in the gym when the weather turns bad. Schools don’t need to have a sleep-over to do a Shantytown, they can do alternative activities, but the sleep-over really gives students a chance to learn and process issues surrounding homelessness in a safe Students learning stateies to help fight homelessness Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman the night. Student participant Holly reflected on the importance of having a speaker from the Homeless Coalition, “This experience helped to put a face on homelessness. We often completely overlook others who are in desperate need of help.” After Sam spoke at Taylor High, I asked what students found memorable. Students talked Shantytown at Taylor High School Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman a friend who responds “I think so!” Later, I learn that the students took part in Mayerson’s summer program where several Streetvibes Distributors mentor students through a photography project. In the past, the photography project culminated in the Day By Day calendar – this year the students and Distributors created a poster series (to be released before the holidays). This is only Taylor High’s second Shantytown. Last year, Melissa Mosby told her story to a small group of students on a very cold night – so cold that this year I brought a jacket. It turned out to be 80 degrees this year, so the jacket remained in the car. As we got to the Shantytown, I smell the giant pots of soup – most likely a mix of cans that the students brought, and I see cardboard scattered in a pile on the ground. Sam and I pick up a couple of pieces and encourage the setting. Shantytown is not a way for students to experience homelessness – although many students have experienced homelessness in their lives. Couch-surfing, doubling up, and even sleeping in shelters or on the street, are real experiences many students face today. In Cincinnati Public Schools it is estimated that 3,000 students experience homelessness in any given year. This is why Project Connect was started to help identify and help students while maintaining dignity and respect. UpSpring works in a similar capacity with students in other regional schools. Shantytown gives students the ability to learn more and then to spread their awareness throughout the schools. A Shantytown experience will be different at all schools, but having a speaker come and tell their own personal story is usually the highlight of about how he quickly went from what we might call a “normal” life to having nothing, even though he was working really hard to rectify the situation. Students asked about his relationship with his son and connected with Sam on the familial level. They admired his tenacity. A student participant, Taylor, reflected “Like in Sam's story, homelessness is not always your own fault. Sometimes things happen that are out of your control. I learned how big the problem of homelessness is across our area and the whole country.” As we were leaving, the teacher told us that they were planning on doing the Cardboard Brigade in the morning, but with a special twist. The Cardboard Brigade is when students tear up their boxes that they slept in and make signs with statistics and facts about homelessness. When other students arrive to school in the morning, they hold up the signs to help continue the dialogue into the school day. Then they place the statistics throughout the school for everyone to see. Taylor High does the Cardboard Brigade with a special twist – bags over their heads. They do this to signify how we erase the faces off of people who are experiencing homelessness, we as a society Cardboard Brigade engage students with statitistics and visiuals. Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED (Continued on page 7) �6 LOCAL O c t 7 - O c t 2 0 , 2 0 16 | N o . 34 0 rd 3 Annual Oakley Masquerade Cincinnati’s largest Halloween costume party returns for its third year. All net proceeds benefit the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition. Open Top-Shelf Bar ● Photo Booth ● Silent Auction ● Light Hors d’oeuvres Oct 14 | 8pm – Midnight | 20th Century Theater www.OakleyMasquerade.com for details and reservations THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �LOCAL 7 No. 34 0 | O c t 7 - O c t 2 0 , 2 0 16 Duke's Revised Pipeline MICHAEL EARL PATTON Contributing Writer D “File a Public Comment.” The links to the application are also on this page. The biggest change is the size of the pipeline. Originally the pipeline was to be 30 inches in diameter, now Duke Energy is proposing a 20-inch diameter pipeline. The pressure has also been reduced, although not by much. Originally Duke had proposed a pipeline with an operating pressure of 600 psi, now it is just 500. True, there are several places in the introduction to the application where the § ¨ ¦ pressure is said to be just 400 psi, but on page 5-8 § ¨ ¦ it states “[t]he proposed pipeline will have a MAOP [Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure] of § ¨ ¦ § ¨ ¦ 500 psig and is planned to operate up to this pressure.” The permanent rightof-way will be 30 feet, where possible (application, p. 5-3). Additional land may be used during the construction if there is not ± sufficient workspace along Duke-route map revised side an existing road. The Source: Ohio Power Siting Board maximum width used during construction may be as much “16-0253-GA-BTX: Duke Central as 80 feet. Corridor Extension Gas Pipeline, The reason given for the Hamilton County,” followed by pipeline is to “balance system supply from north to south” and to retire the propane peaking plants which are needed for the coldest days when demand is greatest. Duke Energy says hybrid and electric vehicles. The application also states that the new pipeline is needed in order to shut down older sections of pipe temporarily and replace them, but uke Energy has made a few revisions to their earlier gas pipeline proposal that was the subject of a Streetvibes article in the August 12 – 25 issue. Duke claims the revisions were the result of public input, and now has filed a formal application. To see the application or to leave a comment, go to www.opsb.ohio. gov. Scroll down a little and click on “pending cases.” Then click on Line C314 \\CANOPUS\Groups\GIS\00_Proj\D\Duke\Duke_C143_extension\Maps\Report\OPSB\Report\Figure_2_2.mxd WW Feed Station 275 ! R Location of Project in Hamilton County, Ohio Norfolk Southern Railroad 75 ilford Rd Line A Glendale-M 71 I&O/SORTA Railroad 75 Norwood Regulation Station (Alternate Route, Existing) ! R Lin eV V U 562 Line V ! R Fairfax Regulation Station (Preferred Route, Proposed) C314V Central Corridor Pipeline Extension Project LEGEND: ! R Station Preferred Route Alternate Route Central Corridor Pipeline Extension Study Area Existing Duke Pipelines Railroad Municipal Boundary BASE MAP SOURCE: ESRI World Topographic Map 2015 0 5,000 FIGURE 2-2 STUDY AREA OVERVIEW MAP 10,000 Scale in Feet PN: 672247 CREATED BY: TH REVIEWED BY: JN Source: Michael Earl Patton, using data from Baker-Hughes these plants are aged. Although the application does talk a little about what happens if there are no peaking plants, it does not consider the alternative of rebuilding the peaking plants. It states that the propane creates difficulties for natural gas vehicles (NGV) and modern gas handling equipment at “end user facilities” (p. 4-1), but does not give details as to why this would be so. It does state that Duke foresees the potential development of NGV filling stations in central Hamilton County (p. 3-10). There will be more on the increased use of natural gas later in this article, but justifying the pipeline on potential NGV usage is dubious in light of the increasing efficiency and range of more conventional gasoline- again does not go into any details. Duke Energy requests that the public meetings they already had when they said the pipeline would be 30 inches in diameter be allowed to fulfill the public meeting requirements now that the diameter has been reduced. Thus it is important to go to the OPSB website and submit your comments. The main opposition group, Neighbors Opposing Pipeline Extension (N.O.P.E., www.nopecincy.org) remains opposed, as does the local Sierra Club. In my previous article I showed some graphs to explain my concern that there may not be enough natural gas for the increased thoughts on Shantytown, “Participating in Shantytown really opened my eyes up to see the everyday struggles of people without homes. It made my problems feel like they were so small.” (Continued on page 9) DR. MARK MUSSMAN (Continued from page 5) discount them and tell them they have no value. This also creates a haunting vision to help continue the discussion about person-first language and the existence of homelessness in every community. Josh, a student wrote in response to the Cardboard Brigade “It really got me upset when we had the paper bags over our heads. There were so many people that go to our school that just walked right by without even looking at us. I am sure that the same thing happens to people experiencing homelessness everyday.” One of the most hard hitting aspects of Shantytown can come in the middle of the night. Some schools work with local law enforcement to stage an eviction while students are sleeping. Police abruptly wake up confused students and force them to move their Shantytown from one place to another, sometimes just feet away, to show how difficult it may be to find a legal space to sleep. Brooke’s response shows how fear and anger can turn to ROBERT PARK (Continued from page 2) road, a whole new brand of high-tech bullying. What about drunk drivers? Could they be required to use it? Does that put liability on the enforcers? Let’s hope the personal injury lawyers are watching this foolishness and sympathy: “When the Cleves police showed up at 2:30AM and evicted us from our shanties I was scared to death. Even though it ended up that we did not have to actually move I now understand how it would feel for a person experiencing homelessness. They really would have no place to go!” I applaud the work that Taylor High School has done in the past year to help their students understand the complexity and issues surrounding homelessness. I believe that the work they accomplish, even with a small percentage of the student body participating that night, will create a ripple effect throughout the school and the entire community. Students who are exposed to the realities of homelessness at an early age are able to grasp very difficult realities in the future. This gives them the insight they need to become a part of the solution – in whatever way they are able – to help eradicate homelessness once and for all. Anna, another student offered her ------------------------ Students participating in Shantytown Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman sharpening their knives. Maybe a few good (unfortunate) cases will put this problem behind us. This is another example of IT run amuck. Let’s spend the money on good public transit, get rid of a lot of damn cars. ------------------------ THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �8 WORLD Puuhonua O Waianae: Hawaii’s refuge for the homeless, by the homeless O c t 7 - O c t 2 0 , 2 0 16 | N o . 34 0 ALEXANDER DEEDY W Courtesy of Spare Change News / INSP.ngo hen Twinkle Borge heard about the community meeting in 2010 to discuss the growing homeless encampment population near Waianae Boat Harbor on Oahu's west coast, she decided the camp's residents should have a voice. Borge had been living in the camp since 2006, a few years after she became homeless. At the time there were only seven people living there, she says. But as the homeless got swept from camps elsewhere on the island, they trickled into the village. The camp became known as Puuhonua O Waianae, a homage to the traditions of old Hawaii, where a Puuhonua was considered a sacred place free of punishment and judgment for natives who broke the law. Blunt and indomitable, Borge was comfortable acting as camp mediator, but her leadership responsibilities escalated at the meeting when the harbormaster gave her 60 days to clean set up a system to get income for the rest of the community. "I'm trying to make our community formal," she says. "And not something others think we are." Borge has also been experimenting with hydroponics. She set up a 20-by-20 tent in the camps community area community area. Inside the tent, two halves of a plastic 50-gallon drum sit above a water tank and boast sprouts of taro and lettuce. When the plants are watered, excess liquid drains into a holding tank below, and holds freshwater tilapia fish. None of the plants in the drums are large enough to eat yet, but on a nearby hillside one resident is growing some promising crops. The end goal, Borge says, is to get enough crops growing that they can set up a tent by the road and sell produce to Waianae residents. The camp's residents use pallets to develop infrastructure, much like in Old Puuhonua, where there were A pathway through the Puuhonua O Waianae homeless camp in Hawaii. Credit: Alexander Deedy up the camp. Over the next two months, Borge kicked out six families that were causing trouble and instituted a set of governing rules, including monthly meetings and required volunteer hours to maintain the village. Anyone who enters the camp is now sent to Borge for a screening, which she starts by asking if they'd rather live in a shelter or in the camp. She also asks each prospective resident is if they have any outstanding warrants. If they do, she contacts police and arranges for the person to see a judge. While it was difficult to kick the six families out of the camp, Borge says it was necessary. "It's not like I wanted to it, I had to," she explains. Borge and the camp's matriarchs didn't stop there. Over the past six years they installed a solar-powered light that illuminates a section of pathway through the camp, and Borge says she's seeking sponsors for more so that kids can find their way around at night. Borge estimated that 40 of camp's residents now have jobs, and when a storm rolls through that damages camps, everyone pitches in to help families rebuild before working on individual camps. She's also hopes to great walls and carved wooden images. Residents of the camp initially wanted pallets just to elevate their tents off the ground, Jerrell Tate, a pastor who regularly ministers in the camp, says. Then when a call went out that the homeless needed pallets to stay dry, local businesses answered generously. Wooden pallets became the barrier separating the camp from the beach, working as fences surrounding individual tents and borders for the dirt pathways that meander through the encampment. Inside the camp, blue tarps are stretched over couches, generators can be heard humming and even sounds of TVs carry from some tents. "When you think of a homeless camp, this isn't what you imagine," Tate says, gesturing around him. Around Waianae, some people still have the perception that the homeless camp is full of drug addicts and mentally unstable, and that authorities should clear it out, says Cedric Gates, the chair of the Waianae Neighborhood Board. But plenty of other people have compassion for those in the camp, and as someone who works with the village's leaders, Gates says he's part of the latter Twinkle Borge, matriarch and mediator within the Puuhonua O Waianae homeless camp. Credit: Alexander Deedy group. "I would debunk the narrative that the people - all the people - living in there are substance abusers and mentally ill," he says. "There's working class families there and they are struggling because they can't find any low-income rentals to live in." In Hawaii, where wages are similar to much of the contiguous United States but cost of living is considerably higher, the per capita homeless rate is the highest in the nation. Homelessness is so pervasive in the state that Hawaii's governor, David Ige, declared last October a state of emergency to deal with the issue. The governor's co-ordinator on homelessness is Scott Morishige, a young Hawaiian who says the state's approach in treating the homeless is grounded in Ohana Nui, a Hawaiian phrase that means 'extended family.' Now almost a year into his position, he says the state is tackling the homeless issue through three lenses: creating permanent, affordable housing, addressing human services needs and ensuring public safety. He noted the last point is important because homeless sometimes settle in dangerous spots, like on the side of a cliff or by a gas line. In the case of Puuhonua O Waianae, the village isn't in a dangerous spot, but the land was intended for another use. The 20-acre lot is under the control the state Department of Aquatic Resources because under the dirt, in ponds of mixed salt and freshwater, live a rare species of Hawaiian red shrimp found only on Oahu's west coast. When biologists last assessed the property several years ago, Morishige said they found the human encampment had likely caused some damage to the population. "As we face issues like homeless … how do we balance these competing mandates?" Morishige asked. "How do we balance the needs of the people who are there - not all necessarily by choice - who have now made this their home, with the need to preserve the unique wildlife for future generations?" The starting point is through conversations with residents, which Morishige regularly has with people from the camp. Recently, he asked Borge to stop taking in any more residents. "One of the concerns is, if the encampment continues to grow, at what point will Twinkle and her captains be able to kind of maintain order?" Morishige asks. Borge says she's refused to stop taking in new people. "Why would we want to turn any- Brenda Cruz, who says she has been living in the Puuhonua O Waianae camp longer than anyone, washes her clothes in an old cooler on the beach. Credit: Alexander Deedy THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED (Continued on page 11) �No. 34 0 | O c t 7 - O c t 2 0 , 2 0 16 MICHAEL EARL PATTON (Continued from page 7) 9 LOCAL Administration (www.ncdc.noaa. gov) says it was the warmest reserves at the end of the winter. And the potential problem has gotten worse as more and more coal-fired electric power plants are being converted to natural gas. So what is the point of installing even more pipelines if there won’t be enough gas to fill those pipelines when we really need it, as in a very Second, and this is more of a longterm project, work to conserve natural gas where possible. I think there is a supply squeeze coming. I can’t predict when any more than I can predict the weather years in advance, but I am certain it will come several decades sooner than the hundred years of supply that Source: Michael Earl Patton, using data from Energy Information Agency usage apparently predicted by Duke. A larger pipeline is of no use winter (from December through if there is not enough natural gas February) in the contiguous to fill it. I give updated versions of United States since comprehensive the graphs in my previous article records started being kept over a Source: Michael Earl Patton, using data from NOAA below. In the past two months there have not been any significant changes. Natural gas production still appears to have peaked and may be slowly declining. There has been a slight increase in the number of rotary rigs drilling for natural gas, but the number is still way, way down from its peak in 2008 and only about a third of the number before the fracking boom started. Unfortunately, the extra reserve we had a few months ago has just about disappeared. The large build-up in gas storage reserves – when compared to the normal range -- was due to the exceptionally warm winter. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric hundred years ago. We only have to go back a little to find a colderthan-normal winter. The winter of 2013/14 was cold, almost a degree below normal on average, but it was hardly a recordbreaker. NOAA has it only as the 33rd coldest winter on record. Now look at the amount of natural gas that was in storage near the end of March 2014. This illustrates my concern. Given a winter that was just a little colder than normal, and even with the huge number of rigs that had been drilling for natural gas for years, the amount of gas that was available for customers (like us) plummeted. In fact the country was down to just half of our normal cold winter? In fact, an updated version of those propane peaking plants that Duke wants to get rid of sound like a good thing to have in reserve. What to do? First, if you want to weigh in on the question it’s best to contact the Ohio Power Siting Board quickly. Their website information is at the beginning of this article. Even if you gave your opinion before, I would do again since their proposal has changed. is commonly talked about in the mainstream media. I hope the information I give here will at least alert you to the possibility that there may be a problem not far ahead. There are plenty of resources on the internet for ideas on how to save energy. And if you happen to build or remodel, please insulate, insulate, insulate. public in this whole realm… what does that look like then for the community?” said John Burke, Miami University professor. “They alter how people can and should interact in that space,” said White. By altering the public spaces to restrict illegal activity and people sleeping outside, the design sent the message that being homeless is illegal in these public spaces, according to White. “It’s incredibly complex to understand how messy human behavior is in that lack of ability to empathize, and what does it mean to truly empathize with a person?” White asked. Not all interactions with the statues were negative. At the end of the night in Gainesville, FL, a group of men lifted the legs of the woman statue that was kicked to the ground. One put her foot back in its original spot, and another wiped a smudge from her leg. Recording these and all of the interactions with her statues makes a very different statement about the issues surrounding homelessness and space than words spoken at a community council meeting. White’s hope is that these types of “hostile architecture” and artwork continue the conversation in Over-the-Rhine and other cities experiencing urbanization. ------------------------ TESS SOHNGEN (Continued from page 3) they legally have the right to remove you.” An area like this exists in Overthe-Rhine: Washington Park is leased by developer 3CDC, and people do not have the legal rights of the First Amendment (or any Amendment) if 3CDC does not want that person or event to happen on the park. Last month, a rally sponsored by Cincinnati’s Black Lives Matter and the American Indian Movement in protest of the Dakota Access Pipeline was limited to a one-hour “information meeting” because they did not have a permit to hold their event at the park. Fountain Square is also owned by 3CDC. Before the city signed over Wash- ington Park to 3CDC for a $1, 99-year lease, men and women experiencing homelessness would sleep inside the woody park. Now, the benches have an armrest in the middle to prevent someone from sleeping on it; many of the old growth trees are gone, and police frequent the area to ensure no one is sleeping overnight under the gazebo. Despite national reports saying homelessness in the cities has declined, the number of individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Cincinnati has not dropped as much as some may hope. “When they closed Washington Park and did away with the toilets in Washington Park, and therefore did away with all the toilets that were THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED ------------------------ �10 LOCAL Farmworkers call for boycott of Wendy’s O c t 7 - O c t 2 0 , 2 0 16 | N o . 34 0 MIKE BROWN F Contributing Writer armworkers have called for a national boycott of Wendy’s, the Columbus-based fast-food chain, until it commits to the Fair Food Program (FFP) to protect the human rights of farmworkers in its supply chain. Tuesday’s rally at the Wendy’s restaurant on Hopple St. in Camp Washington was part of a national campaign of action by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) to promote the boycott. The regional portion of the campaign also includes rallies in Louisville, Columbus, Cleveland, and Ann Arbor. The boycott has been endorsed by many faith and community organizations including the National Council of Churches in the USA, which represents 45 million people in more than 100,000 congregations across the country. The CIW emerged from organizing efforts during the mid-1990s of the Mexican, Guatemalan, and Haitian immigrants in Immokalee who faced low wages, workplace violence, verbal and sexual abuse, poor working conditions, wage theft, and, in some cases, slavery. Guided by experiences in their home countries, members of the CIW developed the Fair Food Program, according to Oscar Otzoy, a migrant farmworker and CIW member who was in Cincinnati for the rally. FFP is a partnership among farmworkers, participating growers, and participating buyers--fourteen Citizens boycotting Wendy's Citizens boycotting Wendy's on the Street Credit: Mike Brown major food retailers, including McDonald’s, Burger King, and Walmart. Participating buyers agree to purchase exclusively from participating growers who meet a worker-driven Code of Conduct. They also pay a “penny-per-pound” premium, which is passed down through the supply chain and paid out directly to workers by their employers. To protect their sales, participating growers are motivated to comply with the FFP and to cooperate on audits and complaint resolutions. Wendy’s refuses to join the Fair Food Program, unlike its major competitors in the fast-food industry-McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, and Taco Bell--who joined before 2009. After a three-year consumer campaign and a one-year student-led boycott, CIW announced the Wendy’s boycott in March. The announcement cited three key reasons for the boycott. Wendy’s Credit: Mike Brown has shifted its tomato purchases from farms in Florida to Mexico where compliance with labor standards is worse. Wendy’s hides behind public relations messaging to avoid verifiable protection of human rights. And finally, Wendy’s is profiting from the poverty of farmworkers, deriving a cost advantage over its competitors, and encouraging unreputable growers. The purchasing power of large retailers can be used to exert destructive pressure on farmworkers’ wages and working conditions. Alternatively, as in the FFP model, it can be used to improve the plight of farmworkers. The FFP’s binding enforcement model is widely recognized as superior to the voluntary compliances model used by Wendy’s and many other corporations. Wendy’s operates restaurants on many college campuses under contracts with the administration or its food service operator. As part of the student-led boycott called “Boot (Continued on page 11) Now Hiring YWCA- ywcacincinanti.org - Case Manager - Human Resource Director - Shelter Advocate Shelterhouseshelterhousecincy.org - Case Manager - Shelter Director Assistant - Resident Aide - Assistant Shelter Director of Operations Lighthouse Youth Serviceslys.org - Multiple Openings Caracole- caracole.org - Housing Specialist - Social Worker Supervisor - Case Manager Legal Aid Cincinnati- lascinti. org Center for Chemical - Health Advocate/ Project Addictions TreatmentCoordinator ccatsober.org - Equal Justice Works/ AmeriCorps Vista - Case Manager - Patient Aid - Controller - AIM Tech Hamilton County Public HealthLydia’s House- stlydiashouse. hamiltoncountyhealth.org Cincinnati Union Bethel- Pediatric Nurse Case Manager cinunionbethel.org org - Community Support Worker (live in) - Full Time Epidemiologist - Water Quality Technician - Family Service Worker - Teachers - Cook THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED CDC Association of Greater Cincinnati- cdcassociation. org - Executive Director Bethany House Servicesbethanyhouseservices.org - Housing Case Manager National Church Residentscareers.ncr.icims.com - Service Coordinator Our Daily Breadourdailybread.us - Dish Washer �LOCAL No. 34 0 | O c t 7 - O c t 2 0 , 2 0 16 WHAT I HAVE LEARNED FROM CO-CREATING THE CANCER JUSTICE NETWORK STEVE SUNDERLAND S Contributing Writer tarting this week, a group of about 50 volunteers will launch a new social movement in Cincinnati: The Cancer Navigator. For the past two years, many of us have been working on an idea for changing the cancer mortality rates facing minorities, poor people, the disabled, and the aged. Cincinnati is the cancer capital for Ohio for minorities. Many organizations have come together to think about and now to take action that will bring early cancer exams and timely treatments to a vastly underserved population. The following is what I have learned from the two plus years of organizing, discussing, and helping to set up a network of individuals and agencies that can deliver a new and better cancer service. Lesson 1: Community Organizations are the Engines of Healthcare Change: Once community organizations heard about the rate of cancer death, the 20-year life expectancy difference in neighborhoods, and the absence of education about cancer for populations disadvantaged by race, age, or ableness, they stepped up to agree that something had to be done. Now, cancer education, provided by physicians, 11 navigators, and insurance staff, will visit and share with people just how to fight cancer with an early and timely exam and, if needed, treatment. We will be joining agencies in already created programs for dinners, health fairs, and other events in order to spread the word and to sign people up for appointments for cancer screening and treatment. Community agencies will be seen as they key place for trusting relationships between navigators and the population most in need. Lesson 2: Individuals and Groups are Empowered by the Navigator Role: A new spirit is being created among students seeking professional education and with community organizers, a spirit of compassion and advocacy. Starting this week, 14 first year medical students from UC, 23 students studying to be nurses from Xavier, 12 students from the communications department of UC, 12 students studying to be social workers at UC, and 5 community organizers will come together for 3 days of training to be and become navigators. The enthusiasm of these groups suggest that students going into the professions related to health care understand that justice can be achieved when cancer care offers a road map to exams and treatment for the poor. Our community organizers, no stranger to the underserved or to cancer, will add their expertise to helping to understand how to best walk this journey. Lesson 3: An Exciting Idea is Worth Implementing: The Cancer Justice Network is following the pioneering work of Harold Freeman, MD. Dr. Freeman created the navigator role in the 1990's when he realized, as a surgeon, that people were coming too late for adequate treatment by him. He needed to see cancer patients earlier in order to catch the cancer at its initial stages. His program consisted of hiring community organizers to meet with people and bring them to his hospital in New York City for screening and treatment. In five years, Dr. Freeman reversed the number of people who saw him at the earliest stages. He changed the mortality rate of his community. Now, navigation is required of all cancer programs and hospitals. Dr. Freeman has visited Cincinnati and is a guide to our program. Lesson 4: The Future of Health Care Will Involve Cancer Justice: The agencies and navigators of the Cancer Justice Network realize that a new form of healthcare is being created in Cincinnati. Our organization no longer accepts the trend of cancer deaths for poor, minorities, the aged, and the disabled. Thanks to our Network, and the collaboration of Crossroad Health Center, Cincinnati Health Centers, Cris Collinsworth, ProScan, and Jewish Hospital's Woman's Center, we will open up access to our community in a new and trusted way. Navigators will walk the walk with people, helping to overcome barriers of transportation, finances, insurance, and fear. Cancer will not be as lonely a journey today as it was yesterday and, as Dr. Freeman's success shows, we expect to lower the death rate. For more information about the Cancer Justice Network, please review our website: cancerjusticenetwork.org ------------------------ Do Good. Get Funky. MIKE BROWN (Continued from page 10) the Braids,” the Student Farmworker Alliance is looking to move Wendy’s off campus. A key contest will be the Wendy’s operation located on the Ohio State University campus in Wendy’s hometown of Columbus. [Re-published with permission from Cincinnatians for the American Dream, www.c4ad.wordpress.com http://www.c4ad.wordpress.com. mbrown.c4ad@gmail.com] ------------------------ DEEDY (Continued from page 8) body away without help?" she replies. Borge says she loves the camp's residents, even if some of them are hard-headed and some are addicts. "They good people, some just made wrong choices," she says. Borge estimated that over the last few years the camp has helped over 200 people transition into housing. Not one of them has ended up back on the street, she says. For many others, like Borge, the camp has been their home for so long that they have no desire to enter a house. In fact, homeless isn't a term that Borge likes to use. Instead, they think of the camp's residents as "houseless." "This is my home," Borge says firmly. Courtesy of Spare Change News / INSP.ngo ------------------------ Thanks to our family of sponsors THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �12 LOCAL ey by offering cheap labor? (They didn't even have a place to live!) For all the reasons people may have for sneaking past border security and into the United States illegally, one is for money - and the only reason that can happen is because there are American employers actively seeking the kind of cheap labor only possible when breaking the law. To me, the solution sounds pretty simple: if we want more jobs for United States citizens, we should go after those businesses that illegally hire immigrants. Which presidential candidate, I wondered, had a platform piece on immigration that reflected this obvious solution? It's not Jill Stein. She addresses the issue of deportation through the lens of refugees coming from places like Honduras. That is a real issue, and I think she's right - we need to be compassionate when dealing with certain immigration issues but she simply has nothing to say about those American companies who purposefully recruit undocumented workers so they can underpay them. Gary Johnson, who touts himself as the governor of a former border state, also ignores this reality. He says it needs to be easier to get work-visas, to conduct background checks, and that non-citizens need to pay their taxes. I can't find him staking any position on businesses illegally hiring undocumented immigrants so they can be paid slave wages. It's not Hillary Clinton, either. Her plan focuses on things like protecting families and humane enforcement of laws - all good things but there isn't anything about rogue businesses trying to save a buck by hiring underpaid immigrants from the shadows. Which brings us to Donald Trump, with his crazy talk about impossible walls, Muslim lists, and more bad ideas. Check out this excerpt from his campaign's 10 point plan on immigration: 9. Turn off the jobs and benefits magnet. Many immigrants come to the U.S. illegally in search of jobs, even though federal law prohibits the employment of illegal immigrants. 10. Reform legal immigration to serve the best interests of America and its workers. It pains me to conclude that only Trump, on this particular issue, even acknowledges the root cause. I'm not sure what he means specifically by saying he will "turn off the jobs" magnet, but I can see he doesn't want people coming here to earn low wages from companies playing an end-run around employee pay regulations. I know Trump himself, as a businessperson, did exactly this. That's another issue. I'm just surprised that none of the other candidates even acknowledge what strikes me as a rather straightforward component of immigration reform in our country. with the good and the bad. You hear about targeting certain people. I think that is a true fact, and it has its own history, and it is true history. Let’s say a black man is driving around in an expensive car. He is subject to be pulled over more quickly than a white person, just to give you an example of what it’s like being black in America and it’s unjust. I want to say with all the technology that we have today and when it’s caught on camera, and they still walk, well something is just not right. And to go one step further when the people who make the decision that it was justified when anybody can see that it wasn’t. It makes me think they are in this together, especially when it’s so plain that even a blind man can see. I am going to go out on a limb and say Blacks in America probably feel like they have a reason to believe that police have a license to kill, because 9 times out of 10 they get away with it, and that’s really real talk. Now let me give you my opinion about police in America. I think power is corruption, and most police think their way is law, and that is just not true, especially when you used that power in the wrong way. Here is an example: a police officer approaches you and asks you what or why you are doing this or that, and they don’t want to hear your explanation. It’s like you heard what I said, and that’s the way they think it should be done. Have they forgotten people do have freedom of speech? And I am not saying it’s because it’s in our constitution, but it’s God given to have the power of speech. Now don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that we shouldn’t comply with a police order, but when it comes with abuse and disrespect to a person, I think it will escalate any situation, and that’s real talk. Wouldn’t you think? Show me someone who likes to be talked down to, or is this the way of America? Now that thought just started me to think about something else, but that’s for another article coming to you somewhere soon. I also pray for a speedy recovery to our ex-police chief. May God be with you. I think the media plays a very big part in the escalation of feelings for a couple of reasons. I say this: one, they are not investigators. Let me give you another example, and this has happened to everybody regardless of the color of your skin. Po-Po lights come on, you pull over wondering what you did wrong, or you know what you did wrong. Po-Po approach, and they have their hand on their gun, and ask for license and registration. Now most people have it in their glove compartment. With the way things are going right now, if you reach over and go in your glove The Politics of Immigration JASON HAAP Contributing Writer I remember, years ago, when I needed a new roof on my house. I got a few estimates, and one was markedly cheaper than the others - by a couple thousand dollars. When the crew showed up, the workers were all brown-skinned Spanish speakers. Were they undocumented immigrants, working in our country illegally? That would certainly explain why that particular roofing company was able to offer such an affordable price: they didn't need to pay their workers a legal wage! About 16 years ago, my parents moved into a new house. The street was not completed when they moved in - so there was still a lot of construction. A group of construction workers camped in the backyard of one of the houses. They made campfires, and we could hear them singing songs in Spanish and laughing. Were they, too, undocumented immigrants, saving the construction company tons of mon- Get Real LEE MCCOY Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer C harlotte, NC. The shooting of an unarmed black man and of the people who protested in an orderly way and those who went out in the street to destroy and loot are two different things. But no, America has a tendency to look at it differently. They are black, and that makes them the same. Black America, if that is what you want to call it because personally I don’t see Black America, I see Black in America. And they have been treated differently from day one, and that’s real talk when you talk about history. That is a known fact, and with any race of people you have good and bad, and you know this is real talk, but get real when we talk about all the talking in America by people who are sworn to protect and serve in a lie and it’s a lie that has been going on for too long and swept under the rug. Now don’t get me wrong I am not saying all police officers are bad because in the course of my 64 years in America I have had encounters O c t 7 - O c t 2 0 , 2 0 16 | N o . 34 0 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED [Editor’s note: The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition does not endorse political candidates. The views expressed in this article are the authors.] ------------------------ compartment, you might be making a mistake depending who the police officer is. If it was me, I’d probably tell him I am not going to reach in my glove compartment because you might feel like I have a gun in there. Let’s be real and this is real talk, because I don’t care what the color of your skin is, they might see anything and think it’s a gun. Pow, and you’re dead, end of this article -- think about it. Real talk. ------------------------ �13 STREET VOICE No. 34 0 | O c t 7 - O c t 2 0 , 2 0 16 ALL HEADS DOWN THE FACT CHECKER MOTHER GOOSE I REMEMBER DAYS WHEN YOU HEARD ALL HEADS DOWN FOR SILENCE Little Bo Peep I 'VE HEARD ALL HEADS DOWN TALKING ABOUT ALL THE Didn't get much sleep VIOLENCE The night of the first debate. TODAY I SEE ALL HEADS DOWN LOOKING AT A TELEPHONE DEVISE She became a nervous wreck, LOOKING DOWN TO TEXT, SOCIAL MEDIA NOT SEEING STEPPING ON MICE When she tried to fact check. LOOKING DOWN AT A DEVICE THAT IF THEY HAPPEN TO DROP The task was just too great. LOOKING DOWN FOR ANSWERS WHY THEIR COMUNICATION HAS STOPPED TECHNOLOGY IS A GOOD THING IN WAYS OF THINGS AND THE WAY WE USE IT BUT TO WALK AROUND HEAD DOWN EARS PLUGGED UP WHY NOT CALL IT ABRUSIVE ALL HEADS DOWN, ALL EARS PLUGGED UP WALKING INTO WALLS AND EVERYONE WHEN AND HOW DO YOU REMEMBER TO LOOK UP AT THE SHINNING WORLD OR THE SUN TO LOOK UP AND SEE PEOPLE UNPLUG EARS TO HEAR HOW THE WORLD IS TURNING I PRAY THAT PEOPLE LOOK UP BEFORE THE ONLY THING THEY'LL SEE IS THEY ARE BURNING A QUESTIONABLE RELATIONSHIP I don't mean to sound so highfalutin, But what goes on with Trump and Putin? Putin is a leader that the Donald admires, While Prez Obama receives Trumpian ire. Does the Russian autocrat seem to tower, Because Trump is a fan of absolute power? LIFE IS MUCH TOO PRECIOUS TO KEEP LOOKING DOWN, WITH EARS PLUGGED AND MISSING LIFE JUST REMEMBER THAT IT'S YOUR LIFE TO BELIEVE IN TECHNOLOGY AND NOT THE STRIFE BILL WOODS Contributing Writer JUST REMEMBER BEFORE THESE DEVISES WERE INVENTD PEOPLE LOOKED FOR PEACE TIME WE AS A PEOPLE NEVER FORGET TECHNOLOGY IS TEMPORARY Time moves faster now AND GODS LOVE WILL NEVER CEASE THANK YOU! Not enough time To take it slow WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer Days move faster Hours feel like seconds Time will, make you ask yourself What about me? What about life? What about time? Time, it doesn’t move slow Just in case, you didn’t know Left, right Right, left What steps will you be taking When your time turns Into seconds Take time to laugh And to pray Time may just be coming your way! KIM GREEN Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �14 PUZZLES O c t 7 - O c t 2 0 , 2 0 16 | N o . 34 0 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 109 Across 1. Passport endorsement 5. Take notice of 9. Bitter quarrel 13. Golf club 14. Notion 15. Pointer 17. Young male horse 18. Grime 19. Tenet 20. Heavy block where hot metals are shaped 22. Prejudice 24. Notable achievement 25. Cereal grass seed 26. Not in use 28. Pastry item 30. Color 31. Animal coat 32. Travel a route regularly 35. Modernize 38. Charter 39. Regret 40. Narrow secluded valley 41. Part of a journey 42. Scintilla 43. On the sheltered side 44. Something intended to deceive 46. Small storeroom for food 48. High-pitched bark 49. Peculiar 50. Pack of cards 51. Append 52. Conceited 53. Small fruit seed 56. Endure 59. Slender 61. Evade 63. Theatrical performer 65. In addition 67. Region 68. Musical instrument 69. Without speed 70. Approach 71. Sketched 72. Rational 73. Small wooded hollow 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 PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 339 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 108 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 239 - MEDIUM SODOKU PUZZLE NO 238 - MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �RESOURCES No. 34 0 | O c t 7 - O c t 2 0 , 2 0 16 Shelter: Women and Children Central Access Point Bethany House 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 381-SAFE 557-2873 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road, Cinti, OH 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224 Mercy Franciscan at St. John 981-5800 Salvation Army 762-5660 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Shelter: Men City Gospel Mission 241-5525 Shelterhouse 721-0643 1805 Dalton Avenue, Cinti, OH 45214 411 Gest St. Cinti, Ohio 45203 Parkway Center 784-1853 961-2256 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women First Step Home 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both AA Hotline CCAT 351-0422 381-6672 Joseph House (Veterans) 241-2965 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 First Lutheran Church 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry Mercy Franciscan at St. John 562-8841 NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 961-4555 381-1954 421-5211 Food/Clothing 271-5501 Starting Over Tom Geiger House Volunteers of America Anna Louise Inn VA VA Homeless Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 221-HELP 721-8666 2401 Reading Road, Cinti, Ohio 45202 241-1064 Prospect House 921-1613 Talbert House Tender Mercies 2401-, 2411 Reading Rd, Cinti, Ohio 45202 FreeStore/FoodBank Charlie’s 3/4 House 721-4580 632-7149 381-1171 421-0065 241-2600 241-2563 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 Goodwill industries Healing Connections Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. Mary Magdalen House 771-4800 751-0600 579-8547 721-4811 1308 Race St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 215 E. 14th Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 1223 Main St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 Talbert House 751-7747 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Northern Kentucky 421-3131 569-1840 381-4242 Franciscan JPIC Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 721-4700 421-7803 Legal Aid Society Ohio Justice & Policy Center Faces Without Places Stop AIDS 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Center for Respite Care 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 $100 Center Independent Living Options Emmanuel Community Center Advocacy Catholic Social Action Community Action Agency Contact Center for 26 issues 351-3500 977-4489 Other Resources Hamilton/Middletown Health 621-5300 981-5800 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP 1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 977-6800 859-572-6226 381-2247 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 535-2719 591-2246 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men CMHA Excel Development OTR Community Housing Crossroad Health Center St. Francis Soup Kitchen Churches Active in Northside 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Interfaith Hospitality Network 471-1100 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave Cincinnati, OH 45220 961-4080 961-0600 2825 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45219 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 352-6364 McMicken Dental Clinic 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti 352-6363 Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 Mercy Franciscan at St. John 981-5800 St. Vincent de Paul 661-4620 Cincinnati Health Network 621-6364 4600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237 27 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 961-1983 Our Daily Bread 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Lighthouse on Highland (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave Cincinnati, OH 45219 569-9500 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 114 W. 14th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 Shelter: Both Housing: 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 15 St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry Brighton Center 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 981-4200 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 859-491-8303 241-9400 421-1108 363-3300 421-2437 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 621-1868 Women’s Crisis Center VA Domiciliary 859-491-3335 859-572-6202 $150 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 for 26 issues and a $50 donation �16 O c t 7 - O c t 2 0 , 2 0 16 | N o . 34 0 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. ALMA SIMS SINCE 5/2014 ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BELINDA CHERRY SINCE 8/2015 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DEBORAH POINDEXTER SINCE 9/2012 DONALD YOUNG ELMORE MORRIS SINCE 5/2014 GINA MARTIN GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 GREGORY RAY SINCE 4/2015 JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009 JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2003 JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001 JONATHAN SLATER SINCE 5/2014 JOHN GAINES SINCE 12/2009 KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 JOHN HORN JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008 J’TORI TYMAN SINCE 5/2014 W. KENNETH BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 LARRY FILES SINCE 6/2012 LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007 LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009 LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 MAXINE GRANT SINCE 4/2015 MEACO WAITE MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MICHAEL BEHYMER QUEENACELESTINE LEVY RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 2001 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 TARA HILL SINCE 4/2014 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 TINA SINCE 4/2015 TODD HANLEY SINCE 5/2014 TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 VICTOR MUMPHRY WILLIAM SIMMS SINCE 4/2014 LOTTIE MANNER MIKE CARANO SINCE 4/2016 CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRAIG SMITH SINCE 5/2014 GLENDA CANTRELL GREGORY WILSON SINCE 1/2012 JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006 JOHNNY KERNS SINCE 9/2012 KIM GREEN SINCE 1/2010 KRISTINE HOFSKY SINCE 3/2015 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MARK SHEARS SINCE 4/2007 MAURICE GOLSBY MYRA WILSON NEBRASKA SINCE 3/2015 PERVIS MENTON SINCE 8/2015 cincistreetvibes.org THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2015 WILLIAM BURDINE SINCE 8/2009 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2016 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource October 7-October 20, 2016 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From the Director Smart Cars, Dumbed-Down Drivers, Fawning Regulators, and Eager Personal-Injury Lawyers Pg 3: Charity White Challenges the Design of Public Spaces with Her Own Design Pg 4: Patricia Garry is recognized for Her Work in Community Development Pg 5: Shantytown Season Kicks Off Pg 6: 3rd Annual Oakley Masquerade Pg 7: Duke’s Revised Pipeline Pg 8: Puuhonua O Waianae Pg 9: Michael Earl Patton Continued Pg 10: Farmworkers Call for Boycott of Wendy’s Pg 11: What I Have Learned from Co-Creating the Cancer Justice Network Pg 12: The Politics of Immigration Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 7-October 20, 2016 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Robert Park Tess Sohngen Malia Pitts Dr. Mark Mussman Michael Earl Patton Mike Brown Steve Sunderland Jason Haap Lee McCoy Kim Green Willa Denise Jones Bill Woods Tess Sohngen Patricia Garry Mike Brown Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Bill Woods Boycott Dr. Mark Mussman Duke Energy Farmworkers Hawaii immigration Jason Haap Josh Spring Kim Green Lee McCoy Malia Pitts Michael Earl Patton Mike Brown Oakley Masquerade Patricia Garry Protests Puuhonua O Waianae Robert Park Shantytown Steve Sunderland Tess Sohngen Wendys Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/55cbaaff49e19510f747987d359371fb.pdf 6fddfdad0985f75ec69c3dc73f10b40f PDF Text Text October 9th - October 22nd 2015 | Vol. 19 Issue 21 (No. 314) advocating justice | Building community City-Wide Shantytown: Raising Awareness and Advocacy Across the Region | 5 This issue sponsored by (Retired) Judge Mark P. Painter INSIDE THIS ISSUE Activists Rally at City Hall | 11 Fighting Olympic Eviction in Gentleman Leatherneck | 7 Rio Favela | 8-9 Code Orange for Women’s Choice | 3 Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 LOCAL Marijuana Criminalization and Racism JOSH SPRING F inally in Ohio we are closer than ever (since it was made illegal at least) to legalizing the possession and use of marijuana. This is good and a step that should never have never been needed, because marijuana should have never have been made illegal. In this country people had been using cannabis for a very long time. After the Mexican Revolution there was an increase in the number of people from Mexico immigrating to the U.S. People from Mexico also had used cannabis for a very long time. White people were prejudiced against people coming from Mexico. The media, legislatures, etc. played on this fear and prejudice against people from Mexico. People from Mexico were portrayed as dangerous along with their drug marijuana as people from Mexico pronounced it. There was not a general understanding that cannabis and marijuana were actually the same thing. It was assumed by whites that marijuana must be bad because people from Mexico used it. This led us to the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 which effective banned marijuana, local municipalities used the criminalization of marijuana as a means to detain and search people from Mexico without any real cause. In the 1930s during hearings regarding marijuana it was reported that marijuana had the ability to cause Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, Executive Director men of color to become violent and pursue sex with white women. In short, the illegalization of mar- http://www.bloomwellbend.com ijuana was directly tied to anti-immigration prejudices and racism. Hopefully after reading this brief history it makes it even clearer that it is absurd that we are debating the legalization of marijuana. In fact it is offensive, because its criminalization is the direct result of fear and hate. Marijuana should be legal. The sight of people being murdered, imprisoned, sanctioned and criminalized because of marijuana is outrageous. Marijuana being illegal doesn’t end the demand for it, it just drives the demand into more dangerous circumstances. Our prisons are crowded with people who have not committed violent crimes, leaving communities missing neighbors, advocating justice and building children missing parents, parents missing children and on and on and on. Of course we also know that both tobacco and alcohol are legal. Both of these certainly cause far more violence as substances. It is sad and frustrating that the legislation promoting our first primary chance to legalize marijuana in Ohio is tied to corporate control and would put the ability to grow and sell in the hands of very few. This certainly would mean that marijuana would still be sold on street corners at a lower rate, perhaps in less quantity. Of the people that believe marijuana should be legal, some are saying this legislation is not good because of its elitism, but it does at least legalize marijuana and that is a step forward we should not miss. Other people say we should not get ourselves into a corporate controlled situation and should push for better legislation. This is a decision we will have to weigh. It is worth saying however, that we did not just happen to get to this point. Instead people have been organizing, protesting, writing, speaking, and proposing similar legislation for years. That work got us to this point. Historical Information came from: “How Did Marijuana Become Illegal in the First Place?” by Dr. Malik Burnett and Amanda Reiman, PhD, MSW. http://www.drugpolicy.org/ blog/how-did-marijuana-becomeillegal-first-place ------------------------ Homeless Coalition Works With Alms Apartment Residents To Correct Major Problems RACHEL HARTWICK H oles in walls that were big enough for children to crawl into and windows that would not close throughout the winter were just two of the problems that residents of Alms Apartment Complex have been encountering for years. And for two years, repairs for these issues have taken a back seat. “We don’t have in and out access to community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org BLOG: streetvibes.wordpress.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor: Justin Jeffre Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Leslie Moorhead Director of Education: Michelle Dillingham Distributor Program Manager: Justin Jeffre Layout: Peter Kobak Reception: Derrick Hudson, Iolanda Barton, Patricia J. Brown, Larry Johnson, Dante Williams Maintenance: Pete Roper CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Rachel Hartwick, Kate Gallion, Mark Mussman,Bill Woods, Robert Park, Jim Luken, Jason Haap. Justin Jeffre, Lee McCoy, Willa Denise Jones, Kim Green, Ron English, Photography/Artwork: Contributing Writer the back door, [the property manager] put new locks on it that lock them down basically,” said Ronnisha Jones, a 12-year resident of Alms Apartments. “We all locked out and have to walk all the way around to the front of the [building].” Josh Spring, Executive Director of GCCH, began holding off-site meetings with Alms residents to discuss a plan of action. With the Homeless Oct 9 - Oct 22, 2015 | No. 314 Justin Jeffre, Jim Luken, Bill Woods, Coalition’s member organization Legal Aid as their legal representation, Spring joined residents in forming the Alms’ Residents Association (ARA). The ultimate goal, he said, was to shift residents from their usual defensive—defending themselves against “petty evictions, harassment” and right to clean facilities—to the of- (Continued on page 10) THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Aimee Willhoitte Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �LOCAL No. 314 | O c t 9 - O c t 2 2 , 2 0 1 5 Code Orange for Women’s Choice KATE GALLION Contributing Writer C incinnati’s only remaining abortion provider is poised to close, leaving thousands of women in Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky without access to legal safe abortion services. Abortion services will be curtailed at Planned Parenthood’s Mt. Auburn clinic and Dayton’s Women’s Med Center if the Ohio Department of Health fails to accept a “variance” (an easing of rules) to a 2013 law requiring these two walk­ in surgical centers to have patient transfer agreements with a hospital within a 30 miles radius. With a continuance order set to expire on October 12, the clock stops on October 13. Under the relentless pressure of radical anti­choice actors, such as Ohio Right To Life, their paid political operatives within the Republican controlled Ohio State legislature, and the notorious anti­choice Governor, John Kasich, Cincinnati could become the largest metropolitan area in the United States without access to legal, safe abortion. In what could result in a massive public health crisis for Ohio, women in need of abortion services will be forced to travel out of state, often incurring lost wages and lost time. Some may resort to unsafe self-induced interventions, possibly resulting in injury ­or death. When asked how dire the outcome of this current legal catch 22 is for the Ohio women’s rights to control their reproductive destinies, Planned Parenthood’s Southwest Ohio Region Director of Communications, Danielle Craig replied: “I think code orange is a great way to put it. At this time, we have a temporary restraining order that’s in place until October 13. Unfortunately, that’s all I know.” Ms. Craig continued with this guarantee to the patients of Mt. Auburn surgical clinic: “From here, we continue to focus on our patients and let our attorneys continue to fight this battle in the court room. What I can tell you is that patient safety is our #1 priority and that abortion is a very safe medical procedure. This is not about patient safety. The purpose of these requirements...is to simply make it impossible for abortion providers to operate in Ohio and to eliminate access to safe, legal abortion.” Access Without Apology In response to the critical nature of these latest attacks on women’s health, NARAL* Pro­ Choice Ohio and Planned Parenthood have joined with a group of pro-choice state leg- with a safe, licensed health care provider. This new legislation will remove these obstacles.” She continued: “John Kasich’s 16 new restrictions on reproductive health care and the closure of half of Ohio’s abortion clinics has resulted in women delaying their procedures or fleeing to other states, including Michigan. John Kasich is creating a pending health crisis for women seeking an abortion. It is wrong to endanger women’s’ health for political gain, or ideologi- Planned Parenthood rally in Mt. Auburn Photo: Justin Jeffre islators in initiating a new legislative agenda they call: Access Without Apology. NARAL Pro­ Choice Ohio’s Executive Director Kellie Copeland: “A woman who decides to have an abortion deserves access to safe and legal care for the procedure. Once she has made her decision, her health is best protected by getting an abortion procedure as early as possible. Forcing a woman to travel outside her community, delaying her procedure for a 24 hour reflection period, or forcing her to scrape together money because her insurance is banned from covering the procedure are all barriers that are designed to prevent her from accessing abortion care Planned Parenthood rally in Mt. Auburn Photo: Justin Jeffre cal reasons. That is why we support this group of legislation.” Below are the six new legislations and their pro-choice sponsors in the Ohio Legislature: Bill #1: Lift the transfer agreement requirement for public hospitals and ambulatory surgical facilities. Sponsor: Rep. Kathleen Clyde and Rep. Dan Ramos Bill #2: Lift the ban on using Ohio public dollars on abortion care. Sponsor: Rep. Teresa Fedor and Rep. Nick Celebrezze Bill #3: Lift the ban on insurance coverage of abortion for public employees and for Ohioans who purchase insurance through the federal health exchange. Sponsor: Rep. Greta Johnson and Rep. Nickie Antonio Bill #4: Lift the 24­hour waiting period before women may obtain an abortion. Sponsor: Rep. Greta Johnson and Rep. Kent Smith Bill #5: Create right of action for those targeted by anti­abortion protesters’ non-physical harassment – e.g. Wright State doctors having trucks parked outside their homes and “killers among us” postcards sent to their neighbors. Create a buffer zone to protect clinic patients from harassment by anti­abortion pro- THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 3 testers. Sponsor: Rep. Stephanie Howse and Rep. Michele Lepore­Hagan Bill #6: Require Crisis Pregnancy Centers that get funding through TANF­ funded program provide only medically accurate information or face sanctions. Sponsor: Rep. Emilia Sykes and Janine Boyd Kasich is Anti-Women For the record, Governor Kasich leads the nation in the number of anti-choice legislations he has signed into law. 16 separate anti women’s heath bills are the legacy of his vicious political agenda. It may take years to right the egregious affronts to women at the hands of John Kasich, but It is imperative that the newly re­ branded presidential candidate Kasich, the “good guy who wants to do good things for America” be exposed for cementing his right wing voter base at the expense of Ohio women. Since becoming governor of Ohio in 2011, John Kasich has: • Banned insurance coverage of abortions (2011, HB 79) • Added barriers to minors seeking an abortion (2011, HB 63) • Banned abortion at 24 weeks, without exceptions for women’s health, or rape/incest (2011, HB 78) • Banned abortions at public hospitals, without exceptions for women’s health, or rape/incest (2011, HB 153) • Banned local governments from offering abortion insurance (2011, HB 153) • Banned rape counselors from discussing abortion (2013, HB 59) • Defunded Planned Parenthood (2013, HB 59) • Banned public hospitals from having “transfer agreements” with abortion providers (2013, HB 59) • Required women to receive biased information before an abortion (2013, HB 59) • Required a forced ultrasound before an abortion (2013, HB 59) • Created a program to support anti­choice crisis pregnancy centers (2013, HB 59) • Required a 30­mile limit on transfer agreements (2015, HB 64) • Required an automatic denial on abortion clinic license applications after 60 days (2015, HB 64) • Eliminated coverage of a Medicaid family planning program (2015, HB 64) Funded crisis pregnancy centers with $1,000,000 of tax dollars (2015, HB 64). Sources: Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio; Naral Pro Choice Ohio. *NARAL stands for National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League. ------------------------ �4 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Feb.12- 25 , 2015 | No. 297 �LOCAL City-wide Shantytown: Raising Awareness and Advocacy across the Region No. 314 | O c t 9 - O c t 2 2 , 2 0 1 5 5 MARK MUSSMAN Contributing Writer A s this is my first Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Month at the Homeless Coalition, I’m learning a lot about different awareness events that are taking part across the region. One of the most visible events is the City-wide Shantytown, which raises awareness and is a fun, yet thoughtful, event for high school students. A big part of Shantytown is hearing from one of our Voice of the Homeless Speaker’s Bureau speakers who talk to the students about their life growing up and the circumstances that landed them on the streets. Our speakers give students the opportunity to hear about the harsh realities that exist for those experiencing homelessness. The speaker also talks about the organizations that have helped them, and what they are doing today. The speaking engagements end with a question and answer session when students ask questions about a range of topics, from the severity of homelessness to what the speaker’s family is doing today. It is a great opportunity to break down barriers between students and the speaker, and to really shed light on the realities of homelessness. Shantytown events give students the choice of sleeping outside of schools, in an attempt to raise awareness. I always caution people to not claim they are events to CHCA students with Speaker Lauren Lovett and Dr. Mark Mussman “feel what it means to be homeless” because the safety net of the school and their families is still there, even though they may be experiencing a cold night, sleeping on a hard cardboard box. If I know one thing about service learning, it’s that there are times when you feel uncomfortable, and Students at Roger Bacon High School those times are when you are actually learning Walking Tour that we give on the something. It’s great that schools history of Over-the-Rhine and the do Shantytowns, especially if they many community organizations include a speaker, so they can raise who have been in service to indiawareness and opportunities for viduals. The tour demonstrates how advocacy. We are asking everyone to use contested the neighborhood has a hashtag #GoBeyondTheBoxCincy been for more than 100 years. We when they take pictures for Shantyalso make sure to explicitly show town this year. Although October is how gentrification has affected the Hunger and Homelessness Awareresidents of Over-the-Rhine and ness Month, many schools are what developers are doing today. planning their Shantytown events If you are interested in signfor the spring – which we totally ing up for any of our educational support! We also will do speaking events at any school or community programs, please go to the Shantygroup, or even your business to help town page and use the link to regisraise awareness, understanding, ter your educational event with the and empathy towards those experiHomeless Coalition. We look forencing homelessness. ward to seeing you soon! For their Shantytown this year, -----------------------Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy also took part in our Social Justice “Breakdown Stereotypes” “Eradicate Misinformation” The Coalition for the Homeless provides Education and Service Programs that help to portray a more accurate and holistic picture of homelessness in Cincinnati. We believe an educated public can be a more compassionate public, willing to dedicate time and effort towards creating solutions to homelessness. The “Voice of the Homeless Speaker’s Bureau” program is made up of individuals currently experiencing homelessness or who have experienced homelessness, who share their experiences. The program is designed to put a face on homelessness and raise awareness about those struggling in our community. To schedule a speaker, contact Leslie Moorhead at (513) 421.7803 x11 Forum Focuses On the Ballot Issues - Legalizing Marijuana, Redistricting Reform, And a Permanent Tax for City Park Development BILL WOODS Contributing Writer I mportant ballot issues dominate this fall’s elections. They include three Ohio Constitutional Amendments and two City Charter Amendments. At the Community Issues Forum at Christ Church Cathedral on September 30th, speakers reviewed State Issues I and III, and the pros and cons of Issue 22, the City Charter Amendment establishing a tax levy for parks, were aired. Issue I would change the process for drawing state political district boundaries every ten years. Alice Schneider, President of the Woman’s City Club, explained how this Constitutional Amendment establishes criteria that will make gerrymandering very difficult to implement. Map makers must create compact districts that divide counties and municipalities only when absolutely necessary. Schneider next cited the proposal’s wording: “No district shall be drawn primarily to favor or disfavor a political party.” The new districts, she noted, must reflect the voting patterns of Ohioans over a ten year period. Transparency of this process is assured, Schneider said, as all meetings of the Redistricting Commission will be open to the public, and public hearings are called for during and after the Commission’s work. If citizens believe the redistricting criteria have not been followed, the Amendment names the Ohio Supreme Court as the place to file a legal challenge to the plan. Furthermore, in order for new district maps to go into effect, at least two members representing the mi- nority party on the Commission must approve them. Without this minority party approval, the process must be redone in four years rather than ten. Jane Anderson, Professor of Political Science at the University of Cincinnati, reviewed Issue III, the Ohio Constitutional Amendment proposal that would legalize marijuana for both medical and recreational purposes. Proponents, declared Anderson, believe that the time has come to accept marijuana use like alcohol consumption, while removing the legal framework that is unworkable and creates more problems than it solves. Besides the opposition based on safety and health issues, she noted, this Amendment confronts opponents who dislike the establishment in THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED the proposal of a fixed and small number of marijuana growers. In fact, members of the Ohio General Assembly drafted and put on the ballot, Issue II, a Constitutional Amendment that would prohibit monopolies from inclusion in Constitutional Amendments. If both issues pass this November, Anderson predicts either a messy and lengthy court battle or a Supreme Court decision that declares Issue III null and void. The main debate of the Forum took place between Brewster Rhoads, representing Cincinnatians for Parks, and Tim Mara, representing Save Our Parks. They took opposite sides on Issue 22, the City Charter Amendment that creates a (Continued on page 6) �6 LOCAL Socialist Nation ROBERT PARK Contributing Writer T he leading candidate in the Democratic Party primary calls himself a “socialist” and is proud of it. The masters of the universe can hardly believe it and don’t know where to start in attacking this abomination. Before asking what they might do, let’s examine what socialism means to Bernie Sanders. It probably means a highly regulated corporate capitalism where the rules are made by democratic, transparent processes, not by lobbyists and bought politicians in backrooms. It would mean the internet is regulated as a public utility, the banks are very constrained in what gimmicks they are permitted, and some limited parts of the economy are pulled back into public ownership, i.e., reversing privatization. Universal health care would be a given and so would free higher education. Enormous changes in national priorities would happen, like sustainable agriculture and energy conservation with huge programs to train and employ millions of workers in good jobs. It would become possible to make unions again to represent working people. In some ways America would resemble Sweden, Denmark or Norway, not that scary. Here’s what the fear mongers will say. “This is step one on the way to Soviet enslavement!” Clearly these people don’t believe in democracy because why would the supporters of a socialist in the U.S. (the majority if Sanders were elected), choose such a dismal future down the road? Now it’s true that with a wildly successful Sanders administration, many people may want to bring more of the economy under public control in any of a number of forms such as workers cooperatives (already being created in some cities), municipal corporations such as public power utilities and banks owned by cities (as already exists in some places, negotiating best deals from the electric/natural gas grids), and absorbing some private for-profit educational institutions into public systems. “This will destroy innovation and incentives for high productivity.” It’s the dominance of giant corporations that has clearly stifled innovation. Massive wage theft, including poverty wages throughout the economy, and absent sick leave, health care and other benefits, have caused billions of dollars in annual lost productivity. Oct 9 - Oct 22, 2015 | No. 314 (From Democratic Party bosses) “Sanders is a left-wing Trump-wacko, possibly threatening to give the election to the GOP and ruining our future.” It’s the old lesser evil theory again: vote for Hilary Clinton because the GOP is worse. Sanders should say: “Give democracy a chance; vote for the greater good, not the lesser evil. When you vote for evil, you will get evil. (From some union bosses) “We have to vote for a Democrat who can win; Sanders isn’t electable. There are viable Democratic candidates we can work with.” For a start, this is a denial of fundamental class interests and solidarity, they see their goals as different from most working people, immigrants, and minorities, or are convinced that other working people can’t figure out who’s on their side. If we don’t start voting for the greater good, we will never escape from our corporate plutocracy. ------------------------ Save the Date! The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition invites you to our Annual Dinner December 9th at The Syndicate 18 E 5th St, Newport, KY 41071 (859) 491-8000 BILL WOODS (Continued from page 5) permanent 1-mill property tax levy dedicated to Cincinnati’s public parks. Stating that Cincinnati possesses one of the finest and most extensive city park systems in the nation, Rhoads champions what he sees as an innovative way to insure ongoing funds to both preserve current parks and to build new ones. The levy would bring in approximately $5.5-million per year, and a fourth of this money must be used for park maintenance. It also calls for City Council to allocate at least $2.2-mil- lion per year for the parks. Rhoads compared the Amendment to the 1998 Amendment that established a tax to maintain the city’s infrastructure. With fiscal tough times for cities like Cincinnati and the gutting of Ohio’s Local Government Fund, he stressed the necessity of setting up a permanent alternative revenue source to improve and maintain our park system. Rhoads also talked about the prospect of a series of new park facilities for Cincinnati’s west and east side neighborhoods. Extensive bike trails are part of the initial development plans if Issue 22 passes. One bike trail goes through Western Hills along the Mill Creek, and another would go from Evanston to Hyde Park. The levy, exclaimed Rhoads, gives us an opportunity to add creative new extensions to an already great system. Tim Mara emphasized his love for Cincinnati’s parks, but he worries that some of the projects proposed if the new levy passes will actually jeopardize the natural environment of some of our parks. He cites the proposed new road through Burnet Woods that might harm this park’s natural habitat that makes it an Audubon designation for many types of birds. He also fears that many of the projected new recreational facilities such as the beer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED garden in Mt. Airy Forest will not be accessible to citizens who cannot afford to use them. Mara stressed that the major flaw is the fact that Issue 22 is a permanent tax embedded in a City Charter Amendment. Such an allocation of funds, he stressed, should not be in the City Charter. Good government calls for a regular review by City Council and the citizenry on how funds are being used. Issue 22 lacks this good government process, he concluded, while it also gives too much power to the Mayor in terms of determining future projects. ------------------------ �7 LOCAL Gentleman Leatherneck No. 314 | O c t 9 - O c t 2 2 , 2 0 1 5 JIM LUKEN Contributing Writer W ar is like love... it always finds a way. Bertold Brecht Meet Peter Hames. Self-described as: tall, analytical, witty, innovative, rigid, a cat lover, golfer, tennis player and biker. You may already know Peter, since he seems to greet many of us down­ towners by first name. Like many septuagenarians, Peter has lived a lifetime of stories. So many, in fact, that we will need two issues of Streetvibes to do him justice. This time, we will focus on several amazing—even historic— “moments” of his early life. For the record, Hames remains a proud Minnesotan who migrated to Cincinnati 12 years ago, but—now in his retirement—longs to return to the Twin Cities. Well, to one of them. He makes it pointedly clear that he hails from St. Paul (and equally clear that he views Minneapolis as the inferior “twin”). Although he describes himself as having been a “fairly disciplined” high school student, Hames decided to follow the advice of a wise guidance counselor after graduating. The teacher had suggested that he (and other classmates) might consider putting off college for a while and let the world, so to speak, be his classroom. The year was 1961. John Kennedy was our popular young President. Vietnam had not yet been elevated to the status of a “back burner” situation. 18 year old Peter Hames heard the familiar call that the U.S. Marines were looking “for a few good men.” In the dead of a Minnesota winter, he enlisted. He was sent to do boot camp in San Diego. Boot camp was “three months of hell,” humiliating and demeaning. But being demeaned in an almost tropical environment made it all seem somewhat heavenly. Hames passed muster, graduated and—suddenly—he was a fullfledged Marine. He was sent to a month long ITR (Infantry Training Regiment), where you learn to function as a unit in a “squad.” After a two-week vacation at home, he returned to Camp Pendleton, CA to complete his training. Instead of a rifleman, the Marines had decided the young private should be a machine gunner. The Marines are part of the Navy, the part that does on the ground operations. “They do a thing called the ‘new/ old combination,’” Hames explains. The seasoned “veterans” (who have been around maybe a year) help the new kids in the unit in training exercises, called “Lock on,” preparing you to become part of a “ready” battalion. Few nineteen year-olds could be ready for what was to come. “We had all our gear packed,” Hames declares, “and we were ready to go anywhere any time.” Cuba But Hames’ unit would not be going just anywhere. Early in October, they boarded what he describes as a “banana boat” and headed through the Panama Canal for Cuba. As we old folks remember so vividly, for two weeks in late October, President Kennedy faced off against Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev in what became famously known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Soviets had been installing ICBM missiles in Cuba. The US set up a blockade preventing additional ships from entering Cuban waters. Nuclear sabers rattled. Both countries were on full alert. Those 13 days in October would be the closest our country has ever come to nuclear confrontation (so far). If you lived through them, you remember. On board the banana boat, the young Marine and his fellows waited. If war occurred, they would be among the first wave to go ashore. For ten days, everyone sweated sleeplessly on board the ship, studying maps of the Cuban coast line and of the areas they would invade. “There was a lot of gallows humor.” Hames recalls, as the soldiers attempted to relieve some of the unbearable tension. “Finally, they announced that Khrushchev would not attempt to cross the blockade. They turned away. That was a cause of joy. They made the agreement that the missiles could be taken down. Then we got to go on liberty in Jamaica.” As re reflects on his role today, Hames remembers that “there was a lot of bravado about fighting the communists, but in your heart and mind and body you knew this was some serious stuff.” War #2: Vietnam The Marines were not yet done with their young soldier. In August of 1964, almost two years after the missile crisis, there was another crisis that occurred in the South China Sea off the coast of Vietnam. Several American ships were supposedly confronted by North Vietnamese torpedo boats. This became known as “Gulf of Tonkin Incident.” Most historians are convinced that this “incident,” this provocation by North Vietnam never happened. It’s an old story. The non­ confrontation was trumpeted by the press and the politicians to inflame passions here at home for a confrontation with communist North Vietnam, which the US claimed had been encroaching on our “democratic” ally in South Vietnam, thus threatening the “stability” of all of Southeast Asia. Congress immediately gave President Johnson all the “war powers” he needed in order to escalate a war in Vietnam, a war that became a devastating humiliation for the US, killing 50,000 plus of “ours,” and probably a million of “theirs.” At the time of the “incident,” Peter Hames and his unit were watching a movie at a US base in Okinawa, Japan. They stopped the movie. An announcement blared over the loudspeakers. “Go back to Peter’s High School photo your company areas. Pack up. We’re going.” After a day and half sail from Okinawa, Peter’s unit anchored three miles off the coast of North Vietnam. The scenario was eerily similar to Cuba. “We were there, sailing up and down the coast, studying the maps and ready to embark on our adventures,” he says. This adventure included an invasion of North Vietnam. As with Cuba, that invasion didn’t happen. Hames remains convinced that they had every intention of invading. The military career of the “Jarhead” (a Marine nickname) from Minneapolis—correction—from St. Paul, ended abruptly with an early honorable discharge. He returned home and found a horrible job on “the killing floor” of a huge meat packing company. Hames had been through two of most tension filled moments of modern American history, and now he was witnessing blood and death at a packing plant on the prairie. Did he feel the irony? He views his experiences in service to his country as positive. “It was wonderful. It gave me what I was looking for: Discipline. And of course it made me a man.” And quite a man. Read more about him in the net issue. In the upcoming issue of Streetvibes, we will follow Peter Hames in his career as a different kind of fighter, this time fighting on behalf of neighborhoods (and their marginalized citizens). This time some of his battles occurred on behalf of Over-the-Rhine. ------------------------ Peter Hames at home Photo: Jim Luken THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �8 WORLD Oct 9 - Oct 22, 2015 | No. 314 Photo series: Fighting Olympic eviction in Rio favela STAFF WRITER A www.INSP.ngo / Reuters s sports arenas rise up around them and neighbours’ houses are demolished, around 50 families remain in Vila Autodromo, a favela bordering the Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro. About half of those refuse to leave the favela, which they describe as “paradise” because of a lack of violence compared with poor areas elsewhere in the city. With a year until the Games come to Brazil, over 90 percent of resi- dents have already left after accepting compensation. The holdouts, despite violent run-ins with police, vow to fight eviction whatever the cost. Living in a ghost town with sporadic access to water and electricity, the families have become a symbol against the use of the Olympic Games to modernize Rio, a move critics say is only benefiting the rich. Remaining residents tell Reuters why they want to stay. ------------------------ The demonstrations took place in Shibuya on August 2nd, organised by T-ns SOWL (Teens Stand up to Oppose War Law). Photo: Kazuhiro Yokozeki Maria da Penha, 50, poses for a photograph at her house in the Vila Autodromo slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 31, 2015. When asked to describe the community, Penha said: “The Vila Autodromo is a piece of paradise in Rio de Janeiro, an orderly, peaceful community where I’m really happy. I hope that my rights will be respected and I can carry on living here.” Credit: REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes Children play near demolished houses in the Vila Autodromo slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 28, 2015. Credit: REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes Denise Costa, 65, poses for a photograph at her house in the Vila Autodromo slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 31, 2015. When asked to describe the community, Costa said: “It’s a really good place to live, it’s a quiet, family community. This is not like other places where there are gang members. Now everybody is sad because the families got split up when some wanted to go to one place and others to somewhere else. Simply because of Olympic Games, a lot of families were destroyed.” Credit: REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 314 | O c t 9 - O c t 2 2 , 2 0 1 5 WORLD 9 An aerial view shows the Vila Autodromo slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 29, 2015. As sports arenas rise up around them and neighbours’ houses are demolished, around 50 families remain in Vila Autodromo, a favela bordering the Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro. Credit: REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes Construction work for the Rio 2016 Olympic Park is seen from a partially demolished house in the Vila Autodromo slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 13, 2015. With a year until the Games come to Brazil, over 90 percent of residents have already left after accepting compensation. Credit: REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes Luisa de Oliveira, 23, poses for a photograph at her house in the Vila Autodromo slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 31, 2015. When asked to describe the community, Oliveira said: “Vila Autodromo is a piece of my history which they are trying to take away from us.” Credit: REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes Children play soccer in the Vila Autodromo slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 31, 2015. Credit: REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �10 LOCAL Oct 9 - Oct 22, 2015 | No. 314 The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition would like to thank 4EG, The Lackman and Lachey’s Bar for sponsoring the 2015 Streetvibes Music Fest at the Woodward Theater! Now Hiring Caracole Caracole.org - Resident Aid - Case Manager Cincinnati Union Bethel cinunionbethel.org - Early Childhood Site Manager - Disability & Mental Health Manager - Family and Community Engagement RACHEL HARTWICK (Continued from page 2) fensive against their managers. After a month of weekly meetings, on March 2, the group created a list of approximately 27 demands for Robert Griffin the property manager, including providing access to hot water, repairing elevators and cease making threats of eviction for ordinary residents. Spring said that residents deserve quality housing and when owners of affordable housing don’t respect residents or building maintenance, it creates a bigger opportunity for developers and - Head Start Teacher - Payroll and Accounting Joseph House josephhouse.com - Chemical Dependency Counselor Lighthouse lighthouse.org - Multiple Openings businesses to take over the property and displace people. “I would hear people often say, after talking about the conditions of the building, it’s like we live in a prison,” Spring said. “I think this was a battle won for the residents.” The ARA demanded the firing of the building manager, Robert Griffin. After regular tenant meetings, demand letters of securing support from City Hall, and a major inspection of the building, ARA was successful in their effort to force the owners to fire Griffin. Just because ARA is celebrating this major success doesn’t mean there isn’t Our Daily Bread ourdailybread.us/ about/connect/jobopportunities/ - Kitchen Manager - Assistant Cook Shelter House shelterhousecinti. org - Shelter Director still work to be done. The group then began putting pressure on ownership to include ARA in finding a new, trustworthy property manager. A success in this manner would be abnormal, as residents are not typically allowed to be involved in such processes. “The residents clearly identified that the only way this was going to begin to be corrected was if Robert was fired,” Spring said. “We put out a flyer that said ‘would you like to have new management’ and made it clear that’s what people in the building are talking about. That became the constant push. The city had also collected plenty of THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Tender Mercies tendermerciesinc. org - Residential Support Worker - Housing Aftercare Coordinator The Exit Program theexitprogram.org - Accepting Ongoing Resumes data about his history.” Jones said that she hopes a new property manager comes in with a clear conscious and compassion for residents. “It’s a bad building on the outside, but it’s all different kinds of characters in the building. We have fun. We aren’t miserable even if it is a bad situation,” said Jones. “We try to make joy out of this stuff; I hope [a new manager] brings that to the table because if they don’t, they’re going to upset people and we’re going to start all over again.” Jones added that she is happy with the (Continued on page 13) �11 LOCAL No. 314 | O c t 9 - O c t 2 2 , 2 0 1 5 The Modern Day “Meme” JASON HAAP Contributing Writer W hen Richard Dawkins first introduced the idea of a “meme,” he used his familiarity with genes to discuss how ideas can enter a culture in the same way. Dawkins is perhaps most famous for his atheist activism, and the concept of religion as a “meme” can explain how the idea of the supernatural has persisted in human culture for so long (presuming, of course, that you are not theist). When Dawkins coined the term, however, we had yet to see the birth of the “internet meme.” Internet memes are deliberately created by human agency, whereas Dawkins’ original meme was meant to explain how a concept spread naturally as opposed to by design. Human-designed memes exploit what appears to be an inherent human desire to spread ideas with which we are already inclined to agree. Perhaps this is a function of our mirror neurons, a part of our brain structure that gets activated when we see a representation of something we have enjoyed in the past - the science of the vicarious experience, so to speak. I’ve become convinced the manner by which our mirror neurons activate when confronted with certain internet memes will become the downfall of our culture’s political discourse. Have any Facebook friends freaking out about the privacy set- tings of their photos? Seen any infographics about gun deaths around the world? The truth about Big Pharma and natural remedies? Maybe you love the pope because he met privately with Kim Davis. Maybe you love him because he said he didn’t actually meet with Kim Davis. Maybe you like telling people “the truth” about the economy under Obama. Amazingly, the rates of workplace participation and unemployment, as well as the current federal deficit, all seem to align perfectly to the political leanings of whomever is communicating with you at the time. Maybe you’ve seen the video that proves Planned Parenthood sells fetal organs. Maybe you’ve seen the video that proves the existence of the North American Great Ape. Maybe you’ve heard of the people who practice CE-5 meditation to contact aliens, and seen their videos of UFO’s. Maybe the truth is out there, and if we actually take the time to research all these claims, we’ll be able, collectively, to reach reasoned and accurate conclusions. The problem is that we’re all in a hurry - and even if the truth really is accessible, it’s only accessible to those with time. The rest of us hear our soundbites through our favorite filters, and we’ve probably picked filters that make our mirror neurons feel good. ------------------------ Activists rally at City Hall and protest Mayor Cranley’s State of the City Speech JUSTIN JEFFRE O n Monday October 5th over 50 pro-choice activists gathered at City Hall to rally support for Planned Parenthood. The Cincinnati Radical Feminist Collective organized the rally and marched to Great American Ball Park to protest Mayor Cranley’s State of the City address. Cranley is an anti-choice Democrat. The Dayton Women’s Med Center and the Mount Auburn Planned Parenthood clinic could soon be closed due to a number of legal barriers Gov. Kasich and his fellow Republicans in the House have been erecting. They are the last two abortion clinics open in southwestern Ohio which combined provide over 5,800 women with safe and legal abortions a year. If these health centers close Cincinnati may become the largest metropolitan area in the country without an abortion provider. A Cincinnati Radical Feminist post on Facebook said, “With Editor sexual violence and rape increasing in our community, having no access to abortion would present yet another level of emergency if any women victims were to be impregnated by force. How long must they wait? Or will they find themselves desperate and take matters into their own hands?” They say that if the Mount Auburn Planned Parenthood is closed there could be a public health crisis for women. Many low income women would lose access to other health care services as well. These health centers provide a wide range of safe, reliable health care — and care, which helps prevent unintended pregnancies through contraception, reduce the spread of sexually transmitted infections through testing and treatment, and screen for cervical and other cancers. the majority is preventive, primary Rally at City Hall Photo: Justin Jeffre THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED ------------------------ �12 In my eyes again LOCAL LEE MCCOY Contributing Writer & Streetvibes Distributor R emembering my 63 years, I have seen so much injustice. Everywhere I look there’s a police shooting, unnecessary force – sometimes causing the death of a person. Just a few weeks ago I read in the news- Oct 9 - Oct 22, 2015 | No. 314 paper that a police officer assaulted ally needs a complete overhaul. Can his own son, of all things because he you imagine? If you have to go to didn’t like the way his son’s hair was court for anything and if you have a cut. Now that’s sad. criminal record you are more than Every time you turn on the TV likely going to go before the same it should be called Cops Gone Wild. judge every time? That’s not fair. The Even on a higher level DEA agents judge may feel like he has seen your have been acting like criminals. face enough. And then what are your Our criminal justice system re- chances? You do the math. Back in my days we used to have a system like a lotto system to have your case tried. The balls will come up and then you know who your judge will be. So I say turn around that old saying about innocent until proven guilty around. Just over the last few weeks Washington Park has had so many events where you have to buy tickets to get in. They had a fence so high you can’t even look in, but if I am wrong you tell me what other parks have events like that. Oh, maybe that’s the way 3CDC gets their investment of $50 million back into their pockets. [Editor’s note: The city put $12 million tax payer dollars for the renovation of the park and pays for the park’s maintenance.] ------------------------ Longtime Streetvibes distributor Lee McCoy Photo: Aimee Willhoite For tickets please call (513) 381-2273 Purchase tickets online at www.cincyshakes.com AD Donated by Mark and Sue Ann Painter season sponsored by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �13 STREET VOICE No. 314 | O c t 9 - O c t 2 2 , 2 0 1 5 RACHEL HARTWICK A NEW BEGINNING (Continued from page 10) GOD IS GOOD, NOT SOME OF THE TIME BUT ALL THE TIME 24/7 I BELIEVE THAT BE THE REASON WE LIVE ON EARTH AND GOD LIVES IN HEAVEN LOOKING BACK ON MY LIFE AND THE SO MANY CHANGES THAT I WENT THROUGH LEARNING FROM REPEATED MISTAKES GOOD AND BAD UNTIL I LEARNED WHAT TO DO REALIZING TODAY KNOWING WHAT TO DO AND HOW TO DO IT PLUS THE METHOD TO USE I SEE NOW THAT HAVING KNOWLEDGE DOESN’T DETERMINE THE ROUTE WE CHOOSE I KNOW NOW THAT EVERYDAY ABOVE GROUND IS A DAY TO TAKE HEED AND LEARN I KNOW NOW THAT MY CHOICES WILL DETERMINE WHETHER I LIVE WITH GOD OR I BURN TODAY, KNOWING, UNDERSTANDING WITH THE REALIZATION THAT YESTERDAY IS PASTED PRAYING AND HOPING MY WORDS WILL LINGER IN YOUR MEMORY MAKING A CHANGE TO LAST IF YOU HAVEN’T PAID ATTENTION TO YOUR LIFE MAY YOU LOOK BACK AND SEE THAT A NEW BEGINING IS WHAT’S UP FOR THE POLITICIANS AND THAT INCLUDES YOU AND ME WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer way ARA has succeeded and Spring’s work specifically. “He’s a real humble man and we appreciate his character in dealing with us,” Jones said. “We appreciate him. The people are happier in here now.” [Editor’s update: A new site manager has been hired and the owners of the building have also hired a new management team for all of their properties, yet there are still more improvements needed. Because of the ARA’s work the owners will have to go before a judge later this year to be held accountable and hopefully forced to make more of the necessary changes needed in order to give the residents the improved conditions they deserve.] ------------------------ Ferguson and Others Unarmed but dead Death still came Life taken by whom And for what Shots were fired Innocent men were killed Time after time Police brutality Bad judgement Racism Cops not indicted Cops not brought to trial Police guilty of policing themselves Riots for justice Police chiefs and the justice system Not being responsible for police actions Unfair killings Police should maintain To restore human dignity Of all those they are sworn to protect and serve Law enforcement is supposed to be A part of the community Not killers in the community Gardner – Dead Martin – Dead Brown – Dead Wilson – Dead The Grand Jury and Our Justice System must prevail KIM GREEN Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer The Campaign Mother Goose Hillary, dillary dock. Hillary gets a shock. Concern starts to mount About her e-mail account, And her poll numbers Drop like a rock. BILL WOODS Contributing Writer Washington Park closed to the public Photo: Justin Jeffre Spiritual Hope I have a dream Of a poor man’s honor Man of respect Praying for salvation Honoring hope Where legends was made Where dreams was born Saying, “I am a man amongst men” Standing tall In the eye of God For mother’s salvation Father’s respect Sister’s love Brother’s freedom May your wishes be merry May your dreams be fulfilled May your love not be conquered Out of the creation of Heaven Of love and compassion Born of spiritual blessings I say, “Peace be with you Let freedom ring May God bless you May Heaven take hold of you And Lord be with you RON ENGLISH Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �14 PUZZLES Oct 9 - Oct 22, 2015 | No. 314 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 79 Across 1. Unit of area 5. The least favorable outcome 10. Affirm 14. Part of a hat 15. Become less in intensity 16. Stupor 17. Possess 18. Demon 19. Succulent plants 20. Open and observable 22. Shout 23. Repair 24. Consumer price 26. Official emissary 28. To the lowest degree 31. Operate 32. Female red deer 35. Civil wrong 37. Faculty 41. Metal bearing mineral 42. Indulgent 44. Hawaiian garland 45. Migratory aquatic birds 47. Strong wind 48. Encounter 49. Sensory organ 51. South American cudchewing animal 53. Floor covering 56. Type of sailing vessel 60. Stinging insect 61. Pack to capacity 64. Turn up or remove earth 65. Dull pain 66. Roof overhang 68. Inert gas 69. At that time 70. Part of a play 71. Receive something that is offered 72. Portable shelter 73. Swagger 74. Afresh Down 1. Loathe 2. Have a great desire for 3. Heavy stud fastener 4. Precious stone 5. Batch 6. Comply 7. Rant 8. Static photograph 9. Bank cashier 10. Intransigent 11. Personal attendant 12. Earth’s protective layer 13. Unwanted plant 21. Bind 25. Tardy 27. Strong current of air 29. Birdcall 30. Test 32. Sheep up to the age of one year 33. Anger 34. Indicating maiden name 36. Narrate 38. Beer 39. Charge for professional services 40. Healthy 42. Jump 43. Close 46. Ophidian 48. A dark purple-red 50. Niche 52. Indicating center 53. Hoard 54. Livid 55. Extended area of land 57. Get or derive 58. Summon up or bring into existence 59. Regenerate 60. Unit of power 62. Allege 63. Bill of fare 67. Fixed and unmoving SODOKU PUZZLE NO 213 - MEDIUM PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 313 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 78 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 212 - MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �RESOURCES No. 314 | O c t 9 - O c t 2 2 , 2 0 1 5 Shelter: Women and Children Central Access Point 381-SAFE Bethany House 557-2873 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 Mercy Franciscan at St. John 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 981-5800 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Salvation Army 762-5660 4600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Shelter: Men Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men City Gospel Mission 241-5525 Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 1419 Elm Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Prospect House 921-1613 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Parkway Center 661-4620 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 Shelter: Both Starting Over 961-2256 Lighthouse on Highland (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave Cincinnati, OH 45219 569-9500 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women First Step Home 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both Drop Inn Center 721-0643 AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 217 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Interfaith Hospitality Network 471-1100 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave Cincinnati, OH 45220 961-4080 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 Joseph House (Veterans) Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 OTR Community Housing 381-1171 114 W. 14th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Talbert House 221-HELP Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Volunteers of America 381-1954 Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Food/Clothing First Lutheran Church 421-0065 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 Mercy Franciscan at St. John 981-5800 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206 241-2965 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Housing: 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 15 Advocacy Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 Faces Without Places 363-3300 Stop AIDS 421-2437 Health Center for Respite Care 621-1868 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 Cincinnati Health Network 961-0600 2825 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45219 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 352-6364 McMicken Dental Clinic 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti 352-6363 Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 Mercy Franciscan at St. John 981-5800 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 NAMI of Hamilton County 351-3500 PATH Outreach 977-4489 Other Resources Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Emmanuel Community Center 241-2563 1308 Race St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 215 E. 14th Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Goodwill industries 771-4800 Healing Connections 751-0600 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. 579-8547 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 1223 Main St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 Talbert House 751-7747 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels 981-4200 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center 799 Ann St. Newport, KY ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 Women’s Crisis Center VA Domiciliary VA Homeless 859-491-8303 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 859-491-3335 859-559-5011 859-572-6226 �16 S Oct 9 - Oct 22, 2015 | No. 314 treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. ALMA SIMS SINCE 5/2014 ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BELINDA CHERRY SINCE 8/2015 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DEBORAH POINDEXTER SINCE 9/2012 DONALD YOUNG ELMORE MORRIS SINCE 5/2014 GINA MARTIN GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 GREGORY RAY SINCE 4/2015 JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009 JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2003 JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001 JONATHAN SLATER SINCE 5/2014 JOHN GAINES SINCE 12/2009 KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 KIM GREEN SINCE 1/2010 KRISTINE HOFSKY SINCE 3/2015 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MAURICE GOLSBY MAXINE GRANT SINCE 4/2015 QUEENACELESTINE LEVY RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 TARA HILL SINCE 4/2014 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 JOHN HORN JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008 J’TORI TYMAN SINCE 5/2014 W. KENNETH BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 LARRY FILES SINCE 6/2012 LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007 LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009 LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 MEACO WAITE MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MICHAEL BEHYMER MYRA WILSON RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 2001 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 TINA SINCE 4/2015 TODD HANLEY SINCE 5/2014 TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 VICTOR MUMPHRY LOTTIE MANNER NEBRASKA SINCE 3/2015 SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 PERVIS MENTON SINCE 8/2015 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2015 WILLIAM BURDINE SINCE 8/2009 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRAIG SMITH SINCE 5/2014 GLENDA CANTRELL GREGORY WILSON SINCE 1/2012 JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006 JOHNNY KERNS SINCE 9/2012 WILLIAM SIMMS SINCE 4/2014 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2015 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource October 9-October 22, 2015 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: Marijuana Criminalization and Racism Homeless Coalition Works with ALMS Apartment Residents to Correct Major Problems Pg 3: Code Orange for Women’s Choice Pg 4: The Cause Cincinnati Pg 5: City-Wide Shantytown Forum Focuses on the Ballot Issues Pg 6: Socialist Nation Pg 7: Gentleman Leatherneck Pg 8: Photo Series Pg 9: Photo Series Continued Pg 10: Rachel Hartwick Continued Pg 11: The Modern Day “Meme” Activist Rally at City Hall and Protest Mayor Cranley Pg 12: In My Eyes Again Pg 13: Rachel Hartwick Continued Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 9-October 22, 2015 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Rachel Hartwick Kate Gallion Mark Mussman Bill Woods Robert Park Jim Luken Jason Haap Justin Jeffre Lee McCoy Willa Denise Jones Kim Green Ron English Bill Woods Aimee Willhoitte Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Activists Aimee Willhoitte ALMS Ballots Bill Woods City Hall GCHC Jason Haap Jim Luken Josh Spring Justin Jeffre Kate Gallion Kim Green Lee McCoy Marijuana Mark Mussman Mayor Cranley Photo Series police brutality protest Rachel Hartwick Racism Rally Redistricting Rio Favela Robert Park Ron English Shantytown Socialism State of City Speech Taxes Voting Willa Denise Jones Women Rights https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/b1806fd7c58d699cc7405d5c6b8ac869.pdf 53789886e2e1c27b2055ed3f82eecc4d PDF Text Text No to Socialism Page 11 Vendor Profile Page 12 Artists as Activists Page 16 STREETVIBES $1 Sept. 1-14, 2009 • Advocating Justice, Building Community • Issue 160 Slavery Exists in Cincinnati Today Ignorance about human trafficking leaves victims in bondage By Margo Pierce Contributing Writer A critical stop on the Un­ derground Railroad dur­ ing the time of plantation slavery, Cincinnati boasts a storied past as a gateway to freedom for thousands of Af­ ricans held in bondage. But today Cincinnati – the home of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, an institution designed to teach the lessons from the past about slavery and other vio­ lations of individual freedom – is “relatively unprepared to deal effectively with human trafficking in the Midwest.” This assessment comes from the center’s Greater Cincinnati Human Traffick­ ing Report. “Based on the findings from this report, it is evident that human trafficking is an issue that needs to be further addressed in Greater Cincin­ nati through public aware­ ness and technical training for first responders, through the organization and ad­ vancement of efforts to crim­ inalize human trafficking in Ohio and by learning from the programs that other cit­ ies and states have effectively implemented to address hu­ man trafficking,” the report says. Volunteers interviewed 137 people from Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana between July 2007 and February 2008. Attorneys, government offi­ cials, health-care providers, interpreters, judges, law en­ forcement, pastors, report­ ers, social workers and vic­ tims’ advocates responded to a series of questions about slavery in Cincinnati, and 41 percent said they or their organizations have encoun­ tered victims of trafficking in the past five years. “Law enforcement officers, judges, attorneys and social- See Slavery, p. 3 Media and law enforcement can miss human trafficking when they see prostitution. Photo by Kay Chernush. Knocking Down Doors Literacy Center West helps dropouts find jobs 1 By ranjit rege Contributing Writer The stone walls of Literacy Center West, tucked away in Price Hill, are somewhat de­ ceiving, looking as though they keep people out. But in fact the agency’s mission is to include people in “a commu­ nity in which citizens improve their lives through education and economic opportunity.” The agency offers individ­ ualized preparation for highschool dropouts who want to take Ohio’s General Educa­ tional Development (G.E.D.) test but also provides literacy and job-readiness training, all free of charge. Instead of large classes, Literacy Center West (LCW) uses one-on-one lessons tailored to students’ needs. To pass a G.E.D. test, a stu­ dent must score higher than Students at Literacy Center West are given the tools to complete their G.E.D and to find employment. Photo by Bill Haigh. 60 percent of graduating highschool seniors in five subject areas: science, mathematics, social studies, reading and writing. Most employers and colleges recognize the G.E.D. as an equivalent to a high school diploma. Next Level, an LCW pro­ gram for people ages 19 to 21 who have acquired their G.E.D. certificates, offers jobreadiness training and job placement. The program has been successful in spite of the recession, according to Stephanie Dunlap, assistant director of Literacy Center West. “There has been no down­ turn in hiring for our stu­ dents,” she says. But the recession has meant “a lot more people coming through,” including many “who didn’t need help in the past,” Dunlap says. Advancement opportunities have been affected by the recession, but the program’s goal is to get a student’s “foot in the door,” she says. See Doors, p. 7 �2 The Vibe By The Numbers 17 How many years Eddie Joe Lloyd spent in prison before being exonerated (see page 4.) 43,000 The increase in persons in homeless families between 2007 and 2008 (see page 7.) 91 The percentage of professionals in Cincinnati who have heard of humantrafficking situations (see page 1.) 40 The percent who said they are familiar with federal laws on human trafficking (see page 1.) 138 The number of Cincinnati Police officers facing layoffs (see page 8.) 1,000 The amount per day, in euros, that Amazon. com pays because of its shipping policy in France (see page 10.) 144 How many days Sean Swain spent in “the hole” during a five-month period (see page 4.) 2 The number of copies a police officer buys from Streetvibes vendor Terry Ranson each week (see page 12.) 400 The number of students served annually by Literacy Center West (see page 1.) 381-1171 The phone number to call to get more information about Over-the-Rhine Community Housing’s annual fundraiser (see page 9.) StreetSense STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2009 By Larry gross Contributing Writer Roofied: Nothing funny about date rape Are you enjoying the new “Dear Maija” column in CityBeat? I don’t know if this is truly an advice column, satire or something tongue-in-cheek. In the July 1 column, a letter to Maija caught my attention. The letter was from “Rock and a Burny Place,” asking advice about living with herpes and how to get a date. Maija did a lot of joking about STDs and thought all of them were funny, except for AIDS. I’m glad she didn’t think that was funny, because my twin brother died from it. Toward the end of her advice, Maija had this to say: “Even if you don’t find the right guy with herpes, there’s a 50 percent chance you’ll get roofied. Either way you get laid.” Roofied: It’s been many years since I’ve heard this word. I’m going to tell you a story that hap­ pened over 20 years ago. Names, places and some facts have been changed to protect innocent people. This was back in my accounting-manager days for a Cincinnati manufacturing firm. One of those I was supervising was the receptionist, who had given her two-week notice. I asked the people in human resources to put an ad in the paper for the position, but it turned out some­ one inside the company was interested. Ellen was looking to leave the inventory department. When I interviewed her for the job, she said she liked greeting people and answering the phone and no longer wanted to deal with numbers, which was a big part of her job in working with her boss, Don. She came across friendly and likeable and I needed a receptionist. I hired her. A couple weeks after Ellen started the job, a female friend of mine, a co-worker, came into my office and closed the door. She told me a rumor she’d heard about Ellen. My friend talked to Ellen about it and confirmed it to be true. On a date with her then-boss Don, Ellen had gone to his place and had drinks. Don appar­ ently put something in her drink – a sedative, a date-rape drug. After Don roofied Ellen and took her clothes off, he took advantage of her. Then, with a Polaroid camera, he took photos of her naked body. These photos, four in total, were copied then distributed to the men working in the inven­ tory department. My female co-worker, telling me this nightmarish story, was outraged. She wanted me, as Ellen’s new boss, to do something about it. A day later, in a closed-door discussion, Ellen, in tears, said it was true. This was the real rea­ son she wanted to leave the inventory job. She had been humiliated and embarrassed. I went to human resources with this story, but they could do nothing without proof. I went to Don, the cockroach in the inventory department. He denied everything. I went to the three guys who worked for him. They didn’t want to get involved, didn’t want to get in trouble or fired by Don. The only thing I knew to do was play on their decency and professionalism. I also wasn’t above making them feel guilty for their silence about such a repulsive act. Ellen was going through a divorce. She had two small children she was trying to raise by herself. How could they look at nude photos of a young mother and think it’s funny? How could they not see how wrong this was? Finally, after five weeks of badgering, one of the guys folded. We went to the human resources department. Don’s employee had copies of those Polaroid photos. Within one hour, the inven­ tory manager was fired and escorted out of the building. Ellen could have prosecuted Don, but because of her children, didn’t want to press charges and have her name in the papers. She wanted to move on. Others at the company wouldn’t let that happen. Like Maija’s column, some treated this as a joke. Others thought of Ellen as “loose” or some­ one to look down on. One idiot told me she thought Ellen had wanted it to happen. Finally, in an effort to put it behind her, Ellen left the company and the city. Looking for a new beginning, she and her kids packed up everything and moved to Virginia. That’s where they still are. We talk a few times a year. Ellen and her family are doing fine. She lived through her nightmare – and that’s exactly what it was. That’s why the “flip” approach in Maija’s CityBeat column about being roofied leaves me a bit cold. I’m not trying to rip apart my colleague, Maija. You see, I write for CityBeat, too. It’s her col­ umn, and she can write whatever she wants. She’s young. I’m not. Maybe I’m being uptight on this subject, but I can’t forget. Being roofied happened to someone I know. 20 years ago this almost destroyed a friend’s life. I still can’t bring myself to think this is funny. Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by people who are or once were homeless, in exchange for a $1 donation, Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Address: 117 East 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 Phone: 513.421.7803 x 12 Fax: 513.421.7813 Email: streetvibes2@ yahoo.com Website: www. cincihomeless.org Blog: streetvibes. wordpress.com Streetvibes Staff Editor Gregory Flannery Art Director Lynne Ausman Vendor Coordinator Jeni Jenkins Contributing Writers Lew Moores, Dave Scharfenberger, Margo Pierce, Paul Kopp, Jeremy Flannery, Michael Henson, David Heitfield, Alecia Lott, Larry Gross, Stephanie Dunlap, Saad Ghosn, Will Kirschner, Ariana Shahandeh, Jennifer Blalock, Dan LaBotz, Ranjit Rege Photography/Artwork Aimie Willhoite, Lynne Ausman, George Ellis, Jeni Jenkins, Rev. Joe Folzenlogen, Jim Montgomery, Anthony Williams, Berta Lambert Proofreader Jennifer Blalock The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati through coordination of services, public education, grassroots advocacy and Streetvibes. We are members of: �STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2009 Local News 3 Slavery Exists in Cincinnati Today (continued from page 1) service providers all acknowl­ edge that human trafficking exists, but there is little spe­ cific law they can draw upon to stop the crime locally, and even less public knowledge of the issue,” the report says. Cops don’t know The report breaks down the penalties and elements of anti-trafficking laws in the Tri-State and summarizes the federal Trafficking Victim’s Protection Act (TVPA). The report then considers how only 40 percent of the profes­ sional respondents could be aware of anti-trafficking laws at the federal level and only 20 percent could identify the existence of state laws against modern day slavery, given that 91 percent said that they or their organizations have heard of human-trafficking cases. “The survey results showed a surprising lack of aware­ ness and knowledge of the issue of human trafficking, even among those most likely to encounter it,” the report says. “The general population in Cincinnati, therefore, is very likely to be even less aware. Although many survey respondents stated that they did not know the level of public awareness, a vast majority (77 percent) said that the general public’s knowledge of trafficking is only poor or fair. This comports with oth­ er studies that have shown that the general public lacks awareness of the issue.” The ignorance of “first responders,” the people in professions most likely to respond to an incident in­ volving a victim of human trafficking, underscores why, according to the U.S. government, less than 1 percent of trafficking cases are solved, compared to a 70 percent success rate in solv­ ing murder cases. “While training on the law is important for all groups, it is particularly important when it comes to fighting community leaders to “sup- The Department of Justice human trafficking due to the port necessary training for has reported, however, that city’s geographic location,” law enforcement and medi- since 2000, ‘prosecutions un­ the report says. “Cincinnati cal professionals” and urges der the TVPA have increased abuts Kentucky and Indiana, “state, city and community six-fold.’ ” allowing traffickers to eas- officials to enact comprehenWhat the report doesn’t ily move across state and city sive laws so that local law en- include is the fact that the borders where the laws and forcement officials can pros- OPAA proposed the new law regulations on human traf- ecute, prevent and protect because it opposed the more ficking differ.” victims of human trafficking.” comprehensive legislation The report’s authors missed But the authors fail to make that the report says is needan opportunity to encourage the strong argument neces- ed. strong leadership on this is- sary to back up these recom“Due to its recent passage, sue and build collaborative mendations. A case in point is Ohio’s new anti-trafficking relationships that can lead their assessment of the Ohio law has yet to be applied,” to ending slavery in Ohio. human-trafficking legislation the report says. “However, its The report instead gives local enacted earlier this year. convoluted definition of hu­ cops an excuse for not doing The original legislation man trafficking, requirement more to utilize local and fed- proposed in Ohio was based of a pattern of corrupt activi­ eral resources. on the “model law” drafted ty and lack of labor trafficking The authors go on to wring for states to use in support provisions suggest the Ohio their hands over law will be somefor those groups most likely the state of awarewhat more limited to encounter trafficking vic- ness in the medi“It is evident that human than the TVPA or tims first,” the report says. “A cal community. trafficking is an issue that laws passed by majority of respondents (57 “The group just needs to be further addressed in other states. Just percent) said they believed behind law enGreater Cincinnati through public as importantly, the that law enforcement is most forcement considawareness and technical training new law does not likely to be the first to en- ered to encounter for first responders, through the provide for lawcounter trafficking victims. trafficking first is organization and advancement enforcement trainIf law enforcement is indeed medical profesof efforts to criminalize human ing, agency reporta first-responder, they must sionals. … This is trafficking in Ohio and by learning ing or services for be knowledgeable and well- troubling because from the programs that other victims.” trained on the issue. 77 percent of medcities and states have effectively Glossing over the “Yet 48 percent of law-en- ical professionals implemented.” fact that the pros­ forcement respondents said surveyed said they - Greater Cincinnati Human ecutors who claim that local law enforcement in had only a poor Trafficking Report to need effective the Greater Cincinnati area or fair knowledge legislation are the has only a poor or fair knowl- of trafficking,” the same people who edge of human trafficking. report says. “Clearly, train- of the TPVA – per the report’s effectively killed that same …In fact, 68 percent of law ing on human trafficking is recommendation – but the legislation is a disservice to enforcement survey partici- necessary for all groups sur- report fails to make the point the report’s own stated goals. pants rated their own knowl- veyed and acutely necessary that this would be a second The report includes a reedge of trafficking as poor or for potential first-responders attempt at passage because source list, a thoughtful fair.” such as law enforcement and “the executive director of the analysis of news reports on Despite this data, the re- medical professionals.” Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys incidents of human traffick­ port appears to capitulate to Association (OPAA), when ing that aren’t identified as the social norm of not critiProsecutors get a pass asked about the previously modern day slavery and a cizing cops. proposed anti-trafficking rather comprehensive sum­ “In Cincinnati, law enforceThe study makes two rec- laws, commented that, ‘We mary of legislation at the ment has a unique difficulty ommendations encouraging have all the laws we need.’ national and state level. The report proves what many in the field have been saying for years: People don’t know To report a concern about a possible situation of trafficking, call the that slavery is alive and well Trafficking Information and Referral Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. The in the United States. But this following are some red flags often exhibited by human trafficking victims: important data can’t be al­ lowed to override the facts • Minors under 18 providing commercial sex that this is a complicated • Unable to speak English or the language of the host country issue that calls into ques­ • Having no personal identification or lacking control of one’s own tion the effectiveness of the documents institutions supposedly de­ • Having few or no personal possessions or financial records signed to help the most vul­ • Lack of pocket money or control of one’s own money nerable in our society. • Confusion about where they are (city, state, or country) Slavery – the buying, sell­ • Being unable to freely leave worksite or residence without fear of ing and owning of human reprisal beings – is a despicable act, • Living and/or sleeping in their working environment according to our history and • Isolation from family, friends or ethnic community our laws. Unfortunately, the • Minors not attending school Freedom Center’s report • Having excessively long working hours or odd tasks at odd hours lacks the fortitude required • Appearing to be fearful, submissive, anxious, tense, nervous or to acknowledge that hu­ restless manity has failed to eradi­ • Appearing anxious or nervous around “interpreter” or “family member” cate this practice and the • Reliance on one person to speak for all the individuals sense of urgency required to • Signs of physical abuse, neglect, torture and emotional abuse change that fact. The Great­ • Signs of poor health and hygiene er Cincinnati Human Traf­ • Signs of branding to show ownership by trafficker ficking Report is an impor­ • Signs of physical restraint, confinement and control tant step forward that can • Having an escort at all times when in public be seen as a springboard for • Inability to make decisions on own without fear or approval further action, or its mean­ • Rehearsed stories ing can be lost to the com­ placency of “better than Source: End Slavery Cincinnati Rescue & Restore Coalition nothing” before turning our attention elsewhere. �4 Community News STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2009 Trapped: Solitary Confinement Instead of treatment, it’s torture 1 By eLi Braun Contributing Writer During his 70 days of soli­ tary confinement at Toledo Correctional Institution, Sean Swain spent 23 hours a day locked in his cell. He spent the 24th hour, his only oppor­ tunity for social interaction and “recreation,” being stripsearched, including a “visual body-cavity search.” By comparison, inmates in “general population” spend 11 hours a day locked in their cells. Solitary confinement crip­ ples prisoners’ capacity for social interaction and can exacerbate or even cause mental-health crises. The rise of solitary-confinement units at U.S. prisons indicates a disturbing trend, especially for prisoners suffering from mental illness or drug abuse. Studies find that solitary con­ finement is not just ineffec­ tive at promoting good be­ havior, but is a full-fledged form of torture, breaking down the healthy and further enfeebling the ill. Since 1991, Swain, now 49, has been sent to solitary confinement “seven or eight times,” including a 144-day stint from May to October 2003. Most recently, he vio­ lated rules by “encourage(ing) prisoners to partake in a 30­ day work stoppage,” accord­ ing to the official conduct report. During his 70 days in isola­ tion, Swain didn’t know when he would be returned to gen­ eral population. He remains in prison. “Cage without a curtain” Swain details the condi­ tions in solitary confinement, also known as “segregation.” “The tube lighting in seg­ regation cells is never shut off,” Swain says. “Insects were breeding in the mops, which had not been exchanged for months. Those same insectinfested mops were provided to us for cell-cleaning.” As he cleaned, insects would swarm around the cell’s lighting fixture. Prisoners in solitary confinement had ac­ cess to showers and recre­ ation only Monday to Friday. Weekends were spent entirely locked in, though Swain be­ lieves that policy might have changed. At times he lacked ‘Captive’ by Todd (Hyung-Rae) Tarselli. Photo courtesy of American Journal of Public Health. soap and toothpaste. In his final week in segregation, the cellblock ran out of toilet pa­ per, he says. Reports from Ohio’s Cor­ rectional Institution Inspec­ tion Committee (CIIC) and correspondence with other prisoners confirm unsanitary conditions at some prisons. “Their behavior is destined to deteriorate under those conditions. Then their poor behavior is used to justify why they should be there.” – Shirley Pope The CIIC is authorized by the Ohio Legislature to regularly inspect prisons and provide oversight. For showers, “I was issued a single state towel upon en­ 36 C R O S S W O R S U 37 tering segregation” and never had the opportunity “to ex­ change it for clean,” Swain says. But he considered him­ self fortunate to have been issued a towel at all, as some inmates in segregation never got one. “Or maybe I wasn’t so lucky, since I ended up with bacte­ D O K U ria and fungus on my feet,” he says. Prisoners who didn’t re­ ceive towels instead used bed sheets. The shower stall was “a D P A G 38 A N E 12 cage without a curtain,” Swain says. Even though pris­ oners tried to arrange their clothing across the shower bars for privacy, prisoners were subject to public view. Some mentally disturbed prisoners, informally labeled “serial jackers,” would watch through the bars of their cells “as if enjoying a personal peep-show.” The water would last ap­ proximately five to 10 min­ utes, then stop without warn­ ing for 10 minutes. “If someone has soap on his face or in her eyes, he must stand naked and wet for 10 minutes. … In some of the showers, hitting the button before the 10-minute wait­ ing duration resets the timer and causes the 10-minute duration to start over,” Swain says. Isolation cells might no longer be strictly isolated. Due to overcrowd­ ing, some prisons now double-bunk their segregation cells. Some prison­ ers spend 23 hours D a day locked in with another person, in a cell designed for single occupancy. System-wide, the Ohio De­ partment of Rehabilitation and Corrections operates at 134 percent of capacity, with 11 of the 32 institutions op­ erating above 150 percent ca­ pacity. According to one CIIC report, “One had to stand side­ ways to walk through the rows of bunk beds.” Overcrowding might also result in long waits “for those in segregation who are being transferred to other prisons, all due to the need to wait for an open bed,” the CIIC reported. The result, it appears, is ex­ tended periods of isolation. Swain attributes the length of his 144-day-term in isolation in 2003 not to the severity of his infraction but to the wait for an open bed. ‘The hole’ by any other name Although he spent 23 hours a day alone in his cell, in an­ other sense, Swain wasn’t See Solitary, p. 5 �STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2009 Community News Trapped: Solitary Confinement 5 (continued from page 4) alone. ter an alleged infraction, an Some 25,000 U.S. prisoners inmate might first be placed reside in solitary confinement in “security control” for one at “supermax prisons.” An ad- to 15 days while an investiga­ ditional 50,000 to 80,000 pris­ tion unfolds. If deemed guilty, oners reside in restrictive and the inmate might spend an isolated “segregation” or “spe­ additional one to 15 days in cial housing” units at non-su­ “disciplinary control,” which permax prisons, according to can be extended to 30 days a recent New Yorker article. for subsequent infractions. In Ohio at mid-year 2007, An inmate can be referred 1,869 men and 90 women to “local control” for up to lived in isolation, whether six months if his presence in through formal segregation general population is a se­ or security levels 4 or 5, ac­ curity threat or if he’s “failed cording to the American Cor­ to adjust to general popularectional Association. It’s not tion.” known how many prisoners “Those criteria are broad reside in soland subject itary con­ to wide interfinement at Cruelly, segregation p re t a t i o n ,” some point disproportionately says Shirley during their houses those Pope, execu­ stay. prisoners least tive director Souther n able to endure of the CIIC. Ohio Cor­ the psychological If an inmate’s rectional Faimpact of isolation. own secu­ cility in Lu­ rity is threatcasville and ened, he Ohio State can be kept Penitentiary in solitary in Youngstown can hold pris­ confinement in local control oners in lockdown for years even though he might not be at a time, including for their the cause of the potential disentire sentences. turbance. Prison administrators and After “local control,” an incorrectional officers refer to mate can be transferred to 4B, the various forms of these a long-term lockdown where 23-hour-a-day cells as “ad- some people spend years in ministrative segregation.” extreme isolation. These lockPrisoners prefer a less euphe­ down units aren’t technically mistic name: “the hole” or “the considered “segregation,” as box.” Besides those names, prisoners in 4B aren’t being there are several others. Af­ punished for particular in- fractions. But it’s “segregation pounding; who yelled from caught with illegal substancunder a different name, the cell to cell or screamed inco­ es. But solitary confinement same conditions, the same herently at all hours.” does nothing to mitigate or lockdown,” Pope says. Prisoners suffered sleep heal their addiction. A report Unlike segregation units, deprivation from the con- by Human Rights Watch held 4B units that New York don’t have State was in­ regular menAfter 10 days, solitary flicting cruel, tal-health confinement was seriously detrimental to inhuman rounds. Pope prisoners’ well-being. and degradis concerned – Commission on Safety and Abuse in ing treatment that men­ America’s Prisons by isolating tally ill pris­ drug offendoners in 4B ers while also aren’t properly cared for. The stant noise. denying them treatment dur­ CIIC recently identified 218 Many suicide attempts ing lock-up. mentally ill prisoners in 4B at happen in segregation units. “I’ve had 15, 16 drug tickSouthern Ohio Correctional Inmates attempt to hang ets, no assaults or anything Facility in Lucasville, “in spite themselves with sheets, over- like that,” said Peter G., a of the known mental-health dose with stockpiled medica­ prisoner quoted in the re­ deterioration stemming from tions or cut themselves with port. “I’ve never been in a long-term isolation.” blades from safety razors. treatment program. Now I’m Cruelly, segregation dis­ in the box till 2012. I’m a drug ‘Psychological proportionately houses those addict. If you know I’m a drug warfare’ prisoners least able to endure addict, why are you putting the psychological impact of me in a box?” “It is widely accepted isolation. Advocates point Ohio offers some sub­ among mental-health profes­ out that the mentally ill rarely stance-abuse treatment to sionals that long-term isola­ belong in prison in the first those in isolation, with protion of the mentally ill results place, much less in solitary grams varying by institution, in deterioration, not recov­ confinement. according to CIIC. ery,” the CIIC noted in a 2008 The mentally ill might be Advocates question the report. targeted under the “failure segregation of drug offenders Nevertheless, the mentally to adjust” criterion and then in the first place. To the extent ill seem propelled toward sent to punitive solitary units their infraction stems from solitary confinement, which for behavioral problems re- an underlying addiction, they Swain calls “psychological lated to their illness. Mentally should be treated instead of warfare.” ill state prisoners are nearly punished. Swain says he was sur­ twice as likely to physically or Some administrators, say rounded by people “who verbally assault staff or other solitary confinement reduces attempted suicide, some prisoners, according to a 2006 violence and helps main­ multiple times; who threw study by the U.S. Department tain order. But the bipartisan feces and food; who engaged of Justice. Commission on Safety and in rattling their doors and The solution is not to stiff- Abuse in America’s Prisons en penalties. For mentally ill found the very opposite. “feces throwers” at Southern “The increasing use of Ohio Correctional Facility, the high-security segregation is CIIC reported that “prosecu­ counter-productive, often tion for harassment does lit- causing violence inside fa­ tle if anything in deterrence.” cilities and contributing to Instead, state prisons should recidivism after release,” the improve mental-health ser­ commission said. vices. The bipartisan Council The commission called for of State Governments found ending long-term isolation in that inadequacies in mental- U.S. prisons. It determined health services “can lead to that after 10 days, solitary inmate-on-staff assaults, in- confinement was seriously mate-on-inmate assaults and detrimental to prisoners’ other use-of-force incidents.” well-being. Meanwhile, for the menSome administrators tally ill in solitary confine- maintain that they have no ment, their health deterio­ alternative to locking dan­ rates, their behavior worsens gerous prisoners in solitary and their security level rises. units. But correctional poliThey might be transferred to cies in other nations under­ higher-security institutions. mine that claim. The British “If they had a mental health provide their most dangerous advocate, that might not hap- prisoners with opportuni­ pen,” Pope says. “They re­ ties for work, education and quire therapeutic interven­ programming intended to in­ tions before they’re bumped crease social skills, according up in security status and end to The New Yorker. up at Lucasville.” “The use of isolation not In a sense, the mentally ill only escalates the inmate’s are trapped. sense of alienation, but also “Their behavior is destined further serves to remove the to deteriorate under those individual from proper staff conditions,” Pope says. “Then supervision,” the CIIC found. their poor behavior is used to Experts and observers justify why they should be agree that long-term isolation there.” undermines safety. It drives Unsurprisingly, many drug even the healthy insane. In offenders continue to abuse Ohio’s prison, it’s past time to A solitary confinement cell in Alcatraz Prison. Photo by Laura Padgett. substances during their in- end this practice and choose carceration. They can be sent therapy over torture. to segregation after they’re �6 STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2009 Book Review The Ego Tunnel and the Dumbass There's something about Mary that ain't quite right By DaviD HeitfieLD Contributing Writer We live in an age of naive realism. Your brain lies to you, quite purposefully. You are a dumbass who willingly flaunts your dumbassedness from the moment you arise to the moment you go into the mini-death state we call “sleep.” Ignorance just isn't bliss – ignorance is life as we know it. Thomas Metzinger tells the story of Mary, a fictional character in a thesis known as the Knowledge Argument, which (crudely speaking) stands for the idea that you can't know something until you've walked a mile in its shoes. First-person knowl­ edge (or phenomenal knowl­ edge or subjective knowl­ edge) is some thing that must be accounted for, a source of information that cannot be measured physically, i.e., sci­ entifically. Mary, as the story cred­ ited to Australian philoso­ pher Frank Jackson goes, is a brilliant brain scientist who learns everything there is to know about color – how we process color, how we see color, what color represents, all the physical properties in­ volved in color. Mary learns all this while being deprived of color– she's in a cave or a room with a monochrome monitor on her computer and a black-and-white TV. So, the question is, once Mary learns everything about color, but then steps outside and experiences color for the first time, does she learn any­ thing new? Jackson's original answer, which he has since recanted, was yes – she ob­ viously has new information about reality now that she has subjectively experienced “color” for the first time, proving there is something to color besides the physical properties of color. Metzinger, a German phi- Thomas Metzinger, author of ‘The Ego Tunnel.’ Photo courtesy of Johannes Gutenberg University. losopher, not only answers with an emphatic “no” – the subjective experience just makes Mary another self-deluded dumbass – but claims self doesn't really exist. Duh! What makes The Ego Tunnel so fascinating, then, is for those of us who are not philosophers or brain scientists; What makes ‘The Ego Tunnel’ so fascinating, then, is for those of us who are not philosophers or brain scientists; we get an understanding of just how far-reaching are the implications of the current science. that there is now almost universal support for his answer among brain scientists. In fact, the most famous review of Metzinger's new book, The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self, complains that Metzinger is simply rehashing old ideas that are now well-settled. Like, of course we know the STREETVIBES Vendor Mary we get an understanding of just how far-reaching are the implications of the current science. Metzinger says he wrote The Ego Tunnel for a lay audience – it's the dumbass version of his 2003 work, Being No One. Although you should be warned, while misanthropists should find it delicious, others might have trouble Only purchase Streetvibes from BADGED vendors. Vendors wear their WHITE badges while they sell the paper. wading through Metzinger's experiences you had when still waters. I have no doubt you were younger, causing an you'd be rewarded for the ef- epiphany, might have been fort, though. closer to the truth than you To wit: Metzinger is fond of think. Those times when you saying no one is feel lost or de­ ever born, and pressed or need no one ever dies. to find yourself? This is because This is because Good instincts, the ‘self’ is not the “self” is not a all. You're a a thing, but a thing, but a produmbass, and process. cess: It is a selfyour attempts to make your­ model that has evolved to make sense of the self feel better about being world around you. Whether a dumbass should feel pro­ the sense it makes is liter­ foundly disappointing and ally true or not is beside the false. I now have hope that point. Because this self-mod­ someday soon all people with el is necessarily transparent high self-esteem will be put to you, “you” are essentially to death. The meek will in­ a system that constantly con­ herit the earth after all; and fuses itself with its own self- man! they're gonna be pissed model. off when they do. Metzinger proposes sev­ Metzinger is a leader in the eral ways of making his coun­ emerging neuroethics field, terintuitive ideas more con­ and the last part of his book crete, including just noticing might be the most urgent to that the process of “waking read, in which he sees a very up” in the morning is literally near future where our rap­ your brain looking for its self- idly expanding knowledge of model mask, lucid dreaming neuroscience collides with and studies involving people capitalism, resulting in peo­ who “feel” limbs they have ple seeking altered states of lost. You can even do an ex­ consciousness, be it through periment at home with the LSD-like drugs or simply help of another person and brain stimulation that results an artificial hand: Put your in spiritual or other-worldly arm on a table and cover it experiences. Ethics itself will up with a box, with the false evolve from concerning what arm sitting on the table next is “correct actions” to what is to it. Have someone stimu­ “correct consciousness,” with late both your arm (under the powerful implications in all box, so you can't see it) and spheres of culture, and it's an the fake arm at the same time. issue we need to start think­ You look at the fake arm being ing about now. While “dignity” is a loaded stroked. After about a minute, while your weird friend term, Metzinger offers as keeps stroking the fake arm, good a definition as any: “the you will continue to “feel” the unconditional will to selfstimulation from your real knowledge, veracity, and fac­ arm, even though it is no lon­ ing the facts. Dignity is the re­ ger being touched, making fusal to humiliate oneself by you feel like a dumbass. simply looking the other way Astronauts lose their sense or escaping to some meta­ of “up” and “down” in space, physical Disneyland.” Some­ and only get reoriented after what paradoxically, Metzing­ a fellow astronaut taps the er argues that, as our sense bottom of the foot so he re- of “self” transforms, our so­ orients to what is “down” – to cietal goal “should always be Metzinger, proving that the to maximize the autonomy of “self” is purely contextual, or the citizenry.” This includes virtual. the moral imperative that The implications of this we “should not increase the are profound when you think overall amount of conscious about it. For instance, how suffering in the universe un­ much of good mental health less we have compelling rea­ today is associated with a sons to do so.” Lest some of this – “no self” “strong sense of self”? May­ be there is something to the and “do no harm” – sound idea that the crazy people are vaguely Buddhist, the book the sane ones. Losing your ends by predicting that our sense of self or having low greatest theoretical challenge self-esteem might be con­ we will have to face is whether textually bad today, but that and how intellectual honesty all might change in 50 years, and spirituality can ever be so that (just as you long sus­ reconciled. It is a question for pected, admit it) your SUV- the future, but one can't help driving, church-going, ca- but think Metzinger's answer reer-climbing neighbor is the would be the same answer he delusional one. Those drug gave to Mary. Check out the Streetvibes blog @ streetvibes.wordpress.com �STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2009 7 Local News Knocking Down Doors to Success (continued from page 1) 1 Dunlap says the students “teach me so much” and that the environment is “a lot of fun. We’re always laughing and joking around with each other.” That doesn’t mean the work is endlessly upbeat, however. “There are a lot of sad sto­ ries, some of which don’t end,” Dunlap says. “There’s only so much we can do. … We can provide a positive at­ mosphere for three hours a day, but then (some students) return to a negative atmo­ sphere.” Two recurring issues the center’s students face are homelessness and child care. Some young adults are tran­ sients – sleeping on other peo­ ple’s couches – and roughly 75 percent are parents. Others face more subtle but equally powerful hindrances. “What do you do when your own family is saying, ‘Why are you trying to be bet­ ter than us?’ ” Dunlap says. Another issue the teachers face is convincing some stu­ dents that the path offered by the center is beneficial, “particularly drug offenders. There’s a lot of money to be made out there, but it’s illegal and very dangerous,” Dunlap says. Convincing disadvantaged students to take an entry-lev­ el job to work up to a higher paying one when it seems employers are turning them away isn’t easy. “We’re here to show them it isn’t difficult to find work – we’ll knock down the doors for them,” Dunlap says. Nor does failing the G.E.D. test the first time mean stu­ dents can’t be helped. “The students will get worn out before we will,” Dunlap says. She cites a Camp Washing­ ton student who didn’t pass until his fifth try. “There isn’t really anyone LCW can’t help,” she says. “Well, they just can’t be rich.” The center serves people who live at or below the pov­ erty level who read at the fourth-grade reading level or above. Those below that level Students at Literacy Center West studying for the G.E.D. test. Photo by Bill Haigh. are referred to the Literacy Network of Greater Cincin­ nati. Literacy Center West serves over 400 people a year. The agency is funded by a mix of government contracts, grants, fundraisers and pri­ vate donations. Literacy Center West is at 3015 Phillips Ave. and also offers programs at Camp Washington Community School and downtown for people on probation and under court orders to attend. For more information, call 513-244-5062. Homeless Families Finish First Report shows startling trend in growth of homelessness By jereMy fLannery Contributing Writer While suburban and rural areas are fac­ ing dramatic increases in homelessness among individuals and families, home­ Families are the rising demographic fall­ lessness continues to disproportionately ing into homelessness in the United States, impact metropolitan areas. One out of five according to the U.S. Department of Hous­ homeless persons in the United States were ing and Urban Development (HUD). in Los Angeles, New York City or Detroit The agency’s 2008 Annual Homeless­ during the point-in-time count on Jan. 1, ness Assessment Report to Congress, re­ 2008. The report shows that homelessness is leased in July, says that between 2007 and concentrated in major cities such as Las Ve­ 2008 “the number of homeless individuals gas, where 91 percent of Nevada’s homeless was fairly stable,” with a decrease of about population live; Phoenix, with 60 percent of 7,500, “while homelessness among persons Arizona’s homeless population; and Phila­ in families increased by about 43,000, or 9 delphia, with 50 percent of Pennsylvania’s percent.” homeless population. HUD defines families as consisting of at The most common demographic of shel­ least one parent 18 years or older and one tered homeless people are individual male child under 18. Women under 30 years of members of racial minorities older than 31 age without male partners and with a child years, and two-fifths of them suffer from 5 years or younger make up the majority of a disability, the report says. About 124,135 homeless families, the report says. homeless persons were chronically home­ The assessment acknowledges that its re­ less, or homeless for at least one year, ac­ porting period ended “just as the economic cording to the report’s January 2008 pointrecession was accelerating,” so estimates of in-time estimate. The number remained the number of homeless families might be relatively unchanged from the 2007 esti­ more dismal today. mate, the report says. Georgine Getty, the executive director of The 2008 assessment says more homeless the Interfaith Hospitality Network, which Georgine Getty with ‘Streetvibes’ vendor Mark Shears. Getty individuals now are people with relatively assists homeless families, says the reces­ is executive director of Interfaith Hospitality Network. high needs. The number of people enter­ sion has created more first-time homeless Photo by Andy Freeze. ing homeless shelters in 2008 increasingly people. came from prisons or hospitals or reported “We are starting to notice more and more suffering disabilities, the report says. Such first-time homeless people because of the economy and people losing their people are either physically restricted from the type of labor they can perform jobs and having to foreclose on their homes,” she says. “I spoke to one guy, and or denied employment due to their criminal records. Also, about 13 percent he said at first his hours were cut and then he was laid off, and so he lost his of the sheltered homeless during the 2008 count were U.S. military veterans, home. We are experiencing greater lengths of stays in shelters because no one and their numbers are expected to increase during the 2009 count, the report is able to find work because of the economy.” says. The Interfaith Hospitality Network assists about 110 homeless families per HUD is adding new counts to assess chronic homelessness among former year, and two-thirds of the people assisted by the organization are children, prisoners and the disabled, along with the Iraq War and Afghanistan War vet­ Getty says. erans returning without a home. The 2009 Annual Homelessness Assessment HUD’s homelessness assessment says 1.6 million people nationwide, or 1 Report will also measure the success of the American Recovery and Reinvest­ out of 190 people, used homeless shelters or transitional housing programs ment Act of 2009, which allocated $1.5 billion for a Homelessness Prevention between October 2007 and September 2008. Twenty percent of them were chil­ Fund. dren, the report says. �8 Local News STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2009 City Layoffs Cause a Fury But maybe the cops won’t be missed By PauL KoPP Contributing Writer 5 meeting, Mayor Mark Mal­ lory denied council members the opportunity to discuss Impending budget deficits the layoffs. Council members for the city of Cincinnati will Leslie Ghiz and Chris Monzel lead to the loss of hundreds then called a special council of city jobs this month. A plan meeting the following night proposed by City Manager at the Duke Energy Center. Milton Dohoney contains 319 The mood at the meeting layoffs, including 138 police was tense, and the large conofficers. ference hall was filled. Some The job cuts, prompted by people held protest signs; projected deficits of $28 mil- one said, “Mallory’s leaderlion this year and $40 million ship is as bad as is his pitchor more for 2010, are sched- ing” – a reference to his cer­ ule to take effect Sept. 6. emonial first pitch at a Reds In an Aug. 5 memo to the game, which was mocked on mayor and city council, Do- national TV. honey called the layoffs “gutSharon Lewis of Westwood, wrenching” but necessary. wearing a large campaign With 80 percent of the city’s button supporting Coun­ expenses going to personnel cilwoman Leslie Ghiz, sug­ costs, trying to close the defi- gested eliminating “duplicate cit gap leaves few options, he social services” jobs. She said said. to Mallory, “The only “You have to other op“It is very clear that have a body­ tion would be the layoffs can be guard, so we new money prevented if the need police.” coming from bargaining units The comment somewhere to agree to six furlough p r o m p t e d cover the exdays, and in some loud applause penses,” Doinstances (waive) from the audihoney said. “At the cost-of-living ence. this point our increase, but those Police offiexpenses exdiscussions are still cers and supceed our revongoing.” porters told enue.” - Councilwoman council that The city Roxanne Qualls laying off 138 hasn’t faced will make the this type of city less safe. budget crisis since the ear“Just wait until these cuts ly 1980s. While the budget are made,” said Kim Evans, a crunch reflects the national member of Citizens on Patrol. recession, Councilwoman "The drug dealers and prostiRoxanne Qualls says some tutes are saying they are gocouncil decisions exacerbat- ing to run this city.” ed the problem. For example, But Dohoney and Police police and fire budgets have Chief Tom Streicher Jr. have gone up 37.1 percent since said that the number of of2000, including 6 percent in- ficers assigned to neighborcreases in personnel costs, hood patrols won’t change. she says. Though council spent a Cincinnati’s financial prob- large part of the meeting lislems aren’t unique, according tening to comments from the to Meg Olberding, spokes- public, Chris Smitherman, woman for the city manager. president of the Cincinnati “ABC News reported that Chapter of the National Assoover 69 cities across the coun- ciation for the Advancement try are seeking concessions of Colored People and an outor furloughs for their employ- spoken critic of city policies, ees,” she says. “The city bud- says the meeting was only a get is based on the private- platform for council to prosector economy, and it is not mote their own agendas. going well. This is part of the “The selfishness in calleconomic process that hap- ing the emergency meeting pens with government.” is not to show that they care what the public thinks,” SmiProstitutes’ therman says. “It’s really to power grab? wash their hands of the city manager's layoff recommenDohoney’s plan sparked a dations because he is not an public outcry. Amid booing elected official, but it's an by a crowd at council’s Aug. election year for council.” ! ? t a h W y a Council members Bortz and Crowley discuss the city’s budget with aides at an August 5 meeting. City Council held several special public hearings regarding the city’s budget. Photo by George Ellis. Vice Mayor David Crowley manager and said he has to city administration are nego­ says some of his colleagues keep these 138 officers. Some tiating with unions to try to see an opportunity for dema- people will say that there are save some jobs. goguery. other places in the police de“It is very clear that the “(The police oflayoffs can be pre­ ficers at the spevented if the barcial meeting) were “The fact is that Streicher has not come gaining units agree a ready-made au- forward to the manager and said he has to six furlough dience for a po- to keep these 138 officers. ... To the best days, and in some sition that says, of my knowledge he has not come forth instances (waive) ‘I’ll keep your job and said he is willing to cut anything the cost-of-living no matter what.’ else. I think (Streicher) is saying, ‘All increase, but those Well, the ‘no matright, they’re going to take them away discussions are ter what’ is comfrom me, we’ll lose them.’ ” still ongoing,” she ing back to bite us - Vice Mayor David Crowley says. in the ass,” CrowThe layoffs will ley says. “While it go into effect Sept. may be good political staging partment that (Streicher) can 6, so the decisions must be to make those type of com- cut from, and if he did make made by then, Qualls says. ments, it’s not realistic, it’s those cuts, he would be able Olberding says she doesn’t not right and it’s misleading.” to keep some of the officers. think the city manager’s of­ To the best of my knowledge fice will find a way to save The chief isn’t he has not come forth and those jobs. complaining said he is willing to cut any“The 138 police officers thing else. I think (Streicher) have received their notices, Crowley is referring to a is saying, ‘All right, they’re go- and barring any action, their faction on council who want ing to take them away from jobs will be eliminated on to find a way to prevent any me, we’ll lose them.’ ” Sept. 6,” she says. police layoffs while also not Streicher didn’t respond to Berding and Councilman increasing taxes. The group a request for an interview. Greg Harris agreed to phone includes Ghiz, Monzel, Jeff Streicher doesn’t seem to interviews but didn’t call, Berding and Christopher perceive the police layoffs as didn’t return messages and Bortz. Both Crowley and a threat to public safety, ac- didn’t answer e-mails from a Qualls say they have yet to cording to Qualls. reporter. Council members hear any plan from the fac“The number of police of- Laketa Cole, Bortz, Ghiz, and tion. ficers that are scheduled to be Monzel didn’t respond to in“I think it is an absolutely laid off is the exact number terview requests via e-mail. ridiculous position,” Crow- that council has added since An assistant to Councilman ley says. “I don’t understand 2000, which Chief Streicher Cecil Thomas said Thomas it. There’s a lot of politics in has publicly said in the past was on vacation. this. The fact is that Streicher he did not need,” Qualls says. has not come forward to the Qualls says Mallory and the “People are only mean when they are threatened... and that’s what our culture does. That’s what our economy does. Even people who have jobs in our economy are threatened, because they worry about losing them. And when you get threatened, you start looking out only for yourself. You start making money a god. It is all part of this culture.” - Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom S _____________________ �STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2009 9 Film Review Bombs Without, Explosives Within ‘The Hurt Locker’ is about the volatility of character By WiLLiaM KirscHner Contributing Writer Anthony Mackie) and Spec. Owen Elridge (Brian Ger­ aghty), whose safety depends “War is a drug,” said for­ on their ability to work to­ mer New York Times reporter gether. Chris Hedges. In The Hurt Their personal issues, how­ Locker, Staff ever, make it Sgt. William hard for them to James, played The most work together. by Jeremy Ren­ surprising thing The combina­ nar, is a fullabout the movie tion of an adren­ blown addict. is that, rather than aline junkie, a The film fol­ focus on the larger man who fears lows Bravo Co., political issues of death is around an explosive- the war, it focuses every corner ordnance dis­ on the character and an overly posal squad in of the soldiers cautious soldier Baghdad, Iraq fighting it. with nothing to in 2004. Direc­ go home to cre­ tor Kathryn ates a volatile Bigelow (Point Break) shows squad dynamic. it’s not a job for the faint of The movie doesn’t disap­ heart. The squad has to get point when it comes to the ac­ up close with improvised ex­ tion sequences. A long sniper plosive devices (IEDS), which duel leaves fans on the edges have been the trademark of their seats for what feels weapon of the insurgency in like an hour. Whenever Bra­ Iraq. vo Co. is disarming a bomb, The most surprising thing you’ll find yourself holding about the movie is that, rath­ your breath. er than focus on the larger What makes the action se­ political issues of the war, it quences so good is the sus­ focuses on the character of pense created by the lulls in the soldiers fighting it. Bravo action. When Bravo Co. is dis­ Co. is comprised of a three arming a bomb, they have to man team, including James, deal with the fact that anyone Sgt. J.T. Seaborn (played by around them could be trying to kill them. A man in civil­ ian clothes with a cell phone could detonate the bomb and kill them. The Hurt Locker doesn’t spared viewers any of the gore, and the end result of an IED is one of the goriest things you’ll ever see. Rennar's performance is superb. He goes through the full range of emotions from cocksure bomb disarmer to crying in the shower with his clothes on. Rennar’s charac­ ter is the most believable and the most unique action movie character I’ve ever seen. His bravado seems so real, but the movie reveals his very hu­ man side when he leaves the compound to try and find the killer of a young Iraqi boy. This movie is testosteronepacked. A perfect example is the time the squad spends behind the wire in the com­ pound. Drinking and wres­ tling in their time off quickly turns into a test to see who the “ultimate man” is. But like the rest of the movie, Bigelow turns the scene on its head. Hand-held camera shots create a shaky, gritty feel that works surprisingly well. The angles of the shots are in­ novative, often coming from the top or side to give you a different view of the action. Barry Ackroyd, director of photography, does an amaz­ ing job making the most of the Jordanian location, creat­ ing an interesting and believ­ able set. The movie is exhilarating at some points, depressing at others but doesn't have a boring moment. Don’t go to see the The Hurt Locker look­ ing for lighthearted summer fun but rather an interesting character study. �10 STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2009 Creative Writing Short Story A Series of Photographs A story told in images By MicHaeL Henson Contributing Writer A series of black-and-white photographs: set on the streets of a city. The streets are background, not in focus. But in each picture we discern a gray haze of old brick and old, cut stone. In some of the pictures, windows mirror the streets and the people who pass on them. In corners or in the distance, we see cars and buses. These are busy, daylight streets. They throb with poverty; they shimmer with human density. In the light around them, there is a hint of the sea. These photographs are all of the same person, a woman. In some, she appears to be almost a child. In others, she seems to be very old, very hard. She might be from these streets; she might have her home in some other place. Anything made clear in one picture is undone and redefined in the next. Her eyes in one look clear as water; in another, dark, swollen, eva­ sive. Below each eye is a thin gray moon. Bruises? Worry? Days without sleep? Drugs? Could we give those dark places a name or a history? She wears a pea coat. So the weather was cool when the pic­ tures were taken. But it was not winter. Some of the people walk by in light jackets. No one hunkers his shoulders against the hawk of a wind. No one blows into her hands for warmth. Something in the light says November. The light sandy grays in the walls and sidewalks contrast with her pea coat and the dark moons under her eyes. She stands at or near the center of each photograph, a clear darkness, painfully sharp against the background of streets, staircases, gangs of people, sign­ boards. In one picture, she leans back against a blank, brick wall. Her eyes gaze off camera, her dark hair falls loose to her shoul­ ders, her mouth is slightly open. Her tongue just touches her teeth as if she had just lost the word she would have spoken. Her hands at her sides are flattened against the wall. The pea coat is buttoned. Heavy, it makes her dark, breastless, a bell. Another: A torso shot. Still the same pea coat. Still the same streets surrounding. She stands against a wall covered with tattered bills and posters. Her face turns to her shoulder. Her eyes are cast to her left, and down. Her collar is open and we see the muscle and shadow in her neck. Her skin is smooth as stone, shadowed in the cheeks and eyes. Her long dark hair trails back, pulled perhaps by the wind; several strands and wisps go where they will. But for the coat with its dark, fraying collar and but for the dark and undisciplined wisp of hair that crosses her cheek, she could be taken for a museum marble. But the eyes are not the passive eyes of the museum woman. The brows cinch together in a knot. The eyes are sharp and determined; they brood and pierce. Another: she is wearing a wide, Kansas-girl straw hat. It frames her face like a ball of sun. Her face is open in a wide sunflower smile. The smile brings up the hollows under her eyes into wrinkles like an old woman or like a small child squinting into the light. The wall, her face, and her hands are full of light. Light dances under the hat. Light dances even against the darkness of her eyes. Her eager shoulders lean for­ ward. Her hands are folded around a coffee mug. The picture carries a sound of laughter. Another: The hat is gone; she embraces a child. Her arms cross the little girl’s back. The girl’s face is half-buried in the pea coat. The woman’s hair is tousled, roped-up, thick. One hank has fallen across her face and partially obscures it. But we still see her worried eyes. The gray moons are gone. Her brows, very black, flex together. Her lashes, very black, hang low. Her hair stretches across the face of the child like a raven’s broken wing. The action is not clear: Has she embraced the child? Has she staggered and fallen against her? Another: Alone: Freeze-frame: in profile: hatless, head back, her hair strung back over her shoulders. She holds a bottle of cheap wine aimed like a pistol to her mouth. Poetry La Raza Park By Lea Drury Under the Potrero Bridge I sleep beside Benny, Sprout and Bakkus and the French Canadian girls from Quebec. We were. We were with the ants and rats, near rabid homebums and FTRA – their death camps guarding us like bulldogs. And End: Less: Ly: pez automotives spill past the Cesar Chavez off-ramp, all lit-up like a drive-in, a movie screen, lights dancing a hummingbird’s frenzy: our Tent City. Sometimes the men in rubber. Armor the ones who found pleasure in salting slugs came. Like stealth black ooze over our Great wall – fondling their pistols in anticipation. They remember me that night. It was me penetrating them saying, “I Am a human. Being. I am your little Sister.” They were silent. A moment of silence. Cuba’s jaw was broken. Just. Like the Nortenos, I thought, no better were their own ways of demanding respect. Gentrification - a.k.a. Get the Fuck Out! By Dana Divine Out with the tired, old, poor, we want something easy on the eyes. How about a nice café, Maybe some upscale clothing shops. The people need better living conditions, I’m for some new condos (market rate of course!) Why don’t these people get their shit together, Pull themselves up from their bootstraps? Turn that frown upside down, make those lemons into lemonade. Try getting a goddamn job, make a contribution to society. This community is growing, expanding, we’re trying to rebuild and reinvent. We don’t want to kick people to the curb, maybe they can just scoot out of the way. Let’s not allow anyone to slow us down, change must be painless and quick. This world is forever changing, Only the strongest can keep up, it’s a Darwinian thing, the survival of the richest. There is no progress without casualties, it’s the American way by God! Nearly Lacerated by a Weed Whacker By D. H. KerBy Destitute, hungry, thirsty, With no bed to sleep in, Sleeping in streets Patrolled by soldiers Under martial law, Days after a coup d’état, Expecting money from my mother Through Western Union, Which refused to cooperate with me, Though Amy Goodman has reported That it cooperates with the CIA, I became, As I think anyone would under those cir­ cumstances, Obstreperous and even a little bellicose. Finally deciding that the Western Union office would not Be persuaded that I was to be funded, I lay down in front of the building, Intending to sleep there as a form of pro­ test. Here came the gardener with the weed whacker, Closer, closer and closer to my prostrate Body, clearly threatening to lacerate me; Ultimately, he drove me off. �STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2009 11 Vendor Voice I Tell of Two Cities More homeless in Atlanta, but more help in Cincinnati 1 By riccarDo tayLor StreetvibeS venDor nizations. Yet I am sure Atlanta’s city government is not as committed money-wise to their homeless population as Cincinnati. And as far as having voice in a political sense, there is only silence in the city of Atlanta. Homeless people in both cities depend greatly on individuals and organizations, i.e. churches, non-profit hu- with a larger homeless pop­ ulation that can be understood. However, I find that I believe most are aware Atlanta's shelters are less of the national homeless accommodating and less problems in America. And of attractive. Most are highly course it would be easy to be­ unsanitary compared to lieve that the larger the city, Cincinnati even that leaves the more people there would a lot to be desired. Cincin­ be in that situation. There­ nati has one-up on Atlanta fore, one would assume that in that area. Still, there are the larger the city, the more some in Atlanta in which resources there minimal comfort are for the home­ can be obtained. less right? Well, I Homeless people in both cities Generally, Atlan­ don't know what depend greatly on individuals and ta’s shelters are on the national sta­ organizations, i.e. churches, non-profit a first-come firsttistics are, but I humanitarian groups, etc.; and in street served basis, with can tell you my terms, these types of organizations are closing time at 7 personal experi­ a blessing for Atlanta’s misfortunate. pm. One is out be­ ence in two cities Cincinnati has more places that have tween 4 and 6 a.m., that face home­ full meal service than Atlanta. depending on the less problems. shelter, and in the This is not streets until admit­ meant to be an in-depth re­ manitarian groups, etc. and ting time, which is around port on the conditions or in street terms, these types of 4 p.m. There are no day a claim to know the exact organizations are a blessing centers in Atlanta. One has numbers of individuals who for Atlanta's misfortunate. to indulge in the universal are homeless. However, it is Cincinnati has more places ritual of street people – to meant to be an overview of that have full meal service keep on moving. the essential differences in than Atlanta. There are more Cincinnati has a public the way the homeless prob­ shelters in Atlanta but many bath house where home­ lem is dealt with in the cities do not either feed or offer less people can take care of Atlanta and Cincinnati. even a simple bowl of soup. of their hygienic needs My experiences with street This is in contrast to Cincin­ and change clothes. The life and homelessness in At­ nati, where one can get two shelters in both cities of­ Riccardo Taylor is a veteran vendor. Photo by Aimie Willhoite. lanta and Cincinnati are not full-course meals daily. Oth­ fer bathing facilities, but so much in the difference in erwise, private food sources clothing is a bit harder to its adherents as it is the com­ in Atlanta are churches and come by in Atlanta. The clos­ people simply cannot, such For those of our community munity responses to the situ­ individuals who pass out bag est thing to a public bath­ as the mentally ill, drug and faced with homelessness, ations, particularly within the lunches from their vehicles. house is the Gateway, a 24­ alcohol addicts, children and there are a few things we can local government. In Cincin­ On weekends, one must hour resource center. the elderly. When a commu­ be thankful for. I cannot give nati, I have seen few local stand in the many downstairs Many more of the home­ nity is faced with such a real­ a whole lot of praise for city demonstrations directed at parking lots where neighbors less in Atlanta sleep on the ity, then the government that government in enactments the local governments, such come to feed the people. streets than in Cincinnati. should be the first supporter, to ease the life of the home­ as marches and protests over Of course there are a few Of course, there are more of the first voice, the first lead in less, yet I know that we have the treatment of the home­ more feeding places in At­ them, but percentage-wise, working for a solution – and fewer enactments against us less as compared to Atlanta. lanta, but for the most part there are more sleeping on if not for the homeless, then than those in Atlanta. The In the year I spent in Atlanta they are inaccessible to many the streets as well. I suppose, never against. churches in both cities de­ from 2005-6, I witnessed three of the people who need them in part, it is the conditions, Cincinnati is blessed to serve praise, but what I be­ major events of protest by the or open only on particular rules and policies of Atlanta's have a homeless coalition lieve is the most distinguish­ homeless that were directed days. I do have a lot of praise shelters that make them less that is active and resourceful ing and optimal difference at the city government. It is for the churches for their part appealing than those in Cin­ in the fight to bring equality is our homeless coalition – a my opinion that the home­ in feeding the people. It's cinnati. Whatever the reason amongst its citizenry. Atlan­ group of concerned citizens less plight is one that Atlan­ just my observation that in might be, Atlanta has more tans in the same predica­ and organizations who care ta's city government tries to Cincinnati you have a better cardboard shantytowns than ment have no outside voice, and get involved to make a ignore for the most part. I can chance of obtaining a regu­ Cincinnati. they have no coalition and difference. say that one particular entity, lar balanced diet if you are I believe that an individual find themselves often at the Gateway Resource Center, homeless. should be responsible for mercy of political whims or is backed somewhat by City Again, Atlanta has more his own welfare, yet many the graces of some church or Hall with several other orga­ shelters than Cincinnati, and instances show that some other religious organization. No to Socialism, No to Right Wing But that’s not at stake in health-care reform By jennifer BLaLocK Contributing Writer As the conversation about universal health coverage heats up, the word “social­ ism” is being tossed about like a contagious disease to be avoided. Do you believe that America could embrace socialism? Would greater gov­ ernment involvement to pro­ vide health insurance to all citizens lead us down a slip­ pery slope into socialism? When I see protesters holding signs saying, “No to Socialism,” I wonder what they’re saying “no” to. What do they mean by “socialism”? Men and women at town halls across the country are visibly shaking with emotion and anger, fearful that our coun­ try will succumb to it. The American Heritage Dictionary of Cultural Literacy defines socialism as “an eco­ nomic system in which the production and distribution of goods are controlled sub­ stantially by the government rather than by private enter­ prise and in which coopera­ tion rather than competition guides economic activity.” There is a wide variety or continuum of socialist beliefs and practices ranging from tolerating capitalism to more strict “communist” versions that abolish private enter­ prise. The definition doesn’t clearly delineate the differ­ ences between socialism and free enterprise – it begs the question: How much govern­ ment control, cooperation or competition should guide economic activity? What is “substantial” or too much control? In America, we’re not a 100 percent laissez-faIre, free en­ terprise system – we’ve been debating the pros and cons of government control since the inception of our republic. For the protesters and conserva­ tive commentators, their un­ derlying issue seems to be the standard “big government vs. small government” argument wrapped in a fear-laced pack­ age implying that, if we don’t get it right, down the slippery slope we’ll go, falling into plague-infested waters with the implication that social­ ism will destroy the fabric of our nation. I lived in France for eight years, was married to a Frenchman and learned through experience and ob­ servation how socialism de­ fines and influences a society. France isn’t officially a so­ cialist country; it’s a republic with close ties to the birth of socialism and a strong social­ ist party (the Parti Socialiste). See Socialism, p. 14 �12 Vendor Profile STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2009 Generous Patrons by the YMCA Some ‘Streetvibes’ customers buy more than one copy By jereMy fLannery Contributing Writer Streetvibes vendor Tyrone “Terry” Ranson boasts about some of his generous custom­ ers. A Cincinnati Police officer from District One buys a copy from Ranson twice a week. A customer at the YMCA buys seven or eight copies of the same issue on different days. “He’ll say, ‘Hey Terry, let me get another copy of Streetvibes,’ Ranson says. “So I’ll say, ‘You already bought three,’ and he’ll say, ‘OK, I’ll just give it to someone else.’ ” Ranson sells Streetvibes to pay rent, bills and buy gro­ ceries, he says. “Sales are slowly picking up,” he says. “I’m making my way to paying rent on time along with getting groceries and other necessities.” Ranson also sells the news­ paper to regain the commer­ cial towing license he lost in 2005. He has been a vendor for almost a year and usually sells at the YMCA on Central Parkway to various regular customers. “You get to meet a lot of people through selling,” Ranson says. “That’s what I like most about it – meeting people and making friends. You’ll meet people that’ll talk to you for five or 10 minutes, and people that just don’t want to talk. Some people you just Terry Ranson uses his ‘Streetvibes’ earnings to pay rent and buy groceries. Photo by Bill Haigh. got to feel your way around them. There will be people that’ll give you $5 for one paper or people that’ll buy a bunch at once.” Ranson was homeless for three years and stayed at the Drop-Inn Center until Octo- ber 2008, he says. He moved into his apartment in Overthe-Rhine in November. “Being at the Drop-Inn Center was tough because there were set times – when it was time to eat, when it was time to watch TV and Crossword when it was time to sleep,” he says. “You would have to go outside for certain activities like smoking a cigarette, of course, or to go to the Med Van. But, you know, it’s better than nothing.” Ranson, 54, has lived in Cincinnati all his life and has been sober for 21 years, he says. He has two granddaugh­ ters whom he visits whenever possible. He also tries to help other vendors through emo­ tional difficulties when he can, he says. Sudoku across 1. Stays 4. Brand 8. Ottoman Empire (7,6) 13. Lots 14. Shut in 15. Minor role 16. Stay too long 18. Lascivious 19. Ruptured 21. Female name 23. As well 27. Thoroughfare 31. Swordsman 33. Resort lake 34. Tall palm tree 35. Piece of news 36. Security operative (5,8) 37. Cold-shoulder 38. Contraction of need not Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits 1 through 9. DoWn 2. Harsh 3. Installment 5. Lure 6. Sand and cement 7. To do with religious study 9. City in central New York 10. Recognized 11. Troublesome person 12. Knowledgeable about 17. Yeah 20. Owns 22. Thing 24. Spiking 25. Polluted air 26. Expression of discomfort 28. Curse 29. Mild warning 30. Website 32. Helicopter feature The fundamental goal of a Sudoku puzzle is to use the provid­ ed numbers, or givens, to discover which numbers logically fill in the empty squares. The only rule of Sudoku is that each of the nine rows, each of the nine columns, and each of the nine 3x3 subsections must contain all of the numbers from one to nine, and each number consequently can occur in each row, column and subsection only once. Solutions on Page 15 �STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2009 13 Editorial Stop Snitching, for Justice’s Sake How over incarceration contributed to the stop-snitching movement By suHitH WicKreMa Contributing Writer Paul Butler, a former federal prosecutor, in his book, Let’s Get Free, writes, “Sometimes Earlier this year my daugh­ the most patriotic act is not ter, Angela and her boyfriend to help the police.” bought a house in Roselawn. Of course, there are people At a belated Fathers Day who support Angela’s phi­ brunch, Angela losophy, including shared that she had Hamilton Coun­ wanted to call the In 1975 ty Coroner, Dr. police on the “dope the annual O’dell Owens. A boys” hanging incarceration few years ago Ow­ around the street rate in this ens arrived at the corner. Her boy­ country scene of a drive-by friend protested. was about shooting in North He said that calling 110 people Fairmount. About the police would be for every 200 neighbors had snitching. 100,000 in the gathered. No wit­ I was impressed population. nesses were step­ with him, a firstToday it is ping forward to year law student. 751. help the police. I was somewhat Owens stood in surprised at An­ front of the crowd gela. Was this evidence that and bellowed, “Who’s going her MBA had more influence to stand up?” on her than my parenting? I In a 60 Minutes interview mused that, even in the best about snitching, Geoffrey of circumstances stepfathers Canada, a social activist and have limited influence on CEO of the Harlem Children’s their step kids, and consoled Zone, lamented, “When I was myself. growing up, kids used to talk Angela’s boyfriend was in about snitching. It never ex­ good company. James Duane, tended as a cultural norm a law professor at Regent Law outside the gangsters. It was School, in a public lecture ti­ not for regular citizens. It is tled, “Don’t Talk to the Police,” now a cultural norm that is states, “I will never talk to any being preached in poor com­ police officer under any cir­ munities.” cumstances.” Duane tells the How did not snitching go story of Eddie Joe Lloyd, who from being a code among had written to the police, criminals to a norm among suggesting how to solve sev­ some law-abiding citizens? eral murders. Lloyd was con­ What changed from the time victed of committing one of Canada was growing up in those murders. After spend­ the 1960s and early 1970s to ing 17 years in prison, DNA now? evidence exonerated him. One reason might be the Interested in volunteering with Streetvibes? Contact Greg Flannery at 513-421-7803 x 12 or by e-mail at streetvibes2@ yahoo.com over-use of incarceration and its ineffectiveness. In 1975 the annual incarceration rate in this country was about 110 people for every 100,000 in the population. Today it is 751. The National Crime Victimization Survey reports stable rates of violent crimes since 1973. We have locked up more and more people over the past 30 years. However, we have not seen a reduction in the number of crime vic­ tims. This is ample evidence that our criminal justice sys­ tem is broken. Prison enthusiasts argue that harsh prison sentenc­ es and mass incarceration act as deterrence to people committing crimes: “If we increase the cost of commit­ ting a crime, people will stop committing crimes.” This was New York Gov. Nelson Rocke­ feller’s thinking in 1973 when he enacted the harsh manda­ tory laws against drug deal­ ers and users. This was the same thinking by U.S. House Speaker Tip O’Neill in 1986 when he supported harsher sentences for crack-cocaine dealers and users compared to sentences for users and dealers of powder cocaine. The problem with this theory is that criminals don’t do a cost-benefit analysis before committing a crime. Over-policing and exces­ sive incarceration of drug dealers might even contribute to more young people getting involved in the drug trade. As long as there is a stable demand for drugs, there will be enterprising young people willing to meet this demand. When the police arrest a drug dealer, there will be another to take his place. Criminolo­ gists call this the “replace­ ment effect.” Most inmates in state prisons tend to come from a handful of neighborhoods. This means that, in certain neighborhoods, almost all the residents might know someone who is in prison or has been in prison. At the same time people in these neighborhoods have not ex­ perienced a reduction in vic­ timization. Life experience has taught them that talking to the police does not help. Residents in high-crime areas do not need statistical data or criminological concepts to know that the current crimi­ nal justice policy is not work­ ing. So why cooperate with a broken system? Why talk to the police? Not talking to the police has become an act of passive resistance. “All men recognize the right of revolution – that is, the right to refuse allegiance to, and to resist, the govern­ ment when its tyranny or its inefficiency are great and unendurable.”- Henry David Thoreau “We got over two million motherfuckers locked up. Stop snitchin’”- Hip-hop art­ ist Ice Cube With more than two mil­ lion of my fellow citizens in prisons, I see the act of not cooperating with the police as an act of civil disobedi­ ence. I hope you join me. �14 STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2009 Local News No to Socialism (continued from page 11) Reader Survey Dear Readers, Over the last year, we have worked hard to improve the content, design and overall program of Streetvibes. We would greatly appreciate you taking the time to fill out this brief reader survey. We value your feedback and opinions. Please return your survey to 117 E. 12th Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. You may also e-mail your responses to streetvibeslayout@gmail.com. If you have other information or comments please feel free to let us know when you return your survey. Thank you, Gregory Flannery Editor People tape posters featuring altered photos of President Barack Obama to a table at a town hall in California. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok The French enjoy health care for ev- example, when I shared the idea that eryone, decent job security and state- in America the quality of a school is paid education but businesses also normally determined by the wealth endure a high degree of regulation, of a neighborhood or city, my French which I believe diminishes competi- friends were shocked and disgusted. tion and entrepreneurism. For them, money should never deterBased on my experience, I, too, say mine the opportunity to have a qual­ “no” to socialism but don’t feel the ity education. least bit threatened by it as we debate Thanks to our history, we’re allabout health-care reform. First, it’s not a “manifest destiny” and the “American dreaded disease – it has merits for the dream” – an ideology that is our greatpeople it serves; it is congruent with est export. Have you ever heard of the their value system. Second, in Ameri- French dream? How about the Dutch ca, our culture would never embrace dream? The possibility of the Ameri­ the ideology or values that support can dream is deeply embedded in our socialist governments. collective consciousness, and I beSocialism is broadly defined as an lieve it vaccinates us from becoming “economic system” but from a prac- a socialist nation. tical perspective, I argue that socialFrance has an excellent health-care ist practices thrive in a country like system but also has significant conFrance because it’s a system of gov- trols over commerce. For example, the ernment that French governmakes sense ment decides the to the people. For socialism to work, hours of business When viewed there has to be a greater operation, who within their hisvalue placed on equality can be open on torical and culand fraternity than on the Sunday or when tural context, it’s individualism that is so a store can have no mystery that prevalent in the States. a sale. Amazon. the French culcom in France ture readily emwas sued by the braces their brand of socialism. French Booksellers Union for offering The modern French Republic free shipping to customers because emerged after the bloody French it created an “unfair” advantage and Revolution (1789-1799), which deci- Amazon chose to pay 1,000 euros a mated the longstanding monarchy. day rather than change its policy. The founding principles are “Liberty, Those who are not realizing the Equality and Fraternity.” In 19th- American dream, who are underem­ century Europe, socialist philosophy ployed, uninsured and falling through emerged in part in reaction to the the social safety net might yearn for a perceived ills of the Industrial Revo- more responsive, empathetic or so­ lution – it threatened their primary cialist government but I don’t think values. we could ever emulate the European The founding principles of our re- models. One needs to appreciate the public are “Life, Liberty and the Pur- complex weave of inner values, histo­ suit of Happiness.” There is a huge ry and cultural context. For every perdifference between America’s history ceived advantage of the French brand – fighting off colonialism, creating of socialism, I could provide many a federation of 50 states, building a examples of how the system does not market system – and a country like work (for me, an American). France. We, too, reacted to industrialWould a public option that would ism by creating regulations and laws provide health insurance to everyone such as the Child Labor Act; but we lead us down the road to socialism? didn’t adopt socialism. I don’t think so. Debating the adBelieve me, we don’t think or oper- vantages and disadvantages of govate like French people. We might val- ernment control is productive and ue similar ideas (i.e., family is prima- essential but when the threat of so­ ry, wine is good) but our cultural DNA cialism is used to incite fear, the abil­ circulating is markedly different. For ity to substantively debate the issues socialism to work, there has to be a disappears. I say “no” to vitriolic fear greater value placed on equality and tactics. fraternity than on the individualism that is so prevalent in the States. For Why do you buy Streetvibes? Where do you buy Streetvibes? What do you like most about Streetvibes? What do you like least about Streetvibes? What would you like to see in Streetvibes that isn’t in the paper now? Gender: (circle) Age: (circle) Income: (circle) Male Under 18 40 – 49 Less than $10,000 Female 19 – 29 50 – 59 $10,000 - $14,999 30 – 39 60 + $15,000 - $24,999 $25,000 - $34,999 Race: (circle all that apply) African American/ Black $35,000 - $49,999 Pacific Islander $50,000 - $69,999 White $70,000 and above Asian Hispanic Other: _____________________ Don’t forget to send us your survey. 117 E. 12th Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 or streetvibeslayout@gmail.com �STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2009 15 Resources Need Help or Want to Help? Shelter: Women and Children Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 Health Resource Center Homeless Mobile Health Van McMicken Dental Clinic 357-4602 352-2902 352-6363 Mental Health Access Point Mercy Franciscan at St. John 558-8888 981-5800 NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach 458-6670 977-4489 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 Central Access Point Cincinnati Union Bethel 381-SAFE 768-6907 Bethany House 557-2873 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 Salvation Army 762-5660 Treatment: Men 872-9259 Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 DIC Live In Program Prospect House 721-0643 921-1613 Starting Over 961-2256 300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224 131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter Shelter: Men City Gospel Mission 1419 Elm Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 241-5525 Justice Watch 241-0490 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Mt. Airy Shelter 661-4620 Shelter: Both 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 3600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 St. Vincent de Paul 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 562-8841 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45202 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Other Resources Center Independent Living Options Emmanuel Community Center 241-2600 241-2563 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 Goodwill industries Healing Connections Mary Magdalen House 771-4800 751-0600 721-4811 People Working Cooperatively The Caring Place United Way Women Helping Women 351-7921 631-1114 211 977-5541 1308 Race St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 214 E. 14th St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Treatment: Women First Step Home 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 961-4663 Treatment: Both 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Anthony House (Youth) 961-4080 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 AA Hotline CCAT Drop Inn Center 721-0643 Joseph House (Veterans) 241-2965 Interfaith Hospitality Network Lighthouse Youth Center (Youth) 471-1100 221-3350 Hamilton County ADAS Board Recovery Health Access Center Sober Living Talbert House 946-4888 281-7422 681-0324 641-4300 Hamilton/Middletown Catholic Social Action Community Action Agency Contact Center 421-3131 569-1840 381-4242 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center 859-491-8303 Franciscan JPIC Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 721-4700 421-7803 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. Legal Aid Society Ohio Justice & Policy Center Faces Without Places Stop AIDS 579-8547 241-9400 421-1108 363-3300 421-2437 ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 Women’s Crisis Center VA Domiciliary VA Homeless 859-491-3335 859-559-5011 859-572-6226 2728 Glendora Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45209 1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237 217 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 3330 Jefferson, Cinti, Ohio 45220 Housing: CMHA Excel Development OTR Community Housing 721-4580 632-7149 381-1171 Tender Mercies 721-8666 Tom Geiger House Dana Transitional Bridge Services Volunteers of America 961-4555 751-0643 381-1954 114 W. 14th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 27 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Food/Clothing Lord’s Pantry OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 621-5300 961-1983 OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 351-0422 381-6672 Advocacy 1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Health Center for Respite Care 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 1223 Main St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 863-3184 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 621-1868 Puzzle Solutions �16 Column STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2009 Using Art to Build Understanding Jeff Casto’s work documents and focuses on the spiritual dimension 1 “I grew up in a small town in rural West Virginia,” says Jeff Casto. “Art was not part of my daily existence there, however, and as early as I can remember, I had a kind of exotic attraction to art; and whenever offered in grade or high school, I really absorbed it and wanted more and more of it.” Casto, who holds a bachelor of fine arts de­ gree in painting from the Art Academy of Cincinnati and a master of fine arts degree from the University of Cincin­ nati, creates constructed 3-D paintings and sculptures with found objects – discarded material, scraps and re­ cycled junk parts. His pieces are a metaphor for his gen­ eral approach to art, recreating his own world in order to communicate his views and messages. Casto’s work addresses a variety of social, political, en­ vironmental and personal topics, often in a metaphor­ ic, poetic and whimsical way. When addressing racism, sexism and homophobia, for instance, he constructed a six-foot-tall sculpture representing a giant skyscraper, a metaphor for an isolating tower, with slang, slurs and derogatory words on its walls and a large heart made of stone inside it. Some viewers reacted negatively to the words, prompting thinking and awareness of reality. His social interest started as a child seeing a lot of un­ fairness even in the most privileged places. When he first came to Cin­ cinnati for col­ lege, Casto was shocked to see a man sleeping in a car for sev­ as eral days. He later realized that this wasn’t By Dr. saaD gHosn an isolated in- Contributing Writer stance and that ‘Folly of the Fearful,’ by Jeff Casto. Photo by Saad Ghosn. many people in the city didn’t have homes. He encountered poverty in many places and became in­ creasingly aware of the many social and political problems facing Casto based Folly of the Fearful on Aesop’s fable, “The Bald Man society. and the Flies,” in which a man attacked by flies hurts his head by Creating powerful images with a strong visual impact, Casto uses swatting at them. Casto saw an analogy between the moral of the his art to tell a story, to communicate and move the viewer. Art is an fable and the might-oriented, fear-based, military answer to the soessential and important part of his daily life, cathartic in its making, called threat of “terrorism.” Instead of intelligently analyzing and but also communicative of his concerns, hopes and fears. He wants addressing the root causes of the problem, Bush’s response was his art to make a statement and trigger change. based on fear and overuse of power –detrimental and self-injuri­ “I want my art to express messages with relevance today and to­ ous, as proven in the Iraq war. morrow, a human relevance, things that keep resonating a hundred To convey his message, Casto con­ years from now,” he says. “I want my art to bring about a greater structed his piece like a home interior. understanding of our world and contribute to its betterment.” He used an inverted exterior window “My dream is to live in a harmonious, Casto’s construction painting, Folly of the Fearful, was a response frame as an allegory for a world turned peaceful and just to the fear-mongering climate following the September 2001 ter­ upside-down and put in its center, society where negative rorist attacks and what he thought was the short-sightedness and constructed from discarded objects, issues would not need self righteousness of the Bush administration’s reaction. the large figure of a frightened metallic to be addressed in cowboy surrounded and art.” - Jeff Casto attacked by mosqui­ toes and flies. The man stands tall, displaying his strength, much bigger than his opponents; but in reality, very vulnerable, not knowing how to deal with them; he ends up hurting himself more. In the background, Casto added a clock, a metaphor for fleeting time and a reminder of the need for a quick change in approach. “My dream is to live in a harmonious, peaceful and just society where negative issues would not need to be addressed in art,” he says. “Art then, in­ stead of fighting the material, would address, docu­ ment and focus on the spiritual, on what I consider is the real important dimension of humankind.” Casto’s art is an intricate component of his daily living, reflecting his views and his philosophy of life. To paraphrase Andre Maurois, the renowned French novelist, it is his “effort to create beside the real world a more human world.” A rtists ctivists Jeff Casto. Photo by Bill Howes. Artists as Activists is a regular column highlighting Greater Cincinnati artists whose work focuses on political and social issues. Dr. Saad Ghosn is the director of pathology and laboratory medicine at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2009 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 1-14, 2009 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Slavery Exists in Cincinnati Today Pg 2: The Vibe Pg 3: Slavery Exists in Cincinnati Today Pg 4: Trapped: Solitary Confinement Pg 5: Trapped: Solitary Confinement Continued Pg 6: The Ego Tunnel and the Dumbass Pg 7: Homeless Families Finish First Pg 8: City Layoffs Cause a Fury Pg 9: Bombs Without, Explosives Within Pg 10: Arts & Poetry Pg 11: I Tell of Two Cities Pg 12: Generous Patrons by the YMCA Pg 13: Stop Snitching, for Justice’s Sake Pg 14: No to Socialism Continued Pg 15: Resources Pg 16: Using Art to Build Understanding 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 1-14, 2009 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gregory Flannery Lynne Ausman Jeni Jenkins Lew Moores Dave Scharfenberger Margo Pierce Paul Kopp, Jeremy Flannery Michael Henson David Heitfield Alecia Lott Larry Gross Stephanie Dunlap Saad Ghosn Will Kirschner Ariana Shahandeh Jennifer Blalock Dan LaBotz Ranjit Rege Aimie Willhoite George Ellis Jeni Jenkins Rev. Joe Folzenlogen Jim Montgomery Anthony Williams Berta Lambert Jennifer Blalock Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Activists Aimie Willhoite Alecia Lott Anthony Williams Ariana Shahandeh Art Arts & Poetry Atlanta Berta Lambert Cincinnati Dan LaBotz Dave Scharfenberger David Heitfield George Ellis Gregory Flannery Human Trafficking Incarceration Jeff Casto Jeni Jenkins Jennifer Blalock Jeremy Flannery Jim Montgomery Larry Gross Lew Moores Lynne Ausman Margo Pierce Michael Henson Paul Kopp Ranjit Rege Rev. Joe Folzenlogen Saad Ghosn Slavery Socialism Solitary Confinement Stephanie Dunlap Streetvibes Will Kirschner YMCA https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/0b2292b580a3bd86c7ac97dea9074512.pdf 6a107392eb7f58baf40e4fa187e35b43 PDF Text Text Allegories of Oligarchies Page 7 Artists as Activists Page 16 Sept. 1-14, 2010 • Issue 184 • One Dollar ADVOCATING JUSTICE • BUILDING COMMUNITY 3CDC Accused of Racial Conspiracy Metropole tenants sue to stop eviction By Corey Gibson Contributing Writer The Metropole Apartments are a racially integrated housing complex. Approximately 60 percent of the he Cincinnati Center City tenants are African Americans, a Development Corporation majority of whom are elderly or (3CDC) is using strongdisabled. The 230-unit building, arm tactics to force people from the whose tenants receive federal Section Metropole Apartments, according to 8 assistance with rent, has been a civil-rights lawsuit filed Aug. 18 in one of the only affordable housing federal court. projects in the downtown area since The complaint by the Metropole 1971. Tenants The Metropole Association offers the alleges 3CDC The lawsuit accuses 3CDC only racially used Cincinnati of deliberately eliminating integrated lowPolice officers income housing low-income housing from to harass and downtown, yet downtown Cincinnati to intimidate residents are make room for upscale, residents. The being forced out predominantly white complaint also to make way for residents, in direct violation alleges that a chic, up-scale of both the national and the sale of the hotel. state Fair Housing Acts, subsidized Downtown is both of which call for the low-income one of only three development of housing apartment communities in that will racially integrate building was Hamilton County communities. deceptively that has been conducted, racially integrated violates federal housing law and will for over 30 years, according to the promote racial segregation. lawsuit. Yet for the past 10 years Defendants in the suit include 3CDC, HUD and the city “have 3CDC, the city of Cincinnati, the actively and deliberately sought to U.S. Department of Housing and dismantle, displace or eliminate Urban Development (HUD) and the affordable housing from downtown new management of the Metropole Cincinnati,” the lawsuit says. Apartments. Attorneys for the plaintiffs are Terence Brennan and See Metropole, p. 4 Jennifer Kinsley. T Attorney Terence Brennan SAYS 3CDC is working to segregate downtown. Brad Foster. Canada’s Forgotten Children The traumatic legacy of Indian residential schools By Allan Sheppard Street News Service E Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine waits in the foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada. REUTERS/Chris Wattie. dmonton, Canada – The Canadian residential schools system was designed to assimilate Aboriginal children into westernized society. Many of them suffered psychological, physical and sexual abuse. Some 15 years since the last school was closed, victims are still in search of justice. The Edmonton Street Society is committed to help Canada’s forgotten children. Harold Robinson, an adjudicator of cases involving victims’ compensation, recently discussed the issue. “The area that I propose to talk about tonight is extremely sensitive. It is sourced in nothing but pain and anguish; it has had an absolutely devastating impact on whole generations of people. “I approach the work remembering the teachings of my granny and of my mother, who raised me: to be respectful, to be a good listener, to be helpful, and I try and apply those principles in the work that I do as an adjudicator. See Abuse, p. 6 �2 The Vibe By The Numbers Zip The cost, in dollars, for producing your own TV show, radio program or film at Media Bridges (see page 3). 250,000 The size of the exhibition space, in square feet, at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. (see page X). 2003 The year Keith Banner and Bill Ross founded Visionaries and Voices (see page 15). 42 The length, in number of days, that Gen. James Dozier was held captive by the Red Brigades (see page X). 100,000 The average amount of compensation, in dollars, paid to victims of abuse at Indian residential schools in Canada (see page 1). 21,000 The number of members of Secret Cincinnati’s Facebook group (see page 10). 2014 The year the new health-care reform finally takes full effect (see page 13). 230 The number of units of affordable housing lost to 3CDC’s takeover of the Metropole Apartments (see page 1). 700 The estimated number of hours that Michael Fanning has spent watching Star Wars (see page 9). 1967 The year Carl Yastrzemski achieved professional baseballs’ triple crown (see page 12). StreetWise STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2010 By Gregory Flannery Editor Some Losses Are Happy Occasions One of our most durable vendors, Riccardo Taylor, won’t be selling Streetvibes for the next year – and we’re glad. Taylor is now civil-rights outreach coordinator for the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, a position funded by the federal Volunteers in Service to America program. The rules of the program forbid participants from simultaneously holding other jobs. We hope, however, that Taylor will continue “Street Life,” his occasional column for Streetvibes. Among Taylor’s new duties will be organizing a Homeless Congress in Cincinnati, a forum for homeless people to work together in their mutual interest. Taylor succeeds Rob Goeller, who spent his tenure organizing tenants at the Metropole Apartments (see “3CDC Accused of Racial Conspiracy,” page 1). As a Streetvibes vendor, Taylor developed a regular clientele by virtue of his hard work, pleasant manner and straight talk. In recent years he has helped to train new Streetvibes vendors. We’re going to miss his sales, but we’re glad to know he’ll be working to defend the civil rights of people who are homeless. Some Losses Are a Decade Late It seems Cincinnati Police Chief Thomas Streicher Jr. will retire next year. Let all the people say, “Amen.” Under Streicher’s leadership, the Cincinnati Police Department has far too often been characterized by brutality, racism, disdain for the public and poor morale, exacerbated by mayors and city councils either too insensitive to the harm he caused or too afraid to deal with it. The police department has undergone meaningful reform in recent years, in spite of Streicher – indeed, against his active resistance, and only at the cost of an uprising in Over-the-Rhine in 2001, followed by years of monitoring by federal court and judicially mandated changes in the police department’s use of force. At one point Streicher’s disrespect nearly landed the city in contempt of court before a federal judge. Employed by a city government too craven to deal with him, Streicher, a man lacking respect either for his office or for the people he is sworn to serve, stayed on the job a decade after he was no longer wanted. Along the way he helped make the city and the police department an object of national scorn. The only thing more shameful than the record of Police Chief Thomas Streicher Jr. is the city’s refusal to protect their constituents from the damage that he caused. Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by people who are or once were homeless, in exchange for a $1 donation, Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Address: 117 East 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 Phone: 513.421.7803 x 12 Fax: 513.421.7813 Email: streetvibes2@yahoo. com Website: www. cincihomeless.org Blog: streetvibes.wordpress. com Streetvibes Staff Editor Gregory Flannery Art Director Lynne Ausman Vendor Coordinator Georgia Bohannon A local TV news station recently reported the death of “four NATO members in Afghanistan.” The phrasing is curious for what it does not say: These weren’t people who belonged to a club. They were soldiers. Invaders. Contributing Writers Michelle Dillingham, Samantha Groark, Margo Pierce, Paul Kopp, Jeremy Flannery, Michael Henson, David Heitfield, Corey Gibson, Jeni Jenkins, Saad Ghosn, Lew Moores, Larry Gross, Eli Braun, Jesse Call, Michael Fanning, B. Clifton Burke By the time this edition is printed, a young friend of mine will have landed in Afghanistan, where he will build bombs for the U.S. Air Force. His poetry has appeared in Streetvibes and in SOS Art. He joined the Air Force in order to secure college tuition – if he survives the war. He does not support the war, he says. By that he means he does not agree with the idea of the war. But he builds bombs. Nothing could be more supportive. Photography/Artwork Aimie Willhoite, Lynne Ausman, Anne Skove, Vinit Murthy, Jon Hughes, Brad Foster A few years ago, the night before a jury deliberated whether some friends and I had committed the offense of trespassing during an anti-war protest, my family hosted a young man who was on the run. He had refused to go on a second tour of duty in the war on Iraq. He later turned himself in and was given a choice: Prison or combat. He chose combat and came back with one eye and other vital parts missing. Proofreaders Jeremy Flannery Some Losses Defy Categories Every generation has to learn again: War is always a bad idea. Some Losses Can Be Stopped Ohio is getting ready to poison another prisoner. Kevin Keith is scheduled to be killed Sept. 15. His last chance seems to be an order of clemency by Gov. Ted Strickland. A surprising line-up of opponents to the execution hope to sway him. They include more than 30 former state and federal judges and prosecutors, the Ohio Innocence Project, the National Innocence Network, more than 100 religious leaders and organizations and 13 leading experts on eyewitness and memory – some of whom support the use of the death penalty in principle, but say Keith should not be executed. Two petitions bearing more than 20,000 signatures also call on Strickland to stop the execution. Among those calling for clemency are former U.S. Appeals Judge Nathaniel R. Jones, former Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro and former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Herbert R. Brown. Keith, 46, was convicted of murdering two women and a 4-year-old girl in Bucyrus in 1994. Keith’s attorneys say new evidence shows Keith was wrongfully convicted based on faulty and improperly influenced eyewitness identification. The new evidence identifies an alternative suspect, who told a police informant that he was paid to carry out the crime. The main evidence used to wrongfully convict Keith was the eyewitness identification of a surviving adult victim, who identified Keith after telling at least four people he couldn’t see the shooter’s face because the shooter was wearing a mask. The Ohio Parole Board unanimously voted against recommending clemency Aug. 19. The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati through coordination of services, public education, grassroots advocacy and Streetvibes. We are proud members of: �STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2010 8 3 Column M I N U T E S with a High Tech Megaphone Media Bridges puts media into the hands of the community By Margo Pierce Contributing Writer We have the right to free speech in this country, but unless you have the cash to pay for the expensive gadgets to broadcast your speech, your options for communicating are limited. Enter Media Bridges (www.mediabridges.org). “We exist to give you a voice,” says Christa Zielke, development coordinator for Media Bridges. “If you have something to say, a talent to share, an argument to make, if you have an event that you filmed that you think is important to air – we’re here to make that happen. “We’ll give you the tools. We’ll give you the education. We’ll give you the facilities, whether it’s on film, video, the Internet, radio, whatever form of media. (Media Bridges) is a community media center. These exist all over the country, and the purpose of community media centers is to provide the public with the ability to create and produce their own independent, community media productions.” Zielke says the organization is a “big, fierce advocate of the First Amendment.” The community center offers cost-free classes in Christa Zielke says Media Bridges helps people overcome the digital divide. videography, digital photography, Jon Hughes/Photopresse. editing, studio use and graphic died.’ ” design – anything that will enable diverse,” Zielke says. Located at 1100 Race St., Media individuals to create media. The influence of Bridges chose to move to Over-the“Then we also provide … free Rhine in 2001 after the uprising equipment – cameras, video grassroots media against police violence in that cameras, lighting, audio,” Zielke says. This is important because it means neighborhood. “The only caveat is that they provide local issues get attention and can “We wanted to be where we were us with a copy of their final product, influence the mainstream media. needed the most,” Zielke says. “You which we then air on the four cableLocal cable access channels provide hear a lot about the digital divide, access stations that we operate.” one vehicle for sharing ideas. On which is the gap between the haves In addition to managing the community access channels 4, 8, 15 and have-nots in terms of access to four local community-access cable and 24, the viewing public can see technology. Broadcast education channels, Media Bridges launched a locally produced television shows is expensive. You’re talking about a new radio station, WVQC, in July. All and stories. $40,000 degree to go get the skills to locally produced programming can “There’s a gentleman who did be able to create and edit your own be heard on 94.7 FM and www.wvqc. a program on the money lending production, your own show. Most org. Feedback on the new endeavor people in this community – at least a has been “great,” according to Zielke. practices of some of these checkcashing and financial loaning lot of them – do not have those kinds While she’s pleased about this, she’s institutions that are prevalent in low- of financial resources. “ not surprised. income communities,” Zielke says. Funded in large part by the Describing local programming “He did this story a year before it Community Access Preservation on most local radio stations as ever hit any of the mainstream. This (CAP) Act, which set up a fund “homogenized,” Zielke says the was happening in his neighborhood requiring cable companies to pay “corporate media conglomerates” … something that was important to for their use of public land to run that own more than 80 percent him. Sometimes what’s important cables and other private industry of local radio stations – with 50 to mainstream media isn’t always equipment, Media Bridges has percent of those owned by just two what is closest to the heart of a 15-year contract with the city companies – rely on opinion surveys neighborhoods. … of Cincinnati to operate four to guide their content, virtually “Look at a neighborhood like Over- community access cable stations. eliminating the possibility of homethe-Rhine. This neighborhood has However, private funding in the form grown programs. amazing breadth of arts agencies and of grants, individual donations and “We’ve got a variety of programs activist and activity and community other resources cover the cost of the on there, from a veteran benefits centers and schools. So much FM radio stations, education classes program to LGBT programming to happening … that’s not going to get and other programs. Goth and industrial music to local as much attention as, ‘There was a The Alliance for Community music to Hemp Rock – a marijuana shooting on 13th street. Two people Media (www.alliancecm.org) legalization advocacy – so it’s pretty provides a great deal of information, including updates to the CAP act and related congressional action and local media centers including Media Bridges. The First Amendment rules It’s difficult to list and describe all the classes and programs Media Bridges operates throughout the year, but one of the most popular is the kids’ camps. “The kids have an enthusiasm for film and media and music production that you don’t see with anybody else. We want to do this movie about aliens where Elvis comes in and then a space ship comes and then there’s monster in a mansion …it’s awesome,” Zielke says. “Because kids grew up with technology … these kids came out of the womb with a cell phone and a video cam and an iPod and a laptop. They have this innate understanding and capacity to pick up technology like you wouldn’t believe. When you give them a little bit of the theory and technique behind that, it’s amazing what they can do. “This summer we had Oscarnominated film director. His name is Steven Bognar … producer of a film that was nominated for an Oscar this past year called The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant. He led a two-week class called Independent Film Bootcamp. We had a bunch of teens from all over the city to create their own film. They then screened it over at Memorial Hall over on Elm Street, and it was a damn good film! It was a thriller/suspense/drama … It was really exciting to watch that process take place.” Media Bridges doesn’t edit or censor programs that are produced by the community. They advise the producers of their legal responsibilities and refer all complaints and compliments back to the individuals responsible for the programming. They serve as a vehicle for communication; they don’t play Big Brother. “We have a very strong commitment to the First Amendment, and that is reflected in how we operate our cable access stations; that is, you submit it, we’ll air it,” Zielke says. “We do ask that if it’s inappropriate for children, red-flag it for us and we’ll put it on between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Otherwise, anything that the community wants to put on there, we feel they have the right to put on there.” Many people work hard to make a difference for the less privileged in the Queen City. “Eight Minutes” is an opportunity to learn who those people are and what motivates them to be a positive influence. Margo Pierce can be contacted at www.writerdiva.com. �4 Local News STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2010 3CDC Accused of Racial Conspiracy Continued from page 1 ‘Racial steering’ the tenants would “receive at least a one-year notice in writing” if the The Metropole Apartments meet a sale were approved. The tenants were critical need for low-income housing lied to and kept in the dark about downtown, according to the lawsuit. the sale of their homes, according to That is one of several reasons the sale the lawsuit. The tenants received no of the building should be stopped, notice of the sale until after it had Brennan says. been finalized. “Federal law requires that they HUD approved the sale of the not allow conversion of housing building, the transfer of its housingthat is subsidized by a HUD-backed assistance contract and a relocation mortgage, which the Metropole was, plan for the residents without a when there is hearing to allow still a need for for tenants’ low income “The Metropole, which in itself input. HUD affordable also failed to is a racially integrated lowhousing in the conduct any income housing resource, area,” he says. type of analysis is going to be destroyed “The city and on whether in the context of this any number granting the desegregation of downtown of entities approval into an upscale, predominantly in this case would have an white community of upscale have actually adverse effect housing.And that, in documented on the racial America, where we don’t there is a need integration or allow segregation, where we for HUD’s on people with protect people’s civil rights permission. disabilities as a free society – we are very To allow these or hinder confident that the courts will developers to go fair-housing not allow this to stand.” forward the way opportunities - Attorney Terence Brennan they have is a in the city. violation of the By approving national housing law.” the sale of the Metropole and not Congress passed the National conducting any analysis on the Housing Act of 1937 “to remedy outcome of the sale, HUD is in direct … the acute shortage of decent, violation of the Fair Housing Act, safe, and sanitary dwellings for Brennan says. low-income families.” Yet 3CDC, The Fair Housing Act requires HUD and the city of Cincinnati HUD to prevent the sale of property are trying to get rid of the last if it promotes racial segregation. But affordable housing in the downtown HUD has allowed 3CDC to displace area, according to the complaint. the tenants of the Metropole for Congress has also stated that the the sole purpose of building a hotel national housing policy has “not that will allegedly promote racial directed sufficient attention and segregation. resources to preservation of existing “The relocation plan that has been housing and neighborhoods” and put in place is change tantamount to that, if the national housing goal of racial steering,” Brennan says. “The a decent home and suitable living residents by and large (have) been environment for every family is shown possible places for them to to be achieved, “a greater effort move that are in racially segregated must be made to encourage the neighborhoods, in housing that’s preservation of existing housing and racially segregated. All these are neighborhoods.” violation of the Fair Housing Act.” Congress has also stated that Police intimidation HUD, local governments that receive federal aid and private developers The lawsuit says 3CDC has must promote housing that furthers repeatedly acted stop the tenants racial integration – the opposite of from voicing their opinion. During a what will result from the loss of the meeting between tenants and 3CDC Metropole Apartments. on Nov. 4, 2009, one of the tenants On May 26, 2009, the owners of attempted to bring two advocates the Metropole, Showe Builders Inc., into the meeting. But Cincinnati sold the building to 3CDC for $6.25 Police officers stopped the advocates million. 3CDC plans to convert the at the entrance of the building (see apartments into a boutique hotel “Metropole Tenants Tell 3CDC: ‘Hell with a restaurant and modern art No, We won’t Go,’ ” issue of Nov. museum, a project that will cost an 15-30, 2009). 3CDC had requested estimated $48 million. Two months the presence of the police to “keep after the sale, tenants received a housing advocates out of the letter from Showe Builders saying meeting,” the lawsuit says. they should not worry about false At that meeting, 3CDC announced information claiming the owners plans to relocate the tenants. When were “negotiating for a possible sale tenants attempted to challenge of the building.” The letter also said Residents protested the sale of the Metropole Apartments in Nov. 2009. Clarissa Peppers the relocation, they were allegedly “berated” by 3CDC. The lawsuit says 3CDC violated tenants’ right to organize freely, to associate freely with one another and with legal counsel and to be assisted by housing advocates. The use of the police to intimidate tenants and suppress their efforts to have advocates attend the meeting are all violations of their rights, the lawsuit says. The complaint says 3CDC has routinely used police officers for intimidation when demanding access to tenants’ apartments without notice. One account, by Robert Wavre, head of the Metropole Tenants Association, says a police officer who frequently accompanied management verbally accosted him for displaying a sign protesting the displacement. “This same officer accosted plaintiff Robert Wavre while both were riding a bus, screaming repeatedly at him that she would ‘knock his block off,’ ” the complaint says. The tenants’ attorneys say 3CDC’s relocation plan is “unfair and deceptive.” 3CDC promised tenants that the “relocation program will insure that tenants’ monthly rent will not increase and all related moving expenses will be covered,” that each tenant would receive assistance and that 3CDC would “ensure that the relocation plan … (will) ultimately result in improved, higher-quality living conditions.” With little exception, none of these promises have been fulfilled, the attorneys say. Tenants have been shown apartments in segregated neighborhoods, often in high-crime areas with little transportation or job opportunities. 3CDC has also contradicted some of the previous statements, saying only some of the moving costs will be covered, the rent might increase and that one-on-one assistance from 3CDC might not be provided, according to the complaint One of the defendants, Model Follow Streetvibes www.facebook.com/streetvibescincinnati twitter.com/streetvibesnews streetvibes.wordpress.com Group/Brickstone Properties, managers of the Metropole Apartments, are providing the relocation services. The tenants’ lawsuit accuses the company of conspiring with 3CDC to steer tenants into housing that it owns or manages. The lawsuit says 3CDC and Model Group/Brickstone Properties have devised a scheme to make even more money out of the eviction of the tenants by making them move: As a result, 3CDC gets a new hotel, and Model Group/Brickstone Properties finds tenants to fill its apartments. The complaint quotes an unidentified but “prominent” businessman who lobbied the Louisville-based 21c Museum Hotel chain to invest in redeveloping the Metropole: “You can’t have those types of places across the street from the Aronoff Center. It’s like parking a Bentley on 14th and Main and expecting the Bentley to still be there.” The lawsuit accuses 3CDC of deliberately eliminating lowincome housing from downtown Cincinnati to make room for upscale, predominantly white residents, in direct violation of both the national and state Fair Housing Acts, both of which call for the development of housing that will racially integrate communities. “The Metropole, which in itself is a racially integrated low-income housing resource, is going to be destroyed in the context of this desegregation of downtown into an upscale, predominantly white community of upscale housing,” Brennan says. “And that, in America, where we don’t allow segregation, where we protect people’s civil rights as a free society – we are very confident that the courts will not allow this to stand.” Work on the new hotel is scheduled to start this fall. 3CDC has given the approximately 100 remaining tenants until Nov. 2 to move. At that time tenants’ lawyers intend to ask a federal judge to stop the redevelopment project until further notice. The tenants are also going to seek a restraining order to stop the relocation process. Kelly Leon, spokeswoman for 3CDC, declined to comment on the lawsuit. The local HUD office also declined to comment. �5 Issues STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2010 3CDC and Death in Over-the-Rhine By Gregory Flannery Editor T he fences have gone up. Soon the dead will be removed from their graves. Soon dozens of trees will fall. Welcome to Washington Park, now under the control of the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC). The July 27 death of Joann Burton – crushed by a police car while lay she in the park grass – said best what residents of Over-theRhine have been saying all along: 3CDC is killing their community. Last month the first fencing rose, segregating the north end of the park from residents, their swimming pool and basketball court to be destroyed. Construction of an underground parking garage requires the disinterment of residents long ago buried in what later became Washington Park. 3CDC plans to raze 59 trees, despite the protests of those who have long called the neighborhood park their own. Meanwhile on Aug. 6 relatives, friends and neighbors gathered for Burton’s funeral at New Prospect Baptist Church. The photos, poetry and reflections on this page are dedicated to her memory. After her death, 3CDC asked Burton’s family to move a small memorial erected near the place of the accident that killed her. Nothing will stop 3CDC’s plan to make the park more palatable for the wealthy: Not old trees, not neighbors’ protests, not the presence of human graves, not grief for a woman killed as she lay resting in a place where she and those like her are no longer welcome. Visiting a memorial to Joann Burton are Mark Shears (left); her husband, Thomas Oats (second from left); and her son, Kenneth Burton (right). Jon Hughes/Photopresse. Destroy and Displace Jerry Burton (left) helps carry his mother's casket. Jon Hughes/ Photopresse. By Aubrey Bowman Streetvibes Vendor Joann It will be sad. It will be shameful. The destruction of Washington Park will be a destruction of history in that part of Over-the-Rhine. First, I want to apologize for speaking out at this late stage, for I am a recent transplant to the city of Cincinnati (about eight or nine years). I’ve learned the story of getting the Banks together, how long it’s taking, all the political doubletalk; it’s funny to me. Same old politics all over the country. Alas, the powers left one thing out: The beginning of the end of the neighborhood near Cincinnati Music Hall and the surrounding streets: Elm Street, Race Street, 14th Street, etc. Sober minds would have picked the better choice for a parking garage on the west side of Music Hall – Central Parkway! Access to freeways, more room for all the (new) traffic. This makes more sense to all sober-thinking politicians. But these are the politicians of the 21st century. “The street car will be in the way of the parking garage,” is their thinking. The total destruction of history and the displacement of people is the thought of these 21st-century politicians. Hopefully the lawyers will make it another Banks controversy to slow down and/or stop this type of unsober thinking. By Marlena Cook We lost our sister. Only God knows how much we miss her. Her heart is blessed. She doesn’t have to take anymore of life’s mess. God has her in his right hand. Joann more than just a sister A great friend. Even though the sun has set We will not forget, this is a part of God’s plan. Joann not just a sister A great friend. She doesn’t see anything but better days. In spite of the crazy way she left Black is never a sin always in Killin us has become a trend I won’t break but I will bend. Rolled over by a cop car More than just a sister Now she’s a shooting star. Park Poem By Peter McGrover What does a park mean to most people when we say the word “park”? I think for most of us a park, especially Washington Park, means a place to gather, spend time with friends and acquaintances, have fun, share joy, enjoy peace and maybe even meditate or play a few games of chess or checkers. Washington Park for most of us means a central gathering place in the heart of downtown Cincinnati and Over-theRhine. For those who use it and enjoy it on a regular basis, it means for them a public domain and public square to be enjoyed by all, not just a select few. Washington Park serves the public good and benefits the public as a whole. It must be continued to be enjoyed by all the people of Cincinnati who live in the city, whether it be on a regular basis or just passing through for the day. This park, especially Washington Park, begins with all the people of this city and brings peace, joy and mutual respect to the city. Let the city continue to relish this park and keep it for all the people to enjoy, not just a select few. �6 STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2010 International News Canda’s Forgotten Children Continued from page 1 “The rewarding thing about doing adjudication is, for the most part, at the end of a hearing, what I hear from claimants is, ‘I feel better for having told my story to you.’ Now, they feel better for getting it out, but it doesn't make their life any better. “Claimants have sometimes waited 20, 30, 50, 60, 70 years to tell their stories. And so they’ve lived with hurt. They’ve lived with anger. They’ve lived with pain for that amount of time. It’s a pain that doesn't dissipate. It’s a pain that tends to build upon itself over time." The first travesty “Just being taken away from your home, that is the first travesty. Everything builds from there. Regardless of whether anything bad or constructive or good happened at a residential school, there is still that first sin, I’ll call it, of taking kids away from parents. “What we explore through the residential school process is: How has that experience, being taken away from their family – how has the abuse that people have suffered at residential schools – affected their lives? We go through this list: How are you at relating to other people? How has this affected your ability to tell your spouse you love him? How has this affected your ability to hold your children? How has this affected your ability to tell your children you love them? How do you cope with nightmares? What do you do when someone reminds you of a priest or a nun or an employee? Usually what we end up talking about is people who feel anger, rage. Often I hear, ‘I wish that so-and-so was here; I’d kill him.’ That's real. “I hear about how people drink, about how drugs have entered their lives. About how they would rather wake up in the morning and start drinking than have to think about or be reminded of the abuse or to think about how they can't relate to those closest to them, those who care about them most. “So we look at all these consequential harms. According to the model, you get X-number of points (for each harm). It’s a points system. And there’s this horrible reverse/inverse relationship where the more points you get – i.e., the more screwed up your life is, the more damage that has been done – the more money you get. And in the grand scheme of things, it is not a lot of money; we’re talking, on average, about 100, 150 thousand dollars, maybe. “That’s for a lifetime that has been damaged and wrecked, and that is for the lifetimes of others that have been exposed to or have been in the same house as survivors. So we do a damage that goes beyond individuals. It really reaches out to families. It reaches out to communities. It reaches out over generations, which isn’t surprising: The residential school has been around for over a hundred years." Three hard questions “What I've learned in six years is there are three great commonalties. It doesn’t matter what the story, the degree of abuse, how a claimant has managed to survive or persevere, they want to know three things: 1. “Why? The first question always is: Why? And it's not necessarily, ‘Why was I abused?’ It is, ‘Why was I taken away from my family?’ Who gave the government that right? And often what chokes claimants up the most is, they’ll recount how their parents were just powerless; the Indian agent or a supervisor gave them no choice. 2. “Are you listening? The second thing everybody wants to know is: Are you listening? Do you hear me? And that is pointed directly to the adjudicator in the room. Because unless the adjudicator in the room hears and respects your story, then you're nowhere. So being able to reframe and convey the story is absolutely critical." 3. “Are you sorry? The third thing that just about every claimant on some level needs is to hear the word ‘sorry.’ Now that’s not for me, as an adjudicator, to say, ‘Sorry.’ But we have sometimes representatives from the church and always a representative of Canada in the room. And very often, that representative – it might be a lawyer who’s been at it for 20 or 30 years, long in the tooth and perhaps just as jaded as everybody else in the room – will give a heartfelt apology. And that, maybe more than just hearing the story perhaps goes as far, if not farther, than anything that I as an adjudicator might do on the day. That’s the power of an apology, because, you know, to apologize effectively, you’ve got to look somebody in the eye. You’ve got to be empathetic. And you’ve got to mean it. And to mean it, you have to have heard the story. You have to embrace that individual and their harms to some degree. So, you know, the hearing experience is powerful, and the goal is to ensure that it’s helpful. Treatment: A cone of silence “Another part of the residential-school hearing process has to do with treatment, past treatment and future treatment. The hearing books are thick, and a good chunk of that has to do with doctors that they’ve seen, psychiatrists, or if they’ve been in corrections – sort of the daily log of their lives. You can have STREETVIBES Only purchase Vendor Streetvibes from BADGED vendors. Vendors wear their WHITE badges while they sell the Mary paper. a hearing book four inches thick and only have one or two pages where a doctor or a psychiatrist or somebody in corrections has had the foresight to ask, ‘Have you been in residential school? Have your parents been in residential school? Have you come in contact with somebody who'’ gone to residential school?’ “And when the question is asked, the floodgates open, the gates into that person and explanations as to why the individual is (perhaps) the way they are – mistrustful, addicted to alcohol, unable to communicate – because in residential school they were hit over the head with a clapper every time they tried to speak their own damn language. Or they were told, ‘If you tell anybody about this abuse, we’re gonna get you.’ Or just because the whole damn residential school experience, in general, was a pedophile’s dream come true. There’s a cone of silence there. People didn’t talk for 30, 40, 50, 60 years. Because that cone of silence doesn't stop at the gates of residential school. It stays with them. “The challenge is daunting. It’s going to take a concerted effort. Whether it’s a group of newspaper people, a group of psychiatrists, a group of police, a group of judges, doctors, how do we start (with them) or with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to focus the minds, the talents, and the resources of others to start asking that first critical question: Have you been to residential school? Do you know somebody who has? Have you been contact with, have you been raised by? You’re not necessarily asking, ‘Have you been abused by?’ Because you’re not going to get an answer to that. But just knowing whether somebody, either directly or on the periphery, has exposure: It’s like radiation. It gives you a pretty good immediate sense of what the future actions should be or could be. “Unless the question is asked, the cork stays in the bottle, and we’re not getting the full story. It’s like mapping a genome: You need the entire sequence in order to understand it. If we can equate this thing to a hundred-year disease, you’ve got to know the full mapping of the thing, so that you can battle it, so you can deal with it, so you can get some cures out there for it. “I think that's why it’s important to talk about it, even though it makes a lot of people uncomfortable. “But we need to talk about it in the right way. This isn’t some drive-by accident where you can express morbid curiosity in the thing and move on. It's got to be based in those principles that our mushums and kookums (grandfathers and grandmothers), moms and dads, taught us about being respectful, about wanting to be helpful, and using our talents as best we can.” Originally published by Edmonton Street News © www.streetnewsservice.org. 1128 Walnut St Pizza by the Slice Tues and Thurs Buffet($7.00)-11AM-2PM Wed-Thur-Fri-Sat 9PM-3AM �STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2010 7 Issues Allegories of Oligarchies Individualism is to individuals as Christianity is to Christians By David Heitfield Contributing Writer The following is an open letter to Pfc. Bradley Manning, who was arrested in May in connection with leaking a 2007 video showing a U.S. helicopter attack in Iraq that killed several civilians, including two reporters. Manning is under investigation as the source of other classified documents obtained by Wikileaks; he currently is in solitary confinement under suicide watch in Quantico, Va. D ear Bradass78: I think I love you. I guess now that the New York Times dragged you out of the closet – poor Midwestern boy alienated by his sexuality, first in Oklahoma then in the Army – I should qualify that my love for you is rooted in respect for your ballsy action, your youthful idealism and the pathos of shared experiences: was a Korean linguist in the Navy about 30 years ago. So one of the things I’ve found most amusing about your story is the media-expressed horror that such a 22-year-old enlisted kid would have access to classified information. As we both know, you are the ideal candidate for this work: intelligent, young (the older you are, the more you’ve done that could be used as blackmail), single and lacking the social connections or economic status to find a more lucrative vocation. Who else would do this work – in a war zone, no less - or under $20k a year? While I don’t remember the details, I recall having many conversations with people I worked with along the “What would the public do if they actually knew what was really going on?” hypothesis. Back then, for instance, no one had any idea that the National Security Agency (NSA) dwarfed the CIA in budget and manpower or how many millions of dollars we spent on pointless war games – such as the annual war games that always cause the North Koreans to threaten retaliation. Or how we would deploy aircraft-carrier battle groups just to show the Russians we were badass. During the Cold War, when nation-states still mattered a little, the government feared other governments, not news organizations. We would watch government-produced films about cunning Russian spies offering us a lot of money or blackmailing us over some personal character weakness. We were lectured about how some of the local Korean prostitutes were known North Korean spies who were happy to get the smallest amount of information, such as where you might be going for deployment. I don’t recall anyone ever warning us about Walter Cronkite. It was all a little surreal. So I well understand access to that information has a heady impact on youthful idealism, regardless of your politics or patriotism. It literally changes your perception of the world forevermore. I recall the 1981 kidnapping of Gen. James Dozier by the Italian Red Brigades as a seminal moment of my youth (this information has long been in the public domain, so no secrets here). I don’t know how or why I had access to the intelligence – I worked on Far Eastern stuff, so I lacked a “need to know” any of it. And yet I did, and I was amazed at how our information was so at odds with what was being widely reported in the media – namely, that the deputy chief of staff of NATO's Southern European land forces was secluded in an unknown place by evil communist terrorists, and we were unable to do anything to secure his release. The media fed the “communists are evil and secretive and bad and you should be very, very scared” narrative so popular during the Cold War. The fact was the Red Brigades “plumbers” who kidnapped the general were bumbling idiots, and we knew where he was every moment of his 42 days in captivity. It was all about the sausage- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange published classified documents allegedly provided by Pfc. Bradley Manning. REUTERS/Scanpix Sweden. making of politics, something government would rather not have its subjects think about too much. The Italian government did not want to do anything and would not allow the U.S. to do anything. Political stalemate. President Reagan then enlisted the help of his good buddy Ross Perot – yes, that Ross Perot – to use his “private forces” to rescue the general. Being the good patriot, Perot left Texas, and while flying to Italy, the Italians got wind of the effort and decided to do the rescue themselves to save face – and they got him without firing a single shot. Dozier was pronounced a hero, the Italian government was strengthened from increased pride and confidence of its people, the Red Brigades were all but destroyed and Reagan got a bunch of roads named after him. At your age, Brad, I was impressed by several things in that story: 1. Our intelligence-gathering is far more awesome than anyone was remotely aware; 2. Rich people are capable of amassing their own private armies at will; and, free of messy democratic accountability, apparently have more clout than Presidents; 3. The role of the “free press” is not to inform the public, but to reinforce the narrative of the ruling class. So, Brad, your venal sin, for which you must be sacrificed, is revealing how the sausage is made. We don’t want confirmation of what we already know: The war is an abject failure and a senseless waste of money and lives; drone aircraft don’t work all that well, despite 60 Minutes propaganda about how awesome it is; Pakistan sucks; Afghan police are drug-addled corrupt rapists; and civilians are being killed at an alarming rate, increasing the power and sympathies of the Taliban instead of suppressing it. Thanks to the 24-hour news cycle, your story was already downplayed and discredited by the media and the White House soon after Wikileaks published some of the documents. It’s only classified “Secret,” it doesn't tell us anything new and you’re just a confused young boy seeking attention because Mommy didn't love you enough. Unfortunately, you also fit into the most powerful narrative in America today: Everything is the fault of the bottom-feeders; those at the top of the food chain are always blameless. The unemployed are to blame for unemployment; the homeless are to blame for homelessness; welfare is to blame for poverty. Positive psychology is the law of the land today: The cure for all the evils of the world is simply to change how you think about them. Got cancer? Focus on the positive and see it as a spiritual opportunity to be a role model! Middle-aged and unemployed? Time for a spiritual renewal! Anger is a destructive emotion – get rid of it! If you’re depressed, we’ll give you some pills. All better now? Our Brave New World is rapidly taking shape – although it’s not so much a government conspiracy as a cooperative conflation of corporate, academic, religious and government interests all serving the same master. Repeat the mantra: The top of the food chain is blameless. You have the power to make yourself happy or miserable. Jesus loves the winners. Individualism today is all about your individual responsibility to conform to the will of the oligarchy. Know that you’re not alone. The Obama administration has shown its propensity toward blaming the whistleblowers or sacrificing personnel who might cause bad press on Fox News. At least two other leakers have been punished: In May, FBI linguist Shamai Leobowitz was sentenced to 20 months in prison after pleading guilty to passing classified information to a blogger. In April, former NSA senior executive Thomas Drake was indicted on charges that he passed classified information to a reporter who wrote a series of articles about the NSA in 2007. And that’s why this is a love letter, Brad. You saw something, it made you angry, you thought your fellow citizens should know about it. You thought about future consequences (not your own) instead of “living in the moment.” You were disturbed by what you knew, and you did something about it, instead of placating yourself with positive thinking. Consciously or not, you had some idea that sacrifice and redemption are actual concepts that matter (to people and their institutions), that Prosperity Jesus is a sham, that liberty has nothing to do with either Glenn Beck’s bastardization of Thomas Paine or Obama’s hopenchange illusion. Your epithet in modern America, in which the ideal of individualism is exalted while the value of the individual is rapidly becoming extinct, is probably best summed up by Marge Simpson, after her campaign against cartoon violence resulted in the town’s covering the genitals of Michelangelo’s David: “One person can make a difference … but probably shouldn’t.” Warm regards, Dave Former military analyst Current unemployed lawyer and positive-thinking meditator �8 STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2010 Food “Feed Me, Seymour, Feed Me All Night Long…” Creamy Baked Rice Serving Size: 3-4 bellies 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons minced garlic 1 chopped white or yellow onion 2 stalks celery, sliced 2 cups vegetable broth 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 cup sour cream 4 cups leftover long grain rice • Jeni Jenkins. By Jeni Jenkins Staff Writer T his simple dish was created while trying to decide what to do with a giant bowl of leftover steamed rice. I searched the cupboard and fridge for ingredients that would do, and thought, “Well, this could work.” To my surprise, this was delish. It was so good that my kids devoured two servings each – and believe me, they are a tough crowd. According to my kids, this will now be a regular meal in our dinner rotation. Serve as a side dish or main dish. Enjoy! • • • • • • In a skillet, sauté onion, celery and garlic in olive oil over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Pre-heat oven at 325 degrees. Add broth and soup and bring to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes, then slowly stir in sour cream, adding a tablespoon at a time. Spread rice in shallow baking dish. Pour creamy sauce over rice, spreading equally, making sure to cover every grain. Bake at 325 for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Voila, FEED! �STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2010 9 Films Reel Life: A Film Fanatic’s Journey But don’t get me started on George Lucas By Michael Fanning Contributing Writer I like movies. A lot. I know more about Ann Archer than I do my own sister. I'm the kind of guy who watches the threehour “making-of” bonus DVDs for films that don't warrant them, like Porky's II. I closely monitor Wikipedia to make sure they're getting the bits about my favorite obscure actors right. (Can you believe Graham Beckel's profile didn't mention Jennifer 8? Jesus!) Additions, alterations and deletions are made accordingly. Every year my heart breaks when the Oscars run the remembrance reel of whichever actors died the previous year. This is typically when I find out which of my obscure favorites has passed away (the newspapers rarely run it). Sometimes the Oscars themselves forget to mention them. I only recently found out that Brion James, one of the replicants in Blade Runner, died a decade ago! “Time to die,” I can hear him saying. I lit a candle. This is all George Lucas's fault, you understand. It all started May 25, 1977, the release date for Star Wars. No, I didn't need to look it up. I've seen Star Wars more times than I care to mention (300+). In my youth, it was my very religion. As far as worship goes, Jesus Christ was fifth on my list, behind Walrus Man. If I had spent as much time reading books as I did watching Star Wars as a kid, I could be directing condescending glances toward Steven Hawking. If I've seen Star Wars more than 300 times, that adds up to something like 700 hours. That's a month, my friends. And here's the kicker: Only in the past few years have I thought this might have been a waste of time. No time to bleed Movies affect my everyday existence in subtle ways. For example, I remember events, chronologically, by what movies came out the same year. It sounds oddly Native American if I say it out loud. My cousin, Mark, for instance, was born in the year of The Falcon and the Snowman. My niece, Sarah, was born in the year of The Ghost and the Darkness. I sound like I’m Cherokee. I carried a picture of Ridley Scott in my wallet when I was in my teens. I'm not kidding. He made films like Legend, Blade Runner and Alien, which are still unmatched in their ability to transport you to another place. This was something I often needed in my childhood. You never feel like you're looking at sets or props when you watch these films, but rather the real deal. Of course, these days Scott has switched to making films for mass appeal rather than artistic merit, (viz. Matchstick Men, Blackhawk Down and Kingdom of Heaven) which brings me to another point. Everyone knows that certain talents and abilities fade over time, but nowhere is this more egregiously conspicuous than in the medium of filmmaking. Francis Ford Coppola, auteur of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now is also the creator of Jack and Dracula. Spielberg's The Terminal and War of the Worlds left me vomiting for months. And George Lucas is king of them all. Not only did he inflict the Star Wars prequels upon us (Darth Vader was never a whining Canadian) but only after he went back to his earlier glorious efforts and fucked them up from the inside out. Nihilo sanctum estne? Movies helped me through my youth. No one got me through the death of my mother when I was 15 more so than Arnold Schwarzenegger. Predator was a much needed everyday (yes every day) escape. Arnold was my Austrian therapist who eased the fear and pain of my mother’s terminal illness, with his H-Bar, far more than any of the family counselors who only made my situation seem more stark and intense. As long as I had Predator in the machine, I was too busy on my alien-killing mission to watch my family disintegrate. Me and Jessie Ventura didn't have time to bleed. You can tell a lot about a person by the movies they like. They say the eyes are the windows of the soul, but so is anybody’s top-five movie list. If, for example, I were to have gone on a date with a woman who said, “I don’t care what movie we see, as long as there’s no subtitles,” one could safely assume said date doesn’t like to read anything at all and will probably in the near future break off your relationship for reasons involving your “chi.” Get out while you’re ahead. Way to go, movies! If you ever hear someone say Titanic is the best film he ever saw, you don’t really need to hear him say anything else, do you? It’s like having a discussion on politics and someone saying, “George W. Bush was the most accountable, open, civic-minded president we’ve had in decades.” You might as well stop there. You’re dead to me. Getting back to relationships, movies greatly helped me land my beautiful, blond, buxom wife, Alex. I’ve always had a freakish memory with an intracranial file cabinet of great film quotations to use on unsuspecting dates. I mean, I never said anything to her like, “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, you walked into mine.” Rather I used subtler stuff from lesserknown films, jokes mostly, to make up for my complete lack of handsomeness and creativity. She bought it all, hook line and sinker. “I thought you were original,” she now says in a glum, wed-locked voice. Not in the least! High-five, movies! Hey, Michelangelo Film as art is a strange subject for me. Nothing can create a cathartic experience for me quite like film. Yet, given the choice between being a famous novelist or filmmaker, I’d be a novelist, hands down. Why is this? I love films for their accessibility, but do I not take them as seriously as literature for the same reason? One thing is for certain: I’ve never wanted to be a film director. Every one of my favorite films – and I mean every one – has a horror story about how it was made. Star Wars was, right up to the final editing, a complete piece of shit. The special effects were initially not working properly, and the first edit was, apparently, horrendous. The filming became off-schedule and over-budget, giving Lucas terrible hypertension. Talented editors (including Lucas’s then-wife, Marcia) pulled it together in the final hour to make it what it is. Marcia then promptly dumped Lucas for a younger guy. Blade Runner, Apocalypse Now, The Abyss and a host of others are perfect examples of why not to get into filmmaking. Most movies, including many big budget ones, are filmed in four months. Saving Private Ryan was filmed in only 28 days. The Abyss, on the other hand, took nine months to film in a huge tank of cold water, with one actor or another nearly drowning on a daily basis. Apocalypse Now took an entire year to film, with Francis Coppola having constant emotional collapses. He was convinced he was making a terrible film for most of the shoot. Ridley Scott’s Legend burned down the entire James Bond sound stage in England. This building was so large you could have built a ballistic missile submarine in it. His previous film, Blade Runner, went over budget, over schedule, changed writers mid-stream, with Scott having to put up with two of the most priggish producers that ever walked. Jerry Perenchio and Bud Yorkin, to this very day, despite the masterpiece status of Blade Runner, give interviews stating that they can’t understand why Scott had to shoot so many takes of certain scenes. Imagine two guys with expensive suits and gleaming white teeth watching Michelangelo from the floor of the Sistine Chapel, saying stuff like, “Why’d you use that color? Will you fuckin’ hurry this along, please? I’m not payin’ for any more paint.” You get the picture. Producer Bud Yorkin, in a hilarious 2007 interview, states that “as a director myself,” Scott’s methods were infuriating him. Yorkin insinuates he is in the same company artistically as Ridley Scott. What is Bud Yorkin’s own masterpiece, you might ask? Arthur II. Tied down My 8-year-old daughter Juliet has the singular challenge of having a father who is a film fanatic. I explain to her, as she watches Stuart Little, that this film was written by M. Night Shyamalan and Bruce Joel Rubin. “You see, Julie, Shyamalan saw a meteoric rise to fame with the success of The Sixth Sense, but has since pulled a Joseph Heller with all subsequent efforts,” I say. “Bruce Joel Rubin wrote such films as Jacob’s Ladder and won the Oscar for writing Ghost, which was directed by Airplane’s Jerry Zucker, of all people! Most Bruce Joel Rubin films are about death in some shape or form, so you can enjoy the humorous contrast of his writing Stuart Little.” Her eyes glaze over after a while, and sometimes she cries. However, more recently, I think I’ve made a breakthrough. I was watching 2001: A Space Odyssey, and I had tied Juliet to a chair facing the screen. I was pointing out the magnificent photography of the late Jeffrey Unsworth and John Alcott as we watched several of the film’s opening scenes. “But,” I conceded to her finally, as the ape-men screamed at the monolith, “you might find all this a little boring, being 8 and all.” And then the most extraordinary thing happened. Though still bound to her chair, she looked curiously at the jumping ape-men, and said, “No Dad, I don’t.” �10 Issues STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2010 Real Change Comes in Aggregate Improving Cincinnati using loyalty and discontent is that the author was being part of the solution. And so was Sabu. Clay Shirky, author of Cognitive Surplus, writes about the social effects of the Internet on society and how it can have civic value. He creates a definition of two By Ariana Shahandeh types of Internet user: those Contributing Writer who make and share LOLcats – images of kittens with A response to comments captions added to make the over the CityBeat column, pictures even more adorable “Cincinnati is Just OK.” – and those who don’t. But the division boils down to n July 28 writer K. something deeper. Bunthoff broke up “The real gap,” he writes, with Cincinnati. “is between doing nothing In CityBeat’s weekly “Living and doing something, and Out Loud” column, in the someone making LOLcats format of a break up letter to has bridged that gap." Cincinnati, Bunthoff wrote, Shirky describes how our “I’ve been telling myself for media landscape has evolved years that you’re a diamond to allow us to become in the rough. But let me be more than just honest: consumers. We Your rough can be producers. exterior Shirky describes how our media landscape We can create really gets has evolved to allow us to become more than and share. in the way just consumers. We can be producers. We The Internet of, well, can create and share. The Internet is not like is not like the whatever the Television, an icon of the past one-sided Television, an might be media landscape. And what we do with the icon of the past obscured time we used to spend just being consumers, one-sided media beneath it.” the time we now spend creating and sharing. landscape. And In an often what we do with bitingly city’s downfalls, without an the time we used to spend honest manner, the letter initiative to change them. just being consumers, the went on to describe time we now spend creating “Instead of being part of the writer’s targeted and sharing, Shirky calls the solution, you are part disappointments with the “cognitive surplus.” of the problem,” wrote city. The unique interest of commenter Sabu. What Sabu “One thing that makes the column, however, was the current age remarkable,” might not realize, however, not so much in the content, O but in the reaction to the content. This contribution to “Living Out Loud” became one of the most commented on pieces of the series. Where an empty comment section often followed past columns, displayed here, at the conclusion of this article, were more than five pages of impassioned responses. “Cincinnati is not pretty?” one reader wrote. “Really? Not the skyline, the hills, or all the trees? How about the largest collection of Italianate architecture outside of Europe? What about Ault park, Fountain Square, Mt. Adams, Hyde Park, Clifton Gaslight?” Many readers were turned off by the idea of complaining about the he writes, “is that we can now treat free time as a general social asset that can be harnessed for large, communally created projects, rather than as a set of individual minutes to be whiled away one person at a time.” By commenting on Bunthoff’s article online, reader Sabu was contributing to our cognitive surplus. And by submitting the article, so was Bunthoff. Cincinnati, we need more of that. We need more contributions to our cognitive surplus. It doesn’t have to exclusively be a comment on a news site. An example of Cincinnati’s cognitive surplus is Secret Cincinnati, an online initiative to pool together tips from passionate Cincinnatians about the area’s best undiscovered places. It started out as a Facebook group where people could leave wall messages with their tips. Soon the group grew so large, over 21,000 members, that the tips had no shelf life. The group’s creators worked together over a weekend to build a Web site where the tips could be aggregated. It might seem from these examples that a contribution, however small or frequent, comes from a place of affection. And that is true for much of it. But I noticed something ironically inspiring about the comments that followed Bunthoff’s article. Scattered throughout the fiercely loyal comments were those of cautious agreement. “There was a time that I loved Cincinnati,” wrote one reader, who concluded, “Cincinnati is not trying, and I find it depressing and disappointing to realize, at least for me, this is as good as it gets.” Another reader wrote, “In my humble opinion, there is not enough good to outweigh the bad.” These comments did not come from a place of affection, but they were still something. Those comments were still a contribution. Isn't it interesting that something supposedly so passive and uninspiring as discontent should provoke action? What if we changed the way we used our new media opportunities to specifically contribute to our city’s cognitive surplus? What if we created a sort of hyperlocal cognitive surplus? Any time we use the Internet to participate, to produce, let’s seek out those pockets of online activity that are unique to our city and a make a contribution. And if we can’t find those pockets, we create them. For example, submitting content to be published on a local paper’s Web site is creating a pocket. Commenting on that content is contributing to that pocket. Making a group on Facebook that aggregates tips on where to go in Cincinnati to enjoy the city is creating a pocket. Submitting a tip: contributing to the pocket. Shirky writes in Cognitive Surplus, “Any shift, however minor, in the way we use a trillion hours of free time a year is likely to be a big deal." There are many ways to view the unexpected surge in comments over Bunthoff’s article in an age where newspapers are dead and you’re probably not even reading this. I saw it as an opportunity to collaborate our affection, and even our discontent, to make a positive difference for a city whose motto is “Juncta Juvant” – “Strength in Unity." �STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2010 11 Poetry Page A Gift of Sorrow By Willa D. Jones A Friend By Willa D. Jones There was love, peace and happiness on my side One man with me for twenty years, just my kind He had purposed to me three times all of which I said no Not knowing that time was running out for us as we go He became ill with high blood pressure and then had a stroke I had everything I needed but when he died he left me broke I went from the house, to the car and even the pool in the back To being homeless, eating trash and even smoking crack I tried living with people I knew back when times were good It would never last being a outcast and so misunderstood I tried homeless shelters with beds and eating solid food But shelters have curfews I was not for following the rule I found myself all alone hungry and sleeping in the street I lost everything, only the clothes on my back could I keep My grief for the lost of my man had turn to sorrow for myself I knew there was a lesson in this hand I had been dealt I started to pray and read the Bible all of the time Asking god to help me to soothe my aching mind I began to find strength with new feelings and new ideas I stopped smoking crack, drinking and got my head clear I went to a shelter for homeless addicts and prostitutes I found strength to bite my tongue and do what I had to do I went to A.A. and N.A. meetings and talked out loud To hear my story let me know the change was in the clouds I finally graduated and was able to rent my own room Got a job, got healthy and my spirit went up to the moon I started talking to the Lord in pray and song everyday And he turned my sorrow into a gift of life I’m proud to say So to have sorrow or feel pity on oneself all of the time Will take you nowhere but that wrong and narrow line You must look up and recognize where you need to be going And ask God to help you understand what it is you’re sowing Just remember a gift of sorrow can be a very powerful lesson And as long as you have faith and believe in god’s word can You then receive God’s blessings To be called a friend is sometimes very hard to be To be a friend is a honor with many responsibilities To have a friend someone you can always depend on To have a friend with you even when all hope is gone Being human beings we all fall short of God’s grace Being human plus a friend can be a difficult race Due to difficult circumstances in everyone’s life To put trust and faith in someone can be only strife So for me I keep the faith and never forget to pray As I sing that old hymn what a friend we have in Jesus each and everyday The Recruit By David S. Pointer told the senior drill not to skull fuck his future but, the senior brought the brim of his campaign cover down to break the boy’s nose & the recruit brought his boot up polishing the seniors balls infirmary blue What’s Up Economically By David S. Pointer Become a Fan of Streetvibes on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/streetvibescincinnati Like customers continuing to hold We never get any unsaturated answers To our important economic questions As each President is presented With a customized set of signature sentences To present a pacified public preoccupied With everything from Winnie the Pooh to internet Porn As the highly elevated Economically insane Continue to inhabit Love’s lifelikeness Knowing collegiality Is a difficult contagion to detect. And what average consumer Can positively identify The clear ever increasing Kettle-cooked contaminant of commerce Made by modern chemists, Or that which is packaged To be as appealing as The double scarlet Day lily of a dream? Are you interested in helping with Streetvibes? Are you a proofreader, writer, poet, artist or photographer? If so, contact Greg Flannery 513.421.7803 x 12 or email streetvibes2@yahoo.com �12 Sports STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2010 Learning a New Tune about the Reds Almost time for a victory march appeared to swing for the By B. Clifton Burke Contributing Writer S o maybe these Reds aren't so bad after all. Earlier in the summer I wrote that I was skeptical the Reds would end up contenders, but that if it became late August and they were still in a pennant race, I would change my tune. Well, consider it changed. In what has been a perfect storm of success this season, the Reds find themselves hunting a playoff spot for the first time since Al Leiter and the Mets blanked Cincinnati in a one-game playoff in 1999. There have been times this season that it appeared they were letting it slip away again, but this is a resilient group who specializes in come-from-behind wins and proving doubters wrong and have battled their way to the top of the NL Central standings. There were many variables to the season that had to unfold in just the right way for the Reds to make it this far. The starting pitching rotation has surpassed expectations, thanks to the development of young arms like Johnny Cueto and rookies Travis Wood and Mike Leake. Former ace Edinson Volquez continues to make his way back from Tommy John surgery; and while he has yet to consistently find his all-star stuff since returning, he still has stretches where he looks dominant. Bronson Arroyo, the staff's most veteran and consistent pitcher, has quietly put together one of his best seasons as a Red and has become something of an anchor to the rotation. Then there is Homer Bailey, who has also had arm troubles this year, but has pitched well and looked sharp since returning from his own rehab stint in the minors. Another pleasant surprise has been the play of Brandon Phillips hitting from the lead-off spot. In years past, Phillips hit clean up and fences on every swing. This season, he swings to simply make contact, and his batting average and on-base percentage have improved as a result. Thanks to Phillips making it safely to base so often, the phenomenal Joey Votto has enjoyed a windfall of success this year. Votto is perhaps the best pure hitter to come from the Reds' farm system since Eric Davis in the late ’80s, and his disciplined approach at the plate has him in the conversation not only for the league's MVP, but also for the hallowed triple crown, which hasn't been achieved by anyone since Carl Yastrzemski did it in 1967. The Reds line-up is pretty good on its own, but adding a gem like Votto makes it elite – and pitchers must always account for that devastating number-three hitter. The man who hits behind Votto, Scott Rolen, has also enjoyed the all-star seasons of both Phillips and Votto. At times Rolen has shown his old age as he's been hampered by a bad back, but his bat has produced more than what I thought the grizzled veteran was capable of when he's been in the line-up. He has provided the Reds with a nice option at the clean-up spot. Others, like outfielder Jay Bruce, catchers Ramon Hernandez and Ryan Hannigan and utility infielder Miguel Cairo, have batting averages higher than expected and have nicely filled in as the team's supporting cast. The bullpen has hit a few bumps in the road along the way this year but has collectively put together a nice season, giving manager Dusty Baker one less thing to worry about. All in all, the Reds have outdone themselves this season. For a team so ensconced in mediocrity for the past decade, fans can now look at each other in pleasant disbelief over the wins that continue to pile up. The division's only other threat, the St. Louis Cardinals, continue to push the Reds for a playoff spot, but the Cards appear more beatable than in past seasons, and are having a tough month of August as well. It all spells out Cincinnati baseball in October – once an annual event, but one that has become far less regular over the years. Whether the Reds can hang with the big dogs in a playoff tournament remains to be seen, but simply getting there is a major accomplishment. At this point, it would take a collapse of monumental proportions to miss out on such an accomplishment, but the Reds have given little reason for anyone to think such a letdown is imminent. There are still various concerns on the team – young outfielders striking out too much, starting pitching showing cracks and inconsistencies, veterans racking up injuries. But the fact remains that it's late August, and the Reds are in first place. Haven't said that in a while, and it feels good to admit. Hang tight; the finish line is near. What We See and What We Don’t Hurricanes, homelessness and other disasters By Michelle Dillingham Contributing Writer I had applied and was accepted into a graduate program for what I thought would be Jungian analysis – my first year I was stuck studying a bunch of post-Freudians. One thing I remember was the French psychoanalyst Jacque Lacan and his fascination with the “eye” and the “seer” and “being seen.” He would write stuff like, “The big Other designates radical alterity, an other-ness which transcends the illusory otherness of the imaginary because it cannot be assimilated through identification.” I recall feeling irritated by Lacan’s writings, namely because I thought of myself as quite intelligent, yet I could not figure out what he was saying. My fascination with the concept of observer versus the observed is not lost, though, as I listen to an interview of a reporter tell his story of how he aimed his camera at people reaching out screaming for help in the flood waters of Katrina. A new museum exhibit opens this week at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., between the White House and the Capitol Building. The Newseum is a 250,000-square-foot museum of news. The exhibit, Capturing Katrina, focuses on the reporters’ perspective of how they covered the tragic events of Hurricane Katrina five years ago. Two local newspapers – The Times-Picayune in New Orleans and the Sun Herald of Biloxi and Gulfport, Miss. – shared the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for public service for their Katrina coverage. A journalist from one of the papers talked about how they were not simply covering a story; they were experiencing the same loss as those they observed. Their offices were flooded and communications severed yet they continued to report on what was going on. From the Newseum’s press release about the exhibit: “Capturing Katrina will explore a cross-section of themes related to hurricane coverage: reporting made risky by angry mobs and armed looters; logistical challenges including power outages, disrupted phone service and impassable roads; ethical choices between reporting the story or rescuing victims; and the vital role of news websites in providing essential information to residents. The exhibit also examines the national news media’s role in shining a spotlight on the horrific conditions facing residents and the government’s slow response to the disaster.” As I listen to the journalist being interviewed on the radio about the exhibit, I thought of the power of the media that can reveal stories that so often go untold. Recently a woman told me she had heard about the number of homeless people in Cincinnati, but she just didn’t really see it, and she really did not grasp the scope of the problem. In about 10 minutes I rattled off a number of points about a decreasing and increasingly dilapidated affordable housing stock, the lack of housing for people who work in minimum-wage jobs such as security guards and food service workers, the fact that the wait list for the voucher program at Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority has not been opened up for four years and that the few family shelters in Cincinnati have wait lists as well. Street papers like Streetvibes offer a forum to express perspectives that are often not covered by mainstream media. Experiences such as being homeless, being young and aging out of the fostercare system and having to find housing and being an advocate against what seems like a sea-wave of talking heads can all be reflected here. Affordable Housing Advocates (AHA) recognizes the importance of imagery and perception as we advocate for our mission of ensuring good, safe, accessible, affordable housing for all people in the Cincinnati region. We are inundated with negative stereotypes that are perpetuated about people who are homeless, about people who live in subsidized housing, about working families who rely on housing subsidies to survive. The Katrina exhibit shows side by side two news articles, one a light-skinned group of men wading into a store – the headline says they have “found food,” while a similar photo of darkskinned individuals says they are “looting.” As advocates, we know imagery is powerful – both visual and in written word. AHA is currently working on securing funds to help develop public education materials. Please let us know of any resources to support our effort, and help us continue to “keep it real.” Contact AHA, 117 E. 14th Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. �13 Issues STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2010 Health Reform: What’s in it for the Low/No-Income Uninsured? By Barbara DiPietro Contributing Writer cover single adults. The health-reform law expands Medicaid to everyone earning less than 133 percent of the federal poverty level – about $14,400 a year if you’re single. Unfortunately, the Medicaid expansion doesn’t go into effect until Jan. 1, 2014, so most low/noincome people without health insurance have to wait three and a half more years until they can qualify for health insurance. Individual states can choose to expand their Medicaid programs newly enrolled in Medicaid, depending on the strength of the outreach and enrollment efforts. While we are waiting to get people enrolled, states are busy trying to prepare their systems to handle the influx of enrolling so many new people. Not only does this mean doing some repairs and upgrades to the information technology (IT) systems, but it also means we need more doctors, nurses, dentists and other providers to be available to see all these new patients. There is a shortage of primary care primary-care providers in underserved communities. The law also addresses With all the screaming and the shortage of nurses by sign-waving and political developing incentives and a ugliness, it was hard for career path for nursing, loan anyone not to be turned off repayment and retention to the details of the healthgrants (which will increase reform debate. People were the capacity for education) sure the sky would fall if it and training programs. passed and that the country Throughout these initiatives, would turn into a socialist training programs are crafted police state. Alas, pass it that focus on primary care did; and last time I checked, models such as medical the sky was still there, and homes, team management there are still few signs of of chronic disease and socialism. programs that integrate So now that the dust is physical and mental health settling, what’s in it services. The hope that impacts low/ is that a small no-income folks and Projections are that between 16 million and 23 million people army of doctors, those health-care will be newly enrolled in Medicaid, depending on the strength of nurses and other providers who treat providers can be the outreach and enrollment efforts. While we are waiting to get them? The good developed in the people enrolled, states are busy trying to prepare their systems to news: a bunch of next few years to handle the influx of enrolling so many new people. Not only does stuff. The bad news: meet the health this mean doing some repairs and upgrades to the information You have to wait for needs of so many technology (IT) systems, but it also means we need more doctors, it. people who need nurses, dentists and other providers to be available to see all The biggest-ticket care. these new patients. There is a shortage of primary care doctors item is an expansion Likewise, and nurses of all kinds around the country, so there’s a lot of of Medicaid, the there’s also a work to be done, and the health-reform law recognizes that. health-insurance need to expand program that mostly community health serves low-income women, centers so that there’s a place early (Connecticut already doctors and nurses of all children, senior citizens in for about 20 million new has), but with the budgets kinds around the country, nursing homes and those patients to go and receive tight, it’s unlikely states so there’s a lot of work to be services. Community health who are disabled. Right now can afford that just yet. The done, and the health-reform centers are communitymost adults without small good news for state budget law recognizes that. based and patient-directed children don’t qualify for directors is that the federal To build this workforce, organizations that serve Medicaid, even if they’re sick. government will pay 100 the law invests $1.5 billion populations with limited There are a few exceptions in percent of the cost for the over five years in the access to health care. some areas like Washington, newly eligible for the first National Health Service These include low-income D.C., and Massachusetts, couple of years, reducing the Corps, which helps provide populations, the uninsured, which have local programs federal share to 90 percent by scholarships and loans to those with limited English that help pay for medical 2019. medical students willing to proficiency, migrant and care, but there’s never been Projections are that work extra years in highseasonal farm workers, one standard across the between 16 million and needs areas. The goal is to individuals and families country for Medicaid to 23 million people will be fund an estimated 15,000 experiencing homelessness and those living in public housing. To provide for the needs of these clinics, the health-reform law dedicates $11 billion for community health centers over the next both years for both operating and capital needs. The operating funding will expand services that include dental, addiction, mental health and primary care while the capital funding will help construct new sites where there is a need for them. Health Care for the Homeless projects will receive nearly 10 percent of the funding so these service sites will be expanding significantly to meet the specialized needs of this population. These three components –Medicaid expansion, workforce development and growth in community health centers – are major parts of the law that will impact people with low/no income. Today many who fall into this category are uninsured. Tomorrow that will likely still be the case in many areas. But on Jan. 1, 2014, major things start happening as millions can start enrolling in Medicaid. Until then, there’s a lot to be done to prepare. Barbara DiPietro is director of policy for the National Health Care for the Homeless Council. Interested in volunteering with Streetvibes? Contact Greg Flannery at 513-421-7803 x 12 or by e-mail at streetvibes2@yahoo.com Do you remember the magic of your First Book? Please consider giving the gift of reading to a low-income child in Cincinnati this year. Established in 2001, First Book - Greater Cincinnati has already granted more than 45,000 books and over $60,000 to local nonprofit literacy programs serving thousands of low-income children in Greater Cincinnati. Make checks payable to “First Book - Greater Cincinnati” I Want to Bring the Magic of Books to Children Who Need Them! $20 (10 books) Please return your contribution to: First Book Greater Cincinnati 572 Northland Blvd. Cincinnati, Ohio 45240 Name: Address: E-mail: $40 (20 books) $80 (40 books) $100 (50 books) Other $ _______ �14 STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2010 Vendor Voice What’s a Former Felon to Do? Hiring ex-cons is in everyone’s interest By George Herrell Streetvibes Vendor T o rehabilitate means to restore that which one has lost, to restore to a state of health and constructive activity. By title, the duty of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections is to do just that. Yet the state of Ohio, as is true with many other states, still shows prejudice towards ex-offenders, refusing to hire them to fill employment positions for which they would otherwise be qualified, jobs such as poll workers. Once our sentences have been served, we as ex-offenders are allowed to vote, and we are expected to cooperate with census takers in our respective cities so that our votes and numbers can be counted and used to benefit society as a whole. However, we are viewed as unfit by many to work in those same areas. We can’t work at the polling places at which we cast our ballots or count our own numbers, which are used to generate financial revenues. Is this justice? Programs such as the Talbert House, River City Corrections and the Pogue Rehabilitation Center (operated by Volunteers of America) devote countless hours and tax dollars providing extensive case management geared toward teaching individuals with felony records the importance of “change” and giving them the skills necessary to implement that change. A recent Web search provided a glimmer of hope. I found that there are employers out there who are willing to look beyond applicants’ sometimes-jaded pasts in an attempt to offer an opportunity, a second chance, to those individuals who truly seek to better themselves. Employers such as Messer Construction, the University of Cincinnati, Frisch’s Restaurants and Sarah Lee Foods have all hired and continue to employ individuals who are ex-felony offenders – and with much success. Recidivism: That’s a term we’ve become very accustomed to hearing when it comes to ex-offenders. It refers to that fact that so many become repeat offenders, and it projects a sense of hopelessness. But when it’s virtually all but impossible for them to earn a living wage, is it any mystery that so many would revert back to what they know best? No one I know wants to have to constantly look over his shoulder all the time or wants to face the possibility of returning to jail, and yet it’s also a fact that no one I know wants to go hungry or be homeless or wants to see his children go without. There’s a certain pride that goes along with going into a store and purchasing what one wants or needs, a pride that goes along with providing for one’s self. I, for one, honestly believe that, given the opportunity, people would rather work and earn a decent living versus breaking the law and facing incarceration, especially if they’ve been there before. But take away that opportunity, and people will do what they must to get by. Please don’t misunderstand: That’s not to say that there aren’t individuals who commit crimes regardless. The fact that there are priests who molest and the rich who embezzle attests to that. However, on a basic level, people should be given the opportunity to change. In the Bible, it’s stated that Jesus said, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” Now I’m not implying that everyone commits crimes, but we all make mistakes. What if no mistake was ever forgiven? Where would we be? To employers: Prisons are filled with skilled, talented individuals, most of whom want only the opportunity to change. And to the state of Ohio and other states like it: Either commit to extending the opportunity to show change where employing ex-offenders is concerned – or admit to the total failure of the Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections. It Don’t Hurt No More And Now I Can Help Others By James Brown Streetvibes Vendor B rother James DeMarlo Brown is a man who cares about his fellow citizens and community. Psalm 116:8 says, “For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears and my feet from falling.” James has not had an easy life. He has had his many ups and downs, but his connection with God and his positive attitude have kept him going. He believes that he still has to deal with daily struggles and setbacks, but his face routinely sports an optimistic smile. He tries to help others who are still in the place he used to be in. The ways he does this range from holding cookouts to passing out Our Daily Bread pamphlets or just being there to listen. He understands what it is like to want to give up. He could have given up a long time ago but he knows no matter how bad things get, it can always get better. James wants to guide those who have lost their way to gain a positive mindset. Hope is a powerful thing that everyone deserves, and he tries to bring that to everyone he meets. James always has a smiling face and a kind word for anyone he sees. Sometimes his positive words are met with negativity. Many people have tried to bring him down, yet he perseveres. James’s birthday is Nov. 13, and in his next years of life he will continue to do what he does everyday. He will continue to lead a helping hand to anyone he can. James has no plan of leaving Over-the-Rhine, which is the community he knows and loves. On a daily basis he lives by some of the lines to his favorite prayer: “There is no obstacle I cannot overcome. … My hopes and dreams can manifest today.” James Brown, Streetvibes vendor. George Ellis. Streetvibes vendors keep 75% of sales. Consider helping Streetvibes with our publication costs by making a tax-deductible donation or by purchasing a subscription. Streetvibes is the activist newspaper, advocating justice, building community. Your gift is tax-deductible and will go to producing the paper every two weeks. Started in 1997, Streetvibes is distributed by homeless and formerly homeless vendors who purchase the paper for 25 cents and sell it for $1, keeping the 75 cent profit. Make checks payable to “Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless” I want to support Streetvibes and the vendors. $25 Please return your contribution to: GCCH 117 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Name: Address: E-mail: $50 $100 $150 Other $ _______ �15 Resources STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2010 Need Help or Want to Help? Shelter: Women and Children Central Access Point Cincinnati Union Bethel St. Francis Soup Kitchen Churches Active in Northside 381-SAFE 768-6907 FreeStore/FoodBank 557-2873 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Bethany House 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 241-1064 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 4600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 St. Vincent de Paul 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224 Salvation Army 535-2719 591-2246 762-5660 562-8841 872-9259 381-2247 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Health Resource Center Homeless Mobile Health Van McMicken Dental Clinic 357-4602 352-2902 352-6363 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Mental Health Access Point Mercy Franciscan at St. John 558-8888 981-5800 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214 131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter Crossroad Health Center 458-6670 977-4489 Treatment: Men Other Resources Shelter: Men Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 921-1613 Center Independent Living Options Emmanuel Community Center 961-2256 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 Prospect House Justice Watch 241-0490 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 Starting Over 1419 Elm Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Treatment: Both 761-1480 1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237 Drop Inn Center 721-0643 471-1100 221-3350 3330 Jefferson, Cinti, Ohio 45220 Housing: CMHA Excel Development OTR Community Housing 721-4580 632-7149 381-1171 114 W. 14th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Tom Geiger House Dana Transitional Bridge Services Volunteers of America Anna Louise Inn 961-4555 751-0643 381-1954 421-5211 621-5300 961-1983 OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Our Daily Bread 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 621-6364 771-4800 751-0600 721-4811 241-2965 People Working Cooperatively The Caring Place United Way Women Helping Women Off The Streets 351-7921 631-1114 211 977-5541 421-5211 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Hamilton County ADAS Board Recovery Health Access Center Sober Living Talbert House 946-4888 281-7422 681-0324 641-4300 Hamilton/Middletown 421-3131 569-1840 381-4242 Northern Kentucky Advocacy Catholic Social Action Community Action Agency Contact Center 1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Food/Clothing Lord’s Pantry OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 351-0422 381-6672 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 Joseph House (Veterans) 217 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Interfaith Hospitality Network Lighthouse Youth Center (Youth) AA Hotline CCAT Goodwill industries Healing Connections Mary Magdalen House 1223 Main St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 2728 Glendora Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45209 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 381-0111 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 First Step Home 961-4080 621-5514 214 E. 14th St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 661-4620 Shelter: Both Anthony House (Youth) 1308 Race St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Treatment: Women 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Mt. Airy Shelter 241-2600 241-2563 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 579-8547 241-9400 421-1108 363-3300 421-2437 Health Center for Respite Care 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 Brighton Center 863-3184 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 859-491-8303 799 Ann St. Newport, KY Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. Legal Aid Society Ohio Justice & Policy Center Faces Without Places Stop AIDS St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 621-1868 Women’s Crisis Center VA Domiciliary VA Homeless 859-491-3335 859-559-5011 859-572-6226 �16 Artists as Activists STREETVIBES September 1 - 14, 2010 Freaks and Other Artists Bill Ross, Keith Banner celebrate possibility I nfluenced by Flannery O’Connor’s works, which always gave voice to those who were shunned, Keith Banner, a well-published Cincinnati writer, started in his mid-20s to write about freaks. They are, in his words, “forms of our essential displacement.” “Putting the reader in the point of view and body of someone who is denigrated and marginalized is always a deliberate political move,” Banner says. “It is my way to make the reader identify and connect with the other, accept and humanize the other despite the difference, realize we’re all equal and beautiful, that the world is bigger than we are, and that we need to be at peace with each other.” “Art saved and shaped my life,” says Bill Ross, a well-exhibited local artist. “It helped me find out who I was, also what was my mission. It let me explore social venues I would not have otherwise. It empowered me, and through collaborative work, allowed me to empower others.” Ross and Banner met in the early 1980s, studying art at the Herron School of Art and Design, at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Ross graduated with a degree in painting, Banner shifting later to English and graduating in legacy alive. Professionally, both Ross and Banner applied their art background to the field of social work. They worked in group homes, mostly with mentally handicapped individuals, providing them care and managing their needs. Artists at heart, they merged art with social work, combining and enhancing the powerful effects of both. “We are culture workers and not only social workers,” they say. “We use our artistic skills to help individuals grow Bill Ross and Keith Banner stand in front of text paintings by Dale and develop.” Jackson. Saad Ghosn. This is how Ross one day discovered Thunder-Sky and his wonderful creative world. At a meeting set designs; Mike Weber, for his abstracted images; up to discuss his health concerns, Thunder-Sky and Donald Henry, for his robot versions of himbrought along a tool box that he opened with a self and his friends. smile; it contained hundreds of his amazing drawAmazing Chaos is a collaborative piece Ross did ings, unseen until then. A disabled Native Ameriwith Becky Iker, who has Down syndrome. With can and gifted artist, Thunder-Sky would always minor editing, Ross shaped in color Iker’s pencil dress in a clown collar and construction hat and drawing, the final result reminiscent of a cave walk the streets of Cincinnati drawing demolition painting with its mystery and hidden subtleties. While Ross was painting, Banner kept writing. and construction sites. He published several short stories and a novel, Ross and Banner quickly organized a show all with strong social messages. He is working of his drawings in 2000. This opened the gate to as on a new novel relating the death of a 7-year-old many other disabled artists, starting with Antonio disabled girl killed by her stepbrother. Ignored, Adams, now a well known and well represented pushed away and debased while alive, her sudCincinnati artist. It also led to the progressive By Saad Ghosn den disappearance makes everyone realize her establishment of a venue for individuals with disContributing Writer inner beauty, her true innocence, how much she ability to explore and develop their artistic talent touched each of them. Meant as an empowerment at the same time using their creative expression of the weak and rejected, the work stresses the for their well-being. This venue, later known as creative writing. They have been together since, importance of every individual, even those initially Visionaries and Voices, gave artists ownership in partners in life and work. Together in 2003 they perceived as useless and insignificant. an inclusive environment where they felt valued, founded Visionaries and Voices, an art studio In The Wedding of Tom and Tom, from his book a chance to create and show their work, an opthat provides artistic and cultural opportunities The Smallest People Alive, Banner tells the story of portunity to collaborate and celebrate with other for artists with disabilities. In 2009 they founded two disabled gentlemen living in a group home, in community members. love with each other. Caregivers, braving the rules Thunder-Sky Inc., an art gallery that showcases Five years later, to avoid potential conflict of of the agency running the home, assist them to and supports unconventional artists from the interest with its source of funding, Banner and get married. The story reflects Banner’s rejection region, aiming at keeping Raymond Thunder-Sky’s Ross left the then well established Visionaries and of rules, codes and regulations that negate the huVoices and immersed their energy in man essence and mar its potentials, imprison the the creation of a new gallery, Thunderindividual, obstruct his good and poetic nature. It Sky Inc. The new gallery focuses on art, ends with a liberating act, the vision of hundreds exhibitions and literary publications; it of stigmatized individuals running over the officiais meant as a collaborative, non-segretor to get to their freedom place, a celebration of gated space where both disabled and universal spirit asserting itself and coming to life. non-disabled artists work side by side, Both Ross and Banner use their own art and with no real difference, triggering each various art involvements to equalize people and other’s vulnerability and letting go of link them together. their ego. “Society wants to frame us and categorize us,” All along and despite their otherwise they say. “One is retarded or not, intelligent or not. heavy engagements, Banner and Ross continued their own creative endeavors. … One’s free potential as human being is often ignored. We want to make it hard to categorize and Ross painted non-stop. His paintdifferentiate people; it is our political statement, ings – surrealistic, fantastic, personal at the beginning – changed their focus few and art helps us achieve it.” years ago; it became collaborative, with disabled artists creating composition and content and Ross adding pattern, colors and depth. "Pink light, like exploding roses. The red-light district. Ha ha. “Collaboration took No. A stampede … I am on the other side and I look up and me to places I was not all these shaved-headed people are running right at me in the able to go on my own,” red light. It's like they just got freed, you know? Like the he says. “It also helped concentration camp just opened its doors and they got out build confidence in the and they're running … They're coming right at me. And I want disabled artists showthat to happen … I want them to run me over," ing them someone else he says, looking right at Tom A. and Tom B. "And they do. takes them seriously.” They stomp all over me. They gotta get somewhere, don't they?" Ross has since collaborated with six (from The Smallest People Alive, by Keith Banner) disabled artists, among Amazing Chaos, collaborative pencil and acrylic painting them Kevin White, on wood panel by Becky Iker and Bill Ross. Bob Scheadler. known for his elegant A rtists ctivists The Officiator at The Wedding of Tom and Tom: Artists as Activists is a regular column highlighting Greater Cincinnati artists who use art as a vehicle for change. Saad Ghosn is the founder of SOS Art. Ghosn can be contacted at saad.ghosn@uc.edu. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2010 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 1-14, 2010 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: 3CDC Accused of Racial Conspiracy Canada’s Forgotten Children Pg 2: Street Wise Pg 3: Eight Minutes with a High Tech Megaphone Pg 4: 3CDC Accused of Racial Conspiracy Continued Pg 5: 3CDC and Death in Over-the-Rhine Pg 6: Canada’s Forgotten Children Continued Pg 7: Allegories of Oligarchies Pg 8: “Feed Me, Seymour, Feed Me All Night Long…” Pg 9: Reel Life: A film Fanatic’s Journey Pg 10: Real Change Comes in Aggregate Pg 11: Arts & Poetry Pg 12: Learning a New Tune About the Reds What We See and What We Don’t Pg 13: Health Reform: What’s in it for the Low/No-Income Uninsured? Pg 14: What’s a Former Felon to Do? Pg 15: Resources Pg 16: Freaks and Other Artists 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 1-14, 2010 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gregory Flannery Lynne Ausman Georgia Bohannon Michelle Dillingham Samantha Groark Margo Pierce Paul Kopp Jeremy Flannery Michael Henson David Heitfield Corey Gibson Jeni Jenkins Saad Ghosn Lew Moores Larry Gross Eli Braun Jesse Call Michael Fanning B. Clifton Burke Aimie Willhoite Anne Skove Vinit Murthy Jon Hughes Brad Foster Jeremy Flanner Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF 3CDC Aimie Willhoite Anne Skove Arts & Poetry B. Clifton Burke Bill Ross Brad Foster Canada Christianity Cincinnati Corey Gibson David Heitfield Eli Braun Ex-cons Georgia Bohannon Gregory Flannery Hate Crimes Health Reform Jeni Jenkins Jeremy Flanner Jeremy Flannery Jesse Call Jon Hughes Keith Banner Larry Gross Lew Moores Lynne Ausman Margo Pierce Metropole Michael Fanning Michael Henson Michelle Dillingham Natural Disasters Over-the-Rhine Paul Kopp Reds Saad Ghosn Samantha Groark Star Wars Vinit Murthy https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/e42a4245bcdbf20f56d3b6a6412e73e7.pdf 3fd0245dfc5576a324a51cb85e1da54f PDF Text Text September 11th -September 24th 2015 | Vol. 19 Issue 19 (No. 312) advocating justice | Building community Police Chief Blackwell discusses his termination with Streetvibes | 11 This issue sponsored by (Retired) Judge Mark P. Painter INSIDE THIS ISSUE Photo Series: The Art of War | 8-9 Are Income-Based Fines More Fair? | 7 Cincinnati’s TASER Policy Needs to Change | 5 “Me and the Grandmas of Baghdad” : A Book Review |3 Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 LOCAL The Words We Choose Sept 11 - Sept 24, 2015 | No. 312 JOSH SPRING D Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, Executive Director r. Carolyn Jenkins started the Xavier School of Social Work; bringing it over from Edgecliff College. While at Xavier Dr. Jenkins taught us many ways to process systems, look at the world and act accordingly. One of those lessons I remember often was about language. Dr. Jenkins was passionately adamant that language is of tremendous importance. The words we choose to use when talking or writing affect people and situations and therefore we should put care into intelligently and empathetically choosing them. We should consider how the listener or reader will understand those words and what they will communicate. I often find myself wishing that other folks had benefitted from this lesson as well. I think of this especially in regard to reporters, journalists, politicians, speakers, social workers, etc. I don’t mean this in a way to say that people are always saying the wrong things or that I know exactly what the right things are. I simply mean that too often it seems people choose words that over-generalize and over-dramatize descriptions of situations, not considering that some people will actually interpret the information incorrectly as a result. In the case of reporters and politicians these careless word choices advocating justice and building can lead people to be afraid when not needed or comfortable with injustice. People will say this focus on language is “splitting hairs” or argumentative. I don’t think so though. We should care about people enough to choose words that most accurately describe a person or situation and that will be received most accurately. We should be willing to think several steps beyond the words we choose to figure how they may affect the future. Fights, violence, arguments, admiration, trust, distrust, hate, anger, happiness can all be sprouted incorrectly with the carless choice of words. ------------------------ Save the Date! The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition invites you to our Annual Dinner December 9th at The Syndicate community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org BLOG: streetvibes.wordpress.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor: Justin Jeffre Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Leslie Moorhead Director of Education: Michelle Dillingham Distributor Program Manager: Justin Jeffre Layout: Peter Kobak Reception: Chris Fowler 18 E 5th St, Newport, KY 41071 (859) 491-8000 Steve Reams Charles Carpenter Maintenance: Pete Roper CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Jim Luken, Bill Woods, Janis Dutton, Jason Haap, Marian Spencer, Ricardo Taylor, Willa Denise Jones, Kim Green Photography/Artwork: Joe Wilson, Justin Jeffre, Aimee Willhoite, Bill Woods Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �LOCAL No. 312 | S ept 1 1 - S ept 2 4, 2 0 1 5 One Amazing Grandma - “Me and the Grandmas of Baghdad” by Martha Stephens: A Book Review JIM LUKEN Contributing Writer I first met the 78­year­old author of this book at an Occupy Cincinnati outdoor general assembly (meeting) in the spring of 2012. She was (always) wearing a foam visor, on which she had hand-printed the words: “Occupy Everything.” She was feisty then, and remains so. I wouldn’t want to cross her by writing a bad review of her 400 page book. Thank goodness, that won’t be necessary. It’s a whale of a tale she tells, with bravura, insight, compassion, and an almost withering self-deprecation, all blended with what Alice Walker (The Color Purple) might have termed “womanist” brio. Martha Stephens gave me a copy of her “memoir” to review for Streetvibes, because she knew that I carry an anti­war grudge similar to her own [We both hate war and see it as the ongoing cause for most everything bad in our country and the world]. At first, the book seemed immense, and with so strange a title, for a book against war. I’m also in my 70s. I’m impatient, and crotchety like Martha. I wondered if I could wade through it. As it turned out, my issue had nothing to do with reading the book. The problem was putting it down. “Grandmas,” as Martha refers to her book, is one heckuva trip down the rabbit hole of a remarkable woman’s life. Page after page, She ranges back and forth, between now and then, between here and there, between her patch of garden in Bond Hill and her “winter garden” in Las Cruces, NM, between her own (grandmotherly) situation, and vivid (albeit un­lived) similarities to grandmas like herself, trapped in the Mid­East country her country all but destroyed: Iraq. Born in Waycross, Georgia, Stephens spent much of her post­ graduate work­life as a professor of English at the University of Cincinnati. She has written numerous Photo: Amazon.com books, many of these published by reputable houses. A hugely important book In 1960, as a young UC teacher, Martha discovered and exposed the grotesque incidents she later detailed in “The Treatment: The Story of Those Who Died in the Cincinnati Radiation Tests” (Duke University Press, 2002). Her whistle­ blowing brought the wrath of the University and its medical community down around the slight professor whose expose had brought the experiments to a rather quick halt. But not before 21, mostly black, “patients” had died in those secret “total body radiation” tests conducted on behalf of the US military in the basement of the then General Hospital. Stephens weathered the storms, and now sees that her conscientious acts, as well as the book (written thirty years later), “probably did some good.” Indeed. “Grandmas”: a curious tale Most of this latest book is divided into short sections, often little more than a page, and often strangely titled, e.g., “Suicide of the Squashes,” or “But I Don’t Write Comedy.” Martha Stephens Photo: Joe Wilson 3 Maybe her style is not comedic, but she effects a sly, biting wittiness throughout. Critiquing American culture (one of the peppers with which she regularly spices the book), she often refers to her middle­ class, semi­pampered life as being a kind of begrudging gift, bestowed on her (and on most of her fellow bourgeoisie) by the elite folks who own our country. “I am a pet of the ruling classes,” she writes, “let it be said once more, and can afford to attend the opera and to buy almond bark at the concession.” In this memoir, Stephens gives herself free range to do just about anything she pleases, as she lays out the story of her life. “It is boring to have nothing but the present to inhabit,” she writes. She seems indifferent as to whether there is a reading audience. Often, she tells her story directly to the book itself. “On this day, I’d like to tell you, my book, a little more about my life in Waycross, Georgia.” She talks about various personal relationships with candor, good and bad. She sometimes writes, quite revealingly, of her strange and often troubled relationship with her professor husband, calling him “The Man.” In a kind of ongoing metaphor, Stephens comes back to her gardening skills again and again, often anthropomorphizing her fruits and vegetables, as if she believes they too can feel hurt, can long for life, just as people do. Martha Stephens knows that the grandmas of Baghdad have feelings as well. And she returns to them often, identifying with the hell in which she is certain they are living out their lives, comparing it to the somewhat agrarian life she lives in one of the near Cincinnati suburbs. The interior life One of my favorite passages (of many) can be found in a section (oddly) titled, “On Not Disliking St. Augustine.” Stephens writes, “...the interior life is so private, so lonely a life; but somehow we don’t care if it is lonely, we are so full of our lonely curiosity.” As I read through it, I found that “Me and the Grandmas of Baghdad” is exactly that: the story of a lonely, yet public, inner life, a living “curiosity” willing to face rejection and defeat, because — like those women in Iraq — she has little choice. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED In this amazing book, Martha Stephens goes “public” with her inner life. She sets the story down exactly as her inner life demands it. She’s a sharp old lady who has taken many risks. So late in life, she knows that she can tell her story exactly as she chooses, without worrying over consequences. I predict that a good many folks will fall into this book as into their grandmother’s arms. Like me, they will cherish it, the way the author cherishes her grandchildren and her butter beans. She raised those beans, damn it. And she wrote this amazing, fearless book. The plot thickens In a middle section of the book, referring to the lack of a plot in one of her novels, she reflects, “...life itself we don’t see as a plot...It may be we ourselves are always the last to discover the plots of our lives, or can they only be apprehended by others after we are gone?” I had never before thought of my life as being plotted. After reading this memoir, I can’t stop thinking about so odd a notion. Am I writing my own plot? I wonder. Or is it being written by the demands of my culture, my family, and my friends? The author as activist Professor Stephens often mentions having worn her favorite visor, before and after she wore the “Occupy” edition in 2011. She still wears it daily. You will recognize her immediately when you see her at a meeting, or on the street: a thin, white­ haired gramma, wearing a plain cotton skirt, and a visor over her brow that reads: “War is Not the Answer.” I admit to not having the guts to fight war’s depravity every time I walk out the door, as Martha does. But Stephens is a wily teacher. Maybe I will learn from her book how to put more of myself on the line. To push the plot­line of my life. In an early chapter of “Grandmas,” Stephens talks about opening a textbook that she has treasured through the years [The History of the English Language, by Alfred Baugh, 1935]. Her take on this old book could be a review clip for her own strange and beguiling memoir: “I open it to reflect on the wonders of my language yet again, but also to marvel at this: that a scholar of English could unfold his story in so graceful and easeful a way, could engage even the common reader and show such a reader every courtesy and consideration.” This same unfolding, this same engagement, Martha Stephens provides us “common” readers. I suggest you consider going on line and purchasing a copy of Grandmas. It will make you feel not common, but “special.” [As this review comes out, Martha has decided to give any profits from the book’s sales to the Homeless Coalition. Martha has also generously agreed to meet with you and sign your copy. Her email address is: stephem@ucmail.uc.edu. Her blog address is http://marthastephens.wordpress.com/] ------------------------ �4 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Feb.12- 25 , 2015 | No. 297 �LOCAL No. 312 | S ept 1 1 - S ept 2 4, 2 0 1 5 Community Issues Forum Kicks Off Its 35th Season BILL WOODS Contributing Writer T he Community Issues Forum kicks off its 35th season of forums on Thursday September 17th. Sponsored by the Outreach Committee of Christ Church Cathedral, the Forum features presentations on critical community and public policy issues every other Thursday at noon from September to June. The opening Forum on September 17th features Mary Carol Melton, Executive Vice President of the Anna Louise Inn, in a discussion of hu- man trafficking and how “the Off the Streets Program” assists women seeking to escape from prostitution in order to forge new lives. This presentation will take place at the Anna Louise Inn and will include a tour of the Inn’s new building at 2401 Reading Road. Unlike Forums at the Cathedral, reservations are required (call 381-4994). “This session,” noted Melton, “gives us a an opportunity to better understand issues facing women who are homeless, involved in drug use, prostitution, and human trafficking in our community and what is being done to assist and serve them.” Two Forums in October will focus on state and local ballot issues and candidates running for the Cincinnati School Board. The Forum on Wednesday September 30th will review the pros and cons of three State Constitutional Amendment proposals and two proposed Cincinnati Charter Amendment. Issue 1 Bill Woods and Vice Mayor David Mann at Community Issues Forum Photo: Justin Jeffre Cincinnati’s TASER policy needs to change JANIS DUTTON Contributing Writer C incinnati Police policy defines a TASER as a “non-lethal force alternative” to assist officers in performing their duties. Some law enforcement agencies in Southwest Ohio define them as “less-than,” or “less lethal.” It is hard to imagine James Carney III, who died last week after being shot with a police TASER, being described as less dead. And, the families of Kevin Piskura, Leroy Hughes, Douglas Boucher, Kelly Brinson, Everett Howard, and Cory McGinnis-local people who have died in the last seven years after law enforcement use of TASERS--likely find little comfort that their loved ones should be less than dead. Words are important. They not 5 only reflect our thinking, they guide our actions. Cincinnati policy calls TASERS “devices.” My cell phone is a device. A TASER is a weapon. If law enforcement believes these weapons are harmless devices, like mobile phones, non-lethal and safe, they may be more likely to use them in circumstances where they might have before used more conventional and less dangerous methods to deescalate a situation. In fact, Cincinnati policy recommends the weapons to be used at an alarmingly low threshold of use compared to other local law enforcement agencies. It also allows the use of TASERS on children as young as seven years old. Barring extreme circumstances, use on young children is an unconscionable, no, an immoral, abuse of power. The United Nations Committee Against Torture has, since 2006, repeatedly expressed concerns that TASERS are used as instruments of torture, and a form of cruelty. In 2008, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child questioned the use of “Taser guns” on children and called to “put an end to the use of all harmful devices against children.” Local media cites reports from Amnesty International that claim 540 people in this country have died since 2001 after being shocked by the electronic weapons. Factoring in international deaths that number is THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED would reform the process for drawing district lines for state legislative elections every ten years, while Issue 3 would legalize marijuana in Ohio. Meanwhile, Issue 2 would prohibit the granting of monopolies in state ballot initiatives. One City Charter Amendment involves funding new park facilities on the West side of Cincinnati, while the other would change the date of the mayoral primary from September to May. At the October 15th Forum, candidates for the Cincinnati School Board will be asked to present their views on various education reform policies. The next four Forums pick up some of the strands from last season’s sessions on economic inequality and reforming the criminal justice system. On October 29th, leaders from the Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center will make the case for enacting an anti-wage theft City Ordinance. The following Forum on November 12th will examine initiatives underway to lower the rate of incarceration in Ohio and the U.S. and to ease the re-entry process for former prison inmates. The preThanksgiving Forum on November 19th will feature Kevin Jones, a nationally recognized advocate for transforming urban neighborhoods into healthy economic centers with good employment opportunities for their residents. Finally, Black Lives Matter will be invited back to the December 3rd Forum to report on ongoing efforts to reform police practices nationally and locally. Forums are free and open to the public, and normally take place every other Thursday at 12:00 Noon, Christ Church Cathedral, 318 East Fourth Street. Lunch can be purchased for $5.50, or you can bring your own brown bag. For further information, call 381-4994. -----------------------much higher. Canada is facing a similar problem, with one big difference. When Robert Dziekanski died after being shocked multiple times by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in the Vancouver Airport in 2007, the province of British Columbia launched a full public inquiry—the Braidwood Inquiry--into the safety of TASERS and the police actions surrounding his death. The commission looked at a variety of medical research, not just that presented by, and often funded by, Taser International, Inc. The US government launched a full inquiry into the safety of Toyota acceleration systems after fewer than 50 deaths. Researchers are beginning to look into the effect of these electrical weapons on the brain function of adults. One study measured a significant reduction in cognitive functioning within 5 minutes after exposure and a return to normal 24 (Continued on page 7) �6 LOCAL “Breakdown Stereotypes” Sept 11 - Sept 24, 2015 | No. 312 “Eradicate Misinformation” The Coalition for the Homeless provides Education and Service Programs that help to portray a more accurate and holistic picture of homelessness in Cincinnati. We believe an educated public can be a more compassionate public, willing to dedicate time and effort towards creating solutions to homelessness. The “Voice of the Homeless Speaker’s Bureau” program is made up of individuals currently experiencing homelessness or who have experienced homelessness, who share their experiences. The program is designed to put a face on homelessness and raise awareness about those struggling in our community. To schedule a speaker, contact Leslie Moorhead at (513) 421.7803 x11 The B Word What are you saying when you call someone a “bum”? All too often when we discuss the phenomena of homeslessness, we use words like “bum,” “hobo,” or “vagrant” to describe people. But what are we really saying when we label people with those words? REMEMBER: PUT PEOPLE FIRST *Always use “people-first” language when discussing the issue of homelessness. It is a misconception that those who “People experiencing experience homelessness do so out of homelessness” choice; many work long hours. Homelessness is a multi-layered issue. When we dismiss people who live in extreme poverty as being NOT lazy or deserving of their situation we are actively contributing to the problem. “Homeless people” Learn to change your language. Learn how to make a difference. To learn more about the lack of affordable housing and the inadequacy of services that force people into homelessness, contact the Homeless Coalition at (513) 421- 2701 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �7 LOCAL Are Income-Based Fines More Fair? No. 312 | S ept 1 1 - S ept 2 4, 2 0 1 5 JASON HAAP Contributing Writer A t lunch the other day, a friend introduced me to the concept of “income-based fines.” I had never heard of this idea, and I became a believer right away. The short version: fines should be based proportionally on one’s daily income, rather than an amount that means nothing to wealthy people but can be devastating to people near or below the poverty line. Let’s take a traffic ticket as an example. My last traffic ticket (which was bullshit, by the way - but that’s another matter) cost $65. According to PayScale.com, the average hourly salary in Cincinnati is $16.80. Someone working eight hours would gross $134 per day. My traffic ticket cost nearly half of an average Cincinnatian’s daily gross pay. So what if these kinds of traffic tickets cost half of the offender’s daily salary? Let’s say someone makes $100,000 per year (with two weeks unpaid vacation). That person would earn about $50 per hour - or about $400 per day. This person’s ticket would cost $200. Similarly, if some- JANIS DUTTON (Continued from page 5) hours later. (Cognitive deficits following exposure to other forms of electrical shock are well documented.) What that might mean to the growing mind of a child as young as seven is a frightening prospect. Police Chief Blackwell states that the officer involved in Carney’s death followed policy. Therein lies the problem. The policy is fundamentally, fatally flawed, putting the city and its citizens at risk. Listen to the words We had a similar situation in Oxford, OH. Kevin Piskura died five days after being shot in the chest with a TASER in April 2008. After an investigation into the incident completed in October 2008, Butler County Prosecutor Robin Piper also determined the local police department followed its Use of Force policy. A group of citizen activists, myself included, challenged the policy, which stated “when used inappropriately, a Taser application can result in fatality.” The activists confronted city officials with reports from Amnesty International and The Braidwood Inquiry as well as documentation challenging the manufacturer’s safety claims and target areas, which then included the chest area. We pointed out that Taser International had been sued in 2005 by law enforcement officers, who challenged the safety claims in the corporation’s marketing after they suffered serious injuries after being shocked during training exercises, and by their own shareholders who claimed the corporation obscured the truth about the safety of its weapons. one made $25,000 per year, that comes to around $12.50 per hour - or about $100 a day. This person would have a $50 ticket. Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria, France, and Switzerland all have some version of this system in place. If Cincinnati were to adopt such an approach, what would happen? I think, almost immediately, police would be incentivized to patrol wealthy neighborhoods for traffic violations increasing the amount of dollars collected through fines. It’s pretty widely known that black neighborhoods, for example, are more likely to be targeted for traffic stops. What if that were flipped to a focus on wealthier parts of town? Maybe the cops would also find drugs on those Hyde Park kids, too! In all seriousness, though, when I think about the recent shooting death of Samuel DuBose, I think about why the UC police department would be patrolling for traffic violations. It seems pretty clear to me. I like thinking about what would happen if we adopted income-based fines. It might radically change the face of who gets pulled over for moving violations. A key point in our position was captured in a quote from Judge Thomas Braidwood in the Braidwood Inquiry Report: In my mind we have no idea of the relative risk of death in a large population due to TASER use. A significant risk could be being missed due to a lack of study in the real world. We really have no handle on what other injuries associated with TASER might also be important—standing fractures, falling fractures, spinal cord injury, brain injury—as these are not being routinely followed in a systematic way. At a public meeting in 2009, then Oxford Chief of Police Steve Schwein said, Kevin Piskura’s death “wasn’t supposed to happen.” The department, it seemed, relied solely on the marketing and information provided by the manufacturer, and it was unaware of the medical and human rights controversy surrounding the issue. A month later city council held a hearing, and the chief announced that Taser International revised its warnings and recommendations to avoid the chest area. The Oxford Police Department did change its police policy guiding use of TASERS in 2009, eliminating the “when used inappropriately” (because even when used appropriately TASERS can result in death) and raised the threshold of use and constraints on deployment. The City of Oxford paid $750,000 to settle a 2013 lawsuit filed by Piskura’s family alleging excessive force and failure to adequately train, supervise, and control its employees. The family also sued Taser International, and may have been one of two pre-2009 cases settled in 2013 for 2.3 million. According to the cor- This is not an “out there,” untested, fantasy concept. It works in other parts of the world, and it could work here. Local politician David Pepper made news a few years ago for his high number of parking tickets. He paid them, but then again he could afford to pay them. But what if each offense cost him a half day’s pay? Right now, wealthy people can afford to be a bit more loose with some of these laws, and police have no reason to focus on them. Maybe now’s the time to change that. I’d be interested in what might happen if Cincinnati (or the state of Ohio!) were to implement this kind of system. ------------------------ Parking meter Photo: Justin Jeffre poration’s filings with the US Security Exchange Commission for 2013, “They implemented new risk management strategies, including revisions to product warnings and training to better protect both the Company and its customers from litigation based on ‘failure to warn’ theories.” Speak the words It’s time for the people of Cincinnati to demand a new policy that, at the very least, takes into account the warnings of the company to avoid killing, maiming, or brain-damaging its citizens. Taser International once referred to their now-named Conducted Electrical Weapons (CEWs) as devices and marketed them as non-lethal, but no longer. Perhaps amid a growing number of deaths after their use, and having to defend against an increasing stack of lawsuits, including claims they misrepresented the safety factor filed by law enforcement officers and their own shareholders, the corporation changed the language to less-than or less lethal. Today they just call them safe, which, according to dictionaries, is defined as “protected from or not exposed to danger or risk.” The warnings spelled out in the company’s “Important Safety and Health Information” document suggests otherwise, as does a growing body of research. Cincinnati’s Police Use of Force policy has changed a number of times since Taser Intl. changed its language in 2009. Yet it still labels the weapons as “non-lethal,” and places it in a non-lethal position on the continuum of force. The officer involved in the recent death of James Carney III may have THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED followed policy, but that policy--based on faulty assumptions that disregard the language and warnings of the manufacturer as well as recommendations by law enforcement groups, results of medical research, and concerns raised by human rights agencies-- needs to change. In 2005, Council member Christopher Smitherman tried to raise the age at which a child can be jolted with 50,000 volts of electricity from 7 to at least 11. In 2004, Cincinnati police had used the weapons 629 times, with 52 of those on children between the ages of 12 and 17. His efforts in the Law and Public Safety Committee failed on a vote of 3-2 with Laketa Cole voting in favor, and John Cranley, David Pepper, and Jim Tarbell voting no. Tarbell is quoted in the Cincinnati Enquirer saying, “We don’t want them to use any of these things if they don’t have to. The distinction is compared to what?” The current continuum of force options shows the “compared to what.” •Officer presence •Verbal skills •TASER /Chemical irritant •Escort techniques • Balance displacement • Hard hands (pressure points/ strikes) • Monadnock Auto-Lock baton •Monadnock PR-24 •PepperBall launcher (Non-lethal) •Beanbag shotgun (Less than lethal) •40mm foam round (Less than lethal) (Continued on page 10) �8 PHOTO ESSAY Sept 11 - Sept 24, 2015 | No. 312 Photo series: The Art of War RUETERS / STAFF WRITER Courtesy of INSP News Service A mid the rubble of bombedout buildings in the world’s most volatile war zones, politically charged murals and graffiti offer ground-level views of the conflict. This Reuters photo series captures murals and graffiti that chronicle the violence, fear and oppression felt by those trapped on the front line. ------------------------ A man walks past a graffiti, denouncing strikes by U.S. drones in Yemen, painted on a wall in Sanaa November 13, 2014. Yemeni authorities have paid out tens of thousands of dollars to victims of drone strikes using U.S.-supplied funds, a source close to Yemen’s presidency said, echoing accounts by legal sources and a family that lost two members in a 2012 raid. Credit: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah A Free Syrian Army fighter poses next to graffiti on a wall drawn by Syrian artist and activist Ahmad Jalal along a street in Kafranbel, Idlib province January 31, 2014. Jalal’s drawings have been used as banners during anti-government protests as well Credit: REUTERS/Fadi Mashan A man sits next to a wall with graffiti in a cell of the central prison in the district of Wango, in the capital Bangui, March 21, 2014. Hatred between Christians and Muslims in Central African Republic has reached a “terrifying level”, the U.N.’s top human rights official said on Thursday, warning that atrocities were being carried out with impunity. Credit: REUTERS/Siegfried Modola Pro-Houthi activists finish painting graffiti depicting Saudi-led air strikes on the wall of the Saudi embassy in Sanaa July 29, 2015. Saudi-led warplanes bombed targets in Yemen’s northerly Saada province, a bastion of Iranianallied Houthi forces, local officials said on Wednesday, and a U.N. official accused both sides in the conflict of failing to respect international law. The writings read: “I am hungry” and “Yemen”. Credit: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 312 | S ept 1 1 - S ept 2 4, 2 0 1 5 PHOTO ESSAY A member of the Iraqi security forces stands guard with his weapon at Camp Habbaniyah between the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, March 12, 2015. Picture taken March 12, 2015. Credit: REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani A view of graffiti on a wall in Kabul March 5, 2012. Encased in a head-to-toe burqa, the image depicts a distraught woman slumped on a cement stairwell, the work of Afghanistan’s first street artists who use graffiti to chronicle violence and oppression. The sombre depictions of Afghan women on Kabul’s rutted streets offer rare public insight into their lives, still marred by violence and injustice despite progress in women’s rights since the Taliban was toppled over a decade ago. Credit: REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 9 �10 JANIS DUTTON (Continued from page 7) •Deadly force In other words, the use of TASERS is the first use of force just after verbal demands, and long before other “less than lethal” options. Children and adults can be shocked for actively resisting arrest, defined as a subject “making physically evasive movements to defeat the LOCAL officer’s attempt at control, including fleeing, bracing, tensing, pushing, or verbally signaling an intention to avoid or prevent being taken into or retained in custody.” Perhaps we as citizens, at least those who haven’t experienced the wrong end of a TASER, have been suckered into believing the advertising and marketing safety claims of Taser International, Inc. We may also have been brainwashed by Hollywood filmmakers and other media to think Sept 11 - Sept 24, 2015 | No. 312 being shocked is funny. A new documentary called Killing Them Safely, currently making the rounds of film festivals, should force us to rethink our laughter and motivate us to speak out. Scheduled for wider release in November, the film documents the almost cult relationship between Taser International and law enforcement with local governments and police departments accepting all of the company’s claims at face value, and allowing them to have a monopoly over the training and safety of the weapon. Words are important, and Cincinnati’s police policy needs new language and a revision to its continuum of force. TASERS need to be understood as potentially lethal weapons. If the barbs were propelled by gunpowder, as they once were, instead of the gas propellant they now use, they would be considered firearms and subject to regulation. Cincinnatians should be sick and tired of hearing that another preventable TASER-induced death was according to police policy, and should no longer tolerate “That wasn’t supposed to happen,” or “oops” as an excuse. Start by contacting Mayor John Cranley, who voted to allow officers to torture seven year olds. You can email him at mayor.cranley@cincinnati-oh. gov or call 513-352-3250. On a side note: The name TASER stands for Thomas A. Swift’s Electric Rifle. The inventor was inspired by the 1911 young adult novel Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle, or Daring Adventures in Elephant Land. In this 10th volume of Tom Swift’s adventures, young Tom uses his new invention to kill elephants, and rhinoceroses, and in battles with “tribes” of “red pygmies.” The weapon and the corporate name pay homage to this racist history. ------------------------ For tickets please call (513) 381-2273 Purchase tickets online at www.cincyshakes.com Ad Donated by Mark and Sue Ann Painter season sponsored by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �LOCAL No. 312 | S ept 1 1 - S ept 2 4, 2 0 1 5 Police Chief Blackwell discusses his termination with Streetvibes JUSTIN JEFFRE Contributing Writer A fter a chaotic council meeting on Wednesday September 9th where many of Chief Blackwell’s supporters spoke, Blackwell briefly spoke to the media just outside of council chambers. He was hounded all the way down the stairs onto the street and to his car. It was a media circus where reporters were nearly practically pushing each other down the stairs. After I walked away from the circus I decided to walk to my favorite place for lunch, Skyline. As I entered the restaurant on Court Street I saw that Chief Blackwell was sitting there having lunch with two other guys. I assured them that I wasn’t following them, I just go there to eat often. After I finished eating and paid my tab I decided to give the former chief my card and told him I’d like to interview him whenever he got a chance. He said let’s do it now. So here it is: Streetvibes: Why do you think Mayor Cranley and City Manager Harry Black wanted you to go? Blackwell: “I think they’ve always been against me, from day one. I think it’s well chronicled that Cranley did not want me to be the Police Chief here. I think we’ll also be able to demonstrate over the coming weeks that Harry Black was brought in to do what he did today. It’s unfortunate for the young kids of the city who we’ve elevated and made a priority. So I’m going to miss that, I’m going to miss this city.” Streetvibes: You seem to have a lot of support in the community, do you have a message to the people? Blackwell: “I love them. I really do and I’m going to miss them.” Streetvibes: The fact that there still seems to be a need for the Sentinels (a black police union) to exist 11 suggests racial problems in the department. Can you shed some light on that? Blackwell: “In the coming weeks and months a lot will be revealed about some of the inner workings of, or un-workings of CPD. It’s unfortunate that there’s still a fracture there along racial lines internally, but there is. A very pronounced fracture. So it’s a tough place. It’s a tough place.” “This is a great city and I think we’ve demonstrated in two years that it can be a model for policing. Doing it in a way where you elevate people, where you focus on engagement over enforcement and worry about lifting people up over locking people up. I just hope that some of that continues here with my departure.” Streetvibes: Do you have anything you’d like to add? “I haven’t been given the liberty or the respect to be handed the report that I was apparently fired over. I haven’t seen it, haven’t read it, don’t know what’s in it, but I’m hearing from other people some of the salacious details put in there by people in the department. That’s disappointing to me, but more importantly I will defend my character and my reputation until the day I die. So to those individuals, get ready for depositions.” Do you think you were treated fairly by the media? Blackwell: “Mostly.” Streetvibes: Do you think any media outlets or reporters were unfair to you? Blackwell: “The Enquirer is not fair.” Streetvibes: Thank you for your time. Blackwell: “Thank you.” ------------------------ Letter to the Editor [Dear Editor], I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate Streetvibes as a great way to support people experiencing homelessness. (By the way, I learned that terminology from your recent issue!) I have purchased Streetvibes from many different vendors, and all of them have been friendly and gracious. In terms of content, the variety of stories is usually good, and I especially like the inclusion of a crossword puzzle and sudoku. In the past I have seen poems or stories written by Streetvibes vendors themselves, which I think is neat. And in this recent issue, there was a good list of resources and job openings. The color photos of vendors on the back is a nice update, too. The vendor I purchased from today even circled herself, giving it a clever personal touch. Finally, I may just be one person, but I can tell you that I look kindly upon any businesses that I see advertising in Streetvibes. For example, Lackman and Lachey’s are much more likely to get my business now. Just wanted to let you know my thoughts and thank you for all that you do. Best, Kristan ------------------------ Marian Spencer: Why the Parks Levy is bad policy MARIAN SPENCER [Local civil rights activist, former mayor, council person, and Charter Committee Board member sent this letter to Parks Director Willie Carden recently.] I t is with regret that after carefully reading the text of the Parks levy that I cannot support it. This action is difficult for me because when asked for my support last June, I was unaware that this would be a Charter amendment rather than a normal property tax levy, or that its income would be used only for capital projects. I returned to Cincinnati just this week and have spent a great deal of time studying the Parks levy. Had I known the details earlier I would have notified the campaign immediately. You need to know my decision before next Tuesday’s Cincinnatus Association luncheon. Due to the Labor Day holiday this letter will not be received before Tuesday. The primary reasons for my change of heart are: 1. As a 75-year member of the Charter Committee, vice mayor and council member I have always stood for good government. A property tax levy should not be in the city charter. Voters should have an opportunity to renew (or deny) any tax levy in future years. This one is permanent. It is bad policy. 2. My late husband Donald Blackwell outside of council chambers Photo: Justin Jeffre THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED and I always wanted the parks and all their activities to be open and accessible, free of charge to everyone. Donald fought so effectively to keep Krohn Conservatory free that they didn’t charge there until after he had died. This levy does not guarantee that new park projects will be free and open to everyone. The new carousel at Smale Park, while truly lovely, is an example. Many children cannot afford to ride, let alone have their parents pay for parking to get there. 3. This park levy should not be for capital projects only. What about personnel to manage them? Large projects such as bike trails or significant other changes to our beautiful parks should be initiated by our citizens and adopted by council through the normal budget process. I am sorry for my confusion about the content of the levy. I had not seen its content at the time I supported it, therefore I am compelled to withdraw my support. The timing is very difficult for everyone, because I have been out of the city for two months, with no local news readily available. Please discontinue to use my name in your Pro Parks levy campaign literature or any future community gatherings. ------------------------ �12 LOCAL Sept 11 - Sept 24, 2015 | No. 312 Now Hiring Caracole Caracole.org - Housing Specialist - Resident Assistant for our transitional housing facilities. - Case Manager Cincinnati Union Bethel cinunionbethel.org Our Daily Bread ourdailybread.us/ about/connect/jobopportunities/ Manager - Head Start Family and Community Engagement - Head Start Teacher - Payroll and Accounting Coordinator - Kitchen Manager - Assistant Cook Lighthouse lighthouse.org Shelter House shelterhousecinti. org - Multiple Openings - Early Childhood Site - Resident Aide Tender Mercies tendermerciesinc. org - Residential Support Worker - Housing Aftercare Coordinator DeSales Marianists Mission- We are a Catholic Parish of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati ministering in the Marianist tradition. The Society of Mary (Marianists) is a religious congregation composed of lay and religious members; Sisters, Brothers and priests. The Marianists honor Mary as a model of courage and hospitality. In their ministry, they work to bring about the kingdom of God. 1600 Madison Road | Cincinnati, OH 45206 | P: (513) 961-1945 | F: (513) 221-4907 http://saintfrancisdesalesparish.org/ I Just Don’t Get It RICARDO TAYLOR Contributing Writer & Streetvibes Distributor I n the recent past, I was under the impression that, because of what I often witnessed of some people’s actions, that they just didn’t get It. Simple rules of civility, or minor roles of conduct just don’t seem to apply. Then all of the sudden, the reality changed and I came to see; oh, it’s really me. I just don’t get it! I’m puzzled; you see, because I don’t quite understand. For every cause there is a reason, for every action there is a reaction, or at least, so logic says. It is for this sense of logic that so often we take things for granted. Simple things, such as, if you don’t work, you don’t eat! That is to say it’s understood that if you want something, then you have to put forth some effort in order to obtain that something. Yet, there is a mindset amongst some that they are owed something from others without their own efforts...huh? Living on the second floor not wanting to traverse the stairs in order to take out the trash you just toss it out of your window? Or, riding along a street you just throw your trash out the car window? I just don’t get it! Perhaps for me it’s the question of one’s environment which leaves me in that state of puzzlement. Trashing your personal area, how, I ask does one stand in the midst of refuse that they create? Bottles and cans mixed with food and wrappers from the social gathering places which many of us often frequent, just scattered about the area, trash can a few feet away; socializing in the midst of trash which we ourselves have created and we are OK? I just don’t get it! There they are standing in the soup line every single day, demanding more than their share, believing that the kitchen has the obligation to feed them, becoming vulgar or aggressive if they don’t get their way. I just don’t get it! Using or abusing others for per- sonal benefit or for personal gain and then calling it a blessing. I just don’t get it! Listening to the clatter of some panhandlers, aggressively (Continued on page 13) Ricardo Taylor Photo: Aimee Willhoite THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED asking �STREET VOICE No. 312 | S ept 1 1 - S ept 2 4, 2 0 1 5 RICARDO TAYLOR (Continued from page 12) and upon receiving a No; they become abusive often pointing out your responsibility towards them; huh? Now, I understand that sometimes we need the help or support of others and therefore we have to ask, yet, when and how do we become their responsibility? I just don’t get it! Well, there are endless examples of some people’s civility or roles of conduct which fit the, I just don’t get it scenario and I am sure you can think of some on your own. Even living in a society where anything goes, [is acceptable]. The question remains. Who is it that really doesn’t get it? Note: If you are a Streetvibes reader I would like to ask you if you have had some really outrageous encounters with the concept of I just don’t get it to send your experiences to our publication and see if we can’t get them shared. ------------------------ The Copy Cat Copy Cat, Copy Cat climbing up the Copy Cat tree The Copy Cat is always waiting, hanging around On the prowl looking for a victim in the crowd The Copy Cat scratches, bites, lies and deceives Needing attention, it’s what the Copy Cat needs The Copy Cat is a lost soul, wore out and old Bad behavior that can’t be lost WHO DO YOU LOVE TO BE ABLE TO REMEMBER THE WAY ONE HAS LIVED THEIR LIFE TO BE ABLE TO REMEMBER THEIR OWN HAPPY DAYS AND DAYS WITH STRIFE TO BE ABLE TO REMEMBER SO MUCH AFTER SO MANY YEARS TO BE ABLE TO REMEMBER MORE HAPPY TIMES THAN YOU REMEMBER TEARS TO BE ABLE TO REMEMBER SOME FACES NOT TO MENTION SOME PLACES TO BE ABLE TO REMEMBER THEN UNDERSTAND WITHOUT SUPPORT I HAVE NO BASES TO KNOW I HAVE NO POWER OVER THE WORLD BUT I HAVE POWER OVER ME TO KNOW HOMELESSNESS, TO BEG, TO PLEAD FOR HELP AND NOBODY SEES TO KNOW WHEN IT’S TIME TO MAKE A CHANGE FOR YOURSELF AND LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND TO BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND KNOW THAT ONLY YOU CAN MAKE YOU SHINE Copy Cat you should stop Let’s hope one day the Copy Cat can grow And ask for forgiveness and a new soul KIM GREEN 13 WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer Contributing Writer & Streetvibes Distributor Giving the Donald His Due Even from Trump occasional wisdom is spoken. The Donald declared “the system is broken!” THE DONALD SHOW OR THE FIRST GOP DEBATE Ten Republican hopefuls took to the stage, And toward the Prez they vented their rage. Their choice of issues showed a limited range, and there wasn’t a mention of climate change. Every one of them seemed to be quite unaware That any benefits could result from Obamacare. These guys were not even the least bit stealthy When promoting tax breaks for the wealthy. They think veering right is the best way to win, And a woman’s right to choose is labelled a sin. Did the event provide anything of value to know, Or did Fox simply produce “The Donald Show?” BILL WOODS Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �14 PUZZLES Sept 11 - Sept 24, 2015 | No. 312 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 77 Across 1. Celestial body 5. Circuit 8. Hard kind of stone 13. Field sport 14. Female horse 15. Spooky 16. Remove from office 17. Pivot 18. Used to control a horse 19. Theatrical group 21. Molecule 23. Unit of play in tennis 24. Bird shelter 26. Female sheep 27. Solemn 29. Reclamation 34. Assistance 35. Snare 37. Clan 38. Baby bed 40. Projecting bay window 43. Sweet pulpy tropical fruit 44. Summarize 46. Way out 48. Regurgitated food of a ruminant 49. Put into the care of someone 52. Talisman 54. Jurisprudence 55. Excavation 56. Globe 59. A turn made in skiing 61. Bid 65. Herbaceous plant 67. Pleasant 69. Donate 70. Distribute 71. Trampled 72. Large woody plant 73. Shelf 74. Hankering 75. Group of animals Down 1. Blemish 2. Travel 3. In addition 4. Corpulent 5. Slack 6. Song for solo voice 7. Annoy persistently 8. Agitation 9. Sheltered side 10. Part of the eye 11. Value of Roman IX 12. Trial 14. Artist of consummate skill 20. Vegetable matter, can be used as fuel 22. Be obliged to pay 25. Rend 27. Temptress 28. Decree 30. Epoch 31. Flinch 32. Approximately 33. Give temporarily 34. Unit of area 36. Pastry item 39. Exclude 41. Set of evaluating questions 42. Restricted 45. Throb 50. Was seated 51. A score in number 53. Continuance in time 56. Ellipse 57. Irritate 58. Fearless and daring 60. Morass 62. Desperate 63. At any time 64. Part of a woodwind instrument 66. Captain’s journal 68. Swindle SODOKU PUZZLE NO 211 - MEDIUM PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 311 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 76 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 210 - MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �RESOURCES No. 312 | S ept 1 1 - S ept 2 4, 2 0 1 5 Shelter: Women and Children Central Access Point Bethany House 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224 Mercy Franciscan at St. John 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Salvation Army 131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 381-SAFE 557-2873 681-2365 981-5800 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 762-5660 4600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 St. Vincent de Paul 872-9259 Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 Prospect House 921-1613 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 Shelter: Both Starting Over 961-2256 Lighthouse on Highland (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave Cincinnati, OH 45219 569-9500 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women First Step Home 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both 721-0643 AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 217 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Interfaith Hospitality Network 471-1100 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave Cincinnati, OH 45220 961-4080 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 Joseph House (Veterans) Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP 721-4580 632-7149 381-1171 114 W. 14th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 27 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Volunteers of America 381-1954 Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 241-2965 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Talbert House 221-HELP Tender Mercies 721-8666 Advocacy Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Franciscan JPIC Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 721-4700 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Food/Clothing First Lutheran Church 421-0065 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 Mercy Franciscan at St. John 981-5800 OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206 562-8841 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 271-5501 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men Parkway Center 661-4620 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 535-2719 591-2246 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 CMHA Excel Development OTR Community Housing St. Francis Soup Kitchen Churches Active in Northside Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 1419 Elm Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Housing: 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 Drop Inn Center Our Daily Bread 621-6364 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 Shelter: Men 1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237 961-1983 15 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 Faces Without Places 363-3300 Stop AIDS 421-2437 Health Center for Respite Care 621-1868 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45219 Crossroad Health Center 961-0600 381-2247 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 352-6364 McMicken Dental Clinic 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti 352-6363 Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 Mercy Franciscan at St. John 981-5800 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach 351-3500 977-4489 Other Resources Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Emmanuel Community Center 241-2563 1308 Race St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 215 E. 14th Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 381-0111 Goodwill industries Healing Connections Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. Mary Magdalen House 771-4800 751-0600 579-8547 721-4811 1223 Main St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 Talbert House 751-7747 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry Northern Kentucky Brighton Center 799 Ann St. Newport, KY ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 Women’s Crisis Center VA Domiciliary VA Homeless 981-4200 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 859-491-8303 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 859-491-3335 859-559-5011 859-572-6226 �16 S Sept 11 - Sept 24, 2015 | No. 312 treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. ALMA SIMS SINCE 5/2014 ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BELINDA CHERRY SINCE 8/2015 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DEBORAH POINDEXTER SINCE 9/2012 DONALD YOUNG ELMORE MORRIS SINCE 5/2014 GINA MARTIN GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 GREGORY RAY SINCE 4/2015 JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009 JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2003 JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001 JONATHAN SLATER SINCE 5/2014 JOHN GAINES SINCE 12/2009 KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 KIM GREEN SINCE 1/2010 KRISTINE HOFSKY SINCE 3/2015 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MAURICE GOLSBY MAXINE GRANT SINCE 4/2015 JOHN HORN JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008 J’TORI TYMAN SINCE 5/2014 W. KENNETH BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 LARRY FILES SINCE 6/2012 LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007 LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009 LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 MEACO WAITE MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MICHAEL BEHYMER RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 2001 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 TODD HANLEY SINCE 5/2014 TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 VICTOR MUMPHRY NEBRASKA SINCE 3/2015 SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 LOTTIE MANNER PERVIS MENTON SINCE 8/2015 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2015 WILLIAM BURDINE SINCE 8/2009 CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRAIG SMITH SINCE 5/2014 GLENDA CANTRELL GREGORY WILSON SINCE 1/2012 JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006 JOHNNY KERNS SINCE 9/2012 LEVY RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 TARA HILL SINCE 4/2014 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 TINA SINCE 4/2015 QUEENACELESTINE WILLIAM SIMMS SINCE 4/2014 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2015 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11-September 24, 2015 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: The Words We Choose Pg 3: One Amazing Grandma Pg 4: Charity Gold Ball Drop Pg 5: Community Issues Forum Kicks Off its 35th Season Pg 6: The B Word Pg 7: Are Income-Based Fines More Fair? Pg 8: Photo Essay Pg 9: Photo Essay Pg 10: Janis Dutton Continued Pg 11: Police Chief Blackwell Discusses his Termination with Streetvibes Pg 12: I Just Don’t Get It Pg 13: Ricardo Taylor Continued 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 11-September 24, 2015 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Justin Jeffre Josh Spring Leslie Moorhead Michelle Dillingham Peter Kobak Chris Fowler Steve Reams Charles Carpenter Pete Roper Jim Luken Bill Woods Janis Dutton Jason Haap Marian Spencer Ricardo Taylor Willa Denise Jones Kim Green Joe Wilson Aimee Willhoite Bill Woods Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Aimee Willhoite Baghdad Bill Woods Charles Carpenter Chris Fowler Cincinnati civil rights Income Janis Dutton Jason Haap Jim Luken Joe Wilson Josh Spring Justin Jeffre Kim Green Leslie Moorhead Marian Spencer Michelle Dillingham Pete Roper Peter Kobak Photography Police police brutality Ricardo Taylor Steve Reams War Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/6dccfe92e9b6997358d29c55a836c19d.pdf 5301139a2eef1e10594f2cc7c242a4ac PDF Text Text S E P T . 1 4 - 2 7 2 0 1 2 VOL.16 ISSUE 19 (No. 234) PAGE 8 PAGE 3 PAGE 2 facebook.com/streetvibes cincinnati twitter.com/streetvibesnews PAGE 10 streetvibes.wordpress.com �2 Vote Hard! From the Director JOSH SPRING Executive Director V ote. In activist, social justice, struggle circles the demand to register to vote and to vote is almost a cliché- we talk about it so much. But we talk about it so much for good reason: one- voting is very important and two, in America many people do not treat voting as important. This year we have another vote coming and we have got to make sure we vote ourselves, our families vote, our friends vote, our co-workers vote, people we meet vote- everyone votes. We spend a lot of time protesting about how certain politicians are in the pocket of big business, or don’t EDITORIAL support basic human justice or human life- and we should spend a lot of time protesting this, but our protests certainly will be more real if we vote. And we can work as individuals and organizations (sadly not under the banner of a 501c3s) to oust politicians that are harming the People. We can then work to get other folks in that we trust more- and by the way, if there is no one we trust; as is often the case, we can work to run someone we do. All across America voting has been under attack, Ohio’s government has been one of the leaders in this attack on voting. Strong attempts have been made to make it difficult for people with low incomes, people experiencing homelessness or people studying at colleges and universitiesto vote. The fact that there are powers diligently working to make it hard to vote and disenfranchise potential voters- is yet more proof that voting is important. Tell those you know that if they have not registered to vote, they should. If they have moved since they last registered, they should register at their new address. If they are the least bit unsure as to what address they are registered under, they should simply register again. You can pick up registration forms at the Board of Elections office downtown; you can assist anyone in registering to vote. You can also go to: http://www.sos. state.oh.us/SOS/elections/Voters. aspx for more information. You must be registered before 30 days prior to the vote. On that important day in November, not only make sure you and everyone you know is at the polls, but also pay attention. Make sure the poll-workers let you know the correct table to be at, make sure your ballot ends up in the right location, make sure you sign the docket, make sure everyone around you is given equal access to the polls. Come at it with eyes and ears wide open. This is a re- sponsibility of all of us- we can never assume that if we see something that is going wrong and don’t say something that someone else will. We must take the responsibility to say something ourselves and if needed, work to get others to say something as well. Please, when you vote, look at the details first, vote for the people and issues you believe will best serve the People- not the best yard sign or slogan, not the most known name or party, please vote in every way to best serve Justice for the People. By the way, the League of Women Voters will soon put out a guide to the candidates and issues- you should get a copy. Voting is certainly important- spread the word. -Josh Spring, LSW, Executive Director Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to celebrate diversity! JUSTIN JEFFRE Streetvibes Editor S eptember is Hispanic Heritage Month and Sept. 28th marks Native American Day. They seem like appropriate moments for us to reflect on our nation’s history. We are after all a nation made up of mostly immigrants and yet throughout our history there has been so much anti-immigrant fervor. Unfortunately it remains with us today. Today the plight of Native Americans is almost ignored completely even though they face the greatest amount of poverty in our nation. Our history has been so bloody and brutal yet our culture pretends that it is glorious or perhaps somehow divine. For instance Cincinnati was referred to as the Imperial Queen City of the West. Sadly Native Americans continue to receive abuse from our government they are not only ignored, but we live in a culture that still accepts racist caricatures of them in mainstream venues. The Cleveland Indians’ logo “Chief Wahoo” is just one example and a sign at a local car dealership on Paddock road is another one. Would we accept these kinds of caricatures of any other ethnicity in the mainstream today? Columbus Day remains a national holiday despite the atrocities that he engaged in and America still pursues imperial policies around the world and even here at home. Many Americans seem completely ignorant of the fact that nearly half of the U.S. was Mexico before it was stolen by force. You have people who are the decedents of European immigrants telling people of Mexican descent to go home. In our city we have placards that note the history of German immigrants and the anti-immigrant fervor they at times faced, but there’s almost nothing acknowledging the indigenous people that were here first. This is why it’s important to acknowledge our past and work to change our present and future. This September 8th and 9th people gathered at the Hamilton County Fair Grounds for the 21st annual Hispanic Festival. It was a vibrant celebration of Latin American cuisine, music, dancing and culture. It was the kind of event that should be celebrated by the entire city. Cincinnati has always been a city of immigrants and we should celebrate and encourage more diversity. Sadly there’s a culture that continues the mindset of imperialism in our country and even in our city today. We have people that think of themselves as “urban pioneers” as if a “pioneer” should be glorified. And there’s gentrification that is removing poor communities of color that have been in neighborhood‘s like Over-theRhine for decades that is being celebrated as a big achievement. It seems to be a form of neo-colonialism. This September 11th marked Patriot’s Day. One great American named Frederick Douglas once said that, “A true patriot is a lover of his country who rebukes and does not excuse its sins.” That seems like a better definition than simply supporting government policies without questioning if they are just or not. Sometimes people complain that here in Streetvibes we can sometimes be too negative. But if we truly want a better city, nation and world shouldn’t we challenge the injustices we see instead of pretending that they don’t exist? A world is possible and we ought to start building it together today. �3 LOCAL Three File Lawsuit against Park Board Sunday, September 16th Award winning investigative journalist Amy Goodman will speak at the Crosley Telecommunications Center, 1223 Central Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio, to benefit Media Bridges, Cincinnati’s Community Media Center. The event will take place from 1pm – 3pm, with doors opening at 12:30pm. Tickets are $10.00 in advance and $15.00 at the door. Monday, September 24th 7p.m. Our Beloved Community: A Performance of Poetry, Story and Song about Over-theRhine Join us at the Main Library, 800 Vine Street Saturday, October 20th 1 p.m. Homeless Awareness March Washington Park Benches. Photo: Nick Swartsell BEN STOCKWELL Contributing Writer T he rumblings of the People’s Movement have once again sprung forth in Over-the- Rhine. Lack of transparency and a lack of democracy are again the complaints. And the collusion between government and 3CDC is again the catalyst. Last week, three citizens who live near Washington Park filed a lawsuit against the Park Board and its director, Willie Carden, alleging that the board abused the law and unfairly developed rules for the new crown jewel of the parks system. According to the new lawsuit, the Park Board and Carden “are violating Plaintiffs’ First and Fourteenth Amendment rights,” which deal with freedom of speech and assembly, by arbitrarily adopting rules and placing signs without public input and without public consent. These arbitrary rules lead also to arbitrary application and arbitrary prosecution. The Park Board created these signs under Rule 28 of its own rulebook. The lawsuit alleges that the use of Rule 28, which states that the Board may issue new provisions for parks simply by erecting signs, creates a system of rulemaking that is totally outside of “proper public legislative channels.” These signs are essentially laws; and criminal citations and prosecutions have occurred in the past for violations. Such a system effectively creates special criminal jurisdictions where special laws exist, but only within the boundaries of the parks. In Washington Park, the rules posted after the reopening in July were clearly directed at discouraging people experiencing poverty and homelessness from using the park and its facilities. In general, park rules do not prohibit the sharing of food on park grounds, at Washington Park they do; they generally do not forbid the inspection of trash and recycling containers, in Washington Park they do; and they generally, do not prohibit the use of amplified sound, in Washington Park they do. As the lawsuit alleged and emails obtained through an Ohio Public Records request show, these rules were not debated publicly, on the contrary, they were discussed between a few parties including the Park Board, Cincinnati Police and 3CDC, this sort of backdoor legislating is not acceptable in a democracy. According to the lawsuit, such a scheme creates “quasi-criminal laws [which] were wholly written and adopted by a private corporation and a member of the executive branch of government outside the public process and immune from public participation.” And the discussions that led to the rules show that they were developed based on the preferences of those who did have a voice. Rather than consulting with the Drop Inn Center, or asking those who use its services how the park can best serve them, the Board deferred to Captain Daniel Gerard of the city police, who wrote in an email dated December 18th “Until the Drop Inn Center moves, the line about food and clothing drop off being prohibited is absolutely needed.” This all underlines the way that city leaders and redevelopers see Over-The-Rhine heading in the coming years--services are being moved elsewhere, and those experiencing homelessness, and others who rely on services, will be forced to move with them. The park and the redevelopment in general simply isn’t for them. Jerry Davis, one of the plaintiffs and a Distributor of Streetvibes, has been asked by police to move away from the park.” As a result, he has refrained from engaging in his chosen activities in Washington Park for fear of violating the rules,” according to the lawsuit. , As the lawsuit alleges, this has created a chilling effect on his first amendment rights, as he is unable to distribute Streetvibes and is thus less able to raise awareness for the work that he does as a homeless advocate. The suppression of free speech during Occupy is also referred to in the emails obtained where; Captain Gerard wrote “After what we’re dealt with during our Occupy protests, adding a line about no camping or personally owned tents can’t hurt.” A similar situation with the rules emerged during Occupy, when the Park Board changed the general rules, adding a section to stifle the encampment and make it easier to remove the protesters from their home base at Piatt Park. The encampment was evicted on the eve of the funeral parade of Carl Lindner, which was set to pass by the park on 9th and Vine Street. The other plaintiffs, Andrew Fitzpatrick and Ann Brown, have almost completely avoided the park, which they frequented prior to the renovation, for fear of violating one or more of the new rules and risking arrest or citation. Andrew Fitzpatrick, who is a member of the People’s Platform, boiled the rules down to a question of service to others saying, “I want to be able to give food to a hungry person or clothes to a cold person without getting in trouble. This right should be accessible to all people and faith communities.” But if the Park Board rules are allowed to stand, these services will have to take place outside of Washington Park, and likely eventually outside of Over-the-Rhine. Community groups like the People’s Platform for Equality and Justice, who hold monthly grill outs to connect with residents wouldn’t be able to readily hold such grill outs on Saturday, October 26th 6-9 p.m. Day by Day Calendar Launch & Exhibition Emery Theatre, 1112 Walnut Street Friday November 2nd 7 p.m. Faces without Places “Yellow Bus Ball” The Syndicate 18 East 5th Street Newport Kentucky 41072 513-549-3155 or www.faceswithoutplaces. org TBA December Homeless Coalition Annual Dinner If your organization is having an event, demonstration, etc. and you would it like it included on the Streetvibes calendar, please email with the details: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org park grounds. Because these grill-outs include members of the homeless community, they would likely be less successful, and regular attendees like Davis, Fitzpatrick and Brown would be unable to do the work they do. Other groups like Food Not Bombs which shares food for free with anyone who walks by, would also be unable to continue with their program in the park. Crying wolf is often the first step in creating the environment for renovation and permanent demographic change; the opponents of the Anna Louise Inn routinely attempt to criminalize the Women living in the Anna Louise Inn in hopes they will be proven unworthy of living in the prime real estate of Lytle Park, in the shadow of Western and Southern. The lawsuit touches on a similar theme in Washington Park; alcohol being of primary concern. When the public relations push to renovate the park was being made several years ago, the issue of alcoholism was raised in nearly every article in the various news sources. The rules, as they are written allow only the Park Board to grant permission to sell or possess alcohol in any park; however 3CDC, who runs the park, is effectively able to circumvent the official path to liquor licensing and, at its convenience, sell alcohol at any time and any event. The case is not unlike that which the major players in redevelopment have seen before; when residents were removed from their homes in the Metropole Hotel, 3CDC and the city deceived the Tenants. After the Tenant Association filed suit, the developers were forced to settle and caved to some of the demands of the Residents. The three {Continued on page 4} �4 Lawsuit {Continued from page 3} plaintiffs in the Park case are carrying the torch lit at the Metropole for citizen’s voices and accountability in the changes taking place. It is portrayed as if it is always the residents, the poor, and the homeless who are at fault when others come to push them out of their homes and neighborhoods. Such language alienates residents from the very beginning, and develops latent assumptions that anyone appearing to be homeless in the park is going to be using alcohol. But the case is not about freedom to consume alcohol, as those who vilify the homeless would like to make it out to be. The case is about a different kind of freedom, the democratic freedom to have a say in how this city is run and how the downtown is redeveloped; it is about the freedom to have a say in true transformation that few would say is not needed or wanted. The public needs to be disabused of the notion that these anti-democratic sanctions are somehow the norm. Were the city and 3CDC actually interested in stopping the rummaging of trash cans or the distribution of food, they would implement policies that got people off the streets permanently, attacking the root of the problem, and effectively making the job of organizations like the Homeless Coalition and the Drop Inn Center obsolete. They would include the voices of the residents, including the poor and homeless in a meaningful way, not just at public forums. They would allow citizens to help draw up redevelopment plans, a system that has worked in other places. They would not deliberately shutter the process at every step, which has been the norm for the last 10 years. LOCAL 3CDC: Volley Ball’s Good, Basket Ball Courts & Swimming Pools Are Bad JUSTIN JEFFRE Streetvibes Editor T he AVP came to Cincinnati’s historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. The weather was nice and a good time was had by those that were talented enough to play professional volleyball and those that could afford the cost of the tournament. It was Friday morning and I was on my way to the office and I couldn’t help but notice something quite unusual. There was sand volleyball going on in Overthe-Rhine. So I pulled over to investigate and it turns out that the Association of Volleyball Professionals’ Cincinnati Open was in town. So I decided I’d cover the event. AVP in OTR. Tonya White (L), Kelly Schumaker (C) Unknown player (R). Photo: Justin Jeffre It turns out there were fessionally for three years. And Kelly However, I can’t help but think about some of the best volleyball players said she used to play professional bashow it’s perfectly OK for people that in the world there which included at ketball player, “but I just had a love can afford high priced alcoholic bevleast three gold medal winners from of beach volleyball.” She played in the erages to drink in Washington Park the Olympics. I don’t follow sports WB for 8 years and says it was always now while those that can’t have been very closely so I just watched my first her dream to switch over. “And I and continue to be treated like crimitournament and interviewed the winfound an athletic partner to play with nals for doing the exact same thing. ning team. me,” she said. How many poor people were arrested It was an exciting match and both for doing that before or would be if I had noticed that there was teams were clearly very competitive. they drank alcohol that wasn’t pura young girl watching their match The winners, Tonya White from Hawchased from 3CDC? and asked them if they felt like role thorn, CA and Kelly Schumacher from models and if they had any advice Also, Streetvibes readers probright here in the Greater Cincinnati for aspiring young girls. Tonya said, ably remember that 3CDC got rid of area, Mt. Healthy to be exact. They “Don’t give up. I was cut from my the deep water swimming pool and were gracious enough to grant me an college team. I was cut a lot and told I basketball courts in Washington Park interview. couldn’t do stuff a lot. So if you want despite the overwhelming support It was their second tournament. it, then you’re going to find a way to for them in the community that was They had played in the Jose Cuervo make it happen. “ repeatedly expressed in public “input” tournament the weekend before. It sessions. The community didn’t ask Kelly said, “It doesn’t come easy. was the first day of the tournament for much and sand volleyball courts As much as it looks easy to people but they had played the day before in weren’t on the list. who are watching other successful the qualifier. They had been in town sports figures as much as it looks easy The narrative that is being repeatsince Tuesday and Tonya said she had it’s not. So we all deal with different ed that people couldn’t enjoy the park already tried Larosa’s. trials and tribulations.” I ran into before 3CDC’s $48 million renovaKelly said, “This is all new. When them the next day. I could tell they tion just isn’t true. There were plenty I lived here Washington Park wasn’t had just finished so I asked how they of kids that swam in the pool, played here, but this is a really nice facility. did. “We came in 13thplace. It was a on the basketball courts and enjoyed We love it. We love the courts and good tournament,” said Tonya. the park. I’m all for improving our all of the broken down buildings,” wonderful parks. But when we say we I have to say I enjoyed watching said Kelly. “Yeah, this is so cool”, said want the parks to be for everybody a little bit of the tournament. And I’m Tonya. let’s act like we mean it. glad more people are coming down to They both have been playing proenjoy our parks and Over-the-Rhine. 9/11: An Important Day To Remember & Why JUSTIN JEFFRE Streetvibes Editor I think we can all agree that September 11th is a day that changed the world and that we should always remember. I happened to be in Manhattan, New York on 9/11 2001 and I saw the smoke smoldering from the twin towers in person as we drove across the George Washington Bridge to get out of the city and back home to Cincinnati. But 9/11 has historic significance beyond just what the date means to Ameri- World Peace Bell, Newport KY. Photo: Justin Jeffre cans and we should never forget that. Most of the world sympathized with us following the Attacks. One Chilean paper’s headline read “Today we are all Americans”. It also noted that they too had their own 9/11. On September 11th 1973 their democratically elected leader President Salvador Allende was overthrown in a bloody U.S. backed coup and a brutal dictator named General Augusto Pinochet was installed to power. Pinochet ruled with an iron fist for nearly two decades. During his rule approximately 3,200 people were murdered or disappeared and scores of thousands were detained, tortured and exiled. Fortunately he was eventually arrested in London in 1998 for crimes against humanity and torture after Spanish authorities petitioned UK officials. Anti-apartheid leader Stephen Biko was being beaten in a police van by U.S. backed apartheid forces on September 11th, 1977. He died early the next day. In 1990 on September 11th, Myrna Mack, a renowned Guatemalan anthropologist was assas- sinated in Guatemala City by a U.S. backed death squad. She was targeted for exposing the destruction of Indigenous communities. The Presidential High Command was acquitted despite direct evidence of their involvement. In Haiti Antoine Izméry, a Haitian businessman was killed on September 11th, 1993 in a U.S. backed coup as he was commemorating a massacre of parishioners at the SaintJean Bosco Church that occurred on September 11th, 1988. Perhaps the most important September 11th to remember is that this year 9/11 marked the 106th anniversary of the beginning of Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent resistance movement which eventually gained India its independence from the British Empire - the most powerful military in the history of the world at the time. The nonviolent tactics of that movement were followed closely by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights movement in America with tremendous success. Since the attacks on the U.S. on 9/11 we have been attacking numerous countries with full scale invasions and increasingly with drone attacks. Our Peace Prize winning President has even killed U.S. citizens without due process, including a 16 year old American boy. He also has a secret kill list that we aren’t allowed to know about. We currently spend more on our military than most nations on the planet combined. Leading intellectual and social critic Noam Chomsky has argued that the best way for the U.S. to reduce terrorism in the world is to stop engaging in it. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that, “The greatest purveyor of violence in the world today is my own government.” And Gandhi famously said, “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.” The last century was filled with war. The first decade of this century has been filled with war and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. Let’s fill the rest of this century with peace instead of war. It could be the key to saving not only our nation, but our species. September 11th should be a time when we reflect on the victims of terror and war. And it should be a time when we say ‘not in our name and no more war’. �LOCAL 5 Move to Amend and the Future of Corporate Power David Cobb speaks to local Move to Amend Chapter. Photo: Justin Jeffre BEN STOCKWELL Contributing Writer I n 2011, workers fought against attacks on union rights in Ohio and Wisconsin and Occupy Wall Street burst onto the scene nationwide. What ties these movements together is the understanding that the growing influence of money, especially corporate money, in politics is unacceptable. But these movements certainly weren’t the first to challenge the monied interests, in 2009; the Move to Amend (MTA) coalition began organizing to help reverse some of the worse effects of the corporate control of our political system. On August 28th, David Cobb, the 2004 Green party presidential candidate and founder of Move to Amend, spoke at Mt. Auburn Presbyterian church to make the case for why people should back his movement. MTA, a grassroots organization created after the Citizens United ruling, believes an amendment to the constitution is the best alternative to create a democracy for the people. It’s important to understand, according to Cobb, that a democracy would have to be created, not re-created--he believed, like many in the room, that Americans have been lied to about myths of American “Liberty, Justice and Equality.” Various institutions, like slavery and disenfranchisement, have historically stood in the way of that ideal, and today large multinational corporations are the culprit, but, he declared that “we have it within our capacity to completely transform the world that we live in, if we would only address the fact that what we do is just built on old-fashioned exploitation.” The amendment MTA proposes has 3 simple parts: 1) A corporation is not a person and can be regulated, 2) money is not speech and can be regulated, and 3) the amendment should not be mistaken to limit freedom of the press. Cobb, a former trial lawyer, was quick to explain that in his law classes, the professors always stressed “corporations are a legal fiction,” meaning that they are simply an idea of a group of people, rather than a physical entity—the word corporation, translated from Latin, even means “to make or create body.” Because they lack this important characteristic, Cobb says, they are not afforded similar rights as corporeal humans, in fact, they don’t exist in the same private sphere as humans. Cobb wove an hour long story starting from the formation of the first corporations in Rome which were responsible for building the aqueducts and the roads for the benefit of the public. He reminded the audience that Rome was not always an empire, but existed as a republic for many years--and suggested listeners revisit this story to help them remember “what happens when a republic turns into an empire.” During the colonial era, joint stock companies like the East India Company and the Massachusetts Bay Company which did the bidding of their home countries, archetypes for modern corporations. When new colonies in America were chartered, they were created for the benefit of the king, and the stockholders of the company tasked with the development. And today, five corporations own almost all of the media while groups like American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) hand off legislation to government officials and an unprecedented amount of corporate money is spent on elections every year. Until the time of rapid industrialization that occurred roughly around the turn of the century, corporations had to prove their worth--what public function was lacking and how they would fulfill it--before they received a charter; the process of creating a corporation was political and placed corporations in the public sphere where they had duties, but not rights. Cobb feels this amendment would reverse the worst aspects of corporate dominance and return them back to being for the benefit of the public. This public-private dichotomy is important--the public, essentially the government, is under the dominance of the private citizens, which should just be human beings, but Citizens United re-categorized corporations to have the same rights as people, even though they can’t breathe or love or die. These rights include meddling with elections. Cobb stressed that he does not want to abolish Corps, just remove their power, stressing that he believes “it is naive and superficial to be anticorporation.” It is hard to imagine a world where corporations can exist without “old-fashioned exploitation,” but MTA isn’t trying to fundamentally transform the system outright, or challenge basic political beliefs, Cobb said his message has resonated with every group he has talked to. And for this movement, he seems to be on point, he has given the talk hundreds of times, to Republicans, Tea Partiers, Democrats, and is on track to give it 150 times this year, and was very proud of the fact that his talk could affect with so many. �6 NATIONAL Sleeping Cabins Provide Safe Ground For Homeless KEVIN ROBERTS Homeward Street Journal (USA) www.street-papers.org S afe Ground has been working towards developing a community for people transitioning out of homelessness. They will be a revealing their next phase by building a prototype sleeping cabin at Cesar Chavez Park in Downtown Sacramento on September 19. They will be giving demonstrations of the cabin and community designs through September 22 at the park. Safe Ground volunteer professionals reviewed many potential designs from a structural, permitting and cost perspective. A structural modular panel construction that is both locally designed and built was selected. These cabins will be made to Safe Ground’s custom design specifications and manufactured as component panels that can be assembled in the field and disassembled for moving in the future. Safe Ground’s look at the many alternatives on the market was highly influenced by the requirements including local standards for acceptable temporary habitats, extreme wet winter weather, hot summers and a strong desire to create the type of community environment that addresses the particular needs of the homeless individuals taking a first step out of homelessness. The Safe Ground 10 x 12 foot sleeping cabin design has been developed by a Safe Ground Volunteer Cabin Design Team consisting of Kerrin West of Studio 81, Michael O’Brien of Pressey and Associates, and Kyle Wicky of Mogavero Notestine Associates, all three from the Sacramento area. Their unique design utilizes factory built, insulated panels as the major structural components. Each panel is manufactured to include predesigned electrical components, as well as windows and doors. The exterior is covered with durable hardi-trim siding and long lasting paint. The Cabin Design Team has consulted with local engineering and construction expert Inital images of the Safe Ground Initative’s sleeping cabins, designed to help people transitioning out of homelessness. Photo: The Safe Ground Initiative Dan Wilson, the Construction Director at Sacramento Habitat for Humanity. Dan has been consulting with local colleagues on the design, and in locating local suppliers of the panels and other required materials, including solar panels for the roof. Fulltime Workers Still Face Poverty In USA JESSE CALL The Contributor (USA) www.street-papers.org O ne of the most common criticisms leveled at people experiencing homelessness comes in the form of the well-worn phrase, most often shouted from the window of a passing car: “Get a job!” The presupposition, of course, is that if the person would simply get off their butt and find work, she or he wouldn’t be out on the streets in the first place. But, for many in Nashville, having a fulltime job is not enough to guarantee housing security, because the amount of money earned at most low-paying jobs hardly covers one’s most basic expenses. Which means it’s all too possible to hold down a fulltime job and still remain in poverty. The federal government set up a standard called the minimum wage when it passed the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938. While the minimum wage has increased since that time, to the current rate of $7.25 per hour, the actual purchasing value of the minimum wage has declined since its highest point in 1968, when it was equivalent to about $10.50 in 2012 dollars. If workers were paid that amount today, that would exceed what is called the living wage or subsistence wage for a single-person household, the actual amount of money that people working fulltime would need to cover basic expenses such as housing, food, transportation and medical care. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) calculates that for a single-person household in Davidson County, Tennessee, a person would need to make $9.51 per hour to cover basic expenses. Or, to put it another way, at the current minimum wage of $7.25, a single adult would have to work 49 hours a week to cover basic expenses. If the person has a child, the wage rate needed to cover the cost of childcare and basic needs for that child nearly doubles, to $18.36 per hour. Thus, working today’s minimum wage, a single-adult with one child would have to work 94 hours a week to cover basic expenses. A one-adult, one-child household with the parent working a fulltime minimum wage job, therefore, still falls below the federal poverty guidelines used to calculate whether a family is eligible to receive federal benefits. That household would earn $15,080 per year while the federal poverty level for that household is $15,130. A two-adult, two-child household would need to earn $19.51 per hour to cover basic expenses, which is less than the amount that could be earned if both parents worked fulltime minimum wage jobs in Tennessee. At the current minimum wage, a two-adult, two-child household would have to work 100 hours a week to cover basic expenses. State and local governments in the U.S. have the ability to establish their own minimum wages higher than that of the federal level. Eighteen states and the District of Columbia currently have minimum Safe Ground will debut the sleeping cabin at Caesar Chavez Park on Wednesday September 19, starting out with the construction of the prototype cabin led by a Habitat for Humanity team followed by a press conference. wage rates higher than the federal standard, with the state of Washington offering the highest at $9.40 per hour. Twenty-three states match the federal minimum wage. Tennessee is one of only five states without its own minimum wage. Some metropolitan cities have also set their own minimum wage laws higher than that of the state or federal level, including San Francisco, Calif., which now requires employers to pay workers at least $10.40 per hour. In recent years, Nashville has refrained from any formal consideration of a citywide minimum wage. However, in 2010, the city did adopt a living wage pay standard for some employees of the Metro government. {Continued on page 6} �7 INTERNATIONAL Mobile legal aid for the homeless POUL STRUVE NIELSEN Hus Forbi (DENMARK) www.street-papers.org L awyer Take Gøttsche, Aarhus, has initiated a mobile legal aid in cooperation with the homeless organization, SAND, and the Church Army(Kirkens Korshær). The aim is to have help close at hand when the problem occurs, through mobile legal aid in the form of a phone service. In places where homeless people congregate, a number of mobile phones will be made available. The phones can only call one number: The mobile legal aid. Dialling this number puts those in need directly in contact with a legal advisor, usually a law {Continued from page 6} The lowest-paid city workers now make $10.77 per hour. A similar measure was passed in Memphis, where the lowest-paid city workers now earn higher than the federal minimum wage, thanks in part to a push from the Workers Interfaith Network, which is now targeting the state-operated University of Memphis to raise it lowest pay rate to a living wage. “We’re people of faith and we feel that workers should be treated with dignity and respect and part of that is being paid well for what you do,” said Rev. Rebekah Jordan Gienapp, the group’s executive director. Workers Interfaith Network was also responsible for organizing a major petition drive to stop a proposal before the Tennessee General Assembly in its 2011-2012 legislative session aimed at prohibiting local governments from establishing their own minimum wages. The bill did not pass. “Not only would it keep future workers from earning higher pay, it would have potentially cut the pay of workers who had at least met their basic needs on their paycheck,” Gienapp explained about their opposition to the bill. “Minimum wage does not work and neither does it show any respect.” Gienapp says the few arguments they heard in favor of the bill were “ridiculous,” such as the claim that different minimum wage standards could confuse businesses operating in various locations throughout the state. What many independent businesses consider ridiculous, however, are government-mandated increases in their costs during a recession increases, businesses say, that will force them to hire fewer employees and increase prices. Many businesses believe the government should not establish any minimum wage, let alone a wage that covers the costs of living. “About 80 percent of our members opposed minimum wages,” said Jim Brown, Tennessee state director of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), in reference to a survey his organization conducted a few years ago. He says many business owners simply believe the market should control and the government should not intervene. But, some NFIB members in Tennessee have claimed that they would be less likely to hire less qualified student, based in Gellerup, Aarhus. Most calls are received from socially excluded people in trouble. This may include people who are deprived of their subsidies, because they have not shown up for an interview or further activation, says Tage Gøttsche. Giving examples of other social problems for the homeless and socially excluded, Gøttsche mentions people who have been evicted, or those who fall between two municipal departments, such as those seen frequently by the Danish street paper Hus Forbi. With people who have so many social workers in the municipality, it is not possible to coordinate between them, not to mention the homeless, who are often caught between two or more municipalities. workers such as teenagers and those with disabilities if they perform less work during the same time period, Brown explained. Consequently, that would mean that these individuals would not get the work experience necessary Photo: Al Levenson to be more competitive in the job market in the future. “For those young individuals, they don’t get the work experience that they could have had,” Brown said. However, while teenagers working at fast-food restaurants might be the first image that comes to mind when thinking of minimum wage jobs, it is those over the age of 20 who would most benefit from a minimum wage increase, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), which finds that 91.6 percent of minimum wage workers in Tennessee are 20 or older, compared to 87.9 percent nationally. Letting the market control could also be a bad idea, according to David Cooper, economic analyst at EPI, especially given current economic conditions. “During periods of high unemployment, employers have no incentive to raise wages when people are lined up around the corner,” Cooper said. Thus, he says, it will take government action to ensure people receive a fair wage. The best way to have a quick impact on the economy is to raise wages, even if it makes small cuts into the profit margins of corporations, Cooper says, because those earning lower wages will spend that money instead of sitting on it. “It has a stimulative effective on the economy because it shifts dollars from people less likely to spend it to those more likely to spend it,” Cooper said. “You shift dollars from corporate profits to low-wage workers. Lowwage workers are far more likely to spend all of their income.” Similarly, Cooper says he believes a higher minimum wage would equal the playing field between big-box retailers, which already get special tax incentives to build their stores The phones will be placed in the Church Army shelters and at all the SANDsocial councils. There will also be a telephone in the Hus Forbis cafe in Bragesgade, Copenhagen and in a shelter in Jægergårdsgade where Hus Forbi is based. The service is now live, and the during the initial test period the phones will available from 10 am to 2 pm. Translated by Hans Rahbek. and then can hire many employees at low wages, and small businesses that have no choice but to pass on the costs of lost business to their customers in the form of higher product prices. “Big-box retailers are able to offer lower prices because they pay their workers lower wages,” Cooper said. Forcing all businesses to pay a fair wage to their employees would cut into the advantage of larger retailers and could send more consumers to small businesses. Another economic boost of raising the minimum wage would be that it would bring people using public benefits out from under the poverty line and save taxpayer money. Cooper says some corporations that pay their workers low wages are basically subsidizing what should be their costs of providing health care onto taxpayers. And while people earning below the poverty line impact the federal budget by using benefits, social services and through having the majority, if not all, of their income taxes refunded, there would be no significant cost on the federal budget if it passed a higher minimum wage, Cooper contends. “It doesn’t impact the federal budget to raise minimum wage,” he said. Sandy T., a vendor for The Contributor, says the current minimum wage may be fair for workers who are just starting out at an employer, but only as an introductory rate of pay. He believes raises should come quickly to employees who demonstrate they are hardworking and reliable. Sandy says he recently left a job because they refused to pay him more than minimum wage after having been there for almost one year. The employer failed to show him dignity and respect for the hard work he was doing. “I’d been there nine months and never got a raise, so I ended up leaving,” Sandy explained. “If you’ve done the job, you should get a raise at some point.” But, even with a minimum wage income, Sandy says he could not afford to house his wife and two children on that income alone. That’s why he continues to sell The Contributor - to use that supplemental income to cover his rent at a local motel. Without that income, he says he isn’t sure where he would turn to make sure his children had somewhere safe to stay. One Nashville organization dedicated to improving the lives of lowwage workers is the Workers’ Dignity Project, or Dignidad Obrera (DO), which provides training and support to workers on how to stand up for their rights as workers. “Minimum wage does not work and neither does it show any respect,” said Sarah Passino, an organizer for the worker-led outreach program, adding that the work of the organization strongly corresponds with Frederick Douglass’s statement that all work is work that has dignity. “Our questions is never ‘what is the least?’” Passino said. As such, the organization focuses its energies on confronting employers who fail to pay minimum wage to workers or who engage in other kinds of wage theft. The organization emphasizes that most businesses in Nashville are reputable and want to do what is right. Therefore, they believe if a living wage became law, businesses would support it. Garnering political support for minimum wage increases has been historically difficult. It was not until 2007 that the federal minimum wage was increased incrementally from $5.15 per hour to the current rate, because it was included as a tagalong on a bill about troop support and Hurricane Katrina recovery. The rate had been at $5.15 since the mid-1990s. There are currently several bills before the U.S. Congress aimed at raising the minimum wage to $9.80 per hour or more, and indexing it for inflation, meaning it would rise each year to reflect the true purchasing value of $9.80 in 2012 dollars. One such bill is the Rebuild America Act, which EPI has endorsed. Besides federal legislation, some of the biggest successes in minimum wage increases have been accomplished on industry-wide or local levels. Passino of Workers’ Dignity encourages those wanting to take local political action to get involved in the organization’s work by attending the various labor rights workshops it holds at its location at 3753 Nolensville Pike. “We believe there are real opportunities to win victories,” she said. Until another major shift in the minimum wage comes, however, individuals working fulltime may continue to face a long road out of poverty. �8 ARTS & CULTURE LULAC Celebrates 10 Years Of Hispanic Progress In Ohio LEYLA PEÑA Contributing Writer I n the midst of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Hispanic/ Latino immigrants are embracing the opportunity of a deferred action executive act that opens up their possibilities for educational attainment and economic empowerment; two of the fundamental priorities of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). As these young dreamers transition their aspirations into actions, our communities can look up to a brighter and better future. Since its beginnings in Ohio ten years ago, LULAC is prepared to embrace the future by recognizing the hard work of these dreamers and acknowledging those individuals and -Lourdes Ribera organizations that have contributed to the advancement of the Hispanic/Latino community in Cincinnati. The 2012 LULAC Cincinnati Community Awards Gala: Embracing the Future will be held on Saturday, September 29th, 2012 at Cincinnati State Technical & Community College. Every year LULAC awards scholarships to Hispanic/ Latino students. This year, 23 students from the Greater Cincinnati area will receive scholarship awards so they can pursue their post-secondary dreams. Likewise, the organization will recognize individuals and organizations for their efforts in promoting diversity and inclusion in our communities. The honorees have A female mariachi group performs at the LULAC National Convention in Cincinnati in 2011. made a significant impact in the Photo: LULAC multiple fields they represent nati, Dayton and Columbus. in the public school system of Ohio. including government, education, “LULAC welcomes you to join us According to OCHLA, the educational diversity, business, service institution in our mission as we head in to the attainment level of the Hispanic/ and corporate. future; a future where Hispanics are Latino community lags behind the Hispanics/Latinos represent 3.1 destined to contribute to our country, state as a whole. Through LULAC’s percent of the total population in not only in numbers but in strength. community-based programs, HispanOhio. In the past decade, Ohio has It is our duty to make sure they are ics/Latinos have access to resources experienced a significant growth prepared to be that future,” stated that will help improve their lives. But stemming from Hispanic/Latino Lourdes Ribera, LULAC Ohio State at the core of LULAC’s mission is immigration. Slightly over 200,000 Director and President of the Cincinadvocacy. LULAC is the largest HisHispanics/Latinos lived in the state panic/Latino civil rights and advocacy nati council. of Ohio in 2000. Currently, there are group in the United States. It was 354,674, a 63.4 percent increase since founded 83 years ago but in Ohio, this To register for the LULAC Cincinnati 2010, based on the data of the Ohio Community Awards Gala: Embracing decade since its inception in Dayton, Commission of Hispanic/Latino Afadvancement for the Hispanic/Latino the Future, visit: http://www.eventfairs (OCHLA). brite.com/event/3957117846 community has been consistent. CurFor the 2009-2010 school year, rently, three councils operate under 49,000 Hispanics/Latinos enrolled the LULAC Ohio umbrella: Cincin- Cincinnati’s Salsa Scene JUSTIN JEFFRE Streetvibes Editor S eptember is Hispanic Heritage month so it seems like the perfect time to cover one of Cincinnati’s most exciting and diverse social scenes. I first discovered this largely unknown scene about 20 years ago at the Corinthian and have seen it grow and change over the past decade. How did a salsa scene get started in Cincinnati you ask? According to Nick Radina, DJ Rudy Alvarez and Tino Barbosa in the early days built this scene with their famous weekend nights at the Corinthian in Clifton. ”I think early bands like Bailando Desnudo and Latin Xposure took some of that momentum out to the masses, playing the music all over the area and bringing awareness to the scene. Organizations like CincyLatino and MidwestLatino as well as bandleaders like Barry Miller (Salsa Caliente, Cla’ve Son), Jaime Morales (Son Del Caribe), Larry Feldner (Tropicoso) and Victor Vélez (Orquesta Kandela) and all of the other wonderful musicians have carried the torch, added and shaped what we see as Cincinnati’s Salsa Scene,” said Radina. Radina is a fixture in the salsa scene and is an extremely gifted musician that has probably played in nearly every local salsa band at one time or another. But it wasn’t just the bands that breathed life into it. “What helped make Cincinnati unique across the area is the diversity of really talented musicians and live Latin bands, in addition to some great DJ’s. DJ Rudy Alvarez has been spinning Latin music in Cincinnati for as long as I can remember, from the exciting days at the Corinthian to various nightclubs today, a true legend,” said Radina. And of course there are the dancers that helped shape the scene. Diana Hoffman was one of the first Salsa teachers and she is still active today. Doni Jessen and Michael Beck continue to teach as well. And Ivana Adler taught for years. She is one of the talented dancers you don’t see out locally as much anymore but over the years she and others have had a huge impact on the salsa scene. Michael Beck is the founder of MidwestLatino and has been a part of the Cincinnati Salsa scene since the mid-nineties when some of his Colombian friends started taking him Salsa dancing. Little by little he got better at it to the point where he now often teaches others. He has some very fancy moves and a real passion for the scene. “I moved to Cincinnati in 2002 and since then I’ve been involved in organizing many of the Salsa events here. The scene has definitely got bigger and more diverse. In the beginning the majority of dancers were of Latin American descent. Now we can proudly say that there is no other event in Cincinnati that draws a more diverse audience. We have people of all races, all ages, all ethnicities, all social status’ - it is truly the United Nations of Salsa,” said Beck. Like most social scenes over time many faces change. One thing that has always struck me is how you always see some familiar faces, but there are always many more new faces. And it is truly the most diverse social group in this city that I have come across. “As with every dance scene, people are coming and going, Local dancers at Mad Frog. Photo: Michael Beck but there are few who see across the United States and had a big impact and other non-South American parts of are still around. First, of course, is the world. It’s a New York style. So the already mentioned legendary DJ instead of moving circular, the dance Rudy Alvarez, who was the first DJ happens primarily in a ‘slot’, more in Cincinnati to offer Salsa dancing. linear I guess you could say. It’s hard to imagine the Salsa scene However, I would argue that without him. It was thanks to him you can see many different styles that more and more people were depending on which dancers are introduced to Salsa music, got to there. Sometimes you see people know it and love it,” said Beck. from Puerto Rico, Cuba or Columbia One dancer told me that the and they all have slightly different salsa style of dance was very South flavors. And everybody kind of adds American based in Cincinnati 10 their own personal flavor to salsa years ago. It was a style called Cumbia and the movement was more more generally. According to Radina, Latin dance circular. Now the style you see in music is everywhere in Cincinnati Cincinnati is pretty much what you �9 ARTS & CULTURE now. “This is a win for the Latin music lovers. People love to dance. This is what drives the scene today and in the past. Cincinnati is very fortunate to have the ability to dance to Latin music almost every night of the week with a variety of truly great bands, right in our own backyard. Every year I see new faces in the scene, all with a big smile. It’s such a great social scene and a pleasure to have been a part of for such a long time,” he said. If you’re like me you may feel a bit shy about trying to learn what looks like a complicated style of dance. I took lessons but was reluctant to jump into it in public. I eventually figured out that the salsa dancers are very supportive of new people and even if you don’t think of yourself as a good dancer nobody seems to notice if you aren’t exactly cutting a rug. Everybody is supportive and just having fun. Another interesting thing about Salsa dancing is that it’s not uncommon for people to dance with nearly every other dancer in the place. Even when people are on dates it’s perfectly acceptable to respectfully ask anyone to dance. And there’s good news for you fellas. The ladies have often complained over the years that there’s a shortage of guys to dance with. For some reason the ladies seem to feel less insecure about trying out some new moves. It’s a great way to meet new people from all ethnicities, cultures and classes. Latin Night’s on Mondays with Tropicoso at the Mod Frog in Clifton Heights has been the longest running Live Latin Music event in Cincinnati’s history. Every Monday for nearly 15 years a ten piece band called Tropicoso has been playing there and you can get free salsa lessons there. It’s casual, but there are usually people who like to wear their fancy dance shoes and other attire. On Wednesday’s Latin nights are free at the Penguin on 5th street. Beck says they recently celebrated the 7 year anniversary of Salsa Wednesdays, the most popular Salsa event in Cincinnati. “It was amazing to look at the pictures from the first events - there are still so many people who are coming every Wednesday over all of these years,” he said. On Thursday’s there’s Club Lunar which features a slightly younger crowd with more of a club feel. They play Raggaeton as well as salsa. Thursdays during the summer Fountain Square features Salsa on the Square. Now in its 5th year, it features local, regional and national Latin bands and a free dance class every week. On Friday’s there is Salsa in Blue Ash, at the Cactus Pear. On Saturdays the location changes, but twice a month there is Salsa at Dao in Mason. The weekends host various Salsa events at venues like MVP in Pleasant Ridge. According to Beck the weak economy has always had a negative effect on the scene because people are more careful about spending money, “but that’s why we are organizing so many free events, so the cover fee shouldn’t be a reason for not going and having some fun. I would like to invite everybody to come out and check it out. We have free dance lessons every Wednesday night at 8pm at The Penguin, so there is no financial risk in trying it out, and you might love it,” he said. And in case you aren’t convinced yet. I asked Beck for his final pitch. “According to the British Heart Foundation (BFH), dancing counts as a moderate intensity exercise which, if done for 30 minutes five days a week, can halve your risk of having a heart attack. Italian researchers found that dancing three times a week was as good as spending the same amount of time on a treadmill or exercise bike. So as you can see, Salsa is not only fun, but an excellent cardio exercise,” said Beck. Cincinnati Music Heritage Foundation celebrates Herzog studios Cincinnati Music Heritage Foundation at Herzog Studios. Photo: Justin Jeffre JUSTIN JEFFRE Streetvibes Editor T he Cincinnati Music heritage Foundation has been leading the way when it comes to educating and celebrating Cincinnati’s rich musical heritage. More and more Cincinnatians are beginning to take in our history because of the work of people like Elliot Ruther. Ruther was instrumental in helping to get a placard in front of the old King Records building. There’s also a placard in front of the building that once was the home of Herzog studios. Recently Ruther gathered a gang of musicians on the second floor of CityBeat’s building on Race Street in downtown Cincinnati. It was the home of Herzog studious in the 1940’s and 50’s. It’s the place where Hank Williams Sr. recorded some of For more information go to: www.midwestlatino.com Want to help fund Streetvibe’s Mission? Register your Kroger Plus Card! It’s easy. www.kroger. com/mykroger/ pages/ community_ rewards Register with your Kroger Plus Card number or use the phone number associated with the registered card. Our agency number is #82944 Forward this on to friends and family. This takes seconds...one time! You can help bring $100 of dollars for our agency. Each time you use your Kroger Plus Card we get 4% of that sale back. his biggest hits like, You Know That I Know, You’ve Been Lonesome Too, and The Love That Faded. The musicians he gathered played tribute and recorded the performance in the very space where the songs were originally recorded. Guests could also walk around what now appears to be a museum and look at pictures from the days when Herzog and King Records were thriving. Cincinnati was the place where country music met the blues and funk music was born. Please check out the Cincinnati Music Heritage Foundation and help preserve our rich musical heritage. For more information go to: www.takingyoutothebridge.org �10 INTERNATIONAL Streetvibes is a member of the International Network of Street Papers (INSP). The network supports over 120 street papers in 40 countries on six continents. Over 200,000 homeless people have changed their lives through selling street papers. The content on this page is reprinted from our colleagues around the world. Learn more at www.street-papers.org. A young man sipping a sachet of tujilijili in Chaisa compound, Lusaka, Zambia. Officially he risks a two-year prison sentence by doing this, as these sachets containing hard liquor have now been banned. Photo: Jorrit Meulenbeek Z ambia’s government has banned the manufacture and sale of liquor in small plastic sachets, commonly known as ‘Tujilijili’, which have been blamed for an increase in alcohol dependency amongst Zambia’s youths and poor communities. Sold by street traders at cheap prices, the brightly coloured 60 ml ‘killer sachets’ appear innocent but contain over 40 per cent alcohol. Despite reports of school children drinking the sachets in class, security guards sipping them on duty, and several deaths attributed to tujilijili making national headlines, manufacturers and traders of the sachets are still fighting the ban in court. For concerned parents like Peter Mbewe from Lusaka’s Chaisa compound this decision was long overdue. “You have seen how youths are dying at a tender age because of these things,” he says. “The minister was right to ban the substance. It was destroying our children.” (INSP) Marinaleda’s Mayor and Izquierda Unida (IU) Parliamentarian Juan Manuel Sanchez Gordillo has become a cult hero for staging robberies at supermarkets and giving stolen groceries to the poor. Photo: REUTERS/Jon Nazca A Spanish mayor has become a cult hero for staging robberies at supermarkets and giving stolen groceries to the poor. Juan Manuel Sanchez Gordillo, mayor of the town of Marinaleda in Andalusia, said the food stolen went to families hit hardest by Spain’s economic crisis. “There are people who don’t have enough to eat. In the 21st century, this is an absolute disgrace,” said Sanchez Gordillo, whose aim was to draw attention to the human face of Spain’s economic mess. Seven people have been arrested for participating in the raids and while Sanchez Gordillo has political immunity as an elected member of Andalusia’s regional parliament, he says he would be happy to renounce it and be arrested himself. But the conservative government says an official has no business flouting the law. “You can’t be Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham,” said Alfonso Alonso, spokesman for the ruling People’s Party. “This man is just searching for publicity at the cost of everyone else.” (Reuters) caught in the act of Protest Anna Louise Inn supporters Dorsey Stebbins (L) Mike Shyrock (R) protest daily outside of Western & Southern. Photo: Justin Jeffre Underprivileged teenagers in India, Peru and Morocco are using photography to escape poverty through FairMail, a fair trade postcard business started by Janneke Smeulders and Peter den Hond in 2006. Photo: Courtesy of Freieburger U nderprivileged teenagers in India, Peru and Morocco are using photography to escape poverty through FairMail, a fair trade postcard business started by Janneke Smeulders and Peter den Hond in 2006. What began as a photography project with local teenagers in Peru soon grew into a successful company which exports fair trade postcards around the world. FairMail introduces participants to digital photography, and then creates postcards using their images. FairMail works in partnership with local groups who look after vulnerable young people to help them to find youngsters who could really use an opportunity in life. For each postcard the young photographer sells, they are given 50% of the profit to help finance their education and living conditions. As well as local young photographers, regional printing houses, national tax authorities and local exporters who send their cards out to customers all around the world, also profit. (Freieburger, Germany) Danielle Paffar, co-founder of Move Your Money UK. Since their launch at the start of 2012 the group estimates that 500,000 people have already switched their current accounts to ethical banks. Photo: The Big Issue in the North A new campaign is encouraging people in the UK to consider the ethical alternatives to major banks. Since Move Your Money UK launched at the start of 2012 the group estimates that 500,000 people have already switched their current accounts to ethical banks. Co-founder Danielle Paffar explains, “We want to encourage people to use their consumer powers to build and support a better banking system.” Sally Dalton from Leeds recently moved her accounts to an ethical bank: “I was really uncomfortable with some of the businesses that the big high-street banks were investing in - things like weapons and dictators and countries with bad human rights records.” Malcolm Hayday, chief executive of Charity Bank, which finances social enterprises and community organisations with its depositors’ money, hopes the campaign will encourage individuals to question the big banks: “We need to ask: ‘What do you do with my money when I go to bed at night?’ If they were honest, we’d be horrified.” (The Big Issue in the North, UK) �11 STREET VOICE Street Paper hits the Cincinnati Film Festival JUSTIN JEFFRE Streetvibes Editor O ne of the most entertaining and enlightening films that was shown at the Cincinnati Film Festival is Street Paper. It’s a documentary about a street paper in Nashville called The Contributor and how it has grown to become the largest circulating street paper in North America. It’s an inside look at the people that have made The Contributor such a success – the founders, staff, writers and most of all the vendors. It is compelling, touching and inspiring to see both the hardships and triumphs of some of the individuals that are struggling to get out of homelessness. The filmmaker, Chris Roberts, says he didn’t know much about homelessness or street papers when he decided to do the documentary. Roberts studied broadcasting, journalism and video production at Belmont University but says he mostly is self-taught. He’s made some shorts and some videos over the years but it’s his first feature length film. Documentaries are his passion and he hopes to make more. “The goal of documentary is to not have an agenda or slant,” he said. Roberts says his goal was to be like “a fly on the wall” so he used a wireless mic that he would put on whoever he was focusing on so he could be far enough away from them that they could do whatev- er they do naturally without making turning it into a reality show. He was very effective in not being a part of the story. “There’s so much time when they aren’t interacting with people so I had to show you a part of those people’s lives. From the beginning the focus was going to be the individuals and not the content of the paper,” said Roberts. Towards the end of the film one of the founders of the paper says that they don’t know what exactly has made the Contributor so much more successful than other street papers. “I personally think there’s somewhat of anomaly just as she admits it. She doesn’t fully understand it. I think the fact that they obviously give their vendors motivation and incentives to go out and bust their butt and do they best that they can do with that particular thing. I think that helps and maybe the generosity of the south and what not may factor into that as well but beyond that I don’t have any insights,” said Roberts. “People buy these papers for different reasons. Plenty of people are going to buy it that never look at it and throw it in the recycling. That’s a whole a different issue altogether.” In a question and answer session that followed the screening another filmmaker from Nashville that was in attendance described how his wife buys The Contributor from a vendor and that the fact that she has a relationship with one of the vendors it is part of what makes her want to support it. They are part of the community. “They take it seriously like they are showing up to their jobs so it gives that guy a sense of community because he knows your wife and says hi to her regularly.” According to Roberts the biggest challenge was shooting everything himself. Even getting people to sit down to do an interview was a challenge because he wasn’t willing to pay them and many of the people he filmed live a lifestyle where they are constantly on the move and hustling just to survive. “A really big challenge was having to deal with emails while holding a camera and doing sound,” said Roberts. The film cost less than $10,000 and Roberts was basically the entire crew until the film was about 80%. It took less than a year to make. When asked what he learned about homelessness he said, “I would say that affordable housing is the number one thing that probably didn’t make it into this film that people mentioned as their stumbling block to getting out of [homelessness], cause even if their making money there’s still no real option, nowhere to go. There’s just no avenue.” And, “There were so many experiences I had that couldn’t go into the movie. I’d say pretty much say that every stereotype that there is can be broken. If you’re not part of the 1% of our population you could end up being homeless. That’s the reality.” Tommy Thompson, Speaker & Advocate Transcribed by: JAMILLAH LUQMAN M y name Staff Writer is Tommy Thompson, I am 42 years old; I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. I grew up in the suburb of Lincoln Heights. I have two brothers and one sister, I am the oldest. Growing up I had a good family life. My parents did their very best to raise me and my siblings, to be honest, caring and responsible adults. My mom was a school teacher, and my dad was a factory worker. Even though my parents were employed we were still poor. At that time in my life, I had assumed that we were rich, because my parents provided everything that we children needed, and we had stability. We were not a religious family we were non- denominational. I have never been married; as a result I do not have any children. I graduated from a trade school (Scarlet Oaks), in Industrial Maintenance that includes plumbing, electrical and HVAC. I have some college experience, but the majority of my skills were self-taught. 35 high schoolers listen intently as Tommy Thompson speaks about his experiences with homelessness at Ursuline’s ShanOver the years I have worked as a plumber. tytown 10/26/2011. Photo: Jeni Jenkins During this time in my life, I was working for a company that required me to travel. It was great, did he want me to be when I grew up and he always and Development at GCCH. I was surprised and I did this for about five years, I got an opportunity responded that I could be anything that I wanted to shocked, Ms. Jenkins, talked with me as if she had to visit different cities, I probably would not have be as long as I put my mind to it. I always believed known me all of my life. She asked me if I would be gotten to visit otherwise, plus the salary was good. him. interested in becoming a distributor of Streetvibes, At one time in my life I worked for myself. I started I lived in my van for eight months, I would not I explained that I was not interested in selling a Handy Man Services. It was successful for about ask family for help because, and they had never Streetvibes, I did not want anyone to see me standtwelve years until the economy started to decline. I experienced job loss, or homelessness, or any ing around the city selling papers, what I needed also started a music production company; I wrote other crisis. Their perception of the predicament I was a job. Ms. Jenkins explained to me that being a songs and played Bass instruments. The majority of was in was that there was some other cause. Their Streetvibes distributor is not about selling papers, the people that I worked with during that time are thoughts were, “He lost his business, what did he it is about networking with the public by sharing doing great things in the music industry today. do to cause that”. your story. Initially, I did not agree with Ms. JenWhen I became homeless, I was in denial for At first I did not seek assistance from the kins, but she was so nice that I thought that I would a long time. I did not have any substance abuse resources that are available to homeless persons at least give it a try. issues, or mental illness that would contribute to in OTR, like the soup kitchens. I started meeting One day I was out and I met a gentleman, I me becoming homeless. Those are the images that others that were in the same situation as me and asked him if I could have two minutes of his time, I had associated with homelessness. The economy had become homeless because of the decline in also I informed him that I was not going to try and started declining and I started getting fewer and the economy. I could relate to them, and became sell him anything, I just wanted him to hear my fewer contracts for work so eventually I had to aware that my situation was not unique and that story. After the two minutes, the gentleman asked close my business. Eventually I was unable to afthere are different causes of homelessness, and that me how much the Streetvibes publication costs; I ford housing. everybody has a story. After that realization I had told him a one dollar donation. He said to me that As I stated, I was in denial, I just plain refused only one goal, and that was to get off the streets. I one dollar is not going to help me get back on my to believe that I was homeless. I was constantly job started to pray and ask God to give me the strength, feet. He ended up donating about forty- three, forty seeking, months on end. Eventually I started living and to help me help myself out of this situation, – four dollars to me. That was a blessing, it helped in my work van. During my life the only struggle I and that this situation is not in vain. out, and more than anything else the experience had encountered was being a perfectionist. I had One day I was walking past the Greater Cincin- gave me hope that things were going to be ok. always expected one hundred and ten percent from nati Coalition for the Homeless, I said to myself, This business man did not look down on me or my myself, with any situation that I encountered in “that is a long name.” I walked in and was told situation, and gave me the respect that all humans life. I had always had a sense of self and felt that I that because of my homeless status I could use the deserve despite their circumstances. I showered was destined for greatness. I believed that I would telephone for free and use the Coalition’s address at Mary Malden House and started to get more do great things in life and I had always expected to receive mail, since I did not have a mailing adesteem and confidence in myself. the best performance from myself. dress. I started reading the literature that is posted There was a fast food business that I would During my school years the teachers and my for resources for the homeless population, as I was classmates always elected me to represent the reading I heard a woman’s voice; she introduced {Continued on page 14} class. As a child I would always ask my father what herself as Jenni Jenkins, Director of Education �12 POLITICS It’s Time For A New Sheriff In Town JASON HAAP Contributing Writer I t seems like Simon Leis has been Hamilton County Sheriff forever, but he has recently decided to retire – and this fall, there are two names from which to choose on the ballot: Sean Donovan and Jim Neil. Streetvibes contacted both candidates, to see where they stood on issues of interest to our readers. Donovan failed to respond to multiple requests for an interview, but Jim Neil provided us with insights -Jim Neil concerning his style of leadership. Neil would like to see greater collaboration between Hamilton County and the City of Cincinnati. “My vision is a cooperative working relationship with the Cincinnati Police Division,” he explained. “I will call on my personal experience as the regional Commander of the Bomb Squad and history of collaborating with the various Chiefs of Police in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana to help forge a stronger working relationship – one built on cooperation and mutual respect. Working together will benefit both agencies, but more importantly, the citizens of Hamilton County and the City of Cincinnati benefit the most.” On so-called “crimes of Hamilton County Jail. Photo: Justin Jeffre homelessness,” Neil calls for County sheriff is more about serving common-sense and compassion. community than scoring political “It is not a crime to be homeless in points. “As the next Sheriff of Hamilton County,” he said. “We must Hamilton County, I will place more remember that there is the ‘letter of emphasis on service and less on the law’ and the ‘spirit of the law.’ I politics,” Neil explained. “On my expect police officers to use good watch, the Sheriff’s Office will be judgment and common sense when more transparent and cooperative enforcing any laws in Hamilton with the public and employees County.” beginning with a full unbiased What could such a position independent fiscal and operational mean with regards to how Neil audit of the agency. No longer will might work with agencies, such as employees be permitted to double-dip Streetvibes’ parent non-profit the just to take advantage of the pension Greater Cincinnati Coalition for system for their own personal gain.” the Homeless? “I would be happy Jim Neil has a versatile set of to work together with community experiences, too – and he knows what organizations on homelessness,” it means to put himself in danger in promised Neil. the name of service. “As a leader, I Neil thinks being Hamilton displayed physical courage while on the job after being involved in a shooting with a murder suspect in Queensgate and also while disarming live bombs during my ten years as the Bomb Squad Commander,” he described. “During my 30+ year tenure, I continually perfected my craft as a police officer and administrator through education and practical application. I am not part of the political establishment.” “My department will not be managed by fear and intimidation,” Neil concluded. “I am an educated and experienced law enforcement officer and will be a breath of fresh air for the employees and the community.” Shouldn’t we fund good causes instead of corrupt political systems? the scripted pomp and circumstance, a letter from a long-time alternative presidential candidate went unheeded by both political parties. Perhaps now, ow that both the Republican before our memories of these convenand Democratic National tions’ extravagances dim into distant Conventions have come to a close, what can we learn from reflectmemory, we can reflect on an open ing upon their aftermath? Pollsters letter from Ralph Nader written one were quick to notice statistically insig- month before each convention. nificant changes in opinion from day After describing the desperto day, speculating about the effect of ate economic circumstances facing millions of Americans, Nader Clint Eastwood’s speech to an empty offered a novel concept. “Against chair, or Bill Clinton’s reminiscences of the economic boon from the 1990s. this background, what have the two parties done?” wrote Nader. “This Yet, amidst all the pageantry, all year they have each taken $18.2 million in taxpayer money for their national political conventions in Tampa, Florida and Charlotte, North Carolina later this summer. The money comes from taxpayers via the Treasury Department’s ‘$3 Tax Check-off’ found on tax return forms.” “Taxpayers who opt for this partial public funding of elections,” continued Nader, “may not like funding political extravaganzas for the two parties, festooned by banners, Ralph Nader with Justin Jeffre. Photo: Streetvibes JASON HAAP Contributing Writer N musical entertainment, food, drink and other amenities. They might not want their tax dollars associated with nearby lavish corporate hospitality parties loaded with lobbyists lusting for access, subsidies and other special privileges.” Or, as he more succinctly summarized the issue later in his open letter, “Pay for your own parties, your own liquor and your own entertainment.” Nader goes on to suggest the RNC and DNC give this money to charities in both Tampa and Charlotte, as those non-profits struggling to provide food for the hungry need the money more than the GOP and the Democratic Parties, each sitting on war chests filled with millions upon millions of dollars. So, if I may be so bold, let’s apply Nader’s thinking right here in Cincinnati. Do any readers of Streetvibes donate money to the already drenched bankrolls of bigger-thanlife, corporate funded candidates? How about taking that money, and giving it to a local charity instead? What if instead of sending $20, $50, $100, or $500 to Mitt Romney or Barack Obama, we sent that money instead to the Freestore Foodbank, making a change people can believe in right here at home? I know some will say the stakes are too high – and that it important to support the candidate who can have such an influence on the direction our country takes. But perhaps you will also consider making a matching donation to a local charity for any dollar you give to a politician. Let’s at least allow Nader’s challenge to the RNC and DNC haunt us as we consider how much money gets pumped into overdramatic television ads aimed at manipulating as opposed to educating voters. Let the thought haunt us, as we consider the best way to make change. �13 POLITICS Ohio Socialist Sen. Candidate wins in court JUSTIN JEFFRE Streetvibes Editor D an La Botz challenged before the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) the ONO’s (that is, the eight major newspapers in Ohio) decision to invite only the “top two” candidates for Ohio’s U.S. Senate seat to the debate before live television audiences. The FEC ruled that the ONO’s decision was permissible under Federal law. Mr. La Botz appealed this decision to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia (Wash., DC), which reversed the FEC’s conclusion. The court ruled that federal law prohibits corporations, including news organizations, from providing benefits to candidates for federal office without doing so equally. Federal law states that in order to do so equally, corporations that sponsor debates must use “preexisting, objective criteria” that do not categorically include only the major parties’ candidates. ONO produced no evidence before the FEC that it employed pre-existing objective criteria to exclude Mr. La Botz. Rather, the ONO simply claimed that it picked the two most popular candidates, which is not permissible under federal law. While the ONO Dan Labotz at Xavier University. Photo: John Hughes need not have included Mr. La Botz, it had to at least provide him with the criteria it employed to pick its participants. And these criteria could not simply be that it chose to pick the two major candidates. The issue has been sent back to the FEC. “I hope for a decision there, or if necessary back in the courts again, which would strengthen the rights of candidates to be heard by the public. All certified candidates should have equal rights to present their views to the public. It is especially important at a time like this of high unemployment, housing foreclosures, rising educational debt, and growing numbers of people living on food stamps and other government assistance that people have an opportunity to hear the democratic socialist alternative. We need a profound transformation in this country that would put power in the hands of working people, the employed and the unemployed, those with unions and those without them, to create a government that would meet their needs and the needs of all. People have a right to hear that alternative put forward, and that opportunity was denied them in the November 2010 Senate -Dan Labotz election,” said La Botz. “We are happy to hear that the U.S. District Court has decided in our favor. This is a victory not so much for me as for the voters. Voters should have the right to hear from all of the candidates who qualify for the ballot, not just the Republicans and the Democrats,” he said. �14 THE REST OF THE STORY Continued from page 11 visit often; I would always ask the manager if there were any job opportunities available. I was always told that there was nothing open at that time, I feel that the manager thought that I was not serious or that I would not be reliable. I persisted and continued to enquire, the manager saw that I was sincere and offered me a position. I started out as a back house cook, eventually I did not know what my job title was because I was performing every job duty at the establishment. I did whatever needed to be done so that the business would run smoothly. I did all of this in a uniform. During my life span I had never thought that I would be employed by an employer that would require me to wear a uniform. It was a humbling experience. I stopped buying chips, and other snacks that I had Tommy Thompson. Photo: Amy Willhoite called a meal, and started saving Streetvibes distributors donate 50 my earnings. I found an efficiency cents per copy and sell it for a oneapartment and when I received the dollar and fifty cent donation. They keys I had a really big sigh of relief. keep the profit that they have earned. Eventually I bought another This program has helped hundreds of truck, and I promised myself that, people find and maintain housing. as long as I was able to, I would help Streetvibes targets homeless and others that were going through the formerly homeless individuals who same experience that I had underrequire supplemental income. For me gone. Today, I am an advocate for the Streetvibes was a hand up and that homeless population. Since March helped me move from homelessness 2009, I have worked with the “Voice to housing. My experience with homeof Homeless” Speakers Bureau at the lessness has had a positive outcome Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the and I’ve dedicated my life to helping Homeless. The Coalition understands homeless individuals. I started a nonthat education is a key component in eradicating homelessness. The Speak- profit, tommygives.worldpress.com. The mission statement is: “To inspire ers Bureau is made up of currently or and engage in giving on all levels in formerly homeless individuals who order to build a stronger more conare willing to share their experiences nected life.” I plan to purchase abanbeing homeless. I believe that telling my story is therapeutic and empowers doned buildings and turn them into affordable housing. (i.e. Transitional me to move forward with my life. and Section 8). Since coming to the Homeless At most homeless shelters an Coalition I have spoken to over 3,500 individual has to have mental or subpeople through over 150 speaking stance abuse issues to qualify for long engagements. I also spoke in 2010 term services. My desire is to target at the Affordable Housing Advothe population that has been dislocates Annual Meeting as well as lead cated because of the economy, and / student groups on tours of downtown or job loss, they are the new homeless Cincinnati where I talked about life and a growing population. My experion the streets and teach students ence being homeless has changed the how I and other Streetvibes distribudirection of my life for the better. tors vend the Streetvibes Newspaper. Do you know what you feel... Do you hear yourself when the world is standing still? Do you reconize the diffrence in the sounds that you hear ? Do you believe that you can make a diffrence in this world today? Be for real!! Do you reconize the world and hear the the world as it so slowly revolves aroud? Do you understand that it is your life that you are hearing and only your life youv’e found! Do you know your rights to live without disrespect being happy, and loving your life? Do you know anything about your past, present not to mention being born in strife? Realizing that we are born from one womb and destined to die in one tomb ALONE With all this knowledge do we know right from wrong or how to be strong! Now knowing everything an living our lives and forgeting where we derived from. Now seeing deceit and can’t do nothing about it, NOW don’t we all feel dumb! NOW I beleive that there is a power greater than any man’s understanding right here today! Looking around today trying to distinguish what was and what I see NOW! Everyday I have to Pray!! Changes everywhere I look, from where to catch a bus to where do the hungry eat Changes in every walk of life and that includes if you homeless NOW where do I SLEEP? NOW think are you happy, sad , disillusioned, misunderstood, confused or simply LOST? NOW IS THE TIME TO BELIEVE IN THAT POWER GREATER THAN MAN. I KNOW GOD AND HE IS BOSS!!! By Willa D. Jones �15 RESOURCES Shelter: Women and Children Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 Central Access Point 381-SAFE Bethany House 557-2873 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224 Salvation Army 762-5660 131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 Shelter: Men City Gospel Mission 241-5525 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Health Resource Center 357-4602 Homeless Mobile Health Van 352-2902 McMicken Dental Clinic 352-6363 4600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 Mercy Franciscan at St. John 981-5800 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214 NAMI of Hamilton County 458-6670 PATH Outreach 977-4489 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 Treatment: Men Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45202 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Other Resources Prospect House 921-1613 Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Emmanuel Community Center 241-2563 Starting Over 961-2256 Peaslee Neighborhood Center Mt. Airy Shelter 661-4620 Treatment: Women Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 Shelter: Both First Step Home 961-4663 Goodwill industries 771-4800 Healing Connections 751-0600 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 1419 Elm Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Justice Watch 241-0490 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Anthony House (Youth) 961-4080 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 2728 Glendora Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45209 Treatment: Both 1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237 AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 Drop Inn Center 721-0643 217 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Interfaith Hospitality Network 471-1100 Lighthouse Youth Center (Youth) 221-3350 3330 Jefferson, Cinti, Ohio 45220 Housing: CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 OTR Community Housing 381-1171 114 W. 14th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Dana Transitional Bridge Services 751-0643 Volunteers of America 381-1954 Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Food/Clothing Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 Joseph House (Veterans) 241-2965 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Hamilton County ADAS Board 946-4888 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 641-4300 Advocacy 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels 863-3184 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Northern Kentucky Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 ECHO/Hosea House 859-261-5857 Fairhaven Resuce Mission 859-491-1027 Homeward Bound Youth 859-581-1111 Mathews House 859-261-8009 Homeless & Housing Coalition 859-727-0926 Parish Kitchen 859-581-7745 Pike St. Clinic 859-291-9321 Transitions, Inc 859-491-4435 Welcome House of NKY 859-431-8717 1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. 579-8547 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 Faces Without Places 363-3300 Stop AIDS 421-2437 Health Brighton Center 859-491-8303 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 Center for Respite Care 621-1868 St. Francis Soup Kitchen Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 535-2719 621-5514 214 E. 14th St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 1223 Main St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 1308 Race St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-559-5011 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 PainterStreetNew:Layout 1 4/17/2012 11:10 AM Page 1 Compliments of Judge Mark Painter United Nations Appeals Tribunal 2009–2012 Ohio Court of Appeals 1995–2009 Hamilton County Municipal Court 1982–1995 Judging strictly on merit for 30 years www.judgepainter.org �16 CODE OF CONDUCT STREETVIBES IS DISTRIBUTED BY INDIVIDUALS WHO PURCHASE THE PAPER FOR 50 CENTS PER COPY AND SELL IT FOR A $1.50 DONATION, KEEPING THE PROFIT THEY HAVE EARNED. 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Distributors agree not to distribute additional goods or products when distributing Streetvibes. Distributors will not distribute Streetvibes or purchase Streetvibes under the influence of drugs or alcohol. LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 MARK ANTHONY SHEARS SINCE 12/2007 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MICHAEL BEHYMER SINCE 2/2012 RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 There are no territories among distributors. However, distributors must respect the space of other distributors, particularly the space of distributors who have been at a spot longer. It is unacceptable for any distributor to persuade or ask customers not to purchase Streetvibes from other distributors. Coercion will not be tolerated. If a customer prefers to purchase from certain distributors that is up to them. RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 2001 RICHARD WIGGINS SINCE 2012 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 TERRY RANSON SINCE10/2008 TIM NEUMANN NEW 7/2011 TOMMY THOMPSON SINCE 2/2009 WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 W. KENNETH BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 WILLIAM BURDINE SINCE 8/2009 For questions or comments pertaining to the distributor program contact: Jeni Jenkins, Distributor Program Manager. Ph:513.421.7803 Ext. 14 jenijenkins@cincihomeless.org Distributors will not deceive the public by saying they are collecting for a nonprofit charity or collecting for the “homeless” in general. Distributors will be honest in stating that all the profits from the sale of Streetvibes go to the distributor. Distributors will only use the word “donation” when referring to themselves, not the Coalition. There are special rules for distributing at Findlay Market. Only distributors with approval may distribute at Findlay Market at a time. Other rules as established by Streetvibes and Findlay Market. Distributors will attend monthly meetings. Monthly meetings occur every 4 weeks on Fridays at 1PM, (dates are posted in the lobby) these meetings are mandatory. Anyone who cannot make the meeting must talk with the Distributor Program Coordinator, before distributing Streetvibes for that month. Ten papers will be given to those who attend the meeting. It is the responsibility of each distributor to police fellow distributors or former distributors. Distributors will report violators of the rules to the Homeless Coalition. The value of the paper depends on keeping it credible. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2012 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 14-27, 2012 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: Vote Hard! Hispanic Heritage Month is a Time to Celebrate Diversity Pg 3: Three File Lawsuit Against Park Board Pg 4: Lawsuit Continued 9/11: An Important Day to Remember & Why Pg 5: Move to Amend and the Future of Corporate Power Pg 6: Sleeping Cabins Provide Safe Ground for Homeless Fulltime Workers Still Face Poverty in USA Pg 7: Mobile Legal Aid for the Homeless Pg 8: LULAC Celebrates 10 Years of Hispanic Progress in Ohio Cincinnati’s Salsa Scene Pg 9: Cincinnati’s Salsa Scene Continued Pg 10: International News Pg 11: Street Paper Hits the Cincinnati Film Festival Tommy Thompson, Speaker & Advocate Pg 12: It’s Time for a New Sheriff in Town Pg 13: Ohio Socialist Sen. Candidate Wins in Court Pg 14: Tommy Thompson, Speaker & Advocate Continued 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 14-27, 2012 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Justin Jeffre Josh Spring Jeni Jenkins Jason Dean Leslie Moorhead Jeff Kelly Jerry Davis Karen Chatman Chris Fowler Rubye Goode Ben Stockwell Jason Haap Willa D. Jones Bill Woods Jamilah Luqman Layla Pena Kevin Robert Jesse Call Poul Struve Nielson Justin Jeffre Michael Beck Nick Swartsell Sameerah Ahmad Kristin McGee Larry Baibak Pete Roper Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF 3CDC 9/11 Aid Ben Stockwell Bill Woods Chris Fowler Cincinnati Film Festival Hispanic Heritage Month International news Jamilah Luqman Jason Dean Jason Haap Jeff Kelly Jeni Jenkins Jerry Davis Jesse Call Josh Spring Justin Jeffre Karen Chatman Kevin Robert Kristin McGee Larry Baibak Lawsuit Layla Pena Leslie Moorhead LULAC Michael Beck Nick Swartsell Ohio Park Board Pete Roper Poul Struve Nielson Rubye Goode Sameerah Ahmad Street Paper Tommy Thompson Vote Willa D. Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/617c73e9692237cf65a3c7b2cab112a1.pdf 9aeb4b90d85b0ff6092fac21c6aa3463 PDF Text Text Artists as Activists Page 16 Vendor Profile Page 7 STREETVIBES $1 Sept. 15-30, 2009 • Advocating Justice, Building Community • Issue 161 Rejoicing Against Oppression Tibet Fest: Food, art and an unusual resistance By GreGory Flannery editor Here’s a quick test: What comes to mind when you hear the word “Tibet”? • The Chinese genocide against a small country; • The Dalai Lama, apostle of nonviolence; • An idiosyncratic Buddhist philosophy; or • Momos, spicy Tibetan dumplings. New statues of Buddhas at GSL Monastery were handmade in Nepal, according to Jamyang Lama. All four are correct answers Photo by Margo Pierce. but momos are the most straightforward. Filled with stops for a sandwich at Quizbeef or with potatoes, momos no’s restaurant on Colerain are one of the most popular Avenue. features of Tibet Fest, which “A lot of times when peoreturns this weekend to the ple see us, they become very Clifton Cultural Arts Center. curious, especially in the The other three phenom- Midwest,” he says. “A lot of ena are also my friends part of the in California program but Driven into exile by and the East are at least as the Chinese invasion Coast cannot complex as and brutal occupation believe I’m the makeup of the past 50 years, living in Indiof any other Tibetan culture has ana or Ohio. political or found a refuge in Their image By Mark Payne spiritual culCincinnati and in is a cornfield, Contributing Writer ture – and Bloomington, Ind. and I’m sitting given Tibet’s there. I tell More than 200 residents of centuries of them people the Metropole Apartments, isolation, probably more so. in Indiana and Ohio are very many of them reliant on fedDriven into exile by the wonderful people, accepting eral housing assistance, could Chinese invasion and bru- people.” soon be forced out to make tal occupation of the past 50 More than a few people in way for a new hotel in downyears, Tibetan culture has Cincinnati and Bloomington town Cincinnati’s entertainfound a refuge in Cincinnati have gone beyond accep- ment block. and in Bloomington, Ind. tance, pursuing the Buddhist The apartment building at The American Midwest path and seeking to preserve 609 Walnut St. has been put seems an unlikely setting Tibetan culture. Tibet Fest up for a transfer of physical for such an exotic tradition 2009 is both an ethnic cel- assets by Showe Manage– with its mixture of sword- ebration and an opportunity ment. wielding, bare-fanged deities to help an oppressed people. “All that means is the buildand nonviolent philosophy Proceeds from Tibet Fest will ing would have a new owner,” of compassion toward all support the construction of a says James Cunningham, sentient beings. Even Tibet- new monastery and Tibetan Cincinnati field office direcans think so, according to Heritage Center in Colerain tor for the U.S. Department The Metropole apartments are located on Walnut Jamyang Lama, a resident Township. of Housing and Urban DevelStreet across from the Aronoff Center and next to monk at Gaden Samdrupling opment (HUD). popular bars and nightclubs. Photo by Bill Haigh. Monastery in Cincinnati, The Illegal Buddha But it means more than sponsor of Tibet Fest. He also that. The building sits be- velopment Corp. (3CDC), ac- who said he was leading the serves at a sister monastery Jamyang Lama has never tween the Contemporary cording to Rob Goeller, civil Metropole project. Gelter in Bloomington. been to Tibet. Arts Center and Bootsy’s, Jeff rights outreach coordinator said 3CDC wants to buy the Dressed in maroon robes, “It’s one of my hopes to go Ruby’s new restaurant, mak- for the Greater Cincinnati Metropole, turn it into a combreaking into Tibetan or there someday,” he says. ing it attractive real estate for Coalition for the Homeless. mercial hotel, then hand it Hindi or Urdu when his cell Born in Nepal to Tibetan developers. The group interGoeller says he spoke over to a company called phone rings, Jamyang Lama ested in buying the building with Adam Gelter, developcan’t escape notice when he See Oppression, p. 8 is Cincinnati Center City De- ment manager for 3CDC, See 3CDC, p. 6 3CDC Strikes Again Hotel plan could force out hundreds of people �2 The Vibe By The Numbers 31 StreetWise Yes, We Can Again I have to admit that in recent months I’ve been feeling a bit jaded. People are talking, and frankly the conversation is quite sour, particularly when it comes to President Barack Obama – name calling; back-stabbing; political snowballing. He has been referred to as a Nazi, a socialist and a communist czar. The persistent negative dialogue has had me feeling disillusioned, and I’ve been losing hope. Then on Sept. 7 I attended the largest Labor Day Picnic in the country. I’d never been to a picnic put on by the AFL-CIO or any event organized by a labor union, so I didn’t know what to expect. the number of “statement drawings” created by Jimi Jones during the 2001 Uprising in Over-the-Rhine (see page 16.) 709 the number of women and children who stayed at the YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter last year (see page 3.) 9 million the value, in dollars, of an acre of land in downtown Cincinnati (see page 4.) 8 or 10 the number of people blocking Mike Henson’s view on a New York subway (see page 10.) 208 the number of residents at the Metropole Apartments who might lose their homes (see page 1.) 10 the cost, in dollars, of a Tibetan feast (see page 1.) 2.3 million the number of prisoners in the United States (see page 11.) STREETVIBES September 15 - 30, 2009 A casual conversation with a colleague at work had resulted in tickets for my two children and me. My children were thrilled. By the time we arrived at Coney Island, their unrestrained energy was fueling my anxiety. Photo by Jeni Jenkins. I anticipated long lines, angry mobs of gun-toting antiObamites and men in black suits whispering into translucent earpieces while each of us endured a full-body cavity search. Instead we were welcomed at the gates by a covey of neighborly volunteers from various unions. We proceeded through a series of checkpoints until finally arriving at security, where officers briefly patted us down and sent us in. I was pleased that my children had the opportunity to see him. My level of hope had been slowly decreasing, my vision was blurred and I was questioning my confidence in Obama. But, he fired me up and now I am ready to go again. (By Jeni Jenkins) Let a Thousand Outhouses Bloom Our readers are a generous lot. In recent months we’ve reported on the lack of public toilets in downtown Cincinnati, which leads some homeless people to relieve themselves in alleys or near the Hamilton County Courthouse, sometimes leading to arrest and sometimes leading to asinine commentary by the likes of Bill Cunningham, right-wing talk-show agitator on WLW (700 AM). In response, two readers have contacted the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, which publishes Streetvibes, offering to pay for the rental of port-a-lets downtown. Wouldn’t it be a fine and beautiful thing to have the Bill Cunningham Memorial Outhouse downtown? But here’s the problem. Where to put the edifice? The Homeless Coalition doesn’t have property to house the Cunningham Outhouse. What to do? Gentle readers, if you own property downtown and would like to help homeless people, let us know. Homeless people would be grateful, public sanitation would improve, and Bill Cunningham would be honored in the manner he so richly deserves, wipe by wipe. (By Gregory Flannery) Buy Your Own Damn Ticket The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Aug. 21 that another right-wing talk-show host, Sean Hannity, had effectively banned the news media from his America-first extravaganza at Timberwolf Amphitheatre. It’s a load of crap, though. The Sean Hannity Freedom Concert featured nationalist music by Billy Ray Cyrus, Charlie Daniels, Lee Greenwood and speeches by Hannity and others. “However, most media outlets – except Fox News – have been excluded from covering the event by Hannity's organizers,” the Enquirer reported. 4 While it’s true that Fox News is a leading cause of right-wing nuts reaching large audiences, it’s not true that Hannity barred other news media from covering his political vaudeville act. Here’s how these things work. News reporters call organizers of public events and ask for admission to a press booth. This is special seating, sometimes offering access to telephones or Internet connections, sometimes including free food, sometimes (and a favorite of journalists) including free drinks. Some event organizers say no. But there is nothing to stop reporters from buying tickets and sitting in the crowd with everyone else. I didn’t go to the Sean Hannity Freedom Concert. But I bet ushers didn’t ask guests, “Are you now or have you ever been a member of the news media other than Fox News?” If anyone can prove me wrong, I’ll wash the Bill Cunningham Memorial Outhouse every day for a week. (By Gregory Flannery) the number of stops on a social-service scavenger hunt (see page 6.) Address: 117 East 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 Phone: 513.421.7803 x 12 Fax: 513.421.7813 Email: streetvibes2@ yahoo.com Website: www. cincihomeless.org Blog: streetvibes. wordpress.com Streetvibes Staff We sat on the edge of our seats as we waited for Obama to make his appearance. He immediately asked two crucial questions: “Are you fired up? Are you ready to go?” As he spoke, I could feel my political energies recharging. He was direct, charismatic and conversational, as if chatting with old friends. He reminded me why I’d supported him for President during the primaries. Tears welled up in my eyes as I heard him speak about issues of poverty and class. It was the first time in my life that I saw a politician who understood the plight of the poor in this country, someone who knew change was unavoidable and who was ready to take the reins. 2 the number of Streetvibes readers who have offered to help provide port-a-lets for homeless people downtown (see page 2.) Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by people who are or once were homeless, in exchange for a $1 donation, Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Was Ann Coulter in Town? A vigilant driver noticed a “suspicious bag” on a Metro bus at the transit agency’s Queensgate garage Sept. 2, according to Metro. Police and fire personnel responded to the scene and found that the bag contained “only clothing.” The media alert from Metro did not explain what constitutes a “suspicious bag.” (By Gregory Flannery) Editor Gregory Flannery Art Director Lynne Ausman Vendor Coordinator Jeni Jenkins Contributing Writers Lew Moores, Dave Scharfenberger, Margo Pierce, Paul Kopp, Jeremy Flannery, Michael Henson, David Heitfield, Kelissa Hieber, Larry Gross, Stephanie Dunlap, Saad Ghosn, Elizabeth Heath, Ariana Shahandeh, Jennifer Blalock, Dan LaBotz, Mark Payne Photography/Artwork Aimie Willhoite, Lynne Ausman, George Ellis, Jeni Jenkins, Anthony Williams, Berta Lambert Proofreader Jennifer Blalock The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati through coordination of services, public education, grassroots advocacy and Streetvibes. We are members of: �STREETVIBES September 15 - 30, 2009 Local News 3 Eight Minutes Seeking Shelter One woman's work helps hundreds in need of a safe-haven By MarGo Pierce Contributing Writer The location of the YWCA Battered Women's Shelter is confidential. No men are allowed. Security is the number one priority. All this because “domestic violence is real,” according to Stacey Hall, the shelter director. “Our facility is a safe-haven for women and children who are leaving situations of violence in their homes, so we make sure the facility is safe,” she says. “We have to make sure that it’s private and confidential. We have to make sure that it’s comfortMore than 800 women and children were served YWCA of Greater Cincinnati’s Battered Women’s able and welcoming and that Shelter last year. Photo courtesy of YWCA. it can feel as much like home as much as possible during homes or is being abused by what their cy and their YWCA, as well as in the com“Women who make their stay.” their partner or they’re not educational, ability to munity at large, so they can the brave decision to The capacity of the shel- sure what’s going on (or) they f i n a n c i a l , m a x i m i z e make their goals.” ter is 65 people and it’s been just know they have an issue long-term so- leave their lives as they their learnOn top of all that is the full since the beginning of the and they want to talk it out, cial services know it after situations ing dur- practical work of operating a of violence often are year. That translates into a lot ask questions, get informa- needs are going school home away from home. looking at starting over, hours.” of women seeking shelter ev- tion, the hotline is available ing to be. “We are part of the Famery year. for that as well.” “We also so that means we have But when ily Shelter Partnership, so we to build services that “In 2008 we served 709 When a woman calls to look at what it comes to work very closely with them, can be supportive.” women and children, and seek shelter, she’s told to go to kids go the parents, making sure that as a group – Stacey Hall about 75 more women and a specific location, where she through (and) there’s a shelters serving families can children we served more than will be picked up. This pro- not only what dizzying ar- really maximize resources for once during the year,” Hall cess ensures that the woman they’ve experay of issues families around housing so says. “We know one of the dy- gets to a safe location once rienced at home. It's a rocky that require more help than they can get back into housnamics of domestic violence she’s left the violent situation transition from violence in the a few classes could possibly ing really quickly,” Hall says. is that it sometimes takes a and the address of the shelter house to a shelter situation to address. For many, it begins But no matter what she’s few times of trying to leave to is kept confidential; the driv- trying to get back to a normal with their children. doing, expanding awareness make the permanent break er knows where the shelter kid routine with school and “Kids who stay in shelters about domestic violence and from the relationship.” is and gets the woman there, after school activities.” are entitled to stay in their why shelters exist is a big part That’s why the advocates free of charge. As the shelter’s director, home school if they want to. of Hall’s job. who staff the YWCA DomesOnce she arrives – alone or Hall makes sure “services are Some moms and kids want to “Women in the community tic Violence Hotline (513-872- with children – the work of delivered in the best way pos- do that, so that involves do- need a place where they can 9259 or 888-872-9259) are building a new life begins. sible.” That means organizing ing safety planning with the go and be safe from violence,” willing to and offering a school around what’s going she says. “As bad as the econlisten, offer host of activi- on,” Hall says. omy is, bad economy does i n f o r m a - “Bad economy does not cause partners to batter ties. For kids, “We do in-house support- not cause partners to batter tion and get – the bad economy creates increased barriers that’s pretty ive groups, primarily peer – the bad economy creates a woman for both perpetrators and victims of domestic straightfor- groups, so women can pro- increased barriers for both connected violence in terms of moving beyond the violence. ward. vide support to each other perpetrators and victims of to the help But violence is a behavioral choice that people “We pro- around what’s going on in domestic violence in terms of she needs. make.” – Stacey Hall vide activities their lives and the reality of moving beyond the violence. Services for kids, ev- the shelter. Women who need But violence is a behavioral are availerything from more intensive, one-on-one choice that people make.” able to anyone experiencing “Women who make the recreational stuff – open play counseling we refer to WomIf you or someone you know violence in the home – men, brave decision to leave their time, game time, craft time – en Helping Women. needs assistance or just somethe elderly, handicapped and lives as they know it after sit- to groups that are more edu“Our primary service is one to talk to who won’t be same-sex partners – and shel- uations of violence often are cational and quasi-therapeu- case management, where judgmental, call the YWCA ter will be provided in what- looking at starting over, so that tic in nature, such as reading women work one-on-one Domestic Violence Hotline ever location is best. means we have to build ser- time that maybe focuses on with a case manager and lay at 513-872-9259 or 888-872But every shelter stay be- vices that can be supportive,” talking about feelings, an art out a plan for all of the differ- 9259. The YWCA is a member gins with a call to the hotline. Hall says. “We provide them activity that focuses on talk- ent things they need to work of the Greater Cincinnati Co“You have to call the hotline information and options in ing about the family. on. Then part of what the alition for the Homeless. in order to get into shelter,” all the areas of their life from “We also bring lots of part- case manager does is connect Hall says. “But in addition support around the domestic ners on-site to work with them to resources within the to accessing shelter, we also violence itself and any legal kids. We’re getting ready to provide information about issues that have arisen out have America Reads volunMany people work hard to make a difference for the other resources in the com- of the domestic violence, to teers start; they’ll be working less privileged in the Queen City. “Eight Minutes” is an munity, and it’s a resource targeted case management with pre-school age kids up opportunity to learn who those people are and what just to talk. If someone is ex- that looks at what their hous- through the age of 12 and do motivates them to be a positive influence. periencing violence in their ing needs are going to be, tutoring that supports litera- �4 Community News STREETVIBES September 15 - 30, 2009 Cheap Parking, High Rent Tommy Didn’t Have to Die Parking prevents affordable housing Does reform listen to sick people? By nathan Wessel Contributing Writer than most realize. Parking uses space that could be used for something else: If a building There is an almost impossibly easy has an underground garage, it gives way to stimulate new, creative and up a basement. Land used for parking affordable development in Cincin- could be used for parks, for schools, nati. It would cost the city nothing. In etc. In most cases, it just would be fact, it would save money while at the used for the rest of the building. Most same time increasing tax revenues. It construction would take place on would allow for the afsmaller lots, and buildfordable redevelopment ings would be bigger if of vacant lots and buildParking not for the parking reings. It would create a requirements have quirement. denser, more walkable, an enormous effect In economics, this is more environmentally on urban life and called an “opportunity friendly city that is more life everywhere in cost.” When two things attractive to young prothis country, and can't be done at the fessionals. It would yet almost no one same time, and one is stimulate the creation ever gives them foregone in favor of the of affordable housing any thought. other, the lost potential and other affordable returns from the unbuilding space, easing used option are a real homelessness and unemployment. cost. To give an example, if you have So what is this grand scheme? I can $1,000 and you buy stock with it, you condense it to one sentence: Elimi- no longer have the option of keeping nate parking requirements. Parking that money in the bank and gaining requirements have an enormous ef- interest. The amount you would have fect on urban life and life everywhere gained in interest, but now cannot, is in this country, and yet almost no one the opportunity cost. If the opportuever gives them any thought. nity cost is greater than the benefit of Parking is something that urban the option pursued (if the amount of planners first stuck their noses into interest would have been more than in the 1950s. Since then, most Ameri- the gain on the stocks), then it would can cities have required that a certain have been better to invest in the other number of parking spaces be includ- option. If a piece of land is used for ed in any new development and even a parking lot, it cannot be used for provided for old buildings, if they are something that could yield much put to new use. The requirement is higher returns, such as an office or generally designed to satisfy the peak an apartment. When land is valuable, demand for free parking on the busi- this cost is extremely high, and parkest day of the year. What this means ing is a poor use of land. is that almost all new development is There is another cost that is a funcrequired to have more parking on-site tion of the simple fact that parking than would be used on Black Friday if takes up space: Excess parking causes all parking were free – too much park- suburban sprawl by requiring that ing. things be more spread out. A lot of people stop their train of Parking is more expensive to conthought at that point: “What harm is struct and maintain than you might a bunch of parking that goes unused? suspect. An asphalt parking lot in Better than not having enough, isn't far-flung suburban areas can cost as it?” “little” as $2,000 per space. In places There are two main problems with where land is more valuable – places requiring too much parking, though. where people actually live – parking is The first problem is that parking takes drastically more expensive. Once land up space. The second is that it is very is valuable enough – when the opporexpensive to build and maintain park- tunity cost is high – parking garages ing. This sounds simple at first glance, but the costs of parking are far higher See Parking, p. 5 Much of the parking downtown is only fully utilized during Reds and Bengals games. Parking construction can cost over $12,000 per spot. By elizaBeth heath Contributing Writer Like most girls, my first job was babysitting, I lived in a small town, so I already knew the children I would be watching. I looked forward to a night away from my parents and four siblings. I could control the remote! Little did I know the energetic blonde boy, Tommy, and his darker haired sister, Amber, were wild and uncontrollable. I chased them all over the house as they got into everything. Finally, after hours of running around and yelling, "No!" that Amber Thomas Monte Rieff. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Heath. fell asleep. Tommy and I laid on the couch in the living very visible. He had one in his neck, room to watch television. two in his chest, one in his groin area I woke when their mother came and one under his armpit. Things got home. Tommy was lying next to me serious. He was no longer pushed and had wet himself. When his mom aside as though he were drug-seekbegan to yell at him he, of course, ing. The hospital admitted him. blamed me. For some reason she beHe stayed there for over a week as lieved him. She told me to leave and the hospital did biopsies and ran a I never babysat Amber and Tommy series of painful tests. The tests came again. Living in the small town as we back: Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Stage did, we saw each other on a daily ba- four – end stage. It was wrong that it sis. Amber was only a couple of years had gotten that bad. All it would have younger than I. We became close taken was someone to listen to him, friends. Tommy, her little brother, was someone to look past his unkempt good friends with my little brothers. appearance and that tattoo. Amber and I both had a child at a The doctors gave Tommy, my young age. We drifted apart. I became friend, my brother, six months to live. closer friends with Tommy than I ever He was 24 years old. Doctors from evhad before. Tommy was around all of ery hospital he went to gave him premy late teen years and well into adult- scription after prescription. The medhood. He was there when I got mar- icine was not meant to help him fight ried. My husband off the cancer, but and Tommy were just ease the pain. It good friends. He stayed there for over was extremely difTheir parents got a week as the hospital ficult for everyone divorced. Amber was did biopsies and ran a involved. We barely already out of the series of painful tests. talked about it at house, but Tommy The tests came back: all. So many times I was not. He was left Hodgkin’s lymphoma. wanted to hold him on his own. All he had Stage four – end stage. close and tell him evleft was his friends. erything would be all All of us did what we right. Tommy didn't could to help Tommy. like that "mushy" stuff, so we all kept Tommy got sick. It took a long time it cool, spending time with him, givbefore anyone realized just how sick ing him a hard time, making him he was. Tommy would go to the hos- laugh, just like we always had. pital a lot. Nurses and doctors would Tommy fought long and hard for look at him, give him some antibiot- three years. He never let the doctors ics and send him home. He was very tell him when it was his time. He was unkempt. He had long hair and some- over 27 when he passed away. All of us thing of a beard that looked more like friends of Tommy think that, if somehe just had not bothered to shave in one had taken the time to listen to a month. I am pretty sure the word Tommy, he might still be around to"Freak" tattooed on his arm did not day, but he is gone and all we can do help the situation. is make sure no one else gets treated A group of us friends finally talked that way. him into going back to the emergency In loving memory of Thomas Monroom. He felt so bad that it didn’t take te Rieff; Oct. 27, 1981-Feb. 13, 2009 much convincing. This time was different. The lumps on his body were �STREETVIBES September 15 - 30, 2009 Community News Cheap Parking and High Rent spaces. One can only imagine the cost; they don't seem must be built. to have released it, and you Land in downtown Cincin- might be able to guess why. nati, for example, is worth But the point of this is not as much as just to shock $9 million per you with high acre. Obviously An apartment numbers. Dea surface park- complex that might velopers with ing lot has too be considered deep pockets high an opporaffordable is not spend an enortunity cost to quite so affordable mous amount be a good idea when the city on any numwhen land is requires you to tack ber of things. that highly val$20,000 onto each The point is to ued. Parking is apartment’s cost. d e m o n s t ra t e still required the high bardowntown, rier to entry for though, and so people must anyone who wants to build make more efficient use of anything on a small parcel space. downtown or in any of CinThe largest parking ga- cinnati's older neighborrages can cost as “little” as hoods. $12,000 to $15,000 for each Parking requirements can space, but a more realistic make development as much figure is $20,000 to $35,000. as twice as expensive. Office Costs are especially high for buildings that were cheaper to underground garages. The construct could employ more one planned for Washing- people and pay them better. ton Park in Over-the-Rhine An apartment complex that by 3CDC will provide 500 might be considered affordspaces on two subterranean able is not quite so affordable levels at a cost of $18 million. when the city requires you to That works out to $36,000 tack $20,000 onto each apartper parking space just for the ment's cost. There are whole cost of construction. The new households making less than tower downtown, Queen City that in a year. Would you want Square, is building 11 floors to spend a year working to afof below-ground parking, ford a parking space that you digging down more than 100 aren't using? feet, creating 2,350 parking Developers don't want to 5 (continued from page 4) Vast concrete wastelands (parking lots) are often vacant. Using the land for affordable housing and office space could ease homelessness and unemployment. Photo by Nathan Wessel. pay for it either. In a recent survey by the Urban Land Institute, developers were asked what they thought of their municipalities’ parking requirements. Over 70 percent considered the required parking to be a substantial burden on development, with 65 percent saying they would reduce the amount of parking in their projects if they could. The only people who conceivably benefit from a minimum parking requirement are people who drive and get to park more cheaply and easily than they would if they had to pay the actual cost of their decisions. Drivers are being directly subsidized by developers and tenants, while transit and other vital public services go underfunded. This distorts the market toward automobile use and away from public transit, a service desperately needed by many people experiencing poverty or who are just trying to live more lightly on the earth. Eliminating parking would do nothing to developers or tenants that they didn't already want to do. It would simply allow those of us who are unable to (or do not wish to) pay for parking to live and work in cheaper, more plentiful and more enjoyable spaces. Cincinnati's parking requirements can be found in Chapter 1425 of the city's municipal code. Remember That New Year’s Day By larry Gross Contributing Writer He pleaded with me to untie him. Both my father’s hands and feet were strapped to the bed frame to keep him from hurting himself and others. He was in the hospital because earlier that morning he had threatened to kill my mother. I looked at the anger in his wild eyes. In disbelief as to his state of mind, I shook my head “no.” There was no untying this person. This could not possibly be my father, yet it was. The events of that morning started with a phone call. It was my mother telling me my father had suddenly turned violent and that an ambulance was taking him to St. Francis-St. George hospital. This was on New Year’s Day 1997. I don’t remember the details as to why my father was being sent to Cincinnati. Both he and my mother lived in Vevay, Ind. What I do remember is my mother was afraid and had to get away from him. She and my younger brother would arrive in Cincinnati later that night. It was up to me to be the family member at the hospital. As I approached the hos- pital room, I could hear my father yelling profanities at the nurses tying him to the bed. When he first saw me, he yelled at the top of his lungs, “Larry, run for your life!” My father had Alzheimer’s disease, diagnosed with the illness a few years earlier. My mother took care of him as best she could in their home in Vevay, but now things were suddenly changing. The illness was progressing. The nurses must have given him some medication. He gradually became calmer and the profanities stopped. I watched my father go to sleep. Throughout the rest of the morning he would doze, then suddenly wake up trying to free himself from the straps. If he knew I were there, he didn’t let on, and I kept silent, drinking coffee in a chair, watching him. I didn’t know what to do. When he slept, I would sometimes go outside and smoke cigarettes, thinking of the past and thinking about how hard he worked all his life. Because of his work – because of his goddamn work – he never took the time to get to know me. He was always, always, too busy. In retirement, things changed. Yes, he wanted some kind of relationship. He wanted to talk and be together, but for me, it was too late. I resented the fact that now that his life had slowed down, he could work me into his schedule. What was the point? But while pacing outside that hospital smoking, I started thinking I should have reached out to him and not been so proud. If I had talked to him, maybe I could have had a better understanding as to why he was so difficult to know. In the afternoon, my father was calmer but living in the past. He talked about working his farm, the catfish in his lake and about all the Chevrolets he had owned. He also talked about Jerry. “I haven’t seen Jerry in so long. Have you talked to Jerry lately? When is Jerry coming home?” I lied to my father when he would ask those questions. I told him Jerry, my twin brother, was doing fine and asked about him all the time. I told my father that Jerry would be coming home soon. This brought comfort to him and made him relax more, but Jerry was never coming home. He had died in September 1994. Like my father, I’ve never considered myself a religious person, yet on that afternoon maybe he was trying to find God. He wanted me to sing, “How Great Thou Art” to him. Surprisingly, I knew most of the words and I did my best to sing the song on key. I think I sang it three times. Each time I would watch tears stream down my father’s face. Nurses would come in at various times to see how my father was doing, giving him more medication every four hours or so. I don’t think he needed it. Whatever prompted the violence early that morning was gone. In the late afternoon, while he was yet again dozing, I got up from the hospital chair and removed the straps from his hands and feet. I laid his arms at his side. When the sun started going down, my mother and younger brother arrived at St. Francis-St. George Hospital. We talked for a while, but not a lot. For the past several hours my world had consisted of my father and strangely, I found myself not wanting to be taken out of it. Now with them there, that world was gone. I stayed for a few more minutes, said goodbye to my father and went home. Late that night, with a shot glass and a bottle of vodka, I sat at my dining room table drinking and thinking. On the first day of 1997, probably for the first time in my life, I spent the entire day with my father. Somehow it was scary, but real. I didn’t regret it. I thought of my twin brother and about lying, saying Jerry would be coming home soon. I did it to bring peace. My father could never really accept the fact that Jerry was gone. At this point, why hurt him with a sad reality? He was remembering and loving the past. I thought of his future. No doubt, my mother could no longer take care of him at home and he would be put in a nursing home. His dementia would get worse and the violent behavior could return again. In essence, his life was already over. Taking another shot of vodka, I shook my head and erased the uncertainty of the future out of my mind. At least on that Sunday, at least on that particular day in early 1997, I started to feel some compassion and closeness to my father. The future would somehow take care of itself. �6 Community News STREETVIBES September 15 - 30, 2009 Exploring Activism in the City Students document the justice struggle in Over-the-Rhine By Jeni Jenkins Staff Writer The main theme of the three-day program was “Documenting the Urban Landscape,” using a photo journal project. Students were immersed into an urban environment that most, living line, including such topics as power, poverty, stereotypes and human rights. In July more than two dozOther activities included en gifted ninth- and 10tha presentation by the Voice grade students participated of the Homeless Speakin Miami University’s first ers Bureau, an imaginary B the Change (U trip in which stuWish 2 C) Summer dents considered Honors Institute, The overall mission was to provide what it would be an outreach and students with an experience of like to slowly have engagement opmeaningful social-justice education their basic needs portunity with the that will motivate them to become stripped away from Greater Cincinactive in the fight to end poverty and them, as well as nati Coalition for homelessness. “Shelter Seekers,” the Homeless. in which the parNancy Hoffticipants acted as mann of the Lifelong Learn- in suburban and rural areas staffers at a homeless shelter ing office at Miami University throughout Ohio, were un- and decided who could have sought to create a partnership familiar with. Each student a bed for the night and who with non-profit groups that received a disposable camera must be turned away. focuses on social-justice work and a handmade journal to Another component of with low-income individuals. use as they explored Over- the program was shadowing Among the participants were the-Rhine. Streetvibes vendors Grady Peaslee Neighborhood CenTheir first assignment was Cook, Riccardo Taylor and ter, Over-the-Rhine Com- a scavenger hunt. Teams Tommy Thompson as they munity Housing, Over-the- of students were given the sold the paper in downtown Rhine Center for Community names of four social-service Cincinnati. The students Engagement and the Oxford agencies dispersed through- observed the interactions Community Arts Center. out the neighborhood and betweens vendors and the The overall mission was assigned to find them, with- public, taking photos and to provide students with an out an address or directions, making notes for their photo experience of meaningful and report back about the journals. social-justice education that services provided. Each stuOn the final day students will motivate them to become dent took photographs and compiled their photos and active in the fight to end pov- wrote about they saw. A list of decoupaged their journals erty and homelessness. 12 themes served as a guide- with images and text from Students speaking with Riccardo Taylor and Grady Cook, ‘Streetvibes’ vendors and members of the “Voice of the Homeless” Speaker’s Bureau. Photo by Jeni Jenkins. magazines and old copies of Streetvibes. The program ended with “Be the Change You Wish to See,” explaining the goals of advocacy and activism and arming each student with a list of 10 things they can do to change the world locally, nationally and globally. “The presentations created by students and program evaluations indicate their experiences with the coalition had a profound impact on their thinking and awareness of issues related to home- lessness,” Hoffmann says. “Stereotypes were broken as knowledge was gained, and students left the program with a strong desire to be advocates within their own community in the fight against homelessness.” One student wrote in her evaluation of the program, “This experience changed my life.” Individuals or groups interested in the Homeless Coalition’s education program can call 513-421-7803, ext. 14. Will 3CDC Strike Again? (continued from page 1) Model Management, accord- vouchers,” Goeller says. Goeller is working with ing to Goeller. But moving the vouchers residents. He and attorney When asked for an inter- from the Metropole would Rickell Howard of the Cincinview, Gelter nati Legal declined, sayAid Society ing he would Showe Management wants to opt out of its organized “get in trouble” housing assistance payments (HAP) contract a meeting if he spoke to with HUD when it sells the Metropole. The to inform the press. Kelly contract helps pay rent for low-income the tenLeon, spokesresidents who qualify for vouchers. ants about woman for the possible 3CDC, also forced relodeclined comment, saying mean the residents would cation. Tenants have formed it was “premature to make a have to reapply for them. For the Metropole Tenants Assostatement.” some, the possibility of hav- ciation. The city of Cincinnati hired ing to reapply could mean Goeller says residents 3CDC for redevelopment that they might not get re-ap- should stay put. projects in Over-the-Rhine proved for the vouchers. Metropole resident Charles that have displaced low-in“If somebody qualifies for Mcafee says he enjoys living come residents. a voucher now, when they get downtown. But he said havShowe Management wants up to move, there’s no guar- ing to move would be more to opt out of its housing as- antee they will qualify for that than inconvenient. sistance payments (HAP) voucher,” Goeller says. “There “It would really hurt me,” contract with HUD when it are certain things you could he says. “Number one, I don’t sells the Metropole, Goeller have on your record. … There have any family here in Cinsays. The contract helps pay could be something that cinnati. I would be homeless rent for low-income residents happened 15 years ago, like and I would sink through the who qualify for vouchers. a past-due (rent payment), cracks. I don’t have anywhere The vouchers wouldn’t dis- but you have been living in to go.” appear, even if the Metropole the Metropole for 20 years. As of August, 208 of the 230 evicted all of its residents. You’ve long forgotten about apartments at the Metropole “Somehow Model Man- this, and when you get up to were occupied, according to agement has this specific le- move, they say ‘No, you don’t HUD. gal ability to move these HAP qualify for a voucher.’” Metropole resident Charles Mcafee says he enjoys living downtown. Photo by Mark Payne. Want more Streetvibes? Check out the StreetvibeS blog http://streetvibes.wordpress.com �STREETVIBES September 15 - 30, 2009 International News Worldwide Vendor Spotlight By street neWs service I actually have a vested interest in what I’m selling, and I “I was born in Vancouver, like talking to people, so it’s a but I was educated in the great avenue for me to comStates and I’ve travelled the municate and tell people States and Canada a lot,” says what’s going on with me and William Dawson, a vendor for the city. Megaphone, a street newspa“I think homelessness per in Vancouver, British Co- in this city needs to be adlumbia. “I came back home dressed. When they’re spendto spend the rest ing the amount of my years in Vanof money they’re couver. “Selling spending on the “I used to own the paper Olympics, that an ATM company, gives me the money should also but a bad series opportunity go towards homeof events – a bad to deal with lessness. They marriage, basipeople onecould take care of it cally – happened on-one in the with the amount of and I lost my com- public. I’m not money they spend pany and ended pan-handling, on the Olympics up homeless in the alone.” east end. “Future plans? “About six years ago I got Wow, I’m nearing retirement myself on disability, but that age, so I want to be happy wasn’t quite enough. I heard and comfortable and that’s about Megaphone from an- about it. other person who was sell“The thing about Canada ing it, and they were making is that people here are a formoney. I thought selling the giving group. They’re willpaper was quite easy and fun, ing to give people a second so I started, too. It’s a means to chance, and this is my secsubsidize my income – have a ond chance – getting my act little extra spending cash. together again – and by hav“Selling the paper gives me ing this extra revenue source, the opportunity to deal with I’m able to live a little better, people one-on-one in the eat a little better, and it gives public. I’m not pan-handling, me self esteem.” William Dawson, vendor at Vancouver’s ‘Megaphone.’ Photo by Amy Juschka. What I want my customers to know about me is that I’m a worthwhile person and I’d like to have the opportunity to make something of myself and this is the start of it.” SNS Exclusive © Street News Service: www.street-papers.org 7 �8 Local News STREETVIBES September 15 - 30, 2009 Rejoicing Against Oppression (continued from page 1) exiles, he entered a monastery in none at all, according to Jamyang India at age 16. In 1997 he moved Lama. to the United States, becoming a But separating Buddhism from citizen earlier this year. Tibetan culture is virtually imposJamyang Lama teaches “Intro- sible, as even he acknowledges. duction to Buddhism” at Gaden The very language of Tibet was Samdrupling (GSL) Monastery. He created in order to convey subtlealso serves as translator for Kuten ties of Buddhist teaching, a point Lama, abbot of GSL and its sister made at various times – and for monastery in Bloomington. Kuten utterly different reasons – by both Lama, also born to TiKuten Lama and the betan exiles, has likelate Chinese dictawise never been to TiTibet Fest 2009 tor Mao Zedong. bet and is also a new is both an ethnic “In general, it is U.S. citizen. celebration and true: The culture of “I believe in the an opportunity to Tibet and Buddhist values of this coun- help an oppressed principles – there try,” Jamyang Lama people. is no separation besays. “This country tween these two,” has given us a lot. This Jamyang Lama says. country protects all the people's “The Tibetan culture is based on individual human rights. I believe Buddhist teachings, which is nonin the values of this country and violence, compassion, loving and appreciate its hospitality. Here caring for all living beings.” you have people from all over the Those ideals are worth rememworld with different cultures and bering when viewing the icodifferent wisdoms. That is the nography of Tibetan Buddhism, beauty of this country.” which honors many Buddhas, or And yet. enlightened beings, not only the “Definitely there is some dif- historical figure known in the West ference between the Tibetan cul- as “The Buddha.” Tibet Fest will ture and the Western culture,” he display some of GSL Monastery’s says. “The West has a very strong thankas, highly stylized paintings emphasis on individualism and of Buddhas – some conspicuous materialism. In the East, there is for their gentle mien, some seemmore emphasizing of family and ingly savage in aspect. spirituality.” Consider the case of Dorje The eight-acre compound of Shugden, depicted with a curved GSL Monastery is an oasis of calm sword in one hand and a human less than a mile from the non- heart in the other, sitting atop a stop traffic and retail hyperactiv- snow lion trampling a naked man. ity of Colerain Avenue. No signs Dorje Shugden is revered at GSL point the way. Nor is Tibet Fest an Monastery as Dharmapala – proeffort to convert people to Bud- tector of the dharma, or teachings dhism. The festival can be equally of the Buddhas. Dorje Shugden is enjoyed by people of any faith or the most controversial and least Chinese dictator Mao Zedong invaded Tibet, forcing the Dalai Lama into exile. Photo by REUTERS/Shunsuke Akatsuka Kuten Lama teaches a Buddhist tradition suppressed by the Dalai Lama. Photo by Margo Pierce. understood Buddha in the West. resistance to Chinese rule. (Have He is also the very reason for GSL you ever heard of a Tibetan terrorist?) monastery’s existence. But though his popular image is The Dalai Lama won’t be stopping by Tibet Fest, just as he didn’t one of gentleness and toleration, attend the 10th anniversary of the Dalai Lama has been unyieldthe monastery in Bloomington ing in his determination to suppress a certain last year. The Dalai Lama lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, is intent on But though his popular s u p p r e s s - image is one of gentleness namely the one ing devopreserved by and toleration, the Dalai tion to Dorje Lama has been unyielding GSL Monastery. Shugden – a For devotees of in his determination to story that suppress a certain lineage Dorje Shugden, can’t be fully the Dalai Lama’s of Tibetan Buddhism. understood behavior mirrors the oppression without a detailed recitation of the finer points that he suffered at the hands of of modern Tibetan politics and Chinese communists: a violation of religious freedom sometimes ancient Buddhist practice. This is the short version: In marred by deadly violence. A certain irony attends this 1996 the Dalai Lama ordered Tibetans to stop the practice of hon- dispute. Dorje Shugden is what’s oring Dorje Shugden. Monks who known in Tibetan Buddhism as refuse have been denied food and a wrathful protector: His sword severs ignorance and desirous atexpelled from their monasteries. In response, Kuten Lama tachment. The violence is purely helped found the Dorje Shugden symbolic, according to Jamyang Society, established to support Lama. But followers of Dorje monks, nuns and lay people who Shugden have experienced a vioremain faithful to the “illegal Bud- lence that is much more tangible. The intensity of what might dha” (see shugdensociety.info). The Dorje Shugden Society, based seem an arcane doctrinal disin India, sent Kuten Lama and pute briefly caught the attention Jamyang Lama to Bloomington to of the New York Times and other start a new monastery. GSL Mon- Western media last year when the Dalai Lama spoke in New York. astery in Cincinnati began later. The crowd leaving his speech reA surprising acted angrily to the small group oppressor of Dorje Shugden supporters protesting outside. Police ordered The Dalai Lama, the best- the protesters onto a bus, saying known Tibetan in the West, is a they couldn’t protect the dissentrecipient of the Nobel Peace Prize ers from the Dalai Lama’s fans, for his insistence on nonviolent according to attorney Lisa Farns- See Oppression, p. 9 �STREETVIBES September 15 - 30, 2009 Local News Rejoicing Against Oppression (continued from page 8) The Dalai Lama’s suppression of Dorje Shugden has caused hardship around the world. Photo by REUTERS/Parth Sanyal (INDIA EDUCATION SOCIETY RELIGION) worth, a law professor at Indiana est of ethnic minorities, but he is University. renowned in parts of Asia, where “The Tibetans have this un- he is often invited to teach. When questioned devotion to the Da- some of his Cincinnati disciples lai Lama, so when someone tells accompanied him on a pilgrimthem the Dalai Lama has banned age to Mongolia two years ago, this practice and that this practice they were agog at the reception is harmful to the Dalai Lama, they he received, comparing it to the become warriors,” Farnsworth status accorded rock stars in this says. country. In Tibetan exile villages Kuten Lama is a title, not a name; throughout India, shops owned it means “physical base.” Kuten by Dorje Shugden practitioners Lama is an oracle. He channels are boycotted and devotees are the presence of Dorje Shugden, shunned, Farnsworth says. The entering a trance in order to give controversy has enlightened insplit the famous struction to the Gaden Shartse faithful. Kuten Lama speaks Monastery. DeThat puts his in a soft voice about nied food and life in danger, acthe need to practice other aid, huncording to some compassion to all dreds of monks of his followers. living beings. He have formed Farnsworth, who urges students to a new monasregard misfortune as a has traveled with tery, where they Lama, blessing and to honor Kuten can honor Dorsays armed oppressors as great je Shugden in teachers. He has talked bodyguards acpeace. about vicious beatings company him in “They’re bribIndia and Monhe received as a child ing people,” monk and how grateful golia. Both sides Farnsworth says. view Kuten Lama he is to his teachers. “They’ve offered as a vital link to money to monks the tradition of to give up the practice. Those who Dorje Shugden, and some would refuse are ostracized.” like to eliminate that link, FarnsAfter more than a decade of try- worth says. ing to get the Dalai Lama to drop “If they get rid of the oracle, they the ban, the Dorje Shugden Soci- get rid of our opportunity to speak ety filed suit against him and the to Dorje Shugden,” she says. Tibetan Government in Exile. The case is scheduled for a hearing in ‘You should rejoice’ Delhi, India, this month. The case has garnered little atKuten Lama doesn’t publicly tention in the West. So have the criticize the Dalai Lama, seldom attacks on monks and nuns who speaks in public about the controdefy the Dalai Lama’s ban. The versy and rarely gives interviews. Western Shugden Society in Lon- This story is not one of those rare don has documented the violence occasions. (see westernshugdensociety. In teachings at GSL Monastery, org/en). Prominent monks who Kuten Lama has said that humilencouraged devotion to Dorje ity is a sign of spiritual progress. Shugden have died under unusu- While his students prostrate to al circumstances. him, Kuten Lama often says that “We’re just trying to figure out he is no one special. In Cincinhow to survive and how to help nati, he spends much of his time the Tibetans in India,” Farnsworth doing the physical labor associsays. ated with building a monastery Survival is not a far-away issue. – painting, digging trenches for Kuten Lama might not yet be well electrical lines, shoveling snow, known in Cincinnati, where Tibet- loading furniture onto a pickup ans constitute perhaps the small- truck at a yard sale raising funds for the construction project. In a founding of GSL Monastery in recent edition of the monastery’s Cincinnati, which led to the celnewsletter, one student described ebration of Tibet Fest 2009 this seeing Kuten Lama cutting grass weekend at the Clifton Cultural with scissors after he’d first ar- Arts Center. rived in Bloomington, unable to The festival will benefit a traafford a lawn mower. dition that Jamyang Lama says Kuten Lama speaks in a soft is in danger of being destroyed. voice about the need to practice But don’t expect gloom or pleas compassion to all for help. Jamyang living beings. He Lama is known for urges students “The Tibetans have his ready laugh, to regard misforthis unquestioned and Kuten Lama is tune as a blessing devotion to the Dalai often quoted sayand to honor opLama, so when ing, “You should pressors as great someone tells them the rejoice, though.” teachers. He has Dalai Lama has banned Tibet Fest will be talked about vithis practice and that a time for special cious beatings this practice is harmful food, captivating he received as a to the Dalai Lama, they art, children’s acchild monk and become warriors.” tivities, a Tibetan how grateful he is - Lisa Farnsworth bazaar and music. to his teachers. “We will try to It is in that present a kind of sense that some Dorje Shugden miniature experience of Tibet,” devotees say the Dalai Lama has Jamyang Lama says. “People will done them a great service. be able to experience the sounds “The practice of Dorje Shugden and sights of Tibet. With the ecowasn’t very well known until the nomic problems, many people Dalai Lama banned it,” Farns- cannot travel outside the country. worth says. “Without his help, it We’re trying to bring something of might have gone extinct.” Tibet to Cincinnati without a perThe Dalai Lama’s ban, for ex- son having to travel.” ample, led to the formation of the No physical travel, that is. That Dorje Shugden Society, which led doesn’t mean the experience won’t to the founding of the monastery be otherworldly all the same. in Bloomington, which led to the Tibet Fest Schedule Tibet Fest is Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 19 and 20, at Clifton Cultural Arts Center, 3711 Clifton Ave. From 11 a.m.–5 p.m. both days visitors can enjoy a display of Tibetan artifacts, a photo exhibit showcasing life in a Buddhist monastery in India, a Tibetan bazaar and a creativity room, where participants can create a piece of art from natural objects. Special events include a film, talks by monks and art programs for children: Saturday, Sept. 19 11 a.m., Buddhist healing ceremony 2 p.m., “Buddhism in a Nutshell” 4 p.m. – Ecology and Life in Art for Kids 5 p.m. – A showing of Himalaya, set in caravan time as villagers trek for days across the mountains with laden yaks to trade their salt for grain. Sunday, Sept. 20 11 a.m., “Tibetan Tradition of Art, Food and Life” 2 p.m., “The Art of Joyful Living” 3 p.m., “Buddhism and Ecology” 6 p.m. – Taste of Tibet, featuring traditional delicacies made by Tibetan monks. RSVP required. A donation of $10 is suggested for each talk and for Taste of Tibet. For more information or to RSVP for Taste of Tibet, call GSL Monastery at 513-385-7116. For directions to Clifton Cultural Arts Center, call 513-497-2860. All event proceeds support the building project of Gaden Samdrupling Buddhist Monastery and the Tibetan Heritage Center. 9 �10 Column STREETVIBES September 15 - 30, 2009 Buskers, Beggars, Stories Untold Parsing the morality of kindness to strangers I like to think of the New York subway as a place of study and contempla--Bing! tion, a kind of mobile monastery, and all the passengers are Trappist monks at Then she says, “It’s just a little change to you, but a meal to me. Any little bit prayer. Hardly anyone speaks, even if they are with a companion. Some people of change you got will help.” read or listen to headphones, but nearly all sit quietly, their eyes lowered, as if She’s a busker, too, it turns out. But she doesn’t have what the Mexicans have. in meditation. They looked professional; she looks thrown together. In spite of the heat, she There are exceptions. Couples talk with one another. People shout into cell wears an insulated vest. Her sticks do not look like drum sticks. They look like phones. Beggars and buskers come through. sawed-off pieces of broomstick. Her rhymes are lame. Buskers, if you’re unfamiliar with the term, are street performers – break “It ain’t no joke, dancers, poets, jugglers, clowns, but mostly musicians. At several stops, I could I’m mighty broke.” hear drummers at work. At a stop in Queens, I raised my eye from my book to TaDum TaDum Tadada dada Dum see a full-size, stand-up bass sail past. When I look up, a trio of Mexican musiBing! cians has set up in the middle of the car. They are in white shirts, white cowMore rhymes, more chants and more beats, but still no takers, so finally, she boy hats, bolo ties, and black jeans, very professional-looking and, it turns out, gets up and directs herself to the passengers one by one: “Anything you can very good musicians. The bass player and the guitarist play and sing in perfect spare, folks, just a little change.” harmony while the third walks up and down the car with a basket. The people in the car turn away; they shrink back from her as if she’s disGracias, gracias, song’s over, but before the three can move on, a group of eased. teenage Israeli tourists wants their pictures takShe might well be, for as she passes, I see that she is more than en with the musicians. Pictures taken, thanks slight. She is gaunt, anorexic crackhead gaunt. And there’s that and smiles all around, and the bass player tucks vest; it’s August in New York City and the humidity is at wet dishthe bass under his arm and the musicians move rag level, but she’s wearing an insulated vest. And it’s dirty; it has on to the next car. gone velvet with grime. Her arms, her emaciated skin-and-bone By Michael henson The next day I’m riding the F Train from the arms, are covered in sores that might be needle marks or they Bronx – did I tell you my daughter has an exmight be lesions. hibit in the Bronx Museum? As I say, I’m coming I give her a dollar. She thanks me at a mumble, but continues back from the Bronx at rush hour and a woman enters the car from the Union in her more public voice, “A little bit of change, if you please, I need to eat.” Square Station and drops immediately to her knees. She’s slight in build, bushy No one asks to have his picture taken with her. hair, probably Hispanic, though it’s hard to tell; there are eight or 10 people in the way. She pulls out two red sticks and begins to chant, ***** “Got a little entertainment before your arrival. “It’s just something I do, for my survival.” The woman in the vest might present herself as a busker, but the people Then she lays a beat down on the floor of the subway car. take her as just a beggar. The busker provides a service, and if you have some Ta Dum. change and if you have the time, and if you feel you appreciate the artistry in Tadada dada Dum. the middle of your trip on the subway or down the sidewalk, you toss a quarter She hits the pole nearest her – in the basket. And that feels right, for the busker is a professional. But the beggar is just a beggar. He or she might have a story to tell and you might even believe it. Some tell their story in just a few words on a sign: “Will work for food” or “Unemployed, please help.” Still others sit with their signs outside the ballpark and wait. They stare past you and mumble thanks if you drop something in their basket. No one asks to take their pictures. Most people just steer past them; most people assume these men and women are just trying to collect enough for their next drink or their next hit. And maybe they are. For every now and then, one of them will say, “I ain’t gonna lie to you, I need a drink.” In Montreal, I once saw a kid raise a sign that said, “Je besoin d’un joint.” You don’t need a lot of French to know what he needed. It must work, because, like the others, they keep doing it. I almost always give to a busker and I almost never give to a beggar. I justify it on the notion that I don’t want to enable the addictive behavior that has set the person begging. The busker is an artist, the beggar is just a beggar. We assume he’s a liar or he’s lazy or he’s sick. The busker, we imagine, goes home and practices his art. The beggar, we assume, takes his change to the bar or the crack house. We welcome the busker, but we recoil from the beggar. But every story is more complicated than what we see on the street. I can never know the story of the woman in her dirty vest, but I am sure she has her story to tell and it will not fit our comfortable categories. She does what she does for her survival. ammered H Michael Henson is author of Ransack, A Small Room with Trouble on My Mind, The Tao of Longing and Crow Call. This column is part of a monthly series on poverty and addiction. Interested in volunteering with Streetvibes? Contact Greg Flannery at 513-421-7803 x 12 or by e-mail at streetvibes2@yahoo.com �STREETVIBES September 15 - 30, 2009 11 Local News Ex-Prisoners, Supporters See Red Web zine gives inmates a voice and promotes transformation By kelissa hieBer Contributing Writer carceration and turned their lives around. Hillard believed these stories needed to be Jeff Hillard has never been heard by the outside world, one of the 2,310,984 inmates he says. currently imprisoned in the Red! is not about prisonUnited States. He has never ers biding their time to get had to deal with the daily out and repeat the same acpains of prison tions that landed life and the stigma them in prison in that comes with Red! is not the first place. The being a prisoner. about prisoners zine is for the othFor the last eight biding their time er kind of prisonyears, however, to get out and er. It not only conthis English pro- repeat the same tains stories from fessor at the Colactions that current and forlege of Mount St. landed them in mer inmates who Joseph has been prison in the had a transformamentoring and first place. The tive experience teaching inmates. zine is for the while in jail; it also How does other kind of contains columns someone like Hil- prisoner. It not by writers such as lard get involved only contains Paulette Lewis, a with this kind of stories from gang intervention work? The path current and specialist, who is began almost by former inmates in the front line chance in 2001 who had a trying to turn peowhen a friend in- transformative ples lives around vited Hillard to experience before they wind a poetry circle at while in jail. up in prison. Lebanon CorrecOne particutional Institution. larly inspiring It was the first time he’d ever story is about a former gang been in a prison, and the tal- member named “G” who ent of a few men touched never thought he would live him. to be 21. He had intense anAs time went on Hillard ger problems and constantly began to help a friend cor- got into fights. G had a very respond with inmates. That’s unstable childhood, which when he “started hearing and had been a major factor in his knowing stories of people violence. Despite this, Lewis who had turned their lives saw something bigger and around in prison … and I better and through much efrealized that no one’s telling fort gained his trust and suptheir stories,” he says port. In 2005 an idea came to “I am proud to say that G. Hillard in a dream, and two did not become a statistic,” years he launched Red! The Lewis says. “Instead, he beBreakthrough Zine (www.red- came the first in his family to webzine.org). Hillard created graduate high school and go the Web site because he had on to college. He is now 20 been touched by the stories years old and has a daughter, of individuals who had made a wonderful job where he has something out of their in- been promoted, coaches Pee y a S h W ! ? at Jeff Hillard is the founder of Red! Photo by Don Denney. Wee football and has even been featured on the evening news and local newspapers for his achievements. I feel blessed to know him and still have him as a significant part of my life and my work.” Lewis came from a background completely different from G’s. But when you show that you care for someone, she says, that transcends such differences as color, gender and class. Christine Grote writes for Red! on all sorts of topics related to incarceration and about programs that help former inmates stay out of prison. The zine includes artwork by inmates, updates on programs for prisoners and lots of inspirational stories. “We want readers to see that there is hope for inmates and that good things can happen,” Hillard says. Red! is now moving to an international focus with upcoming articles on transformative work in the Philippines, Russia and Rwanda. Red! is also gaining readership, with Internet hits growing from 3,000 per month to 21,000. Hillard says he has received letters from readers who reconnected with family members in prison after reading inmates’ essays. That kind of response goes to the heart of the zine’s purpose, Hillard says. Many write about finding God or something larger than themselves while behind bars. Other essays, such as a recent piece by Michael Varela, challenge readers to question stereotypes. “The cop who falsified his reports has committed a grievous wrong to me,” Varela wrote. “Why are his standards and my standards held in such different light? The answers to this question lie within each of us, and only our will and desire to change this and other areas of life will promulgate change. So, the next time you look at that person and put him or her into that ‘category,’ ask yourself, ‘Am I making an educated decision or using inference?’ ” Red! is ultimately about people who aren’t as different from us as we might think: Anyone could end up in jail if a few circumstances were different. Their stories remind readers that society shouldn’t give up on prisoners and that their voices deserve to be heard. We have grown literally afraid to be poor. We despise anyone who elects to be poor in order to simplify and save his inner life. If he does not join the general scramble and pant with the money-making street, we deem him spiritless and lacking in ambition. We have lost the power even of imagining what the ancient idealization of poverty could have meant: the liberation from material attachments, the unbribed soul, the manlier indifference, the paying our way by what we are or do and not by what we have, the right to fling away our life at any moment irresponsibly, --- the more athletic trim, in short, the moral fighting shape. . . it is certain that the fear of poverty among the educated classes is the worst moral disease from which our civilization suffers. _____________________ -- William James (1842-1910), The Varieties of Religious Experience �12 Vendor Voice Drama Queen By Mack russell sr. StreetvibeS vendor On the outside in-between caught up wit a drama queen, she said she love me … NOT! But I believe I love her more. My feelings R too deep to continue so I must close da door. I wanted her in my life. I wanted her 4 my wife but she loves the drama she receives from the chump who are controlling her life. Low self-esteem, on the wrong seem, chasing a dream. I can’t turn my feelings and emotions off But I can’t stand da pain. Nor can I stand by and watch someone Be a prisoner in their own house While I stand in da rain. But if she like it, I love it. I just can’t keep playin da role Because she know who loves her And who wants to control. Emotions are not predictable To know what one will feel inside For emotions will keep you thrown off Taking you on a ride. But now I recognize Being on da outside and in between I got no-mo time 4 this drama queen. Remembering Roz. STREETVIBES September 15 - 30, 2009 Bless Me, Peaceful Father Paradise By GeorGe herrell StreetvibeS vendor Bless Me, Father, Help me to grow. Don’t let me go astray. Through your divine wisdom, help me to know Your way to judgment day. I have no need of riches. My treasures come through you. Through life’s pitfalls and ditches, Help me know what to do. Lead me to those whom I may help And those who might help me. With a love and understanding that is heartfelt, Open my eyes to see. And in those times I’m tempted, Forgive me should I fail. Make me from Satan’s grasp exempted, On angel’s wings to sail. By Josh Mcconnell StreetvibeS vendor Sitting, watching the world pass by as he lies upon the sands of time taking in every aspect of his world, breathing every breath, listening to the sounds of the ocean listening to its rhythm, channeling only its currents. The birds are singing a beautiful love song. They let him know that he’s at peace. He wears the melody. It makes him feel like a king and the song of the birds and the ocean’s play are for him. He shows his gratitude by continuing to lie upon those sands, the sands of peaceful paradise, the sands of a particular world he wishes he could live in forever as it slips away with the waves. Sitting, watching, waiting for another opportunity. Sitting, wishing that world would come back again and free him once more. He continues to sit, wondering where that world went to and if it’s ever going to return. Who Said It? Puzzle Match the name on the right with the quote on the left. (some more than once) 1 1. “It would force them [panhandlers] to educate the public who might be willing to give them money, how much money we're already giving in tax dollars to support the homeless." Cincinnati Council Member Jeff Berding 2. “If I can’t put a sign on a sheriff’s vehicle that says support the new jail, trying to get this tax levy passed, there’s something wrong there.” 3. “Streetcars must be a part of Cincinnati’s future and we will fight to make it happen. While we work on big issues such as the Streetcar, we must also ensure that individuals have the opportunity to realize their dreams.” Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory 4. “Will somebody tell the mayor and city councilmembers that they do not have the money for a choo-choo train?” 5. “And if this goes to the ballot and were to lose I have no doubt that the sheriff will sue to get the facility if we did not just go ahead and fund the facility anyway.” Cincinnati Polic Chief Tom Streicher 6. “<...> and the most regressive kind of tax at that - a sales tax - paid by children and the poor alike” 7. “We have been recognized as one of the best-dressed law enforcement agencies in the country.” Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune 8. “I want the community to know is that we have worked extremely hard to build strong relationships between our city of Cincinnati and police and it’s this kind of incident that lets us know that we still have a lot of work to do.” 9. “I’m a very disciplined person. I do things by the numbers. I’m up at 3:00 a.m., at the gym at 4:00, go to bed between 7:00-8:30 p.m., then start another day. I haven’t paid for a shoeshine since my days in the corps. I still spit shine my shoes to this day.” Cincinnati NAACP President Chris Smitherman 10. “Even though it’s ugly, even though it looks terrible, when I compare it to our policies, I don’t see anything wrong there. You are trying to protect yourself and overcome resistance. He is unarmed, but that doesn’t mean he can’t hurt you.” Hamilton County Sheriff Simon Leis By The Puzzled Progressive Solutions on Page 15 �STREETVIBES September 15 - 30, 2009 13 Candidate Interview Developing Deeper Connections Wendell Young wants to strengthen the basics and build the ‘thrills’ Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here are not to be perceived as an endorsement or reflecting the views of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, which publishes Streetvibes. By ariana shahandeh Contributing Writer beautiful. Another promise that I would like to make: I Wendell Young, a former would love for us to find Cincinnati Police officer and a way to give the children teacher at Aiken High School, what I was given when I also served in the U.S. Air was small – a connection Force. Now a Democratic to Cincinnati that makes candidate for Cincinnati City them proud, that makes Council, he says he was en- them want to live here, couraged beginning in child- that makes them want to hood to value community in- tell everybody about their volvement. city, that makes them want Q: Are you making any to show off their city. That’s promises as a candidate for the Cincinnati I grew up city council? in, and that Cincinnati still The first promise I will exists. make is that I will do my levQ: What were some el best to make sure that we things that encouraged maintain the services Cin- that sense of pride in Cincinnati has come to expect. I cinnati? believe that basics come first. When I was a kid, it was We’re going to keep our streets not uncommon for the clean. We’re going to clean up entire elementary school our trash. We’re going to pro- to get loaded on the buses vide police and fire service; and go to the symphony. we’re going to provide ambu- We got loaded on the buslance service. We’re going to es and we went to Krohn Wendell Young. Photo by Ariana Shahandeh. make sure that there’s water. Conservatory; we looked We’re going to take care of our all over Eden Park. We took world can you grow up and as developed as others where infrastructure; we’re going to tours of Cincinnati and we feel that you are a connected it could perhaps be relocated. take care of our saw the famous to a part of something that There may be a neighborstreets, we’re golandmarks. And you don’t know anything hood or two that would want ing to take care My connection to we were always about? the Drop Inn Center and welof our bridges. Cincinnati is not told over and Q: What do you think about come it. When we talk about We're going to just the street I live over and over the idea of closing the Drop Inn a Drop Inn Center and other take care of our on. It’s the people again that these Center in Over-the-Rhine? social-service agencies, perneighborhoods. here; it’s the places were here From what I know of the haps there are neighborhoods That’s what I memories I have; and that it was Drop Inn Center, it does good (that) want them. think people exit’s the greatness our job to pre- work. Does it have to be loI’d be willing to work to pect everyone that I know this serve them. And cated in Over-the-Rhine to save programs that work. to do. city possesses. many of us be- be effective? I’m not so sure. Programs that don’t work, I I also want to And it’s the things lieve it; I’m not If we’re going to revitalize the don’t want to fund. Because deliver on some that I know we the only one of neighborhood, we have to be I think we need to be smart of the thrills, becan continue to that generation honest about what people with taxpayer dollars. I don’t cause there are do and the things that feels that want and what they don’t have infinite knowledge of things that we I know we can be way. want. In my opinion, the the Drop Inn Center, but I get from our tax innovative about. Today, in Drop Inn Center can be relo- have been told that they do money I want to many cases, cated. great work; that they actually make sure we children don’t Q:Where would you suggest help people. That’s the kind have. We have to have arts. A have that advantage. There it be relocated? of agency I would work with lot of people think that’s ex- are many children who go to I don’t want to suggest to find a way to make it work pendable; I don’t. You can’t school all their lives in Cincin- anybody’s neighborhood, in a neighborhood that wants just have a city, and that’s it. nati and don’t know too much because I think that neigh- it. Drive around Cincinnati and about this town, outside their borhoods should have a lot Q: What are your thoughts look at what you see. You see neighborhood and the school of input. But I will say that on the city’s neighborhoods? things that make Cincinnati that they go to. How in the there are areas of our city not I want to work on revital- STREETVIBES Vendor become a Fan of Streetvibes on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/streetvibescincinnati Mary izing our neighborhoods so that all neighborhoods can have really great business districts. We’ve got neighborhoods in our city where people don’t have grocery stores, dry cleaners – things that in other neighborhoods you take for granted. We don’t have enough small businesses. I want to find ways to give them the opportunity to come to under-served neighborhoods and provide those services. We do it for big businesses, so if it’s a matter of tax breaks, then I’m for that. We also have to provide for small businesses the same opportunities we provide for big business. In Cincinnati, people are very involved in their neighborhoods, and we’re proud of our neighborhoods. When you say you’re from Cincinnati, you’re also going to say, “I’m from Hyde Park, from Avondale, from West End.” We identify by neighborhood. We’re proud of this city. I don’t know any Cincinnatian who has ever come home from any other place and sees Cincinnati from I-75 – I don’t know anyone from Cincinnati who doesn’t think that’s one of the most beautiful sights they’ve ever seen. My connection to Cincinnati is not just the street I live on. It’s the people here; it’s the memories I have; it’s the greatness that I know this city possesses. And it’s the things that I know we can continue to do and the things I know we can be innovative about. That helps Cincinnati be great, that keeps Cincinnati being great. I want to be a part of that. This is part of a series of interviews with candidates for Cincinnati City Council. Only purchase Streetvibes from BADGED vendors. Vendors wear their WHITE badges while they sell the paper. �14 STREETVIBES September 15 - 30, 2009 Creative Writing To Protect and Serve and Stuff Never give a mouthy suspect a break By hannah roBerts Contributing Writer A wise man once told me that the day I graduated from the police academy would be the hardest day of my life, and it sure was. It started out awesomely. My whole family came over for cake and cornhole, and my brother-in-law, the smartest guy I know and a damn good cop to boot, was the most excited. He gave me a smack on the ass that still hurts a little, but in a good way. Everybody smiled, even my mom, and she said how proud Daddy would be that I did so good on my physical exams. I’m still not sure how I did 10 push-ups in a row, but I know that God and everybody wants to see me in them blues, so I guess I just bit the bullet as they say – no pun intended! My first night on the job has been no picnic, though, I’ll tell ya that much. Riding with Officer Schmidt was total hell! First off, we responded to a call about a house party that was way out of control. When we pulled up to the scene, we were confronted by anywhere from two to three male suspects who looked way older than their IDs said they were. Total fakes – we get that all the time. You should have seen the way they were sitting and looking at us, too, it was very aggressively. But when you have a job to do, a strange calm comes over you. It’s hard to explain. Following Schmidt’s lead, I began questioning the suspects. Like Schmidt said, it was clear from the get-go that they were going to be uncooperative. I like that word, “get-go.” One kid reached in his pocket, but you don’t know if it’s for a gun or what, so Schmidt yelled, “Cuff him!” and so I gave him my forearm, which he said tasted like cat hair. Little smartass. This is what you deal with on the job. No one wants a tragedy on their hands – am I right? Policing can be dangerous - and annoying. Photo by Lynne Ausman. Being the smart cop he is, Schmidt decided not to arrest those punks — or their dipshit dad who came out hollering at us to get our hands off his kid—so we let everyone go with a warning, but we made it clear that if we had to come back there would be hell to pay. We drove around for what seemed like forever, and then Schmidt said he wasn’t really hungry so we better go check out Route 9 because Tuesday nights are big for drunk drivers and we got a quota to meet. We sat in this really cool hiding spot and Schmidt said to watch the radar gun and nudge him if things got “hot.” I kept an eye out for a good while, but I got pretty tired, too, and ended up dozing off for a little bit. It’s crazy how the late-night beat can catch up with you! Before I knew it, we were being radioed and Schmidt was gunning it to- Lost Cause By lea drury Contributing Writer The last time I saw Hank he was shivering like a wet dog in the biting Seattle sunshine muttering something about having left his jacket, on a park bench in Juneau. I hadn’t seen him in weeks. He’d been talking about visiting his folks up North somewhere, the night we started zipping our sleeping bags together against the old church rooftop on Harvard Avenue, under blue tarps and our own low-hanging swirling fits of gray lament – the Northern Subatomic Tonic. Release. And where we lay our heads he told me he’d be thumbing his way across Canada soon. Singing, livin' it up with the charmed Canadian truck drivers, smoking Export A cigarettes. He had a way of making bad coffee and lukewarm, table-scored biscuits-n-gravy sound like the Volunteers Day Thanksgiving at Broadway Street Youth Center. He asked if I wanted to go with him, promising me his dad was “the finest damned Eskimo you’ll ever meet!“ – besides him, of course. But we knew I wouldn't. “Maybe if we see the Kick Doctor,” I'd say, staring where the black tar and shingles took their split off the rooftop. I sit here with my legs folded in front a teal blue Lazboy hand-me-down, looking back at the two of us sitting on the curb outside the Red Apple, eating grapes and kiwis and chocolate chip granola bars. Hank. What a character. What a mess! He was a train wreck of a mess. I wonder what might have happened to him. The truth is Hank was just another lost cause, like me. ward Newport. There was a situation at some bar—shit was really going down and officers needed backup. From the “get-go,” I knew things were going to get interesting. First rule of the job: Stay focused no matter what. It was hard because this bar was inside a mall, and what with the soothing music and twinkly lights, it was easy to become distracted – and sleepy. But I relied on the skills I’d learned in the academy to stay alert. As we approached the scene, we saw three suspects sitting handcuffed against the wall. From the mean looks on their faces, it was clear that they were the type of girls who think it’s funny to laugh at a guy for accidentally getting a boner in gym class. The arresting officer confirmed our suspicions and told us that the detainees had only moments earlier engaged in openly hostile facial expressions Gone By roB Goeller Staff Writer Gone is my place to go. No place to rest, Nowhere to call home. Behold the talking heads, “You piss and shit On government steps!” The doors and toilets’r closed Did you not hear? I’ve no place to go! “Heathens and bums, get gone! This is justice, You piss and shit on!” No, dear friend, you don’t know. It’s injustice Filling your flared nose. as well as loud speaking. I knew right away that we were looking at 30 minutes of paperwork, minimum. As I approached the prisoners, one called out, “Don’t you think this is a little unnecessary?” After taking a moment to consult my new employee handbook, I issued the recommended response: “Sit down and shut up unless you want to go to jail.” Despite the handbook’s assurance that this warning is effective in 90 percent of altercations, the female subjects began to assault me, slinging violent and incomprehensible remarks containing words like “democracy” and “constitutionality.” I tell you, these drunk sluts will say anything to get out of a sticky situation. Man, oh, man! A quick glance at the handbook yielded no appropriate rebuttal, so I turned to Officer Schmidt for help. He pointed out, as any seasoned officer would, “You’re the one with the gun, dumbass.” I swear I’m such a douche bag sometimes! OMG, have you ever held a gun? I’ll tell ya, those things are super heavy, and when you point them at someone, it’s just like on TV: They shut up. ************** It’s nice to be home. I finally get a chance to reflect on my day. Between you and me, I’m still not sure how this police thing goes — on the one hand it seems silly to arrest people unless they, like, hurt someone or call your mom a bad name. And filling out paperwork is soooo boring! But here’s the thing, you know, this city is not going to protect itself. You give someone an inch and, by God, they will take a mile. Schmidt told me that I have a few things to learn about the job. He says only idiots shoot themselves in the dick, and that makes a lot of sense, you know? He’s a helluva cop. I can’t wait for tomorrow. Tell Me By Jelisa huMMons Contributing Writer Tell me how you free and ya freedom been took, y’all livin like drug dealers, murders, rapist and crooks. U gotta watch ya back on every city street. Come on now tell me: How is dat free! We not even safe ta be around da police takin advantage of a girl up on Hennessey and I ain’t sayin all police is bad but its more crooked den good. Yea I kno its real sad and ery body glad we gotta black president. Yea George Bush gone but I haven seen a change yet. It’s not da prez, it’s da top power, all da stuff da put us through like we been through hell fires and we ain doin nothin about it the problem gettin worse, as the days go by there become more and more corpse. But y’all probably thinkin wat could we do about it. We jus one in a million but you will be astounded, ta realize wat we can do. One man wit help changed racism, we can too, change what we want to change into wat we want, change their wrongs into rights and our rights into songs. Give da media some truth and let em keep it at dat, not switch it around we want all our right facts. �STREETVIBES September 15 - 30, 2009 15 Resources Need Help or Want to Help? Shelter: Women and Children Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 Central Access Point Cincinnati Union Bethel 381-SAFE 768-6907 557-2873 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 241-1064 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 3600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 St. Vincent de Paul 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 681-2365 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Treatment: Men 872-9259 Charlie’s 3/4 House Shelter: Men DIC Live In Program Prospect House 241-5525 961-2256 Treatment: Women First Step Home 961-4663 961-4080 761-1480 721-0643 Joseph House (Veterans) 1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237 351-0422 381-6672 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 217 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 241-2965 471-1100 221-3350 Hamilton County ADAS Board Recovery Health Access Center Sober Living Talbert House Hamilton/Middletown 421-3131 569-1840 381-4242 Northern Kentucky Advocacy 721-4580 632-7149 381-1171 114 W. 14th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 961-4555 751-0643 381-1954 Food/Clothing Lord’s Pantry OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 621-5300 961-1983 OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 St. Francis Soup Kitchen People Working Cooperatively The Caring Place United Way Women Helping Women 946-4888 281-7422 681-0324 641-4300 Housing: Tom Geiger House Dana Transitional Bridge Services Volunteers of America 771-4800 751-0600 721-4811 351-7921 631-1114 211 977-5541 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 3330 Jefferson, Cinti, Ohio 45220 Tender Mercies 381-0111 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 1223 Main St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 AA Hotline CCAT 2728 Glendora Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45209 CMHA Excel Development OTR Community Housing 621-5514 Goodwill industries Healing Connections Mary Magdalen House Treatment: Both Interfaith Hospitality Network Lighthouse Youth Center (Youth) 1308 Race St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 661-4620 241-2600 241-2563 214 E. 14th St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Drop Inn Center Center Independent Living Options Emmanuel Community Center Peaslee Neighborhood Center Shelter: Both Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 458-6670 977-4489 Other Resources 721-0643 921-1613 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Anthony House (Youth) 558-8888 981-5800 784-1853 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 Starting Over 1419 Elm Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Justice Watch 241-0490 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 Mt. Airy Shelter Mental Health Access Point Mercy Franciscan at St. John NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 City Gospel Mission 357-4602 352-2902 352-6363 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 762-5660 131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter Health Resource Center Homeless Mobile Health Van McMicken Dental Clinic 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45202 562-8841 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224 Salvation Army 381-2247 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Bethany House FreeStore/FoodBank Crossroad Health Center Catholic Social Action Community Action Agency Contact Center 1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Franciscan JPIC Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 721-4700 421-7803 579-8547 241-9400 421-1108 363-3300 421-2437 Health Center for Respite Care Brighton Center 863-3184 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 859-491-8303 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. Legal Aid Society Ohio Justice & Policy Center Faces Without Places Stop AIDS St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 621-1868 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 Women’s Crisis Center VA Domiciliary VA Homeless 859-491-3335 859-559-5011 859-572-6226 535-2719 Puzzle Solution 1. Cincinnati City Council member Jeff Berding, proposing taxing panhandlers’ collections and requiring them to display information about begging (a proposal he later withdrew), reported by WLWT on 7/15/2009 2. Hamilton County Sheriff Simon Leis, I-Team Report, WCPO, 9/13/2007, as reported in CityBeat, 9/19/2007 3. Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory in his State of the City Address, 2/25/2009 4. Christopher Smitherman, President of the Cincinnati NAACP, via media release 7/1/2009, posted on www. naacpcincinnati.org. 5. Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune explaining why he supported a sales tax to build a new jail, in a guest column in the Cincinnati Beacon, 5/21/2007. 6. Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune, explaining why he did not support a sales tax to build a new jail, in a guest column in the Cincinnati Beacon, 6/06/2006. 7. Hamilton County Sheriff Simon Leis in an interview with Richard Helmes of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, 10/18/2005. 8. Cincinnati Police Chief Tom Streicher stating his opinion that an officer used excessive force when tasing the daughter of a city councilperson, as reported by WCPO 8/24/09. 9. Hamilton County Sheriff Simon Leis in an interview with Richard Helmes of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, 10/18/2005. 10. Cincinnati Police Chief Tom Streicher referring to watching the video of six officers subduing Nathaniel Jones (who died) as reported in the Cincinnati Enquirer, Dec. 5, 2003. Scoring 1-3 right you haven’t been in Cincinnati very long 4-6 right you’re an optimistic sort 7-9 right you’ve been paying attention 10 right are you in an elected position in local government? Anyone run against you last November? �16 Column STREETVIBES September 15 - 30, 2009 Riotous Art Beats Violent Protests Jimi Jones paints to challenge injustice Jimi Jones was 10 years old when he first experienced the power of art. He grew up in Boll Weevil Hill in the mountains of Western North Carolina and moved North with his parents when he was 10. There, due to his background and his particular use of the English language, the school he attended thought that he lacked intelligence and assigned him to the lowest group of his section. Silent, attentive and perceptive, young Jimi started drawing. He used the strength of his artistic language and its symbols to communicate and overcome his barriers. He quickly asserted himself, excelled and moved to the top group of his class. Jones is a Cincinnati artist of Cherokee and African- American descent. He initially trained and worked in engineering at General Electric. He then attended the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning and worked as a graphic designer, art director and display manager of international shows for Procter and Gamble. That job gave him the opportunity to travel the world and experience major galleries and museums. Jones draws and paints. His art usually expresses personal, philosophical, social and political concerns. “In the beginning I was more interested in the crafts and skills of Jimi Jones sees art as having more impact than violent protest. Photo by Saad Ghosn. art,” he says. “Growing up in poor Apin your approach, you can have long-lasting historic impact on palachia, I very early on other people. A story well told will still be used by generations to experienced poverty and come and they will learn from it; the same for a powerful painting as what it meant on a daily or sculpture. That’s to me the strength and the art of art.” basis; also discriminaMany of Jones’s paintings deal with injustice, be it civil war, tion, not only based on slavery, discrimination, oppression. Many comment on religion By saad Ghosn race, but also on the part and injustice and on how often they go hand in hand. In the Name Contributing Writer of the country you’re Of, a large horizontal painting, showcases injustice from different from, on your accent and standpoints: a person being lynched while people watch and are your use of the language. being entertained and Hitler being glorified for efficiently killing My social awakening, however, did not enter my art until I experi- other human beings. enced firsthand riots in Cincinnati and saw how badly the police A recurrent theme in Jones’s paintings is the proliferation of wars was treating people. and their destructive power. He uses every chance he gets to un“I felt the urge to do something, to join the rally, to put an end cover the veil of secrecy about war, the military-industrial complex to discrimination. … My older age prevented me from keeping up and its hidden profit motives. with the young rioters. Instead, I stayed up the entire night and did Night Watch, based on a Rembrandt painting of the same name, 31 statement drawings, then a big painting out of them. That’s how depicts U.S. soldiers taking on a much more violent and risky role it started. … I needed a way to vent my frustration without bring- in a conflict they did not plan for. The painting also addresses the ing harm to myself and my family in a moment of rage.” Palestine/Israel conflict, showing a 12-year-old Arab girl holding Since then, Jones has been using his drawings and paintings to flowers and a 12-year-old Jewish boy, standing side by side and communicate his ideas and feelings, his beliefs, to get his outrage looking straight ahead. It is Jones’s message for the youth of these out and to organize it in a way to move others. He fights his battles countries to become the engine of peace and stop the violence. through art. Jones says he hesitated to represent the two kids looking at each “If you want to do something violent, it is very quick and over,” other and communicating because he knows that, by the time he says. “The result may last longer but not your participation in they become adults, they’ll have lost their fresh and unadulterated it. On the contrary, if you’re thoughtful, constructive and creative outlook. Due to its religious and tribal roots, the Palestine/Israel conflict represents a significant global danger that, if not resolved, could spread, he says. In addition to serving as a vehicle for his ideas and beliefs, art connects Jones to his past, to history, to people and to life in general. “Art to me is more than just painting images,” he says. “It is a way of life, a way to understand the world that one may not have control over. It helps me create my own world. I live through my paintings; they help me organize my random thoughts and share them and myself with others. Art then takes a bigger role than just catharsis or cleansing; it becomes historic.” Jones draws and paints from his heart, exposing himself and what he stands for to the viewers with whom he wants to connect. It is his way to include others in his life, to move them, to rally them for a better world. A rtists ctivists ‘Night Watch,’ oil painting on canvas. Photo by Jimi Jones. Artists as Activists is a regular column highlighting Greater Cincinnati artists who use art as a vehicle for change. Saad Ghosn is the founder of SOS Art. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2009 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 15-30, 2009 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Rejoicing Against Oppression Pg 2: The Vibe Pg 3: Eight Minutes Seeking Shelter Pg 4: Cheap Parking, High Rent Tommy Didn’t Have to Die Pg 5: Cheap Parking and High Rent Remember That New Year’s Day Pg 6: Exploring Activism in the City Will 3CDC Strike Again? Pg 7: Worldwide Vendor Spotlight Pg 8: Rejoicing Against Oppression Pg 9: Rejoicing Against Oppression Pg 10: Buskers, Beggars, Stories Untold Pg 11: Ex-Prisoners, Supporters See Red Pg 12: Drama Queen Pg 13: Developing Deeper Connections Pg 14: To Protect and Serve and Stuff Pg 15: Resources Pg 16: Riotous Art Beats Violent Protests 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 15-30, 2009 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gregory Flannery Lynne Ausman Jeni Jenkins Lew Moores Dave Scharfenberger Margo Pierce Paul Kopp Jeremy Flannery Michael Henson David Heitfield Kelissa Hieber Larry Gross Stephanie Dunlap Saad Ghosn Elizabeth Heath Ariana Shahandeh Jennifer Blalock Dan LaBotz Mark Payne Aimie Willhoite George Ellis Jeni Jenkins Anthony Williams Berta Lambert Jennifer Blalock Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF 3CDC Activism Activists Aimie Willhoite Anthony Williams Ariana Shahandeh Art Berta Lambert Dan LaBotz Dave Scharfenberger David Heitfield Elizabeth Heath George Ellis Gregory Flannery International news Jeni Jenkins Jennifer Blalock Jeremy Flannery Kelissa Hieber Larry Gross Lew Moores Lynne Ausman Margo Pierce Mark Payne Michael Henson New Years Oppression Over-the-Rhine Paul Kopp Prisoners Protests reform Saad Ghosn Stephanie Dunlap Students Wendell Young