Streetvibes vol 18 issue 15 no 282

July 17th-30th, 2014 | Vol. 18 Issue 15 (No. 282)

advocating justice | Building community

Exploring Excommunication in the Catholic Church LOCAL | 6

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

THE MOUNT IS NOW OFFICIALLY ‘MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY’ | 4

PICTURE THIS! | 5

THE CAREGIVER CIRCLE PROJECT | 7

PUBLIC LIBRARIES HAVENS FOR HOMELESS CITIZENS | 11

Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

streetvoice | 13

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Public vs. Private

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JOSH SPRING

Executive Director

n my experience people often confuse private actions and concepts with public rights and laws. This causes a lot of problems, facilitates injustice, sustains ignorance and sometimes elitism.

Here are three examples from the last few weeks: 1. Over the years I have been in a number of meetings in which the status of a decision by City Council was discussed. On multiple occasions, some in the meeting attempted to explain the status of this decision based on literature from 3CDC. Who cares what a private company says City Council decided? They are a private company and are not able to speak for the city.

2. Some days ago I was walking home from work. As I came to the corner of Vine and East 14th I noticed two men in a work-van stopped in their lane and hollering out the window at the driver of the new-model car in front of them. The driver was parallel parked in the intersection; entirely blocking access to East 14th. The men needed to turn down East 14th. The men kept asking the driver to move so they could turn. For the first few minutes of this the driver of the newmodel car would not respond and made zero attempts to move. More minutes went by.

Eventually the driver of the new-model car hollered back out the window, saying that she was waiting on the valet. The men said it did not matter and she needed to move.

She repeated her argument that she was waiting for valet parking. Some more minutes later, she turned left onto East 14th, giving the hopeful impression that maybe she was going to get out of the way. She did not, she parked on East 14th still blocking the intersection. She stuck with her same argument that she was waiting for valet parking. The men hollered again, demanding that she move.

Eventually the valet approached her car. She got out of the car, traded items and words with the valet, leisurely walked to her back

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door, opened it and gathered some belongings. The men hollered at the valet that she cannot block traffic.

The valet did not respond and with no urgency got in the car and finally unclogged the intersection.

This was a very frustrating scene.

The driver of the new-model car clearly believed she had the right to block traffic if she was waiting on valet parking. This screamed elitism so loudly you almost could not look away.

Further she believed that she not only had this right, but that somehow the act of waiting for valet parking made it legal to block traffic. She was on a public roadway attempting to do private business. There were two people behind her attempting to use the public roadway for what it was legally intended for - moving from one place to another. She should have known that in such a situation the public use of the road trumped her desire to use the road for her private ends.

3.

For years Streetvibes Distributors have distributed on Court Street. In the past few weeks, one of our long-time Distributors was arrested twice on Court and another was also arrested on Court by the Sherriff’s Department. They were given a variety of charges including criminal trespassing (on a public sidewalk) and improper solicitation. The primary argument for why this happened has been that citizens complained about how they were approached by the Distributors. If our Distributors are illegally approaching people we work to fix any problem. That said, it seems that it is assumed that if a person complains about how they were approached then the Distributor or panhandler must have broken the law. The truth is, we all have the right to speak.

In Cincinnati there are very specific laws dictating what is an acceptable way to approach a person and what is not. There is not much gray area, these laws are straight-forward.

If one breaks said laws, then there will likely be consequences. However, one

Letter to the Editor

always watch with interest as citizens rationalize and justify their opposition to the development of housing that is affordable for people whose incomes fall below the federal poverty line. The Cincinnati Enquirer’s editorial “Poverty clusters benefit no one” is no exception. Perhaps it is my social work training that encourages “people first” language that has fine-tuned my listening to recognize discrimination. Perhaps is it my wearied awareness that the residents mentioned are not even referenced to as people – but as “concentrated poverty” as in the article.

We live in alarming times if we accept the narrative that because a family has a modest annual income, they

are a scourge, a blight. “Well-meaning” citizens can take exception all they want to morally justify their “Not In My Back Yard” sentiments. But I invite you to join me in the following exercise: Imagine for a moment this article was titled, “Italian clusters benefit no one”, or “Gay clusters benefit no one”.

It goes on to say how local laws have set rules on how many Italians or gays can live in proximity to one another.

Studies have shown that Italians or gays who live together hinder wealth building, therefore we should not allow too many to live in one neighborhood. Etc… How do you feel about the article now?

person feeling uncomfortable simply because a person who is experiencing homelessness or poverty asked them to take a paper or asked them for money does not mean the law was broken.

My feeling of comfort is not a legal status. Comfort is relative. Treating the comfort of one group of people as law is not only discriminatory toward the other group of people, but keeps these two groups as two separate groups. One person is fearful of asking for assistance from the other, for fear of arrest and the other person remains fearful of the person asking because their fear has been validated by the act of the officer. Wouldn’t it be better for the officer to explain that there is no reason to be afraid of someone who is panhandling and only enforce consequences when the actual written law is being broken?

What is it that causes all of this?

Certainly in some cases classism is involved. Perhaps this also occurs because people without low-incomes tend to be very disconnected from governmental processes.

Furthermore, folks seem to often ignore the inherent rights of people.

In Cincinnati, panhandling is very often an arena where this issue rears its head. For years we have had discussion after discussion about “what to do about panhandling” (even though there is nothing wrong with panhandling). Of course we always say what about creating jobs, housing, detox, neighborliness, etc.

These are never the solutions that the complainers work for though.

Why do we need to discuss anything other than tackling root causes? There are laws regarding panhandling - enforce these laws equally as they are written - that’s it.

It is not confusing. Beyond that, either get involved in long-lasting solutions for people or move to another topic.

Public law should not be enforced to match private subjectivity.

-Josh Spring, LSW Executive Director

We are just now emerging from a recession, foreclosures have devastated our neighborhoods. A full third of the Cincinnatians earn a wage below the federal poverty line. The job market is tough, so you are lucky if you are making a living wage – but know that many, many of your neighbors are not.

Let us not join the disturbing trend of separating “the poor” from “us”– we can do better, Cincinnati.

To learn more about positive solutions to poverty and housing issues, please contact the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless at www. cincihomeless.org.

-Michelle Dillingham, Director of Education Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless

THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED

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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 $1.50 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati.

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: Anna Worpenberg Layout: Jeni Jenkins, Uncaged Bird Design Studio Reception: Chris Fowler, Steve Reams Clarence Daniels Charles Carpenter Maintenance: Pete Roper CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Martha Stephens, Jim Luken, Michael Earl Patton, Robert Park, Justin Jeffre, Steve Sunderland, Fariba Nourian, Jason Haap, Pat Youngblood, Angela Pancella, Katy Heins, Michelle Dillingham, Mimi Daria, Deborah Poindexter, Willa Denise Jones, Bill Woods, Kim Green Syndicated Writers: Vivian Luk, Zahra Radwan, Zoe Blumenfeld, Jenifer Chaussee Photography/Artwork: Justin Jeffre, Mt. Saint Joseph University, Katy Heins, Bill Woods, Vivian Luk, Sgt. Jason W. Fudge, 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.

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No. 282 | J u l y 1 7 t h - 30 t h , 2 0 1 4

Cincinnati Opera -- and Anti-war

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MARTHA STEPHENS

Contributing Writer

NEW OPERA, Silent Night, opened in Music Hall on July 10 and had a rousing reception. This work sets to music the Christmas Eve of 1914 when contending forces on the Western Front of WW1 wandered out of their respective trenches and hideaways and sang Christmas carols together.

In the opening of the opera, we hear the plaintive night-time songs of certain soldiers in the bunkers of France, Germany, and Scotland. Then comes a battle scene of frightening proportions amidst fierce sweeping music from the orchestra and cannonfire from the back of the hall. We see lines of men shot to death in eerie light as they try to advance against each other.

ductor and fine singers. Silent Night has also been staged in Minnesota and Philadelphia.

Can we think of this piece as an anti-war opera? Streetvibes readers may see this as a complex question.

The local music critic Janelle Gelfand has spoken of the “riveting theatre” of the Cincinnati production and “an orchestral backdrop of glimmering beauty,” and she ends her review this way: “In a world that still struggles with war -- a full hundred years after the Great War -- Silent Night is a work that resonates as a reminder of war’s human toll.”

Yes, but does this musical play have any bearing whatever on our modern-day “struggle” with the wars

Eventually the strange truce on Christmas Eve evolves in scenes of fearful trepidation among the combatants. Bits of comedy relieve the tensions of men and audience. Rhythmic interludes from the orchestra provide a powerful accompaniment.

At the end of the opera, we are shown the anger and disgust of the officers in charge. The soldiers of the truce are reprimanded and sent to positions elsewhere, the Frenchman to Verdun, and we learn that they might all have been charged with the serious crime of fraternizing with the enemy.

This is the first opera of composer Kevin Puts, but his orchestral music, in particular, is of a striking and accomplished kind, well rendered in this Cincinnati production by a talented con-

waged by the U. S. and its allies? Or with the “struggles” of the million and more people whose lives we have taken as we tore through the countries of Iraq and Afghanistan -- for no credible reason? Are we “reminded” by this work, to use Gelfand’s term, of all that has been suffered by these fellow human creatures of ours across the seas and by our own troops?

In discussions of this opera, I don’t think we have heard anyone utter the words Iraq or Afghanistan, nor did we really expect to.

It cannot be easy to launch a new opera. Evans Mirageas, the artistic director of Cincinnati Opera, has been appearing for some weeks in a series of talks and events around Silent Night; he seems to be more than

Trailer Park Cincinnati MICHAEL EARL PATTON

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Contributing Writer

he new zoning code that the city is proposing (see its website, www.cincinnati-oh.gov) will allow house trailers, a.k.a. mobile homes, in all single-family districts. They can be installed on a lot in place of a regular house. For people like me with relatively large lots, one or more can even be installed in the back yard, depending upon the size of the lot. As for parking, up to 40% of the front yard can be used for parking.

Citizens have until the end of July to make comments.

What bothers me is not that the city is proposing these changes, it is that the city is asking for comments while hiding the real effects. There are many changes in the code, and it is almost by chance that I found the change that would allow for mo-

bile homes. The present code is quite specific – in its definition of a building, any type of trailer is specifically excluded. In the proposed code this prohibition is absent. Instead it says that “building” means a structure permanently fixed to the ground consisting of floors, walls and roofs that completely surround an interior space and may include exterior appurtenant structures such as porches or decks.

That includes mobile homes, which by law are permanently anchored to the ground when installed.

Once a mobile home is set up on supports, connected to utilities, and anchored, it can be there for an indefinite period – even decades. This is a key difference between them and recreational vehicles, which are easily moved.

willing to take on new works. Some of us remember the premiere here of Dead Man Walking, based on the book

by Sister Helen Prejean. Sister Helen was here for the opening of Dead Man Walking, and this writer recalls that a group of us helped her give out fliers, on the sidewalks of Music Hall, asking for the abolition of the death penalty.

TWO WEEKS before the opening of Silent Night, Mirageas led an interesting pre-opera event at Spring Grove Cemetery. On that June afternoon, we heard a jazz combo of the

Air Force Airmen of Note. The Airmen played under a huge white tent, with perhaps 150 people sitting under it in chairs and more on the encircling grass. There was very live music up on the platform from the jazz players and local singers, and speakers sat waiting their turns to orate. The famous hymn Silent Night (Stille Nacht) was sung in both English and German, along with songs associated with World War 1.

One of the speakers in Spring Grove was Reverend Gail Greenwell of Christ Church Cathedral in Cincinnati, and she spoke about the “absolute carnage” of WW1. She said it represented “a betrayal of idealism,” but that “clergy of all sides offered a steady stream of patriotic voices in support.”

This is not some oversight on the part of the city. For a few days there was a page highlighting the differences between the new and old code, and “manufactured homes” was prominently included in at least 3 different places. The definition of manufactured homes included house trailers.

This page explaining the differences was quietly changed, but the proposed code itself was not.

The new code was funded by a $2.4 million grant from HUD which states that increasing affordable housing opportunities is one of its goals. I’m all for that, but it shouldn’t be done by stealth. Maybe Cincinnati should allow trailer parks, but let’s have a discussion on that. Maybe we should allow mobile homes in almost all city neighborhoods, but let’s have a discussion on that. There are other possibilities, too, that could be explored. There is the beginning of a “tiny house” movement now, generally defined as a house of less than 500 square feet. That is just a little larger

THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED

Sixty-five million soldiers from many nations served, including, she said, her own grandfather. She noted that the drone warfare of today makes it even harder for warriors on opposing sides to feel their “common humanity.” She referred to the violence today in the Middle East and said she hoped people everywhere would stop seeing warfare as “just and holy” but express “mutual forbearance” for each other’s way of life.

Again, neither she nor anyone else spoke aloud the words Iraq or Afghanistan, but Greenwell did give us drones.

We had plenty of patriotic music at Spring Grove, and an audience that loved the famous American song of WW1, “Over There,” but we also know that in 1991 more than a thousand Cincinnatians lined up way down the streets leading to Union Terminal in protest against the first invasion of Iraq. President Herbert Walker Bush had arrived here to plump up our support. One wonders whether Mr. Bush or his son George could enjoy today an opera like Silent Night with its trenchant message about another tragic and needless war.

“Over There” is a famous battlesong, but around 18 million died in WW1. The lyric “We won’t come back til it’s over, over there” has been rephrased this way: “We won’t come back if they get us over there.”

Martha Stephens is retired from the U. C. English Department and has written on local war research in The Treatment: the story of those who died in the Cincinnati radiation tests (Duke University Press 2002). She blogs about the terrors of war and other matters at marthastephens.wordpress. com, and can be reached at stephem@ ucmail.uc.edu. She hopes readers will get on line and find songs from a British satire on WW1 -- the great stage play and film Oh What a Lovely War; and the French film on which Silent Night is based, Joyeux Noel.

-----------------------than a typical 2-car garage. Some “tiny houses” are much smaller than 500 square feet. Right now the minimum single family lot size in Cincinnati is 2,000 square feet, or at least 4 times the size of the house (smaller lots are grandfathered in). Is that appropriate? Maybe there could be something -- like a very small, affordable house – in affordability between an apartment and a conventional house, and which is not a house trailer. Could we try a small development of “tiny houses?”

There are other changes, too, in this large code change. Here is another: Up to 40% of the front yard, including the driveway, can be paved and used for parking in areas zoned for single family houses and lowdensity multi-family (RM-L). With only a small window for comments it is not possible to get adequate feedback from the people of Cincinnati.

Let’s have a real discussion on the proposed changes, not an “oops, you missed your chance to object” type.

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The Mount Is Now Officially ‘Mount St. Joseph University’

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JUSTIN JEFFRE

Streetvibes Editor

he College of Mount St. Joseph became Mount St. Joseph University on Tuesday, July 1, 2014 during a celebratory ceremony honoring the Mount’s heritage and a nod to its new designation as a university. The ceremony took place at the Fifth Third Bank Hall in Seton Center, with the Mount’s official new name. Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community leaders were in attendance.

The ceremony included remarks

by Tony Aretz, Ph.D., president of the Mount, Ken Stecher, chairman of the board of trustees, and Joan Cook, SC, president of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. Delhi Township trustee Cheryl Sieve presented the University with a proclamation.

According to Tony Aretz, Ph.D., president of Mount St. Joseph University, “For the past few years, the Mount has expanded its offering of

graduate and online programs which is a major reason for the designation change to university. As a university, we hope to continue adding additional graduate programs to help people advance their careers and goals.”

“This day is a significant event for us as a university,” Aretz told the crowd. “We have been educating students at a university level for several years by offering graduate programs and now online endorsement and degree options. We have launched innovative programs like our Talent Opportunity Program (TOP) which gives students our promise that we’re going to be right there with them as they look for their first professional job.”

“Our students are taking advantage of the Mount’s strong relationship with the business community and getting valuable cooperative education experience,” added Stecher.

“That’s on top of an education with

Tony Aretz unveils the Mount St. Joseph University sign.

Photo: Mount St. Joseph University

Students pose with Joe Lion.

Photo: Mount St. Joseph University

Mount president Tony Aretz signs the delegation agreement.

Photo: Mount St. Joseph University

Save the Children

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ROBERT PARK

Contributing Writer

here is the Save the Children Federation when we need them?

Now, they don’t even have to go to Africa, they can just go to Texas. To investigate this anomaly we have to step back and examine the big picture of immigration.

People try to come here from Central and South America because they are desperate. It’s the old story of “follow the money” but with a twist: now it’s follow the capital. Corporate America has been sucking capital out of those countries for two centuries, generally with the full cooperation of local ruling elites, strongman regimes and tin-horn dictators who we (our government) have coddled, armed and trained.

Attempts by peasants and workers in these countries to assert a dif-

ferent politics were repressed into virtual silence. Although recently there have been dramatic rejections or partial reversals of the imperial plan in many Latino countries, like Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia, Venezuela and Ecuador, many others continue to languish as stunted cesspools of corruption, crony capitalism and client police states. Honduras, the poster child of hopelessness, with a recent military coup, was cheered on

by Hillary Clinton, among many. Surplus capital continues to be skimmed off from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico, with the result of limited new investment, few jobs, low capital intensity per worker and poor wages when jobs even exist. Globalization and NAFTA gimmicks have made things worse.

For many years parents of chil-

personal attention by faculty who are experts in their own fields. That personal attention won’t change as the Mount becomes a university.”

Mount St. Joseph University is an undergraduate and graduate Catholic

university that provides an interdis-

dren in these pitiful situations chose to leave their family to try to make it to the land of big capital where jobs paid unbelievable wages (even bad jobs) compared to home. They sent money home (well what was left after bordercrossing bandits and bank-transfer fees) and dreamed of eventually retiring in their own land with enough to survive on. Were these BAD parents?

Now some of these heroic strugglers are trying to bring their kids to join them. Others, having given up on employment in the U.S. are giving their kids a chance to make it there. The escalating violence of U.S. incentivized drug trafficking is another strong motive to get their kids out of Dodge. Are these BAD parents?

For the right wing scum leading the charge on immigrant children, besides their usual ignorance the main motivating concept seems to be racism: they assume without question that these low-lifes are “using” their children to leverage some scam, never imagining that decisions to pull their families apart and face grave risks are

driven by traumatic choices in desperation to survive. In their place, the tea partyers would have gotten to the border first.

So, what would a good government do?

First, admit the origins of the problem.

Second, pursue economic policies that would help, not impoverish poor countries.

Third, help kids find their parents.

Fourth, end the drug trafficking wars by legalizing pot and some other drugs, and by giving U.S. young people a life in which drug addiction is not a competitive option.

Fifth, establish an amnesty program that actually addresses the plight of undocumented workers.

Sixth, set up a small loan program for undocumented immigrants who can return home and try to start a viable business.

Seventh, say we’re sorry that corporate America has done this to you.

THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED

ciplinary liberal arts and professional curriculum emphasizing values, service and social responsibility.

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No. 282 | J u l y 1 7 t h - 30 t h , 2 0 1 4

Picture This!

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JIM LUKEN

Contributing Writer

t’s the corner of Central Parkway and Clay, between the Coffee Emporium and the Salvation Army headquarters. A crowd has gathered, gawking down Clay. A half dozen old cars are parked along the street facing south toward the crowd.

Looking down toward the 12th Street end of the block, one vaguely recalls that the Homeless Coalition sits just around the corner.

A white couple stands as if frozen on the left, their backs to the gapers standing on Central Parkway. A black woman stands on the other side of the Clay, facing in the same direction as the other two. A dark green Jaguar rolls down Clay toward the crowd, and pulls in front of the other cars. A white teen on an old bicycle rides by the Jag. What is going on here? Yes, Virginia, this is a test. More clues: A

white guy in a beige sport coat and tie gets out of the driver seat. Looks suspicious.

A carefully coiffed black dude in a long aquamarine, Nehrulike jacket gets out of the other side, smoking a cigarette. They walk quickly across Clay and, while glancing around, enter an unlocked side door of the Emporium. Looks like trouble for the coffee shop! Have you got it yet?

One more clue: Someone yells “Cut!” Then “Reset!” Others repeat it. “Reset!” The two guys come out of the building get in Jag and the car backs up almost to 12th. Someone yells “Action!” and the entire thing repeats itself. The whole shot lasts less than

Old cars on Clay Street. Photo: Justin Jeffre

A Cincinnati Group Joins the Call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions

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FARIBA NOURIAN

Contributing Writer

alestinian civil society organizations like the University Teachers’ Association in Palestine and the Gaza BDS Working Group have urgently called on the international community to “Join the growing international boycott, divestment and sanction campaign to hold this rogue state to account that is proving once again to be so violent and yet so unchallenged.

Join the growing critical mass around the world with a commitment to the day when Palestinians do not have to grow up amidst this relentless murder and destruction by the Israeli regime.”

This call comes at a time when the Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated regions on earth and the largest refugee camp on earth, located on the southwestern part of Israel’s border with the Mediterranean Sea, is under massive assault by the Israeli

armed forces. Known as Operation Protective Edge, this assault has killed over 150 Palestinian civilians in less than one week including women and children and injured almost 1,000.

This is the third of such assaults by the occupying power against the people of Gaza since the political group, Hamas, won a democratic election in the Gaza Strip in 2007. The last assault in December of 2008, known as Operation Cast Lead, killed over 1,300 Palestinian civilians.

Assaults like these, which target civilian infrastructure, including civilian homes, schools, and hospitals, have been described as illegal wars waged by an occupying power in an effort to further expand its control over the region, its people and its resources. A recently discovered natural gas reserve off the shores of Gaza in the Mediterranean and the inability of

Don Cheadle speaking with crew members about next shot Photo: Justin Jeffre 30 seconds. They do this a half dozen times, before I pull my bike away from the crowd and ride off shaking my head. OK. Last clue: The car’s orange license plate reads “TRUMPETER.” Yes, there is a new kid on the block. Plays the trumpet like a madman. Well, he pretends to. African American actor Don Cheadle is here shooting a movie that will be titled: Miles Ahead. Cheadle seems almost a ringer for jazz virtuoso, Miles Davis.

The movie takes place in Brooklyn.

The Queen City becomes 1963 Brooklyn. Why? Because it’s easier and much cheaper to do it here than there.

Permit me to close with a few Streetvibesish observations: Once again, a ton of money comes into our town, our “Hood.” My guess is that the single shot described above cost the movie makers $10$25 thousand to produce. The entire production unit, Trailers and vans and trucks filled with lighting and sound equipment, etc. are parked all over OTR. Will this huge Hollywood-esque extravagance

result in anything good for the poor of the neighborhood? Just asking.

Don Cheadle is apparently a kind man. Will he walk around the corner to the Coalition office and offer the folks there a bit of encouragement.

At this moment, the Coalition is trying to produce a series of short “biopic” films about real homeless people in our community. Like Cheadle’s film, we are “crowdsourcing,” trying to get individuals and groups to underwrite the production costs of our “reality shows.” Will the producers of Miles Ahead see fit to make a generous donation? These are rhetorical questions? But why should we not ask them? Why shouldn’t we hold up our “Homeless” sign, proudly and sincerely? The moviemakers are using (exploiting) our neighborhood.

Our neighborhood has a Brooklynlike character because of the buildings, and because of the “characters” who have been here for generations. We could use a piece of the Action!

Israel to secure plans to exploit the reserve has been the motivation for the recent assault.

While international law forbids the use of military force by an occupying power against the population which it controls, the US continuously defends Israel’s illegal wars as a “right” and continues to finance it with billions in military aid annually. This is how Israel has come to be known as a rouge state, a state that is not required to follow international law, a state that can decimate a population which it occupies without consequence.

The initial call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions, also known as BDS, was put forth by a large majority of Palestinian civil society organizations in 2005. It took inspiration from the anti-apartheid boycott movement of South-Africa and has been experiencing growing international support since it was initiated. One aspect of the campaign is the consumer boycott of brands and products that benefit the Israeli occupation and illegal settlements. Some of these brands/ products include Victoria’s Secret, Sodastream, and Sabra Humus. Victoria’s Secret, for example, sources its fabric from a warehouse located in an illegal settlement. Sodastream, a personal soda making machine, is also

produced in an illegal settlement and gained international attention recently when the celebrity Scarlet Johansson, the face of Sodastream ads, was forced to step down as ambassador of the international relief organization Oxfam for her ties to Sodastream. Finally, Sabra Humus is owned by the company Strauss group which is an Israeli company with heavy ties to the Israeli Defense Force.

A group in Cincinnati recently organized a series of meetings to discuss the need for a BDS campaign in the area. The group is committed to launching a coordinated BDS campaign in Cincinnati and they have an email account for people can stay connected, CincyBDS@gmail.com.

It is the people of Gaza, who have dealt with the horrors of Israel’s ongoing expansion and occupation, who have experienced ongoing human rights violations including restrictions to basic goods such as food and medicine, who have witnessed high casualties at the hands of Israel’s heavily armed forces, who are calling on the international community to step up its efforts in the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaign against Israel. A Cincinnati group is answering that call and we hope you will join us.

THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED

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Exploring Excommunication in the Catholic Church JASON HAAP

Contributing Writer

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n the last Streetvibes, I wrote an article asking whether those Catholics who support gay marriage were “automatically excommunicated” given the Church’s teachings on “heresy.”

When I reached out to some Catholic organizations for what turned into this follow up, I thought I’d receive factual information. Instead, my interactions with the Archdiocese of Cincinnati made me feel inherently distrustful of the local response – particularly compared with other responses.

This is what I received from the local Archdiocese: Steve, I think this question is a trap. Any thoughts as to how to answer it? In truth, not being a canon lawyer, I don’t know the answer. I’ve never even heard the questions before.

Dan

Here is what I sent in response: Dan, I’m not trying to trap anyone. I thought I provided a pretty comprehensive explanation of why I was asking the question, complete with several well-researched citations.

Also, it appears you did not send your email to Steve.

And finally, “official” word from the Cincinnati Archdiocese: Please understand that I’m not questioning your motives.

I did send the question to our canonist separately. He assured me that heresy is rejection of a dogmatic teaching of the Church, such as the Trinity or the human and divine nature of Jesus. Supporting gay marriage, while in conflict with church teaching, is not a heresy and does not lead to automatic excommunication. I’m not aware of

In Response MICHAEL EARL PATTON

Contributing Writer

M

y friend, Jason Haap, sent me a preview of his article on speaking out against Catholic Church teaching on homosexual marriage and if this meant automatic excommunication. I outlined to him my response, which I now give below.

As a life-long practicing Catholic, I realize that there are many disagreements within its approximately 1 billion members. There are core beliefs, or dogmas, which do not change. Then there are teachings, which sometimes do change or are modified. It was within the last couple decades, for

any bishop in the country who has argued that it does, although many have taken a very strong stand on traditional marriage. Note Canon 18: “Laws which establish a penalty or restrict the free exercise of rights or which contain an exception to the law are subject to a strict interpretation.”

Robert Tyack, from the Cleveland Diocese, however, had a very different response. He consulted with a theologian and a Canon lawyer: Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same. The Church believes it is a revealed truth and of divine law that marriage is between a man and a woman. Are all Catholics who disagree excommunicated? One cannot make a blanket statement on all cases, as each case must be examined individually.

Canon 18 of the Code Of Canon Law instructs, “Laws which establish a penalty, restrict the free exercise of rights, or contain an exception from the law are subject to strict interpretation.” Therefore, for one to receive the penalty for excommunication, it would have to be proven that the person’s rejection of the Church’s teaching, rose to the level of an excommunication offense. There can be factors which mitigate the penalty. No one is automatically excommunicated for any offense if, without any fault of his own, he was unaware that he was violating a law (CIC 1323:2) or that a penalty was attached to the law (CIC 1324:1:9). The same applies if one was a minor, had the imperfect use of reason, was forced through grave or relatively grave fear, was forced through serious inconvenience, or in certain other circumstances (CIC 1324) What most people do not understand is instance, that the teaching about the death penalty was strengthened to say that it may no longer have a place in today’s society. Some, maybe many, Catholics disagree with this teaching.

And that is fine as it is not a core belief.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church talks of a “hierarchy” of truths which vary in importance with their relation to the foundation of the Christian faith. The Trinity (i.e., what is often called three persons in one God – commonly known as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is one of the most important truths, probably the central one. The Church’s teaching on homosexual marriage is not.

The teaching about homosexuality has to be taken seriously, but it is not dogma. There is a difference.

Problems often come when some-

Easter mass at Old St. Mary’s Church.

Photo: Justin Jeffre that the Church does not excommunicate someone, the individual excommunicates himself/herself from the Church. Only after Due Process is employed and a case is carefully reviewed would a bishop then issue a declaration of the fact of the person’s excommunication.

This declaration is not meant as a punitive measure, but as medicinal one, to remind the person of his/ her breaking off from the unity of the Church’s belief and practice, and to reconcile with the Church community once again. Does support for gay marriage automatically equate to heresy punishable by excommunication? It is a matter which would have to be carefully reviewed requiring not only Canon (Church) law but theological expertise.

This answer is markedly different.

Cincinnati says supporting gay marriage is not heresy, and that heresy only concerns “a dogmatic teaching of the Church, such as the Trinity or the human and divine nature of Jesus.”

Cleveland, on the other hand, says “The Church believes it is a revealed truth and of divine law that marriage is between a man and a woman.”

So which is it? Are Catholics who support gay marriage – if they know such support is in conflict with church teachings – heretics? (If you are Catholic, and you support gay marriage, and you are reading this, you can no longer benefit from the “ignorance loophole.”)

one says that what the bishops teach is worthless. If you truly believe that what the bishops teach is worthless, then maybe you are not Catholic.

You can disagree and even say that the bishops are wrong, but if you believe that the bishops have no teaching authority and what they teach is of no more weight than what you say, than you are probably not a believing Catholic. As it is sometimes put, in such a case you remove yourself from being called a Catholic. And if you are not Catholic, maybe you shouldn’t pretend to be one. Maybe you should even not receive Communion, which the bishops teach is central to the Church’s life. I think this is what is meant by the phrase “automatic excommunication.”

By the way, Orthodox believers (such as Greek or Russian Orthodox)

THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED

Cleveland’s answer is much more in line with the opinion of Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC., from the Regnum Christi Spirituality Center: Some would say that heresy deals with matters of doctrine, whereas support of gay “marriage” deals with matters of morals. Hence, someone who actively and publicly supports gay “marriage” might not be branded a heretic in the traditional sense. Nonetheless, such a person, being at odds with the faith, should probably refrain from receiving Communion.

In practice, most official cases of heresy involve clerics or theologians, and even then the Church doesn’t use the h-word much. And it’s not likely the Church will start to label laypeople who support gay “marriage” as heretics and publicly excommunicate them. Still, such folks would do well to refrain from Communion and do some research into why the Church teaches what it teaches.

Both Cleveland and Fr. Edward McIlmail seem to suggest that by contradicting church teaching, people have either excommunicated themselves or should refrain from receiving communion. (In my opinion, those are very comparable conclusions.) And both of these responses seem markedly different from Cincinnati’s.

-----------------------can get approval to receive Communion in a Catholic church. It’s not even a special permission, but it’s because they are considered in agreement with the Catholics on the basics.

Here’s what the Catechism says about it: “given suitable circumstances and the approval of Church authority, [communion by those of the Orthodox faith] is not merely possible but is encouraged.” Please note that being in agreement with the Catholics on the basics DOES NOT include agreement about the pope. Orthodox believers do not agree with Catholics on that, but the papacy is not considered one of the basics.

As for the pope, he is often portrayed in the popular media as the commander-in-chief of hundreds of millions of faithful Catholics. I think a

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LOCAL

No. 282 | J u l y 1 7 t h - 30 t h , 2 0 1 4

The Caregiver Circle Project

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PAT YOUNGBLOOD, ANGELA PANCELLA AND KATY HEINS

Contributing Writers

e all have had some experience with caregiving. For most of us, we benefited from a caregiver as a child with our own parents or guardians. For more and more of us, we are adults caring for a loved ones such as disabled spouses, elderly parents or grandchildren. Whether as a paid or unpaid caregiver most of us provide care because it is needed and important work. Unfortunately, as important as this job is for all of us, it is not perceived as important by policymakers. Because of this, many caregivers are isolated and feel people are unaware of their plight.

We all know that if you have to leave your job to do caregiving for a loved one, credit towards your Social Security benefits stop. However the fact that this affects your retirement security is not thought about until the time for retirement is at hand. Paid caregivers are also affected because their wages are so low that it affects the amount that will be received for

retirement. So in essence, caregivers are penalized by a system that does not value the importance of this job.

The Caregiver Circle Project was started for caregivers to discuss the value of their caregiving, their challenges and solutions for their concerns. A series of gatherings was held last year, organized by Center for Community Change and the Contact Center with a number churches, local networks, and individuals. Building on last year, the Center for Community Change has partnered with Peaslee Neighborhood Center and is once again seeking interested individuals and organizations who want to support caregivers in their work.

The circles consists of three gatherings and discussions. The first is about your experience with caregiving, your story. The second is around the challenges faced by the group as caregivers. The third is about solutions and resources for caregivers.

All three gatherings include food, talk

WE, TOO, ARE HUMAN:

WHERE IS MY PATIENT NAVIGATOR? STEVE SUNDERLAND

Contributing Writer

For all cancers combined, the death rate is 25 percent higher for African Americans/Blacks than for Whites.”

— National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet. Cancer Health Disparities. 3/11/2008.

1. Introduction:

Cancer care needs dramatic change. There is too little help in making good decisions about critical decisions. If you are poor, without insurance, a minority, or of average intelligence, then you are lost in the maze, a set of structures set up to confuse, intimidate, and frustrate anyone who is facing very tough medical conditions.

Poor people are in greater danger of dying from the system of heath care in Cincinnati and this country. This is not a new situation. Instead of finding a welcoming for the very sick by the health profession, a set of thoughtful and understandable suggestions for consideration that include risks, and a willingness to provide the time to explain treatments and listen to concerns, the patient, their family, and their support persons are often told through body language, arcane procedures, and verbal abuse, that they are in the “wrong place” at the “wrong time.” Even so-called “best” hospitals, doctors, and social workers seem to need a major lawsuit to wake up to the need for adult communication between health care providers and patients. This crisis in health care delivery is solvable. Other cities and countries have found that assisting

the patient through one on one activities by a lay person, a nurse, a doctor, or a family member can dramatically reduce doctor error, clarify treatment and follow up procedures, and increase life expectancy for anyone who is sick with cancer or any threatening health condition. Institutions like Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins, and the Medical College of Georgia are still the exceptions for patient navigation through the health care obstacle course. Yet, patients in Cincinnati can make a difference in demanding that hospitals, doctors, nurses, and hospital staff review the evidence on patient navigators and implement some variation of what is now happening in other cities.

2. What is Patient Navigation and How Did It Start:

A Patient Navigator can be a friend who is able to be an ally of the patient. This means keeping the patient’s interest at the center of the discussion; or, clarifying medical terminology until it is clear; or, being a spokesperson for the patient when the patient needs to know the experience of the health professional with this kind of cancer; or, helping the patient seek a second opinion even if

Facilitator training for Caregiver Circle Project.

Photo: Katy Heins. and creating artwork that demonstrates our discussions.

The project will end with a summit of all the circles. This gathering will also consist of food, fun, talk and an exhibition of the artwork from all the circles. This gathering will give all of the participants a chance to meet, greet, eat and decide--that is, by building a network of caregivers who

select the best solutions to pursue to improve the quality of life for all caregivers.

Find out more about the Caregiver Circle Project by contacting Pat Youngblood at pat.a.youngblood@gmail.com or (513) 305-7095.

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So navigation encompasses the concept of continuity from the community to the healthcare setting to getting the test, having the finding, and getting the patient all the way through treatment...the navigator is the only person in the healthcare system whose job it is to watch and guide and assist the patient through this entire continuum.”

— A conversation with Dr. Harold P. Freeman. An interview with Amanda Patton. ACCC’S Cancer Care Patient Navigation: A Call to Action. No date.

cer specialist and former president of the American Cancer Society, started the first research on Even when the disease was found using Patient Navigators to raise the survival rate early, an uninsured patient did of poor blacks and Hisworse than one with insurance. panics who have cancer treatments in 1990. His — O. Brawley, MD (2011). research at Harlem HosHow We Do Harm. St. Martins Press. pital in New York City, With P. Goldberg. largely among African Americans, was seeking to see if having a Patient Navigator would significantly change the health the first physician seems to have covoutcomes of African Americans diagered all the questions. With a diagnonosed with cancer.

Community memsis of cancer, the patient, especially bers were identified, trained to be the patient who may be poor, may be supportive, and linked to patients for totally unfamiliar with doctors, hospithe course of the treatment.

Amazing tals, patient rights, and the meaning results happened over 5 years: Surof critical terms related to treatment. vival rates from cancer changed from The Patient Navigator, perhaps assigned by the hospital, perhaps being 39% to 70%. Freeman believed that sent from a patient group, can step the success was related to three facin and provide some important guid- tors: “First, the center /Harlem Hosance to the process of negotiating the pital Cancer Control Center/ offered hospital as well as coping with the free and low cost screening mammogemotions connected to having can- raphy, which allowed for early diagcer. Without a Patient Navigator, the nosis. Second, the Patient Navigation likely result is increases in patient ig- program promoted treatment with no norance, sketchy patient compliance delay. Finally, the improved outreach with medical procedures, and severely and public education were believed limited patient success. For too many to have played an important role in patients, especially poor patients, this the new findings.” (H. Freeman, MD (September/October 2004). A model means unnecessary death.

Harold P. Freeman, M.D., a can-

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8

WORLD

J u l y 17 t h - 30 t h , 2014 | N o . 28 2

Public Libraries - Havens For Homeless Citizens VIVIAN LUK

www.street-papers.org Megaphone - Canada

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n most days of the week, Alvin Stewart can be often found perusing the movies section at the central branch of the Vancouver Public Library, carefully inspecting the DVD selection.

Stewart loves books, too, but movies are his passion. It’s a short walk to the downtown Vancouver library from East Hastings Street, where he lives in a low-income building, and he tries to arrive right when the library opens.

“I do like coming here early there, just in case they have a new selection of quick views up on the shelf,” he said one Friday in June.

Stewart didn’t find anything that day, but he shrugged it off because he can just renew the movies he had borrowed previously. For Stewart-as it can be for many other patrons-a public library is a barrier-free place for him to access the things he loves.

In Vancouver and across North America, urban libraries are more than place to borrow movies and books. For people with no fixed address or in vulnerable housing, libraries are places to seek shelter, to stay in touch with loved ones, and even lay their heads to rest, even if just for a short while.

A hub for at-risk youth Libraries are go-to places for some of Vancouver’s at-risk and homeless youth. “We’re one of the very few free spaces left for youth in the city,” says D’Arcy Stainton, a librarian with VPL’s Teen Services.

“Most spaces you have to go and buy a cup of coffee or spend money, so we do get a lot of teens at the library in our low-income neighbourhoods.”

At Britannia Library, youth can often be seen at the small art gallery by the entrance curled up with a book, charging their phones, or dozing. Like other patrons, teenagers also use the space to check out books, hang out with friends, and use the free internet to surf the web or connect with family. But sometimes, young people arrive at Britannia hungry and desperate. They turn to the library when they think they have nowhere else to go, says children’s librarian Natalie Patel.

“The other day I came in, and there was a boy sleeping underneath the foyer display case,” she recalls.

She knew he needed a safe space to rest. “I was on my way to work, and I saw him and I recognized him, so I was able to call him by name, and he opened his eyes, [and I said], ‘the library is open in five minutes, you can come in and rest in there.’ He did.”

San Francisco’s pioneering library social worker The fact that public libraries tend to be places for the low-income to gather is not a new phenomenon.

San Francisco Public Library’s main downtown branch has long been a hub for patrons who are homeless or suffering from substance abuse or mental health issues.

Alvin Stewart lives in Vancouver’s inner city and spends time at downtown central public library branch almost every day. Photo: Vivian Luk In 2008, the San Francisco Public Library became the first in the U.S. to hire a full-time social worker, Leah Esguerra, to connect with patrons who had started to view the library as a de facto homeless shelter. Other libraries across the States followed suit, with social workers, nurses, and outreach workers hired to work in public libraries in Salt Lake City, Tulsa, and Sacramento, to name a few.

“A lot of them do use the library to read and use the resources here, but given that it is also a nice place and anyone is welcome, homeless folks also come here to do other things that aren’t really library-related, such as taking a bath in the bathroom or sleeping here,” Esguerra says.

She was hired to connect patrons to resources such as permanent housing and mental health services.

She also provides information about community resources such as places to find free or low-cost meals, find clothing, and take naps and showers.

Esguerra says the library viewed her role as so essential that she now also trains and supervises several formerly homeless patrons who receive a stipend to do outreach work.

Each day, she and the outreach workers walk the library’s seven floors to connect with patrons in vulnerable situations.

“A lot of times they would nicely just say they’re not interested, but that way, at least we’re able to break the barrier for them to start to know us,” she says. “And then they start to trust us. Eventually down the line, once they have a situation where they become more interested, [then they’re] ready to accept help.”

Community engagement closer to home Both Vancouver and Victoria have embraced the idea that a public library can play an important social role in the lives of vulnerable citizens. Beth Davies, manager of neighbourhood services with Vancouver Public Library, says staff members often visit places like food banks or detox centres to see what types of library programs or services people

might like. That type of community engagement recently led the Vancouver Public Library to introduce a new kind of library card that allows people with no permanent address to access all of the city’s branches.

“We find an increasing number of people are coming to the library with their own devices-whether that’s a laptop or smartphone-but they don’t have access to the internet in most places, and they’re not able to afford to take it to a café and be able to do it, so our wireless use is really high,” says Davies. “I think that was something we found surprising because we assumed people may not have computers or devices.”

Greater Victoria Public Library also sees similar scenarios. Though library staff could never know what a patron’s circumstances are, core district coordinator Judy Moore says staff can often discern whether someone walking through the door may be without a permanent home.

“We have individuals who come into the public library who are there literally from the time our door’s opened at 9 a.m. to closing at 9 p.m.,” she says. “They bring with them sometimes their lunches, they move from area to area, reading newspapers and books and using computer technology, partaking in library programs.”

Moore says the downtown Victoria branch started seeing more homeless patrons around the 1980s, roughly around the same time when B.C.’s health care model moved away from institutionalization in favour of community-based care. As a result, the role of the public library began to evolve, she says.

“I think what has changed is that I think there is recognition in libraries that we are a part of a broader solution in terms of community support for people who are homeless,” she says.

For example, the library partners with the non-profit Ready To Rent BC, a housing literacy program aimed at educating people about their rights as renters, the rights of landlords, and how to find, budget for, secure, and maintain a rental home.

THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED

Though the library does not directly deliver the program, it helps Ready to Rent publicize events and offers space to host information sessions in acknowledgement of the crucial role housing plays in people’s lives. “For a person to become employed, to overcome their homelessness,” Moore says, “they really need to have good accommodation.”

“You are somebody who has value” Having the library be a gathering space for people from all walks of life isn’t without its challenges. Sometimes flare-ups occur, and staff are trained in de-escalation techniques to deal with it, Moore says. Beth Davies, with VPL, also says staff take courses in violence prevention and mental health.

At Britannia Library, Natalie Patel says there have been times when patrons are in crisis, and the library needs to call for help.

“There was a young girl in here one day who couldn’t get up,” she recalls. “She was totally catatonic and… we ended up calling an on-site worker who deals with mental health and addictions, and she came in and sat with her and tried to talk to her. And then we ended up calling 911 and this worker stayed with her and went with her to the hospital.”

Such occasions arise occasionally, but Patel says for the most part, what the young patrons seek is compassion, whether it’s in the form of a juice box or a granola bar, or simply a smile.

“I think a large part of what we do-besides providing a safe place for them to be, a place for them to rest their heads, a place for them to communicate with their families, to be entertained by the books, things like that-is just to acknowledge that they’re valuable people, and to know their names, to say ‘Hi, how are you doing?’, to make eye contact, to smile,” she says.

“In that way, [we] say you are somebody who has value, even if you don’t have a place to lay your head at night.”

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No. 282 | J u l y 1 7 t h - 30 t h , 2 0 1 4

9

WORLD

Surging Violence Against Women In Iraq ZAHRA RADWAN AND ZOE BLUMENFELD

S

www.street-papers.org IPS

hortly after their conquest of Mosul, young men armed with assault rifles went door to door in Iraq’s second-largest city, taking “women who are not owned” for jihad al-nikah, or sex jihad.

From Jun. 9-12, women’s rights activists documented 13 cases of women who were kidnapped and raped by militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or DAIISH, the Arabic shorthand for the group’s name.

Of the 13 women, four of them committed suicide because they couldn’t stand the shame. One woman’s brother committed suicide because he could not bear the fact that he was unable to protect his sister.

The dispatches from Mosul are just one account of the extreme violence that has plagued Iraq since Sunni ISIS militants seized control over large portions of the country. Being a woman in Iraq was difficult before the current conflict. But the current wave of militarisation threatens to make life even worse.

“Women are being taken in broad daylight,” said Yanar Mohammad, cofounder and president of the Organisation of Women’s Freedom in Iraq, a Global Fund for Women grantee partner. “Men have the weapons to do whatever they want and [ISIS’] way of dealing with things is to kill.”

Now military leaders are handing guns to young, untrained, undereducated, and unemployed Shia men.

These men are promised big salaries if they leave their homes to fight, according to an anonymous Global Fund ally in Baghdad.

“When we [women] commute to our office, walk in the street, or take the bus, we experience harassment,” added the Global Fund ally, who remains anonymous due to security concerns. “But now, all of the men have weapons. I think maybe he will kidnap or shoot me if I don’t do what he wants. They will shoot and do anything, and because of the fatwa [urging able-bodied Iraqis to take up arms against Sunni extremists] no one asks questions.’”

Sectarian violence slows women’s progress With a death toll of 1,000 and rising since the beginning of June, the sectarian conflict has forced most

Iraq’s latest surge in sectarian violence threatens to unleash a wave of new violence against women. Photo: U.S. Marine Corps photograph by Sgt. Jason W. Fudge.

women’s rights organisations to scale back their programmes.

The Organisation of Women’s Freedom in Iraq was in the middle of a campaign against Article 79 of the Jaafari Personal Status Law- a law which, among other women’s rights violations, would grant custody over any child two years or older to the father in divorce cases, lower the marriage age to nine for girls and 15 for boys, and even open the door for girls younger than nine to be married with a parent’s approval. Now it takes everything the organisation has just to keep their shelters open and women safe. “We cannot speak of women’s rights now unless we are speaking of the livelihood of those who are totally jeopardised, such as women who lost families and young girls who are vulnerable to corrupt officials or clerics,” said Yanar Mohammad. “We went from legal work and improving rights of women to working in a state of emergency and trying to find the lowest chain in society and get them to safety.”

The tangled web the U.S. wove Such extreme sectarian violence is a relatively new phenomenon in Iraq, reflects Yanar Mohammad, who is “sick and tired” of Western pundits on TV saying there is no hope for Iraq.

“The mainstream media trashing Iraqi people is unbearable and is a total manipulation of the facts of Amer-

ica’s role in dividing Iraqi people,” said Yanar Mohammad. “The political process that the U.S. government put in place is a total failure and they [the United States] just left. The damage is not on them, it’s on us now.”

The damage comes in the form of, among other things, a generation that didn’t have access to education.

“This generation listens to whatever the clerics and politicians say,” said Yanar Mohammad. “They are ready to throw themselves in the fire and they do it in the name of their Imam. … Both politicians and religious heads are pushing the country into a very sectarian divide and it’s frightening.”

Refugees flee to Kurdish region As the fighting intensifies in northern and western Iraq, over 300,000 people have already fled to the Kurdish region for safety, where the United Nations and relief organisations have set up a refugee camp in the arid region of Khazer.

“It is very hot and there is no water; we were not prepared for this influx of refugees,” says a Global Fund ally in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan.

“The situation is by no means sustainable. The majority has nowhere to go and is staying in parks. Entire families are left without the most basic of shelter, food, and clothes.”

While these waves of displace-

Berkeley Residents To Vote On Soda Tax

JENNIFER CHAUSSEE

www.street-papers.org / Reuters

A

California college town known for its liberal activism will vote in November on whether to place a pennyper-ounce tax on sugary beverages, touching off the latest obesity-fighting campaign in the United States.

Berkeley City Council voted unanimously to add the measure in the form of a referendum on the city’s ballot, drawing cheers of support from residents and health advocates, and

vows to fight from the U.S. food and beverage industry.

“When we pass this measure in November, Berkeley will be the first in the country where such a measure has been passed,” said Vicki Alexander, a co-chairwoman of a local campaign to put the measure on the ballot. “We are very excited to see that day happen.”

Public health advocates across the country have clamored for ways to reduce consumption of sugary drinks and junk food, but lawmakers and voters have generally opposed enacting taxes or other regulations.

Former New York City Mayor Mi-

chael Bloomberg’s plan to limit the sale of large sugary drinks was rejected on June 26 by the state’s highest court.

A California bill to require sugary soft drinks to carry labels warning of obesity, diabetes and tooth decay died in the California Legislature on June 17.

Two California cities, Richmond and El Monte, failed two years ago in their attempts to become the first in the country to impose taxes of a penny per ounce on businesses that sell sugary drinks.

Revenues from Berkeley’s tax, if

THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED

ment to Kurdistan include Shia, Sunni, and Christian families, the pressure on Iraqi Christians has been strongest due to the infamous brutality of ISIS. “Christian women in the areas controlled by ISIS are forced to wear hijab or face death,” said a Global Fund ally who lives in Baghdad. “They must pay a protection tax, or jizyah to ISIS to stay safe.”

If the violence is not seriously addressed, our ally in Erbil says Iraqi women know exactly what is going to happen next because they have endured it over and over again since the U.S. invasion in 2003, and during the first and second Gulf War. “We know what has happened to women in Iraq - a lot of murders and violations - and we have already suffered to an unbearable extent,” said the Global Fund ally in Erbil. “There is nothing they haven’t done to us, which is why panic spreads among women as soon as we hear of another crisis. Women are used as a weapon for retaliation.”

Zahra Radwan is the programme officer for Middle East & North Africa at Global Fund for Women and Zoe Blumenfeld is the communications manager at Global Fund for Women.

They are both guest columnists at Foreign Policy In Focus, where this article originally appeared.

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it passes, would go toward the city’s general fund.

“It’s disingenuous because there’s nothing in this measure that’s going to education. This goes right into the general account. It’s a money grab,” said Ted Mundorff, CEO of Landmark Theatres, which has movie theaters in Berkeley.

A Berkeley vending machine executive said her company would be forced to pass the tax on to consumers in order to stay in business.

A city survey of 500 likely voters showed majority support for the tax in April.

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10

Coalition Cliffnotes

LOCAL

J u l y 17 t h - 30 t h , 2014 | N o . 28 2

MICHELLE DILLINGHAM

Staff Writer

In order to change the world, you have to get your head together first.

— Jimi Hendrix

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orking to open hearts and minds about the complex problem - and solutions - to homelessness in Greater Cincinnati is a unique opportunity. That is why I am excited to have joined the team at the Homeless Coalition as the new Director of Education. At the Coalition we offer education programs

and service-learning opportunities,

WOULD YOU SAY...?

...IF IT MAKES YOU CRINGE TO SAY?

This neighborhood already has its fair

This neighborhood already has its fair

share of people on welfare.

share of Italians.

The homeless should be placed only

Jews should be placed only on arterial

on arterial roads.

This neighborhood is just not suitable for vulnerable mentally ill people.

Welfare recipients lower property values and drain public services.

Houses for people with disabilities must be separated by 245 feet.

We are placing a moratorium on housing for low-income people while we study the impact on the area.

We deserve to be warned before people with mental illness move onto our street.

We are a tolerant people. We have been happy to welcome people with mental illness into our neighborhood.

But enough is enough.

We don’t want mentally ill people, but

and so are always on the lookout for “best practices” in the field of education and advocacy. I recently came across something called “The Cringe Test” that I think you will enjoy. It is a simple tool to help raise awareness of discrimination. Check it out, and see if you cringe!

roads.

This neighborhood is just not suitable for vulnerable Asian people.

Senior citizens lower property values and drain public services.

“BREAKDOWN STEREOTYPES &

Houses for Catholics must be sepa-

ERADICATE MISINFORMATION”

rated by 245 feet.

We are placing a moratorium on

The Coalition for the Homeless provides Education

housing for Greeks while we study the

and Service Programs that help to portray a more

impact on the area.

We deserve to be warned before gays and lesbians move onto our street.

We are a tolerant people. We have been happy to welcome the Chinese into our neighborhood. But enough is enough.

We don’t want Muslims, but we’re willing to accept Protestants.

If mentally ill people are going to live

If black people are going to live here,

-A 12-foot wall around it -Bars on the windows

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

we’re willing to accept seniors.

here, then I want the building to have:

HOMELESS COALITION EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

then I want The building to have: -A 12-foot wall around it

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.

-Bars on the windows

-Frosted windows so they can’t look

-Frosted windows so they can’t look

out

out

-Windows that can’t open

-Windows that can’t open

-A curfew

-A curfew

To schedule a speaker during your event, contact Michelle Dillingham at (513) 421.7803 x14

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LOCAL

No. 282 | J u l y 1 7 t h - 30 t h , 2 0 1 4

I Met A Woman Experiencing Homelessness

T

MIMI DARIA

Contributing Writer

his evening my husband and grandson met me after work.

I hadn’t seen my grandson for a couple days and I was anxious to see his smiling face. They met me on Vine Street right outside of my office. Dominic, my grandson, is two years old and loves Fountain Square.

There was a live band and a couple food vendors so I knew he would have fun. What I didn’t know was that I going to meet a homeless woman.

The woman caught my eye because of her age and her appearance.

I was surprised that a woman so attractive, so young, and so articulate was holding a sign asking for a donation. So I stopped and asked her “Are you really homeless?” She looked me straight in the eye and replied, “Yes, Ma’am. I am.” I stared at her for a moment. I don’t know why but I did. Then I asked her how it came to be that she was homeless. I asked her where her family was. I asked her what she was going to do to change her situation. And she answered. “I committed check forgery. I served two years in prison. My case worker is waiting for my birth certificate so I can get an ID.” I kept staring at her and she didn’t waver. “I need an ID to get a job and to cash a paycheck.”

Now I feel a bit ashamed of myself but I kept pressing,” Where do you stay? Will you have housing by winter? How do you shower?” And lastly, “Are you afraid?” The following is what bothered me the most.

As we walked to the Square she told me of her incarceration. I was saddened when she told me “I knew this would happen. I was scared to death to leave prison.” WHAT?? How does this happen? How is it that one would not count the days until freedom? Are nights in prison not spent dreaming of proving oneself to their loved ones? How could freedom not be anticipated with joy and expectations of a new beautiful life? Well, I got my answers without asking them.

“I have no family. There was no place to go when I got out. I paid for my crime but few people will hire someone with a felony. The Drop Inn Center is scary. I live under a bridge.

At least I have shelter.” She told me uses the shower house on Main Street. Sometimes she waits for three hours to take a shower but she waits.

I was glad that homelessness hadn’t taken all of her dignity.

I thought about her all night. And I thought about my own loved ones who have suffered from homeless-

{Continued from page 3}

ing. Even if they, in all honesty, disagree, they are under an obligation to affirm the core teachings or else they cannot call themselves “Catholic” theologians. What else could one expect, no matter the organization?

Can the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. criticize the United States on a core issue and not get sacked? Can the presidential press secretary? Teachers in a Catholic school also have a responsibility not to publicly disagree with the important teachings of those who hired them.

There is another parallel about being a large family. Most families that I know are a little uncomfort-

closer portrayal would be that of a very large, often squabbling family, with the pope as the patriarch of the family. The word “pope” even comes from “papa,” or father. He is respected, and in a few central matters he probably gets his way, but not in everything. The wise patriarch knows that he mostly has to lead by example and not by edict after edict.

If you think a large family always obeys their patriarch (or matriarch) in everything then, well, you are not a member of a large family.

Catholic theologians have a responsibility to affirm Church teach-

11

ness. My grandmother was mentally ill. Her, my dad and my aunt were homeless off and on for years. My dad used to talk about it “Your grandma would walk up to strangers and ask them to feed her kids. Sometimes they would. Mostly they didn’t.” I haven’t talked to my own mother for years. I used to keep tabs on her. She too, is mentally ill. A few years ago I found her online. She had been arrested, again. It used to make me mad that she never got her life together.

As I have come to understand mental illness my anger has towards her has passed.

It is doubtful that I will ever see that young blonde haired woman again. And I have no idea if she was lying to me or not. I chose to believe her. If she is lying, that’s between her and her God. And if she is lying what difference does it make anyway? I think the bigger question is why in a city with so many abandoned buildings do we have people living under bridges and on the street? Why did I take an interest in this woman anyway? And sadly, why did she look me straight in the eye and thank me not for the money that my husband gave her but for taking the time to talk to her? Perhaps, it’s not just about shelter, food, and showers. In this day and age of debit cards people don’t carry cash very often but you never know what your words might mean to a homeless person. And it’s for damn sure; you never know what their words might mean to you.

-----------------------able about discussing their disagreements with non-family members.

Everything that Catholics are taught is out in the open – anyone can purchase the Catechism, and the teaching letters of the popes, often called encyclicals, are readily available. I myself don’t agree with everything that is taught or practiced. I am willing to discuss those matters with my friends, but not just anyone. I love the Catholic Church, regardless of any disagreements. I invite anyone who wants to learn more to pick up the Catechism and read at least the first few dozen pages.

------------------------

Member Agency Spotlight Southwestern Ohio Nurses Association 2330 Victory Parkway, Suite 303 | Cincinnati, Ohio 45206-2809 (513) 961-2981

Mission – “The mission of the Southwestern Ohio Nurses Association (SONA) is to advance professional nursing and quality health care in the district. This mission is accomplished by furthering SONA’s leadership and advocacy roles in the community through education, communication, collaborating and mentoring.”

Membership in SONA offers Registered Nurses opportunities for involvement in issues of interest to nursing and healthcare as well as discounts and other benefits.

THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED

NOW HIRING Check out these openings!

Visit their webpages for more info.

Caracole- www.caracole.org - Social Work Supervisor Center for Chemical Addictions Treatment www.CCATsober.org - Accepting ongoing applications Joseph Housewww.josephhouse.com -Chemical Dependency Counselor Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati- www.lascinti.org -Paralegal, Full-Time -Equal Justice Works/ AmeriCorps Attorney Fellowship Lighthouse Youth Services www.lys.org Case Manager, Social Worker or Counselor Residential Manager P.E./Health Teacher- Clinical Supervisor Chemical Dependency Therapist House Resources Specialist Wrap Around Services Individual Aides Youth Worker- Full Time/ Cincinnati Youth Worker-Part Time/ Cincinnati Development Director Position Service Coordinator Clinical Services Coordinator National Church Residencesnationalchurchresidences.org - Service Coordinator (Elderly Facility) - Regular Part-Time -Service Coordinator (Elderly Facility) – Regular Full-Time Vincent DePaul of Cincinnatiwww.svdpcincinnati.org - Store-Associates -Assistant Store Managers -NAMI of Hamilton Countyhttp://www.nami.org - Mutliple positions available Tender Mercieswww.tendermerciesinc.org - Resident Support Worker YWCA of Greater Cincinnatihttp://www.ywca.org -Workforce Development Educator -Grants Manager - Grant Outcome & Evaluation Specialist - Payroll & Grant Billing Specialist

12

STREET VOICE

J u l y 17 t h - 30 t h , 2014 | N o . 28 2

Deborah’s Recipe Box DEBORAH POINDEXTER

Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer

Summer Time Wonderful summer time! My favorite time of year. This summer I’m working with a youth day camp and having a blast. We’ve done some awesome activities. I’d like to share a few for you to do with your children!

Yolo Ice Cream Ingredients: 4 cup of ice cubes cup 1 cup milk 1/2 cup salt 2 tbsp. sugar 1/2 tbsp. vanilla extract 1 pint size ziplock bag 1 gallon size ziplock bag

Ingredients: 1 waffle cone 1 cup fruit cup 1/2 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt

Instructions: Combine milk, sugar, vanilla extract in pint size bag and seal tightly. Place the ice and salt in the gallon size bag.

Then put the pint size bag in it as well. Seal the large bag.

Now shake it all about for about 5 minutes. Feel the small bag to determine when it’s done. Take the smaller bag out of the larger bag. Add mix, grab a spoon and eat your ice cream right out of your bag. {Continued from page 7} patient navigation program: Breaking down barriers to ensure that all individuals with cancer receive timely diagnosis and treatment. Oncology Issues. P. 46.) There are 85 institutions in 33 states with 181 trained naviga-

Waffle to go

Instructions: Cut fruit into pieces. Fill a waffle cone with the fruit on top with yogurt or use the ice cream you make!

Both of these are great for trips to the park, or a picnic!

Enjoy!

Health system compares internation-

and use costly emergency rooms, ac-

Ramsey (6/2/14) What is the best way

ally. The Commonwealth Fund. P. 9.)

cording to the Institute of Medicine.”

to save babies? The Enquirer. P. A8.)

Each of these issues could be dramati-

(KNH Staff Writer (6/16/14). Many

Patient Navigators can make a major

cally assisted by Patient Navigators.

patients struggling to learn the for-

contribution just like Freeman’s pro-

Moreover, the introduction of the

eign language of health insurance.

Affordable Care Act has created op-

Kaiser Health News.) Patient Navi-

gram in Harlem in 1990.

portunities and challenges for poor

gators, in concert with health professionals, could raise the quality of deci-

tors. (Ibid.)

people and the population in general.

3. Patient Navigation and America’s Unequal Health Systems:

Some insurance choices have involved

sions made about insurance.

out of pocket expenses that are just too

4. Cincinnati Health Issues and Patient Navigation:

high for poor families and thus reduce participation in health choices. (Asso-

The American Health System has

ciated Press (1/4/2014). ObamaCare

ranked last compared to other coun-

forces poor cancer patients into debt.)

tries in providing equitable health

Or, patients are stuck with choices of

care. Patient Navigation approaches

poor quality hospitals and services,

face a daunting reality. According to

especially poor people. (The Daily

The Commonwealth Fund’s analysis:

Briefing (3/17/14). For rich and poor

“The U.S. ranks last on measures of

alike, post-surgery survival linked to

equity. Americans with below aver-

hospital quality: Patients are more

age incomes were more likely than

likely to die at hospitals that serve low

their counterparts in other countries

income communities.) Again, with

to report not visiting a physician when sick; not getting a recommended test, treatment, or follow up care; or not filling a prescription or skipping doses when needed because of costs.

On each of these indicators, one third or more of lower income adults in the U.S. said that they went without needed care because of costs in the past year.” (K. Davis, K. Stremikis, D. Squires, and C. Schoen (June 2014).

2014 Update: Mirror, mirror on the wall: How the performance of the U.S.

Patient Navigators there could be both better outcomes for the patient and improvements in hospital quality. Added to the issues about health choices is the complexity of new terms and the result of more expensive guesses based on confusion. “Patients who don’t grasp fundamental health

The absence of a Patient Navigation process in Cincinnati only increases what is a dire situation facing the poor. There is no question that health access dramatically affect life and death in our poorer neighborhoods. Recent data has shown that poor black neighborhoods have a 66.4 to 68.2 years of life expectancy while affluent neighborhoods have 83.2 to 87.8 years of life expectancy. Underlying this grim statistic is the reality that “(a)lmost 20 percent of African American adults in Cincinnati went without seeing a doctor because they couldn’t afford it...” (L. BernardKuhn (3/23/14) Effort seeks to close the gap in health care. The Enquirer.

P. A4.) 53 babies died in Cincinnati

5. A Personal Note: Cancer has entered my life from two directions, my wife and my brother. Each day I wonder what my life would be like if one of the hospitals and one of the doctors we are working with had connected us with a Patient Navigator. Like other cancer patients and support people, rich or poor, we are proceeding without our questions and concerns being responded to by a consistent, friendly, and cancer knowledgeable ally. Finding good doctors, nurses, oncologists, surgeons, and insurance staff has proceeded with too much uncertainty for my taste. I am sure that many support members of people with cancer feel the same way. A Patient Navigator is one giant step toward a caring system for rich and poor. I have a dream that one day any patient with cancer can be matched with a Patient Navigator to accompany him/her on their journey. Perhaps patients can come

and insurance concepts are less likely

and a poorly developed system “...of

to make smart decisions when and

programs for expectant mothers and

where to seek care, experts said. In

young children is not a reliable way

fact, people with low “health litera-

to reduce infant deaths or make sure

sician group will step forward?

cy”...are more likely to be hospitalized

that babies get off to good starts.” (K.

------------------------

THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED

together and start a program. Or, a hospital, insurance company, or phy-

13

STREET VOICE

No. 282 | J u l y 1 7 t h - 30 t h , 2 0 1 4

A SLAVE

BOEHNER SUES OBAMA FOR WORKING

A slave is anything that you can see and control

The latest Washington, D.C. drama

A slave is anything you allow your mind and body to behold

Is the law suit against Prez Obama.

A slave can be a man or women stuck playing video games

Speaker Boehner is out to have fun

A slave can be an addiction, alcoholism, or drugs! I believe they are all the same

Saying it’s illegal to get things done.

Bondage is something that without slave mentality you could make a difference

It drives the Speaker nearly berserk

Bondage without slave mentality you can see god has already delivered us

To see the Prez do the nation’s work.

Being in bondage with a slave mentality your soul just refuses to ignore

The Speaker claims he isn’t bluffing.

Being in bondage only the police and politicians talk on the floor

His model’s Congress doing nothing.

Being homeless is not always one’s fault so why ridicule or believe you’re better Being qualified to eradicate the issue not hurting people cause they matter

BILL WOODS

Contributing Writer

Being scared of what happens now being bonded by my life and a slave to my beliefs Having faith in god almighty and knowing that a plan has already been set for my life Being in bondage or as a slave with my mind i do not have any strife thank god

CRYING RAIN Looking out the window

WILLA DENISE JONES

Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer

The rain is falling hard, and fast There are intervals of thunder Slashing ever so often And then it suddenly stops Until the next thunder slash appears It lets you know that God is, near So take heed Listen to his might Because thunder and rain, Will, be coming KIM GREEN

Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer

THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED

14

PUZZLES

J u l y 17 t h - 30 t h , 2014 | N o . 28 2

CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 47 Across 1. Geological formation 5. Long-tailed parrot 10. Ring 14. Singing voice 15. Religious meal 16. Woodwind instrument 17. Stupefy 18. Heavy pin 19. Entrance 20. Decimal base 21. Fit and healthy 22. Located outside 23. Newspaper piece 25. Cover with liquid 27. Female person 28. Period of time 29. Encountered 32. No longer new 35. Disastrous defeat 36. Perceive sound 37. Water pipe 38. One of the senses 39. One time only 40. Remove from a position of office 41. Fiend 42. Cleanse 43. Argument in favor 44. Musical work 45. Armed conflict 46. Jinx 48. Jury decision 52. Gleam 54. Peruse 55. Spoil 56. Bread 57. Marine carnivore 59. Information 60. Not in favor 61. Out of fashion 62. Matured 63. Converge 64. Poplar tree 65. Additional

Down 1. You need dough to make it 2. Change 3. Unusual or dangerous feat 4. Male offspring 5. Hard rock 6. Nimble 7. Grotto 8. Simian 9. Moisture 10. Fake 11. Respite 12. Musical symbol 13. Cervid animal 21. Dull pain 22. Belonging to us 24. Small island 25. Tennis term 26. Expletive 28. Belonging to you 30. Apiece 31. Woody plant 32. Retail outlet 33. Journey 34. Companion 35. Rascal 36. Cache 38. Peaks 42. Lyric poet 44. Metal-bearing mineral 45. Undermine 47. Unsound 48. Rhyme 49. Adult insect after metamorphosis 50. Provide a service 51. Commercial exchange 52. Close violently 53. Sharpen 54. File 57. Health resort 58. Possesses 59. Water barrier

SODOKU PUZZLE NO 11- MEDIUM

PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 281 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 46

SODOKU PUZZLE NO 20- HARD

THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED

PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com

RESOURCES

No. 282 | J u l y 1 7 t h - 30 t h , 2 0 1 4

Shelter: Women and Children Central Access Point Bethany House

381-SAFE 557-2873

Grace Place Catholic Worker House

681-2365

Salvation Army

762-5660

YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter

872-9259

1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224

131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202

Shelter: Men

City Gospel Mission

Churches Active in Northside

591-2246

FreeStore/FoodBank

241-1064

Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center

271-5501

McMicken Dental Clinic 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti

352-6363

St. Vincent de Paul

562-8841

Mental Health Access Point Mercy Franciscan at St. John

558-8888 981-5800

NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach

351-3500 977-4489

4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202

4600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214

Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men Charlie’s 3/4 House

241-5525

2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202

St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941

Prospect House 921-1613

Mt. Airy Shelter

Starting Over

1419 Elm Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202

1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202

682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205

661-4620

Caracole (HIV/AIDS)

1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237

Drop Inn Center

217 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202

First Step Home

2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206

569-9500 761-1480

CMHA Excel Development OTR Community Housing

114 W. 14th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202

721-0643

721-4580 632-7149 381-1171

Tender Mercies 721-8666

27 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202

Tom Geiger House Volunteers of America Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907

Lord’s Pantry OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry

OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206

961-4555 381-1954

1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202

Joseph House (Veterans)

241-2965

1522 Republic Street, 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 641-4300

Advocacy

Catholic Social Action Community Action Agency Contact Center

421-3131 569-1840 381-4242

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

1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202

Health 621-5300 961-1983

Our Daily Bread 621-6364

St. Francis Soup Kitchen

961-4663

351-0422 381-6672

117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202

300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202

Food/Clothing

961-2256

AA Hotline CCAT

830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214

Center for Respite Care

621-1868

Cincinnati Health Network

961-0600

Crossroad Health Center

381-2247

Health Resource Center

357-4602

3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229

2825 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45219 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202

McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 352-6364

1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202

Other Resources

Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both

Interfaith Hospitality Network 471-1100 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave Cincinnati, OH 45220 961-4080

Housing:

784-1853

Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women

Shelter: Both Lighthouse on Highland (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave Cincinnati, OH 45219

15

535-2719

THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED

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 Talbert House United Way Women Helping Women Off The Streets

351-7921 631-1114 751-7747 211 977-5541 421-5211

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

Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry

863-3184 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276

Northern Kentucky Brighton Center

859-491-8303

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

799 Ann St. Newport, KY

205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011

16

J u l y 17 t h - 30 t h , 2014 | N o . 28 2

S

treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 50 cents per copy and sell it for a $1.50 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches.

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LEVY

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