O c t. 2 4 t h - N o v. 6 t h , 2 0 1 4 | Vo l . 1 8 I s s u e 2 2 ( N o . 2 8 9 )
advocating justice | Building community
Pet Smart Promise Keeps the Whole Family Together |3
This issue sponsored by Judge (Retired) Mark P. Painter
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
CAN WE KEEP THIRD PARTIES IN OHIO? | 4
CINCINNATI JOINS WORLDWIDE CALLING FOR BAN ON FRACKING | 7
PROJECT (RE)FACE PHOTO ESSAY | 8
GREENPEACE WARRIOR | 11
Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
streetvoice | 12
2
Housing NOW! JOSH SPRING
T
Executive Director
he face of homelessness drastically changed in the 1980’s. In addition to the history of single men suffering from mental illness and/ or addiction, homelessness now included families with children, people who lost their jobs and people who lost their housing due to the increasing unaffordability of housing. Not only did the face of it change, but exponentially more individuals and families were systematically thrust into homelessness. In the late 1980’s as the problem was only getting worse, Homeless Coalitions across the country united under one positive and direct message, in the form of a demand: Housing NOW! This meant that the government at all levels needed to fund the creation of affordable housing, mandate the creation of affordable housing and that the private sector also should create and maintain affordable housing. There were marches on Washington and actions across the country. Out of it, we got the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987. This Act, by no means was exhaustive nor has solved the systematic problem of homelessness. It, however was the first major response to homelessness and was a success against great odds. Today, across the country, in Cincinnati, Hamilton County and Northern Kentucky, the face of homelessness is again changing and growing. In 2014 family shelters in Hamilton County have been able to provide shelter to only 20% of the families with children that have sought it. This is despite the fact that the family shelters are working terribly hard to bring families in and assist families in exiting into sustainable living situations. But more and more,
LOCAL if a family is lucky enough to get into a shelter, finding affordable housing to exit homelessness is harder and harder. We now hear that street outreach teams, originally created to serve people sleeping outside with mental illness are now receiving calls every day from families with children sleeping outside. Our single adult shelters are either full or in many cases, over capacity. Droves of individuals and families are doubled up and bouncing from couch to couch to couch, some of which are not safe places to stay. Street homelessness is also growing.
The funding our community receives from the federal government to work on homelessness is already less than the need requires and is constantly at threat of being cut, not to mention other funding sources being cut. Our local city and county have no real local plan for how to invest in affordable housing. Yes, they may designate federal or state dollars to this, dollars that are meant for affordable housing to begin with, but there is no real, local plan to fund affordable housing with local funds. The private sector certainly is not carrying their responsibility. With profit as the only bottom line, the private sector does not value affordable housing. In addition to all of this, if you want to construct affordable housing in Cincinnati, and you are able to secure the funding, and even the land and even the zoning, it still takes at least 5 years to develop
Nice Guys Don’t Always Finish Last
N
TIA HALE
Contributing Writer
ew Foundations Transitional Living (NFTL ) is a program that manages residences that provide safe housing for individuals who have a history of substance abuse, and who are now trying to maintain their sobriety. These homes are efficiently run and provide structure to the men and women who live there. They are required to participate in the upkeep of the house, to obtain employment, and to participate in activities that strengthen their community, all within the first 30 days of moving in. NFTL has a no tolerance policy for
any illegal activity, first strike and you’re out. Rent is charged to all tenants at a reasonable rate so as to enable them to take care of their other financial responsibilities, which helps prepare them to live independently and be able to afford market rate housing. After effectively running NFTL for four years, seven months ago the City of Cincinnati started issuing violations right after Mr. Shively, the Director, purchased a home on Rutledge that would be a possible additional home for sober housing. Violations ranged from having bedbugs, zon-
the project because of community and politician opposition. All of this means that unless we make major systematic changes, we absolutely will never get ahead. Without major systematic changes more and more households will be thrust into homelessness, whether it be under bridges, in shelters, on couches or a mix thereof. A huge systematic crisis requires a huge systematic solution. So what can we do? How about we take a cue from the roots of our movement? Those who created shelters in the 1980s out of a desire to sustain life through this new phenomena of massive homelessness never believed the shelters would be needed in 2014. That group of people, which included some of you, did make large systematic change that started the ball rolling. Now more than ever, our public and private system is dropping the ball almost completely. When homelessness was changing and growing at a scary rate 30 years ago, we adopted the direct message of: Housing NOW! How about we once again raise this specific, positive call in our collective voice. How about we call for action, not only keeping what we have, but creating new affordable housing. Not housing in five years, not housing if the mayor gets on board, not housing if the corporations decide to drop us some crumbs, not housing if the invisible hand makes it happen, not housing if the wealthy think it is beneficial, not housing if people adequately prove their need, not housing if you meet all sorts of requirements, not housing if you can convince fearful people and overcome NIMBYism, but Housing NOW!
Oct.24th-NOv. 6th, 2014 | N O . 28 9
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
-Josh Spring, LSW Executive Director ing violations, occupancy maximums and lowering property values. The occupancy standards were corrected immediately. The other violations were unfounded and subsequently dropped. After this uphill battle with the city, NFTL finally got a break when their attorney successfully made the case that the city’s attempt at trying to shut down these sober living houses was in violation of Fair Housing laws. Needless to say the city is NOT always in the right, and some battles are worth the fight! A more in depth report on this story will be available in February, 2015 at the release of the 2014 Affordable Housing Study covered by the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition. ------------------------
THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED
Writers: Josh Spring, Tia Hale, Michael Earl Patton, Justin Jeffre, Bill Woods, Michelle Dillingham, Jason Haap, Robert Park, Ricardo Taylor, Willa Denise Jones, Kim Green, Jerry Davis Photography/Artwork: Michael Earl Patton, Sarah Mansell, Justin Jeffre, Steve Wuesthoff, Jon Hughes, Natalie Jenkins, Greenpeace, Aimee Willhotte, Bill Woods Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office.
3
LOCAL
NO. 289 | Oct.24th-NOv. 6th, 2014
To the Museum Center: More Openness, Please! MICHAEL EARL PATTON
Contributing Writer
The small yard signs are everywhere – “Yes on 8; Save Union Terminal.”
E
veryone loves Union Terminal, no one wants it to collapse. Union Terminal houses the Museum of Natural History and Science, the Cincinnati History Museum, the Children’s Museum, the Cincinnati History Library, an Omnimax theater, and (almost
incidentally) the local Amtrak Station. I am an engineer and I wanted to find out how dire the situation actually is. Somewhat to my surprise, so far I have not been able to find out. The available information all states that the money is necessary, but what specifically is the problem? Why all this talk about how $200 million or more is needed to “save” Union Terminal? I’ve gone to the websites, I’ve read the Hines Report from the county’s Tax Levy Review Committee, I’ve gone on the Saturday morning Issue 8 tour which is supposed to show what needs to be done, I’ve done public records requests for both the city and the county, I’ve gone to the temporary National Trust office by Fountain Square, and I’ve contacted the Museum Center. I’ve gotten a little more information, but not enough to be helpful. The Museum Center still says they will get back to me with more Inside Union Terminal. Photo: Michael Earl Patton.
Yes on 8 sign. Photo: Michael Earl Patton. information and I will report on it if they do, even after the election. If someone were to tell you that your house was in danger of collapse, wouldn’t you want to know exactly what the problem was before you signed the agreement with the contractor? Or would you just agree to have the contractor fix whatever is needed and not to bother you about the details? I agree that some things need to be done, but $200 million worth? The ballot language states that the money will be limited to “... acquiring, constructing, equipping, improving, maintaining, rehabilitating, and renovating Union Terminal ...” Well, that language implies that a significant portion of the money raised will be for more than just “saving” Union Terminal. The support for the 1⁄4 cent sales tax increase for 5 years seems widespread.
The League of Women Voters says that the tax is estimated to bring in $170 million during that time. Slightly over half of the tax is expected to come from people who live outside of Hamilton County but who make purchases here. Even so, the average cost is expected to be $23 per resident yearly, or $92 for a family of four. The Museum Center is not a government agency, and as such the Ohio Public Records Act does not apply. It is clear that the general public is very fond of the Museum Center, the Union Terminal building in which the museums are housed, and trusts the people running them. Nonetheless, I am making the suggestion that to maintain and justify that trust, the Museum Center should have provided more information up front. ------------------------
Pet Smart Promise Keeps the Whole Family Together JUSTIN JEFFRE
A
Streetvibes Editor
nyone that has ever had a pet knows that they become an important part of the family. When you lose a pet, you have lost a family member and it is painful. On October 9th Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cincinnati (IHNGC) opened a new kennel to prevent families experiencing homelessness from having to deal with that kind of loss. The kennel is the result of a partnership between Pet Smart and Family Promise. It’s one of 6 shelters of its kind across the country. Vice Mayor David Mann and State Representative Denise Driehaus were there in Walnut Hills on Nassau Street to cut the ribbon at IHN’s new Pet Smart Promise facility. The facility can hold up to 4 cats and 4 dogs at a time. “We have parents show up desperate with kids in tears saying please don’t make me give up my dog or my cat. My kid can’t handle that and the relief they have on their faces when you tell them that they can stay,” said Stacey Hall of IHN. Add-
ing, “And it gives a new sense of hope, a new purpose.” Families shouldn’t have to choose between losing a beloved pet and finding an emergency shelter for their children. IHN provides homeless families emergency shelter and hospitality through interfaith communities and works with these families to find and
{Continued on page 12}
Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cincinnati’s new kennel. Photo: Sarah Mansell Photography.
THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED
4
LOCAL
Oct.24th-NOv. 6th, 2014 | N O . 28 9
Can We Keep Third Parties in Ohio?
O
MICHAEL EARL PATTON
Contributing Writer
ne of my half-serious ideas for campaign reform is to have a box labeled “None of the Above” that a voter could check for each of the races on the ballot, even uncontested ones. If “None of the Above” wins, then that contest has to be held over. That is not possible now, but sometimes there are choices other than the two major parties. But only sometimes, and Ohio might soon replace “sometimes” with “very rarely.”
I recently spoke with Bob Fitrakis and Anita Rios about ballot access in Ohio, and reporting by the mainstream media. Bob and Anita are the Green Party candidates for Lieutenant-Governor and Governor, respectively. Different ballot access rules have historically applied to candidates from the two major parties -Republican and Democrat – than ones from the smaller parties. The biggest difference is the number of signatures required. Until recently, a candidate for a major party only had to get 1,000 valid signatures to get on the ballot for governor or other state-wide office. A
candidate for a minor party, which is one that had less than 5% of the vote for governor or president in the last election, may have had to get more than 50,000 signatures (the actual number varied according to the total number of votes cast for governor or president). Obtaining this many signatures is not an easy task; I’ve helped in several petition drives myself and it is often a tough slough. Bob Fitrakis has often been in court on this issue, which would help other Ohio parties such as the Libertarian, Constitutional, and Socialist parties. Due to several court victories, the minor parties had won equal access to the Ohio ballot and so there were several more choices available to the voters in 2008, 2010 and 2012. Then in 2013 a poll came out showing the Libertarian candidate for governor, Charlie Earl, with 6 % of the vote – more than any other 3rd party. And the Democrat and Republican candidates, Ed Fitzgerald and John Kasich, respectively, were tied at 41 % each. This meant that Earl could possibly draw enough votes away from Kasich to prevent him from winning. On the same day the poll came out, Republican State Senator Bill Seitz introduced SB 193, which would have prevented any party from being recognized by Ohio and labeled as such on the ballot unless their candidate for governor received at least 2 % of the vote in 2012. Problem is, this bill was made retroactive, that is, the deadline
Don’t Forget Those Ballot Issues
P
BILL WOODS
Contributing Writer
eople often get so caught up in individual races for office that they forget they will also be voting yes or no for tax levies and other local and state issues. These levies and issues are usually placed at the tail end of the ballot, and their complex legal wording is often confusing to voters. Despite these factors, these initiatives and renewals often determine whether needed services and programs receive funding. What are the issues to be decided by Cincinnati and Hamilton County voters this fall? Besides school levies including the Cincinnati Public School Renewal Levy, three Hamilton County tax issues will confront them. Cincinnati residents will decide one proposed City Charter Amendment.
No state issues made it to this fall’s ballot. Issue 6, the Family Services and Treatment levy will fund programs and services for people who suffer from alcohol and drug addiction. As alternatives to incarceration, these services seek to rehabilitate offenders who have gotten into trouble due to drugs, alcohol or mental illness. One of its goals is to reduce recidivism and to preserve limited jail space for serious offenders. Issue 6 also provides support to community based antidrug programs. As a renewal, it will not increase property taxes. Issue 7, the Health and Hospitalization levy, will continue funding for University and Children’s Hospi-
Dorsey Stebbins with sign. Photo: Justin Jeffre to get the 2% had already passed by the time the bill was introduced. This is, on its face, an ex post facto requirement, which is unconstitutional. It is not a coincidence that only the Republican and Democrat parties met the 2% requirement. This requirement was eventually overturned in federal court so all parties only had to get the same, lower, number of signatures and the 2% requirement was dropped for the 2014 election. But the decision came too late for most. The Green Party decided to try to qualify for the November ballot by having primary voters ask for the Green Party ballot and then writing in the names of Rios and Fitrakis. This is an alternate method of qualifying for the ballot that is almost never used. The required minimum number of voters did do so, but not without difficulty. According to Rios and Fitrakis, they heard of several precinct judges – mostly Democrat -- trying to prevent voters from obtaining a Green Party ballot. Indeed, that was my experience in precinct 4H where a precinct judge declared that since I had voted in the Republican Party primary in 2012, I could not now vote in the Green Party primary without going to the Board of Elections downtown and filling out a change of party registration form. That was untrue, which I verified after a phone call to the BOE. Even after I had obtained a Green Party ballot, the precinct judge said that they would remove it and be certain it wasn’t
counted. (I checked the results after the election and it was counted.) The Libertarian Party fared worse. Their candidates for governor and lieutenant governor obtained the required number of signatures, but were thrown off the ballot when it turned out that some of their petitioners had received payment for their efforts but the box acknowledging this had not been checked. According to Bob Fitrakis, the Libertarian Party was not the one who had paid them and they did not even know these collectors had been paid. Nonetheless, they were tossed off the ballot. This matter was still in court as of our discussion (September 27). Determined Libertarian Party voters may still be able to write in their names; however, writein candidates historically have an even steeper hill to climb due to the extra effort required by the voters. Coverage by the major media of 3rd party candidates has always been something of a chicken-or-egg problem. The major media won’t cover them, claiming that they don’t have widespread support or name recognition, yet this is virtually impossible to obtain without at least some major media coverage or millions to spend in advertising. And 3rd party candidates don’t generally have those millions unless one happens to be wealthy, such as Ross Perot. I asked Anita Rios about coverage, especially since the Democrat candidate for governor has
tals and certain health care programs to pay the costs of Hamilton County residents who cannot afford necessary care. Besides hospital care for the indigent, this levy includes on-site services for the homeless at shelters and agencies that serve the poor. One of the primary goals of the levy is the prevention of illnesses and diseases and the coordination of medical care for those without health insurance or the ability to pay for services. Once again passage of Issue 7 will not increase taxes. Issue 8, however, is a new initiative to pay for the renovation of the Museum Center. Instead of using the property tax, a sales tax would pay for the rehabilitation work at the Center over a five year period. Significant deterioration of this former train terminal makes this rehab-project necessary, and the Hamilton County Commissioners opted to raise the current sales and use tax by one-quarter of one percent to fund it.
Finally, issues 1 through 5 are school levies. The Cincinnati School Levy, Issue 1, is a renewal that will not increase property taxes. Monies from this renewal go into the General Budget to pay for teacher salaries and other essential costs including transportation for approximately 31,000 students. For further information about the other four school levies consult the League of Women Voters “Who and What of Elections Voter’s Guide.” Copies are available at Hamilton County Public Libraries or on-line at Vote411. Org. Only Cincinnati voters will be confronted by Issue 11. This proposed Amendment to the City Charter simply eliminates language from the Charter that is obsolete or no longer valid. Readers should remember these slogans. Don’t forget to vote! Anddon’t forget those ballot issues.
THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED
{Continued on page 10}
------------------------
NO. 289 | Oct.24th-NOv. 6th, 2014
COALITION CLIFFNOTES
LOCAL
In order to change the world, you have to get your head together first.— Jimi Hendrix
Letter to the Editor from Michelle Dillingham MICHELLE DILLINGHAM
M
Staff Writer
embers of Cincinnati City Council will soon cast their vote on Councilmember Winburn’s motion that passed out of the Budget and Finance Committee meeting on October 13th. This motion, along with a number of other ordinances, will determine how the city will spend federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds over the next 5 years. Winburn’s motion cuts over $1 million dollars of CDBG funds from various neighborhood blight and antipoverty programs, moving the funding to pay for the Mayor’s job training program called the “Hand Up Initiative”. Affordable housing and neighborhood advocates are calling on members of Cincinnati City Council to reconsider using CDGB funds for the Mayor’s job training program. They are asking council to instead reinvest and prioritize what these funds are meant for: community development, affordable housing, and to provide services for the most vulnerable people in our community. On Oct 14th, the day after the committee hearing, the front page of
the Cincinnati Enquirer announced the city had received an unexpected $18 million of additional dollars in tax revenues. In light of this news, advocates are calling on members of City Council to fund the Mayor’s initiative with these funds, so the elimination of the neighborhood programs can be avoided. There are at least three reasons why members of Cincinnati City Council should re-consider a “yes” vote for Winburn’s motion.
#1.
5
The first concern is the way in which the funding recommendation for the Hand Up Initiative was handled. Although there is great flexibility in how cities can direct federal block grant funding, the process by which community input is collected is rigidly prescribed by HUD (Housing and Urban Development). Diverting CDBG funding from community development neighborhood programs over to job training is not a priority of HUD (hence the 15% cap on spending CDGB in this way). It was also not an articulated priority from any of the inputs required by HUD. These inputs include; a) the series of “community conversations” and surveys, b) the
CDAB Board’s priority recommendations, c) public hearings, and d) priorities from the city’s needs assessment. Yet, at the last minute this initiative was inserted by the city administration at the behest of the Mayor. One need only watch the Oct 13th video to see the city administration has still not provided any clear explanation of what the funding will be used for.
#2) The second concern is more philosophical, and that is the underlying ideology typically held by conservatives that job training can solve problems of poverty. The truth is that the programs the Mayor has recommended for elimination are the few we have that are able to address systemic discrimination and inequality faced by our citizens. Some of these services include: • Legal representation for renters facing unjust evictions • Legal representation for homeowners facing foreclosure that helps them re-negotiate their mortgage terms with banks • Assistance to families with the Housing Choice Voucher to access neighborhoods of choice (which was put into place due to discrimination) • Rental assistance for individuals with significant disabilities • Assistance for citizens who cannot afford to fix a furnace, or who cannot afford to weatherize their homes • Assistance to veterans and other individuals with disabilities to help with accessibility such as ramps so they can remain in their homes. These are some of the programs that will be eliminated. Other cuts include neighborhood programs such as hazard abatement, code enforcement,
and lead testing. It would be remiss to not mention that CDGB funds could also be used to create more units of affordable housing-a need that is so great in our city that we are seeing homelessness worse than ever before. The average age of a person receiving emergency shelter last year in our city was nine years old. Nine. The raiding of CDGB funds for job training is similar to the platform recently forwarded by Paul Ryan. Ryan’s much-criticized “Poverty Plan” guts safety net programs, while investing in job training. Yet, the discussion of what will happen to citizens who cannot engage in work-related activities, or who cannot find job placements is notably absent in both Ryan’s and Cranley’s plan. In fact many of the over 60 citizens who testified at the Oct 13th public hearing asking city council to not cut neighborhood funding were retirees, advocates for veterans with disabilities, and families who are already working.
#3)
The third concern is that city council now has a surplus of $18 million dollars of unrestricted tax revenues to allocate. Council can use these new revenues to pay for the Mayor’s job training program, many times over. That way, we can continue to support neighborhoods with CDGB funding through our partnerships with organizations like People Working Cooperatively, Legal Aid, Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME), and others who all leverage more investment in Cincinnati with these limited federal resources. Cutting long-standing and effective neighborhood support programs in order to fund job training is no longer necessary given the $18 million surplus. We look to city council to do the right thing, vote “no” on Winburn’s motion. ------------------------
HOMELESS COALITION EDUCATION AND OUTREACH “BREAKDOWN STEREOTYPES & ERADICATE MISINFORMATION”
The Coalition for the Homeless provides Education and Service Programs that help to portray a more accurate and holistic picture of homelessness in Cincinnati. We believe an educated public can be a more compassionate public, willing to dedicate time and effort towards creating solutions to homelessness. The “Voice of the Homeless Speaker’s Bureau” program is made up of individuals currently experiencing homelessness or who have experienced homelessness, who share their experiences. The program is designed to put a face on homelessness and raise awareness about those struggling in our community. To schedule a speaker, contact Michelle Dillingham at (513) 421.7803 x14
THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED
6
LOCAL
Oct.24th-NOv. 6th, 2014 | N O . 28 9
Skirtz and Dutton Focus on Issues Raised by Josh Spring’s “A Justice Walk” in Otr BILL WOODS
Contributing Writer
P
art II of the Over-the-Rhine segment of the Community Issues Forum’s “Economic Inequality Series” took place on October 25th. Alice Skirtz, author of Econocide: Elimination of the Urban Poor, and Tom Dutton, Professor of Architecture at Miami University,
teamed up to further depict the forces exacerbating economic inequality in this inner city neighborhood. This session followed up Josh Spring’s September 11th “Justice Walk” (See StreetVibes, Sept. 25th). Once again, this Forum took place at Buddy’s Place, 1300 Vine Street, instead of at its usual home in Christ Church Cathedral. Skirtz and Dutton effectively meshed their presentations to portray how public policies and private sector developments have worked to gentrify Over-theRhine. At the same time the news media has created the image of a renewed neighborhood saved from its past horrors. Skirtz described some of the City’s policies aimed at decreasing the number of lowincome residents in OTR such as the Housing Impaction Ordinance of 2001. This ordinance said that no new publicly assisted housing could be built in Cincinnati neighborhoods with high percentages of lowPhoto: Jon Hughes/Photopresse
Netflix, Drugs and Productivity? JASON HAAP
W
Contributing Writer
orking in education is a stressful job, and it used to keep me up at night. I’d wake up at three in the morning, my thoughts racing about everything that needed to happen the next day. I’ve showed up at school at 5am on numerous occasions. This would put me in a vicious circle of sleeplessness: by waking up so early, I’d get sleepy even earlier. I can remember the days of passing out on the couch at 8pm, only to wake up at 3am and start all over. So I started taking melatonin to
help me sleep. That stuff worked, but it really had me feeling weird the next day. My thoughts would, for lack of a better description, feel heavy, and I’d be irritable. I finally got myself on a regimen of generic Benadryl. This still gave me a foggy-headed medicinehangover, but it was better than the melatonin, and at least I wouldn’t be waking up at 3am. My sleep pattern was more normal, but I felt drugged all the time. Eventually, I told my doctor about my insomnia. After a few attempts at various prescriptions that didn’t
The Black Holes of Liberia and Sierra Leone
O
ROBERT PARK
Contributing Writer
ne of many atrocities in India during the grand epoch of the British Empire (in the year 1756) consisted of rounding-up a large group of defenders of a captured British fort and cramming them like standing sardines into a single prison dungeon with two small windows and locking the
door. Only 23 of the 146 are alleged to have survived the night from the mass of suffocating, puking, defecating, writhing men crushed together, dying on their feet (cerebral and pulmonary edema, organ failure). One explanation for this calamity was that the British (and their Indian collaborators) had inflicted heavy losses on
Photo: Jon Hughes/Photopresse income residents. It is not surprising that no sister ordinance earmarked public housing for non-impacted neighborhoods. Dutton and Skirtz also provided a historical perspective. For a number of years, a strong people’s movement in Over-the-Rhine made strides in creating more safe, sanitary and affordable housing and establishing social services and centers such as the Peaslee Neighborhood Center. Although predominantly low-income residents lived in OTR, neighborhood leaders like buddy gray formed alliances with churches, social service agencies, and non-profit housing corporations in order to improve conditions in the 1980s and 1990s. When the City linked with the private sector to promote commercial development and upscale housing in OTR, this recent grassroots history was ignored. In fact, the portrait drawn by the City and developers was one of an unsafe, unsavory, and hapless neighborhood that needed a total remake to turn it around.
Skirtz and Dutton also discussed the need for neighborhood activists to change tactics from approaches used in the 1980s and 90s. buddy gray and others could often stop a negative City policy or program by organizing a large number of residents to attend a City Council meeting or Committee hearing. Today, the City has essentially privatized its efforts in Over-theRhine. City Government has funded and given development responsibility to 3CDC, Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation, a non-profit corporation supported by the corporate sector that has no real accountability to Cincinnati citizens or neighborhood residents. The redo of Washington Park, noted Dutton and Skirtz, offers ample evidence of how 3CDC ignored the suggestions of Over-theRhine residents.
work, he decided to stop treating me for insomnia, and instead to treat me for anxiety or stress. It was, after all, stress that kept me up at night. After a few more experiments, we settled on a low-dose anti-depressant as a strategy for curing anxiety. It worked. I sleep. I don’t feel stressed. But at a cost: productivity. I used to be an amazingly active and productive person - both at work and in my personal life. While my professional productivity seems unchanged, I now lack ambition once I clock out for the day. Rather than attending political meetings, or participating in some form of activism, I find myself watching Netflix, or playing with my phone. Is it the drugs, or is it because I’m approaching 40? Maybe it’s both. But I sit around a lot more
now, I’ve been gaining weight, and I think it’s because of these stupid pills, which I love taking because they help me sleep and make me significantly less stressed. Recent studies show that 70% of Americans take prescription drugs (Mayo Clinic). Children in America are three times more likely to take psychotropic drugs than their European counterparts (WebMD.com). It begs an important question: is there something about our culture that promotes the kind of stress, anxiety, and depression that leads doctors into prescribing these pills for so many people? I’m not sure. It’s not really something I want to stress over right now. I’m about to watch Netflix.
local forces opposing their occupation in defense of the East India Company. It became known as “the Black Hole of Calcutta.” Not to be outdone, during Obama’s occupation of Afghanistan, one of our willing partner/warlords did the same thing to Taliban and friends using as dungeons some of the ubiquitous metal shipping containers basking in the sun that bring war materials for freedom from America. Again, few survivors emerged. What we are seeing in Africa with Ebola could become the public health equivalent of the black hole, repeated on a much larger scale. As suggested sometimes in the media, the perfect
storm of colonial and post-colonial miss-development-induced poverty and absent medical infrastructure has created a thriving epidemic that may soon become unstoppable in some regions. At some point decisions will be made to triage geographic areas, with quarantine enforced by military means, typically supplied and abetted by US and other eager sources. The US Navy, Air Force and 82nd Airborne are already there in the frantic effort to get ahead of the epidemic. What if they can’t do it? The radical Islamists in Africa
THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED
[Editor’s note: buddy gray spelled his name without capitalizing the first letters so out of respect for his memory and work we use the same spelling.] ------------------------
------------------------
{Continued on page 7}
7
LOCAL
NO. 289 | Oct.24th-NOv. 6th, 2014
Cincinnati Joins Worldwide Day of Action Calling for Ban on Fracking
O
JUSTIN JEFFRE
Streetvibes Editor
the overpass of Ft. Washington Way. Participants took action by writing to or calling Governor Kasich’s office to ask that he reverse course on his fracking policy and stop the flood of fracking waste being dumped in Ohio. “Governor Kasich has done more for oil and gas interests than to protect Ohioans, and has allowed our state to be used as a regional dumping ground for their toxic, radioactive waste,” said Alison Auciello, Ohiobased organizer for Food & Water Watch. “The Governor should ban fracking waste dumping, not trying to cover up how radioactive it is,” Auciello continued. Chair of the local anti-fracking group, the SW Ohio No Frack Forum, Joanne Gerson said, “Not only is Cincinnati downstream from all of the drilling and fracking happening in our region, but the Ohio River – drinking water for millions – is at risk if barges of toxic, radioactive fracking waste are allowed on the river. That’s why we’re here today and why we’ve organized to build a movement against fracking.” Global Water Dances Cincinnati dancers and drummers performed a song. There was singing, drumming, chanting and dancing. After that the activists began to march with signs and banners. The march ended at the Fort Washington Way overpass. This event was one of more than 200 taking place around the world as part of the third annual Global Frackdown, a worldwide day of action against fracking and related oil and gas infrastructure, initiated by the Ban Fracking March. Photos: Justin Jeffre.
n October 11th over 60 people from and a coalition of four organizations gathered in Fountain Square, to oppose the inaction of the Kasich Administration to curtail the onslaught of fracking waste being disposed of in Ohio. The action, organized by the SW Ohio No Frack Forum, Food & Water Watch, Global Water Dances – Cincinnati and the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, is in response to Ohio’s significant increase in the amount of oil and gas waste injected underground, growing concern that radioactive wastes are not being handled properly in the state and the threat of fracking waste being barged on the Ohio River. The Global Frackdown Cincinnati featured brief speeches from local environmental and faith community leaders, a water-blessing with Global Water Dances – Cincinnati dancers and drummers and a march down to
BLACK HOLES
{Continued from page 6} have to be pretty excited about all this: foreign invaders enforcing Ebola black holes. Myths about Ebola already circulate. Worse, the fanatics might get creative: why bother with
suicide bombers when you can deploy suicide infectors? They can walk right through metal detectors; they can locally source weaponized infection (haz mat bags, shallow graves...). And not just for Africa... Many observers, even including
Ban Fracking March. Photos: Justin Jeffre. advocacy group Food & Water Watch. This global day of action came on the heels of a new report from Food & Water Watch, The Urgent Case for a Ban on Fracking, which offers a comprehensive and compelling scientific analysis of fracking’s inherent impacts on public health, the environment and global warming. In recent years, the term “fracking” has come to mean far more than just the specific process of extracting oil and natural gas by injecting large volumes of various mixes of water, sand and chemicals deep underground, at extreme pressure, to create fractures in targeted rock formations. According to the Food & Water Watch website: Today, the term “fracking” represents the host of problems that this dangerous practice entails. This report details evidence on the many reasons why fracking should be banned, including: • Producing massive volumes of toxic and radioactive waste. The disposal of this waste is causing earthquakes and putting drinking water resources at risk. • Pumping hazardous pollutants into the air. Fracking utilizes over 100 dangerous chemicals known to cause life-threatening illnesses, including cancer. • Destabilizing the climate. Fracking wells release large amounts of methane gas, which is known to trap 87 times more
some high-level corporate operatives, have admitted that there is no fundamental reason why Third World poverty could not be eliminated in our lifetime if the appropriate policies were followed, it just wouldn’t be very profitable (for them and their
THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED
heat than carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and contributes greatly to global warming. • Disrupting local communities. Fracking presents a broad number of consequences for people living in areas where it is occurring, including damage to public roads, declines in property value, increased crime and an increased demand on emergency services. • Turning homes into explosive hazards. Contaminating water wells with methane and other flammable gases from fracking puts families’ health, safety and property at high risk. • Causing thousands of accidents, leaks and spills. More than 7,500 accidents related to fracking occurred in 2013, negatively impacting water quality in rivers, streams and shallow aquifers. Food & Water Watch (www. foodandwaterwatch.org) works to ensure the food and water we consume is safe, accessible and sustainably produced. So we can all enjoy and trust in what we eat and drink, we help people take charge of where their food comes from, keep clean, affordable, public tap water flowing freely to our homes, protect the environmental quality of oceans, force government to do its job protecting citizens, and educate about the importance of keeping the global commons – our shared resources – under public control. -----------------------friends). The global distribution of income is getting worse. Bad policies have consequences. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Black_Hole_of_Calcutta ] ------------------------
8
PHOTO ESSAY
Oct.24th-NOv. 6th, 2014 | N O . 28 9
PROJECT (RE)FACE \\ A COUNTERLOOK AT HOMELESSNESS JUSTIN JEFFRE
Streetvibes Editor
E
arlier this month a young photographer named Natalie Jenkins came to the Homeless Coalition. She told me about an art project she had done. I went to see her exhibit at her friend’s home/gallery. There were IPods with every photo and you could listen to the individuals in the photos tell their stories.
Here’s how she describes her project:
This project began for me as a way to explore anti-stereotypes. I was inspired by an NPR broadcast that described how the only way stereotypes
can be eradicated is through relentless exposure to non-stereotypes. This gave birth to a brainstorming session in which I thought about ways of photographically presenting antistereotypes, like archetypes of a new social paradigm. I wanted to make possible a shift in our orientation towards perceived out-groups, transforming and complicating otherwise homogenous classifications of people. What I ran into was that I could not fabricate such archetypes. I had to find a way of bringing these antistereotypes to me. Such archetypes
Project (Re)Face exhibition opening. Photo: Justin Jeffre.
PORTRAITS BY: NATALIE JENKINS
Streetvibes Distributor James Brown is part of the exhibit. Photo: Justin Jeffre. exist in fantasy, but I was dealing with reality. I looked to the city for answers. If any group of people has been stereotyped to the point of dehumanization, its citizens dealing with homelessness. I invited Cincinnatians who have experienced homelessness, whether in the past or present, to share their story with me. Each person was invited to Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart for a free haircut, then an interview, and finally a portrait. I was intrigued by the idea of what homelessness “looks like” and was interested in subverting stereotypes. In some interviews the subjects describe what they perceive to be the homeless stereotype, and yet conversely, the complicated reality of experiencing homelessness firsthand. Their stories are a testament to the volatility of life and the precarious nature of stability. I left my own voice in some of these interviews, hoping to expose with transparency that I had to moderate and mediate each story, but also to reveal that the interview was an exchange, a conversation. At the end of the project,
RichaRd GReen
of course I was deeply humbled and amazed at the spectrum of experiences that each person shared with me, but I was surprised by something too. They seemed so... ordinary. With the knowledge of each of their oral histories, it was easy to contextualize life pathways and have an understanding, have empathy, with each person. It humanized them. This project is not a didactic or static installation, but hopefully something that creates movement and new dialogue between the homeless community and citizens who have never experienced homelessness. A conversation with the ordinary, rather than creating archetypal characters, fosters possibility in understanding and transformed community attitudes towards humanity and the idea of the Other. The exhibit goes until Oct. 31st.To see the exhibit contact either the Live-In Gallery owner, Molly Donnermeyer, at her email donnermeyer.molly@ gmail.com or 859-322-1777, or Natalie Jenkins at nataliejenkinsphoto@ gmail.com or 513-550-3740. ------------------------
Rudolph Mccollun
dionna FitzpatRick
THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED
eRic W. SiMpSon
NO. 289 | Oct.24th-NOv. 6th, 2014
9
PHOTO ESSAY
Royal n. MooRe iii
John GRace
GeRald thoMpSon alFRed WoolFolk
WilliaM h. GRiFFith ShaRika auxieR
allando BinGhaM
WalteR MadiSon WaShinGton JR.
Renato MaRti
JaMeS de’MaRio BRoWn
THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED
10
LOCAL
Oct.24th-NOv. 6th, 2014 | N O . 28 9
Cincinnati Mirrors Russia in its Persecution of Greenpeace Protesters JUSTIN JEFFRE
Streetvibes Editor
I
tuned into freespeechtv.org recently and came across a documentary called Black Ice about the Russian government’s reaction to the Greenpeace ship called the Arctic Sunrise protesting the first oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean when they seized peaceful protesters at gun point and detained them as “pirates”. They wanted to hold the peaceful protesters indefinitely. A political decision had been made and the Russian government wanted to teach Greenpeace or any NGO a lesson. The protesters were known as the Arctic 30. The charge of piracy carried a maximum 15 year sentence. Greenpeace rejected the charge saying it had no basis in international law. The ship was on the open sea and outside Russian territorial waters. In the Artic 30 case the public pressure and political pressure from around the world began to mount against the Russian government. Eventually the charges against them were dropped. Similarly Greenpeace’s more recent protest of Procter & Gamble was
THIRD PARTIES
{Continued from page 4} done almost no campaigning. I would have thought that a news outlet would at least report on the only other candidate for governor on the Ohio ballot. She replied that to date she had had only one interview, and that was with the Toledo Blade. She said they did a good story, too. The future of third parties in Ohio is unknown. If the correct legislation stands, the minimum requirement to stay a recognized party in Ohio goes up to 3% of the vote for governor. Apparently, to stay a recognized political party in Ohio you have to field a candidate for governor whether you want to or not. Otherwise, you have to re-
an event that gained national attention. Protesters entered the company’s headquarters, climbed out onto two balconies, repelled down the side of the building and unfurled their 60 foot banners. They were protesting P&G’S use of palm oil in products like Head & Shoulders, Olay skin care products and Gillette shaving cream. Greenpeace said their use of palm oil caused deforestation in a part of Indonesia that endangers Sumatran orangutans and tigers. Since the protest P&G has changed the way it procures its palm oil in order to prevent deforestation - which is a partial win for the protesters. The activists are being charged with property damage in two places: windows and cement floor tiles. However, Greenpeace maintains that the windows and tiles in areas that both the Prosecution and P&G agree the activists didn’t touch show the exact same “damage” as the ones the activists did walk past. T The protesters maintain that they didn’t do any damage to the locks during their peaceful protest. They got
into the building by setting up a meeting with another company that has offices in the building. However one of the protesters, Charles Long, pled guilty in order to avoid what potentially could be a very long prison sentence. If found guilty of the felony burglary and vandalism charges he – like the other protesters – could’ve faced up to nine and a half years in prison. Sadly one of the protesters, David Wilkinson, recently died at the age of 27. He was a U.S. Marine that served in both Afghanistan and Iraq. The cause of his death hasn’t been made public.
Locally a political decision has been made that Corporate America – particularly in Cincinnati and Hamilton County - is not to be messed with by Greenpeace or any other NGO. The prosecution is going after a very harsh sentence for a peaceful protest where no one was hurt. Free speech advocates are concerned that the harsh sentencing could be a blow to free speech and peaceful protests. The trial begins on October 27th. To join court support for the protesters contact Aaron Rocco at aaron.roco@gmail.com. Public pressure could have an impact.
submit new petitions signed by about 50,000 voters every 4 years. In my opinion this is an unnecessary hurdle for those who are not satisfied with the Democrat or Republican parties. Among other things, why should it be a requirement that a political party in Ohio run a candidate for governor? Why shouldn’t it be possible for a 3rd party to start in say, South-West Ohio, and concentrate on local elections, including those for the Ohio legislature? For the sake of this article, let’s call it the Local Party of South-West Ohio. The Local Party would concentrate on such things as public utilities, mass transit, local taxes, libraries, and schools. The Local Party would run candidates for the county commis-
sioners, auditors, treasurers, clerks of courts, school boards, municipal councils, mayors, and judges. “All politics is local,” as Tip O’Neill famously observed, although he was not the first to say it. While not exactly verboten, the law would require such a party to resubmit petitions every 4 years to be a recognized political party. Further, Ohio law pays for the primary elections for political parties. These primaries can also increase name recognition for candidates, such as the 2012 Republican race between Jean Schmidt and Brad Wenstrup for the 2nd Congressional district. Why should these be paid for by the taxpayer if the smaller parties are shut out? As for me, I am often dissatisfied
with my choices between the two major parties. Rather than sit at home, or just vote on the issues, I often choose among the other parties, if I can. As a last resort, I will write in the name of a write-in candidate. By the way, if you do choose to write in a name, ask for the list of possible write-in candidates from a precinct official. If you do a protest vote and just write in anyone’s name, it won’t be counted at all unless it is on the list. I learned that only after my first protest name write-in. Alas, it was wasted because it was never counted and no one knew of my protest (Jim Borgman, if you are reading this, you did once get my vote.
Photo: Greenpeace.
------------------------
------------------------
Member Agency Spotlight Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center 215 East 14th Street | Cincinnati, OH 45202 | (513) 579-8547
A coalition of faith-based organizations and individuals who work together to educate around justice issues, take collaborative action and do public witness. They address local, national and international concerns focusing on economic justice, women’s issues, human rights, racial equality, peace and the environment. Current program areas work in issue of peace and nonviolence, immigration, anti-death penalty. Organizational priorities include: Human Rights / Violence Prevention / Death Penalty; Women’s Concerns in Society and Church; Peace / Ecology; Racial Justice; and Economic Justice.
THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED
11
WORLD
NO. 289 | Oct.24th-NOv. 6th, 2014
DID YOU KNOW? Did You Know?
Did You Know?
Did You Know?
Did You Know?
Did You Know?
From 2005-2011 the number of children identified as experiencing homelessness in Cincinnati Public Schools abruptly rose by 42%, specifically the number of children identified as “doubled up” rose by 192%. This led to more than 9% of the average daily enrollment being defined as experiencing homelessness during the school year.
The average age of a person experiencing homelessness in Cincinnati is 9 years old.
In 1985, there were 5,520 units of Over 800,000 people are homeless affordable housing in Over-theon the street each night in America. Rhine. There are less than half today. Did You Know?
Although we live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, 1 out of 5 children in the U.S. lives in poverty.
The two main causes of homelessness are a lack of affordable housing and a lack of a living wage.
Did You Know?
Did You Know?
Between 1990 and 2010, there were over 1,184 documented hate crimes against people experiencing homelessness in the U.S.
In the early 1980’s the U.S. government determined that somewhere between 200,000 and 500,000 individuals were experiencing homelessness. In 1989 the affordable housing budget was reduced from $74 bullion to $19 billion. As a result of this, and other factors, in 2014 that number rose to 3.5 million.
Did You Know?
On an average night in Cincinnati over 1,300 people experience homelessness but there are only approximately 800 shelter beds.
Did You Know?
In the 1990’s there were approximately 1,300 units of affordable housing in downtown Cincinnati. Once the Anna Louise Inn is moved from downtown there will be less than 150 units available.
Did You Know?
Currently in the U.S. there is no state where the 40-hour minimum wage workweek is enough to afford a market-rate two-bedroom apartment.
Did You Know?
38% of people experiencing homelessness have less than a high school diploma. 34% have a High School diploma or equivalent. 28% have more than a High School education.
Did You Know?
Homeless youth struggle with having access to technology to complete their homework and are usually 2-3 years behind their peers in academics.
Greenpeace Warrior STEVEN MACKENZIE
www.street-papers.org The Big Issue UK
“We put ourselves between the harpoon and the whale in inflatable boats,” says Greenpeace’s Maite Mompó. She spoke to The Big Issue UK about being a deckhand on the Greenpeace vessel, Rainbow Warrior, and perilous attempts at sea in Antarctica to stop whales being harpooned.
T
he Rainbow Warrior is an icon. I have spent eight years on Greenpeace ships. People think it’s like being on holiday but it is our workplace. We have a timetable. We wake up at 7.30am, start work at 8am and finish at 5pm. Nowadays the Rainbow Warrior is in the Mediterranean Sea. In Spain it campaigned against oil drilling in the Balearic Islands.
We are a crew of 16 people.
We come from five continents so we communicate in English. I am a deckhand. It is my job to get rid of rust, then paint and repair whatever is broken. Often I have to be a nurse instead of a deckhand when people suffer from seasickness. It depends on the weather.
The ship is also our home.
When we finish work we have nowhere to go so your workmates become your family. In the evenings we watch a movie, we play board games
or cards - but never with money. Some go to their cabins to read or stay in the mess talking to each other and preparing campaigns.
Antarctica is so beautiful.
You see whales, seals, penguins in an amazing ocean environment and you also see the death of these incredible animals. You don’t know where the whalers are, so you guess. When you find them you try to stop them.
We put ourselves between the harpoon and the whale in inflatable boats.
There are people in the crow’s nest with binoculars looking for whales. They can see more than we can from the waves. Even if you’ve been protecting a whale for a long time, the whalers can go for one you haven’t seen yet.
You do your best to stop it.
Sometimes you succeed but other times you cannot. Then you are there,
A Dutch police boat passes the Greenpeace ship, the Rainbow Warrior, as it tries to prevent the Russian oil tanker Mikhail Ulyanov from entering the harbour of Rotterdam May 1, 2014. Photo: REUTERS/Michael Kooren 10 metres from the whale that has been harpooned. Often the animal is not killed at first so it tries to get free. It is really terrible - a very emotional experience.
Just before joining the Rainbow Warrior I took part in an action against a nuclear power station.
Now I am facing trial. Some 17 of us were given judicial notice, and we are facing longer than two years in prison.
I don’t think the world will be saved by Greenpeace.
The world can be saved by everybody moving in the same direction.
THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED
You can do many things in your daily life. I recycle, I use public transport, and if I see something I don’t agree with I protest. I don’t wait for Greenpeace or any other environmental or human rights organisation.
Individuals are powerful.
They tell us all the time we’re not but we are. The problems are so huge that people think they can do nothing to change it. Make the space around you a better place. If you and your neighbours do this you can change the world. Rainbow Warrior: Legendary Stories from Greenpeace Ships is out now ------------------------
12
Street Life: Huh? What?
RICARDO TAYLOR
Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer
T
he title as such is intended to be a double negative according to my understanding of the language. If my history serves me right one of our Presidents’, Nixon often used double negatives in his presentations. The double negative comes from reposition of like terms being joined in the same expression of conversation with the intent of easy message relying. The fact that huh and what are the same question should lead you to ask the same in return! Huh? What? Now if that doesn’t make a world of sense just follow along and we’ll get to what this essay is about. When this particular double negative is given it’s generally because the individual has no understanding of what is being asked or they are avoiding the question. The life of most of the people who live in the street is
PET SMART PROMISE
{Continued from page 3}
retain stable housing. Families typically stay with them for around 30 days before transitioning to more permanent housing. Their Emergency Shelter program currently mobilizes over 1,000 volun-
STREET VOICE
Oct.24th-NOv. 6th, 2014 | N O . 28 9
comes an opportunity and as bad as it may be needed the “Huh? What?” comes into play and you have every excuse in the world to not engage. Oh, I have this or that to do and can’t go now, but! And then the opportunity is gone and your response is of course ‘they never give me the chance!’ Or even more profound this story about my car breaking down two blocks from here and my Riccardo Taylor. Photo: Aimee Willhoite. children are stuck in the car and we can’t get home could based on this paradigm, Avoidance alyou spare a few dollars? The same old lows them to preclude what informastory day in, day out and not the least tion they hold as non-beneficial for is the loss of pride about telling the their own advancement thus giving lie! In fact the idea of “Huh? What?” them some advantage in the pursuit Comes into play when the answer is in which they are endeavoring, while negative! It makes you wonder, who knowing full well what is being asked should be asking the “Huh? What?” I or perhaps the meaning of said ques- used to think that they just don’t get it tioning. The idea is to forgo the re- and then it occurred to me that I am sponsibility for one’s actions in many the one who doesn’t get it! such cases. It is so easy to play dumb, ‘’How absurd for you to question if you will, as opposed to taking re- me when I am asking? “Giving you” sponsibility. that, oh so, sad story and you quesSo let us see how this works. Along tion it? The rule of the street game
is get whatever you can by whatever means necessary and you question me! “Huh? What?” Who’s doing the asking anyway? Too often, I find myself asking that very double negative after watching and listening to some of the things people say and or do. That sense of pride and integrity just doesn’t exist for some. I don’t mean to belittle anyone, yet, the easiest thing is to be forward and to feel good about oneself under any circumstance. Excusing one’s behavior just because of their circumstance is ludicrous, everyone has a responsibility to themselves as well as toward others. “The Huh? Whats?” have no place in civility and therefore should not be the question of response toward actions or statements of others when based on what can I get! Further those same questions have no cause to come from the lips of those who are in the act of asking! Being upfront and honest about your needs does not always get one what they may desire, yet, the respect and consideration from others can be rewarding! So you ask Huh? What?
“network.” The first Interfaith Hospitality Network began in 1986 in New Jersey. The Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cincinnati opened in 1991 and will celebrate its anniversary on October 26th. It is unique in that it endeavors to unite all religious
denominations (Protestant, Jewish, Catholic, etc.) in its efforts to assist homeless families. The IHN illustrates the diversity of Interfaith Hospitality Network with support from all three of these denominations.
teers at 90 congregations. Twentyseven “host” congregations (two per week) provide shelter sites and meals, and 63 “support” congregations work with the host congregations to provide volunteers, meals and supplies. This combination of a host and its supporting congregations is called a
For tickets please call (513) 381-2273 Purchase tickets online at www.cincyshakes.com
------------------------
------------------------
AD Donated by Mark and Sue Ann Painter
THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED
season sponsored by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation
13
STREET VOICE
NO. 289 | Oct.24th-NOv. 6th, 2014
THE UNDERSTANDING Understanding today about life and its meaning have come a very long way with me. I had to come into the understanding that there was nothing outside myself that could make my life better! I had to understand that I have a choice. To know that I was no longer incarcerated by my own being and no longer restricted by my own soul! I could either come into the realization that to live is right now because death is inevitable!! We as adults can never forget that growing up as children everything was external. As children we were nothing more than human sponges!! Therefore whatever the adults in our childhood fed us, we trustily ate. I believe that’s what they fed us became our internal instincts. Through my growing, school, jail, being homeless, I eventually came to the understanding of the meaning of choice. I had to understand that there is none other like me, only I could make the changes necessary to allow my uniqueness to shine. For I am unique! One of a kind! Understanding my uniqueness, understanding I have choices in this world only justified my decision to live and not die! These realizations seem to wake up my self-esteem and many positive aspects for me. I suddenly remembered that I did go to church, I remembered some of the best teachings of the bible whether it was about Moses or Mohammad. My understanding of life today is G.O.D. meaning Good Orderly Direction!!
THE E-MAIL CAMPAIGN MONEY GAME Too many e-mails pop up to read. Here’s another one from Harry Reid. He writes: “You must donate right away, Or the brothers Koch will win the day.” So - Nancy Pelosi may call me “Honey,” But all she really wants is my money. This whole process has me vexed. Do big donations rate a thank you-text?
BILL WOODS
Contributing Writer
WE ARE We are Blessed
I understand today that to live now is my only necessity, for why kill myself or commit suicide when death for all is a sure thing. It’s gonna happen! To live is a job and I take it on with great pride. Keep in mind that you are the most important one and to know your size, your height, your weight, hair color and so forth is what makes you. So my meaning is my understanding that:
We are Alive We are Happy We are Sad
I Am Unique
We are Good
I Am Blessed
We are Bad
I Am Living Until Death Do Me Part
We are Hopeful
WILLA DENISE JONES
We are Unsure
Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer
We are Thoughtful We are Ungrateful We are Loving We are Hateful We are Disgraceful We are Weak We are Strong We are Right We are Wrong We are Learning We are Growing We are Love We are Kind We are Human
KIM GREEN
Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer
ONE VOTE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE As Election Day is approaching I would like to emphasize that we have a very important election coming up. Over the summer up to Oct. 6th I was very active with the Contact Center registering people to vote at various locations. I personally enjoy talking to people and urging them to vote on November 4th. I myself registered 98 people to vote. So let’s get out and vote so that we can make a difference.
JERRY DAVIS
Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer
THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED
14
PUZZLES
Oct.24th-NOv. 6th, 2014 | N O . 28 9
CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 54 Across 1. Betting ratio 5. Craze 8. Musical notation 12. Monetary aid 14. Lyric poem 15. Creep 16. Shaving tool 17. Steal 18. Dam 19. Gemstone 21. Incognizant 23. Female sheep 24. Celestial body 25. Alcoholic beverage 28. Endure 30. Be cautious about 35. Droop 37. Counterfoil 39. Claw 40. Affirm 41. Type of duck 43. Short letter 44. Happen again 46. Annoy 47. Disastrous destiny 48. Respect 50. Aquatint 52. Cook on a hot surface 53. Domain 55. Unit of weight 57. Treachery 61. Supervisor 65. Assumed name 66. Prevarication 68. Promised solemnly 69. Hidden drawback 70. Metal-bearing mineral 71. Spooky 72. Hinge joint 73. Mesh 74. Metallic element
Down 1. Fiend 2. Unit of apothecary weight 3. Stupor 4. Breathe noisily while asleep 5. Cross a shallow river 6. Fuss 7. First appearance 8. Work party 9. Molten rock 10. Pitcher 11. Take flight 13. Dragnet 15. Red wine 20. Let for money 22. Apprehend 24. Considered in detail 25. Mindful 26. Exists 27. Choose by a vote 29. To begin moving 31. Baton 32. Remote in manner 33. Revolving mechanism 34. Foe 36. Genuine 38. Band with buckle 42. Right-hand page 45. Gusto 49. Insane 51. Herbivorous quadruped 54. Synthetic material 56. Stair post 57. Group of hunting animals 58. Panache 59. Customary practice 60. Vertical surface of a cliff 61. Pedal extremities 62. Additional 63. Song for solo voice 64. Requirement 67. Anger
SODOKU PUZZLE NO 18- MEDIUM
PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 288 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 53
SODOKU PUZZLE NO 17- MEDIUM
THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED
PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com
RESOURCES
NO. 289 | Oct.24th-NOv. 6th, 2014
Shelter: Women and Children
1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202
Central Access Point Bethany House
381-SAFE 557-2873
St. Francis Soup Kitchen Churches Active in Northside
535-2719 591-2246
Grace Place Catholic Worker House
681-2365
FreeStore/FoodBank
241-1064
Mercy Franciscan at St. John
981-5800
Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center
271-5501
Salvation Army
762-5660
YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter
872-9259
St. Vincent de Paul
562-8841
1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224
1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202
131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202
Shelter: Men
City Gospel Mission
1419 Elm Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202
Mt. Airy Shelter
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
Caracole (HIV/AIDS)
1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237
Drop Inn Center
217 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202
661-4620
682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205
Starting Over
CMHA Excel Development OTR Community Housing
114 W. 14th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202
569-9500 761-1480 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
961-4555 381-1954
300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202
Food/Clothing
Lord’s Pantry Mercy Franciscan at St. John
621-5300 981-5800
OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry
961-1983
Our Daily Bread
621-6364
1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202
OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206
961-2256
Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women
Interfaith Hospitality Network 471-1100 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave Cincinnati, OH 45220 961-4080
Housing:
784-1853
Prospect House 921-1613
Shelter: Both
Lighthouse on Highland (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave Cincinnati, OH 45219
4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202
St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202
15
First Step Home
2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206
961-4663
Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both AA Hotline CCAT
351-0422 381-6672
Joseph House (Veterans)
241-2965
830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202
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
117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202
Health
Center for Respite Care
621-1868
Cincinnati Health Network
961-0600
3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229
2825 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45219
THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED
Crossroad Health Center
5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202
381-2247
Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 352-6364 McMicken Dental Clinic 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti 352-6363 Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 Mercy Franciscan at St. John 981-5800 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202
NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach
Other Resources
351-3500 977-4489
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
Northern Kentucky
981-4200 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276
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
Oct.24th-NOv. 6th, 2014 | N O . 28 9
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.
ALMA SIMS SINCE 5/2014
ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003
ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012
BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997
BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008
CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003
CRAIG SMITH SINCE 5/2014
CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004
DEBORAH POINDEXTER SINCE 9/2012
DONALD YOUNG
ELMORE MORRIS SINCE 5/2014
GINA MARTIN
GRADY COOK SINCE 1997
GLENDA CANTRELL
GREGORY WILSON SINCE 1/2012
JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009
JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2003
JERRY DAVIS SINCE 5/2011
JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001
JONATHAN SLATER SINCE 5/2014
JOHN GAINES SINCE 12/2009
JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006
JOHNNY KERNS SINCE 9/2012
JOHN HORN
JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008
J’TORI TYMAN SINCE 5/2014
W. KENNETH BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009
KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008
KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011
KIM GREEN SINCE 1/2010
LARRY FILES SINCE 6/2012
LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007
LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009
LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005
LOTTIE MANNER
MARK SHEARS SINCE 12/2007
MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005
MAT HUFF SINCE 10/2010
MAURICE GOLSBY
MEACO WAITE
MICHAEL BEHYMER
RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009
QUEENACELESTINE
LEVY
RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008
RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 2001
RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009
SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006
TARA HILL SINCE 4/2014
TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007
TODD HANLEY SINCE 5/2014
TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005
VICTOR MUMPHRY
WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010
WILLIAM BURDINE SINCE 8/2009
WILLIAM SIMMS SINCE 4/2014
THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED