Streetvibes vol 18 issue 25

Dec.5th-18th,

2014

|

Vol.

18

Issue

25

(No.

292)

advocating justice | Building community

Peace in the Midst of Injustice is Not Loving | 2

This issue sponsored by (Retired) Judge Mark P. Painter

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

STREETCARS AND BUSSES: THE PROBLEM WITH NATIVE SEPARATE & UNEQUAL? | 3 AMERICAN ICONS | 3

3CDC: “INVESTING IN COMMUNITY, WE CAN DO BETTER!” | 9

CUC COMMENDS PRESIDENT FOR TAKING A BIG STEP | 9

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

streetvoice | 13

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Dec. 5-18, 2014 | N o . 292

Peace in the Midst of Injustice is Not Loving

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.

JOSH SPRING

F

Executive Director

erguson. This is a name that is sitting on the tips of most of our tongues as well as the names Michael Brown and Darren Wilson. Here in Cincinnati, Timothy Thomas and Stephen Roach come forth as well. Since August the media has been talking almost constantly about Ferguson, Brown and Wilson. Many of us have too. It is great that this horrible death and public outcry has been put in front of our faces. The question is: Where do we go from here?

Both frustratingly and sadly the answer to that question is probably quite predictable based on what has happened in the past. And here it is: There will be some more unrest in Ferguson and some other cities across the country. The press will continue to present what is happening from the same model they have been. The protest in other cities will fairly quickly simmer out.

The numbers of people protesting in Ferguson will lessen and lessen until those actions almost entirely simmer out as well. The press will report on this simmer and they will show recordings of police officials and elected officials saying people believe police-community relations have improved such that peace has returned. We will hear about the meetings between police, elected officials and community leaders.

We will hear about taskforces, committees, studies, speeches and easy procedural changes - none of which will amount to any real systematic change. And then the issue will become another historical story and a referenced example the next time the same thing happens. I know this is not what we want to read or think but there is a high probability that this is where it will go from here.

But, it does not have to go this way.

There is opportunity to move in a direction that would create real and needed systematic change. How do we do this?

We need to take what the majority of the press says and completely reinterpret it. The press, predominately has portrayed it this way post Darren Wilson shooting Michael Brown: People in Ferguson were saddened and impassioned. Different people took to the streets and chaos ensued. Large marches, the burning of buildings,

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

Photos: Ryan Ragle looting of businesses and general hysteria followed. The police took to the streets in large numbers to try to quell the chaos. The Ferguson Police may have been over-armed and too aggressive, but they were in a difficult situation trying to restore peace. As it became more violent, outside police came in, followed by National Guard and FBI in an attempt bring order and get the people to be peaceful and to save the city from destruction.

They use words like rioting, violence, erupt, chaotic, disorder, lack of confidence in police…. Then we have all the talk in the press of; did Michael Brown put his hands up or did he charge Darren Wilson, did Darren Wilson pull Michael Brown into the cruiser or did Michael Brown punch Wilson in the face, was proper police protocol followed or wasn’t it, had Michael Brown just robbed a convenience store, what kind of person was Michael Brown, and of course; Darren Wilson had recently received an award. There was some early mention of the fact that Ferguson is predominately made up of black people and nearly all police officers are white people as is the city government. And black folks get pulled over more often - so this created a disconnect between people and police. This information never really went much deeper and has become overshadowed by all the talk of violence. In the end, what Michael Brown and Darren Wilson did, does not matter all that much. The situation is far bigger than that. The question is, why did Michael Brown die and why does this happen on a regular basis?

Let’s start by saying that some of the ways the press has portrayed all of this is at best very ignorant, shortsighted and that the ways the press has portrayed nearly all of this has been misleading, from an individual perspective instead of systematic, harmful, exploitive, biased toward the system, and based in sensationalism for high ratings. The press has portrayed the police as controlled, ordered groups working to keep the community safe, to restore peace and the people as disordered, angry, chaotic and acting with no regard for their community; their rage is just overflowing. Essentially the people are acting like animals and the police are the protective, intelligent force.

The press should be ashamed, but they are not.

So let’s set some things straight.

Let’s use the example of actions after Darren Wilson was not indicted.

Undoubtedly activists, social workers, pastors, community leaders and people in general were meeting and planning strategies with specific goals in mind. They knew where they were going to gather, where they were going to march, what streets they were going to shut down. There was also planning and strategy for which buildings and what cars would be set aflame. Demands were created.

Committees of people are active and reporting to larger groups on the next actions that were proposed.

They created boundaries around not hurting people and when it is worth getting arrested and when it is not.

Now of course the press likes to

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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, Michael Earl Patton, Jason Haap, Michelle Dillingham, Bill Woods, Andrea Koverman, Griffin Ritz, Myra Calder, Justin Jeffre, Robert Park, Mimi Dariah, Steve Sunderland, Willa Denise Jones, Kim Green, Julie Photography/Artwork: Ryan Ragle, Jason Haap, Alice Schneider, Justin Jeffre, Griffin Ritze, Mike Brown.

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. 292 | Dec. 5-18, 2014

Separate and Unequal?

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MICHAEL EARL PATTON

Contributing Writer

ill the streetcar and bus systems be run as separate systems, or will they be considered two parts of a single system? Cincinnati City Council recently approved a draft of the streetcar operating plan which leaves that decision up to SORTA, the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (see Ordinance 03282014). So someone with a monthly bus pass may still have to pay extra to ride the streetcar. Why should that be? Isn’t one of the goals to have people actually use the streetcar? And the fee for the streetcar is still not set – recent talk was just $1 for 2 hours, which is far less than what a similar bus trip would cost.

Here’s what the operating plan states: “If SORTA utilizes joint bus/ streetcar fare practices that result in combined streetcar and bus transit trips on the same fare, …” (par.

3.2.B.1. of the operating plan attached to the ordinance). That’s “If SORTA utilizes …,” not “SORTA shall use joint bus/streetcar fare practices …” And in par. 3.2.B.3. it states “SORTA shall integrate Cincinnati Streetcar fare collection into the existing SORTA transit collection system to the extent that SORTA deems feasible [emphasis added]. Of course, no one really thinks that the decision will be solely up to the SORTA board members with no interference from the politicians who appointed and confirmed them.

A further complication is that the streetcar comes from the 4 doors on each side, meaning that it will be

impossible for the driver to check the fares for people boarding.

Instead, as the operating plan makes clear, there will be fare inspectors checking for “proof of payment” (see par. 2.3 of the Operating Plan). I have seen this done in Germany on both urban rail (the “S-Bahn”) and streetcars. Most of the time there would not be any checking. But every now and then, the inspectors would board with the passengers at a stop. They wore ordinary clothes so they didn’t stand out. Then, once the car was underway, they announced that the passengers had to show their tickets. Everyone in the car was checked. If someone did not have a ticket, the fare jumper was taken off at the next stop.

However, that doesn’t mean that Cincinnati would do it that way.

With such a large streetcar and such short distances between stops, there wouldn’t be time to check many people. So that means either a lot of inspectors or not everyone would be checked. Lots of inspectors mean lots of expense, which may tempt SORTA to do just spot checking. If not everyone is checked, whom will the inspectors check first? Will the inspectors do some kind of profiling?

I would hope not, as this opens up the potential for a lot of abuse. If there is no indication that someone has jumped the fare, then why did the inspectors pick him or her? Clothing?

Backpack? Age? Appearance? Mood?

Tattoo? Apparent wealth? Even if race isn’t used, all of these other

possible factors are possible legal or public relation landmines. And the inspections should periodically have to cover all stops and all times. No one should get a free pass. Unfortunately, the operating plan leaves all this open.

The inspectors would be deputized so that they could write citations. The City of Cincinnati Police will provide law enforcement support. How much will the fine be? Will it be enough to discourage freeloaders, or will it be so low that fare jumping will become almost a game? The Operating Plan doesn’t say. Also left unsaid is what would happen if the person had no identification. Would they then be arrested and taken to jail?

The draft operating plan does at least specify that customer service and information for the streetcar will be integrated with SORTA’s existing functions (par. 2.9). That’s nice. But the streetcar stops will have schedule information such as when the next streetcar is due (see the asset matrix in Exhibit E of the Operating Plan).

There has been plenty of publicity about the route, and it is likely that a route map will be at each stop. Why doesn’t SORTA do this for the busses, too? I am an occasional bus rider.

I have often been frustrated at not having an up-to-date route map on me, or even not knowing if my route map is the latest! If having an upto-date schedule at every bus stop is asking too much, how about some brief information as to how often the busses run and when are the first and last busses? Here would be a sample: Bus Number XX First bus at 6:35 a.m. MondayFriday; 6:40 a.m. Saturdays; 6:46 p.m. Sundays & Holidays Last bus at 9:28 p.m. MondayFriday; 9:15 p.m. Saturdays; 9:21 p.m. Sundays & Holidays Busses run approximately every 2030 minutes during rush hour and every 60-80 minutes at all other times.

City Council had a chance to demand that the streetcar system would be fully integrated with the bus system, but it didn’t. All riders of public transportation should be treated equally to the extent possible.

I don’t want two systems – one for busses and one for the streetcar – separate and unequal.

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The Problem with Native American Iconography

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JASON HAAP

Contributing Writer

very couple years, the “Big Indian” sign at MotorTime Auto Sales in Carthage makes the news – and Cincinnati is collectively challenged to consider whether the sign is racist. But there is a questionable representation on another Cincinnati icon, and it seems everyone has overlooked it entirely: the strange picture of an American Indian profile in a full headdress along the sides of the popular train ride attraction at the Cincinnati Zoo. Typically, issues like this are reduced to a predictable ideological debate about so-called “political correctness.” One side claims offense, and the other says people are too sensitive. This kind of bickering, however, simplifies the more complex issue of cultural representation.

The zoo train’s American Indian head appears along with a year – “1863.” What does this mean? What is the train commemorating with such iconography? Representatives from the zoo failed to respond to multiple inquiries on this matter.

Dr. Tereza Szeghi, Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature and Social Justice at the University of Dayton (with a specialization in American Indian Literature), says one problem with this kind of iconography is a lack of context.

“Common problems with images of American Indians in popular U.S. culture include a lack of context and awareness on the part of the mainstream audience that consumes these images, and a lack of representation of American Indian perspectives in our communities and our media,” she explained. “The result can be that American Indians are used as symbols and even made into caricatures, as with sports teams’ mascots and the ‘Big Indian’ sign. Rather than being understood as real people with the same sort of complexity and variation as any other group, American Indians often are represented as homogenous and stereotypically.”

“There is a lack of accountability to American Indians that often stems from the misperception that American Indians all were wiped out

Native American Iconography. Photo: Jason Haap. with the Indian wars of the late 19th century,” Szeghi continued, “when in fact there are over 6 million American Indians in the U.S. today.”

The train is not the only bit of local history linking American Indians and the Cincinnati Zoo. According to a recent story at WVXU (“How Indians Came To Live At The Cincinnati Zoo,” November 21), Cree and Sicangu Sioux worked and lived at the zoo in the summer of 1895. WVXU interviewed zoo director Thane Maynard, who said “They were not at all an exhibit, like you would imagine zoo animals on exhibit. It was a cultural exhibit as much as we might bring drummers from a far away place to show culture.”

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According to an article entitled “Mutual Infatuation: Rosebud Sioux and Cincinnatians,” published in Queen City Heritage in 1994, author Susan Labry Meyn wrote: “The Cree village was not the only ethnological attraction Cincinnatians saw at the zoo. The 1895 program included an Oriental village with Arabian, Kurdish, Armenian, and Egyptian families camping in their ethnically diverse tents. In his report of January 1, 1897, John Goetz, Jr., President of the Zoological Society, boasted that the extra attractions in 1895 increased receipts by more than $25,000. This unprecedented success led to future ethnological exhibitions.”

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No. 292 | Dec. 5-18, 2014

COALITION CLIFFNOTES

LOCAL

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

Inclusion? Diversity?

Here’s your chance.

Revising the Cincinnati Land Development Code MICHELLE DILLINGHAM

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Staff Writer

ur city’s zoning code, otherwise known as the “Cincinnati Land Development Code” is being changed.

This code sets the rules for zoning, landscaping, signage and parking, and overlay districts. The Department of Planning and Buildings published a draft of the new code, and the public was offered the opportunity to give feedback by Aug. 1st, 2014. The local advocacy group “Affordable Housing Advocates” (AHA) offered feedback on the first draft. Then, a second draft was published that reportedly “included feedback” they had received on the first draft. Unfortunately, it appears none of the recommendations offered by AHA were included.

Now the public has until January 30th to again offer feedback. After January 30th the city will publish a final draft. In the end, both the City Planning Commission and City Council will hold public hearings to discuss the proposed plan, followed by their final approval.

Revising our land use code provides our city with an incredible opportunity through policy, to set out a vision for the future of our city. AHA made some important recommendations that could have a real impact on diversifying our city. The first recommendation by AHA was, “Inclusionary zoning policies should be part of the plan. Cincinnati must promote inclusion and

diversity to succeed in the 21st Century.”

The basic definition of Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) is “A land use technique for developing diverse mixedincome communities by requiring each new residential development make a percentage of the new units affordable to targeted incomes (inclusionaryzoning.com).”

As many give lip service to the value of “diversity” and the need for “healing race relations in Cincinnati”, most would agree any real attempt at change is painfully absent. And in this case, land use policy is no exception. One of the drivers of segregation is the housing market; the lack of affordable housing only amplifies our segregation, in a city already divided by race and income. Heck we couldn’t even get anyone on City Council to sign onto a motion that would have required just a few blocks include a small percentage of affordability in the preferred developer agreement in Over the Rhine (?!).

Cincinnati advocates for affordable housing are left to read longingly about successful campaigns for inclusionary zoning in faraway places like Washington DC and New York. Political leaders in those cities agreed that inclusionary zoning was an important tool to help protect affordability and address gentrification’s negative effects. From the article, “Winning

AN EARLY COALITION COLLABORATION IN 1986

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BILL WOODS

Contributing Writer

he Homeless Coalition celebrates its 30th anniversary this December. In looking back three decades, I realized that Applied Information Resources worked with and for the Coalition almost from its very beginning. This article constitutes a brief review of that long and fruitful relationship.

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As a non-profit organization dedicated to providing information and conducting research on local issues, AIR was already working for Christ Church Cathedral to organize Thursday Community Issues Forums in the early 1980s. Homelessness was on the rise in Cincinnati and other cities by the middle of that decade, and

Campaign: Housing advocates in Washington, D.C., marshaled four strategies for achieving inclusionary-zoning policies designed to protect affordability in a rapidly gentrifying city.

Radhika Fox (2007): “Inclusionary zoning can become a central component of a community’s affordable-housing toolbox, because it can help meet multiple housing goals, including: o Fostering communities that are racially and economically mixed; o Ensuring housing for a diverse labor force; o Expanding housing opportunities for residents living in high-poverty neighborhoods-or residents historically excluded from affluent neighborhoods.”

And before the free market folks get indignant, yes, there are ways to devise these policies so developers can still make a profit (on top of the usual abatements many get any way).

Meanwhile back at the ranch in Cincinnati we are presented with a code heading for approval in 2015 that is dominated by exclusionary zoning which simply means: “the utilization of zoning ordinances to exclude certain types of people from a given community (wikipedia).”

On this issue, I will quote AHA’s letter at length, as I believe it is a critical feature in the new code: “Classifications based on personal characteristics of residents. It is disappointing that the code continues the old policy of limiting who can live where based on personal characteristics. The code restricts who can live together in all the various types of districts. For example, the code continues the unnecessary policy of favoring persons living together who are related by marriage or biological relationship. Other examples of this problem are: Different rules based on age of residents, such as rules that give more options to a person over 60. In other sections people over 60 are disfavored per Alice Skirtz, then Director of the Salvation Army Shelter and the chair of Christ Church’s Outreach Committee, helped lead some Forums to inform people about this growing tragedy in our midst. Leaders like buddy gray of the Drop-Inn Center were calling on the social service sector and City Government to take action to help the men, women, and children who were becoming homeless in greater and greater numbers.

In fact, it was buddy gray’s portrayal of homelessness that convinced the City that it needed to at least find out how big the problem was. Early in 1986, the Department of Neigh-

the code. Different treatment if residents have religious affiliations, such as religious orders. Different limits based on health or need for supportive service of residents. Foster children are disfavored. Local codes can and do set limits on the number of people who can reside in a residence based on the size of the space. Such rules prevent overcrowding and protect the health of the residents. The relationships, age or disability of residents should not be regulated.”

Plain and simple, we should not be making rules about who can and cannot live somewhere based on what type of person they are. The code should be about buildings, not people.

AHA’s last concerns could take up a whole other article (and probably will). They recommend the code should facilitate reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities, and to reconsider the idea that the City would now require a person requesting a reasonable accommodation under zoning to go through the formal zoning variance procedure.

Instead they recommend a simpler administrative procedure… yes please (?!).

The traditional solutions for creating affordability in housing has all but disappeared. Cities increasingly have to turn to market solutions that include affordability to house the working class and the very low income. This land use code presents us with an opportunity to build in policy to ensure Cincinnati can respond to the affordable housing crisis that is only getting worse, not better. Can we overcome the usual fodder of zoning battles (not in my backyard!) by setting better land use policy? Must we continue our legacy of exclusionary zoning?

If you are interested in making comment on the draft, you can find the draft on the City of Cincinnati website at http://www.cincinnati-oh. gov/planning/zoning/view-the-draftland-development-code/ and the deadline for comment is Jan. 30th, 2014.

-----------------------borhood Housing and Conservation asked AIR, Inc. whether it would undertake a study that would find out how many people were homeless in Cincinnati, and who these people were. Skeptical of gray’s numbers, the Department initially requested that AIR conduct its research without input from gray or other shelter administrators and homeless advocates.

Realizing that we were not homeless experts and that no credible study could be completed without assistance from the shelters and others in the trenches, Ed Burdell and I reject-

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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

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Economic Inequality of Women in the Workforce ANDREA KOVERMAN

Contributing Writer

A

s a volunteer at the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center, I have been attending the Economic Inequality Series at the Community Forums hosted by Christ Church Cathedral and AIR, Inc. November 20th was the last presentation of the series, and it examined issues confronting women in the work force. We heard the statistics that support what most people already know is true-that working women are at a major economic disadvantage.

Two thirds of children living in poverty live in single-mother homes. If we are to help people rise out of poverty in this city, this is a target group that should get significant attention.

While it is true that there are more job opportunities for women than there used to be, they are mostly low-wage positions. As Vanessa Freytag of The Women’s Fund of Greater Cincinnati Foundation quoted, “You’ve come a long way baby, now there are lots of crappy jobs out there for you!” Add the high cost of childcare, lack of transportation, and scarce job-training programs, and it’s easy to see what a challenge women are facing.

Pat Youngblood, Lead Organizer for the Caregiver Circle Project, shared information about another issue impacting the financial stability of women. Many women lose out on earning the job credits they need for social security benefits at the time of

retirement because they are primary caregivers. It often falls to the females in a family to provide in-home care for ill or aging relatives, requiring them to take time off from working to do so.

As long as I can remember, I’ve heard about the demise of the American family. People who choose to care for their loved ones at home rather

than having them committed to institutional settings should have our full and financial support. Instead, they find that they must put their own financial security in jeopardy to do so and just hope they can make up for it somewhere down the line.

AN EARLY COALITION

very important, because this report would be the first formal examination of the new homelessness that had emerged and expanded during the 1980s. The Coalition Committee with AIR devised an approach that included a month long survey of clients staying at the nineteen shelters in Greater Cincinnati, a series of interviews with shelter staff and other key informants, and several methods of assessing the number of homeless men, women, and children.

The report, “Homelessness in Cincinnati,” was released in January, 1987. It convincingly depicted that traditional homeless men and women with mental, alcohol, and drug problems had been joined by families with children and single men and women who became homeless due to unemployment, a lack of economic resources, and a lack of available affordable housing.

Many Cincinnatians were shocked to learn that the March shelter survey revealed 320 children were homeless during that month. Besides the children, 358 women and 1,128 men added up to 1,806 people counted at the shelters during the 31 day period.

Further data and calculations led the researchers to estimate between 9,526

and 11,454 people experienced homelessness in a year.

Although alcohol and drug related problems still ranked second as a reason for homelessness among single men, economic related issues stood out as the number one factor that brought on homelessness for all groups. The inability to find or pay for affordable housing far outweighed other factors for single women with children. The report cited the drying up of factory jobs, the drastic reduction in government funding for housing, and the changing family structure as major causes for the local and national growth of homelessness.

Besides presenting credible data about homelessness in Greater Cincinnati, the Coalition and AIR sought to rally the public to advocate for short and long term policies and programs to address and eventually eliminate it. Although this first local study did arouse many concerned citizens and helped convince a number of government agencies and social services that the plight of the homeless could not be ignored, the long term causes that bring individuals and families to shelters continued and are still alive and well today. As the authors of this report said: “We need to substantially in-

crease the supply of safe and sanitary, low and moderate cost housing, and to dramatically improve our ability to train people for meaningful jobs. If we do not do this, the pool of potentially homeless persons will not diminish.”

Thankfully, the Coalition soldiered on since that first report, and it grew to be an even stronger and effective advocate for the homeless. In terms of studies, it completed two more with the assistance of AIR Inc. in 1993 and 2001, and it released yet another a year ago. Over the years, it has been fortunate to attract able young leaders such as Susan Knight, Georgine Getty, Josh Spring, Leslie Moorhead, Anna Worpenberg Justin Jeffre, and Michelle Dillingham who have guided it through many struggles.

It is appropriate that the Coalition picked the theme “For As Long As It Takes” for its 30th Anniversary Dinner on December 11th. Not only does it conjure up the early work of buddy gray and Bonnie Neumeier, but it reflects the reality of gearing up for the still daunting tasks ahead. AIR is proud to have been part of the Coalition’s thirty years of battling to end homelessness.

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ed this stipulation by the Department.

After consulting Alice Skirtz, one of the founders of the Homeless Coalition, we suggested to the Department that we would work with the Coalition as our advisor in planning and carrying out the research. Fully expecting the Department would find our suggestion unacceptable, we were surprised when it agreed to our terms and told us to get on with this project.

Thus in January 1986 was launched a long term relationship that would include many informal interactions as well as three homeless studies.

Quickly a Coalition Study Committee was formed to advise and assist AIR in putting together a research process that would produce a relevant report.

This Committee included Barbara Poppe-Smith of Bethany House, Bev Merrill of Welcome House, and Margo Aug, of the Social Action and World Peace Division of the Arch Diocese of Cincinnati. As neophytes to the world of homelessness, Ed and I relied on this Committee during every phase of the research, and its members proved to be both wise and patient teachers.

Producing credible research was

Patricia Youngblood speaking at the Community Forum. Photo: Alice Schneider

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member agency spotlight BETHANY HOUSE SERVICES 1841 Fairmount Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45214 | (513) 557-2873 | www.bethanyhouseservices org

OUR MISSION Bethany House Services (BHS) collaborates with others to provide a full range of housing, education, and assistance programs to homeless and disadvantaged women and children.

OUR ORGANIZATION Governed by a working Board of Directors as a 501(c)(3) organization which functions with fifteen standing committees, Bethany House Services was incorporated in 1984 and is a leader in the community.

BHS addresses the needs of homeless and disadvantaged women and children through direct service and systematic change initiatives, e.g., Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, COHHIO, Strategies to End Homelessness, Faces Without Places, Continuum of Care, and Project Connect.

Bethany House Services is not an agency of United Way or Community Chest.

Our staff consists of 25 employees and a dedicated group of approximately 500 volunteers.

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No. 292 | Dec. 5-18, 2014

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PEACE IN THE MIDST

(Continued from page 2)

talk about outside agitators and groups of people going out on their own. First of all being an agitator is not necessarily a bad thing, often agitation needs to happen. Second, there is nothing wrong with people coming in from elsewhere to assist. Finally, yes, of course there have been and will be individuals who take actions that have not been vetted by the people and are not necessarily positive. That said, the number of people fitting this description is small. In addition these folks are not necessarily the same people each time. The activist leaders, pastors, etc. are reaching out to these folks in attempts to bring them into the larger picture. The press would like us to think that these folks are large in number and the one’s predominately affecting the way actions are happening. There is no reason to believe this. And the police have not been focused on creating peace. They have been focused on taking control and telling people what to do and what not to do. Their primary cause is to shut down any unrest. The police speak to people in disrespectful ways and look for opportunities to shoot rubber bullets and tear gas.

Okay, so peace and violence.

Is something either peaceful or violent? Is there no other description available? A protest is peaceful and non-violent when folks march down the sidewalk without blocking it, obey all the cross-lights, and chant expected chants and then go back to where they sleep. A protest is ‘violent’ when people march down the middle

of the street shutting down traffic, shutting down interstates, failing to obey crossing-signs and yelling inflammatory statements and refusing to quickly go back to where they sleep.

This cannot be right. It is not that simple.

I was at the local gathering in front of the Federal Courthouse following the lack of indictment.

are angry with police and more importantly the system.

In addition, being thankful or not for police is irrelevant. This is not about individual police officers or even specific departments. This is about societal norms, prejudices and oppressive polices that matriculate into police taking the lives of black people.

In addition this rally opened with Mayor Cranley speaking, followed by other elected officials.

Regardless of what people think about these specific elected officials, it does not make sense in front of a group of people saying the system is oppressive and unjust to have representatives of the system be the keynote speakers. You then have the crowd chanting “No Justice, No Peace.” Eventually the emcee did as well. And then in the next breath exclaimed over and over again that this will be a peaceful gathering with order and won’t be like what is happening in Ferguson. So, if we declare “No Justice, No Peace” and then we promise to have a peaceful gathering are we then saying we have Justice?

And what about the fact that spending so much time exclaiming that this will be a peaceful, orderly rally Photos: Ryan Eagle falls directly into the right-wing argument that almost anything Several hundred passionate people beyond a quiet march is violent? were there. The rally was not much Not to mention that this line of speech of a rally. One of the first statements, falls directly into the perception that repeated several times by the emcee people in Ferguson and elsewhere are was how much we are thankful for out of control and detrimental. Why police. Regardless of anyone’s view throw under the bus those that you of police, this was not how the “rally” should consider comrades? At best should have been opened. Perhaps and this is being liberal, the emcee had the emcee is thankful for police, but the crowd gathered was not. People (Continued on page 12)

NATIVE AMERICAN ICONOGRAPHY

(Continued from page 3) Another phrase for “ethnological exhibition” is “Human zoo.” Perhaps Thane Maynard’s insistence that the people were not on display like animals needs to be revisited.

Szeghi also finds details in WVXU’s item troubling, particularly when it comes to ideas like how the majority culture represents minorities.

“The article regarding Cree and Rosebud Sioux Indians having lived at the Cincinnati Zoo in the late 19th also includes common issues with representation,” she explained.

“Nowhere in the article do we see the voices of American Indians featured to help readers understand their perspectives on this moment in their history. The director of the zoo is quoted as stating that the American Indians who lived at the zoo were not put on display, and yet the pictures and the amount of money the zoo made seem to tell a different story.

This was during a time when it was quite common to make displays of American Indians for the consumption of white audiences, such as at the World Fair and in Wild West Shows.”

“Where is the discussion of the conditions that led this group of American Indians without a home?”

Szeghi continued. “The article notes

7

The “Big Indian” sign. Photo: Justin Jeffre. that the buffalo were all but gone from the plains where the tribes were located, but omits the fact that

the U.S. government systematically slaughtered buffalo by the thousands so as to starve out the American In-

THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED

dians who relied upon them. Such omissions undermine opportunities for all of us to be appropriately responsive to our history and correct the ongoing legacies of our colonial history – legacies that continue to shape the lives of American Indians today.”

So how does any of this inform our understanding of the mysterious American Indian profile on the zoo train? And what happened in 1863?

A search on Google for “American Indian 1863” returns the first result “Bear River Massacre.” One might hope the zoo train is not commemorating human slaughter, including infanticide and rape – but, as stated earlier, the zoo did not respond to multiple inquiries for this story.

For Szeghi, the issue comes back to that of context.

“The benches at the Cincinnati Zoo that feature an American Indian in a headdress with the date 1863 are a good example of the problems that occur with a lack of context,” she explained. “There is no information offered about what event in 1863 is being immortalized or who the American Indian is. Without that context the image of the American Indian serves as decoration and the date reinforces the idea that American Indians are relics from the past.

This is a form of colonial violence against American Indians.”

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LOCAL

Dec. 5-18, 2014 | N o . 292

$15 and a Union for Walmart Workers!

F

GRIFFIN RITZE

Contributing Writer

or three years, Black Friday has been a day of growing resistance for Walmart workers. Against a backdrop of activism and organizing on a national level, The United Commercial and Food Workers (UFCW) has led a campaign called Our Walmart to organize Walmart workers for a $15/ hr. wage and union representation.

In a labor force where low wages and high turnover present many obstacles for union organizing, the UFCW has slowly made progress in organizing Walmart workers in recent years. Our Walmart organizers have coordinated protests and strike actions in stores throughout the country in this growing fight for a living wage and the right to unionize.

Just days ahead of Black Friday, Walmart secured a restraining order against the UFCW in Ohio that prevents organizers and affiliates of the Our Walmart campaign from entering any of the 175 stores across the state.

This restraining order prompted Our Walmart organizers to withdraw from their planned Black Friday demonstrations at stores all across Ohio. As the UFCW disputed the restraining order against their activity in stores,

workers unaffiliated with Walmart or the UFCW in Cincinnati organized a series of demonstrations at two Walmart locations. In place of official leadership from the UFCW were activists and working people making decisions spontaneously on tactics and messaging.

In the days leading up to Black Friday, this group of sympathetic workers and activists spoke with Walmart workers at a particular store in Cincinnati about the planned demonstrations. Many workers in the store were already aware of the Black Friday demonstrations and were eager to share leaflets with their coworkers. We encouraged the Walmart workers to support the Black Friday demonstration and spoke with them about the national campaign. Within fifteen minutes of entering the store, management was alerted to our activity and the police were called in to escort us from the store. Plainclothes Walmart security officers were visible throughout the store monitoring our activity with the workers as we passed out leaflets about the Black Friday demonstration. A second group cooked a thanksgiving meal for the Walmart workers and was immedi-

When Sexual Harassment Invades The Home, HOME Can Help

M

MYRA CALDER

Contributing Writer

ost people are aware that sexual harassment in the workplace is illegal, but Housing Opportunities Made Equal is expanding its efforts to ensure everyone knows that sexual harassment in housing is a violation of the federal Fair Housing Act. “If a landlord or maintenance worker sexually assaults a tenant, it is a crime and the police should be called,” said Elizabeth Brown, executive director for HOME. “But we want tenants to know that even if the behavior is not seen as criminal, it could be a violation of the fair housing laws. If women are subjected to repeated off-color comments, solicitations or other types of sexual harassment by housing providers or the people who work for them, the women should call HOME. That landlord or maintenance worker needs to be stopped and could face severe financial penalties.”

The Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to discriminate in housing because of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, family status (children) or disability. Sexual harassment falls under the gender discrimination category.

In recent years, HOME has seen an uptick in the number of such cases.

Often one victim contacts the agency, which prompts an investigation that leads to many more victims. For example, a landlord may threaten a tenant with eviction if she doesn’t have sex with him. The tenant, especially if she is a low-income single parent, may feel that she must give him what he wants

to ensure her children have a roof over their heads. In one case in Cincinnati, the predator landlord recruited women directly from homeless shelters knowing they would be vulnerable because they had few options.

“The landlord may claim the relationship was consensual, but it isn’t,” Brown said. “The tenant was pressured, just like the boss who threatens to fire the employee who won’t have sex with him. It’s actually worse in one way – the landlord has a key to the tenant’s home and could enter at any time day or night. No one should have to live like that. People should be able to feel safe in their own homes.”

Harassment can be less overt than demanding sex, but it’s still a violation.

• Telling sexual jokes that make the tenant feel uncomfortable.

• Entering the apartment without notice, or even knocking.

• Repeatedly asking for dates after the tenant has rejected the idea.

• Making sexual comments about a tenant’s body or attire.

• Offering discounts on rent or amenities in exchange for sex.

These are a few examples of the types of sexual harassment reported to HOME. Anyone who feels their fair housing rights are being violated is encouraged to call 513-721-4663 and talk with a client services specialist at HOME. “You don’t have to face this situation alone,” Brown said. “You have an advocate.”

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Protesters at Walmart. Photo: Griffin Ritze. ately removed from the store by police after delivering the food.

Black Friday Roughly twenty people assembled outside of a Cincinnati area Walmart on Black Friday. Police arrived immediately, parking across the street from where we gathered.

The group marched toward the store with chants of “Walmart, Walmart, you’re no good. Treat your workers like you should!” Management stood alongside the police at the entrance of the store presenting a copy of the restraining order against the UFCW. We attempted to pass them, but the police threatened to arrest us if we entered the store. The group decided to move on to a second store a few miles away, and reconvened the park-

ing lot at the second location. We filed in slowly and met toward the back of the store in the electronics department. We led chants throughout the store to the surprise of many shoppers and Walmart workers, earning a quiet, hesitant praise from most of the workers as we exited the store.

Legal Unionism

In recent decades, the first step in workplace organizing has generally been to secure a neutrality agreement with the targeted company. A neutrality agreement allows union representatives to speak freely with workers on the job, protects workers from retaliation by management, and begins an election process for workers to vote for union representation in the workplace. With union membership in the United States at its lowest

I’VE HEARD ABOUT

SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT WORK ... BUT I DIDN’T EXPECT IT

IN MY OWN APARTMENT. SO I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH MY FAIR HOUSING AGENCY: HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES MADE EQUAL. If a landlord makes unwelcome sexual advances or if he threatens you with eviction or refuses to make repairs because you deny him sexual favors, he is violating the Fair Housing Act.

Report sexual harassment and put a stop to it.

FAIR HOUSING Is Your Right.

Use It!

Call 513-721-4663 (HOME) Housing Opportunities Made Equal 2400 Reading Road, Suite 118 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

www.homecincy.org

THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED

9

LOCAL

No. 292 | Dec. 5-18, 2014

3CDC:

“Investing in Community, We Can Do Better!”

O

JUSTIN JEFFRE

Streetvibes Editor

n November 20th I received an email from Anastasia Mileham, 3CDC’s spokesperson. This was surprising because Streetvibes isn’t usually included in their press releases for some strange reason. What was even more surprising was the content of the email which said, “The Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) announced today an innovative three-year strategy that will radically reimagine its role as a development authority in Cincinnati. “This has been a long time coming,” said Stephen Leeper, President and CEO of 3CDC, on the steps of Washington Park’s Bandstand.”

It also said, “While lauded by many in Cincinnati’s corporate sector, 3CDC found opposition in longtime residents of the neighborhoods where developments popped up. Stephen Leeper explained, “We had the leading corporations of Cincinnati lining up at our door—willing to be a part of our developments. But repeated complaints from residents prompted us to conduct a thorough internal review of our process.” The internal review 3CDC conducted began in 2009 and included all community stakeholders: residents, visitors, businesses, civic organizations, labor leaders, and the city government. The list of recommendations from the internal review made up today’s press conference amidst the historic visage of Over-the-Rhine’s Washington Park.”

I attended the press conference and what had seemed too good to be true turned out to be just that. There was a group of about 20 people gathered and they announced the beginning of the press conference. They introduced Steve Leeper, 3CDC’s president, but it was a young man posing as Leeper. He gave a great speech and I wish that Leeper would give a speech like

3CDC imposters. Photo: Justin Jeffre. truly inclusive plan for development in Over-the-Rhine would have--and still could--look like.

Crowd at press conference. Photo: Justin Jeffre. that. Afterwards I received this letter to the editor from the group stating that: We are a collection of individuals looking for creative and constructive ways to challenge the people and organizations who hold the most power in our communities. We want to cre-

ate spaces in Cincinnati for the discussion of development in Over-The-Rhine to transcend the dominating narrative of “renaissance;” this term disregards authentic aspects of the neighborhood’s rich history and culture. We think the entire community should be welcomed into a conversation on what a

If you care about Cincinnati and can imagine 3CDC improving its practices to benefit more people in this city, why not fight for those changes? We hope 3CDC engages with us and invites the general public into discussions regarding our proposals to 1) foster collaboration between 3CDC, the corporate community of Cincinnati, and the longstanding residents of this community by creating a Good Neighbor Agreement 2) make a commitment to keeping social services in Over-theRhine-- where they are needed-- rather than exporting them out of the area 3) increase the amount of affordable housing in areas where 3CDC serves as a preferred developer and 4) open 3CDC’s board to more community members, especially those who are not senior level corporate executives.

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CUC Commends President for Taking a Big Step – and Calls on Congress to Finish the Job

O

JUSTIN JEFFRE

Streetvibes Editor

n Friday November 21st Communities United for Citizenship gathered at the Interfaith Worker Center on Vine Street to commend President Obama for his leadership by acting on immigration policy.

According to CUC the President’s action will allow up to five million parents of US citizens, at least 27,000 in the Greater Cincinnati area, who currently help our local economy to come out of the shadows and apply for temporary legal status and work permits.

Immigrant parents, who have lived in the United States for five years and have children, who are US citizens or legal permanent residents, who pass a criminal background check, pay all of their taxes, and pay a fee will be able to work and live temporarily

in the United States without fear of deportation in the country they love while securing our borders. CUC encourages everyone who believes they or someone they know is eligible to contact the Communities United for Citizenship at 513.295.7241 or text at 513.295.7241, and to go to Communities United for Citizenship.”

They say Congress has failed to act on immigration policy even after there was a bipartisan bill from the senate. “Today, President Obama took the steps within his legal authority to begin to fix our broken immigration system. Today the CUC celebrates.

Tomorrow, we continue the work to get Congress to pass immigration legislation,” they said in a written statement.

The CUC is a coalition of faith, la-

CUC press conference. Photo: Mike Brown. bor, business, and community organizations that fight for immigrant rights and also support immigrant friendly policy on the national and local level.

The CUC is made up of the following organizations: The AMOS Project, Unitarian Universalist Council of Greater Cincinnati, Faith Community Alliance, Ohio Prophetic Voices, UFCW Local 75, Cincinnati Interfaith Workers

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Center, SEIU Local 1, Iron Workers of Southern Ohio and Vicinity, Sustainergy Cooperative, Amigos Unidos Por Reforma Migratoria, Center for Community Change, Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center, LULAC Cincinnati, Ohio Organizing Collaborative, Japanese American Citizens League – Cincinnati Chapter.

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10

WORLD

The Workers of the World United

L

ROBERT PARK

Contributing Writer

ast year when the United Auto Workers union (UAW) tried to win an election at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga Tennessee, the full wrath of the right-wing colossus came down on the company, local supporters and politicians at all levels worked to stop this evil possibility. Extortions were applied and lucrative tax breaks promised so that Volkswagen management would ensure the right election outcome using the usual tools for such challenges: threats to close the plant, captive-audience intimidation and lies. The Fox News types proclaimed that Chattanooga would turn into De-

troit over-night. An anti-union worker group was organized and funded to discredit the whole idea of seeking union representation.

It was an important election because unions have been trying forever to break into the Southern plantation economy where workers having legal representation and bargaining power is unacceptable to the ruling elites.

That was why shoes, textiles, electronics and other manufacturing all went south which, for most, was a temporary stop on the way to China. Especially critical are foreign-owned companies like Toyota, Honda and Volkswagen that can derive competitive

Splish Splash

S

MIMI DARIAH

Contributing Writer

aint Mary Baptist Church is located on the corner of Spring Street and East Thirteenth Street. Because my great grandparents bought their first house on Spring Street in the early 1900s, I have always been intrigued with this historic neighborhood. My interest heightened when I quickly discovered the original purpose of the building was a neighborhood public bath house. The need for public bath houses tells a story of a time when life was filled with challenges.

It is difficult to believe that my own grandfather lived during a time when bath water was heated on the stove.

And that bathing was a social activity.

It’s funny that social acceptability is sometimes determined by a need as we would never bathe publically today. In fact, we would be arrested for it.

Between 1916 and 1930 there were four bathhouses listed in the City Directories. Only one of the bathhouses seemed to have had a religious affiliation. The Cutter Street

Public Bathhouse served the women of Jewish faith. “Attorney Nicholas Klein on behalf of women living in the 14th,15th, and 17th Wards, yesterday sent a letter to Mayor Spiegal, appealing to him to reopen the women’s bathhouse on Cutter Avenue, near Betts Street, the heart of the Jewish district. Following receipt of the letter it was announced by Jacob Eyrich, Superintendent of Municipal Properties, the Cutter Street Bath House, which has been close since August 15th, for lack of funds, would be reopened by the first of the year.”(Cincinnati Enquirer, November 18, 1914) To my knowledge the bath at St. Mary’s Baptist Church is the only one left in Cincinnati. I had the privilege of guided tour by the church Deacon. The church has two front doors which was typical of a bathhouse, as there was often a separate entrance for women and men. At one time the bath measured sixteen by thirty feet.

Most of it is now filled in and it is large enough for a proper full immersion

The Grand Jury Decided …

Or Did It?

T

MICHAEL EARL PATTON

Contributing Writer

he grand jury decided not to indict … The grand jury did not decide to indict …

These sound similar, but do not mean the same. Most of the news coverage concerning the recent grand jury outcome about the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson uses something like the first phrasing. That is unfortunate since it implies a great deal that is simply not true.

A grand jury is not like a criminal trial jury where all the jurors decide on a verdict – either guilty or not guilty (Oregon and Louisiana have exceptions to this, but the rest of the states do not). If all the jurors agree, it is completely correct to say that the jury decided. If they can’t all agree,

it is a “mistrial” or sometimes called a “hung jury.” And in case of a mistrial, the person can be brought to trial again.

There were 12 members on the Missouri grand jury that looked at the shooting of Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson. Under Missouri law at least 9 of them had to vote to indict the officer for the jury to return a “true bill,” or a decision to indict. A decision to indict would have meant that Officer Wilson would face a criminal trial on the charge. It would not have meant that the grand jury decided he was guilty any more than it means that they decided he was innocent by not indicting him.

If 8 or fewer voted to indict the

Dec. 5-18, 2014 | N o . 292

advantage over unionized auto companies like Ford, GM etc. Intimidation and the lies worked. In a national drama watched by bosses and workers alike, the bad guys won the election: 712-626. It was quite amazing that even 626 workers stood up the anti-union blitzkrieg. But the forces behind the anti-worker assault didn’t take into account one critical reality: Volkswagen workers in Germany are in a very powerful union: IG Metall.

The anti-union shenanigans in the U.S. didn’t go unnoticed.

On Nov. 12, 2014, under pressure from IG Metall, Volkswagen International announced that workers at the Chattanooga plant could be represented by unions after all. They concocted a set of rules about how such organizations could seek a presence based on even small numbers of supporters in the plant. Groups vying for

majority representation and a strong position in the plant’s works council (modeled after the IG Metall organization), would have to compete. This was a stunning reversal and full of irony. The anti-union workers group that claims that workers don’t need or want a collective voice and power, will be in the plant playing under the same rules. What will their demands be? Lower the wages, get rid of grievance procedures? Forget pensions?

Who needs healthcare? At a time when global corporations are increasingly running the world, IG Metall and UAW have demonstrated that the strategy “workers of the world unite” actually works. Hopefully everyone else not in the 1% will learn from this.

baptism. However, the almost one hundred year old plumbing is still intact. There is a faucet on the wall that turns the water on. It is fun to see the water pour out of a simple hole inside the bath. To drain the bath the Deacon turned a crude pipe next to the bath and the water drained. It was a simple and efficient concept.

There is some discrepancy as to when the Public Bathhouse on Spring Street and Thirteenth was built. The Hamilton County Auditor’s page lists it as built in 1900 while the Sanborn Map Company boldly states, “Built in 1916.” Since there is no listing in the City Directories for this location before 1917, evidence leans towards 1916 as the true date. Another point of interest is the address. In the City Directories and the newspaper articles it is always listed as Public Bathhouse at 13th Street and Spring Street. The 1916 Sanborn Map Company has a drawing of the building facing 13th Street. However, the Hamilton County Auditor lists the address as 1304 Spring Street. My conclusion that the building was erected in 1916 is supported by an article that reads, “The Committee on Appropriation of Property will recommend that the lots at the NE corner of 13th and Spring Street be secured for a pub-

lic bathhouse” (Cincinnati Enquirer, July 15, 1913).

Public bath houses were a great asset to communities. Usually, public bath houses were built close to schools because they were able to tap into their hot water supply. Not only did they serve the necessary purpose of bathing, they employed people who may otherwise not have worked. I was able to find numerous records on the University of Cincinnati’s digital resource page that states minorities were hired as bathhouse attendants.

The development of public bath houses in Cincinnati is indicative of a growing city. It also proves that we were a city that valued cleanliness for both vanity and health purposes.

Again, in the case of the Cutter Street Public Bath House, it was a religious Jewish ritual for menstruating women. The demise of Public Bath Houses must have been an end of an era. No longer would people meet for a bath.

Bathing would become something people did privately. It really wasn’t so many years ago that people bathed in water that was heated on the stove.

Bath houses filled a need. Today, Cincinnati is a city with many people experiencing homelessness. And I wonder if that need has come full circle.

officer, it doesn’t mean that the jury decided not to indict. It means that the grand jury was asked if Officer Wilson should be indicted and there were not sufficient votes to do so. For all we know, 8 of the jurors could have thought that there was probable cause for him to stand trial on at least one of the charges while 4 thought otherwise. We just don’t know what the vote was. We don’t know how many voted to indict and how many voted no. We just know that it wasn’t 9 or more of them who voted for an indictment.

In fact, there is no legal reason why there couldn’t be another grand jury looking at the charges, especially if more evidence comes to light. As I write this, the FBI investigation is still on-going. Maybe there are witnesses that do not trust the Ferguson Police but who do trust the FBI. Maybe another recording will come to light. Officer Wilson did not undergo a public trial where he faced jail time, so an-

THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED

(Disclosure: the author worked for the UAW 1981-98 In Detroit on health and safety issues) ------------------------

-----------------------other grand jury proceeding would not be “double jeopardy.”

There were thousands of pages of evidence released by the special prosecutor, Robert McCulloch. Even though Officer Wilson testified, he was never cross-examined. I hope that some person more diligent than the prosecutor will go through the evidence. As a beginning, let’s get the information about the grand jury right.

One more thing. What I wrote above also applies to the grand jury proceedings concerning the shooting death of John Crawford III at the Beavercreek Wal-Mart by the police on August 5. The number making up the grand jury may vary from state to state, but the principle is the same. The fact that a grand jury did not indict is not the same as the jury deciding not to indict. In the Wal-Mart case, for all we know, most of the members of the grand jury may have voted that the officer should have stood trial.

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LOCAL

No. 292 | Dec. 5-18, 2014

Patient Navigation Can Create Justice in Cancer Care STEVE SUNDERLAND

Contributing Writer

...no desire to separate my struggle within from my fury at the world’s viciousness, the stupid brutal lack of awareness or concern that passes for the ways things are.

— A. Lourde (1997). The Cancer Journals: Special Edition

1. The cancer statistics are appalling: Low income people, minorities and everyone can agree with Dr. Karen Bankston when she says: “As an African-American grandmother, mother, wife, college professor, retired hospital administrator, nurse and Cincinnatian, I’m outraged.”

(K. Bankston (11/15/2014). “UC Associate Dean: End the polite silence Cincinnati; We have a problem with racial disparities.” WCPO. com.) The cancer facts are the following: AfricanAmericans are 40% more likely to die of breast cancer, 2 times more likely to die of cervical cancer, 2 times more likely to die of prostate cancer based on data collected in 2013. (S. L. Murphy, J. Xu, and K. Kordchanek (2013). Deaths: Final data for 2010.

CDC, Atlanta.)

2. Cincinnati has no major program to change cancer outcomes for low income and minorities: A patchwork of programs at each of the hospitals keeps potential cancer patients guessing about how to get screened, have an understandable diagnosis, equitable and competent treatment, and consistent support to survive. Frustrating each turn in the health process are fundamental questions about transportation to each of the key institutions for health services. How will a person get to their screening and then to the hospital

and then to specialists, if needed, and then back and forth to their homes in timely fashion? Who helps with the complicated logistics that are crucial for increasing the odds of surviving?

Added to this obstacle is the necessity to decode what health professionals are saying about the stage or condition of the cancer. Doctors and nurses have little incentive to expand their time with low income patients to explain in understandable terms the meanings of disease terms as well as the likelihood of survival. Who slows the process of communication so that clarity, reflection, and choices are caringly reviewed? If a person has insurance, who helps this person “stay in network,” pay their bills, find the “right” person for a first and second opinion, and assists the patient in finding an efficient way of getting to these resources?

3. Patient Navigation can make the difference in assisting with transportation, decision making, and positive health outcomes: Patient navigators can make the critical difference for patients and for health delivery systems. By providing consistent, compassionate, timely, and evidence based actions, the patient navigator joins a team that includes the patient, the physician/ nurse, and the hospital system. The key to successful patient navigation is found in a reciprocal relationship between all parties. The patient

11

is seeking to learn about the best paths to health that can be For many women with low resources... gained in the process breast cancer screening is the of treating her/his cancer; the physician/ only doorway into a health system nurse resources can for which they’re previously been be equally dedicated to the best form of excluded... treatment for this — Alexia Jackson (2010) Promise particular patient, and me: How a sister’s love launched the the patient navigator is holding the hands global movement to end breast cancer. of both the patient and the health care process and helping 4. Working for justice to keep everyone in compassionate connection. The through patient navigation: patient may have fears that are not The more the patient navigator easily expressed, fears that may understands the health system, the prevent clear thinking about next individual patient, and the health steps; the physician/nurse may have team, the more that justice can knowledge of many approaches arise for low income and minority and also be uncertain about which patients. Gaps in mortality can be method will have the best effect; and dramatically closed with a patient the patient navigator, seeing these partners in varying states of struggle navigation process, as has been with next steps, works with each shown in research around the partner to insure that the partnership country. (H. Freeman (March/April considers all of the questions, while 2004). “Poverty, Culture, and Social also sustaining a quality of mutual Injustice: Determinants of Cancer respect for all. A different kind of Disparities.” Cancer. Vol 53. No. 2; world gets created with the patient S. Fischer, A. Sauala, and J. Kutner. navigator: exploring fears and (October 2007) “Patient Navigation: strengths, sustaining compassion A Culturally Competent Strategy even though tough patches of strong to Address Disparities in Palliative emotion, handling the details of daily Care.” Journal of Palliative Medicine. existence and treatment necessities, 10(5).) Excluding low income and combining to create a forward looking minorities avoids an essential health focus that brings, when it is responsibility of our health systems, working, new energy for healing to our local community, and our larger all parties. It is a living unit that is society. The cost for such segregation emotionally strong enough to face is great in terms of life, and in the the most difficult questions because creation of loneliness in communities. facing each other with compassion is Patient navigation is a first step in the standard for care. In an important opening a door of compassion, a way, it is a spiritual experience for welcoming of people irrespective of all. Working with cancer may call out race and income, into a better society. the worst in any one of the partners It is a seed of peace that can be grown at any time. A setback may be felt to in every hospital, in every doctor’s be impossible to overcome. A short office, by social workers, and nurses, word may be interpreted as a wound and in every community organization. to one’s self-respect. None of these Let’s work to change “outrage” to activities, and worse, can overwhelm outstanding as our major goal for a sound compassionate relationship. cancer treatment.

Recovering from setbacks is part of -----------------------the cancer participation process if Steve Sunderland is director there are helpful actions that bring of the Peace Village Cancer the partners back to a kind spot in their lives together.

Project.

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12 PEACE IN THE MIDST

(Continued from page 7)

25% of the crowd with him. The rest of the crowd felt angry and betrayed by what was being said.

The crowd, in a need to actually do something, took to the street in a large march. The march was in the middle of the street, shutting down traffic.

Eventually the crowd shut down I-75 north-bound. At this point police arrested some people and the majority of the crowd left the interstate and marched on sidewalks, those who did not stay on the sidewalks were arrested. Much of the press then produced stories about how the rally had started peaceful and non-violent, but then became violent. The emcee, in an interview disowned those that marched, saying that the rally was peaceful and the rest was without point, unhelpful and was not the same group. Here is the truth. The majority of the group of people that came to the “rally” were frustrated by the “rally” left the leader of the “rally” as he spoke to the press and took to the street.

Violence is the act of harming people. Assault, shooting people with both lead and rubber bullets, blowing people up, burning people, teargassing people and beating people are all examples of violence and are not good. Peace is the idea of tranquility and calm.

Yelling inflammatory statements, shutting down streets and interstates, engaging in non-violent civil disobedience, refusing to move are not acts of violence, they are also not acts of peace.

When the systems, police,

STREET VOICE actions of governments and private organizations are not just and are instead oppressive, life-hindering and in some cases life-ending, why should people act peacefully? We should act non-violently, but that does not mean peacefully. They don’t have the same definitions. Press and elected officials often say that Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. would be disappointed because these protests are not peaceful.

This is a wrong interpretation. Dr. King called for non-violent action, not necessarily peaceful action. He himself engaged in non-violent civil disobedience and was arrested. He led large marches in major thoroughfares, shutting down streets. He and others led sit-ins, refusing to leave.

They carried inflammatory signs and made inflammatory speeches. Do you really think all of these actions created peace? No, they did not. People and systems around them got really angry, people were yelling, people were beaten, dogs attacked, water hoses were used as weapons, people were arrested in mass - this certainly was not peaceful.

If all the movements we look to over the years with admiration were peaceful, we would be even further behind than we already are. The emcee at the “rally” referred to Cincinnati’s Collaborative Agreement between the People and the police. He said we are not perfect, but we are better than most cities because of this great agreement granted by the city and the police department. Less black people in Cincinnati are murdered by police than before the agreement, this is true.

We certainly, however are not a model.

For tickets please call (513) 381-2273 Purchase tickets online at www.cincyshakes.com

Dec. 5-18, 2014 | N o . 292

And the Collaborative Agreement was not put in place out of a desire by the city and police department to act morally or do right by people. The Collaborative Agreement was signed because people shut down streets, refused to move, burned buildings and cars, packed city hall and the city government was scared and wanted it to stop. If the actions after Timothy Thomas was murdered in an alley had been peaceful, we would not even have the Collaborative Agreement to talk about.

People are more likely to be financially poor or experience homelessness because of the color of their skin and/or the neighborhood they were born in or because their parents had little opportunity. The quality of public education you receive is dictated by your socioeconomic status. Minimum wage does not give you the ability to afford fair market rent. Unemployment is high, especially among black people.

Women are paid less than men for the same work. “Safety-Net” services and housing are being cut to fund war and murder in other countries. Half of congressional representatives are millionaires and are controlled by other millionaires and billionaires. We have been engaged in war constantly for years. If you are a black male you are far more likely to end up in prison or be murdered by police. We have the largest prison population in the world.

Public responsibilities are being privatized leading to displacement and gentrification. Large corporations are being allowed to ruin the earth. People don’t have the legal right to marry

who they desire. Immigrants from Latin America are treated as less than human. Companies and politicians are attempting to crush unions. Voting rights are being dismembered. Why, when all of this and much more is true, would we act in a way that makes everybody feel tranquil?

Is ending these wrongs not worth the inconveniences caused by shutting down streets and interstates, being inflammatory, risking arrest, yelling and even setting fires when the risks and outcomes have been weighed? We should not be violent; we should not beat people, assault people, murder people, maim people. We should also not take actions that will risk hurting people. If blocking a street at a certain moment is likely to cause an accident, we should not do it. If setting a fire has even a remote chance of hurting someone, we should never do it.

Actions should be weighed, planned and orchestrated with accuracy and strategy. We should not hate.

Sometimes real love, involves being hard. We also should not protest peacefully. The two words don’t mix.

Protest is inherently not peaceful.

Peace in the midst of injustice is nothing but fake and harmful and it is not loving.

-Josh Spring, LSW Executive Director

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. 292 | Dec. 5-18, 2014

THE BORDER

WHAT’S GOING ON What’s going on aske singer Marvin Gaye What’s going on in our world of today Stealing from each other, killing one another Lying, cheating and still calling each other brother Disillusioned by what our lives should really be Misunderstanding that we’re all born in sin, you and me Forgetting each day to let live and let love Forgetting to give all praises due to God up above Everyone needs to take time out to pray And ask God to forgive our sins each and everyday To replace hate with peace and love where ever we can Only then can we see what’s going on all over the land So for me this is what’s really going on We as a people must come together before all life is gone!!!

Immigrants from Mexico seeking new life There they run, there they hide Traveling days, traveling nights Hoping for a better life Climbing over walls to get free Trying to stay out of sight The border is the gateway To be free starting a new life Maybe it will be The immigrants will become legal and stay free

KIM GREEN

Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer

WILLA DENISE JONES

PREPARING FOR THE NEW CONGRESS

Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer

(Sung to the tune of “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.”)

Get ready to curse.

Get ready to cry.

It’s gonna get worse.

I’m telling you why.

The new Congress Is coming to town.

To my loyal customers, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the support you have given me in 2014 and the last 15 years I have been selling Streetvibes. There was a time when I was almost homeless and not stable, but I was willing to pull myself up financially and emotionally with your support. Even when you did not buy a paper, I appreciated your kind words, smiles and especially the hugs.

They’ll take away your health care, And cut assistance for the poor.

They’ll cut taxes for the super-rich, And show environmentalists the door.

(Resing the opening chorus.)

The relationships we have built mean so much to me, you have given me advice, listened to me and I have listened to you. It is so wonderful to know that people do care – you are all angels and I love you.

Peace to you,

BILL WOODS

Contributing Writer

- Julie

$15 AND A UNION

(Continued from page 8) point since the 1930’s, neutrality agreements have proven to be an essential tool for unions in an era without a strong labor movement that can organize outside of the legal framework.

Instead of accepting their workers’ legal right to organize, Walmart will continue to challenge the UFCW’s organizing on legal grounds. The UFCW has pushed back on that front by filing unfair labor practice complaints against Walmart through the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) with measurable success. Ultimately, this campaign needs public support to succeed.

The tactics of legal unionism can only go so far without a groundswell of support from

working people and activists. Spontaneous, worker directed actions outside of the UFCW proved successful on a small scale in Cincinnati last week and with enhanced organization we can support Walmart workers in ways that the UFCW cannot.

Low-wage retail and service work has grown rapidly since the economic crisis began in 2007. As this model of legal unionism that the UFCW has committed itself to proves to be irresponsive to the needs of workers we must work to build a mass movement that can inspire union efforts and present a direct challenge to the corporations that have enriched themselves at the expense of workers since this crisis began.

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

THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED

14

PUZZLES

Dec. 5-18, 2014 | N o . 292

CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 57 Across 1. Barter 6. Charity 10. Adore 14. Small bird 15. Closed circuit 16. Metallic element 17. Paragon 18. Having little money or possessions 19. Diplomacy 20. System of measurement 22. Set of three 24. Seafarer 25. Small island 27. Statuesque 29. Steady 33. Epoch 34. Radiate 35. Object of worship 37. Personnel 41. Exploration site 42. Design theme 44. Fish eggs 45. Air, Earth, Fire, Water, ___ 48. Breaker 49. Portable shelter 50. Large tub 52. Able to read and write 54. Whole number 58. Desperate 59. Spoil 60. Hitch 62. Storage space 66. Partiality 68. At the peak 70. Stage whisper 71. Malevolence 72. Square root of eighty-one 73. South Pacific monarchy 74. Contradict 75. Worn in ancient Rome 76. Spiritual being

Down 1. Neat 2. Traveled by horse 3. Assist, usually in wrongdoing 4. Writer 5. Join the military 6. Mountain 7. Plunder 8. Ties up a boat 9. Fairy 10. Illuminated 11. Talk pompously 12. Outspoken 13. Way in 21. Assert 23. Paddles 26. Empower 28. Cheapness 29. Yield 30. Leave out 31. Near 32. Sum 36. Ashen 38. Region 39. Typeface 40. Fiesta 43. Putrid 46. The night before 47. Tatters 49. Perfidy 51. Rent-paying occupant 53. Misprints 54. Implant 55. Callow 56. Form of transport 57. Quantitative relation 61. Percussion instrument 63. Offstage area 64. Sharpness 65. Actual 67. Cunning 69. Small vegetable

SODOKU PUZZLE NO 11 - HARD

PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 291 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 56

SODOKU PUZZLE NO 19 - MEDIUM

THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED

PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com

RESOURCES

No. 292 | Dec. 5-18, 2014

Shelter: Women and Children

Our Daily Bread

621-6364

St. Francis Soup Kitchen Churches Active in Northside

535-2719 591-2246

FreeStore/FoodBank

241-1064

Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center

271-5501

872-9259

St. Vincent de Paul

562-8841

241-5525

Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men

Central Access Point Bethany House

381-SAFE 557-2873

Grace Place Catholic Worker House

681-2365

Mercy Franciscan at St. John

981-5800

Salvation Army

762-5660

YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter

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

St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202

Mt. Airy Shelter

661-4620

Shelter: Both

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

Caracole (HIV/AIDS)

1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237

Drop Inn Center

217 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202

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 Cincinnati Union Bethel

300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202

Food/Clothing

961-4555 381-1954 421-5211 768-6907

First Lutheran Church 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry Mercy Franciscan at St. John

421-0065

OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry

961-1983

1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202

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

1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202

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

Charlie’s 3/4 House

2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202

621-5300 981-5800

784-1853

Prospect House 921-1613

682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205

Starting Over

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

Housing:

15

2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206

961-2256

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

1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202

NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach

Other Resources

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

215 E. 14th Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202

1223 Main St. Cinti, Ohio 45202

Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 641-4300

Hamilton/Middletown

Catholic Social Action Community Action Agency Contact Center

421-3131 569-1840 381-4242

Northern Kentucky

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

Advocacy

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

Crossroad Health Center

381-2247

3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229

2825 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45219

THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED

351-3500 977-4489

Center Independent Living Options Emmanuel Community Center 1308 Race St. Cinti, Ohio 45202

Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women First Step Home

5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202

Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 352-6364 McMicken Dental Clinic 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti 352-6363 Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 Mercy Franciscan at St. John 981-5800

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

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

Dec. 5-18, 2014 | N o . 292

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