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Volume XI, Issue 8
Ready for Flu Season
Prosecutors clear Fort Lauderdale police of anti-homeless allegations
By Rafael A. Olmeda and Brittany Wallman South Florida Sun Sentinel
Broward prosecutors have dismissed a claim that Fort Lauderdale police officers unfairly targeted homeless people to win days off or gift cards to a movie theater. The complaints were brought last year by veteran officer Michael Hennessy, who said senior officers developed incentives that resulted in the unfair treatment of homeless people in Fort Lauderdale. The police department never disputed the existence of the incentives over a brief period in 2008, but has consistently denied that they were unfair in concept or in practice. The police department’s Internal Affairs department ruled in a June report that various incentives did not result in any illegal activity, though they have since been ended. The investigation was then turned over to the Broward State Attorney’s Office for an independent review. The office’s closeout memo, dated Sept. 10, was obtained Friday by the Sun Sentinel. Its investigation like(Continued on pg 5)
* Little Ryan * Earnest Bowens & Family * Ed & Ruth * Rudy * Lisa * John McLean * Darren * Jan Cerrito * Rev. Patrick O’Shen * Angela Forrest & Family * Angelo * Maria Dragon * Blanch Lake * Dave Nerau * Megan * Theresa * Allen Rosenthal * Gloria Parker * Carlos * Adeel Jamal
Sean Cononie’s not taking any chances of getting the Swine flu
“Ready for Flu Season” on page 4
Halloween
How Technology is helping with Overdoses and the Homeless
History.com
Cathy’s Prayer List To add a name please call 954-410-6275, no menetary donations needed
The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these (Continued on pg 5)
By Sean Cononie “what do I do? Should I leave someOver the years we have had our share of one who has a chance to be a canoverdoses mostly because of what I call cer survivor that became homeless “Pill Partying Physicians” and “Drug Dealbecause they can’t work possibly ing Doctors.” OK, Sean, what are these two on the streets in pain?” Most likely new terms you coined? These are the so if they over medicate at home they called “Pain Clinics.” Don’t get me wrong I will also over medicate on the streets am not saying they all are bad providers bewhere no one around may be able to cause some of them do a great job of keephelp them so it is far better for them ing those in pain, pain free but A very high percentage of to live somewhere then again there are those who where someone can people who just prescribe way too much offer help with drug accidently overdose, and when this happens the addiction and overfrantic call over our PA Sysdose prevention. A want to live. tem sounds “We have A Code very high percentBlue, Code Three in room number ……” It age of people who accidently overrepeats and the voice of the person making dose, want to live. the announcement suddenly changes, the tone When we see people a little over and words are more (come quick) words by medicated we usually try to get the saying, “Sean go to room …… bring your person to the hospital. In some cases med bag code three, he’s not breathing.” I they won’t want to so we call 911 and have heard these words way too many times in other cases they do go and the ER over the years. doc sends them right back to us then Some say Sean why do you take people who later on they have to go right back. are on heavy medication such as pain killI have had plenty of arguments with ers? My reply is sarcastic but well deserved, ER docs, on this topic, I have told
Our Purpose: To Help the Homeless Learn How to Help Themselves
(Continued on pg 4)
The Voice of the Homeless
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Friends of the Homeless For just $15 a month you can keep a homeless family off the streets for a day Adam Staler Adriana Fernandez Adriana N. Quila† Adrienne and Mike Al & Barbara Liebmann Al and Annie Albert J. Hamilton Ph D Albert J. Taragowski Allen Yancy Amanda Reynolds Amber Rowan American Express Charitable Fund Amparo L. Korey Amy Curic Andre Johnson Andrea Brown Andrew N. Daly Ann M. Hamilton Ann-Marie White Anna Marye Levier Anthony Ralph Anthony Rhodes Antione Collins Armando Reyes Arnold Reemer Atkinson and Bartley Barbara Desanto Barbara Robinson Barbara Strong Baumann Family Beatriz C Perez Beth Farans Bill and Priscilla La Gasse Bob Hall Bobby Neal Bonita L Akinji Brad and Krystal Kelly Brian Herrmann & Aura Herrmann Bruce Wethersoon C.R. Gallagher Calvary Chapel of Doral Carl L Miller Carlo Harrison Carol Lockette Carol Murray Carolyn and Family Casandra Thomas Cathy and Kids Charles J. Youngman Charles K. Wilson Chris Sanchez Christine M Wilson Christine McAuliffe Clark Rogers Claudia K. Tapolow††† Collectron of Atlanta Comet Couriev† † Connie & Ginger Murphy Constance Lessoff Constance M Fast Corinne James Covenant of Goddess, Elibet Hanson Crime Watch Dallan Michele King Dan Gilcert Danbareli Holdings Inc. Daniel Harrison Danny and George Darla King Darren Nolf David Thawley David V Torlone Dawn Monfries
Dawn Sinka Deborah F. Immormino Deborah H Green Delores B Mordon Demetrius D Rodriguez Denis and Bertha Arenstein Diane Friedman Dolores R. Cerra Donna Marie Jesudowich Dorothy Griffith Family Dorothy Kay Garbutt Dorríe Terry Doug Boucher Family † Douglas Boucher Dr Mary Michaela Farren Dr. Burch B Stewart Eduardo Hernandez Elaine Snaith Elizabeth Hunsberger Elizabeth P. Sublett Elks Lodge # 2407 Eric Harrison Erica Fulton Erica Sanclair Escrow Account Essential Oil Healthline Eva & George Gorzkowski Evan V Jones Everglades Moon, Florida Auto Insurance Inc. Ferguson Family Floyd and Luana Coats Fred T Verny†† JR†††† Gabrielle Ello G.R. and J.D. Falbey G.S. Lybrand George & Carmen Gulisano Giankarlo Squicemari Gladstone Beckford Gladys Gonzalez God Bless Florence Menard Gottlieb & Blair Family Grace Marth Graham R. Mitchell Guillermo D Galindo Hartford Property Connection, Inc. Heather A Salt & Terrence C Salt Holly J. Andrus Huarte and Vidaillet Hugo DeCarpintini Hurricane Prevention Inc Ignacio Huarte In Loving Memory of Florence & Nat Popkin In Loving Memory of Frances Klein In Loving Memory of Isabel Grimany In Loving Memory of Jose A. Estruch, Jr. In Loving Memory of Kris Soltan In Loving Memory of Martin E. Grey In Loving Memory of My Daughter Melissa Lurz In Loving Memory of Peter Sullivan In Loving Memory of Rex Lichtenberger In Loving Memory of Thomas Gasbarro In Memory of Steven
Mail check to: COSAC Foundation P.O. Box 292-577 Davie, FL 33329 Please include on memo what name should appear in paper. Maderman In Memory of Martha Hughes In Memory of Bill Sledge In Memory of Billy Corwin In Memory of Brian Groleau In Memory of C.T.R. In Memory of Charles Horton In Memory of Chief George J. Hodges In Memory of Dan Holland In Memory of George Ericson In Memory of Gertrude Chong In Memory of Irene Grady Johnson In Memory of Martin Grey In Memory of Maxima† In Memory of Melba DeSanto In Memory of My Good Friend Pat Gibson In Memory of My Mother Pearl McCann In Memory of Scott Paul Cooper In Memory of Stanley Smolen In memory of Wesley H. Woodall† In Memory of William F. Judge Intercontinental Management Consulting Group, Inc. Isabelle J. Henry Ivonne Fernandez J. Coffee Jackie Johnson Jacqueline M. McCarty Jacqueline McCarty James & K. Heather Molans James Black James D. Potter JR Jamie F. Flores Janet Campbell Jason Emrik Jason T Korose & Marie D Plett Javier Perez Jeffrey and Veronica Bujold Jennifer Hicky Jennifer S. Nickel Jenny Curic Jessica Padilla Jesus Diaz Jim Johnson Jim Lentz Jimmy Daniels Joan Futscher & Kids John & Ruth Mautino John C. Burt John Criasia John Dinielli John Evans & Family John Gaeta Johnís Plumbing Service Jonathan Burger Joseph Raymund Joseph Soares Joseph Yagbes Josh Searles Joyce Johnstone Juan and Antonieta Bofill
Juan Galindo Judith Kelly Judith Temple Judith Vidal Judy B. Pascarella Juliet Iler Julio A. Izquierdo June Jones Justin Rowan K.J. Williams Karen B Povlock Kaveh Vassal Keith Yude Kellie Jones Kenneth Gesel Kenny Angela Kevin Britt Kevin ìKJî Jones Kevin Jones Kristian Perez Laura & Bill Fash Laura Flash Lavances Wright-Rolle Leah and Ray Leonard R Snyder Linda Evans Lisa Cebrat Lisa Jackson Lord of the Harvest Ministries Lorraine A Coll Love, Teresa Luis Delacruz M. Smith Madeline Butera Magan Narduzzi Marcia A Kessler Margaret D. Neverdousky Margaret Melendez Margie Jones & Friends Maria and James Mulligan Maria M. Riveiro Maria Nieto Marie Sutera Marilyn R. Smith Marilyn Vokish Mario Yuio Marjorie G. Rhines Mark E. Johnson † Mark Faber Mark Targett Marlene S Warner Marshal Bugin Martha Roman Marvin Shatze Mary Green Mary Sue Ellis Maryann Springer Maureen Barry Mauro Boraby Jr McAvoy Family Mel Blount Merav & Ezra Alexander Michael & Michale Rhett Michael R. Prokop, Jr. Mike Cross Mohammed Ziauddin Mona B Staub & Ruth C Grey Morris Grazi Mr. and Mrs. Bocanegra Mr. and Mrs. Carson Mrs. Jenkins Ms. Evelyn Salerno Ms. Marilyn Smith Mustafa Mehmet Gokoglu
New!!! Sign up online: www.HomelessVoice.org Click on “Online Store” Mynona J Thompson Myriam Goris Nancy Keil Nancy Schuler Nancy T Ciaramitar Naomi Ross Nestor Martin Nichole Faber Nicole Lee Nelson Norman L Lieberman Norman Scott Oakland Park† Omnia and Rene Perez On Behalf of Matthew Lambert OTD Messenger, Inc Otto Garcia Pakita Price Paola C Mollica Patricia and Shurland George Patricia Lee Russ† Paula King Philip S. Lafresnaye & Janet Lafresnaye Phyllis R. Bebko Pioneer Middle School Youth PJ Carter Polly Zaldivar Proietto Family Rafa Advertising Corp Raine Dyer Rainer Hansen Raul Cardenas MD PA Raymund Joseph Real Breakthrough Solutions Regla J Ferrer Renato & Malika Vasconez Rhenals-Mei Family Richard & Margaret Martin Richard Friedman Richard Gomez Richard M. and Bettie B Buss Richard Rios Ricky Cambell Robert A Jenkins & Joanne T Jenkins Robert and Betty Short Robert and Ruth Baal Robert Comfort Robert Jesus Llanes Robert Sapia Robert T. Henshaw Roger and Veronica Valencillos Ronald & Cathy Walker Ronald Prescia Ronald Shafer Rosemary & Mark Zenobia Roxane Kesselhon Roy T. Bruno, Jr. Russell J. Ferguson Ruth Faison Ruth C Grey Sabrina Thorton, Former Ms. Ft. Lauderdale Saks Jewelry Designer Sally Lister Samual Manery Samuel R Halpern PA Sandra K Stevens Sandra L. Wilhelm Sarah R Currin Savoia Sweig
Sebastian Parks Sergio Cobo Sheila Holder Sheldon Jones Sherline Cyriaque Southern Financial Title Services Inc. Steinhardt Family Steve Dillan Steve Goolsby Surfiní Seniors Inc Susan C Humeston Susan P Brady Suzette M. Rodriguez Tailored Advertising, Inc Tamara Southard Tara Hunter Temple Aron Hakodesh Temple Beautiful Thank you so much Sean & Lois for all your help. Thank You Winn Dixie The Baldwin Family The Baptista Family The Chilsons The Davis Family The Geise Family The Herrmann Family The Herrmann Family The Kunicki Family The Ladueís The Maione Family The Martinez Family The Matsuura Family The Monserrate Family† The Morabito Family The Nicaraguaís The Ramos Family The Rionís Family The Savir Family The Schneider Family The Strikowski family The Swartout’s†† The Verny & Stewart Families The Watsons Thomas A Kramer Thomas Rua Thye Rencurrellís Timothy and Barbara Wilson Timothy L. Whitelaw Timothy Lukehard Todd Palgon Tom Thumb Food Stores, Inc. Tressie W. Osborne Uylna Quadrino Vance Gunn Virginia H. Bailey Wendy Bryan Wynona A Thompson Yorick and Bonita † Yvonne Fischer Zlata and Alfredo Jr Salazar
Volume XI, Issue 8
Letter To the Editor:
G
oing through my shelves in my apartment I came across a Homeless Voice newspaper I had saved. The front cover story was about Norris Gaynor and the horrible death at the hands of these heartless youths. I have wanted to speak my mind about this story, but I never came around to doing it. It has been on my mind ever since I read the article, like a weight on my back. Looking back, I remember the news stations reporting this and the shock that went through everyone’s veins when hearing about what this man endured before his end. Part of that shock was the kids that committed this awful act. We wondered what went through their minds, and pondered upon how they could do anything like this. Reading that article from The Homeless Voice said it all explaining the negativity we as a society attach to the homeless people in our country. When a class of people are looked down upon, disrespected, called names, not cared for, those injustices are resonated to the rest of society. Youths are impressionable, and when they are exposed to this type of attitude they absorb it. Added with this our modern day culture of violence and selfishness, we have an atmosphere of disaster. Some people seem to be less human in the eyes of others. We need to check ourselves as a society, collectively and individually. Get the word out to everyone and especially our children that all forms of life are valuable! Many out there think they live good, moral lives while treating certain classes of people as they were not even human at all. There is a mean, sadistic streak in this culture of ours and it needs to be addressed. It cannot be ignored. All of us are people with feelings. We get hurt, and we can give hurt. Sometimes we don’t know how the ones on the receiving end of the pain feel until one day it happens to us. I believe our legislation should pass the hate crime law that protects homeless people from the savagery that is going on today. That will be one step toward acknowledgment that we are all human beings. - Frank Jr.
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Our Homeless Voice readers: We at the Homeless Voice are establishing a new subscriber list in the event of an financial emergency. Most of you all know we take the most chronic homeless individuals.
Funded shelters have very strict rules on who they can take, we don't. Most of you also know the reason why we can take the hardest of the hardest cases is because we and you fund our shelter system. This is great, we can buy what we need now not five months later trying to get approval. We can do outreach in the street and find a way to help them right then and there. We can do all of these great things because of you all who donate money to us allowing us to continue to treat the most difficult cases in the community. However there are some down sides as well. We have always saved money for emergencies like hurricanes. Now we are trying to prepare for a pandemic. This swine flu I was watching the kill ratio and the amount of people in Florida who were infected so I could start our own procedure of pulling the vendors off the street so they don’t get sick coming in contact with all those people. Most of you know that I have been trying to educate as many people as I could with our own paper telling each and every one of you to be prepared. With a pandemic comes social disruption where food is not always at Publix and jobs are not always available and that also means charities and churches are at risk of going out of business. In fact with so much turmoil charities and churches do not even want to ask for money at the time of a major crisis where thousands will lose their lives. Sure we do it for disasters but doing it for a pandemic is going to be difficult for most of us who depend on your support. What I wanted to do was to secure our supporters emails in case there was a
THANK YOU AGAIN LORD FOR SUCH A WEAK FLU!
Publisher (middle) Sean Cononie meeting with Rain Wilson and his wife discussing poverty in America and the continued world hunger problems and the efforts the Homeless Voice is making in Haiti. major issue such as a pandemic where we could reach out and send an email to each supporter for them to please send in their $2.00 donation each and every month we are not on the streets. The government has already instructed businesses to keep money saved for a pandemic so they can continue to serve people and to pay their staff. We have a very detailed plan on how to cut costs and cut our own expenses where we could cut our budget down from the 100,000 a month to about 65,000 a month where we could survive even longer but that is the lowest possible budget we can live on. You can send in a one time donation today for $16.00- this would allow us to run for the worst type disaster for a period of
up to eight months. If you want to send in your donation today please see the below instructions. Before I go, please even if you do not wish to help us reach these goals or you just can't help us now please remember the need for you and your family to be fully prepared in case there is a pandemic is essential. Please each and every month stock up on supplies and if you are prepared you will not have to panic. Please go to our Pandemic web site at: www.PandemicBirdFlu.ws COSAC EMERGENCY FUND P.O. Box 292-577 Davie, Florida 33329
Members of the Florida based band Creed with Homeless Voice Staff Mark and Sara Targett Need flyers passed out or other temp labor? Call 954-924-3571 Why call a day labor company and spend large amounts of money?
Call our contractor refferal line. Call us and we will get you the person to do the job for much less!
The Voice of the Homeless
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(Continued from pg 1)
How Technology is helping with Overdoses and the Homeless Halloween (Continued from pg 1)
Every year 36,000 people die from influenza (flu)
Sean Cononie
Dealing with the Flu in a shelter can be quite overwhelming and dealing with the Swine Flu can be even more complex than anything we have ever dealt with. Sure we get our TB scares and once in a while we may get a call telling us that an Emergency Room went to “lock down” or Quarantine because of a potential risk such as small pox exposure and that same ER sent us a homeless patient (Top) Sean adjusts his equipment, before taking Docs vitals (below) from their ER to our shelter. the client back to the shelter once diagWhen this happens we go to a “self volnosed positive for the swine flu. At this untary lock down Quarantine” until the current phase in our current pandemic Hospital sorts it out. Once they say it there is no need to do this type of pracis clear we then go back to normal busitice, however, if this was a “Bird Flu” ness. If they are on “lock down” we will type pandemic I would not be writing this stay on “lock down” for several hours or story because I would be in a room where until we call the Heath Dept for guidance. I had no contact with anyone unless hosWe feel we have a moral pitals were filled to the responsibility to protect the maximum and we had to public just like the ER does at the time of a severe treat all our sick ourselves. if there is a potential risk pandemic, hospitals will be This is what happens at the to the public. If the person filled and the death rate is time of a severe pandemic, they sent to us had been hospitals will be filled and extremely high exposed to lets’ say smallthe death rate is extremepox and then they were ly high. What is extremely here and we let them go in and out of the high? Well, let’s just say it can be just as building going to the store etc then there worse as the Spanish Flu of 1918 where may be a chance we spread whatever the 50 to 100 million people died. Why is hospital was trying to prevent the spread there such a wide gap between 50 to 100 of in the first place. million people? Third world countries “Swine Flu” at shelters become dirty had a hard time accurately reporting the words- most shelters become scared and deaths as well as local jurisdictions, well, they start to make a policy that limits the “had a hard time disposing of the bodies taking of new people or the refusal to take in a fast manner.” Do not misunderstand (Continued on pg 6)
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them you have no way of knowing if they took something time released such as OxyContin and if they are a little over medicated now who’s to say they won’t be worse off when they go home. Plus if they come home and are high and they go to sleep what happens next. One Doctor told me; well don’t let them go to sleep. Good answer from a person who is supposed to care. If we have to keep them awake then they need a hospital, period. We already know our breathing and heart rate decreases when we go to sleep so if they have taken too much medication for pain and are super relaxed will they eventually get so relaxed that their heart rate and breathing finally gets so low they die? Sometimes people are in that mode where some may just say, “let them sleep it off.” That my friends is the worst thing to do when people are over medicated but sometimes they do just fall asleep. Sometimes they are fine and at other times the person who tries to wake them up are suddenly shocked because they just found out their loved one died. Then of course we have our people who are COPD who are very close to death. Sometimes their oxygen gets so low that well, they stop breathing and those dreadful words over the public address system once again sound and our heart races. We have a first responder team made up of formally homeless individuals who have taken advance classes where we can work a code for a person who has stopped breathing or their heart stopped, with AED’s, Oxygen, airway tools, and other medical equipment. In fact we have much more training than Assisted Living Facilities (ALF’s). We have revived many and only lost a few but few is too many. Sleep Apnea and the chance to die from it exist. What is Sleep Apnea? Well in simple terms, it is heavy snoring that stops your breathing for a few seconds to a few minutes. Basically your tongue blocks your airway or your throat gets so relaxed that the tissue blocks your airway. If you are heavy and a snorer, you most likely have Sleep Apnea. The short term effects can be death especially if you get just a little too relaxed from drinking alcohol or maybe just taking your normal medication. Thank God death is very rare and it is really hard to die from. There are some doctors who say that sometimes people die from Sleep Apnea and it is missed as the cause for death. There are sleep studies a person can take which are very expensive so for homeless people chances are rare that they will get a sleep study done. There are ways to fix Sleep Apnea with surgery as well as getting a machine to wear with a mask that forces room air or room air with oxygen down your air way. I have one that I wear and every night I must place the
(Continued from pg 1)
CPAP mask on my face. However, keeping it on is a chore in itself. With all these airway and heart issues and the overdoses that happen at times we tried to figure out what we could do to prevent them from happening in the first place or to at least be able to monitor them on and off for our high risk people to well just keep an eye on them from a distance. We thought about getting remote vital monitors that we can place on a client. This way we could actually see their heart rate and oxygen saturation levels and if it started to drop or we see the heart rate going below 62 beats per minute or oxygen saturation below their normal limits we would be able to react faster and prevent a life or death medical emergency. After months of searching and getting quotes as much as $100,000 dollars we were able to develop our own system by using some great technology that was already out there. Our system was made for only a few thousand dollars, we just needed a master mind to put it all together and this is where Mark Targett came into the picture. Mark is the one who has brought the Homeless Voice to your cars for the last ten years. He is now in charge of all technology that allows me to be at a few places at once. He has set up remote video phones from our disaster vehicles as well as a way for us to be in touch with doctors via video when we do medical outreach. We will be in our final testing phase as we hit the streets giving out the Swine Flu Vaccine to the ones still in the streets. Some of the equipment that we needed was the use of lap tops so we could place the computers in the room of the client or near the room and use some high tech wireless systems to remotely monitor the vitals. This was going to be a pretty hefty price tag for some new lap tops but then we got Blessed by one of our supporters who donates a lot of computers to us on a normal basis. When we were able to test the system on me I had to make it my business to make sure that Mr. Michael Prokop, Jr of Surfin’ Seniors, Inc. out of Delray Beach Florida, knew just how thankful I was for his latest donation. He was so pleased that his donation of lap tops would be used to help people stay alive while they were in a crisis. The system is simple, we put a wrist watch Oxygen saturation and heart monitor on the person. The unit beams it to a lap top and then that lap top can be monitored anywhere in the world in real time. It can come directly on to all our staff’s PC or even on an IPHONE over ATT wireless service. These features will enable us to glance over every few minutes or to watch the monitor as much as humanly possible. If vitals start to go low we can once again call EMS and start emergency help until EMS ar-
(Continued on pg 6)
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is the American Cancer Society’s premier event to raise awareness and dollars to fight breast cancer. More than just the name of a walk, it describes the amazing progress we’re making together to defeat this disease. This is your opportunity to join your community to celebrate breast cancer survivors, educate women about early detection and prevention, and raise money to fund lifesaving research and to support programs to help us reach a day when no one will have to hear the words “You have breast cancer”. Please walk with us. Use the link below to find all the events in Florida. www.HomelessVoice.org/story/make-strides
origin were combined with the traditional prophecies were an important source of Celtic celebration of Samhain. comfort and direction during the long, The first was Feralia, a day in late Octodark winter. ber when the Romans traditionally comTo commemorate the event, Druids built memorated the passhuge sacred bonfires, Young women believed that, on ing of the dead. The where the people gathHalloween, they could divine second was a day to ered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the name or appearance of their honor Pomona, the the Celtic deities. future husband by doing tricks Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The During the celebrawith yarn, apple parings, symbol of Pomona tion, the Celts wore or mirrors is the apple and the costumes, typically incorporation of this celebration into consisting of animal heads and skins, and Samhain probably explains the tradition attempted to tell each other’s fortunes. of “bobbing” for apples that is practiced When the celebration was over, they retoday on Halloween. lit their hearth fires, which they had exBy the 800s, the influence of Christiantinguished earlier that evening, from the ity had spread into Celtic lands. In the sacred bonfire to help protect them during seventh century, Pope Boniface IV desigthe coming winter. nated November 1 All Saints’ Day, a time By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely majority of Celtic territory. In the course believed today that the pope was attemptof the four hundred years that they ruled ing to replace the Celtic festival of the the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman
(Continued on pg 6)
Prosecutors clear Fort Lauderdale police of anti-homeless allegations (Continued from pg 1)
wise found no evidence of criminal activity. Officers were promised time off in return for three arrests during a shift, or four during two consecutive shifts, and a point system was devised for enforcement actions. A day off would be earned for 70 points. And a scavenger hunt was developed, giving officers a list of tasks to complete and promising a $50 gift card to Regal Cinema. Reached by phone Friday, Hennessy said one item on the scavenger hunt was a homeless person violating the open container law with an alcoholic drink other than Natural Ice beer. “If you were homeless and you happened to be drinking a beer other than Natural Ice, you were a target,” he said. “How is that fair?” One officer did get the Regal Cinemas gift card, but he did not complete the tasks on the scavenger hunt, the report states. The Internal Affairs investigation found
S M mo in o er th a ls !
Ready for Flu Season
Volume XI, Issue 8
no evidence that anyone was wrongly targeted, ticketed or arrested. “There was no evidence that revealed any citizens were treated unfairly, and the preponderance of testimony established the officers’ actions and decisions were not influenced by the potential of any future reward.” Hennessy, who has a whistleblower lawsuit against Fort Lauderdale alleging retaliation for complaining about the practices, said the department’s decision to stop the incentives after he complained in July 2008 proves he was right. And Internal Affairs Capt. Rick Maglione wrote in his report on the investigation that police brass must be careful in devising incentives to avoid the appearance that they’re condoning police misconduct, “whether actual or perceived.” Police spokesman Sgt. Frank Sousa declined to comment on the investigation, saying the documents speak for themselves.
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The Voice of the Homeless
Page 6 Ready for Flu Season (Continued from pg 4)
this article, the current Swine Flu is not a major concern at this time with the death rate, it is just a little higher than our normal seasonal flu deaths that happen each and every year, “SO DO NOT PANIC!” The major issues at shelters should be to help stop the spread of Swine Flu a little bit more than we normally do at the time of seasonal regular flu. Why? Because we know that there are certain high risk patients that live Flu recovery area on the grounds of the in homeless shelters who have Hep shelter. C, HIV and breathing issues. It bebleach and clean any area that is touched by comes very important to do our best hands such as door knobs, toilets, table tops, making sure they do not get exposed telephone and any other type of surface all to any Swine Flu. Also there is close day long. Then we clean the floor with bleach living quarters at shelters and since as much as we can in common areas. there are many people who suffer Our job becomes a little more difficult and from severe cases of mental health as one could imagine it can cost a lot more issues it is not always to run a shelter at the time easy to help stop the of a pandemic. Just for the spread of germs. The major issues at shelters month of September we used Teaching a person should be to help stop the more money for face masks who is mentally conspread of Swine Flu than the actual cost to feed fused how to “cover 200 people three meals a day. their cough” or wash At this time, we all can take their hands all day the time to thank our creator. For me it is Jelong becomes a chore with horrible sus. That this Swine Flu Pandemic of 2009 is results. With all these issues we have not a bad one. In fact it allows us to test our to go in to a mode titled “Building readiness and preparation plans. Disinfection.” With this, we have to
How Technology is helping with Overdoses and the Homeless (Continued from pg 5) rives. It also allows us to print out the chart so the ER doctor can once again consider the patient to be admitted until the crisis is over. For ones we think may have Sleep Apnea we can do our own version sleep study and print out the report for a night’s sleep so we can later advocate for the patient to then get a real sleep study. Many doctors do not take Sleep Apnea serious and this gives us a way to let them know that their oxygen levels go down quite
a bit while sleeping. We are not as good as an ICU unit but we should be able to save some lives because of some smart people and some nice people who give us what we need to run our shelters. This is one game plan that will allow us to win some of the time.
COSAC’S CHURCH Come to the church that is a Church of Service and Charity Learn of Jesus and learn how to put God’s words into action. Sunday 2 pm to 2:45 pm 1203 N. Federal Highway Hollywood, FL 33020 954-924-3571 x316
Halloween
America to mold Halloween into a dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday more about community and holiday. The celebration was also called Allneighborly get-togethers, than about hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle Engghosts, pranks, and witchcraft. lish Alholowmesse meaning All Saints’ Day) At the turn of the century, Haland the night before it, the night of Samhain, loween parties for both children and began to be called All-hallows Eve and, evenadults became the most common tually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, way to celebrate the day. Parties the church would make November 2 All Souls’ focused on games, foods of the seaDay, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated son, and festive costumes. Parents similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, pawere encouraged by newspapers and rades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, community leaders to take anything angels, and devils. Together, the three celebra“frightening” or “grotesque” out of tions, the eve of All Saints’, All Saints’, and Halloween celebrations. Because of All Souls’, were called Hallowmas. their efforts, Halloween lost most of As European immigrants came to America, its superstitious and religious overthey brought their varied Halloween customs tones by the beginning of the twenwith them. Because of the rigid Protestant tieth century. belief systems that characterized early New By the 1920s and England, celebration of Hal1930s, Halloween loween in colonial times was $6.9 billion are spent had become a secuextremely limited there. annually on Halloween lar, but communityIt was much more common centered holiday, in Maryland and the southwith parades and town-wide parties ern colonies. As the beliefs and customs of as the featured entertainment. Dedifferent European ethnic groups, as well as spite the best efforts of many schools the American Indians, meshed, a distinctly and communities, vandalism began American version of Halloween began to to plague Halloween celebrations in emerge. The first celebrations included “play many communities during this time. parties,” public events held to celebrate the By the 1950s, town leaders had sucharvest, where neighbors would share stories cessfully limited vandalism and Halof the dead, tell each other’s fortunes, dance, loween had evolved into a holiday and sing. Colonial Halloween festivities also directed mainly at the young. Due to featured the telling of ghost stories and misthe high numbers of young children chief-making of all kinds. By the middle of during the fifties baby boom, parties the nineteenth century, annual autumn festivimoved from town civic centers into ties were common, but Halloween was not yet the classroom or home, where they celebrated everywhere in the country. could be more easily accommodated. In the second half of the nineteenth century, Between 1920 and 1950, the centuAmerica was flooded with new immigrants. ries-old practice of trick-or-treating These new immigrants, especially the milwas also revived. Trick-or-treating lions of Irish fleeing Ireland’s potato famine of was a relatively inexpensive way 1846, helped to popularize the celebration of for an entire community to share the Halloween nationally. Taking from Irish and Halloween celebration. In theory, English traditions, Americans began to dress families could also prevent tricks beup in costumes and go house to house asking played on them by providing the ing for food or money, a practice that eventuneighborhood children with small ally became today’s “trick-or-treat” tradition. treats. A new American tradition was Young women believed that, on Halloween, born, and it has continued to grow. they could divine the name or appearance of Today, Americans spend an estimattheir future husband by doing tricks with yarn, ed $6.9 billion annually on Hallowapple parings, or mirrors. een, making it the country’s second In the late 1800s, there was a move in largest commercial holiday.
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Volume XI, Issue 8
Page 7
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