maga z i n e volume
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vol. 6 issue 4
FROM THE STAFF
SARAH CARRATT
Monique Mansour Executive Content Editor Liz Brownback Executive Design Editor Tauras Vilgalys Executive Publishing Editor Sean McEvoy Executive Business Editor Mukta Mohan Executive Public Editor Gabby Dematteis HRC Coordinator Marty Roers Staff Advisor Design Editors Katrina Sherbina Caleb Nyberg Copy Editors/Staff Writers Elsa Dieterle Jennifer Hamlin Rhiannon Koehler Sahar Mansoor Katherine McGrath Brendan McNerney
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
For six years, PASSION Magazine has been entirely student run and operated. To us on the staff, this means that each magazine we publish is a chance for us to learn and improve. While it can be difficult to balance the elements of design, content and public opinion, we strive to publish a finished product that will best represent our community and our students. We chose to focus on Los Angeles for this issue because we recognize that justice is not merely something to be saught in third world countries, but also in our own home. This magazine give students the opportunity to express their personal viewpoints, which PASSION hopes will spark a larger open discussion on such issues ranging from homelessness to Campus Ministry. PASSION was founded on the belief that one student’s experience in social justice can inspire another student to seek his own. These articles hit home because they are from our home. The views expressed in these articles are of the student authors and PASSION Magazine is proud to offer them a place where they can safely voice their opinions. While we are affliated with Campus Ministry and Loyola Maryomunt University, the opinions expressed in this magazine are not the opinions of PASSION Magazine or these two institutions. In the spirit of dialogue, we are proud to present this Los Angeles edition to the community as our attempt to promote justice at LMU.
WHAT’S INSIDE 4
EDITOR’S NOTE by Sarah Carratt
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You Do: Apply Your Passion in the Los Angeles Community
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Dates to Remember
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The Spotlight: Daniel Heyman by Linda Lee
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The City Rumbles by Mukta Mohan
10 A Lot to Grow by Erin Kelly
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12 Engaging the LMU Community by Natalie Hernandez and IC Trip Participants 14 Is Campus Ministry Relevant? by David Azevedo 16
Homeless Court: L.A. by Sean McEvoy
18 Heal the Bay by Britta Engstrom 20
Air by Carlos Rodriguez
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Public Service that Works by Monique Mansour
WATCH
A short video by A Better LA , which shows how one organization seeks to fight gang violence in neighborhoors. http://abetterla.org/
READ
Cyber Bullying: Bullying in the Digital Age by Dr. Patricia Agatston, who will be speaking at LMU on April 28th.
LISTEN
To the ethics presentations of LMU students on April 30th as t h ey c o m p e t e f o r t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o a t t e n d t h e Intercollegiate Business Ethics Case Competition (IBECC).
SUPPORT
826L A , a local organization that suppor ts student publications and provides tutoring to kids ages 6-18. http://www.826la.org/
OUR MISSION PASSION MAGAZINE publishs articles that put a face to the struggles of the forgotten, in the effort to reveal their dignity as human beings. Being a place where our stories are shared, we encourage a cycle of inspiration in our community—where one student’s experience in social justice can inspire another student to seek his own. We want to hear your thoughts!
contact us at: find us online:
passion.magazine@gmail.com http://lmupassion.wordpress.com/
vol. 6 issue 4
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th t c e 8 l 2 si t s i r Ap l J u v i s i s s u ia e r c c s o S e a k o d i ying l S p U t rbul m p L M cybe :30 8 6Next Fall! Hum a C o a n Right s l Pass i t i o n io & m e e t n Magazin ings e i n Chap el Bas t h e emen t
D a n i e l Heyman
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By Linda Lee
aised in New York, painter and printmaker Daniel Heyman has created for many years. He received degrees from Dartmouth College and the University of Pennsylvania, prestigious grants from the Pew Fellowship in the Arts, Independence Foundation, the AMJ Foundation and the Rhode Island School of Design. He is also a 2010 recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship. He currently resides in Philadelphia and teaches at the Rhode Island School of Design, Princeton University, and Swarthmore College. He is most famous for his paintings and prints of victims of abuse in the middle east, particularly the prisoners held at Abu Ghraib. Around 2004, accounts of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, including torture, rape, sodomy, and homicide of prisoners held in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq (also known as Baghdad Correctional Facility) was brought to the public eye. What is more disturbing, these acts of terror were committed by the United States Ar my and other US gover nmental agencies to “scare” the Iraquis. The prisoners were tortured in every way possible. Their decency was sacrificed. Nudity was especially psychologically traumatic for the Muslim detainees, on top of the other various tortures that they had to endure. All in all, this was a political act of terrorism by the United States.
Many events and influences cumulated to his works today. Around the age of 22, his artistic focus took a solemn turn as he focused on violence and war. This shift in artistic vision was due to his stay in France, where he interviewed WWII sur vivors. However, the intent of inter views is to e xtract infor mation, not necessarily taking into the victims’ state into account. Because of this dissonance, Heyman turned to art to communicate a story rather than an event. In fact, during the interview event Conversation with Daniel Heyman and Human Rights Lawyer Rosemary Healy at Loyola Marymount University on March 11, 2011, Heyman stated that the main purpose of his art was “to tell a story.” His artwork is acclaimed for e xactly that—capturing the unfor tunate tragedies of war in a “powerful, uniquely human way.” From 2005 through 2008, Daniel Heyman accompanied a team of human rights attorneys to Jordan and Turkey to document the stories of Abu Ghraib detainees. He has talked face-to-face and sat in with the detainees through lawyers’ interrogations to paint what Mar y Healy describes as an “intersection of advocacy and art.”
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City Rumbles by Mukta Mohan
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os Angeles is the largest county in the United States and encompasses 4,083 square miles of diverse cityscapes. It is a county of contrasts made up of cultural enclaves, Hollywood stereotypes, poverty and wealth. While Los Angeles is known for its traffic jams, gang violence, reality TV, and pollution, there is a burgeoning movement that aims to combat those problems by focusing on the do-it-yourself ethic, creating a sense of community, and being sustainable. The forces behind it are barely noticed by the majority of the population, but if they can build momentum, their influence has the potential to alter the Los Angeles way of life for years to come.
Bike Kitchens Located in Mar Vista, Bikerowave is a hip non-profit, D.I.Y. bicycle repair collective. For a modest hourly fee of $7, Bikerowave provides the space and tools you need to maintain your bike! Volunteer run “bike kitchens” like this one are popping up all over the county in an effort to create a sense of community among bicyclists. They often host monthly bike rides, workshops and other fun events! Whether you’re riding in protest of high gas prices, to lower your carbon footprint or to get active, you’re sure to find others like you at a bike kitchen.
www.bikerowave.org
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Community Gardens The community garden movement hopes to bridge the great divide between us and our food while creating vibrant communities amidst the concrete jungle of Los Angeles. It is a noble cause that aims to build self reliance, reduce poverty and mitigate global warming. The Los Angeles Garden Council estimates that there are about 70 community gardens that serve almost 4,000 families in the county. However due to a recent increase in guerilla gardening (illegally gardening on private property to repurpose the land), the number of gardens could be much higher. Some nearby gardens include Ocean View Farms in Mar Vista, Venice Community Garden, and several sites in Santa Monica. We even have one at LMU between Pereirra and Sullivan (behind the greenhouse)! It is currently in its beginning stages, but should be thriving by fall. If you would like to get involved join the L.I.O.N.S. Garden Club group on Facebook.
www.lagardencouncil.org & www.laguerrillagardening.org
Modern Day Communes While the word “commune� brings up connotations of hippies, free love and Charles Manson, there are several modern day versions within Los Angeles that prove that a communal society can work. The most practical kind of commune is one that you can start in your dorm, apartment building, office or cul-de-sac. It’s all about sharing resources. Activities include clothing swaps, potlucks, free stores, helping each other out and more! A more extreme example of a commune is the LA Eco Village located in Koreatown. The LA Eco Village is a two block community, with over 500 residents, that aims to intentionally live sustainably and with limited consumerism. Some notable features include a large community garden with chickens and bees, an on site bike kitchen, potlucks, and workshops that are open to the public. Tours are offered twice a month for $10.
www.laecovillage.org & www.wannastartacommune.com vol. 6 issue 4
To
A LOT by ERIN KELLY
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Gro
s an aspiring documentary director/editor and film major here at Loyola Marymount University, I have always dreamed of capturing a film subject that is not only compelling in story, but also surrounded by a network of inspiring individuals. This summer I was afforded an opportunity to document such a subject, when the Partners for Health Foundation invited me to make a short film about a community garden in Montclair, NJ called “A lot to Grow Garden�. Over the course of the next four months, I would spend my days digging into the project with the help of my camera, my shovel and my bare hands.
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The first time I saw “A lot to Grow” community garden I knew that it had a unique structure and define personality. The project was composed of sever al “r aised beds” (planting areas made from wooden boxes) for planting seeds in fresh soil with the goal of growing organic fruits and vegetables to donate to local soup kitchens and food pantries. The use of raised beds allowed the gardeners to immediately begin planting seeds within a controlled space, which canceled out the process of soil testing (a tedious task which often delays most community gardens from beginning their work). The raised beds were placed in an unoccupied lot across from the town’s local hospital. It was h e r e t h at t h e project’s director and her fellow collaborators would spend hours of their summer planting, weeding and watering the beds, in order to grow fresh produce for the less fortunate guests of Montclair’s soup kitchens. The very substance of the garden’s work provided an interesting story for my documentar y but perhaps the most motivational element within the scope of the project was the powerful sense of community involvement that helped sustain the garden’s various needs. Everything from the wooden boxes to the watering system was donated or sold at a highly discounted price by local businesses. Local families and members of Boy Scout troops gave up their time to assemble beds as well as build and paint the
ow
garden’s tool shed. And at the core of the entire project there were several dedicated volunteers that came to the garden early in the morning or late at night to participate in the weeding, watering and up-keep of the fruit and vegetable plants. The feelings of devotion and care that stemmed from the garden’s volunteers blossomed into real life solutions for the under nourished visitors of the community’s soup kitchens and food pantries. “A lot to Grow” delivered hundreds of fresh vegetables to over eight different facilities throughout the summer providing hundreds of organically grown meals, which greatly acceding their initial goals. As I watched the excited faces of volunteers through my camera’s viewfinder or smelt the sprouts of a fresh tomato plant, I become more and more aware of the multitude of gifts cultivated within this garden. We were g rowing fresh produce for those in need while simultaneously growing new friendships and a g reat sense of pride for our selves. The seeds of care were planted and through the strengthening roots of justice the garden had flourished before our eyes.
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Here I am in this country of many martyrs, including the 6 Jesuits and Archbishop Romero who were assassinated in the 1980s during the El Salvador Civil War. Here I walk where death surrounds the history of the people. Here I imagine how thousands of people were killed. Here I ask what I am doing that continues to oppress these Salvadorean people? A majority of 75,000 Salvadoreans were murdered by the military during the Civil War - the El Salvadorean military trained by the U.S. School of Americas, the military supported by the wealthy, and the military against what we are told was “communism.� What does it mean for a martyr to die in a war where one is organizing and fighting with the poor for liberation? What does this act of faith mean in steppingdown from privilege to be with those in need? Someone once said, to live life is to find something worth dying for. If I am really to live a life of social justice, what does it mean to live fully? And what does it mean to die with dignity? Let the martyrs of El Salvador be my role models in the search for an answer. By Natalie Hernandez 12
April 2011
Engaging the LMU Community:
r o d a v l a S El
What does it mean for Ignacio Companion students to BRING BACK their Spring-Break experiences to LMU?
It means authencially struggling with the life questions and deeper edges of the experience.. How to join in solidarity with our global neighbors in El Salvador and our Salvadoran neighbors in Los Angeles? What does it mean for a coomunity to be liberated... Liberated from the heart-rendering sufferings of war Impacted by our foreign and economic policies? Why do WE, students that we are, continue to go to SOA and the gates of Fort-Benning to cry-out for justice? What is the meaning of faith in the context of oppressive global-systemic poverty or NOW in the context of our Disneyland-Bluff reality? How can our education of the whole person be applied to help meet the basic clean water needs of an isolated village in El Salvador? This year’s campus ministry trip gave us the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the El Salvadoran culture and to learn first-hand about social injustices affecting people that we met & stayed with while also challenging us to seek ways to integrate our various fields of studies into the practical service of faith and the promotion of justice both here at LMU and beyond? For example, the trip’s engineering participants have returned to engage their Engineers Without Borders (EWB) club with researching and testing a water filtration system that hopefully could assist families from the Espiritu Santo Island that are currently plagued by water contaminated with E. Coli and negatively impacted by high rates of stomach/health issues. Other participants strived to empower a local women’s cooperative group in their small-business venture.
by IC 2011 Trip Participants to El Salvador vol. 6 issue 4
Is Campus Ministry Relevant? By David Azevedo
“I’m scared,” she said. I blinked, not sure if I heard her correctly. She saw my confusion, and said again, very clearly: “I’m going out into the world in two months, and I have no idea who I am. I don’t know what I believe in. I thought the more I was involved at LMU, the more I would find myself…because that’s what everyone else did, right That’s what this university’s about, right?” She let the word “right” hang there, trailing off slowly, painfully. … There is more to our palm trees and ocean vistas at this university. Once we become Lions, LMU makes us a sacred promise: the promise to teach us to learn, to serve, and to find ourselves. Such a promise creates a university that stands out amongst all others—something extraordinary, and necessary, in the uncertainty that beckons us in the world beyond the bluff. We see this promise in the mission statement. Campus Ministry is the office charged with fulfilling this promise for our community’s spiritual identity—making it, in a powerful way, the spiritual compass of LMU. Where is this compass, then, for my friend, and many like her, who are engaged in Campus Ministry and elsewhere at LMU? Active in Campus Ministry myself the last four years, I’ve heard similar stories throughout my four years, increasing each year. I hear not just stories, but questions. Is Campus Ministry relevant, when a majority of students aren’t Catholic? Is Campus Ministry even open to students of other faiths, or no faith at all? Should Campus Ministry even be here, if so few people use it? These questions break my heart, because the more I realize our school’s unique potential—and Campus Ministry’s vital part in fulfilling this potential—the more I see our campus community discarding Campus Ministry’s relevance. 14
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When I first came to LMU four years ago, this question more and more. Gradually staff Campus Ministry was introduced to me “as the members took more charge over CLC, retreats, and place where everyone takes these seeds and plants outreach—one student was told it would make the them in their own way—to the benefit of the entire office “more professional”. As student leadership garden, the entire LMU community.” It was a vital declined, so did Campus Ministry’s leadership place independent of one specific religion, decrease in campus life. As the campus attempted dedicated to fulfilling the mission statement to find solidarity during the fall 2009 racism through the enhancement of the students involved incidents, Campus Ministry was nowhere to be in the program. seen. Hillel, LMU’s student-run Jewish club, left I was drawn to Campus Ministry even more Campus Ministry last year because they weren’t by the older student leaders, who were excited to receiving student autonomy, not feeling welcomed take the time to mentor me, even though they were anymore. involved in so many other activities. I loved that the … staff ministers were willing to step back and allow With such student empowerment lessening, the students themselves to take on responsibility. and with the spiritual compass faltering, is Campus Campus Ministry, to these students and ministers, Ministry still relevant? was a place for teaching and empowering—and The way I see it, there are two directions letting the students lead. Campus Ministry can go from here. The first path During my sophomore year, Campus is to stay their current course, which, with incidents Ministry was changing. I first noticed the shift listed above, makes the student community on when a g roup of students came together to campus question the office’s relevance. The second o r ga n i z e a n I s r a e l - Pa l e s t i n e path is to seize the ideal Campus dialogue in the effort to bring I write this article M i n i s t r y — t h e ga r d e n w h e r e awareness to an issue that affected because I believe in students came to plant seeds several fellow Jewish and Arab Campus Ministry’s nurtured by a profound Jesuit students. In the midst of planning, promise, but grow that seed in their the students, myself included, were potential . . . it is own, individual, unique way. approached by members of Campus I n h i s i n a u g u r a l a d d r e s s, relevant to me. Ministr y and told call off the President Burcham summed a dialogue—it was “too difficult of a conversation for vision that accommodates this very idea of Campus students to have”. Ministry. He said, “We are a dynamic university Yes, it was difficult—but when I, as an RA with a powerful mission…Our region, and the that year, had recorded several instances of anti- world beyond, desperately needs supremely wellSemitism and anti-Arabism in my residence halls, I educated, ethical leaders, with deep, moral felt compelled to bring the conversation out in the convictions rooted in faith.” open and have an honest dialogue. We ended up This vision is exactly what LMU needs in drawing over a hundred students (on St. Patrick’s the next century, but it can only be achieved by a day, no less) and succeeded in generating a much relevant Campus Ministry that guides, empowers, larger wave of good faith. In the words of one and inspires students to take charge of their Jewish student: “I never realized that so many spiritual formation, so that when we walk off the students at LMU cared about my heritage. I graduation podium, we have more than a degree in thought we were just a Catholic community—but our hands. with events like these, I feel like we’ve got a chance Why do I write this? I write this because I to transcend our religious differences.” In other believe in President Burcham’s vision, and Campus words, we students had recognized something was Ministry’s integral role in achieving that vision. I m i s s i n g at L M U — i n t h i s c a s e , s p i r i t u a l write this because I believe a community cannot community—and we, with the help of empowering grow unless its members challenge its leaders to be staff ministers in Campus Ministry, addressed it. better. I write this because LMU has empowered While grateful for the staff members who me—and to know that people like my friend have supported us, we students were still not sure what not been afforded that chance, because of an to think about the staff members who didn’t. Was unfulfilling Campus Ministry, breaks my heart. I this the end of student leadership in Campus write this because Campus Ministry is relevant to Ministry? me. In the next two years, I found myself asking How is it relevant to you? vol. 6 issue 4
Homeless Court: L.A. By Sean McEvoy
Los Angeles is the global model for good reasons. For example, a large for the American lifestyle. Our culture percentage of L.A.’s homeless have is exported from L.A., where people been issued tickets for jaywalking, see clean streets, beautiful houses, and riding the metro with no fare, and a vibrant nightlife. But we have a loitering. With a criminal record it is secret. Los Angeles is also home to the difficult to return to society and gain l a r g e s t c o n c e n t r at e d h o m e l e s s e m p l oy m e n t a n d h o u s i n g. I s i t population in the United States. Skid b e n e f i c i a l f o r L o s A n g e l e s t o Row, 50 square blocks of downtown, criminalize a group of people who are is where we herd those who are most already living on the fringe of society? The Los Angeles Homeless in need. It is here that they find Court doesn’t think so. themselves victims of gang violence, drug wars, a large percentage Their mission is to hold and even prostitution. of L.A.’s homeless monthly court sessions However, there is a less have been issued in areas like Skid Row were minor charges can noticeable but extremely tickets for be dismissed in important problem jaywalking e xc h a n g e fo r plaguing the homeless: commitments to rehabilitation and job criminalization. Living on the streets is a life training programs. The concept is more challenging than most of us will s i m p l e : a l l o w t h e h o m e l e s s a n ever know. It is a daily struggle for opportunity to reenter society as selfsurvival and human connection that sufficient citizens. Employers often sometimes necessitates breaking laws pass over applications that show any 16
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sort of criminal record, even if the The court is recognizing that I have crime was as minor as jaywalking. At a changed. I have overcome this. It does an
time when unemployment is as high as it has been in decades, checking that box could mean missing out on a job. So do we want to keep the homeless homeless, or do we want to provide every avenue for self-improvement we can? On a technical level, Homeless Court helps get people off the street, but there is more to this than just landing a job. Orlando Ward now works at Midnight Mission, but he used to be homeless. Reflecting on his charges, Ward says, “It’s the emotional side.
awful lot for your self-esteem.” Treating the homeless with a sense of humanity needs to be the foundation of all rehabilitation measures. Blaming and judging will get us nowhere because we need the homeless to believe they are valuable, and not a detriment to society. One simple way to do this is to see them as people, not as criminals. Next time you meet someone down on their luck, don’t be afraid to treat them like a human being.
LMU GRADUATE PROGRAMS PREPARATION FOR A CAREER EDUCATION FOR LIFE Laying the foundation for lasting careers, Loyola Marymount University Graduate Programs provide the educational tools needed to flourish in an increasingly complex world by developing skills in empathetic leadership with vision and values. Explore one of our 30 Graduate programs in: • • • • • •
Liberal Arts Business Science & Engineering Communication & Fine Arts Education Film & Television
Take the first step to realizing your potential, visit http:/graduate.lmu.edu or call 310.338.2721
vol. 6 issue 4
T
he goal of Heal the Bay is “to make souther n Califor nia’s coastal water s and watersheds, including Santa Monica Bay, safe healthy and clean” (Heal the Bay, 2010). To best fulfill their mission, Heal the Bay participates in research education, science, community action and advocacy. Amoung other things, Heal the Bay provides free speakers to schools and classrooms who are interested in lear ning more about watersheds, pollution and the ocean. Volunteers and scientists make complex scientific issues easy to understand to help educate Californians about marine life issues. Heal the Bay also runs an educational aquarium on the Santa Monica Pier for hundreds of thousands of annual visitors (Heal the Bay, 2010). Since it was founded, Heal the Bay has supported marine life issues by speaking on behalf of the aquatic life. This involves everything from letter writing campaigns to talking to government officials to change the way we treat our oceans. Recently, they have worked to ban the use of plastic bags in LA grocery stores. Heal the Bay scientist, Dana Murray spoke about Marine Protected Areas (MPA’s) and California’s Marine Life Protection Act. She explained that due to overfishing 90% of large fish, including tuna, marlin, swordfish, cod, halibut and shark’s numbers have significantly decreased. While the transformation does not happen overnight, Murray stated that in areas where MPA’s have been implemented, fish
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populations have been restored to their original numbers and it has allowed fish to return to the areas where they had previously fled. Heal the Bay advocates for MPA’s and other marine issues in hopes to restore ecosystems and advocate for them (Murray, 2010). A team of water and beach quality scientists, stream restoration specialists and volunteers collect and analyze data weekly to give the public information about the Pacific Ocean. The scientists take water samples, observe marine protected areas and eco systems and observe regulation initiatives. The scientists monitor the wildlife in order to have a healthier ocean for both the inhabitants and the humans using the beaches. While Heal the Bay has dramatically changed the waters of Southern California and the Santa Monica Bay over the last several decades, the organizations still continues to be challenged by many obstacles. Murray described the challenges of going up against large businesses and corporations (like Chevron) who need to improve their environmental practices. Murray also e xpressed the e xtreme difficulty of communicating complex scientific issues to the public, policymakers and state agencies. It is crucial that they understand the issues at hand so that their decisions are based on science instead of emotions. Changing laws and legislation can often be a slow process, which can be frustrating when marine life is in danger. Despite obstacles and often a slow process Murray said that the most rewarding and exciting thing about her job is when Heal the Bay
By Britta Engstrom is able to mobilize the public behind a cause and gain support. Even if it a small win, it is still a large accomplishment. Murray stated in our interview, “I know we are doing the right thing and when people in power listen to us and also do the right thing it makes all the frustration and previous losses worth it. Even with setbacks, someone needs to be fighting for ocean protection and public health”. In addition to talking with Dana Murray, I heard a presentation from beach water quality scientist, Amanda Griesbach. Griesbach is responsible for all programs relating to water quality, including the Beach Report Card program. Beach Report Cards act as an outreach tool allowing California residents to know the water quality of the coast. Ocean waters are tested weekly in over 500 locations (now including beaches in Oregon and Washington) and given a rating A-F and posted online on an interactive map. Water quality specialists like Griesbach test waters for Fecal Indicator Bacteria (FIB). These types of bacteria, that include enteroccocs and e. coli, indicate if more hazardous bacteria are in the water. The bacteria comes from urban runoff, storm water, septic and sewage sources, as well as natural sources. Humans contribute to this by illegal dumping, disposal of diapers or sewage (often if it spills) and pet waste (Sindermann, 2006). As far as health risks go, Griesbach said that every year over 1.5 million people get sick due to poor water and suffer from gastrointestinal illnesses. The
Beach Report Card program seeks to educate the public so that they can make decisions for themselves on whether they want to go in the water. Griesbach also explained that waters are increasingly more hazardous after rain and encourages people to swim at their own risk if waters have a below C rating. She encourages residents to always check the report card before going to the beach. Heal the Bay has made tremendous strides in improving water quality in California. In regards to what the future holds, Murray said, “I am an optimist,” furthering on to explain how she would like to see coastal and marine issues become more important and supported in the public arena. Murray hopes that we will continue to see a shift our society’s views of the ocean to a place harboring unique wildlife, operating as the lungs of our planet, and a fragile ecosystem that needs protection instead of merely a place to extract oil and resources. She believes that this should be balanced, and resource extraction from the oceans should not be seen as the ultimate goal and should be approved sparingly. Stating that, “only when the best environmental management practices followed do I think marine protected areas will become more common-place in the United States as they have developing countries. I also believe that coastal issues will become more prominent as sea level rises in the face of climate change.”
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air less hole deeper then skin poverty lung veins- border patrol blockades- between vein and brother no air happens in a gold plated bird cage which I entered upon exiting despair streets filled with raw ness cup a noddle dinners morning meals too caves of blood, as truth as truth can get on Saturday mornings as if I could offer to those that recognize the shadow burning within myself to those whom Uncle Sam calls the unteachable for they have not yet learned the secrets of Hollywood nor the ways of the ladder- up up up never look down chest out head up one card in pocket food at fingertips I arrive encountering a sight fire through my plastic eyes Her image engulfs me 4 feet yet taller then the highest mountain she rips off the charitable mask which I have drilled onto my head’s side leaving my face bleeding in pain burned by the sun which it has not felt in days forcing me to look within placing me face to face with my untranslatable downtrodden self
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I call her “princess” yet no castle exists for this homeless little girl my heart burns into tiny ash like pieces 3rd world images enslave my mind at the thought of realizing that her XXL, over sized, dusty, used blue sweater should have been worn by me that is all she wore, no shoes, no pants, no gymboree accessories for the hair Hollywood, light brown skinned, beautifully smiling, middle class look a like, little girl Her and her mom searched desperately for shelter in a city with too many condo’s but not enough homes In a city that uplifts some stars and takes the twinkle out of others In a city where lotteries decide who gets to try yogolocious’ wonderful strawberry flavor who gets to try the wonderful potatoes at the mansion that is midnight mission on skid row. In a city which kills me while giving me life feeding me poison while providing bluff time “princess” I call her as I leave the real of my life retreating retreating another week in the night of dreams which exist in the ladder of money and time
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Public Service that Works The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works
By Monique Mansour
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he Los Angeles County Department of Public Works is a governmentsponsored, countywide organization that is headquartered in Alhambra, California. The slogan of the Department is “Public Service that Works” and the organization’s mission statement is, “Enhancing our communities through responsive and effective public works services.” The department has a history of working on environmental and various public works issues, such as maintenance of water, roads, bridges, flood control, and the collection and proper disposal of household hazardous waste since 1985 and electronic waste since 2005 (http://dpw.lacounty.gov/). The agency has five programs they sponsor which include the programs of CleanLA, Household Hazardous Waste, STOP Graffiti, Business Services Online, E-Notify, and Road Closures. CleanLA, which includes the cleanup and safe disposal of household hazardous Waste and electronic waste through safe collection and composting events, also includes education outreach programs. This department hosts regular hazardous and electronic waste collection events throughout LA County. The Household Hazardous Waste program, similar to the CleanLA program, strives to inform LA County residents of new laws and regulations pertaining to household hazardous waste. This division also provides education outreach programs and
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S.A.F.E collection centers where hazardous and electronic waste can be properly disposed of. STOP Graffiti is an award-winning program the agency offers to LA county residents to report the clean up of graffiti. Business Services Online is a wonderful opportunity for business owners to cooperate with the LA County Department of Public Works in matters pertaining to listing LA County as a vendor and the department of public works as a consultant. E-Notify is an innovative prog ram that lets residents sign-up for e-mail newsletters pertaining to matters of residents’ i n t e r e s t s . F o r e x a m p l e ,n e w s l e t t e r s containing information aboutL A c o u n t y r e c yc l i n g, ga r d e n i n g, r o a d c l o s u r e information, and more can be e-mailed free of charge to residents. Lastly,Road Closures posts updated information on road closures and blockages in Los Angeles County (http:// dpw.lacounty.gov/). I had the pleasure of speaking with Armine Kesablyan, the program manager for the Household Hazardous Waste & Electronic Waste sector at the LA County Department of Public Works. In 2005, a California state law was passed to ban the disposal of electronic waste in the landfills, the same year the Department added electronic waste collection programs throughout LA County. When speaking of the challenges Kesablyan faces while managing her duties, she said funding was the most significant problem. Kesablyan states, “when new things are banned from the landfills, we have to find ways to incorporate the items into our collection process, and it is a financial burden on local government to be able to take on every item that is banned.” A second major challenge Kesablyan faces is
“educating people about what they are supposed to do with certain items.” Some residents do not make proper disposal of hazardous and electronic waste their “first priority” and it can be hard to let them know how important it is. However, Kesablyan notes that the DPW has a large o u t r e a c h p r og r a m , w h i c h includes presentations and a d ve r t i s e m e n t s ab o u t t h e collection events within five miles of the collection city/ neighborhood. Kesablyan is happy to report that the LA County DPW hosts, “one of the largest household hazardous waste and electronic waste collection programs in the n a t i o n . ” T h e programs hosts 60 mobile collection events a year throughout LA County’s 88 cities and over 150 unincorporated county communities.
LA Public Works demonstrates dedication to the community beyond mere trash collection
THANK YOU... to this year’s staff of
for your hard work and dedication to promoting social justice at LMU ! ~Human Rights Coalition
vol. 6 issue 4