Volume 14: Issue 22 September 6 - 19, 2017
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living with schizophrenia pg 5
Street Sense is the street media center of our nation’s capital. We aim to serve as a vehicle for elevating voices and public debate on issues relating to poverty while also creating economic opportunities for people who are facing homelessness in our community.
CORRECTION: In the previous edition of Street Sense, we failed to note that the opinion piece “ The Marc h of the Frightened,” by occasional contributor Brett Pransky, was first published by the website PatriotNotPartisan. com. It was republished with permission. Street Sense regrets the error.
COVER ART Lawyer, professor and advocate Elyn Saks.
COURTESY OF USC GOULD SCHOOL OF LAW
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OUR STORY Street Sense began in August 2003 after Laura Thompson Osuri and Ted Henson approached the National Coalition for the Homeless on separate occasions with the idea to start a street paper in Washington, D.C. Through the work of dedicated volunteers, Street Sense published its first issue in November 2003. In 2005, Street Sense achieved 501 ( c ) 3 status as a nonprofit organization, formed a board of directors and hired a full-time executive director. Today, Street Sense is published every two weeks through the efforts of four salaried employees, more than 100 active vendors, and dozens of volunteers. Nearly 30,000 copies are in circulation each month.
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1. Street Sense will be distributed for a voluntary donation of $2.00, I agree not to ask for more than $2.00 or solicit donations for Street Sense by any other means. 2. I will only purchase the paper from Street Sense staff and volunteers and will not sell papers to other vendors. 3. I agree to treat all others, including customers, staff, volunteers, and other vendors, respectfully at all times. I will refrain from threatening others, pressuring customers into making a donation, or in engaging in behavior that condones racism, sexism, classism, or other prejudices. 4. I agree not to distribute copies of Street Sense on metro trains and buses or on private property. 5. I agree to abide by the Street Sense vendor territorial policy at all times and will resolve any related disputes I
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have with other vendors in a professional manner. 6. I understand that I am not an employee of Street Sense, Inc. but an independent contractor. 7. I agree to sell no additional goods or products when distributing Street Sense. 8. I will not distribute Street Sense under the influence of drugs or alcohol. 9. I understand that my badge and (if applicable) vest are property of Street Sense, Inc. and will not deface them. I will present my badge when purchasing Street Sense. I will always display my badge when distributing Street Sense. 10. I agree to support Street Sense’s mission statement. In doing so I will work to support the Street Sense community and uphold its values of honesty, respect, support, and opportunity.
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS Jeremy Bratt, Max Gaujean, Margaret Jenny, Jennifer Park, Reed Sandridge, Dan Schwartz, Jeremy Scott, John Senn, Kate Sheppard, Annika Toenniessen, Martin Totaro EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Brian Carome EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Eric Falquero COMMUNICATIONS & SALES MANAGER Jeff Gray VENDOR PROGRAM MANAGER Mysa Elsarag EVENTS & ADMINISTRATION MANAGER Dani Gilmour CASE MANAGER Colleen Cosgriff WRITERS GROUP ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE Donna Daniels, Willie Schatz OPINION EDITORS (VOLUNTEER) Rachel Brody, Arthur Delaney, Britt Peterson EDITORIAL VOLUNTEERS Justin Benedict, Lenika Cruz, Roberta Haber, Jesse Helfrich, Hunter Lionetti, Laura Osuri, Andrew Siddons, Jackie Thompson, Marian Wiseman VENDORS Shuhratjon Ahamadjonov, Wanda Alexander, Ollie Alston, Gerald Anderson, Charles Armstrong, Katrina Arninge, Lawrence Autry, Marie Bangura, Aida Basnight, Ken Belkosky, Lester Benjamin, Tonya Bibbs, Phillip Black, Reginald Black, Maryann Blackmon, Emily Bowe, Emily Bowe, Clarence Branch, Debora Brantley, Deborah Brantley, Andre Brinson, Donald Brown, Donald Brown, Kanon Brown, Kanon Brown, Lawrence Brown, Elizabeth Bryant, Joan Bryant, Luther Bullock, Brianna Butler, Dwayne Butler, Lashawn Butler, Melody Byrd, Antoinette Callaway, Antoinette Calloway, Eugene Carter, Floyd Carter, Conrad Cheek, Emily Cohen, Aaron Colbert, Michael Craig, Anthony Crawford, Kwayera Dakari, Louise Davenport, Clifton Davis, James Davis, David Denny, Reginald C. Denny, Ricardo Dickerson, Dennis Diggs, Alvin Dixon-El, Ronald Dudley, Betty Everett, Jemel Fleming, Johnnie Ford, Duane Foster, Samuel Fullwood, Anthony Gist-El, Chon Gotti, Latishia Graham, Levester Green, Marcus Green, Barron Hall, Denise Hall, Mildred M Hall, Tyrone Hall, Veana Hanes, Dwight Harris, Lorrie Hayes, Kunle Henderson, Patricia Henry, Derian Hickman, Ray Hicks, Vennie Hill, Shana Holmes, James Hughes, Leonard Hyater, Chad Jackson, Joseph Jackson, David James, Linda Jones, Morgan Jones, Darlesha Joyner, Larry Kelley, Juliene Kengnie, Jewell Lean, Keith Lewis, Keith Lewis, John Littlejohn, Scott Lovell, Michael Lyons, William Mack, Ken Martin, Kina Mathis, Michael Lee Matthew, Geneva McDaniel, Jermale McKnight, Jennifer McLaughlin, Jeffery McNeil, Ricardo Meriedy, Cynthia Mewborn, Kenneth Middleton, Kenneth Middleton, Amy Modica, Veronica Morris, L. Morrow, Collins Mukasa, Evelyn Nnam, Moyo Onibuje, Earl Parkin, Marcellus Phillips, Marcellus Phillips, Jacquelyn Porter, Angela Pounds, Abel Putu, Jeanette Richardson, Henrieese Roberts, Doris Robinson, Rita Sauls, Chris Shaw, Damon Smith, Gwynette Smith, Patty Smith, David Snyder, Franklin Sterling, Warren Stevens, James Stewart, Beverly Sutton, Sybil Taylor, Sybil Taylor, Archie Thomas, Shernell Thomas, Eric Thompson-Bey, Carl Turner, Jacqueline Turner, Ronald Turner, Joseph Walker, Michael Warner, Robert Warren, Sheila White, Angie Whitehurst, Clarence Williams, Robert Williams, Sasha Williams, Wendell Williams, Ivory Wilson, Clifton Wommack, Charles Woods, Timothy Yates
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Texas Street Paper Mourns Lost Leader By Adam Sennott, Volunteer
The street paper movement lost another one of its own this summer. Stephen A. Karnes, founder and executive director of The Journey Street Newspaper in Fort Worth Texas, died July 30, after a struggle with lung cancer. Karnes founded the Journey in 2010, and ran the paper with his wife Annette, who said that her husband of 26-years “fell in love” with the street news model after he discovered the International Network of Street Papers while searching the internet. “It was a match made in heaven,” Annette said. “He fell in love with the concept [and] the idea.” The two had once been homeless together for about a two-year period as they grappled with addiction, Annette said. At the time he was clean, sober, medically retired, and was looking for something to do with his time and The Journey also allowed him to give back, Annette said. She said he had her full support.“I’ve always backed him up on everything from the very beginning,” Annette said. “Even if no one else did, he always knew that I was going to be there for him.” Karnes started slowly, Annette said. “He started it off kind of like a newsletter type [of publication],” Annette said. “[He] did it on the printer, and made the first real Journey.” The first issue was just two pages, Annette said.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ANNETTE KARNES
Though it was small, “It was his baby, and it had breathed life,“ Annette said. The paper slowly grew to about 16 pages, Annette said. She has a framed copy of the first issue they had printed. “It’s got our signatures on it,” she said. The board suggested they reformat the paper and make its design and layout look more professional, Annette said. She eventually took over laying out the paper. “It took Steve a couple of months to think on that and put his trust into me,” Annette said. Annette said she had taken a class or two at the Texas Center for Community
Journalism prior to putting her first issue together. “They were just one-day classes,” Annette said. “Considering that’s all I had, and put the first one out, it was pretty amazing. “How I put it together is, I went around town pulling publications and then tearing the publication apart visually,” Annette said. “And I put in my head what I would like incorporated into our paper, and that’s how the format that you see today came to be.” Karnes said he liked the way his wife designed the paper.
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"I'm continuously impressed with my wife's layout skills,” Karnes said in August 2015. Karnes would distribute PDF copies of the paper to homeless agencies in his area, and in late 2015 The Journey got its first vendor, Annette said. He sold the paper for about a year and a half. On January 8, 2016 Karnes was diagnosed with stage 3 small cell carcinoma, Annette said. After his diagnosis, Annette said she made him make her a promise, “no negative thoughts, no dark thoughts, we’re going to think ourselves well and we’re going to enjoy what time we have.” “I took on being the rock, being the positive enforcer and keeping all things positive,” Annette said. Annette said the paper was suspended in September 2016 so she could focus her attention on taking care of Steve. “He agonized over it for months and then he finally gave in,” Annette said. Over time Karnes condition deteriorated, and on Sunday July 30 at 11:50 a.m. he passed away, Annette said. “I was by his side the whole time,” Annette said. She said plans to start the Journey again at some point. “I made a promise to him to keep the Journey going,” Annette said. “But I need to grieve for a while.” ■
55 Campers Demand Permanent Housing Solutions at Baltimore City Hall Writing and photography by Henrieese Roberts Artist/Vendor
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aven Lane, a friend and advocate for those of us experiencing h o u s i n g i n s t a b i l i t y, r e c e n t l y updated me about Tent City, a group of homeless people and their advocates that were camped out in front of Baltimore’s city hall. O n We d n e s d a y, A u g . 2 3 , i n t h e early morning, I was with the group as Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh discussed the projected move of the 55 people who were living in tents. Pugh later that day released the following statement: "Homelessness is a critical issue facing Baltimore City and I am working together with community advocates including the organizers of 'Tent City' to develop immediate and longterm solutions for permanent housing. Today, I authorized the use of a surplus school building to serve as a safe haven for homeless individuals who have not had success in the existing emergency shelter system or in previous attempts to secure permanent housing. There are approximately 55 individuals who will reside at the facility while receiving case management and counseling. Our goal is to provide these individuals with the support they need as expediently as possible." While there at the camp, I spoke with Glen Smith, a resident, who spoke of issues that hamper his ability to get housing. “The family is been broken by Housing Choice Vouchers,” Glen said. “It is illegal for me to be there, however I watched kids and contributed to the household.” Glen walked on over to the Soldiers Memorial, all the while expressing that it is so difficult for a young black man to find work. After rendering spiritual insights, he sighed and said, “I believe I will become a minister!” While sauntering around with Glen, I met Rev. Lisa Weddington, who was interviewing residents to help them get services. We discussed depression and anxiety, so the residents could understand behavioral health diagnosis. O l i v i a E a l e y, f r o m t h e D i s t r i c t o f Columbia, came to see if she could move in with the Tent City residents and become resident of Baltimore. Christina Flowers, asserted she was there to help in any role that would assist the residents get housing. Later I visited the William Pinderhughes Elementary, where the 55 people were being relocated. ■
Christina Flowers
Rev. Lisa Weddington and Olivia Ealey
COVER STORY:
STREET SENSE September 6 - 19, 2017
Living with Schizophrenia By Amanda Waldroupe Street Roots, Portland
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ne day, when she was 16, Elyn Saks abruptly got up from her desk, walked out of her classroom and left school. She headed home, but she could not explain to herself why. As she passed the houses in her neighborhood, the houses spoke to her – insulting, hostile words that reverberated in her brain. It was Saks’ first experience with psychosis and living with schizophrenia. She continued to experience intense delusions, and during her first semester attending Yale Law School, Saks was hospitalized and restrained to a hospital bed for the first time. A few years later, while at Oxford University, she experienced a complete psychotic breakdown. Another decade would pass until Saks could manage her illness with the proper medication and therapy. Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder chiefly characterized by the inability to discern reality from delusions and hallucinations. Less than one percent of people live with schizophrenia, and it is one of the most misunderstood and stigmatized of mental illnesses. Saks has dedicated her career to advocate for people with severe mental illnesses; she argues that, with the right medical resources and support networks, they can live with increased independence, dignity and happiness. Saks is now a lawyer and the Orrin B. Evans Professor of Law, Psychology, and Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law as well as the founding director of the Saks Institute for Mental Health Law, Policy and Ethics. She also holds positions at the University of California, San Diego, the New Center for Psychoanalysis and the Keck School of Medicine. Her academic and legal writing focuses on the intersection of law and mental health, but in her memoir, “The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness,” she recounts her personal struggle living with schizophrenia and how she learned to live the life she wanted to live. A TED talk she gave in 2012 about living with the illness has been viewed more than 3 million times. Despite her many academic and scholarly accomplishments, she considers avoiding hospitalization for three decades her proudest accomplishment. Saks will give the keynote speech at the Oregon Law & Mental Health Conference in Portland, June 16. The conference is a project of the Mental Health Association of Portland, an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization supporting recovery from mental illness and addiction.
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Street Roots: In your TED talk, you said that the schizophrenic mind is “not split, but shattered.” What do you mean by that? Elyn Saks: Some people think that people with schizophrenia have different personalities, given the word “schizo,” which means different personalities. They confuse schizophrenia with Multiple Personality Disorder, which is now called Dissociative Identity Disorder. You’re split into different parts or different personas. With schizophrenia, you’re confused and disordered. It’s as if your mind is falling apart.
In another interview you said, “everyone becomes psychotic in his or her own way.” What do you mean by that? And how does the individualistic nature of these illnesses impact the ability to provide good medical care? ES: To diagnose, you have to have certain kinds of symptoms. They vary. People have delusions, some people have hallucinations. Some people become apathetic and stop working or interacting with people. There are people who become catatonic. That doesn’t happen with the drugs that we have now.
ES: I had an experience like that when I was going to do a radio interview. I was wearing headphones and there was a microphone in front of me. They said, “say a sentence, Elyn, so we can get your voice.” And I told them, “I’m hearing other people on these headphones.” They said, “We don’t hear anyone.” They thought I was hallucinating.
How can that sense of confusion and disorder manifest itself, day to day? ES: When one is symptomatic, you would be having typically delusional thoughts, like ‘I’ve killed people with my thoughts,’ or hallucinations. Once, I saw a woman at the foot of my bed. You make word salads – words that are loosely associated with one another. When I was at Yale Law School, I said, “I think someone’s infiltrated my copies of the cases. We’ve got to case the joint. I don’t believe in joints, but they do hold your body together.’” The best analogy I can give of an active psychotic episode is a waking nightmare, with the confusion and terror. When you have a nightmare, you can sit up in bed and it goes away. There’s no such luck with a psychotic episode.
You think people with severe mental illness like schizophrenia can live with more independence than many already do. So much of treatment, though, is focused on things like medication and hospitalizations. Is it individual enough? ES: Some people think that I’m unique. They say there aren’t people like me who are as high functioning. That’s not true. It’s just that the stigma is so great that people (with illness) don’t come forward. I think it’s a mistake when doctors tell patients with schizophrenia to lower their expectations. I was told to get a job as cashier at a store. I thought to myself, I’m a student. I’m good at it. I like it. If I’m down for a few days, I can make (the work) up. What was more stressful to me is the idea of a constant line of people asking for change.
So what do you think needs to happen in medical environments to reduce that stigma? ES: It needs to happen in society generally. People coming to see mental health disorders as brain disorders doesn’t reduce stigma, but putting a human face on it does. People coming forward is what is going to reduce stigma. More people are doing that. The (Americans with Disabilities Act) helps. You may know that the person in the office next to you is getting accommodations, and you may see that they’re like you. They value the things you value. They want friends. They want romantic relationships. And so on.
Many of the symptoms you describe, such as making word salads or having delusional thoughts, must be so confusing and scary. What cumulative effect do these symptoms have on a person living with mental illness over time? ES: It depends on how compliant you are on medication. Some people stay psychotic for the rest of their life. My husband likes to say that psychosis is not an on-off switch, but a dimmer switch. A lot of the time, I’m able to say to myself, “Oh Elyn, that’s just your illness, pay it no mind.” I might have two or three days going in and out of psychosis. And at the far end (of experiencing severe psychosis), I’ll be crouching in a corner and shaking. There are different degrees in which it manifests itself. But for me, for many years, things have gone in the right direction.
How can it help for a doctor, who is supposed to provide medical care so that you get better, discourage you from doing something that you enjoy and are good at? ES: Prejudice drives it. I think back to my law school journal article on mechanical restraints. I was talking with my professor, who was also a psychiatrist. I was telling him that restraints are so painful and humiliating. He said, “Elyn, you don’t understand, these people are psychotic.” They don’t expect someone with psychosis to be as high-functioning. And I say, “No, we are not different from you.” If you make someone an “other,” you can do things to them that you would not do to yourself or your family member or whomever. My closest friend and I had a client in Connecticut Valley Hospital and she stopped speaking. She didn’t think that people wanted to talk to her, she wouldn’t talk to staff or patients. Totally mute. But we talked to her every month on the phone. We knew she could speak. One day, she was overheard talking about her legal rights by the medical staff, who thought that she was talking with imaginary lawyers.
It must have taken an incredible amount of work and dedication to be able to manage the illness, and talk about it, the way that you do. ES: It doesn’t feel that way. I’ve had the illness a long time. I’ve talked about it. I’ve written a memoir. At this point in my life, it seems pretty easy, something for which I’m enormously grateful.
The doctors never even considered the possibility that she could be talking to real people.
In any other situation, they would have thought there was some sort of problem with the audio equipment. ES: Right, exactly.
When you talked about sharing stories, I immediately thought of the media. How can journalism better report on stories related to mental illness and break down some of those preconceptions? ES: Media is an incredibly powerful way to do that. And not just journalism, but TV and movies. That’s where people get most of their information. The information can be portrayed in a careful, sympathetic, and accurate manner. Or it can be sensationalized by focusing on violent crime, when the reality is that people with mental health disorders are not more likely to commit crimes. One question that I get a lot is how did I manage to do well given such a grave prognosis. I want to list the things in the hope that other people can take advantage. One is excellent treatment, both pharmacological and intensive psychotherapy. (When it comes to therapy), I’m a lifer. I don’t want to risk ending it. Second, I have wonderfully supportive friends and family. That gives my life a sense of depth. And I also have a great work environment that is intellectually stimulating and accommodating. When I’m writing an argument or counter-argument, the psychotic thoughts recede to the sideline. I’ve come to think that my mind is my best friend and my worst enemy. It gives me abilities and motivations and pleasure from using those abilities. ■ Courtesy of Street Roots / INSP.ngo
“Homeless people need empathy, attention, and care” By Michael Burkley Vendor, The Denver Voice
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enver Voice vendor (and budding musician) Michael Burkely sat down with two members of the Flobots to talk about the band’s brand new music. NOENEMIES is a socially aware album that weaves together hip-hop lyrics—many of which were influenced by stories from the late Dr. Vincent Harding, long-time friend and mentor of the Flobots—with sounds that are classic Flobots. Songs were also inspired by the band’s recent work in the community hosting workshops and classes focused on using collective song to build social movements. NOENEMIES, the result of that work, is a body of politically-aware protest songs. The following transcription comes from that first meeting as well as a couple followup conversations with band members Jamie Laurie and Stephen Brackett. Where did the name NOENEMIES come from? Jamie: We’ve thought a lot about how our music can help connect to social movements. We find ourselves wrestling with the question: How do you make a movement go from small to big? It wasn’t just like “no enemies,” meaning you can’t ever have a conflict with anyone or have a political opponent. It was more thinking, how do you do your work in away that leaves open the possibility that someone could be transformed? There’s a lot of ways people are going to react to that and think it’s naive or doesn’t acknowledge power dynamics in the world or I’m a hypocrite. All of that is fine. It’s a new way of thinking. It goes beyond us and them—the “them” are not on your side, and there are a lot more of “them.” Basically you’ve got to decide. You’re going to stay small with us/them thinking, and you’re actually sabotaging your own movement. I think with homelessness, it’s very easy for people to see anyone experiencing homelessness as a “them,” that’s not my situation and it won’t ever be my situation. But it could become your situation, but it wouldn’t be an identity. Removing the us/them leaves you with the space to dig a little deeper to see what solutions there might be. The album was written during a lot of the height of Black Lives Matter activities, so I think that might be especially present in some of the wording. [The album is] about the emotional journey for any person that decides to step off the
sidelines to get involved. It takes you from the moment where you witness the march in the street all the way to the movement when you join the march, to the moment you might feel disillusioned with the movement if change doesn’t happen, to the moment when you realize you have to forgive yourself and people around you. How does it affect your credibility as a hip-hop band involved with Black Lives Matter with a front man who is White? Stephen: In hip-hop, the first thing that people listen for is whether or not they believe you. When they’re looking at us and we are talking about race, it’s very obvious that, when we’re talking about race as a band, we’ve obviously talked about race as people. We are who we are. Jamie is white, I am black, Kenny is Chicano, so, when we’re speaking about this stuff, you can look at the members of the band and see that we’re actually having conversations about it. The very makeup of the band is dealing with those issues and talking about those issues. One of the most important things about any type of transformation is that you have to be able to advocate for somebody else’s issue. It’s exceedingly important that a white MC who is participating in a largely black art form can demonstrate, unabashedly, how he supports black people. That is essential. The name of the organization is Black Lives Matter—white voices need to be saying that. In many ways we are modeling what we are hoping for. And in the same way, we, within the group, will advocate for other issues that aren’t ones that we personally feel affected by. It’s of the utmost importance that if we are truly to be a representational democracy, that we’re able to advocate for struggles other than our own. Otherwise the burden is only shouldered by those who are most targeted. You started this project before the election. How do you think the election results will affect the reception of the album, if at all? Stephen: It will affect it thoroughly, to its very core. That’s one of the fun things about making public art, is that it’s always going to be overlaid on the context of what’s happening in that moment. So this situation that we find ourselves in is definitely going to color people’s perception of the album and I am excited about it. It’s a wonderful thing. It feels wonderful because I do not want to spend any time making art for the president—I want to make art for the people.
We’re trying to put tools out there. It feels very clean to be sitting down, working on the album for about two years, being in communities, being in the streets, organizing and being organized, and that’s what the album came out of. I feel the fact that people are very much going to see current events in it means that we did our jobs about being current and having our ears open. I think one of the biggest things musicians have to do is listen. I feel like if this is speaking to the voices of the times then that means we did our job well. I hope that it can be something in the midst of what feels very chaotic. But if we look back into the memories of our recent ancestors, we’ll see that we’ve all weathered storms with far more turbulent winds than this, and that means that we have an opportunity to take advantage and build something better in the shake up. What was your craziest experience with someone in the audience during a show? Jamie: For me, it was at The Big Gig here in Denver when we performed the song “Stand Up.” Right before we played the song, I made a comment about opposing the war in Iraq. When I did, someone threw a plastic drink onto the stage and it landed at my feet. I looked out and saw a guy who was screaming and cussing and I saw that his friends were trying to calm him down and get him out of there before security came. I’ve never seen that kind of reaction before. I thought to myself, I bet he served in Iraq, lost friends there, and got back recently. Later that day, I got an email filled with profanity from the guy, who said, “I’ve been here two days, you don’t know what I’ve been through, how dare you insult my brothers who I lost.” I wrote him back and I said I thought that might be your situation, let me explain where I’m coming from. And that began an exchange that was 10-15 emails from each of us. As we talked, I began to really relate to some things from his experience, one of them being that it’s a culture shock, fighting for your own survival in a place like Iraq, where he might relate more to people in the Peace Corps, or to people who live in Iraq— people who have nothing. And then he came home where people don’t have to worry, don’t have to fight for their safety. But we both had to move past that initial feeling of anger to get to understanding. Stephen: I think for me it wasn’t one particular audience member, it was an entire audience. It was at PeaceJam Ten—
ten not because it was the tenth year but because there were ten Nobel Peace Prize laureates there. This was before we had been signed, so we weren’t a national band at that point in time, we were a local band. We’ve always been very involved in education efforts and community efforts, and we had been working with PeaceJam for years. When they had their big PeaceJam Ten celebration they invited us to play because we’d been working with them so often. At that point in time, that was the biggest show we’d ever played. The size was one thing—to be playing for the full Magness [Arena]. The other thing was to have it be filled with young children who had all sat down and spent time working on plans on how to better their neighborhoods, how to better their schools, how to better their communities. And as if that wasn’t enough, it was amazing to be announced by Desmond Tutu. It was mind-blowing. We talk about energy at shows all the time and the energy at that show has yet to be rivaled by anything we’ve done since. Thousands of young peacemakers from all over the state there, to have ten Nobel Prize winning laureates there, to be a local band, to be able to play for that kind of audience, to be announced by Desmond Tutu, was massive for us. Is that where Youth On Record came from? Stephen: We are a band, and when you have a band you have a plurality of personalities and backgrounds and adherence to different ideas. Everybody had a pro-involvement type of view, but after PeaceJam, that really solidified the entire band in that orientation. What that felt like, in comparison to playing in a dive bar it’s like—oh, okay, this is what purpose does, this is what purpose, met with population, equals—power. As opposed to me and Jamie talking about it, the whole band got to experience that as one. That really helped shape not just what eventually became Youth On Record but also the philosophy of the band and where the subsequent albums came out of. What’s your favorite song on the album and why? Jamie: It varies day to day, but “Sleeping Giant” feels exciting. It’s a personal commitment to something that is mysterious, energetic, and kind of wondrous and unknown. It’s about that feeling of being part of something larger than yourself and being swept up into a transformation. It’s also an image that
STREET SENSE September 6 - 19, 2017
– hip hop artists the Flobots meet Denver street paper vendor became particularly prevalent during the election. On the Trump side of things, that image was put out there. There was this unheard group of people that were going to make their voices heard. The song is really about how to create positive ways that people can do that. Do you have a ritual before a show? Stephen: No matter what city we’re in, we always gather as a band into a huddle. Is that what we hear on the last song on the album [“Sleeping Giant”]? Stephen: You do hear a kind of huddle. The amazing artists of the 303 Choir had just put in several hours in the studio and I wanted to touch base with them as artists. I think it’s really important—particularly when you’re working with young folks—that folks they see as artists acknowledge them as artists, so it doesn’t just become some kind of summer camp thing. We did this in the song right before “Sleeping Giant.” You hear us bringing them all together outside, and I’m talking with them, telling them that there’s a difference between performing and feeling it. And as artists, we’ll be asked to do different things at different times, so it’s really important that we know the difference between the two. So I lead them into this, and I say, “Come in, I want you to gather. Now
breathe in and as you breathe out think about all the emotions you’ve gone through today, alright? Then breathe in, think about: there’s a lot of pain, there’s a lot of anger, there’s a lot of fear. There’s also a lot of power. Think about that. While you’re thinking about that I want everybody to gather in.” These artists are wonderful and they were feeling. They were being very solemn and digging into their intentionality. And then—when they are feeling most serious and getting ready for the next phase—that’s when I drop the bucket that I’m holding, and it’s filled with water guns and water balloons. I start spraying the kids like crazy. And I’ve got a few plants in the audience who are also throwing water balloons. So it explodes into bedlam. Because I wanted to do two things. One, I wanted to touch base with the kids in a very serious state that they’d been doing so well, and two, I wanted to give them something fun as a reward for the day—a nice exclamation point. I did that to talk artist-to-artist. I forget the exact quote, but it’s something about “it’s very difficult, without context, to tell the difference between joy and terror.” So if you look at a still shot of people at a football game, and if not for all people wearing all the same colors, it could look like bedlam, even though people are excited. And the same with sound—the sounds that people make in those situations. So I was
guessing we could probably get sounds that sounded terrible when the context was taken out. It would just sound like screaming children. There’s even one part, if you listen real close, where one of the kids yells, “He’s got a gun!” because I did—I had a water gun. So we were able to use that clip, that sounds like awful things are happening, and we put that into the background of Failure Games. But then, when you get to the end of “Sleeping Giant,” you get to hear the actual context and you realize that it’s actually a bunch of kids having a great time. If Dr. Harding were still here, how would he have felt about the new CD, and what would his message be if he spoke to Flobots fans? Stephen: As a mentor, Dr. Harding was just incredible. He was able to ask you the right kind of challenging questions when they were needed. He was able to support you through your mistakes as well. I think that Dr. Harding would be warmly receptive of the album, but even more so of the intentionality behind it. He would probably have a question, “Yes, and how are you going to use this, my brothers? How are you going to make sure that this does what you want it to do? What is your plan to guide people through the process to their power?” His questions are very real— they’re always in my mind. And I think that
Flobots Jamie Laurie and Stephen Brackett, with their new NOENEMIES album. HOTO BY GILES CLASEN
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he would also be very excited that we are hoping to tour in such a way that we will be able to have time to do exactly that. We’d have to go to the people. In the process of that we hope to tour, and while touring be able to do workshop, trainings, have opportunities to hear from the community and see what they’re about and up to and how we can be of use. What role do you think religion played in the formation of this album? Jamie: Religion is a healthy challenge for both people on the right and people on the left—which I admit is a crude way to define people—but for those of us on the conservative end of things, I think especially now with the current president there is a set of values—empathy, caring for the poor, peace as a priority, turning the other cheek—that are completely in opposition of the spirit with the current president and the way he moves through the world. I would hope that people on that side of things see that and challenge his ideas… ideas like welcoming the stranger, where you see some of the more conservative churches saying they don’t want to see the demonizing of refugees and homeless as well, and say refugees and homeless need empathy, attention, and care. On the other side of things, I think it’s easy for people on the left to think that there’s no need for faith communities or organized religion and we’ve decided that secular society can replace some of the work for what religious organizations do. That includes religious networks who provide services to the homeless. But there is still something missing. You need a space where people can discuss values together, especially now where so much of the activist scene has to do with showing up to a rally on Facebook and marching alongside someone you don’t know and won’t ever see again. It’s a superficial way to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with someone—not bad—but how much more powerful would it be if you could connect with people and talk about values. Churches have historically created the spaces where we do that. So now I think the challenge for the left is to find that space where you talk about why we care about things besides what’s immediately relative, and to create bonds, which, for a social movement, become crucial to the success of the movement. ■
Transcribed by Danielle Krolewicz. Shared courtesy of Denver Voice / INSP.ngo
The Monkey & The Groundhog By Michael Craig, Artist/Vendor
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he Monkey was exalting itself. It felt that it was superior to everyone because it had property. The Monkey relished just gazing at all the land that belonged to it and no one else. When it wasn’t admiring its own egotism, the Monkey would usually be inside, isolated in its computer room. Then, one day, the Monkey went outside to admire its land, only to see a groundhog perched up on it, shoulders back, paws tucked in, peepin’ around. The Monkey was disgusted that there was a vagabond, homeless ground hog on its supreme property. It was a little intimidating. The Monkey ran back in the house to figure out what to do. After contemplation, the Monkey decided to go back outside. For a moment, the groundhog was not to be found. But eventually, it surfaced—out of a brand new hole! “What are you doing on my land?!” screamed the Monkey. “What are you doing on MY land?!” the Groundhog replied. After a moment of silence between the two of them, emotions soothed. “Listen, this is my property,” said the Monkey. “Since when?” asked the Groundhog, tilting its head. “My family’s been here for generations and generations. For real, you’re on my property.” But the Groundhog wasn’t greedy. “The Earth belongs to all creatures,” said the
ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARA POLLARD, ARTIST/VENDOR
Groundhog. “We’re equals. Just because I live under the ground doesn’t mean anything. That’s just where I live. As you live where you live.” The Monkey thought about that. “Since we’ve co-existed for so long without your knowledge, why don’t we just keep coexisting?” proposed the Groundhog. “Well if that’s all true—I think you’re right,” said the Monkey. “You’ve never harmed me. How about you stay a groundhog and I stay a monkey.”
They laughed together and agreed. The Monkey went back and sat on its porch. The groundhog stayed above ground to munch on some more grass. And there was no more discussion about
matters of co-existence. It wasn’t just in their best interest—they were happy. The Monkey and the Groundhog grew to be friends, as close as family. And they were COOL.
Apply for Discounts on Your Utility Bills Discounts are Subject to Income Eligibility Requirements
- Apply for Discounted Rates on Telephone
Lifeline Program (Economy II)
Annual discount on one land line service per household.
Natural Gas
Residential Essential Service (RES) Program
Potential savings up to $276 during the winter heating season.
Electric
Residential Aid Discount (RAD) Program
Potential savings are between $300-$475 annually.
Water
Customer Assistance Program (CAP)
Potential discount could be over $450 annually.
For more info call 311 or visit doee.dc.gov/udp
To apply for the telephone Lifeline Service (Economy II), call 800-253-0846. These programs are for DC residents only.
STREET SENSE September 6 - 19, 2017
ART
In their later years, their LOVE has grown and they are not ashamed but gladdened that they can depend on each other. Gwynette Smith, Artist/Vendor
People working together to perform a task can be like a work of ART. Gwynette Smith, Artist/Vendor
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The Street Sense Writers’ Group is led by writing professionals and meets every Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. The group’s goal is to develop ideas and collaborate on the next great issue of Street Sense.
Apartment Blues By Sheila White Artist/Vendor
Rosemary Clooney, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis from a September 21, 1952 taping of the radio and television program The Colgate Comedy Hour. Martin and Lewis were the hosts of the show at this time. PHOTO COURTESY OF NBC / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS By Ken Martin Artist/Vendor
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was not the greatest fan of his comedy. In fact, although I saw most of his films as a child, he very rarely made me laugh. Yet he influenced my life in many ways. Among the first films I remember viewing at the Ole Atlas Theatre on H Street NE, back in the '60s, was a Lewis double feature: "Living it Up" and "Pardners." It must have been some special viewing package, as both were previously released. I love old movies, they are my great escape. Even old Jerry Lewis films.
I associated myself with the comedy recall getting a receipt for the donation team because of their name, Martin and some sort of pin or badge. Clearly & Lewis. I went to see them as both that a kid grew up to study social a team and later in Lewis and Dean rehabilitation and become an AmeriCorps Martin's independent films. They both VISTA volunteer after he got his first taste played a role in my love for movies. As of community organizing because of Jerry I mentioned, I rarely laughed at Lewis. Lewis is indelibly printed in my mind. But I did laugh with him on occasions. Thanks Citizen Lewis. May you rest in Some of his solo films were very good. peace. You've earned it. "That's My Boy," comes to mind, as well as Gore Vidal's "Visit To A Small Planet," a satirical social commentary on similaritydifference in humanity. (We still don't get the message, as recently evidenced in Charlottesville, VA.) It's because of people like Lewis that I use humor or wit to diffuse unpleasant situations when possible. The "Clown" was a brilliantly gifted actor with an admirable work ethic. It showed in his polished performance. He cared about what he did on and off the set. His work with Jerry's Kids and the Muscular Dystrophy Association was not only the stuff that legends are made of – that work inspired some little Black elementary school kids on my block to order the carnival kit, ask the local stores for contributions of prizes and sponsor a basement carnival for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. I was probably 9 or 10 when we did that. I don't recall Vintage advertisement: “Buy Kleenex, the amount that we made. I do vaguely Help Jerry's Kids.” ICOURTESY OF JAMIE / FLICKR
I was taken advantage of due to my physical and mental handicap and forced to try living in my apartment without keys. I lost the key to my apartment and was told by the landlord that I could not receive another set for three years! That was only one of the many problems with that building. The ceiling in the bathroom was falling down as I showered or bathed and the mirrors were really old. I was told when I signed my lease that these things would be fixed. Now, years have gone by and nothing has been done. The rental office has access to my mailbox and I had to wait on them to get in and out of my apartment and mailbox. It made me feel very upset and full of rage. Then my apartment flooded. The rental office helped me remove my furniture, but that was destroyed by the water. The rental company would not do anything about the water damage and I am now staying in a shelter, trying to get my life back on track. The people who are supposed to help me, aren't. It's their word against mine. No one knows how it feels when managers and case managers brush you off. I have been on my own for 35 years. I never lived with anyone because they always lived with me. I and others in the shelter are faced with similar problems. The food tastes bad. They feed you the same thing day after day. And we're vulnerable to theft of our few possessions. I never thought I would end up in a shelter. I have slept outside and in hallways, because I couldn't go home. At home, the manager at my apartment would call the police on me instead of giving me a key. I have been handcuffed as if I was a criminal and put in a hospital against my will. The managers called so much that I stopped going to my apartment. No one should endure what I have endured. Now, I know I have to forgive my enemies and will do my best to do that, but this situation needs resolution. I have started classes at UDC and am still in the shelter. I continue to pray that my life will get better and that I can live in another apartment. Street Sense has given me the courage to face the obstacles one day at a time.
I Have a Testimony! By Reginald Denny, Artist/Vendor
When I look back over my life, I can truly say that I have been blessed. Life will sometimes serve you a platter filled with ups and downs, roadblocks, setbacks, near misses, and so many more situations that are not conducive to one's well-being in body, mind, and spirit. Yet, still we press in and press on — just to see what the end could be. It seems like whenever you move forward, something is always there to block you or move you back to where you started. It's frustrating. You think to yourself, "I just want to get the hell out of here! Where did I go wrong? What did I do to deserve this?" And every time, I'm left wondering, how can I advance to the next level of independence?
Trying to Do My Job By Marcellus Phillips Artist/Vendor On Aug. 24 I was selling my Street Sense paper outside of a restaurant on 14th Street NW. It was a slow day, so I stepped off to go to Martha's Table to find some decent clothes. When I returned to the location, I noticed there was a detective in front of the business. I spoke to her politely and she conversed with me as if everything was fine. If anything, I would assume me selling a homeless newspaper would show that I am an honest man willing to work and do things the right way. After talking for a couple minutes, she went inside the establishment. However, no less than five minutes later, the detective came back out and told me that I am not allowed to sell my paper there and that I had to leave the area. Now, I have been selling my paper at this location for months with no issues whatsoever. So, I kindly showed her my Street Sense vendor badge to inform her of my situation and why I was there. That's when the mood really changed. The officer told me in an extremely aggressive voice that she didn't care why I was there and that I had to leave immediately. In my mind, I knew she was wrong. But instead of protesting, I walked away. She never informed me of why i had to leave. Later that evening, I returned to the restaurant to speak to the manager and was told they had no knowledge of the incident. At this point, I don't feel comfortable selling my paper there and still cannot figure out why the officer would harass me for no reason.
STREET SENSE September 6 - 19, 2017
Mingus & His Magical Bass "Fingus!" I
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By Frederick John, Artist/Vendor
n this miasma of Charlottesville confusion and dark Trumpian tropes dedicated to destroying our wonderful American diversity: what better antidote to moral poison than a joyous, foot-stompin' gospel bounce such as "Better Git Hit In Your Soul." Therefore, what better time than now to acknowledge the moody, evocative and simply beautiful benchmark of modern jazz arranging: the 1959 Columbia recording by Charles Mingus, “Mingus Ah Um.” Equally important, his mournful dirge for the short but precious span of Lester Young's tortured existence (“Goodbye, Pork Pie Hat”) needs to be heard – rather than erased by right-wing throttling of our arts and humanities budgets. Charles Mingus (1922-1979) was, next to his former boss Duke Ellington and possibly the quirky Thelonious Monk, much more than the most innovative bassist and keyboard improviser. M i n g u s , a mas sive fig u re b oth physically and intellectually, was a composer who refused the classical modes of Nadia Boulanger and Darius Milhaud into his work, not to leave out Pentecostal he'd experienced as a child. Furthermore, the dreamlike but earthy "Self-Portrait in Three Colors" gave this listener a taste of the hip beatnik film scene that Mingus was involved in around downtown Manhattan in the '50s. The song was commissioned for the groundbreaking black and white drama "Shadows," John Cassavetes' gritty directorial debut (assisted by young producer Chester Fox). T h e f i l m ’s r a n d o m l y scattered storyline, set against an alcohol-soaked but artsy polyracial vibe, contradicted the cozy phlegmatic Eisenhower Cold War era. And Mingus’ strident experimental jazz was the soundtrack of this exploratory new attitude. It was punctuated by the prickly horns of John Handy, Booker Ervin, Shafi Hadi (Curtis Porter), Jackie McLean, the jumping
drums of Dannie Richmond and the paralyzed but brilliant hand of pianist Horace Parlan. Mingus gives us three more tributes to his major jazz offerings: the frenetic "Bird Calls" referencing Charlie Parker; his "Open Letter to Duke," displaying the rainbow palette and passing chords characteristic of Ellington; and finally, brilliant Philadelphia-born Jimmy Knepper displays his solo New Orleans style in "Jelly Roll," depicting the louche, easygoing nature of Mr. Jelly Roll Morton. Space doesn't allow the "Cowboy" to replicate Diane Dorr-Dorymek (a close friend of Mingus), 2000-plus worded liner notes to the original Columbia LP, which was produced by the legendary Teo Macero, who went on to handle much of Miles Davis' catalog on the same label. In the name of speaking truth to power, however, "Fables of Faubus" must be cited. Knepper’s low-growls from his trombone sets a counterpoint to the wincing and whimpering sax and clarinet notes of the other players.
Reminiscent of the German Weimar satire songs of Weill and Brecht (who skewered the crooked politics that led to Nazism) is the tenor of Mingus' grumbling bass fiddle, from which the listeners can draw a vivid picture of Orval Faubus, the racist Arkansas Governor Faubus, who stubbornly and unsuccessfully sought to block desegregation of his state's schools! Mingus was evicted from his loft down in Soho in the mid ‘60s. It was tragic because it was obvious the marshals didn’t care for his manuscript, which could be seen washing away in the gutter. Mingus was sort of trudging along, dejectedly. He didn’t even try to pick them up. That is the indelible image of an artist’s life interrupted. That was the risk to an artist’s serenity in the creative crucible that was New York in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. Long live Mingus and the undying spirit of his Jazz Workshop groups. This article was delivered as a jazz lecture to the St. Albans Adult Lunch Program with special thanks to Courtney Tolbert. I met Mingus at the jazz club Etcetera on M Street NW, present day Sign of the Whale. He died a year or two later of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
Charles Mingus performs for the U.S. Bicentennial, New York City, July 4, 1976. PHOTO BY TOM MARCELLO / COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
OPINION
How Best to Help the Homeless? Ask Them. By Eric Sheptock
A few months ago, I wrote about some consulting work I had just begun doing for John Enzler, CEO of Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of Washington, whose goal is to find better and faster ways to help homeless people find permanent housing. Since then, we’ve settled on 801 East Men’s Shelter as the location where we’d find 10 men who were serious about getting out of homelessness. I went to 801 East on a couple of occasions to find guys who were interested in brainstorming about ideas for helping themselves and others get connected to housing. I found 11. Great. However, on the night of the first meeting, only six showed up, and one of them was someone to whom I hadn’t reached out. We’ve met about a half-dozen times now. A total of about 20 men have participated. Seven or eight have been to at least three meetings. At least a couple have been to all meetings. That said, the commitment level is rising, and I don’t think it’s due to the fact that I pick up a 20-piece family dinner from Popeye’s on the way to each meeting – courtesy of Father John. We are becoming something like a close-knit family. As with any meeting that a service provider might have with homeless clients, our first couple of meetings were plagued
with complaints about shelter operations. The first meeting was extremely heavy on remorse and admission by the attendees of their shortcomings and past lifestyles. In the second meeting I encouraged them to think about charting a path forward, and they did. Our last three meetings have been high on innovation and ideas. We’ve gotten over the hump. This pattern can serve as a lesson to service providers like those on D.C.’s Interagency Council on Homelessness, which claims to want to improve communication. If the provider meets with clients too rarely, then the same complaints are brought up at each meeting — bed bugs (since 2007), rats, unprofessional staff, tasteless food, etc. I have a 45-page D.C. Ineragency Council on Homelessness document from 2006 in which 300 homeless people gave input that included those complaints as well as ideas for decreasing homelessness. I don’t think it ever became part of the organization’s discourse. On the other hand, if providers meet with clients frequently enough, then the conversation moves away from how to install air conditioning in Hell or subdivide Hell into eight smaller and more manageable sections, and toward how to
Leave Your Guns at Home By Phillip Black
Metro is so obsessed with SafeTrack that it is losing sight of safe conduct. People are carrying guns into our Metro system, and they aren’t shying away from violence. After the Aug. 6 shooting on a Red Line train between Silver Spring and Takoma stations, I personally saw two young men assault another man during rush hour. They were bold and unafraid of authority — just like the 18-year-old Red Line shooter who was arrested overnight after the crime and charged with first-degree assault in Montgomery Couny. Who pulls a gun out on someone during the evening rush? On top of that, the three men suspected in the shooting just walked off like nothing happened. What if
the police were riding that train? It seems that the shooters don’t care about other people — or themselves. Then, on Aug. 28, a man chased and shot down the escalator at someone running into the Columbia Heights station. The shooter was taken into custody three days later by Montgomery County police officers at the Wheaton Metro station. MPD, Metro Transit Police and the surrounding counties have had their hands full dealing with these problems. I'm grateful for their efforts. Safety is our top concern when riding Metro. We do not need guns there. Phillip Black, a.k.a. “The Cat in the Hat,” is a Street Sense vendor.
Your Thoughts & Editorials Are Always Welcome • Have an opinion about how homelessness is being handled in our community? • Want to share firsthand experience? • Interested in responding to what someone else has written? Street Sense has maintained an open submission policy since our founding. We aim to elevate voices from across our community and foster healthy debate.
Please send submissions to opinion@streetsense.org.
get people out of Hell altogether. What’s more is that the men seem happy to give their input, of which they have plenty. They’re not being talked down to. What they have to say matters. Though many good ideas and insights have been presented, I’ll only mention what the group said was its most pressing matter – transportation. Who would have guessed. It seems intuitive. Every American uses some form of transportation to get to work, to run errands and to make it to appointments. The homeless need transportation for all of those reasons and many others – like searching for housing or a new job. Unfortunately, many service providers only give transit assistance for doctor’s appointments, other one-time or infrequent appointments and for the first 10 days of work for the newlyemployed homeless. Transit assistance is generally not given for job interviews, non-appointment errands or for one-day work opportunities, like day labor or odd jobs that come up on the spur of the moment. If some opportunity does arise for the homeless person, then the burden of proof required to get transit assistance is heavy – if not altogether unreasonable.
The men at 801 East, who are part of an effort that I’ve taken to calling “Circumventure,” have offered useful advice for acquiring transit assistance. I told them how a colleague of mine was successful at getting WMATA to assist the service providers when Metro did away with paper transfers. I said I’d approach WMATA again. I drafted a letter. A skilled participant offered to polish up my letter a bit. Another participant told me about a program that was similar to what I was proposing, administered through the Salvation Army several years ago. He even told me who in government to talk to in order to pull it off. One participant has also offered to put together an online bulletin board where our group can share useful information, given that the group’s second biggest problem is the difficulty of finding all of the information that they need in order to chart their path out of homelessness. These men have a lot to offer, and I’ve got my work cut out for me. I guess the biggest lesson here is for those who would disparage the homeless: If you want them to get to work, you need to make a way. Eric Jonathan Sheptock is an advocate for people experiencing homelessness.
A Letter to President Donald Trump and Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un By Cynthia Mewborn Dear gentlemen: What have you lost, what has occurred in your lives that makes it impossible for you to love unconditionally, move forward, let go and grow up? What makes you unwilling and or unable to recognize that there is something greater than yourselves? For 200,000 years, the earth has afforded humankind breathtaking astonishment through its natural phenomenon and ability to sustain life. And yet two leaders can forever alter or destroy life on earth by making the irreversible decision to use nuclear bombs. How dare you make a decision that would devastate this planet? Is that what you want -- total destruction and or death? There is a penalty for breaking man’s national laws. But it is against God's laws to cause such devastation. No one has the right to take another person’s life, especially at such a large scale. Mankind was never given authority to pick and choose who survives and who doesn’t. Do you not understand that everything on this entire planet has a purpose, including you? But destruction isn’t a purpose; it’s a means to a permanent end. Evil’s purpose is total eradication and annihilation?
For thousands of years, humankind has forced our planet to suffer through our bad decisions and our misuse of natural resources. The universe has made an eternal safeguard to protect the planet and humankind from itself. God has and will forever be the only being in control of the entire world and universe, and his safeguard’s name is Jesus. The Book of Revelations in the Bible talks about the return of Jesus Christ. In that time, every living thing will bow before Jesus Christ, including Satan, his demons and his antichrists, and say “Jesus Christ is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.” The forces of darkness aren’t eternal, only the forces of light. Your decision to use nuclear weaponry is about you individually, and where you’ll spend eternity. To both Kim Jong Un and Donald John Trump: this is a choice for your future in determining where your souls will permanently rest. It’s time, gentlemen, for you to grow up. For in this decision, there is no middle ground, simply life or death. May the force be with you! Cynthia Mewborn is a Street Sense vendor and artist.
STREET SENSE September 6 - 19, 2017
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What it Truly Means to Share
Street Cement
By Reginald Black, Artist/Vendor
By James Davis Artist/Vendor
During work on the corner of 17th and L Streets NW, in 2016, a construction worker suggested “You say ‘Street Sense’ 100 times a day, why don’t you write it in cement?” PHOTO BY JAMES DAVIS, ARTIST/VENDOR Street Sense helps the homeless one vendor at a time. Which begs the question, is being homeless a crime? There are cities that have laws against panhandling and feeding groups of people. Now, imagine those folks that enforce those laws, worshipping under a steeple. Street Sense is a publication where your donation is well spent. So much so, I had to write it in cement. Then a customer came by and made an imprint.
"Sharing" often denotes charity. But the word really means to separate or to divide. One definition goes as far as to say "possess in common with others". Look closely at the phrase. In the so called "sharing economy," do we consider alternative means of employment as "common" or to "possess in common"? The latter would mean "income". Now consider "independence," the dream of entrepreneurs. As a sole proprietor, would I undercut the economy or would I look to have something in common with other owners?
You can make an imprint too, by supporting a vendor near you.
PS — To continue my silent protest, I ask that all customers mail a copy of this paper to the White House. Thank You.
Oxon Run: Preview of Things to Come? By Jennifer McLaughlin Artist/Vendor I woke up one recent morning to take a jog in my favorite neighborhood spot, Oxon Run Park in Maryland. But, to my surprise, the park was dug up and in disarray. Why didn't the park service fix the park one section at a time so that the community could still use the other parts. Were any efforts made to inform our neighborhood of the closure in advance? This is soon to be the case for Franklin Square Park downtown as well, which is central to many of our homeless neighbors. For many years, advocates fought to regain Franklin School, which served as a downtown homeless shelter until the last resident was evicted in September 2008. The historic building remains vacant after multiple mayors have solicited proposals to put it to use. The
neighboring park, however, is used by many as a peaceful place to rest and is known as a location where charity groups often give away clothing, food and hygiene kits to help people on the street survive. Cross Wilderness Mission alone serves more than 300 people at the park every Sunday. In the Spring of 2016, construction plans for the park called for closing half of it at a time for construction, leaving the other half open for use. Updated plans call for a full closure of the park starting in 2018, which will overlap with two years of the downtown D.C. Library branch closure for renovations, another resource and gathering place for the homeless community. Unlike Oxon Run Park, where the community wasn't notified, we have a year to plan for Franklin Square Park's closure. Where will the people that use Franklin Square Park go? Only time will tell. PHOTO BY JENNIFER MCLAUGLIN, ARTIST/VENDOR
The price of housing is forcing people to search for extra income. Why, then, can't we share income? What happened to "possess in common"? We must share spaces and things to really achieve "sharing." Otherwise we will do nothing but divide ourselves.
sudoku!
COUTESY OF KRAYDAD.COM
Want to Save Some Greenbacks? By Wanda Alexander, Artist/Vendor A friend of mine showed me this very easy way to save some dollars. Here is what you do: First Week: Get a business envelope and put a one-dollar bill in it. Second Week: Put 2 one-dollar bills in the envelope. Now you have $3. Third Week: Put 3 one-dollar bills in the envelope. Now you have $6. I’m sure you can see where this going, but it adds up. Two conditions: you must commit to do this for one whole year and you can’t skip a single week! Fourth Week: Put 4 one-dollar bills in the envelope. Now you have $10. Fifth Week: Put in $5...now you have $15.00. Sixth Week: Put in $6...now you have $21.00. Seventh Week: $7.00...now you have $28.00. Continue to do this so that at the end of 52 weeks, when you put that last $52 away — how much will you then have in the envelope How about $1,379.00! Do not “try” to do this...just do it!!!
What’s the Big Deal with Movie Spoilers? By Chon Gotti, Artist/Vendor last edition’s solutions
Personally “spoilers” don't bother me at all. Folks can tell me the entire movie, and it won't change the fact of whether I want to watch the movie or not. As a matter of fact, sometimes talking about a movie is what will make me want to watch it. For instance, I haven’t had much time for movies lately, but after seeing the trailer for Dark Tower, I really wanted to watch it. So I recently bought that and a Marlon Wayans comedy from a friend of mine. He basically told me the whole Dark Tower story when I bought it, but that just made me want to see it even more. You see, in many cases, people are naturally nosy. So in all honesty, telling folks about a movie actually builds their curiosity (nosiness) to want to see it even more. That's called human nature. For instance, everyone I know on Facebook can’t stop talking about a leak, containing spoilers, for Power season 4. It creates buzz. And networks like Starz, HBO, etc. rely on it. Heck, sometimes it seems like they’re the ones that leak some of this stuff.
STREET SENSE September 6 - 19, 2017
15
COMMUNITY SERVICES Housing/Shelter
Food
Clothing
Showers
Case Management
Health Care
Transportation
Laundry
Education
Employment Assistance
Legal Assistance
Vivienda/alojamiento
Comida
Coordinación de Servicios
Seguro
Educación
Assitencia con Empleo
Academy of Hope Public Charter School: 269-6623 | 601 Edgewood St, NE aohdc.org Bread for the City: 265-2400 (NW) | 561-8587 (SE) 1525 7th St, NW | 1640 Good Hope Rd, SE breadforthecity.org Calvary Women’s Services: 678-2341 1217 Good Hope Road, SE calvaryservices.org
Ropa
Lavandería
D.C. Coalition for the Homeless: 347-8870 1234 Massachusetts Ave, NW dccfh.org
Línea de juventud
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE: (202) 749-8000 Línea directa de Violencia doméstica
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOTLINE: 1-888-793-4357
Assistencia Legal
Covenant House Washington: 610-9600 2001 Mississippi Avenue, SE covenanthousedc.org
Línea directa de alojamiento YOUTH HOTLINE: (202) 547-7777
Duchas
Transportación
Community of Hope: 232-7356 communityofhopedc.org
SHELTER HOTLINE: (202) 399-7093
Línea de Salud del Comportamiento Jubilee Jobs: 667-8970 2712 Ontario Rd NW | 2419 Minnesota Ave SE jubileejobs.org
Samaritan Ministry: 1516 Hamilton Street NW | 722-2280 1345 U Street SE | 889-7702 samaritanministry.org
Loaves & Fishes: 232-0900 1525 Newton St. NW loavesandfishesdc.org
Sasha Bruce Youthwork: 675-9340 741 8th St, SE sashabruce.org
Martha’s Table: 328-6608 2114 14th St, NW marthastable.org
So Others Might Eat (SOME) 71 O St, NW | 797-8806 some.org
Catholic Charities: 772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp
Central Union Mission: 745-7118 65 Massachusetts Avenue, NW missiondc.org
Charlie’s Place: 232-3066 1830 Connecticut Ave, NW charliesplacedc.org Christ House: 328-1100 1717 Columbia Rd, NW christhouse.org Church of the Pilgrims: 387-6612 2201 P St, NW churchofthepilgrims.org/outreach food (1 - 1:30 on Sundays only) Community Family Life Services: 347-0511 | 305 E St, NW cflsdc.org
Vagrancy Comics #12: Questionable Judgement By Justin Benedict Former Vendor
Father McKenna Center: 842-1112 19 Eye St, NW fathermckennacenter.org
Miriam’s Kitchen: 452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave, NW miriamskitchen.org
St. Luke’s Mission Center: 333-4949 3655 Calvert St. NW stlukesmissioncenter.org
Food and Friends: 269-2277 219 Riggs Rd, NE foodandfriends.org
My Sister’s Place: 529-5991 (24-hour hotline) mysistersplacedc.org
Thrive DC: 737-9311 1525 Newton St, NW thrivedc.org
Foundry Methodist Church: 332-4010 1500 16th St, NW foundryumc.org/ministry-opportunities
N Street Village: 939-2060 1333 N Street, NW nstreetvillage.org
Unity Health Care: 745-4300 3020 14th St, NW unityhealthcare.org
Friendship Place: 364-1419 4713 Wisconsin Ave, NW friendshipplace.org
New York Ave Shelter: 832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave, NE
Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U St NW | 328-5500 legalclinic.org
Georgetown Ministry Center: 338-8301 1041 Wisconsin Ave, NW georgetownministrycenter.org Jobs Have Priority: 544-9128 425 Snd St, NW jobshavepriority.org
Patricia Handy Place for Women: 810 5th Street, NW, NW | 733-5378 Samaritan Inns: 667-8831 2523 14th St, NW samaritaninns.org
The Welcome Table: 347-2635 1317 G St, NW epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable Whitman-Walker Health 1701 14th St, NW | 745-7000 2301 MLK Jr. Ave, SE | 797-3567 whitman-walker.org
! d e t i v n I e r ' You
An Annual Street Sense Celebration
September 6 - 19, 2017 • Volume 14 • Issue 22
Street Sense 1317 G Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
Mail To:
Nonprofit Org US Postage Paid Washington, DC
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR VENDORS!
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Eric Thompson-Bey started a culinary training program! Happy Birthday Louise Davenport! (8/31)
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