Stickin it Wit the Most High ~ Page 11 Eight Minutes with a ‘Street Walker’ ~ page 3
STREETVIBES
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J a n u a r y 2 0 0 9 • I s s u e 1 5 0 • C i n c i n n a t i ’s A l t e r n a t i v e N e w s S o u r c e
We Will, We Will Not Be Zoned Dinner is equal parts celebration, call to resist
By Gregory Flannery Editor
Clark Montessori Steel Drum Band entertains the guests at the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless’ Annual Dinner and Silent Auction. Photo by Andrew Anderson.
The Year’s Longest Night Remembering those who are at home at last By Gregory Flannery Editor This is for those who died alone. This is for those who died unwanted. This is for those who died
unknown. This is for those who died on the street, in an alley, on a bench. This is for those who died in hospital or hospice or a relative’s bed after having lived on the street. This is for those who died
poor and homeless in 2008. It is bitterly cold Dec. 21, as it should be. A Channel 9 newsreader says the temperature is 14 degrees Fahrenheit, “which is ironic, because it’s the first day of winter.” She misunderstands the meaning of the word “ironic.”
Friends and advocates gather for Homeless Memorial Day. Photo by Andrew Anderson.
The wind cuts through overcoats, scarves, hats – for those lucky enough to have them. The wind cuts down the tiny flames that are supposed to make this a candlelight vigil. The air is so cold that feet ache from standing on cement. So cold that that the ink in a reporter’s pen freezes and will not write. So cold that no mayor, no city council member, no state legislator, no judge attends. Surely the cruel night chill explains their absence. Or is it a coldness of some other kind? This is Washington Park, where the homeless often gather. This is Washington Park, across 12th Street from the Drop Inn Center, a place of refuge for them that gots nuthin. This is Washington Park, where official visions of a more upscale green space for a more upscale constituency leave no room for those who have nowhere else to go. This is Washington Park,
See Night, p. 5
A little wry humor can help any good cause, especially one that’s under assault. Thus the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless called its 2008 annual dinner “In the Zone” – a pointed reference to this season’s strategy in city council’s long war on homeless people. “We chose ‘In the Zone’ as our theme this year because zoning has been such a battle,” said Georgine Getty, executive director of the Homeless Coalition. “My theory is that people don’t talk about zoning unless they’re up to no good.” Among other initiatives that alarmed churches and charities in 2008, city council passed a resolution calling for limits on the number of human-services agencies in Over-the-Rhine. The issue is now the subject of a civil-rights lawsuit in federal court. The annual dinner, held Dec. 4 at Xavier University, featured the music of the Clark Montessori Steel Band, awards for homeless people and those who serve them and a stirring call to continue the struggle. Getty enumerated some of the lies that have gained currency in discussions about poverty. “Poor people are ruining our neighborhood. Social services are bad for development. Section 8 is to blame. Get a job. … This is the wrong story, and I’m tired of it,” she said. “There are only two choices when you’re tired. You can go to
See Dinner, p. 5