The Contributor: February 12, 2025

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Hodge is known as one of the foremost community organizers in Nashville with decades of experience.

Mike Hodge is known as one of the foremost community organizers in Nashville with decades of experience working for and helping start different community efforts and organizations.

As a young neighborhood organizer with the United Methodist Church, he learned the ropes of organizing. In the mid 1990s, he helped start Tying Nashville Together (TNT), which was a non-denominational citizens coalition of mainly religious institutions. Hodge also worked for 17 years with the Neighborhood Resource Center, which is now rebranded as Neighbor 2 Neighbor, before his move to help launch Nashville Organized for Action and Hope, better known as NOAH.

Now in his third year of retirement, he is still an active volunteer within the community and his impact on grassroots efforts are felt citywide.

What got you started in community organizing?

I grew up in Savannah, Ga., which is a nice town, but when I was growing up, it was very segregated. I wound up getting a job while I was in undergraduate school at an aging white congregation in downtown Savannah. It was in an area that had really deteriorated because of white flight and because of disinvestment. The neighborhood desperately needed help, and I was a part-time youth director at the church. So, I tried to get the church involved in the neighborhood – you know, like getting some of the African American kids who were in the neighborhood to participate in the programs with the white kids that I already had. And the church just didn't want to do that. That just really made me angry at the church. But it also made me ask some questions about, “What do you do in a neighborhood like this that desperately needs some kind of help?”

I wound up coming here to Scarritt College — it’s now called the Scarritt Bennett Center — and got a master’s degree in Church and Community Ministry. That's when I met Rev. Bill Barnes, who was pastor at Edgehill as well as being a professor at Scarritt. He's the one who started telling me about community organizing, I had never heard of that before.

When I got my degree in Church and Community Ministry, I was able to get a job as a church and community worker and started learning about neighborhood organizing. I did that in several neighborhoods here. One that's now Wedgewood-Houston. At that time, it was pretty low income. It was not the trendy neighborhood that it is now. I worked over there, and I worked in Woodbine, I worked in Edgehill, and a number of different neighborhoods trying to help residents come together, identify the problems they solve and then build the power to make change [happen].

Why did you move from the Neighborhood Resource Center to get involved with NOAH?

I moved [to NOAH] for a couple of reasons. One is, like many nonprofits, the Neighborhood Resource Center was having funding problems. There had been a major funder that was no longer able to continue funding them after almost 17 years. So, all the staff, we all laid ourselves off. I kept working for free for a while. That was one reason.

Q&A with Mike Hodge

BY JUDITH TACKETT

But the other reason was that throughout that work that I had been doing as a neighborhood organizer, I was really fascinated by [the question of] how I could do something larger. How could I do something beyond one neighborhood, do something citywide? Because there are so many neighborhood problems that you can't fix on a neighborhood level. It's going to take citywide power to fix some of these neighborhood problems.

I had heard of congregation-based organizing. At first, I didn't understand it. Eventually though, I realized that nationally, community organizers were taking the church much more seriously than the church took itself. Because there were organized people, there was organized money, and there were some values in congregations. And you know, that's something that you can help people pull together around.

There continues to be a call to get more faithbased organizations involved in addressing homelessness and affordable housing. When you hear that call, what do you think?

Well, I think two things. Number one, I think that’s a great idea. Number two, I think the people that are saying that usually want the people and the money of congregations to be applied to direct service. Which is good. There's nothing wrong with that.

But the people who are saying, ‘Let’s get congregations involved,’ they usually don’t want them to ask policy questions. And for me, [while] congregations need to be about direct service [because they are] in proximity to the problem and understand issues more, they also need to be about changing structures.

I guess the third thing I’m thinking is that I would love to see more congregations really welcoming and engaging people that are receiving services, so that they're not just receiving services, but they are becoming active workers on their own issues.

When I think about that, I think about Paul Slentz. He was the pastor at 61st Avenue United and his congregation was pretty much all either unhoused people, people who had been unhoused, or people who were on the edge of being unhoused.

What is different about NOAH?

There are a number of people in NOAH that were very active in TNT (Tying Nashville Together). I was initially, but I was not there when TNT ended. So, I don’t know a lot about that. My impression is that the national network that they were a part of did not really offer them the support they needed.

NOAH is a part of a slightly different network. It’s called Gamaliel, and they, to me, have proved to be a really good network that supports the local organization and also helps you look at national issues. I've been really impressed with them. So, that’s the main difference I can think of. The groups are very similar.

What are some of the achievements you would like to highlight for people who don’t know what NOAH does or is?

Editor’s Note: Hodge is not speaking on behalf of NOAH as he is retired.

I think one of the biggest achievements was listening to people. NOAH did listening campaigns in the congregations and groups that were part of it. There were hundreds and hundreds of one-on-one conversations that were held to talk to people about what they cared about. These conversations were to build relationships with people. [And through those conversations, core issues bubbled up] about what the key things are that hurt people and their family. What are the things that they worried over that woke them up at three in the morning?

Those listening campaigns really brought up not just the issues, but also the people that wanted to take action on those [issues]. So, I think one major achievement has been listening to people because nobody listens to normal folks anymore.

The second thing is that once that listening had taken place, NOAH was able to pull together the key issues and present them to decision makers and then hold decision makers accountable.

That was done initially in candidate meetings. At the first meeting we had, we had maybe 1,500 people there. We had eight candidates for mayor, and this was in 2015. We presented our issues to these eight candidates for mayor. And then they each got a minute to talk. The key question for all of those candidates was, “If you're elected, will you work with NOAH on our issues and meet with us every quarter?”

So, I think the first thing was listening to people. The second thing is identifying the issues and presenting them to decision makers and holding those decision makers accountable.

And then, the third thing really is pursuing those issues beyond those candidate meetings. It was not just, “Oh yeah, we're having an election, let’s have meetings with candidates.” It was really pursuing those things. NOAH has been meeting quarterly with all of the mayors committed to that. Sometimes that’s a meeting of 15 people, sometimes it’s 700 people. It kind of depends, but it’s talking about those issues.

Now, if we want to talk about more concrete achievements, one of them was calling for a moral budget that really focuses on services and needs that people have. It's so easy to get lost in city budgets and just dollars and cents

and all of that. But if we're really talking about what has an impact on people's lives, we can talk about a moral budget.

One of the things we've been pushing for over 10 years was money for affordable housing. We've been able to get the city to dedicate well over $130 million to the Barnes Affordable Housing Trust Fund. We also were able to get affordable housing advocates appointed to the MDHA Board. And we helped get the city to create a [Division of Housing]. Before that [the issues of affordable housing] always depended on what the mayor wanted to do, and now that we have an actual [Division of Housing], there is a structure, so that emphasis should continue. It doesn’t depend just on the mayor.

We also were able to get special centers created in all the public schools to deal with suspensions and that kind of thing, so that instead of just suspending kids, we're trying to figure out what's going on with them. Why are they causing trouble? We were trying to break the school to prison pipeline with that.

[NOAH] also supported the formation of the Community Oversight Board, and now we've been trying to support the folks that are doing the Community Review Board in that structure. And we supported the transit campaign. Those are some of the big ones.

What are your hopes for next-generation leaders in community organizing, especially for NOAH and Neighbor 2 Neighbor?

I have a couple of hopes. One is that, as you mentioned, there will be a next generation of younger people [leading that work]. I’m 72 and a lot of folks in our congregations are aging. All of us are realizing that we have to really understand what young adults and other ages are caring about. My hope is that there will be more young adult leaders that are acting on the things that are important to them and their peers.

The second thing is that we can somehow balance the interests of some of the neighborhoods that are so concerned about preserving their neighborhoods with the need for affordable housing for the entire city.

There have been real reasons that so many neighborhoods have rebelled against developments because developments have been done so badly. And so, [neighborhoods] have become very protective and that's good on the one hand, but how do we find that balance between what’s good for your immediate neighborhood and what’s good for the whole city?

One of my favorite scriptures, Jeremiah 29:7, has God saying, “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” That’s what I believe about our neighborhoods because I think when the whole city, when all of us are prospering, that’s when our individual neighborhoods will prosper as well.

Right now, I’m very concerned about people just getting pushed out of Nashville, and Nashville becoming a place where no one of normal income can live. I want to see everyone of all income levels, all races, all ethnic groups … I want to see us all valued and valuing one another.

Songwriter 2025

Written by Chris Scott Fieselman, Vendor #0015

I want to be a Songwriter. How long will I have to wait?

Troubles and Struggles, Mistakes and Bad Breaks. A Hell of a Gamble, For Heaven’s Sake.

Take care of your brothers and sisters, And the Good Lord will take care of you. If we all take care of each other, We’ll all have enough. Everything you say, And everything you do, Has got to be, “All about Love.”

It’s written in the contract, There’s no turning back. There’s no giving in, When the cards are stacked. Relax and Remember, God’s got your back. When The Dream’s screaming “Yes...” Despite what you lack.

“Yes... Yes... Yes... Yes... Yes...” Forever and always, Give it your best. There are always, So many more out there, Who are suffering, With so much less. And Sooner or Later, Someone or Somebody, Has to clean up the mess. I guess that’s what it means, To be Blessed?

Everything happens for a reason. This Too Shall Pass, And last but a season. Better to have it and not need it, Than to need it and not have it. That’s something, Worth trying to teach them. Spend the rest of your life, Trying to reach them, And come up, Empty Handed Again, And Again... And Again... And Again... And Again... When you think you can’t do it, Pretend...

There’s always a reason, Why things had to happen. Blessings you can’t understand Another Piece of the Puzzle. An Important Part of the Plan... And Then?

Everyone makes, Their fair share of mistakes. Troubles and Struggles, Mistakes and Bad Breaks...

THEME: IDIOMS

ACROSS

1. Actor Driver

5. By way of 8. Bambino

11. Oscar De La ____

12. *Do this backwards to try hard to please

13. Range

15. Petri dish gel

16. Celestial bear

17. K-pop home

18. *Cold one is offensive

20. Sportscaster Andrews 21. Outer space path

22. Hold title to 23. *Take this to commit to marriage

26. Bullet factory

30. Even, poetically

31. Trim

34. Sitar music

35. Kon-Tiki and such

37. Be in a cast

38. Very, in music

39. Actress Barrymore

40. "Long Day's Journey into Night" playwright

42. Between Mar. and May

43. Annulling

45. Loads

47. Compass point between NE and E

48. Dugout river ride

50. Check-in via text

52. *Sign of nervousness (2 words)

55. One up

56. Lowest female voice

57. One quark plus one antiquark

59. Toothpaste brand

60. Riddle without solution

61. Cogito ____ sum

62. *Leg's partner, price-

wise

63. Make a mistake

64. Robin's house

DOWN

1. "Eureka!"

2. *They cause no problems when they sleep

3. Nursemaid, in India

4. ____ 5, band

5. "Il Trovatore" composer

6. Garment insert

7. Month before Nisan

8. Torus, pl.

9. Word before sesame

10. *Cupful that's not for everyone

12. Adjective derived from bulb

13. Distorts

14. *Cutting these leads to poor results

19. Prods

22. Dot follower

23. Lost, in Provence

24. Live's partner

25. Hungry

26. Voting no

27. Like Fran Drescher's voice

28. Wide open

29. Bear digs

32. Group of buffaloes

33. *Breaking it relieves tension

36. *When these meet, one can afford what they want (2 words)

38. Remote in manner

40. Football's extra point

41. "The Call of the Wild" author

44. Gold bar

46. Dig further

48. One on artist's wheel

49. Communion table

50. Feline vibration

51. Unit on a list

52. *Easy piece

53. Ireland's other name

54. Duds

55. Edible tuber

58. 1990s negation

Learn More About Community Organizing

Federal edicts and missiles over these past couple of weeks have created chaos among nonprofit organizations, state and local agencies and others who are focused on serving people who struggle to make ends meet.

Among some of the confusion created by the White House was the threat of halting a large portion of federal grant funding that Congress has allocated for agencies serving some of the most vulnerable populations in our nation. It remains unclear what direction the federal government intends to take next. Add all the uncertainty from the federal level with the Tennessee’s legislature’s approach to target marginalized populations and those who offer support, no wonder that fears and tensions run high.

The question becomes, what can we do after an election that reinstated representation we have at the state and the federal government? First off, while in a democratic election, the majority wins, there is something like a social contract in which that majority works in collaboration with others. Second, in a representative democracy such as the United States of America, elected officials are supposed to represent their constituents to create and vote on laws, policies and other matters of government. Third, in a democracy, you have a voice and need to find ways to be heard by your representative.

In reality, however, representatives cannot please everyone in equal measures. Thus, the louder and stronger the voice, the less likely it is for representatives to ignore them. So, how then can you be heard and feel heard? How can you, regardless of whether your party is in power or not, participate in the process in an active and productive way?

That’s where community organizing can play a significant role. It takes the concept that democracy truly starts at the bottom with the people, at the grassroots level. And for democracy to survive, I believe we need to develop strong leadership at that local community level around the question of what we want our community to look like and how we can get there.

In an ideal scenario, democracy is based on working together in a collaborative way, which may include compromising. It means respecting each other and striving to create a community that offers opportunities for all.

The weakness of democracy lies in the danger that corruption and wanting power may gain a hold over representatives who start to listen to their party or a small group of people who then control the country. Thus, true representation has deteriorated.

Community organizing is not simply posting and commenting on social media. It is not mobilizing for a single event or participating in single protests. It is not solving a problem for a neighborhood or community without empowering the people living in that neighborhood or community to take action themselves. It is not instigating a rebellion to put a specific person in charge.

“Organizing is a learnable craft,” writes Marshall Ganz in his recently published

BY JUDITH TACKETT

Potential resources to get you started:

book People Power Change: Organizing for Democratic Renewal. Ganz is the Rita T. Hauser Senior Lecturer in Leadership, Organizing, and Civil Society at the Harvard Kennedy School. He outlines five key practices of organizing:

• Building Relationships

• Telling Stories

• Strategizing

• Acting

• Structuring

Rather than go into theories about leadership and organizing, I asked several of my friends, all known leaders in our community, about what community organizing means to them. I also want to mention that I choose the term community organizing rather than simply organizing or grassroots organizing or civic leadership or any other term because I like to highlight that we first need to think about what community means to us before we truly can get involved in defining what we want to organize around.

When I conducted my interview for the Q&A section of this paper (see Pg. 3), I asked Mike Hodge, I asked Mike Hodge, who until his retirement in 2022 worked with Nashville Organized for Action and Hope (NOAH), what community organizing meant to him. From his perspective, there were several levels of community organizing.

“The basic one is helping people find their common interests and build the power to make change,” he said, adding this was going beyond mobilizing. “I mean there is a place for mobilizing, but to me, mobilizing is when you have already figured out what you want to have happen and you’re trying to go drag other people along with you.”

The second level of organizing, “is really building community through relationships of trust and respect,” he continued. “It’s sometimes harder to get to that level, but relationships are the building blocks of communities.”

Finally, “the third level for me is challenging one another to find what we’re called to do and then act on that.”

Hodge explained that to reach the third level, people will have to understand who they are and what moves them. They need to dig deep and look at the values that they hold and how they act on those values.

Hodge said that building community — whether through congregations, unions or

some kind of association — and challenging each other to find our calling, “is really the way we’re going to live through Trump.”

Alisha Haddock has over a decade of experience in community development, social justice, and strategic leadership and recently took the helm at Neighbor 2 Neighbor, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting local residents and neighborhood organizations.

“Community organizing is the collective work of bringing people together to build power, advocate for justice, and create meaningful change,” Haddock said. “It’s about equipping everyday people with the tools, relationships, and strategies they need to challenge systems of oppression and shape the policies and practices that affect their lives.

“At its core, community organizing is about shifting power, from institutions and individuals who hoard it, to the people who are directly impacted by inequities. It’s about transformation, both in our communities and within ourselves, as we learn to stand together, listen to one another and demand better.”

Posting on social media is not real action. It is a way to sit safely in our little cocoon and, for some of us, hide behind an avatar to rant and feel empowered. It is often about ourselves rather than implementing the key practices that Ganz outlines in his organizing framework.

Organizing is empowering each other and practicing leadership by, “enabling others to achieve shared purpose under conditions of uncertainty,” according to Ganz.

In essence, organizing is creating and shifting power. And, according to Ingrid McIntyre, who is a pastor for community engagement, the power created through community organizing is based on local knowledge. “Community members understand their needs and circumstances better than outside experts.”

Organizing can be messy. For one, if done right, it is a passionate process that can lead to heated disagreements, even when everyone shares a vision. Secondly, when disagreements happen, it quickly can feel personal. Another struggle around organizing is that the drive toward action and the urgency involved can result in impatience and an unwillingness to work through issues to find common ground.

I have seen too often organizers who engage vulnerable populations, such as people experiencing homelessness, bring them in to mobilize a response to a political issue, then when the media leaves, they pack up and go home. But consequently, those whom I have seen left behind when the cameras were turned off were the people who did not have a home to go to. That, to me, is the main difference in organizing and mobilizing. Mobilizing can be a part of organizing, but true organizing goes several steps further. It is building leaders among the community who ultimately take over the organizing amongst themselves. Ultimately, it is about empowering community voices to speak for themselves, rather than calling on people to come out and support someone else’s agenda.

The Rev. Stephen Handy of McKendree United Methodist Church said that “without community organizing efforts, local communities lose their voices and the ability to generate trust and unity.”

Handy brought up another interesting point. “Every community needs an organizing plan that is not reactionary, but more proactive.” He elaborated that “based on the ongoing strategies of discrimination and divisive actions, communities must formulate strategies to counter being silenced and become aware of the political undercurrents by working collaboratively toward creating and sustaining cultures of diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

Part of writing this column for me is creating a space where we think about the fact that we can find a role when we start in our local community, listen to each other, and ask ourselves what our core values are and how we, together, can fight for how we build our own community, starting at the local level.

Community empowerment creates a seat at the table.

“Organizing is how we build collective power, hold institutions accountable, and make sure that our voices are not just heard but actually drive decision-making,” Haddock said. “It’s the antidote to apathy, isolation and the belief that we are powerless in the face of injustice.”

Haddock added that change does not happen while waiting on elected officials, corporations, or even well-intentioned nonprofits. “It comes from us.”

The Leading Change Network Urban Institute

Resting is trending. This decade has seen much discussion about setting personal boundaries, listening to oneself and even the alarming global rise of burnout. In Finland, the most common reason for long-term sick leave is mental health disorders, which are seen as linked to working conditions and societal structures.

Something is clearly wrong, and such issues tend to provoke reactions. Even in the Nordic countries, influenced by the Protestant work ethic, there is now talk of rest as resistance against performance-driven culture and the demands of constant productivity.

Often, those who speak publicly about the issue are those who have experienced burnout at least once, their eyes opened by the ordeal. Has burnout become a kind of rite of passage to adulthood, granting one the right to rest?

“I am absolutely against that kind of thinking. I hope no one has to reach that point before a slower or more self-determined life becomes possible. It’s a terrible and inhumane state, and it saddens me that I had to go that far myself,” says dance artist Eséte Sutinen.

The typical story involves someone experiencing a personal breakdown and recovering through sick leave, therapy and self-help books. At some point, they may realize that others have gone through the same thing.

“Suffering is an effective personal wakeup call, but it shouldn’t be the primary way to learn these things. Changing unsustainable structures and attitudes should come first,” says musician Zipora Ogola. “Institutions and communities where we live and work have an important role here. We have a shared opportunity to reflect different ways of living to each other.”

Sutinen and Ogola have explored rest in their work Rest as a..., created by a group convened by Sutinen that also included Biret Haarla Pieski, Gáddjá Haarla Pieski, Kid Kokko, Irene Omwami, Camille Auer and Nayab Ikram. The work invited audiences over the past two years to rest —sleeping, lounging, reading—and to spend time lav-

Time For Rest

ishly together with others.

NEWS BY HANNA KAUPPINEN

“As we worked on the project, we reflected on the possibility of rest in personal life and who has access to it. Our artistic work was made possible by grants, but what opportunities does someone have for such reflection when their time is consumed by daily survival?” Sutinen ponders.

Rest is not a privilege but a birthright for everyone, says American artist, activist, and theologian Tricia Hersey in her Rest is Resistance manifesto (2022).

Hersey, drawing from anti-capitalism and Black feminism, is not the only person politicizing rest, but she has been referenced frequently in recent discussions on the topic. She notes that the most common reason for abandoning rest is the need to pay bills. But she believes that everyone has the right to rest.

Hersey and her organization, The Nap Ministry, which organizes collective rest moments, have been key inspirations for Sutinen and Ogola. In the early stages of the Rest as a ... project, Ogola was living a hectic life. She found solace in how Hersey began her work with rest. At the time, Hersey was a full-time student, working, and a single parent to a young child. Her days were incredibly long.

“In that situation, she decided on a subway ride that she wouldn’t think about what to do next but just look at the scenery. In that moment, she realized she had the autonomy to decide how to use that very moment. It was a moment when she didn’t have to do anything,” Ogola says.

She believes it’s essential to think about rest here and now: in different situations and for different people, rest can mean many things. She also notes that opportunities for rest can go unnoticed when the body and mind are caught in stressful cycles. Even in demanding circumstances, there can be small escapes.

“Rest can involve many things: action, inaction, and choices in different situations. Both internal and external factors significantly influence what kind of rest feels possible

and when. Community support has helped me understand these experiences and approach them with necessary criticality,” she explains.

Rest is often understood as recovery from work and self-care to function better as a productive individual in a capitalist society.

According to Ogola, rest also holds greater potential: reflecting on a good life, awareness of the structures influencing it, and examining one’s actions amidst it all.

“It combines, in a tense way, the examination of the individual, communities, and society. It also involves the harsh reality of global inequality. Both experiential and structural levels should be part of the conversation. We live different lives, so rest also requires diverse examination.”

Rest is a rare luxury for at least Ionica Stoica, a vendor for Iso Numero. She typically stands all day at a train station selling papers to support her family. She works tirelessly, despite suffering from arthritis in her foot. “It’s very hard. I work even when I can’t,” Stoica says.

Though her conditions are demanding, Stoica also finds small moments of rest during the day.

“When my foot is really painful, I find a bench to rest for a while. In the evening, I rest while cooking. At night, it’s hard to rest because of the pain. But if I get to rest, I feel wonderfully energetic in the morning. Then there’s another heavy day ahead.”

One concrete and perhaps obvious structural phenomenon that Sutinen and Ogola — and also Hersey and Stoica—have experienced is racism. Hersey speaks of the transgenerational trauma of slavery and how white supremacy has stolen her and her ancestors’ opportunity to rest.

Eséte Sutinen feels that racism shadows life in Finland in the same way. “The transgenerational trauma of racism affects the whole world; in Finland, it particularly targets the Sámi, Romani, and other racialized people.”

Almost everyone’s life, at least in the West, is also defined by individualism and the demand for success. That’s why Sutinen wanted to create a space in Rest as a … in

which no one had to perform or be alone. “I wanted to create a space for us to come together, to be together, to rest, talk, and laugh together.”

Through the embodied-artistic process of working on rest, the project evolved into a four-part installation-based performance event, each part site-specific and open to all.

The feedback was fantastic. Many even fell asleep during the events, side by side with strangers. This also happened to Sutinen at the premiere of her own work.

The work is unlikely to be restaged, though there has been much demand for it. “The work was tied to the specific places and situations where it was invited. Our process was about new ways of doing things. We don’t feel pressured to replicate or repeat this in the same way,” Sutinen explains.Previous events were free to the public, though at the Love Harvest festival held at Frantsila Herb Farm, access was included in the entry fee.

“From an accessibility perspective, being free is important to us. Rest-related experiences like vacations, treatments, and retreats are expensive, but we should be able to rest without going bankrupt. We wanted to create moments that meet the needs for closeness, slowness, and beauty,” says Ogola.

Sutinen finds it contradictory that rest is a growing trend. She wonders if, as a fashion phenomenon, its critical dimension might become commercialized and diluted. She hopes people taking time to rest when they need to will become normalized. “Rest should be a basic right for everyone,” she says. On the other hand, the rest trend might also indicate that our way of life is not very sustainable. Interest in rest is necessary because it challenges the notion of constant productivity as the norm. “Could this mean that people are starting to realize that there need to be different ways of living?” she asks. “Could rest gradually lead to greater awareness of one’s own needs?”

Translated from Finnish via Translators Without Borders. Courtesy of Iso Numero / INSP.ngo

News Briefs

OHS Monitoring Federal Funding Challenges

In January, Nashville was awarded more than $11.8 million from the U.S. The Department of Housing And Urban Development to fund the FY 2024 Continuum of Care Program. As incoming President Donald Trump announced a funding freeze in his fi rst days in office, organizations reliant on funding to serve vulnerable populations scrambled to understand how to proceed. While a temporary restraining order halted the funding freeze, the risk for similar actions or a continuation of Trump’s initial freeze are high. Across Tennessee, organizations that work in homelessness were awarded more than $40 million to help folks in various ways on a path toward housing. The Metro Office of Homeless Services says they’re working with community partners to ensure collaboration on using the funds. “The Office of Homeless Services is actively monitoring the impact of the recent federal funding challenges and is working closely with Metro Legal, HUD Technical Advisors, and national consultants to navigate the rapidly evolving situation,” said Demetrius Chaney, public information officer for OHS. “ While initial freezes on funding created uncertainty, the funds are now accessible again. It is imperative that agencies receiving HUD awards move swiftly to secure contracts, agreements, and drawdowns to ensure program continuity.” OHS says a planned Homelessness Planning Council Retreat, next week’s Homelessness Planning Council Meeting, and a newly scheduled focus group for CoC-funded agencies will “provide structured opportunities to discuss solutions, share guidance, and develop strategies for sustainability.” On Feb. 5, Texas State Rep. Scott Turner was confi rmed by the United States Senate to be the 19th Secretary of HUD. In a HUD release, former NFL player Turner said he would “restore HUD to its core mission” and called to “increase self-sufficiency and empower Americans to climb the economic ladder toward a brighter future.” OHS says asTurner takes office, they'll continue to monitor policy shifts “and advocate and advocate for the needs of Nashville’s homelessness response system.

Community Foundation Opens Up Nashville School Violence Support and Healing Fund

In response to the tragic school shooting at Antioch High School, The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee opened up the Nashville School Violence Support and Healing Fund, according to a Metro release. The fund addresses school mass violence incidents on school grounds or during school events in Davidson County. It supports students, faculty, and their families impacted directly by these tragedies, including those killed, physically injured, or emotionally traumatized. Mayor Freddie O'Connell said in a release, "Nashville is a community of extraordinary generosity. As we have so many times in the past, we have seen and felt a tremendous outpouring of support from Nashville residents who want to do something to show love to everyone impacted by the shooting

at Antioch High School." Contributions can be made online and will be distributed to individuals directly impacted and allocated to organizations providing critical services, such as mental health support.

Metro Cold Weather Shelter Opens 23 of 31 Days in January

From Nov. 1 through March, Metro operates overflow shelters to help support the city’s shelter needs during cold weather. The operation complements partnerships with the Nashville Rescue Mission, Room In The Inn, Launch Pad, and Oasis. Overflow shelters open at or below 32°F for three consecutive hours, and are based on capacity and funding. People are encouraged to use long-term shelters like the Mission before seeking the emergency overflow shelter, and decisions about opening are typically made by noon the day before the shelters open. The Metro Emergency Overflow Shelter has operated for a total of 34 days this season, according to a Metro release. In January, the shelter was open 23 of 31 days, and 10 of those days included extended hours. The average number of people served per night was 250 people, with the lowest number at 87 on Nov. 29, the fi rst night the shelter opened. The highest was 396 individuals on Jan. 21, 2025, when temperatures hit the single digits.

Metro Conducts Annual PIT Count

More than 120 volunteers helped coordinate and deploy the annual Point-in-Time Count and Housing Inventory Count for Nashville/Davidson County overnight from Jan. 23 into the morning of Jan. 24. The night serves as an annual census of people experiencing homelessness required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for all communities receiving federal funding to address homelessness. It provides critical data for service planning, resource allocation, and federal reporting. Volunteers worked from the Nashville Rescue Mission's Men's Campus, which served as a Staging Area and Command Center. Participants included the Office of Homeless Services, Mayor Freddie O'Connell, Metro Nashville Police Department, Metro Public Health Department, Metro Council, Homelessness Planning Council, General Session Court and numerous nonprofit organizations and community volunteers. "The point-in-time count is a data exercise, but it has a lofty purpose, helping us dedicate our resources and tailor our work toward the most vulnerable in our community. Taking part in the count is voluntary, and each year the snapshot in time of the experience of homelessness in our community looks a little different," Mayor O'Connell said in a release. "Th is year, due to the cold temperatures, we were able to reach hundreds of people seeking refuge in our emergency shelters. I appreciate the work of the many volunteers who conduct the count and know that the work they do helps enable federal funding for projects like Strobel House, our fi rst permanent supportive housing, where people who once were counted in the PIT are now stably housed."

Cumberland Furnace

BY RIDLEY WILLS II

Many Nashvllians know that ironmaster Montgomery Bell (1769-1855) had an iron forge at the Narrows of the Harpeth in Davidson County 30 miles west of Nashville. Many have launched a canoe there. Far fewer know much about Cumberland Furnace, which Bell purchased for $16,000 in 1804 from James Robertson when he moved to Tennessee from Lexington, Ky. The wilderness tract included beech, elm, walnut, chestnut, oak and pine trees needed to make the charcoal to fuel the forge. Bell systematically purchased additional land, much of it in nearby Montgomery County, where he received permission from the county court to erect a ferry across the Cumberland River 10 miles east of Cumberland Furnace.

On Dec. 2, 1809, Bell wrote the Secretary of the Navy offering to provide iron munitions to the Federal Govern-

ment. His request was granted and Bell sent 32 18- and 24-pound cannon balls to New Orleans, which General Andrew Jackson used to defeat the British there in 1815. In 1811, Bell bought three additional plots near Cumberland Furnace. In 1813, he bought three more.

On July 25, 1825, Bell conveyed his deed to Cumberland Furnace and several other tracts of land to Anthony Van Leer for $50,000. In turn Van Leer gave it to his children. Daniel Hillman, a business partner of Anthony’s, became a trustee for the two heirs and managed the property. He bought out the two Van Leers and, in 1833, dismantled the forge machinery built by Robrtson and rebuilt the furnace built by Bell. The country’s iron production decreased from 54,000 in 1810 to 20,000 tons in 1820. The annual output of the forge was 300 tons of holloware, 50 tons of pig metal and 6

tons of machinery which included a water wheel 36 feet in diameter. Although Bell survived the Depression, he lacked capital for his expansion plans. To meet those needs, he sold some real estate in Nashville, the Elk Tavern on College Street, a two-story house on Market Street and 21 unimproved lots in between. He put most of his money into his works at the Narrows of the Harpeth.

During the Civil War, Cumberland Furnace was bombed by Union gunboats on the Cumberland River. When his slaves escaped in hopes of becoming freed men, most either were building Fort Negley or joined the Union Army guarding bridges over the Harpeth River. Others fought in the Battle of Nashville. None were trained properly, but they did not lack courage.

Cumberland Furnace continued to operate for several months but eventual-

ly closed for the rest of the war, probably because the furnace workers had been pressed into military service.

Today Cumberland Furnace is quiet. The Cumberland Iron Works Museum, a double-pen log structure built in 1850 was operated by the Cumberland Furnace Historic Village Association and was put on the National Register of Historic Places. It is now closed and boarded up. There is now a closed filling station from which the pumps had been long removed. And there is also a small cluster of housing there. The only thing new in the village is a Trump banner hanging over the road.

Ridley Wills II died in late January, and this is his last column he wrote for the paper. We thank him for his many years of providing a written history of local events, people and places.

Know Your Rights

Since President Donald Trump assumed office on Jan. 20, 2025, he’s ramped up immigration arrests, attempted to end birthright citizenship and announced an order to expand the right of the federal government to deploy local and state law enforcement to help them enforce immigration laws.

In response to these developments, the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) has intensified its efforts to inform and protect immigrant communities and empower their allies. Since 2003, TIRRC has existed in Nashville as a network of community leaders that

BY AMANDA HAGGARD | PHOTOS BY ALVINE

act as a diverse coalition that works on legislative advocacy, communications, education, community organizing and building power through people.

The most recent barrage of policy assaults from the Trump administration has shifted TIRRC toward in-person and virtual Know Your Rights events, focused on ensuring immigrants and their allies understand their rights with police and immigration enforcement. The information is meant to equip attendees with vital information on how to navigate encounters with law enforcement, protect their communities, and push back against government

overreach. TIRRC’s team answered a few questions about how Nashvillians can best understand their own rights and what it means to Know Your Rights.

Why is it important for everyone in our community to understand the rights of immigrants, even if they are not personally affected?

It is important for everyone to understand these rights because these are rights that we all have regardless of immigration status. These are not special rights, and they were put into the United States Constitution by the framers. Protecting individuals from

government overreach was one of the main reasons why the Bill of Rights was written in the first place, and invoking these rights can keep our communities safe and help uphold democracy.

Immigrant rights are human rights. It’s easy to think “I’m not an immigrant; this doesn’t affect me,” but that’s exactly how authoritarianism creeps in. It targets group by group, and divides and conquers. Today it is immigrants, but tomorrow it will be another group. We all need to stand in solidarity to preserve all of our rights now rather than wait and hope that we can acquiesce enough to avoid conflict.

LEFT: Advocates rallied at Legislative Plaza in April 2024 against state legislation requiring local law enforcement in Tennessee to communicate with federal officials regarding the immigration status of a person. RIGHT: In 2015, more than 100 immigrant rights supporters marched from Music City Park to Rocketown where then candidate Donald Trump was making a campaign appearance.

Earlier this month, hundreds gathered at the Parthenon in Centennial Park to rally in support of Nashville's immigrant community.

What rights do you have when interacting with law enforcement or immigration authorities, and how can knowing them help protect you and those around you? What's the most important thing you'd stress here?

You have the right to remain silent and the right to speak to an attorney. In immigration proceedings, you are not assigned an attorney, but you have the right to speak to one that you can find to represent you. Additionally, generally ICE needs a judicial warrant (a warrant signed by a judge) or your consent to enter your home.

However, the most important thing to remember is that each individual needs to assess their situation and make decisions based on keeping themselves safe. We can tell you your rights, but we can also acknowledge that law enforcement and immigration officials often abuse their power.

How can attending a Know Your Rights event help you support friends, neighbors, or coworkers who may face challenges with immigration policies or enforcement?

Attending a KYR event can help you support your community because you can share the information with them.

You can also help them assert those rights if you are with them when they are approached by enforcement. The more we all assert these rights, the more we can protect them and uphold democracy.

What should you do if you witness an immigration-related raid or a rights violation in your community?

You have the right to record. It is usually advisable to announce that you are doing so. This is also individual risk-dependent. If you

are recording, do it in a way that you are not in law enforcement’s way.

You should also alert TIRRC’s resource line at (615) 414-1030. Although we cannot respond to all ICE activity, it is helpful to the community that someone is keeping track of what’s going on.

What are some common misconceptions about immigration rights, and how can attending this event help you become better informed and challenge misinformation?

The biggest misconception is that the Unit-

ed States immigration system is workable. People always say, “just do it the right way,” but there is no right way when the system is fundamentally outdated. The laws were written in a time before globalization really took off, and the systems and numerical limits written into the statutes are not reflective of the world we live in. Many of our immigration options have decade-plus long wait times, and oftentimes options don’t exist even for people who have lived in the United States for years or have loved ones who are U.S. citizens. On top of that, the government regularly misses its own deadlines, allows individual officers to make unchecked decisions, and contradicts their own guidance. People outside of the immigration space imagine that applying for immigration status is an orderly and rational process, but that is a far cry from the truth.

A newer misconception that our government is actively pushing is the criminalization narrative. Immigrants commit crimes at a lower rate than non-immigrants, and the current fear-mongering tactic overly focuses on the individuals who have done bad things rather than looking at the actual statistics. The goal is to create division and mistrust because they know that we are stronger together.

LEFT: Womens March Jan. 18,2025. RIGHT: A young girl joins more than 100 Nashvillians at an immigrant rights rally on Legislative Plaza on May 22, 2007.

LEFT: Earlier this month, hundreds gathered at the Parthenon in Centennial Park to rally in support of Nashville's immigrant community. RIGHT: A recent action at the Tennessee State Capitol protesting against Project 2025.

Feral: Little Pal

Part 1 of 3 of the true story of a wild (feral) cat colony over a 3-year time period. My observations and involvement.

I started selling The Contributor nearly 14 years ago. There are many fields, lines of brush and trees and large drainage tunnels under the busy roads near my spot.

From the time I first started selling the paper, in 2011, once or twice a year I would see a large calico cat leading a line of two, three or four kittens, tails up in the air as she taught her offspring how to safely navigate the area without getting run over or snatched up by a hawk.

I would muse over the sight for a moment, then quickly forget it.

***

On one of the last days of February 2022, I heard a repeated noise across the street near a line of brush and trees. Investigating, I found an eight-week-old shaggy yellow kitten with a potato chip bag stuck over its head. I snatched it off, and it gave me a wild look before disappearing into the bushes. Looking around, I saw just a few feet away a shorthaired yellowish kitten trying to gnaw a frozen discarded biscuit — and yet another, pure white with a solid black tail, a black mustache and a perfect black ring around one eye, glaring at me warily from the base of a bush.

Quickly buying a can of cat pâté, I spread it on a piece of cardboard and put it well into the bushes. Half an hour later, the food was gone, as were the kittens.

But no, the next morning — and ever after — at least one hopeful face at a time would peep at me from the bushes. Old Calico’s last weaned litter.

I set up a feeding station 15 feet away from me, eight feet from the street near a large sixfoot circumference rock and under a low hanging cedar tree where they would feel safe, but I could still see them. They would never come to

I’ve been homeless since Sept. 29, 1970 — longer than anybody else out here. In those nearly 55 years, I’ve learned: Don’t ask for stuff from people on the street. It’s heartbreaking when they say no, it’s rejection. You don’t wanna ask nobody else, they’re gonna say the same thing. I grew up in Sellersburg, Indiana, a town that had as many people as Nashville has homeless people. I left my mom and dad’s house because I told my mom I was quitting school. I got tired of going through what I did at school and having to put up with a mouth from a cop’s son all the time, and I wasn’t allowed to shut it no more. I had to quit beating him up, but I was still getting beat up when I got home. And then if I was lucky, I got to go in the house and take a bath and go to bed. If not, I slept in the garage. Sometimes it was warm, sometimes it wasn’t — all depended on if mom left the door open.

BY KEITH D., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

the food until I was well away, but after eating, they would forget about me selling papers 15-20 feet away as they cavorted and played, never venturing closer than two feet from the road.

I named the white one with the striking markings Pirate, the shaggy haired yellowish one Ragamuffin and the shorthaired yellowish one Little Pal. Pirate was stand-offish from his siblings, rarely joining in play. He would swat viciously at them around the food plate until he had his fill. Little Pal would let Ragamuffin take a few bites before joining her.

Little Pal and Ragamuffin were inseparable soulmates. See one, the other would be less than three feet away. After chasing each other, wrestling and going up and down small trees together, they would rest side by side. Little Pal would constantly pat Ragamuffin gently with his paw on her head and back, as if reassuring himself that his little friend was still there.

Hence his name, Little Pal.

Pirate grew huge quickly. By five months old, he was disappearing for days at a time. His visits to the food grew more and more rare, until he no longer showed up again. My thinking is someone saw him prowling around their house or apartment, noticed his striking markings and wooed him until he became a pet.

By six months old, Little Pal was nearly twice as big as Ragamuffin. He was always very gentle with his soulmate, letting her win the wrestling matches though she was half his size.

One day in mid-June, as usual at sunrise, I went to the feeding spot, and Ragamuffin was sitting on the spot where I typically put the plate. In plain view! I’d never been that close to her. She was a skeleton under all that fur!

Her eyes were rheumy and filled with mucus. “You poor thing,” I cried and reached to her.

She looked at me, gave a plaintive meow —

the first vocalization I’d ever heard from any of them, turned around and tottered off into a big field of tall grass. Before she disappeared, I saw Little Pal following her.

The food went uneaten that day. Sunrise the next morning, I dumped out the crusty, bug-covered food and put down fresh food. Nobody came. Finally, at about 3 p.m., Little Pal showed up, alone. For the first time in his life, his little soulmate wasn’t with him. He ate a few hurried bites and left.

I’m pretty sure Ragamuffin died the day before, and Little Pal sat next to her for over 24 hours waiting for her to get up and play again, explore and keep on being his best friend. I imagine he kept gently patting her with his paw as she grew stiff and cold. He probably cried out mournfully on occasion as he finally realized Ragamuffin was gone for good.

After she was gone, and every morning since, I talk to Little Pal while he eats, gentle-voiced and including the name Pal in every sentence I say. In September, when Little Pal was nine months old, he didn’t come to the feeding spot when I called his name. Finally, I saw Pal 50 feet away at the entrance of a drainage tunnel.

He looked frightened when I walked toward him and raced away from me. He did this for four days. On the fourth day, I saw him in front of Walgreens staring at me intently. I grabbed a can of food, walking toward him as I called his name. He trotted away from me, stopping and looking back at me as if to make sure I was following. Finally, behind the strip mall next to Walgreens where there’s a clump of tall pines and a line of bushes, he crouched down facing me and lashed his tail. He had led me to his new home!

About a week later I learned from customers that the addicts with cardboard signs had

Homeless since 1970

BY BILL B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

My mom said, “You quit school, you’ll leave this house.” I said, “You pack my suitcase, and I’ll leave.” She called my bluff and packed it. I called hers, so I picked it up and walked out.

Now I stay in a tent next to the railroad track. I’ve been in a tent almost this entire time, whenever I had one or could get one. I’ve had an apartment three times, but each time didn’t last even 30 days. I was in jail at least three months waiting to go to court. Rent had been due for two months. So, what was left in my apartment when I got out? Nothing.

In all this time, Nashville is the most interesting place I’ve ever been. I love country music. There used to be a stage in Paradise Park, which is now Garth Brooks’ Friends in Low Places, and I wanted to play there. Other people did, and all they had was a guitar. So,

I went and asked. He said, “I got an opening on Thursday night.” I took it.

I played country music on the guitar — the classics like old Hank Sr., Jim Reeves. Reeves’ “Four Walls” hit the charts in 1957, the year I was born. I love that song. But a lot has changed since the 70s.

These days, I wish I had a guitar. I can still play. I also like to fish. Just like that Brad Paisley song, “But today she met me at the door. Said I would have to choose. If I hit that fishing hole today. She'd be packing all her things. And she'd be gone by noon. Well, I’m gonna miss her.”

That’s what I say, “I’m gonna miss you.”

If you ever go fishing, one of the most important things is where to cast your bait and to fish with live bait, not artificial bait. You’ll catch more fish that way. When it’s raining, where do you cast your bait? Out in the middle of the

been yelling into the bushes and throwing rocks and sticks at something, tormenting a lonely, nine-month-old kitten.

I’m glad Little Pal realized I was a Good Guy. Little Pal went back to his childhood home right before the Christmas snowstorm in 2022. Two below 0°F and windchill at -20°F, he still came immediately when I called his name to feed him. I’ve never missed a day for any reason. On Apr. 1, 2023, Little Pal disappeared right after I fed him. He stayed gone a full seven days. I worried about him, checking drainage tunnels, looking on the sides of the road. On April 8, about when I’d resigned myself to the fact Little Pal was gone for good, there he was. He waited barely a foot from me as I fixed his plate, looking healthy, fit and trim. I had thought he was getting a little plump. His routine changed. For the next two months he showed up at sunrise, gobbled chicken and three cans of food in rapid succession and disappeared for the rest of the day.

On June 1, 2023, while he was eating, he looked … lumpy. As I walked toward him, his left side turned around and disappeared! The right side immediately did the same! Little Pal had brought HER kittens for their first solid food!

Now, she was Mama Pal. For the next six hours she kept the two kittens in my direct sight, as if putting on a show. They played with each other, hid under Mama’s front legs. Mama Pal would grab one, give it a brisk cleaning and let it go. She turned her back to them, lashing her tail until they jumped on it. She lay on her back, letting them leap on and off her. She kept looking at me frequently throughout the “show” as if saying, “See how happy I am?”

I did, and was happy for my Little Mama Pal.

pond? No, you cast it under the trees, along the edge. Rain hits the leaves. Bugs are still on those leaves, so bugs hit that water. Fish’ll snatch them.

On a typical day, I’m out there selling the paper on a corner somewhere, usually in Madison on Gallatin Pike. I’ve been selling the paper since 2019. I like the selling paper because I get to smile at people. And a lot of times, I might not get any buyers, but I get a smile back. Then sometimes they pull up the next time to buy a paper.

Three words to remember: persistence, persistence, persistence. You gotta be known first in that area, so keep going back. Because the more they see you there, the more they get to know you. You keep smiling, you keep waving. They wonder, “He’s always in a happy mood. Why?” And they pull over to find out.

LA NOTICIA

“The Contributor” está trabajando con uno de los principales periódicos en español La Noticia para llevar contenido a más lectores en Middle Tennessee. Nuestros vendedores de periódicos han pedido durante mucho tiempo que nuestra publicación incluya contenido que apele al interés de residentes de habla hispana en nuestra comunidad.

“The Contributor” is working with one of the leading Spanish-language newspapers La Noticia to bring content to more readers in Middle Tennessee. Our newspaper vendors have long requested that our publication include content that appeals to the interest of Spanish-speaking residents in our community.

Año 23 - No 408 Nashville, Tennessee “DONDE OCURREN LOS HECHOS QUE IMPORTAN, SIEMPRE PRIMERO... ANTES”

Los empresarions Sam Sanchez y Masse y Villareal, co-presidentes del Comité de 100, en conferencia de prensa en el National Press Club, Washington, D C , pidieron al presidente Trump y al Congreso políticas migratorias equilibradas, rodeados de líderes empresariales nacionales Estos líderes, junto con el Comité de 100 (comitede100 org), destacaron la necesidad urgente de una solución bipartidista que no solo fortalezca la economía de Estados Unidos, sino que también brinde oportunidades justas y dignas para los inmigrantes que contribuyen al crecimiento del país

En s u r e g r e s o a l a p r e s i d e n c i a , Donald Tr ump anunció una serie de órdenes ejecutivas que endurecen las p o l í t i c a s m i g r at o r i a s e n E s t a d o s

Unidos Estas medidas han generado intensas críticas y preocupaciones por su impacto en los derechos de los mig rantes

Entre las acciones más controvert i d a s , d e s t a c a l a p r o p u e s t a d e redefinir la ciudadanía por nacimiento, ne gándola a hijos de padres no ciudadanos o residentes per manentes le gales Aunque esta medida fue rápidamente bloqueada por un jue z f e d e r a l , h a ge n e r a d o u n i n t e n s o debate sobre su constitucionalidad

Además, el presidente Tr ump suspendió el Prog rama de Admisión de Refugiados, limitando el ing reso de solicitantes de asilo y refugiados, y declaró una "invasión" en la frontera s u r, j u s t i f i c a n d o e l d e s p l i e g u e d e

1,500 soldados adicionales y la reactivación del prog rama "Per manecer en México" También se retomará la constr ucción del muro fronterizo y la expansión de centros de detención para mig rantes

Estas acciones han sido calificadas como " cr ueles" por le gisladores y o r g a n i z a c i o n e s d e f e n s o r a s d e l o s derechos humanos, quienes ase guran q u e v i o l a n p r i n c i p i o s c o n s t i t ucionales y derechos básicos Varias demandas le gales ya se han presentado para bloquear estas disposiciones

Las órdenes ejecutivas de Tr ump re presentan un endurecimiento sin precedentes en la política mig ratoria de EE.UU., marcando un cambio significativo con profundas implicac i o n e s p a r a l o s m i g r a n t e s y e l panorama político del país

En víenos sus sugerencias por e-mail: news@hispanicpaper com ó 615-582-3757

Conoce tus derechos:

¿Que hacer en caso de una redada?

Mantenerse callado

Sólo dar nombre y apellido

No mentir

Nunca acepte/lleve documentos falsos

No revelar su situación migratoria No llevar documentación de otro país

En caso de ser arrestado, mostrar la Tarjeta Miranda sados en la Quinta Enmienda de la Constitución, derechos de guardar silencio y contar con un ogado fueron denominados Derechos Miranda go de la decisión de la Suprema Corte de Justicia Estados Unidos en el caso Miranda vs Arizona, 4 U S 436, de 1966

¿Que hacer en caso de una redada?

Mantenerse callado: Usted tiene derecho a permanecer en silencio No está obligado a responder preguntas de los oficiales, y cualquier cosa que diga puede ser usada en su contra Si decide hablar, hágalo únicamente en presencia de un abogado Esto es un derecho garantizado por la Quinta Enmienda de la Constitución de los Estados Unidos

Solo proporcionar su nombre y apellido: Proporcione únicamente su nombre completo si se lo solicitan No está obligado a compartir información adicional, como su lugar de nacimiento, estatus migratorio, domicilio, o empleo Dar más información podría ser usado para construir un caso en su contra

No mentir: Bajo ninguna circunstancia mienta a los agentes Mentir o proporcionar información falsa puede resultar en cargos adicionales que compliquen aún más su situación Si no desea responder, es mejor permanecer en silencio o decir: "Me niego a responder sin un abogado presente"

No aceptar ni portar documentos falsos: Nunca presente documentos falsos, como identificaciones o tarjetas de seguro social falsas, ya que esto constituye un delito grave También evite fir-

Si usted conoce a alguien que está detenido por inmig ración de Estados Unidos, conoz ca cómo ubicar el lugar donde se encuentra

Encontrar un centro de detención: Para buscar a una persona detenida por el Servicio de Inmig ración y Control de Aduanas (ICE, s i gl a e n i n gl é s ) u s e e l l o c a l i z a d o r d e detenidos (seleccione Español en el menú que indica “Select a different language”)

mar cualquier documento sin entender completamente lo que está aceptando

No revelar su situación migratoria: No comparta información sobre su estatus migratorio, como si está en el país sin autorización o si tiene trámites pendientes No está obligado a responder estas preguntas, incluso si los oficiales i n s i s t e n S i m p l e m e n t e p u e d e d e c i r : " Q u i e r o e j e r c e r m i d e r e c h o a g u a r d a r s i l e n c i o "

No portar documentación de otro país: Evite llevar consigo documentos como pasaportes extranjeros, identificaciones de su país de origen o registros de viaje Estos documentos podrían ser utilizados como evidencia para determinar su nacionalidad o estatus migratorio

En caso de arresto, mostrar la Tarjeta Miranda: Lleve consigo una Tarjeta Miranda, que explica sus derechos legales Esta tarjeta suele incluir frases como: "Tengo derecho a permanecer en silencio" y "Solicito hablar con un abogado" Mostrándola, puede evitar confusiones y protegerse legalmente en caso de ser arrestado No firme ningún documento ni acepte acuerdos sin la asesoría de un abogado

Si no puede encontrar a la persona con el localizador de detenidos en línea, contacte a la Oficina de Detención y De por tación (en inglés) de su estado Si usted sabe dónde está detenida la persona comuníquese directamente con el centro de detención cor respondiente (en inglés)

Estatus de un caso de inmigración: Para conocer el estatus de un caso de inmig ración en la cor te use el sistema automático de información de casos en línea (en inglés) o llame al 1-800-898-7180 (presione 2 para español)

One thing about backbones. They rarely develop a consciousness that they are a backbone. Take white women, for example. We don’t realize that we’re the backbone of patriarchy! Or that we willingly or unwillingly support the whole structure that oppresses our fellow bones, ligaments and muscles that would be Black people, any people of color, Native Americans … Fellow women of all descriptions. Even the Karens. I know it’s not popular to say that word anymore. All the Karens of the world that were named Karen have either changed their name, or have been vociferous online about how awful it all is.

Well, ladies, welcome to the world. The real one.

And, back to the backbone.

So here I was complaining about my achy back when I came across this little book written by Louise Hayes talking about your body never lies. And I’m like, well that’s interesting. Maybe we do have someone in the equation who hasn’t bought into the lie. That would be my body! So I became a massage therapist and rescued people from religious abuse, sexual trauma, childhood abuse, etc.

I did ascribe to the idea that I should do more therapy on myself as well. So I spent a couple of decades really trying to work through the mass of tangled crap that was my childhood when a really wonderful therapist of mine said, have you ever heard of the Gordian Knot? And telling a sweet lie as usual, I said: “Sure!”

Cuz, who in the world would admit that their college education had some holes in it?

She said, well just do that.

I said just do what?

She said, just slice through it all.

She ignored the fact that my mouth was hanging open. She was nice that way.

So I mentally imagined the big old knot and sliced through it all. It was such a relief! I actually felt 30 pounds lighter! That was an easy workout!

And … I could do that to society!

So here I am with my imagination, sword slashing around, being an activist while in therapy. I’d have to say I was doing more for myself than other activists. I found a lot of mental illness and craziness in the activist world. People thought that activism cures their craziness!

It was decades before I realized that, indeed, the whole world is crazy.

Well, at least that explains all the rabid fun-

Backbone

BY FREEPRESSGMA , CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

damentalists, nationalists, skinheads, Trumpers … well you get the idea.

(Speaking to a catcall.)

Oh, there’s a Trumper in the audience! So what do you say?

Oh yeah well dear, please first do your homework. Do you know that work the Black people have been telling us to do? Our homework? You could start with Trump. This is a great article: Forbes, October 2008, a magazine that only business people read. Uh oh look at all those cell phones lighting up! Guard? Guard? Take notes please. I want to know which direction the rotten tomatoes are coming from!

Anyway Forbes turns them onto the fact that the man is a giant robber baron of international proportions. He keeps his fortune like most Ponzi schemers do: by offloading his costs onto the next unsuspecting ethical businessman. And in the spirit of traditional journalism, they never quite put it that way. They let you put all the pieces together.

Trump probably has mafia ties. He also appears to have ties with the Russian mafia! Wow. That’s who we want running our country again! The Russians are coming. Aaaaaaah! (She ducks) Wow, that was reactionary!

What does that mean? The word reactionary? It seems like the AI programs have neglected to really answer that question for us.

So let’s call on an old is cool person called me and find the real definition. That is someone who reacts to information without thinking about it, or examining it or investigating it. They just react emotionally. Often a childhood trigger is involved. In therapy, we call this getting your buttons pushed. And it usually leads to extremely irrational behavior.

If you don’t believe me, here’s an example. Let’s say some pundit says, “that politician is just groping for approval.”

Well, those of us who’ve been through any kind of sexual or violent trauma think of the word, groping and immediately go back to that most terrible moment … or duration of extended agony. So whatever the pundit says next, we are yelling, rah, rah! Yay! That man is so right!.

Note the word man

That’s why the Right Wing spends so much time looking for the Marsha Blackburns of the world. These women have never experienced reality! And they are rabid.

You know, like, bit by Dracula? Or some

other infested animal. Possibly another human.

(Makes direct eye contact with a man in the front row. Back away slowly. Extends her arms as if holding a gun.)

“It’s all right, sir. This will all be over soon. Remain calm.

(Mimes shooting, lifting gun, blows on it, holds out hand as if to shrug.)

Wow! That was so simple. I feel like the hero in To Kill a Mockingbird

That book was kind of boring though. There were no car crashes, no violence toward women, and only one shooting! And it was just a dog!

And speaking of gun control, let’s get right into it. So the most dangerous population to hold guns is teens and men in their early 20s. Followed closely by any woman with a small handgun in her purse.

Having lived on the street, I myself have escaped a few awful situations by simply putting my hand in my pocket and pointing my hand in a gun like shape.

Risky, I know. But better than the alternative, which would be to get in the car when commanded to … or submit to a man getting too close to me. Even women with men are questionable. See the above note about women supporting the patriarchy with their backbones.

And on a lighter note in the news today … backbones were discovered to be completely dependent on muscles, ligaments and fascia. Fascia, not fascists! Fascia is that weird stuff that surrounds your muscles and keeps them from being useless. It is also the core of health. The fascia transmits so many nutrients, and things that we need. You could study up if you like or- just take my word for it for now.

So let’s jump down that rabbit hole for a moment. White women, the backbone, are dependent on all the people below them in the stratified social order.

This image isn’t really that far off people. The English, who definitely colonized this country before Americans got here, clung to the theory that the king was the head and the peasants were the feet and all the people in between were the thighs, knees, stomach, etc.

I imagine they gave bakers the role of the stomach!

These ideas followed the Americans — the white ones anyway — into a whole theory of manifest destiny, and a bunch of other stuff that justified a lot of violence.

Coffee Shop Discrimination

BY JULIE B. CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

There’s a coffee place that discriminated against a deaf person I know and called the police on her because she couldn’t hear. The staff told her she had to come in to order and when she did they called the cops because she was taking too long to order and holding up the line. I will not be buying my coffee at this establishment anymore. I can’t say the name, but it is a chain and it is a famous chain where everybody gets their coffee. It’s

expensive coffee and you walk up to a window and everything. I’m hard of hearing and I’m worried that they might tell me I’m holding up the line and call the cops to have me arrested. Is this what our world is coming to? Just because you’re disabled or deaf or hard of hearing or have some kind of disability establishments are going to refuse to serve you? In our world we have what’s called the American With Disabilities Act and if you

refuse to serve us, we can sue your butt. In my opinion the lady who was discriminated against should sue this coffee establishment, which is famous around the world. If that would have happened to me, they would have been in court, but it’s not my story. Somebody told me once don’t look at the world the way it is, look at the world the way you want it to be seen. That doesn’t mean look at the world through rose colored glasses or

Somehow we can’t get away from our Puritan ancestors. They haunt us with their images and paradigms. A paradigm is something that you believe to be true, because well you haven’t really examined it. A paradigm can be useful if you’re using it to try to figure something out, but once you take it as truth, you are in trouble. Take me. I have a paradigm that I share with many people. It’s called “America, the Free.” I want to believe this, with all my heart and soul, every fiber of my being. It’s one of those irrational depleted passions that were developed while being forced to say the pledge of allegiance. Wonder why the 60s happened? It’s because white people learned the Pledge of Allegiance.

Black activists worked hard for civil rights actively since before the 40s. They weren’t fooled. But we white peons blindly knew nothing about it, willing the inequality away.

We might call it Ignorance is Bliss. No one actually pointed these things out to us. We would’ve had to have gone way out of our way to look because we weren’t even part of the circles that had Black people in them!

Granted, I was just a kid, living out West where the military had plunked us.

I first saw a Black girl because my parents were in the military. Nowhere in my neighborhood, at school or on TV did I ever see a Black person. When I was four, the base had a playground  for military kids where my mom dropped us off. Black girls were up on the monkey bars. I stared at them slack jawed and amazed. I had about one million questions, including why they were colored that way! They stared at me, and then spit on me and said, “quit staring!”

My mom was not happy. She yanked me away and scolded me … but she had no further wisdom to offer on this issue. So I buried it. This would’ve been around 1965-ish.

The first video record I ever saw of unjust treatment of a Black person was the Rodney King assassination by police. I was in a turmoil. I didn’t know what white guilt was. But I was pretty angry.

Yet somehow I thought that one example would turn all of America into “the Land of the Free …” see how indoctrination works? Clever paradigm really!

And now, back to my regularly scheduled homework. You don’t have to watch this part. Believe me, it’s drudgery, but someone has to do it.

discriminate against disabled people. Discrimination is against the law and some of these people are going to find out that they can’t just serve who they want when they want.

By the way, if anybody needs any advice or wants me to answer any questions on your love life or if you’re having problems you can email editorial@thecontributor.org and I will answer anything that you have to ask.

HOBOSCOPES

AQUARIUS

You may feel a little lost, but according to this map, Aquarius, Demitrius has picked up your tacos and is heading your way. Yes, it seems he has a few stops to make before he gets to you. That may not have been what you had in mind when you placed your order. You might have expected all of this to happen more quickly and in a straighter line. But trust the process, Aquarius. Trust Demetrius and believe that your tacos will be with you at exactly the right moment.

PISCES

My phone keeps showing me ads for products to improve my snoring. My phone just can’t appreciate that I’m already great at snoring. One of the best. But everyone’s a critic these days, Pisces, trying to trim away the things that make us unique. Whatever ads your phone is trying to sell you today, try to remember that your personality, patterns, and skills aren’t a problem to be fixed. Maybe it’s time I let my phone sleep in the other room — see how it likes that. And maybe it’s time for you to accept yourself as you are.

ARIES

Every winter when the days are especially cold and windy, my hands get all dry and itchy. Sometimes it gets really bad and my knuckles crack and start to bleed a little bit. Then after a few weeks the spring comes I forget that it ever even happened. And I think pain is just kind of like that. When it’s happening it’s ever-present and when it’s gone we forget what it was like. But I’m starting to understand that it comes back every year. And that maybe there’s some way to be more equipped. I got some cream to put on my hands at night and in the morning. And maybe next year I’ll remember. And maybe next time your pain starts to rise back up you’ll remember what helped last time. Or at least that you made it through.

TAURUS

Somewhere halfway around the world there’s a war. Somewhere between here and there, is a room full of men with ties who are using people’s lives like poker chips in a game they never lose. But before you get to that room, Taurus, you’ll find a parking lot down the street where somebody’s asking strangers for enough money just to get through the night. And, of course, there’s the roof you live under. And there’s enough that needs doing in that space to keep someone busy for a lifetime. So what’s yours to care about? What’s yours to do? What’s the work today? I think start small. And try not to take on more worry than you can provide action to balance.

GEMINI

There are a lot of people out there who say you should never give up on your dreams, Gemini. I used to hear that and think it meant I needed to stay on course. That if I just stuck with my plan, I’d get to where I always wanted to go. But I think about it differently now. I think sometimes you have to give up. You have to give up on the details of your path. You have to give up on everything going just right. Sure, keep your destination in your mind. Hang on to that idea of what you’re becoming. But give up on being in control of every part. When you give up, you can get creative. You can find another way there.

CANCER

Thanks for inviting me to your show, Cancer. I wanted to go but I had to get up really early the next day so I couldn’t stay out that late. It’s just that I’ve really been enjoying sunrises lately. If you haven’t seen one in a while I think this is a great week for it. I’m not suggesting you do anything catastrophic to your circadian rhythm, but if you happen to wake up while it’s still dark out, and if you happen to feel like stepping outside and looking east for a bit, I do feel like it’s worth it. If that sounds too early, I totally get it, Cancer, but find some way to unplug from the constant stream of information and lock in with the beauty out your front door. Maybe I’ll make it to your next one.

LEO

When I was in school there was a minute where everybody was really into slap-bracelets. You know those things? They’re flat, stiff pieces of plastic and then you smack it against your wrist and it wraps around it all tight? It seemed like everybody in class had one of those except for me. And a few weeks later I found one under the bleachers and I brought it to class to show my friends, but nobody cared anymore. Everybody had moved on to those erasers that look like bugs. I never got one of those, but it did teach me something about how impossible it is to keep up with trends. Now it’s that way with information. There’s no way you can keep up with the discourse of the moment, Leo, it moves too fast. Just find something that grabs you by the wrist and stick with that. Don’t let go of what moves you, even if everybody else has moved on.

VIRGO

They pick up trash every Monday and both trash and recycling every-other Monday. I can’t remember which Monday it was this week, all I know is that I forgot to take my bins to the curb and now they’re overflowing. It wouldn’t be so bad, but I think it’s the third week in a row that I’ve forgotten. At this point I’m just putting full bags on top of the lid and flattened cardboard between the bins. If you feel like things are piling-up,

Virgo — if you keep missing deadlines and can’t keep your days straight, you’re not alone. I think it’s time for a full reset. Whatever mess you’re sitting on, just drag it all out to the curb today. Don’t wait for Monday. Get free now.

LIBRA

People ask me why I never tie my shoes. It’s not that I’m in too much of a hurry or that I didn’t notice. It’s that it adds just a little bit of challenge to my walk. I have to be more careful not to trip and I have to move more slowly to keep my shoes from falling off my feet. And it reminds me that things aren’t so easy for everybody. When I finally get where I’m going, I’m less likely to fault others for being irritable or distracted or late. I know it’s hard out there for lots of reasons. Tie your shoes, Libra, but don’t forget that not everybody had such an easy time getting here.

SCORPIO

I can explain, Scorpio. I went into the astral barber shop and showed the guy a picture of you and I said “Make me look how Scorpio feels.” I guess I didn’t realize how complicated things have been for you lately. Of course, my celestial barber, being a professional, knew instantly. So if you can ignore the frosted-bangs, triple-high ponytail, radiating amber waves, and cascading-spaghettio sideburn-ringlets, then I’d love to sit down and hear all about everything you’ve been navigating lately. If you’re embarrassed to be seen with me, maybe just make a date with a friend you’ve been avoiding.

SAGITTARIUS

There’s only one right way to load the dishwasher, Sagittarius. I think you know what I mean. It’s not about whether you put the bowls in the slots on the top shelf or the rows on the bottom. It doesn’t matter if the forks go tinesup or tines down. It’s not even a matter of whether plates all face the same direction or mirror toward the center. The right way to load the dishwasher is simple, Sagittarius. Just do it before somebody asks you to.

CAPRICORN

My grandmother used to get migraines and she would boil these herbs on the stovetop and then drink the water and she said it really helped. When I started getting migraines I looked up those herbs and apparently scientific studies have found they “produce no benefit greater than placebo.” But do you know what science shows that has a lot of unexpected benefits? Placebos. So, Capricorn, I boil the herbs and I’m pretty sure they help. If what you’re doing is working, keep it up. If it’s not, try something you believe in more.

Mr. Mysterio is not a licensed astrologer, a registered herbalist, or a certified dishwasher. Listen to the Mr. Mysterio podcast at mrmysterio.com Or just give him a call at 707-VHS-TAN1

‘Look Into My Eyes’ documents contemporary loneliness and the supernatural

Most Nashvillians will know filmmaker Lana Wilson for her Taylor Swift documentary, Miss Americana (2020). Wilson also directed the Brooke Shields documentary Pretty Baby (2023) as well as an examination of extremism and abortion in America ( After Tiller, 2015), and a meditation on suicide in Japanese culture (The Departure , 2017). Wilson’s new movie, Look Into My Eyes reads like a blend of the filmmaker’s curiosities with interesting personalities and particular cultural trends. The movie was released by A24 in September and it’s now streaming on MAX. Look Into My Eyes is a mosaic portrait of a handful of psychic readers in New York City. We meet them and some of their various clients at actual readings and at the psychics’ homes. One woman connects her clients with the spirits of dead and lost pets, delivering tender messages of canine and feline reassurance in a thick, no-nonsense NYC accent. Another seems to have a knack for directing her clients to personal insights with motherly guidance. Look Into My Eyes puts viewers in the private confines of personal psychic readings where clients explain how they came to seek-out supernatural intervention in the course of asking their questions about fate, spirits and the great beyond. And the film goes one step further, making space for the psychics to tell how they came to their vocations: a gay man and an adoptee point to a sense of alienation as the origins of their psychic sensibilities; several psychics came to cards and candles through their backgrounds as writers, actors and artists. Look Into My Eyes opens with a long drone camera shot — at least that’s what I thought. The closer I looked the more it seemed like a slow panand-zoom over a still image of the New York City skyline at dusk, gradually homing in on a single illuminated window in a high rise apartment. The distinction matters because Look Into My Eyes ’ super power is eschewing contemporary documentary cliches in favor of bare-bones techniques and devices that might be more familiar to viewers who remember a time before reality television. Look Into My Eyes isn’t a fly-on-the-wall direct cinema affair – some scenes are clearly set and lit for filming, and there’s lots of sit-down style interviewing. But there’s no text on screen or voiceover narration, and Wilson doesn’t even give us chyrons to identify these psychics and their clients. All relevant information is allowed to flow naturally through the conversations and interviews. Wilson never appears on camera and viewers are never subjected to the lazy horror of the expositional animated montage.

Look Into My Eyes might have been called Look Through My Eyes because it does such a great job of making viewers comfortable with its various subjects, allowing them to relax and spend time listening to the psychics talk about their lives and experiences. The movie never addresses the reality of psychic abilities and it doesn’t prompt the audience to question them either. Wilson is more interested in demonstrating how combinations of talent and trauma, and

BY JOE NOLAN, FILM CRITIC

insight and alienation might bring a person to either side of the psychic reading table after psychology, science and even religion may seem to have run out of answers where grief and failure and heartache are concerned. This picture is funny and fascinating and touching at turns, and it manages to remind you just how interesting and complex everyday people can be. In-between the movie’s intimate interviews and exchanges Wilson fills her screen with vast shots of urban expanse, and monumental architecture looming

over city streets, dwarfing the people — and their lives — below. Look Into My Eyes is a film about contemporary loneliness that leaves viewers feeling like we’re all in it together.

Look Into My Eyes is currently streaming on MAX

Joe Nolan is a critic, columnist and performing singer/songwriter based in East Nashville. Find out more about his projects at www.joenolan.com.