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AU GU S T 2020 | volU M E 27 | I SSUE 06
FOOD
INSECURITY
How a Community in Crisis is Closing the Gaps
Photo by Andre Sessions
f e at u r e : D o u g l a s C o u n t y D e c i d e s t h e $ 1 6 6 M i l l i o n Q u e s t i o n
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JOBS: Unemployment, Pandemic at Odds with Back-toWork Focus
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feature: Douglas County Decides the $166 Million Question
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COVER: Nonprofits Working With Food Insecurity to Close Food Security Gaps
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publisher/editor........... John Heaston john@thereader.com graphic designers........... Ken Guthrie Sebastian Molina news..........................Robyn Murray copy@thereader.com lead reporter............... Chris Bowling chris@thereader.com associate publisher.... Karlha Velasquez karlha@el-perico.com creative coordinator...... Lynn Sanchez lynn@pioneermedia.me
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COVER: An Personal Look at the Continued Food Security Crackup
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State Focuses on Back to Work as Cases Spike, Many Still Jobless by CHRIS BOWLING
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ew claims for unemployment benefits in Nebraska reached their lowest numbers since the pandemic in July, according to data from the Nebraska Department of Labor. However, they’re still multitudes higher than previous years as benefits begin to run out for many. During the week of July 18, about 4,000 people requested help from the Nebraska Department of Labor, a steep decrease from the week before when nearly double that many filed claims. The claims follow a June unemployment rate of 6.9%. That’s down from the pandemic high when 8.6% of Nebraskans were unemployed in April, but still up 1.5 percentage points from May and more than double the rate of June 2019. So far the state has paid out nearly $204 million to unemployed people since the pandemic began, more than 17 times what it paid out to people during the same period last year. The federal government sent about $42 million through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program.
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Despite business reopenings the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, cases of which are spiking in Nebraska and across the country, is causing continued struggle. Some resources are available to connect people with work now. Do Space, located on 72nd and Dodge streets, has set up training for virtual interviews and Heartland Workforce Solutions has compiled lists on its website of employers hiring right now, complete with job descriptions, contact information and hourly rates. For many it’s not a choice whether or not to go back to work. If someone’s employer chose to resume business following any of the state’s reopening phases, the Nebraska Department of Labor has said employees must either go back to work or lose their benefits. A worker also can not receive benefits if they decline “suitable work.” Job search requirements also resumed on July 12 for those receiving unemployment benefits. For those whose employers have chosen not to reopen or can not find suitable work, some benefits have been extended. For the first
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time since 1981, Nebraska authorized an extended benefits program on June 22, extending state assistance an additional 13 weeks for those who’ve exhausted other options. The decision could be a lifeline for many as the federal government stopped giving
out weekly $600 boosts to unemployed people through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program on July 25. As of this writing, Congress is debating whether to extend those benefits but has not reached a conclusion.
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AUGUST 2020
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F E A T U R E
‘A Blessing and A Curse’
How $166 Million in COVID-19 Relief Has Challenged County Government
Screenshots taken from THE County Board of Commissioners video feed
by Chris Bowling
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s soon as the money hit the county’s bank account, the emails and calls started coming in.
office that’s grown six inches thick. But while the call for help was great, some say the county’s response has lagged.
School districts, county departments, city leaders, everyone was anxious to get their piece of the CARES Act money Douglas County received to recoup pandemic-related losses and cover future COVID-19 expenses.
“There was no plan, and this is a problem that Douglas County has systemically,” County Commissioner Jim Cavanaugh said. “They don’t make strategic plans. So there was no plan for how to do this, how to distribute the $166 million. They waited and waited.”
Suddenly finding himself the gatekeeper of $166 million, Douglas County Budget and Finance Director Joe Lorenz said it was like “you just became the most popular kid in school.” “This is as busy as I’ve ever been in my life trying to administer this,” he said. One by one, requests came in; losses were tallied up. Many of those requests have piled up in a manila folder in Lorenz’s
As the pandemic struck in Douglas County, hospitals raced to prepare while community members cancelled events, shuttered businesses and watched unemployment climb to unfathomable heights. At the end of March, relief was in sight as the federal government passed the CARES Act, which, in part, provided $150 billion for local and state governments to recoup losses, fund
COVID-19-related projects and pay for masks and hand sanitizer. Douglas County received its $166 million share on April 24. But months later, much of that money still sits in an account at First National Bank of Omaha. The question is, why? It’s complicated.
Bureaucratic Bog-down As the months have gone by, the structure of Douglas County government has been tested on multiple levels as commissioners and staff navigate how to spend the money, understand federal spending guidelines and follow a singular vision. At the epicenter of this logjam sits the seven-member
Douglas County Board of Commissioners. “We’re way, way behind in terms of where I want to be,” Cavanaugh said. “I am not patient with bureaucratic excuses for why we can’t get money to people whose rent is three months in arrears.” One clear example of bureaucratic bog-down is the county’s rental assistance program. While the board allocated funds for this project in June, Tuesday County Board meetings thereafter were marked not by decisive action, but by long discussions and pointed comments by some commissioners about lack of progress. One week, commissioners received a nearly blank page for an update about the rental assistance program prior to their meeting.
Top row (from left to right): Commissioner P.J. Morgan, District 4; Commissioner Jim Cavanaugh, District 2. Bottom row(from left to right): Commissioner Chris Rogers, District 3; Patrick Bloomingdale, Chief Administrative Officer; County Board President Clare Duda, District 7; Commissioner Marc Kraft, District 5, joining from Zoom; Joe Lorenz, Budget and Finance Director; Commissioner Mike Boyle, District 1; Commissioner Mary Ann Borgenson, District 6.
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F E A T U R E The rental assistance program began taking applications July 27 — four days before the federal moratorium on evictions ended and nearly two months after the state’s hold ended. In Courtroom 20, just below the commissioners’ Farnam Street offices, evictions have resumed in full force. In June, 342 people were evicted from their homes in Douglas County, according to data from Legal Aid of Nebraska. Those 11 people per day is about a 20% increase from the average throughout 2019. Many speaking before the judge say they’re still out of work due to the pandemic, have had trouble receiving unemployment benefits or never received a stimulus check. CARES money could help people pay missed rent back to April, but can’t help those who’ve already lost homes. Some commissioners say while it’s unfortunate it’s taken months to decide where to allocate funds, this is the process working efficiently. They need to give their staff time to come up with proposals that can be discussed and reworked to ultimately get help to the people who need it. “The biggest thing at the end of the day is that it is the county who is responsible for making sure those dollars were spent appropriately,” Commissioner Mary Ann Borgenson said. “Because if we get audited, and we’ll most probably get audited just like everyone else, we need to make sure we have dotted every ‘i’ and crossed every ‘t.’”
Structural Problems Part of the issue lies in the structure of county government.
Without a single executive power, the Douglas County Board of Commissioners needs a majority from its seven members to get things done. Lately the disagreements have seemed more fundamental and lead to mixed signals sent to county government administrators tasked with carrying out the commissioners’ choices. “Whose plan do you follow?” Lorenz asked. “We kinda get all these people telling us to do this and do that ... there’s not a consensus among our board on how to do this. So what you see is a disorganized [process], but that’s just [what happens with] seven members.” Commissioners quickly agreed to spend the first $31.6 million updating infrastructure at the Douglas County Health Center and Department of Corrections, buying PPE and funding six COVID-19-related projects at the Douglas County Health Department. The board also agreed to allocate $14 million for housing and utility assistance, and commissioners have talked about diverting similar funds to those facing food insecurity. These proposals are put together by county staff and administrators, such as Lorenz and Chief Administrative Officer Patrick Bloomingdale. “Staff is the one leading the charge and bringing [requests] to us when departments and offices are ready,” Borgenson said. “And we’re taking those up, reviewing them and approving them or not approving them.” But often those plans seem based on mixed signals — with some commissioners applauding staff’s work while others say it misses the mark. At times it seems like a guessing game of trying to figure exactly what commissioners want.
Trying to execute this process is more challenging than any grant, proposal or anything else Bloomingdale has done in his nearly three decades with the county. “It’s like on Bloomingdale said.
steroids,”
The number of Douglas County employees working through requests also only amounts to a handful, Bloomingdale said, most of whom are balancing CARES work with existing job responsibilities. Lorenz said as they began considering this process, administrators proposed putting together a committee to review requests outside of the commissioners’ weekly public meetings. But a majority of commissioners said they wanted everything in the open so no one could accuse them of making backroom deals. “We need to do everything publicly,” Commissioner P.J. Morgan said. “Because we’re a public body, and we don’t want to have people saying, when you’re looking at what the city’s requesting, ‘Why did you meet privately?’” But because board members can’t make decisions on specific policy until Lorenz, Bloomingdale or other administrators present proposals at weekly meetings, it means a lot of work and debate needs to happen in real time. That often means the decision-making process gets lodged between the lurch of bureaucratic protocol and the pressure to do something immediately. A tension only fueled by the amount of money on the table and the anxiety of impending audits. “What Patrick and I always say is this [CARES Act money] is a blessing and a curse,” Lorenz said. “Some days it’s more
of a blessing, and other days it’s much more of a curse.”
Unclear Federal Guidelines Originally, the only federal stipulations on CARES money were expenses had to be related to COVID-19 and the county had to send back whatever it didn’t spend. But things began to change, Lorenz said. “Now there’s reporting requirements, and this is much more like a grant process with a lot of compliance issues and a lot of recordkeeping,” he said. “And that takes time and resources.” Though there were obvious examples of good ways to spend CARES Act money — buying PPE, increasing testing capacities and upgrading air systems at the Douglas County Health Center. Others, such as whether to send money to public schools or how much of Omaha’s police and fire budget the county could cover, were trickier. Bloomingdale said following those standards on even a small grant can be challenging. Multiply that to the scale of these relief funds and it becomes mind-boggling. “I’ve been with the county for 27 years,” he said. “This is the biggest project that I’ve ever been involved (with) in terms of money.” As Nebraska’s state government received its CARES Act money, it requested companies submit applications to help administer the funds. Douglas County decided to follow their lead and hire whomever won the state’s bid, citing a need for consistency from the state to local level. The state hired Deloitte, a multinational professional ser-
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F E A T U R E change. Several updates and frequently-asked-questions pages have been posted online since the CARES money was administered, ruling out early requests like Boyle’s idea to fund the construction of a mental health facility. Other guidance has been clear from the start, such as not providing funding to undocumented people, which has proved controversial in the county’s rental assistance program.
vices company headquartered in London with offices around the United States, including Omaha. On June 16, the board voted 6-1 to hire the same company to provide compliance guidance and ultimately help the county decide how to spend its money. From the beginning, some commissioners balked at the idea of hiring an outside firm to guide any decision-making. “The Douglas County bureaucracy is behind the curve in getting this money to people in need,” Cavanaugh said.“And the fact we signed a contract, over my objection, to Deloitte is even more frustrating because here’s an out-of-state corporation that’s getting paid right now with CARES dollars.” It’s been estimated that Douglas County could end up paying the company as much as
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$300,000. The state’s contract goes up to $5 million.
lion Nebraska received from the CARES Act.
Commissioner Mike Boyle frequently asked how much it would cost to pay Deloitte compared to hiring out-of-work Douglas County residents or a local firm. Bloomingdale said it would be about $83,000 cheaper to keep it local, but it would have meant lost time in applications, interviews, hirings and training before a program like rent assistance could start.
“We’re still going to be short over $226 million out of the CARES allocation to the state of Nebraska,” Cavanaugh said.
The representative from Deloitte assisting Douglas County is based at an office in Texas and declined to comment on this story. The question of cost becomes even more important as many commissioners feel the county was shortchanged by the state. Though Douglas County represents about 30% of the state’s population, it only received 13% of the $1.25 bil-
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But the county isn’t the only one feeling it didn’t get its fair share. Omaha barely missed the 500,000 population mark to qualify for its own CARES Act funds. Mayor Jean Stothert has said the city will plan to access FEMA funds as it waits for CARES Act dollars. It’s also unclear how much CARES Act money will cover for the city. The county allocated $25 million to Omaha with the state agreeing to match. But losses to the city’s general fund and future expenses could be far greater. Aside from navigating the relationship between the city and county in the process, federal stipulations also continue to
That’s been unpopular with some on the board, but Bloomingdale said their hands are tied. Those are the kinds of compliance rules county staff need to show they’re following in reports submitted to the federal government, the first of which Bloomingdale said was submitted on July 17. Lorenz said while the hiring of Deloitte has been controversial to some, Douglas County needs the firm to understand these complicated relationships and shifting regulations. If the county takes a misstep, that could mean big financial repercussions in an audit. However, just hiring Deloitte does not relieve responsibility. If the contractor makes a mistake, Douglas County would still pay for it. “We’re on the hook for it,” Lorenz said. “So the attitude is let’s do our due diligence up front, make sure we’re doing this correctly, so when they come back and audit us, we didn’t get a notice that ‘Oh, you owe us $5 million.”
F E A T U R E “This contract is a very good idea. This contract is very, very good,” Borgenson said, speaking over a now un-mic’d Cavanaugh. “The behavior of this board definitely shows why.”
County Board President Clare Duda hangs his head as commissioners debate a contract with professional services company Deloitte at a June 16 meeting. While most commissioners say there’s no other option beside Deloitte, the issue led to some heated exchanges during board meetings.
“The floor is Commissioner Borgenson’s,” said an exasperated County Board President Clare Duda as he buried his head between his arms while Cavanaugh talked over him during a meeting on June 16.
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Still in the Middle of Battle
Unlike a city with its mayor and city council, everyone in county government is beholden to the board. In Douglas County, there’s a lot of experience on that body.
Two former mayors, a former Omaha City Council member and a collective 116 years of county board experience. Though the debates are sometimes charged, they can lead to more frank discussion and democratized decisions. It can also lead to more infighting. But despite their clash in personalities, the mission to serve the people of Douglas County is uniform. And while this process is messy, it’s at its core a public, transparent display of how government works. “I certainly can’t say this process has worked great,” Lorenz said. “We’re less than halfway into it ... Ask me in December and maybe I’ll know. But right now I’m still in the middle of battle, so I can’t reflect on what we would have done differently.”
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Omaha’s Food Security Network Area Non-Profits Rise as the Economic Fall Creates Disproportionate Need by Sara Locke
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n Omaha’s recent history, there existed wealth and poverty, and in the middle, a fuzzy fence. Those who were a few missed paychecks from eviction, an illness away from falling behind on bills. For many in Omaha, need was never truly a threat, and the programs that bridge the gap for the rest of the community existed as a feel-good tax write-off. Since COVID-19 struck our city, the fence has fallen. Need flooded through the community, finding people who never counted themselves among the vulnerable suddenly crushed by the wave. For years, these programs have performed Herculean feats of flexibility to ensure that their donations stretched to provide every bite of food possible for those in need. This month, The Reader reached out to several organizers to discuss the efforts being made to continue serving a community in unprecedented crisis.
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2566 St. Mary’s Ave (402) 397-5809 An organization approaching 100 years of service is difficult to trip up, and Completely Kids has proven no exception. The team has worked tirelessly to meet the social, educational and nutritional needs of the community for years. They weren’t going to let anything as trivial as a global pandemic stop them when they were needed most. Adrielle Griffin has served as the Chief Marketing and Development Officer for CK since 2012. We caught up as she worked remotely from home, out of breath from the effort of the nearly full-term baby wedged into her ribcage
AUGUST 2020
and preparing snacks for her stepson. Even as she journeys through the unpredictable final trimester of her pregnancy, she aims her focus on Completely Kids and preparing the team for whatever the coming weeks may bring. “Our final day of being able to work in-office was March 13,” she said. “We all thought this would last a few weeks, maybe a month. Nobody anticipated working remotely for several months, but luckily our team has always been very adaptable. Sometimes the guidelines for how we are able to serve are changing daily. We don’t know what the school year is going to look like, and so we’re just preparing to have several answers ready for our families.” Completely Kids has served families not only with educational programs, but with the much-needed nutrition some families can’t access without the school lunch program.
“Initially, we were concerned about how to provide nutrition. Traditionally, kids are getting breakfast and lunch at school, then coming to our after-school program where they were having a snack, and then taking home a bag of groceries for the weekend. Suddenly, these kids are losing three meals a day, and we weren’t sure how we were going to supply them with enough in their take-home bags to accommodate this.” Griffin has glowing words for each member of the staff and Completely Kids’ volunteer force, but makes no hesitation pointing the finger directly at Food Bank for the Heartland. “They immediately stepped up,” she said. “That first Friday we distributed 200 bags of food from Food Bank for the Heartland. We couldn’t have done that without them at all. Soon, we saw that number increase, and we
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were able to crunch a lot of numbers and reorganize a lot of things. Our CEO was having conversations with donors, who came back right away saying ‘Just let us know what you need, we will always take care of you’. Soon we were able to supplement those 200 bags from the Food Bank with 300 bags of our own.” Once the initial wave of relief passed, the team started to evaluate where people might be falling through the cracks. “We pretty quickly were able to identify 34 families with significant need, but who didn’t have the transportation to get to our distribution centers. We established no-contact deliveries with a few of our volunteers, giving each a route covering 5-7 of these families.” Griffin realizes that all decisions being made by school boards about the approach of school days is tentative, and will rely on containing the virus. In spite of this, the team has plans in place to accommodate the proposed 2/3 school week for Omaha Public Schools, scheduling “weekend” food bags twice a week to catch everyone on the alternating schedule. “We’re doing food distribution through the first week in August. And when we get there, we will continue this process of evaluating.” If you or your family are in need of resources, vis-
Photo by Andre Sessions
City Sprouts is another important part of omaha’s food security future it Completely Kids. If you would like to donate your time, talents, or treasures to Completely Kids’ many programs, Donate Now: www.completelykids.org/ how-you-can-help/.
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812 S 24th Street (402) 345-8047
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Together Omaha serves an average of 22,000 households each year, aiding in education, health and wellness and sourcing affordable housing. Their nutrition and food security program ensures that those experiencing need
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S t o r y stead, she looks at the car in front of her. Allowing each victory to be the one that matters is how these 200 bags of food will go on to feed the 212 cars that show up by the end of the day. “I want us to be that little bit of hope, that they know they can always come here. I hope that we are able to take this off their shoulders.”
One in six Americans is food insecure to spend a little less time worrying about feeding their families, allowing that energy to be used finding a workable path to sustainable living. When COVID-19 threatened to derail the progress families had been making Together, Stephanie Strode and the entire staff dug deeper to find a way to continue serving. “Right away we started pre-bagging all of the food as fast as we could,” she said. “From start to finish, we were serving 200 families a day. It took all of us bagging, plus doing our regular jobs. We had directors trying to find funds to purchase more food and our crisis managers bag-
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To donate to Together, visit Donate Now, or to inquire about assistance programs, visit togetheromaha.org/ineed-help-2/services/
ging from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.” Strode is also quick to single out Food Bank for the Heartland for their quick response and constant support. “We get all of our food from Food Bank for the Heartland. We wouldn’t know what to do without them. The National Guard has been boxing food for us, freeing us up to source other supplies; diapers, can openers, things these families need.” When the line of cars arriving for pickup curls around the block and the police arrive to direct traffic, Strode could easily find herself overwhelmed. In-
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10525 J Street 402.331.1213 Communications Manager Angie Grote wastes no time crediting the Food Bank’s partners for their quick action and cooperation with each other and the families being served. “From March 15 to June 20, Food Bank for the Heartland distributed 11,633,012 meals to Heartland families facing hunger. This is a 61% increase from the same period in 2019. We spent $2.7
million purchasing food in that period, which is up 374% from last year. We couldn’t be responding to this crisis without our partner organizations like Together, North Star, Completely Kids, and Heart Ministries center. We serve 93 counties across Nebraska and Iowa, and we are so grateful for our partners and the work they’re doing to meet this need. They’ve all had to pivot their programs to continue to serve, and they’re all doing it so gracefully.” When asked the best way to direct our readers to help, Grote insists that they already have. “There isn’t a lot of good that can be said about this year, but the one thing that we have seen worth keeping is the way the community has stepped up and worked together to make it through. This is a beautiful community filled with people who truly care about their neighbors. We just want it to be known that Food Bank for the Heartland has been serving this community for 39 years, and we are committed to doing all we can to continue serving every day.” She goes on to encourage readers who are in need of assistance to go to the website and learn about the many resources offered by FBftH. If you’re in a position to help, donate now at donate.foodbankheartland. org.
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Face to Face with
Food Security
As covid hits hard, need does not discriminate STORY & PHOTOS by Mark McGaugh
P
ay rent, pay that car note or pay for food? In the midst of a deadly pandemic that has killed more than 150,000 people across the U.S., millions of Americans are finding themselves living a nightmare. They are unsure how they will pay for housing or put food on the table, a re-
Food distribution drive up, July 24. ality that economists have long warned us of. In a 2019 survey conducted by the non-partisan research organization NORC at the University of Chicago, researchers concluded that 51% of Americans would not be able to cover necessities such as food, rent/mortgage or a
car loan if they missed more than one paycheck. According to Angela Fontes, director of the Behavioral and Economic Analysis and Decision-making (BEAD) program at NORC “even short disruptions in pay can cause significant hardship, as most Americans appear to be living paycheck-to-paycheck�.
With many working-class citizens already skating on thin ice, the number of people struggling to stay afloat has only been exacerbated by the coronavirus outbreak and the Great Depression-like unemployment percentages it has caused. Business owner and mother of four Nickie Johnson is one of the millions floun-
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S t o r y Center, Nebraska’s largest pantry, says families have been forced to turn to pantries because they have had to make difficult decisions like paying for medicine over buying food or paying rent over paying their car note.
Food distribution drive up, July 24. dering through the financial hardships of COVID-19. “I don’t think, unless you are steadily working or have, you know, the capability of getting, you know, food stamps or some kind of help, I don’t think it’s possible to feed your kids,” said Johnson, who has owned and operated a catering business for the last 25 years. Johnson, who has been receiving food assistance through No More Empty Pots’ CSA program since early June, said she lost thousands as a result of businesses being forced to close their doors. “Right after a lot of things shut down, within 24 hours I’d lost over $11,000 in business from just big events canceling,” she said. “On Fridays I generally set
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up a vending area at one of the buildings that has four businesses in it. Back in March they shut that down. That was an additional $300 to $400 a week income that I haven’t gotten. I’ve probably lost $1,600 to $2,000 a month in income.” Johnson also said the government stimulus package “didn’t help at all” as she was turned down for the initial COVID-19 small business loan and ineligible for the Paycheck Protection Program. As the country’s economy remains at a virtual standstill, many business owners and middle class families like Johnson’s find themselves struggling to cover the essentials for the first time. Damany Rahn, director of strategic partnerships at the Heart Ministry
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“It is one of those things where now these people have to make a choice. Do I take care of rent? Do I take care of getting food or take care of getting medicine?” Rahn said. “And, when it comes to… you gotta have a roof, right. And depending on how sick you are you may have to have that medication too. So, food is one of those things that folks can kind of teeter totter on and hope you can find a decent pantry.” Rahn said any and everybody you could think of needed support in the early onset of the outbreak. “Food insecurity has no color. It’s no respecter of (the) person,” he said. “The people who need the pantry are your neighbors.” He remembered a school teacher who drove up to the pantry in a Range Rover. She never would have needed to use a pantry before, she said, but like so many others it became a lifeline. “Some folks were stayat-home moms, teachers, contract workers, folks who have their own businesses and now that business is suffering.” Rahn said. “These are individuals who pre-COVID were not nec-
essarily concerned with the Heart Ministry Centers of the world. They maybe didn’t even know where it was… they didn’t need it!” As the state’s largest pantry, the Heart Ministry Center already distributes over three million pounds of food per year. However, in response to COVID-19 and the uptick of families seeking food assistance, they gave out over 900,000 pounds of food in May and June alone. The sudden jump in needy families has also forced the Heart Ministry to increase the frequency of allowed pantry visits from once a month to once every two weeks. Despite this, pantry and food bank lines are expected to continue to get longer as the number of positive coronavirus cases continue to spike across the U.S., reaching record highs in some states, further putting the country’s economy on standby. Although Johnson is unsure of what the future holds, she said she expects things to get a lot worse before they get any better. “I don’t know, honestly, I don’t know. I mean, this time of year I’d usually be really busy with graduation parties and I haven’t had a single graduation party. And with the fall coming, Ralston was supposed to start school at 100% and we just got an email yesterday that they’ve dropped it to, you know, the 50/50,” says the mother of four. “And a lot of people are
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S t o r y excited about the opportunity to build community and bring people together to empower each other in the face of a pandemic and widespread social unrest.
Heart Ministry Food Pantry. speculating that schools are gonna be completely shut by the end of September. So that’s gonna be more kids at home, more parents struggling and if everything shuts down, you know, there’s gonna be a whole lot of people struggling.” As a professional in the food industry, Johnson also has a stark warning about the future of the meat supply chain where she said prices have more than doubled. “I’ve had to do a surcharge on anything with beef in it, because the beef prices have kind of gone through the roof. I was getting a 10 lb. roll of ground beef that was, you know, 80/20 ground for $20 and now I’m spending almost $45 on the same thing. So, prices are ridiculous,” said Johnson, adding that farmers have been struggling
since dozens of meat processing plants closed earlier this year. “I know there are a lot of farmers, meat producers that are considering euthanizing their animals because the meat packing plants aren’t open and a lot of the
local butchers are booked until next year. So they’ve got an overabundance of animals that they can’t get processed so they’re questioning whether or not to euthanize the animals.” While the future may look bleak, Rahn said he is
“Here’s the thing, [the Heart Ministry Center’s] mission is to provide food, health care and a way forward for people severely affected by poverty in the Omaha area,” said Rahn. “Whereas, we might not have been thinking about community as much before, you almost have to now because of the connectivity of what’s going on, everyone’s impacted in some way. And then coupled with the other things that are going on this past summer... So now it’s compounded. Not only is there maybe financial issue, food issue now there are some social justices issues that we as a community have to work out together. If we don’t do that as a community, we’re no better for it.”
No More Empty Pots Food Hub. AUGUST 2020
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Omaha Residents Return to their Ancestral Roots in Search FOR
Food Sovereignty by Karlha Velásquez Rivas
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umans have strayed from the nutritional makeup of hunter/gatherer or early agrarian societies. With industrialization and technological development, increases in processing protein and vegetables and the use of agrochemicals, cancer became more common, along with high rates of hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes.
her landlord allowed her to cultivate (4.5 square meters, about 48 square feet). Hernández is happy to be part of the program. It is now her second year and she has picked tomatoes, bell peppers, chili peppers, kale, cucumbers and corn, among other produce. She says she still has some tomatoes from last year in the freezer.
In Omaha, a group of people and non-profit organizations are working to rescue the ancestral customs of agriculture and food consumption through urban gardens and permaculture.
“I thought that I just needed to sow and that’s it, but that’s not the case. Here I have learned to take care of the plants and identify whether the land in which I sow is suitable or not. We know there are leaded lands (soil that is dangerously high in lead) in Omaha. I really like this and it’s organic. I also learned to recognize pests and how to end them naturally. I save a lot of money on fresh vegetables.”
In addition to work at the Latino Center of the Midlands, Omaha Permaculture and GVResolve have been undertaking. There are other organizations like Malcolm X Foundation that are also part of the chain of revolution and new agricultural connections.
Latinos planting their health Coming from a humble family, Laura Hernández is a Mexican immigrant living in South Omaha. Last year she joined the Seeding Health Program through the Latino Center of The Midlands under the direction of Viridiana Almanza. Hernández said she was interested in learning about the program immediately. “I saw it on a billboard in the Latino center and it explained what it was all about,” she said. She stood with a baby in her arms while her two young sons played in the small garden that
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She said that one of her children loves cherry tomatoes. In the market a small 8-oz. box can cost up to $4, while a single plant can produce between 3 and 4 kilos (between 6 to 9 lbs.) in fertile soil with bright sunshine. Hernández takes this as a sustainable and educational way of life for her children who grow up having contact with the earth. At another house, Paula Hernández has a garden also designed by the Seeding Health Program. It is located at one corner of her house and is about 15 square meters (161 square feet). She is thrilled about having picked up her first harvest of Roma tomatoes, apples and
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greens. Paula tells us that since she learned about the program she doesn’t want to stop learning from it. “There is nothing more satisfying than taking care of our health through food that tastes like what it really is, food and not those processed things. Look here, I have pumpkins, melons, kale, tomatoes, tomatillos, corn, coriander, serrano peppers, habanero peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, potatoes and now fruit trees,” Paula said. Always smiling and very energetic, Paula also involves her husband with caring for the garden, protecting it from wild animals and pests. “Here we all collaborate, afterwards, we all eat and eat tasty and healthy,” she said. The vegetable patches are supervised by crop experts Gladys Moscoso and Diana Linares, under the direction of gardening specialist Cecilia Saavedra.
Stress management Viridiana Almanza, promoter and creator of the program, says it was born as a result of the alarming number of Latinos in Omaha with heart disease, diabetes and stress, the product of an unbalanced diet and absence of fresh vegetables. “We took this initiative so that families (could) have their own gardens in their homes and use gardening to practice stress management, which is import-
ant since it affects Latinos,” she said. “Especially for the type of work that our community has. This is a way to relax and interact with our families.” Beyond stress, exercise and chronic illness, the Seeding Health Program also focuses on nutrition and food preservation. “We come from countries where agriculture works, and we think it is a way to promote our own culture in South Omaha and teach children and gather them with the grandparents who teach them about cultivation,” Almenza said. To be part of this program, you must be Latino, Almenza said, and also meet a series of requirements. First, it must be shown that the family or person lacks the resources to cover nutritional needs, qualify for reduced school lunches and lacks economic resources. Second, you require direct help from a social service. Third, the person must commit to participate from mid-April to November. The two-year-old program is also sponsored by CHI Health, Nebraska Extension, City Sprouts and UNMC. “The idea of all this is that families learn to grow their own food. Aside from the Latino community, we also want to include recent immigrants or refugees, because we know they have the same agricultural roots. For this we need to understand their culture and build their confidence to join this program,” Almenza said.
C o v e r Almanza said that last year 19 families joined and this year they have 29 families, equivalent to 163 participants. “There is still another group pending. We know that many want to participate but we only have resources for some, “ she said. Those selected receive classes in agriculture, land management, pesticides, planting and food gathering, planting days and irrigation. In addition, the Seeding Health Program provides you with all the necessary equipment, like shovels, hoses, seeds, wood, stakes and pesticides. “Hopefully, in a few years’ time, Latinos could create a Farmer’s Market here in South Omaha, and families could make a social network to stay connected so that we all could take care of our resources that we have cared for so much. If this generates economic income, it can be a motivation for them to value this type of work more. Apart from that, it improves their mental and nutritional health,” she said.
Agriculture with permanent culture Food self-sustainability is one of the philosophies that keeps non-profit organization Omaha Permaculture alive. Permaculture is an integrated and evolving system where the cycle of plants is maintained and respected so that they last, in addition to the animal species useful to humans. Some cities in the United States are already adopting this ideology as a mechanism to preserve the human species. Omaha Permaculture was founded in 2013 by Gus Von Roenn, who with his anthropological, sociological and archaeological knowledge saw the need to interweave the ancient knowledge of agriculture with the modern nature of the human being. His knowledge is sought by the communities that
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want to join the project and be part of food sovereignty. From his 8-acre (3.2 hectare) space located at 4101 Grant Street in North Omaha, Von Roenn sees a future for healthier lives regardless of what is eaten. He, along with other experts in food and cultivation, recovered this once-vacant space, and conditioned it to shape urban gardens that currently provide food to two non-profit organizations that help the homeless: No More Empty Pots and Table Grace. “We collect around 50 pounds a week of produce that we allocate to these two places. We do it with our hearts. Here we also have high school interns. Young people who learn about agriculture and we show them another path more connected to nature, “ he said. Von Roenn said the project receives no state or government funding, and that economic resources often come from people’s contributions and courses taught to organizations about changing the conventional agricultural system. The expert appreciated the union of Latino communities. Especially in South Omaha, this type of model could really take hold, Von Roenn said. “Latinos maintain a culture deeply rooted in their lands. Although they are no longer (in their homelands), they seek to incorporate things into their diet and with them, a sense of community, “ he said. In the future, he wants to buy the land and then work on “bringing back the food markets to North Omaha. Markets where people sell their own products and more people join to work the land,” he said. Currently there is a vegetable garden at 2064 N 18th St. For those interested, the project does not charge money, but people may make a contribution for the installation of the water tanks.
Photo by Andre Sessions However, this will depend on the evaluations that are made.
In search of re-generation Graham Christensen is president of GC Resolve, a company dedicated to connecting the urban with the rural and re-educating communities about the negative impacts that transnational-dominated agriculture causes to human beings and nature. This system puts aside independent farmers without clean water and without fertile land. For him, it takes tremendous work to guarantee food sovereignty and he fights to make his voice heard about health problems and food accessibility. He created the Regenerate Project, which includes 86 groups of community or farm organizations. He explained that with the pandemic, we have seen food production accelerate to cover
the population demand, but the state has not responded to the warning of a food security crisis. In a recent GCResolve news article, the companies Nebraska Communities United, GC Resolve, Forward Latino and the Nebraska League of United Latin American Citizens call on the state of Nebraska to put more effort “to protect the fragile food system.” Beyond the diseases that genetically manipulated food could cause, “Our leaders must seize this opportunity to build a regenerative future for our state,” he said in the article. In the processes of regeneration, permaculture and sowing health, the main protagonist to preserve life on earth in a harmonious way is the seed which is not owned by the companies but by those who cultivate and care for it, and then reap the fruits that fill us with life and not with disease.
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Visual Voices
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about religion and politics and the transgressions of the powerful and the rich. In spite of the current pandemic restrictions, and inspired by the recent social unrest and protests, June 12 brought the beginning of a timely and germane print project at RBR Gallery on Vinton Street, Visual Voices: Community of Ideas | Community of Prints. This workshop/ exhibit is the brainchild of Gallery Director John Rogers. The event is not exactly a standard workshop, however. Community members are invited to come and produce a hand-pulled print of their own design, inspired by a social issue of their choice.
C.E.B. No Kids in Cages, June 2020
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RBR Gallery invite/exhibit combines a ‘Community of Ideas • Community of Prints’
Jerique A Reason to Live, July 2020
he principles of reproduction, repeatability and dissemination play an important part in the successes of social and political activism, propaganda and information. Since its invention in the mid-1400’s, people have turned to the printing press to inform, educate and persuade the greater public, especially
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The printmaking sessions started on opening night in June and are on-going through Aug. 14. The gallery advises calling
by Kent Behrens ahead to assure a time, but walk-ins are welcome as time permits. Several press stations are ready to go; Rogers will be on hand to provide direction and instruction on how to make a print. Rogers has obtained and restored several types of printing presses for the gallery. Though reproducible printing can be traced as far back as Mesopotamian letter punches from 3000 B.C. and woodblock printing from 2nd century China, it was not until the 15th century that new technology of reproduction printing ushered in the modern era of printing. In 1788, William Blake invented a process of acid relief etching on copper, giving him the freedom to print his poetry and illustrations from one plate, foregoing the use of movable type. It was a decision born from necessity, as he was not a rich man. His work coincided with development of stone lithography, a process of repeatable printing from a limestone plate, or matrix. Both of these events set the stage for the reproduction printing of images and drawings.
portant part of RBR Gallery’s image. First established as Gallery 72, under the direction of Rogers’ mother and father Roberta and Bob, the Gallery devoted its energies primarily to the collection of fine prints, limited editions and monoprints. Their collection is extensive, and the printmaking legacy continues with son John at the helm. Rogers said that his current exhibit is unusual because “it is created by the viewers, created by our community. Just people that want to express themselves on issues they feel are important and relevant today.” So far, participants have ranged in age from 11 to 80-something, representing a spectrum of the community that includes people from four other states. Some are practicing artists. Some are not. The only requirement is that each participant find a current social issue to serve as their subject. To a person, all found the experience enjoyable and worthwhile.
Much of Blake’s poetry alludes to the abuses of class power, war, the plight of the worker. He was one of the first to produce socially conscious, activist poetry and etchings that combined illustrative imagery with the written word as a single piece of art. The hand-pulled artist’s print has for decades been an im-
Erin Amplified, July 2020
A R T YOU ARE NOT ALONE...
“I had some youth involved in the workshop, they all thoroughly enjoyed the experience,” said Erik Biggs who brought in a group of kids from Boys Town.
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10:50 am Live-Stream Service via Facebook
“I felt that the workshop was fun and engaging as well as educational. John made the experience one I look forward to getting more youth involved with in the future.”
@ www.facebook/FUMCOmaha
“It was a brief Lucy Staying Home, June 2020 chance to express a lot of the underlying anxiety I have about the by calling. Completed works times we are currently living will be displayed at the gallery in,” said Reagan, a workshop through Saturday Aug. 22. participant. “On a more posiThe gallery will limit the tive note John’s method for the number of people at one time workshop is easy, approach- and ask that people practice able and fun for any skill level the recommended distancing in printmaking.” of 6 feet. The printmaking Some of the social issues workspaces are individualized and events that have shown and separated. Masks are exup in prints so far include: pected and will be available as COVID-19 and the changes in well as gloves and sanitizing lifestyle including lockdowns materials. There are no othand social distancing; reaction er requirements and no fees, to the recent police killings though the Gallery is non-profand violence; more general it, and donations are welcome. racial and economic inequality; commentary on the recent situation between China and Hong Kong; and environmental concerns. Lucy, the youngest printmaker so far at age 11, chose to react to the COVID-19 lockdowns. “When I was asked about my reaction to the pandemic, because we had to stay home; that’s what I thought about and wanted to make a print of,” she said. Printmaking continues through Aug. 14, when the Gallery will host a closing party and final print making session. Exact dates and times for printmaking are available at the RBR Gallery website (rbrg.org) or
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Art galleries are suffering just like other businesses. Their mission to promote the visual arts did not stop with the pandemic. The methods of getting people into the galleries are the same; openings, exhibits, educational events and workshops will continue at local venues, with some events provided in virtual form, some not.
7020 Cass Street 402.556.6262 www.fumcomaha.org
Building trust in trying times.SM bbb.org/smallbusiness
The print workshop invites all to join in nurturing their visual voice, making their own statement about a current social or political issue, and learning about the art and craft of the hand-pulled print. Contact the gallery for dates and times at 402-496-4797 or jrogers@rbrg.org.
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The Baha’is of the United States join our fellow-citizens in heartfelt grief at the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others whose lives were suddenly taken by appalling acts of violence. These heartbreaking violations against fellow human beings, due only to the color of their skin, have deepened the dismay caused by a pandemic whose consequences to the health and livelihoods of people of color have been disproportionately severe. This has come to pass against a backdrop of longstanding racial injustice in virtually every aspect of American life. It is clear that racial prejudice is the most vital and challenging issue we face as a country. Yet, amidst these tragedies, there are also signs of hope. Countless citizens have arisen to proclaim the truth that we are one nation, and to demand specific actions to address the pervasive inequities that for too long have shaped our society. We have remembered who we aspire to be as a people, and are determined to make a change for the better. This moment beckons us to a renewed commitment to realize the ideal of E Pluribus Unum—out of many, one—the very ideal upon which America was founded. To create a just society begins with recognition of the fundamental truth that humanity is one. But it is not enough simply to believe this in our hearts. It creates the moral imperative to act, and to view all aspects of
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our personal, social, and institutional lives through the lens of justice. It implies a reordering of our society more profound than anything we have yet achieved. And it requires the participation of Americans of every race and background, for it is only through such inclusive participation that new moral and social directions can emerge. Whatever immediate results might come from the current demonstrations, the elimination of racism will require a sustained and concerted effort. It is one thing to protest against particular forms of injustice. It is a far more profound challenge to create a new framework for justice. Our efforts can only succeed when we learn to build relationships with each other based on sincere friendship, regard, and trust, which, in turn, become pillars for the activities of our institutions and communities. It is essential for us to join hands in a process of learning how to create models of what we want to see in every dimension of American life, as we learn to apply the principle of oneness through practical engagement and experience. To this end, we offer the following thoughts. An essential element of the process will be honest and truthful discourse about current conditions and their causes, and understanding, in particular, the deeply entrenched notions of anti-Blackness that pervade our society. We must build the capacity to truly hear and
acknowledge the voices of those who have directly suffered from the effects of racism. This capacity should manifest itself in our schools, the media, and other civic arenas, as well as in our work and personal relations. This should not end with words, but lead to meaningful, constructive action. There are already significant efforts underway to learn how to create models of unity in neighborhoods and communities throughout the nation. Baha’is have been persistently engaged in such efforts for many years. The aim is not unity in sameness—it is unity in diversity. It is the recognition that everyone in this land has a part to play in contributing to the betterment of society, and that true prosperity, material and spiritual, will be available to us all to the degree that we live up to this standard. We should earnestly discover what is being done, what truly helps to make a difference, and why. We should share this knowledge throughout the country as a means of inspiring and assisting the work of others. If we do this, we could soon find ourselves in the midst of a mass transition toward racial justice. Religion, an enduring source of insight concerning human purpose and action, has a key role to play in this process. All faith communities recognize that we are essentially spiritual beings. All proclaim some version of the “Golden Rule”—to love others as we do ourselves. Take, for example, the following passage from the Baha’i Scriptures in which God addresses humankind: Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one same substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may be made manifest. To understand and firmly believe that we are all children of God provides us with access to vast spiritual resources, motivating us to see beyond ourselves and to work steadily and sacrificially in the face of all obstacles. It helps to ensure that the process is consistent with the goal to create communities characterized by justice. It gives us the faith, strength, and creativity to transform
our own hearts, as we also work for the transformation of society. We believe that the tribulations now encompassing much of the world are the symptoms of humanity’s failure to understand and embrace our essential oneness. The interrelated threats of climate change, gender discrimination, extreme wealth and poverty, unfair distribution of resources, and the like, all stem from this deficiency and can never be resolved if we do not awaken to our dependence upon each other. The world has contracted to a neighborhood, and it is important to appreciate that what we do in America impacts not only our own country, but the entire planet. We should also never forget that the richness of our diversity, and our founding ideals of liberty and justice, attract the eyes of the world to us. They will be influenced by what we achieve, or fail to achieve, in this regard. It is not an exaggeration to say that the cause of world peace is linked to our success in resolving the issue of racial injustice. The oneness of humanity is the foundation of our future. Its realization is the inevitable next stage in our life on this planet. We will replace a world society based upon competition and conflict, and driven by rampant materialism, with one founded upon our higher potential for collaboration and reciprocity. This achievement will mark the universal coming of age of the human race. How soon we achieve this, and how easily, will depend upon the commitment we demonstrate to this cardinal principle. We have come to a moment of great public awareness and rejection of injustice. Let us not lose this opportunity. Will we commit to the process of forming “a more perfect union”? Will we be guided by “the better angels of our nature” to choose the course of wisdom, of courage, and of unity? Will we choose to truly become that “city upon a hill” to serve as inspiration to all humanity? Let us then join hands with each other in commitment to the path of justice. Together we can surely achieve this. Baha’u’llah said: “So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.” May that light grow brighter with every passing day. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE BAHA’IS OF THE UNITED STATES
Anthony Vance US Baha’i Office of Public Affairs 202-833-8990 usbahaimedia@usbnc.org Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Omaha omahanelsa@gmail.com | omahabahai.org
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H O O D O O
Ch-Ch-Changes
Opportunities to see live roots music are in flux, but venues and artists are trying to make live music work in our changing reality Story by B.J. Huchtemann Please be aware that everything may be subject to change. Venues may have their own rules for attendees, on top of any CDC guidelines and directed health measures (DHM) in place. If you aren’t ready to head back out for live shows, remember you can help support small venues and bands who have gone without work for months by buying their merch and music online. What’s open as we write in mid-July for the August issue is a mixed bag. The Blues Society of Omaha has helped lead the way with some socially-distanced outdoor shows plus the return of some shows in their long-running Thursday 6-9 p.m. time slot. Kansas City’s Brandon Miller Band plugs in for a CD release show on Thursday, Aug. 6. The guitarist’s new disc is titled Virtue and Vice, see brandonmillerkc. com. Currently confirmed are the Swampboy Blues Band Thursday, Aug. 13, 6-9 p.m. and the Scott Moyer Band featuring Howard Mahan Thursday, Aug. 27. The Thursday shows are at Stocks ‘n’ Bonds, a large venue that allows for physical distancing
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for both the band members on stage and the audience. The schedule is changing even now, as some national bands that had been hoping to get back out on the road are now canceling tours again. Prior to heading out, please visit the BSO’s Facebook page for the most upto-date announcements and show information at facebook.com/bluessocietyofomaha.
B. Bar Roots Music The B. Bar, 4330 Leavenworth, has the following Friday shows scheduled for 5:30-8:30 p.m. From Lawrence, Kan., blues harmonica wizard Brody Buster is up for Friday, Aug. 7. Mississippi Delta blues man David Dunavent performs Friday, Aug. 14. The Luther James Band takes the stage Friday, Aug. 21. Hepcatz plays August 28. Look for updates and announcements at facebook.com/theb.baromaha.
Zoo Bar Blues Lincoln’s historic Zoo Bar marks 47 years of operation this year. While they didn’t
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get to throw their annual anniversary street fest, the bar is open most afternoons and evenings for socially-distanced bar service with plenty of music on the digital jukebox. The venue is taking it slow in terms of booking live music but currently has Big Daddy Caleb & The Chargers scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 22, 5-8 p.m. The Zoo’s annual golf tournament is set for Saturday, Aug. 8. See zoobar.com for registration details and watch for scheduling updates at the website and facebook.com/ zoobarblues.
Getting Creative Lincoln’s Josh Hoyer started a special Facebook page giving fans the opportunity to commission him write a special song for their special occasion or loved one. Hear some of the first finished commissions and find out more at Josh Hoyer’s A Song for You: Tailor-Made Songs for Your Life page on Facebook. Roca Tavern at 4101 Main St. in Roca, near Lincoln, hosts Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal, Mezcal Brothers
and Levi William Saturday, Aug. 15, 5-10 p.m. Lincoln’s Parthenon restaurant will have food for sale. Tickets or tables for groups for the socially-distanced, outdoor event can be purchased at 402-423-9874. Local Blues Radio Rick Galusha’s Pacific St. Blues radio show is gearing up to mark thirty years on the air in the metro. The show, generally going by the name P.S. Blues, debuted in 1991. Galusha plays music from both national and local blues and roots artists, often in conjunction with interviews. Galusha’s work garnered him a Keeping the Blues Alive Award for radio programming from The Blues Foundation in 2010. P.S. Blues can be found on the air at 89.7 FM, The River, Sundays, 9 a.m. - noon and online at 897theriver.com. Check out facebook.com/psblues. Meanwhile in 2019, KIOS, 91.5 FM’s Mike Jacobs marked 25 years of hosting Blues in the Afternoon, heard every Monday, 1-3 p.m. on 91.5 FM and kios.org, Also look for the Blues in the Afternoon Facebook page. Jacobs’ love affair with the blues goes back to his high school
H O O D O O
Kansas City guitarist Brandon Miller celebrates a brand new CD release with a show at BSO Presents at Stocks ‘n’ Bonds Thursday, Aug. 6, 6-9 p.m., PHOTO by Christophe losberger. days when he hosted a radio show on the student-run station at Omaha’s Tech High. Jacobs is the Music Director for KIOS-FM.
cover photo was taken by Omaha’s own Chip Duden at Lincoln’s 2013 ZooFest. Find out more at davealvin.bandcamp.com.
Hoodoo Favorites
Nashville’s Ben de la Cour, seen locally with Austin’s Jon Dee Graham on tour, has a new CD out. Shadow Land is de la Cour’s latest, hear song samples and find out more at bendelacour. com. Meanwhile Graham can be found bringing some light to pandemic quarantine most weekdays at noon CDT, when he reads a children’s story to whoever gathers on his personal Facebook page
Hoodoo favorite Dave Alvin announced a new album this summer, Dave Alvin: From An Old Guitar - Rare And Unreleased Recordings. The album will feature some of Alvin’s favorites from his unreleased recordings and include covers and collaborations with other artists. The recording has a local connection, the
at facebook.com/jon.d.graham. Graham also has some merchandise with his bear drawings available online and is taking commissions for original art, see jondeeco. bigcartel.com for details and jondeegraham.com for commission contact info.
Hot Notes Look for outdoor shows to continue at Falconwood Park. Watch for updates at facebook.com/falconwoodparkhullabaloomusic. One Percent Productions has a limited schedule of events at The Waiting Room
as of this writing. Visit onepercentproductions.com for updates. Midtown Crossing’s Farnam Court at Turner Park is hosting Friday night outdoor shows, 7-9 p.m. Find details at facebook.com/midtowncrossingatturnerpark. Other venues such as Soaring Wings Winery, Lincoln’s Capitol City Winery and the Branched Oak Lake Boat House are offering outdoor music. Look for details on their Facebook pages or websites.
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T H E
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Omaha’s Best Patio Bars Please...revel responsibly Story & Photos by Salvador S. Robles
Rathskellar
A
s many of you know, 2020 has not been the year we thought it would turn out to be. I don’t think anyone could’ve predicted the effect the pandemic would have on our world, and we still have less than five months to go (fingers crossed we make it to 2021 and beyond.) As many Omahans know, the city comes alive during the spring/summer months — I actually find myself scheduling vacations during the winter months so I can plan to be in Omaha and enjoy all our city has to offer during the summer. I personally look forward to the College World Series, free outdoor concerts and frequenting an array of bars with patios around the city. There is nothing like chillaxin’ on an outdoor patio with friends as the sun sets, all the while sipping some delicious cocktails — I am telling you, it’s the simple life. The 2020 pandemic basically put the kibosh on the CWS and the outdoor concerts and has forced many of us to practice our impromptu at-home bartending skills. With almost all bars now back open and practicing the safety and health measures set in place, you might still feel uneasy about
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going out and actually visiting your favorite pub or bar; that’s OK. The CDC (Center for Disease Control & Prevention) says there is a lower chance of spreading the coronavirus outdoors while maintaining 6-foot social distance and wearing face mask coverings. Bars in and around the metro area have measures in place to allow patrons to visit while safely sitting 6 feet apart. I am here to give you my picks of the best patio bars where you can safely social distance, all while embracing the rest of your summer revelry.
Rathskellar Bier Haus 4524 Farnam St. Omaha, NE 68132
Located in the old Caffeine Dreams and situated in the Blackstone District, Rathskellar serves up good ole’ German beers as well as traditional Bavarian food. Did I mention that their patio has wide open space, about 3,500 square feet? Not just that but they also have plenty of safely separated benches and seating. It also has a raised stage area which functions as additional seating for people when not being used for live music acts. The patio also hosts a full service back bar, with
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Addy’s tents and ambient lighting to really give you that picturesque patio feel. Rathskellar is at the top of my list because they serve great drinks and their patio is beautiful. I feel safe going there, it’s spacious and you can also bring your K9 companion. Check out their Facebook for special events, specials on drinks or to book their patio for private events.
Addy’s Sports Bar & Grill 101 N 10th St. Omaha, NE 68102
Addy’s is not new to Omaha, with three other locations in West O., but its new 10th Street brick and mortar location will definitely make its mark on the urban downtown district. The patio is 3,000 square feet, featuring a wrap-around bar which connects to the restaurant inside. It boasts three fire pits, one of which is available to rent for private parties. Addy’s patio is partly covered, allowing patrons the option of basking in the sun or enjoying the shade.There’s also a nice view of the downtown skyline adding to the urban jungle feel. Addy’s offers its visitors more drink specials than any other patio bar during the week and even on the
O’Leavers weekend. Check out the full list online at addysomaha.com.
O’Leaver’s Pub
1322 Saddle Creek Rd. Omaha, NE 68106 O’Leaver’s is an Omaha staple. Not only do they have a massive volleyball court set with its own bar, O’Leaver’s back patio is kind of a hidden gem, hosting a full bar on the weekends. Besides the communal seating, O’Leaver’s has spaced out and blocked off areas in order to allow their patio to be used safely by their patrons. Guests visiting the bar can always enjoy their drinks on their patio. And the most expensive brew or booze of your choosing costs no more than $9.00, so you really can’t go wrong at O’Leaver’s.
Remember to have fun, drink responsibly, tip your bartenders and stay healthy. For the full list of best patio bars of 2020 check out our list on The Reader.com under The Buzz and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram for updates @thebuzz_ thereader. Message us your favorite bar suggestions, which could be featured in The Buzz.
F I L M
Blackface Blackout
What Film and TV Are Getting Wrong About Past Racism
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by Ryan Syrek
top killing us!” demanded Black communities. “What if we pulled an episode of The Golden Girls off of streaming services instead?” asked famous white people. “Systemic racism and inequality are compounding the pandemic, and we are suffering!” cried Black leaders. “We hear you. As of this moment, nobody can watch Gone With the Wind on HBO!” responded powerful Americans, affluent enough to actually make a difference.
Nothing encapsulates America’s inability to achieve meaningful change than responding to a list of specific demands with nonsense, bullshit gestures. In June, when what could be the largest movement in U.S. history first began, everyone with a soul felt compelled to do something. To those in positions of power, “something” meant exactly none of the things that were being explicitly requested. HBO at least temporarily took down the antebellum porno flick that remains the highest grossing film ever (adjusted for inflation). Episodes of 30 Rock, Scrubs, The Office, and Golden Girls featuring blackface disappeared. They even pulled an episode of Community where a character paints his skin literal black while playing Dungeons and Dragons for a “dark elf” costume, a move that arguably made the episode racist when it
wasn’t necessarily so in the first place. The only people who think it is okay to promote blackface or similar content are also likely to slyly flash the “OK” symbol in photo ops. That said, making these films and shows unavailable is more than just cowardly, although it is definitely that, as it is unquestionably an attempt to pretend that shit never happened. It is more than just a distraction, although it is definitely that, as Malcom X said “The white man will try to satisfy us with symbolic victories rather than economic equity and justice.” The worst part about simply “disappearing” these movies and TV episodes is that it makes it so white audiences don’t have to think about how to handle
problematic content, especially problematic content that they love. So, let’s talk about what studios and networks should actually do and also how viewers should approach this material. Yes, I realize that “should” is doing a lot of work in that sentence…
that the racist depictions shown “were wrong then and are wrong today.” But it also explains that taking them down “would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed.” If the team behind Speedy Gonzalez and Foghorn Leghorn can get this right, let’s not pretend that it’s all that complicated.
Context Not Coverup
It should be painfully obvious why this approach is better than Tina Fey saying “whoops-aracist” and vanishing “30 Rock” episodes. That isn’t to say that all disclaimers are acceptable. Disney+ put one out that said Dumbo “may” have “outdated cultural depictions.” There is a character who is literally named Jim Crow. So, yeah, just maybe the film has some “outdated cultural depictions.” Also, that text comes after a warning that,
Warner Bros has done a lot of things wrong, and I don’t just mean greenlighting multiple Fantastic Beasts films. One thing they got right: a disclaimer they put on racist old cartoons. Unlike Disney, WB didn’t Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah gross Looney Tunes animated features into oblivion. They added text before them that clearly states
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F I L M gasp, Dumbo shows tobacco use… So not all contextual guidance is equal, but it is almost certainly better than pulling a reverse Tinkerbell and disappearing racist content via studios giving themselves a round of applause for being “woke.” These kinds of intros will hopefully prevent victims of racism from being surprised by upsetting or traumatizing content while also holding creators accountable to their past. On a numbered “Fixing Racism To-Do List,” all of this falls likely well into the double digits. But considering how pop culture influences, reinforces, and codifies our behavior, it is still important (albeit with a lower-case “i”). Arguably more important is that viewers do the work of processing racism in the film and TV that they have enjoyed in the past…
How to Watch Problematic Content Don’t! Nobody should be making new movies or television shows that engage in racist shenanigans. I am delighted that everyone suddenly woke up and realized that white actors probably shouldn’t get paid to voice animated characters of different ethnicities while using the same accents racist grandpas used to tell “jokes.” No one should make more content that is bigoted and bad, and if they do, we shouldn’t support it! However, what happens when you go to watch a film or TV show you love, and—uhoh Strom-Thurmand-Os—you realize it has a heaping helping of hidden hate? The first thing you should do is acknowledge this probably means you have
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grown as a person, at least a little bit. Don’t build yourself a cake about it, but instead of seeing it as a negative that you “lost” something you enjoyed, see it as a positive that you may be kinda better as a human. From there, the most important thing is acknowledging the flawed material in a meaningful way. No, you don’t have to Tweet about it. Nobody has to Tweet about anything other than accounts that post kids trying to make jokes like “Why does a rhinoceros have a big face? So it can touch a robot.” But you do have to think about why you didn’t find that racist material objectionable in the first place and how you can take what you’ve learned into the real world. There isn’t even a metaphorical trashcan big enough to house all the pop culture that would need to be pitched if we tossed away everything with even a hint of racism. That said, I can’t tell you the clear, bright line between what older movies and TV you should shove into the recycling bin of your brain and never revisit. I can only tell you that what matters most is that you don’t pretend it never existed. Ignoring or vanishing racially problematic film and TV takes away an easy way for us to be self-reflective. So much of the work that lies ahead is going to be understandably and importantly hard. Let’s not avoid one of the itty-bitty baby steps that could bridge us from our horrific past to our utopian, Star Trek future. To put it another way: The KKK wears masks because visibility and identification should be kryptonite to racists. Always keep racist stuff where we can keep an eye on it.
JULY 2020
Fun, Guns & Mum: New Stuff to Watch!
Palm Springs, The Old Guard, and Relic Make a Weird Quasi-trilogy
W
by Ryan Syrek
hat’s more fun than a trilogy you assemble yourself? The correct answer is “Hugging a family member without fear that your touch could infect them with a deadly pathogen.” Still, finding three streaming movies that weirdly go together is arguably the second safest way to have a good time right now, after “nap until phase three vaccine trials are over.” Three new sci-fi/horror-adjacent films have recently dropped that weirdly explore oddly similar themes about the horrors of immortality/mortality and how empathy is the only way to fight the bogeyman. In the spirit of 2020, let’s start with the sad one!
Relic
(Available via most streaming or rental services)
Although possessed of less baba and zero dook, Relic does follow in The Babadook’s footsteps. It’s an Aussie horror flick that offers a metaphor as explicit as can be metaphored. When grandma Edna (Robyn Nevin) goes missing, daughter Kay (Emily Moritmer) and granddaughter Sam (Bella Heathcote) move into her place and look for her. Edna suddenly returns, but she ain’t right. What follows is a grief-laden exploration of dementia as a literal monster and the pressures and perils of what different generations of women “owe” one another. Writer/director Natalie Erika James and co-writer Christian White somehow timed their film about compassion towards the demons faced by the elderly to a moment in history when we seem to have stopped giving a shit about old people. Too literal to be a parable, Relic uses the horror genre as the social magnifying glass it can be, demanding that we see the shared humanity in those who are suffering around us. Oh, and if COVID didn’t already have you decontaminating your domicile like a proper lunatic, Relic’s copious mold will get you scrubbin’ bubbles. So it’s good for your emotional growth and your hygiene!
Grade = A-
The Old Guard (Netflix) A squad of immortal mercenaries are being hunted by big pharma while also adding a new recruit to their team. Is that silly? Yes. Does it feature Charlize Theron whacking bad dudes across the face with a colossal axe-type weapon? Also yes! Does something real bad happen to the evil pharma boss? My lips are sealed, but Martin Shkreli voo-
doo dolls can take some time off! Director Gina Prince-Bythewood and writer Greg Rucka—who also penned the comic this was adapted from—deliver an oddly sentimental, deceptively thoughtful film that remembers people actually like to see and follow the action in an action movie. Weird, right? Editor Terilyn A. Shropshire and cinematographers Tami Reiker and Barry Ackroyd don’t cower behind shaky-cam or epileptic editing but compose simply impeccable fight sequences. Meanwhile, Prince-Bythewood gives us the first comic book team that actually feels like a family. And all of this is set in a story that emphasizes how caring for others and doing what’s right sets off ripples that are felt for millennia. Were it not for its wholly inappropriate, incredibly distracting, poorly chosen, Europop-trash soundtrack, it would have been as flawless as Charlize Theron whacking bad dudes across the face with a colossal axetype weapon!
Grade = B+
Palm Springs (Hulu) Of all the Groundhog Day riffs, Palm Springs is the first to allow JK Simmons to hunt another man for sport. Finally! This timey-wimey rom-com sees Andy Samberg as Nyles, a narcissist in need of a haircut, who gets trapped in an infinite time loop after stumbling into a magic-laden cave. When Sarah (Cristin Milioti) gets accidentally sucked in as well, the two repeat the same day together until the inevitable happens: She learns quantum physics, and he learns he’s an asshole. Writer Andy Siara and director Max Barbakow deliver absolutely nothing new. But they deliver on every cliched expectation with clever and quirky humor. This, while condemning callous, me-first behaviors that don’t consider the implications of personal actions on others. Totally unrelated, but wear a mask out there folks! Samberg remains charming, even if the “reforming manbaby” trope feels like it’s been stuck in a recycling time loop itself. Milioti is less endearing, although perhaps that’s what happens to the female lead when your rom-com has very few women behind the scenes… Palm Springs is ultimately a wholly endearing diversion perfectly suited for a year where we all feel like we’re living the same day every goddamn day.
Grade = B+
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Colleen Ann (Connie) Hannum Bartel
She also strived to get the boys to occasionally do some yard work, which was also in vain. She never gave up saying, “Wait until your father gets home.”
September 14, 1925 – July 16, 2020 Connie and her twin sister Barbara were born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on September 14, 1925. A proud fourth-generation resident of Council Bluffs, she was married for 60 years to George Arthur (Art) Bartel, who died in 2010. She was also preceded in death by her sisters Barbara, Patricia, and brother Donald. She graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1943. While in high school, Connie and Barbara, who both had lovely singing voices, participated in the school choir and all the talent show and theater productions. Her love of music manifested itself often as she would break into song around the house for no apparent reason or sit down to pick out an old show tune at her piano.
Connie also enjoyed almost any pastime other than cooking, explaining, “Your father won’t eat anything other than meat and potatoes, so why bother?” But her home was rarely without her signature sugar cookies, and she always had plenty of ice cream on hand. She was always proud of her Irish heritage and had done extensive genealogical research into her family which reached back nearly 200 years. Her Irish also manifested itself in a fondness for Guinness Stout, which she developed later in life. She was a long-time member of Saint Patrick’s Church, where a service will be held when the “this damn” virus permits. Any memorials are preferred to the Council Bluffs Public Library or the Micah House in Council Bluffs. The family particularly wants to thank the caregivers at Fox Run in Council Bluffs, The Glenn in Hopkins, MN, and Interim Hospice Care of Saint Paul, MN for the excellent care they gave our mother.
Marshall Taylor Feb. 17, 1937 – July 7, 2020 On July 18, 2020, I was privileged to be the master of ceremonies at the Celebration of Life honoring the passage to the heavens for Marshall Taylor. So many people came forth to speak of this man, his life’s works and his contributions to the African-American people of North Omaha, one of the smallest populations of Black people in all 50 states.
Connie and Art raised three sons, Tom and Mark, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Matt, of Salt Lake City, Utah. Connie and Art eagerly adopted the boys’ wives, Kristin, Sandra, and Rose, as the daughters they never had, and doted on their seven grandchildren. Connie also lived long enough to meet two great-grandchildren who she would have spoiled rotten if she’d had just a little more time and been just a little sneakier about breaking her assisted living home’s virus quarantine. She never missed an opportunity to curse the plague that so cruelly robbed us of the frequency of the family get-togethers planned as part of her move to Minnesota. Connie and Art were active citizens of Council Bluffs all their lives. Connie, in particular, was a member of the P.E.O. (Philanthropic Educational Organization), an avid and expert bridge player, a frequent recreational golfer who once hit a drive more than 130 yards, a dedicated supporter of the Council Bluffs Library and Mercy Hospital, and a devoted student and advocate of Council Bluffs history. She was instrumental in the preservation of Kirn Field, at the top of High School Avenue right above the home she grew up in. She never failed to ask every friend of her sons and grandchildren who visited Council Bluffs, “Have you seen the Dodge House?” Connie spent her time when her family was younger futilely trying to get her three sons to stop fighting with each other.
The program went for nearly 2.5 hours, COVID-19 safe, with nearly 150 people in masks and chairs sixfeet apart outside on the plaza of the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation Park grounds in North Omaha. There were at least 15 speakers and four musical presentations, as well as a formal U.S. Air Force American flag presentation ceremony for his wife, Annlattea “Annette” Green-Taylor and family, including a 21gun salute for the retired senior master sergeant. I opened the celebration with a quotation from Marcus Garvey. In the pantheon of great leaders that have risen among the Black race over the last 500 years, surely one of the most signif-
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icant is Marcus Garvey. During the 1920’s, he created a global Black organization called the University Negro Improvement Association. With chapters in almost 50 nations and hundreds of chapters in Black communities throughout the United States, UNIA remains the largest, global Black people’s organization ever created in modern world history. I let the words of Marcus Garvey pay tribute to Marshall Taylor, and the substance of Taylor’s life. “So few of us can understand what it takes to make a man – the man who will never say die; the man who will never give up; the man who will never depend upon others to do for him what he ought to do for himself; the man who will not blame God, who will not blame Nature, who will not blame Fate for his condition; but the man who will go out and make conditions to suit himself.” Marshall Taylor was the preeminent master teacher of African history for 40 years in Nebraska, not just about the African-American experience, but the global diaspora experience of the millions of Black people kidnapped and taken away from Mother Africa to be enslaved all over the world. The first book Taylor ever encouraged me to read was Chancellor Williams’s magnum opus, The Destruction of Black Civilization: Great Issues of the Race from 4500 B.C. to 2000 A.D. That is an arc of 6,500 years! Marshall Taylor could teach the history of the Black race with complete knowledge and authority for every one of those 6,500 years. It was his passion and his mission in life. Had he just chosen to remain the deep-thinking intellectual, his place in the Hall of Fame of great Black minds would still be assured. But Marshall Taylor lived the words of Marcus Garvey. Never in my life, and I am 73 years old, have I known a man so infused with such knowledge of history, philosophy, art, culture, mathematics and science. African-Americans were never “slaves” to Marshall Taylor. We were captured prisoners of war, we were kidnapped victims of Western Civilization. He dedicated his life to reminding all of us, from the illiterate to college educated, that we are not and never have been the Black people that white supremacy forced us to become. I accompanied Marshall Taylor on many, many occasions as we visited Nebraska’s prisons and fellowshipped with two generations of incarcerated African-Americans over the years. He is the most revered non-prisoner in the history of the Harambee Afrikan Cultural Organization, the self-improvement educational social group created by the Nebraska Two – wrongly convicted Black Panther political prisoners Edward Poindexter and the late Mondo Ewen we Langa (born David Rice). From the beginning of the organization in the mid-1970s, until his health finally forced him to stand down in 2019, Marshall Taylor was a mainstay at Harambee meetings and special programs. In developing the Aframerican Bookstore with his wife, Annette, Marshall created a thriving small business in the continually struggling community economy of North Omaha. He was also a founding member of the OEC, the Omaha Economic Council and inspired numerous African-Americans to start and sustain their own small businesses. The term “Renaissance Man” is tossed around so much these
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days, it has lost its real potency. But Marshall Taylor was such a man. As Marcus Garvey wrote, Marshall Taylor exemplified the belief that Black people have too much brain power, too much muscle power, too much self-respect and dignity to keep begging others to do for us what we know we can do for ourselves if we will unite and work together. When it was time to fix a car or electric motor, a pipe or an electrical wiring problem, Marshall Taylor believed the first responsibility was to learn how to do it ourselves. He served on the Board of Directors of the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation for over 20 years. But “served” doesn’t do him justice. He was the Malcolm X Center’s carpenter, electrician, plumber, landscaper and he personally led the annual grass cutting of the Malcolm X Park’s 14 acres until he was 82 years old. If the tractor mower broke down, Marshall would be out in the hot summer sun, in the middle of the field. He would fix it, get back on and keep mowing. Whether at the Center or the Bookstore, Marshall Taylor ALWAYS made time for those yearning to know more about our people and how to better our community. He adored children and it was his greatest joy to entertain them and educate them with stories of THEIR heritage. Warren Buffet may have given away more money – quantitatively – than Marshall Taylor, but Buffet never has and never will, beat Marshall Taylor for giving. Taylor donated books to organizations, schools, prison inmates; opened the cash register for so many community causes and gave books away to people who didn’t quite have the price of a book, or even two books, especially if the books were for children. Near the end of his physical life, Marshall Taylor regretted not getting to the book he always wanted to write. At his Home-Going Life Celebration on July 18, a dozen speakers testified to the reality that Marshall Taylor’s “book” is already written. Walter Vincent Brooks is a page, Leo Louis is a page, so are Shakur Abdullah, Sharif Liwaru, Felicia Webster, Elija Ali, Jannette Taylor and Yshall Davis. Or ask his wife, or Marshall’s seven children. Everybody who knew him is a page in “The Marshall Taylor Book of Life.” And Marshall Taylor did it all, while the most Zen Master of Spiritual Quiet I have known in my lifetime. The man NEVER TALKED about himself. I have known Marshall Taylor for over 35 years. He opened my mind and heart to so many great truths of human existence and Black potential, as well as practical capabilities in everyday living. But as far as Marshall Taylor HIMSELF, personally, I hardly knew the man. Seriously. If it had to come out of his own mouth, Marshall Taylor never did a damn thing in his life. So, we’ll all keep his memory alive and the ball rolling, but make no mistake. The passage of Marshall Taylor is the end of an era. Now he dwells with Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Chancellor Williams, James Baldwin, Carter G. Woodson, all those giant, one-of-a-kinds of our race. My, oh, my, aren’t THEY in for a surprise! —Walter Brooks
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c r o s s w o r d
R-ationing
Answer in next next month’s issue or online at TheReader.com
it’s three for the price of one!
by Matt Jones
Across 1 “RuPaul’s ___ Race” 5 Twitch streamer, often 10 Ride around town 13 Drink brand with a lizard logo 14 San Antonio mission, with “the” 15 Rescue team, briefly 17 Pictures of surrealist Joan’s work? 19 Fortnite company 20 One way to sit by 21 “And here’s to you, ___ Robinson ...” 22 Arrange alphabetically 23 Mountaineer’s vocalization 25 Manzarek of The Doors 26 Stereotypical person who might demand to speak to the manager of this puzzle 27 End of Wikipedia’s URL 28 Sound from a meadow 30 “Hansel and Gretel” setting 31 Villain who only wears his purple suspenders and “W” hat two days at a time? 35 California city near Stockton 36 Muralist Rivera 37 “Won’t do it” 41 Comedy duo of scientist Marie and singer Burl?
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44 It may be served in a spear 47 Bonding words 48 Sixth sense, supposedly 49 Got up 50 Baha ___ (“Who Let the Dogs Out” group) 52 Element #5 54 Cruise destination 55 Die maximum, usually 56 Rapidly disappearing storage medium
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57 Actress Kendrick of the Quibi series “Dummy” 58 Program again onto an antiquated computer storage format? 62 Bank’s property claim 63 Last letter in the Greek alphabet 64 Rival of Visa or MC 65 Dishonorable guy 66 Intro show 67 Budget allocation
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Down 1 Psychiatric reference book, for short 2 French monarch 3 Like smaller dictionaries 4 Crystal-filled cavity 5 No longer fresh, as venison 6 Pie ___ mode 7 Igneous rock, once 8 Abrasive manicure substance 9 Monica’s brother on “Friends”
25 Projections from a hub 26 Backyard pond fish 29 Tennis’s Agassi 30 Palm leaf 32 It does a hold-up job in the parking lot 33 Teensy 34 “Teletubbies” shout 38 Defeat 39 Chilean cash 40 “Pardon the Interruption” network 42 Glob or nod ending 43 “The Many Loves of ___ Gillis” 44 Vatican-related 45 Like some twists of fate 46 Pupil protector 50 Home of the Dolphins 51 Throw out 53 NATO alphabet vowel 55 Octagonal road sign 56 “Aw, fiddlesticks!” 59 Cause of conflict, maybe 60 Hang-out room 61 Abbr. after a telephone number
10 Chef Boyardee product that had to be renamed for a “Seinfeld” episode 11 Ballpark figure? 12 “Whose Line ...” ©2020 MATT JONES comic Ryan 16 What some dryer sheets have AnsweR to last 18 “Well ___!” (“Fancy month’s “HIGH TIMES” that!”) 23 Feline wail 24 Cookie that released an egg-shaped version for Easter 2019
C R O S S W O R D
Muscles
Answer in next next month’s issue or online at TheReader.com
by S.E. Wilkinson
Across
34. Cinch ____ (Hefty bag)
1. One might be slipped
36. Lumberjack’s remnant
5. Fistfight souvenir
37. Weapons with bell guards
11. Auto additive brand 14. Army no-show
41. Slow musical passages
15. French star
44. “____ plaisir!”
16. Address bar address
46. Copa Mundial cry
17. Instagram, Twitter, etc.
47. 1987 sci-fi film set in near-future Detroit
19. Modern sweetie
49. Raunchy
20. Low mil. rank
52. ____-wip (dessert topping)
21. Tree that giraffes snack on
53. Result of a leadoff single
23. Fictional professor said to be based in part on J.K. Rowling’s childhood chemistry teacher
54. Great Plains natives 57. Often-mocked ‘80s car
26. Get the sniffles
60. Bollywood star Aishwarya ____
29. Hunt of “As Good as It Gets”
61. Flanders who inspired the band Okilly Dokilly
30. “Ben-____” 31. Side often candied 32. Only place on Earth where crocodiles and alligators co-exist
48. School media depts.
66. “Why ____ even bother?”
50. Inits. in 1970s-’80s rock
67. Savory Chinese snack
35. ____ dixit (unproven assertion)
51. “I’m innocent!”
68. Piggish remark
52. A great teacher might be one
69. Alternative to an Airbnb
39. Prefix with dermis
55. Cookbook amts.
40. “Iron Man” Ripken
56. Prime rib choice
70. San ____, Calif. (border town opposite Tijuana)
38. Wite-Out seller
42. Org. for Federer 43. Jessica of “Fantastic Four” 45. Sports equipment seen in a British pub
57. “____-hoo!” 58. Wet blanket? 59. Some athletic injuries ... or this puzzle’s theme
3. Lib. arts major
18. Pay back
4. Los Angeles NBAer
22. Superfood sometimes called “purple gold”
5. Pool surface 6. 24-hr. cash source 7. Body part you may wiggle 8. Thing on top of things
23. Queen of ____ 24. Author Shute of “On the Beach”
9. Hipbone-related
25. Two-time Emmy winner for “30 Rock”
71. Cunning plan
10. Swell
26. Bound, in a way
Down
27. IRS agt.’s review 11. Ford Fiestas and MINI Coopers, e.g. 28. Green Day drummer 12. Appalachian ____
1. “____ Kapital” 2. ____ Jima
13. Make a case
62. Ballpark figure: Abbr. 63. Rap’s ____ Nas X 64. Brian in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 65. Shade of blue AnsweR to last month’s “SCRABBLE”
33. Retro-cool music purchases
AUGUST 2020
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C O M I C S Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau
which deaths matter? by Jen Sorensen
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AUGUST 2020
TED RALL
H E A R T L A N D
H E A L I N G
A Breath of Fresh Air W
by Michael Braunstein
e’ve done it to ourselves since the beginning of time. Roughly allegorized in the Bible’s Book of Genesis as “eating from the Tree of Knowledge,” mankind’s first sin was duly noted as thinking we know better than Nature or God or the Divine Plan, whatever you want to call it. Human hubris embraces the idea that if we think we can do it, we just go ahead and figure our way is better. We too rarely stop to ask if it is appropriate that we do. We don’t live in harmony with Nature. We live to dominate Her. With few exceptions, the Eastern tradition of medicine and health being one, the Western model thinks it is all that. Well, it isn’t. And sometimes its own acolytes serve notice that our way of thinking is all wrong, even providing proof. That was the case for research into air circulation and hospital acquired contagion of respiratory illness.1 Violations of common sense and observable fact have resulted in some of the most grievous errors we make. We pay the price in the case of basic functions of the human body. And one of the basic functions is that of maintaining health. The body, nature, knows how to do that. Very little intervention is actually needed. If we just get out of the way in many cases, healing is reached as a course of nature. The air error. Little could be more basic to human existence than breathing. Without breathing, the body lasts about three minutes before shutting down. Fortunately our biosphere provides the atmosphere that sustains that activity. The gaseous balance is complex but not
mechanical ventilation systems. Old-fashioned clinical areas with high ceilings and large windows provide greatest protection.” Go figure. So it has come to pass that a pandemic has settled across the globe. A respiratory illness causing death and providing challenges to sanity to infect the world and send the susceptible to hospitals. beyond Nature’s ken. And that atmosphere contains more than gases. It holds and circulates probably millions of essentials for our own elemental needs. We breathe in biologicals — some good, some bad — and even the bad ones serve a function. They test the ramparts of our defenses so the body knows where reinforcements are required. Then along came human technology and the idea that we could blend and control the atmosphere better than Nature. We closed our windows and installed machines that filter, temper and recirculate the atmosphere in our buildings. Our cultural dictators declare that our version of breathable air is better than what Nature provides. And we continue to pay the price. Bad building. Since the 1980s or maybe even before, we started designing buildings with sealed windows. What a relief from the summer heat, we thought. Air in our buildings became the conditioned, filtered, recycled version of outside air. Fortunately some of us know that isn’t always the way to go. It may seem like common sense to some of us. Having access to fresh air is better than being cooped up. Through-
out time, when a person was sick, sunlight and fresh air were known to be beneficial. In the antebellum southeast for example, homes were often built with large rooms on the third floor with windows all around that served as sickrooms in time of need. Adequate air and light, with rare exceptions, help in the healing process. In the 21st century though, one is hard-pressed to find a commercial building that allows for open windows and fresh air. Worst of all, that holds true for the very buildings where we send our sick: hospitals and extended care facilities. Compare. In 2007, a study was published that compared a simple factor. Which hospitals had higher rates of airborne spread of infection, ones with open windows or ones that are sealed shut and relied on mechanical ventilation and atmospheric control? No surprise. Hospitals that were sealed shut, fitted with “negative-pressure respiratory isolations rooms,” had a much higher rate of hospital-acquired infection. To quote the research, “Opening windows and doors maximises natural ventilation so that the risk of airborne contagion is much lower than with costly, maintenance-requiring
To be sure, fresh air isn’t a panacea. But common sense and tried-and-true realities are; at least until time unravels the mortal coil. Facts are facts and one sordid action resulted in thousands dying as they were condemned to restrictive and confined long-term care facilities that had little access to fresh air. It is no mere coincidence that close confinement with uncirculated fresh air gave rise to increasing mortality rates. Humans think we can control things better than the system that was provided us in the first place. Certainly there is more to the story than just fresh air. But certainly we can do better if we just pay attention. And perhaps stop eating from that Tree. Be well. Heartland Healing is a metaphysically based polemic describing alternatives to conventional methods of healing the body, mind and planet. It is provided as information and entertainment, certainly not medical advice. Important to remember and pass on to others: for a weekly dose of Heartland Healing, visit HeartlandHealing.com. journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article ?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.0040068#
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O V E R
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Digital Leather in the COVID Years The Omaha electro-punk act celebrates 20 years with its 24th album by Tim McMahan
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rior to the interview for this column, the last time I spoke with Shawn Foree, the mastermind behind the musical project Digital Leather, was a couple years ago. It was late in the evening standing outside the patio door at mid-town punk club O’Leaver’s, no doubt killing time between live sets from a couple local garage bands we both knew. Foree, who looked like an unholy cross between Jim Morrison and Deliverance-era Burt Reynolds, told me he was about to hang it up as far as Digital Leather was concerned. He’d just turned 40 and was tired of banging his head against the music industry wall, trying to get someone to notice what he was doing. And it sure didn’t look like things would ever change. The conversation bummed me out, because Foree / Digital Leather was and is my favorite Omaha-based music project. The only person more frustrated by his music never receiving the attention it deserved was me. Digital Leather music is the perfect amalgamation of modern songwriting, instrumentation and vintage digital sounds. The product is highly addictive, darkly worded 21st Century synth-punk that can stand alongside music by acts like Gary Numan, Psychic TV and The Faint. As it turned out, Foree was just in a bad mood that night at O’Leaver’s. “Don’t believe me when I say I’ve given up,” he said over the phone July 21. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably say it again.” In fact, only a few months after that announced retirement, Digital Leather recorded and released a new album, followed by another and another.
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And now comes New Wave Gold, out Sept. 15 on Madison, Wisconsin, label No Coast Records (Thee Oh Sees, Red Mass, The Hussy). The 16-track collection is the 24th full-length album (in addition to 13 EPs and singles) released by Digital Leather over the 20 years Foree has made music under that moniker. Digital Leather fans will be happy to know New Wave Gold is the most cohesive, pop-fueled collection Foree has released since 2009’s Warm Brother (Fat Possum Records). He recorded and mixed the album in his apartment studio with contributions by drummer Jeff Lambelet and mastering by sound engineer Ian Aeillo. The album opens with the first COVID-19 quarantine-inspired song I’ve heard, “Dark Ages,” which closes with the lines: “Don’t you go and worry about me, baby / You got better things to think about, I’m sure / Honey, don’t you know these are the Dark Ages / Disease is in the air, and it’s pure.” Foree is the only person I’ve talked to who’s tested positive for COVID-19. “I tested positive a month and a half ago,” he said. “I was asymptomatic. It was a little freaky. I wasn’t sure if I was going to become sick, but fortunately, I was OK, maybe a little tired. I tested again a couple weeks after, and it came back negative.” His day job doing environmental testing, which he’s kept throughout the pandemic, takes him all over the country. “I was floating around South Dakota, Missouri, all around red states, so it could have come from anywhere,” he said. “It was a positive test, but none of my friends had it, just me. So I don’t know if I really had it.”
JULY 2020
With COVID-19 shutting down music venues and making touring impossible, it’s a strange time to release a new album. Foree, who has released more than an album a year on average, didn’t want to wait around for the world to reopen. “The record was done,” he said. “I showed it to Bobby (Hussy), who runs the record label, and we just said fuck it and put it out so I can move on to new material.” To help market the release, Foree is working with national publicist Grandstand Media, whose massive client roster inDigital Leather, Shawn Foree cludes acts like Tame Imphoto by Ben Vanhoolandt pala, Waxahatchee, Soccer Mommy, Bright Eyes and Kim selves if they can’t do business? Gordon, to name a few. “It’s total- The same goes for musicians who ly new ground for me, selling re- live off their music.” cords without playing live,” Foree Foree isn’t one of those, not said. “If we can make our money anymore. He’s managed to find back, that would be fine. Making a balance between making a liva profit is not on my or the label’s ing and making music, and has to-do list.” accepted the fact that, despite Foree also is the first musician I’ve interviewed since COVID-19 began. The pandemic has had a huge impact on his music world. “All my friends want to play shows and are depressed, because it’s not only their livelihood, it’s part of their sanity. It’s part of who they are,” he said. “I have friends who were about to release records, go on tour, go to Europe, and now it’s all TBD. I think everyone is pretty fucking depressed about it.” Even after the pandemic is under control, he said things won’t be the same. “There will be all kinds of new regulations; it’ll be weird,” Foree said. “A lot of people won’t want to go out to shows. Venues might close. How are they going to support them-
having toured the country and releasing albums on a dozen different record labels, he may never make it to “the next level.”
“Part of me is frustrated that I don’t have a larger audience, but I’m also kind of glad things are the way they are,” he said. “I see the silver lining. I have freedom to do what I want. You’re supposed to give it up at 30 and get a real job once you realize there’s no money in it. Well, I have a real job and can still do it, so fuck them all.” Over The Edge is a monthly column by Reader senior contributing writer Tim M c M ahan foc u sed on culture, society, music, the media and the arts. Email Tim at tim. mcmahan@gmail.com.
POBLADORES DE OMAHA vuelven a sus raíces ancestrales en busca de la soberanía alimentaria POR KARLHA VEL ÁSQUEZ RIVAS
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a industrialización y el desarrollo tecnológico se ha incrementado el procesamiento de alimentos de origen animal y vegetal, y a su vez el uso de agroquímicos, lo que ha sido en buena parte la causa de las enfermedades como la hipertensión, colesterol alto, obesidad y la diabetes. La Organización Mundial de la Salud ha alertado reiteradas veces sobre los efectos negativos que genera el uso de agroquímicos empleados en EEUU. La realidad era muy diferente hace décadas atrás, inclusive hace decenios, cuando los aborígenes se dedicaban a la caza y la recolección y posterior a eso a la agricultura y a la domesticación de animales y plantas para su propio consumo. En la ciudad de Omaha, una de las urbes más importantes en Nebraska por su crecimiento económico, un grupo de personas y organizaciones sin fines de lucro están trabajando para rescatar las costumbres ancestrales de la agricultura y el consumo de alimentos a través de huertos urbanos y permacultura. En este artículo solo abordaremos brevemente una parte del trabajo que vienen emprendiendo Latino Center of the Midland, Omaha Permaculture y GVResolve. Existen otras organizaciones
AUGUST 2020
como Malcolm X Foundation que también forma parte de la cadena de revolución y nuevas conexiones agrícolas.
Latinos siembran su salud
entre otros productos. Cuenta que aún conserva algunos tomates del año pasado en el freezer.
Hernández ve esto como un modo de vida sustentable y educativo para sus hijos que van creciendo teniendo el contacto con la tierra.
“Uno pensaba que la cosa era sembrar y ya pero no es así. Aquí he aprendido a atender a las plantas y saber si la tierra en la que uno siembra es apta o no. Sabemos que en Omaha hay tierras con plomo. Esto me gusta mucho y es orgánico. También uno aprende a reconocer las plagas y cómo acabar con ellas de manera natural. Me ahorro mucho dinero en vegetales frescos”.
En otra vivienda, Paula Hernández, nos muestra su huerto. También diseñado por el programa Siembra Salud. Está ubicado a una esquina de su casa y mide unos 15 m² (161 ft²). Muy emocionada por haber recogido su primera cosecha de tomates romanos, manzanos y verdes, nos cuenta que desde que supo sobre el programa ya no se quiere despegar de él.
De familia humilde, Laura Hernández es una inmigrante mexicana, y se apuntó el año pasado en el programa Siembra Salud que lidera el Latino Center of The Midland bajo la dirección de Viridiana Almanza. Hernández nos contó en una entrevista para El Perico que le interesó saber sobre el programa. “Lo vi en una cartelera del centro latino y pues me explicaron de qué se trataba”, dijo. De pie, con un bebé en brazos y dos niños jugando por el pequeño huerto que el dueño de la casa que alquila le permitió cultivar (4,5 m², unos 48 ft²), Hernández se siente feliz de ser parte del programa. Es ahora su segundo año y ha recogido tomates, pimentones, chiles, kales, pepino, maíz
Contó que a uno de sus hijos le encantan los tomates cherry. En el mercado puede costar hasta $4 una caja pequeña de 8 oz., y una sola planta puede producir entre 3 y 4 kg. (entre 6 a 9 lbs.) en un suelo fértil y con radiante sol.
“No hay nada más satisfactorio que cuidar nuestra salud a través de alimentos que saben a lo que son, alimentos y no esas cosas procesadas. Fíjate aquí tengo calabaza, melón, kale, jitomates, tomatillos, maíz, cilantro, chile serrano, chile habanero, pepino, calabacín, pápalo y ahora árboles frutales”, dijo Paula. Siempre risueña y muy energética, Hernández también involucra a su esposo en la tarea de cuidar el huerto de animales silvestres y plagas. “Aquí todos colaboramos, al final todos comemos y comemos sabroso y sano”, comenta. Los huertos son supervisados por las expertas en cultivos Gladys Moscoso y Diana Linares, bajo la dirección de la especialista en jardinería, Cecilia Saavedra. continuada en la página 2 y
ARTICULO DESTACADO // FEATURE ARTICLE
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Los seleccionados reciben clases de agricultura, manejo de la tierra, pesticidas, siembra y recolección de alimentos, días de siembra y riego. Además Siembra Salud le proporciona todos los equipos necesarios, desde palas, mangueras, semillas, madera, estacas y los plaguicidas. “Esperemos que para dentro de unos años los latinos puedan crear un Farmer Market aquí en el sur de Omaha, y que las familias generen una red social para estar conectados y que todos cuidemos de nuestros propios recursos que tanto hemos cuidad y si esto genera un ingreso económico, puede ser una motivación para que valoren más este tipo de trabajo. Aparte de que mejora su salud mental y alimenticia”, comentó.
y continuada de la página 1
Manejo del estrés Viridiana Almanza, promotora y creadora del programa, cuenta que este proyecto nació a raíz de la alarmante cifra de latinos en Omaha con enfermedades cardíacas, diabetes y estrés, producto de una alimentación desbalanceada, y ausente de vegetales frescos. “Tomamos esta iniciativa para que las familias tengan entonces sus propios huertos en sus casas y usar la jardinería para hablar del manejo del estrés, que es importante y a los latinos nos afecta. Sobre todo por el tipo de trabajo que tiene nuestra comunidad. Esta es una manera de relajarnos e interactuar con nuestras familias”, comentó. Más allá del estrés, el ejercicio y las enfermedades crónicas, el programa Siembra Salud también se enfoca en la nutrición y conservación de los alimentos. “Venimos de países donde se trabaja la agricultura, y pensamos que es una manera de promover nuestra propia cultura al sur de Omaha y enseñar a los niños y reunirlos con los abuelitos que
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les enseñan sobre el cultivo”, refiere Almenza. Para ser parte de este programa se debe ser latino y además reunir una serie de requisitos. El primero es que se demuestre que la familia o la persona carezca de recursos para cubrir con las necesidades nutricionales, es decir, almuerzos r e ducid os y carente de recursos económicos. Segundo, si requiere de ayuda directa de algún servicio social y tercero, el compromiso: la persona debe comprometerse a participar desde mediados de abril hasta noviembre. El programa, que lleva dos años activo, también es auspiciado por: CHI Health, Nebraska Extension, City Sprout y UNMC. “La idea de todo esto es que las familias aprendan a cultivar sus propios alimentos. Aparte de la comunidad latina queremos también incluir a
ARTICULO DESTACADO // FEATURE ARTICLE
los inmigrantes o refugiados recientes, porque sabemos que tienen las mismas raíces de agricultura. Para ello necesitamos entender su cultura y generarles confianza para que se unan a este programa”, dijo.
Almanza contó que el año pasado se unieron 19 familias y este año cuentan con 29 que equivaldría a 163 participantes. “Aún queda otro grupo pendiente. Sabemos que muchos quieren participar pero solo tenemos recursos para algunos”, dijo.
Agricultura con la cultura permanente La autosustentación alimentaria es una de las filosofías que mantiene viva la organización sin fines de lucro Omaha Permaculture, que apuesta por lo que su nombre dice: la permacultura. La permacultura va más allá. Se trata también de un sistema integrado y en evolución en donde se mantiene y se respeta el ciclo de las plantas para que estas perduren además de las especies animales útiles para el ser humano. El término fue acuñado en 1978 por Bill Mollison y David Holmgre. Algunas ciudades en Estados Unidos ya están adoptando esta ideología como mecanismo para preservar la especie humana. Omaha Permaculture fue fundado en 2013 por Gus Von Roenn, quien con sus
AUGUST 2020
conocimientos antropológicos, sociológicos y arqueológicos pudo entender la necesidad de entrelazar los conocimientos ancestrales de la agricultura con la naturaleza moderna del ser humano, y no por ende es buscado por las comunidades que quieren unirse al proyecto y ser parte de la soberanía alimentaria. En una entrevista realizada desde sus espacios de 8 acres (3,2 hectáreas) ubicados en 4101 Grant Street, al norte de Omaha, Von Roenn ve el futuro en este proyecto para una vida más sana inconsciente de lo que se come. Él junto con otros expertos en alimentación y cultivo recuperaron un espacio baldío, y lo acondicionaron para darle forma al proyecto que actualmente tiene como fin destinar alimentos a dos organizaciones que ayudan a los sin techos: No more empty pots y Table Grace.
veces nacen de contribuciones de las personas y cursos que dictan para organizaciones que
instalación de los tanques. Sin embargo, esto dependerá de las evaluaciones que se hagan.
Para él hace falta mucho trabajo para garantizar la soberanía alimentaria y lucha para que su voz sea escuchada sobre los problemas de salud y la accesibilidad de los alimentos. Para ello creó el proyecto Regenerate, donde ahora forman parte 86 grupos de organizaciones de comunidades o granjas. Explicó que con la pandemia se han acelerado las producciones que no se tenía previsto para cubrir con la demanda poblacional pero el Estado no ha dado respuesta ante la advertencia de una crisis de seguridad alimentaria.
echan una mirada al cambio del sistema agrícola convencional. El experto valoró la unión de las comunidades latinas. “Vemos que el Cinco de Mayo es una festividad en donde convergen sabores en las comidas. Los latinos mantienen una cultura muy arraigadas a sus tierras. Aunque ya no estén ahí buscan incorporar cosas a nuestra dieta y con ellas un sentido de comunidad”, refirió.
“Recogemos alrededor de 50 libras a la semana de productos A futuro desea comprar el que destinamos a estos dos terreno y luego trabajar en lugares. Lo hacemos con el “traer de vuelta los mercados corazón. Aquí también tenemos de comida al norte de Omaha. a pasantes de bachillerato. Mercados en donde la gente Jóvenes que aprenden sobre venda sus propios productos la agricultura y les mostramos y que más personas se sumen otro camino más conectado a trabajar la tierra”, dijo. con la naturaleza”, comentó. Actualmente existe un huerto en la 2064 N 18th St. Para los Gus comentó que ningún interesados el proyecto no ente estatal o gubernamental cobra dinero, pero sí es posible financia el proyecto y que los que se dé un aporte por la recursos económicos muchas
En busca de la regeneración En septiembre de 2019 se publicó un artículo en el Omaha World Herald en el que explica la batalla legal contra un producto herbicida de la empresa Monsanto que producía cáncer y los principales afectados eran los agricultores. Roundup (el producto) aún se sigue vendiendo. Graham Christensen, presidente de GC Resolve, una compañía dedicada a conectar lo urbano con lo rural y reeducar a las comunidades sobre los impactos negativos que causa, al ser humano y a la naturaleza, la agricultura dominada por las transnacionales y que deja a un lado a los agricultores independientes sin agua limpia y sin tierras fértiles.
En un reciente artículo de prensa de GCResolve, las compañías: Nebraska Communities United, GC Resolve, Forward Latino y la Nebraska League of United Latin American Citizens piden al estado de Nebraska que ponga más empeño “en proteger el frágil sistema alimentario”. Más allá de las enfermedades que podrían ocasionar los alimentos manipulados genéticamente. “Nuestros líderes deben aprovechar esta oportunidad para construir un futuro regenerativo para nuestro estado”, dijo en el artículo. Tanto en el proceso de regeneración, la permacultura y Siembra Salud sin los principales protagonistas para preservar nuestra vida en la tierra de forma armoniosa es la semilla la cual no es propiedad de las empresas sino de quien la cultiva y la cuida para luego cosechar los frutos que nos llene de vida y no de enfermedades.
TE GUIAREMOS A CASA HIPOTECA fnbo.com/español Los productos y servicios se realizaran en inglés. Visite fnbo.com/español para obtener más información.
AUGUST 2020
Reyna Gonzalez
rgonzalez@fnni.com 402.602.5903 NMLS#: 623837
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ARTICULO DESTACADO // FEATURE ARTICLE
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P. A . C . E .
still connecting with the community thanks to sports POR KARLHA VEL ASQUEZ RIVAS
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iolence has been one of the cancers of society. During the pandemic, it has, unfortunately, seen an increase in many homes during the confinement, as well as on the streets. This could lead to an increase in other crimes in society.
In South Omaha, the Police Athletics for Community Engagement program (P.A.C.E) has been in effect since 2005, aiming to lower the rates for violence and potential crimes during said area of the city, in which the population is mostly part of Latino groups. All of this has been thanks to the hard work of founder Antonio (Tony) Espejo, who has been a police officer. In June he mentioned to El Perico during an interview that he has been in South Omaha for his whole life, so he’s aware of the needs of the community. It’s because of this that he thought of creating this program to try and help lower violence rates by getting the attention of kids and young people who are always looking for physical activities and some extra attention, which was sorely missing from the community. “The idea was that young people were playing sports on the streets, and that I would help them organize. I would provide them with uniforms. Back in 2005 I approached the leader of a group – young people always have a leader – and I handed him a sheet so that, within a week, he could write down all the names of those who wanted to be part of a baseball team. One week later, they had 15 names on the sheet, which was definitely a good sign,” said Espejo. The program’s offices are located in South Omaha, and has
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an open field for games of soccer, baseball, and other sports. More and more years go by, and Espejo is still standing strong.
Espejo had to work hard for the community to see him – a police officer – as a figure that is also part of the same community. “We must be there hand in hand In 2017, the National with the community. I’m Latino, Education Association and people know me. I had acknowledged the Latino Peace to ask for the neighborhood’s Officers Association of Nebraska permission to be able to open with the George I. Sanchez up a location for sports. I grew Memorial award for the P.A.C.E. up on Q Street in South Omaha. program. “The national award I’m from here,” he said. honors community work that has an impact on education According to a 2018 report and in providing equal from the Omaha Police opportunities for Latinos,” said Department, the percentage Omaha magazine. of Latinos in the police force in Omaha was proportionate But with the COVID-19 to its population. That is to say, pandemic, P.A.C.E. has been that 13% of the population in working in a different way. Omaha is Latinos, while 10% Groups could not be formed of all police officers in the and activities had to be scaled city are Latinos or are related back in order to avoid any to said groups. We must potential contagion between remember that 78.2% of the kids and young people. city’s population is white, and Everything was recently that 12.3% is African American. reactivated, and their website The Omaha Police Department includes a calendar of activities is 79% white or Caucasian and up to mid-August. 8.2% African American. Espejo informed that they aim Espejo states that there is no to open the Mountain Bike and room for ethnical or religious Racing Club in which parents are discrimination at P.A.C.E., a to be involved, so that they can discrimination that can be have a good relationship with perceived in other areas, as their kids. “I believe that parents has been the case for the many offer valuable support and if manifestations after the death young people see they’re being of African American George acknowledged, then we can have Floyd. “We don’t just have kids a good thing, because they are from low-income families, we the community’s gears. We know have kids from all over the place that parents work hard, and we’re who want to practice a sport here to help,” he stated. and be part of the community. We have people from North, Changing points of East, and West Omaha as well.” view from within the
community
In the community, police officers have always been perceived as a group of outsiders, seen as the authority who is there to impose repressive measures, but who also uphold society’s laws.
ARTICULO DESTACADO // FEATURE ARTICLE
Because of this, the program is seen as something that can have future generations of police officers working hard to serve their community. “We want to have many positives from this program, and officers are determined to work with the community. People who
want to improve the life of kids. It’s possible to see kids dreaming about doing something important and becoming famous, but for that to happen, we need to organize and collaborate,” said Tony. He also stated that the job of a police officer is one of the most dangerous out there. “For us, it’s important to end the day alive and well at home. This is why we must work hard for the sake of our kids so that they don’t veer down the wrong path, such as the use, sale, and distribution of illegal drugs.”
In search of a better quality of life Detective Espejo considers there’s a nutrition issue in the Latino community because, in his opinion, it lacks access to fresh quality produce. “We have kids alone at home, with their parents out working. They see a piece of fruit and a bag of Cheetos. What do you think those kids are going to eat? Certainly, not the piece of fruit. We want to change that, to help them through sports,” he said. A report from the University of Nebraska Omaha, Escuchando las Voces de los Latinos del Sur de Omaha (Listening to the Latino Voices in South Omaha), states the need for organizations, such as public schools, to promote a proper nutrition for kids. “We also have a CrossFit program for people to get into shape. We also teach them about nutrition,” he said.
More organizing According to Espejo, it’s not enough to have sports activities to make Omaha a better place for all. “We need more organizing on issues such as garbage collection and abandoned cars. Anyone who wants to learn more about South Omaha are welcomed to visit and to see what we’re doing and how kids are integrating and organizing,” he said. A single tree does not make a forest.
AUGUST 2020
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AUGUST 2020
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P.A .C.E. sigue conectada con la comunidad a través del deporte POR KARLHA VEL ASQUEZ RIVAS
L
a violencia ha sido uno de los cánceres de una sociedad, y en los tiempos de pandemia se ha incrementado dentro de los hogares durante el confinamiento y también en las calles. Lo que podría incrementar los crímenes en la sociedad. En el sur de Omaha, lleva trabajando desde 2005 con el programa de Atletismo Policial para el Compromiso Comunitario (Police Athletics for Community Engagement, P.A.C.E) en aras de bajar los índices de violencia y posibles crímenes dentro de esta área de la ciudad donde habitan mayormente los grupos latinos. De la mano de su fundador, Antonio (Tony) Espejo, que ha sido funcionario policial nos contó en una entrevista realizada por El Perico en junio de este año que ha convivido toda su vida en el sur de Omaha y sabe las necesidades que se presentan en la comunidad. Es por ello que pensó en crear este programa para dar respuesta a la disminución de la violencia partiendo por captar la atención de los niños y jóvenes que claman por atención y actividades físicas, que en ese entonces carecía completamente en la comunidad. “La idea era que los jóvenes que se la pasaban jugando en la calle algún deporte se organizaron y yo los iba ayudar. Les iba a dar uniformes. En 2005 me le acerqué a un líder de un grupo, los jóvenes siempre tienen un líder, le dí una hoja y papel para que en una
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semana anotaran los nombres de quienes querían ser parte de un equipo de béisbol. A la semana me llegaron más de 15 nombres anotados y me dije que esto era una buena señal”, comentó Espejo. La oficina está ubicada al sur de la ciudad, cuenta con un campo abierto para los juegos de fútbol soccer, béisbol y otras actividades deportivas. Los años han pasado y aún Espejo sigue en pie. En 2017, la Asociación Nacional de Educación reconoció con el Premio George I. Sanchez Memorial a la
ARTICULO DESTACADO // FEATURE ARTICLE
Asociación de Oficiales Latinos de Paz de Nebraska por el programa P.A.C.E.. “El premio nacional honra el trabajo comunitario que impacta significativamente la educación y la igualdad de oportunidades para los hispanos”, reseñó Omaha magazine. Pero con la pandemia del COVID-19, P.A.C.E. ha trabajado a destajo. Ta no se podía salir como antes ni formar grupos para evitar posibles contagios del virus entre los jóvenes y niños. Recientemente se activaron, y en su página web se muestra su calendario
de actividades hasta mediados de agosto. Espejo informó se espera abrir el programa de Bicicleta Montañera y un club de carrera en el que se involucren los padres para que puedan tener buena relación con sus hijos. “Creo que los padres pueden aportar muchísimo y si los jóvenes ven que son tomados en cuenta, entonces podemos hacer algo muy bueno, este es el engranaje de la comunidad. Pero sabemos que los padres trabajan mucho y estamos para ayudar también”, comentó.
AUGUST 2020
Cambiando puntos de vistas desde la comunidad La figura del policía siempre se ha percibido como ajena a la comunidad, donde pone autoridad y es represiva, y que además también vela por que se cumplan las leyes en la sociedad. Espejo tuvo que arreglárselas para que la comunidad, siendo él policia, lo vea como una figura dentro del mismo vecindario. “Hay que estar junto a la comunidad. Yo soy latino, la gente me conoce. Tenía que pedirle permiso al vecindario si querían un lugar para hacer deporte. Yo crecí en la calle Q, al sur de Omaha, soy de aquí”, dijo.
hace falta más organización y colaboración”, afirmó Tony. Afirmó además que el trabajo de un policía es uno de los más peligrosos: “para nosotros es importante llegar seguros y con vida a casa. Y es por eso que debemos trabajar ahora por nuestros niños para que no tomen el camino equivocado, como el de el consumo, venta y distribución de drogas ilícitas”.
En búsqueda de una mejor calidad de vida
El detective Espejo considera que hay un problema de alimentación en la comunidad latina, ya que, a su juicio, carece De acuerdo con un reporte de alimentos frescos de calidad. de 2018 de la Policía de Omaha, “Tenemos a los niños solos el porcentaje de los latinos en la casa, los padres están dentro del cuerpo policial trabajando. Ven una fruta y un en la ciudad de Omaha es Cheetos. ¿Qué crees tú que van proporcional al de la población. a comer los niños? Pues no es la Es decir, 13% de la población fruta. Eso queremos cambiarlo, de Omaha es hispana mientras educarlos también a través del que el 10% de los funcionarios deporte”, dijo. policiales de la ciudad es latina Un informe de la Universidad o relacionada con este grupo. de Nebraska en Omaha, titulado Recordemos que 78,2% de la Escuchando las Voces de los población es blanca y 12,3% Latinos del Sur de Omaha, hace es afroestadounidense. En referencia a la necesidad de que el departamento de policía las organizaciones, como las 79%son blancos o caucásico y escuelas públicas sean también 8,2% son afroestadounidenses. promotores de la buena Espejo afirma que dentro alimentación de los niños. del programa P.A.C.E. no cabe “Tenemos también el la discriminación étnica o programa de CrossFit para religiosa, como se ha percibido que las personas estén en en los últimos tiempos con forma. Y les enseñamos cómo las manifestaciones tras la alimentarse”, dijo. muerte del afroestadounidense George Floyd. “Aquí no solo vienen niños de bajos recursos, Más organización aquí vienen todos los que quieren hacer deporte y ser De acuerdo con Espejo, no parte de la comunidad. Vienen gente del norte, este y oeste de basta con el deporte para hacer de Omaha un lugar próspero Omaha”, dijo. para todos. “Hace falta más En consecuencia este organización como el tema programa lo ve como un de la recolección de basura y semillero para las futuras reportar los autos abandonados. generaciones donde los policías Pero quien quiera conocer el voluntariamente sirven a la sur de Omaha los invito a que comunidad. “Queremos hacer vengan y se den cuenta que cosas positivas y los oficiales estamos haciendo y cómo los están avocados en trabajar con jóvenes se integran y organizan, las comunidades. Personas que vengan”, culminó. quieren mejorar la vida de sus Y como dice el refrán, Un niños. Ver a los niños soñar con ser famosos, eso es posible, pero árbol no hace montaña.
AUGUST 2020
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FOTOS COMUNITARIAS
COMMUNITY PHOTOS
ELITE STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY
OMAHA alberga 250 parques y en 197 de estos hay equipos de juegos infantiles. Para la ciudad, resulta complicado desinfectarlos regularmente y pide su ayuda para profundizar en el cuidado e higiene, para que sus hijos los utilicen.
La Cónsul mexicana GUADALUPE SÁNCHEZ dio inicio a un ciclo de jornadas sabatinas de atención al público para atender requerimientos de pasaportes, matrículas consulares, credenciales INE, registro de niños como mexicanos y más.
El Doctor MARIO SÁNCHEZ, profesor de la unidad de medicina familiar de la Universidad de Creighton, promueve en sus redes sociales el uso de tapa bocas, especialmente en aquellos que aún no creen en el COVID-19.
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FOTOS COMUNITARIAS
Propietarios de HACIENDA REAL se suman a la campaña de rescate a micronegocios afectados por la pandemia del COVID-19: “si usted quiere ayudar, no deje de visitar sus restaurantes locales”, dijeron.
El Rancho NUEVO NEBRASKA abrió sus puertas para un coleadero y evento musical el 8 de agosto. El lugar sigue todas las normas sanitarias requeridas por el estado, en relación a eventos públicos en esta temporada.
El zoológico de Omaha promueve la campaña “HEALTHY YOU, HEALTHY ZOO” para que los visitantes comprendan que su salud afecta la vida de los animales que allí habitan. Por ello, implementaron nuevas reglas para visita.
OPS anuncia que el próximo regreso a clases en agosto implicará múltiples cambios de operación para evitar la propagación de COVID-19, y pide a los padresque visiten su sitio web para saber de qué manera pueden ayudar en este proceso.
AUGUST 2020
FOTOS COMUNITARIAS
COMMUNITY PHOTOS
ELITE STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY MARY y VALENTIN CANO celebrarán el aniversario de su unión matrimonial, agradecidos con Dios y con el grupo médico que les permitió superar el contagio sufrido de COVID-19.
TONY VENTURA celebró los quince años de su hermana Monze, como chambelán de honor. Debido a la pandemia el festejo se resumió a una reunión familiar en casa de sus padres.
Un nuevo mural embellece el Sur de la ciudad, para resaltar que “SIN JUSTICIA NO HAY PAZ”. Este se puede apreciar en la fachada de la oficina del abogado Pesek. (2426 S. 24st)
El proyecto de reestructuración de la CALLE 24 mejorará el transporte de los residentes. La ciudad de Omaha pide su ayuda para mantener la seguridad en las zonas de trabajo. Reduzca su velocidad, respete los señalamientos y a los trabajadores. Sobre todo, no se distraiga al pasar por estas zonas.
Tirar o abandonar basura en las calles es ilegal en Omaha. Si usted ve que alguien lo está haciendo, denúncielo de inmediato al 877665-4887.
Las aplicaciones están abiertas para convertirse en un chofer de autobús escolar en OPS. Solo tiene que visitar el sitio WWW.OMAHA.TEDK12.COM
Se inauguró el restaurant “MI BELLA HONDURAS”, en el corazón del Sur de Omaha (5023 S. 24st), y ofrece una alternativa más de comida Latinoamericana. ¡Suerte!
AUGUST 2020
FOTOS COMUNITARIAS
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