Current Feed Content from 10 Oct 08 05:16
Graphic book of subway tunnel living
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:33:00 +0000
The New York Times has a feature about homeless people living in the subway tunnels of New York. A subway conversation between a 38 year old artist and a 40 year old homeless man led to a graphic book of life in the underground, with stories of the homeless and survival tips.
“Our memories and dreams walk beside us, informing everything we think we see, ” Ms. Landowne (artist) and Mr. Horton write in the book. “We are scavengers of stories. We seek hidden messages of hope and find them. We gather evidence of resistance to oppression and despair.”
Check out the story at NYTimes.noreply@blogger.com (Michaelann Bewsee)The State of Poverty
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:24:00 +0000
The State of Poverty- Number of children: 12.9 million
...four times the number of all the children in Illinois - Number of seniors 65 and over: 3.6 million
...the same as the entire population of Oklahoma - Number of women: 14.6 million
...the entire population of Wisconsin, Indiana, and Iowa combined - Number reporting a disability: 8.0 million
...a population larger than the State of Massachusetts - Number of homeless: 3.5 million
...twice the population of Nebraska
noreply@blogger.com (Michaelann Bewsee)- Number of children: 12.9 million
Local DAs, police chiefs come out against decriminalizing marijuana
Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:52:00 +0000
Sen. Joe Biden said something interesting in his debate the other night-- that whether he agreed with people or not, he had learned never to question their motives.
I wish I could be like that, but....when I see the local district attorneys, sheriffs and police chiefs gathered in opposition to decriminalizing an ounce or less of marijuana, the focus of Massachusett's Question Two, I have to ask myself....how important to their job security is it that no cracks appear in the wall of drug prohibition?
Arguments against Question Two, which would turn a possession of small amounts of marijuana from a criminal offense into a civil one, only make sense if you ignore history, common sense and the facts.
The U.S. already has an excellent example of what happens when a substance that should be a matter of personal choice is criminalized. The thirteen years of alcohol prohibition in the U.S. during the early part of the twentieth century created a huge black market and allowed organized crime to become the American institution that it is today.. Prohibition led to the corruption of many law enforcement officials. Stronger alcohol was developed so that a little went further. The U.S. government lost $500 million a year in tax revenue.
Worst of all, prohibition turned millions of ordinary citizens into lawbreakers.
At today's press conference, Berkshire County District Attorney David F. Capeless, said that a first offense by someone 17 or older would lead to an automatic six month continuance, and that the case would be dismissed if someone stayed out of trouble for six months.
What he didn't say is that one single arrest for possession of marijuana leads to a criminal record that will affect housing, employment, benefits and military service.
Hampden County District Attorney Bill Bennett said that Question Two is " is a green light to drug dealers to target young children, especially high school students, to buy and use drugs." Mr. Bennett seems not to know how wothe minds of high schoolers work very well. And if this is so, shouldn't we recriminalize alcohol? How about cigarettes? How many lawbreakers do you think we'd have in Massachusetts if we did?
I have family members and friends who intend to vote against Question Two. They take a "Just say no" approach-- if you don't want to get arrested, don't break the law. They've never smoked, never will, and aren't missing a thing except, fortunately for them, the tar that smokers drag into their lungs. Far be it from me to say that non-smokers are missing out on anything. Marijuana. is not a necessity of life . It is simply one of life's pleasures.
When prohibition was finally repealed in 1933, organized crime took a huge loss in profits. We won't see that in Massachusetts if Question Two passes because decriminalization is not the same as legalization. By keeping marijuana illegal we lose potential tax revenue and lose out on the opportunity for regulation. At this point in time however, I would be satisfied just to see marijuana smokers be able to live without fear of arrest.
PS. Not all law enforcement officials think drug prohibition is a good idea; I wrote about it here. If you want to see what ABC's John Stossel thinks, go here.
PPS: Twelve states have already decriminalized marijuana and if there were any great upsurge in drug use or violent crime in those states, the DAs would have made sure we know about it. More than 71, 000 Massachusetts residents were arrested for simple possession of marijuana from 1995-2002. Consider the personal cost as well as the financial cost and vote Yes on Question Two.noreply@blogger.com (Michaelann Bewsee)Shadow cat
Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:47:00 +0000
A shadow cat passed thru my gate
just as I went to close it.
I looked around, it wasn't there,
now where do you suppose it
travelled next? I'm not awake.
The cat is black. Its name is fate.Photo from Shmoovio (Jarrett)'s photostream at Flickr.
noreply@blogger.com (Michaelann Bewsee)Texas school suspends 5 yr old for religious beliefs
Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:31:00 +0000
The Texas ACLU is suing the Needville Independent School District for refusing to allow a five year old Native American boy openly wear his hair in braids, insisting he hide them in his shirt.The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, charges that NISD�s actions violate Betenbaugh's and Arocha's rights to raise Adriel according to their family's religion, heritage and identity, as well as Adriel's constitutional and statutory rights to free exercise of religion and free expression. Courts have held that the First and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution protect students� rights to dress in conformation with their religious beliefs. Texas' Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) provides additional protections.
�"he Constitution protects the right of all people in this country to express their religious beliefs as they see fit, " said Daniel Mach, Director of Litigation for the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief. "The same law protects Catholic students who wear a rosary, Christian students who wear a cross, or Jewish students who wear a Star of David. Yet the school board has ignored this basic principle by punishing this young child's expression of his faith and heritage."
You can read more at the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas.
noreply@blogger.com (Michaelann Bewsee)Homeless in MA? Not too late to register to vote!
Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:43:00 +0000
Alberta Jilsen, resident of the PIP Shelter (Worcester), and registered voter.
One of Arise's members, Lamont, has been going around to the single shelters in the Springfield, MA registering homeless people to vote and Liz has been scheduling for the family shelters. We've registered more than 50 so far, and can probably double that by the deadline next Wednesday, October 15. Of course, getting folks out to vote, whether homeless or not, is another story. Then again, if not this election, then when?
You can get a state by state chart of homeless voting rights at the National Coalition for the Homeless website.
Photo by Lauren Farina at Worcesterhomelessnoreply@blogger.com (Michaelann Bewsee)Do a lot of good in just five minutes
Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:03:00 +0000
Ever stumbled on a site that says, Click here to plant a tree, feed a hungry child or save a tiger? It's true, it's that easy! Of course it's only pennies-- or sometimes fractions of-- but it does add up. If you had a penny for every single person in the U.S., you'd be a millionaire three times over.
A very comprehensive site for donating by click is at The Non-Profits.com. ; the site lists more than fifty opportunities to give. Check it out.
A personal favorite of mine is Care2. I've been a member for some years, now, and the site just keeps getting better and better. Start here for Click to Donate. Better yet, if you want to see your efforts as they accumulate, create an account and the site will keep track of how many feet of rain forest you've saved, how many chimps you've fed, how many pounds of carbon you've offset, etc.
Don't stop with Click to Donate, though. Care2 has a great news service for people particularly interested in animals and the environment (although the site covers everything) a petition site, a great ecard collection, and more. Community is an overused word on thw web, but you really will find a great community at Care2.noreply@blogger.com (Michaelann Bewsee)Court rules OK to feed hungry people
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:58:00 +0000
It may have taken more than a year for a decision, but The 13th Juror reported this week that according to the U.S. District Court, Orlando FL Division, sharing food with the hungry and homeless is a form of expression protected by the First Amendment.
The decision came about because of a lawsuit filed by Food Not Bombs and several other plaintiffs last September after groups were diened a permit by the City of Orlando to feed people in a public park.To establish that their conduct is expressive and protected by the First Amendment, the members of Food Not Bombs had to prove that they are conveying a message that is likely to be understood by the public. The city tried to argue that their message – that society can and should provide food for all of its members, regardless of wealth – wasn’t likely to be understood. But Mayor Buddy Dyer testified that he believes that Food Not Bombs provides food to the homeless only to convey its political message – not necessarily to help the homeless. 13th Juror.
How sad that Mayor Dyer thought that people wouldn't understand the message that we all need to take care of each other. I know that much of selfishness comes from fear but it is not each other we need to be afraid of.noreply@blogger.com (Michaelann Bewsee)Many more families will be homeless this year
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:40:00 +0000
A reporter called me tonight to get a local angle on an AP story the paper was running. How is the foreclosure crisis affecting families? And is it true here, as it is in Boston, that the family shelters are full and that families are once again being placed in motels? I made a few phone calls around to confirm what I already knew and got back to him. We're in a world of trouble.
More than 2, 000 families are homeless in Massachusetts today, and more than 500 of them are staying in motels-- a practice which had been mostly discontinued under Gov. Romney and which flies in the face of current Gov. Patrick's plans to drastically reduce homelessness in five years by focusing on housing. Federally, the Bush Administration is hip-deep in a strategy to end homelessness in ten years; locally, Springfield's "Homes within Reach" program intends to mirror the state and the federal government's strategies and successes.
Mostly these plans give lip service to the economic underpinnings of homelessness but their strategies focus on treating homeless people as if they had a personal problem rather than a political problem. One would think that the solution to homelessness is a home, but no new housing has been created in many years.. Add in the fact that many people don't have sufficient income to stay housed and you have the poor people shuffle: from apartment to shelter to a friend's to an apartment and so on. Still, Springfield and other cities were making incremental progress in housing some "chronically homeless" people and were starting to think seriously about family homelessness.
But the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry and with the storm waves from the foreclosure crisis just beginning to reach us, much of the progress is swinging back to a loss. People's incomes are stagnant or falling and what we pay for food and utilities keeps climbing. I'll venture to say that in six months we will have a crisis of homelessness that cannot be concealed. We need visionary solutions but instead many will be moving into survival mode.
Hardly an original question but one that deserves a deeper answer: how can full shelters and empty building exist in the same city?
Photo from Thomas Hawk's photostream at Flickrnoreply@blogger.com (Michaelann Bewsee)A workhouse tale
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 17:13:00 +0000
Jane was the prettiest girl in the workhouse. Taller than the other seven-year-olds, with clear blue eyes and dark curly hair, she was a bright little thing, full of mischief, who liked playing practical jokes on the other children. She was punished, of course, in those early years of the 20th century, and sometimes cried herself to sleep, but in the morning, irrepressible, she was laughing again. Who was it who climbed the drainpipe in the playground, or tied Officer Sharp's shoelaces together as she sat darning socks?
If it wasn't Jane, it might as well have been, so she got the punishment. The master of the workhouse vowed to break the 'saucy little madam'.
When Jane owned up to making a sketch of him with a square head, small eyes and an exaggerated stomach, she was taken to the discipline room, a small cell with no windows and no furniture except for a stool. The master took down one of several canes and beat the little girl so severely that she could not sit down for several days.
Read the rest of the story at Mail Online.noreply@blogger.com (Michaelann Bewsee)Drops of water
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 15:14:00 +0000
See more at AMO Images:noreply@blogger.com (Michaelann Bewsee)Know/are a felon in MA? You can VOTE! Spread the word
Sat, 04 Oct 2008 22:57:00 +0000
"Hey, would you like to vote so you can participate in this historic election?"
A pause.
"Well, I'd like to, but I can't-- I'm a convicted felon."
Many felons in Massachusetts think they've permanently lost the right to vote and much of that misconception was created in the year 2000, when a successful ballot question removed the right to vote for convicted felons while they were serving their time. But as soon as a person is released, his or her right to vote is restored.
In fact, more than half of the prisoners in Massachusetts county jail are still eligible to register and to vote, because more than half of them are pre-trial-- not yet found guilty of any crime-- and a number of those who have been sentenced are serving time for a misdemeanor. All of those prisoners are eligible to vote.
More than four years ago, Holly Richardson and I, representing Arise for Social Justice, met with Hampden County Sheriff Mike Ashe and some of his program staff. We were there to speak against the construction of a new women's jail, even though we knew it was nearly unstoppable. One of the points were were there to make was that no real shortage in women's beds really existed if the pre-trial population could be reduced-- either through lighter bails or released on their own recognisance. While we were there, we asked if the county jail made any effort to get those who were eligible registered to vote and assist them to get absentee ballots. They did not, but agreed to consider "making that option available."
I am happy to report that although the administrators don't exactly run a campaign, they do make information available to prisoners about their right to register and vote. I put in a call to the program director at the Hampshire County jail, and they were happy to be provided with voter registration and absentee ballot forms. Unfortunately, I doubt most county jails are proactive unless pushed.
After years of state by state felony disenfranchisement, the tide may finally be turning to restore voting rights. According to the Sentencing Project, in the last ten years,- Nine states either repealed or amended lifetime disenfranchisement laws
- Two states expanded voting rights to persons under community supervision
- Five states eased the restoration process for persons seeking to have their right to vote restored after completing their sentence
- Three states improved data and information sharing.
As well as having the highest number of incarcerated persons in the world, the U.S. also denies more people convicted of a crime the right to vote than any other democratic country. In some countries, the ballot box is even brought to the prison. In dozens of countries in Europe and the Americas, all 5.3 million disenfranchised felons would have the right to vote.
If you are personally affected by felony disenfranchisement laws, or know someone who is, don't assume you or your friend can't vote. Find out! With times the way they are, hang on to every bit of power we have. You can get a state by state guide to felony enfranchisement laws at the Sentencing Project.
The deadline to register to vote in Massachusetts is October 15.AP Photo by Brennan Linsley
noreply@blogger.com (Michaelann Bewsee)Container housing gains ground
Sat, 04 Oct 2008 14:07:00 +0000
Most shipping containers meet an ignoble end rusting away in a port or railroad yard. But a field trip to Juarez, Mexico by a U.S. architect has blossomed into a vision: container housing for the homeless and poor who would otherwise be unable to afford to own a home.
Brian McCarthy and three partners have designed a prototype that's cool, ventilated, and has hookups for water and electricity. Container housing could be constructed in settings that promote a sense of community among residents.
I talked about the possibility of container housing last year here. You can read more about McCarthy's endeavor at CNN.
noreply@blogger.com (Michaelann Bewsee)Amazing public sculpture in Chicago
Sat, 04 Oct 2008 12:35:00 +0000
From SoothBrush: Cloud Gate is a public sculpture by Anish Kapoor in Millennium Park, Chicago. The sculpture is shaped like an ellipse, and its legume-like appearance has caused it to be nicknamed “The Bean”. It is made of 168 highly polished stainless steel plates, and stands at 33 feet high, 66 feet long, and 42 feet wide, weighing 110 tons. Go to SoothBrush to see more photos.noreply@blogger.com (Michaelann Bewsee)Feast for the eyes
Sat, 04 Oct 2008 03:37:00 +0000
If you like design, check out a link to the Chicago International Poster Biennial.at Design Observer. noreply@blogger.com (Michaelann Bewsee)Will you publicly support decriminalizing marijuana?
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:59:00 +0000
Arise is looking for individuals and organizations in Western Massachusetts who would be willing to support publicly this November's ballot Question Two, decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana. Any takers?
If only everyone who has smoked or currently smokes would come out and say so. I won't out them, but I've smoked with more well-known and well-respected residents of this city than you can shake a stick at.
Unfortunately, many people are in professions where they would be instantly fired if they admitted they have smoked or do smoke marijuana. But how about publicly agreeing that a civil fine is better than a criminal record for those in possession of less than an ounce of marijuana?
If you're willing to stand with us, you can call Arise at 413-734-4948.
From the Marijuana Policy Project:Opponents of Massachusetts' marijuana decriminalization ballot initiative just can't stop lying.
Here are some the lies they're flooding the media with, in a cynical attempt to scare voters into defeating the measure on November 4:
- Marijuana is more dangerous than alcohol or tobacco — because tobacco takes a long time to kill you and alcohol has health benefits. (Yes, you read that right.) That's according to Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter.
And here are four gems from the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association:
- “By empowering drug dealers with decriminalization of marijuana, we would be empowering them to continue their violent ways: carrying and brandishing weapons; ripping off kids who get in over their heads; engaging in bloody turf wars; and indiscriminately assaulting or murdering when things don't go the way they want.”
- “Marijuana arrests are strongly associated with violent crime — dangerous criminals who make the wrong choice time and time again.” (In reality, research shows unmistakably that marijuana — unlike alcohol — is almost never the cause of aggression or violence.)
- “Very few arrests involving marijuana charges are for simple possession.” (In reality, according to FBI statistics, a full 89% of marijuana arrests are for simple possession.)
- The initiative “will allow drug dealers to operate with impunity and make it easier for them to do business with your children.”
noreply@blogger.com (Michaelann Bewsee)Nickelsville rises again
Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:26:00 +0000
70 tents destroyed, 23 people arrested....but Seattle's Nickelsville is NOT down and out. You can follow their story at Nickelsville Seattle.
This photo reminds me so much of Springfield's Sanctuary City.
My sister was cleaning out a little-used closet and found a three room tent. Ira, if you're reading this, know anybody up there who could use it?noreply@blogger.com (Michaelann Bewsee)I thought you'd be taller
Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:58:00 +0000
Seems like I had just built up momentum for posting again after a July sickness and a late August vacation when pow! stopped in my tracks Saturday by a mild heart attack. There, that's more than I'd usually tell my readers about the details of my health; it's just that the last several days have reminded me how false the separation is that we create between mind and body. I'm here because my body is here-- there, I did it again.
I got home yesterday and today ventured out to fill a prescription. I stopped at Arise to pick up some invitations for our Open House (Friday, October 10) and heard that ACORN was having a demonstration about the foreclosure crisis at the new federal building, thought about stopping down for a few minutes but really I was as shaky as a shorn lamb in a stiff breeze.
In the miniscule two block radius I traversed on foot, I ran into several people I know. One woman introduced me to her friend.
"I know who you are, " she said, "but I thought you'd be taller."
I take that as a compliment, but the truth is, if I don't think of myself as tall, still I always forget that that I am short. I found out last month that I've lost an inch, am now under five feet.. Yet looking out of my own eyes, I don't see it-- not unless I stand next to somebody's twelve year old child. Then I think, "Am I really that short? How has anyone ever taken me seriously?" (Sorry, other short people.)
And looking out of my own eyes, I don't feel old. I don't think of myself as sixty, but rather of some indeterminate age hovering between early and late adulthood. Not that I don't identify with sixty intellectually and politically, and not that I don't view with some amusement how much the skin on the back of my hands has become like my grandmother's. But it still takes a moment to recognize myself in a storefront window.
So here I am, still here. When my state of being was momentarily in doubt, I remember thinking, Wait, I can't die yet, because I'm still not the person I want to be! So now, on the other side of the event, I have yet another chance to remember that I have no one to please but myself, no standards to meet but my own, and no one but me to satisfy that I have done the best that I can.
Photo from Deego's photostream at Flickr.
Take a deep breath.noreply@blogger.com (Michaelann Bewsee)Free from gravity
Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:55:00 +0000
Free from gravity:
sex in mid-air.
How wonderful to be
a dragonfly pair.
Photography by John Corneynoreply@blogger.com (Michaelann Bewsee)Nickelsville tent city ready to house 1, 000
Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:15:00 +0000
King County, WA, which includes Seattle, may seem above average in affluence, but you couldn't prove that to the 8, 439 homeless people documented in the annual homeless count last January. More than 2, 500 of those people were unsheltered, living on the streets. Back in April, Seattle's Mayor Nickels passed an ordinance pretty much forbidding homeless people to sleep anywhere on public property. I've been following homeless people's struggle in Seattle here and here. Meanwhile, 34 people have died this year while living on the streets. Homeless organizers and their advocates have come up with an alternative to the endless sweeps of homeless encampments. They asked Mayor Nickels to give them a piece of city hand for a more permanent encampment. When no city hall solution was forthcoming, homeless people took the matter into their own hands. This Monday, a 100 tent encampment called Nickelsville opened at 7115 W. Marginal Way SW. (The site, one of four considered, was not revealed until the very last minute to prevent city intervention.)
Today is the day Mayor Nickels has said he will send in the troops to evict everyone. Of course, he has no alternative for them. Perhaps, like Springfield MA's administration and so many other cities, he thinks they can just "go elsewhere." Well, just where is Elsewhere? And how many homeless people already live there?
Tent cities are springing up everywhere. Seattle's mayor should be grateful that people are organizing on their own behalf to find some way to meet some of their needs through the coming winter. You can call him and tell him to leave Nickelsville alone at 206-684-CITY (206-684-2489) or send him an email at City of Seattle. You can follow homeless peoples' organizing in Seattle at Real Change, Seattle's homeless newspaper, at Nickelsville's home page, or at Apesma's Lament, the blog of Tim Harris, ED of Real Change.noreply@blogger.com (Michaelann Bewsee)
The New York Times has a feature about homeless people living in the subway tunnels of New York. A subway conversation between a 38 year old artist and a 40 year old homeless man led to a graphic book of life in the underground, with stories of the homeless and survival tips.“Our memories and dreams walk beside us, informing everything we think we see, ” Ms. Landowne (artist) and Mr. Horton write in the book. “We are scavengers of stories. We seek hidden messages of hope and find them. We gather evidence of resistance to oppression and despair.”
Check out the story at NYTimes.
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