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Saturday, December 13, 2003

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Act: VOTE IN 2004 | 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action | Take to the Streets

...in the grove of the temple and in the shadow of the citadel I have seen the freest among you wear their freedom as a yoke and a handcuff.

--Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

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Better than CNN: The Agonist | Cursor | BuzzFlash
Act: VOTE IN 2004 | 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action | Take to the Streets

Saturday, December 13, 2003

Wanna see some anti-Bush artwork, banned as a "hate speech"? Then hurry up and click here...
posted by Jenny at 4:55 AM |

What a shock...Ah-nold says that Ah-nold shouldn't be investigated for his groping days. I'm speechless!
posted by Jenny at 4:52 AM |

This just goes to show that intentional community isn't simply a vehicle for upper middle class, back-to-nature escapism. Here's hoping the municipal bureaucracy doesn't dissolve it altogether...

PORTLAND, Ore. -- On a one-acre patch of asphalt near the airport, about 80 homeless people are living in shelters slapped together out of scavenged planks, plastic, sheetrock and cardboard. But this is no ordinary shantytown.

Dignity Village, as it is called, is an unusual social experiment: a government-sanctioned encampment for the homeless.

Besides holding a city lease, it has its own government, maintains a Web site and operates as a nonprofit corporation. Residents get free legal advice from local lawyers, medical aid from a homeless shelter, and financial support from a national network of charitable donors.

"There really isn't another model in the country that is as well-organized as Dignity Village," said Donald Whitehead, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless in Washington, D.C. "It's pretty revolutionary."

Two years after it was built, though, Dignity Village has reached a crossroads.

Its most recent lease having expired at the end of October, residents have asked the city to extend their stay for up to 10 years. They have also requested that the city stop charging rent for the site and make thousands of dollars in improvements at the location.

The request has set off a debate among city officials over whether to sink money into the project or put an end to the whole experiment and encourage homeless people to go shelters instead.

Some officials say that shelters do a better job of providing health and job services.

"The shelter system is more successful and more compassionate," said Michael Harrison, aide to Jim Francesconi, one of four city commissioners. "Before the city invests more money into Dignity Village, we should know that there are actual people that have been helped."

Dignity Village's leaders argue they have already shown they are helping the homeless.

Benjamin Howard, a homeless man who serves as Dignity Village's fire chief, said it is a place where people can develop a sense of stability, start looking for work, and then move into low-income housing. About 200 have taken that step in the past two years, he said.

Portland has an estimated 2,000 homeless people, and 20 homeless shelters run by the city and private organizations.

Other cities generally do not tolerate large-scale encampments of homeless people. In October, Seattle cracked down on "The Jungle," a homeless camp in the woods. In Anchorage, Alaska, authorities cleared out about 50 sites in May because of the danger posed by the homeless people's campfires.

Michael Stoops, director of community organizing for the National Coalition for the Homeless, said he believes Dignity Village is the nation's only camp for the homeless that is officially supported by a city government.

Homeless people set up the encampment in September 2001 and won permission from the City Council. Dignity Village pays the city more than $20,000 a year for rent, water and garbage pickup, with most of the money coming from donations. It has rudimentary utilities, including portable potties and electricity provided by a windmill.
"It's a good resource that's helped a lot of vulnerable and lost people get back on their feet," said City Commissioner Erik Sten, one of Dignity Village's biggest supporters. But he said a 10-year extension may be too long and the city should not pick up all the costs the residents have requested for safety and sewage improvements.
Many homeless people prefer Dignity Village to shelters because it offers self-government and more freedom. Unlike shelters, it has no curfew.

It is governed by four board officers, who handle administrative concerns, and 11 council members, who manage day-to-day operations. Residents who become violent or disrespectful or use drugs or alcohol are given 24 hours outside of Dignity Village to cool off. Repeat offenders can be expelled.

"We've never had a rape here. We've never had a murder," said village chairman Jack Tafari. "If a girl goes `peep,' there's 12 big, hairy guys there in a second."

Villagers are required to contribute to the camp's upkeep, either through chores or by working outside Dignity Village.

"This is not utopia," Howard said. "It's not where I really want to be. But it's a better than a lot of places I've been in."
posted by Jenny at 4:42 AM |

Planning a wedding anytime soon? If you're consumption-conscious, you might want to check out these industry statistics, quoted by a wedding marketing advisor type...amazing that Americans spend roughly $40 billion on weddings per year. As if we needed any more proof that we are a decadent country. That is perhaps one of the saddest characteristics of contemporary American society...the fact that a celebration touted as the union of two beings (barring the centuries-old history of marriage as a unit of heterosexual, patriarchal and capitalist economy, of course) is ruthlessly commodified into a packaged experience for millions of couples around the United States. And most of them buy into it, too. Who has the time or skill to do anything themselves these days...and if you can't do it yourself but want something custom-made for yourself, prepare to spend thousands on it--only mass-produced industry goods are available on the cheap...
posted by Jenny at 4:31 AM |

Smart move

Well, kudos to the Bush propaganda team for having him come out in criticism of Halliburton...that should help take the burn off the incredible war profiteering happening left and right in post-Saddam Iraq...but if he thinks it's going to ease anger in the international community over his bungling of Middle Eastern politics, he'd better think again. His denial of reconstruction contracts to France, Germany, and Russia is no surprise, but the fact that he's been making snide comments about it will only galvanize global opposition to his plans...will he never grasp that the world isn't so keen on psedo-cowboy pissing contests and frat boy humor? Oh wait...he just doesn't give a damn.
posted by Jenny at 3:52 AM |

I'm back, finally! The "flu" was actually some form of pharyngitis, followed by an incredibly painful middle ear infection. I'm still being medicated, and pretty lethargic, but I thought it was about time I plunged back into the blogosphere and looked around. Lot to talk about these days, it's almost hard to decide where to start! Let's see what I dig up first...
posted by Jenny at 3:50 AM |

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My archives
03/02/2003-03/08/2003
03/09/2003-03/15/2003
03/16/2003-03/22/2003
03/23/2003-03/29/2003
03/30/2003-04/04/2003
04/05/2003-04/12/2003
04/13/2003-04/19/2003
04/20/2003-04/26/2003
04/27/2003-05/03/2003
05/04/2003-05/10/2003
05/11/2003-05/17/2003
05/18/2003-05/24/2003
05/25/2003-05/31/2003
06/01/2003-08/06/2003
06/07/2003-06/14/2003
06/15/2003-06/20/2003
06/22/2003-06/29/2003
07/01/2003-07/05/2003
07/06/2003-07/11/2003
07/13/2003-07/19/2003
07/20/2003-07/27/2003
07/27/2003-08/02/2003
08/03/2003-08/09/2003
08/10/2003-08/16/2003
08/17/2003-08/23/2003
08/24/2003-08/30/2003
08/31/2003-09/06/2003
09/07/2003-09/13/2003
09/14/2003-09/20/2003
09/21/2003-09/27/2003
09/27-2003-10/04/2003
10/05/2003-10/11/2003
10/12/2003-10/18/2003

Wanna see some anti-Bush artwork, banned as a "hate speech"? Then hurry up and click here...

posted by Jenny at 4:55 AM |

What a shock...Ah-nold says that Ah-nold shouldn't be investigated for his groping days. I'm speechless!

posted by Jenny at 4:52 AM |

This just goes to show that intentional community isn't simply a vehicle for upper middle class, back-to-nature escapism. Here's hoping the municipal bureaucracy doesn't dissolve it altogether...

PORTLAND, Ore. -- On a one-acre patch of asphalt near the airport, about 80 homeless people are living in shelters slapped together out of scavenged planks, plastic, sheetrock and cardboard. But this is no ordinary shantytown.

Dignity Village, as it is called, is an unusual social experiment: a government-sanctioned encampment for the homeless.

Besides holding a city lease, it has its own government, maintains a Web site and operates as a nonprofit corporation. Residents get free legal advice from local lawyers, medical aid from a homeless shelter, and financial support from a national network of charitable donors.

"There really isn't another model in the country that is as well-organized as Dignity Village," said Donald Whitehead, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless in Washington, D.C. "It's pretty revolutionary."

Two years after it was built, though, Dignity Village has reached a crossroads.

Its most recent lease having expired at the end of October, residents have asked the city to extend their stay for up to 10 years. They have also requested that the city stop charging rent for the site and make thousands of dollars in improvements at the location.

The request has set off a debate among city officials over whether to sink money into the project or put an end to the whole experiment and encourage homeless people to go shelters instead.

Some officials say that shelters do a better job of providing health and job services.

"The shelter system is more successful and more compassionate," said Michael Harrison, aide to Jim Francesconi, one of four city commissioners. "Before the city invests more money into Dignity Village, we should know that there are actual people that have been helped."

Dignity Village's leaders argue they have already shown they are helping the homeless.

Benjamin Howard, a homeless man who serves as Dignity Village's fire chief, said it is a place where people can develop a sense of stability, start looking for work, and then move into low-income housing. About 200 have taken that step in the past two years, he said.

Portland has an estimated 2,000 homeless people, and 20 homeless shelters run by the city and private organizations.

Other cities generally do not tolerate large-scale encampments of homeless people. In October, Seattle cracked down on "The Jungle," a homeless camp in the woods. In Anchorage, Alaska, authorities cleared out about 50 sites in May because of the danger posed by the homeless people's campfires.

Michael Stoops, director of community organizing for the National Coalition for the Homeless, said he believes Dignity Village is the nation's only camp for the homeless that is officially supported by a city government.

Homeless people set up the encampment in September 2001 and won permission from the City Council. Dignity Village pays the city more than $20,000 a year for rent, water and garbage pickup, with most of the money coming from donations. It has rudimentary utilities, including portable potties and electricity provided by a windmill.
"It's a good resource that's helped a lot of vulnerable and lost people get back on their feet," said City Commissioner Erik Sten, one of Dignity Village's biggest supporters. But he said a 10-year extension may be too long and the city should not pick up all the costs the residents have requested for safety and sewage improvements.
Many homeless people prefer Dignity Village to shelters because it offers self-government and more freedom. Unlike shelters, it has no curfew.

It is governed by four board officers, who handle administrative concerns, and 11 council members, who manage day-to-day operations. Residents who become violent or disrespectful or use drugs or alcohol are given 24 hours outside of Dignity Village to cool off. Repeat offenders can be expelled.

"We've never had a rape here. We've never had a murder," said village chairman Jack Tafari. "If a girl goes `peep,' there's 12 big, hairy guys there in a second."

Villagers are required to contribute to the camp's upkeep, either through chores or by working outside Dignity Village.

"This is not utopia," Howard said. "It's not where I really want to be. But it's a better than a lot of places I've been in."

posted by Jenny at 4:42 AM |

Planning a wedding anytime soon? If you're consumption-conscious, you might want to check out these industry statistics, quoted by a wedding marketing advisor type...amazing that Americans spend roughly $40 billion on weddings per year. As if we needed any more proof that we are a decadent country. That is perhaps one of the saddest characteristics of contemporary American society...the fact that a celebration touted as the union of two beings (barring the centuries-old history of marriage as a unit of heterosexual, patriarchal and capitalist economy, of course) is ruthlessly commodified into a packaged experience for millions of couples around the United States. And most of them buy into it, too. Who has the time or skill to do anything themselves these days...and if you can't do it yourself but want something custom-made for yourself, prepare to spend thousands on it--only mass-produced industry goods are available on the cheap...

posted by Jenny at 4:31 AM |

Smart move

Well, kudos to the Bush propaganda team for having him come out in criticism of Halliburton...that should help take the burn off the incredible war profiteering happening left and right in post-Saddam Iraq...but if he thinks it's going to ease anger in the international community over his bungling of Middle Eastern politics, he'd better think again. His denial of reconstruction contracts to France, Germany, and Russia is no surprise, but the fact that he's been making snide comments about it will only galvanize global opposition to his plans...will he never grasp that the world isn't so keen on psedo-cowboy pissing contests and frat boy humor? Oh wait...he just doesn't give a damn.

posted by Jenny at 3:52 AM |

I'm back, finally! The "flu" was actually some form of pharyngitis, followed by an incredibly painful middle ear infection. I'm still being medicated, and pretty lethargic, but I thought it was about time I plunged back into the blogosphere and looked around. Lot to talk about these days, it's almost hard to decide where to start! Let's see what I dig up first...

posted by Jenny at 3:50 AM |