Tuesday, March 02, 2010
3/2/10
Well I accidentally started a good conversation about health care on Facebook. The funny part is that the quote was about health. We are so stuck on medical services that we can't go to far from that collectively.
I think it will take a great deal of work to get a critical mass of people to move from health being equal to medical services (which is really treating you after already sick). At some point we'll be able to discuss health in and of itself. The same thing happens with crime. You talk about reducing crime, or violence, and people start talking about cops. That's like saying that chemotherapy prevents cancer...
Oh well, gotta keep trying. Speaking of "medical services" the acupuncture is helping out a great deal. It is more intensive than getting some pain killers but still good. And it comes out to be near as expensive as specialist co-pays. But I'll be talking with some folks soon about a community acupuncture clinic.
The best and funniest part is that I was released to lift weights - 10 pounds max! The woman acupuncturist told the male "I can lift ten pounds!" He stuck to his guns and I'll cooperate. It will be nice to lift at all.
Just waiting for my code for the EPC gym.
KEEP LEFTING!
I think it will take a great deal of work to get a critical mass of people to move from health being equal to medical services (which is really treating you after already sick). At some point we'll be able to discuss health in and of itself. The same thing happens with crime. You talk about reducing crime, or violence, and people start talking about cops. That's like saying that chemotherapy prevents cancer...
Oh well, gotta keep trying. Speaking of "medical services" the acupuncture is helping out a great deal. It is more intensive than getting some pain killers but still good. And it comes out to be near as expensive as specialist co-pays. But I'll be talking with some folks soon about a community acupuncture clinic.
The best and funniest part is that I was released to lift weights - 10 pounds max! The woman acupuncturist told the male "I can lift ten pounds!" He stuck to his guns and I'll cooperate. It will be nice to lift at all.
Just waiting for my code for the EPC gym.
KEEP LEFTING!
Labels: Crime, Health, Hell In Handbasket, Workout
Monday, July 21, 2008
July 21, 2008
Weekend was fun. I went to a friend's house to watch fights and drank too much and stayed too late. Hopefully they'll still invite me back later.
One fire on the block next to me and paramedics have been around a couple of times. Things seem calmer, but with 130 households on one street there is definitely challenges going on regularly.
I'm getting a really interesting lecture from a young activist in the community around criminalizing people, "the barrio" and gentrification. I don't know whether to feel sad or laugh. The young brother, who lives in a much calmer part of the 'hood than I is trying to show me the error of my ways for doing what I need to in keeping my family safe.
He sees housing redevelopment as "pacification through beautification." I understand the concern. I live in low income housing, unlike the bro educating me. Not that he lives in upscale housing, but driving through his part of the 'hood it is definitely much different. I definitely think that changing housing is key for health, but don't know if local government is committed to doing that without a complete displacement of people. That's the tricky part.
I do think things can change, but they aren't going to change by making excuses for criminal behavior nor "that's all a pipe dream" mentality. That sounds too much like lefty, "people of color" self-victimization to me.
KEEP LEFTING!!!
One fire on the block next to me and paramedics have been around a couple of times. Things seem calmer, but with 130 households on one street there is definitely challenges going on regularly.
I'm getting a really interesting lecture from a young activist in the community around criminalizing people, "the barrio" and gentrification. I don't know whether to feel sad or laugh. The young brother, who lives in a much calmer part of the 'hood than I is trying to show me the error of my ways for doing what I need to in keeping my family safe.
He sees housing redevelopment as "pacification through beautification." I understand the concern. I live in low income housing, unlike the bro educating me. Not that he lives in upscale housing, but driving through his part of the 'hood it is definitely much different. I definitely think that changing housing is key for health, but don't know if local government is committed to doing that without a complete displacement of people. That's the tricky part.
I do think things can change, but they aren't going to change by making excuses for criminal behavior nor "that's all a pipe dream" mentality. That sounds too much like lefty, "people of color" self-victimization to me.
KEEP LEFTING!!!
Labels: Crime, Hell In Handbasket
Thursday, April 17, 2008
4/17/08 Random Tidbits
Unnatural Causes will be showing on Sunday morning at 9am on KNME. This is a very important concept and documentary. Though I know only about 5-9 people visit the blog per day hopefully people will watch. I will propose screening this through all the organizations I belong to - just so you know how serious I take this.
* * *
Yesterday was my homegirl G's birthday. Didn't talk with her, but did send her some messages. She has been depressed, I wonder if she's feeling old? Maybe just because, like most of us, she's fluffier than before. Who knows - actually I might, but it's more fun to ponder.
* * *
El Sistema - Venezuelan Music Program. Thanks R for the info!
* * *
I think I'm just feeling like I do all the reaching out. Gets tiring. I don't think it is true necessarily, but sometimes your feelings are signs of reality. Or at least signs of when you need a break from things. For example, it is good to stop lifting if you really feel burned out - it is usually a sign of overworking.
- - -
The police raided a place across the street last night. The person they were looking for may have gotten away. They ended up trying to catch someone who was on the roof for awhile. The streets have been quieter. Let's see how the summer goes.
My son says he thinks its too much stress for me to live in the "ghetto" - maybe he's right, but I ain't moving. For some reason he thinks its OK for him to live there though!
My leg is much better, I may be working out again next week.
KEEP LEFTING!!!
* * *
Yesterday was my homegirl G's birthday. Didn't talk with her, but did send her some messages. She has been depressed, I wonder if she's feeling old? Maybe just because, like most of us, she's fluffier than before. Who knows - actually I might, but it's more fun to ponder.
* * *
El Sistema - Venezuelan Music Program. Thanks R for the info!
* * *
I think I'm just feeling like I do all the reaching out. Gets tiring. I don't think it is true necessarily, but sometimes your feelings are signs of reality. Or at least signs of when you need a break from things. For example, it is good to stop lifting if you really feel burned out - it is usually a sign of overworking.
- - -
The police raided a place across the street last night. The person they were looking for may have gotten away. They ended up trying to catch someone who was on the roof for awhile. The streets have been quieter. Let's see how the summer goes.
My son says he thinks its too much stress for me to live in the "ghetto" - maybe he's right, but I ain't moving. For some reason he thinks its OK for him to live there though!
My leg is much better, I may be working out again next week.
KEEP LEFTING!!!
Labels: Chicano Chingon, Crime, Hell In Handbasket
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
4/2/08 Part 2
Well, my son is hanging out at home. It's good to see his smile, and feels nice to have my kids starting to feel safer.
So now I get to keep an eye on him. I thought I was going to be able to focus on work. But he's still impulsive and doesn't make connections between things as well as I would like. I'll be distracted, but I gotta let him figure things out.
It was nice yesterday. Had a work meeting in my front yard. Tim Keller came over again and he's coming back on Friday. He even brought me a Sub. My sister brought me a pack of smokes, which I sorely needed. Got into an interesting exchange on CPTED with a neighborhood activist.
So now I get to keep an eye on him. I thought I was going to be able to focus on work. But he's still impulsive and doesn't make connections between things as well as I would like. I'll be distracted, but I gotta let him figure things out.
It was nice yesterday. Had a work meeting in my front yard. Tim Keller came over again and he's coming back on Friday. He even brought me a Sub. My sister brought me a pack of smokes, which I sorely needed. Got into an interesting exchange on CPTED with a neighborhood activist.
Rey Garduño called and checked in. Got calls and texts from different people. Loretta, Riti, Gigi, Rudy, etc. Even one of my daughter's elementary school teachers came and hung out. Thanks to Bob Anderson.
I did accomplish getting a few extra patrols in the neighborhood. Not a lot. The girls in question are still out running around and my daughter not feeling safe. My son thinks that the stuff is between the girls and it is OK to hang with his buddies. He turns 18 next week and it worries me that he still don't get it.
My workouts are shot this week, but we will be having a BBQ Saturday afternoon to claim the street. Hopefully it goes well. People have been great. I'm exhausted and it is kicking my butt pretty bad.
Then there's the people still wanting me to move. I didn't ask for support in moving, I asked support in keeping from being isolated. Well, at least my sister Val is helping with my daughter, I appreciate that tons. My pops is watching my mijita's car. I haven't heard from any of the rest of my brothers and sisters.
I've been in the situation where my family can't, won't, just plain aren't there for me before and I had to just create family with who I could count on. I guess if I was having a baseball game I could get them to show up. And they have been there in the past, just noticing the decline in the last couple of years. So I'll have to create new family. It usually works out.
# # #
I'm trying to make the argument that this, and the general issues in my neighborhood, are not just individual situations, but environmental. The current level people can go with is the above mentioned CPTED. That works on site specific - housing project - level. I think it is great, but it is not enough.
There are even bigger issues. Social equity, mixed income communities, open space, and quality of housing. Beyond that is the issue of power. Unions, ballot access, etc.
KEEP FIGHTING!!!
Labels: Crime, Hell In Handbasket
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Letter to my Neighborhood Association
A lot of people are wanting to "fight crime" and so I thought I should encourage a focus on prevention. Obviously we need to deal with current things, but need to push more toward long-term prevention.
* * *
Hello Neighbors:
I think that we can easily get "responsive" to crime and end up with meetings like other neighborhood associations where 90% of the meeting is about crime. I think we need to stay proactive and focus on the prevention that will get us sound sleep and safe streets. Around many bases in the US are "ghettos."
This often happens because of the large scale building up cheap housing and economies where military money is the most secure and stable. Much of what we deal with - not all - has to do with the environment created. That environment was created by policies, or lack of policies, that are influenced by the priority of military expenditure, poor planning, racial and economic segregation, and other factors.
Equitable distribution creates healthier communities. Places like Vancouver where neighborhoods were consciously developed as mixed income has a much better quality of life than we do. Places with mixed income communities are often safer, and people healthier.
To me Weed and Seed never got around to enough seeding to be sustainable long-term. That was not the fault of the committee because the funding always leaned more to the weeding. Anyone knowing about gardening knows that if you clear a space and don't plant what you want, something you don't want will sprout up.
We need the redevelopment. We need housing redevelopment as much as we need the business redevelopment. We need to be comprehensive.
On the larger picture, the City needs to commit to equitable development for the entire City. We all know about rich people who commit crime and violence - income is not the determining factor. We all know about white people who commit crime and violence - race nor ethnicity are not the determining factor. We all know women who commit crime and violence - gender is not the determining factor. High crime areas grow out of communities that are economically segregated.
I think our goal should be continuing to bring assets and resources to our community. To build on the assets and resources we already have. And to reduce the low quality housing and infrastructure by replacing it with high quality mixed income housing.
People think CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environment Design) is cutting edge. I think it's nice, but is more of a bandaid than really commiting to revitalizing communities. I say we push for quality redevelopment of our neighborhoods. I say that we build off the work that already has momentum and transform our communities. Yes, we need some immediate help - and I'm in that boat. But a more sustainable and long-term change will come from quality redevelopment and investment. We do our neighbors no favor by allowing them to live in low-quality segregated housing.
When the City closes an apartment complex in our neighborhood we need to fight to keep it closed and build something new there. Some of these places have been closed and reopened over and over. At 417/421 when it is closed down, people still come out there and sell. People that obviously don't live in the boarded up building. 500 Indiana is prime gang turf apparently. It has been closed and reopened.
We probably need to push for these places to be torn down quicker and fight for faster redevelopment. Doug seems to be working really hard, but there is no one else doing the same thing for La Mesa nor SSP.
Anyway, those are my thoughts this morning.
Have a wonderful and peaceful day!
Enrique
* * *
Hello Neighbors:
I think that we can easily get "responsive" to crime and end up with meetings like other neighborhood associations where 90% of the meeting is about crime. I think we need to stay proactive and focus on the prevention that will get us sound sleep and safe streets. Around many bases in the US are "ghettos."
This often happens because of the large scale building up cheap housing and economies where military money is the most secure and stable. Much of what we deal with - not all - has to do with the environment created. That environment was created by policies, or lack of policies, that are influenced by the priority of military expenditure, poor planning, racial and economic segregation, and other factors.
Equitable distribution creates healthier communities. Places like Vancouver where neighborhoods were consciously developed as mixed income has a much better quality of life than we do. Places with mixed income communities are often safer, and people healthier.
To me Weed and Seed never got around to enough seeding to be sustainable long-term. That was not the fault of the committee because the funding always leaned more to the weeding. Anyone knowing about gardening knows that if you clear a space and don't plant what you want, something you don't want will sprout up.
We need the redevelopment. We need housing redevelopment as much as we need the business redevelopment. We need to be comprehensive.
On the larger picture, the City needs to commit to equitable development for the entire City. We all know about rich people who commit crime and violence - income is not the determining factor. We all know about white people who commit crime and violence - race nor ethnicity are not the determining factor. We all know women who commit crime and violence - gender is not the determining factor. High crime areas grow out of communities that are economically segregated.
I think our goal should be continuing to bring assets and resources to our community. To build on the assets and resources we already have. And to reduce the low quality housing and infrastructure by replacing it with high quality mixed income housing.
People think CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environment Design) is cutting edge. I think it's nice, but is more of a bandaid than really commiting to revitalizing communities. I say we push for quality redevelopment of our neighborhoods. I say that we build off the work that already has momentum and transform our communities. Yes, we need some immediate help - and I'm in that boat. But a more sustainable and long-term change will come from quality redevelopment and investment. We do our neighbors no favor by allowing them to live in low-quality segregated housing.
When the City closes an apartment complex in our neighborhood we need to fight to keep it closed and build something new there. Some of these places have been closed and reopened over and over. At 417/421 when it is closed down, people still come out there and sell. People that obviously don't live in the boarded up building. 500 Indiana is prime gang turf apparently. It has been closed and reopened.
We probably need to push for these places to be torn down quicker and fight for faster redevelopment. Doug seems to be working really hard, but there is no one else doing the same thing for La Mesa nor SSP.
Anyway, those are my thoughts this morning.
Have a wonderful and peaceful day!
Enrique
Labels: Crime, Hell In Handbasket
