| Blogs > starwomyn > un·a·pol·o·get·ically STAR!!! |
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Washington D.C. and Baltimore I frequently climb on the train and head to Washington D.C. The first time I traveled to D.C., I discovered an aspect to humanity that I had not seen since leaving California. I quickly learned not to carry cash because the panhandlers would get it. I traveled to D.C. for a lobbying event with a group of women. We slept on the floor of a church. One woman commented on "We're homeless." I replied, "Naw, the homeless guy is the one sleeping on the church steps." Why do people have to live like that? I was a food stamp caseload worker for the homeless in California. It was my observation that most chronically homeless people are homeless because of issues with alcohol, substance abuse, and/or mental illness. Frequently, they don't change unless they have a reason or desire to change. The public has more issues with the squalid littering than the homeless. The solution is to keep young people from starting on this path in the first place. I've had opportunities to work with the William Penn House which builds community gardens and supports the Southeast White House located in the Randle Highlands neighborhood of Southeast Washington, D.C. The outreach center provides mentoring to young people and serves as a resource center and ministry to & families. A few years ago, I was in Washington D.C. and decided to take the train to Baltimore. My mission was to head to the Basilica with the mortal remains of Cardinal Gibbons, my late husband's famous cousin and to light a candle for Grumpy. I would have liked to explore the catacombs that lead to the tomb of Edgar Alan Poe and perhaps savor some Java at Fell's Harbor but I was told that it was too dangerous. The police said that criminals would gather together like wolf packs and target tourist. Trump wasn't kidding when he called it a rat-infested hell where nobody wanted to live. There is an abundance of empty dilapidated buildings surround and filled with trash. Vigrants live there because they are stuck there.   Abracadabra  |
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Full Moon over Baltimore Abracadabra
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I have some friends, much younger than me, who lived on the south side of Chicago..... not the infamous South Side, but they were very aware of it. When they traveled to other places, like out of state family gatherings, they liked to take regular highways instead of interstates, and see the smaller towns. One trip, they particularly liked a town they saw in central Illinois, and made the decision to get out of Chicago before their area deteriorated like they felt it was beginning to do. So they explored employment opportunities and found he could transfer, looked for and found a house they liked and made the move. Years later, they drove through their old neighborhood and was appalled, and a bit nervous because one end of the road was blocked off and they had to return back through it. I pity those who don't have the opportunity to leave such areas. Be a prism, spreading God's light and love, not a mirror reflecting the world's hatred.
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I have some friends, much younger than me, who lived on the south side of Chicago..... not the infamous South Side, but they were very aware of it. When they traveled to other places, like out of state family gatherings, they liked to take regular highways instead of interstates, and see the smaller towns. One trip, they particularly liked a town they saw in central Illinois, and made the decision to get out of Chicago before their area deteriorated like they felt it was beginning to do. So they explored employment opportunities and found he could transfer, looked for and found a house they liked and made the move. Years later, they drove through their old neighborhood and was appalled, and a bit nervous because one end of the road was blocked off and they had to return back through it. I pity those who don't have the opportunity to leave such areas. Abracadabra
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When I worked as a caseload worker in Ventura, California - we had two groups of homeless people. There were the Main Street Bridge people and the Oxnard Plains people. The Oxnard Plains people considered themselves upper class because they lived off the land while the Main Street Bridge people relied on the Soup Kitchens. They definitely did not want the responsibility of a regular job and paying rent. There was a casual labor outfit that would hire them on a daily basis. I also volunteered at the Ojai Valley Winter Shelters. This was a safer place for women who were often sexually assaulted at the ones held in Ventura. There was another shelter called "Turning Point" for the mentally ill. They had a lot of success stories. There were also 12 Step houses and sober living houses. If somebody wanted recovery, the resources were available but you can't push it on someone who doesn't want it. . Abracadabra
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