Published in
March, 2010 in
Columns.
By Kristen Sherman
New bills have been introduced into the Rhode Island House and Senate that would expand police monitoring and reporting of “hate crimes” to include offenses against those who are homeless or perceived to be homeless. Under state law, the state police already monitor “hate crimes” that include “threatened, attempted, or completed acts that appear after investigation to have been motivated by racial, religious, ethnic, sexual orientation, as well as by gender or disability prejudice.” The records track the crimes by matters such as community in which the crime occurs, type of offense, and the target of the offense. If the proposed legislation passes, the monitoring system would also track crimes “motivated by prejudice against a person who is homeless or perceived to be homeless.” Continue reading ‘A Step In The Right Direction: Amending State Police Monitoring Laws To Include Hate Crimes Against The Homeless’
Alicia Wilcox
Alicia Wilcox
My name is Alicia Wilcox. I’m a 47 year old woman with five children, ages 14 through 26. I have been struggling with the disease of addiction since 1980. I have been addicted to crack cocaine and alcohol ever since I can remember.
Continue reading ‘Alicia Wilcox: Today I Choose to Live’
Published in
March, 2010 in
News.
February’s legislative highlights include:
• The House of Representatives received the Governor’s proposed 7.5 billion dollar 2011 budget bill and forwarded it to the Finance Committee for hearings. Finance Committee staff briefings on the budget bill began February 10th. The proposed budget plan cuts $135.3 million from aids to cities and towns and $27.0 million in school aid funds. (2010-H 7397) Continue reading ‘Smith Street Spotlight’
Published in
March, 2010 in
News.
By Melissa Howard
As ‘say no to national greed’ was echoed through a bull horn and signs urging ‘hot air won’t warm our children this winter’, a group of about 20 protesters gathered on a windy corner in downtown Providence on February 4 to rally against a major proposed electric rate increase by National Grid. Continue reading ‘Protesters Fight the Greed at National Grid’
By Diana Freeman
Providence is in need of a respite care facility. If a homeless person has surgery they will be discharged from the hospital, sometimes the next day, with nowhere to recuperate. Could you imagine walking seven to ten blocks for breakfast or walking the streets of Providence all day, carrying a backpack? Stitches “pop open,” causing infection, which may sometimes lead to another hospital stay. With no insurance, this costs tax payers even more money. A respite care facility would allow the homeless person to sit and prop up a broken foot or to walk the halls to gain strength or to make someone in the medical field change a bandage in a sterile environment. These people need compassion in a time of recovery.
Published in
March, 2010 in
Columns.
David Eisenberger
A.C.E. is the VA’s suicide prevention program.
The letters are an acronym that stands for the following:
A — Ask the veteran. (Try to interact in a manner that communicates concern and ask the question anytime you think the veteran’s a danger to him/herself). Continue reading ‘Suicide Prevention at the VA’
By Irwin Jacobowitz
Abuse of children at the hands of public school personnel has risen over the last two decades and the nation is outraged; children most likely to be abused are children with disabilities, the poor, and the homeless. The abuse presents itself in various forms: restraints, seclusion, and sometimes even death. Continue reading ‘Our Children Deserve Better’
By Rose Preston
This has been bothering me for a long time, so it’s time I get it off my chest. I could be wrong, but it seems to me that homeless outreach and awareness is sorely lacking in Rhode Island suburban areas. These areas may prove to be places of untapped resources. While residents in these areas read newspapers and watch local news, such reporting is just a flash before their eyes — not a conversation. Continue reading ‘The “Burbs”: An Untapped Resource’
Published in
March, 2010 in
News.
Left to right: Artist Richard Jacobellis, Rev. Mary Margaret Earl, administrator of McAuley House, and Rosie Connors, President of the McAuley Ministries' board of trustees pose proudly by Richard Jacobellis’s artwork.
By Francisco Gonzalez
On February 11 McAuley Ministries (aka: McAuley House) at 622 Elmwood Avenue, Providence, held its 4th annual art show featuring the artistic creations of neighbors and friends. While dubbed “From the Heart” to celebrate an upcoming Valentine’s Day, it was much more than that: a totally awesome night. The event rivaled any upscale art exhibition’s grand-opening… catered to the hilt by RISD Caters, Johnson and Wales University, and City Line Distributors — it was smorgasbord heaven! With plenty of volunteers offering delicious morsels at every turn, and Celtic harpist Mary King setting the mood, it was an event from which no one wanted to leave early. Continue reading ‘McAuley Ministries Exhibits Art with Heart’
By Charles Sherman
A baby, a father and a mother
A sister, an aunt
Let’s not forget the grandparents and the brother
A meeting, a smile, a hug and a kiss
A question then a wedding
Damn, why am I reading this
A car, a truck an a bus wait and a plane
A little store an a big one
A trolley, a bike and even a train.
Come please stop me
Why am I reading this
This poem is as messed up as can be
Stop reading if you want to
Look a bird
Yea I know what else is there to do.
A cop on a horse, a cop on a bike
Do you have the time
What… you don’t like this, take a hike.
The end should be near
I hope
The end should be here
What…more to go
Why why why?
Want to read on? no no no.
Ok I will end it here
Wow you read a lot
And nothing was clear
Now you knew this poem made no sense from line 1
This poem did one thing it was wrote for
It made you have a little fun
By Josh Hicks
Eyes may see the mere
Blur of things: ago
Listen and perhaps you’ll hear
How the past may flow
Take a smell of the wafting was
From a step behind the scene
Cause, affect, and endless cause
Of a dream inside a dream
By Thavanda Khoun
You and I went through some tough times but we have made it through.
You’re the only one I could ever trust. I can see it’s hurting you, and I can feel your pain.
Words crash my brain and everything I do, you always blame on me.
Why You?
I wish everything will be the same like before. Some people don’t remember my name anymore.
They remember my face but my past will never erase from my heart.
Somehow I know that we will never depart from each other.
I love you so much that my feelings are so sad
that you might not understand me.
I will always be with you forever.
Listen to what I have to say.
I guess it was good to be true. I was right when I said it wasn’t good enough for you.
My hopes were up
and my heart was held high,
then you let me go
and for a moment I died.
I woke up and began to think that you may care about me a lot.
There are times I feel alone or happy being around you,
I feel sad or mad;
I just realized that I couldn’t make it without you.
I will not be complaining about this.
Why You?
By Alicia Wilcox
I remember the mornings when I walked through the street
With no place to go, or nothing to eat
During the winter, with sneakers on my feet
During the summer thinking it was alright
But when I laid my head down I was lonely at night
During the fall when the leaves fell off the trees
Waking up bloody because someone abused me
During the spring, when the star’s where shinning bright
Thanks to Crossroads I’m not homeless tonight.
Published in
March, 2010 in
News.
Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri’s proposed budget eliminated funding for the Neighborhood Opportunities Program (NOP), which subsidizes housing for low-income families. Continue reading ‘Governor’s Budget: A Blow to the Homeless’
Published in
March, 2010 in
News.
2-1-1 is an information and referral line available 24/7/365 in 175 languages and dialects. This free and confidential service helps people connect to social services offered by approximately 720 health and human service providers, government agencies and community-based organizations. Continue reading ‘What is 2-1-1?’
By Irwin Becker
McKinney Shelter, Newport
Edward Mumford, 41, died January 16 during a freezing night on the street across from a Newport shelter, ending a complicated life as a house painter, fisherman, and descendent of one of the city’s founding families.
Continue reading ‘The Death of an Unknown Famous Man’
Published in
March, 2010 in
News.
Staff of Center For Prisoners Health and Human Rights from Left to Right: Fizza Gillani, Rosemarie Martin, Helen Loewenthal, Tim Flanigan, Curt Beckwith, Nathaniel Lepp, Nick Zaller. Seated: Jody Rich
By William Harter
This month’s Humanitarian Award goes to the staff of the Center for Prisoner Health & Human Rights, led by Dr. Josiah Rich and Dr. Scott Allen. The center’s work was initiated by HIV specialist Dr. Charles Carpenter who began working with HIV-positive women prisoners in 1980 and by Dr. Timothy Flanigan who took over the care of HIV-positive inmates in 1990. Continue reading ‘Center Ensures World Class Care For HIV Positive Rhode Islanders Behind Bars’
Published in
March, 2010 in
News.
Pat Blackman, a.k.a. Grandma Muggle
By William K. Harter
This month’s Rainbow Award goes to Patricia (Pat) Blackman of Providence for her generous involvement in the community, church and children’s welfare. She has been a volunteer all her life, even as a child. Among her many volunteer activities for children, Blackman has been involved with Head Start, Girl Scouts (leader) and has been busy entertaining children at hospitals and schools, where she was known as “Clara the Cartoon Clown.” She is known to take a kid’s simple scribbles and make it into a cartoon. Continue reading ‘Grandma Muggle: Giving Back to Others’
