Archive for the 'Editorials' Category

By Cassandra Tribe

On May 1st, 2011, President Obama announced that Osama Bin Laden, leader of the al Qaeda had been killed. With this announcement, one of the most painful decades in American history was brought to a close.

Since Bin Laden authorized the 9/11 attacks on the U.S., we, as a country — as a people — have suffered from lives defined by fear. Despite the fact that after 9/11, al Qaeda and Bin Laden’s influence waned, they remained important to us as a symbol of terrorism that we sought to bring to justice in an attempt to heal our pain.

We — the people — have had to choose whether supporting the war on terror, with its high costs in money and lives, was more important than our own well-being in difficult economic times. We — the people — have suffered form the political and economic strain that the war on terror has placed on our country and relations with other countries, but we have done so with understanding and by choice.

This pursuit of Bin Laden has also served to unite us all and give us a common boogeyman, a monster whose horrors were so great they made the ones in our personal lives more bearable. While there is great rejoicing that the leader and symbol of terrorism against the West is no more, we must also be aware that there will be a period of strange grief to follow. Without a larger-than-life boogeyman to overshadow personal suffering, many will feel the true depth of their lives and losses for the first time. It will be harder to stand behind increases in military spending and increased military commitments when the reality that so many in this country are starving and homeless is at the forefront of our thinking.

Whether or not you believe that Bin Laden was captured and killed when the government said he was, or if you believe it is a gross manipulation of the voting public, we have to recognize that what has been a common unifying and distracting symbol for all of us has been destroyed. The war against terror is far from over, but we would do well to redefine what the primary terrorist that we pursue is.

As a country, we need to focus our efforts to fight the terrorist within. The one whose suicide attacks take the form of homelessness, hunger, and unemployment. The one who rallies their soldiers with messages that promote greed, hate, partisan self-interest and apathy.

Care must be taken that we do not race to find a new boogeyman abroad to distract us from this battle at home. We ahve fought and suffered overseas for long enough. While there is still more work to be done to end the reign of terror that al Qaeda began, it is time to bring our energy home and work on the battle within.

It is time to come home. it is time to take care of our own. it is time to heal the wounds that began long before that day in September.

By Irwin Becker

During our latest winter of discontent, with apologies to John Steinbeck, the state is entering another winter of record demand at already overcrowded and underfunded shelters.

So out of the usual pile of already forgotten and mostly impractical campaign promises, we have dug up statements from the recently elected Governor Lincoln Chafee, state treasurer Gina Raimondo and Mayor Angel Taveras of Providence. Here are their relevant remarks about homeless issues, some of which were requested by Street Sights and other homeless partisans. Continue reading ‘Keeping an Eye on Homeless Promises by the New Governor, Treasurer and Mayor’

By Irwin Becker

Here is my first annual Turkey Award which goes to our lame duck governor, Carcieri. With the state suffering its worst economic crisis since the Depression, the governor has repeatedly argued that to balance the state budget, as required by law, cuts must be made across the board for all programs.

So without much thought about the impact of fewer state dollars, programs that helped the poor, the working class, homeowners, educators, the elderly and the unemployed were slashed, forcing the cities and towns, all of which had no money to spare, to cut their necessary services and raise taxes. Continue reading ‘The Turkey Award Goes To…’

By Irwin Becker

One of the unheralded doctors working on health reform in Rhode Island is the diminutive Nick Tsiongas, or Doctor Nick, as he was known to the advocates who worked with him when the battles started to adopt lead poisoning prevention laws in Rhode Island. He happened onto that issue in the late 1980′s because he was then the only doctor in the Legislature. Continue reading ‘The Doctor is In…’

We fight injustice, we mourn our losses, we beg for understanding, and every so often we get to pause and celebrate.

This month there is much to celebrate in the Street Sights community. This past month staff writer Pamala Therrien was accepted into the Rhode Island College School of Social Work for her masters degree. She is committed to using her first-hand experience to help others. After one year in the Crossroads Women’s Shelter, Pamala plans to move in to her own apartment. We are sure her grandson will love to visit her in her new home! Continue reading ‘Street Sights Successes’

This March, Street Sights celebrates our two year anniversary. We have come from a one-page newsletter with a staff of four to a 12-page newspaper with a staff of more than 25, and from a distribution of 50 to 3,000. Our staff includes a wide representation of our community: homeless and formerly homeless people, high school and college interns, and professional journalists. We distribute our paper at more than 60 sites throughout Rhode Island. We build relationships with housing and homelessness-related non-profits. Our paper serves as a supportive community, empowering people without a voice. Continue reading ‘Street Sights Celebrates Two Years’