By Robert Park Every time it happens – some pathetic individual walks into some institution (often their employer) fully locked and loaded and shoots a whole bunch of people – it’s a big mystery. Most have had a mental health problem or a malignant grudge. Almost never is the public provided with the relevant facts and history. Journalists usually don’t even bother to try to find out. Of course, if the perp is still alive, there are due process privacy protections, but usually they’re dead. This is a fundamental failure of management in our public and private institutions, one that avoids scrutiny and accountabilities. People who have profound grievances regardless of validity deserve respect, serious consideration, public validation when appropriate, and a resolution process that leads to mutual acceptance. If principles of justice and fairness are contravened by legal or procedural obstacles, or defective precedent, the aggrieved complainant deserves full public support and credit; a credible process toward institutional investigation and correction should result. Another missing element in many employment-related massacres is the absence of a union support system that would collectively identify, assess and address grievances although, unfortunately, union officials are sometimes part of the problem. When union internal democracy is lacking, union leadership may not be under membership pressure to do the right things. This is another institutional failure. When people with complaints resort to the nuclear option: mass murder usually with suicide, the system has failed and the mystery keeps it covered up. Maybe if all records of complaints and institutional responses were legally preserved and, after massacres or other tragic events, made available to independent investigation, managers would be more thoughtful and careful in their responses. When present, mental health issues would be more reliably identified and appropriately, supportively dealt with. The public would recognize a lot of problems they themselves have experienced, and learn about new ones. Legitimate solutions would be debated. Politicians running for, or in, public office would be expected to weigh-in for their own accountability. This is local democracy.

By Anjanette Wells, Jerry Davis, Steve Sunderland, & Angela Bird Jerry Davis is a 54-year-old single African American who lives in a one-bedroom apartment in OTR. He is a high school graduate with some college (< 1 year). He is a long-time member of the Cincinnati Homeless Coalition and works several part-time jobs, one of which includes selling Street Vibes newspapers. He does not have a car, but typically uses public transportation. He understands well, that the daily hassles of life can often get in the way of his health. “When you’re working a lot, other things can get in the way of my health, and your health is not a concern,” Jerry admits. Before 2012 when Jerry moved into housing, he “was just living.” He reports, “I didn’t have any health issues or problems, but I also didn’t have a primary physican or take physicals; and I didn’t have health insurance, but I didn’t think I needed it.” Jerry shares his story of circumstances that initially delayed him from seeking preventive cancer screening. He feels that the lack of awareness, fear, substance abuse, mental health issues, cost and housing are all factors that got in the way of him initially not getting preventive health care services. Jerry reveals, “Cancer is a big thing in my family. My mother died of lung cancer and my grandmother died of cancer (type unknown) …. My mom, my step-dad, and my sister all smoked, so I began smoking in high school. That was my first mistake I made.” Jerry admits smoking “roughly a pack a day or within a 24 hour period.” He goes on to say, “I’ve thought about quitting smoking, but plan to quit before I turn 55. My aunt has COPD, so I need to think about quitting.” One of the first persons who recommended that Jerry stop smoking was a social worker. “I tried chewing gum a few times, but it didn’t really work, and I began to eat more, gain weight, and this led to other health issues.” Jerry plans to reconnect with the social worker at the clinic to try to get support in his efforts to stop smoking. He now has Buckeye health insurance, which can facilitate these efforts. Jerry recalls the precipitating event that encouraged him to begin prioritizing his health for the first time - hernia surgery. At this time, he went to the hospital for emergency hernia surgery. After surgery, he was referred to a primary care physician who recommended he have a prostate screening exam. He admited being worried: “I hoped they didn’t find anything, because my foster father died of prostate cancer and cancer runs in my family.” It took about one week to receive his results through the mail; and when he received the results they were negative, which he was relieved about. Prior to meeting this physican, he was not aware that he needed to have a prostate exam. Another motivating experience that encouraged Jerry to begin thinking about his health was during a health fair at the Duke Convention Center in 2007. While at the health fair, he heard Richard Roundtree (an African American actor who is well known for his portrayal of private detective, John Shaft in the 1971 film - “Shaft”) speak about his diagnosis of breast cancer. Just like many people, Jerry “did not know that men could get breast cancer.” However, the American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates for breast cancer in men in the United States this year (2019), there are approximately 2,670 new diagnosed cases of invasive breast cancer and approximately 500 men will die from breast cancer (https:// www.cancer.org/cancer/breast-cancer-in-men/about/key-statistics.html). Although breast cancer is less common among men, ACS recommends that men should still pay attention to breast lumps, especially men with a strong family history of breast cancer should get breast exams. Given Jerry’s family history of cancer, he still worries about his risk but realizes that if it is caught early, he will have the best outcome. Last year, Jerry reported he went to the clinic and they suggested that he have a colorectal cancer examination, which he did. He reports it also came back negative. Jerry believes there continues to be an urgent need for better education and access to these preventive cancer screenings.

By Bill Woods AHA ( Affordable Housing Advocates) held its annual meeting over lunch at the United Way on June 28th. The theme of this event was the new Affordable Housing Trust Fund established by Cincinnati City Council and how to effectively organize to insure adequate funding for it. Besides reviewing AHA's work to date on the Fund, the lunch featured a presentation by Amanda DeStefano, a Baltimore community organizer who helped lead a successful campaign to insure financing for a Housing Trust Fund in that city. AHA, a diverse coalition of organizations and individuals concerned about the lack of affordable housing in Greater Cincinnati, has been working for a number of years to improve this situation. Despite its efforts, the number of units available for low-income residents has steadily shrunk, and a recent LISC study found that Cincinnati and Hamilton County collectively had a 40,000 unit shortfall in affordable housing. The Trust Fund offers a potentially effective way to respond to this crisis, and AHA has spent the last year and a half both developing a trust fund model and championing this concept to local government officials. Josh Spring, Executive Director of the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, who co-chairs the AHA committee working on the Trust Fund, brought the lunch attendees up to date on the Fund's current status. Although City Council did establish a Fund several months ago, it still lacks an adequate funding base to do much to increase the supply of affordable housing. Spring noted the City has earmarked to the Fund approximately $600,000 from existing revenue from the Cincinnati Rail Road, but this entire amount would only finance a small number of units. What is needed to make a real dent, declared Spring, is between fifty and one-hundred million dollars annually. Where is such a large pot of money to be found? Spring explained that Trust Fund proponents have always advocated for multiple sources of funding, and he expects the County will allocate revenue to the new entity. He listed some other sources such as a tax on large housing developments that would then go to the Fund. Nevertheless, in order to produce the amount of money that would actually start to change the affordable housing equation, a major public initiative such as an entertainment tax will be required. If City Council isn't ready to accept this fact, noted Spring, then a grassroots ballot campaign led by AHA may have to be launched. "That is why," he continued, "we are looking at examples such as the successful campaign in Baltimore." Via Skype, Amanda DeStefano talked to AHA lunch attendees about the Baltimore experience. DeStefano was a key community organizer in the recent campaign to create a steady and sufficient revenue source for Baltimore's Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Established by a voter approved ballot initiative in 2016, the Fund languished when City Government failed to properly fund it. DeStefano then helped organize a grassroots campaign in 2018 that finally persuaded City Council to pass legislation establishing a $20-million annual resource for the Fund. DeStefano described the nuts and bolts organizing effort that led to City Council's action. An informal coalition of groups concerned about affordable housing provided the organizing base for championing funding for Baltimore's Trust Fund, and community organizers such as DeStefano worked to put together the actual grassroots campaign. Focusing on the city's faith community, sixty congregations became involved, and several Sundays were utilized to collect signatures for a ballot initiative. The ballot initiative that went forward in 2018 featured a one percent surcharge on sales and other transfers of non-owner residential and commercial properties. Not only did this effort include a well-organized signature gathering process, but it emphasized obtaining steady news media coverage. By the summer, the coalition had collected the 10,000 plus signatures needed to qualify its proposal for the November ballot, and faced with what looked like a certain grassroots victory at the polls City Council decided to negotiate with activist leaders to adequately fund the trust fund. Besides its focus on the Trust Fund, the annual meeting dealt with business such as the election of AHA’s board of trustees. AHA also gave its Affordable Housing Advocate Award of the Year to Elaina Johns-Wolfe, the lead author of the Cincinnati/Hamilton County Eviction Study, a project conducted under the auspices of the U.C Department of Sociology.

By Felix Winternitz Pothole season is now in full swing, as cracked sidewalks and roadways abound in the sizzling summer heat. So what better time to reveal this startling memo we've just unearthed: MEMORANDUM From: Larry Lice Stickinthemud To: All Highway Department Hired Hands Now that the rumor-mongering Channel 9 eye-teamers and the pond-scum over at the morning Cincinnati Daily Tattler are finally done taking their potshots at our beloved Queen City Highway Department, let me tell you the truth, the hole truth and nothing but the truth. These recent fake news reports have implied our department is less than satisfactory in battling pothole fever. Yes, it's true that an entire route in Northern Kentucky has been entirely closed to truck traffic, due to the rampant and raging craters. And yes, Cincinnati commuters are routinely complaining about their pesky broken axles and annoying punctured wheels. That said, the good citizens of Cinlandia can rest assured all is well with this annual rite of summer. The recent repairs and ongoing improvements on our key roadways, undoing the past repairs and improvements, will soon be followed by Phase 99 of the Strategic Paving Plan, commonly referred to as the Plan Du Jour. In this phase, orange barrels will be randomly scattered along critical lanes, despite the fact there are no accompanying road workers or highway construction equipment in evidence. Certain vital sections of Interstate 75 will be shut down in order to repaint the dotted white lines. At a later opportunity, we will shut down to repaint the yellow stripes, only to sand off that paint in favor of another shade of yellow, which we probably won't like much either and will remove. We will continue to pour cement onto Columbia Parkway, only to dig it up and replace it with other concrete pavement that looks pretty much the same. We will no longer block the I-275 exits with bulldozers for no apparent reason. In the future, we'll use dump-trucks. Insofar as the precarious roadway situation is constantly in flux, we understand that some residents may encounter difficulty when directing any tourists visiting our fair metropolis. Be that as it may, we simply cannot condone sarcastic replies to our own-of-town guests. If someone asks, therefore, "Can I drive to Kings Island via Interstate 71?" we feel it totally inappropriate to respond, "Depends. What day is it?" or "I dunno. Let's go check." A better answer would be to simply say, "Odds are, no." On a related matter, our Director of Utterly Haphazard Precautionary Motorist Measures has recommended that the highway department conduct a survey of commuters and their needs, in order to best spread the blame for our decision-making. We welcome the benefit of your thinking and input, as long as it doesn't interfere with what we've already decided to do. Above all, remember our proud propaganda motto: "We pledge to always do precision guesswork based on unreliable data, supplied by those of questionable knowledge." And whatever you do, don't ever suggest we're stuck in a rut. Simply call us the potty police. Happy Driving! Your Leader and Grand Poobah High Crater Command P.S. In the generous spirit of our reorganization, I'm re-branding myself with a new, improved name change. In future, rather than Larry Lice Stickinthemud, you can now call me HARRY Lice Stickinthemud.

By Dr. Mark Mussman “The first step out of oppression is expression” is a quote that Peaslee Neighborhood Center uses to emphasize the importance of the voice of the community. I have seen it attributed to long-time community changemaker, Bonnie Neumeier, who continues to educate and inspire people within, and outside, of our community today. The quote becomes more and more important each day, as the voice of the people is pushed to the side by powerful elites, such as 3CDC, the Mayor and City Manager, the Cincinnati Recreation Commission (CRC), and the Park Board. Not to mention the many developers and urbanists who are trying to craft a market-rate neighborhood at breakneck speed. It is difficult for community members to find a voice while all these powerful people are putting pressure on the neighborhood, changing it from a neighborhood of people into a profit. On the front battle lines are the public spaces that are dwindling before our eyes. The loss of Washington, Ziegler, and Findlay Park (Playground), the places in which community members cross paths, share stories, and express themselves, have hit us hard. Displaced from one park to another, community members are renegotiating their identities, while the fences go up around spaces used for conferencing and relaxing. The “squeeze” continues to push people out and into turf battles beyond the borders. The chaos that is created from displacement can’t be measured, but the body count continues to increase as factors such as poverty, homelessness, and loneliness push people into desperate situations, such as drug use and depression. One such public space that is currently under attack is Imagination Alley. Imagination Alley sits on the 1300 block of Vine Street, up the street from Venice on Vine, and across from buddy’s place. In early 2002, according to the Over-the-Rhine Community Art Collaborative book, published in 2008, Suzanne Fischer, a local artist, saw an opportunity to reclaim the space for the community, after already working on the Peace Bench mosaic for Washington Park. The CRC site would be transformed into a bright, colorful, safe space for the community to enjoy. The arch, with artwork designed by community children, was completed and installed in 2004 and the colorful ground mosaics, “The Long and Winding Road,” were designed by neighbors in drug rehabilitation programs. The collaboration that took place involved the Art Academy, Peaslee Neighborhood Center, and hundreds of Over-the-Rhine residents. Participants were encouraged to be creative and express themselves in the mosaics, and it’s worth taking a few minutes to look at the messages and images portrayed in the mosaics around the neighborhood. Unfortunately, the CRC rented out Imagination Alley for a couple of years to 3CDC so that they could park their construction equipment on it. The lease expired a couple of years ago, yet the conditions of the lease (that they would return it to the condition that it was in before the lease started) haven’t been upheld, as many lights are still not functioning in the park, and the concrete and tiles remain damaged in many locations. In early 2018, 3CDC came to the Over-the-Rhine Community Council asking for approval to sell the land to 3CDC so that a business could use it for outdoor seating. The council’s membership strongly opposed a full sale of the land, but was open to leasing part of the land. Ultimately, however, the process was muddied and unclear, and 3CDC essentially dropped the issue. Fast forward to late spring of this year, and we have a visit from Nino of Panino at the Over-the-Rhine Community Council. Now, between the first 3CDC visit and this one, Panino has added a permanent barrier, outdoor seating, along the sidewalk. Panino never came to the council with the idea of a permanent barrier blocking the sidewalk, but want our support for their take-over of Imagination Alley. As I am just a member of the community council, this is my perspective on what is happening, and I may be wrong, especially since I missed the last council meeting, where Nino returned asking for a vote for the privatization of Imagination Alley. At the first council meeting, where I was in attendance, Nino and his father came with food to soften up the crowd. Nino made a plea that could be summed up like this: “3CDC promised us that we could have a patio on Imagination Alley, we already know who uses the space, and they are criminals (but we help people there who are in need), so it would just be better if we took over the space for our patio.” And then they continued with “if we don’t have a patio, our business will close, and we have expensive products, so the farmers who make our high-end food will go out of business and people will lose their jobs if we don’t have a patio.” There was another level of self-sacrificing going on, where Nino claimed he is paid minimum wage. They even brought drafted plans for the layout of the space. It was clear that they felt burned by the promises of 3CDC, but their lack of communication with the community council was clear by the disconnect they had in their conversation. After several questions were asked about the price points and communication with people who use the space, they ended by reiterating that they brought free food on the back table. The second council meeting didn’t go well for Panino either, but I was not at the meeting so what I am recounting is from several sources who attended. Once again, the pitch to privatize Imagination Alley for Panino’s gain was made and the council had questions. Panino representatives made the argument for “good guys loitering” which is a racist and anti-poor perspective that is often taken in the backdrop of gentrification. The idea is that if “good guys” use a space, it will displace the “bad guys” to other places. The concept of “loitering” was created to push Black people out of the sight of the powerful by using police resources instead of having community conversations and mutual understanding. So to add another layer to that by adding “good” is just another level of racism and classism. Community council members pushed back on the good/bad dichotomy that was being pushed. Panino also said they would do free food events in the alley if they were able to privatize it. Members asked why they didn’t do this already, what is stopping them? They promised to do free-food events whether or not they received the positive vote. Observations on the spike-lined fence behind Panino were made, questioning their true desire to be embraced by, and embracing of, the neighborhood. In the end, a vote was called to support Panino’s takeover of Imagination Alley. The vote failed. The Over-the-Rhine Community Council voted to keep Imagination Alley public. I do not believe that this issue is completely settled. 3CDC acts like they o w n the space today, by placing their garbage cans across the entire back line of Imagination Alley. I feel that placement of smelly 3CDC garbage on Imagination Alley is disrespectful and is intended to reduce the quality of life and use of the park. Considering the amount of time and energy that was put into Imagination Alley, to turn it into a center for profit does not abide with the community expressions that make it what it is today. It is the microaggressions, such as placing garbage cans, putting up spikes, using terms like “good guys loitering,” and making promises without public input, that solidify that 3CDC is not for the community, but only seeks to increase their own wealth.

By Gabriela Godinez Marian Spencer died on July 10th, 2019 at the age of 99. She was born on June 28th, 1920, a granddaughter to a former slave. Spencer dedicated her life to fighting injustices and inequality in Cincinnati. Since her youth she had been educating herself on how to push for a better and more equal society, having joined the NAACP at just the age of 13. She would later become the first female president of the NAACP Cincinnati chapter. A leader by nature, she would also become the first African American woman to be elected into city council. As a social justice icon, she taught us to be brave. She taught us to do what is right even when it seems impossible, and she did so leading by example. In a heavily racist Cincinnati in the 1950’s, Spencer battled with Coney Island and desegregated the park and pool. Among other awards she received the YWCA Career Woman of Achievement Award, as well as the Humanitarian Award from the Freedom Heritage foundation of Columbus, Ohio. While her work and achievements were recognized and awarded, we as Cincinnatians could never truly thank her enough. She fought against racism and other injustices until the very end of her time on earth. Director of the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition says, “Mrs. Marian Spencer embodied strength and resoluteness. She demanded respect, acted and spoke with conviction. Whether at city budget hearings or rallying against Western and Southern as they worked to steal the Anna Louise Inn and remove women experiencing poverty from their midst, it was powerful and encouraging to know we were on the same side with Mrs. Marian Spencer.” We as a society still have a long way to go, but the path to justice would be much longer without Marian Spencer’s work. We have to continue her work, and she even told us so. In an interview with WCPO she says, “if I’m 6 feet under and something is going wrong up here, I’m gonna say, 'now you all get busy- you’ve been quiet too long.'”

By Gabriela Godinez Feregrino Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently said, “the fact that concentration camps are an institutionalized practice in the ‘home of the free’ is extraordinarily disturbing.” When met with outrage she tweeted that she refuses to apologize for calling the border camps exactly what they are: concentration camps. Right-wing propaganda media like Fox News jumped on the opportunity to say that the comparison was insulting to the communities who perished and to those who survived the Holocaust. In the United States, and many other places in the world, the term “concentration camps” is strongly associated with the Holocaust, but that is not when the term was coined. The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition for “concentration camps” reads as “a place where large numbers of people (such as prisoners of war, political prisoners, refugees, or the members of an ethnic or religious minority are detained or confined under armed guard.” Its first known use was in 1897. Because of this right-wing propaganda-guided shift of focus, TV journalists end up hosting debates in attempts to seem fair and unbiased. These debates and airtime ends up legitimizing arguments about semantics rather than the fact that children are dying under U.S. custody. While it might be important to discuss the meaning of terms since no one seems to agree on facts, it is mostly being used to waste time and energy so people become so tired of the topic that people end up ignoring actual atrocities. This is known as a “straw man” which the M-W dictionary defines as “a weak or imaginary opposition (such as an argument or adversary) set up only to be easily confuted.” One fact that we should be able to agree on is that these border camps in the U.S. are areas where large numbers of people, such as refugees and members of an ethnic group, are detained and confined under armed guard. We don’t have to call them the same thing, but we have to focus on the fact that they are happening and that they are deplorable. Slate has reported that the “U.S. Border Patrol is refusing citizen donations even as it holds migrant children without access to soap and toothpaste.” The New Yorker reported that “hundreds of immigrant children who have been separated from their parents or family members are being held in dirty, neglectful, and dangerous conditions at Border Patrol facilities in Texas.” This was almost not discovered, the article reads, because the Clint Facility usually houses a maximum of 104 adults and those investigating were reporting on child-focused conditions. But it was later reported to be housing “approximately three hundred and fifty children.” In another article by the Associated Press, “a traumatic and dangerous situation is unfolding for some 250 infants, children, and teens locked up for 27 days without adequate food, water and sanitation” in El Paso Texas. We should be able to agree that none of these cases should be acceptable nor should they be taking place in the United States of America. Many of the people being detained in these camps are not crossing the border illegally. According to The American Immigration Council, “The Refugee Act established two paths to obtain refugee status—either from abroad as a resettled refugee or in the United States as an asylum seeker.” If someone crosses the border into the U.S. seeking asylum, they are doing so legally. Many of these legal asylum seeking immigrants are being held in these camps and according to NBC News, federal data shows that 24 immigrants have died while under ICE custody. According to Vice News, this number does not include children that have died under other federal agencies, or those that have died shortly after being released from ICE custody. GQ published an article on June 5, 2019 stating “in July of 2018, 37 detained migrant children boarded vans in Texas so they could be reunited with their parents at the Port Isobel Detention Center. But when they reached the Immigration and Customs Enforcement–run detention facility, they had to wait. And wait. It took 39 hours and two nights spent sleeping in vans for the last child to be processed and reunited with their family, with most of the 5- to 12-year-olds waiting at least 23 hours in the center's parking lot.” This is not a new issue; this is deeply ingrained into our American history. It is part of our beginning, middle, and present. This country was built by murdering those who were already here, and then moving the surviving Native American into areas that the government deemed fit. In the 1900 the American government built concentration camps in the Philippines during the American-Philippine War. Years later Japanese Americans were displaced and moved into camps, stripping them of their possessions and jobs, all while dehumanizing them in the process. Now we are here, with camps at the border that rip families’ apart, let people die, and the cycle continues. It is up to us to vote, protest, and organize to say that we no longer will let this continue.

By Bill Woods An initiative moves forward to establish a Citizens' Organizing Round Table in Cincinnati. The purpose of the Round Table is to enhance citizen organizing in this area. Supported by a grant from the Murray and Agnes Seasongood Good Government Foundation, Applied Information Resources will plan and administer this initiative. This initiative is an outgrowth of an all day forum sponsored by the Seasongood Foundation in February. The event, "The Power of Organizing - Finding Your Community Voice," highlighted a variety of diverse organizing efforts. It featured panels and discussion groups on everything from basic neighborhood organizing to building coalitions in order to pass ballot initiatives. The theme of the forum and also the Round Table initiative is that without effective organizing average citizens are often overlooked in public decision making in Cincinnati, Columbus, and Washington, D.C. The growing power of "big money" in politics in recent decades has made it harder and harder for citizens to compete with lobbyists and powerful institutions in shaping policies and legislation that often impact their lives and neighborhoods. The goal of the Round Table will be strengthening the citizen voice through organizing. AIR's first task will be to put together an informal coalition of citizen organizers that will meet regularly to discuss local community organizing needs. By creating an entity comprised of people who represent diverse local citizens' organizing initiatives, AIR envisions a group that shares information, assists various community organizing activities, assesses the health of citizen involvement, and collaborates on issues when appropriate. A number of people who fit this description were involved in the February forum, and AIR will seek to include them as members of the Round Table. Initial organizations that will be asked to participate include the Peaslee Neighborhood Center, the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, Invest in Neighborhoods, the Sierra Club, CUFA, the Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center, the Woman's City Club, Community Shares, the League of Women Voters, Bold New Democracy, and Project AMOS. AIR hopes that the Round Table will begin informal meetings by late summer. At the start of its existence, the Round Table will be asked: "What can the group do to strengthen citizen involvement in public decision making and in addressing critical community issues? An important second question is: "How can the Round Table reach out to citizens and grassroots groups that need organizing assistance? For further information about this initiative, call AIR at 381-4994.

By Felix Winternitz It’s more than a hundred years come and gone since the last passenger pigeon on this planet, a copper beauty by the moniker of Martha, perished at the Cincinnati Zoo. Now, the play-land’s genetic sequencing czars are apparently preparing to revive the late, lamented species. For sure, most berserk cloning activists across the globe are squawking loudly in face of a stunning “quiller” memorandum – a birdbrain proposal, if you will– recently leaked in a Snowden tweet and later confirmed through a viral bird’s-eye “peep show” on YouTube. So people are definitely talking. Rumor is, these zoologists intend to parcel out passenger-pigeon pro-creative parts, chromosomes (long preserved inside a block of ice), with of all wild things, a bald eagle. So what here could POSSIBLY go wrong? For newcomers in the room, we offer a ruffling chit-chat with the chief stew-ologist at the Cincinnati Zoo and Soup Gardens, the esteemed Doctor F.N. Stein. First question: You’ve applied to the government, Doctor Stein, for permission to reverse engineer an entirely fresh species, crossing the biological strain of a passenger pigeon with the grand symbol of our once-proud country, the iconic Bald Eagle, to create a so-called Passenger Peagle. Isn’t this flighty concept something akin to crossing kittens with puppies- producing what, Kuppies, Pittens? “A fascinating query. It reminds me of a fact-finding mission I took to Guatemala last summer, in search of the Horned Guan Orcophasos derbianus. The natives call this spry fellah the “Flying Unicorn.” Now, back on point, if you are actually asking me WHY the Cincinnati Zoo of all places is breeding “pass-pigs,” as I prefer to call ‘em, well, I acknowledge the Queenly City is not routinely considered the eugenics capitol of the world. But we do possess in hand the only earthly cellular remains of the very last passenger pigeon on the planet, “Martha,” and her DNA sequence stringies belong to us, thank you very much (so don’t you dare tread on her piddle-biddle molecules until we’re totally done culturing).” Astounding. So it’s your nimble scheme, Mister Green-genes, to shake up Martha’s genomes in the mad laboratory equivalent of a Cuisinart, toss in some heaping teaspoons of predatory raptor BBQ wings and graft a whiff of carnivorous subatomic essence, all just to witness what baffling bootleg molecular mass might eject? Hmmm. What could be the down-side with this peculiar pecking order, other than to disrupt the biological order of the ages? “You absolutely fail to glimpse the panoramic picture, the bird’s-eye view. We are talking fertile ground here. I have a vision of recuperating America’s once-great prairie lands restored to their native state, to a past century of yore when trillions and trillions of these stupendous critters traversed the cloud atlas, regenerating like rabbits into the most prolific beak brand in North America. In the mid-1800s, the migrating buggers could turn the heavens black for hours, eclipsing the sun while emitting a sound best described as fierce mudslide gurgle. These innocent lovelies harmed no one (their voodoo pooh-doo excepted); the squabs simply thrived on their benign diet of beechnuts and buckeyes.” Twitchy. But back to smidgeons of homing pigeons fabricated from across creation’s eggy eons, your mutant cockatoo progeny, your particle-accelerated birds on the fringe. You’re up to a notion no less than remixing and re-mastering the Intelligent Architect’s handiwork, all to restore the universe to what celestial balance, exactly? “Yep, we are certainly busy here reshaping the fluttering cosmos. What better state than Ohio, where hunters sniped the last-recorded wild pass-pig, the wholly quail." Sketchy. So back to terra firma, if you can manage to reach sub-orbit. ... You say you’re turning to the test tube (well, hello, Dolly!) to encapsulate all the inherent sex appeal of locust plagues, flying cockroaches and eerie cicadas – all wound up into one impeccable bug-eyed creature with feathers and a predatory razor beak? “No comment. Oh, did I happen to notate that esteemed ornithologist John James Audubon first documented the carrier pigeons in his immensely illustrative journals, while he was still executive stevedore and exterior taxidermist for the Cincinnati Natural History Museum & Ye Olde Curiousity Shoppe. That was surely back in the day, when the institution proudly displayed shrunken pygmy skulls, Marsha Brady memoirs and Tea Party position papers. All this billow talk should surely make sweaty copy for you and your newsroom colleagues.” Random. So Martha picked Cincinnati to take her ultimate dirt-nap, flapping herself as she did along a blue skyway to the Big Nowhere?” Don’t depend on any winged rumors or cackling gossip here. The fox is in the hen-house. “It’s not the proudest moment here at our Betty Crocker Zoo-Soup and Britannical Gardens. Or “Zupe” as our excellent marketing department now phrases it. Poor Martha went to her reward at the distinguished age of 29 years.” Disturbing diatribe, Doc. Kerplunk! “Darwin! My fall-back stock response in these kind of pernicious interviews, above all else fails, is “Darwin.” Call it my-can’t-lose escape claws. Quoth the Raven, never-much-more. That, and I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout birthin’ no whiffling preschool pigeons.”

By Dr. Mark Mussman When you look around your neighborhood, what do you see? Do you focus on the people, going on about their day? How about the buildings and the businesses in them? We rarely take time to look deeply at the publicly owned assets that make up our community, but when they are in disrepair, we notice that someone needs to do something about it. But, who? And when? I want to feature the 4 or so blocks between Liberty and McMicken on Vine Street. The Vine Street Corridor is known as the main street between the east and west sides of the city. As Vine Street snakes its way up from the urban basin, it passes main institutions, such as the University of Cincinnati, the hospitals, the Zoo, churches, schools, and parks. Of course, many neighborhoods and housing is also located on, or near, Vine Street. I don’t know the exact origin of the name “Vine” for the street, but my theory is that it was named Vine Street because of Longworth’s hillside vineyard that spanned the hillside from Fairview to Reading Road. Therefore, a trip up Vine Street would bring you to the Vineyard before anything was built beyond the hillside. Local governments who struggle to fund necessary things like sidewalks, sewers, utility poles, and lighting, while at the same time finding funding for millionaire pet projects, should be ashamed of themselves. On this stretch of Vine Street, which is the most important street in our entire city, you can feel the shame of disinvestment. Broken sidewalks, crumbing curbs, rusty lights, and bootleg utility poles, all line Vine Street between Liberty and McMicken. A crumbling infrastructure greets the residents of this stretch when they walk out of their doors each day. The amount of pride someone takes in their neighborhood is probably affected by disinvestment like this. Yet, residents are blamed for not taking care of the neighborhood when litter is visible, or grafitti covers a wall. So many of the buildings are boarded up, yet many families are raising their kids along this corridor. A participatory budget is a type of governmental public input process. Essentially, when residents get to have input on the city’s budget, the values of the people are expressed. Our current budget process could be described as a “sham” because it is all about political posturing. The City Manager proposes a budget that outrages everyone just so the Mayor can come in and “save the day.” The community input sessions are shameful displays of inhumanity as people have to argue not to have their projects or positions put on the chopping block. The sessions generally last hours, with only some City Council members in attendance. It’s important for people to show up, but it all just seems like political theatre to me. What if we started with the budget of the people, and then approved slight modifications from politicians? Do you think we would give the majority of our budget to the police? Or do you think if the people chose where our money went, that we might put more than a paltry 1% of our budget into human services? A participatory budget would allow for us to tip the scales towards equity, rather than having an administration with no vision squander our money on things that do not affect our quality of life. Heading back to Vine Street, I want to point out something that blew my mind when I noticed it. Back in the 1800’s we had a robust publicly funded and run streetcar system. The streetcar was electric, so electric lines followed each route into the suburbs. Today, there are only a few remnants of the system: the turtle-shell lights you will see behind Music Hall, on Reading Road, and throughout the city; the random tracks busting through the road on Highland Avenue; the Car Barn on Vine Street; and the old electric poles. Some of the electric poles have been converted into light poles downtown. But there’s something unique about these poles from the 1800’s along this little stretch of Vine — they are holding up pieces of wood that hold the live utility lines. This is the most bootleg thing I’ve seen in years, which is just a reflection of how much the city values the residents of this part of Over-the- Rhine. I believe this is something that should cause outrage in our community. Not only has the CRC decided to close Findlay Playground without true public input, not only has the city allowed the sidewalks and lights to deteriorate, but we have probably the most unsafe and cheapest utility poles in the nation. The fact that they are from the 1800’s and were made for the streetcar, not for Duke Energy, should be a real concern to everyone. How can we allow this type of disinvestment continue? I guess we’ll see what happens as 3CDC storms up Vine Street over the next few years. They have already started working on the old brewery building, and many smaller developers have already started to set their vision on creating expensive market rate housing along the corridor. Once the low-income families are pushed out, and their apartments become condos, do you think the city will keep these bootleg utility poles? Or do you think somehow, now, after 150 years, they will find the money to upgrade the poles to a safe condition?

First of all, I want to apologize for my last article published in this newspaper.In that article I talked about my experiences selling Streetvibes in Cincinnati, having grown up in Detroit. At one point in the article, I mentioned the KKK and used vulgar language. For this, I am sorry. I’m from up north in Detroit and my mother Senithia Brown taught us about racism back in the day, about how we all still share the same blood. I’ve been selling Streetvibes since May 7th, 2009, so I just celebrated my 10th year anniversary. I would like to give a shout out to my Kroger people, Suder’s Art Store, The Little Mahatma, and everyone else. Since day one, you’ve all supported me. I have my good days, and my bad days. All the money I make goes towards household bills. Selling Streetvibes is a full-time job. I miss my mother and father and the rest of my family and friends that are in heaven or locked up. I wish they were here to see what’s going on in this world today. Selling Streetvibes gives me the opportunity to support my community while remembering all that my mother and father have given me. They gave street knowledge. My mother was strict, but she still loved and cared for me. My father taught me how to shoot dice, play chess, and play pool. Playing these games helped me see how life is so precious. We need to bring back the Pledge of Allegiance and the American flag to our school classrooms. Thanks to all our military people across the globe, for all the service they have put in to keeping this country safe. For every teardrop that comes out of my eye, I know that there is somebody, somewhere, who really needs help in this lifetime. By James Brown

My reality Depresses depression. Between stages And ages, What enrages me Is how my body Disagrees... Please stand... Watch how you land... A side of me does not feel... Knife thrusts are fake but the pain is real. Walk this way... Talk this way... Slurred speech Would impeach Recovery However, the discovery Of Neuro impulses Misfiring causes Those not afflicted To believe that I am addicted To some of that "Feel Good." I am still learning About my limitations Through pain sensations. I survived a 4 collusion Yet my body is indecisive in the decision Of how to live. Weakened immune system Strengthens my wisdom. My impairments do not detour my drive. I accomplished more with one eye than those who are alive But not living. Death is unforgiving So I do what i must To bring awareness as I discuss My joys and my disqust... One day at a time... In brief moments I find Familiarity... I wish I could hold on to the similarity Of who I was before July 25th, 2001 But I blinked. My day is almost over before I begun My daily rituals which are fear factor obstacles. A simple task that seem impossible... Today, I'm possible! will change hour by hour By Depthstroke the Cypher