Archive for the ‘Poverty’ Category

By: PunkJohnnyCash (GonzoTimes.com), Contributing Writer for AnaiRhoads.org

Here in Northeast Kansas City there has been a patriarchal power elite enforcing it’s desires upon the people. They say the answers to the problems of the Northeast can be found in locking human beings in cages or from forcing them out of the city. Women who are prostituted out are being further victimized by their self righteous legislation. The only help most of these women have is located in the Northeast. Their legislation bans these people from Northeast Kansas City. The Power elites Adam Schieber With the Bourgeois Neighborhood Association and Will Royster are on their crusade to use their power to gain what they desire. Will Royster has expressed his hatred to other human beings who are different than himself in an article in The Pitch: Meet the most notorious prostitute in a neighborhood known for – and trying to get rid of – its hookers. The article boasts his patriarchal credentials in his family lineage and the power they have wielded in this neighborhood for well over a century.  The article is interesting in the fact that it depicts the wealthy patriarch in his large historic home with his family as he maintains his battle against the human beings suffering on the street. Their opposition is Nick Pickrell, one person who had dedicated his life to fixing the very problems they claim to oppose. My opinion and stance is not that of Nick Pickrell or the Cherith Brook community.

Nick lives at  the Cherith Brooke Home, a community that is dedicated to helping those in need, a part of the Catholic Worker Movement.  The people at Cherith Brooks are wonderful, they open their home to those in need of shower, food and other resources. They have given their lives to fight against the exploitation and plight of other human beings. We have one side, those who are out in the community working hard to care for those suffering in the community. Then we have the other side working hard to put human beings in cages and make any effort to get out of a bad situation worse with the new felonies they invent with their religious devotion to the words they write and label “rule of law.”

Dear Bourgeois Neighborhood Association & Will Royster, Beating your slaves and wives was also protected and defended by “rule of law” at one point. I guess that made it right.

In the middle of all of this are the victims, the human beings that the “rule of law” threatens to attack and kidnap off the streets by their foot soldiers in blue. Here the century old patriarchy claims “right” over the region. They hide behind their invented titles and wear their wealth and status found through the coercive system of the state.  One group gets their hands dirty by being in the center of the problem voluntarily giving of themselves and working hard with human beings to help with their plight. The group side gets their hands dirty with the victimization of the poor and powerless forcing their will upon them.

I first became aware of this when they were working hard to pass SOAP/SODA.

SOAP stands for “stay out of areas of prostitution,” and SODA is an acronym for “stay out of drug areas.” They’re a new technique in crime prevention. A habitual prostitute, for example, might get a SOAP order as part of her probation. If she got busted for working on Independence Avenue, she wouldn’t be allowed to hang out there anymore. Some Old Northeast neighborhood groups are pushing officials to use SODA/SOAP clauses more.

Read more: http://blogs.kansascity.com/crime_scene/2009/05/should-old-northeast-use-soap-and-soda.html#ixzz0u8ppUSky

I write this because of an e-mail that was sent to me this morning. I want to share this with you all.

From Nick Pickrell

Hey there! It has been a long while since we have sent any information out…so here we are once again.

The reason for this email is to invite you all to attend one of two events coming up. The main individual responsible for getting the SOAP/SODA passed through the city hall last year is now running for political office. He is running for the district 40 seat on the state legislature. recently, he released a flier that went around to many of the Northeast residents. In the flier, Royster misrepresents himself by stating that he “acts, not just talks.” Unfortunately, Will Royster was absent from all the Northeast Working group meetings where community advocates and residents met with the city prosecutor to work out how to positively affect change in the Northeast through restorative justice practices instead of SOAP/SODA’s drastically increased criminalization of women who are being prostituted.

Okay, so here is where you come in. We are wishing to have a presence at these political forums coming up. We wish to hold Will Royster accountable for misrepresenting himself. We are asking for folks to come en masse to one -OR BOTH- town hall meetings. Please spread the word to as many people as you can. Invite any advocates, social workers, ministers, and community organizers as you can.

Below is the flier Royster issued as well as the information for the 2 upcoming town hall events. Thanks! Peace to you all.

EVENT INFO:
*************************************************
Tuesday, July 20th at 6:30pm,
at Northeastminster Presbyterian Church (301 S. Van Brunt)

Thursday, July 22 at 7pm,
at Grace Church of the Nazarene (4300 Independence Ave. Kansas City, MO)

*************************************************
WILL ROYSTER FLIER
(front) “There is only one person who’s plan was endorsed by prosecutors and neighborhood leaders to: REMOVE street gangs from Northeast / ELIMINATE drug houses plaguing our neighborhoods / STOP the prostitution on our streets.” (The last heading includes a picture of Darlene cut and pasted from the Pitch article)

(back) “Will Royster is a community leader who truly captures the essence of community leadership – looking out for his area, coming up with solutions. . .he’s done a fantastic job.” – Cathy Jolly
“Will Royster initiated the strongest legislation ever introduced in Kansas City to combat gangs, drug houses and prostitution in Northeast. In his first session in Jefferson City, Will pledges to work with leaders on both sides of the aisle to introduce legislation to drastically increase penalties on those convicted of gang violence, drug dealing and prostitution. A true neighborhood advocate, Will Royster is a proven leader with proven experience.”
“The Pitch Weekly / September 10, 2009 “Will Royster is a Dad who wants his kids to grow up in a neighborhood that’s safe.”

*************************************************
Here are excerpts from ROYSTER’s INTERVIEW (from northeastnews.net ) – coming out July 14th:http://northeastnews.net/meetcandidates.html
If elected, what are the first three bills that you will submit to the Missouri House?
1) State enabling legislation allowing Kansas City to confiscate abandoned property faster and easier than currently allowed.
2) State enabling legislation allowing for violation of drug/gang/prostitution “Stay Out Of Area” orders to an automatic felony conviction.
3) State enabling legislation allowing the city of Kansas City to grant legislative and enforcement autonomy to selected neighborhoods regarding codes, zoning, liquor control, Section 8 density, and sex offender residential density within its boundaries.
(many questions and answers cut out here)
Crime, especially gang activity and prostitution, is an ever-present problem in the Northeast. As a state legislator, what would you do to assist our local police, courts and citizens as they address this problem? Drugs and prostitution are completely interconnected with gangs and vacant buildings. I would continue to advocate for County adoption of the SOAP/SODA anti-prostitution, anti-gang resolution, which was unanimously passed by City Council and municipal judges, so that we could have integration of the Drug Court into cooperative work with City Courts. I would also seek state legislation elevating violation of these orders to a felony level.
In your own words, why should you be elected to represent Northeast?
Because I promise nothing that I have not already done. I don’t just run for office every two years and talk about what I’ll do for Northeast — I accomplish things for Northeast, and I promise to continue doing so in an official capacity as state representative. In the last six years and four elections, my opponent has accomplished nothing for Northeast. More importantly, he hasn’t even tried. My “interests or hobbies” are [my community involvement — which is listed in full on www.northeastnews.net]. That’s what I do. That’s what I’ll continue to do. This election is about action vs. talk; progress vs. blight; and public service vs. self-service.
************************************************
ONE LAST TIDBIT – AFL-CIO endorsement troubles about Royster

From Will Royster

One note of clarification: I did attend the first meeting that Beth Murano orchestrated (at St. Anthony’s). I disagreed with the direction the pro-prostitute lobby was taking the proceedings, because it sought to remove prostitutes from anti-prostitution legislation. Drug-addicted prostitutes are the brokers for gang-related drug dealings. Graffiti marks gang territory in which gangs sell drugs and control prostitution.

Gangs, drugs, and prostitution promote blight. SOAP/SODA removes blight.

Just so that everyone knows my position on this: I do not support “watered down” anti-prostitution initiatives over proven anti-prostitution solutions.

Sincerely,

Will Royster

From The Bourgeois Neighborhood Association

Historic Northeast Leaders and Residents,

I have no desire to make this a fight between 2 campaigns and we get forced to pick sides, but an email copy at the very bottom of this email will detail an attempt by one person to rally a group of outsiders to influence how Northeast protects itself. Read the email I have attached below from a guy named Nick Pick[sic], a response from Will Royster, and then read my response which is the 7 points directly below.

Here are the facts of the situation:

1) Nick Pick[sic] is the public face for Cherith Brooks and Veronica’s Voice for opposition to ANY enforcement of ANY legislation that focuses in ANY way on the prostitute. I attend the same church as Nick Pick and respect his heart for serving the poor. He has a lot of grassroots support from people who mean well but know little about living in the Northeast with crime all around you. Nick may be one of the few who may claim to live in the Northeast as he within the past year (I believe) moved into the homeless house known as Cherith Brooks on Benton Boulevard. He is living here in the name of serving and living with the homeless (a worthy cause), not as a resident trying to provide a decent life for a family and safely raise kids in an historic section of town.

2) I, as an elected neighborhood leader, support the rule of law in the Northeast in general; and specifically believe street prostitution is and should continue to be illegal and it should be enforced, and, as with any enforced crime, should have penalties for violation of said crime. Any attempt by non-residents to tell us that it is wrong to enforce the rule of law should face the highest opposition from the Northeast leaders and residents. I am confident that past state legislators such as the respected Ronnie DePasco, or even Henry Rizzo, would not have stood for this when they were NE leaders – some outsiders coming in to tell us we shouldn’t enforce laws against street prostitution. I think we all can think of lots of other crimes that PLAGUE this community because a total lack of respect for basic laws. Littering, fireworks, street racing, street prostitution, drug lords, felons with guns, graffiti, rape, murder – it is indeed a slippery slope.

3) It is important to understand the 40th District race implications of the intended actions of Nick Pick[sic] and his outside posse. As Scarritt Neighborhood President and Cliff Drive Corridor Management Committee President, I attended a meet and greet for JJ Rizzo last night and identified myself as such to JJ. I am trying to attend many functions to let candidates know the Northeast community has a voice and wants to know how each candidate proposes to help the Northeast make their communities better. JJ spoke of attacking prostitution, but by focusing on the men who purchase sex, not the prostitutes. I recognized it as a repeat of ideas from past SOAP/SODA opponents, but respect that JJ is entitled to his own ideas if he can come up with them. However, it is clear from the email below that Nick Pick[sic] is directly working with one campaign to smear an opposing candidate (he is mentioning items that have nothing to do with SOAP/SODA, such as an AFL-CIO endorsement, and its bent on de-railing the campaign of a supporter of SOAP/SODA), and it going to leave Northeast as an even bigger hub for illegal street prostitution if he is successful.

4) As neighborhood presidents, Indian Mound President Scott Wagner, Pendleton Heights Past President and Current Vice President Kent Dicus, myself, East Patrol Major Ell, Jackson County Legislator Teresa Garza-Ruiz, city prosecutor Beth Murano, ALL of the city council, and ALL of the civil court judges of Kansas City, have ALL come out in support of SOAP/SODA legislation to continue to combat the rampant illegal street prostitution that is a black mark behind our businesses, in front of homes, and across our community. As neighborhood president I continue to support such legislation and hope that all listed above have the courage to continue to stand up to crime in broad daylight and say “Not in our community!”

5) I will continue to support the residents of the Northeast and their proposal of SOAP/SODA, led by Scarritt’s Renaissance Neighborhood Association and their board members. I will seek help from any and every elected official and any and every candidate who wants to offer support for SOAP/SODA.

6) I call upon ALL Northeast neighborhood associations to publicly show support for the rule of law in our community, and that illegal activity should be forcefully prosecuted by the Kansas City, MO Police Department and the City Prosecutor’s Office. That can range from fireworks to street racing, from littering to street prostitution. I call on all Northeast neighborhoods who believe crime should not be allowed to exist in broad daylight in our community to publicly call for residents to stand up against outsiders who think they know better than we do how we should protect our families. If you specifically believe your neighborhood has an issue with illegal street prostitution, I challenge you to support SOAP/SODA, or for your residents’ sakes, offer an alternative that carries that same respect for rule of law and consequences for those who chose to break the law of illegal street prostitution. There is no point in going to the table with individuals who seek to remove any criminal case for illegal street prostitution, when in fact the current situation in the Northeast demands we receive more criminal enforcement.

7) As Scarritt Neighborhood President, I ask that you forward this email on to your neighborhood association members, friends, and neighbors so they have a chance to counter a group of outsiders coming in to tell us how we should keep our families safe. Please attend the upcoming forum on Tuesday, July 20th at 6:30pm, at Northeastminster Presbyterian Church (301 S. Van Brunt) and stand with me to support the rule of law in Historic Northeast.

If you have any questions or comments feel free to me.

Sincerely,

Adam Schieber

President, Scarritt Neighborhood Association

These men label the opposition as an “outsider” in the same xenophobic way one attacks the migrants. They seem to be playing on the “us vs. Them” concept to discredit the people they do not like in this way. Furthermore, The only defense they give repeatedly is the same defense the anti-migrant movement gives “it’s the rule of law.” This defense stands on nothing short of the cultural myth that these “laws” that rich men invent and write on paper are somehow sacred or holy. This is all despite the fact that no person they are aggression against ever signed the contracts these men wrote to justify the kidnapping and aggression against a population they feel uncomfortable with. These “laws” are nothing more than contracts between these bourgeois men on how to pay their foot soldiers and what marching orders to give them.

by Stephen Lendman

This writer’s earlier articles addressed greater social misery in America than since the Great Depression, because of unemployment, homelessness, hunger, bankruptcies, despair, and rising poverty levels.

According to the National Academy of Science, 47.4 million Americans were impoverished in 2008, 15% of the population, but the true number is much higher since the government’s income threshold is $22,000 for a family of four, way short of what’s needed throughout urban America where even half again as much is too little.

Illinois is a microcosm of the nation. Facing the largest per capital budget deficit in America, equal to half its operating budget, it’s in deep crisis, one of many problems being poverty, the issue the Heartland Alliance addressed in its May 5 report titled, “2010 Report on Illinois Poverty,” deepening under budget-balancing social safety net cuts, making a bad situation worse for growing numbers throughout the state, suffering under dire economic conditions, exacerbated by bad public policy.

The Heartland Alliance “advances the human rights and responds to the human needs of endangered populations – particularly the poor, the isolated, and the displaced (in search for) a more just global society” – no easy task in today’s environment, in Illinois or throughout the nation, given that 32 states are officially insolvent, including Illinois, and nearly all of them are severely challenged. 

Years of Mismanagement Pushed Illinois Over the Edge

The state’s budget crisis threatens vital services like food stamps and unemployment insurance, besides healthcare, education, and various programs for the needy, under consideration for cuts or elimination.

The combination of material hardship and high unemployment threatens to impact Illinois’ economy for years, yet will worsen from draconian counterproductive measures, the very policies earlier enacted with new ones being considered.

Illinois Poverty in 2008

Based on US Census poverty guidelines, over 1.5 million Illinoisans are impoverished (44% of them in extreme poverty), or 12.2% of the population. Another 16% are at risk, a potential 28.2% total, or over 3.5 million people, and those numbers are conservative. Among them are over half a million children and one-third of the state’s Blacks, another half million.

Given the woefully out-of-date federal $22,000 threshold for a family of four, the true problem is far greater, likely double the official numbers or higher, showing dire Illinois conditions that reflect the state of the nation – worsening, not improving.

Other Heartland figures show:

– nearly one million Illinoisans unemployed or underemployed, and many more have stopped looking altogether;

– in the last decade, offshoring cost thousands of high-paying manufacturing and other jobs, replaced with lower-paying service ones; from 2000 – 2008 (before the economic downturn’s full impact), 168,500 service jobs replaced 203,000 manufacturing ones, a trend very much evident nationwide;

– nearly one in five working age Illinoisans live in extreme poverty;

– workers with less than a high school diploma are nearly four times more likely to be unemployed; 54% of working age adults in extreme poverty have a high school degree or less;

– despite their known benefits, early childhood programs are being eliminated, likely when the Illinois Preschool for All program expires in summer 2010;

– one in eight adults avoided doctor visits in the past year because of cost;

– 52% of Illinois school children qualify for free or reduced cost school lunches, an indication of impoverished families; the 2008 number was 42% higher than in 2000, and today it’s much higher still;

– impoverishment means doing without health insurance and doctor visits when needed;

– 50% of Illinoisans choose between paying for food or utilities like heat in winter;

– 44% decide between buying food or paying rent or mortgages;

– for 36%, the choice is between food and medicines and medical care;

– in March 2010, one of every 371 Illinois homeowners got a foreclosure notice; a far larger percentage is at risk;

– residents with disabilities face severe cutbacks in benefits; many can’t meet expenses for rent, mortgages health care, and other essentials;

– from mid-2006 – mid-2008, the number of homeless children enrolled in public schools increased 32%;

– nearly one-fourth of state residents have no savings, checking or money market account;

– the average Illinoisan is over $11,300 in debt;

– one of every seven state households is in extreme asset poverty, having zero or negative net worth and no ability to handle emergencies;

– over 20% of Chicagoans are impoverished, another 21% at risk; suburban areas are also heavily impacted, though less than the city proper;

– around 40% of region households earn less annually than $50,000; given the area’s high cost of living, they’re effectively impoverished based on a September 2009 University of Washington School of Social Work Research Center & Center for Women’s Welfare Social IMPACT study showing the minimum family need, in the eight regional counties, to make ends meet is $52,000 in Chicago; in suburban DePage county, it’s nearly $62,000;

– metropolitan Chicago has been hard hit by job losses, declining incomes, and increased home foreclosures and bankruptcies, the same pattern common nationally; and

– 52% of regional residents in extreme poverty aren’t employed, including seniors, the disabled, and children.

Hearland noted that its project began earlier when America was prosperous and future prospects looked favorable. Their recent annual reports caution that earlier good times haven’t continued, nor were all boats lifted while they lasted.

Today’s situation is dire. “The Great Recession has crumbled economic stability for millions of families” though loss of jobs, incomes and benefits, homes, businesses, savings and futures. And as always, those hardest hit will be slowest to recover, and many won’t ever make it.

Most study data was the latest available through 2008, so didn’t fully capture today’s conditions. Nonetheless, “the magnitude of hardship reflected here is staggering,” and suggests much worse ahead next year.

For growing numbers in need, what’s coming “will be nothing short of devastating” because lawmakers are fighting hard times counterproductively, cutting back when stimulus is needed. The result, of course, is predictable – hard times for years to come. Perverse governance is the problem, harming millions of the most vulnerable, their numbers growing exponentially because nothing is being done to help them – in Illinois or nationally.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

Every year, authors, journalists, teachers, researchers, schoolchildren and students ask the World Food Programme for statistics about hunger and malnutrition.

To help answer these questions, the organisation compiled a database of useful facts and figures on world hunger:

GLOBAL HUNGER

• 1.02 billion people do not have enough to eat – more than the populations of USA, Canada and the European Union;
  (Source: FAO news release, 19 June 2009)
• The number of undernourished people in the world increased by 75 million in 2007 and 40 million in 2008, largely due to higher food prices;
  (Source: FAO news release, 9 Dec 2008)
• 907 million people in developing countries alone are hungry;
  (Source: The State of Food Insecurity in the World, FAO, 2008)
• Asia and the Pacific region is home to over half the world’s population and nearly two thirds of the world’s hungry people;
  (Source: The State of Food Insecurity in the World, FAO, 2008)
• More than 60 percent of chronically hungry people are women;
  (Source: The State of Food Insecurity in the World, FAO, 2006)
• 65 percent  of the world’s hungry live in only seven countries: India, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan and Ethiopia.
  (Source: The State of Food Insecurity in the World, FAO, 2008)

CHILD HUNGER

• Every six seconds a child dies because of hunger and related causes;
  (Source: State of Food Insecurity in the World, FAO, 2004)
• More than 70 percent of the world’s 146 million underweight children under age five years live in just 10 countries, with more than 50 per cent located in South Asia alone;
  (Source: Progress for Children: A Report Card on Nutrition, UNICEF, 2006)
• 10.9 million children under five die in developing countries each year. Malnutrition and hunger-related diseases cause 60 percent of the deaths;
  (Source: The State of the World’s Children, UNICEF, 2007)
• The cost of undernutrition to national economic development is estimated at US$20-30 billion per annum;
  (Source: Progress for Children: A Report Card on Nutrition, UNICEF, 2006)
• One out of four children – roughly 146 million – in developing countries are underweight;
  (Source: The State of the World’s Children, UNICEF, 2007)
• Every year WFP feeds more than 20 million children in school feeding programmes in some 70 countries. In 2008, WFP fed a record 23 million children.
  (Source: WFP School Feeding Unit)

MALNUTRITION

• It is estimated that 684,000 child deaths worldwide could be prevented by increasing access to vitamin A and zinc
  (Source: WFP Annual Report 2007)

• Undernutrition contributes to 53 percent of the 9.7 million deaths of children under five each year in developing countries. This means that one child dies every six seconds from malnutrition and related causes.
  (Source: Under five deaths by cause, UNICEF, 2006)

• Lack of Vitamin A kills a million infants a year
  (Source: Vitamin and Mineral Deficiency, A Global Progress Report, UNICEF)

• Iron deficiency is the most prevalent form of malnutrition worldwide, affecting an estimated 2 billion people.6 Eradicating iron deficiency can improve national productivity levels by as much as 20 percent.
  (Source: World Health Organization, WHO Global Database on Anaemia)

• Iron deficiency is impairing the mental development of 40-60 percent children in developing countries
  (Source: Vitamin and Mineral Deficiency, A Global Progress Report, p2, UNICEF)

• Vitamin A deficiency affects approximately 25 percent of the developing world’s pre-schoolers. It is associated with blindness, susceptibility to disease and higher mortality rates. It leads to the death of approximately 1-3 million children each year.
  (Source: UN Standing Committee on Nutrition. World Nutrition Situation 5th report. 2005)

• Iodine deficiency is the greatest single cause of mental retardation and brain damage. Worldwide, 1.9 billion people are at risk of iodine deficiency, which can easily be prevented by adding iodine to salt
  (Source:  UN Standing Committee on Nutrition. World Nutrition Situation 5th report. 2005)

• WFP-supported deworming reached 10 million children in 2007
  (Source: WFP Annual Performance Report 2007)

FOOD & HIV/AIDS

• In the countries most heavily affected, HIV has reduced life expectancy by more than 20 years, slowed economic growth, and deepened household poverty.
  (Source: 2008 UNAIDS Global Report on the AIDS Epidemic)

• In sub-Saharan Africa alone, the epidemic has orphaned nearly 12 million children aged under 18 years.
  (Source: 2008 UNAIDS Global Report on the AIDS Epidemic).

• WFP and UNAIDS project that it will cost on average US $0.70 cents per day to nutritionally support an AIDS patient and his/her family.
  (Source: Cost of Nutritional Support for HIV/AIDS Projects, WFP, July 2008)
• Assistance for orphans and vulnerable children is estimated at US$0.31 per day.
  (Source: Cost of Nutritional Support for HIV/AIDS Projects, WFP, July 2008)

AID SPENDING

• In a 1970 UN Resolution, most industrialised nations committed themselves to tackling global poverty by spending 0.7 percent of their national incomes on international aid by 1975. Only Norway, Sweden, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Denmark regularly meet his target
  (Source: DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa) facts map, 2006-2007)
• The 22 member countries of the OECD Development Assistance Committee, the world’s major donors, provided USD 103.9 billion in aid in 2006 – down by 5.1 percent from 2005
  (Source: OECD – Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2007)
• The largest donors were the United States (US$24 billion), Japan (US$18 billion), the United Kingdom (US$13 billion), Germany and France (US$12 billion each), the Netherlands (nearly US$6 billion), Spain and Italy (just over US$4 billion each) representing 80 percent of the total
  (Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2007)