Archives for June 2013

On Tuesday, May 21st, the Community-Police Relations (CPR) Core Group invited a host of community leaders to a preview of the “Community-Police Relations in Your Community” forums, that will begin taking place in neighborhoods across the city in late June.  Dozens of attendees came out for the preview on a terribly stormy night- a sign to CPR organizers of the dedication community leaders have in advocating for their communities.

In attendance were not only police ambassadors and neighborhood association leaders, but mothers and fathers who are concerned about safety in their neighborhoods now that summer is here; it’s hot and school is out.

David Waters wrote of the CPR Community Preview in a May 23rd article in The Commercial Appeal:“Safe in Memphis: Fear of, faith in police”

“Police officers and civilians glanced at each other and nodded as coordinators listed the challenges facing the Community-Police Relations Project.  Police shootings and incidents. Constant negative media coverage. Lack of cooperation. Lack of trust.”

“People in some neighborhoods in this city feel like they are being occupied, not protected,” said Brad Watkins, organizing director of the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, who led Tuesday evening’s gathering at the South Memphis Alliance.

“But the police are not the enemy. Crime is the enemy. The police and the community all agree that crime is a problem. People don’t feel safe.”

For the past nine months, several dozen police officers and community members have been meeting once a month in small groups, trying to get to know each other as neighbors — the first phase of the project.”

Waters highlights the that the CPR project is supported by Memphis Police Relations, Director Tony Armstrong and Sheriff Bill Oldham.  Of the motivation for her participation,  community leader and CPR Core Group member, Cherisse Scott, founder of Sister Reach, said “I’m in this process because I’m the black mother of a black son.  My child has a learned fear of the police that I never taught him. That fear is not perpetuated by me or even the police.  It’s just our ignorance of each other as human beings.”

Media opportunities to highlight officers in a more positive light will be forthcoming from CPR Media Team member Kelvin Cowan of the Tri-State Defender. The project, entitled “Good Blue” will highlight officers who often go unnoticed in our communities for the good they do once they take off their uniform, continuing their mission “to serve and protect.”aters highlights the that the CPR project is supported by Memphis Police Relations, Director Tony Armstrong and Sheriff Bill Oldham.  Of the motivation for her participation,  community leader and CPR Core Group member, Cherisse Scott, founder of Sister Reach, said “I’m in this process because I’m the black mother of a black son.  My child has a learned fear of the police that I never taught him. That fear is not perpetuated by me or even the police.  It’s just our ignorance of each other as human beings.”

CPR organizers realize that they don’t have all of the answers; the problems we face will not be solved overnight.  But we do have a team of supporters led by both community members and dedicated officers who are willing to hold this space to start difficult, but necessary conversations.

We encourage you to get involved with the Community-Police Relations project.   Share your stories and consider the question

“What is your vision for community and police relations in your neighborhood?

The first community forum will be held on June 22, 2013.

CPR Community Forum: Frayser
Saturday, June 22nd
Sign in: 11:30 am.  Forum: noon – 2:00 pm.

Hosted by Rangeline CDC. Union Grove Church, 2285 Frayser Blvd.

For more information please contact:
Melissa Miller-Monie
Organizing Coordinator
(901) 725-4990
email: melissa@midsouthpeace.org

The Vance Avenue Collaborative

Established in 2009, the Vance Avenue Collaborative is a coalition of residents, faith-based organizations, social service agencies, public schools, and area businesses serving the 38126 zip code, also known as the Vance Avenue Neighborhood, inclusive of the last public housing project in Memphis, Foote Homes. Together, for almost two years, with more than 1,000 local stakeholders through a highly participatory “bottom-up” planning process, we generated the Vance Avenue Community Transformation Plan for the U.S. Housing and Urban Development‘s Choice Neighborhood Grant. We will continue planning efforts through the end of June, and will then work with community stakeholders to ensure that the community vision is reflected in Memphis’ Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant application for the Vance Avenue Neighborhood, due in the coming months.

Please support our efforts and the Vance Avenue Neighborhood by keeping in touch via email atvanceavenueneighborhood@gmail.com, telephone: (901) 678-4787, or by joining our Facebook group via www.facebook.com/groups/vanceavenue. We will make sure you know about upcoming meetings and other ways to be supportive of residents and stakeholders throughout the rest of Memphis’ Choice Neighborhood Grant Initiative. You can also view the Vance Avenue Community Transformation Plan on our Facebook page, or we can email or mail a copy of the plan, per your request.  Thank you for your continued interest and support.

The Green Machine Mobile Food Market

Birthed out of the Vance Avenue neighborhood planning process, the primary goal of the Green Machine is to improve the health status of Memphians who live in economically-challenged neighborhoods where access to fresh food, especially fruits and vegetables, is a daily challenge.

The Green Machine will stop throughout the city in designated “limited food access” neighborhoods, five days a week, Monday – Friday; specifically,  the Green Machine will begin making stops at fifteen affordable housing complexes, senior citizen facilities, community centers, health clinics, and public schools located in neighborhoods without a full service grocery, beginning this summer. The Green Machine’s primary supplier will be the third-generation, locally-owned, Easy-Way Produce Stores; during the local-growing season more than 80% of the products sold on the bus will be grown within a 200-mile radius of the Bluff City. The bus will accept all forms of EBT payments and most state and federal food vouchers, debit and credit cards, and cash. Along with fresh local produce, the market will offer information on community services, healthcare tips, special guest appearances, and the services of volunteers from diverse professional sectors to support a full-circle healthy community.

This is a project supported by Saint Patrick Community Outreach Inc. and the Vance Avenue Collaborative, with the assistance of MATA, Healthy Memphis Common Table, and the University of Memphis’ Graduate Program in City and Regional Planning, with additional financial support by many local foundations. For more information on the Green Machine and to find out about start dates, please check out Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheGreenMachineMobileFoodMarket. 

The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) is the largest transit agency in the state of Tennessee. Ninety percent of bus riders used fixed route buses. Sixty percent are using the bus to get to work. MATA is facing a total $5.4 million budget shortfall due to cuts in funding from federal and city government. This continues an alarming pattern of budget cuts that have already caused a 30% reduction in public transportation service over the past five years. 

Mayor Wharton’s current proposed budget includes a cut of $2.4 million from the City’s capital improvements budget allotment to MATA .

The Memphis Bus Riders Union is organizing bus riders and advocates to stand together outside City Hall at 125 N. Main St. on Tuesday, June 18th at 3:00 pm for a press conference and rally in support of adequate funding for public transportation. Cuts to public transportation have a devastating effect on our city’s economy, racial equity, and environmental sustainability. Please join us in urging our elected officials to prioritize the needs of Memphis’ residents.

In recent tears, MATA has already lost around $3 million in federal and state funding.  “If MATA continues to be cut at this percentage will be forced to shut down in 15 years” said MATA President, William Hudson, speaking at a FY 2014 budget hearing.

To balance the budget in light of a $5.4 million shortfall, MATA has proposed to eliminate several bus routes and reduce service hours by 20%. Here are some details from the proposal:

• Cut #5 Central
  Cuts to the #5 route from downtown to the University of Memphis would affect students traveling from the midtown and downtown areas.
• Cut #6 Northaven
  Frayser and most other areas of North Memphis already have minimal bus service. In the past year, route #19 was cut from Chelsea Avenue, forcing residents to walk several miles to the nearest bus route. The area would be adversely affected again by proposed changes to the #10 Watkins and elimination of the #6 Northaven routes. 
• Cut #15 President’s Island

  President’s Island has an estimated 4,000 – 5,000 jobs. Cutting the bus route would significantly affect low-income citizens who work at factories there.

• Cut #58 Fox Meadows
  This is the route from downtown to Hickory Hill; it passes by Southwest Community College as well as several large shopping centers.
• Cut #82 Germantown Parkway
  Service to Cordova High School and surrounding community, as well as Germantown Le Bonheur Methodist, and Wolfchase Galleria
• Combine the #10 Watkins, #32 E. Parkway, and #43 Elvis Presley routes.
  Combining these routes would mean fewer bus stops in  Whitehaven and Frayser.  The #10 Watkins bus would no longer go downtown to the North End Terminal, a major transfer point for all routes.
• Cut service hours by 20%
  Weeknight service would end at 9:15 pm instead of 11:15 pm, affecting many riders who use the bus to get home from evening and night shift jobs.
• Weekend service would end one hour earlier
  Service on many holidays, such as Christmas and Thanksgiving, would be eliminated.

What actions are needed to stop the cuts?

• Council members must amend the budget to increasing funding for MATA                                                             
• Memphis must stand together and demand a more equitable balance of the city budget. Tell our elected officials to keep their hands of our buses! Every Council members district will be adversely affected by these service cuts. Call your district representative!

Join us Tuesday, June 18th at City Hall, 125 N. Main for a press conference at 3:00 pm. Then, join us in the council chambers to show support for public transportation and equal access for all  Memphis residents!

H.O.P.E. is the name of a Mid-South Peace and Justice Center-sponsored organization whose members are exclusively people who are currently homeless or have formerly experienced homelessness. For over a year now, H.O.P.E. has been organizing and agitating around the issues that are a priority to the homeless community. For meeting times and dates, call 901-300-0006.

End “Play to Stay!”

For over a month now, H.O.P.E. has remained committed to weekly direct actions in order to publicly confront the Beers Van Gogh Center of Excellence. The Beers Center is supposed to provide peer counseling, shelter, and other services to people with severe and persistent mental illness, but for over a year, H.O.P.E. has been receiving complaints about sexual harassment of staff and clients, physical assault, and other illicit activities being perpetrated by one staff person in particular.

We demand that this individual be terminated from his position immediately and that the Tennessee Mental Health Consumer Association, which runs the Beers Van Gogh Center, put in place strong accountability and oversight measures to ensure that predators are not employed in a position where they may prey on vulnerable people. HOPE is now working with investigators from Tennessee Department of Mental Health and the Office of Inspector General, as well as the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to make sure we have swift justice for our people. H.O.P.E. members and allies have gathered every Thursday at 12 o’clock, noon in front of the center to directly confront exploitation of people experiencing homelessness by predators and poverty pimps.

We are aware that this is just one example of an issue that is all too familiar to many of our sisters and brothers on the street and we are asking for your support! We will continue to hold weekly protests, every Thursday at 12, Noon in front of the Beers Van Gogh Center, located at 669 Madison Avenue, until we have justice for our people! Please join us!

Branching Out: All Hands on Deck! 

H.O.P.E. is taking a leap to the next level.  We now have five different volunteer project coordinators that will be assisting our members in developing some very exciting projects!

Street-Wise Ink is a co-operative silk screening business specializing in printing t-shirts. It is owned, operated, and directed by people with a personal experience of homelessness.  For several months, our members have been working hard to formulate by-laws and a business plan, familiarize themselves with the silk-screening process, and train new members. We are preparing to begin taking orders from local organizations and businesses, as well as developing our own retail line. We are currently reaching out to local churches and others in the community to find permanent space to house our operations. If you or someone you know is interested in providing space or other support for Street-Wise Ink, please contact Leanna Hicks at leannahicks8@gmail.com.

The Garden Crew is another member-led project of H.O.P.E. that is focusing on developing community gardens. We are working to establish relationships with within the community to beautify our neighborhoods and to educate ourselves on food independence.

This is a very ambitious project; any material support you can offer would be greatly appreciated. We need pitch-forks, hand rakes, shovels, hoes, garden gloves, wheelbarrows, tarps, untreated lumber, screws, nails, wooden palettes, sling blades, hand pruners, water hose, volunteers, organic seeds, and other assorted garden supplies. (No chemical fertilizer, please.) If you would like to donate supplies, or join us in the garden one day, contact Dallas Hollandat dallasholland@gmail.com

Street Watch is a project of H.O.P.E. focused on educating individuals experiencing homelessness about their rights and on how to document potential cases of police harassment and abuse. Street Watch will be organizing street teams with video cameras to document and highlight the harsh realities of life on the streets of Memphis. Currently we are hosting a series of ‘Know Your Rights’ workshops with the public defender’s office. The next workshop is scheduled for June 22^nd at Holy Community Church. We will be doing street outreach in the coming weeks focused in the downtown area where we get the most complaints of police harassment. For more information on how you can support this cause, contactBrandon Shaw of Subliminal Thought at mrbcjs@gmail.com

H.O.P.E. Women’s Caucus 

92% of women experiencing homelessness have suffered severe physical and/or sexual abuse, and have dealt with issues of sexual harassment, rampant in the homeless services system. As homelessness among those who identify as women is a distinct experience, we need an organizing space made up of women to address and confront these issues.  The H.O.P.E. Women’s Caucus will provide a space where members who identify as women can get mutual emotional support,  and also participate in twice-a-month self-defense trainings. For more information on how you can support this project, please contact Ace Madjlesi at acemadjlesi@gmail.com.

Feeding the Movement

H.O.P.E would like to once again thank Just for Lunch and Trolley Stop Market for showing some love by donating meals each month for our weekly H.O.P.E. meetings! We would also like to thank Memphis Center for Independent Living for providing us with space for our meetings while we seek a permanent location. There are lots of ways to feed the movement, and we would like to thank all of our allies for their continued support.

If you are interested in how you can support the work of H.O.P.E. members, please contact Paul Garner @ 901.725.4990 or paul@midsouthpeace.org and don’t forget to ‘like us’ on Facebook for more H.O.P.E. updates!