Hang Out With The Latinos and Get Schooled

Little Lola who lives next door just turned six and when my other half and I were invited to her birthday party, I would have never in a million years guessed that it was going to be a kegger party! We had so much fun. The furniture was all moved aside for the dancers and I learned a few moves from one of my elder Latino neighbors who kept having to stop every few minutes because of arthritis in his leg. The food was incredible and it was a lesson in how parties are supposed to be. I learned some new Spanish and I can't wait for the next little kid to have a birthday! I know little Lorenzo will be having a party in October - but I am hoping someone has a birthday in in August or September ... After the party, we went down the block over to Elisha's to play some spades and school Rob again, but of course, they were too scared to open the door.

The Grand Oak Tree

Here is a picture of the landmark weeping willow tree many community residents voiced requests to avoid cutting down within the city's redevelopment plans. It truly is a beautiful tree ... if you're into trees ...

Crime Rates on Allied Drop?

One of the articles offered to the CDBG commission in our monthly packets had a clip from our daily newspaper about calls to the police decreasing by 35% from last year and the overall crime rate dropping. Most of Madison probably thinks this is attributed to changes that have taken place in the neighborhood and possibly some "troublemakers" getting evicted. However, I have a different prospective. Our neighborhood officer, Ozone (AKA Jason Ostrega), has been on our streets for roughly a year now. Our prior officer was commonly referred to as a white racist a-hole. Who knows, maybe having more minority officers have had an impact on how many of my neighbors get dropped down to the street top and subsequently arrested for disorderly conduct. My observation has been that Ozone is not the sort to jump the gun with his authority and he has an overall respect for members in the community. That respect is often returned and I have seen Ozone request people to stop certain behaviors and my neighbors often listen. If you want to compare the attitudes of the police to last year, just look at that community meal that they threw for residents to learn about the new proposed loitering ordinance. Absolutely no one in the Boys and Girls Club gym who came to hear what the officers had to say was able to hear a thing. It was almost as if they did not really want us to hear anything. The was I see it, if they cared about us as residents, they would have made sure we were able to somehow get the updates we arrived for, and if that meant plugging in the Boys and Girls Club PA system, I am guessing that would have taken a whole 10 minutes for which all of us would have patiently waited for. At least they had Subway sandwiches. Thank you Ozone for the great service to our community and for keeping our streets safe!

Where Do You Want To Go Today?

Nearly five million Americans can’t vote because of a felony conviction. The fancy word for that is disenfranchisement. The concept of disenfranchisement applies not only in politics and the right to vote, but also when it comes to technology. There is a term that computer geeks throw around called "digital disenfranchisement." It is more than a clever phrase – it is a scary reality that faces our community today.

There is a forecast that as technology develops, those of us that lack the technological savvy will be left behind, in every sense you can imagine. Some readers may be able to relate. If anyone has ever tried to apply for a job across the street at Cub Foods, there is no way to apply unless you sit at a computer and enter the information into a Web-based form. Similarly Copps, Staples, Home Depot and many other major employers in Madison summoned paper applications into the not-so-distant past. It is sometimes scary how fast technology is moving because not everyone is keeping up.

Prior to working in the non-profit world, my career was rooted in technology and the Internet. I was very fortunate when I was homeless and in line at the Hospitality House trying to get funding toward an Allied Drive apartment. I had this power that many other homeless people did not have. I knew my way around the technological world.

For me, that meant that I was able to utilize the Internet access at Hospitality House and other various agencies to hustle up money by selling things I no longer needed on eBay and I was able to talk to business owners and convince them to give me some money in exchange for a fully-functional Web site.

In the long run, technology allows literally anyone to make money through the Internet through PPC advertising, blogging, and even MySpace has income potential if you can be creative. I often tell people that the power of technology comes with the ability to do what you really want to do in life. I work a full time job at a non-profit agency because I love what I do. However, if it came down to money, I can tell you hands down that I would make double the money if I were to sit at home all day on my computer. Those who want to make money on the Internet will know what PPC advertising is, how to build a Web page, and have stories to tell. That could be anyone on Allied Drive.

It’s not easy and it could take years to really understand what you are doing but the point is to start. Begin by spending time with like-minded people and learn what you can at every moment that you can. Free Internet access is everywhere, Boys and Girls Club, the library, Urban League, the Job Center. Learning technology is easy. All you have to do is click. As Microsoft would say, where do you want to go today?

This column was originally published in Madison Voices, Allied Drive's community newspaper. Visit their Web site at: MadisonVoices.com

Who Can Save Us?

I have been living on Allied Drive for almost two years now, and one thing that I found somewhat irritating back when I came up here was the notion that we must be saved. I have had several conversations with "activists" who don't live here, but assume a duty to come here and fight for us (implying that we can't fight our own battles?), and they often relate that they have always wanted to work with the poor. It led me to question where their duty would lead them if we were no longer poor? Observing the interests that advanced, the leaders that are designated, the programs that get funded and the inflated sense of empowerment that arose when a resident was able to negotiate a whole book of bus tickets, as opposed to just two tickets, was enough for me realize that Allied Drive is a beast that can only tame itself. It is only through residents who live here and care enough to build stake in this community that we will be able to make anything of this neighborhood beyond a social service pot that every bleeding heart could dip into in the name of saving us lost souls.

That's How It Is

I found this video on YouTube - don't hate unless you have a video to back your hate up!

Neighborhood Festival

Our Neighborhood Association really pulled off an awesome community festival! There really was something for everyone - from Spanish dancers, to hip-hop DJ's to double dutch contests, and of course food! Outside of a Dunn's Marsh resident trying to shut the thing down due to a permit issue, everything went extraordinarily well - Thank you Ms. Alice Howard for pulling it off!

Ironically, the block was so quiet this weekend ... no fights, no crazy dealings - kind of makes you wonder if some of the drama stems from boredom?

Anyway, check out the news coverage ...