Community Input
Topic: The Homeless in the Virgin Islands
This column kicks off a new feature for Crucians In Focus. In response to your requests to provide an opportunity to discuss a wider range of issues, we’ll be posting a Community Input segment periodically. The purpose of this feature is to focus on the stated topic and express concerns, highlight issues, identify available resources and offer aolutions. The topics will come from you so if you have a suggestion, please email us.
The first topic is “Homelessness In the Virgin Islands.” Who are they? What are some of the causes? What services are available to assist with the problem? What else can the community do? What else can the government do?
We look forward to this discussion and hope it results in some positive steps for addressing the problem.
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Speaking of us being so fortunate that Senator O’Reilly is there to be the voice and conscience of this tainted body. Did anyone listen to the Waste Management hearing this week?
At the end of the hearing Senator O’Reilly told the Chair Senator Carlton Dowe that she was very fustrated that he continues not to allow appropriate time for senators to question testifiers. Senator O’Reilly noted to the Chair that she spends a lot of time researching and preparing herself to attend these hearings only to be cut short of time.
You tell them bandits Nellie. This woman is amazingly brave in the face of all this public corruption in the senate.
Donastorg/O’Reilly 2010?
No matter whose ticket O’Reilly (if she chooses to join a ticket) will have land slide written all over it.
Take your time Nellie on any 2010 decisions. Stay focus on the people’s business. We appreciate your strength, courage, and commitment.
I have got to admit, the thought of Nellie in 2010 is exciting news in the midst of all of this bad news of these public official scandals.
I am right there with you, 2010!
Be careful Nellie, de Jongh, Hill, and Dowe might try to set you up like they set up Donastorg.
Let them try that sh#t. We watching them. They not gone get they dirty hands on another crucian senator. Especially Nellie.
Persona, Pandora, Anonymous and all interested others:
The intellectual power on this board is impressive indeed. IMHO, if it is correctly harnessed, we can accomplish much for St. Croix.
We have a wonderful chance here to put together something special.
As a almost-born here Crucian, I have seen, like most of you, over the last many years, our community and socio-economic structure take hit after hit after hit. Many fingers have been pointed, many blames have been laid, and many politicians have been rotated in and out. All with dismal results.
Let’s not keep doing this.
Turning the tide won’t be easy. It will take time, effort, smarts, dedication and cooperation between us. And we can make it fun, too. Not funny ha-ha, like a big joke, but fun in a positive way, which keeps everyone motivated and geared up.
But it can be done. And it has to be done, and by us. We can focus tremendous power on whoever it is that can make the changes we, as a community, need to have done. Be it crime, schools, roads, homeless, abandoned buildings, environment… we have seen that what has been tried before doesn’t work very well.
What we’re about to embark on is commonly called Direct Action Organizing. I can’t recommend highly enough the wonderful instruction manual “Organizing for Social Change” by Kim Bobo, Jackie Kendall and Steve Max (Midwest Academy). If we all just read pgs: 6 through 13 we would be light-years ahead of where we are today.
Meeting in September is fine with me. Between now and then we can prepare accordingly. I don’t believe going to Nellie’s office is necessary (yet). We, as a Direct Action group, need to do our homework first.
It would be to our benefit to first decide on a easy place to meet, some neutral spot for us to gather and put real names to real faces, to shake hands and reach a common ground.
I hope your Sunday is going well.
Good morning,
Some of you may find this interesting:
http://www.midwestacademy.com
There you can get a taste of Organizing for Social Change.
That’s really what it’s all about.
Organizing. For. Social. Change.
Bullfoot and company you are on thwe right track. Yes there is an interagency committee that is suppose to plan for the elimination of homelessness in the Territories as is expected in all the 50 states in the US I believe by 2012. The most basic need for persons who are homeless is a home . Persons who are mentally ill and homeless need treatment and a home, also persons with an addiction. We do need community education and organization to move the issues forward and to force solutions. In the spirit of Buddhoe and Queen Mary join the movement
Arrangements,
The Pirates of the Legislature Know what treasure NOT TO TOUCH!
I know, they know, we know, THEY KNOW NOT TO MESS WITH NELLIE.
They know.
Firefly: thanks for your comments on what we’re attempting to figure out solutions to.
Eyes: what say you about the main subject here, homelessness and the solutions thereof? (Hint: it’s not about Nellie.)
Bull Foot Soup:
This is what I have to say regarding homelessness:
The situation could be viewed triangularly.
THE CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS currently provide many of the homeless a place to shower, a place to receive clothes, and a place to be fed;
THE GOVERNMENT ought to provide a place for them to receive medical and mental care; and
THE FAMILIES ought to help with providing a place of shelter or home.
Eyes: what do you think can be done to change the “ought” to “will”?
Thanks for the feedback. Every little bit helps.
Ah! The difficult question. If we could only answer that question we would be on our way. I like your thought process Bull Foot Soup. Just noticed your book recommendation. I’m one of those people who reads to page 6 then realizes I don’t know what I read on the first 5 pages. I will however do my best to at least read the pages you recommend.
Thank you Busted. You may prefer to do this: go to http://www.midwestacademy.com – then click on TRAINING – under Training select READING ROOM – then open “What is Direct Action Organizing” and… enjoy!
I notice this homeless column is now located at the very end. It might get archived. No problem. We’ve all covered a lot of ground and, from me to you all, thank you. Lots of positive cerebral energy expended here. Impressive.
Sometime in September I’ll post something somewhere here at CIF about getting together. I don’t know at this time where I’ll be able to post it so you all see it but I’m sure something will work out. Hopefully they’re will still be a few of you still interested in trying to crack this nut; if so, see you next month. Meanwhile, stay safe and be happy.
See you all somewhere on one of these boards!
Whoops. Should read, …”there will still be…”
BLS, CIF can consider adjusting this issue and other HOT headliners (Gov, Senators, Energy, etc) to its main Home page. The focus on public corruption has taken off thanks to CIF. This site is the main source of reliable information on this administrations corruptions scandals. The world is watching and reading.
Good idea.
Yes, the political football is airborne and will keep us second-guessing and confused for a long time to come.
Hopefully the exposures via CIF will help us clean the government house. Although doesn’t it seems we clean house every so often but the rascals (or their clones) keep getting back in? And while everyone is busy chasing down those political fiascos, other, real problems continue to fester: crime, education, energy, health care…
Stay safe.
In order to solve this homeless issue, we all need to be imvolved. We need all of the churches in the territory to create outhouses and rehabiliation centers so that these individuals would get physical, emotional, spiritual, and financial help. With the political confusion occurring in our government, we cannot depend on our government officials to solve this problem.
I see there is a huge drive to focus on the homeless problem about to happen (or happened) on STT. Will there be one on St. Croix?