Western Star Apology and Water!!!

In The Western Star this week another apology ran. This one is more suitable:

Apology

The Western star did not follow company policy on running letters to the editor when a letter ran in the June 4, 2008 edition signed by the Bessemer Neighborhood Association. Association secretary, Joe Openshaw, informed The Western star the letter was not written by the BNA. The newspaper apologizes to the Bessemer Neighborhood Association and to those mentioned in the letter for any inconvenience or problems that its publication may have caused.

Thanks Dale, for setting the record straight. The association accepts the apology.

But the individual wonders about the sincerity. I say that because this apology was read to me and OK'ed by me by Mitch Tribble on June 19 over the phone, and he seemed sincere and concerned that the letter was even published.

Quite different from the email I received from Dale the other day. However, being a peacemaker...I will let it slide, and just be thankful the readers of The Western Star know the truth now.

I might as well admit I also read with interest Representative Priscilla Dunn's column titled The First Steps Toward a Statewide Water Plan. Rep. Dunn (who by the way is always complimentary to me regarding my columns) is absolutely right on the importance of developing a statewide water management team. I have written about water both in The Western Tribune and on this blog enough that everyone should know my concerns.

One such concern is bottled water. To make the bottles used for America's and our water, over 17 million barrels of crude oil are used annually. this is enough to power a million vehicles for a year (Update). That doesn't account for the diesel or gas used to transport the bottles to the retail outlets, or across the sea for those waters that come from Fiji or Europe.

While our household has not cut down 100%, we have greatly reduced our bottled water use by getting a refillable big bottle and cooler for our drinking water. We get refills at Lowes. We still buy an occasional case of Dasani for use in special situations.

Most tap water is fine, and a lot of people I hear are returning to tap water, either with or without a filter. Many refrigerators have a filter and the water that is dispensed is fine.
Enjoy this Water Sculpture.


Plus think of the money you will save by not buying water that is costing as much or more per gallon than gasoline. Conservation. Fiscal. Good.

Our Patience Has Run Out

Two weeks ago, on June 4, 2008 The Western Star ran a letter under Readers Opinions with the title "Illegal activities on Owen Avenue." The letter was signed "Bessemer Neighborhood Association."

The letter, which I will not reproduce here in its entirety, began with "The Bessemer Neighborhood Association would like to inform you of the activity of the tenants of *** Owen Avenue, Bessemer."

It continued, making accusations of illegal drug activity and sales, truancy, vandalism, and animal cruelty. The letter named 4 people, and described two vehicles and gave their tag numbers and addresses where the people live.

From the paper, "People believed to be involved in illegal drug sales and theft: 'person 1', 'person 2', 'person 3' and 'person 4'.
Tag numbers of cars involved: 'AL tag # 1' and 'AL tag # 2'. "

The letter also said copies were being sent to community leaders, and ended with "We strongly encourage you to take action."

Where do I begin. First and foremost, the Bessemer Neighborhood Association did not write, authorize, or suggest that this letter be written. Furthermore, the officers of the association are not aware of the activities mentioned in the letter.

The Bessemer Neighborhood Association's mission is to improve the quality of life in Bessemer, but trying to do this with slanderous accusations is not in our methods list and we feel that the printing of this letter will be counterproductive to our efforts.

We were promised an apology yet the attempt that was printed in yesterday's paper falls short. Here is the apology as it appeared in the June 18, 2008 Western Star:

Apology

The Western Star did not follow the company policy on running letters to the editor when a letter ran in the June 4, 2008 edition from the The Bessemer Neighborhood Association. The newspaper apologizes to those mentioned in the letter for any inconvenience or problems that the letter may have caused them.

Dale Jones, the editor, knows that the Bessemer Neighborhood Association did not send the letter. He knows that we feel a letter of this type will be counterproductive and will undercut our efforts to improve things in Bessemer. Yet his "apology" states that the letter was from our association. The apology says that "he" did not follow company policy when running "our" letter, indicating that the problems with the letter were ours. They were not, because the letter was not ours.

Those are the facts. This is the opinion. Dale Jones should not be running a newspaper. Already, we have documented plagarism by Jones, and now a breach of ethics and professionalism. Any newspaper editor who would:

• print a letter that defames individuals with no basis
• would print such a letter without verifying its authenticity
• would print a letter from an organization without an individual letter writer's name
• would print such a letter without even getting the name of the person who sent it (so he claims)
• would print a letter that endangers individuals,

...should not be editing a newspaper. He should be relieved of his duties.

This newspaper is owned by Bob Tribble of Trib Publications, PO Box 648, Manchester GA, 31816. 706-846-4336.

Bessemer This, Bessemer That and Raven!

On Monday February 25 at 7:00 the Bessemer Neighborhood Association will hold a meeting for city residents who are interested in the Bessemer Water Service, GUSC and the future of our water supply. The meeting is at Food World on 9th Avenue in their community room and all are encouraged to come. Care about your water rates?

On Saturday February 23 from 10 to 2 there will be a work day at Jonesboro Community Garden. This day is being sponsored by the Bessemer Rotary Club and the Bessemer Historical Homeowners Association. There will be planting of trees and shrubs and spreading of gravel in the parking area.

February 23 of each year commemorates the anniversary of Rotary International as Rotary World Understanding Day. 2008 marks the 103rd birthday of Rotary. Contributing to the Jonesboro Community Garden contributes to an outstanding effort in the Jonesboro community that includes residents, churches and the Jonesboro Elementary School. Thank you Rotary for your interest and contribution to this project.

The Garden is located at the corner of Owen Avenue and Wellington Street.

Many of you know Raven, the Goddess of Entertainment, who is well known in Atlanta but also performs frequently here in Birmingham. She graced Jonathon and Kyle's "Christmas at the Castle" party in Bessemer this year, with this performance. Who says we don't know how to party and have fun in Bessemer. Thanks for this video, Alex and thanks Jonathon and Kyle for bringing both style and entertainment to new heights in our community.



No doubt this is Bessemer: you can hear the train in the background during the performance.

Bessemer World and The Race For The Cure

George W. Bush says that he has read 87 books in 2007. (Insert you own joke here).

My sister in law Carol is running in the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure in October and is helping to raise money for the Komen Foundation North Alabama Affiliate. Go to Carol's page to help her raise money for this worthy cause.

The Mayor of Bessemer, Ed May came to the Bessemer Neighborhood Association meeting Monday night, then again to the Town Hall Meeting we sponsored Thursday Night. May is trying to get support for his Water Bond deal that the council authorized him to pursue, then voted against it once he got it.



Rumors are swirling, and I'm not going to repeat them here. But certain council members are being accused of major improprieties. One council member has even stated that we do not even have a contract to sell water to the city of Alabaster (I have a copy). Here is the mayor addressing our group.

ABC 33/40 reported on the issue Friday night as their lead story, showing our group protesting at the Jess Lanier game, and explaining the issue pretty well. She mentioned that if the water rates go up, not only will Bessemer be affected, but parts of Hoover, Helena, Midfield, Hueytown and Ross Bridge as well. If you live in any of these areas, you should come to the Town Hall Meeting tonight. For more information visit Bessemer Neighbors .

Tomorrow night is the Bessemer Historical Homeowners Association meeting at 213 19th Street South at the home of Jason Burnett, at 7:00.

These are two meetings at you need to come to if you are interested in preserving Bessemer and moving the city forward. The weather will be great both evenings, so come on out. Broken Vessel tonight, Jason's house tomorrow night.

I made a new friend the other day outside enjoying my deck.

Who can identify this bird?

Troy King... Sinking To New Lows

Link to July 10, 2008 Story

My recommendation to go to the Bright Star on Wednesday night was based on information from the Birmingham News. Oops. The event is tonight. We found out last night when we showed up and a sign on the door indicated the Birmingham News published the wrong date.

That did not stop us (and several other customers) from enjoying a great meal (broiled snapper, Greek Style) and dessert (chocolate almond pie), and getting our book (A Centennial Celebration of The Bright Star) signed by the owners. Jimmy and Nicky Koikos reflected with Bobby and me about growing up on Dartmouth Avenue just a few blocks from our house. Bright Star Menu

There are four things going on that you might want to do tonight. If you are gay or gay friendly, the Alabama Stonewall Democrats are meeting at 5:30 at Los Amigos, 3324 Clairmont Avenue (next door to the Piggly Wiggly) and Joe Turnham, Chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party will be our guest speaker. This is a great opportunity to meet other active democrats and help the party grow and increase the potential for victory, as well as learn from the top what the state party is doing and what one leader sees as the future of the democratic party in Alabama.

If you are not interested in that then eat at the Bright Star.

Be sure to eat early, if you are a customer of Bessemer Water Service, so you can attend the special meeting at Broken Vessel Church about the water bond and potential rate increase (108 to 300 %). A press release was sent to all the TV stations and newspapers and we hope to have a big crowd. Read the press release at Bessemer Neighbors

If you don't use Bessemer's water, than go listen to Angela Davis at the Alys Stephens Center. You may not agree with some or most of what she stands for (or what you think she stands for) but you may be surprised, and she will certainly be interesting. Notice of Event

With all of those offerings, no one should be at home tonight.

Troy King really should never have been re-elected last year. You know I strongly supported John Tyson for attorney general. So did Robby Owens, the republican District Attorney in Shelby County.

Owens prosecuted Marcus Presley and LaSamuel Gamble for the 1996 murders of John Burleson and Janice Littleton, and both got the death penalty even though the killer (Presley) was only 16 years old at the time, and Gamble (who was 18) didn't actually kill anyone.

Recently the U. S.Supreme Court ruled (Roper v. Simmons) that killers could not be executed for crimes they commit while they are juveniles, so Presley was moved off of death row. Soon after Owens gave the following testimony, "Both of those defendants deserve to be on death row. But out of plain fairness and simple equity in life, it's not fair to leave the person on death row who didn't kill anyone and take the person off death row who did." Story

King, who like so many republicans, loves to see the state in the business of killing people, was outraged, and has now taken his former opponent's supporter off the case. And he will argue to have Gamble's death penalty reinstated.

Troy King is also went on a witch hunt in his zeal to find "something on Judge (Dan King, Bessemer Cutoff Circuit Judge) King - old campaign records, finance records, anything to get him off the bench," according to sworn testimony from Anthony Castaldo, who says he was reapeatedly told to keep trying. Editorial

I strongly agree with this editorial in the Birmingham News..."Certainly, Troy King has not always inspired confidence as attorney general. In fact, he has sometimes inspired just the opposite." Well said.

Too bad we have at least 3 more years of Troy King. Sorry Alabama, but we elected him. Let's do better in the future.

Episcopal Church getting busy

All who live in Bessemer should attend the Bessemer Neighborhood Association meeting tonight at 7:00 at Broken Vessel Church on Dartmouth Avenue. There is great concern about City Council action (or inaction) that may lead to a water rate increase and this issue will be discussed. We need more citizens to become involved and to be outspoken about issues like this if we are going to be successful in making Bessemer a better place to live, so come on out.

Contentious Times in Episcopal Land

The local Episcopalians will soon elect a new suffragan, which is a little like an assistant bishop. The six candidates were all together last week in Birmingham meeting Episcopalians from across the state.

The way the church works this is not a popularity contest, but rather “the focus is discernment of what God is calling the diocese (of Alabama) to do.”

I am thinking that God wants the diocese to elect Rev. Marc Burnette, the rector of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Birmingham to the position. Based primarily on Burnette’s comments from Sunday’s Birmingham News, Burnette seems to realize that God’s “people” includes all people and wants to work toward keeping the church united, but also admits that “if they need to leave, they need to be free to do what they need to do,” referring to the faction threatening to split off over the full inclusion of gays.

It may well be that all 6 of the candidates feel the same way, but Burnette was the most quoted, with comments in 6 paragraphs. All 6 candidates were together, so I am not sure if he might have just been the most outspoken, or why he got so much press, but I am thinking it means he is the leading candidate.

Here’s his long quote. “It’s painful. We are family. We are determined to keep that posture. The desire is not for separation. The U. S. Episcopal Church action is very difficult to understand for some people. There is a sense of carrying out the call to be in fellowship with all God’s people, to genuinely be inclusive. Jesus taught radical inclusivity. The fact is, some people don’t want to stay together. Jesus is about table fellowship. Nobody’s turned away. The church has always been that way. That is church. That’s Jesus in action. If we teach that, then we’re being faithful with Jesus. We hold a space for everyone. If they need to leave, they have to be free to do what they need to do. The Episcopal Church is here for the long haul.”

He also said “My position is I believe in communion. I want the communion to be healthy and whole. I’m for inclusion of all God’s people. Those two are harmonious positions for me.”

The other candidates are Rev. Robert Childers of Grace Episcopal in Anniston, Rev. Alicia Schuster-Weltner, canon for congregational development from the Diocese of Atlanta, Rev. John McKee Sloan of St. Thomas Church in Huntsville, Rev. Pat Wingo of St. Thomas Church in Birmingham, and Rev. William Waldo of Trinity church in Excelsior, Minn.

The Diocese of Alabama will elect its suffragan bishop on September 30. The new official will be consecrated and take office on January 12.

Bessemer Happenin's and Western Tribune column

The Bessemer Neighborhood Association met Monday evening, and we chatted with a Bessemer police officer and discussed directions we want to head as far as priorities.

We recieved tips on what to do when it seems the police response time is too slow (call and talk to the sergeant, if you are not satisfied, call and talk to the lieutenant, and so on up the chain of command). Also we will get a list of the officers that patrol our neighborhoods so we will be familiar with them when we talk with them. He provided us updates on new equipment they are getting to enable enforcement of noise ordinances and more.

With animal abuse still a priority, we also will be looking in to better lighting in residential areas, and also into finding out about a house on near 15th street and Arlington that is half burned with an elderly person still living in it. And we want to find out why the old Jones Carpet building in Jonesboro has not been torn down. It's a danger to children passing by going to and from school.

We are not giving up on Arlington School (needs restoring) or Red Rock convenience store across the street (needs bulldozing...its a place where drugs are sold in the parking lot quite frequently).

We decided our meetings will be the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month.

*****************************
Here is my column from today's Western Tribune, more or less:

Seven thousand dollars is not a lot of money. Not when the entire budget of Bessemer is looked at. But here is what $7000 could do for our city.

In January the Foundry asked for about $7000 to pay for plastic garbage bags and gasoline so they could continue their practice of picking up trash along the city’s roadways. They had done this in 2006 when twice a week they sent about 100 men and women out armed with safety vests, cotton gloves and garbage bags to comb the streets. I went with them a few times, and if the crews I walked with were representative of the entire group, an average of two to three bags of trash per person was removed from our streets. They did this twice weekly, so that would be about 500 bags of trash a week removed from our streets.

Not only was this a benefit for our city, but it helped the men and women of the Foundry in their efforts to improve their lives as they were doing something positive for the community and learning what it is like to have their efforts appreciated.

But the city ignored this request. The men and women of the Foundry are no longer helping to keep our city clean in this manner, and the streets and highways are once again littered with hamburger wrappers, beer bottles and things I won’t mention here.

A couple of months before that the Greater Birmingham Humane Society addressed the city council and mayor with a letter outlining deficiencies in our Animal Control facility, with a plan to correct things that would begin with an assessment and recommendations from a noted consultant who is an expert in the field. The assessment would cost about $7000. And this $7000 was readily available, because the Humane Society had discounted services it had performed in the amount of $7395. The Humane Society even suggested in the letter that the money be used to fund the needed assessment.

But this letter and those recommendations were ignored as well.

But as I said, $7000 must be easy to come by for the officials in Bessemer, because this week they are funding National Night Out activities in almost every district, and each council person was allowed more than that amount to provide for the festivities.

I am all for neighbors getting to know one another, and having neighborhood street parties and such. But if the city had lowered their contribution to just $5000 for each of the seven districts, that would leave $7000 for the Foundry’s trash bags and $7000 for the Animal Control assessment.

But the priorities are not about having a clean city, or about treating animals humanely. Or about following the law, as it regards animal treatment. But things will change. They must.

Bessemer Neighborhood Association Tonight

The project that I said I would finish over the weekend is due today, and have I finished it? No!!!


So I need to do that.

If you live in Bessemer come to the Bessemer Neighborhood Association meeting tonight at 7. This group is for all of Bessemer, not just the southside.




It's going to be close to 100 degrees, so lets just stay in where the air is cool and pretend it's Christmas.

This guy gets invited to the party every year.

As does this couple.

Season's greetings. Be Back tomorrow.

Three Things for Monday, and Hairspray!

In no particular order here are three very important happenings today.

First, of course, the meeting of the Bessemer Neighborhood Association is tonight at 7:00. Among other things, we will talk about the animal abuse issue, and we would like as many people there as possible. Even if you don’t live in Bessemer, you should be concerned that a city is sanctioning animal abuse, so you should come out in support. 7:00 at 1829 Dartmouth Avenue.

Of course, you will need to tivo the democratic “youtube debate” on CNN at 6:00 central time. Then you can watch it after the Bessemer meeting.

And by then you should have called your representative in Washington and urged him or her to support impeachment proceedings against Dick Cheney. Today people across the country are being urged to do that…just three more sponsors and Chairman John Conyers says he will begin impeachment proceedings. 202-224-3121 gets you in touch with your representative. Today is the 5th anniversary of the meeting that produced the famed Downing Street Minutes and if you are unfamiliar with this check it out.

Hairspray had a large audience at 2:00 in Hoover, believe it or not. This movie musical about integration in 1960’s Baltimore might be more controversial in Birmingham than Brokeback Mountain was. Of course Brokeback played to crowded movie houses for more than 12 weeks here, and I predict Hairspray will do at least as well.

The biggest surprise was that I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry beat out both Harry Potter and Hairspray over the weekend. I guess too many people stayed home reading the new Harry book…or had already seen the movie since it grossed $139 million the weekend before. I want to hear from people who actually saw Chuck and Larry, because the reviews are awful, but you gotta love Adam Sandler and Kevin James, so yeah, we will got see it, but we aren’t in a big hurry.

The original Hairspray movie from 1988 finds its way to connect to the new production, in the form of John Waters, the writer and director of the original movie, making a cameo appearance as the “flasher who lives next door” during the opening number. Also, Riki Lake who played Tracy in the original appears as a talent scout during the “Miss Hairspray” finale. And, Jerry Stiller who played Tracy’s father in the original plays the owner of Hefty Hideaway.

John Travolta (as Edna Turnblad) and Queen Latifah may have been the big stars, but Nikki Blonsky as Tracy steals the show, and out sings, out dances and out peforms all the big names. Nikki was a singing ice cream scooper at Cold Stone Creamery before she was chosen for this role.

Hairspray may have come in third, but as for musicals it owns the biggest opening weekend in history. Dreamgirls doesn’t come close, nor does Chicago.

Whether it’s inequities of the past as in Hairspray or inequities of the present as in Chuck and Larry, movies that address social issues do well. And history marches on. I'm heading to Cold Stone Creamery.

Spider Martin Photos

Many of you have seen photographs taken by Spider Martin who is best known for his photos of the Civil Rights movement. But other things were going on during the sixties, and Spider’s lens pointed at other subjects as he provided images for magazines such as McCall’s and Playboy.

“Spider Martin’s Unseen Sixties” is an exhibit of his fashion photographs taken between 1965 and 1973 on display until August 17 in the UAB Visual Arts Gallery at 900
13th St. S.


Spider’s daughter Tracy Martin helped Brett Levine and Mindi Shapiro select the photos to be displayed, as part of a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Summer of Love. The images are humorous and representative of the period.

Brett Levine says that this side of Spider Martin for many “will be entirely unexpected.

Gallery hours are 11 to 5 Monday – Thursday, 11 to 4 on Friday, closed on weekends.

UAB Exhibit





Make your plans if you live in Bessemer to attend the BNA meeting on Monday at 7. There will be a very important discussion of the dog abuse issue in Bessemer, and action is about to be taken. We need the support of as many residents as possible.

BNA Web Site, and ACLU Stands Up for Toddler

The Bessemer Neighborhood Association has a new web site: Bessemerneighbors.com.

There we will post news regarding meetings, goals, accomplishments, etc.


The ACLU of Alabama has issued a press release regarding the banning of the HIV positive toddler from a pool in south Alabama. This is an example of how people need to educate themselves if they are going to be serving the public. Here is part of that release:

MONTGOMERY, AL – The American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to the owner of the Wales West RV park in Silverhill, Alabama today demanding that it stop discriminating against people with HIV by barring people with the disease from using the swimming pool, showers and other common areas of the park without a letter from a doctor.

“This kind of ignorance and prejudice is unacceptable at this point in the HIV epidemic,” said Olivia Turner, Executive Director of the ACLU of Alabama. “After more than two decades of studying the disease, we know that you can’t catch HIV by swimming next to someone with the disease or using a public shower.”

According to media reports, Dick and Silvia Glover’s two-year-old foster son Caleb was banned from the pool and other common areas of the RV park by its owner Ken Zadnichek after Silvia mentioned to a desk clerk that the boy had HIV. Although Caleb had been looking forward to taking a ride on the park’s two train rides, the couple had no choice but to leave the park.

“Mr. Zadnichek should be ashamed of himself for picking on a defenseless two-year old,” said Christine Sun, a staff attorney with the ACLU’s AIDS Project. “Mr. Zadnichek claims that he was merely trying to protect other campers, but he had nothing to protect other campers against. Ignorance about the disease is no excuse for prejudice.”

The letter sent by the ACLU explains that discrimination against people with HIV is illegal under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and demands that the park owner send written assurances to the ACLU that the park will no longer discriminate against people with HIV. The letter also notes that the ADA prohibits businesses from imposing eligibility requirements, such as requiring a doctor’s note, that screen out people with disabilities. The letter quotes information from the Alabama Department of Public Health making it clear that, “[y]ou do not get HIV from an HIV-infected person by working together, playing sports, shaking hands, hugging, closed-mouth kissing, sharing drinking glasses, eating utensils or towels, using the same wash water or toilet, swimming in the same pool, or coming in contact with their sneezes, coughs, tears or sweat.”

“Basic Facts About HIV and AIDS,” available at www.adph.org/aids/assets/HIVAIDSfactSheet.pdf.

Honoring the Troops and the Tribune Column

Last Friday evening at the opening ceremonies of the Alabama Sports Festival, veterans and active duty armed service members deployed since 9-11-01, from Alabama, were honored and each received a medal during the ceremony. Those who have lost their lives were also honored.


Bobby's nephew Jeff, a former U S Marine, was one of the honorees and here is a picture of his medal.


It was dark, but the crowd was very sincere and did not hold back in showing their support.

A member of the Gardendale First Batist Church carried a lit candle for each troop killed in Afghanistan or Iraq, and they marched single file into the arena. There have been more than 80 casualties from our state, and that number really seems big when they are marching single file and lining the floor of the BJCC arena. It is a big number. ( I am not sure where they got their number, but regardless of the true number, it is too high).


The Bessemer Neighborhood Association has a meeting scheduled for Tuesday, July 10, 2007 at Broken Vessel Full Gospel Church. During this meeting we will finish up some tasks such as developing our mission statement and setting our goal and objectives.

The proposed Mission Statement is broad: The Mission of the Bessemer Neighborhood Association is to improve the quality of life throughout Bessemer and its surrounding communities.

But the goals and objectives are clear and precise. I will post those later, after the meeting, during which we will also be setting into motion our Action Plan to accomplish our goals.

There is at least one Bessemer elected offical who is not too happy about our groups efforts, and at least one police officer who has been critical of my involvement.

Here is my column from The Western Tribune on July4, addressing crime.

***************************************************************************

Bessemer is in a crisis situation, and not a word is said. Not the words the community wants to hear, anyway. Statistics released in mid-May reported violent crimes were down during the first three months of the year but we have had at least half a dozen murders since that time.

Three women, one teenage boy, and two men were killed within a matter of weeks. In my community, residents are unsure of their safety. A rally was held during which community leaders were asked to speak to give encouragement to the community and to offer solutions to the problems that lead to this type of violence.

Or so I thought. There was no police presence at the rally to offer support and encouragement. Two elected city officials spoke, Mayor Ed May and Councilman Earl Cochran, but both turned to their preaching skills rather than their problem solving skills. Several preachers also spoke. No one said that the city was making any kind of assessment of the conditions that lead to violence, or making recommendations to control it.

I also was called to speak, without advance notice, and I brought up a second tragedy that is gripping our city as a result of the multiple murders. Residents are afraid to come out of their homes. Being confined in your homes by fear, whether justified or not, is bad for your health. Residents who should be out enjoying healthy activities like walking or gardening are instead sitting inside with increased stress levels, further affecting their quality of life.

Why was there no mention of what the city is doing to combat crime? Should we assume that the city is not concerned? The meeting seemed more a photo op than a problem solving rally. Neighbors on Dartmouth Avenue were disappointed, and have their own ideas of what the problems are and how they can be dealt with. A meeting was called that will have occurred by the time you read this, to which every resident living on Dartmouth Avenue was invited to give their input. An organization was formed, and an assessment of the problems has begun. Because our city is not taking action, outside experts will be called in to help insiders find solutions.

Prayer is good and can be a useful tool in changing people’s attitude and outlook. And faith can bring us together. But action is also required. Faith without works is dead and to only offer prayer as a solution does nothing to increase our safety. If that were so, we could just pray the prisons empty and the battlefields cleared as crime and terrorism would no longer exist.

Bessemer Neighborhood Association

The comments continue to pile up on my post about Faith and Republicans. Check it out. Because one commentor (guess who) is so critical of Christians who want to be inclusive and of homosexuals for demanding equality, in a few days I will make a series of posts about the Bible and homosexuality. Many of you have seen this before, but apparently he has not.

Last night there was a meeting of Dartmouth Avenue residents and others who are interested in organizing in such a way as to work toward making our community a safer place and improving our quality of life. One thing I learned…people are not going to get to a 7:00 meeting at 7:00, as we didn’t begin till about 7:15, allowing some extra time for late arrivals. But there were still people coming in at 8:00. In the end, there were more people present than at last weeks Vigil/Rally at the same location.

The second thing I learned was we can not (or should not) restrict our efforts to Dartmouth Avenue or Bessemer’s south side. The problems we will be addressing are not restricted to this neighborhood, or even to the city of Bessemer (as we had at least one Lipscomb resident present). And many of the solutions will be city wide in their scope. However, I hope that our group will realize that if this group encompassed all of the frustrated citizens in Bessemer, that no church or building in the city could hold us all, and if every angry and frustrated resident of Bessemer was allowed to express their opinions, we would still be over there listening.

Not to say that everyone’s opinion is not important, I’m just saying that to be effective, this group has to concentrate on the problems of our community and neighborhoods, and I hope that as more people from other parts of Bessemer come, they will return to their neighborhoods and form their own “subgroups” of the Bessemer Neighborhood Association.

We did not elect leadership, but we did name block captains for certain blocks that were represented. While the responsibilities of the captains have not been identified yet, one thing they will be doing is distributing information about future meetings to people on their block (and surrounding blocks until we have captains throughout the area). As for leadership, Elvira, Susan and I will remain as a “steering committee” until officers are named. And since no other leaders were named, we will take it upon ourselves to develop some operating rules so that the meetings might have a better flow and our time might be better utilized.

Here are some important points from the meeting. We are (at least starting out) using the MAP-IT model, so we will Mobilize (get people involved), Assess (the situation, including naming our strengths and resources as well as our problems and weaknesses), Plan (that begins next week), Implement (carry out our plans) and Track (our progress).

Here are some random thoughts. We need to take a multi-pronged approach to the problem of violence. Some of these solutions may be reactive, such as increasing police patrols or placing a sub station in the area. I say reactive because this is to fight the criminals that are already present (but they are also proactive in that they will help to deter crime). Other solutions are proactive, in that they might help to prevent young people from turning to drugs and crime. Examples are building a recreation center, having quality after school programs for youth, and offering quality pre-kindergarten for all kids. Statistics show that these types of efforts reduce future crime rates by certain percentages.

We are thinking outside the box. For instance, fighting crime does not just involve arresting the bad guys. Things like tearing down abandoned buildings, a noise ordinance, litter control programs and beautification projects all help to make an area less attractive to criminals. They show that the residents are in control and that the residents take pride in their community and have respect for their neighbors. So our organization will not just be another neighborhood watch group, but we will be developing goals that improve our quality of life in many ways.

One thing that I hope will be a side effect of this effort, is that it will lead to the formation of neighborhood associations in each district that are funded by the city, like Birmingham has. For instance, I envision District 7 having two associations, divided by 14th Street. Just something to anticipate, not something we are focusing on now.

Our next meeting is Tuesday, July 10, at 7:00, at Broken Vessel Full Gospel Church.