[Peace-discuss] How you can support Safe Haven tent community

[John W.]

On Thu, Jul 30, 2009 at 11:51 PM, E. Wayne Johnson <ewj at pigs.ag> wrote:

 On 7/30/2009 10:29 PM, John W. wrote:
>
> That sounds fabulous, Wayne.  You start.
>
> John Wason
>
> This comment and point is very well taken, John.
>
> I did start thinking about it some time back.  I pointed out to the Urbana
> City Council
> how ridiculous it is to spend Millions on bicycle paths and widening
> Windsor road east of Meijer,
> and other cosmetic niceties in the face of a major economic depression and
> many real physical
> needs for basic food shelter clothing among our residents.
>
> ***
> I have been thinking about cooperatives.
>
> I spent a couple of weeks in rural southern IL recently, in one of the most
> remote rural areas.
> They didn't get electricity there until 1947.  It's 12 miles to the nearest
> town.
> Presently electrical energy is provided by the Southeastern Illinois
> Electric Cooperative (SEIEC),
> which is a true co-op owned by the users of the electricity,
> and run by a board of directors from among the local users.  Their cost of
> electric energy is something like about half what we are paying for the
> same service provided by Ameren.
>
> Ameren produces electricity for the benefit of its stockholders.  Ameren is
> considered to be a good investment stock.
> SEIEC produces electricity for the benefit of those who use the
> electricity, and since it is user-owned, their
> margin of income above cost is used to improve the quality of service and
> reduce costs.
>
> They didn't get telephone service there until the early 1960's.
> That is provided by a local telephone cooperative.  The cooperative is
> managed similarly
> to the electric co-op model, and indeed originated from the same system.
> They return a portion
> of their profits to the users every year about Christmas time.  They dont
> have 911 service.  Their
> voters rejected 911 service by a tremendous margin.  They dont need 911.
> They call their
> neighbors when they are in trouble.  Most of the time they dont want the
> police and/or an ambulance.
>
> The co-op started to offer dial-up internet service in 1994.  Now they have
> installed a fiber-optic network for
> internet service that reaches all the way to the "lost 80".  We have no
> such thing going on
> in Champaign county even though the population is nearly 20 times that of
> rural Hamilton County.
>
> One might imagine that the technological superiority of the backward people
> in rural Hamilton County
> is because they are smarter and more affluent than the hicks and flatland
> hillbillies of Champaign County,
> but it would be fairly difficult to demonstrate such a conclusion by any
> sort of interferential stats.
>
> AT&T and GTE didnt find that there was anything worth stealing in rural
> southern IL so they were unwilling
> to do business there.  Finally the locals organized themselves and put in
> their own service.
>
> Why not some sort of cooperative housing for the homeless?  Government
> programs don't seem to work and are characterized
> by stupid rules and evil authoritarians rolling up their sleeves to beat
> people into compliance with the rules.
> A cooperative system could provide independent super-local governance, some
> guaranteed freedom from goofy zoners, regulators,
> and tax-eaters,  protection from predatory construction guilds, all in the
> name of getting a roof over peoples heads.
>

I couldn't agree more, Wayne.  I totally believe in credit unions, municipal
utilities (or co-op utlities, as you describe here), and the like.  When I
was active with the Prairie Green Party, one of our working groups looked
into having a municipal utility in Urbana.  Unfortunately Urbana seemed to
be locked into some sort of long-term contract with what was then Illinois
Power.  I'm sure Champaign is too, and likes it that way.

We actually do have people working on free wireless internet access for
C-U.  It's been in the works for years.  I'm not sure what the holdup is.

Cooperative housing is what the Tent City seems to be, actually.  More
permanent, longer-term cooperative housing would require considerably more
seed money and strong, smart, committed leadership.  Up in the Chicago area,
in the heart of the west side ghetto, the Lawndale Community Church has been
very successful in creating affordable housing units for the community, as
well as a medical clinic and a number of other amenities.  But it has taken
almost 30 years to get to where they are now, with the same deeply committed
pastor there the entire time.  All this stuff is more than a notion.  It
requires real depth of commitment.  Can we find that in Champaign-Urbana?
Can we call our neighbors when we need help here?

John Wason




>
> On Thu, Jul 30, 2009 at 6:28 AM, E. Wayne Johnson <ewj at pigs.ag> wrote:
>
>  A fellow went to see his therapist.
>>
>> "Doc, I've been having these nightmares.
>> Sometimes I dream that I'm a Wigwam.
>> Other times I dream that I'm a Tipi.
>> What's this all about?"
>>
>> "Your problem is Obvious.
>> You're Two Tents."
>>
>> *****
>>
>> Passing out doses of Librium might help everyone to develop a successful
>> long-term strategy for housing the "domestically challenged".
>>
>> One has to decide what is really going on and what is really at stake here
>> (no more puns, please.)
>>
>> There IS a practical issue of health and safety.  Modern native Americans,
>> most of whose ancestors
>> recently traversed the east big pond or its contralateral larger
>> equivalent, don't really know much about
>> long term dwelling in tent communities.   Phantasmagoric concerns about
>> ceeohtwo induced hyperthermic
>> cataclysm cast aside, no one is going to short-term overcome the fact that
>> Central Illinois is a nassty place to camp for the winter even in the
>> confines of a permanent-type dwelling.
>> As a campsite, the local cityscape really blows.  It's not like camping in
>> the
>> shelter of woods along the Sangamon River, wrapped up with the family all
>> huddled up in nice warm
>> relatively repellent animal skins with a fire burning in the tipi and an
>> supper of squash, corn and roasted venison digesting pleasantly in the
>> belly.
>>
>
> I suppose there are parts of Crystal Lake Park where it might be pleasant
> to camp.  What about Busey Woods?  Possibly also some UIUC land.
>
>
>
>> Camping is fun.  No doubt a tent city in West Urbana will attract people
>> from all over who want
>> to drop out, drop by, and hang out and toke out around the bonfire.
>> Hallelujah.
>>
>> But, Modern native Americans are typically "numbskulls" as Max Keiser has
>> so delicately observed.
>> Modern native Americans are likely to die from exposure, pneumonia, carbon
>> monoxide toxicosis,
>> involuntary immolation, and diseases of general filth, because they aren't
>> Good Campers,whether happy or not.
>> Our modern native hosts are unfamiliar with the technology of successful
>> camping.
>>
>> Rather than trying to cram the "right to camp" down the collective throats
>> of the genteel ruling class of West Urbana,
>> and fight with the paramilitary thugs that pass for ministers of the rule
>> of law in that community of
>> wise minds and tender hearts, why not address the primary core issues of
>> sustainable and unsustainable housing?
>>
>
> That sounds fabulous, Wayne.  You start.
>
> John Wason
>
>
>
>  On 7/29/2009 8:28 AM, Danielle Chynoweth wrote:
>>
>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>> From: Tent Community <cu.tentcommunity at gmail.com>
>> Date: Wed, Jul 29, 2009 at 6:42 AM
>> Subject: updates and upcoming events
>>
>> Hello supporters and friends,
>>  We had a wonderful open house on Saturday!  Thank you to so many of you
>> for making the day a positive experience for all involved.
>>
>>  There are a few events on the horizon:
>>
>>  1.  Zoning Board of Appeals Public Hearing, Thursday, July 30 at 4:00
>> p.m. in City Council Chambers
>>
>>  This meeting is public, and we would love to have your support at the
>> meeting; however, please understand that the appeal is going to be
>> overturned.  The appeals process was simply a way to buy us time, and our
>> appeal will not stand because it is not the appropriate process to follow to
>> achieve our goals.  Instead, we are working along the appropriate channels
>> by meeting with City Council members, who do have the authority to change
>> the zoning laws.  We ask that if you come to support us, that the support be
>> offered in a positive and understanding manner to the City Staff.  Their
>> hands are tied by the zoning code at this point, and what we can do is
>> continue to engage the City Council to get that zoning code modified.
>>
>>  2.  Moving!
>>
>>  We will be moving from the Catholic Worker House very soon, perhaps as
>> soon as Thursday evening.  We believe that we have a site lined up, but will
>> wait to announce the location until the final "okay."  Upon moving, we will
>> find ourselves with fewer resources/amenities than at the current site,
>> particularly food and transportation.  Donations of money for bus passes
>> would be much appreciated.
>>
>>  3.  Meeting for supporters
>>
>>  We are planning a meeting for supporters to present and brainstorm ways
>> that you all can get involved in this project/campaign.  We have not set a
>> date for the meeting yet, with the uncertainty of moving, but will do so as
>> soon as possible.  We are planning for this meeting to probably take place
>> sometime late next week.  We'll keep you posted!
>>
>>  4.  Meetings with City Council members
>>
>>  We have begun engaging the city council with our proposal for the
>> future.  We ask that you reach out to the city council members individually
>> with letters of support for Safe Haven and for them--we believe that the
>> City will need to save face with this conflict, and advance praise for their
>> support of Safe Haven can only help that cause.
>>
>>  5.  Website
>>
>>  With luck and a lot of elbow grease, we should have our website up and
>> running in the near future.  On the website, you'll be able to find the
>> proposal we have presented to the city, as well as other documents and
>> information about Safe Haven.  We'll be in touch with the domain name.
>>
>>  Thank you for your continued support!
>>
>>  Safe Haven
>>
>>
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