Halloween in Lucas Park

Today we continued our presence in Lucas Park by holding an afternoon Halloween Party for neighborhood kids.

Everyone had a great time, by the end of the event in the park we had quite a few kids, maybe 10. One of the kids was homeless, at age 5. He was with a friend of his mom’s, the mom was at work. The three of them had spent the last few nights on the street sleeping under a loading dock. They had spent a few nights at Larry Rice’s New Life Evangelical Center but he tossed them because the women wouldn’t do his 90-day program. They consider Rice’s program to be “slave labor.” One woman has a job while the other is doing classes as St Patrick’s Center to get her GED. They consider Rice’s program to be “slave labor.” Their landlord had raised the rent and they could no longer afford it. They have some leads on more affordable places. In the meantime the three of them were out in the cold.

We shared their story with Alderwoman April Ford-Griffin. She gave us her cell number and asked that the mom call her and she would help her get into a family shelter. As we went trick or treating the friend of the mom stayed in Lucas Park but she sent a homeless young man to keep an eye on the young one. After we all got back from trick or treating the mom arrived from her day at work. Andy Martello of the shut down NLEC petition gave the women the Alderwoman’s phone number. I gave them my card and told them to call me if they needed a ride to a shelter.

About a half an hour later my phone rang, I was at home by now. They had talked with Griffin and they needed a ride to a shelter just north of Downtown. I got in my car and drove to a nearby building where they had slept under the dock. Within 20 minutes of them calling me they were safe inside the shelter.

When I got back home I started to cry. The little 5 year-old was so sweet and innocent. The mom and the other woman were nice and trying to do their best, they’d been out of their apartment since October 9th.

As I picked them up I saw Maureen Brown again. She asked why I wasn’t helping her. I said I’d be happy to give her a ride somewhere. I think I was crying in part because I had gotten to know Maureen over the last few weeks but she was still on the street. So I called a women’s shelter to see if they could take her. They said they were full but they might be able to let her sleep on a sofa for one night but they wanted to talk to her first.

So back down to the car I went. I got lucky and found Maureen near the same loading dock where I had seen her about an hour earlier. She got into my car and I called the shelter. She turned down the sofa but they suggested she call back Monday to see if they have any openings. She doesn’t have a cell phone so I’m going to go find her on Monday so she can use my phone to talk to them. She is out there in the cold. I did notice a couple of homeless men in the same spot — they are likely her protectors.

I’ll be able to sleep better tonight knowing I helped two women and a child get a safe place to sleep and that I will hopefully get Maureen into a shelter as well this coming week. This morning I had noticed belongings under this particular loading dock. It was weird putting a face to a space. A 5 year-olds face.

We had fun in the park today. We made more connections with homeless persons. I found more people among the homeless population that think NLEC needs to go. Needs do exist and NLEC is not meeting those needs.

One of the top needs is a place to store personal belongings and clothing. We have more homeless than we have spaces for stuff. The stuff goes into the shelters at night but the next morning the person & their stuff are back on the street (or in the park). I don’t mind seeing homeless persons in the park but piles of stuff just show how poor a job we are doing at providing good services for the homeless. How can we expect this person(s) to get a job? They can’t carry all this to a job interview.

Happy Halloween!

UPDATE 10/26/08 @8AM   – I removed information on the shelter where I took the two women and child.

“Lean to the Left!”

Politically people think I’m a very leftist liberal. For me it depends upon the issue. Talk about the environment and I’ll talk about conservation. But on that issue conservation is considered liberal, not conservative.

When it comes to eminent domain I take a stronger property rights view – more conservative.

When it comes to marriage I say less government. Typically calls for less government is viewed as conservative but not when it allows those of the same gender to marry each other. Many hold the view that marriage should be between a man and a woman. Fine. But the basis for that perspective is about religion and not constitutional equality. If government is going to be in the marriage business then it needs to be equal. If churches don’t want to recognize same-sex marriages that is their right based on the Freedom of Religion. But why must we have government involved? Let’s unregulate marriage. Liberal or Conservative?

This week I was told to “lean to the left.”

Not from someone discussing politics, but my physical therapist. This month I’ve been in outpatient therapy at the Rehabilitation Institute of St Louis, located near BJC. So when my therapist told me to lean to the left I grinned and did as told.

For those new to this site, I had a stroke on February 1st – not quite nine months ago. My left side was completely immobilized. 100% out of commission. I returned home on April 30th. Since coming home my balance and walking has greatly improved. I still use my power wheelchair to go distances more than 3 blocks but I walk when I can.

One of the things we are working on in therapy is to get me to trust my left side more and more. My hip & knee are still weaker than they should be so exercises are aimed at strengthening them. I have a tendency to depend too much on my right side – leaning that direction so my right leg carries more of my weight than my left.

So I need to lean to the left.
A full recovery where you can’t tell I had a stroke will still be measured in years. But my progress this past six months has been great. In therapy I’m getting the instruction I need to take me the rest of the way to a full recovery.

Here are some of the things I can do now that I could not do when I returned home from the hospital:

• Walk with a more even cadence.
• Take normal showers standing up.
• Get up from a seated position without pushing myself up from the chair with my right arm.
• Put on a jacket while standing.
• Use my left hand/arm to turn on/off light switches, turn my deadbolt lock, open my door, push elevator buttons (some require more pressure than I can exert), carry light unbreakable items, rotate a small object in my palm, and flip someone the bird.

Now that I’m doing more I really have to be even more careful not to fall. Doing things like turning on/off lights is not effortless. I can’t reach around a corner with my left — I have to be in front of the switch. It is amazing how the brain can reprogram itself. Me seeing my left hand be useful is helpful in this reprogramming process.

Some things I still cannot do:

• Carry a glass or plate of food with my left hand.
• Carry anything weighty with my left.
• Get seated on the ground/floor and get back up again.
• Take a bath (I prefer showers anyway but I like the occasional bath).
• Type with both hands. I’m at 20 words per minute with my right only.
• Two-step (course I couldn’t do that well before the stroke).
• Ride a bike or scooter.
• Open the driver’s door from the inside or put down the windows with my left hand.
• Open many doors with my left — many require a lot of force — more than I have to give at this time.
• Raise my left hand.

The trick is to just keep trying. Sometimes it takes me a bit, certainly longer than just using my right. But I have to learn to lean to the left.

A Third Term for the Mayor?

Yesterday New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg successfully got the City Council to overturn their city’s term limits that had been approved by the voters twice.  This clears the path so he can seek a third 4-year term.  A number of the City Council can now also run for third terms as well.

In St Louis City we have no such limits in place.  Our officials can stick around for decades if they like.  They amass these huge campaign war chests that are used to intimidate newcomers from seeking office. New blood and new ideas are kept at bay.

I like term limits.  Keeps people on their toes.  Forces them to think about changing offices or moving out of public service.  It doesn’t allow officials to get too comfy.

If someone can’t accomplish something in 8 years they are not going to get it done in 12,16, 20 or more years.
Maybe after I finish my Masters I’ll work on a referendum in St Louis to have term limits.

Undecided on Proposition A

For political offices I know how I’ll be voting on November 4th. Proposition A, however, still has me undecided. Prop A will allow Missouri’s casinos to make lots more money by removing the hassle of loss-limit tracking. In exchange they are agreeing to tax themselves at a slightly higher rate than the current rate (21% vs 20%). Of course it is being sold as helping schools.

As you can tell I’m not inclined to buy into the interests of gaming officials. But I think they make a reasonable argument that it is less of a hassle for gamblers to cross a state line to be “entertained” at a neighboring state that doesn’t have loss limits. It is not wanting to lose more than $500 but avoiding the lines caused by the tracking measures the loss limit imposes.

I think I voted in favor of riverboat gambling back in the early 90s, I don’t recall. Boy have we come a long way. What is the rule now? You have to be able to see a river from the casino or at least have a painting of one in the lobby?

One interesting provision of Prop A is to lock in the number of gaming licenses to those currently operating or under construction. So the casinos will make more money and competition from within the state will be fixed. Within a decade they’ll be back saying we need more casinos.

Why don’t we just become like Nevada? Let’s have slot machines everywhere.

I say we support the no loss limit as soon as we ban smoking across the state. That would put Missouri casinos on an even footing with Illinois casinos.

So here is your chance to argue pro or con for Prop A, which way should us undecideds vote?

Fox2; The Story is More Important Than Pedestrians

How important is getting the news? Important enough to inconvenience others? Fox2 seems to think so.

Today I spotted this Fox2 news van on the sidewalk and blocking the ADA ramp at Tucker & Olive. Not much room left for the able-bodied. Anyone in a wheelchair is out of luck. Anyone crossing Olive or Tucker at this intersection would be left out in the rain. But hey, they had a story to do.