Week 12: News Article - Dorothy

Context for the Debate on ‘Religious Freedom’ Measures in Indiana and Arkansas

New York Times March 31, 2015

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/01/us/politics/context-for-the-debate-on-religious-freedom-measures-in-indiana-and-arkansas.html?action=click&contentCollection=U.S.&module=RelatedCoverage&region=Marginalia&pgtype=article

Last week Governor Mike Pence signed a new provision of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act was adapted to protect members of vulnerable religious minorities from punishment for the exercise of their beliefs. Mr. Clinton signed the federal law in 1993 at a time when the concept had strong support, and was perceived as a way to prevent unjustified oppression of religious minorities. The federal legislation was set off by a case in which two followers of the Native American church were fired and denied unemployment benefits because they took part in ceremonies with peyote, an illegal drug. The United States Supreme Court upheld Oregon’s decision not to pay benefits, provoking a bipartisan drive in Congress to pass a law that would deter government actions that impinge upon religious beliefs. Twenty states, including Indiana last week, have since passed their own versions of religious freedom laws. These laws were designed to protect individuals from harm by preventing the government from forcing people to violate their beliefs unless there was a sound reason and no good alternative. For example, this year, the Supreme Court said that federal officials could not prevent a Muslim prisoner from wearing a short beard, since the ban did not serve any overriding governmental interest. However, Indiana law includes new provisions that could broaden its reach, possibly enabling corporations to deflect antidiscrimination rules and providing religious believers with a possible weapon in private suits.

Religious conservatives say that if same-sex marriage must exist, those who find it sinful should not be forced to participate in any way. Under laws like the one in Indiana, they say, vendors such as florists, bakers and photographers should be able to refuse to sell their services for same-sex wedding celebrations. Many of those who pushed for Indiana’s law have explicitly said that they hope it will protect vendors who refuse to participate in same-sex wedding ceremonies, helping them avoid actions that according to their beliefs are onerous and sinful. Less clear is how often that might occur, and how often those vendors might win in court.

Civil rights advocates argue that many of these laws are increasingly used not to protect vulnerable religious minorities but to allow some religious groups to impose their views on others. Supporters have argued that reliance on these laws is not an imposition, but rather a form of protection so that religious individuals are not forced to act in ways that violate their beliefs. According to civil rights advocates, “religious freedom,” is code for simple discrimination and would not only inconvenience gay and lesbian couples, but also would relegate them to a form of second-class status. Those selling to the public should not be able to turn away customers because of their own private beliefs, these advocates say; the vendor is, after all, selling flowers, and is not required to embrace the beliefs of the customers. 

In respond to all the controversy and protest, Indian Governor promise to “fix” the law. Below is a link about Governor Pence plans to fix the law. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/01/us/politics/indiana-governor-mike-pence-feeling-backlash-from-religious-laws-opponents-promises-a-fix.html?action=click&contentCollection=Politics&module=RelatedCoverage&region=Marginalia&pgtype=article

What are your thought? Is the Religious Freedom Restoration Act allowing individual and business to discriminate against LGBT community or is it protecting members of minority religious groups from punishment for the exercise of their beliefs?

Please note that this is a developing story, therefore the story is constantly being updated.  Some of the information in this might be outdated by the time you read this blog. The Washington Post and New York Times is reporting updates daily. If you find any updated information please link it to the blog to provide addition conversation. Thank you in advance.

References

Eckholm, E., (2015, March 31) Context for the Debate on ‘Religious Freedom’ Measures in Indiana and Arkansas. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/

Week 11: Class Reading - Chasity

Ch. 11: Planning, Implementing, Monitoring, and Evaluating the Intervention

This chapter begins by discussing macro level intervention. The author advises that, “Selecting an intervention is not a simple matter of brain storming or choosing the most popular suggestion.” (364). All participants must understand and agree to the intervention and its design.

As the text states, “A brief written document may be prepared at this point which includes (1) a statement that clearly explains the problem or need (2), a description of the proposed change and its results and (3) a description of strategies and tactics to get the change accepted.” Simply because people are participating throughout this process should not be taken as a sign that they agree with the final outcome. It is important to finalize any disagreements or concerns before developing the details of the intervention.

There is a seven task planning process which will come about as well. The tasks will include setting a goal, developing outcome objectives for the intervention, developing process objectives, listing activities for each process objective, initiating the action plan, monitoring the intervention and evaluating the effectiveness of the intervention.

It is easy to assume that nothing can go wrong due to all of the planning and consensus building, nothing can fail or go wrong. This is on the contrary, however, because even lack of careful attention to detail can cause a planned intervention to go wrong.

The text gives the example of Cedar City, which was on the rise of growing at a fairly rapid rate. The population had increased by 58% from 2000-2008. Cedar City’s elected officials include a mayor and town council. Also included are a town manager, budget director, town attorney, water and sewer department, police and fire departments, parks and recreation department, and a planning and community development department. Their school system has nine elementary schools, three middle schools and three high schools.

The town began to notice a decline when a serious recession hit. In the first year of recession, “the town froze all hiring, swept all funds for training and travel and cut back on some of the benefits that had been granted to town staff.” By the second year of the recession, officials realized that there must now be reduction in staff. When every other budget expense was reduced as much as it could be, the town decided that it must cut back on police and fire personnel.

The town called a meeting to determine what would be done during this time. It was decided that volunteers and part-time staff would be used to carry out the certain functions that were once necessary by full time staff.

The higher ups decided that “if a policy including the following town components was accepted by the town council: current entry level job descriptions will be examined to determine which tasks can be distributed to volunteers. Job descriptions to volunteers will be drafted, spelling out limits and liabilities. Training sessions and certification requirements will be prepared and a Volunteer Coordinator will be appointed.”

In order to get Cedar City back on track, they needed to establish some objectives. There are outcome objectives and process objectives. “An outcome objective specifies the result or outcome to be achieved with and for the target population.” Process objectives specify “the procedures to be followed in order to achieve the result.”

“A complete objective, whether outcome or process, has four parts. (1) a time frame (2) a target (3) a result and (4) a criteria for measuring or documenting.

Another integral concept is a strategy for dealing with interpersonal problems among members of the team. Not only should it be established, but it should be communicated to all participants.

Week 11: News Article - Katie

http://www.kmov.com/story/28606668/ferguson-names-new-city-manager-public-hopes-for-transparency

*Additional work history of Pam Hylton accessed from https://www.linkedin.com/pub/pam-crake-hylton/7/b78/65a

The Ferguson City Council appointed an interim city manager on Tuesday night (March 24, 2015). The New interim city manager will be Pam Hylton. Ms. Hylton will take the place of former city manager John Shaw until elections are held on April 7^th. At the city council meeting, members of the community were clear that they want Ms. Hylton to show much more transparency than the former city manager, John Shaw. While filling the role of City Manager, Ms. Hylton will be making $100,000 annually. She was asked about an interview, but a city spokesperson said she is not yet ready to speak to the media. Ms. Hylton was the Assistant to the City Manager from April of 2011 to January of 2013. She then became the Assistant City Manager of Ferguson in January 2013 until taking the seat as an interim city manager on Tuesday night. The hope for the community is that Pam Hylton will offer more transparency and that she will be an effective leader for the city of Ferguson until a permanent replacement is found.

What are your thoughts on previous Assistant City Manager Pam Hylton taking the seat of John Shaw until elections on April 7th?

Week 9: News Article - Kerry

Meet 3 Ferguson employees cited by DOJ for racism & corruption now in charge of cleaning up the city

(with information supplied by the New York Times - http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/06/us/in-ferguson-some-who-are-part-of-problem-are-asked-to-be-part-of-solution.html?_r=0)

This news article was posted only 6 days ago, but so much has happened since then. The four main Ferguson officials who are the subject of the article have all resigned (or been fired) from their positions. This is a step in the right direction, but some say that there needs to be many more resignations.

The main focus of the article is how systemic racism in the Ferguson police department and the local court system had a devastating impact on minorities and particularly African Americans. The author, Shaun King, describes how Ferguson police were first in this discriminatory chain, stopping motorists with little cause and pedestrians for petty infractions and issuing them tickets. King claims that Chief Thomas Jackson oversaw a force that routinely violated the civil rights of Black citizens in Ferguson.

Mary Ann Twitty, clerk of the Ferguson court, was another cog in the crooked machine. The article notes how Twitty routinely “fixed” tickets for White co-workers and friends, while “sticking it” to Black defendants. She also sent out racist emails to colleagues through her official government account.

Another piece of the corrupt puzzle was Judge Ronald Brockmeyer. Author King lays out the case for courthouse corruption by claiming that Brockmeyer added fees and fines to Black defendants cases. He also was able to make his own traffic ticket disappear. He is also the prosecutor in Vinita Park and Florissant, towns that have also been accused of judicial injustice.

The final (as of yet) provocateur in this situation is City Manager John Shaw, who King says is the architect of the corrupt system. Ferguson revenue has increased yearly since Shaw was hired, mainly due to police tickets and citations. The article claims all the aforementioned work in concert with one another, and Manager Shaw is the one running the show.

This article illustrates how African American residents have been subsidizing the White governed community of Ferguson by paying unfair, trumped up and inflated fines and fees. This is akin to the days when slaves propped up the economy of the antebellum South with their free, forced labor. Southern plantation owners enjoyed great prosperity by not having to pay workers the going rate for labor.

Since Mr. King wrote the article, many things have been happening, including Judge Brockmeyer resigning his other offices in surrounding communities. Two police officers were also hit by bullets in an attack, the perpetrators are at this moment unknown.

Week 9: Class Reading - Dorothy

Ch 9: Building Support for Proposed Change

According to the text, macro practice in social work can be viewed as having four major parts: (1) understanding the important components to be affected by the change— problem, population, and arena; (2) preparing an overall plan designed to get the change accepted; (3) preparing a detailed plan for intervention; and (4) implementing the intervention and following up to assess its effectiveness.

This chapter does a great job outlining the steps needed to propose change. Planned change requires careful study and analysis before taking action. Chapter 9 outlines four tasks that will provide the foundation for moving toward the strategies and tactics one may choose in order to effect change.

According to the text, the first task is to develop the intervention hypothesis. In this task we reexamine all relevant finding from analyses of problem, population, and arena. The relevant quantitative data and other types of information should be distilled into a clear working hypothesis of etiology. Etiology refers to the underlying cause of a problem. Therefore the hypothesis establish an understanding about cause and effect relationship. Based on the working hypothesis of etiology, creative ideas should be generated about interventions that appear to be relevant to the need as it is currently understood. Using the proposed interventions, a working intervention hypothesis should be developed. The intervention hypothesis is a series of statements that lay out a clear set of understandings about the nature of the interventions and the expected results or outcomes.

The second task is to define the participants. Building support beings with understanding the major participants or stakeholders. In order for effective macro change to occur, it is necessary to have allies. Change agents need to understand all of the systems involved. The text apply the system theory to identify who should be involved and why. According to the text the systems to be considered includes the initiator system, change agent system, client system, support system, controlling system, host and implementing systems, target system, and action system. In translation, the system will include agency, office holder, position, committee, and task force.

The third task is to examine the capacity for change. An assessment of readiness should include consideration of their openness, commitments, and abilities to pursue the proposed change; availability of resources to implement the proposed change; and the degree of outside resistance likely to be encountered. Openness to change involves an informal assessment, based on experience, of how people in decision-making positions have dealt with earlier proposals. The social worker must recognizing who are the leaders within the action system and what they bring to the change effort. Assessing the capacity of the groups that form each system to follow through with what needs to be done may make the difference in whether the proposal can successfully move forward.

In the final task, the change agent must select a change approach. Our book suggest choosing a policy, program, project, personnel, or practice approach, or some combination, based on what is known about what is likely to successfully work with the population and the problem. Table 9.5 on page 327 defines each of these approaches to change. When these tasks have been accomplished, the change effort is ready to move toward selection of strategy and tactics. These tasks will help the intervention logically flow from an understanding of all the known factors that contribute to the problem, need, issue, or opportunity.

Week 9: Class Reading - Daniel

Green & Haines: “The Role of Community Based Organizations”

Community Development Corporations have become the principle organizations for carrying out local development activities in many urban neighborhoods and rural communities.  Over the years these corporations have taken on many different names identified with development activities. First, Corporate organizations represent power because they are seen as representing large number of people. Secondly, organizations represent continuity because membership may change but an organization can continue to sustain an activity. Thirdly, an organization helps to develop expertise over the long haul with the ability to get better with the passing of time. Finally, organizations improves the ability of residents to respond to problem solving more quickly. And corporations have perpetuity.

Corporate organizations struggle with some downsides as to how to remain relevant in the changing of time. How to maintain participation in the organization. How to avoid becoming too bureaucratic with the passing of time. How to obtain external resources without losing control of the process of bringing in new resources.

In conclusions, community based organizations in poor communities do not have the spread of internal leadership to give a broad base representation. Because formally educated people choose not to live in those communities. The resources in poor communities are limited and no community can have all the resources it needs. Education and the involvement of young people is the key to people developing a strong community based organization

Week 9: News Article - Chatonia

“Ferguson chief, judge, manager resign”

St. Louis American

http://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/article_2ac2d2dc-c846-11e4-bc47-d7a9dc50be79.html

On March 4, 2015, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released a report regarding the policing and court practices in the City of Ferguson. Since, the Ferguson Police Chief Jackson, Ronald Brockmeyer, the municipal judge, and John Shaw, the city manager have resigned. In the article, Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal (D) suggested that Mayor James Knowles III would be the next to resign.

Ferguson municipal court cases were transferred to Judge Roy L. Richter of the Court of Appeals for the Eastern District of Missouri. Also, the court has assigned staff from its state courts office to assess Ferguson municipal court practices and to help Richter in making necessary reforms. Richter will be an asset to Ferguson because he will offer a fresh perspective to the court practices, and he is able to implement necessary changes.  

Richter is also the chair of the Municipal Judge Education Committee and supports the work being done by the St. Louis County Municipal Court Improvement Committee. The following are some of the reforms proposed by the St. Louis County Municipal Court Improvement Committee: making volunteer lawyers available on municipal court dates to offer legal advice to defendants who are not facing jail time for their offenses and do not qualify for a public defender, encouraging the use of community service for indigent offenders, setting uniform fines across all municipal courts for identical offenses, and establishing uniform procedures for payment plans for indigent defendants.

The article ended with a statement from Dellwood’s Mayor Reggie Jones, who announced that Dellwood’s municipal court will be granting “full amnesty” for all traffic tickets issued prior to April 11, 2012 (the last day the city had its own police department).

What do you think is the future of the Ferguson Police Department? Do you think the St. Louis County Municipal Court Improvement Committee is headed in the right direction?

Week 8: Class Reading - Jenn

Chapter 6: Assessing Communities

Communities are made up of small microsystems – without these microsystems a community would never be able to function.  Understanding these microsystems is key if you want to understand or facilitate a change in a community.  As social workers we need to know how microsystems impact each other and how they work together to form the community as a whole.  It is best to fully immerse yourself into a community so that you can experience the community first-hand.  This gives you a chance to experience what it is like to be a community member in the community you are studying. You will also need to understand the historical events and milestones of the community and you need to keep in mind that communities are living organisms that continually change.

Chapter 6 outlines three tasks that will help social workers gather the information needed to evaluate a community. 

First, the book says you need to focus on the people in the community; these are the people you, as a social worker, are trying to help.  You may want to ask yourself “What population is the most oppressed?” or “Which population is most in need?” These questions can help you identify your target population.  After identifying the target population, you then need to gather information to determine this group’s demographics and their resources.  You should also identify their needs –how the community views those needs (are they seen as important or unimportant) and how these needs can be addressed.  A social worker can gather this information by attending community meetings, interviewing community members, and reviewing the data that is already available.  One thing that I think is of particular importance is that when identifying the needs of your target population, a social worker should be careful to talk to community members.  Ask them how they view themselves and how they see their community.  That’s a piece that is often overlooked, but that is extremely important.

Our text states that a social worker should determine the community characteristics.  These characteristics include boundaries, strengths, issues, social problems, and values.  You’ll want to ask about the size of the area included (a neighborhood, a city block, or a larger piece of a community).  Social workers also need to be sure to ask about the community’s strengths, issues, values, traditions, and social problems. It’s also important to figure out where the discrimination and oppression are taking place.

Finally, as a social worker you need to identify the community stakeholders. This means figuring out who runs the community, who controls the money and other resources, and how easy it is for community members to access those resources.  You’ll also want to know what type of resources are available – this means things like schooling, TANF, and other funding sources.

Our job as social workers is to fit these three pieces of the puzzle together so that we can understand how a community’s various microsystems work together within a community.

Week 8: Class Reading - Trisha

“The Community Development Process,” Green and Haines

In the chapter titled "The Community Development Process", Green and Haines discuss the various types of community development, the process and the goals. The process of and outcomes of community development are important. They focus on three areas: community organizing, community visioning and planning, and evaluation and monitoring. 

One main questions community developers face is the questions of how to get the community engaged in the issue. How do people become engage, maintain momentum, and continue to work towards a common goal? Who should be involved in development and community organizing? And how do you identify key players in a community? 

The article examines various theories and views on community-based organizations (CBOs). Various types of public participation exist and the article highlights Sherry Arnstein's "ladder of public participation" as frame work to understanding how communities can become more involved in making decisions. When the community has more power and control over decisions, they are more likely to become engaged. 

Green and Haines discuss challenges that community-based organizations face, including sustaining a ideal level of public input. This can be due to the fact that developing programs that fit within funding guidelines can alienate the community members and organizing communities can be a slow process. 

The article also discusses why people choose to get involved. Sometimes it is because the issues directly affect them or because of social relationships. If someone they know and respects is involved, they are more likely to jump in too. 

Some barriers people face when trying to get involved in CBOs are the lack of child care, transportation, accessibility for the disabled, lack of advanced information, time restraints, lack of communication, and residents not being able to see a direct benefit of their actions having a impact on the issue. 

Green and Haines present various forms organizing can take; unions, constituency, issue, and neighborhood/community. Community organizing is different from the others because it involves people in a specific geographic area. 

To organize residents, CBOs use social action campaigns and the development model. Social action campaigns include picketing, strikes, and sit-ins. The development model helps residents work towards development goals. Examples of community organizing models are The Alinsky model (involving a professional organizer), the Boston model (contacts welfare clients), and the Association of Community Organization for Reform Now (ACORN). The ACORN model combines the previous two and is more politically focused. 

Community visioning is key in community development. A common vision is needed for the community to organize around and beings a common desired end state. What do they want their community to look like? If your community was a perfect place, what would it look like to you? Visioning focused on the strengths of the community and the strength needed to be developed in order to reach the desired end product. 

Green and Haines review different planning tools there are used to guide development and growth: Comprehensive - Rational Planning, Advocacy Planning, and Strategic Planning. 

One common corporate-style strategic planning approach is the SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. It can be used to build agreement within an organization and help identify areas of growth. 

Towards the end of the chapter, Green and Haines give a quick over view of Monitoring, Evaluate, and Revise, all of which are key in community development. Monitoring and evaluating reveal where corrections revision are needed. They can focus on specific accomplishments and determine outputs and outcomes. 

Questions for the class:

Have you engaged in community development or organizing? What was your experience? Do you have examples of when the visioning stage was missed? 

Has your place of employment used a Strategic Planning tool, such as SWOT? What has been your experience?  

Week 7: Class Reading - Katie

Chapter 5: “Understanding Communities”

The reading uses Warren’s definition of community which is, “the organization of social activities that affords people access to what is necessary for day-to-day living, such as the school, grocery store, hospital, house of worship, and other such social units and systems.”

The introduction outlines common concepts related to defining a community. These are: space, people, interaction, and shared identity. A community has specific dimensions as outlined in Fellin’s Dimensions of Communities. These include: Geographical Space, a pattern of social interaction, and symbolic identification that gives meaning to one’s identity.

The reading also covers numerous theories being applied to communities. One theory discussed is the systems theory. This can be used for a deeper understanding of the functioning of a community by assessing boundaries and maintenance needs within the community. One strength in this theory is addresses the fact that changes in one aspect of a community produces changes in other aspects in the community. One weakness cited to this theory is that it does not consider disagreements and deep divisions that may be present in the community. It is for this reason that assumptions about common purposes can be ignored using systems theory.

Systems theory is a great way to map out connections and relationships within a community. This leads to the section on capacity building and asset mapping. Recognizing informal units that are not publicly incorporated is and important aspect of capacity building and asset mapping. These informal units are often the backbone to the community and should be recognized when discovering strengths and opportunities for support within the community.

What do you like in your community? What aspects might you change?

Week 7: Class Reading - Hayley

Concepts and Theory of Local Economic Development by Blakely

The most traditional and commonly used definition of economic development is associated with the creation of wealth, which most often includes activities involved in increasing taxes, creating jobs, etc.  This is why economic development needs to be defined much differently.  The author offers a much more long-term focused definition to economic development that might be more suitable.  It focuses on local economic development based on a community’s standard of living, focuses on reducing inequality, and focuses on promoting sustainability.  The author also offers many brief overviews of theories related to economic growth and development, but explains further five theories that have been influential in understanding economic development.

The first theory is neoclassical economic theory.  This theory asserts that all economic systems will reach a state of equilibrium if capital flows without restrictions.  The issue with this is this model does not work perfectly.  The community must use its resources to attract capital, which it may not be doing, and disadvantaged communities should look to get resources to reach equilibrium of surrounding communities, which is much easier said than done.

The second theory is economic base theory, which focuses on export.  This theory poses the thought that economic growth is based on a community’s outside demand for certain goods, services, and resources.  If local resources produce goods that can be exported, then that community will achieve economic growth.  This theory is helpful in understanding how exportation affects local economy, but does not focus on internal community demands.

The third theory is the product cycle theory.  This theory says that there is a cycle, beginning in areas of greater wealth, where specialized labor is used to create a product.  This product stays in this area of greater wealth until it is standardized and can be produced in areas with less wealth and more standardized labor.  It is important to remember with this theory that different labor industries move at different speeds, therefore requiring different amounts of intensity.

Location theories are focused on how firms choose their location.  This choice is typically influenced by production costs, transportation costs, resources, and space.  It is much different for different firms; therefore this theory is used more specifically.

Central place theory asserts the idea that a central area (typically an urban center) is supported by smaller places that provide it with resources.  It is most easily associated with retail and helps us to pick viable centers for supporting communities.

The author also introduces models in which economic development has affected practice.  The first is through attraction models which are used in development-seeking communities that are viewed as products.  It is focused on marketing communities to attract entrepreneurial firms.  The second is through New Market Models, which are focused more on poor and rural areas.  This model believes that these communities have potential for economic opportunity, but are not being utilized appropriately.  It focuses on the long-term, community assets, and finding ways to share the wealth, which is something we want to strongly influence economic development theory.

Finally, the author presents more modern components of economic development, which includes locality, business and economic base, employment resources, and community resources.  These concepts have been reformulated to focus on the community’s long-term standard of living, focus on reducing inequality, and focus on promoting sustainability.  Economic development theory must continue to change and evolve to keep up with the changing society and its challenging trends.

Week 7: News Article - Daniel

“Eminent domain considered for geospatial agency,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/st-louis-considers-eminent-domain-power-in-effort-to-keep/article_ddb18d48-de2a-5417-99f1-fcf4c9e157c3.html

Jeff-Vanderlou is a poverty stricken neighborhood that has a population of 5,557 people. It is bordered by Vandeventer on the West and North Jefferson on the East. Delmar on the South and Palm Street on the North. This is an African American community that was settled by blacks in the early 1900s. In this area there are two community recreation centers, one VA Hospital, six elementary schools, three high schools, one community college, one Catholic Church and three senior citizens housing complexes. In addition to about twenty churches of different denominations and many small independent owned businesses. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper on February 12, 2015, the Vashon High School in the Jeff-Vanderlou neighborhood is failing to provide a quality education to its students. Only time will tell whether or not if the school will remain opened when the neighborhood goes the way of eminent domain. However, the Special Administrative School Board for the city of St. Louis has approved $2.2 million to renovate the old Pruitt Elementary School building at 1212 N. 22nd Street that was designed by architect Ray L. Leiunkuehler in 1954.

The Pruitt-Igoe Housing Project land is east of Jeff-Vanderlou at North Jefferson Avenue and Cass Avenue. What is important about the Pruitt-Igoe land is that it has 57 acres of land in its boundaries. And the city of St. Louis in interested in acquiring another 50 acres of land to offer to the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency to stay in the city of St. Louis. The spy agency has indicated they will move from their present location on south Broadway near the Anheuser Busch Brewery. But in order to stay in the city the spy agency needs 100 acres of land. This agency employees 3000 workers and brings in $2.4 million in annual earning tax with the average salary for this agency being $75,000 a year.  A big deal for the city of St. Louis economic base. Now the city is positioning itself to take control of the Jeff-Vanderlou land needed to make up this 100 acres of land that will be turned over to the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency to be developed into their new headquarters and facilities. The tool the city is contemplating using is the power of eminent domain. This is the right given to the government to take private property for public use. The public use in this instance will be for the economic benefit of the city of St. Louis in expanding its tax revenue base. In that the city does not want to lose that $2.4 million a year income stream. And the United States Supreme Court in Kelo v. City of New London, Connecticut in 2005 has said that it was legal as long as the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution was followed in giving the property owner just compensation for his property. After all the property owner has no right to stand in the way of progress and the greater good of the public.

The question that has to be answered is where will those displaced families go? The majority of the families in the Jeff-Vanderlou area are renters and they are low-income individuals. As with the Pruitt-Igoe land clearance project in the 1950s, the people were allowed to remain in the community with a better stock of housing than they had before. But with this urban renewal it will be a black neighborhood removal and no coming back. After the dust clears the Jeff Vanderlou neighborhood will no longer exist. What we as social workers are witnessing is a disappearing of a neighborhood before our eyes. We have an opportunity to be living in a historical time. So let’s seize the moment. And document all the historical places in this neighborhood because it will not be here fifty years from now.

Week 7: Class Reading - Michelle

Eligon, J. (2015, February 23). Shelter Resists Order to Stop Helping All It Can.  The New York Times, pp A9, A11.  http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/23/us/shelter-resists-order-to-stop-helping-all-it-can.html?_r=0

The New Life Evangelistic Center has provided homeless people in St. Louis a safe place to sleep since opening in 1976.  The article stated that there are around 1,300 homeless people in St. Louis.  While the shelter has 125 beds, it takes in about 300 people per night.  The shelter also provides 30 day and two year programs in which recipients can be selected to help find employment and more permanent housing.

The shelter is now at risk for being closed down.  The Board of Public Service ordered that the shelter limit its occupancy to 32 starting in May.  This order came after area stakeholders petitioned the Board due to their concern with drugs, fights, and public urination.  The area in which the shelter is located is ”transforming into a hub for urban renewal.”  The affluent residents moving into the area do not want the shelter operating.  Mr. Larry Rice, the advocate who runs the shelter stated that “Rich folks moved into the neighborhood and they considered the homeless a nuisance because they don’t want them around.”

The city reports spending $11 million a year supporting the homeless with the goal of getting them into permanent housing.  The approach is called “housing- first.”  Mayor Slay has a plan that will cost $1 million a year.  This plan is to connect the homeless with contractors that will help them find permanent housing.  Slay thinks that emergency shelter should be temporary.

Brad Waldrop, a local investor in the area, believes that the shelter fosters the cycle of homelessness.  He reports that this is why he led the efforts to close the shelter. He calls the shelter an “archaic” model and states that he would like to see a new model of “rapid rehousing.”

The people who stay in the shelter believe that the shelter provides them with emergency beds, resources, and a sense of community.  One resident stated that if they close the shelter he will freeze to death.

What do you think?   This “housing first” sounds a little bit like Pruitt – Igoe to me.  Is the Mayors plan of providing homes to the homeless and “beautifying” the city just a band aid for the real issues the city has? There

Week 6: News Article - Arriana

“Oversight bill passes committee”
St. Louis American
http://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/article_a432320e-b0bb-11e4-9098-533d110fd129.html

The St. Louis Aldermanic committee passed a bill last Monday (February 9th) that focused on creating a board that would be responsible for investigating and overseeing  police misconduct within our community (oversight board of police). The board would also have the ability to review citizens complaints and communicate with internal affairs about investigations (that includes sending investigations back and adding new evidence or questions to cases).

During the hearing a number of parties expressed their concern and opinions about the bill. Both police union and the city counselor’s office disagreed with the board having the power to subpoena while others like Alderman Antonio French push to give the board this power.

This article highlights the opinions of some alderman members and their agreeance or disagreeance to support the bill and the possible argument at hand, which is whether the board should have the subpoena power and in general the type and amount of powers granted to the board.

“The bill gives the board access to all documents and allows for some monitoring of Internal Affairs investigations.”  The power to subpoena was not originally documented in the bill but individuals such as Alderman Antonio French is fighting to add it to the bill.

This power is said to cause issues in the future by getting held up on courts and individuals deem it the that adding the power is a risky strategy.Along with subpoena power their have been debates or disputes about how the board members will be selected.

The bill goes to the board of Aldermen and on April 20th the results will be determined. The decision to send the bill back to the committee for revisions , or to pass or deny the bill.

JVL Community Service Work Day

Week #6: Class Reading - Chatonia

Minkler, M. (2004). Ethical challenges for the “outside” researcher in community-based participatory research. Health Education & Behavior, 31, 684-697.

In the article, Ethical Challenges for the “Outside” Researcher in Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR), Meredith Minkler outlines the ethical challenges of CBPR. CBPR is an applied joint approach that enables community residents to more actively participate in the full scale of research with the goal of influencing change in community health, systems, programs, or policies. Community members and researchers collaborate to combine knowledge and action for social change to improve community health. Academic/research community partners join to develop models and approaches to building communication, trust, and capacity with the final goal of increasing community participation in the research process. On the other hand, the following are challenges faced when utilizing CBPR: achieving a true community driven agenda, insider-outsider tensions, real and perceived racism, limitations of participation, issues involving the sharing, ownership, and use of findings for action.

CBPR encompasses an array of approaches which are comprised of participation, research, and action. In addition, individual, organizational, and community empowerment are developed by using the strengths perspective. Minkler mentioned that racism is comprised of a three-tiered framework (institutional, personally mediated, and internalized) that can become visible in CBPR. As a result, racism can cause cultural divides between the outside researchers and community members. 

A key characteristic of CBPR is the commitment to ensuring that the topic to be investigated comes from the community. The latter would require the researcher to have skills in community organizing and group dynamics. A pro of CBPR is that it is able to study controversial issues. The con of CBPR is choosing a topic that may further divide community members. To combat the latter issue, the author suggested that town hall meetings and focus groups should be used to determine the issue.

Throughout the article, the author gives examples of case studies and solutions on how to deal with the challenges of CBPR. The essential principle of CBPR involves its commitment to giving the study findings back to the community and facilitating strong community involvement in decision making about the use of those findings for action and social change. For instance, the author mentioned 24 guidelines and criteria that could be used to assess the benefits of CBPR projects and principles of participatory research that will help outside researchers and their community partners.

Have you ever felt like an “outsider” while working in a community? If so, how did you handle that situation? Or have you ever felt like an “outsider” while working with a client? If so, what advice would you give a peer on how to handle that situation?   

Week #6: Class Reading - Michelle

"The Qualitative Research Interview"

by Barbara DiCicco-Bloom & Benjamin F Crabtree

This article gave an overview of semi-structured and unstructured interview techniques that are used in qualitative research methods.  Structured interview techniques were not discussed as this interview technique is normally used for quantitative data collection.  The unstructured interview originated from the ethnographic tradition of anthropology.  The researcher would observe and take notes while interacting as needed.   This type of interview usually produces rich, detailed information.

Semi-structured interviews can occur with individuals or with groups. Questions are usually predetermined, open-ended questions with other additional questions added as the interview is occurring.  Interviews can last 30 minutes to several hours.   Data is also collected on group dynamics when the interview occurs in a focus group setting.

The individual in-depth interview may start with the research question posed as a question.  Five to ten questions are used to guide the interview.    Interview questions are guided by the participant’s answers to previous questions.  Rapport must be developed quickly for the interview to be effective.   Stages of rapport include apprehension, exploration, co-operation, and participation.   During the apprehension stage the interviewer attempts to get the interviewee to talk.  Probing questions are used to elicit more information from the interviewee.  It is important not to ask leading questions during any phase of an interview.    The exploration stage is characterized by participant engagement.  The co-operation stage is described as a level in which the participants can freely discuss without fear of offending the other person.  Clarifying questions are asked to understand the interviewee’s perception and worldview.  The final stage, participation, is characterized by the interviewer guiding and teaching the interviewee. 

Purposeful sampling technique is used to select the interviewees for the in-depth interview.  Data analysis strategies for interpreting the interviews include the editing approach, template approach, and the immersion/crystallization approach.  The article also discussed some technical issues that arise in the qualitative interview.  Some interviews may videotape or tape record the interview.  In all interviews it is important to obtain consent for this recording.  The problems that arise from using video/audio recording can occur when transcribing the data.  Accuracy can be jeopardized if the information is interpreted incorrectly by the interviewee.  Software programs are available to assist with data management and analysis.  

Four ethical issues were discussed as concerns for the interview process.  The first issue is to reduce the anticipated harm.  The article mentioned that interviewers need to be prepared to provide support to interviewees when they are providing answers that may cause psychological stress or emotional strain.  The second ethical issue is to ensure anonymity to the interviewee’s information.  The information is to be kept anonymous unless the information not shared would create a dangerous situation for someone else.   The third ethical issue is to inform the interviewees of the purpose of the study and have them verbally consent to on-going interviews.  The interviewee should be aware that they can stop participating at any time if they choose to.   The last ethical issue discussed is to ensure that the participants are not exploited for personal gain. 

Week 5: Class Reading - Kate

Reading 2: “Rebound Neighborhoods in Weak Market Regions: The Case of St. Louis”

This article, written by two St. Louis scholars, Todd Swanston and Hank Webber, examines the process of gentrification and analyzes its’ affects on St. Louis area neighborhoods.  The authors acknowledge that gentrification typically carries with it negative connotations.  The idea of gentrification is “the movement of young, often single, professionals into low-income, usually minority, neighborhoods near urban employment centers” (p.1).  The dominant view is that this process typically displaces low-income residents as higher income residents move in and raise the cost of living in the area.

To better understand how gentrification has affected the St. Louis area, the authors looked at neighborhoods in the St. Louis area that had seen a decline and then a rebound in the years since 1970, according to census data.  The neighborhoods that fit this criteria were the Central West End, Botanical Heights, Shaw, Mark Twain, and Maplewood.  In evaluating the economic and racial diversity of these neighborhoods, the authors found that they retained high levels of economic and racial diversity compared to surrounding neighborhoods that had not rebounded.

The authors hypothesized that this could be due to a variety of causes, some of which include:
1. Extra available housing that did not require displacement of low-income individuals for higher income individuals to move in;
2. Availability of subsidized housing;
3. Diverse housing types which allowed low-income and high income people to afford houses in the same area;
4. Lower levels of racial intolerance than in the past
5. Support from civic groups to minimize tension caused by racial and economic divides
6. Young adults value diversity as a positive attribute to their neighborhoods

In the end, the authors questioned whether their findings could be generalized to other cities or if the negative effects of gentrification where inevitable in other places.

Week 5: News Aritcle - Jenn

Protestors leave coffin, demands on Mayor Slay's doorstep

http://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/article_45430582-b072-11e4-b740-2fb9f87f6e70.html

February 9th marked the six-month anniversary of Michael Brown's death.  Protestors called the day Mourning Monday. At about 6:00 am, protestors gathered to begin a march to Mayor Slay's home.  Protestors have pledged to march to the homes of various city officials every Monday morning until their demands are heard.

A friend of mine told me that this protest was happening – but they did not know where the march would be ending.  I considered attending, but ultimately couldn’t make the timing work…after finding out that the march concluded at Mayor Slay’s home, I was glad I could not attend.

I have been an active part of many protests, community meetings, and community events since Michael Brown’s death.  I even begun to consider myself an activist (a term that I never thought could be used to describe me).  It wasn’t until the beginning of this semester that I really started to think about the implications of being an activist.  Can I be an advocate for Ferguson (or any other community) if I am known as an activist? That’s question I have not yet been able to answer for myself.  I’m hoping as the semester progresses I’ll have a better idea.

I think the question of advocate or activist becomes particularly important with actions such as Mourning Monday.  As someone who desires to be an advocate for vulnerable populations and communities, I’m not sure being part of a group that shows up at Mayor Slay’s home is a wise decision.  I envision having to speak to political figures while working for my clients – I need to think about how they will view my actions as a protestor and activist. 

One of my friends recently said “Advocates wear pumps to the statehouse to witness, write policy, and talk to legislators.  Activists wear converse and stand in the statehouse with signs and chants.  Both are incredibly necessary. They are different instruments working toward the same goal. And many times the pumps and the converse overlap on the same people.”  Her statement got me thinking…can I be a person who wears converse sneakers and carries signs while also being someone who wears pumps and talks to legislators? 

Is this something that any of you have thought about? I’d love to hear your opinions!