Offering financial opportunity to homeless and economically disadvantaged individuals. STREETZine is a program of The Stewpot and a member of International Network of Street Papers
Suggested donation to a vendor with a badge: $1.00 or more - La donación sugerida a un vendedor con insignia: $1.00 or more
By Wendy Rojo
The International Network of Street Papers (INSP) recently held its yearly summit in Liverpool, United Kingdom. The nonprofit organization comprises a network of street papers around the world that are dedicated to addressing poverty and homelessness. Papers like STREETZine allow vendors, who may or may not be experiencing homelessness, to make a living or at least generate some income.
I had the privilege of attending the event in early September, where I met colleagues from around the world. Like me, they are passionate about the opportunity that street papers provide individuals in need. I learned that we face many of the same obstacles when attempting to help our vendors. We also encounter similar societal challenges.
One major challenge facing street papers is diversifying the way in which vendors are paid. Many street papers, like STREETZine, still only accept cash payments, even though many of us predominantly use electronic payments in our daily lives. As a result, street paper vendors often find their likely clients do not carry cash.
This reality has led some papers to use various online payment platforms. For example, The Contributor, a street paper in Nashville, places a QR code on its front page. That way, a person can simply scan and pay the vendor.
Street papers also are diversifying their income streams by providing vendors with other job opportunities. Shedia, a street paper in Athens, Greece, repurposes unsold editions to create various paper-mâché objects that vendors can sell.
Shedia also opened a café in a law firm. The firm paid a flat rate to provide coffee for all its
employees and Shedia provided the employees to run the café. Building employment opportunities like that is one more way street papers are working towards ending homelessness.
Street papers also are diversifying their income streams by providing vendors with other job opportunities.
All street papers, though, face some societal barriers. For us, it is difficult for vendors to sell papers in Dallas because the city is not the most walkable place. Just consider all the construction in the city. While that signifies growth, it also makes it hard for vendors without a car to get to places to sell the paper.
These kinds of partnerships would not be possible without the relationships that street papers provide.
Street Roots in Portland, Oregon, saw that many unhoused individuals in their community face problems with local authorities. Therefore, Street Roots partnered with the local police department to provide guidance
to their police officers on the best way to approach a person who may struggle with a mental health illness. This partnership led to an initiative where a mental health professional tags along with police on calls to help someone experiencing a mental health episode. These kinds of partnerships would not be possible without the relationships that street papers provide.
The summit brought together people from all over the world who share one common goal: ending homelessness. We now are taking the relationships we formed and the tools we learned about to strengthen our respective work.
Wendy Rojo is managing editor of STREETZine.
STREETZine is a program
The STREETZine is a monthly newspaper published by The Stewpot, a ministry of the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas. The Stewpot provides services and resources for people experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of being homeless. The organization also offers opportunities for a new life.
As part of this ministry, the STREETZine seeks to raise awareness about the issues surrounding homelessness and poverty. The monthly publication also offers financial opportunity for Stewpot clients who sell the paper to Dallas residents. Vendors are able to move towards economic self-sufficiency by using the money they receive from selling copies to purchase bus passes, food, and necessary living expenses. Clients also receive stipends for contributing articles to STREETZine
The content in STREETZine does not necessarily reflect the views or endorsement of its publisher, editors, contributors, sponsors or advertisers. To learn more about this publication, contact Betty Heckman, Director of Enrichment, 1835 Young Street, Dallas, Texas 75201 or BettyH@thestewpot. org. To read more about STREETZine, a member of the International Network of Street Papers, go to www.thestewpot.org/streetzine
Managing Editor: Wendy Rojo
Editorial Advisory Board: The Rev. Amos Disasa
Brenda Snitzer
Suzanne Erickson
Russell Coleman
Poppy Sundeen
Sarah Disasa
William McKenzie
Betty Heckman
Dee Leone
Photo Editor: Jesse Hornbuckle
By Reverend Meagan P. Findeiss
Editor’s Note: This essay is excerpted from an sermon that Reverend Meagan P. Findeiss delivered at the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas on Oct. 2, 2022.
Luke 17:5-10
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”
In the 1950s, a plastic brick with pegs that allowed it to connect with other bricks was patented. Also in the 1950s, a million-dollar building expansion project was completed.
What do these two stories have to do with each other? Ambition!
Scripture has an ambitious thread woven throughout the potpourri of parables. It is woven through job changes, new understandings, and fresh perspectives.
In the beginning of the 17th chapter of Luke, the group Jesus is speaking to is referred to as disciples. In verse 5 of this chapter, the group Jesus is speaking to is then referred to as apostles. Now this might seem like a moot point because disciples and apostles are pretty much synonymous. But actually, they are not. A transformative shift happens in the parable telling between the beginning of the chapter and verse 5. The word disciples, meaning students, changes to apostles, meaning those sent out. The disciples graduate to the next level, having more knowledge, more skillsets, being the ones who are sent out to teach.
The word disciples, meaning students, changes to apostles, meaning those sent out.
Theologian Fred Craddock remarks that, “In verse 5, the Apostles are feeling… the heavy burden, of that leadership.” You hear the load they are carrying in the Apostles’ remarks to Jesus: ‘Increase our faith!’ They demonstrate a sense of ambition while holding the weight of their new responsibility and their desire to equip themselves as best they can to do the job that Jesus has given them. The
Apostles’ faith allowed them to embark on an ambitious journey of building a world reflective of the love of God.”
Ole Kirk Kristiansen was a master carpenter who also made toys out of wood. He lived in a small rural community, and his faith had him active in church as well as the YMCA and YWCA. The Great Depression as well as World War I had him go into toy making rather than furniture making. Additionally, a fire broke out and burned down his family home and his factory. However, as the Lego website indicates, “In the face of adversity and obstacle, Ole generated both enthusiasm over new possibilities and a good portion of humor.” He rebuilt his home and his factory and pressed on in building toys.
Over time, the invention of plastic emerged, and Kristiansen’s company was the first, in all of Denmark, to buy an injection-molding machine. As life stories go, there were many more ups and downs and twists and turns. There was another fire in the factory, as well as the issuance of a patent for the Lego brick. In the 90s, the company almost filed for bankruptcy, but the ambitious legacy of Kristiansen’s Lego company continued.
A new CEO was hired in the early 2000s who then hired Legos’ greatest fans to come and work for the company. Lego then signed deals with Disney and Pixar and now Lego is one of the top five toy companies in the world. Ole’s ambitiousness was an ethos for the company.
His bricklaying built a company that fosters dreams for building a more playful world.
After the Apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith, Jesus responded with two parables.
At first glance the two seem oddly put together. However, the ambitious thread weaves through both parables by offering new understandings of grace, as well as a fresh perspective.
The most common interpretation of Jesus’ response to the Apostles is that Jesus admonishes them for having little faith. But author Kimberly Bracken Long interprets the Apostles’ conversation with Jesus differently. She asks us to consider Jesus responding, not with judgment but
Continued on page 5
By Brenda Snitzer
Our Stewpot team was proud to participate this year in Dallas’ Street to Home initiative. The effort has brought together public and private partners to find housing for those experiencing homelessness, particularly those residing in very public spaces.
The collaborative has been rehousing people from a number of encampments around the city. But the most visible reduction occurred in downtown Dallas. Over a 100-day period, the coalition focused on three sections of downtown, including the area surrounding the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library. We succeeded in rehousing over 100 people in downtown in less than 100 days.
This endeavor involved many partners and extensive meetings with individuals in each area. Along with The Stewpot, the partners included the City of Dallas Office of Homeless Solutions, Downtown Dallas Inc. and its homeless outreach team, Austin Street Center, Metro Relief, The Bridge, Under1Roof, Metrocare,
North Texas Behavioral Health Authority, Parkland HOMES, and the Dallas Housing Authority.
The group provided services like medical and behavioral health care. And we helped them secure documents necessary to get permanent housing. Now, 107 people have homes and case managers who assist them with staying housed.
We succeeded in rehousing over 100 people in downtown in less than 100 days.
These partners and the individuals who were housed worked patiently together to achieve this milestone. Public spaces in the community are improved. More important, lives have been changed for the better because of this effort.
Sarah Kahn, president and CEO of Housing Forward, described the progress this way during a September 30 news conference:
“This new way of doing business demonstrates that we can both address community concerns about public spaces and compassionately end an individual’s homelessness.”
At the press conference, The Stewpot’s outreach staff, program directors, and case managers were highlighted along with other organizations. Two Stewpot clients who received housing after having been unsheltered spoke in front of the crowd at City Hall. Their stories are ones of resilience and hope. They embody what is possible for others who also want to be housed.
This is a compassionate way to address individuals who have been living unsheltered for quite some time, many who have existed for years on the streets or in places not meant for human habitation. This effort allows the coalition to continue connecting people to permanent housing at a historic pace and close encampments in communities.
As Peter Brodsky, chair of Housing Forward, shared at the press conference: “Homelessness is a complex issue, but we have the tools and the solutions. With the continued support of public and private funders, we are confident that we can build on this early success and ensure that all members of our community are housed and safe.”
Brenda Snitzer is the executive director of The Stewpot.
J Erik Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young Street Dallas, TX 75201
Booker T Washington High School, 2501 Flora Street Dallas, TX 75201
El Centro Campus Dallas College, 801 Main Street Dallas, TX 75202
George L Allen Sr Court Building, 600 Commerce Street Dallas, TX 75202
Kidd Springs Recreation Center, 711 W Canty Street Dallas, TX 75208
Anyone registered to vote in Dallas County can go to any location in Dallas County to cast their ballot.
All public schools and recreation centers will be open as polling locations in Dallas County.
ALL voting locations will be open from 7AM to 7PM on November 5, 2024.
Dallas County Votes released this graphic to highlight important dates we should keep in mind for the November 5th election.
Remember you MUST BE REGISTERED in order to vote in the November 5th presidential election. On Election Day an identification must be presented in order to vote.
Acceptable forms of ID include:
• Texas driver’s license
• Texas election ID certificate
• Texas personal ID card
• Texas handgun license
• US military ID with photograph
• US citizenship certificate with photograph
• US passport (book or card)
Voters without an identification:
• Valid voter registration certificate
• Certified birth certificate with birthdate that establishes your identity
• a current utility bill, government check, bank statement, paycheck stub, or a government issued document with your name and address
Election Day is Tuesday, November 5, 2024, from 7AM7PM.
Early voting is available:
October 21st-25th from 8AM-5PM
October 26th from 7AM-7PM
October 27th from 12PM-6PM
October 28th-November 1st from 7AM-7PM
with love. In her book, Feasting the Word, she writes, “What if Jesus is speaking these words in a voice of encouragement and love, as one who would give up his life for his friends? For us?” Knowing the new role of the Apostles would be tough and arduous, Jesus, full of grace, reminds them that they have exactly what they need. As Long writes, “Jesus changes the question from ‘How much faith is enough?’ to ‘what is faith for?’”
Another theologian, Justo Gonzalez, shares that, if one understands “like a mustard seed” as meaning faith of the same sort as the mustard seed has, then the meaning of the saying is different. The “faith” of the mustard seed is the certainty of its goal. It “knows” it is to become a mustard plant. And it does. We know what we are to become, we have everything we need to become it.
It is important to highlight a caveat though: This parable has often been boiled down for the sake of simplicity to illustrate ambitious faith by conveying that even the smallest bit of faith can move mulberry trees. In essence, faith is all we need! While this is true, it is also important to highlight that this onedimensional interpretation does not make space for the truth that the faithful can still suffer. Sometimes all the faith in the world does not change the job lost, the deep depression, or the death of a loved one. When a prayer is not answered, this does not mean we do not have enough faith.
The faith that is required of the Apostles, of us, is an ambitious faith that trusts in what we cannot see, and sometimes cannot understand.
A faith that encourages us to press on, even when we might not want to. We follow the bricklaying of the apostles that came before us ambitiously lay bricks so that we can build a world that reflects the love of God. Now, Jesus does not break his stride; he moves right along from the story of the mustard seed.
the suburbs. Instead, First Presbyterian, located in the shadows of skyscrapers one block from the Statler Hilton, has decided to stay in the heart of the town to give a more effective witness for Christ.”
In the 1940s, with the ending of World War II, First Presbyterian Church of Dallas had grown to over 2,000 members and the building showed its wear and tear; Drastic updates and repairs were needed. The Session of the church, as well as other leaders, were intentional in building for what would come next.
They laid down bricks by communicating through action and money their goal: to be a church that reflected the love of God in the heart of Dallas!
First Presbyterian Church (FPC) of Dallas has been working toward this goal for 168 years. Each step laying down another brick. Though the road is hard, this church has sunk down its mulberry tree root system, embracing the wild and crazy that comes with being downtown.
things even when we don’t want to. With faith, we continue to build a world that reflects the love of Christ!
On August 9, 2022, Lego celebrated World Play Day as a way to commemorate its 90th birthday. The goal was to invite people from around the world to play because, through play, lives can be changed. Lego established the Instagram handle #Rebuildtheworld for people to use as they created different Lego creations. Great grandson, of Lego founder Ole Kirk Kristiansen, shared that, “Ole only had a small workshop, but he had big ambitions to ensure as many children as possible could experience the benefits that play brings. We have and will always strive to continue Ole’s legacy by helping all families, wherever they are in the world, to play well.”
Friends, history inspires us to continue bricklaying. To go out into the world, and ambitiously build a world that reflects God’s love!
Reverend Meagan P. Findeiss is associate pastor for care and belonging at the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas. Continued from page 2
In 1956, the “Dallas Morning News” ran an advertisement that read, “On Sunday, March 4, from 2:00-5:00 PM, there will be an open house…your city still needs the church.”
The fine print read, “It is a real temptation for a downtown congregation to move to
This church began the day the City of Dallas was signed into being. It made it through a KKK march, Jim Crow laws, an integrated high school square dance, and a presidential assassination. It made it through changes in the pulpit, fires set on our porch, windows smashed, threats on the church, and murder and assault right outside our doors. The hardships did not sway FPC Dallas’ ambition: We do hard
Editor’s Note: Each Friday morning at 10 a.m., The Stewpot hosts a Writers’ Workshop. During the sessions, participants address selected topics through prose or poetry. In this edition of STREETZine, we feature the essays of writers that explore the concept of voting.
By Eric Oliver
Democracy isn’t a spectator sport. Our world reacts to what we do. Our actions and the opinions behind them matter quite a bit. This election season, all parties agree, our system of elections is under threat. More than ever, acts of kindness are themselves like a vote for civility and our future freedom is on the ballot.
The future I yearn to see will wither or thrive through participation because democracy, like life, is participatory. So, what can I do, now, that might have an impact, however modest?
More than ever, acts of kindness are themselves like a vote for civility and our future freedom is on the ballot.
I believe voting and our system of voting is important, so I signed up to be an election worker. Without election workers, we would not have elections. Elections were woefully understaffed even before COVID-19 and conspiracy theories made the work seem dangerous. Beyond that, I have talked with many election workers who testify that they came to their position believing one of the various cockamamie theories, only to encounter other workers with opposite political beliefs but the same strong commitment to fairness in voting.
During the televised hearings of the U.S. House January 6th Committee, I was moved to tears by the story of Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. The mother/ daughter pair had worked elections for over 10 years. After the 2020 election, accusations of unloading carts full of extra ballots and sharing a ballot zip drive were made about Georgia elections that led to this pair’s getting death threats and eventually having to leave their home for protection. As it turned out, ballots are normally transported in carts, and the supposed zip drive was actually a Jolly Rancher candy. Ruby and Shaye have said that they will never be able to return to their community.
How could I claim to value the vote while standing idly by while that sort of treatment could befall the army of retirees and
college students that typically fill these positions on Election Day? In short, this was a clear put-up or shut-up moment — and if you know me, shutting up wasn’t going to happen.
I believe voting and our system of voting is important, so I signed up to be an election worker. Without election workers, we would not have elections.
It’s always easiest to see a problem and do nothing, to hole up and bellyache. In this age of algorithm-assisted fury, you can find a convenient bugbear to knot your knickers regardless of your political persuasion. This reality didn’t just appear suddenly, nor will combating it be easy.
The antidote is to resist viewing all issues as us vs. them, to step away from our comment sections and sofas, and participate. Because when we go outside, meet new people, go new places — participate — we’ll build and rebuild community, organize to protect that which we hold dear, and see the fictions we are being fed as just that.
There is a cost to focusing only on the distant and fortified threats to our democracy, like marauding hordes of “others,” trumped-up conspiracies, or two parties that sometimes don’t look much different. When these monopolize our attention, we absolve ourselves from tackling the noless-caustic problems that sit within reach of every voter in every district in every election. Call me naive, but if enough of us get to work on the close-in problems, we’ll make sizable inroads on the more distant issues as well.
For me this year, that means becoming a poll worker. And who knows, maybe I’ll run for office in the future. If that scares you — and it probably should — then you better vote. And consider becoming a poll worker. The less-hyped and off-year elections are always hungry for help. Contact your county elections office for more information.
Eric Oliver is a writer in The Stewpot’s Writers’ Workshop.
By Savita Vega
Sometimes now, it’s hard to remember a time when people just agreed to disagree, when having differences of opinion at the polls wasn’t cause for any breach of civility. It troubles me to know that there are younger generations of voters who will never remember — indeed, who have never known — what it was like to see the other side as just another opinion, no less worthy of respect. Those young voters will never enjoy an Election Day devoid of animosity.
The last time I remember such a day, and a day that really touched me deeply, was in 2012 when the major party candidates were Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. I was very inspired to vote that year and determined not to miss my opportunity. However, when Election Day arrived, I found myself living in a rural area of Texas, five miles from a designated polling station. My old Chevy pickup which got 11 miles to the gallon was sitting in the yard on “E.”
I had moved back to live on this little plot of land given to me by my father because I wanted my daughter, then 10, to have a chance to grow up in nature. Also, the cost of living in Miami, where we had moved from, was becoming just too burdensome for an only parent to shoulder. At any rate, here we were, and my only income was from a small yoga studio I had opened in the town almost five miles away. The few students I had gave me just enough to pay the rent on the studio and barely pay our expenses, some of the time.
But that morning, November 6th, what little I had fell short. Still, I was determined to get to the polls, so I loaded my daughter into the truck and off we went. I remember telling her, “We have to pray, because there is no way short of a miracle that we are going to make it with the fumes left in the tank.” And we didn’t.
About halfway there, out on the county road that stretched between town and the polling place in a rural fire station, my truck sputtered to the side of the road. There we were, and there was no one to call for a ride because all my family lived outside another town 30 miles away. I would have to come up with another plan, but before I could even begin
to consider what to do next, a car that passed me made a sharp U-turn and pulled up beside us.
To my delight, and despite the fact that my very vote would cancel out her own, she gladly offered to give me a ride to my polling station and then take me home.
It was one of my yoga students, a woman about my age, and one whom I knew to be on the opposite side of the political spectrum from me. I explained that I had run out of gas, and she asked me where I was going. I told her I had been going to vote, and she explained that she was headed to vote too, at a different polling place not very far from my house. To my delight, and despite the fact that my very vote would cancel out her own, she gladly offered to give me a ride to my polling station and then take me home.
So, we went to my polling station, then to hers, then back to my house, a trip of about 12 miles down county roads. She drove at a moderate pace, and we
conversed convivially the entire way. Yet never once did either of us ask who the other was voting for or hint at who we ourselves favored. We spoke of the election only in terms of how excited we both were to be casting our vote that day.
My hope is that someday, sooner rather than later, we can return to a time when the current polarization melts away and we can again agree to disagree.
My hope is that someday, sooner rather than later, we can return to a time when the current polarization melts away and we can again agree to disagree. My hope is that the young people who are voting today will one day have a chance to enjoy a voting day imbued with civility and devoid of the deep animosity we see today.
Savita Vega is a writer in The Stewpot’s Writers’ Workshop.
By Mike McCall
It is that time again and people are making their decisions on who to vote for. This can be an incredibly stressful time weighing out who is going to be the right person to represent your beliefs and agendas. For someone like me who got in trouble with the law around the same time I was eligible to vote, it has never been a topic with which I was concerned. So, for the last 28 years, I did not give politics a minute of my time.
The problem with this scenario is that I am asked as a citizen to adhere to existing laws and policies, but I am not allowed to voice my opinion and vote. In a sense the government treats me like a parent treats a young child. I have no say, but I must obey. This has been the ruling force in my life up until just recently. I am finally off probation and finished with all my court-ordered requirements, so things might be changing.
By James Varas
I remember voting when I was a young child. I believe my first vote was in kindergarten. Do we want pizza, or do we want sandwiches for the class field trip? That was an easy one. Pizza always won. Then the next question was what kind of pizza? Whoa. That one was more difficult to answer and it stirred the pot more. Even though we all agreed on pizza, there are so many different types to pick from and different kids with different taste buds.
As we grew older, the voting process would become more difficult, and the subjects would become more complex.
For instance, the teachers would ask, “Do you want to take your test before or after spring break?” Most of us said, “Before.” We did not want to study during our vacation. The procrastinators wanted to push back the test as if it was going to disappear or something. The reality is it would be there waiting for us to return from a fun-filled week at the pool or at the beach with our families.
As you grow older, you find out more about life. The more we study, the more we learn. The words of my dad echo in my ears, “You should use your mind and go to college.”
If I am correct, I have just recently become eligible to vote for the first time in my life. Looking at the new laws that have been put into effect in Texas, my right to vote looks like it can be reinstated. For this reason, I have started to pay attention to the political scene.
To be honest, it took some time getting used to the rhetoric and method in which politics is covered. But I think I have found where I can get the best information. It is hard to tell because I do not think any news station or online source is unbiased.
This works great for a person who likes to hear support for a specific party. But not for someone who wants to hear all the information without the fluff and make an educated decision on the best person to represent their views.
I am still learning how the entire process works and what policies will directly affect me, but I am looking forward to the challenge. I have always believed that if
I am grateful for the opportunity to go to school now. I just returned to college after 20 years of hard labor as a professional mover. I am sharpening my mind, and this has resulted in my decision to vote for the first time in my life for a presidential candidate.
During all these years, I also have had the opportunity to learn more about God and His infinite wisdom. I have learned through time and patience. The more knowledge I gain, the better decisions I make in my life.
Learning about God and His infinite wisdom takes learning to another level. Voting is applying what we know to what we desire for the greater love of our planet.
I remember thinking when I was younger that my vote really didn’t matter. I felt like everyone was going to vote for a certain candidate. Now times have changed. So has our world. I feel if I say nothing, I am voting for the opposition. I have to step up and vote for who I believe is the best candidate and best represents our views. For example, I believe in a strong military for our country. We need to protect our nation from the world around us.
I choose to see the good in life no matter how bad it gets. I was having a conversation with someone from New York who
you do not vote, then you cannot complain. So, I never complained in the past. Now that I have become involved, I am letting my voice be heard. I am giving my opinion when talking to others and asking questions to reinforce my understanding.
Feeling powerless in the country I live in, it’s a change that has been a long time coming and I’m excited to vote for the first time in my life.
The learning curve is steep, but I feel like I am getting the hang of it and proud to be part of the solution. As a citizen, I have missed some of the most important duties. Feeling powerless in the country I live in, it’s a change that has been a long time coming and I’m excited to vote for the first time in my life. I am going to do my duty as a citizen of the United States and to secure my right to complain if my candidate does not win.
Mike McCall is a writer in The Stewpot’s Writers’ Workshop.
was waiting for the bus. It was interesting listening to him because he was talking about how criminals always get away with everything and how the buses were too slow. I began to interrupt him and said, “I believe things are getting better. The police have cleaned up the train routes and the buses are getting better. I have been riding DART for over a year and I notice the difference.” He said, “Maybe you’re right.”
Sometimes people just want to vent about their problems. I know that if I dwell on the good, then I can remain peaceful and keep my joy in bloom. I am happy because I am planting seeds of love.
Before, I was too busy working or too busy doing something rather than focusing on the world that we live in. I pray we choose someone who can help this country stay strong. With all that is going on in the world, I pray the best person wins. God bless America and I hope for a beautiful rest of my life in the land of the free and home of the brave.
James Varas is a STREETZine vendor and a writer in The Stewpot Writers’ Workshop.
By Cici Guerre
It was not until the dawn of agriculture approximately 10,000 years ago that it became possible for a few people to amass vast fortunes primarily created from the blood, sweat, and tears of others. The fact that some people have the necessary skills to maximize the value produced by others is hardly a bad thing.
Each of us has talents that can be put to good use. And it is hard to imagine any efficient system of production that will not result in disparities in wealth. But a fortune once created can be a problem, as its existence tends to bring out the worst in humanity. Those who end up controlling the money are in danger of avarice. Those whose work enriches others may become envious. This sets up a conflict that has played a central role in human history.
It is best when this conflict remains restrained to the arena of politics, as that keeps the bloodshed to a minimum. All political entities have an interest in maximizing their legitimacy and, in a world where few believe in the divine rights of kings, there seems no better way to be legitimate than to be a democracy.
We tend to equate voting with democracy, and in this country, we have a long history of struggle to extend suffrage, notably to people of color and women, and with laudable results. But this struggle
By Vicki Gies
The first time I voted, I think I was 18 or 19 years old. Since I worked for the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department, I voted for the sheriff that I was working for at the time. I also voted for the candidates that were running for other Dallas County offices such as judges, district and county clerks, county judge, county commissioners, justices of the peace, and constables.
I have always voted early to avoid the long lines. Voting early has also helped with the chaos and tempers that sometimes come along with elections!
If people are experiencing homelessness, voting brings some challenges. One of them is not having an ID or voter registration card. I would estimate that about 30 to 35 percent of people experiencing
has primarily been a proxy in the struggle against racism and sexism, neither of which should be allowed free reign in a civilized world, and I fear it has allowed us to look at universal suffrage through rose-colored glasses.
In Athens, the birthplace of democracy, the ‘demos’ were male property owners, numbering at most 60,000 souls. I believe suffrage was deliberately limited to those who had the time, resources, and needed to be well-informed about the issues they would be tasked to decide. With that limited an electorate, it seems likely that few of them were really strangers to one another, which seems important to me. They actually had the right to vote someone into exile if that person stepped on too many toes.
Democracy in Athens led to something horrible and tragic. Socrates was sentenced to death by an assembly of his peers. His “crime” was asking uncomfortable questions, the kind that no one wants to think about. Democracy was not universally considered a desirable form of government in the ancient world.
People are far too easy to mislead and far too easy to convince to vote against their own best interests. Most of us do not invest the time and energy to become well-informed about anything not directly in front of us.
During a recent presidential campaign, I received election and fundraising emails
homelessness might vote early but they have no IDs, no transportation, and possibly no interest in any of it. It can also be difficult to get information about the candidates if you do not have a TV. I sometimes watch the CBS Evening News or other news networks to get information.
If people are experiencing homelessness, voting brings some challenges. Some of them include not having an ID or voter registration card.
I don’t vote for the candidate who is popular; I vote for the one I believe is going to be the best for that position. With this election, there is only one candidate who I believe will be the best person for the job, and I won’t mention any names. For the primary election, I voted at the Recreation Center at Tenison Park on East Grand.
from both major political parties. I found to my horror that there was absolutely no difference in either party’s approach. They were both reaching out to voters who they assumed could be swayed by intellectually dishonest emotional appeals, such as fear-mongering. More bluntly, they both had so little respect for their voter bases that they lied to them as they asked for their vote. I do not consider it my civic duty to legitimize the election of anyone who will lie to me.
I do want my voice to be heard, and I do believe in the promise of democracy, flawed though it clearly is. I hope that the American experiment can take up the struggle to remove the corrupting influence of money from politics.
There will always be a place for voting in America, but the most democratic institution in this country is the jury-selection system, which does not rely on voting at all. Sortition offers an excellent path forward towards greater democracy and better government.
My mother told me that when you go to vote, you have to choose the lesser of two evils. I disagree. It is not my civic duty to choose any evil, but I will gladly vote against anyone who practices the politics of hate and division, and vote for someone who shows signs of moral decency.
Cici Guerre is a writer in The Stewpot’s Writers’ Workshop.
There have also been times that I didn’t vote at all because I didn’t like the person’s background or what he “promises” to do. Politicians promise a lot of things to get elected, but after the election, a lot of those promises get swept under the rug. I understand this because I worked in government offices for 27 years!
Vicki Gies is a STREETZine vendor and frequent contributor
Vote, Know the Issues but Respect Others’ Choices
By Jason Turner
Voting is as important as an individual makes it. Some don’t feel as if their vote matters or don’t want to register to vote. But I have worked on a number of political campaigns. I have knocked on doors and given out push cards about the candidates in our party and what they stand for. I let people know where they could vote, and asked for their commitment to our candidates’ party.
When I vote, knowing where to go is the biggest problem. I’ve traveled far to register, and once waited in a long line just to be told I was in the wrong district and at the wrong office. Unfortunately, that year I was unable to vote because I didn’t make it to the right place in time.
Doing research and watching the news is the other part of knowing who to vote for. Following debates and knowing the stances that candidate takes on specific issues is essential to knowing who you want to vote for and why. I like the candidates that allow students to be debt-free and let students in debt continue their studies. I won’t speak on any other important topics, so I don’t sound biased in this piece.
If you don’t have an address, it is almost impossible to vote. From what I know,
By Darin Thomas
everyone has specific voting precincts based upon their addresses.
Following debates and knowing the stances that the candidate takes on specific issues is essential to knowing who you want to vote for and why.
Elections are always fun, especially on social media with all the different personalities and news updates. If that is too much for you, then sticking to your local news station for information is the right choice.
Working for political campaigns is rewarding because I get to meet candidates and hear their personal testimonies and life stories. That gives me a more in-depth impression of them. I haven’t worked on a campaign in about a year and I would like to work another one.
Families can be split on their choices, but that should never start angry arguments and strife within the household. Respecting each other’s preference when it comes to political views is a courtesy that we all should partake in. Although it’s really no one’s business, sometimes others find out how you vote. That’s why I don’t do social media anymore. It can create a hostile environment and circumstances between family and friends when it comes to politics. I know that from experience.
I turned 52 last month and yet have never voted.
I started getting in trouble at a young age and still got into trouble in my 50s. My record is why I haven’t been able to vote.
I do believe everyone should be able to vote for the one they want to be president. Everyone’s vote is important as we need to put the right president in the White House.
I hope I can vote someday. Being incarcerated with felonies keeps me from voting.
I want to vote, though, because my vote would be important. I would like to help the person I vote for become president.
Before I pass on, I hope I will be able to vote someday. It would be really good to vote for the person I want to lead the country.
Darin Thomas is a writer in The Stewpot’s Writers’ Workshop.
It’s okay to choose sides, but it really isn’t okay to hold someone else accountable for who they vote for. I try not to pry or to even notice others’ points of view on issues. That keeps my relationships in a better position and where I can care for others.
If you see political canvassers, talk to them. Sometimes they will put a sign in your yard for free and send you updated email alerts about early voting and lastminute voting options.
Voting for a president is more important to me than the local election, although the local elections have more impact on my life. They affect the things in my community that are close to me.
Since we do have a presidential election coming up, I’m going to try and get out there and vote.
I’m easygoing when it comes to voting. I don’t judge those who cannot or will not vote. The issues are important and it’s hard to say if one vote will matter but I’m sure if everyone thought like that, we would have no one voting. My only advice is to please make sure you’re going to the right voting booths.
Jason Turner is a STREETZine vendor and a writer in The Stewpot Writer’s Workshop.
By Eric Oliver
Editor’s Note: This essay is a commentary on the Grants Pass v. Johnson case. The case argued whether it was cruel and unusal to punish a person for staying in city parks.
In Grants Pass v. Johnson, the Supreme Court recently ruled that it is neither cruel nor unusual to punish the unhoused for sleeping in parks, without regard to whether they have another place to go. In so doing, the justices attacked a 60-yearold precedent that established a person cannot be convicted for a crime of being versus a crime of doing. For example, you cannot be convicted for being a drug addict, but you can be convicted for possessing drugs.
The majority opinion slanders this distinction as novel and unrecognizable to the framers of the Constitution, but you may know it from Augustine of Hippo’s admonition to “hate the sin, love the sinner” that predates the Constitution by some 1,300 years. This weaves its way through our common law and practice, distinguishing criminal acts and criminal intent. The separation of “being” and “doing” is a bedrock principle of modern civil and human rights law.
A 6-3 majority of the Supreme Court saw the distinction otherwise in the Grants Pass case, which stemmed from a lawsuit that a group of Oregon homeless residents filed after the town of Grants Pass forbade sleeping in public spaces with blankets or cardboard. The city ruled that violators could be subjected to a fine, even though the city lacks adequate shelter for its unhoused population. In response, the homeless residents claimed the ordinance violated the Eighth Amendment, which protects against excessive bail, excessive fines, and cruel or unusual punishments.
Writing for the majority, Justice Neil Gorsuch contends that the consequences of the city’s ban are not cruel, as fines are the routine response to municipal ordinance violation. Further, they are not unusual because they have not fallen out of favor, such as beheading and disembowelment — following a standard set forth in Federalist #10. Curiously, Gorsuch does not address the protection against excessive fines.
The problem here is that we normally don’t compare a particular punishment to all other punishments when the Eighth Amendment is cited. Even if we did, is it cruel, unusual, or excessive to fine someone without a home for sleeping in a park? Is sleeping, a bodily necessity, really a crime? And is sleeping in a public place with a blanket proportional to the punishment?
In some ways, the ruling strikes me as the justices saying, “We don’t like these icky people.” Or perhaps the unhoused are too far removed to understand. I count no less than 28 instances in the oral arguments and 14 in the opinions where homelessness is described as a complex (or difficult) problem facing municipalities in the West. If a problem is too complex for the justices of the Supreme Court, would it not also be rather complex for the average beat cop?
This line of thinking particularly comes through where the justices repeatedly asked questions in oral arguments about how law enforcement and municipal officers may determine whether someone violated the ban. Cities would need to maintain a real-time count of the number of available shelter beds to devise a way of tracking if and when a given homeless person sought a bed. The court also said that municipalities would need to develop definitions and procedures for tracking and regulating shelter activity — regula-
tions that would necessarily differ from municipality to municipality and fall upon a population understandably leery of additional contact with law enforcement.
The ruling and future municipal strategies waiting in the wings will transfer the onus for equitable, constitutional legislation combating the housing crisis to those least able to shoulder the burden. And for this the Court offers, what? In my reading, they offer the equivalent of the “thoughts and prayers” line that we hear so often after gun violence.
The Court’s place in our society flows from its power to compel, to teach, and to lead. This decision corrodes each of these. Since the end of the Warren Court, successive conservative majorities have ridden roughshod over guardrails meant to protect the civil rights of the unhoused and indigent. With this ruling, the Court seeks to transfer the burden of even considering those rights — all because the problem is complex.
We invest justices with lifetime appointments, extending them the freedom to dispassionately examine complex issues. Just not homelessness, it seems.
Eric Oliver is a writer in The Stewpot’s Writers’ Workshop.
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CHAPTER 31, SECTION 31-35 of the Dallas City Code PANHANDLING OFFENSES
Solicitation by coercion; solicitation near designated locations and facilities; solicitation anywhere in the city after sunset and before sunrise any day of the week. Exception can be made on private property with advance written permission of the owner, manager, or other person in control of the property.
A person commits an offense if he conducts a solicitation to any person placing or preparing to place money in a parking meter.
The ordinance specifically applies to solicitations at anytime within 25 feet of:
Automatic teller machines; Exterior public pay phones; Public transportation stops; Self service car washes; Self service gas pumps; An entrance or exit of a bank, credit union or similar financial institution; Outdoor dining areas of fixed food establishments.
