September 2020 Recovery Newsletter

3rd Street Beat

Produced by Clients of The Recovery Center 8 east 3rd Street 10003 #10 September 2020

September is Recovery Month!

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YO󰈖 󰉑󰉚󰈯 P󰈤E󰈍󰉋N󰈜 OV󰉋󰈤󰉌󰈭SE 󰉍󰉋󰉚󰈙H󰈠

As󰈔 󰇿or 󰈝󰈀󰈘󰈢xo󰈝󰈩 󰉄r󰇽i󰈝󰈎󰈞g & 󰈔i󰉄s, Saturday, September 26th fe󰈝󰉄󰈀n󰉘󰈘 t󰇵󰈻󰉄 s󰉃󰈹ip󰈻 󰈀󰉄 T󰈤󰉎 12-3pm, 8 East 3rd Street Garden

The 3rd Street Beat Mission Statement The Third Street Beat is a newsletter written by and created for people with addiction. Our mission is to validate that experience so people know that they are not alone, and to emphasize the many unique roads that we take to recovery. This is an opportunity to share our experiences to creatively support each other. We are non-political, non-denominational, multi-racial, and gender neutral. Our mission is one of recovery and harm reduction, and all experiences are welcome. All the viewpoints herein are personal in nature and related specifically to our contributors’ recovery.

TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURES Unmasked by Adam K p. 3 Trauma on top of Trauma by Da Homeless Hero p. 5

POETRY & PROSE Fearless in the Jungle and Jungle Born Identity by JJ7 p. 3 Inspire to be Inspired and The Planet Black by Shams p. 6 Moses’ Piece p. 7 The Truth of the Matter by Joey Dudnik p. 9 Writing off the Page by Steven M p. 11 The Moderator by JJ7 p. 13

ART Masks by Steven M p. 3

THE USUAL

The 3rd Street Beat Editorial Team Shams, Homeless Hero, Adam K, Johnny Jungle, Stephen M., and Noyes. The 3rd Street Beat is produced by The Recovery Center community with assistance from the occupational therapy team.

3rd Street Beat back issues can be downloaded at: www.projectrenewal.org/rc-newsletters

SUDOKU (solution p. 8)

Sudoku p. 2 Solution p. 8 Word Search p. 10 TRC Schedule p. 8

Follow TRC on Instagram! @recoverycenternyc

The rules of the game are simple: each of the nine blocks has to contain all the numbers 1-9 within its squares. Each number can only appear once in a row, column or box.

2

Unmasked: the fight against wearing face masks in America

by Adam Kearney Wearing a mask has seemed like the least we can do here in New York, but across the nation protests have erupted against wearing them and some people’s opinions are very much opposed to them.

This makes little sense, especially when the protests are occurring in the very states that are experiencing an upsurge in the amount of Covid-19 cases. New York was once the epicenter of Covid-19 infections in the US, but because of statewide shutdowns, bans on indoor restaurants, bars, movie theaters, and gyms, and the widespread use of facemasks we have become a state with one of the lowest infection rates (on a population basis).

Wearing masks reduces the risk of transmission from 17% to 3% (published in The Lancet medical journal). The effect is greatest when the sick person wears the mask as opposed to the healthy person, during transmission. When both are wearing masks, it is almost impossible for transmission to occur. Many have denounced the masks on the basis that they offer little protection and that the virus can travel through the fabric, which cannot filter out something as small as a virus.

However the masks are not intended to protect the person wearing them so much as protecting others. A sick person wearing a mask has way less of a chance of infecting someone else.

Many infected people don’t even know that they are infected, as they may be asymptomatic, or showing no symptoms. So it is in everyone’s best interest to wear the masks just in case you may be infected and not even know it, and everyone around you wearing them ensures that if someone is infected they will not be spreading it.

So with all this evidence that wearing masks is an effective way to stop transmission of Covid-19, why is there such widespread outrage and demand for them to be abolished? The main reason that is tossed around by anti-mask advocates has been the idea that masks impose on our freedom and constitutional rights. The freedom to breathe without restrictions is surely an important one, but is it so important that people should die painful deaths by the thousands? It seems like common sense that this freedom is not worth thousands of lives. But many Republicans, Mr. President Donald Trump included, have come out publicly to mock mask wearers as being weak and mindless, letting the government control all their actions. People are not sheep because they agree with the government’s recommendation to wear a mask. It is pure common sense. Just because your actions coincide with the wishes of the government doesn’t mean you’re some mindless idiot being programmed by your malicious overlords. It is no wonder that people choose to follow the advice of hundreds of scientists and health care professionals, because what they’re saying makes sense. CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 3

Art from wbur.com. Click through to read more about the history of Black Cowboys

...By JohnnyJungle7

Art from BruceTurkel.com

4

The following was presented as a speech at a protest on September 13, 2020 in response to the Mayor’s decision to relocate residents of the Lucerne Hotel on the Upper West Side. This decision was made without consultation of the hotel shelter residents, and reinforced the ignorant, racist, and inflammatory legal threats of a group called “Upper West Siders for Safer Streets.” “Upper West Side Open Hearts” organized the march and protest at which these words were delivered in front of Gracie Mansion.

“

Today we stand on the grounds of Gracie Mansion, the home of NYC’s Mayor. While normally I put my words in writing, I’ve chosen to join those who have come to protest against the decision made by the mayor to displace thousands of people including families, people with disabilities, women, children, men, people suffering from substance use disorder and others with mental health issues.

In the Mayor’s virtual address to the city he stated that: “I went and saw for myself on the Upper West Side last week and what I saw was not acceptable and had to be addressed.” My first thought, and I’m going to be honest, was well damn, has the Mayor visited 125th Street and Lexington Avenue? Has he stepped foot in any of the congregate shelters that his administration gives so much money to? What does he think of those conditions?

Then my anxiety kicked in. I felt traumatized at being dehumanized...moved around like pawns on a chessboard. It disturbed me that this Mayor seemed to reflect the sentiments of those who have espoused racist, hateful and unwarranted views about a vulnerable and voiceless population...a population that is easy prey for the media’s exploitation and dehumanization.

Now let me be fair. The city made a huge mistake trying to drop us into a community without notifying the community in advance and securing their cooperation and support. This action led to those of us who are vulnerable and voiceless to be the subject of some of the vilest accusations ever attributed to the homeless population of NYC...

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12….

Facebook: ssHero DaHomele

Twitter: s_hero @homeles

: Instagram lesshero e m @daho

5

I INSPIRED TO INSPIRE TO BE INSPIRED

THE PLANET BLACK

By Shams You don’t know me So, so why have that thought Of me being a mentally ill addict Well who’s at fault Is it the media’s exploitation?

And mis-representation?

Horrific racist manifestation?

And false characterization?

Answer me now, and don’t hide behind Your title and position For it is you who caused this trauma Simply because you refuse to listen To those who appear before you Yet you still see them not For they don’t exist as humans to you And we deserve what we got There goes the neighborhood Since the N*##@% arrived I walk the streets and see The hatred in your eyes Who do I speak of you ask?

Well who are you looking at?

An Invisible Man with the power To make The Planet Black

I, inspire to inspire To be inspired The reciprocity of Connecting, Of a balanced well-being For a life Worth Protecting.

I live to give Empowered I am I AM the descendant of, A true and living God Thinking outside the box I exit the cave And transcend the pod That lonely place, where The four walls wish to Keep me contained I shall not remain the same, For the purpose of life Is evolution and change Therefore, I shall Continue to inspire to inspire To be inspired Knowing that in life Happiness is acquired When you live your life Achieving all you desired.

Art by sheecho19.ru

© Yevhen Dromashko Dreamstime.com

BY SHAMS

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A grain of sand is a form of separated rock. A ten pound rock weighs the same as ten pounds of separated rock...sand. Yet when you think of a ten pound rock u think of the rock as being something of great substance. As something solid and strong...something seemingly unbreakable.

When you think of ten pounds of sand. You usually think of it as "just" ten pounds of sand.

Pretty much labeling the sand as useless and meek.

This, of course! If you were comparing it to the strong and sturdy... rock. That is because sand is just separated rock that became diluted so it is losing strength by separation. It no longer has strength of the solid rock, but if you were to heat up the sand then apply pressure and held it together until it cooled off, that separated rock...that sand would eventually turn into one solid strong rock.

Now being looked upon as a solid strong rock. This is what u call being compressed together.

When the heat is on we must stand together and unite as one so that we can become one solid rock.

The enemy's job is to divide and conquer - making us into weak individual separate sand. Yet, on the other hand, it is our job to stand together and strong and become one. Instead of feeling oppressed and divided, we must stand together and compress and become one steady nation.

Everyone knows that together we stand and divided we fall.

Just something to think about. May God bless one and all!

- Moses Flores Illustration from USF 7

Thank you UWS Open Hearts

for your advocacy !

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SUDOKU solution

“Healthy dreams are a very important part of life!”

Saturday, SePT 26th 12-3pm, 8 East 3rd St

ng o L o S

er m m Su

!

8

The Truth of the Matter by Joey Dudnik Art by Bryan Lewis Saunders via Indie88.com

Looking back on my addiction I often ask myself, if I had the chance to go back to the beginning, having heard only the testimonials of others in my 12 step program, would I still make the mistake of picking up? Would the words of 12 step wisdom have been enough to rescue me from the madness of Crystal Meth addiction?

Clearly, the answer is no! Knowing then only the testimonials of the countless people with addiction that qualify, tell their story to the room full of peers, I’d not be able to put practical use to their words!

And why is this? Why would their ordeals not persuade me from plunging the syringe into my arms? I believe the answer can be found in the bylaws of most 12 step programs and quite possibly in the way those same bylaws may or may have not been construed. Can the answer be that simple?

Based on the idea that one should “not glorify the effects of using or of substance fueled sex,” this writter believes that the answer is yes. That guideline, which encourages people in recovery never to dwell on such things, has snowballed to the point where peers come up to the podium, declaring they’d hated their drug of choice from the moment they’d picked up. And yet, they go on to tell you how they would go on to spend countless years partaking of the same substance.

Clearly, in such testimonials, something is amiss!

I’ve yet to meet a human being who tries something for the first time, loathes it, then goes on to ruin their lives over indulging in the behavior or substance. Granted, it’s not at all inconceivable.

A dear new friend who I respect and look to as a role model spoke with me as to the fact that he’d actually NOT enjoyed his first experience with his drug of choice. It had left him “numb” - void of emotion.

Such was not the case in my struggle, enforcing the truth of every person’s walk being different, The bottom line, in my case, is that I adored what I did...until I didn’t. I had to learn to suffer before I’d ever be able to stop sticking needles in my arm. The fact that I’d never liked needles is a moot point. I was simply in love with the entire ritual that encompassed shooting up.

So, how would I finally learn to not like getting high? The question of where would make for a better question. In my case recovery would never have occurred had I not walked through the doors of The Recovery Center - a place where the most ardent of substance users are able to once again achieve viable lives.

I’d wandered the countless rooms of so many 12 step programs. I’d heard only that people hated the drug of choice the moment they’d tried partasken. But, I loved it. Listening to the others’ testimonies, no one was like me! I was alone…

At The Recovery Center, from the very first meeting I’d attended, words of truth, words that told my exact story, let me know that for the first time in my life I wasn’t alone! There were people who were just like me out there, people who’d loved and still love getting high. And yet they’d been able to stop, even though they felt the very same emotions that I felt about getting high.

THIS WAS GOOD STUFF! I had prayed for the desire to stop shooting up Crystal Meth for an eternity...an eternity in which I’d lost EVERYTHING, including my dog. Here, every single person lost just as much, if not more, than me!

Here, I found the courage to FINALLY go to rehab and to put the needles down.

Today, after completing my stay in rehab and making a bee line back, I remain here at TRC, the firm bedrock of my recovery. Here, I continue to grow. I continue to meet people who are the same as me, people who I look to as role models. And yet, there’s a much deeper lesson, beyond the lesson that enabled me to stop using, to be learned here.

Simply put: As it is said that the truth will set you free, it just might also serve to set someone free 9 who is going through something very similar, if not the same.

So tell it! Tell it like it was!

UNMASKED Continued FROM PG 3.The people in Covid-resurgent states that refuse to wear masks on the grounds that it limits their freedom to breathe need to stop being so selfish and listen to the science on the subject. It is true that the effectiveness of masks has been brought into question, mainly because the Trump administration initially told the public that wearing masks wasn’t necessary. This was done because supplies for actual masks were very low and not because the masks were actually ineffective.

This has caused lots of unneeded confusion and remains a large reason that people refuse to wear masks nationwide. They have changed their stance and now recommend that sick and healthy people wear the masks as a preventative measure, but it may be too little too late. The government should have never attempted to intentionally mislead the public. The fact that they did and that it backfired should come as no surprise. But we shouldn’t let their mistakes give us cause to put our lives and the lives of our fellow citizens at risk.

First the government lied about the true value of wearing masks, to cover up the fact that supplies were so low. This was in part due to Trump’s dismantling of many of Obama’s pandemic prevention policies.

Trump fired the response team that was supposed to be working in China to provide early detection of any contagious infectious diseases. The Global Health Security and Biodefense unit was partially dismantled by Trump in 2018 in an effort to “streamline” the mission. They were reassigned to other roles within the National Security Council.

Now that the government has changed its story regarding wearing masks, and President Trump was televised for the first time wearing a mask, many months after the outbreak began, it is hard for Americans to know who and what to believe. This is why I am stating in the clearest possible terms that wearing masks saves lives. Sacrificing your freedom to breathe unobstructed is a small price to pay for a 3% risk of transmission. People resisting wearing masks in the South and Midwest need to be educated on the facts of this disease, including the best ways to defend against it. Here in New York it feels like a no-brainer on whether to wear a mask or not, but in the rest of the country this isn’t the case. As a matter of fact in Georgia they passed a law that makes requiring masks illegal. So we need to do our part to make sure the rest of the country is on the same page, so that wearing a mask becomes voluntary.

Recovery Month Word Search!

YOU ARE IMPORTANT AND VALUABLE NO MATTER WHAT

10

Witg ri of te pe I wna nag Ter’s o day  wan flow Fewitg I’m rin in la Hey en, ak’ sore baz 12 tor ma a l of ras Mid ak, no btac in y Carteze,  am t h toy Sipy en, I’m en te fe Sun , It  cung ad afflin Nerin wo le luhg a m Ony urn te cc bak, ses ow he sin  Wer’s el, lo otor Bak orh, it sre sars As te ris, I g ar I d’t egt he rers I’m a ptat, I se vin I’m ecyte n he l sir Go ge m, no ’m iv’ On fogte, bu  foge yu Tis  li, toy I’m ivg Tis  re, I g o ficin Tis d ha  wo’t is ya Sil in ur ce  no w isn’ Eny he ls Li hitg o ms See this piece performed I’l ner at, I’m ejin tis f live on Youtube.com!

Witg ad elig ’m ping he he Steven McGlothlin Yo kow  ge t, https://youtu.be/Qr1HUtI_f40 Im o n ge t. Ya

B Sev MGotl 11

HOMELESS HERO CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5...

When the news broke that we would be moved, I walked the halls of the Lucerne and into the neighborhood and saw some of the strongest individuals I’ve come to know showing fear, confusion and disorientation. The trauma could be seen on their faces. Some of them spoke of being triggered to relapse after months of sobriety, some were experiencing emotional trauma, and others wanted to immediately use their substance of choice. Even I, Da Homeless Hero had to send an SOS out to Carli, the director of Project Renewal’s Recovery Center, to indicate that I was in crisis. The words of the Mayor brought back thoughts of traumatic experiences from my past, having been a victim of this city’s inability to do right by me as a young child growing up in the foster care system. I spoke to other residents who felt similar and we all agreed that this was like trauma on top of trauma.

For the sake of clarity, let’s understand that trauma according to the American Psychological Association is “an emotional response to a terrible event. Immediately after the event, shock and denial are typical. Longer term reactions include unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships and even physical symptoms like headaches or nausea.”

I say trauma on top of trauma because we are in the middle of a pandemic, in a very dangerous situation, and trying to find ways to save lives, yet the Mayor has chosen to further endanger us by using his power to inflict harm on us in such a way that it would trigger many of us who suffer from substance use disorder and mental health issues.

During this pandemic the city’s response created an environment where at one point the homeless population in its shelters mortality rate was higher than the overall population in NYC. Imagine the trauma we experienced during that time in those congregate shelters. So today we’re dealing with trauma on top of trauma.

Now without deviating from my point I want to say that I respect the desire of the Mayor and others to honor a movement and paint a street to show that Black Lives Matter. I understand the power of symbolism. Painting BLM on a street is a symbol that I respect, but I would humbly submit that it is a symbol without substance coming from this Mayor. It’s the equivalent of politics without economics, of emancipation without reparations.

The Mayor said, and I quote: “"When we say 'Black Lives Matter' there is no more American statement, there's no more patriotic statement, because there is no America without Black America. We are acknowledging the truth in ourselves and in America. By saying 'Black Lives Matter' we are righting a wrong," Let me say that last line again. “By saying ‘Black lives matter’ we are righting a wrong. Did y’all catch that? The Mayor thinks that to utter a few words you are going to right a wrong. Oh, hell no, we don’t care about what you say, we care about what you do. It’s your actions that mean something. Not a symbol without substance.

I know some of you are wondering “is this guy at the right protest?” Well quickly, I refer to the Coalition for The Homeless website where they indicate that in NYC approximately 57 percent of heads of household in shelters are Black, 32 percent are Hispanic/Latinx, 7 percent are White, less than 1 percent are Asian-American or Native American, and 3 percent are of unknown race/ethnicity. Which basically means that the Black and Brown demographic dominates the shelters. So, the policies that take place affect us. Therefore, what I’m saying is relative to all the other things that we all fighting for today. It’s about equity.

Housing equity, social justice equity, health equity, education equity, economic equity, political equity and any other equity you can talk about.

In closing I want to say something to both groups on the Upper West Side. One group wants to support us and I’m so grateful for that, we all are grateful for that. Your support has helped me and us process all of this trauma in a healthy way. I thank you and encourage you to continue fighting for us. We need your continued support.

Now for that group who have an issue with us being here, some who would rather us be moved, I want to acknowledge that I understand your sentiments and respect all of your concerns. I’ve not only

CONTINUED ON PAGE 13 12

THE MODERATOR Based on the Greek Myth of ‘Icarus’ who flew too high to the Sun, fell and drowned…

Art from clipart-library.com

MY HOME IS MY DOME/ BECAUSE IT’S MY OWN;/ NO MATTER WHERE I ROAM/ TO AND FROM WHERE I’VE FLOWN./ SHIT , I’M KNOWN/ TO FLY/ HIGH,/ GET DOWN AND HIT THE BOTTOM;/ ESPECIALLY WHEN I HIT THE BOTTLE./ I HAVE TO FIND A MIDDLE GROUND,/ TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE THROTTLE/ BEFORE I’M LIVING IN THE GROUND;/ SIX BY SIX/ IN A BOX/ BECAUSE WHEN I’M GONE, THE WORLD WON’T STOP./ THE CLOCK/ WILL STILL TOCK/ AND TICK./ I HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT MY SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER/ GOT ME IN THIS PIT-/IFUL STATE AND THAT YAHWEH HAS MY FIX/ AND A BEAUTIFUL FATE./ SO I MUST KEEP FAITH,/ A STEADY PACE,/ RATE,/ SPACE,/ AND STOP SKIRTING BY THE BORDERS/ LEST I FALL AND SINK IN THE WATER./ I’M SORTA’/ THICK IN THE SKULL/ BUT I’M READY FOR MY PLATE/ TO BE FULL/ AND CUT THE BULL/ THAT LEADS TO SHAME./ I’M A WILD ONE THAT’S HARD TO TAME./ TIME TO SHOW MY LION’S MANE/ BECAUSE IN THIS WORLD OF A JUNGLE, YOU WILL KNOW MY NAME./

by JOHNNY JUNGLE 7

HOMELESS HERO CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12… advocated for us but believe it or not, I’ve advocated for you as well. Why? Because this city didn’t just do an injustice to us it did it to your overall community. I want you to know that I have heard you, Project Renewal has heard you, their Recovery Center has heard you, your local leaders have heard you, and others have heard you. We have been working non-stop to accommodate you and make this a better experience for you and for us. On the basic level, I’ve been in many homes throughout my life. The number one rule is that when you go in someone’s, house respect it. I don’t care about someone’s racist thought or hateful speech. I do care about a person who is concerned about the quality of life in their neighborhood as I would be when I get my own neighborhood. There’s nothing wrong with that.

I hope I can speak for my fellow residents when I ask that you give us the opportunity to show you that despite our being homeless we can do the right thing. Don’t criminalize us, don’t dehumanize us, let us all come together with both sides and make this thing work. It’s a temporary thing and will not last forever, but if we could have a more positive discussion and respect each other’s humanity then we will do the right thing by ourselves and within your community. We need your help as well.

To the Mayor, I hope you don’t take this in a negative way, but I was taught that when truth comes falsehood vanishes and so, I have to tell it like it is. My hope is that you read into what is being said today and begin to really think about the humanity of those you serve whether rich or poor. We’re all complaining about some of the decisions you are making. I would imagine it’s not easy to run a city but you have to work with everyone to get this right. You can’t make rash decisions. You must be proactive and not reactive.

Otherwise you will be inflicting trauma on top of trauma. - The End 13

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