Community Conversations

In the upcoming weeks I will host several Community Conversations.  These are intended to be opportunities for community members to come together to voice their thoughts on a variety of subjects.  The goal of the meetings will be simple, to listen and learn.  That is it; listen to what our neighbors have to say and try to understand their perspective.  We may agree, we may not, but if we do this right, we will leave with a better understanding of a variety of views on a variety of topics.  And maybe we will find some common ground.  At some point, in the hopefully not to distant future, maybe we will come to a point where enough of us agree on a strategy to help move us forward, but for now, let's work on understanding the issues.

At this time I have four sessions scheduled.  Two will be at the Lincoln Public Library and two at the Waltham Public Library.  If there is interest I will schedule more conversations in the future.

Wednesday August 20, 2014, 7 – 8:30 PM at the Lincoln Public Library

            What can we as individuals do about the environment that will really make a difference?

Tuesday August 26, 2014, 7 – 8:30 PM at the Waltham Public Library

            How can we both remove the stigma and address the unmet mental health needs of so many among us?

Wednesday September 10, 2014, 7 – 8:30 PM at the Waltham Public Library

            How can we improve services for our aging population?

Saturday September 13, 2014, 100 – 11;30 AM at the Lincoln Public Library

            How can we revitalize the economy and put more people with a variety of abilities to work?

In order to figure out what topics to begin with, I conducted a small survey of my acquaintances to see what would be of the most interest to people.  Overall, the top vote getters were:

1) Addressing mental health issues (23/34)

2) The environment (22/34) 

3) The economy (20/34). 

When I broke the numbers down by Lincoln and Waltham the results change a little.  
 Lincoln’s preferences are:

1) The environment (11/15)

2) Mental health (10/15)

3) The economy (9/15)

Waltham folks preferred:

1) Tie between mental health and issues related to aging (9/11)

2) Tie between MCAS and immigration (8/11).

Armed with the results of my survey, I  scheduled the Community Conversations listed above.

  

Personally, I would like to talk about all of the topics and, happily, there are at least some people that find each one interesting as well.  Immigration and MCAS would both be great topics to discuss next, as would Veterans benefits and Massport and Hanscom.  And, one person would like to discuss “Basic survival....for me....How can we make Lincoln affordable so we don't have to move out at some point.”  My guess is this applies to people in Waltham and many other communities as well.  I would love to fold that into a conversation, what can we as citizens/individuals do to make aging in our own homes tenable?  It is abhorrent that we should live our lives, raise our families in a community and be forced to move out due to financial constraints. 

I hope people will be willing to come to one or more of these conversations.  No need to be an expert or have a ‘solution’; either an interest in the subject or an interest in getting to know others in our community will be plenty.

Doing Well and Doing Good

Cannot believe how excited I am about what is happening at Market Basket.  The idea that the people are rising up in support of the business values they deem important and fighting against corporate America is just thrilling.  I have nothing against corporate America, I think it is a fabulous entity.  But really, corporations are just that, entities, regardless of what the Supreme Court ruled, corporations are not people and they cannot replace the heart of our country.  That belongs to the People.

And then I saw this article by Leon Neyfakh in the Boston Globe on Sunday and my heart soured even further.  http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2014/08/02/shareholder-value-bad-for-business/3O4MYxjWgmJ2DOPwkeYxyN/story.html  He quotes liberally from "Redefining the Corporation" by Boston University Professor Emeritus James Post on the history of corporations in America.  According to Post, up until the 1970's corporations were primarily concerned about "stakeholder value" as opposed to current emphasis on "shareholder value".  There is a very distinct difference between the two.  

By focusing as they currently do on shareholder value, corporations have a single minded focus on increasing the profits of their stockholders.  Every decision they make is based on whether or not the decision will increase their bottom line.  That is what has been preached and practiced since the mid 70's.  Prior to that things were vastly different.

'Back in the day', corporations were focused on providing a service to the community.  The stakeholders they served were everyone that had a vested interest.  That included their employees, their customers, their suppliers, their neighbors and their community at large.  That is a vastly different focus.  If a corporation is consumed with serving the community as opposed to the owners it may well operate in a more civic minded manner.  It would be concerned that its employees make a living wage, that it operates in a manner that is respectful of the environment, it might help support community resources that benefit the community at large and collaborate with its suppliers, employees and customers to ensure everyone's needs are being met.

Think how different our lives would be if more corporations invested in their stakeholders.  Sure it is nice to amass more and more zeros in the bank account but at some point, how many zeros are really necessary to prove one's worth?  Wouldn't it be nice to know that everyone was getting an adequate piece of the pie?  That the business you are running is not only generating a profit for the owners but is also contributing to society in a manner that is to the benefit of all?  Our unemployed, underemployed and employed but underpaid could all rise up in the ranks.  Our streets, education system, environment all could benefit from the support of the many corporation that depend on them for the very wealth they generate.

We have many modern day examples of this with Market Basket under the leadership of Arthur T. Demoulas being a prime example.  Clover, the restaurant profiled in Sunday's Boston Globe magazine is another.  It is clearly very 'doable' to both do well and do good when running a business.  Kudos to Market Basket employees and customers for standing up for what they believe in.  More of us might consider the same.

Engaging our Youth

Last week as I met three young men from Waltham.  We got to talking and I was impressed with how knowledgeable they are about what is going on around us.  They had energy and enthusiasm and a willingness to engage in discussion about the community they are growing up to inherit.

Unfortunately they felt disenfranchised and discouraged at what they see as bleak prospects for the future.  It was sad to hear how checked out these young men are, kids really, in their early twenties.  One of them is supporting his mother and his little sister, another feels targeted by the local police for behavior he use to engage in and for the appearance he has carefully cultivated while the third was hesitant to be pulled to far into the conversation.  It was interesting and encouraging to listen to them expound on their world but it was frustrating to hear them denigrate what they see before them.  They did not feel as though they have a voice or as though there is anything they can do to impact their future.

I talked with them at length about the fact that they are the future.  That if they are not interested in taking part, who will?  Who do they think should be responsible for determining their future?  I suggested to the young man with the police issue that it is on him to change his reputation.  If he wants to present as a long-haired, bearded guy that is perfectly fine but given he has a reputation as a punk (his word) it is on him to prove that he no longer is.  I asked all of them what effort they are making to be heard.  Were they taking part in anything in their community to try to affect change? No, they are not even registered to vote because ‘it won’t make a difference’.  I suggested that taking that attitude was indeed making a difference but it might not be the difference they profess to hope for.  They shifted their feet and acknowledged the point.

They are concerned about the costs of college and coming out on the other side with a degree and a lifetime of debt.  It was hard not to sympathize with that concern but I suggested they would make more progress finding a solution if they took part in seeking one.  I told them it is not ‘somebody else’s job’ to pave the way for them, it is completely on them and they can do something about it or not, that is what a free country allows for.  They are not and should not be fighting this battle by themselves but these are really bright kids!  Sitting around griping about it hasn’t gotten them anywhere and maybe they need to take another look at their approach to the future.  By the end of our talk one, and maybe two, of them was interested in attending one of my community conversations.  I hope they come!  Our society is dependent on all of working together for the benefit of all. 

More on #communityconverstations in Lincoln and Waltham coming soon

Immigrants on our Doorstep

 This morning I participated in a rally in Orleans MA in support of bringing immigrant children to Cape Cod.    This is but one of many divisive issues we face here in Massachusetts and in the United States.  We have so many children and adults here that are in dire need of help.  We have streets in need of attention, the environment in need of attention, we have vets that need and deserve care and health care costs out of control.  Why bring in more people in need.  I can understand the perspective of those that are on ‘the other side of this issue.

On the other hand, how can we turn kids away when they show up on our doorstep?  That is not to say we have not done that before, we just need to look back to the holocaust but I think we are better than that now.  I, for one, do not want to look back one day and wonder why nobody took care of these kids.  These kids are just kids, they could be my kids or your kids.  I cannot even imagine what they have been through to get here our how much pain and anguish their parent’s felt sending them.  That is love.  That is trust in the United States to do the right thing.

Not that the US has earned the trust.  We in the US are at least partly responsible for the troubles these families are facing.  We supported the economy that ultimately collapsed after we unceremoniously pulled out without taking the time to ensure they were able to carry on without us.  We supplied many of the weapons that are being used by neighbors to kill neighbors and to subordinate kids to do their bidding and join their gangs.  But still they are desperate enough to entrust us with the care of their children.

I get that this is not an easy choice.  I lament the fact that our children and people in need are not getting the services they require.  But I could no sooner close the door on these kids than I could if they were knocking on my front door.  These are kids! These are kids that will be subjected to rape, murder, gang violence and a life of abject poverty if we do not step up and help them.  We have to be better than that.

Mixed Housing

A housing model that can help middle class
By Paul McMorrow 

The Boston Globe published this editorial about housing today, 7.29.14.  It seems, to me, to make good sense.  Find an old warehouse, factory, school or business located near public transportation and transform it into housing for middle income individuals and families.  And/or maybe a development for truly mixed income families meaning 33% low, 33% medium and 33% high income folks mixed together, as opposed to all high end housing with let's say 10% affordable thrown into the mix.  Could work in Waltham? 

"Trinity wants to raze Ashmont Tire, an automotive shop sitting across the street from the Ashmont Red Line station, and replace it with 81 housing units. This type of development — on the T, in a neighborhood outside of downtown, replacing a storefront that could go anywhere in Massachusetts with a building that works only when it’s near a rail line — doesn’t happen as often as it should. Still, the project isn’t unique. It follows the lead of the Carruth, a six-story housing project that Trinity built across Dorchester Avenue, also next to Ashmont Station.

The Carruth and the Ashmont Tire proposal are scaled similarly — five stories of housing over a ground floor of retail storefronts. They both mix subsidized affordable housing units with market-rate homes. They’re both selling the prospect of a quick commute downtown to new residents, and using those new residents to attract retailers who deepen the vitality of the surrounding neighborhood. They’re the types of buildings that should be surrounding T stations across Boston."
.
.
.
“There’s a dearth of housing that’s not at either end of the income spectrum, and it’s a real problem,” Trinity’s Kenan Bigby says. “We hope this type of model can go a long way to filling the gap.”

https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/07/29/housing-model-that-can-help-middle-class/70OUPx6P9eBVAW1tGKwRJI/story.html?p1=ArticleTab_Article_

Housing

Right now in Waltham there are two hotels where families that have no other place to live reside.  This practice was slated to end in June 2014 but it is still going strong.

“Specifically, families placed in Waltham stay at the Home Suites Inn on Totten Pond Road and Homestead Studio Suites on Fourth Avenue. In December 2011, Waltham Patch reported 94 families, including 73 children, were staying in the two hotels.”  

This is not good for either the local community or the families.  Trauma is re-introduced to these families by uprooting them and moving them to these hotels with minimal or no access to their social networks, to recreation areas, to basic resources.  The  Waltham schools are tasked with educating children housed in cramped insufficient quarters away from those they know and love.  While the program gives needy families shelter, it leaves them without places  to cook a meal or for their children to play, and burdens taxpayers with a hefty bill.  According to the Patch, the program which also places families in hotels in Framingham, Chelmsford, Burlington, Bedford, Danvers, Malden, Marlborough, Natick, Northborough, Tewksbury, Woburn and Framingham, costs state taxpayers $45 million annually.   http://waltham.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/state-to-end-homeless-shelter-program-placing-familie7c7b235438

In western Mass they have been emptying the hotels and finding homes for families, resulting in huge savings.  The families are able to live in apartments with a kitchen and bedrooms, they live in their own community and the cost to the state drops from approximately $36,000/year per family to $8400.  http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/04/housing_department_reduces_hom.html

For the chronically homeless, many communities, including Boston have implemented a program called ‘Housing First’ with the premise that before people can accept help, they need to have a place to call home.  This program is being used in several communities across the country with great results.  Once people are stabilized in a home the program has a wrap around program to help them with any co-occurring issues they may have be it substance abuse, mental health issues or any other issues that are interfering with their ability to be productive citizens.  http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/07/15/pine-street-inn-goes-from-emergency-shelter-provider-landlord/4qmo0p7L3HGxQFB3zyHkrN/story.html

A couple months ago while collecting signatures in Waltham I met a woman named Dorothy.  Dorothy and I have struck up a bit of a friendship as I frequently see her around the city.  Dorothy is a self described street person and she has a lot to say.  She is getting on in years and in getting to know her, she has not had an easy life.  Dorothy struggles with understanding why the Commonwealth cannot provide her with housing and I do too.  From talking with her I understand that 'something' happened in her last home that resulted in her being on the street.  That said, whether it was something she did or didn't do, 'we' have an obligation to take care of those that cannot adequately care for themselves.  How can we consign elderly and/or infirm people to the street?

There are alternatives available.  As a just and humane society, we need to continue to develop innovative programs that help individuals and families live in homes, with dignity. 

Alternative Education

What do we do with students that are not able to achieve academically?  What options do we provide for them in our public schools?  Kids that for any number of reasons just don’t cut it in math and science and social studies.  Kids that want to be successful, they want to be liked, they want to ‘do something’ with their lives but they just can’t do school work.  

We have a lot of these kids.  Whether it is because they never learned how to learn, they are in a family situation that does not promote learning or doesn’t allow for it for some other reason, kids that don’t have the cognitive ability and kids that for some emotional or behavioral reason can’t make it work in the classroom.  These are not by definition ‘bad kids’; they just can’t be successful in our mainstream schools.  Does that mean we should discard them?  Pretend they don’t exist?  Assume everyone can and should achieve academically so keep pounding away at them?  Thank our lucky stars they are ‘someone else’s kids’?

None of these sound like good options.  We need to respect these kids, whatever gifts and talents they have and find a way to help them be successful.

- One idea is to more closely align our schools with the Finish model.  In Finland the kids don’t start school until they are 7, there is heavily subsidized pre-school which emphasizes playing and social skills,  90 minutes of playtime a day are built into school, some classes are taught outside, teachers have more planning time, kids have no homework and little testing, teachers are culled from the top 10% of the population and they do not have to pay for graduate school.  And Finland consistently scores at the top of the chart in standardized tests across the globe.   http://www.takepart.com/photos/ten-surprising-facts-finlands-education-system-americans-should-not-ignore/finland-knows-whats-best  And school is free for everyone from the age of 3 through college and beyond.  There are almost no private schools, it is all public and all free.

- How about we put more emphasis on trade schools at an earlier age?  Kids that are not working out in the academic classroom may be more successful in the shops.  We have some opportunities for that now but they still require academics.  Not all kids can do that part.  Why not let them get a high school certificate in culinary arts or welding or a variety of shops that do not necessarily require classroom.  That is not to say the classes don’t require knowledge, but some kids will do well learning material that is specific to the shop of their interest.  Why can’t we let that be what is required of them.

- European apprenticeship model http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apprenticeship  Many Eurpoean countries promote apprenticeships as an important step towards employment.  Some countries including Germany, Switzerland and China have dual education system http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_education_system where the student attends vocational school while working in their vocation at a local business.  This is all strictly regulated to ensure high standards are met.

We need to find options to ensure all students have the opportunity to succeed, whether or not they can sit still in class and/or pass standardized tests.