Greetings and Happy New Years.
Being back in Easton after nearly a month in Haiti has been a mixed blessing for me. Living in Haiti is hard in many senses and I looked forward to returning to the West Ward and my cozy home. Unfortunately, sometime during my stay in Haiti I contracted Hepatitis and my return home has been anything but happy. The good news is that after a month of hospitals, doctor visits, blood tests and being very ill, my recovery is on. I see light at the end of the tunnel.
Feeling better and being vertical once again, I have started walking my neighborhood as I did before I left. The startling thing is, even though it has been two months since I last walked in these parts, nothing has changed. Nothing at all has changed. Why have problems that I have diligently pursued over the last years not been addressed?
As you know I am not a fan of the Easton School District. I live across the street from Cottingham Stadium which I consider a dump and the school district a slumlord. The property has long been neglected and the complaints of the neighbors have fallen on deaf ears. I have listened to the words of several district employees telling me what is to be done or why other things aren't getting done. I have heard the cry of "no money" and "the school board nixed this repair or that one." Oh I am so tired of the same song.
This past summer several representatives from the West Ward and I met with Public Works Director Dave Hopkins and council member Elinor Warner. During the meeting I addressed the issues I have with the school district. Mr. Hopkins agreed that the code issues could be addressed by the city to the school district. Several weeks later I was delighted to see progress as the broken sidewalks that pose a danger to anyone who walks on them, were marked for replacement. Then the broken fence came down, no longer posing a danger to people walking by. Progress at last. Alleluia!
Now, six months later, the marks on the sidewalk are long gone, but the sidewalks not replaced. The stubs of the fence pipes are still there, although duct tape was added to theoretically protect people from injury if they were to fall on them. The rusted walls are rustier than ever and litter is everywhere.
Does anything ever change?
To some I have been too dramatic and a complainer over the years. I have been vocal about many issues, especially the police department. I was taught by my parents to speak my mind if I have something to say. Doing so has not always been in my best interest, but I do it any way. I walk the walk and not just talk the talk. I was a member of city council and have always chosen to back my words up with action. I am not one to complain while hiding behind anonymity.
So now I am gearing up for the fight again. It is deja vu all over again. I will make a pilgrimage to a school board meeting and confront the issues, even though I cringe to think of standing there talking while board members glare into their laptops. Does anyone else find that rude? I will again approach the city and ask them to do what they are supposed to do concerning the code violations. I will continue to fight for my basic right, which is to live in a neighborhood free of quality of life issues. I want what any resident of the West Ward resident wants: a safe and clean environment to enjoy living life to the fullest.
Is it possible that things can change?
Tim Pickel
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5 comments:
Hope you continue to feel better each day!
Tim,I hope you are feeling better,my best friend suffered through a rough bout of Hep, there are so many strains and each one carries it's own demons.But the Tim Pickel that I know is a tough old dude,yes I said old cause there are some of us out there that refuse to go off quietly and one thing i have always respected in all the time i have known you was your brutal honesty.
And I am sorry to say you are 100% correct.It would be great if it wasn't a shame that things remain status quo,I don't have to tell you about the political machine or the fact that the same folks that do care are few and that I sit in my apartment and watch and have the sense of Deja vue,now as someone who has seen what those of us that fight the good fight see.
And I keep waiting for someone to rise up in indignation and stir the pot but that hasn't happened...yet.
I have raised 2 children in this town,oops excuse me,part of that was the West Ward. That place that has the politically correct term for those of us who remember when we were not divided by such boundaries but still the facts are still the same.The families are the same and the generations go on in such a manner that I find my grandchildren attending the same school as their father and aunt with the same children of their friends.In that sense and only in that sense is there"Community".
I know that folks are disgusted and not well informed, our Neighborhoods are so diverse and the problems are still as problematic as when I first entered social work as an HIV/Aids outreach worker handing out condoms in Downtown.Yes,I did that.
So my machete toting friend all I can say is "Welcome Home" and I am sorry to say I have not changed, I still have a big mouth and continue to either put my foot in it or piss someone off. But looking through my rose colored glasses, it's good to know you are around and hey,who knows what the New Year will bring! Peace
Hey Tim,
So glad to have you back in town! I hope your recovery is fast from here on out and that 2010 treats you well.
As for things not changing, I think that we are going to see some important changes this Spring--at least I hope so. We have a comprehensive WW street cleaning program promised us for the Spring (including the new street sweeper purchase), and the Code office has sent out notices that they will begin aggressively citing properties for improper packaging of garbage. It's been a long time in coming, but at least the incremental change seems to be going to the better, rather than the worse. We still have a lot of work to do as residents though, and unfortunately that means not allowing ourselves to get worn down, and being willing to be consistent, repetitive and persistent in holding our elected officials feet to the fire.
Let's keep progress coming in 2010!
Tim,
I don't ever blame anyone or look down my nose at them for loudly fighting for what they deserve...wanting a decent neighborhood to live in. If you are self-conscious about the amount of lip service you need to pay to your issues it is only because you are reacting to what you see right out your front window, day after day and month after month.
When those daily reminders of inefficacy slap you in the face with your cup of coffee each morning and supply the disturbing final visions before your head hits the pillow each night, you can do nothing but continue the fight.
I know exactly how it feels from my own battles on Chidsey Street. There are days during my short trip to and from work downtown - past the Silk Mill, Thirteenth Street, Wood Avenue, Pearl Street and several delapidated businesses and rental properties - that my blood is boiling and all I want to do is scream.
I go through cycles of proactive intervention alternating with near surrender and the urge to move someplace else, depending on my mood at the time. But the question always looms: where would you go?
Somewhere, out there in the haze of municipal double-speak and limited ordinanced response, is a real answer we have yet to hit on. You and I and many like us can only continue to search for the lost needles in this civic haystack that will lead to the solutions.
Somehow, someway, someday...
DRL
Tim.
Your writing on Haiti was very moving and you made it real for me.
Take care.
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