Get out your Walking shoes -- It's time to MARCH

It's time...
For too long we've dealt with the issues of violence, crime, under-achievement, and low expectations. For too long our community and organizations have been plagued by divisions and mistrust. For too long we've waited for solutions to come from the outside, when we have to power to change our reality right now if we would only come together...

It's time...
On June 26th, at 12:00 noon, the NAACP and the Ministerial League along with other community minded organizations, concerned citizens, families, and youth, will STAND TOGETHER. We will March through our neighborhood, walking past the sites where our young men and women have lost their lives to senseless violence. We are going to March, and sing, and Pray, and recall that spirit of the Community we Used to be... We are going to March together, arm-in-arm, and work together to bring about the Rebirth of our Community Spirit. We are going to March together, and teach our Young People about the beautiful People and Community that God intended us to be.

It's time...
We are going to stand together and say Goodbye to the Ego's, Goodbye to the Silo's, and Goodbye to the divisions that have kept us apart. We are going to stand together and say Goodbye to the violence, Goodbye to the crime, and Goodbye to the low expectations that have afflicted our community.

It's time...
We're going to Reclaim our community by reclaiming our Youth. We are not going to cast these young men aside -- We are going to reclaim them. These are our children - We are going to let them know that we love them, and we are going to bring them back into the fold. We're not going to lecture them about the way it was 'back in the day'... We going to talk to them about the way its 'going to be Tomorrow', and we're going to fight to bring our prodigal sons back home. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

It's time everybody... So get out your old walking shoes. And JOIN US on June 26th... More details will follow shortly through the blog, email, radio, newspaper, text, twitter, facebook, and flyers...

Be ready everybody - Start talking it up - Start praying and Stretching - because on June 26th, we're going to stand together and rebuild our community...

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Public Hearing on the Lord's Diner proposed 21st Street satellite set for November 17th

The Wichita City Council will conduct a Public Hearing on the Lord's Diner's proposed 21st satellite.  The Public Hearing will be conducted during the regular City Council meeting, beginning at 9:00am at 455 North Main Street.

At Issue:

Whether or not the the City should sell the old Boys and Girls club building to the Lord's Diner and allow them to establish a satellite feeding center on 21st street.

Proponent's Argument: 

After reviewing data points concerning household incomes, education levels, and free and reduced lunches, the Lord's Diner Board of Directors has concluded that there is an issue with hunger in the immediate area of the old Boys and Girls club. Their proposal is to establish a satellite feeding center at that location. In this proposal, the City would lease them the old Boys and Girls club building for $15,000.00 per year, and at the end of three years, they would have the option to purchase the building for $150,000.00 minus their previous lease payments.

Opposing Argument:

The community has been under a long and intense period of redevelopment. Through Community efforts and in partnership with the City, the 21st area has been turned from one of the most violent and crime ridden areas in the city to one with low crime and new businesses. As a part of these efforts, the City of Wichita developed a much heralded "21st Redevelopment Plan" that specifically talked about using the old Boys and Girls club facility as a hub for a job and skills training program. This proposal represents an abandonment of the 21st redevelopment effort, an abandonment of the promises the City made to the residents and business owners in the area when they developed and publicly released the '21st redevelopment plan', and and a movement that is counter to recent progress by replacing a job training facility with a soup kitchen.

Opportunities for compromise:

The community has been clear that they are not opposed to the Lord's Diner or its mission; they simply want the Lord's Diner to find another building or model. One potential model is for the Lord's Diner to partner with Churches in the area and serve the meals through the existing Churches. This would place multiple smaller satellites throughout the area, closer to the residents who need the assistance. This plan would allow the Lord's Diner to fully satisfy its mission and feed the hungry in the immediate area. AND it would also allow the City to fulfill its promises to the community and to continue working in partnership with the neighborhoods for the economic revitalization of the area. Representatives from the Ministerial League have been open and receptive to the idea and are willing to work with the Lord's Diner to come up with a strategy to make this model work. ALL of the Area's Neighborhood associations are open and receptive to the idea and are ALSO willing to work with the Lord's Diner to come up with a strategy to make this model work.

Obstacles:

The Lord's Diner has thus far been unwilling to compromise or discuss any alternatives. They have thus far indicated that they want to use the model they have proposed and they want to put it on 21st street regardless of the "21st Redevelopment Plan", regardless of the opposition of Neighborhood Associations and community Groups, and without regard for any proposed alternatives. They have the support of a few key City Council members, and they are pushing for a vote.

Our Position:

The Wichita Branch NAACP is committed to finding a "Win-Win" solution. We fully support the alternative model proposed by the Ministerial League, Neighborhood Associations, and Community Groups and we would be willing to recruit and commit volunteers to the effort. We are ready and willing to work with the Lord's Diner, the City, and all groups involved to provide support and resources to the alternative model. We believe that the alternative model would satisfy the spiritual and religious mission of the Diocese and Church communities, it would provide food and assistance to those who need it through Lord's Diner satellite feeding centers, and still allow the community to continue its march toward economic self-sufficiency by placing a job and skills training facility just outside Opportunity Drive as had been promised.

Next steps: 

The Public Hearing will likely be the last opportunity for people to weigh in on the issue. We are asking that all of you who are concerned please email and/or call ALL the members of the City Council AND the Mayor. Let them know that YOU want to see a compromise. Let them know that YOU support the mission of the Lord's Diner and that YOU want to see a Win-Win solution. Let them know that YOU support the alternative model proposed by the Ministerial League and the Community. And last but not least - take the 17th off from work. Plan to be in attendance to voice your support for the compromise proposal.

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Sustainable Neighborhoods Webcast this Wednesday - real-time updates available on Twitter

On Wednesday, I will be participating in a webinar entitled: "Sustainable Places, Smart Neighborhoods - Latest Trends in Rebuilding Vibrant Places" This is a part of the 2008-2009 State Policy Webcast Series.

I will be broadcasting real-time updates from the webinar via twitter. To receive the updates, simply visit www.twitter.com/kevinmyles and click the button under my profile marked "Follow"

The Webinar will address the question; how can we go the next step and make neighborhoods a “best” place to live where transportation, housing, corridors, streetscapes, and infrastructure are all linked to a great quality of life?


When: November 19
1:00 - 2:30 pm CST

Panel:
Barbara McCann - National Complete Streets Campaign
Margot Pedroso - Safe Routes to School Partnership
Robert Ping - Safe Routes to School Partnership
Julie Seward - LISC - Moderator

Tech Tags: neighborhood, sustainability, twitter, NAACP

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Piatt Memorial park vandalized...

On January 16th, 1965, a KC135 Tanker enroute to McConnell Air Force Base crashed into the Wichita neighborhood near 20th and Piatt. 23 residents and 7 crewmen from the tanker were killed.

The area where the tanker crashed was kept clear and converted into a park. But the only memorial to the victims of this horrific event was located some miles away at McConnell AFB. And so it was for more than 40 years.

Then at long last, in 2007 a beautiful memorial was erected in honor of those who met such an untimely demise. Many of the residents from 1965; some still current residents of the area, others merely visiting, were on hand for the unveiling and dedication of this beautiful tribute.

And now, not even two full years since the dedication, it has been reported that the park has been vandalized. 4 of the 5 benches that were erected as a part of the memorial have been broken and or removed by vandals.

It pains my heart to think that we have some in our own community who are so disconnected from our history and legacy that we would wantonly dishonor and destroy the peace of our community, our property, and even our monuments. It is a shameful indictment not only of those who were responsible for the acts of destruction, but also of all of us in their charge...

The Wichita NAACP Youth Advisor, Kenya Cox, often refers to the state of our community as our own personal 'Katrina'. We sit idly by own our own personal rooftops, surrounded by a rising tide of dysfunction. There are no helicopters, there are no boats, there is no cavalry riding to the rescue. If we are to be saved, we are going to have to save ourselves...

We simply must do more to inspire the disaffected. We must do more to reconnect our youth to a vision of our better selves. We must stop being afraid of our own children and meet them where they are. We must demand that they reach for their potential and hold ourselves accountable for their success. And we must do it now...

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Officials say paraphernalia law is working

This is a repost from today's Wichita Eagle Newspaper dealing with the new Kansas Drug Paraphernalia Law. The law was a part of the Wichita Branch NAACP's "Broken Windows" Campaign, designed to deal with quality of life issues affecting our community. The bill was written by the Wichita Branch NAACP, the Methamphetamine prevention project, and the KBI. It was introduced into the legislature last session by Representative (and Branch Member) Oletha Faust-Goodeau. It was signed by the Governor and tool the force of law just this Summer and it has already resulted in the removal of drug paraphernalia (crack and meth pipes) from all retail outlets in the city of Wichita.

In fact, just last month, the WPD raided the KC gas station that I'd blogged about here, and seized 3,000 pieces of paraphernalia.

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BY DEB GRUVER

The Wichita Eagle

A new law that targets the sale of drug paraphernalia is doing what proponents had hoped it would: getting glass pipes and other gadgets used for smoking illegal drugs off convenience store counters, officials say.

"I don't see it anywhere now," Kevin Myles, president of the Wichita chapter of the NAACP, said Friday of paraphernalia. His group was instrumental in getting the law, which went into effect in July, passed. Myles and other members of the NAACP initially identified 13 stores in Wichita where paraphernalia was openly sold.

Months later, Myles says, none of those stores are selling such products. Members of the NAACP have been monitoring stores in the area since the law took effect. "There's one I'm not 100 percent about," Myles said. "The owner has removed it before by putting it back behind the shelves."

So far, Myles is happy with the law's results. So is Rep. Oletha Faust-Goudeau. She said a convenience store in Topeka near the state Capitol no longer is selling paraphernalia and neither is a Wichita store near 25th and Hillside. "People seem to be getting the message," she said.

First arrests under law
Earlier this month, Wichita police arrested two men at the KC Gas & Groceries convenience store who they say were knowingly selling pipes for smoking crack cocaine and methamphetamine.
That case has not yet been presented by police to the Sedgwick County district attorney's office but is scheduled to be, said Capt. Ken Atnip. The case would include felony charges because the store, at Seneca and Maple, is within 1,000 feet of Allison Middle School.

Atnip said police are not interested in hassling business owners but hope the new law will be a tool to help keep drugs off the streets.

At least 45 states have laws on the books regarding drug paraphernalia, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Before Kansas' new law, police had to find residue on pipes and other paraphernalia to arrest someone for possession of paraphernalia or prove that the person intended to use the products illegally.

During meetings in Topeka about the new law, two Wichita store owners who sell pipes and other smoking instruments testified that their goods were for tobacco. But Wichita Deputy Police Chief Tom Stolz said in an earlier Eagle story, "Never in 25 years of policing have I found someone smoking tobacco out of a bong."

David Nelson, the lawyer for the owner and manager of KC Gas & Groceries, said neither he nor his clients had any comment about the pending case. He said he was waiting to see more documentation in the case.

A matter of education
Police have not made any other arrests under the new law. The KC Gas & Groceries case was similar to arrests in other jurisdictions. Across the nation, police have been using such laws to try to make a dent in drug use and drug-related crimes. Officers may issue warnings in some cases to people unaware of the new law, Atnip said. "There are people who need to be educated" and then people who know they are flouting the law, he said. "We are not in the business of surprising people," Stolz said. Part of police work, he said, is educating people about new laws and ordinances.

Atnip said he had received calls from store owners who wanted clarification about the new law.
"If you suspect that's what the material is being used for, you probably shouldn't be selling it," Atnip said.

Wichita residents who see paraphernalia at stores should call police, Atnip said.

© 2007 Wichita Eagle and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.

Tech Tags: drug drug+paraphernalia NAACP

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3,000 pieces of Drug Paraphernalia seized from the KC Gas Station!!!

Back on August 20th, I posted here on the blog that the KC Gas station was violating the Statewide ban on the sale of Drug paraphernalia. Those of you who are frequent readers of this blog may remember that I chronicled our conversations with the WPD West bureau day by day as we attempted to get them to take action against the store and the seller.

Last night it happened. After spending six weeks going into the store and making undercover buys, the WPD entered last night with a warrant and seized nearly 3,000 pieces of illegal drug Paraphernalia. And because the store was located within 1,000 feet of Allison middle school, the owners were arrested on Felony counts of selling illegal paraphernalia.

It is our hope that now the other merchants who are making a profit on the community's addictions and dysfunction will see that this is not a game. We are willing to fight to improve the quality of life within our community. We will continue to monitor all of the shops and stores that we know that have sold drug paraphernalia and we will work through the system to see this garbage removed from our neighborhoods. If a store owner continues to stock and sell this merchandise, they do so at their own risk.

The state law was signed by the Governor in May of 2007. This is the first case filed in the State under the new law.

Click here for Video
Police Seize Drug Paraphernalia

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NAACP

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