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Helping People Help Themselves

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Helping People Help Themselves Helping People Help Themselves
NNEW EWSSSS
SPARE CHANGE
April 20 - May 3, 2012
Celebrating Our 20th Year as Bostons Street Newspaper
A Church Without a
Building That Meets the
Homeless Where They Are
Vicious Queens and
Viking Vampires
- page 16 - page 8
SS
Keeping
House
Helping Boston
Residents Stay
in Their Home
Post-Foreclosure
- page 4
Smoke-free
or free to smoke?
BHA moves to ban lighting up inside public housing units
- page 5
2
Spare Change News April 20 - May 3, 2012
Spare Change News
is published by the HOMELESS EMPOWERMENT PROJECT (HEP)
Spare Change News
1151 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: 617-497-1595
Fax: 617-868-0767
E-mail:
editor@sparechangenews.net
director@sparechangenews.net
Website:
www.sparechangenews.net
HEP ADMINISTRATION

Board President
James Shearer
Vice President
Michelle Ronayne
Treasurer
Chris McKnett
Secretary
Cheryl Jordan

Co-Clerks
Erik Paulson
Kathrine Waite
Board Members
Kristen Caretta
Andrea Costello
Cheryl Jordon
Joseph MacDonald
Jos Mateo
Michael Morisy
Samuel Weems
Bob Woodbury
Bookkeeper
Lisa Adams
Vendor Supervisors
Algia Benjamin
Barbara Johnson
Burrell White
Charles Stallings
Mike Valasunas
Reggie Wynn
editorial
Vision & Mission
Spare Change News was founded in 1992 by a group of homeless
people and a member of Boston Jobs with Peace. Spare Change
is published by the nonprofit organization The Homeless
Empowerment Project (HEP).
SPARE CHANGES GOAL:
To present, by our own example, that homeless and
economically disadvantaged people, with the proper resources,
empowerment, opportunity, and encouragement are capable of
creating change for ourselves in society.
HEPS OBJECTIVES:
To empower the economically disadvantaged in Greater Boston
through self-employment, skill development and self-expression.
To create forums, including those of independent media in order to
reshape public perception of poverty and homelessness.
Editor in Chief
Tom Benner
Assistant Editor
Nakia Hill
Poetry Editor
Marc D. Goldfinger
Graphic Designer
Brendan Bernard
Puzzle Editor
Samuel Weems
Cartoonist
Michael Ripple
Editorial Assistants
Mike Ahern
Bryant Antoine
Ashlee Avery
Alison Clark
Chalkey Horenstein
Christopher A. Mesfin
|eerre 'Krier
Samuel Weems
J. Andrew Wein
Contributing Writers
Jacques Fleury
Marc D. Goldfinger
Chalkey Horenstein
Jennifer Martelli
Christopher Mesfin
Adam Sennott
James Shearer
Robert Sondak
Marylou Sudders
Noelle Swan
Anthony Thames
Patty Wittnebert Tomsky
Distribution Managers/Vendor
Coordinators
Barbara Johnson
Christopher A. Mesfin
Vendor Disciplinary Chairman
Noreen Mulkern
Marylou Sudders
Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
April is both National Child Abuse Prevention
month and Sexual Assault Awareness month. Their
co-occurrence has particular significance given the
number of high profile reports of sexual abuse perpe-
trated by individuals in positions of authority within
respected institutions which have come to light in
recent years.
Much of the recent attention has focused on the
world of sports. Reports of sexual abuse by Penn
State football coach Jerry Sandusky and Syracuse
University basketball coach Bernie Fine have domi-
nated the headlines.
Equally disturbing are the accounts of the 21 men
who have come forward about their abuse by a for-
mer Red Sox Clubhouse Manager, the seven allega-
tions of abuse levied against renowned gymnastic
coach Doug Boger, and the reports of 36 swimming
coaches banned for life for sexual misconduct over
the last 10 years by USA Swimming, the govern-
ing body for the sport up to and including the U.S.
Olympic team.
These accounts, in addition to the seemingly end-
less stream of reports of sexual abuse committed by
a rogues gallery of teachers and other trusted adults
here in Massachusetts and throughout the country,
leave no room for doubt about the depth and scope
of the scourge of child sexual abuse.
During this time we have also been moved by
the courage of public figures, including Mets pitch-
er RA Dickey, performers Ashley and Naomi Judd,
boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, singer Missy Elliott and
U.S. Senator Scott Brown, who have come forward
to discuss the abuse they suffered as children. These
events, on the heels of earlier revelations of sexual
abuse by Catholic priests, Boy Scout leaders and oth-
ers, have sparked public outrage and led to signifi-
cant policy reforms including enhanced penalties for
perpetrators, improvements in mandated reporter
laws and refinements to the definitions of sex crimes.
It has also led to the adoption of policies and proce-
dures for responding to reports of child abuse by a
wide range of organizations and institutions.
While these changes are important and positive
steps, they do not answer the central question of
how to stop the abuse from happening to begin with.
Identification of an effective means of preventing
abusers from committing the first instance of abuse
remains elusive. However, there is a clearer solution
to stopping the continued abuse of a child and keep-
ing other children from being victimized.
It starts with each of us. When we hear or see
something that makes us concerned that a child may
be being abused, we must take action and report it.
We cannot and should not delay because we dont
have proof. We must trust that those charged with
investigating these reports will do the right thing,
knowing that those who are innocent have nothing
to fear from an inquiry about a childs well-being.
When those institutions fail we must hold them
accountable. We must let nothing else take priority
over the protection of children. Nothing.
MARYLOU SUDDERS is President & CEO of the
Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Children.
COVER: Top: Members of the New York City Council wear hoodie sweatshirts as they stand together
on the steps of City Hall in New York, March 28, 2012 during a news conference and action to call for justice
in the February 26 killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida. Photo: REUTERS/MIKE SEGAR
Guest Editorial: How You Can Stop Abuse
3
Spare Change News April 20 - May 3, 2012
op / ed
Chalkey Horenstein
Spare Change News
When a person is facing homelessness or poverty,
savingsand therefore bankingbecome a necessary
lifeline. But too many low-income people decide on a
bank without thinking too carefully, and choose the one
that offers the most convenience without considering
other factors. In our region, that bank is typically Bank
of America. So is this the right choice, or should people
put more thought into choosing a bank?
Lets talk about Bank of America. Their checking
accounts charge maintenance fees from $6 to $25 unless
certain direct deposit or balance requirements are met.
In the case of a basic checking account, the $6 fee is
unavoidable, while Bank of America credit cards have a
$39 fee so those that are trying to slowly rebuild their
credit score to improve their future will need to spend
a little more.
And dont let the You can avoid the fees by doing
X loopholes fool you; the specific wording of each
rule makes it very easy get fined. For example, lets say
you just want to open a regular savings account, and
you want to avoid the $5 maintenance fee. To do this,
according to the most recent Personal Schedule of Fees
document they give to clients (I received mine from
a representative on March 13 of this year), you must
either have an automatic transfer from the basic check-
ing account of $25, have a balance of $300, or link to an
Enhanced or Premium checking account.
In the first option, a customer must open a basic
checking account, which has the unavoidable $6 per
month fee. In the second option, you need $300
which, if you are homeless, is easier said than done. In
the third option, you open an account that could cost
you $15-$25 in fees per month, unless you use a Bank of
America credit card once a month, have $2,000 in direct
deposits, or maintain a balance of $5,000 (or $20,000 for
Premium). If you do the math, attaining $2,000 in direct
deposits is nearly impossible for those with minimum
wage jobs that kind of money requires a degree or
some lucrative promotions. Of course, you could waive
the Premiums fees by linking to a Bank of America
Mortgage, but that presupposes that the customers get-
ting the least expensive account type still can somehow
find purchasing a house or a car feasible.
Almost every homeless person I talk to around
Boston, if they have a bank account, works with Bank
of America. Some brush aside the fees out of ignorance,
and cant keep track of their daily statements well
enough to notice the sudden or subtle losses. Others
seem worried that, with limited transportation, it
would be inconvenient (and possibly even more costly)
to go to another bank, given ATM fees and convenience
factors. But neither of these worries needs to be the
case.
Small banks often reimburse customers for any ATM
fees they accrue from the larger banks. And a bank like
Cambridge Savings has enough of a local presence that
customers can access it on the subway about as easily
as a Bank of America. Granted, a credit union is typi-
cally the most democratic and fair to their clientele, but
small local banks keep the convenience factor while
only being negligibly less fair their customers.
And beyond fees, doing a little bit of research on
Bank of Americas business practices will make any-
ones head turn. I went online and found testimony
after testimony of insurmountable debt, destroyed
credit scores, and lost court cases. On websites such as
www.bankofamericasucks.com, there are numerous
testimonies from mistreated Bank of America custom-
ers. Many news outlets have also reported on Bank of
Americas corruption and history of lying to its custom-
ers. The San Francisco Chronicle ran a story on March
13th expounding on the banks dishonest foreclosure
and mortgage practices and use of false documents.
In late March, Fox News ran a news story on a Bank
of America branch manager who stole $2 million from
customers through fabricated withdrawals.
A quick Google search will change every good
thought you ever had about this bank try typing
words like robosigning or BOA whistleblower
for some quick and easy finds. Youll find its not just
Bank of America, actually, but all of the larger banks
that are under fire: JP Morgan Chase, GMAC, Citibank
and Wells Fargo as well. In the case of banks, it seems
that most stereotypes you hear about big and evil cor-
porations are pretty much true. I only focus on Bank
of America here because, in the Boston area where we
reside, Bank of America is noticeably more common
than the others.
So what can you, as a low-income consumer, do to
fight this? The biased opinion Ive pontificated so far
would make it clear that you need to stop banking with
Bank of America immediately. But I also feel compelled
to mention that I only found out all of this by doing
my own research and making an informed decision on
which bank to choose.
Whether youre looking for a bank for the first time
or youve been a loyal patron for some time, do some
research. Websites like Yelp will tell you all sorts of
things, from people in fairly relatable income back-
grounds. Youd be surprised at all of the information
you can find by just typing is ___ a good bank into a
search engine. If you do not have a computer or access
to the internet, make a day trip out of going from bank
to bank and talking to representatives in person but
keep in mind whether youre talking to a consumer or
an employee, so that you can get multiple perspectives.
A customer service rep will always tell you that their
bank is worth banking with.
Based on my own personal research and experi-
ence, Cambridge Savings Bank seems to have the best
deals in terms of fees, customer service, and general
perks of having an account, though Central Bank and
Wainwright are not particularly bad either, from what I
have read. Anything within the SUM network (Google
search if you dont know if your bank is) will waive
ATM fees from other institutions, which is good to keep
in mind if you want to support local banks without sac-
rificing too much convenience or piling up service fees.
If something with your bank isnt working for you,
research to see if other banks work differently. Dont
ever automatically assume all banks are basically the
same.
Ive seen far too many homeless people get exploited
by this, and far too many of my lower- to middle-class
brethren suffer just as badly. And while we can wag
our fingers at bigger banks for being corrupt corpora-
tions all day, at the end of the day the biggest reason
they can get away with what they do is because nobody
cares enough to research precisely what the bank is up
to and what it means for the average consumer. In these
harsh economic times, it almost seems ludicrous just
how often we deposit our money into banks without
researching them first.
CHALKEY HORENSTEIN is an editorial assistant for
Spare Change News and a case manager at Heading Homes
scattered site shelter.
Big Banks and the Homeless and Poor
To the Editor:
I had the pleasure of running into Beatrice Bell on a
recent afternoon selling her paper near Faneuil Hall.
When I bought the paper she very proudly asked me to
pay special attention to her article on page four.
I was very impressed by her initiative and confidence in
her work. The article itself was very eye-opening and she
is a great example of the type of people you are helping to
help themselves. Congratulations to you and to Beatrice.
Tracey Gauthier-Peters
Boston
Letters to the Editor
To the Editor:
Bundled up in an assortment of furniture blan-
kets, an apparently homeless person was on a
bench on Commonwealth Avenue Mall for at least
two days and nights....maybe longer....always in
the same position, hunched over with head on
the armrest. Today, my second day of noticing
him/her there....in exactly the same position....I
feared the person very ill or possibly even dead.
I called the Mayors hotline and impressively
within a matter of minutes a fire engine and an
ambulance were there. I watched as the crew put
the person on a stretcher and into the ambulance
and then picked up his/her belongings....such as
they were....and put them in the ambulance too.
Remorse has followed me all day: Did I do the
right thing by notifying the authorities? Will they
separate him from the few belongings that he has?
Will it be harder for him now after he is cured and
put back on the streets? Have I done him a favor
or a disservice?
Buying a copy of Spare Change News this
morning put money in the pocket of a well
dressed, cheery person in front of Whole Foods
and it gave me your email address to ask these
questions.

Andrew Hall
Boston
4
Spare Change News April 20 - May 3, 2012
state
Keeping House:
Local Organizations Collaborate to Help Boston Residents
Stay in Their Home Post-Foreclosure
Noelle Swan
Spare Change News
When Jeril Richardson checked out of
the hospital after he was hit by a car in
2009, he returned home to find that his
landlord had not been keeping up with
mortgage payments and the bank was
foreclosing on his Hyde Park home.
Canvassers knocking on his door told
him about City Life Vida Urbana, a com-
munity organization that would help
him to fight to stay in his home. Nearly
three years later, Richardson still lives in
the house, pays rent to the bank, and is
saving to purchase the property.
Every weekend, students and com-
munity volunteers from Project No One
Leaves hit the streets in an effort to reach
tenants and homeowners facing foreclo-
sure to inform them of their rights dur-
ing and after the foreclosure.
We try to get there before eviction
agents come knocking and telling them
to leave immediately, said Chris Larson,
senior at Tufts University who helped to
coordinate a chapter of No One Leaves
at Tufts.
In recent years, keeping up with new
foreclosures has become a daunting
task, said Chas Hamilton, a third-year
law student and current president of
the board for Project No One Leaves at
Harvard Law School. In a given week,
there might be 30 new foreclosures listed
in Boston proper.
Then there are properties that they did
not get to in weeks past because canvass-
ers ran out of time, people werent home,
or their just werent enough cars to get to
all of the neighborhoods.
Volunteers for No One Leaves chart
foreclosure postings listed in local news-
papers and real estate publications.
Listings are grouped into geographic
zones of the city and mapped out. Each
week, a dozen or so volunteers gather
at the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau in
Cambridge, split up into groups of two
to five depending on the number of cars
available, and try to get out to as many
properties as they can in three hours.
The real message that we try to deliv-
er is that foreclosure is not the end. Its
the beginning of this very long battle,
Larson said.
The Harvard Legal Aid Bureau and
Greater Boston Legal Services have been
helping homeowners and tenants fight
that battle since the beginning of the
foreclosure crisis in 2007. The two groups
had a long-standing past providing free
legal support around housing and ten-
ants rights issues.
When the foreclosure crisis hit, the
lawyers were poised to help, but people
were leaving their homes without ever
knowing they had any rights or means
to fight for them, said David Grossman,
Harvard Law School professor and direc-
tor of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau.
We couldnt just wait for people to
come into our office. We needed to do
significant outreach.
Project No One Leaves became the
vehicle for that outreach. Started by
two Harvard students, several chap-
ters have intermittently popped up at
Boston University, Suffolk Law School,
Tufts University, Boston College, New
England Law School, and Harvard
College. Grossman said that other reli-
gious and community organizations
have also established canvassing trips
that build on that outreach.
In addition to empowering individu-
als to fight their own battles, Project No
One Leaves invites residents affected by
foreclosure, to attend meetings at City
Life, a grassroots tenants rights organi-
zation headquartered in Jamaica Plain,
that aims to turn private foreclosure bat-
tles into a public movement.
If we can just get them here, said
long-time City Life organizer Jim Brooks,
then they realize theyre not alone.
Indeed, it is impossible not become
swept up and enveloped by the sense of
community at a City Life meeting.
Over a hundred people gather every
Tuesday evening, filling the seats and
sometimes the aisles. Frequent attendees
and newcomers alike greet each other
like old friends, with double-fisted hand-
shakes, hugs, and pats on the back.
At a recent meeting, a woman from
Randolph arrived late. Lead organizer
Melonie Griffiths spotted her and inter-
rupted the meeting to induct her into the
community.
As the woman finished explaining
that the bank would be putting her home
up for auction the following Tuesday, her
face melted under silent tears.
Griffiths took the distraught womans
hand and said, When you cry we cry.
But if youre going to fight, were going
to fight with you.
These meetings are not just a place to
cry out together in sorrow and anger
even though there is plenty of that. This
community has teeth.
Griffiths handed the woman a rep-
lica sword, instructed her to hold it high
above her head, and asked, Will you
fight to stay in your home?
The woman nodded, and Griffiths
continued, I fought to stay in my home,
many others here fought to stay in their
homes.
The crowd answered as one, Well
fight with you!
Within 15 minutes, the community
did what it does best; it organized.
One by one, voices from the audience
volunteered to head out to Randolph to
protest the auction.
These auction protests are something
of a trademark for City Life. Propped up
on top of bookshelves and file cabinets
all around the large community room
are colorful wooden signs declaring,
We Shall Not Be Moved! and This is
City Life territory.
Near the door, a handwritten poster
details the two-fold purpose of the pro-
tests; first to deter investors that plan to
evict the current residents, and second
to support the sale to someone who will
HOUSING continued on page 7
Volunteers gather on the steps of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau in Cambridge.
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5
Spare Change News April 20 - May 3, 2012
local
Adam Sennott
Spare Change News
The Boston Housing Authority is
taking steps toward protecting its resi-
dents from the dangers of second-hand
smoke. However, some residents feel
their rights are being violated.
The Boston Housing Authority is
moving forward with plans to imple-
ment a smoke-free housing policy in
September 2012. This policy will pro-
hibit residents and guests from smoking
in housing units or developments, and
instead require them to go outside to
designated smoking areas. Tenants who
fail to comply with the policy could face
fines of up to $250 or even eviction.
According to Lydia Agro, director of
communications and public affairs for
the Boston Housing Authority, a smoke-
free housing policy was considered in
order to protect tenants from the health
risks associated with second-hand
smoke.
We get a number of requests for
transfers and complaints [from tenants]
who have asthma, Agro said. And the
negative health effects of second-hand
smoke are very clearly documented at
this point in time.
The Boston Housi ng Authori ty
responded to complaints of second-
hand smoke by surveying tenants about
the possibility of implementing the
smoke-free policy. According to Agro,
the results of the survey showed tenants
overwhelmingly supported the policy.
We surveyed our residents across
the city and we found that, at about a 90
percent return rate for both people who
dont smoke and some who smoke, [the
majority was] in support of the policy
for smoke-free housing.
Opponents of the policy argue that
the results of the survey are not an accu-
rate representation of how tenants feel
because many who oppose the bill did
not respond.
Several residents of the Mary Ellen
McCormack Housing Development,
the oldest and one of the largest pub-
lic housing developments in Boston,
expressed outrage over the BHAs plan
to implement the policy during a task
force meeting at 345 Old Colony Ave.
The tenants I represent ... and some
of them are non-smokers, are vehe-
mently opposed to the government
telling them how to live their lives,
said Stephen Laverty, vice chairperson
and resident service provider of the
resident task force at the Mary Ellen
McCormack Housing Development.
Its a gross infringement on their civil
liberty. We are living in a nanny state.
In other words, the government has
decided that they know whats better
for you then you do. And they have
decided, whether you agree with them
or not, that theyre going to shove what
they think is better for you down your
throat. Thats what a nanny state is,
okay, where they set whatever health,
dietary, lifestyle policies they want and
then they legislate them and force them
down your throat because you refuse to
adopt them voluntarily.
However, according to Lydia Agro,
the Smoke-Free Housing Policy has
al ready been i mpl emented i n the
Franklin Hill and Washington Beech
Housing Developments without diffi-
culties.
I know there is a case that has been
made by some residents that its a civil
liberties issue, that they should be able
to smoke in their own apartments. But
on the flip side of that, is that people
have the right not to have their health
impacted by neighbors when theyre in
their own apartments, Agro said. We
have real cases everyday where people
have severe health impacts either due to
or exacerbated by second-hand smoke
from their neighbors.
Agro also noted that there are sup-
port services available for those who
wish to quit smoking. In partnership
with the BHA towards this initiative,
the Boston Public Health Commission
funds a full-time smoking cessation
specialist who is available to BHA resi-
dents, and that person is running smok-
ing cessation groups in both out-family
and elderly disabled developments
for residents who want to participate.
It provides individual counseling to
people, as well as nicotine patches and
other cessation materials, said Agro.
Georgia Schipani, who has lived in
the Heritage Apartments in East Boston
for the past 17 years and serves as
president of the Heritage Apartments
Tenants Council, says she supports the
smoke-free housing policy. Schipani
underwent a lung procedure in 2010,
and says the smoke from her neighbors
apartment makes it difficult for her to
breathe.
My thoracic surgeon said I cannot
be around second-hand smoke, and the
person on the first floor here smokes
quite a bit and she hasnt stopped,
either, so I put in for a transfer but I
havent received it as yet.
Schipani, who quit smoking more
than 40 years ago, attempts to cleanse
her apartment from any smoke daily.
[The cigarette smoke] comes right
up through the pipes. I mean, all your
openings, it comes right up through;
the sink, the drain, the bathroom drain
in the sink and in the tub, through the
radiators, especially when you put the
heat on in the wintertime. I have a win-
dow open 24/7, 12 months out of the
year. I have fans blowing away from me
at night when I go to bed.
Carol Leary, who has lived in a
Boston Housing Authority unit for the
past 15 years, says she also supports the
policy because of the risks associated
with second-hand smoke.
I have problems with the constitu-
tional aspect. However, from the pub-
lic health aspect, I couldnt agree more.
Were all in this together. Its close quar-
ters no matter what design your build-
ing has, said Leary, who quit smoking
five months ago. Its actually a health
hazard to other people, to your neigh-
bors.
Leary believes this policy is similar
to other rules the building units have.
She says it is the tenants responsibility
to respect the neighbors. We all have
leases and we have to abide by them,
or not, but there are consequences. We
all have to turn down our TVs at nine
or ten oclock at night. We all have to be
aware of people living around us and
do our best to take care of each other.
Although this is the first time the
BHA has executed a blanket smoke-free
housing policy, they have implemented
similar policies in individual develop-
ments. The Franklin Hill public hous-
ing development in Dorchester and
the Washington Beech public housing
development in Roslindale both have
created similar policies. Agro notes that
there havent been any fines or evictions
since the policies were carried out.
When weve implemented in other
locations, the fact that the residents are
that supportive of this policy has really
made the implementation [process]
seamless, Agro said. We have not had
problems with violations of the policy,
to my knowledge, at Washington Beech
or at Franklin Hill. Our residents are
asking for this policy.
Some tenants argue that the smoke-
free housing policy infringes on their
rights by stating what they can or can-
not do in the privacy of their own
homes.
What the Boston Housing Authority
has proposed is a total smoking ban,
which includes the banning of smok-
ing in ones own home, in the privacy of
your apartment, Laverty said. To me,
I dont care if its subsidized housing or
youre paying $1,700 a month, no gov-
ernment or government agency has the
right to tell somebody what they can do
within the walls of their own home.
Chandra Richardson, a tenant living
in the Mary Ellen McCormack Housing
Development, echoed Lavertys senti-
ments.
I dont think they should be able to
say what you do in your own home, as
long as its not illegal, Richardson said.
Next thing it might be: we cant drink
soda, we can only drink diet sodas or
stuff like that, alcohol, any of that, you
know? Its just an invasion of privacy.
Smoke-free or free to smoke?
BHA moves to ban lighting up inside public housing units
SMOKE-FREE continued on page 7
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6
Spare Change News April 20 - May 3, 2012
local
Anthony Thames
Spare Change News
On Apr i l 11,
2 0 1 2 , Ge o r g e
Zimmerman was
arrested and for-
ma l l y c ha r ge d
with the murder of
Trayvon Martin in
Seminole County,
Florida. Special
Prosecutor Angela
Corey gave a courageous and moving
press conference in which she detailed
the state of Floridas intentions to pros-
ecute Zimmerman for second degree
murder. What was especially moving
was how Corey started the press confer-
ence by acknowledging Sabrina Fulton
and Tracy Martin, the parents of Trayvon
Martin. Though none of us know how
this case, which is sure to draw extensive
media attention, will ultimately end; I
personally take comfort in knowing that
it will be handled by a sensible, compas-
sionate and highly skilled prosecutor.
The facts in this case are pretty much
straightforward. George Zimmerman,
while acting as a volunteer commu-
nity watch captain, noticed Trayvon
Martin, a 17 year-old-black male, walk-
ing through this gated community and
immediately he became suspicious of
him. Zimmerman called 911 and con-
veyed his suspicions to a 911 dispatcher.
Zimmerman was eventually asked if he
was following this suspicious person,
and when he replied that he was, he was
then told by the dispatcher, We dont
need you to do that.
Family, friends and legal pretenders
for Zimmerman have gone on a media
campaign and would like us to believe
that shortly after speaking to the 911
dispatcher, Zimmerman was attacked
by Trayvon Martin and beaten to within
inches of his life and that he was forced
to shoot and kill Martin in self-defense.
Once again the country is split pri-
marily based on race, class or political
affiliation. Though people are entitled to
their own opinions as to what may have
occurred that fateful night in February,
some of us seem to be missing the bigger
point: That yet another of our children
have died as a result of senseless gun
violence.
Second Amendment rights groups
have seized the moment to further their
cause for gun rights. Lobbyists for these
groups have been lobbying state leg-
islatures to enact new laws. New laws
where one can enjoy total immunity
from criminal prosecution after having
killed or inflicted great bodily harm on
another. It appears that certain segments
of the country are arming themselves for
the next major offensive. One in which
the enemy seems to be our neighbor.
Weve gone from declaring war on those
who would destroy us, to those who
ultimately are most like us. Stand your
ground is a very bad law and every
decent American should fight to have it
repealed.
New York Times opinion writer
Charles M. Blow expressed his personal
views recently on a cable news pro-
gram in which he stated: This is about
a 17-year-old boy in a Florida grave.
This is about his family who will never
get a chance to hear his voice again.
This is about a man who took his life
and whether the law protects George
Zimmerman this is about justice and
about peoples faith in a justice system.
He further stated; I love America,
not because America is perfect, but
because America strives for perfection.
America is like a garden and you have to
constantly tend to that garden so that the
bad weeds dont take over. Wherever
weeds of injustice spring up; we must
work together to pull them out.
I truly feel that we have made exten-
sive gains toward justice and equality in
this country and feel it is necessary we
remain ever vigilant. We must be mind-
ful of the fact there are those among
us who would like to take us back to a
darker time in history.
ANTHONY THAMES is a Spare Change
News writer and vendor.
HomelessEmpowermentProject,Inc.SpareChangeNews
Thursday 1une 21, 2012 6:00 to 9:00 PM The Inn at Harvard
1201 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138
www.sparechangenews.net
The mission of Spare Change News is to present, by our own example, that homeless and economically disadvantaged people, with the proper resources
empowerment, opportunity and encouragement are capable of creating change for ourselves in society.
Helping People Help Themselves
NEWS
Helping People Help Themselves Helping People Help Themselves
NNEW EWSSSS
SPARE CHANGE
SAVEtheDATE 20th Anniversary
Beyond race in the
Trayvon Martin case
7
Spare Change News April 20 - May 3, 2012
local
negotiate a resale of the property to the
resident.
We want the bank to buy the proper-
ty back because we have more leverage
with the banks, Brooks explained to the
meeting attendees.
Grossman estimates that in 90 percent
of the cases, the bank does end up the
owner of the title after the auction. He
said that he tries to reassure people that
come to him for legal advice through
City Life that even though the bank
holds the title, it cannot evict the current
resident without a court order.
He believes that communicating this
right is the key to empowering individu-
als to avoid being taken advantage of. He
said that local real estate brokers hired by
out of state lenders may offer residents a
bit of money to leave the property.
Theres nothing legally wrong about
that offer, but when its accompanied by
misrepresentation of the law then there
is something illegal about it. He adds
that he has heard stories of brokers ring-
ing doorbells and telling tenants that
they have to leave or that they have no
grounds to fight in court. Thats usually
just not true.
Rental tenants especially have more
rights than they may be aware of.
In 2009, Congress passed a federal law
requiring lenders to give tenants living
in foreclosed properties 90 days before
they can be evicted. The following year,
Massachusetts passed a state law grant-
ing tenants a continuation of their lease
for the entire time the lender owns the
property.
For owners, the processes can be
more complicated. Currently, there is no
comparable law protecting owners post-
foreclosure, though City Life has been
lobbying for a similar bill.
Still, strict procedures do exist that
banks are required to follow before fore-
closure takes place, involving a series of
notifications and a five-month period to
try to catch up on or modify the loan.
According to Massachusetts Attorney
General Martha Coakley, banks have
not been following these procedures
and have been illegally foreclosing on
homes. She has filed suit against five
major lenders on behalf of the residents
of Massachusetts for violating these pro-
cedures, negligently issuing mortgages
to families that could not afford pay-
ments, and even foreclosing on proper-
ties for which they never held the title.
While Coakleys larger battle wages
on at the state level, the lawyers at City
Life work with individuals that are at
risk of going from homeowner to home-
less virtually overnight.
Many homeowners bought their
homes at the height of the real estate
boom. Today, those homes are worth just
a fraction of the balance of the mortgage.
Others signed so-called balloon
loans, with low initial mortgage pay-
ments that increased dramatically over
time. In many cases, those increases
went into effect at the same time that the
market plummeted, simultaneously tak-
ing down property values, jobs, and live-
lihoods.
Stephen Fiocca started falling behind
on his mortgage payments for his
Dorchester condo when he was laid off
from his job of 15 years rehabilitating
apartment buildings. At 63, he said that
it has been difficult to find another job.
How are you going to help me? he
asked three canvassers from Project No
One Leaves that came knocking on his
door one Saturday morning. Nobody
else will.
When the bank notified Fiocca that
his condo could go into foreclosure, he
got on the phone, called everyone he
could think of looking for help, and said
he came up empty-handed.
City Hall told me to start looking
into homeless shelters, he said.
He remains skeptical of how much
City Life will be able to help him. When
told that the free legal counsel can some-
times help homeowners negotiate a prin-
ciple reduction and lower their mortgage
payments, he shrugs. Im wont be able
to pay that either if I cant find a job.
NOELLE SWAN is a freelance writer.
HOUSING continued from page 4
Richardson also said that she has
a leg condition that that requires her
to occasionally use a cane and would
make it difficult for her to go outside to
smoke a cigarette.
I have a bad leg, I cant be walking
up and down these stairs. I am on the
third floor, Richardson said. I have
arthritis and gout, so its hard for me to
get up and down.
Laverty claimed that he had sug-
gested several alternatives to a blan-
ket ban on smoki ng. The Bost on
Housing Authority, however, is follow-
ing through with their plan. He also
believes that a ban on smoking could
eventually lead to other bans on public
housing properties, such as alcohol and
even fast food.
[I suggested] a democratic election
at each development so that the tenants
can decide for themselves whether that
development will allow smoking or not.
They refused, said Laverty. The sec-
ond thing I proposed was smoking and
non-smoking buildings. They refused.
I also proposed that they exempt the
elderly and disabled. They refused.
Laverty also worries that the BHAs
plan to designate smoking areas out-
side will create an unsafe environment
for tenants, especially when they go out
for a cigarette late at night.
If they expect people to go out-
side at all hours of the day and night
for cigarettes, its only a matter of time
before someone is beaten, robbed,
raped, or murdered, Laverty said. He
also expressed concern for those who
are elderly or disabled going out late at
night for a smoke.
Its fine to ban smoking in common
areas, thats just plain common sense.
Its fine to ban smoking where theres
a medical situation or something like
that; but to put down a blanket ban, not
to exempt the elderly, the disabled, its
just wrong.
Richardson said that while she some-
times does smoke at night, she would
not go outside because she fears for her
safety.
While the BHA said that it is planning
to implement the smoke-free housing
policy due to health concerns, Laverty
said that if it is truly concerned with the
health of its tenants, then there are other
more pressing issues that deserve atten-
tion.
Lets talk about the amount of mold
in those apartments that they do noth-
ing about; black mold which aggra-
vates preexisting medical conditions,
Laverty said. Lets talk about lead
paint in peoples apartments that they
just painted over. Lets talk about win-
dows that dont work. Lets talk about
all the other problems that exist in
public housing that money should be
poured into, and instead theyre going
to pour it into this, fining and evicting
people for using a legal product?
Although the BHA made it clear that
it is not administering the policy with
the intention of fining or evicting resi-
dents, according to Agro, there are cur-
rently no plans to set a clear standard
for what would constitute either pen-
alty.
The fines are intended for people
who are repeatedly disregarding the
policy, and our intent is really getting
the smoke out of the building, not to
evict or fine people, Agro said. Those
things are going to be determined on
a case by case basis. We dont have a
set number; if you violate the policy
X number of times, then we move for-
ward. Were going to look at individual
circumstances, but our intent is getting
the smoke out of the buildings.
Residents have many rights around
eviction proceedings, Agro said.
Theres a disagreement procedure
where they can ask for a grievance
hearing and they go before a panel of
residents and staff. If they feel that the
action the BHA is taking is [unfair]
they can make their case before it even
ends up in court. Argo added it is not
BHAs intention to take a tenant to court
for violating the policy. Thats not out
interest; our interest is, and our intent
is, on getting smoke out of the build-
ings, not to evict or fine people.
ADAM SENNOTT is former editor
of Spare Change News.
SMOKE-FREE continued on page 7
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NO EVICTIONS YET
Accordi ng t o Donna Whi t e,
spokesper son f or t he U. S.
Department of Housing and Urban
Development, HUD has encouraged
housing authorities across the coun-
try to collaborate with residents to
implement smoke-free housing poli-
cies since 2009 due to the harmful
effects of second-hand smoke and
to reduce the risk of fires in public
housing developments.
Whi te stated that there are
approximately 260 housing authori-
ties that have gone smoke-free
since 2009, and HUD is unaware of
any eviction notices that have been
issued due to violations of smoke-
free housing policies.
8
Spare Change News April 20 - May 3, 2012
local art
Patty Wittnebert Tomsky
Spare Change News
Dude. Gimme a
fantasy with long
velvet dresses and
hot guys in leather
and armor. Gimme
Viggo as Aragorn.
Or g i mme a
hot vampire and a
heroine with killer
cur ves . ( Kr i s t i n
Stewart need not appl y). Gi mme
Alexander Skarsgard as an undead
Viking vigorously schtupping the serv-
ing wenches. And did I mention the dar-
ing dresses?
On HBO this spring and summer,
Imma gettin it, but good. Game of
Thrones this month and True Blood
this summer will have taken over my
DVR and my fantasy life. To leave me
swooning, for sure.
Boromirs Back!
When I saw Sean Bean in preview for
the first season of Game of Thrones
last year, I was hooked. He is, after all,
the guy who played Boromir in Peter
Jacksons Tolkien trilogythe absolute
best book-to-movie adaptation EVER.
Thrones, Beans newest hottie-on-
horseback vehicle, is based on George
R. Martins six-soon-to-be-seven-book
saga, A Song of Ice and Fire. Like clas-
sic Tolkien, those books have everything
a fantasy geek could wantplus more
sex. The books are written well, with a
pacing belying their thousands of pages.
On the tube, as in the books, characters
hover on the brink of caricature the
bastard son, the spunky tomboy, the
gruff dwarf with a heart of goldbut
dont fall off the precipice into predict-
ability. Think of the story as libidinous
archetypes on parade, that never march
into mawkishness.
Queen of Pain
And acting? Boy howdy! Bean as
Eddard Stark and Lena Headey as Cersei
Lannister stand out in particular. Youve
never met an evil queen with more juice
than the Lannister broad. Queen Cersei
is in an incestuous relationship with her
brother and is creepily touchy-feely with
her prepubescent son. Its fierce fun to
watch her devour the screen. The same
screen also sports magical wolf protec-
tors and zombies made of ice that will
eat you. But none of it is corny, as these
castle-knight sagas can be.
The second season is in full throttle
and may I say, Bravo, Bitches! HBO is
enthroned as king of adult-themed tele-
vision for a reason. I know I blaspheme
heartily, my fellow Soprano-philes, but
I havent seen anything this good on the
small screen since Tony and company
got their crime on in primetime. Unless,
of course, its the campy fun of the multi-
ple-season hit, True Blood.
Oh, Sookie
To borrow from The Cure, circa 1988,
True Blood is hot, hot, hot. Never
mind that the two primary characters
hooked up in real life. (Anna Paquin
and Stephen Moyer, playing waitress
Sookie Stackhouse and Bill the Vampire
for four seasons now). Never mind that
the peripheral characters were cast so
masterfully that writers quickly gave
them more to do and juicier plots than
some of the main actors. For example,
main character, Sam (Sam Trammel)
HBOs Got it:
Vicious Queens and Viking Vampires
True Blood:Titillating triangle, Eric, Sookie and Bill
Sean Bean: Mr. Bean and his big, delicious sword.
started strong as Sookies fourth in the
Eric-Bill-Sookie triangle. However, his
storyline swerved into stupid pretty
quickly. It was great when Sam stomped
the local meth lord and werepanther, Cal
Norris, into the ground. (Cal was played
by Gregory Sporleder with menace and
aplomb.) Not so much when he toyed
with Sookies best friend, Tara (ex-balle-
rina Rutina Wesley and her ultra-toned,
Mrs. Obama arms) or angst-ed over his
shifter status (he can turn into any ani-
mal at will).
Lets just say I am hoping the fifth sea-
son will give Sam a subplot with, er, um,
teeth. Or at least find him progressively
less passive: The guy seems to react
to the stronger characters around him
rather than act on his own. Goofy, gor-
geous Jason (Ryan Kwanten) needs more
screen time, too. Sookies ner-do-well
brother spent prior seasons saving neigh-
bors from the evil Maenad Maryann and
almost becoming a werepanther. He
ended last season in a luscious love tri-
angle with his best friends girl, hot teen
vamp Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll). And
that bod is..MMMmrrrooow!!
Thrones or Truebie?
No matter how sexy the thing gets,
how kinky or how dark, True Blood is
saved by its own soapy goodness. If you
take out the supernatural element, the
people cavorting across the screen could
be denizens of Peyton Place or Pine
Valley of ABCs All My Children fame.
The source books, by Charlaine Harris,
are well done but fluffier than their
darker, on-screen cousin. And Game of
Thrones is darker still. It is camp-free
and comes chock full of Shakespearean
themes and well-choreographed gore.
True Blood is dirtier (as in, heck yes,
my schtuppin Swede Skarsgard) but
Game of Thrones episodes are filthy,
too, especially with all of the sexual ten-
sion coming under wraps in velvet and
armor. Medieval mashing in the torch-
light.
Needless to say, come June 10, Ill be
drooling over Vampire Eric in the True
Blood premiere. Im already thundering
through Thrones at a gallop (you can
get caught up on both shows on HBOGO
if you are a subscriber). No need to
choose vampire over vicious queen,
thank badness. Theres enough room on
my DVR for both.
PATTY WITTNEBERT TOMSKY is a free-
lance writer.
9
April 20 - May 3, 2012
local art
Cer:ei |erri:|er. |ei etKe|l': je| re|lir' er ler. Ile jerjeet:l |wi:|ei teer Cer:ei |erri:|er
10
April 20 - May 3, 2012
voices
Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts: A Book Review
Marc D. Goldfinger
Spare Change News
My daughter gave me a softcover edi-
tion of this book. I held it in my hands
and looked at the massive size of it. I
flipped to the back and thought, Good
God, 936 pages. Im never going to get
through this. I almost put it aside and
then I turned it over and read the blurb
about the author.
Gregory David Roberts, born in
Melbourne, Australia. It appears that he
was sentenced to 19 years in prison for
armed robbery. Why? Because he was
a heroin addict. After serving 10 years,
Roberts escaped from prison and went
to Bombay, now known as Mumbai, in
India, where he lived for 10 of his many
years as a fugitive.
Okay, I was interested. So I started
reading. I was hooked almost imme-
diately. As I continued, I realized I was
experiencing one of those rare times for
an avid book reader. This was a book I
did not want to end. I was ecstatic that
the book was so long, and it kept getting
better and better.
Unbelievable! While I was reading
Shantaram, I actually kept bursting
out in laughter. How many books can
do that? I dont mean that I was chuck-
ling quietly to myself -- I was exploding
with laughter. Come, let me give you a
small taste. After a long trip across part
of India with Gregory Davids friend
Prabaker, who called Gregory Linbaba
for most of the time, they had arrived at
Prabakers small village.
(Excerpt begins.)
Prabaker said, You must have a
bath, Lin. After such a long travel you
must be smelling unhappy. Come this
way. My sisters have already heated the
Christopher Mesfin
Spare Change News
If I had it my
way, my life would
be ver y eas y. I
woul d not have
any pain, I would
never suffer, and
I would be happy
all the time. My
heart would not
get broken, and I
would never have to work. Everything I
wanted would be handed to me on a sil-
ver platter. However, this is not the real
world. Life is difficult; there is suffering
and we are not going to be treated fairly
all the time. When we understand this,
we can handle life more effectively.
We have to stop complaining and
moaning about the problems we face in
life and look for the solutions. Our lives
are going to be filled with problems and
difficulties. Are we going to be the type
of people that always complain about
the situations we face in life and never
accomplish anything, or are we going to
solve these issues and become success-
ful in life? We must accept the fact that
our lives are not easy and things will get
very difficult at times. Lifes challenges
should be looked at as an opportunity
to see what we are made of.
When we solve our problems, it
makes us stronger and wiser. Things
worth acquiring will not come imme-
diately, effortlessly, or painlessly. The
things in life that are hard will teach
us valuable lessons. If we do not learn
how to deal with adversity, it will be
hard for us to become successful in life.
Our world is not perfect, and the people
that live in it are not perfect. We will
not live our lives free from difficulty or
letdown. This predicament is faced by
everyone. A lot of people make their
lives even more difficult because of how
they choose to live and the decisions
that they make.
The year 2011 was by far the most
difficult year that I have ever faced.
In March, my father died, and in
December, my mother died. My girl-
friend of three years broke up with me. I
never experienced such pain in my life.
It was and still is very difficult for me to
deal with.
I was severely traumatized. I loved
my mother, my father, and my girl-
friend, who was my first real love. I
would never wish the hurt and pain
that I felt on my worst enemy. I started
falling apart, but I quickly realized that
I needed to stay strong and keep God in
my life. I know I just used the G word,
but thats where my strength comes
from, my faith. Just call me the Tim
Tebow of Spare Change News. I have to
stay strong during the trials that come
my way and make the proper decisions.
Life is hard and not always fair, but it is
also great, delightful, and good.
CHRISTOPHER MESFIN works in the
Spare Change News distribution office.
The Tim Tebow of Spare Change News
Jeremy Parks
Spare Change News
People with tattoos are not always in
gangs. Its a form of art. People use this
to express their feelings and how they
live their lives. I have four tattoos, and
three are religious tattoos. The tattoo
on my back is for all the brothers I lost
when I served in the army rangers.
People use tattoos to remember
loved ones, to express what music they
listen to, or for nicknames that people
call them. Some people have tattoos of
their company logos. Gangs use tattoos
to show who the leader is.
People who listen to Insane Clown
Posse (ICP) are classified as gang mem-
bers. This is false. ICP followers are just
people who like ICPs music, and they
are called family. I listen to ICP and Im
not a gang member. We just gather and
listen to music. We are labeled as gang
members because since ICP sings about
killing people, the wrong people get the
wrong idea. We are misunderstood. All
we want is to be seen as a family. We all
have tattoos, but we dont do crime. We
just hang out and listen to music.
Tattoos can be wonderful ways to
express who you are and what you
believe in. You can use tattoos to express
how you feel or what your familys
heritage is. You can use tattoos to make
family trees.
I got my Jesus tattoo before I went
into the military because I wanted Him
to watch over me and my fellow broth-
ers in the Army Rangers. I was deployed
in 2001 and I didnt come home until
2009, we fought in Iraq in the War on
Terror. My fellow brothers had Jesus tat-
toos too, and we all thought we would
be safe.
When you get a tattoo, it is perma-
nent. You need to be sure that when
you get a tattoo, it is the one you want
because it stays with you for the rest of
your life. People have tattooed loved
ones on their bodies like their moms,
dads, sisters, brothers, wives, and chil-
dren.
I do a lot of thinking when I get a tat-
too. You can get landscapes of the ocean
or of the dinosaur period if you want.
You can get states and other things if
you want, your favorite food, or mov-
ies - if you want it, a tattoo artist will
draw it for you. Be carful what you get
because certin gangs get certain tattoos.
So do your research before you get one.
It will help you from getting locked up
by accident because cops just look at the
tattoo, not the history behind it. Your
tattoo should be what you want. Dont
let anyone tell you that you cant get it
because they dont like it. Tough. Its
your body. Remember that. Its your tat-
too-- make it your way.
When you go to a tattoo shop, you
need to make sure you find out how
long they have tattooed and how long
they have been in business. Make sure
the needles are not used and are in
packages. Tattoos are a wonderful work
of art, and they tell stories of your life if
you let them.
JEREMY PARKS is formerly homeless and
a member of the Guardian Angels.
Tattoos Are Art, Not Gang Symbols
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water on the fire. The pots are ready
for your bath. Come.
We passed through a low arch,
and he led me to an area beside the
house that was enclosed on three
sides by hanging tatami mats. Flat
river stones formed a shower base, and three
large clay pots of warm water were arranged near
them. A channel had been dug and smoothed
out, allowing water to run off behind the house.
Prabaker told me that a small brass jug was to be
used to tip water over my body, and gave me the
soap dish.
Id been unlacing my boots while he spoke,
and I cast them aside, threw off my shirt, and
pulled off my jeans.
Lin! Prabaker screamed in panic, leaping,
in a single bound, across the two metres that
separated us. He tried to cover my body with his
hands, but then looked around in anguish to see
that the towel was on my backpack, a further two
metres away. He jumped for the towel, snatched
it up, and jumped back, giving a little shout of
panic Yaah!each time. He wrapped the towel
around me, and looked around in terror.
Have you gone crazy, Lin? What are you
doing?
Im trying to . . . take a shower . . .
But like that? Like that?
Whats the matter with you, Prabu? You told
me to take a shower. You brought me here to
take a shower. So, Im trying to take a shower,
but youre jumping around like a rabbit. Whats
your problem?
You were naked, Lin! Naked, without any
clothes also!
Thats how I take a shower, I said, exasper-
ated by his mysterious terror. He was darting
about, peering through the tatami matting at var-
ious places. Thats how everyone takes a show-
er, isnt it?
No! No! No, Lin! he corrected, returning to
face me. A desperate expression contorted his
normally happy features.
You dont take your clothes off?
No, Lin! This is India. Nobody can take his
clothes off, not even to wash his bodies. This is
India. Nobody is ever naked in India. And espe-
cially, nobody is naked without clothes.
So . . . how do you take a shower?
We wear it the underpants, for having a bath
in India.
Well, thats fine, I said, dropping the towel
to reveal my black jockey shorts. Im wearing
underpants.
Yaah! Prabaker screamed, diving for the
towel and covering me again.
Those teeny pieces, Lin? Those are not the
underpants. Those are the under-underpants
only. You must have it the over-underpants.
The . . . over-underpants?
Yea. Certainly. Like these, my ones, that I am
wearing.
He unbuttoned his own trousers enough
to show me that he wore a pair of green shorts
under his clothes.
In India, the men are wearing this over-under-
pants, under their clothes at all times, and in all
the situations. Even if they are wearing under-
underpants, still they are wearing over-under-
pants, over their unders. You see? ( Excerpt of
Shantaram.)
The clash of cultures is so well described and
so humorous that I couldnt stop laughing. Even
when lives are at stake, and that takes place in
this marvelous story, there are moments when
you will not be able to restrain your laughter. Or
your tears. Yes, there were times when I cried, lit-
erally had tears spilling down my cheeks.
This is the story of a man traveling through life,
fighting his demons of addiction, falling in love,
and meeting people in unusual circumstances.
Linbaba, or as he is known in Australia, Gregory
David Roberts, is on a journey of growth, an epic
tale that is unbelievable. But true.
Like I said before, this numbers among one of
the 10 best books Ive read in my lifeand Ive
read many. I read books like people eat Happy
Meals. Sad to say, Ive finished the book but I
will go back to it.
My wife is reading it now and she is laughing
out loud, too. Im watching her read and loving
her enjoyment.
You could say Im a bookworm. Ive never
read a more realistic description of drug addic-
tion. Gregory David Roberts has a special way of
reaching the heart. His heroin addiction is minor
part of the entire book, but he describes it bet-
ter than William Burroughs. Upon reading this
book, I had to have a hardcover signed edition,
book collector that I am, so I bought it from an
Amazon vendor. However, Ive seen this book at
the Harvard Book Store in paperback.
This massive book brings Bombay to life. So
wonderful, I just cant praise it enough. Roberts,
a career criminal because of his addiction, escapes
an Australian prison and travels to Bombay, and
the odyssey begins. A guide named Prabaker is
one of the warmest human beings Ive ever met
in the pages of a book. If youve read a book and
never wanted it to end, then you know how I felt
about Shantaram. Wonderful, heartbreaking,
exciting, uplifting! I cant say enough about it. So
Ill stop right now!
Shantaram by Gregory David RobertsSt.
Martins Press, N.Y., N.Y.

MARC D. GOLDFINGER is a formerly home-
less vendor who is now housed. He can be reached
at junkietroll@yahoo.com and via his web page
MarcDGoldfinger. Marc also has books on www.
smashwords.net www.smashwords.net that can be
downloaded for $2.99.
11
April 20 - May 3, 2012
voices
Voices From The Streets
Voices from the Streets a forum for those whose voices are too often ignored. From narratives to opinion to advice, these writers portray a unique per-
spective on life that might otherwise go unnoticed. Below, find that turning an ear towards those normally silenced opens the door to understanding and
relating to those who have faced life on the street.
James Shearer
Spare Change News
The other day while I was in Brookline I ran
into two people with clipboards trying to get
signatures against the MBTAs fare hikes and
service cuts.
Its already too late, I said to them. No,
it isnt, they protested. Yes, I said sadly, it
is.
And yes, boys and girls, it is too late, despite
loud angry protests from me, you, politicians, occupiers, and
even some costumed hijackers, the arrogant barons of the
MBTA voted to raise fares and implement service cuts on July
1, just in time for Independence Day.
The hikes and cuts are less severe than what was initially
proposed (lucky us). Bus fares will go to $1.50 with the Charlie
Card, subway $2. The cuts to service were kept to a minimum
and we owe all of this to the fact that some extra cash was
found (again, lucky us).
However, T passes for both seniors and students went up
to $28 and $25 respectively. Commuter rail passes took a large
jump from as much as $11 to $64. The Ride climbed from $2 to
$4 and up to $5 in some areas.
The point is, what use is it if people protest and it doesnt
make a difference? Already we are hearing from Mass DOT
chief Rich Davey that unless the State House can come up
with a solution to close the Ts massive budget gap there will
be another hike next year and of course we will here and see
statewide protests, but the will the results be the same?
So the question becomes what happens next. What should
happen is twofold; first, we should put pressure on the politi-
cos in the State House to come up with a way to close the Ts
budget deficit so we dont have to keep paying for it.
The second thing is we need to demand that if we are going
to pay these high prices, then how about some quality service?
There are still massive delays on the subway, the customer
service is still shoddy, escalators and elevators are still in sad
shape, and there is a lack of public bathrooms, and the ones
that do exist are either locked or very unclean, and of course
you still have the most miserable bus drivers Ive ever seen.
Oh, and reviving the Night Owl service wouldnt hurt,
either.
But all of these demands may be for naught, especially if no
one is listening, and even if they are I say again, does it even
matter?
The T is not the only example of our voices following on
deaf ears. Weve also seen it nationwide. Union busting, cuts
to service programs, and maybe even the new health care law.
Has what the people want gone the way of the dinosaur and
the eight-track tape? It sure seems that way.
So those poor folks I passed by on the corner with the clip-
boards seemed to be getting signatures for naught.
JAMES SHEARER is a co-founder and board president of Spare
Change News.
The People Have
Spoken ... For Naught
12
Spare Change News April 20 - May 3, 2012 voices
Jacques Fleury
Spare Change News
I met the folk musical
group Sweet Wednesday
back in 2007. I invited
them to perform live on
my then television show,
Dream Weavers with
Jacques, at Cambridge
Community Television (CCTV). They are
a rare breed of individuals reminiscent of
the best of the 1960s and 70s peace and
love era and their music is a true reflection
of that. They bought my poetic memoir,
Sparks in the Dark, and were inspired
to turn three of my poems into songs.
These songs are now available on iTunes
under the title A Lighter Shade of Blue,
by Sweet Wednesday and Jacques Fleury.
The profits from the CD will benefit Haiti
charity, St. Boniface. Sweet Wednesday is
releasing their brand-new CD, Escaping
the Pale Moon, on May 2, 2012 at Club
Passim, 47 Palmer St. in Cambridge, MA
at 8pm, admission: $15 dollars. I was able
to catch up with them for a fabulous inter-
view:
Spare Change News: How did Sweet
Wednesday come to be?
Sweet Wednesday: We met 12 years
ago at the Natick Center for the Arts. The
first time we played together there was
definitely chemistry there, like electrons
being pulled together in orbit around the
waters of the muses.
SCN: Tell me a bit about your musical
background.
SW: I first decided to learn violin after
hearing Buskin and Batteaus The Boy
and the Violin. My dad took me to the
concert and they were the first group I
saw. I was enthralled. My parents had an
old classical guitar with two strings and I
used to lie on my back in the den and play
along with old records and the radio. I
eventually got my first guitar for my bar
mitzvah from my grandfather. It was an
Alvarez that I later wrote a lot of songs on
and it even ended up in the Pacific Ocean
after a wild night of playing and drink-
ing whiskey. I played in some bands in
high school and college and after that.
Fronted briefly the band that later became
The Ethnics and That Band in Harvard
Square. Jon Natchez, my childhood
friend, who played on my first record,
is in a really awesome indie band called
Yellow Ostrich.
SCN: Are you living your American
Dream?
SW: I do my best to try to live my
dream. It is hard to be an artist; I feel it can
have a stigma, like being a bank robber or
something. It is so hard to be true to your-
self and your vision. Theres a pendu-
lum that you go through where you can
be like, what the ... am I doing? I should
have stayed in school. But then theres the
exciting explorer aspect of it, like travel-
ing unknown seas to the new continent.
I do feel like, where I came from, people
dont totally understand what Im doing
and some people might think me a bit
crazy. But Id rather one day be under
the ground knowing that I pursued my
vision than worry about what I perceive
other people to think.
SCN: When did you know that you
wanted to become a musician?
SW: Its pretty funny that I became
a musician because I suffer from awful
stage fright. I remember first playing open
mics and wanting to play shows and I
was sitting in 1369 in Central Square with
my mentor, Janet Connerney, and she told
me to write down on a piece of paper all
the venues I wanted to play and post it on
the wall and picture myself playing there,
and it happened. My only regret is that I
didnt put U2s 360 Tour on the list. Once
you start playing the shows, this whole
thing is hugely addictive, but in a good
way. There is no rush quite like it.
SCN: How would you define the musi-
cal genre of Sweet Wednesday? And how
do you think it fares in popular musical
culture today?
SW: Our influences include Gram
Parsons, Natalie Merchant, Neil Young,
Pink Floyd. We are an indie band which
is a cool place to be right now. With the
Internet boom came empowerment
to artists. You can sell CDs and book
shows online. Indie bands are now win-
ning Grammys and getting thousands of
fans bypassing traditional conglomerate
media. This is good because a lot of radio
stations are still playing the same songs
they were playing 30 years ago.
SCN: What inspires your songs?
SW: Scotty Melton, a Nashville musi-
cian I recently met, compared me to Fox
Mulder on The X Files, having the look
of pondering the deep questions of the
universe. I found that flattering and I feel
that some people are drawn to music to
deal with the big questions. Why are we
here? What is the point of the cycles of life
and death? Why is there war? And also,
theres this constant trying to make sense
of the past. Inspiration comes anywhere.
You could be driving in a car at 2AM
outside of Dublin after you just missed
running over a giant hare. You could be
locked in the bathroom before your wed-
ding day. You could be in Acadia National
Park after a night of too many beers or
writing on a napkin in a restaurant in
Belgium.
SCN: Can you talk about your recent
tour?
SW: Had a great southern tour this past
fall. We fell in love with the south. You can
find inspiration on the streets. I saw one
of my favorite bands, Mountain Sprout,
for the first time, basking on a park bench
in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Weve had
wild experiences on tour. Weve been
chased by vigilante bikers who tried to
run us off the road at the Mexican bor-
der. We once played at a place that I think
was a cult. A gig we got on Craigslist once
turned out to be a sex club. Wild things
happen in this business.
SCN: Do current events affect your
music?
SW: You have to be careful with cur-
rent events because it can make your
music sound dated. Compare Bob
Dylans writing to Phil Ochs. Both bril-
liant, but Dylans imagery and vague-
ness and mystery stands the test of time
and has new meaning in the present. It
is almost as if songs have to have holes
in them. What is not said allows the lis-
tener to fill in their own meanings. I was
influenced by the Iraq war when I first
started writing the song Ophelia. In the
song, about an army deserter during the
revolutionary war who falls in love with
the daughter of a Madame who is a loy-
alist, I was trying to work something out.
I was against the Iraq war, I was against
Vietnam. Would I have been against the
Revolutionary War? Is all war stupid and
pointless? Would I have fought in World
War II? I was trying to work these things
out of how far I go as a pacifist.
SCN: Can you talk you pending CD
release party?
SW: We are so excited for our CD release
show for our new album, Escaping from
the Pale Moonlight. The show will be on
May 2nd (8 pm) at Club Passim. Were
having our friends Red Velvet Slide,
Reverend Busker, Susan Levine and more
as special guests. Tickets are available
at passim.org. Thank you Jacques! Our
website is www.sweetwednesday.com
where you can listen to our songs and get
the latest on shows and new releases and
our email is HYPERLINK mailto:info@
sweetwednesday.com info@sweet-
wednesday.com. Drop us a line wed love
to hear from you!
JACQUES FLEURYS book: Sparks in
the Dark: A Lighter Shade of Blue, A Poetic
Memoir about life in Haiti & America was
featured in the Boston Globe & available at
lulu.com. His CD A Lighter Shade of Blue
is available on iTunes. Contact Jacques at:
haitianfirefly@gmail.com and visit him at:
www.facebook.com/thehaitianfirefly www.
facebook.com/thehaitianfirefly.
Local Music Scene: Sweet Sounds from Sweet Wednesday
P
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:

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Z

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N
D
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13
April 20 - May 3, 2012
poetry
Every Thursday
Squawk Coffeehouse, 9 pm
1555 Mass Ave., Cambridge
Open mike for poets and musicians.
Every Saturday
Out of the Blue Gallery, 8 pm
106 Prospect St., Cambridge
$3-5 suggested donation.
671- 354-5287
Every Sunday
Lizard Lounge Poetry Slam, 7 pm
1667 Mass. Ave., Cambridge
$5. 671- 547-0759
Every Monday
Out of the Blue Gallery, 8 pm
106 Prospect St., Cambridge
$4 suggested donation.
617-354-5287
Every Wednesday
Boston Poetry Slam, 8 pm
Cantab Lounge, 738 Mass. Ave.,
Cambridge
$3. 21+. 617-354-2685
Second Thursday of Every Month
Tapestry of Voices, 6:30 pm
Borders, 10 School St., Boston
Free. 617-557-7188
Second Tuesday of Every Month
Newton Free Library, 7 pm
330 Homer St. 617-796-1360
Third Saturday of Every Month
Boston Haiku Society meeting,
2-6 pm
Kaji Aso Studio,
40 St. Stephen St., Boston
$3. 617-247-1719
Poems may be submitted to: Marc D. Goldfinger,
76 Unity Ave. Belmont MA, 02478
or email: sparechangepoetry@gmail.com. SCN cannot return poetry
submissions, and authors will be contacted only if their poems are published.
Poetry event listings may be submitted to sceditor@homelessempowerment.org
Clri:' te|e Cerrer
The searching-out and
thorough investigation of
truth ought to be the pri-
mary study of man/woman.
- Cicero
by Christopher Mesfin
Spare Change News
Vertigo
By Jennifer Martelli
First the snow covered the field and it made me seasick to look.
Now theres all fog and steam from the rain
no sharp contours just shadows
of the seagulls. I have always lived by water
and so things become mute
and smooth, even things I see, even the mundane and
the terrible. I read a horror story once
about an early thaw in winter that caused
a boy to kill and then forget
so well that he himself feared the killer.
You called from your coast, south,
where you live now, where it never snows.
I told you about the weather here.
I felt as if I were staring straight down the Atlantic Coast.
Any Given Day, Could Have Been In The Fall
By Jennifer Martelli
Who looked at me that day?
Who looked at me and wanted what they saw?
Who looked at my hands?
My right dug out loose change for a homeless man,
my left balanced an espresso-to-go for my husband
who looked for me sideways, his eye an arrow-head
aimed at my heart. That time of year, a shofar
sounds and Gods good gaze looks down.
A crow circled and zeroed in on trash.
Who wants anything that loves us for long?
Before I knew it, all their gazing had grown old.
Before I knew it, I needed something more to look me up and down.
Pushing through that street music toward my husband, I could be
on MTV, I could be a model on the catwalk, I could be marked
by a serial killer in the Pit for his next meal.
I must not have been paying attention.
Can you see how I was such easy prey?
Jennifer Martelli is a graduate of Boston Universtiy
and the Warren Wilson M.F.A. Program for Writers.
Her work has appeared in the Denver Quarterly,
Calliope, Folio, The Bellingham Review, The
Mississippi Review, Kallioope, and the anthol-
ogy Outsiders, Poems about Exiles, & Rebels and
Renegades. A recipient of the Massachusetts
Cultural Council Grant for Poetry, she was raised
in Revere, Massachusetts and lives in Marblehead
with her husband and two children. These poems
are from her book Apostrophe put out by Big Table
Publishing Company Chapbook Series and can be
purchased on line.
Long Time
By Jennifer Martelli
The night you apologized
for your infidelities
I wondered how mine
weighed on you.
How are you doing with it?
You say you think of it all the time
every day. I assure you now
that nothing I did was done from spite
or mean-spiritedness.
I couldnt have married
anyone else but you: you were
unsafe, unfaithful and young.
I want to remind you now
of circling the stones
at Stonehenge, before the kids came,
that time when we could cross
a country in just days.
Youve known all along
what Im made up of.
Were too old
for forgiveness.
Apostrophe
By Jennifer Martelli
Excuse me,
Im trying to save my life.
I need to dodge the devils stare
hes been trying to catch my eye again.
And so, yes, Im going to pray.
There is a star
I wish on every morning, Venus or
Lucifer the light giver. If Ive wished once
on a star for you to come back, Ive wished
a hundred times. If Ive prayed once
in 20 sober years, Ive prayed a thousand times.
And so, lets have a staring contest,
you and I, because we cant be honest.
Ill wrap this blanket around me and wish or pray.
I prayed to be rid of you.
I pray to be rid of you still.
There is no relief in any of this.
14
Spare Change News April 20 - May 3, 2012
Food
DAILY MEALS:
Bread & Jams Self Advocacy Center 50 Quincy St.
Cambridge 617-441-3831
Located in the basement of the Swedenborg Church at the
corner of Kirkland and Quincy. Serves adults only, no chil-
dren.
Breakfast 9:30 to 10 a.m; lunch at 12:00 noon. Other services
include case management, housing assistance, clinical
assessment, and referrals for substance abuse and medical
treatment.
Boston Rescue Mission 39 Kingston St., Boston
Community meals: 3:00 p.m. weekdays, and 5:00 p.m.
Sundays.
Pine Street Inn 444 Harrison Ave., Boston, 617-482-4944
Breakfast: 6:00 a.m.; brown bag lunches during the day;
Dinner: 5:00 p.m.; Chicken truck: 11:30 a.m.
Rosies Place 889 Harrison Ave., Boston, 617-442-9322
Women & children only, no boys over age 11
Lunch: 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.; Dinner: 4:30 to 7:00 p.m.
St. Francis House 39 Boylston St., Boston, 617-542-4211
Breakfast: 7:30 to 9:00 a.m.; Lunch: 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Emergency sandwiches: Weekdays 2:45 to 3:00 p.m.
Salvation Army 402 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, 617-547-3400
Lunch: 12:00 noon
Womens Lunch Place 67 Newbury St., Boston., 617-267-
0200
Women & children only, no boys over 14
Open Mon. through Sat., 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Buffet breakfast 7:00 to 11:00am, restaurant-style lunch
12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m.
WEEKLY MEALS
Monday:
Boston Rescue Mission 39 Kingston St., Boston
Food pantry: 9:00 to11:00 a.m. (except holidays). Bring
proof of address.
Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church 62 Harvard Ave.,
Allston, 617-787-7625
6:00 to 7:00 p.m. dinner and take-out from Open Door Soup
Kitchen/St. Bridgets Food Pantry
Mass. Ave. Baptist Church 146 Hampshire St., Cambridge,
617-868-4853.
Dinner 6 :00 to 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday:
Church of the Advent 30 Brimmer St., Boston, 617-523-
2377
Dinner 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
First Parish Unitarian Church 3 Church St., Cambridge,
617-876-7772
Dinner 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. (doors open at 5:30)
Faith Lutheran Church 311 Broadway, Cambridge, 617-
354-0414
Faith Kitchen, second & last Tuesday of every month, 6:30
p.m.
Wednesday:
Hope Fellowship Church 16 Beech Street, Cambridge, MA
Streetlight Outreach Team - Wednesday nights at Harvard
Square in the pit 8:15 p.m. to 9:45 p.m.
Salvation Army 402 Mass. Ave., Cambridge 617-547-3400
Dinner 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Thursday:
Christ Church Zero Garden St. Cambridge 617-876-0200
Dinner 6 :00 p.m.
The Womens Meal (Women and children welcome)
5:00 to 7 p.m.
Union Baptist Church
874 Main St., Cambridge, 617-864-6885
5:00 p.m.
Friday:
Arlington St. Church
351 Boylston St., Boston, 617-536-7050
5:00 p.m.
Food Not Bombs
Boston Common (near Park Street T station), 617-522-8277
3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Mass. Ave. Baptist Church
146 Hampshire St., Cambridge, 617-868-4853
6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Saturday:
Hope Fellowship Church 16 Beech Street, Cambridge, MA
Hope Caf 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. last Saturday of the
month
Loaves and Fishes, First Korean Church, 35 Magazine
Street, Cambridge
5:30 p.m. buffet dinner, music, food pantry
Pilgrim Trinitarian Congregational Church 540 Columbia
Rd, Dorchester
12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. community lunch, cafe style, and
we serve the guests, no standing in line.
Sunday:
Boston Rescue Mission 39 Kingston St., Boston
5:00 p.m. Sundays.
Food Not Bombs
955 Mass Ave (617) 787-3436
Central Square in Cambridge on Sundays from 3-5pm.
FOOD ASSISTANCE
Greater Boston Food Bank, 617-427-5200
Serves non-profit organizations such as agencies, shelters,
etc. Office hours: 8 a.m. -- 4:30 p.m.
Project Bread 617-723-5000; Hotline 1-800-645-8333
Referrals to food pantries throughout the city
Somerville Food Pantry 617-776-7687
Food pantry: Mon, Tue, Fri 10 a.m. -- 2 p.m.; Wed 12 p.m.
-- 4 p.m.; Thu 1 p.m. -- 4 p.m.
Somerville residents only. Those unable to use other pan-
tries due to disability may call and ask for the Project Soup
Delivery Coordinator.
Brookline Food Pantry
15 St. Paul St., Brookline, 617-566-4953
Tues. & Thurs. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.,Wed. 3pm-6pm
Sat. 1-4 p.m. -- 4 p.m.
Brookline residents only. Second-time visitors must present
a letter from an advocate confirming that they are in need
of food services.
CEOC (Cambridge Economic Opportunity Commission)
11 Inman St. (basement), Cambridge, 617-868-2900
Food pantry: Mon, Wed 4 p.m. -- 6 p.m.; Tue 12 p.m. -- 2
p.m.; Thu 11 a.m. -- 1 p.m.; Closed Fri.
East End House
105 Spring St., Cambridge, 617-876-4444
Food pantry: Tue 9 a.m. -- 2 p.m.; Fri 9 a.m. -- 12 p.m.
Offers assistance in filling out food stamp applications (call
for appointment).
Margaret Fuller House
71 Cherry St., Cambridge, 617-547-4680
Food pantry: Wed. 5 :00 to 7 p.m.; Thurs. 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.;
Fri & Sat 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
Salvation Army
402 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-547-3400
Cambridge and Somerville residents only.
Food pantry: 9 a.m. -- 3 p.m. & by appointment
St. Francis House
39 Boylston St., Boston, 617-542-4211
Food pantry: Mon. Fri. 10 a.m. -- 11 a.m.
Sign up at the Counseling Desk in the St. Francis House
Day Center
St. James Episcopal Church
Helping Hand Food Pantry, Fresh Pond Apartments, 362
Ringe Ave, Cambridge
Tues., 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., Wed. (for Fresh Pond Residents
only, 4 to 6:00pm), Thurs. 11 a.m. - 12 :00 noon; Sat. 10:00
a.m. to 12:00 noon
St. Pauls AME Church 85 Bishop Allen Drive, Cambridge,
617-661-1110
Food pantry: Wed. 12p.m.--2 p.m.; Sat. 10a.m.--12 p.m.
Western Ave Baptist Church 299 Western Ave., Cambridge,
617-661-0433
Food pantry: Every second Wed., 10 a.m.
Zinberg Clinic Pantry Cambridge Hospital 617-665-1606
For clinic patients with HIV/AIDS only.
Food pantry: Mon. -- Fri. 9 a.m. -- 5 p.m.
Fair Foods $2 a bag
CAMBRIDGE, St. Pauls Church 29 Mt. Auburn St
Harvard Sq. Red Line
Saturdays 10-11
SOMERVILLE, Cobble Hill Apts
84 Washington St. Back parking lot (near Sullivan Sq.)
Every other Wed. 11:30-1
Mt. Pleasant Apts. 70 Perkins St. (off Broadway)
Every other Wed. 1:30 - 2:30
Hearty meals for all
Somerville Community Baptist Church
31 College Ave. Somerville, MA02144
Free community meals the second Friday of every month
at 6:30pm
Homeless Concerns
The Womens Center
46 Pleasant St., Cambridge, 617-354-8807
Computers, kitchen, space, childrens room, and more.
Walk-ins welcome.
Women & children only (no boys over age 12)
Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 10am-3pm.
Cambridge Multi-Service Center
19 Brookline St., Cambridge, 617-349-6340
City-run agency with additional community non-profit
partners. Works with Cambridge families in shelters,
provides shelter referrals and other housing assistance.
Employs housing specialists for elderly and disabled.
Office hours: Mon. 8:30 a.m. -- 8 p.m.; Tue., Wed., Thu. 8:30
a.m. -- 5 p.m.; Fri. 8:30 a.m. -- 12 p.m. Walk-ins accepted.
Cardinal Medeiros Center
25 Isabella St., Boston, 617-619-6960
Day center for homeless adults (50 years & older); mental
health & nursing staff; help with housing searches.
Lunch served at 11:45 a.m.
Office hours: Mon.-Thu. 9a.m.- 4p.m.; Fri. 9a.m.-3 p.m.
Caspar 240 Albany St., Cambridge, 617-661-0600
Open 24 hrs/day; emergency shelter open 4:30 p.m. -- 8
a.m.; Clients who leave in the morning may not return
until 3 p.m.; Clients staying multiple nights must prove
recent local residency.
CLASP (Community Legal Assistance Services Project)
19 Brookline St., Cambridge, 617-552-0623
Free legal clinic for Cambridge homeless at the Multi-
Service Center every Tuesday at 8:30 a.m.
Ecclesia Ministries 67 Newbury Street, Boston.,
617-552-0623
Weekly Schedule for the Common Cathedral:
Sunday: Worship at Brewers Fountain on Boston
Common, 1 pm
Gospel Reflection at St. Pauls Cathedral, 138 Tremont St.,
2:30 p.m. -- 4 p.m.
Monday: Lunch at Sproat Hall (St. Pauls Cathedral) 11:30
a.m. --1 p.m.
-Eucharist & Healing (St. Pauls Cathedral) 1 p.m.
- Common Fellowship in Sproat Hall (St. Pauls Cathedral)
2 p.m. --3 p.m.
Wednesday: Common Art at the Emmanuel Church, 15
Newbury Street, 10 a.m. -- 3 p.m.
Friday: Common Cinema in Sproat Hall (St. Pauls
Cathedral) 2:30 p.m. -- 5 p.m.
Horizons for Homeless Children
617-445-1480; www.horizonsforhomelesschildren.org
Horizons for Homeless Children is seeking volunteers to
interact and play with children living in family, teen par-
ent, and domestic violence shelters in Greater Boston. We
offer daytime and evening shifts, so there is likely to be one
that fits your schedule. A commitment of 2 hours a week
for 6 months is required. The next training session will be
Sat., Sept. 27, 9:30 a.m. -- 4:30 p.m.
Medical Walk-in Unit at Mass General Hospital
617-726-2707
Provides minor medical care for adults. Patients are seen in
order of arrival. MGH accepts most insurances but requires
copayments.
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8:30 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sat., Sun., Holidays 9:30
a.m.-4 p.m.; closed Thanksgiving & Christmas
Boston Rescue Mission 39 Kingston St., Boston
Safe & healthy mens overnight shelter program.
Rosies Place 889 Harrison Ave., Boston, 617-442-9322
Women and children only (no boys over age 11)
Open 7 days a week; provides help with housing, medical
care, job training, financial aid and education, legal servic-
es, rape crisis counselors, health specialists, and more.
St. Francis House 39 Boylston Street, Boston, 617-542-4211
Meals offered 365 days/yr.; food pantry open weekdays.
Offers a mailroom, open art studio, clothing lottery, com-
puter library, support groups such as AA, showers, tele-
phones, toothbrushes & razors, medical clinic, counseling
and mental health services, housing counseling and stabili-
zation services, and a womens center. For more details on
these services and for their specific times visit www.stfran-
cishouse.org
Starlight Ministries 617-262-4567
Outreach van with food, clothing, blankets and worship.
Hours: Wed. 8 p.m. by Park Street T station on the Boston
Common.
Streetlight Outreach Wednesdays at 8:00 PM
Harvard T-Station (The Pit); Porter Square T-Station.
Volunteers work weekly to serve the homeless who live in
Harvard and Porter Squares. Volunteer teams give away
warm food and beverages, clothing and counsel to those in
need. Streetlight volunteers also lead an outdoor worship
service for the entire community.
The Womens Center
46 Pleasant St., Cambridge, 617-354-8807
Computers, kitchen and rooms. Walk-ins welcome.
Women & children only (no boys over age 16).
Hours: Mon-Fri 10 a.m.-- 8 p.m., Sat 10 a.m. -- 3 p.m.
On The Rise 341 Broadway, Cambridge, 617-497-7968
Women only. Home-base during the day and advocacy ser-
vices. Open six days/week. First-time visitors, call ahead
or stop by Mon-Sat, 8-2pm.
The Outdoor Church of Cambridge
The Outdoor Church of Cambridge is an outdoor ministry
to homeless men and women in Cambridge. Prayer ser-
vices and pastoral assistance outdoors in all seasons and all
weather. Short prayer services in Porter Square, under the
mobile sculpture near the T station, at 9:00 a.m. and on the
Cambridge Common, near the tall Civil War monument
and directly across from Christ Church Cambridge on
Garden Street, at 1:00 p.m. every Sunday, throughout the
year. Sandwiches, pastry, juice and clean white socks avail-
able in Harvard Square and Central Square. (978)456-0047,
39 Brown Road, Harvard, Massachusetts 01451 jedman-
nis@charter.net; www.theoutdoorchurch.net.
Victory Programs, Inc.
www.vpi.org. Short and long-term residential substance
use disorder treatment programs for individuals and fami-
lies; affordable housing opportunities for eligible individu-
als; HIV/AIDS case management. Sites throughout Boston
Please call for more information. (617) 541-0222 ext. 626
Legal Aid:
Lawyers Clearinghouse, 617-723-0885
Shelter Legal Services (Newton), 617-965-0449
The Homeless Eyecare Network of Boston (HEN-Boston)
is a nonprofit organization dedicated to maintaining a con-
stantly undated network of affordable and free eyecare ser-
vices for the homeless. If you need an eye exam or glasses,
please visit our website, www.hen-boston.org.
Helping Hands
Cambridge and Boston are teeming with organizations ready to provide food and services to the homeless and the
needy. If youre in need, theyre there for you. If you can volunteer or donate, most of them could use your help.
Name _______________________________________________
Street ________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
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My check or money order for $60 made payable to Spare Change News is enclosed.
Mail to: Spare Change News1151 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138
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Spare Change News April 20 - May 3, 2012
Please be sure sure that you purchase copies of Spare Change News
only from authorized vendors who wear BLUE 2012 badges.
Anyone else may be running a scam.
Vendors are also not allowed to solicit donations for Spare Change News
or any outside organization.
A Church Without a Building That
Meets the Homeless Where They Are
Robert Sondak
Spare Change News
Ecclesia Ministries, http://www.
ecclesia-ministries.org/ecclesia.html, is
an ecumenical urban church without a
building that helps to transform the lives
of Bostons homeless and low-income
people through a series of weekly church
and social service programs. Its mission
is to take the gifts of church out to people
who cannot, for whatever reason, come in
to receive them.
Ecclesia Ministries helps build
relationships with Bostons homeless and
sheltered men and women to overcome
the spiritual challenges they face like iso-
lation, guilt, the lack of hope, self-worth,
and meaning in their daily lives.
Accordi ng t o t he Rev. Kat hy
McAdams, Executive Director of Ecclesia
Ministries, the church runs three founda-
tion programs for Boston s homeless and
low-income people. They are Common
Cathedral, the outdoor worship service
on Boston Common; the street ministries;
and Common Art artist gallery.
Ecclesia Ministries runs an outdoor
worship service on the Boston Common
commonly referred to as Common
Cathedral. Common Cathedral repre-
sents the heart of ministry, a church for all
people of all walks of life. Approximately
100 people gather at the defunct Brewer
Fountain just north of the MBTA Park
Street Station every Sunday at 1:00 pm.
rain or shine, sleet or snow, for a worship
each week.
The congregation is a mix of homeless
people along with business people, cler-
gy, students, caregivers and profession-
als. The congregation is usually joined by
members of church parishes from across
New England, which help to led in sing-
ing and pray, reflect on the Gospel and
breaking bread. This diverse community
helps build strength and hope necessary
to reinforce a positive outlook on life nec-
essary to soften hearts.
McAdams pointed out that the Sunday
worship is lead by a variety of staff and
the community and just celebrated its 18
birthday.
Three ministers help lead the Sunday
service, McAdams said. Seminary
interns help the members to follow the
pray and community people make the
reflections.
McAdams highlighted that member-
ship in the worship service has been up
and down over the past year.
Common Cathedral membership
has dropped over the past year due to
construction on the Boston Common,
McAdams said. Members are starting to
come back since the park construction has
ended.
Ecclesia Ministries facilitates street
ministries every day of the week. The
street ministries offer prayer and compan-
ionship to the homeless and low-income
community. The street ministries direct
people to resources that will meet most
immediate needs such as food, blankets,
and emergency medical referrals. They
work closely with medical, mental health
and housing outreach workers to better
serve these needs in the long-term.
The ministries sit with people and
accompany people to appointments. They
also make referrals to social service agen-
cies. These ministries were established by
the Rev. Dr. Deborah Little in 1994 and are
now entering their second decade.
The street ministries help people
in need or are struggling in their life,
McAdams said. We help accompany
people in pain.
On Wednesdays people gather for
the artist gallery called Common Art at
Emmanuel Church. Common Art rep-
resents an open art studio for homeless
and low-income people living in Boston.
Common Art has been run for the past
16 years. Common Art provides has two
goals, a therapy or way to express what
may be difficult to express in words, and
a way to produce artwork which can be
sold for extra income.
Common Art allows 40 to 50 members
to produce artwork that can be sold with
the assistance of the clergy and organiza-
tion staff. Common Art sets up a gallery
display located in the sunny weather
just outside Emmanuel Church. In cold
or rainy weather the gallery display is
set up in Gridwall Gallery at Emmanuel
Church.

The public is welcomed to an outdoor
and inside display of member artwork as
well as the gallery itself each week, said
Mary Jane Eaton, Director of Common
Art. The artist gallery runs between 10
a.m. to 2 p.m. each week.
Eaton highlighted the format of the
gallery.
The gallery helps to display artist
work for the public to see, Eaton said.
The gallery displays acrylic painting,
stained glass, jewelry and knitting.
Eaton commented that the art studio
has a variety of visitors. Art studio visi-
tors include gallery-art people, tourist,
the Newbury Street community, and pro-
gram supporters. Each visitor is greeted
by staff and the artist.
Ady, a member of Common Art, elabo-
rated that she produces acrylic rather than
oil painting because it is fast drying. She
said oils are very messy, harder to clean
up and take time to dry.
It is good that someone is writing
about Common Art, Ady said. The pro-
gram needs exposure.
Ady elaborated further about Common
Art.
Common Art is a great place for
people to create artistic expression, Ady
said. It is good to see local people sup-
port Common Art.
Little, founder of Ecclesia Ministries,
has helped to start a series of street
ministries nationally. Locally Ecclesia
Ministries has helped create affiliate
ministries in Worcester, The Worcester
Fellowship; Portland Maine, The Grace
Street Ministry; and New Haven, Ct.,
The Chapel on the Green. Every October
groups gather for a weekend conference
called Common C. In 2011 the nation-
ally Common C weekend took place in
Atlanta.
ROBERT SONDAK is a Spare Change
News writer and vendor. Robert has a
Bachelors Degree from the University of
Massachusetts Boston, College of Public and
Community Service, (CPCS). Robert also
minored in Urban Planning and Advocacy.
Currently Robert is the Executive Director
of the Nutrition Education Outreach Project
www.neopneopt.blogspot.com.