CB Statement on SOAP/SODA initiative in the Historic Northeast neighborhoods of KCMO

We request postponement of voting on resolution 090304, nicknamed SOAP/SODA (Stay Out of Areas of Prostitution and Stay Out of Drug Areas), which would allow municipal judges to impose geographical boundaries on any drug or prostitution offender, thereby making it illegal for many to be seen on certain streets or in certain neighborhoods in the Historic Northeast. I moved to the Historic Northeast neighborhood to befriend and serve those struggling with joblessness, homelessness, and inadequate wages.

We live at Cherith Brook Catholic Worker House, a house of hospitality that welcomes these persons. We, along with Veronica's Voice and other organizations who serve persons affected by this resolution, would like the opportunity to sit down and dialogue with other concerned community stakeholders, in hopes of revising the current resolution.

We are deeply concerned about this resolution for these reasons:

• It promotes neighborhood vigilantism, which tears communities apart by pitting neighbor against neighbor, therefore weakening our community.

• It further criminalizes victims, while still leaving our community open to the real criminals, which include pimps, traffickers, drug dealers and certainly the customers whose demand for sex fuels the sex industry and perpetually creates more victims.

• It further isolates victims, keeping them out of their own communities, places they've grown up in, and places where they currently live.

• It will only displace any drug and prostitution issues, forcing them underground (creating more violence) or simply move them to another area--all without addressing root causes.

• It attempts to control the whereabouts of already-victimized American citizens, and as such, its constitutionality may even be questionable.

We urge the City Council to postpone approving these strong measures that drive the true victims from the Historic Northeast, where many have grown up, have families, homes, jobs and church activities. Rather than wasting time and energy on compounding the problems of our fellow citizens, we urge folks to get involved with neighborhood faith and community based agencies such as what is offered at Cherith Brook, Veronica’s Voice, and many area churches. We are stakeholders that want to be involved with other community members who are interested in working together to explore ways that address these issues, instead of simply relocating them.

Photos, photos, and more photos!

Follow these links for photos from this past weekend we spent in Stockton & Mt. Carroll, Illinois and Dubuque, Iowa.

Midwest Catholic Worker Faith & Resistance Retreat

New Hope Catholic Worker Farm

The Action at Blackwater

4/28 @ 5:30pm - vigil for CB death row friend, Mark Mize

It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we invite you to vigil with us at Cherith Brook as we pray for the life of our friend, Mark Mize, who has spent more than 14 years on death row in Jackson, GA. Beginning at 5:30pm we will hold a candle light vigil, offer prayers, and meditate silently through the time of his scheduled execution: April 28 at 6pm (central time zone).

If you are unable to attend, due to time or distance constraints, please hold your own vigil wherever you may be. The photos here are of Mark, his sister and mother. Jodi describes him as a gentle soul. She has visited and corresponded with him over the past several years. She will be with him and his mother in Georgia for a couple of days this weekend.

May Day Event @ Holy Family House

HFH Friends and Family,

Holy Family is Proud to Present the 1st Annual

MAY DAY ART & TALENT EVENING!

Friday, May 1, 2009

7-9 p.m.

@ Holy Family House (912 E. 31st)

PLEASE JOIN US ON THE 76TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CATHOLIC WORKER FOR A NIGHT OF ART, PERFORMANCE, MUSIC AND MORE! EVERYONE IS INVITED TO ATTEND OR PARTICIPATE!

*IF YOU SING, ACT, DRAW, BAKE, DANCE, SEW, PLAY MUSIC, SCULPT, WRITE POEMS, OR ...... PLEASE CONSIDER SHOWING YOUR ART OR PERFORMING!

*submissions due to Holy Family by 7:30 p.m. April 30, call 816-753-2677 with Qs

April 18 - Rock Out & Reach Out event!

Cherith Brook Community is honored to have been invited to participate in the following event as one of about a dozen local organizations working in the areas of justice & sustainability! We hope to see YOU there!

Rock Out & Reach Out

Saturday, April 18, 2009, Crosstown Station

6:30 p.m. – 1:00 a.m., (music begins at 7:30 p.m.)

Rock Out – The Center for Justice and Sustainability at William Jewell College sponsors a concert at Crosstown Station www.crosstownstation.com including a series of popular local bands, such as namelessnumberheadman, Abracadabras, and Pet Comfort. Along with the live music, there will be food and drink to purchase.

Reach Out- There will be an exhibit upstairs featuring a select group of Kansas City nonprofit organizations. The nonprofit partners for this event will share all cover charge proceeds (designated by audience members). They will also gain exposure and volunteers by exhibiting their work throughout the event. Nonprofit partners will also have opportunities to benefit from the concert’s exposure, ranging from advertisements to concert t-shirts.

People attending the concert will:

***Designate their cover charge to a local nonprofit organization of their choice (from among those nonprofits present)
***Visit the exhibition area where they can learn about local organizations
***Sign up for volunteer opportunities with organizations present

Visit the Rock Out & Reach Out website for a list of participating organizations!

Artist Needed & Volunteer Opportunities April 25 & 26!

Cherith Brook Community has been offered a 6' x 6' square in the 2nd Annual Chalk Walk!

So we are looking for an artist willing to create a piece of artwork for us during this event. Please contact us if you are interested, or if know of an artist we should get in touch with about this opportunity. We also need volunteers who are able to attend the event and staff a booth for Cherith Brook, passing out our newsletters and letting folks know about what we are doing in the neighborhood. Let us know if you are available for this opportunity, as well!

When: Saturday, April 25th & Sunday, April 26th, 2009
at the Concourse Park 9:00AM to 5:00PM each day.

Where: 200 South Benton Boulevard, Kansas City, Missouri on The Concourse Park, by the Kennedy Memorial and the historic Kansas City Museum.

This FREE, family-friendly event--in the tradition of European 16th Century street painting–transforms the dull, grey concrete sidewalks of Concourse Park into colorful, pastel pathways. Kids and parents will join local, amateur and practicing artists to create everything from temporary chalk "masterpieces" to some colorful games of Tic-Tac-Toe!

Clarification Mtg April 3rd @ 7pm: Addictions & a Liberating God

Please attend Clarification Meetings at Cherith Brook on the first Friday of each month, from 7 to 8:30pm, at our storefront next door to the house. Enjoy coffee, conversation, fellowship and deep thinking; a chance to get clear on important issues.

For our April 3rd gathering, we have chosen the topic of Addictions. Our guest speaker, Jim Bonafide, will lead a discussion on this issue. He works with Two Rivers Hospital and also operates his own private practice, Good Faith Therapy. We will begin with a meditation on Isaiah 43:14-21, about a liberating God making new ways in the midst of wilderness, which you may want to review prior to that evening.

We encourage you to come prepared with other references, your questions, and personal stories on any of the topics of discussion during our Clarification Meetings. We hope to deepen our understanding of each issue, based on Biblical teachings as well as facts presented by those in attendance at each gathering.