Camden - Falling Again
"I see a city invincible" Walt Whitman's words that are etched on the facade of city hall in Camden. Yet no one in Camden believes this anymore. The national media is having a feeding frenzy on the...
View ArticleThe Insanity of Camden
I'm taking a scene out of the old movie Network - I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!!! The city of Camden topped itself tonight. Just when you think it couldn't be done, the city...
View ArticleTime for Ideas and Action in Camden
I posted this on my Facebook and got no response. Let's see if it does any better here. http://blog.nj.com/perspective/2011/01/into_the_abyss_with_high_crime.html]This article gives a very chilling...
View ArticleSustainable Cities
Is Camden sustainable? Is Kansas City? Is Detroit?These 3 places are facing the exact same question and are answering it in very different ways.Camden is facing a financial crisis because the fiscal...
View ArticleKansas City Elections Round 1
Well the primary results were no surprise to me - my prediction was Mike Burke and Sly James all along for Mayor in the General Election. All those who actually thought Rowland or Herman could win were...
View ArticleKC Elections Round 2 - 3rd District
The March 22 elections are nearly here. The mayoral race has boxed Sly James into a corner unfortunately. He and Mike Burke decided to run a no-mud campaign. That seems to have left Sly with no where...
View ArticleAfter the Election
The confetti has rained and the balloons have been released. The "unity" talk will continue for a while until the first difficult issue breaks. The hope for a productive city will linger. The future...
View ArticleLocusts in a Neighborhood
I am following the progress of a new group in KC called: Emerald City KC: Blight to Bright: 52 Houses in 52 Weeks. You can find them on Face Book where they are gathering steam.Emerald City is the...
View ArticleMom and Racism
I grew up in a highly political, conservative, and yes, racist household. It had a profound affect on me, mainly to drive me in opposite directions. My mom was the gestalt of our home - tenacious in...
View ArticleCamden High School Performance Indicator - Graduates
Thanks to Camden City School Board member, Sean Brown, for posting the most recent report on graduation rates from the City's high schools. Here is the link.The most well-known schools are Camden and...
View ArticleGirl dies from stray bullet - KCMO. We need a market solution
She was 11. She was enjoying fireworks in a fenced backyard with adult supervision. She died from a gunshot wound that came from someone shooting off a gun for fun. The stray bullet found her.Bullets...
View ArticleUrban Food Desert
I've written a new Storify piece and this one is on Urban Food Deserts. This is a new buzz trend around urban areas, but it has a lot of layers if you look at it as more than the absence or presence of...
View ArticleAdding Mobile SNAP to Urban Fresh Food Access
This piece just got picked up over at Sustainable Cities Collective! Here's the link: http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/robynet/27580/adding-mobile-snap-urban-fresh-food-access
View ArticleKansas City's August "surprise"
August is the month everyone takes vacation or at least checks out of real work to enjoy the fleeting days of summer before going back to school and getting back into the routine. In politics the...
View ArticleThe Help - Conflict for an Ally
I've just seen the movie, The Help. I felt compelled to comment on it and raise some issues that are difficult for me to grasp in complete clarity. If you have not seen the movie but plan to, don't...
View ArticleChamber's Big 5 - Urban Neighborhoods - I have the solution
The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce has released their Big 5 Goals for the metro - to which the Chamber will devote member energy and resources. Here is the one of most interest to me...The...
View ArticleShoulder Responsibility for Urban Ills - Yes We Can, Yes We Must
The KCMSD - Kansas City Missouri School District has just lost its accreditation from the state. This was not a surprise, but it is tragic, considering that it lost it 11 years ago as well. A month ago...
View ArticleProspect to MLK - What's in a Name Change?
Councilman Jermain Reed has asked that Prospect Avenue be renamed Martin Luther King Ave. Many cities have either done this on a permanent or an honorary basis for a major thoroughfare that runs...
View ArticleOur Children, Our Schools, Our Voice
How much do you value your right to be represented by a duly elected official? It matters a lot to me. I bristle at appointed representation that is not accountable to me, the voter. I recognize that...
View Article3 steps to address urban crime and education
So many pieces of flotsam and jetsam have floated by my urban window in the last few weeks. As I observe the debris and am affected by it, I struggle to find an effective position for reflection and...
View Article
