Voces de Casa Maria

Intro by Cesar Aguirre

As a recovering addict and reformed Hustla (I’m still a Hustla but only in legit dealings focused on unity and rebuilding community), drug addiction and the incarceration of sick people for “drug crimes” are issues that are very important to me.

As someone who has been through the legal system because of crimes committed stemming from drug and alcohol abuse I can tell you that there is zero support for addicts in the legal system. It really is set up to hold people back and set them up for failure instead of helping people get clean and back on their feet to be productive members of society.

We know that drug addiction affects people of all races,sexes, ages, etc… But it affects each population differently, and we cannot ignore the huge disparities between the incarceration and treatment of minorities and whites.

Wealth or poverty determine whether you get help and rehabilitation, or incarceration and become a slave of the state (http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/08/14/slavery-legal-exception-prisoners-drugs-reform-column/14086227/).

Because people of color make up the majority of those living in poverty we are disproportionately impacted by the failed policies of the “war on drugs” and make up the majority of the prison population even though we are the minority of the total American population.

But now some politicians are seeing the light and are talking differently about addiction and how addicts are perceived, especially since the rise of heroin addiction over the last decade due to the abuse and overuse of prescription Opioids like Oxycodone. (http://tucson.com/news/science/health-med-fit/obama-turns-attention-to-growing-opioid-abuse-problem/article_72acbd41-131d-5d35-9ce6-aeb5c5d9aac4.html)

I have many friends and family strung out Heroin and prescription pills today. I’ve lost many too. Some dead, and a lot doing time.

Because these drugs have been over-prescribed to all people of all colors and class, it has become an epidemic and is being viewed as a humanitarian effort. Not so much because of the number of people affected but because of the type of people being affected.

Check out this interview essay I found on PBS that speaks to exactly that point:

http://player.pbs.org/viralplayer/2365704269“>THERE WAS NO WAVE OF COMPASSION WHEN ADDICTS WERE HOOKED ON CRACK

 

 

They worked real hard here at the soup kitchen today in honor of the late great United Farm Worker Union founder Cesar Chavez. They also attended the every Monday mass here, which today was a dynamic communion service led by Brother David Buer, OFM.

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Ellos trabajaron muy duro hoy en la cocina gratis in honor de Cesar Chavez, el fundador de United Farm Workers Union. Tambien fueron a misa aqui. La misa hoy fue muy dinamica gracias a Brother David Buer OFM.

With Brian, Laura, Elsa, y Mari Fuentes and Father David Guzman

by Brian Flagg

How is the City going to balance their budget this year?

I attended yesterday’s City Council meeting along with Kassandra Manriquez and Mary DeCamp and heard City Manager Mike Ortega lay out a menu of spending cuts and tax increases that could fill what he claims is a $25 million budget gap next year. You can see it all online.

Maybe I’m dense and/or delusional, but under the leadership of Mike Ortega things don’t seem as threatening as usual for poor people, especially bus riders. Cuts in bus service up to $2.5 million and up to $1 million in raising fares are on the list. As always, the Mayor is eager to persecute bus riders, according to this morning’s Daily Star.

Councilwoman Karin Uhlich came up with a possible scenario of concentrating on big ticket items such as a Public Utility Tax (worth more than $4 million) and considering many of the proposed cuts to police and fire, in place of the agony of making numerous little cuts affecting numerous constituencies. It seemed she got no pushback from her colleagues.

A highlight of the meeting took place when Councilwoman Regina Romero vehemently pointed out the absurdity of saving $300,000 by cutting 900 kids from the afterschool program known as KIDCO.

City Manager Ortega, in his opening remarks, reminded everyone that some measures that might work for the short term could be very negative for the long term. This would most definitely apply to transit.

This year they need to hold the line on transit, no cuts in service or fare increases (except for the $100,000 they have proposed cutting from the streetcar), then figure out a dedicated funding source for transit. Why trash the award winning system now, which would decrease ridership, and then try to rebuild it later?

The bottom line is that no politicians or bureaucrats are going to do the right thing for poor people, the bus, or the environment unless We the People organize for power.

What do you say bus riders and righteous people of Tucson? Are you ready?

Thanks to Sofia, Luis (both are puro Mexico) and all the farm. The diners here especially like the organic hard-boiled eggs we put in the lunch bags, thanks to all the chickens Luis cares for at the farm. It is quite a place, located off River Road near the Jewish Community Center. Check it out at http://www.feliciasfarm.org/

by Sofia Forier-Montes

I started as the farm manager for Felicia’s Farm last January, and one of the first things I did was go to Casa Maria to see how their operation is run and to talk to people about what kind of vegetables they’d like to see from us. We’re a non-profit farm where we donate everything we produce, which is an average of about 100 dozen eggs and 150 lbs of food a week. I wanted to make sure that the veggies we were growing were culturally relevant and easy to use for the people who got them. I want people to pick up whatever we produce and think “I can make something delicious out of this!” instead of “What is this for??” Casa Maria is an extremely important partner to our organization because we can grow as many great veggies as possible, but if we have no way to distribute them then we may as well be throwing them in the trash. Casa Maria takes everything and gets it out to the people who need it most, often in the same day. That means our food gets to people in need freshly harvested and full of great nutrients. We’re currently expanding the farm and adding another field, and my goal for the year is to overload Casa Maria with as much great organic produce as we can. It’s been great working with Brian, Laura, Cesar, and everyone else at the kitchen, and I’m sure our organizations’ partnership will yield many great things!

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Gracias Sofía, Luis (puro Mexicanos) y toda la granja. La comida aquí especialmente los huevos cocidos que ponemos en las bolsas de lonches son orgánicos gracias a las gallinas que Luis cuida en su granja. Localizada en la calle River cerca del Centro Comunitario Judío. Para más información http://www.feliciasfarm.org/

Por Sofía Forier-Montes

Yo empecé como gerente en la granja de Felicia el Enero del año pasado, y una de las primeras cosas que hice es ir a Casa María para ver cómo era el trabajo ahí y preguntarle a la gente que clase de vegetales les gustaría que les lleváramos. Somos una granja no lucrativa y donamos todo lo que producimos que es más o menos 100 docenas de huevos y 150 libras de comida a la semana. Quería asegurarme que los vegetales que estamos cultivando cuando la gente los viera pensara “puedo cocinar algo delicioso con esto!” Casa María es muy importante para nosotros porque podemos cultivar muchos vegetales pero si no tenemos a donde donarlos los tiraríamos a la basura. Casa María los acepta todos y los da a la gente más necesitada, el mismo día. Lo que quiere decir que nuestra comida llega a los más necesitados fresca y llena de nutrientes. Estamos expandiendo la granja y mi meta para este año es llenar Casa María con productos orgánicos. A sido muy agradable trabajar con Brian, Laura, Cesar, todos en la cocina y estoy segura que las organizaciones asociadas dirán muchas cosas positivas de Casa María!

by Brian Flagg

I just finished reading about all the highlights of the Holy Father’s trip to Mexico in the most recent America magazine.

I particularly liked how he preached to the bishops of Mexico in Mexico City on February 13. He called on them to live as humble pastors, “not princes,” to be close to the poor and oppressed and to prophetically denounce the evils of society.

He revealed that his main reason for visiting Mexico City was to pray before the revered image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, whom is at the heart of the spirituality of the people of Mexico. He reminded them that La Virgen Morenita

“teaches us that the only power capable of conquering the hearts of men and women is the tenderness of God”

and he urged them to live as pastors who incarnate that tenderness.

That is what I need to do! I’m kind of an unofficial pastor, and a wannabe Commandante. I see my vocation as warrior, with the roots of the battle against poverty in Tucson being largely spiritual.

Our goal here at Casa Maria is Power to the People. And it really is about conquering or winning the hearts and minds of women and men. It really is about incarnating the tenderness of Jesus, of the Virgen, of Papa Francisco, on to the material plane right here in Tucson, AZ.

How the hell can I ever transform my trash talking, egotistical self into “the tenderness of God”?

I guess that if I and we truly believe, anything is possible.

So I am feeling that maybe this Holy Week, (it’s next week), is the right time for me to surrender to the will of my Creator God and embrace the revolution of tenderness that Pope Francis is constantly proclaiming.

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LA REVOLUCION DE TERNURA

Acabo de terminar de leer los puntos mas importantes del viaje a México del Santo Padre en la revista America.

Particularmente me gusto como Papa Francisco predico a los obispos en la ciudad de México, el 13 de febrero. El les hizo un llamado a vivir en humildad “no como príncipes,” estar cerca de los pobres y oprimidos y a no callar los abusos de la sociedad.

Dijo que la razón principal de ir a la ciudad de Mexico fue orar frente a la imagen de la Virgen de Guadalupe, que es la espiritualidad de los Meixcanos. El les recordó que La Virgen Morenita

“Nos ensena que el único poder capaz de conquistar los corazones de los hombres y mujeres es la sensibilidad de Dios”

y les hizo un llamado urgente a los pastores de vivir esa sensibilidad.

Eso es lo que yo necesito hacer! Yo soy como un pastor de cierta manera, miro mi vocación como un guerrero contra la pobreza aquí en Tucson.

Nuestra meta aquí en Casa Maria es tener poder para ayudar a los demás y realmente es conquistar los corazones y las mentes de los hombres y las mujeres. Es como tener la sensibilidad de Jesus, de la Virgen y el Papa Francisco, materialmente hablando.

Como voy a cambiar mi manera de hablar y mi manera egoísta en “la sensibilidad de Dios?”

Yo creo que si yo y ustedes realmente lo creemos, todo puede ser posible.

Asi que yo pienso que la Semana Santa, es el tiempo perfecto para rendirme a la voluntad de mi creador y abrazar la revolución de la sensibilidad que el Papa Francisco proclama.

Author and retired political science profesor Jim Clarke comes here every Monday and Thursday and washes the soup pots!

A week ago he and his daughter Julie Brogna, also a Casa Maria supporter, went to see the UA Wildacts come back from a nine point deficit with 1:30 left in the game to defeat the mighty Cal Bears, thanks to 3 incredible 3 pointers by Gabe York. 

After the game Jim and Julie went to Old Chicago for a beer and who should enter but Gabe York! He received a big ovation and then he went and greeted everyone there. He even posed for this picture with Julie!

May Gabe continue to shoot like Stephen Curry and Salim Stoutamire in the NCAA tourney which starts Thursday.

 

JIM CLARKE, JULIE BROGNA Y GABE YORK

Jim Clarke es un autor y profesor retirado. El viene aquí a Casa Maria cada lunes y jueves a limpiar las ollas!

Una semana atrás, el y su hija, Julie Brogna, fueron al juego de basketball entre los Wildcats y los Osos de Califas. Los Wildcats ganaron. El juego fue muy emocionado e importante y el héroe fue Gabe York.

Después del juego, Jim y Julie fueron a Old Chicago para unas cervezas. Gabe York entro a la cantina y la gente lo recibió con aplausos, el saludo a todos ahí y poso para una foto con Julie!

Espero que el tire la pelota como Stephen Curry y Salim Stoutamire en el torneo NCAA que empieza este jueves.

by Brian Flagg

That’s what we need in this town –

Without it, every year at budget time the bus riders (represented by Bus Riders Union), the bus drivers and mechanics (represented by Teamsters) have to go to wage war with the Democrats on the City Council. The worst case scenario for all of us, the riders, the Teamsters, the Council is another strike from hell like the 42 day strike last summer.

Check out paragraph #153 from his Encyclical Letter Laudato Si, in which he advocates that our faith is all about defending God’s Creation. In addition to the bus being good for the environment, he also insists that a good transit system provides dignity for the people!

153. The quality of life in cities has much to do with systems of transport, which are often a source of much suffering for those who use them. Many cars, used by one or more people, circulate in cities, causing traffic congestion, raising the level of pollution, and consuming enormous quantities of non-renewable energy. This makes it necessary to build more roads and parking areas which spoil the urban landscape. Many specialists agree on the need to give priority to public transportation. Yet some measures needed will not prove easily acceptable to society unless substantial improvements are made in the systems themselves, which in many cities force people to put up with undignified conditions due to crowding, inconvenience, infrequent service and lack of safety.

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El Santo Padre estaría de acuerdo con la unión de los trabajadores del camión en recaudar fondos para el transito!

por Brian Flagg

Es lo que necesitamos en este pueblo.

Sin eso, cada año los manejadores de camiones y los mecánicos tendrán que pelear por su salario con los demócratas en el consejo de la ciudad.

El peor escenario es otra huelga de 42 días en el calor como la ves pasada.

Lee el párrafo #153 de la Encíclica Laudato si donde habla de defender la creación de Dios. Además para que los camiones sean un bien para el medio ambiente. El insiste que un buen sistema de transito provee dignidad para la gente!

153. La calidad de vida en las ciudades tiene mucho que ver con el transporte, que suele ser causa de grandes sufrimientos para los habitantes. En las ciudades circulan muchos automóviles utilizados por una o dos personas, con lo cual el tránsito se hace complicado, el nivel de contaminación es alto, se consumen cantidades enormes de energía no renovable y se vuelve necesaria la construcción de más autopistas y lugares de estacionamiento que perjudican la trama urbana. Muchos especialistas coinciden en la necesidad de priorizar el transporte público. Pero algunas medidas necesarias difícilmente serán pacíficamente aceptadas por la sociedad sin una mejora sustancial de ese transporte, que en muchas ciudades significa un trato indigno a las personas debido a la aglomeración, a la incomodidad o a la baja frecuencia de los servicios y a la inseguridad.