Substance - Volume 1, Number 8; Baltimore Model Cities Program

8/6/2019 Substance - Volume 1, Number 8; Baltimore Model Cities Program

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Baltimore Model Cities ProgramVol. 1 No . 8


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betweenthe twoofI C'T>"' us

EDITORI ALThis is that certain time of vear when all seem toopen our hearts a little wider and bubble over withthe exuberant spirit of Christmas . Everyone triesto be a little more understanding , smiles are moreabundant, and frustrations are taken in stride .Imagine how our lives would be if we carriedthis same spirit throughout the year- if we couldlook at every day as though it were Christmas anddraw our inner strength from love rather than hate?To many of us , this may appear to be an impossibletask, It is so much easier to wallow in self-pity andlet bitterness take possession of our lives than toovercome the many obstacles which come ourway.But rernerrber that Christ did not oome to save theworld so that its' people might slip back into aperiod of darkness and despair . He came rather

as our hope with the promise of a better day. Buteven with this , our lives can still be no more thanwhat we make them.We should try to remember that each day wehave something to be thankful for even if it takesus an entire day to figure out what that somethingis. Let 's forget the notion that a smile is somethingyou buy to wear on your chest. It's all yours - freeof charge , wear it on your face.Wishing you a very merry Christmas and ahappyNew Year.

Brenda R. Ferguson

SubstanceMagazine

ARTICLES PAGENot Just Any Clinic . . . . . . . . " . . . . 6Earn and Learn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Delta Living Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Teen Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

SPOTLIGHTArea "0 " . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

OPINIONWho Cares? . . . . . . . . . . . . , . , . , . . .Christmas Is . . . . . . . . . . , . , . , . . . 1Day Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . , . . . 20

POETRY

Harlem . . . . . . . . . . . . . , .. . , . , . . . 11Why Me. . . . . , . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . 11KidStuff . . . . . . . . . . , . , . . , . . . . . 13

"ALSOBetween The Two of Us . . . . . . . , . . . 1Speaking Out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . .. 2This Month in Black History . . . . , . . . 5Book Hunters . . ............ . . . 5Project of the Month . . . . . . . .. , . . . 24Hi Kids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Have You Heard? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Drug Abuse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31


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( ) ~ I N I ( ) N Who a ' t ' e s ?

by Uevt.nont Da,kI A. Echol.Since the inception of the Community RelationsProgram, many efforts have been made to (1) make adetermination as to what the causes may be for thehostility demonstrated against the Fire Department,and (2) what means may be best utilized, to improvethe image of the Department in order to reduce thathostility. The " because we're the establishment" isshopworn, commonplace. and bland. It may well betrue that the causes are indeed manifold. Let me citebut a few reasons heard in this area for abject discontentment with the fire service:1. Fire Departments historically hire far too fewmmority subjects.2. Fire service personnel have wanton disregardfor the disadvantaged .3. Fire personnel routinely do unnecessary damageto property in disadvantaged areas.4. Fire personnel deliberately make slowerresponses in low socio-economic areas.5. Fire personnel use disrespectful and abusivelanguage when working in low socio-economicareas; operating under dual standards, onefor the white middle class and one for the blackand poor.6. Fire personnel is oppressive as was demonstrated during 1965 when high pressure hosestreams were used on demonstrators in Selmaand Montgomery, Alabama.7. Fire personnel generally reside outside of citiesand neighborhoods which they service andare not sympathetic with or sensitive to thecauses of other's lifestyles.8. Advancement opportunity is restricted in thefire service as can be witnessed by the absenceof blacks in higher echelon positions.Because of these factors, the development andimplementation of a workable and effective CommunityRelations program is of all importance. Further damageto the image and a deterioration of relations could beavoided through united efforts of the Fire Departmentand the community work ing towards solutions to meetthe needs of the Department and the community.In order to address itself to possible causes of thesuspicions and ill feelings, which are self-evident incertain communities, despite limited resources withwhich to function, the following steps have been undertaken by the Fire Department. Some, if not all, have metwith a degree of success.

THE MEDIA:News publications have been considered and contacted from the giant dailies to the one-sheet neighborhood club newsletter. A great deal of interest andenthusiasm has been generated and much attentionhas been called to the plight of the Fire Departmentwith regard to harassment and an inordinately high rateof false alarms. Interest has been stimulated with regardto assistance in attracting minority applicants to thefire service. Television has played a significant role inthe reduction of false alarms through the publicizingof false alarm warnings particularly to those who eitherdo not read the papers, or confine their interest tosubjects of narrow coverage. Radio has been used

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with great success in Baltimore, particularly thosebeaming ethnic oriented programs with ethnic announcers. The predictability of reaching a special agegroup and community is high, cooperations with thismedium has been exemplary.PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

After much study of availabledata pointing to the age composi tion of those identified offenders,it is relatively clear that those exhibiting the most hostility against fireapparatus and personnel arechildren of school age. Morespecifically, in Baltimore we canfocus discontent primarily in juniorhigh schools or with juveniles ofjunior high school age (11-16).This discovery was most beneficialin that it afforded an opportunityto work close with the social studiesprograms already instituted. It notonly opened the door for establishing anti-false alarm and antiharassment programs, but providedan opportunity for acquaintingstudents with the Fire Departmentas a job opportunity as well. TheBaltimore Public Schools happilyincluded the Fire Department inits Project Go Program which isan anti-drop-out experience comprised of five phases in whichtarget schools all within problemareas are visited repeatedly by some30 to 40 members of diversifiedindustries. The exposure in thisoperation has proven invaluableand many teachers have subsequently contacted our CommunityRelations fo r talks on otheroccasions. It has likewise promptedteachers, who may be otherwiseapathetic, to initiate posters, contests and lectures to students onthe hazards of interferring with fireservice and sounding false alarms.Malicious fires in schools have beenfocused upon and a general aware-

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afte.

ness has been facilitated thereby. The Junior FirePrevention Program, which was instituted some yearsago, reaches children of elementary school age and laysthe groundwork for indoctrination in the junior highschool setting.Many acts involving the Fire Department within theschools has caused many principals with specialproblems, e.g. interior false alarms and malicious fires,to make special request for the conducting of specialassemblies to wh ich this office hastily replies.COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION:One of the most eHective means of solving theproblems of the fire service and in soliciting the assistance of the pUblic, has been through establishingcontacts with various community groups and organizations. With their assistance, programs were designedto publicize the dangers in harassing and interferringwith fire fighters. Fire alarm box watchers wasorganized; a Youth Awards Program was instituted;a mailing list of most community groups is maintainedby the Community Relations OHice; and, on some


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BOOK HUNTERSTV. records, and movies, as well as books, are under the scrutiny of young adults who use the PrattUbrary. Using the monthly magazine, You're the Critic,published by Pratt eight (8) times a year and edited

by student representatives of Baltimore high schools.the young reviewers have their say.

Bryan Oundi Holt of Douglass High School com ments on a popular disk, BLACK MAGIC with MarthaReeves and the Vandallas:" Martha Reeves is the most underrated of all theMotown singers . Actually. this beautiful sister has themost soulful voice of all the Motown girls. She is an actress on record , deserving an Oscar for every performance.... It 's enough that this is the best albumfrom Motown in Quite a while, but the cover alone isreason to buy it . These girts are undoubtedly the mostbeautiful and sexiest female group. (t remember thedays when Martha and the Vandellas were a group tolisten to, not to look at. Something has definitelychanged.) AU in black, straight -faced and natural , theyproject a beautiful degree of Black Magic. "

Angela Ennis, also of Douglass, comments on thetelevision show SANFORD AND SON:". .. The program does not necessarily show

proper conduct and attitudes, but it shows what adesperate person might do in a bind. By doing so, theprogram tries to let the audience gain an understandingof such people. The dialogue is natural to the peopleliving in the ghetto: 'Pop, what I'm gonna do wit ' desebills?' ' Put 'em back in the mailbox.' The purpose of theshow is to gIve the viewers a look at some of theproblems of black people, and what these two chose todo about them. I think the acting is good. Redd Foxx is aseasoned performer and Demond King is very ex pressive. I would recommend this show to every onebecause it shows the hope some black people have."and ALL IN THE FAMILY.

" ... Archie found out, after twenty-five years ofmarriage, that his wife had spent a weekend with a rivalof his before they were married. Archie was upse tbecause his wife, Edith, never told him about it . Byshowing Archie 's reactions, the show illustrated the kindsof misunderstandings that can result from keepingsecrets. The camerawork was good because it caughtthe facial reactions of the characters. . . I would recommend this show to every one because it 's funny andpresents a message without being too heavy with it."

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r l ~ " i s '\\.n ... hiII h l ( ~ I( Hist .. r \ ~

PAUL CUFFE(1759-18171Sea captain and wealthy ship ownerwhose law suit against unfair taxation in 1780resulted in full civil rights for free black men inMassachusetts.Paul Cuffe was born on a farm which hisfather, a former slave, had purchased after hisemancipation. At the age of 13, he was tutoredin the science of navigation. In 1779, Paul andhis brother David built an open boat whichthey used to set up trade with people in Connecticut. When his brother quit the venture, hewas forced to continue alone. His cargo andship were at first pilfered by pirates, but hewas able to make a profit on later voyages.In 1780, Cuffe petitioned the GeneralCourt of Massachusetts to permit black peopleto vote. Although he lost his case, his litigationhelped to bring civil rights to blacks in 1783.Cuffe believed that slavery would endwhen people were educated about Africa. In1811 he sailed to Sierra Leone in Africa wherehe met with religious leaders, British officials,and tribal chiefs. Later, he accepted an invitation from the London Colonization Societyand visited England.In Britain, Cuffe spoke with governmentofficials, recruited a teacher for his school inAfrica, and succeeded in freeing an imprisoned African seaman. He returned to theUnited States and intensified his fight for theemancipation of the slaves by confrontingreligious leaders.


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Participants between the ages of 8 to 16 years of age are recruited to the clinics by an actionteam which is assigned to the six Model Cities areas . It is their job to seek out young people whodo not participate in programs offered by Operation Champ and the Bureau of Recreation. Allyoungsters are provided with free uniforms, equipment, and insurance. Although there are thir-teen sports being taught, more can be provided upon request.To date, most of the instructors have been supplied by the Bureau of Recreation . Mr. Jim Kar-vallas , a sports announcer, has been very generous in giving some of his time to Vv'Orking withthese young people. Larry Middleton and Larry Barrett, both well-known boxers, have also offeredtheir expertise. The sponsors of the program, the Poets Athletic Club, were all graduates of Dunbar High School who felt a need to assist the inner-city community in helping themselves. Many ofthem are also volunteering their services as coaches in football , basketball , and other sports .This program was originally planned to extend from June until September. These dates werelater changed to July until March because the program was funded late. Hopefully, these dateswill also be extended.

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Staff orientation providesthe foundation for estab -lishing unity in purpose.

D.D.C.C. staffmembersassist 8r8a resident inacquiring housing in 8Senior Citizen housingdevelopment.

D.D.C.C. staff working atthe Department ofEmployment Security tofind jobs for area residents .


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What happens to a dream deferred?Does it dry upUke a raisin in the sun?Or fester like a sore-And then run?Does it stink like rotten meat?Or crust and sugar over-Uke a syrupy sweet?Maybe itjust sagsUke a heavy load.Or does it explode?

What righthave we

to ask when sorrowcomes,

Why me?unlessWe ask when joycomes,

Why me?

gem

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Langston Hughes


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KID STUFFA brand new pair of shiny skates

To glide in style down Fulton Street,Ajazzy race car-see itgo-Man I'm living HIGHIOne footbal l made of the finest skinand boxing gloves too,Next time he comes through.Smell Mom baking homemade rollsand cookies by the pile

Tom 's notgOing 0 beatme eatingrYe starved myself ust waiting.Sis, I can't stand that kid, buta newdoll I hope she gets.One of those dolls that walks and talksandsays Hello,So I can see her brown eyes glow.We've been good at least three days,

so we'll stay up al l Christmas Eve .Just waiting to see the fst man come!Uh, Mom-yeah I'm coming- Whatyou say, Dad's gone away?Gone where, Moml Why you crying?

Stop Mom, please tellme somethingl. . . Well, anyhow, Christmas is forsilly kidslI'm too big-why I'm almost ten!Man, Christmas, you must be crazy!

YHA

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Project"An 18 yesr old girl recently returned to her motherfrom foster care. When she became pregnant, shewished desperately to move away from her mothe,'shome. She was an extremely bright and sensitive girl

who had never been able to forgive her mother forp/llcing her in cere at the age of eight. Because she wasstill in school, 12th grade, and had hopes fo r college, shewas financially unable to become independent and hadto remain on her mother's welfare check, which alsocaused resentment. In order to dramatize herpredicament, through her own admission, she at-tempted suicide, hoping to gain sympathy. As 8 result,she was forced to abandon her plans for college andeventually lived in tm apartment with an older gir/,leaving her son with her mother_ which she rBally didno t want to do. Had she had some other livingarrangement, such as a group setting, where she couldhave lived with the b8by, she m8y have been able toresolve some of her problems and feel the in-dependence which she needed. "Statistics such as this one from the Baltimore CityDepartmentof Social Services and the Family and ChildCare Center are unending. More than anything, theypoint out the urgent need for infant education andtraining for unwed mothers.

For various reasons, the majority of these girls areineligible for foster care services with no resources fromtheir immediate families. Many abandon hope of everexperiencing a full and enriching life. They end up in apsychological environment which perpetuates and in-creases their condition. The Department of Social Serv-ices and other such agencies have been unable to ef-fectively deal with the problem because of limited serv-ices. This leaves the problem to be resolved by someother organization-butwho?

The who is the Model Cities Delta Uving Project .The reasons have already been stated, however, the serv-ices exceed expectations. This program provideshousing on a temporary basis to girls, with one baby,who ara separated from their families. In addition toproviding housing to 36 young mothers, it also hopes toprepare the girls to become independent enough tomova into a living arrangement within two years.

The Delta Living Project hopes to experiment withtwo types of housing arrangements. Some of the girls

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and their babies will be living in renovated houses withinthe Model Cities area that have met federal , state, andlocal guidelines for infant care and education. Eachresidence will accommodate three mothers and their in -fants . Parent and child will share one double room. TheAorence Crittenton Service is one home for unwedmothers which will also be used to house six mothers.The situation at the Crittenton Home represents an in -stitutionalized setting in which the girls live a very im-personal life style. In the homes set up by the project,house parents will offer guidance and care, and providea homelike setting conducive to the development ofpersonal relationships.

Miss Corliss Grimes, director of the project, ex-pressed the belief that by using both of thesearrangements, the advantages of each could be easityevaluated. "It is believed," stated Miss Grimes, "thatutilizing some of the available beds in existing residen-ces for unwed mothers, as well as creating additionalfacilities, service could be provided to the greatest num-ber of girls.

Each girl enrolled in the program will receive a fullrange of education in infant care and job placementservices appropriate to her situation. Legal, medical,and counseling help will be available to the girls.

M's Corliss Grimes, Project Director


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. . having a WHOLE apple and BOTH skates.

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,/ {/ /

!

. . . for Christ. That's why we call him Christ,he is nicknamed fo r the holiday Christmas.

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and development;

o j

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- - \-- . . -

and e)(peri ence"


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)

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nWin some, lose some . . . "27


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interest and means of better methods ofcommunication.Another phase of the Teen Centerprogram, equally as important, are the "RapSessions." Within these sessions, the teensexpress their views and attitudes towards

issues relevant to their lives and communities.The sessions also serve as a guide to teens todevelop their sense of self respect, communitypride, public awareness and guidance on howto be independent, self-reliant, and utilize allavailable Model Cities and community resources to improve cen.ters' performance.A fine example of this guidance wasdisplayed by the Teen Center located in ModelCities Area "A". As of June 1972, the centerwas functioning very poorly. The newly appointed director, Mrs. Rose Thomas, decidedit was time for this to come to a halt. Becausethe building was inadequate, Mrs. Thomascontacted the local schools and madearrangement for classes to be held in drama,woodwork, music, rap sessions, etc. She alsoarranged communications with the MarylandTraining School for Boys, which enable theyouths to jointly participate in variousprograms. As a result, eleven boys joined theteen center upon their release from thetraining school.Area A's Teen Center has also formed aband, had a street bazaar, a talent and dramashow with the Carpet Baggers, formed theArea A Drama Club, and, have had numerousactivities and functions to raise money for thebetterment of the center. Another of their accomplishments was to purchase equipmentand materials to rehabilitate the center. In addition, the Teen Center has been successful ingetting dropouts to re--enter school and to findemployment for these students.The Area "A" Teen Center is setting agood example for other teen centers andModel Cities Programs. It is the hope of all theTeen Centers to make the Model Neighborhood Area residents more aware of theModel Cities services available and how to bestutilize these services. It invites the community to participate and be well informedabout the purpose and goals of the TeenCenters.

Teen Center locations:Area A 814 E. Eager StreetArea B (closed because of fire)Area 0 704 Newington Ave.Area E 1521 Riggs Ave.Area F 631 Gold StreetArea G 1310W.lexington St.


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PERSONNELMONTHLY REPORTFor The Month of October,1972

Applications on Rle 1262.pplicationlpulledl . 819Residents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317Non-Res idents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502Job Vacancies Filled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Referrals - Residents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67Referrals Non -Residents . . . . . . . . . . 5Placement Residents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Placement Non-Residents. . . . . . . . . . . . 4Applications Received This Month . . . . . 127Residents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Non-Residents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Total Applications Now on Rle . . . . . . . 946Total Residents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376Total Non-Residents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 570

A-4B-20 -6E-BF-4G-3

Area placement:

Total 27VACANCIES FILLED INMODEL CITIES PROGRAMS

For The Month of OctoberPT In structors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Secretaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Cha uf feurs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Program Supervisor. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Directors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Planning Aide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Center Aide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Alcoholic Counselor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Recreation Aides. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Video Technologist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1PT Fiscal Clerk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1PT Doctor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Community Organizer . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 "

DRUG ABUSE QUIZ1. Studies indicate that marihuana has no emotional orpsVchological effects on its users.2. A manicure is the process of removing the dirt,seeds, and stems from marihuana.3. The use of large amounts of sedatives can producea transient sense of alertness and well-being.4. A yen sleep is one produced by the effects ofnarcotics.5. Addiction is a physical and emotional dependenceon drugs.6. The life expectancy of the addict is much lower thanthat of the non-addict, and addicts of both sexesare less fertile.7. Hash, which comes from the top of potentmarihuana, is at least five times stronger than crudemarihuana.8. Satch cotton is used to strain drugs before injection.9. Bombita is an amphetamine injection sometimestaken with heroin.

ANSWERS TO DRUG ABUSE QUIZ1. False, the user of marihuana, especially one who isinexperienced, may become excessively suspiciousof people and take actions which lead to injury. Atoxic psychosis consisting of mental confusion,loss of contact with reality , and memory disturbances have been recorded.2. True.3. False , large doses of sedatives can produce a comastate. Confusion, slurred speech, irritability, and anunsteady gait are often seen in chronic users.4. True, this is a drowsy restless state which occursduring the drug withdrawal period.5. True. Addiction is a physical dependence whichincludes the development of tolerance andwithdrawal.6. True.7. True.8. True.9. True.

Speaking Out (ContinlHld from PlJg.21

we must transform education so that our children canwalk into the twenty-first century.I have not yet mentioned the question of race, orthe documented facts of sociology or economics, (underprivilege, disadvantage, and deprived.) Nor, even now,will I say much about them, except this: They are factsof the 20th century and have been so for three centuriesbefore. That being so, makes it five, ten, even, a hundredtimes more important that we understand what hasbeen said. le t us not continue this tragedy into the21st century. PREPAREI IThe Model Cities Agency spends about two milliondollars ($2,000,000.001 on education. This year on atight budget, Baltimore City will spend about twohundred million dollars ($200,000,000.00) on it. TheEdu cation Department has the largest annual budgetof any city department. The money is en investmentin the future, everybody's future.


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Documents

Substance - Volume 1, Number 8; Baltimore Model Cities Program