Litter! No More Excuses For Not Helping!

I received a phone call earlier this week from Mr. and Mrs. Buck Saunders, Huntington residents who live in the sixteen-hundred block of 13th Avenue. Buck and Mary Ann are blind, and they are members of the Cabell-Huntington branch of the National Federation of the Blind, and Mary Ann is the current president of the local chapter.

Their reason for calling me was presented very succinctly. Buck simply stated, "Even blind people don't like litter. We want to volunteer and do our part for the Adopt YOUR Block - Be a Litter-Gitter group." I was stunned. I can't get citizens with absolutely no physical disabilities to assume the responsibility of keeping the block on which they live free of cigarette butts and other litter - but here are a husband and wife who are blind wanting to be volunteers!

I talked several minutes with Buck about how we could coordinate our cleanup effort on their block. We decided that I would meet them at their home yesterday afternoon. Our plan was that they would use their white-canes to move along the sidewalk curb as they walked along the gutter. I was to be the "spotter" by staying in front of them and telling them when they reached a piece of litter.

We met at the designated time, and I let them "feel" the litter-stick to become familiar with the way it picks up litter. I walked with them out to the sidewalk and, then, into the 13th Avenue gutter.

In short, these two blind citizens cleaned up the half-block in front of their residence, with me as the "spotter" and the "litter-bag-holder". We made a great team, and their block is now minus several glass and plastic bottles, paper-litter and other assorted types of litter, which, obviously, were thrown there by people who don't care about the appearance of our city.

I solute Mr. and Mrs. Buck Saunders. They are good citizens, and I am honored to know them. Here is hoping that their wonderful demonstration of good citizenship is an inspiration to others, just as it was to me. Presently our group has over 1000-volunteers, city-wide, that have adopted just their own block. My hat is, also, off to each of them. Together, we will accomplish anything we can imagine.

Comments?

(Check out the Herald-Dispatch story by clicking here.)

Homeless Show Good Citizenship

The Coalition for the Homeless maintains housing for the homeless (Harmony House and Vanity Fair)adjacent to the Coalition's Day Center in the 600 block of 4th Avenue. Every Wednesday morning, several homeless, and formerly homeless, citizens volunteer to work with me to keep cigarette butts and other street litter picked up along that block.

This photo is of some of the folks who demonstrated their good citizenship by being volunteer "Litter-Gitters" this morning.

John Mendez, the Director of the Coalition for the Homeless, asked our litter-abatement volunteer group, Adopt YOUR Block - Be a Litter-Gitter, to allow the folks who spend time at the Coalitions's day center to become involved in cleaning up Huntington. So, the homeless and formerly homeless are pitching in to eliminate litter in "their" block.

My hat is off to them. A job well-done! Many times, homeless people take a bad-rap. These folks are testimony to the fact that every person, regardless of their plight in life, has value. Remember, "... there, but by the grace of God, go I."

If you want to "adopt your block", call me at 523-7902, and I will deliver you a litter-stick (no charge). All you have to do to be an official "Litter-Gitter" is agree to keep the block on which you live free of cigarette butts and other street litter. Together ... we can get Huntington cleaned up!

The Next Local Election is Critical to All Citizens

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, things aren't going to get better, they're not!" From The Lorax by Dr. Suess

The citizens of Huntington and Cabell County who will adversely affect our areas future progress will be those people who don't vote in the upcoming election of our leaders. It only took 3500 votes to win the last primary election in Huntington. That is unacceptable.

If you don't register and vote, you do not have a right to complain! Just do it!

Charleston Amends Human Rights Ordinance

The Charleston City Council approved an amendment Monday night to the city’s Human Rights Ordinance to include "sexual orientation" as a classification protected from discrimination. Dozens of citizens showed up to support the measure, which the council passed on a vote of 23-3. The "protected categories" under Fair Housing laws may differ depending on where you reside. In Huntington, the ordinance creating the Huntington Human Relations commission, as with the Federal Fair Housing law, prohibits discrimination in housing based on the following protected categories:

• Race
• Color
• Religion
• National Origin
• Handicap / Disability
• Familial Status

However, "sexual orientation" is conspicuous by its absence in the fair housing laws of municipalities statewide, with the now exception of Charleston. Most sensible property owners care more about whether you pay the rent on time and take good care of the property than with whom you share your life. Unfortunately, you may encounter some property owners who are inappropriately nosey or flat-out prejudiced. Federal law does not protect gays, lesbians, or transgender people from discrimination by property owners. Several states and many cities, however, do have laws that prohibit sexual orientation discrimination. Many cities have passed laws that make discrimination based on "sexual orientation" illegal, including Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Miami, New York, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Seattle and, now, Charleston, West Virginia.

California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin have laws prohibiting discrimination against gays or lesbians. California, Connecticut, Minnesota, New Mexico, Rhode Island and New York City also protect transgender folks. If you do not live in a state or city that extends protection, there's not much you can do besides, perhaps, attempting to reason with the property owner.

Is it not time we put all forms of bias and discrimination to rest in Huntington? There is enough hate in the world. Diversity and tolerance are in short supply in many places. Showing respect and giving people dignity makes us human. Let us begin now by adding "sexual orientation" as a protected classification to our Huntington Human Human Relations Commission ordinance. As the current chairperson of the Huntington Human Relations Commission, I will be placing this issue on the agenda for the next monthly meeting, which is scheduled for September 13, 2007, beginning at 7 p.m., in the Huntington City Council Chambers at City Hall. The meeting is open to the public; attend and voice your thoughts and opinions. If you wish, voice them on this blog. Just click on “Post Comment” at the end of this posting. You can do it anonymously by clicking the “Anonymous” button.

Most Basic of All Services? Garbage Pickup

Having dedicated a significant amount of my retirement time to litter-abatement and to the task of cleaning up our neighborhoods, I could have projected the current crisis within the Huntington Sanitation Department. I spend a lot of time in the alley-ways of our city, and I can attest to the fact that the Sanitation Department is practically in-operable due to a lack of personnel and equipment. In addition, the practice of having the sanitation crews work only a half-day, in lieu of past pay raises, is a sure sign of the administration's mismanagement. It is a cliche, but here goes - "You can pay me now, or you can pay me later."

The citizens of Huntington are going to have to get over the thinking of "No new taxes; no new fees." If we are going to revitalize our city (from the ground up), we must start with garbage pickup and solid waste disposal. Let's determine the cost of needed equipment and personnel and do what is necessary to fund it! The old excuse that some folks can't afford it is unacceptable. We must all take on the burden of citizen responsibility and fund our city government's services. In turn, the city government must end management by crisis!

What If Huntington Only Had 100 People?

I am in Washington, D.C. this week accompanying my wife who is attending a Goodwill Industries Conference. She obtained these statistics during one of her business sessions. I am very interested in Huntington's demographics, and I wonder how Huntington would stack up with the whole world's population demographics? Here are the figures, if the world only had 100 people:

57 would be Asians
52 would be female
70 would be non-Christian
89 would be heterosexual
6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth and all 6 would live in the U.S.A.
80 people would live in substandard housing
70 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition
1 would be near death; 1 would be near birth
1 would have a college education
1 would own a computer

Thought provoking, isn't it? Comments?