Trouble the Water

Tonight a homework break turned into the rare opportunity to watch an important and moving film for which I'm not sure I have the words to justly represent. So, hear me out...

Tonight I went and watched an independent documentary film called Trouble the Water. You probably haven't heard of it. I hadn't either until earlier today.

The film tells the story of Hurricane Katrina through the lived experiences of those least represented but hardest hit. This film, rather than being told through the words or views of the media, politicians, 'experts,' or even aid workers, is told through the lives of Katrina survivors Kimberly Rivers Roberts and her husband Scott Michael Roberts. Born and raised in New Orleans, they lived three blocks from the levees in the 9th ward. When the storm came they had no way to leave the city and were left to fend for themselves. And, until the batteries failed, Kim's camcorder captured their story. Here's a very small piece of it:



Trouble the Water has a lot of big names attached to it. It was directed and produced by Fahrenheit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine producers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal. Danny Glover is one of the film's executive producers. The score was created by Robert Del Naja and Neil Davidge. (Del Naja is one half of Massive Attack.) Plus, the film introduces four tracks written and performed by Black Kold Medina (BKM), aka Kim herself. (You can also listen to an ASCAP Network Audio Portrait of BKM here.) The film is even the winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

But still, very few people know about it. The film does not have a national distribution deal, and at the moment, is playing screen to screen as theatres give them a chance. (As of today, they have short term engagements on a total of 65 screens nationwide. That is NOT a lot, folks. And when I say short-term, I mean, like, they get to screen the film just a few times. Like at the Landmark Century where I saw it, the theatre contracted the film for three days. And they'll decide Monday morning is they keep it or send it out the door.)

Tonight I was lucky enough to watch the film with directors/producers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal. They stayed for a Q&A after the screening and spoke with deep emotion about their desire that word of the film would spread. Certainly, the film's success would be good news for them, but far more importantly, they stressed, and I agree, the film tells the story of Katrina in a way that's been ultimately too absent from our understanding of it. The film is about much more than an extreme weather event. It's about not only how Kim and Scott and their whole community were failed by the government during and following the events of Katrina, but how they've been failed by the government and by society their whole lives. The tragedy of Katrina began long before the levees broke and the flood waters rose. And the aftermath is still going on. The film shows some of the ways that issues of race and poverty intersect with history and culture and the hope for a different, better future, and the film does it in the voices of those best able to tell the story.

So, this is my plea to you: If you can go see this film, DO. The only way others will have a chance to see it is if you see it and tell them to see it too. You aren't going to see a commercial for it. You're unlikely to even see a review of it. But, you're reading this, and I'm extending this as your personal invitation. To see when and where the film is playing near you, visit here. (And, all my peeps in Boston, New York, Ohio -- north & south, and Chicago, it's playing near you, now or shortly. Seriously. You have no excuses. Go see it.)

Video Spotlight: "My Address: A Look at Gay Youth Homelessness"

As summer is finally beginning to dawn, many LGBTQ indviduals and their allies from around the country, and around the world, will come together in Pride events to publicly celebrate and honor who they are as a community and their continuing struggles in seeking justice and equality, rights often denied by a larger society that holds to heteronormativity as if persons of other identifications are fictitious and scary (they aren't, on either account). (And note: when I say "society" that means WE need to take responsibility. Society is made of individuals – aka YOU & ME – who discriminate or are willing to blindly allow discrimination. Our individual actions contribute to societal norms. Don't be passive.) As my tiny contribution to bringing awareness and a more concrete understanding to LGBTQ struggles, I wanted to share this video, produced over a year ago by the lovely folks at OurChart.com. This is the second of a five episode series narrated by Katherine Moennig exploring homelessness among gay youth. To see the rest of the web series, you can visit OurChart.com, or to read the report put out by The National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce on which much of the cited statistics are based, you can go here. Peace.

Only 24 homeless in downtown Chi. So you say...

I was made aware this morning of a census report that the City of Chicago released earlier this month stating that

a city census of people living on the street in the downtown area has produced a surprisingly low number: 24.

Call me pessimistic, but upon reading this I (like many others) did a double take. Was this a typo? Did they forget a zero or two? How was "homelessness" being defined? What geographic area did the census cover? Over what length of time was the counting done?

How could the number of homeless in ALL of downtown Chicago be ONLY 24 people? That struck me as utterly absurd. Had the census takers actually walked through downtown Chicago?

The Sun-Times article went on to say:

The downtown count was released on the same day Mayor Daley claimed homelessness across the city was down 12 percent -- from 6,715 in January 2005 to 5,922 at the same time this year -- marking progress in his 10-year Plan to End Homelessness.

"Many people say, 'Are you gonna do it?' I say, 'There's nothing wrong with being on a mission -- a mission of saving souls,'" the mayor said.

Despite my abhorance of anyone on "a mission of saving souls" (it's a power struggle/dominance thing that rubs me the wrong way -- but that's a personal vexation to be dealt with another time), I was interested by this 10-year plan, which I had not heard of previously. Apparently, "The Plan" is a three-front effort begun in 2003 that targets homelessness through up-front prevention, getting homeless persons into permanent housing, and providing wraparound support services that help people address elements in their lives that may lead to homelessness. And the goal is that within ten year's time (by 2013) that homelessness in Chicago will be eliminated. (And we claim our city officials don't have vision!)

By some the 10-Year Plan is already being touted as a success. Mayor Daley said within the last two weeks,

"In short, our plan is working. We're making real progress in helping people find a way out of homelessness -- and preventing them from becoming homeless in the first place. This is exactly what I envisioned when I endorsed Chicago's Plan to End Homelessness in 2003, because I knew we could do better for Chicagoans who find themselves homeless."

What do you say to that? Personally, I don't know if it holds truth or is a political manipulation. But, when the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless is claiming that over the course of a given year approximately 166,000 people experience homelessness in the great Chicago area, and other advocacy groups are claiming that the nightly number of homeless in the Chi is over 21, 000, it makes you wonder the real significance of this current, City-sponsored count of 24. Homelessness is incredibily difficult to count, but the disparity in estimates is alarming.

Some are claiming that the City's report is part of a greater effort to "sanitize" Chicago's downtown image in efforts to bolster their bid for the 2016 Olympics. (Because any of the other city's vying for the spot can claim to have no homelessness...) While this may be true, my concerns are, I think, more grave. (Cheerful thought, eh?) On my personal assumption that the City's data is faulty, I hold great concern that our community's problems are being manipulated merely as progress points on City official's measurements of popularity and "progress," rather than being addressed as serious issues to be dealt with candidly without pandering to a positive voter opinion. (If you ask me, honesty wins my vote more than your doing nothing and claiming you did.) I question if this "24 homeless" is a manifestation of the City's interest in hiding or refusing to recognize the scope of problems including homelessness and poverty in the city. Ignoring the problem does not make it disappear but merely creates additional barriers to positive change. To me this report is a warning siren that the City is preparing to turn its head on homelessness as a "problem solved." Scary thought.

Interestingly enough, less than a week after info about the City's census report first hit the public, the Sun printed a follow-up article that answered some of the original questions concerning the collection details of the census data.

Apparently the census was taken in only a 12-block area of the downtown (because surely downtown Chicago is only 12 blocks big...).

Acting Housing Commissioner Ellen Sahli said a separate count conducted between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. on a cold night in January -- in a much broader swath that includes all four community areas that take in parts of downtown -- turned up 995 homeless people.

And to the best of my knowledge, that near 1000 people does not include the roughly 6000 that utilize shelters on a nightly basis, nor those that "double-up" (stay in housing with someone else for the night). (Surely if you are staying in a shelter or with a friend you are not really "homeless," right?)

All that said, what is the truth in all this? And who (if anyone) has information that can be utilized to really address this problem and not merely neglect the reality of its graveness? On the Chicago Olympics 2016 webpage they say,

In the words of Daniel Burnham, the pioneering architect of the World's Columbian Exposition who embodies the spirit of Chicago, "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood. Make big plans; aim high in work and hope. Remember that our children and grandchildren are going to do things that will amaze us."

If we really believe these to be inspirational words by which to guide the future of our city, shouldn't that mean that as we make big plans we should rely on honest, politically unmotivated evaluations of the situation to guide our efforts, with a concern for betterment not just a good public image? What's the purpose of a beautiful surface if the core is rotting away?