APRIL Showers; MAY Flowers preview PRIDE Month

After the APRIL Showers; A MAY Flowers preview of how we can Learn and aim to OCCUPY PRIDE Month, IMHO! And yes, I was very well medicated (as directed by my Infectious Disease Doctor Dora) and it was Payday...

Come OUT, Stand Up! -- The AESOP Initiative

• Advocacy:

• Education:

• Support:

• OutReach:

• Prevention & Pride

"Outside show is a poor substitute for inner worth." -Aesop

You are more

Even the most intense experience is only an experience you are having. It is not you, and you are not it.

You are more than your problems, more than your possessions, more than the pains and pleasures. You are more than the frustrations that sometimes feel so overwhelming.
Too often, out of fear, you cling tightly to things that don't really matter. Imagine the freedom that can come from letting go and stepping back.
What if your most agonizing worries no longer had the power to worry you? What if your most burdensome difficulties no longer had the power to trouble you?
Step back from them, and it is all possible. It's not a matter of running
away, but of putting the world in perspective.
The real person you are, is not defined or limited by the passing circumstances, no matter how intense they may be. Always remember that you are more. -- Ralph Marston

Important Issues affecting our Northern Kentucky, South Bank, Covington QUALITY of LIFE continue to crowd the Calendar for our American Spring of 2012...

 

Tuesday May 1st aka "May Day", Sunday May 20th: International AIDS/HIV Memorial, Tuesday May 22nd: EXERCISE your EQUAL Right & Voice to VOTE! 

Steven L Frank; I haven't even addressed the human costs. Ask benny Doggett and Reverend Richard Richard B. L. Fowler, both ardent Democrats Roger about how the people have been mistreated. I spokr of the dollar and cents issues because that's what most people would grasp. There is a whole other side and dynamic to the injustice going on here.

 

Michael Connett Thank You Commissioner! As another Ardent Democrat who's been on Early Retirement/Social Security Disability since testing HIV+ & losing my job (due to the Stigma & Discrimination heaped on Americans Living with HIV/AIDS) who has been kept alive and Housed in Assisted-Affordable Housing since 1993 through both Voucher & Site-Based HUD programs, you have learned and understand how our fellow Covingtonians have been mistreated. And not just those who live in Assisted Affordable Housing, but those who struggle unassisted in the Free Fair Market which turns out isn't very Fair at all... This is a NON-PARTISAN QUALITY OF LIFE Issue for anyone who wants to Work, Play or LIVE in The COV!

 

As an American who's Gay -among many other things, as well as Living on Social Security Disability Benefits since 1993; I've been a Consumer of HUD's Services & Programs and have experienced how it all works whether it's Housing Choice Section 8 Voucher Based administered at City Hall or through other HUD Site-Based Assisted Projects administered by the Housing Authority of Covington....

CKY/OSS Insider Report:

After a Covington officer made inappropriate comments about the city and Section 8 housing over the weekend, Police Chief Lee Russo was forced to send a memo yesterday afternoon telling all officers and staff to ... knock it off. No more editorial comments by officers, at least publicly.

"I've lived by those on section 8 and those not on section 8. When I lived in my apartment, the worse neighbors I ever had, were NOT section 8. The section 8 renters kept their house and yard clean and beautiful. The ones not on dection 8, did not care what the property looked like. When I asked them to keep the trash up out of the yard, they answered, "Why should we, we don't own this place."

 

 

In the Gannet News "Mood of America" poll, 76 percent of citizens agreed, "there is less concern for others than there once was."

We must be careful not to over generalize, since some Northern Kentucky communities may not fit these trends fully, or even at all. There will always be crosscurrents and countertrends. A few communities may have high levels of interconnectedness and public participation, with few glaring social problems and plenty of resources. But these communities are the exceptions.

Is the solution financial? Solutions often cost money, so, of course, more public funding to address local problems would be helpful. Support these efforts, but realize that in the present economic and political climate, success will not come easily and will cost each of us more than money. We need to understand there are no short-term solutions. We need CommUNITY Leaders who will engage, listen and translate the words into compelling long-term actions. Leaders who can then garner the support of government, private sector, faith community, public sector organizations and residents for the action plans.

Residents, along with the people who work, worship or have roots in a community need to be seen as an alternative resource, as someone with something important to share.

The task is to identify these alternative resources, then to coalesce and organize them, to plan, develop, implement, and sustain multiple community wide solutions. This will not happen all by itself. The structure for organizing and mobilizing community resources is generally not in place. A big plus is that people, 63 percent in one poll, believe that people are willing to pitch in and fix what is wrong in their communities, if they knew how. Mechanisms for involvement are rare, but do exist. Let us identify these processes and bring them into our communities.

America is the great democratic example, but because we lead there is no blueprint. America's greatness has been due to our ability, on the national, state and local levels, to find common ground. To large extent, it is our ability to reach consensus through civil discourse that has contributed to our greatness. Today, in our communities, neighborhoods, media and even in our legislative bodies, far too often, a difference of opinion is painted as evil, making constructive dialogue impossible.

In doing this work, the Boston Foundation developed "Seven Guiding Principles for a New Social Contract."

• 
  
  Incorporate those directly affected by policies at the heart of dialogue and community building.
• 
  
  Value racial and cultural diversity at the foundation for wholeness.
• 
  
  Promote active citizenship and political empowerment.
• 
  
  Build on community strengths and assets.
• 
  
  Ensure access to fundamental opportunities and remove obstacles to equal opportunities.
• 
  
  Support and enhance the well being of children and their families.
• 
  
  Foster sustained commitment, coordination, and collaboration based on a shared vision and mutual respect.

We hear congress can't get anything done, or that government can't get anything right. We are a democracy; the government is a reflection of ourselves.

Do you know a bad Landlord (i.e.: A Landlord who doesn't give a damn about the Housing Quality Standards, the behavior of tenants, the maintenance/appearance of the properties or anything else BUT their financial bottom line.)?? Either through personal experience as a tenant or resident of a neighborhood one owns property in, or through word-of-mouth?? CHANCES ARE, YOU DO!! Especially if you or someone you know are on a low, fixed income and qualify for a HUD/Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher. Unfortunately, due to the problems inherent in those programs, bad landlords continue to thrive in the system and prey on its participants; The Majority of which (57% according to the HUD web site) are either Senior Citizens or the Disabled. Having been exposed to such individuals in the past; I have decided to combat this problem and advocate for tenants rights through my web presence and Home Page. Let me hear from you about your experiences. Hopefully, together, we can do something to at least bring some attention to this problem, if not actually achieve solutions.

"In the great majority of cases, a landlords decision to not rent through the Section 8 program is nothing more than subtle but effective discrimination against a perceived class of tenants!"

On the other Hand; there are those landlords who do rent through Section 8 and do so with only with their lowest-cst cost and lowest-quality units and indifference to exploiting desperate, vulnerable people for their own gain!!!

Myths & Misconceptions

Just what are those damn, pesky HQS's (Housing Quality Standards)??? As best I can determine, there are no basic differences between HUD's and Covington's minimum requirements for HQS. But it is only when a unit is made available through a HUD Voucher, is it held to any accountability to those standards. Aren't all residential renters entitled to that same minimum protection and safeguard???

The Tenants Advocacy Project

Dedicated to improving tenants "Quality of Life"

by ending stigma & discrimination in

Federally funded Subsidized Housing

Weekend Review: PRIDE vs Inequality

"April Love" Weekend: A Trifecta of Equality Events

Our Worldwide Civil Rights March was planned on a Saturday April 21, 2012 to coincide and fall between two other important events, The Day of Silence on Friday April 20, 2012 and Earth Day on Sunday April 22, 2012 making it a trifecta weekend for Love, Peace and Equality...

Whatever happens to be on your Calendar for the Coming Weekend, approach it with the attitude of Solidarity and Recognition that We're ALL In This Together:

THE RIVER CITY NEWS MORE COVINGTON NEWS THAN ANY OTHER SOURCE

THE SUNDAY EDITION

COVINGTON, KY * 22 APRIL 2012

THIRD CANDIDATE FOR COVINGTON MAYOR RESPONDS TO

CRITICISM OF HER POSITION ON GAY ISSUES

Her name is Dara McDowell and she wants to be Mayor of Covington, campaigning on issues of morality and promoting tourism. The River City News talked with McDowell Thursday and the report generated a firestorm of comments on Facebook. Read the original report:

Morality & Tourism Top Mayoral Candidate McDowell's Agenda

"What I see, what I'm afraid of is that it's not only being condoned, it's being promoted," McDowell said in an interview Thursday with The River City News. It is what the Monte Casino mother of eight refers to as the homosexual agenda. A reference to sexual orientation by Scheper while highlighting the city's diversity during his January speech motivated McDowell to change her campaign's focus. "I'm concerned about leaving behind a town for my children, for all children, that is pro-homosexual agenda."

But the issue at the top of her priority list is morality. "(Homosexuality) is a choice," McDowell said. "I think it's important to respect choices, but to promote it? I see the undercurrent of that (in Covington)." In 2003, Covington passed a human rights ordinance that makes it one of three cities in Kentucky to offer protection to its gay citizens from discrimination. McDowell said Thursday that she would oppose gay pride festivals in the city which has held such an event the past two years. "I see what happens at gay pride parades and I don't want them in my town," she said.

James Vivian shared his overview of Saturday's March for Worldwide EQUAL HUMAN & CIVIL RIGHTS:

I for one am very proud of the hard work and grass roots effort all the participants and organizers of The 2012 Worldwide LGBTQIA Civil Rights March. Were there HUGE numbers and tons of media coverage? Well of course not, you would be a fool to think there would be! I think you are looking a little foolish downgrading our efforts because you are choosing to compare it to something it wasn't meant to be. We are not like the huge established organizations with millions of member dollars to spend on advertising, recruiting, planning and supplies. What there was is a great start to a new grass roots movement that is going to continue to grow.

The march had no intention of being anything like Pride, it was intended to be exactly the opposite, it was intended to promote equality and civil rights. Pride has become nothing more than a big party with parades, parties, nightclub events and is usually more like a "Spring Break" celebration in most places. In my opinion Pride holds back our movement because it plays right into the stereotypes that people believe we are, especially amongst conservative America. If you ask any heterosexual person, especially conservative, about the LGBT lifestyle the first thing they reference are the "flamers" (Drag Queens & Go-Go Boys) at the parade.

Although I don't speak for the group I suspect there will be another march next year that will be even bigger with even more players. It might even behoove some of the large organizations to get more involved because it doesn't look like this group intends to go away any time soon. People want to hear from groups like this, it is people like us that actually change the hearts and minds of even conservatives. People are beginning to view the large organizations as another political machine that they are tired of and many people no longer trust. These organizations would gain much in the eyes of the public, not just the LGBT community, if they embraced grass roots organizations instead of trying to shut them down.

My goal is for people to hear from real people like me and learn about my real family.

As an activist it has always amazed me how members of our own LGBT community seek to tear down others that are trying to accomplish something that doesn't fit into their pre-determined mold. What would happen if "organizations" and "others" offered to lend a helping hand instead of wanting it to fail? I would like to see an article like "What Would Happen If All LGBT Organizations Stood Together In Unity"?
An article you won't see because it doesn't fit into various LGBT organizations "business" model.

Joe Knudson shared a New York report From Todd Tif Fernandez:

"I joined these amazing young activists from Philly & Long Island and had a wonderful time! We stopped at Stonewall and a faerie friend was walking by and joined a short story telling about the 1969 Rebellion, and then pictures were mandatory on Gay street, and the lead organizer (who's name I'm blanking on, but will get and share) gave a great speech and wonderful poem in Washington Square.

I taught them the "I AM" chant - and they did it powerfully. "I am. (I am) Somebody. (Somebody). And I deserve. (echo) Full Equality. (echo) Right here. (echo, etc.) Right now. I deserve. Full Equality. "
__________________________________________________________________

Sad to report that what happened here this last weekend was that the 3rd Candidiate for Mayor of Covington came out with her platform against the "homosexual agenda", specifically targeting Gay Pride Events, lol...

Am anxious to see how that effects this year's Pride (Spring Break) Festival. Personally, I'm tickled to death she came OUT and reminded everyone that the work ain't done yet...Human Rights: "Sexual Orientation" vs "Sexual Preference"

As those of us in attendance know, there were only two people who spoke in opposition to passing the revised "HUMAN RIGHTS" Ordinance at last nights public hearing. While it was indeed uplifting and hopeful to hear so many of our CommUNITY, friends and neighbors speak with great conviction, emotion and urgency that our Commissioners do the "right thing" and approve the ordinance, I think it important to address the concerns of those two opposing the measure.

To do that, however, one must consider the language or semantics that have been used to cloud the true issue.  First and foremost, it is a HUMAN RIGHTS ordinance not a "Gay Rights" ordinance.  Second, the contested change provides for protection against discrimination in the areas of Housing, Employment and Public Accommodations.  Thirdly, the protection is afforded to a class of people based on Sexual Orientation, NOT Sexual Preference.  What's the difference you may ask?

We speak of Human Rights as they relate to our humanity and certain inalienable rights that our Founding Fathers spoke of when they wrote those immortal words  "ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL".  Since that time, when the signers of that magnificent document were all Straight(?) White Anglo Saxon Protestants, our beloved country has grown into a very diverse place.  It is only right and just that as we have evolved as a nation, we have taken steps to re-interpret that document and affirm that we believe now as they did then that indeed, ALL HUMANITY IS CREATED EQUAL. A Human Rights ordinance does not serve to extend any special rights to any class of people, but merely to AFFIRM that all classes of people are equally entitled to those rights in the face of those who would regard themselves as superior or more entitled because of their own prejudices.

In regard to Housing, Employment and Public Accommodations, it takes no rights away from providers of those things to discriminate fairly or to choose the best applicant. If a landlord is a bigot and doesn't want to rent to me, I would rather him say so.  Since coming "OUT" and endeavoring to live as one speaker said - "A full and honest life",  I've always been upfront with prospective landlords and employers.  And if any other business or public accommodation doesn't want my money that's just as green as the next guy's, it's their loss not mine.  Personally, I want to reserve my right to discriminate against their prejudices and not do business with or work for them anyway.  In any case, especially Housing, there are so many other ways that people can discriminate legally if they so choose.  My own personal experience in Covington's rental market as someone who is Gay, HIV+ and on disability, is that I experience more discrimination in Housing -legally- as a holder of a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher than as a Gay or disabled person.

"Sexual Orientation" refers to the recognized scientific, civil and humane notion that who one is attracted to is as immutable as skin color.  On the other hand, "Sexual Preference" refers to things like doing it in a public park.  As far as I know, irregardless of Sexual Orientation, that is an illegal activity.  The ordinance does not grant immunity or protection of ANY KIND against any act so deemed AGAINST THE LAW.  The majority of us in the GLBT Community are just as offended as any other citizens by such actions. I firmly believe that if we make that clear, we will calm the fears of the Grandfather who likes to frequent Devou Park with his grandchildren.

Unfortunately, what the ordinance will do nothing about is the personal prejudices the other opposition speaker unabashedly admitted to: "Believe it or not, there are still some people out there, as archaic as it may sound, who still believe that a family consists of a daddy and a mommy and a couple of kids. And anything other than that, they find objectionable".
Michael W. Connett - Covington, Ky

  “Habit 6 – Synergy is about producing a third alternative – not my way, not your way, but a third way that is better than either of us would come up with individually.  It’s the fruit of mutual respect – of understanding and even celebrating one another’s differences in solving problems, seizing opportunities. Synergistic teams and families thrive on individual strengths so that the whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts.  Such relationships and teams renounce defensive adversarialism (1+1=1/2).  They don’t settle on compromise (1+1=1-1/2) or merely cooperation (1+1=2).  They go for creative cooperation (1+1=3 or more).”

APRIL LOVE: A Weekend of tiny ripples of hope...

“Each time a person stands for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” - Robert Francis Kennedy

IN JUST DAYS PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD ARE GOING TO BE MARCHING OR HOLDING EVENTS IN SOLIDARITY FOR WORLDWIDE CIVIL RIGHTS! IT'S NOT TO LATE FOR YOU TO PARTICIPATE AND TAKE ACTION NOW  on April 21, 2012. It is literally right around the corner and before you know it tomorrow is going to be the BIG day. Have you thought about what you are going to do on March day ? This is one day this year that our voices are going to be heard Worldwide !!! NOW is the time to organize !!! Please get to an Event this Weekend and continue to Make A Difference:

"April Love" Weekend: A Trifecta of Equality Events

Our Worldwide Civil Rights March was planned on a Saturday April 21, 2012 to coincide and fall between two other important events, The Day of Silence on Friday April 20, 2012 and Earth Day on Sunday April 22, 2012 making it a trifecta weekend for Love, Peace and Equality. You could plan your event to include all three of these important days.

Whatever happens to be on your Calendar for the Coming Weekend, approach it with the attitude of Solidarity and Recognition that We're ALL In This Together:

Saturday April 21st is The Great American Cleanup! 
Volunteers are asked to meet at Goebel Park on the 21st at 9AM to sign in, and tools and gear will be provided before getting to work. After the cleanup, enjoy pizza, music, awards, raffle, and patting each other on the back at Goebel.

Taking Stock: HOUSING...

You are more

Even the most intense experience is only an experience you are having. It is not you, and you are not it.

You are more than your problems, more than your possessions, more than the pains and pleasures. You are more than the frustrations that sometimes feel so overwhelming.
Too often, out of fear, you cling tightly to things that don't really matter. Imagine the freedom that can come from letting go and stepping back.
What if your most agonizing worries no longer had the power to worry you? What if your most burdensome difficulties no longer had the power to trouble you?
Step back from them, and it is all possible. It's not a matter of running
away, but of putting the world in perspective.
The real person you are, is not defined or limited by the passing circumstances, no matter how intense they may be. Always remember that you are more.  -- Ralph Marston

Important Issues affecting our Northern Kentucky, South Bank, Covington QUALITY of LIFE continue to crowd the Calendar for our American Spring of 2012...

Get Ready for U.S. and Kentucky Fair Housing Month in April. Housing discrimination is against the law. The United Civil Rights Act and the Kentucky Civil Rights Act prohibit discrimination in the area of housing regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, and familial status (families with children under age 18 and includes pregnant women). Property owners, landlords, realtors, media that list real estate for sale or rent, financial lending institutions and the public are obligated to comply with fair housing law.

Michael Connett asked

WHY do we even need a Housing Authority at all!? Is this a HUD requirement? Why can't ALL Residential Rental Housing be Controlled, Licensed, Inspected, Regulated and Enforced by one Single CITY Department? As it is; the only Residential Rental Housing that is Contolled, Licensed, Inspected and Enforced to any degree in the City of Covington is public/subsidized (either through the Sct 8 Voucher Program administered by the City, Project Based/Property Owned Assisted Housing administered by the HAC or Project Based/Privately Owned Housing directly administered by HUD through Ky Housing Corp) Rental Housing. What this means is that ONLY public/subsidized Rental Housing is held to any accountability for Housing Quality Standards. Want to make a ton of cash; buy up a bunch of shacks and rent them to the working poor that can't qualify for HUD Assistance and you avoid inspections, Housing Quality Standards, maintenance and upkeep because the only City Codes to be enforced are the Uniform Residential Landlord Tenant Act of Kentucky Regulations that the City has adopted. If you aren't renting through a public/subsidized HUD program, the City has NO Right to enter or inspect your rental units. They can only send Code Enforcement out to critique your units OUTSIDE Appearance! "Outside show is a poor substitute for inner worth." -Aesop

Steven L Frank replied; Michael that was exactly the thrust of my questioning at the City Commission / Housing Authority meeting. Either the Housing Authority ups its game by actually listening to its customers, the poor, and advises and seeks input if not outright consent for its projects from the taxpayer as represented by the City Commission; the Housing Authority will find that its funding and its existence will not be what it hoped. No projects to manage, no Hosing Authority. The City already runs Section Eight so they will have outlived their usefulness.

Michael Connett; C+V=G: #5 WE Will: Think regionally and consider Shared (Collaborative) services or Partnerships if there is a significant cost/benefit. So think BIGGER following HAC's Lead and Create the South Bank Housing Authority: A Partnership with Ky Housing Corp/HUD Compliance Mgt representing the Housing Administrations throughout the River Cities and Tri-County Jurisdiction. And for good measure; include Office space for the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights: Northern Kentucky Field Office...

Michael Connett; To follow up on the Potential for a significant (IMHO) cost/benefit: I received this feedback after a recent KFTC meeting... "You mentioned at the meeting that some landlords discriminate against section 8 when they post "section 8 need not apply". While that is entirely possible, it could also be that the unit isn't able to pass a HUD inspection for them to accept section 8 or they don't want to deal with the hassle of certification. From what I understand, it's also easier to evict a non-section 8 tenant if you know something's amiss.

Unfortunately, I see just the opposite problem in Newport. Over here, many landlords have a strong bias towards renting section 8 because they don't give a damn about their property or what goes on with it - the money is coming from the federal government, so some landlords never bother to pick up the minimal rent from the tenant. A lot of landlords over here are uneasy about renting a place out to an individual because that guaranteed money isn't flowing then. They'd have to actually meet their tenant.

Things go both ways. Personally, I would rather have the occasional classist/potentially racist landlord than the culture of absentee slumlords I see over here.
I believe the human rights ordinance guarantees against housing discrimination and that's awesome. I think housing protection of any minority group is essential, but I don't think that should extend to requiring landlords to accept section 8.
I didn't get a chance to talk to you about it, but I felt compelled to share the alternate side of the issue..."

Michael Connett replied; I'm not for requiring them either, but I think they should not be able to exclude a whole class of people from at least allowing them to apply & go through the normal process of reference, background, credit checks. If they can't pass the minimal standards for HUD, they can't pass the City's required inspection for a business license. That's where Covington differs. It's the only South Bank-River City that does not require any kind of Housing Quality Standards inspection to do business as a Residential Property Rental business. The absentee landlords thrive over here by taking cash from anyone who has it & is willing to live in the unit regardless of it's condition. That's why HUD/Sct 8 tenants are weeded out -those are the only rental units that are subjected to a HQS inspection... The Residential Rental Property industry are the only businesses that Covington can be said to be "Friendly" to. You can find the HQS requirements and more info on my website. Thanks for the feedback!

Steven L Frank; I haven't even addressed the human costs. Ask benny Doggett and Reverend Richard Richard B. L. Fowler, both ardent Democrats Roger about how the people have been mistreated. I spokr of the dollar and cents issues because that's what most people would grasp. There is a whole other side and dynamic to the injustice going on here.

Michael Connett Thank You Commissioner! As another Ardent Democrat who's been on Early Retirement/Social Security Disability since testing HIV+ & losing my job (due to the Stigma & Discrimination heaped on Americans Living with HIV/AIDS) who has been kept alive and Housed in Assisted-Affordable Housing since 1993 through both Voucher & Site-Based HUD programs, you have learned and understand how our fellow Covingtonians have been mistreated. And not just those who live in Assisted Affordable Housing, but those who struggle unassisted in the Free Fair Market which turns out isn't very Fair at all... This is a NON-PARTISAN QUALITY OF LIFE Issue for anyone who wants to Work, Play or LIVE in The COV!



As an American who's Gay -among many other things, as well as Living on Social Security Disability Benefits since 1993; I've been a Consumer of HUD's Services & Programs and have experienced how it all works whether it's Housing Choice Section 8 Voucher Based administered at City Hall or through other HUD Site-Based Assisted Projects administered by the Housing Authority of Covington....
Commissioner Casper referenced something about 300 Properties owned by the City... There were 39 such properties as part of the Construction/Renovation of Properties Adjacent to The Jacob Price Homes HOPE VI Development RFP... So I wondered if there was a Census of Residential Housing for Covington by Owned and Renter status, where the tally came to 20,053 Housing Units with 8,608 Rentals.
Jeff Murden As for Section 8... private landlords. The city controls that program and that money. The city (commission) can decide how and when to do inspections. The commission decides what, when, where and how that money will be spent. If it's all fucked up they are to blame (and they have had lots of heat over it). If you turn it over to HAC the directly elected officials will have as much say so as they have over the projects (one vote). This is not a wise move. The HAC would love to get this money and control of this program. In short order, private landlords will be the least of our concerns because they will muscle their way in and monopolize that program just as they have with project based programs. They can decide amongst themselves to put private investors out all together... not a good thing in the big picture.

PROPOSAL -Originally authored April 1997
Authors note: While the focus of this proposal is aimed at and speaks to conditions in Covingtons residential rental property market; it is equally relevant to all cities, as well as agencies concer...ned, with residential rental property. For this reason, it is being widely distributed for your thoughtful consideration.
In the wake of the hoopla of the recent Covington Housing Fair - where the city attempted to put its best foot forward in an effort to convince people that it's a great place to live - it is imperative that I bring to light a major obstacle to an aspect of this effort that currently exists.

As I understand it; from the city's Housing Development Department, not only was the focus on home ownership but also on increasing the occupancy of the numerous residential rental units in the city. In Covington - as in most cities, renting residential property is a Business which requires a license. Unfortunately, all too often it is a business in which "the customer" is treated with little respect, much indifference and is seldom, if ever, right. This is especially true amongst low-income and uneducated tenants and the slum lords that prey on them. From my own recent experience with one of the city's slum lords, I learned that for tenants there is virtually no protection, warning, regulation or discipline against the unfair actions of such deceitful persons.

In the late 80's; a coalition of agencies which included the Legal Aid Society among others and was known as the Ky. Housing Coalition, established the Uniform Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (URLTA) which was adopted by Covington and many other No. Ky. Cities. While that was a commendable attempt to end years of confusion and give both landlords and tenants equal standing in the eyes of the law; it would seem that once the act was established, adopted and a handbook published, the effort died and withered away. People - especially tenants - are not being made aware that these rights and the accompanying handbook exist. The slumlords know this and use this lack of awareness against their tenants to their own greedy advantage. As that particular handbook states: "... The law only works for people who understand how to use it. Tenants and landlords have to know enough to make sure (and, when needed, demand) that their rights are respected."

But before people can understand the law and how to use it, they must be made aware that it exists. The current promotion of URLTA and the availability Of, as well as access to, its handbook is severely lacking and needs to be improved significantly. As an example: I know that in the Housing Department office, these handbooks are stacked on a shelf under the counter out of sight rather than being on the counter in an accessible display rack. Every residential renter needs to be made aware of URLTA's existence and be provided broad access to FREE copies of its handbook. Likewise; in addition to being required to have a license, every landlord should be required to have read and understand the URLTA handbook.

There are other weaknesses of URLTA that need to be addressed. If a conscientious landlord operates in a professional manner and takes the time and care to check references, he can usually avoid the tenants from hell. Tenants don't have the same ability to weed out the slumlords. There needs to be a way to compile an accessible, public history of housing code violations, complaints and court actions against landlords that prospective tenants can check before they sign a lease. A 'Better Business Bureau' for the residential rental property industry, if you will. There also needs to be a stronger solution to Security Deposit disputes. Currently, if a landlord tries to unfairly withhold a security deposit, the tenants only recourse is to sacrifice more of their hard earned money and file in small claims court. To make matters worse, Legal Aid won't even discuss or help with deposit disputes farther than telling you to go to small claims. Once a tenant receives a favorable judgment for the refund of their security deposit, they are left on their own to try and get the money. Should a slumlord try to ignore or drag out the payment of the judgment, there needs to be a way to help force payment as well as punish his actions.

In an attempt to address these issues I would like to put forth the following proposal for your consideration. Please bear in mind that I am neither a politician or lawyer and this is a basic rough idea written in plain English.

http://www.mwcltonline.org/slumlords.html 

 

Easter Greetings!

The Michael W Connett LIVING Trust

"I used to be afraid of dying, I'm not anymore.

I'm more afraid of what happens to the people who live..." 

from "And The Band Played  On

"Correct Principles are LIGHTHOUSES...
They will not move, They are not odds, You cannot break them, We can only Break Ourselves against them....These are self-evident principles, perhaps not yet habits. We already know them, but what is Common Sense is not Common Practice." The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

"On Coming Home"


"Home is not a place; it is an attitude. It is an attitude which depends on how much we are able to feel at home with ourselves as well as with others. Home is something which happens to a person; homecoming has less to do with geography than it has to do with a sense of personal integrity or inner wholeness.
The most important of all endeavors in life is to come home. The most terrifying of fears is loneliness. It means that one has become a stranger to himself, and consequently, to others. To be lonely is to feel fear, to be forever unsettled, never at rest, in need of more reassurance than life can give.
Someone truly loves us when he brings us home; when he makes us comfortable with ourselves, when he takes from us the strangeness we feel at being who we are. We are loved when we no longer are frightened with ourselves."
"Dawn Without Darkness" - Anthony Padavano

The Mission of the Michael W. Connett LIVING Trust is

"To use the rest of my life the best I can so that the people and places through which my journey leads me will remain a little bit better for me having passed their way..."

Caring for the “Quality of Life” issues of the infected & affected who are now living longer and preventing further infections, as seen thru the eyes of a long term survivor…
The purpose for which The South Bank HIVe is therefore organized is the CommUNITY-Based Funding, Advocacy and Provision of HIVe/Aids Prevention, Education and Social Support Services.  Come OUT, Stand Up! – The AESOP Initiative

• Awareness & Advocacy:

• Education & Empowerment:

• Support:

• OutReach:

• Prevention - Pride & Purpose

"Outside show is a poor substitute

for inner worth." -Aesop

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You are more

Even the most intense experience is only an experience you are having.  It is not you, and you are not it.

You are more than your problems, more than your possessions, more than the pains and pleasures.  You are more than the frustrations that sometimes feel so overwhelming.

Too often, out of fear, you cling tightly to things that don't really matter. Imagine the freedom that can come from letting go and stepping back.

What if your most agonizing worries no longer had the power to worry you?  What if your most burdensome difficulties no longer had the power to trouble you?

Step back from them, and it is all possible.  It's not a matter of running
away, but of putting the world in perspective.

The real person you are, is not defined or limited by the passing circumstances, no matter how intense they may be. Always remember that you are more.

-- Ralph Marston

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Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General's Office Joins Children's Advocacy Centers

Kick-Off OUR National Child Abuse Awareness Month of APRIL...

The Office of Attorney General Jack Conway and the Kentucky Association of Children's Advocacy Centers (KACAC) kicked-off National Child Abuse Awareness Month with a celebration of hope and healing at the Capitol today. More than 5,000 pinwheels lined the front lawn to honor the victims served by the state's 15 regional Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs) in 2011. Pinwheels are used as the symbol for child abuse prevention. "Each pinwheel signifies a child that has suffered as a result of this heinous crime," said Deputy Attorney General Patrick Hughes. "The Attorney General's Office is committed to working hand-in-hand with Children's Advocacy Centers, social workers, prosecutors and law enforcement to protect Kentucky kids from abuse."

The South Bank

PRIDE Coalition

Working to create A Synergistic South Bank CommUNITY where “ WE seek and value opinions, viewpoints and perspectives from others to create solutions that are better than those that would have been created on our own”  

True patriotism hates injustice in its own land more than anywhere else.
-  Clarence Darrow

 "The South Bank" refers to the Cities on the Ohio River across from Cincinnati. But the South Bank of Northern Kentucky is much more and includes the Communities and Neighborhoods encompassed by Boone, Kenton and Campbell Counties

Pause 4 Peace

Although Pause 4 Peace is an annual international event held every April 7 at 12:00 noon, It's a simple notion that everyone, everywhere could do daily...  It's easy, simple and requires no money.  Pause 4 Peace was designed to be something everyone could do, no matter where they live.  Wherever in the world you happen to be, pause for one minute to think or meditate or pray about making world peace a reality. 

"This is the role of the peacemaker...

and it is the soul of this nation..."

"The only thing necessary

for the triumph of evil is

for good men to do nothing" 

We have the power to make our world better for all people.  Pause 4 Peace is just one step to take in that direction. If intelligent, compassionate people work together there is nothing we cannot accomplish! We must set aside our differences and look at the entire world, not just our own backyard. Whether it is Pause 4 Peace, volunteering at a homeless shelter or just opening a door for someone, everyone has the power to make our world a better place. Despite different cultures, religions, philosophies and political systems we are all, each and every person on the planet far more alike than dissimilar.

The South Bank HIVe On-Line CommUNITY Based HIV/AIDS, Social Service and Survivor's Support Network “He who conceals his disease cannot expect to be cured”  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  2004 South Bank Steel Magnolia Recipients According to founder and creator of the award,  Michael W. Connett, “My goal was to use the bright flame of Fairness & Diversity that was burning upon the unanimous passage of Covington's new & improved Human Rights Ordinanceand at that time, in honor of the occasion, the "South Bank Steel Magnolia" Award was created. It was inspired by both the Movie and the tree that still grows in the front yard of my boyhood home in Dayton! It is my Honor to recognize the following for their contributions and commitment to  bettering the “Quality of Life” for our South Bank CommUNITY: ·        Ms. Pamela Mullins, Former City Commissioner & one of the architects of the Ordinance. Also a Governing Council member of AVNK ·        Emad & Tonya Ajwa of T & M Deli and T & M II for the advancement of Fairness… ·        Bar HumBug – Bart & Staff, for understanding and caring that “We’re all in this together…” and welcoming us with arms wide open… ·        Matthew Ashcraft  - As someone who has "Been there, Done that - Dayton, Ky. circa late 80's" WE support this extraordinarily BRAVE young man.... ·        GetOneFree.com, Bob & Donna Berendsen – Childhood friends who always made me comfortable and took away the strangeness I often felt at being me… ·        The No. Ky Health Dept. HIV/AIDS Care Coordinator Department –Simply because I love y’all and I couldn’t have made it this far without your arms to fall safely back on… ·        The Girls @ “Patty’s Blankets”/My Mom…

The MWCLT/SouthBankHIVe 10th Anniversary

2010 South Bank Steel Magnolia Awards:

Mykey & The Gang @ 701 Bar

GLSEN Cinti

Nada Rice - AVNK Dinner Coordinator

The I.N.D.Y. Project

Lane Chapel CME

Timothy Liedel Designs

CALENDAR: APRIL; Save The Dates...

In The Beacon's Beam...

If liberty means anything at all,
it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.
George Orwell

"If YOU Build IT, THEY will come..."

The Journey Begins

“On Coming Home”

“Home is not a place; it is an attitude. It is an attitude which depends on how much we are able to feel at home with ourselves as well as with others. Home is something which happens to a person; homecoming has less to do with geography than it has to do with a sense of personal integrity or inner wholeness.

The most important of all endeavors in life is to come home. The most terrifying of fears is loneliness. It means that one has become a stranger to himself, and consequently, to others. To be lonely is to feel fear, to be forever unsettled, never at rest, in need of more reassurance than life can give.

Someone truly loves us when he brings us home; when he makes us comfortable with ourselves, when he takes from us the strangeness we feel at being who we are. We are loved when we no longer are frightened with ourselves.”

“Dawn Without Darkness” - Anthony Padavano

Blessings Spring @ Easter 2012!

Paging back 10 YEARS AGO:

Please do, Spring!  And if you absolutely have to have something, see something, meet with colleagues,... and your only option is Cincinnati-ya gotta do what ya gotta do!  After all, the majority of the HIV/AIDS Expertise in this area is clustered at University Hospital.  I suggest that you Buycott Support of the Arts, and then support the Boycott while you're here and: www.staynky.com !!!Come enjoy the many riverfront activities here on The South Bank...  Like to catch a nice dinner on your way down the road?  May I suggest... on The South Bank:

Pg Created 03/22/2002.  "Copyright(c): MWCLT"

The Comfort of the HIVe...  03/22/2002

...not only because of the physical limitations it imposes, but because the prejudice surrounding HIV/AIDS exacts a social death which precedes the actual physical one."

Greetings!

Still as true today as it was when first quoted in the movie "Philadelphia", the breadth of that social death, like the disease, has broadened into every segment of society.  While the gay community, already well-versed in being regarded with disdain, rallied quickly to thumb their noses at and ward off that social shadow of death by organizing support systems and programs that would become the models  that are imitated yet today,  I now see a need to re-focus, energize and re-establish these social supports to be of greater value to the wider audience they now command.  It often wrenchingly occurs to me that there are those among us who live in an HIV-closet because they are married/divorced, not Gay, not Male, not Adult or  even not totally straight. 

Through my membership in several internet groups focused on living with HIV , I've gotten a lot of support, comfort and ideas.  I'm wondering if such a group would be of service here, in the Tri-State?  At the very least, it would help keep "what they don't want to hear(about)" out of the NEGATIVEs group discussions.  One of the other ideas  I'm strongly drawn to are POZ Parties and I wonder if a monthly "Evening/Afternoon at the HIVe"  is something that could be done successfully here as well?  Imagine a bee-line for an Afternoon HIVe at Coney Island, Devou Park or Sunrock Farm?!?

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Over the years, I've encountered several gay priests and religious and had no problems with their sexuality and choice of vocation.  The thing that gave me pause, however, was the amount of "action" some of them seemed to be getting.  It will be interesting to see if and how Mother church will now confront the issue of  the unexpectedly and rather high incidence of HIV/AIDS amongst her CELIBATE? ranks?   I can't wait to hear Dennis Jansons ' 2 cents worth on that!  If you missed it, he was "Right ON" in regard to the Arch Bishops current dilemma...  (I'll bet Bishop Muench is glad to be in New Orleans!)...

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The Boycott from here... 03/21/2002.

Greetings!

Todays news of an imminent end to the boycott in the aftermath of a highly probable settlement in the racial profiling case certainly has tongues a waggin' and cerebral gears a grindin'...  Although not to be taken as "Much ado 'bout nothin'", I passed it off as more "Wishful/Hopeful Thinkin'" by the anti-boycott forces.  But then I stopped to consider what could happen...

I like to think that I am not so extraordinary that I am going to have a life experience that no one after me will also experience.  That was the basis of "The AIDS Benefits Handbook" which was my bible as I began the journey 10 years ago.  Unfortunately there was no similar Guidebook for Coming Out back in the early 70's.  My calling is to education and my talent is to write.  I've lived in this area, on both sides of the river, all my life...  And I wondered; Will the coalition fall apart???  Who will be the first to fold???  If CincinNASTY winds up with and settles for just enough of the pie to satisfy her current appetite, how much longer will it take for her to regret waiting for the whole one???  What more can be done???

Here's my 2cent view from The South Bank:

Monday April 2nd: City of Covington HUMAN RIGHTS Commission regularly Monthly Meeting in the 4th Floor Conference Room at Covington City Hall.

About the Covington Human Rights CommissionThe Human Rights Commission was established to foster mutual respect and understanding and to create an atmosphere conducive to the promotion of amicable relations among all members of the city's community.

The Human Rights Commission is guided by O-20-03 (click here to view the Covington City Ordinance). The Commission is made up of nine members who are appointed by the Board of Commissioners for terms of three years. The membership shall reflect the various social, economic, ethnic, racial and religious segments of the City.

Current Members	Appointing Resolution	Expiration of Term
Charles Fann	O/R-151-11	07/13/14
Linda Cobbs-Banks	O/R-150-11	05/21/14
Don Smith	O/R-239-10	11/10/13
Maher Sarieh	O/R-152-11	07/29/14
Pamela Mullins	O/R-241-10	11/10/13
Marie Braun	O/R-14-10	01/21/13
Edgar Moralesjude	O/R-14-10	01/21/13
Julie Hopkins	O/R-14-10	01/21/13
Michael Monks	O/R-66-11	5/15/12

Click here to view the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights website

"When the drumbeat changes

The DANCE Changes"

The Millennium Odyssey...

A National Awareness Revival & Crusade Against HIV/AIDS STIGMA & DISCRIMINATION!!

In Loving Memory of Matthew Shepard, Ryan
White, Michael Dorobek, Arthur Ashe, Bobbi Campbell, "Bambi"...: and all those who have gone before us and their time..., especially Those UNACKNOWLEDGED AIDS Victims...

South Bank HIVe CommUNITY-Based Network