Due to Oakland's fiscal crisis, a lot of programs and services are falling by the wayside. Tonight the City Council is having a budget hearing to figure out what is going to get the axe and it won't be pretty. (If you want to delve into the particulars of the budget crisis you should check out Vsmoothe's great coverage at A Better Oakland). At this point we can voice our opinions as to what should or shouldn't be cut, but certain things are inevitably a rap.Among those things are park maintenance and city beautification. Some may laugh at the notion that those ever existed, but look at it this way- it's going to get worse. This leaves two ways in which we can respond. 1. Become cynical and let the city go to shit or 2. Get proactive and community minded. The latter is what the neighbors in North Oakland's Grove/Shafter neighborhood recently did. Yes the camera man may be a bit squarish, but what he documented is a great example of what all of our communities should be doing during these difficult times.
Should the city provide basic services? Yes. But as long as they aren't we still have neighborhoods to maintain and beautify. The "broken windows theory" of crime contends that neighborhoods with more broken windows, vagrants, grafitti, trash and burnt out cars will attract more serious crime because it looks to criminals like residents don't care about their neighborhood. I am not a complete disciple of this school of thought, but I think there is some truth there.
It thereby follows that neighborhoods that are better kept attract less crime, but there is another level of security enabled by the "guerilla greening" approach. Not only does the neighborhood look nice, but communnity members are out on their block working together and getting to know each other in the process. Too often those of us in "questionable" neighborhoods hide behind lock and key, but that only leaves the block more available to others. Think about it.
Okay, now go be about it.
Previously: For Oakland: Guerilla Gardening & Fatherhood
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5 comments:
Luke, bravo for putting this out there. I drove up 40th just today and saw the handy work of the neighborhood green thumbs. It was funny because I stared at it for a while, while waiting for the green light at 40th and West, because it didn't look like the classic government effort of bright flowers that require lots of water and die quickly. There were succulents and native plants, and although it was rather raggamuffin in it's unfinished appearance, so goes a work in progress.
HOW DO I GET INVOLVED????
Luke thanks for keeping the Oakland stories out there and us citizens thinking about what we must do to be stewards of our city and neighborhoods. Another great example is coming up next Thursday June 25th from 4 -6pm when St. Mary's Center unveils a corner of West Oakland that has been transformed. The beautiful courtyard and organic vegetable garden mirror the approach taken inside this nonprofit, as well. Serving the distinct needs of homeless and extremely low-income seniors (Oakland has more seniors living in poverty than any other urban area in the state - Census Report) and a Preschool for 3 - 5 year olds, St. Mary's takes a holistic approach to complex issues. An art show, tours of the Center, tai chi, a violin duet and more will make this a happening well suited for Oakland. All welcome - 925 Brockhurst Street - RSVP avaughan@stmaryscenter.org
Thanks for sharing our efforts with a larger audience.
~ Kevin 'the sqarish cameraman' Dwyer
LOL. My apologies Kevin. Thank you so much for your efforts though. I really hope this picks up!
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