Our Neighbors On The Streets: A Social Justice Perspective

"Homeless in Santa Barbara" is an outstanding community Resource for the community of Santa barbara combining cutting-edge news about locals issues regarding our neighbors on the streets in both the north and south of Santa Barbara County, obituaries, a listing of homeless social services, a history of homelessness in Santa Barbara County, Editorials and opinion pieces concerning social justice concerns about our neighbors on the streets and LOTS of first-hand stories written by and for those on the streets themselves. I have been very proud to have been published several times in "Homeless in Santa Barbara"--news stories, opinion pieces and more social justice oriented essays. The Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Homeless-in-Santa-Barbara in Isabelle Walker, a Top-Notch Journalist who was trained at the University of Southern California and honed her skills for years at the Santa Barbara Independent.  Not only is she charming, talented and caring,  ...

In this article in the Montreal Gazette, Henry Aubin argues that to expect the homeless to pay fines for tickets is foolish and inhumane.  Based on a Canadian study  by celine Bellot and marie-Eve Sylvestre, Aubin states that tickets burden the despite with fines that they can never pay, and that a quarter of all ticket in this study went to the homeless. to read more follow the link below: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Henry+Aubin+Ticketing+homeless+stupid+practice/6207299/story.html

RECENT SOCIAL JUSTICE WRITINGS by Wayne Martin Mellinger, Ph.D. 1.      “The Revolving Door”(on Dually Diagnosed Homeless People) published in Isabelle Walker’s blog “Homeless in Santa Barbara April 2, 2011 2.      “A History of the Homeless Foot Washing Event” published in Isabelle Walker’s Blog “Homeless in Santa Barbara April 24, 2011 3.      “Why Serve the Poor,” published in Isabelle Walker’s blog “Homeless in Santa Barbara’ on May 20, 2011, and as 4.      “Serving the Poor Heeds the Call of a Higher Power “Noozhawk June 7, 2011 5.      “Bummed Out by Hatred: Writer’s Us-vs. -Them Logic Against Santa Barbara’s Homeless An Exercise in Dehumanization”. Noozhawk November 29, 2011 6.      “Praxis: A Spiritual Process That Can Save Our World” Published in Isabelle Walker’s blog “Homeless in Santa Barbara December 1, 2011, and in 7.     ...

 LIVING IN THE COMPANY OF STRANGERS: PARKER PALMER AND THE HEART OF DEMOCRACY by Wayne Martin Mellinger, Ph.D. May we no longer step blindly past the stranger who huddles in the cold outside the door! May I no longer pretend not to see the woman with massively disheveled hair crawling out of her wheelchair to sleep in a door well. Let no one continue to walk past the elderly Latino man riddled with dazed confusion begging for food in front of grocery store, because they are in such a hurry to grab their lunch. To live in the city is to live in the presence of strangers. For those of us living in cities, passing strangers on busy streets is unremarkable. We rush to our next appointments, preoccupied with our own thoughts, navigating through crowded sidewalks. On “autopilot,” we don't even think about our many brief encounters with unknown others in public spaces. This past week, I had the opportunity to hear Parker J. Palmer, a fellow sociologist and ...