In the News: SF Examiner

Increase in homelessness upsets Duboce merchants

By: Andrea Koskey | 01/30/13 7:51 PM

Mike Koozmin/The S.F. Examiner

Homeless people might be heading to the Duboce Triangle area after being pushed out of nearby gathering spaces in the Castro, according to one outreach specialist. 

 

 

Merchants in the Duboce Triangle neighborhood are concerned about what they say is an increase of homeless people in the area — enough to call for a meeting with police and elected officials.

Business owners say they worry that violence and theft are increasing in the area, too, due to the presence of people on the streets who are mentally ill or have substance-abuse problems.

“We’ve been scratching our heads trying to figure it out,” said Dennis Richards, president of the Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association. “There is additional activity at 14th, Market and Belcher. The question is what’s going on and why now? I wish I had the answers, then maybe we’d be able to curb the problems.”
Richards said the neighborhood association has held meetings with police and city leaders, but if a homeless person denies services, there’s not much that can be done. Since some business owners are not pleased with the progress, they are hosting a community meeting today and have invited police and elected officials, according to the Community Leadership Alliance, which will help host the meeting.

Diego Azevedo, owner of Cybelle’s Pizza on 14th Street at Church Street, said he was in court Jan. 23 dealing with a person who had stolen a prepared salad from the store.

“He was under the influence of something,” he said. “The same guy was doing it to other businesses too.”
Azevedo said he’s had his business in the area since 2007, but the increase in homeless people was noticeable after returning from a few months of vacation in November. 

“They’ve always been around, but there has definitely been more,” he said.  The owner of Golden Produce on Church Street said the population comes and goes.

One possible cause for the increase is the removal of benches in the nearby Castro district, said Megan Rohrer, executive director of Welcome Ministry, a faith-based homeless outreach organization. The ministry is partnering with St. Francis Lutheran Church, located on Church Street, to do outreach and offer services.
Rohrer said gathering places such as staircases in the Duboce neighborhood are a draw for the crowds.

“As The City concentrates on removing them from one area, it’s normal to see them migrate to another,” she said.

Richards said the empty storefronts, such as the one at the former sight of Home restaurant where Church, Market and 14th streets intersect, could be a contributing factor.
“Without the extra eyes on the street, they’re hanging out and congregating,” he said.

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In the News: Bay Area Reporter

Confabs to spotlight trans leaders

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Published 10/25/2012

compiled by Cynthia Laird

Two upcoming conferences in Berkeley are focused on transgender issues; one deals with religious leaders while the other looks at leadership in general.

First up is the Transgender Religious Leaders Summit, taking place November 1-3 at the Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Avenue. The conference is co-sponsored by PSR, the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry, and several seminary schools. Organizers noted that faith communities must be educated and inspired to embrace the inclusion and affirmation of transgender, queer, intersex, transsexual, and gender non-conforming members.

The summit begins with a welcome from Bernie Schlager, CLGS executive director, on Thursday, November 1 at 6 p.m. A catered dinner will then be held, followed by an evening worship service. The conference continues on Friday and Saturday with a variety of sessions, including workshops on religious movements and trans liturgy, the transgender Christ, and gender fluidity. Friday's keynote speaker is the Reverend Megan Rohrer, who will talk about faith leaders acting as bridges to communicate life-changing thoughts and actions.

There are also several partner events, including gatherings of gender non-conforming Jews and Muslims.
New Spirit Community church, which holds its services in the PSR chapel, will have a special transgender service Sunday, November 4 with Jakob Hero preaching. He is a former New Spirit intern and PSR graduate. The service begins at 11 a.m.

Full registration is $95, with a student rate of $60. One-day passes are also available for $55. For a complete schedule and more information, visit http://www.clgs.org/events/2012TransSummit.

One week later, November 9-11, the Transgender Law Center will hold its annual Transgender Leadership Summit on the UC Berkeley campus. The conference begins with welcoming remarks by TLC Executive Director Masen Davis Friday at 7 p.m.

The summit continues Saturday with a morning plenary and workshops, followed by an evening plenary session and celebration. More workshops are scheduled for Sunday morning ahead of closing remarks.
This will be TLC's seventh annual leadership conference and this year it will feature programs from members of the Transgender Advocacy Network, a national network of advocacy and educational organizations. Organizers said that a range of topics will be addressed, including legal issues, health care advocacy, and organizational development.

Registration is $50; limited income is $25. For more information, visit www.transgenderlawcenter.org.

New Living Lutheran Post: The Effect of Many Hands

I’ve eaten with close to a half a million people and, regardless of who they are or how often they eat with me, they all receive the same welcome.

Jordan was doing God’s work with his hands even when he was sitting on the other side of the feeding line. But after finding housing and becomihttp://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3873812505020383744#editor/target=post;postID=3959331453062178011ng the council president of St. Paulus Lutheran Church in San Francisco, Jordan revived the churches meal program for homeless individuals who are HIV positive, led efforts to partner with Project Homeless Connect to provide free prescription eye glasses for individuals in need and has transitioned from a regular guest at dinner to a meal host and a member of my board of directors.

I’m not telling you Jordan’s story to suggest that he is better than anyone else I’ve fed over the years. I’m telling you so that you’ll know that the work we do with our hands sometimes makes it possible for others to do God’s work with their hands.

Read the rest on Living Lutheran.

Questions With Grandma: Grandma Helps Graham Remember His Baptism

In the News: Rochester Post Bulletin

Don't vote against my family

Posted: Sep 13, 2012, 10:07 am

As an ELCA Lutheran pastor who presides at weddings, I know that God shows up even when family members protest, the dress doesn’t quite fit or popular opinion is against the couple.

While my covenanted relationship is not recognized by the state as a “marriage,” I believe with all my heart that God’s love for me and my family is equal in every way to God’s love for those who will vote in November to make sure my family has fewer rights.

While I respect all faiths and the faith-led actions of others who disagree with me, in the sleepless nights following my son’s birth last week I was reminded that this inequality in the law hurts my family. Since my registered domestic partner gave birth to our son, I must wait another six months before I can apply for a second-parent adoption and gain the legal parental recognition I would get automatically if our relationship was called a “marriage.”

Every parent has “what-if” thoughts that haunt them as often as a newborn baby squeaks; I pray yours never come up for vote.

Pastor Megan Rohrer
Rochester 

See original post here. 

New Living Lutheran Post: The Joy and Terror of the Cross

Sept. 14 is the day we foolishly celebrate a device of terror. Yes, it’s Holy Cross Day.

Before we celebrate, I’ll confess that I didn’t know this day existed before I was asked to write about it. If Jesus would have told me along with Peter about needing to suffer on the cross to save all of humanity, I would have told him that it’s a great metaphor, but there are plenty of better ways to spend his time (i.e., healing the sick, feeding the poor, ending war, teaching us how to be less discriminatory and really love all our neighbors, etc.).

Read the rest at Living Lutheran.