Monday, May 11, 2009

Update on the 24-7 Program


Ain't this grand? This is a bunch of substance abusers with long records pulling up to my door. I should post the picture of two 3-year olds who were almost hit on their tricycles by these fools. Dakota Middle school with a population of 650 kids is 3 blocks away. The Rapid City Library, biggest library on this side of the state and host to many children's programs, is 3 blocks away.
However, the Sheriff in his infinite wisdom, or selfish bravado, doesn't give a crap about this neighborhood or any of Rapid City. After a tireless never ending series of meetings with (the county comissioners, city council, the press and the infamous jerk himself, the Sheriff vs. ME), the city planning commission, against the head planner's advice and the city council, railroaded the drug rehab program twenty feet from my door. This was taken literally from my front doorstep. Nice huh? As you can tell, this is a neighborhood, and they jammed it in going against city coding and the city zoning. 700 people parade into my tiny neighborhood, twice a day, every single day of the week, for drug tests held without any jail cell or deputy to guard either the public or the participants, every day of my life.
I've been on the news interviewed almost a dozen times with my full name, the radio and extensive interviews with the newspaper. For the most part, I've done it all by myself though I've had a few quiet supporters. I've been in front of the media, done all the interviews, created the "Rapid City Neighborhood Coalition," did 99% of the petitioning and went to EVERY single city/county meeting. I've made some enemies. But I've made some allies, too. And it's not over yet. No, no. It's going to be more like a 1-3 year battle. Isn't this nifty? The coolest part is I'm doing watchdog work of a politician, yet I'm not getting paid. That's what sucks. Many people told me I should run for office. Tempting. But I'm a Maverick, and I mean a REAL one. I would make people angry because I expect people to do their research and show objectivity. And they don't. And I call people on that.
It's funny. When it's love, I'm a pushover. When it's my job, a pushover. But when it's anything that comes to politics, and I'm a warrior.

I'm an Art Collector


OK. It's been way too long since I've posted. If you read some of my last posts (Scott, the 24-7 Program) you can see why. So today's post is fun. Light hearted Trivial. It seems out of nowhere, a watercolor I bought, somehow has inspired me to go online and research. Bear in mind I bought it 25 years ago from an old lady in a tiny thrift store back in Illinois. I've done research and apparently it looks possible that it's a Mary Van Der Veer, who studied with Whistler as in "Whistler's Mother."


Here it is. Wish me luck. I wrote the curator of the biggest collection of Mary's work in NY.