Will in Arvin in October pt 2

CSTONE NOTES

Will MacAdams

10/23/11

Housing Ideas

I saw Supervisor Goh at the football game, and she suggested that we think about Grimmway Academy as a Plan B for housing.  It’s a brand-new, million dollar charter school a few blocks from the high school.   I met the Principal, Jose Salas, at the Crab Dinner, and he just came from spending 8 years running a charter school in Pacoima.  I told him about Cornerstone’s work in Pacoima and gave him the flyer.  I did not mention the need for housing.  More info at:

I also spoke to Assemblywoman Shannon Grove, through an introduction of Supervisor Goh.  She is close with Barbara Grimm-Marshall, the founder and funder of the school. 

As a side note, I should add that Grimmway Farms (which is where the money for the school comes from) is a huge, international  farm and the area’s largest employer – and many of the stories I am hearing are about the struggles of workers (in both the Dust Bowl and now) and also how large farms like Grimmway have made small farmers disappear.  If we go that route, I would need your guidance about how I can make sure that I keep staying true to the voices I am hearing, even if they are in conflict with the interests of a large farm such as Grimmway.

A bit less realistic, but since it came up. The Property Manager at Weedpatch, mentioned that unlike in the past, the housing there is not full even during the height of the season.  I did see the inside of the units, and they’re actually quite nice.   I don’t know how  many units are vacant, and what size (I believe that they have 2 and 3 bedroom units) but just to know.

Translator

My Spanish is proficient (at best), but not enough to catch the subtleties of an interview.  Gabriel and Danny are both wonderful (Gabriel conducted an amazing interview at Weedpatch, and Danny has a natural sense of openness that encourages stories) but both of their time is limited.  I am going to reach out to Luz Peña, who works with the Boys and Girls Club to conduct oral histories, and who has video equipment to do so, to see if they would like to be a partner on the interview process – could be a great way to build local capacity and make the interviews part of a local archive – but that is just a possibility.  Amerika Niño at the Boys and Girls Club of Kern County – the adult coordinator of the program - met Ashley and was so excited that we followed up by attending the meeting, and really likes what we’re up to).  There is also a great local translator I met (he did simultaneously translation for the BuildingHealthy Communities South Kern public meeting) but that is his profession.  I would love to brainstorm about this as it is the biggest challenge of the work so far.

Economic Impact

I have been  thinking a lot about the levels of unemployment in the area, and the level of poverty generally, and had some questions about our economic  impact.  I think some of this may be crossing a line in terms of my role, but it’s something I feel very passionate about so wanted to do so.  It’s also in the context of my awareness that our deepest impact will not be economic, but in the legacy of community we help foster.

·       Is it possible for us to provide a stipend to the community actors in the show?  Even a modest amount would go a long way in terms of supporting basic needs of community folks, which are enormous.   It would create different challenges, of course (i.e., people auditioning just for the money) but I think it’s something to discuss.

·       Can we keep track of the money we spend in the area between now and the show? I am keeping my receipts, and I wonder if we can ask everyone involved with the show (voluntarily, and anonymously) to share how much they spent on food, gas, etc.  I would even include that in the survey for audience members – again, anonymously.   I think the dollar amount we will directly put into the local economy over the next 9 months will be significant – and being able to define that specifically would help leverage the support of future communities.

Gangs

I heard a number of contradictory thing about Arvin gangs.  There is an understated quality of them that I found surprising and I think worth talking about.