New News

This week’s issue brings new content that focuses on communities that deserve a voice, but are seldom highlighted in mainstream media sources. Check out the new columns: “Femolution,” on women’s issues; “The Gay Agenda,” giving us the queer view; and “Band-Aide,” helping our readers learn about new music talent in the F-M area.

In keeping with this theme, let’s talk about the recent temporary closing of the Wesley Center. The Wesley Center, far from being just a “drop-in center”, provides a variety of crisis services and holistic healing through the Native American Christian Ministry. Although the Center allows people of all backgrounds to use their services, it has long been a safe haven uplifting the Native American community. The news of the closing has come as a shock. There have been many who question where will the people who relied on the services go? 

Lack of funding, which has hit hard during this recession, caused a reduction in staff hours at first, and problems in enforcement of the center’s regulations later. Our cold Fargo weather, especially this time of year, makes the need for adequate shelter even more pressing.

The Wesley Center, temporary as their closing may be, is grappling with the weighty concern of providing adequate services with limited resources—to be sure. But the community concern about the closing of the Wesley Center is only the tip of the proverbial “iceberg” that we as a community should discuss. Homelessness and how we view our homelessness is a better topic of conversation.

What do we think of when we think of a homeless person? If one looks at the editorial pages of our papers, the blogosphere, and the news, we tend to see the homeless’ needs. They need shelter. They need clothes, food, and housing. They need medical assistance and crisis services. This is especially true for the chronically homeless. This position of “need” is one that immediately places “people” in the position of being “problems.”

We no longer notice the veteran who has post traumatic stress disorder and cannot keep a job. We overlook the women who are battered, sexually assaulted, and unsheltered, many times with their children in tow. We fail to see the mentally ill. We turn a blind eye to the complicated and jaundiced issues of substance abuse in our society.

We notice the signs on corners asking “any help appreciated” or “will wrestle your mother-in-law for cash” (This is a real sign, by the way), but we fail to see the person standing behind the sign. It is easy to think, when we put our change into the red kettle at holiday time, that we’ve done our level best to address the larger issues. The truth is, we are frequently all too wrapped up in the throes of our own lives to notice. Until…

Until someone freezes to death. Until someone dies of hunger. Until someone is killed.

Then, we notice.

As promised, we at the HPR will be asking these hard questions and focusing on issues that affect us all. This is but one.

February Birthdays

Happy February birthdays to the following folks: Carol “Marty” Martinson, Josh Richter, Dennis Reidhammer, Kelly Vesel, Sister Di Dolce, John Lamb, Wayne Stenehjem, Terry A. Barta, Justin McKenzie, Merry Helm, Erin Sparks, Mike Dunn, Scott Hegel, Dave Engebretson, Wade Myszka, Erin Sparks, Whitney Retzer, David Paul Brooks, Dan Waffle, Gene Shannon, Serena Schwartz, Sue Matcha, Alicia Nelson, Scott Vanderhagen, Patti French, Jim Singer, Dan Mahli, Laura Carley, Paul Johnson, and Lee Swanson.

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