Letter in regards to Sacramento Steps Forward Initiative article:

With all my heart I wanted to read the article and only see the good. With all my heart I wanted to not write anything negative towards such a positive step for this city. But in all honesty the article raised deep concerns and to avoid writing a long post I'm writing my concerns here. Is this a Step forward? When will a community begin to Take Steps Towards Healing??? I feel as though sometimes we takes steps and then we step on a treadmill and no longer move forward.

I've addressed youth violence for many years. I've seen many "steps forward" which ended in people walking in reverse or walking on a treadmill. I've watched the recognition, funding, employment positions go to everyone but those affected and or exposed to the violence. I know what it feels like to hurt so bad and have that hurt compounded when poverty pimps ride in alleging to save the day with hidden or not so hidden agenda's or for the love of money and not the love of people.

In addressing youth violence I've seen people parade around as peacocks more interested in themselves than the cause. I've seen people manipulate and sway public interest and it compounds our pain. I've watched the homeless come to city hall weekly and it is my opinion that Mayor Johnson's continuous statement of " the homeless do not need a handout, they need a hand up, they want to be empowered"  Can the homeless get credit? After all they were at city hall each week begging for shelter and informing the mayor of the empowerment and resources they needed. The mayor's comment adds insult to injury , it underestimates and insults the intelligence of many.

Mayor Johnson is appearing to once again make himself look good by ---this time inadvertently--- by not only making the homeless look bad but by also making the city counsel look bad.  I appreciate the beautiful, heart-felt and insightful comment written by both bbbbmer and William Burg on the article. Bbbbmer writes, ".... We are our brothers' and sisters' keepers, and there but for the grace of God go you or I... But a nice P.R. event, complete with appearances by minor celebrity backers of this mayor, is not enough. This merely turns such efforts into a party... The proof of the puddin' will be when such parties materialize into real units of shelter -- not just 'beds' -- but four walls, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a job, for all who need it..." -- AMEN

It is a shame that community members are put in a position to where we have to make our mayor's " fastest move our slowest". Is he looking at the homeless or is he looking at himself? Personally I don't care how the homeless get shelter. I'd want the homeless to have shelter by hook or crook. But I do care of what occurs beyond the shelter. It's like we have a mayor playing a game of chest and doing so with the homeless. It is concerning and overwhelmingly painful when it appears we have a mayor making the homeless--Prawns. It appears the homeless are Prawns being bumped around by people protecting the King (the Mayor). The special assistants, strategists, campaign managers, volunteers (the rook, knight, Bishop, queen) all protecting the Mayor gliding across the board (community) as the prawns (homeless) can only take one step at a time and able to be bumped off by everyone on the board including themselves....

I know what it feels like to be a prawn and be overshadowed by everything and everyone because in addressing youth violence - I too have been a prawn- but I do know the prawn can be taken out but is also the only player in the game who doesn't remain the same and can come back on the board as a higher player. I give thanks and appreciation to the homeless not Lisa Ling, Mayor Johnson....

It is wonderful that people are extending love to the homeless. But for goodness sake why does it appear LOVE is being used for promotion? It breaks my heart.

Love is a 2-way street, we are not riding on one way roads. We appear to be sending out a message of love for the homeless but where is the mention of the love possessed by the homeless? The love of the homeless, loving enough, to stand with Johnson as he overshadows love with promotion. Johnson is appearing as a knight in shining armor to help the homeless when it is the homeless who are helping Johnson and others with recognition. The "Give a man a fish he can eat for a day; teach him how to fish he can eat for a lifetime" goes both ways. The homeless issue has taught ( is empowering) Mayor Johnson how to fish. Mayor Johnson appears to have his hand out instead of looking, working, laboring for a hand-up.

Johnson should give credit and respect to the homeless for teaching him how to fish through homelessness instead of appearing to ride in on a high-horse to save the day. I've watched so many take credit on issues regarding youth violence and so many of us who are actually laboring for free without pay, without even wanting credit are seen as simply wanting our hand-outs.

It breaks my heart every time I look in this city for a dove of peace and I find another vulture surrounding the crisis of the poor for either profit or recognition into advancing a department or career.

Our mayor isn't doing anything that people with limited resources haven't tried to do and with resources at his disposal he should do it. I can't in all honestly give kudo's to him for not going beyond what is expected. He is doing what is expected of a Mayor - with a weak form of government or strong.  We know he can take photos, we know he has no problem with promoting himself. We know often times it appears he does just enough to get it mentioned and not enough to get the job done. Heck the gang/ youth summit was a good photo and nothing more...

I give the initiative Sacramento Steps Forward the benefit of the doubt since so many others are laboring who I feel are sincere at heart. Heck I expect to see more good deeds from Johnson (that his PR team will make sure doesn't go unnoticed and make sure the counsel is not noticed) as he moves towards his Stong Mayor Proposal. Surely Mayor Johnson knows that out-of-sight is out-of-mind and will remain in our sights on photo ops until the SMP goes to voters. Heck we have to crawl before we can walk, walk before we can run.... and I am very glad the homeless are getting shelter whether it is by hook or crook. One good thing came from the Strong Mayor Proposal it put fire behind our mayor and his strategist to move on some issues.

But for goodness sake for ONCE I'd like to see our mayor take a photo NEXT to his colleagues- his associates- his peers- OUR- TEAM-THE-COUNSEL and stop making it appear he's moving this city by himself to sway others of the need for a strong mayor. Every time I see Mayor Johnson in a photo I wonder why he doesn't take photos next to his colleagues-- all the city counsel members showing the public a team effort? Personally I feel he's not a team player with our team- our city manager, our city clerk, our city counsel. But a team player with his team- his lawyers, his strategists.....

IF Mayor Johnson were a humble man every time he stood on stage to mask in his own glory he'd stand with our counsel. For goodness sake they are suppose to be a TEAM. The article reads: After Johnson thanked Brown, Sister Libby Fernandez and Joan Burke, both of of Loaves and Fishes, he introduced Sacramento-native Ling, the host of National Geographic Explorer. Earlier this year, as a special correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show, she reported on Sacramento's "tent city," which brought other media outlets to the site."
---- Did Johnson thank the city counsel or the city manager? No

The article reads-"Your mayor, so many members of the homeless advocacy community, members of the city and county rose to the occasion and decided to tackle (homelessness) head on," Ling said. "I'm so proud of the way so many members of this community have come together (and) if Sacramento is successful (housing the homeless), it could be a model for the rest of the country."--- It wasn't Ling's responsibility and she did not specifically mention the counsel.
---- Was Johnson humble and redirect Ling's comment and give appreciation to or mention the city counsel? No

It appears some are trying to show us the need for a strong mayor with further trickery. Of course we would need a strong mayor proposal if we have an absent counsel, a weak counsel, a counsel not moving in efforts..... The homeless agenda is moving forward but we as a government are moving backwards with a Mayor who will not play with OUR TEAM--all of us. Mayor Johnson is not Kobe, at least Kobe was a ball hog but got the job done. But Johnson can't be a ball hog and get the job done (that's why he has so many assistants!!!) And even Kobe needed the rest of the team.

We are a team and we should be treated as a team. Mayor Johnson appears not capable of shifting the paradigm from a power-over us to a power-with us and that is concerning.

Rhonda Erwin
Disclosure: A Prawn who has addressed youth violence long enough to know and see all the players on the board. I am a prawn so I know the value of those not privileged in income but rich in love. I am a prawn who was bumped off the board but came back... I've addressed youth violence long enough to know a prawn needs more than prawns to put the king in chest mate and I look forward to more community members to join the red-flag campaign to knock off the Queen (developers) Knights (assistants, special interests) Rook (strategists) and put the King (Mayor Johnson) in chest mate. The king doesn't have to leave the board--- but we can stop his movements and insist the mayor has a power-with the community and not a power over us.