http://www.swsol.org/pages/assets/Bill_OBrien_Los_Angeles_Times.pdf
I chose this article because I felt it provides a view into the world of community organizing in the context of Southwest Detroit, as well as other communities like Chicago. The story of Bill O’Brien, a community organizer, reminds me of the work of a couple of my coworkers as well as the topics we have talked about in seminar.
The importance of forming relationships seems like it cannot be stressed enough when it comes to community organizing, but I think that there are other aspects of the profession that are equally important. The knowledge to direct your community leaders in the right direction, fight for the right issue and address it in the right way are absolutely essential. If you motivate hundreds of people to protest actions of Kevyn Orr, it won’t affect him directly, as he does not depend on the vote of Detroit residents. The energy and enthusiasm of community members must be channeled and developed in an effective way in order to bring about change.
Part of the article gave me the impression that sometimes when communities try to organize or gain something for themselves, they do so at the expense of another community. When O’Brien emphasizes that whoever complains louder will get attention from whatever group they are complaining to, the impact that this may have on other communities isn’t noted. Surely many initiatives led by community leaders (and supported by organizers) don’t harm other communities; they are probably more likely to help them. I think it is just important to keep in mind that every policy decision has trade-offs, nearly every action will benefit someone while others miss out; sustainable change on a large scale must include both support from communities as well as innovative and intelligent governance that deals with the roots of the problems.
These are just some of my reflections after reading this article; I am also extremely interested in Southwest Solutions, which I have heard about from coworkers. I haven’t had any first-hand experience collaborating with them, and I hope I can somehow arrange or stumble upon a way to meet someone from their organization in the coming weeks.
