News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Tuesday December 16th 2025
RETURNING CHAPTER 23 ½: WHERE (OR RATHER, WHEN) ARE WE?
By Patrick Cabello Hansel
Estimable readers:
Your dear writer is in a bit of a quandary. He has two parallel stories going, not only in different places, but in different times. Little Lupe is with Agnes in the near present, trying to escape the clutches of Brian Fleming and the forces of destruction he directs. Angel and Luz and little Angel are in the mid-18th century, trying to discover what the curse of Mateo Hidalgo Kelly might mean for them and their future.
We got the last three into the past through a tesseract tunnel that led under the operation Brian Fleming was running in the swale (now East Phillips) to the cemetery. They were last seen walking a train track towards what they hoped was enlightenment. But that tunnel has been seized by law enforcement after the raid on Fleming’s converted garage/human trafficking/sweatshop/bit coin harvesting operation. That path—for now, at least—is closed.
We need another portal, another gateway connecting time and space. And it must be in Phillips! And it must not be a place our blessed family has already been. Those spaces include Heart of the Beast, San Miguel Bakery, Maria’s, Mercado Central, Global Market, Stewart Park and the late, great Denny’s on Lake Street.… Read the rest “RETURNING CHAPTER 23 ½: WHERE (OR RATHER, WHEN) ARE WE?”
Seize the Beans!
Raise Your Voice
Seize the Beans!
By Peter Molenaar
On August 1, 2022, a two-day strike commenced at the corner of Cedar Avenue and 47th Street. Starbucks workers had coalesced in their newly formed union, Starbucks Workers United (SBWU, SEIU) to demand negotiations. Here is a taste of their colorful pickets: Seize the Beans of Production! LIVING WAGE NATION NOW! and Union Coffee Tastes Better!.
“This strike is a warning”, said strike captain Ethan Tinklenberg, “it sends a signal to management that we are capable of doing this.” We are told that management has systematically cut workers hours, changed opening and closing times, and has in recent memory, fired workers for resisting. Tinklenberg added: ”We are sick of management doing illegal things.”
Indeed, Starbucks founder and on-again/off-again CEO Howard Shultz has a history of anti-union behavior. Naturally, this fact found its reflection in several picket signs. Some examples: Wanted for Union Busting and Unfair Labor Practices: Howard Shultz, Billionaire! And Howard Shultz: You Have to Bargain in order to Bargain in Good Faith! Emily Mahoney from the bargaining committee put it this way: “If the bonus that Howard Shultz granted himself were divided equally among his employees, we would all receive about $5,000 extra per year, which would certainly help us pay our rent.”
When contacted for this article, Jen Lenz, an organizer with SBWU, was philosophical in her response.… Read the rest “Seize the Beans!”
What’s in a Word?
Peace House Community Journal
Over the last few years, there has been a movement to stop using the word “homeless” to describe those who don’t have permanent housing. Phrases like “those with lived experience of homelessness” or “the unstably housed” have popped up to fill the void. Those advocating for the change intend to reduce the stigma attached to homelessness by highlighting the difference between the person on the one hand and the place where they sleep on the other.
Although I like reducing the stigma around homelessness, I’m ambivalent about the words we use to talk about homelessness. Reducing stigma is great, but solving the problem rather than renaming it would be better. I’d rather see more focus on providing housing than on vocabulary. But having said that, the stigma that arises from the belief that homelessness results from bad choices and irresponsibility makes it more difficult to generate support for efforts to end homelessness. As long as someone believes that a person becomes homeless through their own actions, they are unlikely to provide any support to ending homelessness. The phrases that are proposed to replace “the homeless” at least try to expand our view of this population. Someone may not have a home now, but that situation doesn’t have to be permanent, and it doesn’t define that individual.… Read the rest “What’s in a Word?”
Keep citizen journalism alive!
