Re: 5620 Rippey Street task force

I want to bring you up to date on what a group of us is doing about the proposed transitional living facility for federal ex-offenders at 5620 Rippey Street since the meeting at the charter school last Thursday. We have come together in opposition to it going forward, and are taking the following actions:

(1) A letter to Ted Johnson and Doug Williams, with a copy going to Mary Beth Buchanan, has been drafted to notify them in writing of our opposition to their plan. It will be signed by Maelene Myers, executive director of ELDI, and Karl Thomas for MONA.

(2) A one-page MS Word document signature sheet is attached to this message. We are collecting the signatures of all the neighbors we can contact who are also in opposition to the facility, as well as the parents of the students at the charter school, if possible. A second document is attached which I wrote very early Saturday morning, when I was quite fired up over all that has happened, in an attempt to define for myself why I objected to this plan and what I had heard others saying in meetings. It's purpose, as the character of Thomas Jefferson says in the play/movie 1776 regarding the Declaration of Independence, is "to place before mankind the common sense of the subject in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent." Unfortunately, I don't write as well as he did. Finally, Barb Pryor and I -- and perhaps others -- have written first drafts of our personal letters to our elected federal representatives -- Mike Doyle, Robert Casey and Arlen Specter. We have been advised that the level at which to counteract the plan is federal.

(3) Bryan Perry has made up a flyer and printed 200 copies, encouraging people to get involved by (a) calling our targeted federal government representatives, and listing their names, titles and phone numbers, (b) signing a petition, (c) helping to pass out flyers, (d) getting signatures on a petition, (e) writing a personal letter, (f) joining the task force, etc. On the back of the flyer is a script that suggests what people might say if they make phone calls. People distributing flyers can (a) leave one at homes where no one answers the door; if someone does answer the door (b) get a signature on a petition on the spot; and/or (c) encourage people to attend the signing party at the Carlins' house on Thursday night beginning at 6:30. We are hoping to collect 400 to 500 signatures THIS WEEK, in addition to phone calls and letters. Flyers are in my top mailbox in the vestibule.

(4) Tara agreed to call Mike Doyle's office to schedule an ASAP appointment with his chief of staff to discuss our approach to Congressman Doyle to convince him to oppose the facility, and how we can best support his efforts on our behalf if he should choose to take up this issue. I'm hoping we can take the petition signatures collected up to that point (if it's a compelling number) with us to the meeting.

(5) Tara is also looking into whether someone she knows can find out if zoning for an apartment building allows any occupancy, or might prohibit an exclusive concentration of any "special" population without a hearing. It seems like a long shot, but it's worth a try.

(7) Ernie is also supposed to provide us with a list of names, titles and addresses for our personal letters, and a list of those who should be explicitly copied, so we can put our letters in final form, print and sign them, and get them in (to me, so we can copy them and track who has written, and then we'll mail them all), and a list of additional people to be called and their phone numbers. We will use the same lists to answer people's questions about who the petition will be going to. He will send an e-mail to the Highland Park list, and ask ELDI's communications intern to put a sample letter that people can use to write their own on EastLibertyPost, where it can be downloaded.

If you can help collect signatures, print the attached signature sheet and let me know where you intend to canvas, so we don't overlap in our efforts and annoy our neighbors. Locations not spoken for yet are:

5700 block of Rippey Street

5800 block of Rippey Street

400 block of North Euclid

Borland Street

400 block of North St Clair (a real challenge for someone, I think)

North Beatty (except new senior apartment building)

Selma Street

Penn Circle North

Rippey Place

300 block of North Negley

New Pennley Place

Penn Manor

East Liberty Boulevard

If you can help Nicole prepare for Thursday night's signing party, please contact her: 412.361.4842 Be sure to attend the party yourself even if you've already signed the petition or written your own letter or made your phone calls.