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Invisible Walls

Invisible Walls

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The Death of Privacy In America

The Death of Privacy In America

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America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

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Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

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When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

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Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

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A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

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Mary, Covered In Roses

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    The Death of Privacy In America

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    America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

    Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

    Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

    When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

    When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

    Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

    Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

    A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

    A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

    Get Vaxxed If You Want To Play Indoors

    Get Vaxxed If You Want To Play Indoors

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    There’s Something About Mary

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      The Death of Privacy In America

      The Death of Privacy In America

      America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

      America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

      Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

      Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

      When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

      When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

      Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

      Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

      A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

      A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

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      End Of An Era

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      Death And Taxes: The Right’s Last Stand

      Rep Jeff Van Drew Calls For Fencing To Be Removed Despite Threats To Capitol

      Rep Jeff Van Drew Calls For Fencing To Be Removed Despite Threats To Capitol

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      Middle Police Arrest Suspect In Connection With Stolen Guns in Cape May Court House

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      South Jersey’s Sanctuary City Designations Are A Haven For Violent Extremists

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      New Jersey Man Steals Police Car, Fatally Shot After Chase

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      “This Political Climate Got My Brother Killed”: Officer Brian Sicknick Died Defending the Capitol. His Family Waits for Answers.

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      Florida Man Who Went Viral For Stealing Podium Identified

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      Defund The Police Was A Raging Success And Everyone Missed It

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      Non-Violence Isn’t A Just Moral Imperative, It’s A Superior Strategy

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      The Future Of The Supreme Court

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      When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

      When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

      Your Objections To Development Are Counter-Productive

      Your Objections To Development Are Counter-Productive

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      Strong Grassroots Opposition Continues To Plague NESE Pipeline’s Fifth Attempt

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      Your Misplaced Loyalty Is Hurting Your Business

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        Strong Grassroots Opposition Continues To Plague NESE Pipeline’s Fifth Attempt

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          Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

          A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

          A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

          Award-Winning Children’s Author Greg Pizzoli Planning A Virtual Visit To Cape May

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          America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

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              America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

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                The Death of Privacy In America

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                America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

                America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

                Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

                Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

                When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

                When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

                Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

                Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

                A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

                A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

                Get Vaxxed If You Want To Play Indoors

                Get Vaxxed If You Want To Play Indoors

                There’s Something About Mary

                There’s Something About Mary

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                  The Death of Privacy In America

                  The Death of Privacy In America

                  America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

                  America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

                  Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

                  Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

                  When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

                  When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

                  Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

                  Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

                  A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

                  A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

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                  Death And Taxes: The Right’s Last Stand

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                  Rep Jeff Van Drew Calls For Fencing To Be Removed Despite Threats To Capitol

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                  Democrats Look To Regain A Foothold in Middle Township With Quanette Vasser-McNeal

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                  Middle Police Arrest Suspect In Connection With Stolen Guns in Cape May Court House

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                  South Jersey’s Sanctuary City Designations Are A Haven For Violent Extremists

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                  New Jersey Man Steals Police Car, Fatally Shot After Chase

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                  “This Political Climate Got My Brother Killed”: Officer Brian Sicknick Died Defending the Capitol. His Family Waits for Answers.

                  Florida Man Who Went Viral For Stealing Podium Identified

                  Florida Man Who Went Viral For Stealing Podium Identified

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                  • Justice
                • Business
                  When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

                  When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

                  Your Objections To Development Are Counter-Productive

                  Your Objections To Development Are Counter-Productive

                  Strong Grassroots Opposition Continues To Plague NESE Pipeline’s Fifth Attempt

                  Strong Grassroots Opposition Continues To Plague NESE Pipeline’s Fifth Attempt

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                  It’s Not The End Of The World, But You Can See It From Here

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                    Strong Grassroots Opposition Continues To Plague NESE Pipeline’s Fifth Attempt

                    New Female Snow Leopard Arrives In Cape May County

                    New Female Snow Leopard Arrives In Cape May County

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                    Jackson Park Project A Threat To Clean Water

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                    Trending Tags

                    • Education
                      Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

                      Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

                      A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

                      A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

                      Award-Winning Children’s Author Greg Pizzoli Planning A Virtual Visit To Cape May

                      Award-Winning Children’s Author Greg Pizzoli Planning A Virtual Visit To Cape May

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                      Gold, Lies, And Genocide In The New World

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                      America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

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                      Your Misplaced Loyalty Is Hurting Your Business

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                          America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

                          America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

                          Get Vaxxed If You Want To Play Indoors

                          Get Vaxxed If You Want To Play Indoors

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                          The Godless Piety Of American Idealism As Reality Television

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                          Invisible Walls

                          Part Of The Homelessness Series

                          byDavid Todd McCarty
                          4 years ago
                          inHealth, Housing, Justice, Politics
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                          This is part of an ongoing series on homelessness in Cape May County.

                          By David Todd McCarty | Friday, February 23, 2018

                          I’m sitting in studio of the Cape May Stained Glass Company with owner Chris Michalek on a rainy Friday morning. It looks like your typical artist studio. The flotsam and jetsam of the craft strewn about on tables and work benches, supplies leaning against walls and lots of work in different stages of progress. This place is a little unusual though, because it also houses the work of another dozen artists in a small gallery in the back and throughout the studio on the walls. In a relatively small space, the owner has dedicated nearly half of his work space to the work of other people. But once you talk to Chris for any length of time, you realize that’s not all that strange.

                          “No one wants to tell you they’re homeless,” he tells me. “It’s embarrassing.”

                          Chris is a successful artist and business owner, he’s also a diagnosed bipolar, schizophrenic and by his own admission has struggled on an off with drugs and alcohol over the years. But that’s not why he’s currently homeless. The path to homelessness is both tragically stereotypical and strangely unique.

                          When you’re living on the edge, it only takes a few things to go wrong before you’re out on the street. For Chris, it was simply a relationship that ended, a bad knee, and a broken system. It wasn’t mental illness. It wasn’t addiction. Just a string of bad luck and he found himself with in an untenable situation with no one to turn to.

                          Chris Michalek, owner of Cape May Stained Glass Company. West Cape May, NJ

                          “People don’t want to acknowledge the fact that there’s a homeless problem in Cape May,” he says. “Everyone’s like, ‘I don’t see any homeless people.’ Well there is a problem, and the problem is hopelessness. People get into situations and they feel hopeless.”

                          Chris found himself interacting with social services for the first time three years ago when he injured his knee and his employer didn’t have insurance. He was told Social Services could help him, but he needed to quit his job, get a letter from his employer saying that he was no longer employed and then they could get him on welfare. So he did what they said and then he got a letter saying his claim was denied. So for three years, he appealed over and over again until finally they agreed to do the surgery.

                          What’s most interesting about talking to Chris is that he doesn’t spend a lot of time talking about his own situation. He feels like he’s one of the lucky ones. But he’s concerned that not enough is being done for the others.

                          “I don’t want people to have to wake up and feel this way,” he says. “There has to be an answer to this problem. There has to be a solution and I think our community is that answer.”

                          Chris believes in community but says there are a lot of what he calls, “Invisible walls.”

                          “Over the years, I’ve had to navigate the social services system,” says Chris. “But there’s no way to navigate the system. The counselors and the social workers are either told A) don’t burn up the resources available, or B) they’re not informed that these services are even there, which is ludicrous if you’re in the business of helping people. You’d think that you’d go out everyday and try to put together a toolbox of tools to help people. But what I really think happens down here, is that people’s hearts get hardened. They’re hands are tied and all they can do is perform a managerial position.”

                          Navigating the system can be difficult for a person of means, but it becomes almost impossible if you’re struggling. You can get food stamps, but they don’t cover prepared foods, even from the grocery story, and if you’re living in a motel with no kitchen, there’s no way to cook, so recipients are often spending way too much at a convenience store on junk food.

                          Transportation is also a huge factor. In Cape May County, we have limited public transportation, and while you might be able to get medical care through social services, you have to be able to get there in order to benefit.

                          “You can’t even go into a grocery store and buy a prepared meal with a welfare card,” Chris explains. “You have to buy all the ingredients cold and put it together. So there’s a lot of things that aren’t friendly about the system. But I’m a problem solver, so I figure instead of saying there’s a problem, let’s figure out a solution.”

                          One solution Chris sees is training people who are capable of holding down a job in skills that would be useful to our community, namely the restaurant, hospitality and landscaping industries. As a trained chef, he looks to organizations like the Sisters of the Road, a mission and cafe in Portland, Oregon.

                          “We try to have a people first mentality,” explains Bryn Harding, Communications Manager for the Sisters. “We began as community organizers and when we opened in 1979, we started by asking the community what it was they wanted, what they felt they needed. They said they wanted affordable healthy meals, job training and a safe place for women and children. So that’s what we tried to be.”

                          In talking to Bryn, he often referred to the community as “the people who live outside” or “people who are homeless.” He explained that for many people in this situation, they can begin to feel like a number and not a person pretty quickly. Within the system there is a tendency to project a client and provider mentality.

                          “They’ll get up and go stand in line to get a number. They’re told where to go, when to eat, and what to eat. Then they have to cross town to find their next meal, where they stand in line and get another number. Then they have to be at a shelter by a certain time. Pretty soon, you lose the ability to make choices for yourself. So they feel like a number not a person. It’s very dehumanizing.”

                          Bryn says that they ask people to pay $1.50 for a meal at the cafe, but about 75% of the people can’t afford that so they’re asked to barter for their meal. They’ll clean or do various chores. “It’s not about the money, “he says. “It’s about dignity and self-respect. When you just give someone something on your terms, and you hold all the power, you take that dignity away from them. This allows them to earn it on their terms.”

                          Bryn explains a principle that guides the work they do that comes from the members of the community. It goes, “Nothing about us, without us.” Meaning that they don’t want people making decisions about them without asking for their input. It seems to have had a very positive influence on the success of the mission. They don’t feel like they’re serving a community, they’re part of a community.

                          [rev_slider alias=”chris”]

                           

                          This is what Chris dreams about for Cape May County. A place that doesn’t just serve the community but that is built and run by the community. A place to get an affordable meal, get some job training, volunteer and barter labor. Chris is already talking to influential people, trying to find ways to get the community to come together.

                          “The community needs to get involved, but there’s a lot of risk, because people don’t want to be taken advantage of,” he says. “There has to be an answer to this. There has to be a solution and I think our community is that answer.”

                          You can reach Chris Michalek at Cape May Stained Glass Company, 600 Park Blvd, Building 4, Unit 36, West Cape May, NJ 08204. 609.592.1582

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                          Students Will Rise

                          David Todd McCarty

                          David Todd McCarty

                          David Todd McCarty is a writer, director, photographer and designer. You can follow him on Twitter @davidtmccarty.

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