community owned government
Post on 21-Oct-2014
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Simon Bolivar
Community-Owned GovernmentEMPOWERING rather than Serving
Reported by:Deanne Mitzi Somollo
What is the difference between Empowering and Serving?
To EMPOWER is to invest with power, especially legal power or official authority.To EMPOWER is to invest in people, the power, the mechanisms and the ability to do things on their own.
To Serve is to act as help to others.To serve is to do things that others can do for themselves thereby stifling people’s ability.
Empowering makes people PROACTIVE
Serving makes people
REACTIVE
A Community Dilemma
In 1928, Lee Brown became chief of police in Houston, Texas
Houston police force was riddled with charges of racism and brutality.
He proposed
“Neighborhood- Oriented Policing”
Neighborhood-Oriented Policing
Traditional PolicingPolice just respond
to the incident of crimes.
Police are impersonal and professional agents.
Neighborhood-Oriented Policing
Police respond to crimes and help neighborhoods solve problems that underlie crime.
Police are part of the neighborhood and are connected to the neighborhood.
Redefining the role of the patrol officers
Police officers are . . .
community organizers
community activist
problem solvers
What were the other innovations?
Visiting homes and introducing themselves to ask about neighborhood problems.
Officers built strong relationship with the community (churches, businesses, PTA and other organizations).
James Q. Wilson…
calls it:
The most significant redefinition of police work in the past half
century.
The main IDEA!
The main idea is to make PUBLIC SAFETY a
community responsibility, rather
than simply the responsibility of the
professionals—THE POLICE.
Tulsa’s Make Over
Under Chief Diamond’s leadership, the Tulsa police studied:
1. Arrest trends2. School Drop Out Statistics3. Drug Treatment Data4. Problems of the city’s public
housing development
Options. Options. OPTIONS.
PROBLEM:
Teenagers from one section of the community were creating most of the City’s drug problems.
SOLUTIONS: Attack the problem from its
roots Organized residents,
prosecuted and evicted residents who helped drug dealers
Created anti drug education programs
Youth camps Job Placement programs Anti Truancy programs
In Short:
The Police can be most effective when they help communities help themselves.
It stands to reason (even the Laws of Physics will support this) that when communities are empowered to solve their own problems, they function better.
A Local Experience:
In Iloilo City there are FIVE Identified drug infested communities:
1. Bakhaw2. Malipayon3. Tanza Esperanza4. Monica5. Desamparados
Source: PDEA Region 6
A Local Experience:
In Iloilo City there are TWO major drug personalities:
Alyas “Dragon”-Drug syndicate
Alyas “Bunjing”- Drug Group
Source: PDEA Region 6 Director Paul Ledesm, Interview via Aksyon Radyo
Query:
Why is it that despite the many raids, surveillance and actual evidence against the two drug personalities drugs is still readily available and very much prevalent in Iloilo?
Answer:
Narco-PoliticsLack of Political WillCommunity Oriented Nothing
Protection-Oriented Policing
There is a clear lack of trust between the community and the police such that people with valuable and incriminating evidence are afraid of telling the Police what they know because they are not sure who’s on who’s payroll.
The Empowerment of Uncle Sam
Then and Now
Then. . .
Americans create their own
a.Day care centersb.Baby Sitting
Cooperativesc.Little leaguesd.Girl Scout and Boy
Scoute.Recycling programsf.Volunteer
organizations
Now. . .
Let BUREAUCRATS control their public service
Rely on professionals to solve their problems
Let professionals have all control and leave nothing to themselves
The Pitfalls of Clienthood
•Clients are people who understand themselves in terms of deficiencies and people who wait for others to act on their behalf.
•Citizens are people who understand their own problems in their own terms. They perceive their relationship to one another and believe in their capacity to act.
The curse of Clientelism
Because government tends to treat people like clients rather than citizens…
The People tend to let the government do everything rather than provide constructive
input to address their need.
From Zero to Hero : A public Housing case study
Public housing originated from the Great Depression, when people lost jobs they lost their homes as well.
It was a simple solution that provided stable, safe and inexpensive environment for families.
From Zero to Hero : A public Housing case study
The catalyst of transformation was a WOMAN named KIMI GREY
From Zero to Hero : A public Housing case study
Kimi personified welfare mother. 21, black, divorced and with 5 (F-I-V-E) children.
Transformation started with the idea of kids wanting to go to college.
The solution- College Here We Come
From Zero to Hero : A public Housing case study
The Second phase was when the residents were given the reins to administer their community.
Impacts were surprising.Bureaucrats were blown away.
8 reasons why Community Care is better than Professional service
Communities have more commitment to their members that service delivery system have to their clients
CommitmentCommitmentOwnershipOwnership
ImprovementImprovement
8 reasons why Community Care is better than Professional service
Communities understand their problems better than service professionals.
A Local Experience:
How can the police be effective in pursuing drug groups in Iloilo if…
They are not from the city?
They are unfamiliar with the people?
Are reshuffled every few years?
They do not “link” with the people to deal with the problem
8 reasons why Community Care is better than Professional service
Professionals and Bureaucracies deliver services; Communities solve problems
8 reasons why Community Care is better than Professional service
Institutions and professionals offer SERVICE; communities offer CARE
8 reasons why Community Care is better than Professional service
Communities are more flexible and creative than large service bureaucracies
8 reasons why Community Care is better than Professional service
Communities are cheaper than service professionals
8 reasons why Community Care is better than Professional service
Communities enforce standards of behavior more effectively than service proffesionals
8 reasons why Community Care is better than Professional service
Communities focus on capacities; service systems focus on deficiencies
Transition from service to empowerment
Governments can…Remove barriers to community
controlEncourage organized
communities to take control of services
Provide seed moneyTrain the peopleMove resources
Empowering Citizens through Participatory Democracy.
What is participatory democracy?
A reminder:
“A government OF the PEOPLEOFF the PEOPLE
BY the PEOPLE BUY the PEOPLE FOR the PEOPLE”
POOR the PEOPLE”
The government has no right to complain of the people’s complacency when they give the people no opportunity for authentic participatory democracy.
Deanne Mitzi Somollo