community owned government

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