Urban ReLeaf

ngu: Crystal Ross O'Hara

Xa uKemba Shakur eqala ukushiya umsebenzi wakhe njengegosa lolungiso kwiNtolongo yeSizwe yaseSoledad kwiminyaka eyi-15 eyadlulayo kwaye wafudukela e-Oakland wabona into ebonwa ngabantu abaninzi abatsha kunye neendwendwe kuluntu lwasezidolophini: indawo eyinkqantosi engenazo zombini imithi kunye namathuba.

Kodwa uShakur wabona enye into - amathuba.

“Ndiyayithanda i-Oakland. Inamandla amaninzi kwaye uninzi lwabantu abahlala apha baziva ngolo hlobo, ”utshilo uShakur.

Kwi-1999, u-Shakur waseka i-Oakland Releaf, umbutho ozinikele ekunikezeni uqeqesho lomsebenzi kulutsha olusemngciphekweni kunye nabantu abadala abanzima ukuba baqeshe ngokuphucula ihlathi lasedolophini lase-Oakland. Ngo-2005, eli qela lazimanya neRichmond Releaf ekufutshane ukuze yenze iUrban Releaf.

Imfuneko yombutho onjalo yayinkulu, ngokukodwa “kwiindawo ezithe tyaba” zaseOakland, apho intlangano kaShakur izinze khona. Ummandla wasezidolophini unqumla ngoohola bendlela kunye nekhaya kwiindawo ezininzi zemizi-mveliso, kubandakanywa iPort of Oakland, umgangatho womoya weWest Oakland uchatshazelwa ziilori ezininzi zedizili ezihamba kulo mmandla. Le ndawo sisiqithi sobushushu basezidolophini, sibhalisa rhoqo amadigri angaphezulu kunommelwane ozaliswe ngumthi, iBerkeley. Imfuneko yombutho woqeqesho lomsebenzi yayibalulekile. Amazinga entswela-ngqesho kuzo zombini e-Oakland nase-Richmond ziphezulu kwaye ulwaphulo-mthetho olunobundlobongela ngokuqhubekayo luphindwe kabini okanye kathathu kumndilili wesizwe.

UBrown vs. UBrown

Ukukhaba okukhulu kwe-Urban Releaf kwafika ngentwasahlobo ka-1999 ngexesha le-"Great Green Tsweep," umceli mngeni phakathi koosodolophu uJerry Brown wase-Oakland kunye noWillie Brown waseSan Francisco. Ibizwe ngokuthi “Brown vs. Brown,” lo msitho wacela isixeko ngasinye ukuba siququzelele amatsha-ntliziyo ukubona ukuba ngubani na onokutyala eyona mithi mininzi ngosuku olunye. Ukhuphiswano phakathi kowayesakuba yirhuluneli uJerry kunye noWillie owayethetha ngokungafihlisiyo waba ngumzobo omkhulu.

UShakur ukhumbula oku: “Ndothukile kulindelo nochulumanco olwaluza nalo. “Sasinamavolontiya amalunga nama-300 kwaye satyala imithi eyi-100 kwiiyure ezimbini okanye ezintathu. Yahamba ngokukhawuleza. Ndiye ndalaqaza emva koko ndathi yhuu akwanelanga imithi. Siza kufuna okungakumbi.”

I-Oakland yaphuma yoyisa kukhuphiswano kwaye uShakur wayeqinisekile ukuba kuninzi okunokwenziwa.

Imisebenzi eluhlaza yoLutsha lwase-Oakland

Ngeminikelo kunye nenkxaso karhulumente kunye ne-federal, i-Urban Releaf ngoku ityale malunga nemithi ye-600 ngonyaka kwaye iqeqeshe amawaka abantu abatsha. Izakhono ezifundwa ngabantwana ziquka okungaphezulu lee kunokulima nokukhathalela imithi. Kwi-2004, i-Urban Releaf idibene no-UC Davis kwiprojekthi yophando exhaswa yi-CalFed eyenzelwe ukufunda imiphumo yemithi ekunciphiseni ukungcola komhlaba, ukuthintela ukukhukuliseka kunye nokuphucula umgangatho wamanzi kunye nomoya. Uphononongo lubize ulutsha lwe-Urban Releaf ukuba luqokelele idatha ye-GIS, ithathe imilinganiselo yokubaleka kwaye iqhube uhlalutyo lwamanani-izakhono eziguqulela ngokulula kwimarike yomsebenzi.

Ukubonelela abantu abancinci kwindawo yakhe ngamava abenza baqesheke kuye kubaluleke kakhulu, utshilo uShakur. Kwiinyanga zamva nje, iWest Oakland iye yashukunyiswa kukufa kwabafana abaliqela ngenxa yobundlobongela, abanye babo uShakur ebebazi buqu kwaye ebesebenza neUrban Releaf.

UShakur unethemba lokuba ngenye imini uya kuvula “iziko lozinzo,” eliya kusebenza njengendawo esembindini yokubonelela abantu abatsha ngemisebenzi eluhlaza e-Oakland, eRichmond nakwiBay Area enkulu. UShakur ukholelwa ukuba amathuba amaninzi emisebenzi kubantu abancinci anganqanda ubundlobongela.

“Okwangoku kukho ugxininiso ngenene kwimarike yemisebenzi eluhlaza kwaye ndiyayonwabela, kuba ibeka ugxininiso ekuboneleleni ngemisebenzi kwabo bangathathi ntweni,” utshilo.

UShakur, umama wabantwana abahlanu, uthetha ngothando ngabantu abancinci abeza kumbutho bevela kwiindawo ezinzima zase-Oakland naseRichmond. Ilizwi lakhe lizalisa ukuzingca njengoko ebonisa ukuba waqala ukudibana noRukeya Harris, umfundi wekholeji ophendula ifowuni e-Urban Releaf, kwiminyaka esibhozo edlulileyo. UHarris wabona iqela lase-Urban Releaf lityala umthi kufutshane nendlu yakhe eWest Oakland waza wabuza ukuba angajoyina na inkqubo yomsebenzi. Wayeneminyaka eli-12 kuphela ngelo xesha, emncinci kakhulu ukuba angangena, kodwa waqhubeka ebuza yaye eneminyaka eli-15 wabhalisa. Ngoku ungumfundi wesibini kwiYunivesithi yaseClark Atlanta, uHarris uyaqhubeka nokusebenzela iUrban Releaf xa ebuya esikolweni.

Tyala Usuku Lomthi

I-Urban Releaf ikwazile ukuphumelela nangona amaxesha ezoqoqosho anzima ngenxa yenkxaso evela kwi-arhente karhulumente kunye ne-federal kunye neminikelo yabucala, uShakur uthi. Ngokomzekelo, ngo-Epreli, amalungu eqela lebhola yebhola yebhola yebhola yebhola ye-Golden State Warriors kunye nabasebenzi kunye nabaphathi be-Esurance bajoyina amavolontiya ase-Urban Releaf kwi-"Plant a Tree Day," exhaswa ngu-Esurance, i-arhente ye-inshurensi ye-intanethi. Imithi engamashumi amabini yatyalwa kwisiphambuka sikaMartin Luther King Jr. Way kunye neWest MacArthur Boulevard e-Oakland.

UNoe Noyola, elinye lamavolontiya “kuSuku lokuTyalwa kweMithi” uthi: “Le yindawo edlakazwe kukuvalwa kwemithi. “Kucacile. Kukho ikhonkrithi eninzi. Ukongeza imithi engama-20 ngokwenene yenze umahluko.”

UNoyola uqale waqhagamshelana ne-Urban Releaf ngethuba efuna isibonelelo kwi-arhente yophuhliso yasekuhlaleni ukuze aphucule imbonakalo-mhlaba kwindawo ephakathi kwindawo yakhe. NjengoShakur, uNoyola wayevakalelwa kukuba ukutshintshwa kwezityalo ezikrwada kunye nekhonkrithi kwindawo ephakathi ngemithi ecwangciswe kakuhle, iintyatyambo kunye namatyholo angaphucula imbonakalo yelizwe kunye nemvakalelo yoluntu ebumelwaneni. Amagosa asekuhlaleni, awazange akwazi ukuphendula ngokukhawuleza kulo msebenzi, amcenga ukuba asebenzisane ne-Urban Releaf kwaye kobo buhlakani imithi engama-20 yatyalwa.

Inyathelo lokuqala, uNoyola uthi, kukuqinisekisa abahlali basekuhlaleni ababemadolw’ anzima noosomashishini ukuba izithembiso zokuphucula le ngingqi ziza kufezekiswa. Amaxesha amaninzi, uthi, imibutho evela ngaphakathi nangaphandle kuluntu yonke iyathetha, akukho landelelwano. Kwakufuneka imvume kubanini-mhlaba kuba kwakufuneka kugawulwe iindledlana ukuze kutyalwe imithi.

Yonke le projekthi, uthi, yathatha kuphela inyanga enesiqingatha, kodwa impembelelo yengqondo yaba ngoko nangoko kwaye inzulu.

Uthi: “Kwaba nempembelelo enamandla. “Ngenene imithi sisixhobo sokuguqula umbono wendawo. Xa ubona imithi kunye nohlaza oluninzi, impembelelo ikhawuleza. "

Ngaphandle kobuhle, ukutyalwa kwemithi kukhuthaze abahlali kunye nabanini bamashishini ukuba benze okungakumbi, utshilo uNoyola. Uphawula ukuba umahluko owenziwe yiprojekthi ukhuthaze ukutyala okufanayo kwibhloko elandelayo. Abanye abahlali bade bacebe imisitho “yokulima izitiya zabanqolobi,” ukutyalwa kwemithi namavolontiya ngokungekho mthethweni kunye nohlaza kwiindawo ezishiyiweyo okanye eziphazamisekileyo.

Kubo bobabini uNoyola kunye noShakur, ulwaneliseko olukhulu kumsebenzi wabo luvela kwinto abayichaza njengokudala intshukumo - ukubona abanye bekhuthazwa ukuba batyale imithi emininzi kwaye banqobe oko bakubona ekuqaleni njengemida kwindawo yabo.

Ukuqala kwam oku kwiminyaka eyi-12 eyadlulayo, abantu bandijonga ngathi ndiyaphambana kwaye ngoku bayandixabisa,” utshilo uShakur. “Bathe, heyi, sinemiba yentolongo nokutya nokungaphangeli kwaye uthetha ngemithi. Kodwa ngoku bayayifumana!”

UCrystal Ross O'Hara yintatheli ezimeleyo eseDavis, eCalifornia.

Umfanekiso welungu

Unyaka owasekwa: 1999

Inethwekhi edibeneyo:

Amalungu ebhodi: 15

Abasebenzi: i-2 yexesha elizeleyo, i-7 yexesha elizeleyo

Iiprojekthi ziquka: ukutyalwa kwemithi kunye nokugcinwa kwayo, uphando lwamanzi, uqeqesho lomsebenzi kulutsha olusemngciphekweni kunye nabantu abadala ekunzima ukuba baqeshe.

Qhagamshelana: Kemba Shakur, umlawuli olawulayo

835 57th Street

I-Oakland, CA 94608

510-601-9062 (p)

510-228-0391 (f)

oaklandreleaf@yahoo.com