Inner City Diary
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Entries...     (Originally published in the Sunday editorial section of The Winnipeg Sun)

A Racist fart? (February 6, 2005)

Revlitalization can taste great - Our new restaurant (January 30, 2005)
There's always life beyond despair (January 23, 2005)
Wondering why Chris quit (January 16, 2005)
Chris's introduction to a new community (January 9, 2005)
Not every village is fit to raise a child
(January 2, 2005)

Singing from the same sheet as the angels (December 26. 2004)
Grace shines bright in dark December nights (December 19, 2004)
Harm reduction vs Harm elimination (December 12, 2004)
I left my heart in ...good ol' Winterpeg (December 5, 2004)

I don't want it to be my fault (November 28, 2004)
United Way donations a costly surrender of charity (November 21, 2004)
Why I can't serve God and the union bosses (November 14, 2004)
Our friend's funeral a celebration of life
(November 7, 2004)

Is justice opposed by mediation? (October 31, 2004)
Justice opposed by the Charter of Rights (October 24, 2004)
Where were you  when we needed you? (October 17, 2004)
Sticking together to make things better (October 10, 2004)
Licensing escorts not a city priority (October 3, 2004)

Full-time cops can't be part-time idiots (September 26, 2004)
He was only a boy, gunned down at 14 (September 19, 2004)
Questioning harm reduction doesn't imply lack of care (September 12, 2004)
WRHA's approach to addiction a mockery (September 5, 2004)

Our safety comes before a john's privacy (August 29, 2004)
Let's get real with crime stats (August 22, 2004)
Checking crime stats when they count (August 15, 2004)
We're the victims of this year's crime stats (August 8, 2004)
Hey, isn't that Harry with some hookers? (August 1, 2004)

Superhero Dreams Interrupted by Everyday Realities (July 4, 2004)
Election Results Humble Both Losers and Winners (June 27, 2004)
Dad's Day Shouldn't Be a Day of Mourning (June 20, 2004)
You Really Want Me to Stop Being Nice? (June 13, 2004)
Get Beyond the Signs of the Times (June 6, 2004)

My Three Sons & the Stages of Growing Up (May 30, 2004)
A History Lesson Well Worth Remembering (May 23, 2004)
Hanging Up on the 911 Operator (May 16, 2004)
A Fond Mother's Day for Dear Tante Illy (May 9, 2004)
Balancing Property Rights & Responsibilities (May 2, 2004)

Trash & Treasures Emerge from Under Snow (April 25, 2004)
True Community: "To Know and Be Known" (April 18, 2004)
Are prisons exempt from the Criminal Code? (April 11, 2004)
Urban Blight & the "Not My Job" Syndrome (April 4, 2004)

"You don't want to go there!" (March 28, 2004)
Can't let thugs stop us now (March 21, 2004)
The "Better-Late-Than-Never" Crowd (March 14, 2004)
Are you too scared to try to help? (March 7, 2004)

City Planners - "Lead us not into temptation..." (February 29, 2004)
A cold farewell to crack cocaine (February 22, 2004)
Government can't shift the shame of gambling
(February 15, 2004)
No man is an island (February 8, 2004)

Supreme Court chooses death over discipline (January 25, 2004)
Who changed the meaning of "passion"? (January 18, 2004)
A holiday in "Hell's Kitchen" (January 11, 2004)
Stretching the definition of "community" (January 4, 2004)
Some people don't even plan their next day (January 28, 2003)

Christmas in context (December 21, 2003)
When CFS serves children and families (December 14, 2003)
A gritty guardian angel of the schoolyard (December 7, 2003)

Prostitution outreach workers frustrate treatment (November 30, 2003)
Giving is more a relationship than a transaction (November 23, 2003)
Our Urban Futures are getting hijacked (November 16, 2003)
Time to take responsibility for problems (November 9, 2003)
Community leaders blaming more than leading (November 2, 2003)

Willi's life: balancing passion with grace (October 26, 2003)
The pointy end of the reporter's sword (October 19, 2003)
The United Nations bullies parents (October 12, 2003)
They told me to lie about renovations (October 5, 2003)

Hope lives on (September 28, 2003)
A thin veneer of safety for "safe injection" sites (September 21, 2003)
A community responds to the yellow police tape (September 14, 2003)
The homeless aren't asking for social workers (September 7, 2003)

Renovation training program: Tougher is better (August 31, 2003)
What would you do in the dark?   (August 24, 2003)
Abuse at the hands of the abused   (August 17, 2003)
Pushing my luck   (August 10, 2003)
Ron: "Love us. We are people too!" (August 3, 2003)

My suburban nightmare (July 27, 2003)
When is a landlord a "slum landlord"? (July 20, 2003)
The preacher and the prostitute (July 13, 2003)
Graduation Day sparks a few memories (July 6, 2003)

There's a time for being "judgmental" (June 29, 2003)
My dad taught me well (June 22, 2003)
"Harm reduction" as the devolution of care (June 15, 2003)
Double standards in child endangerment (June 8, 2003)
Preparing for death an important part of life (June 1, 2003)

Practicality, not politics, should rule social welfare (May 25, 2003)
Exorcising bad old houses with brick, mortar & hope (May 18, 2003)
How a simple 'Thanks' restored my tired spirit (May 11, 2003)
Neighbourhoods can be travel-advisory victims, too (May 4, 2003)

Don't be fooled by gang names and pizza marketing (April 27, 2003)
The dangers of keeping secrets (April 20, 2003)
Government needs parental authority to combat youth crime (April 13, 2003)
Young homewreckers welcome in West End (April 6, 2003)

A son's addiction, a mom's guilt (March 30, 2003)
Have we made a difference? - Yes! (March 23, 2003)
The lack of money isn't the root of all evil (March 16, 2003)
The myth of "social welfare" (March 9, 2003)
The danger of government funded segregation (March 2, 2003)

Religious persecution among aboriginals (February 23, 2003)
Wasted development funds & "resource centres" (February 16, 2003)
TB doesn't restrict itself to any one class of people (February 9, 2003)
Unions must differentiate between need and greed (February 2, 2003)

Legalized dope would still wreak havoc (January 26, 2003)
Licensing drinker may not be a loony idea (January 19, 2003)
We city mice share much with our country cousins (January 12, 2003)
The difference between a resolution and a reformation (January 5, 2003)

The day I met one of my neighbourhood's "guardian angels" (December 29, 2002)
Jesus is more than "the reason for the season" (December 22, 2002)
Woman sheds victimization by helping someone else
(December 15, 2002)
Community development lies about building capacity (December 8, 2002)
No guilt about kicking out bad guys (December 1, 2002)

Are you filling the tub without plugging the drain? (November 24, 2002)
Mind your own business, except when... (November 17, 2002)
I'm praying for a wounded CIA operative (November 10, 2002)
When is a 'rat' not a 'rat'? (November 3, 2002)

Renovations as an art form (October 27, 2002)
Why can't preachers have political opinions? (October 20, 2002)
The day I saw the Queen of the West End (October 13, 2002)
City licensing department is side-stepping its duty (October 6, 2002)

Don't use your cynicism as an excuse not to vote (September 29, 2002)
We've a long way to go to have better housing (September 22, 2002)
Man's death gives lessons on life (Septermber 15, 2002)
Sharing each other's determination and hope (September 8, 2002)
The 'Junk Man' lives up to his name (Septermber 1, 2002)

The 'Cat Lady' and a lesson in limits (August 25, 2002)
Rebuilding homes, demolishing stereotypes (August 18, 2002)
I'm proud to live in Winnipeg's West End (August 11, 2002)
Cabbies can help improve our neighbourhood (August 4, 2002)

Sad, sorry words of 'Anne' (July 28, 2002)
Winnipeg, warts 'n' all, wins with our visitors (July 21, 2002)
Don't talk of justice in my neighbourhood (July 14, 2002)
Jerry sticks by 'the code' even in the face of death (July 7, 2002)

Kid gloves for kid thugs just won't do anymore (June 30, 2002)
The sound of flapping gums from gutless courts (June 23, 2002)
Bank building community instead of pulling out (June 16, 2002)
Massage parlour licensing rubs me the wrong way (June 9, 2002)

A birthday to remember (May 26, 2002)
Every school needs a Mrs. Rosenfeld (May 19, 2002)
When Mother's Day is less than a Hallmark moment (May 12, 2002)
No wonder cops around here appear confused (May 5, 2002)

Is 'high-class' sleaze a sign of progress? (April 28, 2002)
When building codes become building barriers (April 21, 2002)
Why should I give you my money? (April 14, 2002)
When the boogeyman is you (April 7, 2002)

We won't forget our old friend Zoohky (March 31, 2002)
At least Jim's dream won't die (March 24, 2002)
A hug at the intersection of blame and best wishes (March 17, 2002)
Good news from the frontier of urban revitalization (March 10, 2002)
The evolution of cops from pigs into people (March 3, 2002)

We've got the best bars in Winnipeg (February 24, 2002)
Helping hand beats angry resentment (February 17, 2002)
Buying a kid for the price of a meal (February 10, 2002)
Mayor Rudy pointed the way to cleaning up the streets (February 3, 2002)

Don't be a sucker for every sob story (January 27, 2002)
Vulnerability dressed in Bart boxers (January 20, 2002)
'Diddlers' ...'skinners' and the justice system (January 13, 2002)
New York and Winnipeg: twin cities in my mind (January 6, 2002)

I'm proud of my inner-city neighbours (December 30, 2001)
Landlords live with tough decisions (December 23, 2001)
"My people, your people" game a dangerous one (December 16, 2001)
Small, simple apartment was home, sweet home (December 9, 2001)
Conspiracy theories run rampant in cities (December 2, 2001)

We could all learn something from Mona (November 25, 2001)
It's too late to be a regular man of the cloth (November 18, 2001)
Remembrance Day for another kind of war (November 11, 2001)
Let me tell you who the real tough guys are (November 4, 2001)

This place was, and always will be, my home (October 28, 2001)
Somehow my hope survives their despair (October 21, 2001)
He's wearing my tie! (October 14, 2001)
Talk to my face, not my race (October 7, 2001)

God save us from professional do-gooders (September 30, 2001)
Slow learners at "John school" (September 23, 2001)
Prostitutes are proof victims can victimize (September 16, 2001)
Bush's tough talk applies to crime in our city (September 13, 2001)
Why burning house gave us a warm glow (September 9, 2001)
Crack dealers as businessmen (September 2, 2001)

Even the best parents can't do it all...
(August 26, 2001)

Copyright 2005
Rev. Harry Lehotsky
Rev. Harry Lehotsky is Director of New Life Ministries, a community ministry in the inner-city of Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Links
New Life Ministries
West End CIA
Contact info:
New Life Ministries
514 Maryland Street
Winnipeg, Mb R3G 1M5
(204) 775-4929

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