I never want to judge anyone by their worst day, as I don't want to be judged on mine. In a world where the facts are distorted more every day, it is important to be educated, informed, and aware of the massive amount of waste in our daily lives. And I believe in second chances. To learn from mistakes like violence, drunk driving, racism, and discrimination, is the goal. I wrote a sex offender piece last year, and it is about integrating offenders back into society safely. Offenders that have successful rehab and integration, are a model for the redemption process, and are watched their entire life.
Street photography and shooting ballgames is of course, entirely more fun to work. But my own experiences have led me to follow stories that I believe impact myself and America. Solving some of these personal issues, will lead to better conditions for others. Hopefully...
This blog has over 100 posts, some crap and some good. My intentions are to write better stories, adhere to "AP Style" and to change some policies that I feel are robbing many of our citizens.
In an article that ran in the local paper, exposure of a handicapped parking ticket in Lebanon, Oregon, led to a public response and an inquiry by a local politician. The locals in this town can and will, in time, learn to report these issues to the public. At a faster and more efficient rate than media news outlets. Social media and smartphones have at their disposal, instant connectivity and widespread distribution. And soon, the powers that do not want the public to know about "rip-off parking tickets," shall be forced to deal with that exposure. The darkroom where some used to develop their photos, has transformed itself into the very walks of our lives. We are all exposed.
At the public's fingertips are the tools to challenge waste in both the public and private sector. By group-sourcing resources and perspectives along with facts, changing social issues can be life-changing.
Life on the street.
From creating recycling awareness to monitoring predator sex offenders, the range of citizen journalism has the ability to be all-encompassing. To have a certain bias, is okay, because somebody who is passionate about ending racism or government waste, is essentially a happy worker. And a happy worker is a productive worker.
There have always been activists and volunteerism, protesters and homeless shelters. But the times have changed without things like homelessness seeing significant progress. In America, problems like racism and discrimination have not progressed fast enough. The perception by many, is that racism doesn't exist here anymore, but that is naive.
I keep an eye on an Oregon registered sex offender living in my neighborhood named Graem Hromas, and have distributed his conviction history in the area. Hromas targets children, some as young as five, and has a substantial history.
Local government in the area is also an arena that begs stirring up, and citizens that are informed have potential to be powerful. Wasteful and arbitrary approaches to governing the people is at a crossroads, as it stands to lose much credibility if the people can relay accurate and relevant information to themselves as a group.
We all see the social media savvy when it comes to local events, and that is another hotbed that the average citizen can expand on. Be it on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, and whoever else can find a niche, the citizen journalist is capable of passing on large amounts of data.
A 4th Of July local concert.
Problems of drug abuse run wild in the Willamette Valley, and methamphetamine has been especially prevalent. Multiple stories exist of citizens taking photos, license plate numbers, and other information to combat the traffic, the manufacturing, and other problems associated with meth. Often, the help to law enforcement is invaluable.
Suspected drug house.
Things like bike theft, predator offenders not registering, and homeless crime, can be changed with the help of citizens that are aware. Be aware of your surroundings, and document what you see.
I have my own bias, and my own regrets. But my personal issues with Lebanon, the State of Oregon, and some private citizens, has led to a fact-finding mission. In the end, issues with drunk drivers will be less, risks involving offenders should be less, government waste might be lessened, and the people where we all live will be better off.
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