RE: Learning and Action

["Alex Lantsberg" <alex@SAEJ.org>]

i would tend to disagree that communities are not moved to action by their
realization of what is happening in their own backyards.  community members,
at least down here in bayview hunters point, san francisco, participate in
boards, committees, and the such to try to address the questions that were
raised.

what i think happens is that the governmental institutions that  set up the
structures in which community residents participate are more interested in a
long drawn out "process" than actual community empowerment.  oftentimes
community organizations move their constituencies into action, but  the
people get bogged down in the process which can take years.

capital, which is the quickest way to bust through the shackles of process,
is not put directly into the hands of the folks who need it most.  this
eventually leads to frustration and burnout.

alex lantsberg