Battlefield Park Neighborhood Association Newsletter May 2017

“The Battlefield Park Neighborhood Association”

“MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER”

= CHANGE Meeting Thursday May 25, 2017

May Newsletter Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Battlefield Park Club House

WHAT TO DO, WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO

by Nana Turner

I Just Don’t Know What to Do….. how many times The WIN JOB CENTER has a program called WIOA.
have you said that or heard it from somebody else? Don’t worry bout what that stand for, it don’t matter.
What do you do when you don’t know where to turn What does matter is you can go get some help and
to get the help you need? Do you even know what maybe get you a job. This program is called a
kind of help you need? Internship program and they give you a part time job
(35 hours a week) and while you there you learn
Let’s get real, life is hard and these streets ain’t different skills so you can either stay there and work
getting no better out here. Everybody says they have or get a job somewhere else. The paper said it was for
a program or something that can help but they don’t folks 18-24 but my friend read a little more and at the
take you by the hand and show you how to get it done. bottom they say ANYONE 18 and up can get in the
Why don’t these folks seem to understand that if I program so call them folks and tell them you want to
knew how to get these things done I would do them be on the INTERN program.
already!
The other thing they had is something called the
Sometimes what you really need is someone to say Workforce Investment ACT-Individual Training
“come one” let me help. That’s all we’re looking for Account or a SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. This one
here, just a little help. So today I’ve got some help for let’s you see all the schools and training centers that
you. are giving FREE TRAINING for folks. So I went and
looked and guess what? You can go to school FREE
I went to the Unemployment Office and I thought I OF CHARGE!!
was going to get some help but they pointed me to a
computer. Okay people everybody doen’t know how LAST MONTH we had a talk about whose fault it is when
to use a computer or even where to begin. NO HELP, folks aren’t doing right and we decided it was everybody’s
JUST POINTED ME TO A COMPUTER AND fault. Our fault and nobody else’s. So now let’s look at
TOLD ME TO LOOK FOR A JOB. I thought they these young folks and do everything we can to help them
were supposed to help and I guess they think that’s lead good lives. Take them to the job center and help them
helping but there I was feeling kinda dumb and too fill out the stuff they need to fill out.
shame to tell the folks I didn’t really know how to
work that computer. It didn’t help it just made me SHOW THEM WHAT TO DO, DON’T JUST TELL
feel bad and stupid so I didn’t go back. I wonder how THEM. I didn’t know how to use the computer and the
many folks don’t go back because they shame? people whose job it was didn’t help me either. My friend
helped me and you need to be somebody’s friend too.
Finally, a friend of mine said “girl, come one we gone go Maybe they can’t read, or read well, maybe they’re scared
out here and get this done.” So I went back with her and to talk to the folks. Go with them! Help them talk! Help
she typed everything in the computer for me and helped me them tell the people what they need. It’s our fault but its’
file for my unemployment and showed me how to use that also our job to fix it.
computer to look for a job. I thought that was what they CALL THE WIN JOB CENTER TODAY AND ASK
was supposed to be doing but I guess not. While I was ABOUT THE WIOA PROGRAM AND THE
there she was looking at everything and reading everything SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. Don’t let them tell you no
in sight. She always does that but this time ole gurl came and if you know a young person who needs help get up off
up with something pretty good. Did you know how many your butt and really help. Nobody needs to hear all that hot
job programs they got that they ain’t telling nobody about? air if you ain’t gone do nothing but talk.
Chile all kind of stuff to help folks and they keeping the
information hid and just telling certain ones about it. So WIN JOB CENTER: 601-321-7918
here is what I found out about ASK ABOUT SCHOLARSHIP PRORAM (TRAINING) AND
TELL THEM TO HELP YOU ON THE COMPUTER
ASK ABOUT THE INTERSHIP PROGRAM TOO! GOOD
LUCK!

NOT A MIRACLE WORKER

by Elise Ervin

Now that we have come through the latest round of But what do they have to vote for?
elections and we’ve hired several people to do the
job of helping to govern our City, County and State; Pay bills owed by the city (the council has to vote to
it’s time for us to ask ourselves What do they really approve the expenses)
do? Most people seem to believe that Elected
Officials are miracle workers who can wave a To approve anyone the Mayor wants to appoint
magic wand and get anything they want but that over a Department
simply isn’t true. Let’s take a look at what our new
Councilperson and Mayor can really do under the To approve new laws in the City
law.
To repeal old outdated laws in the City
Taking a closer look will help us to understand how
to work with them, help them do their job and make Zoning matters (if you want to rezone property so
sure we are getting the best service possible for our you can use it for something else)
community. We will start with the job of the
Councilperson. For years we have moaned about Honor Residents through proclamations and
“the councilperson ain’t doing nothing for us”, but resolutions
what are we really talking about? What is it that
you expected them to do that didn’t happen? If we Change street names and building names
are honest with ourselves we must tell the truth
which is we whine about them not doing anything Vote on the budget for the City (this is very
but we don’t even educate ourselves about what important)
they CAN do. A councilperson, Mayor or any other
elected official is not God. What this means for us in the community is, if you
don’t want the street name changed, if you want a
A Councilperson in the City of Jackson votes on new law in the city, someone to be honored, or you
items the Mayor’s office brings to them. So they have issues with the way the city spends money,
are like the Board of Directors for the City of your councilperson can help by voting for or against
Jackson. They don’t run the operation. That’s what what their residents want. And now you know!
the CEO of the Company (The Mayor) does. They
don’t get involved with the employees of the City
because by LAW they cannot interfere with City
employees. So what can they do for us in the
community? A lot of things. First of all they are
part time employees of the citizens of the City of
Jackson and they get a salary of $25,000 per year
Just $25,000, So they don’t make a lot of money.

The city does provide them with a car to drive and
gas to go in that car so that’s a good perk. If they
become President of the Council they get an extra
$2,000 and that’s supposed to make up for all the
extra work but citizens want a Councilperson to
work all day and go to every single community
meeting they are called to in the evening. A
councilperson votes. Yes that’s it, they vote

Guess Speakers Cecil Brown & Bobby "Bobcat" McGowan

Building TOGETHER to make a better community.

of the pull quote text
box.]

Battlefield Neighborhood
Association

New Community
House & Barber Shop

on Winter Street