Up until the San Bernardino shootings, very little was known about this mystically beautiful city. Behind its hidden beauty was a dark side characterized by poverty, crime and poor development. However, Juan Delgado, a resident of the city has a deep emotional connection to the city of San Bernardino. He is a poet and a professor who uses art to create awareness about the sorry state of the city. The following is a summary and analysis of an article posted on the New York Times. It narrates the story of Juan Delgado and his efforts in uplifting the city.
Summary
Delgado compares San Bernardino to a dandelion. This is because a dandelion has extensive roots and likewise the ability to withstand adverse circumstances. He believes the city is as resilient as the dandelion. Three years prior to the shooting, he teamed up with a fellow professor and a photographer named Thomas McGovern. They came together to document the city’s fragmented allure. Their main aim was to rejuvenate and change the city’s image through their works of art. Their movement drew sustenance from many quarters. Something they were not expecting.
“Vital signs” is an assortment of photographs and poems distributed by Heyday books in the year 2013. In this collections, Mr. Delgado and McGovern made their first effort to create awareness about the poor state of the city. The main issues the city was facing were pollution, bankruptcy, and gang violence among many others. McGovern uses artwork to elucidate and propose a different San Bernardino that is in a much better state. Both of them hail San Bernardino paint an ideal picture of their aspirations for the city.
Last year, they met for a public concert named “this is San Bernardino.” The city’s arts commission gave a grant to facilitate the event. Mr. McGovern also focused on vendors and exhibition of works in order to raise more funds. He encouraged artists of Generation now to join hands. Generation now refers to a consortium of activists below thirty years of age. One of the artists was Mr. Segura 24. Upon being encouraged by Mr. McGovern, he began taking civic development programs to give the city a facelift. Currently, Segura is a member of San Bernardino’s fine arts commission. His group availed elbow grease for the city’s cultural center. This cultural center recently opened a building dedicated to art works. It will also house pottery and glass studios alongside a mariachi brand that is based in the city.
Patrick Morris, the San Bernardino governor from 2006-2013 acknowledges the image issues and human suffering currently affecting San Bernardino. He lauds the efforts of Mr., McGovern and Mr. Delgado in celebrating the beauty that is within the San Bernardino landscape. In the poem “winds: For the people of San Bernardino” that was written shortly after the massacre, Mr. Delgado describes a vigil that was held in memory of the slain residents of the city among whom five were alumni.
The two further claim that e-commerce has given rise to an unnerving anonymous landscape of strip malls and distributor warehouses. Challenging times have also led to the death of local establishments. Delgado lived in New York for 15 years, where he produced a book on AIDS and met his wife, Renate Bongiorono.
Analysis
In the article, the two poets are very passionate about their city, and they are trying to improve its image through arts. The main issues they claim are affecting the city include pollution, poverty, and crime and drug abuse. Pollution is a main concern in San Bernardino. The most common form is air pollution. Smog from vehicles and industries make the air within the city unhealthy to breathe. This can lead to health problems that mainly affect the respiratory tract. Water pollution is also a major issue. The rivers in San Bernardino have been heavily polluted through dumping of wastes. There seems to be a laxity by government authorities to enforce environmental protection laws and regulations (Fenn, Poth, & Johnson). The street walls are a gore site with graffiti paintings all over.
Poverty levels are very high in San Bernardino. Many people face challenges in gaining meaningful employment. The lack of investors in the area aggravate the problem even further. Online commercial activities have played a role in in this poverty. Delgado claims that the upsurge of online business has led to the demise of local business that once created employment for people. All that is left are strip malls belonging to online shipping companies.
Increasing crime rates make san Bernardino a very unsafe place to live in. many people get killed every day in homicides and murders. This crime is caused mainly by unemployment and poor educational qualifications. Young men form gangs that participate in organized crime (Ackerman & William). Drug abuse is very rife in San Bernardino. When under the influence of drugs, people tend to be violent and are more likely to participate in crime. It also destroys the lives of thousands of young people who live in the city. Drug abuse goes hand in hand with drug trafficking and peddling. People who participate in drug trafficking are known to be violent and carry out a lot of killings.
However, Mr. Delgado still has hope for the city. He compares it to a dandelion that is known for its deep roots and the ability to withstand adverse conditions. Their methods of awareness proved to be very effective and fruitful. Through their project, “this is San Bernardino,” they managed to get a grant from the city’s fine arts commission. When the two poets showcased the beauty of San Bernardino through arts, people began to appreciate the beauty of the city. They managed to convince Mr. Segura to start activism. Segura was convinced and began civic improvement projects, sprucing up parks and other public spaces. This greatly improved the image of San Bernardino. The former mayor, congratulates them for portraying a good image of the city through their art. Mr. Delgado and McGregor also give the real picture of the situation in San Bernardino rather than waiting for the media to define the city. Most media reports do not normally give the real picture of a situation. Indeed through their actions, the two poets have helped to create awareness of the dire conditions of the city of San Bernardino.
Works cited
Ackerman, William V. "Spatial distribution and socioeconomic correlates of crime in San Bernardino, California." (1976).
Fenn, Mark E., Mark A. Poth, and Dale W. Johnson. "Evidence for nitrogen saturation in the San Bernardino Mountains in southern California." Forest Ecology and Management 82.1 (1996): 211-230.
