Robert Stanford For City Council District 4

The Struggles Of Advocacy

These pages are compiled of a series of articles that I have written in an attempt to promote understanding and solicit empathy for the plight of those that are less fortunate than we are.

In my attempts of changing my community for the better, I have had to learn the hard way - that it is true - some of the "old guard" that comprise what is loosely called the "leadership" of our local community maintain a strong hold on the prevention of positive growth and the nourishment of positive change. The old guard continues, as those that have gone before have set an example that this is the path to success in local politics and social action. I disagree.

What's In It For Me?
by
Robert Stanford

The majority of my time over the last several years has been spent in various ways of motivating people to take a specified action. Be it a change in diet, health screening or awareness of the dangers of certain activities.

And for the most part, I have been excited and encouraged by the progress I have made by my outreach in these areas of the Modesto/Stanislaus social spectrum.

However, in this same spectrum, there exists local officials. And this is a segment in which I have failed miserably.

And when my expectations are derived from my successes primarily with the private sector, the severity of my disappointment in eliciting specific action in local officials leads me to question why this is.

As I delve into an examination of why I have been so ineffective in my quests to raise awareness and motivate elected officials to take specific actions to alleviate social afflictions that adversely affect the City of Modesto and surrounding communities, the first task is to compare and contrast – wherever that may lead in terms of speculation in the journey to a possible answer.

When working with the public sector, I hold their attention, have their interest and I am able to, for the majority of instances, follow through with them to accomplish a specific action. Such as a visit to a clinic or participation in a health/other oriented workshop.

When working with elected officials, I do not hold their attention, I don’t have their interest and I am unable to, for the majority of most instances, follow through with them to accomplish anything at all. Such as resolutions to declare the City of Modesto a gang and drug free zone (George Petrulakis thought that resolution was more worthy for the trash can then part of a City of Modesto Charter, though he promised me otherwise) or to attend a funeral of an innocent victim of gang violence, marking the event as a turning point for the community (They Mayor had better things to do that day).

Why such opposing results?

For the public sector, the actions I attempt to elicit from them is purely for the benefit of themselves as individuals.

For elected officials, the actions I attempt to elicit from them is purely for the immediate benefit of others. In their minds, the various proposals I make have no bearing on their personal gain in the short term and therefore, there is no motivation for them to act on these things and I am perceived more as an annoyance than a catalyst for community improvement.

There is however, another comparison that can be made between the two groups of which I attempt to affect positive change and the similarities are rather disturbing.

A segment of the public sector that I have attempted to impact has a failure rate which coincides with the failure rate I have had to contend with over several years of reaching out to our local elected officials.

The primary difference is that this segment of the population has repeatedly yelled obscenities at me, spit on me, hurled various objects at me and even physically attacked me. All spurned not just by my attempts to elicit positive action, but even by my mere presence in their vicinity.

Generally, I prefer to refer to this segment as “those that are in need of recovery.” But for all intents and purposes of this comparison I am making now, I would rather be more straight to the point and just call them junkies, since the vast majority of these individuals seem by all outward appearances to be perfectly happy to live out their lives strung out on heroin and/or meth often combined with an alcohol dependent chaser.

If I can convince these people that I am not an “undercover” police officer or a “narc”, I attempt to motivate them to perform a specific action – to participate in a rehabilitation program of some sort (unless I end up having to call MPD dispatch because they are in the process of committing a property crime).

Over and over again, I attempt to elicit a specific action from them for positive change until they specifically ask or tell me to leave them alone.

Much like elected officials pretend to be attentive to what I have to say, these individuals play along also. However, once they realize that I will be of no use to them in their quest for their next fix, whether it be money, something they might sell for money or transportation for money and/or drugs, they become disinterested and my desire to elicit positive actions as a precursor to better themselves and their lives remain completely unfulfilled and I am repeatedly heart broken when I reflect on their potential as a child of God.

Elected officials do not spit on me, yell obscenities at me, throw things at me or physically attack me. Though it does often seem they would most certainly like to. They make it so obvious when they purse their lips, squint and do everything they can to not look as though they are disinterested in saving lives or alleviating suffering of those that live in a different area of town then they all do (and these same people I advocate for, are even sometimes law enforcement officers).

However, the similarities that still exist between these two groups are eerily similar.

One group is addicted to heroin/meth/alcohol and the other group is addicted to power/prestige/wealth.

A junkie is a junkie is a junkie.

A junkie strung out on heroin is no different then a power junky strung out on prestige and daily compounding financial rewards. Both will say and perhaps do anything to secure that next fix they so desperately desire.

And once that fix is made, and that familiar euphoric feeling fills up inside them, all bets are off. All promises are broken. And their family and surrounding community are left to clean up after them or simply suffer the consequences of their insatiable hunger for their drug of choice.

In both instances, it is us – the community at large – that must pay the dearest price for the choices that these junkies do not make – political, social, drug or otherwise.

The comparison begins to complete a puzzle of the utmost enigmatic design when trying to understand the apathetic actions of the current elected officials in the Modesto/Stanislaus political region.

The shadow Government – PMZ (Petrulakis, Madison and Zagaris) can easily be cast as the drug dealers (power brokers) to the elected officials of our region.

While those, like myself, would have these people rise up and cast off their shackles of addiction and realize that their family (their constituents and so many others like children that are not old enough to vote) needs them to fulfill the promises they constantly make.

Once again, I am made out to be the “Narc”. The “Man”. The crasher of the party.

There will come a day that the rich and powerful do not exclusively rule the City of Modesto and surrounding communities at the cost of our livelihoods and heritage, agricultural and otherwise.

But of course, by that time, it may be far too late and this will be nothing more than just another unattractive road side attraction – a place you may vaguely remember reading about in a compelling Steinbeck book.

Robert Stanford