The Spirit of San Diego

In 1992, with the construction of the 54 freeway at the south end of the City of San Diego, the bones of a mastodon were discovered that are estimated, by the archeologists who discovered the bones, to be more than 100,000 years old. They also found what they believe to be stone tools used by humans to break the mastodon bones. Prior to this discovery, it was believed that humans came to what would become known as the North American continent only 14,000 or so years ago - the Clovis hunters.

Notwithstanding this remarkable discovery, when it comes to the first cultural groups to settle in what is now called San Diego County, this land is the land of the Kumeyaay Indians. The website for the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians states, “The Kumeyaay engaged in total environmental management of their land and water resources.” The Kumeyaay established a harmonious and environmentally balanced relationship with this land that lasted more than 100 centuries. They took care of the land and the Spirit of this land took care of them.

With the invasion of Kumeyaay lands by colonizers and settlers the balance and harmony established by the Kumeyaay was violently interrupted and the beautiful spiritual relationship between humans and the land was broken. When I moved to San Diego the city prided itself on being “America’s finest city”. But events like the infamous “Enron by the Sea” incident, the crumbling of the city’s infrastructure, persistent police corruption, the poor performance of schools, traffic congestion, unplanned urban sprawl and the many regressive, discriminatory and oppressive policies and practices of government entities have shown that the spiritual goodwill of San Diego is not in good health. The spirit of San Diego is not at its finest. The Spirit of San Diego is broken.

If we are to return to a time when this was truly a land at its finest, we will have to have an honest conversation about how we who live here now will restore balance and harmony to this land and its people.

Clovis Honoré

Social Justice Editor

Small Business Exchange

October 31, 2019
ATTN: Business Organizations/Assistance Centers

City of San Diego
Brookfield Land Construction, Inc.

Link to pdf file:

IMPROVEMENTS: MERGE 56 - TORREY HIGHLANDS PROJECT NO. T-3.1 B, 3. 2B CAMINO DEL SUR (NORTH);
T-3.1A, 3.2A CAMINO DEL SUR SOUTH; T-5.1 & T-5.2 CARMEL MOUNTAIN ROAD SOUTH; P-6 TORREY HIGHLANDS TRAIL AND U-316" WATER MAIN, AND RANCHO PENASQUITOS PROJECT NO. T-4B - GRADING, RETAINING WALL, WET & DRY UTILITIES, STREET, STREET LIGHT, LANDSCAPE,
AND TRAFFIC SIGNALIZATION IMPROVEMENTS
BID DATE December 4, 2019@ 1 :00 p.m.

The Small Business Exchange, Inc., on behalf of Sukut Construction, LLC, is requesting assistance in identifying businesses who can participate on the referenced project. We are requesting that you post the enclosed information, distribute it and/or refer businesses who might be interested. Any additional information can be forwarded directly to Rick Welshiemer whose Contact information appears in the invitation.

Thank You

The Genocide, Oppression, Resilience, and Sovereignty
of the First Peoples of California

November 21-24, 2019

Four days of presentations, music, documentary films, and political action sessions offer attendees a chance to enhance knowledge of the California genocide and Indigenous peoples’ history. Engage with others who want to learn more about these topics and come away with new understanding. Come together with the community to share ideas for resolutions that will be sent to state officials at the end of the conference.
More info: Click Here (SDSU website )

StrongHearts Native Helpline Answers the Call from Native Americans Facing Domestic Violence and Dating Violence

National helpline illustrates the unmet need for culturally-appropriate victim resources for Indian country

In March 2019, the StrongHearts Native Helpline held an open house to mark the helpline’s second anniversary and new office headquarters in collaboration with the Family Violence Prevention and Services Program, the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC) and the National Domestic Violence Hotline (The Hotline) in Eagan, Minnesota. (From left to right: Tara Azure, NIWRC Training and Resource Specialist; Katie Ray-Jones, Chief Executive Office of the Hotline; Lori Jump, StrongHearts Assistant Director; Lucy Simpson, NIWRC Executive Director; Shawndell Dawson, Director of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Program, ACF/HHS; and Gwendolyn Packard, NIWRC Training & Technical Assistance Specialist.)