"goth Help Us"

[Scales]

I'm lazy, and had too much crap to do this weekend, so it took me awhile to post this. Dunno if a thread has been posted about it yet, but here's the link to the article I stumbled upon if you want to read it with pictures: http://www.angst-zine.com/zineindex.php?id=75

Goth Help Us, San Diego

Jim Howard, Chapter President Synchonicity is the best way to describe the chain of events that occurred to make Goth Help Us San Diego happen as it did. A negative act with positive repercussions. Goth Help Us as a whole is still a new organization and at the precise time that was necessary to get everything moving in the right direction, a wrong was done. Jim Howard, the current president of Goth Help Us San Diego, and a small group of friends and family were accosted on the street by a number of drunk, belligerent people. As Jim was assaulted it was made clear that he and his group was chosen due to their subculture affiliation. This can be otherwise known as a “hate crime.” The courts will not recognize this attack as a hate crime at this time.

People painting over grafittiThis act came as a blow to the San Diego Goth community as the people that were involved in this attack were well respected members of the community. Alongside the choice of target, the Goth community is appalled that the courts will not recognize subcultures as a motivation for hate crime. Jim was, unfortunately, rushed to the hospital and had to undergo surgery in order to repair the damage that was done. Rather than acting in a similar fashion and attacking others, verbally, physically or any other way, Jim decided to act out and motivate the San Diego community to work together and help dispel the negative image that Goths have.

Thus Jim got in contact with Goth Help Us International and started the San Diego chapter. The first meeting, held October 29th, 2006 at the Spreckels Organ Pavillion in Balboa Park. Here, Jim discussed why he wanted to start the chapter and what the mission was and is. The statement CERT graduation of intent as it currently stands is to “right 'this' injustice, stop the violence taunting and harassment so that we can embrace the night without fear of abuse or attack.” The chosen path is community service. GHU San Diego tries to have at least one outreach program and one general body meeting each month.

To this date, Goth Help Us San Diego has worked on several community projects; enough, in fact, that I cannot provide a comprehensive list. Examples are the beach cleanup efforts, graffiti paint-outs, a clothing drive, blood drive involvement and CERT certification volunteerism. Having been at several of these efforts, I can say personally that people that are touched by the work that GHU San Diego has done appreciate it. Furthermore the people that have seen GHU San Diego in action will undoubtedly feel differently when they see violence enacted upon the public by the “Goth” community. The reflection will undoubtedly revolve more around the wrongdoer and there will be a distinction between the violator and the Goth community. We still have a long way to go; while I was at the latest beach cleanup, someone walked by and asked why there were a Beach Cleanup bunch of “witches” on the beach. Clearly he was not part of the cleanup organization, and we can all feel at ease knowing that we have made a difference, while he chooses to stand by the side and make derogatory comments. Perhaps even the most discriminatory member of society will, one day, come to embrace that even though people may look different, we truly are the same.

Website: http://www.gothhelpus.org/

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/gothhelpus

[hellequin]

awe

*sniff*

i'm glad they've all managed to do something!

[Scary Guy]

I'm all up for starting a Detroit chapter.

But I don't think we are the same, I think we're better than normal stupid people and they should be exterminated.

The normal smart ones that don't make a fuss can continue to exist however.

[know_buddy_kares]

I think that would be a cool idea however.... i've noticed most violent crimes here aren't because someone was goth.. there's other factors that have been involved that made them hate crimes here.

[Scales]

I'm all up for starting a Detroit chapter.

But I don't think we are the same, I think we're better than normal stupid people and they should be exterminated.

The normal smart ones that don't make a fuss can continue to exist however.

They don't even have a US Eastern/Northern States representative yet from what I've read.. another reason why I posted this, maybe if this site gets more traffic with the street team, someone might find this topic and want to contact them about that, or the 'Chapter President' thing for major cities like your talking about.

awe

*sniff*

i'm glad they've all managed to do something!

I think that would be a cool idea however.... i've noticed most violent crimes here aren't because someone was goth.. there's other factors that have been involved that made them hate crimes here.

I agree.. though there's still a lot of stigma towards 'alternate' fashion thanks to the media, and just general social degradation from misunderstanding. It's a shame we're still stuck in the stone ages of ridiculing clothes instead of going for politics and propaganda.

[Scary Guy]

It's a shame we're still stuck in the stone ages of ridiculing clothes instead of going for politics and propaganda.

We're not stuck there, we're devolving into "why are you talking like a fag all faggy like"? Probably with worse spelling "OMG TIEM MASHEEN!"

[Scales]

Lol. That tempted me to say "innit?"

[Amerist]

I remember seeing this on Gothic Angst Webzine earlier this month.

I absolutely applaud any sort of community activism that involves making the neighborhood a better place by providing to those low-hanging parts of the social infrastructure: blood drives, cleaning up trash and minor repairs like painting over graffiti. Where I live in Anns' Arbor certainly doesn't have much of this laying around -- and if people cleaned up graffiti too often around where I live in Phoenix I'd quickly run out of stuff to photograph -- but this sort of stuff is kind of like urban hygiene. Nobody wants to sit next to the stinky city that doesn't bathe. The community spirit that connects Goth kids is as good as any to bring people together to get things done.

The last image in the set (in the article itself) is my favorite. It displays the entire crew with a pirate flag flying.

[sass_in_the_pants]

You don't need an organized group to go help your community. You can just go do it.

And I SWEAR that as long as you're hauling ass with the rest of the volunteers, no one really cares if you come in vinyl and eyeliner.

[Scary Guy]

You don't need an organized group to go help your community. You can just go do it.

And I SWEAR that as long as you're hauling ass with the rest of the volunteers, no one really cares if you come in vinyl and eyeliner.

You don't NEED to no, but it's good for a "community" image. As in "they're a good group of people" instead of "he's a good person". Also it's a good reason to get together with everyone else from the scene/forum.

Maybe Higgins would let us fix up the LeLand LOL

[sass_in_the_pants]

You don't NEED to no, but it's good for a "community" image. As in "they're a good group of people" instead of "he's a good person". Also it's a good reason to get together with everyone else from the scene/forum.

Maybe Higgins would let us fix up the LeLand LOL

No charitable organization under the sun would take on THAT project.

Besides, hazmat suits are expensive.

[Amerist]

No charitable organization under the sun would take on THAT project.

Besides, hazmat suits are expensive.

At least the couch isn't there anymore. Malevolent sentient upholstery working against the clean-up team would really lead to a Resistance: Fall of Man sort of scenario.

[Scary Guy]

At least the couch isn't there anymore. Malevolent sentient upholstery working against the clean-up team would really lead to a Resistance: Fall of Man sort of scenario.

I remember when those couches were new. I also remember that was the second set of couches.

After about a week I wouldn't even sit on them anymore.

[Troy Spiral (13)]

Taking on the responsibility to properly represent something like this would be a virtual full-time job. Careful what you agree to do, if your not going to do it full-on.

I'm glad there is some positive feedback to this. I posted this earlier and much of the response was sarcastic. =(

[Hellion]

This is the kind of shit that makes me hate most of our POS society! George Carlin gets alot of death threats because he tells the truth about our moronic society in a joke,I dont know whats worse our government or 90% of society,its a coin toss.