The effects of a violent city on business

The main goal of the future is to stop violence. The world is addicted to it.

--Bill Cosby

On May 30th, I got to sit in on a Google Hangout with Search for the Common Good and Cure Violence about "A Cure for Urban Violence."

Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

I moved to Saginaw over four years ago.  Before I moved here, my boyfriend laid out a map of where I was allowed to go and where I could go between 9am and 3pm, and where I could never go.  Let's go back a little further, to the early/mid 1980s where I grew up: South Bend, Indiana.  Coming to Saginaw in 2010 was much like being in South Bend in the 1980's - gang and general violence run rampant.  My tiny 500 square foot house where I spent a good chunk of my childhood was smack dab in the middle of one of the most violent neighborhoods.  Gangs traveled by rail lines from Chicago and Detroit to South Bend, right by my house.  Shootings, robberies, arson, and stabbings were an every-day occurrence where I grew up.  Fast forward almost 30 years to present-day Saginaw.  Last year, Saginaw was ranked 3rd most violent city per capita in the US.

Up until early this year, I didn't think of how the violence that exists here affected me.  Yes, I was told certain places and neighborhoods were off-limits, but honestly, my neighborhood in Saginaw doesn't see the level of violence that exists in others.  I had become blissfully unaware and disconnected to the violence that was happening in nearby neighborhoods and to our community members.  It wasn't until I saw Gary Slutkin's TED talk about treating it like a contagious disease that I gave my ability to impact the violence a thought.

http://www.myspeakupspeakout.com/saginaw-residents-plead-for-end-to-gun-violence/

Since seeing that talk earlier this year, I have reached out local decision-makers and influential residents to see how I could become involved.  With my history in public health and my person interest in the spread of contagious disease, the Cure Violence plan made sense, and I saw how it could positively impact my new home - the place that I have learned to love.  I see so much positive potential in Saginaw, and knew that I needed to reach out to more people.

The cost to business owners operating in a violent city is huge.  

Robberies, shootings, stabbings, police brutality and mismanagement of situations can ruin a business owner's livelihood.  Let me rephrase: something completely unrelated to your business operations can shut your business down immediately.  I don't know about you, but I haven't planned for that in my business.  I don't have a storefront or an office besides my home that I operate out of, but I know plenty of locals who do.

Realistically speaking, you can't plan for that.  You can't prevent violence from shutting your doors.  

So what can you, a business owner do? 

Advocate.  Be active in your community violence plan.  Support models like Cure Violence.  Maybe it wouldn't work for Saginaw, but SOMETHING WILL.  And that is how we plan for it.  That's how we prevent it from happening to us, or our neighbor, or our favorite business; we work together, in the community, with the community, to develop a way to minimize it.

Gangs are a form of community.  If you take the crime and violence out of the equation, gangs are not a bad thing.  They're not scary; they are a way for those who feel like outsiders to fit in.  To have a family.  Gangs are not the problem.  Crime and violence is the problem. 

So what would happen if we built better communities?  

What would happen if we pitched in and took care of each other and our interests?  

What if we stopped having "self interests" and had "community-focused interests?"  

Do you think that would help to cure violence?
Leave me your thoughts below!

Nicole
The Restless Entrepreneur

Why does mental health matter to businesses

“Stigma's power lies in silence. The silence that persists when discussion and action should be taking place. The silence one imposes on another for speaking up on a taboo subject, branding them with a label until they are rendered mute or preferably unheard.”
― M.B. Dallocchio

Here are a few facts about me:  

I lost my brother to suicide nearly 10 years ago.  I have volunteered in suicide prevention and mental health for the past 7 years.  I have been a psychology and public health student for 12 years now.  I suffer from social anxiety, PTSD, and bouts of depression.  In short, I know a thing or two about mental health and mental illness.

Mental illness is important in business.  

Employers are slowly realizing this as fact, and are slowly trying to incorporate policies and plans to support employees.  Health insurance plans, thanks to the Mental Health Parity Act, are starting to treat mental health coverage similar to coverage for other chronic conditions.  Locally, one of my health care partners, Family and Children's Services of Mid-Michigan, recently wrapped up a "Stomp out the Stigma" campaign for May's Mental Health Awareness Month.  The campaign brought business professionals throughout Midland County together to campaign for better mental health in our region.

http://dialog.studentassociation.ca/index.php/mental-illness-the-power-of-stigma/

There are fairly disgusting statistics in our country based on mental health problems in various industries.  I, having worked with small and large companies throughout the country, have seen the causes and effects of mental health issues and how they are handled.  I see plenty of room for improvement, but starting that conversation with businesses and individuals is not an easy one.  There's still stigma attached; people feel that the PC way to approach mental illness is to not approach it at all.

Treating mental health and mental illness as a taboo topic is not helping.  Treating the brain separate from the body causes and perpetuates stigma.  Companies can help to support their employees by receiving training on how to help them with mental illnesses.  There are screening programs that can help companies with assessing potential problems so that plans can be established.  There are ways to involve community health programs to bring services directly to employees who need it.  Mental health awareness events should be the norm throughout the year for businesses.  And employees should be comfortable talking about their issues with trusted people.

This ideas really feeds into my ideas and plans for building community.  

One of the statistics that stands out to me is the amount of time people spend at work to other countries, especially tribal communities where mental illness mostly a non-issue.  If people are expected to spend 1/3 of their waking hours for at least 5 days out of the week, there needs to be more opportunities for a supportive community.  Mental health awareness should be a part of corporate culture.  If it doesn't, we can't fix the problems associated with mental illness.  If it doesn't, we can't sufficiently have a supportive system to help with mental illness.  If it doesn't, we run the risk of our friends and family members not having the support they need in an environment where they spend nearly 95,000 hours of their lifetime.  And that shouldn't be acceptable anymore.

Nicole
The Restless Entrepreneur