Yesterday This Was Home: Up The Aisle

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The girl walks up the aisle. She passes by a single empty seat half way up the aisle and instead walks back to to Sam who is four rows from the back. I finished animation on this scene and it worked out well. She turns towards Sam at the end and then I cut on the action to the next shot of her getting seated. The animation is getting looser and more spontaneous. I don’t have to hide the ruff nature of my drawings it remains in the final edit.

This short film will be on display at the Orange County Regional History Center (65 East Central Blvd Orlando FL) from October 3, 2020 to February 14, 2021 in the new exhibition titled, Yesterday This Was Home about the 1920 Ocoee Massacre in Orange County, Florida, remains the largest incident of voting-day violence in United States history.

Events unfolded on Election Day 1920, when Mose Norman, a black U.S. citizen, attempted to exercise his legal right to vote in Ocoee and was turned away from the polls. That evening, a mob of armed white men came to the home of his friend, July Perry, in an effort to locate Norman. Shooting ensued. Perry was captured and eventually lynched. An unknown number of African American citizens were murdered, and their homes and community were burned to the ground. Most of the black population of Ocoee fled, never to return.

This landmark exhibition will mark the 100-year remembrance of the Ocoee Massacre. The exhibition will explore not only this horrific time in our community’s history but also historical and recent incidents of racism, hatred, and terror, some right here at home.

The content will encourage reflection on a century of social transformation, the power of perspective, and the importance of exercising the right to vote, and will ask what lessons history can inspire for moving forward.

To promote safe distancing, we have implemented new ticketing procedures for this special exhibition. These procedures go into effect after October 3, 2020. For the run of the exhibition, we will have extended operating hours to create a safe viewing experience for a greater number of people. On Sundays after October 3, we will open two hours earlier at 10 am. and stay open two hours earlier until 7 p.m. And on Thursdays, we will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets for timed entry are now available.

Yesterday This Was Animation

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Cross dissolve to the character now walking to the Orlando Bus Station. This re-used the animation form the first shot but the animation had to be repositioning. I was hoping I could move the animation as a whole in Callipeg but that solution evaded me. Instead I re positioned each drawing one at a time making sure the foot positions lined up on the pavement.

Today was a good day of production, I got a bunch of boards done and several of those seem animated since I used the Procreate video playback feature to recreate the process. I get my best ideas as I am waking up in the morning lying in bed and this morning I came up with the idea of having negatives playback when the character reflects on our countries history of racism. I had one of these Ah-Ha moments each day when I was doing my COVID-19 series of illustrations. It was hard to stop the COVID-19 series since the ideas keep coming, But now that I am animating again, I am loving the process and getting lost in the work all day and into the night.

At first the project seemed impossible on the tight deadline, but I keep chipping away and things keep falling into place. There is a definite sense of serendipity that comes with making a film. Working from the oral history makes boarding a breeze since the length of each shot is determined by the narration.

Again all this work is being done of the exhibition titled, Yesterday this Was Hone: The Ocoeee Massacre of 1920. The Exhibition is on display from October 3, 2020 to February 14, 2021 at the Orange County Regional History Center. The 1920 Ocoee Massacre in Orange County, Florida, remains the largest incident of voting-day violence in United States history. This exhibit is sadly still relevant today with the election coming up in November,  since America has never been able to fully address racism.

No Escape

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There are about 95,000 inmates in Florida prisons. Last month, the number of inmates who had died from COVID-19 was 29, this month that number of deaths has surged to 70. In Florida, an estimated 11,000 inmates are now infected by the virus.

The virus continues to spread rapidly in the prison system, July and August have been the deadliest months since the start of the pandemic. Florida prisons are simply not set up to deal with treating the illness, much less stop the spread. In the prisons there is plenty of misinformation about how to protect against the highly contagious disease.

Two corrections officers also died this month from complications of COVID-19, according to corrections officials and the Florida Police Benevolent Association, a union that represents officers. The virus has even infected top-ranking officials in the department. Corrections Secretary Mark Inch and Deputy Secretary Ricky Dixon were diagnosed with the disease in early August.

Prisons hit hardest by the virus are Columbia Correctional Institution, which has had 1,317 inmate cases; Lowell Correctional Institution, which has had 909; Santa Rosa Correctional Institution, which has had 793; Graceville Correctional Facility, which has had 656; and Taylor Correctional Institution, which has had 561, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.

Also, 1,946 corrections workers had tested positive as of Friday August 7, 2020. At least 48 Brevard County Jail inmates tested positive for COVID-19 after results came back from the first round of widespread testing of the inmate population conducted the first week of August 2020.

At Columbia Correctional Institution, corrections workers are thoroughly cleaning the facility and enforcing a mask requirement for inmates and staff. Despite the preventive measures, inmates and workers are getting sick because not much else can be done now that COVID-19  is inside the prison and it is nearly impossible to maintain social distancing.

The Tampa Bay Times reported that Debra Bennett, a former inmate and current prisoner advocate, has organized donations of masks, gloves, bleach, face shields, soap, toilet paper and other necessities to Homestead Correctional Institution, where 302 inmates are infected. When she dropped off supplies, she noticed that some guards were not wearing masks or any other PPE. On the day of her latest delivery, two female prisoners at Homestead had died from COVID-19. Bennett knew both women well.

On the federal level, Attorney General William Barr released a memo that ordered the Federal Bureau of Prisons to identify “at-risk inmates who are non-violent and pose minimal likelihood of recidivism and who might be safer serving their sentences in home confinement.” His plan, however, was criticized because these inmates will be identified by an algorithm that the Marshall Project reports is biased toward white people. The Marshall Project reported that 100,000 prisoners have been released across the country during the duration of the pandemic.

As more inmates and workers test positive, prisoners and criminal-justice reform advocates are pleading with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to do more to address the problem. Denise Rock, executive director of the nonprofit inmate-advocacy group Florida Cares, wants DeSantis to grant the early release of certain inmates, particularly low-level nonviolent offenders and prisoners who have six months left in their sentences, to help address the spread of the virus in the system. But House Criminal Justice Chairman James Grant, R-Tampa, said in an interview that he does not think it is an “acceptable approach” to let people out of prison because of the pandemic.

During the 2020 Florida legislative session, lawmakers proposed bills to help streamline the process of releasing sick or elderly inmates, the populations most at risk of dying from the disease. Both bills went nowhere. The Orlando Sentinel reported that many of the Florida inmates who died of COVID-19 were eligible for parole.

Back in April when the prison system had just 73 cases, Governor DeSantis told reporters, “I don’t see how in a time of pandemic where people are on edge already (that) releasing felons into society would make a whole lot of sense. I think it makes everything we are doing with social distancing more difficult.”

Pre-Pandemic: Church of Mary Ephesus

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On a rainy day, I sketched the Church of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus (Acarlar, 35920 Selçuk/İzmir, Turkey) which is an ancient Christian cathedral dedicated to the Theotokos. It was erected in the 3rd century within an earlier building. Architecturally, the structure can be described as a basilica with a nave and two aisles. Today, the best-preserved section of the structure is a cylindrical baptistery, located in the northern part of the atrium. In the central part of the baptistery, there was a pool, where the baptized people could be fully immersed in water.

Mary, the mother of Christ, was not the first woman honored in Ephesus. The city had a long tradition of religious worship of female deities. The first of them had been a local Anatolian goddess Kybele who was later merged with the Greek goddess Artemis. The temple erected to Artemis was once considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

According to the local tradition, the mother of Christ arrived at Ephesus together with Saint John and spent here the last years of her life. Although there is no decisive historical evidence to support this belief, there are some premises supporting it. The most significant one is the documented presence of Saint John in Ephesus, where he started writing his gospel. He was also buried in this city, and the basilica was erected in his name. As Christ entrusted him to take care of his mother, before dying on the cross.

Pre-Pandemic: Selçuk Turkey

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Tourists relax in the upstairs lounge of Hotel Bella in Selçuk Turkey. Selçuk is a town near Izmir, in western Turkey. It’s the gateway to Ephesus, a vast, ancient city with the remains of a large theater and the Library of Celsus. South is the House of Virgin Mary, a domed chapel and religious shrine. Near Selçuk, a marble column is one of a few remains of the Temple of Artemis. The Ephesus Museum has more items from the temple, plus other artifacts excavated from the Ephesus site.

Hotel Bella is just a 3 minute walk to the Basilica of St. John. The Basilica was constructed by Justinian I in the 6th century. It stands over the believed burial site of John the Apostle and was modeled after the now lost Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople.

Bubbles

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Pam Schwartz‘s family was in town and we went to a lake where you could float on the water in these bubbles. The bubbles could be blown up with a leaf blower and then you could roll down to the water. Standing in the water was close to impossible resulting in many prat falls. Navigating was possible by running on all fours like a dog or horse but there was still little traction in the water. Each ball was tethered to a rope and when the time was up, they were pulled back to shore by the bubble herder. Her niece and nephew loved the experience.

Now I am thinking it  would be nice to have these for simple everyday tasks like walking the dogs. Of course the clear plastic would likely get scratched all to hell on pavement and cement but I still would love to see people walking the neighborhood in these. It even settle for a Jurassic Park bubble vehicle.

Price of PPE

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Why are police officers around the country outfitted in high tech riot gear while nurses and doctors have to scramble for basic personal protective equipment? Back in April when New York City was first hit hard by the Covid-19 Pandemic some nurses and doctors had to improvise, using hefty garbage bags since Personal Protective equipment was in such short supply.  Now, with police hitting the streets with pepper spray and rubber bullets to disperse protestors we can see that they are very well supplied with PPE.

I decided to host a fashion show with a nurse and an officer in riot gear. I am not great at knowing the costs of fashion items but I will try and research what each is wearing and how much it costs. I will limit myself to the items visible in my illustration.

The Nurse.

It should be noted that PPE costs increased 1000% during the Covid-19 pandemic. While nurses ran out of PPE, and had to re-use face masks, the President accused them of stealing their own supplies..

A basic Face Shield. She is sporting a fairly basic face shield. In May, Amazon began to mass produce face shields at coast for nurses and doctors. Prices are between $12 and $35.

Pro-Safe Skull Cap  $4.06

This nurse is not wearing an N-95 Surgical Mask. The Face Mask she is wearing is not designed to form a seal around the nose and mouth. A pack of 50 about 29.00 or $.59 cents each. Face masks can not be shared and should not be re-used.

Disposable Scrubs Top $4.99.

Disposable Scrubs Pants $4.99.

Disposable Vinyl Gloves $16.99 for 100 pairs or $.16 cents per pair.

She should be wearing Waterproof Boots (e.g. rubber or gum boots) $36.45. I have also seen photos of nurses putting hefty bags over their street shoes and duck taping them in place.  $9.99 for 40 bags. or $.49 for a pair. Duck tape is $4.99 for a roll which can go a long way.

Outer Protective Gown is a Hefty Bag with a hefty plastic tie for a belt. $.24 cents.

Any street clothing will not be counted. The total for the ensemble is about $27.52. Her wings are free. She has earned them.

The nurses had resorted to trash bags after the death of assistant nursing manager Kious Kelly, 48, who died of COVID-19 on March 24, 2020. Colleagues have blamed his death on the forced reusing of protective equipment.

Around April Fools Day, Nurses battling the Covid-19 pandemic at Mount Sinai West in New York City finally got more protective gear after The New York Post revealed a shortage so dire that some staffers resorted to wearing trash bags. Should we ant to thank essential workers, we should make sure they are included in city budgets.

Riot Gear Police.

Helmet Lancer Tactical Large – X-Large Industrial ABS Plastic Constructed Maritime Adjustable Crown with 20mm Side Rail Adapter Velcro Padding NVG Shroud Bungee Retention. $65.

Gas Mask is similar to the Evolution 5000 $229.50.

The Upper Body Protector Vest is about $71.42.

The department supplys ammunition. Collapsible batons, chemical spray, handcuffs — both metal and the plastic variety used in riot-type situations — and a leather utility belt to hold these items are other must-haves.

Minnesota officers receive an annual equipment allowance of $980 — rookie cops get three years, or $2,940, up front to start building their wardrobes. Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges has pledged another $1.1 million for a department wide rollout of body cameras. LAPD officers are outfitted in riot gear that costs tax payers at least $470 per officer, not counting weapons.

I can’t identify the exact less lethal weapon this officer is holding but it is probably just short of $1000. Should anyone be able to identify it with a price, please let me know. The Sting Ball Grenade on his vest is $52.50. Who knows how much more ammo and grenades are in the bag he is holding.

The Body Cam on his vest is about $155.98.

This officer may have on a very nice Paul Newman Rolex Daytona watch.

So an exact pricing estimate seems difficult, but it is fair to say that there is a big difference between the $27.62 Nurse ensemble and the several thousand dollar plus riot police ensemble. By one estimate one officers riot gear could pay for the PPE for 33 nurses.

This leads to the idea of defunding the police to create balance in the community. Rather than investing billions in a culture of violence, we could invest some of that money in services that have a positive impact on the community like youth programs, counseling and affordable housing. The nation wide peaceful protests are helping inspire change.

Pulse: Don Price

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Don Price was the sexton at Greenwood Cemetery at the time of the Pulse Nightclub massacre. He got a call from the mayors office the weekend of the shooting. He had been out at the beach watching a Space X launch. He returned to met with the mayors office. The mayor wanted to know if Greenwood could handle the 50 burials. The mayor also wanted to see the area of the cemetery that could accommodate the families on about Sunday afternoon. It was announced that the families would not have any cost of burial at Greenwood. People thought that meant the burials were free, but there were costs. Several anonymous law firms underwrote the burials paying families for the plots. 50 spaces were set aside. The section that was set aside had just opened up two months earlier, so it was easy to send the mayor photos and plot maps since it was just surveyed.

The cemetery worked with the state. The cemetery map became a war board. Funeral homes had to be called each day and reports sent to the state. The cemetery kept track of every funeral and service. Men’s dress suits and flowers were donated to families. Almost 21 victims were buried in Puerto Rico.  It is possible some of them will return to Greenwood because of hurricane Maria. Families have been displaced and families may want their loved ones back in America. These were 21 year old kids. We ended up burying 4 in Greenwood. Others were buried in, Tampa, Texas and North Carolina.

He met with families that did not understand everything going on.  They didn’t live in Orlando and suddenly they had to decided if they should bury their loved one at Greenwood or back to Puerto Rico. He had to give each family their options and let them decide. Services started Saturday. It was the first time the cemetery had multiple holes open at once. Tents were put up and families were kept separate from the holes. It was chaos.

People who come in the cemetery want to know where the Pulse section is even today. There are 49 bricks set aside for a memorial at the cemetery but that project was put on hold because so much is going on.  It will be put up with no fan fare.

They went out dancing on Saturday night, and Sunday morning they were gone. Half of them were out of the state by Wednesday. Some parents would not recognize the sexuality of their children. One victim was not even picked up. Greenwood had to work on trying to get him picked up. Finally, next of kin made the arrangements.

The burial site for the Pulse victims is right next to Anderson Road. Mayor Buddy Dyer didn’t want to put the burial site on display, but he didn’t want to hide this part of history. From the site you can see the lake, and downtown Orlando. But there were threats of protesting. A 10 foot chain link fence was erected down Anderson and black construction mesh was added so families with a service would not feel like they were on display. Commissioner Patty Sheehan helped Don find American flags and rainbow flags so the families didn’t have to look at the black mesh. It gave them some color. A parade permit was pulled so they could close down the third lane on Anderson and shut down the wetlands park. So if protestors showed up they could be arrested. Luckily there were no protestors.

As a cemetery they have a right to control any still or video images shot on property. News crews could shoot between funerals but not during any funerals. No burials were filmed. Don had a police officer with him to be sure media respected families privacy. Everyone was watching.

Orlando has become a more open and accepting community. Greenwood was open to all races since day one, but if you go to Winter Garden,  Winter Park or Ocoee, there is a white cemetery and a black cemetery. Everyone in Orlando was affected by this tragedy. It was an attack against our entire community. It tied us together. Don stayed away from any of the memorials after the shooting. As he said, “When it comes to a memorial, the last thing you want is for the undertaker to be standing there.”

Pre-Pandemic: New Smyrna Beach

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Pam had her family from Iowa visit back in July of 2019. Her family had never seen the ocean so we took a trip to New Smyrna Beach. Cars could drive and park on the beach which is a little unnerving because you have to keep your guard up to avoid being run over. We had a nice pop up tent we had found which kept us from getting sun burnt.

Pam’s nephew and niece loved being out in the surf. At first her nephew was a bit nervous since he doesn’t have many options to swim but once he mastered bobbing up and down over the waves, he was like a fish in water. I stayed out in the surf most of the day as well. Pam’s parents never left the tent, preferring to watch for potential danger.

Pam and I have not returned to the beach since the pandemic began. I am working all day every day on Pandemic related painting. I am usually trying to finish my write up right before dinner. Pam has been working from home and she does get out in the sun as often as she can. She will put a blanket in the back yard grass and work on her computer as she soaks up the sun. She has figured out that a wicker basket makes a good sun shield so she can see her screen.

I am writing this on Memorial Day. Dr. Deborah Birx a White House health advisor said people can enjoy the outdoors as long as they remain mindful of the need to stay socially distant. Birx said a lot of Americans are carrying the coronavirus and don’t know it. Epidemiologists warn cases will spike as people increasingly get around. As the nation approached 100,000 dead from the virus, President Donald Trump is golfing.

Garage Sale

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I helped a friend with a garage sale and sketched the driveway from my perch inside the garage. I had just held a sale of $1 figure drawing sketches to help with moving expenses. This scene reminded me that my life had been stripped to the bone. I had a chair and the clothes on my back. I ended up buying a table which I now use to mat and frame artwork. People came in waves throughout the day although the biggest crowd was in the morning. There was something for everyone including a three cornered hat should you want to be a pirate for Halloween.

Three buildings were torn down for new condo development in my old neighborhood just south of Lake Eola. I suspect my old apartment building will succumb soon enough to this rapid development. I liked the place precisely because it reminded me of an old New York apartment building. On the edge of the city and suburbs anything could pop up next.