By Jim Barber
As obsessed with assuaging the financial and social disparity in our communities as a lot as she is for creating, recording and performing music, Toronto singer/songwriter/filmmaker/educator Andrea Ramolo has harnessed the latter of those pursuits within the service of the previous, with the current launch of her newest single, ‘Citadel on the Avenue.’
A co-write with fellow Toronto musician and recording artist R. Grunwald, the music tells tales that ought to not simply tug on the heartstrings, however ought to elevate each ire and voices to do one thing to make sure that the extra weak members of our cities, our cities and our nation have lives of dignity, hope and abundance.
Ramolo at all times understood that there have been unhoused individuals dwelling tough on the streets of Toronto, and at all times felt deep compassion for his or her plight. However her concern and sympathy quickly grew to become motion, after which advocacy, main her to step out of the consolation zone of her life as an educator and musician and step into the world that almost all don’t see – the world of parents dwelling not solely on the margins of the cityscape, however on the margins of life itself.
“In the course of the pandemic, tent cities have been popping up. There have been completely different encampments round Toronto. There was one in a park that was very expensive to me; a park that I lived proper beside at one level in my music profession and life and the place I spent plenty of time. It’s known as the Dufferin Grove Park, near the Dufferin Mall close to Faculty and Dufferin Streets. I might stroll and drive by there and it harm my coronary heart so dangerous that so many individuals have been dwelling there, dwelling these despairing lives, to date beneath the poverty line that the world made it in order that they couldn’t even have their naked requirements met and a roof over their head. What sort of dignity is that? However what actually form of shook me was after I first introduced over the Italian band Kalascima that I tour with now that first summer time [four years ago] and the park was nonetheless thriving; the encampment was full. I don’t even know what number of tents there have been, no less than 30 or 40 and possibly extra,” she defined, as she talked from first-hand expertise with these people, in regards to the structural and political flaws in a system that appears to be okay with individuals dwelling lives bereft of even the fundamentals.
“These Italian associates, who at the moment are like my household, like my brothers, I didn’t know them as effectively on the time, and so they seemed on the park as we have been driving by in our tour car to move out of the town for a present. They usually have been like, ‘what is that this? How do you guys let your individuals stay like this.’ That’s what they mentioned. After they mentioned it to me that method, ‘how do you let your individuals stay like this? Your neighbours,’ it put it right into a perspective the place I believed, yeah, they’re proper. It’s our duty. We are able to’t depend on the federal government to do something as a result of everyone knows the place that’s going to guide us. And lots of of those persons are in that scenario due to insurance policies of the federal government – all ranges of presidency. They’re there due to inflation and unaffordable housing and groceries costing a whole bunch of {dollars} every week to feed a household. And lack of funding for psychological well being and well being care. I’ve realized a lot from being out on the streets with them, which I did intensely for a couple of yr and a half, travelling with my new associates to varied shelters, warming homes, group housing. What I’ve realized, and what I’ve seen is that it’s only a vicious cycle that’s seemingly by no means going to finish based mostly on these buildings that don’t appear to work. They only don’t work. There’s a lot crimson tape.”
One story particularly, one which, sadly, isn’t distinctive to Ramolo’s personal expertise attempting to mitigate and mediate among the squalor and deprivation of individuals she calls her ‘new associates’ nonetheless stokes the hearth she has to boost consciousness, and inspire motion.
“I’ll always remember this one instance. I bear in mind after I first met Debbie, my pal who has turn out to be actually like my adopted mum. She’s a fiery, charismatic Indigenous lady who I heard in her tent, yelling in ache. I used to be giving out sandwiches on my first outreach day and it was blistering chilly in December. Someone had stolen her walker and he or she couldn’t rise up and her two cute chihuahua canines, have been dwelling together with her on this tent. She couldn’t stroll, she was mendacity in her personal stuff, her personal waste, for about 5 days. So I attempted to succeed in out to a couple organizations to assist me and so they actually got here and simply gave me some rubber gloves and a few luggage the subsequent day. I put the gloves on and I used to be cleansing all of the soiled garments and napkins and diapers and every thing round her tent to clear a pathway so we may get her onto a stretcher and to a hospital. They usually have been simply watching me. Once I requested them to assist they mentioned, ‘oh no, we’re not allowed to the touch something.’ The Italian ‘Nonna’ in me was like “How do you assist should you’re simply standing there? It’s a must to get your palms soiled.’ And that form of symbolizes what I’m attempting to say. With a purpose to assist these individuals, we’ve to get our palms soiled. Whether or not they’re affected by psychological well being points, or dependancy or bodily immobility, that is the way you assist individuals. You present up, you contact them, you hug them, you do for them,” she mentioned.
“They want love. Most of them don’t have household, and in the event that they do have household, they don’t see them anymore. In the event you befriend them, that could be the one mild of their life that helps them wish to carry on going. I’m not saying that I’m that for Debbie or anyone else. I’m simply saying that we’ve to be variety to one another, as a result of that could possibly be my mom, your mom. That could possibly be any person’s sister. The truth is, it IS any person’s mom and sister. We are able to’t perceive the complexities of what put individuals on this scenario, however we could be variety, we may help. However this nation isn’t doing sufficient for the those that fall into these areas. They usually don’t have a voice for themselves as a result of no one listens to them. No one offers them the time of day. Be sincere, what number of instances have all of us handed by these individuals on the road and been afraid of them as a result of possibly their psychological well being isn’t in verify or whatnot, or they’ve simply smoked crack or are on fentanyl. These are the realities. These persons are battling dependancy and psychological well being points – that doesn’t imply they don’t deserve love.
“It doesn’t imply they don’t deserve a roof over their heads and a few sizzling meals of their bellies and a few tenderness – some human care. Each human being on this earth deserves care, and who’re we to resolve who will get care and who doesn’t? The world doesn’t work the identical method for everyone. Some individuals can’t work. Some individuals have main accidents or are coping with debilitating ache, or are bipolar or schizophrenic and have tried working however misplaced their jobs and don’t have a household community to handle them. So what, they simply deserve to finish up in a doorway nook sleeping in a sleeping bag for the remainder of their lives? No, they don’t. We have now to be their household. Wouldn’t you need that for your self should you have been in that scenario. I might. Just a little little bit of human decency goes a great distance.”
‘Citadel on the Avenue’ was created for a brand new documentary developed, produced and directed by Ramolo known as Tales from the Avenue. It was additionally based mostly on the tales of her new associates.
“The music was particularly written, effectively, for all of the characters, however particularly for Brent, who’s within the documentary. Brent is now not with us, and he was very near me. He was such an angel of a human being. Everybody who met him was simply so touched by him. He was such a real, variety man. And he simply had a tough go of it. He had throat most cancers, and he was withering away to nothing. On the finish of his life, Ryan [Donais], my pal who runs Tiny Tiny Properties, he gifted him a tiny residence within the park. However then, in fact, the federal government got here and took these away. However whereas they have been taking them away, Ryan advocated for him to get an condo, like an actual condo. I believe he simply managed to get sufficient funds collectively to get him that condo. Brent was within the very late levels of his most cancers, and he solely acquired to stay on this new condo for about two months. So, it was too late to provide him that dignity, to provide him that fundamental human care. Why? Why are individuals, aged individuals, all individuals, why are they dying on the road? Why are they sleeping on heating grates and in sleeping luggage. Are you able to image that for our mother and father? It’s simply so mistaken. It’s so unjust. Individuals are sleeping out within the open, in the course of downtown Toronto, and it’s laborious to see all of that, however it’s needed as a result of plenty of us, we shut our eyes to it. We fake it doesn’t exist. And it’s simple to not acknowledge the inequality of the world when your eyes are closed. However once they’re open individuals notice there’s one thing terribly mistaken with our world. There are such a lot of horrible issues happening on the earth, and one individual can’t repair all of them. However I do consider in love and in human kindness. And I do consider that each little factor that we do for one more individual creates waves and will presumably make somebody’s day a bit of brighter.”
Just like the Italian Nonna traits she inherited from her personal powerhouse of a Nonna, Ramolo has a remarkably very important wellspring of compassion, ardour, fiery righteousness and inside energy. However she can also be deeply delicate, taking every thing into her coronary heart – the great, the dangerous and the unjust. So she’s needed to study to mood her ardour with a wholesome dose of self-care. Simply as airline passengers are instructed to place the oxygen masks over their very own mouths first earlier than placing one on their youngsters, Ramolo is aware of to be best in her work elevating consciousness and growing sensible methods to assist her associates, she needs to be wholesome in thoughts, physique and spirit herself.
“It was laborious. Even speaking about it, it was a tough yr and a half. I needed to cease at one level going out to the streets as a lot as I used to be. Particularly on the actually, actually snowy mornings, I might exit early on a regular basis with blankets and sleeping luggage and heat meals, socks and no matter, that I at all times stored with me. I might discover individuals nonetheless sleeping actually over vents proper within the coronary heart of downtown Toronto. However I needed to set some boundaries. There have been instances when a few of my new associates had entry to my telephone quantity, and there have been plenty of late evening calls. I realized alongside the way in which find out how to create boundaries for myself as a result of you possibly can’t assist different individuals once you’re fully depleted.”
To buy and entry ‘Citadel on the Avenue,’ go to https://andrearamolo.bandcamp.com/monitor/castle-on-the-street. Proceeds can be directed to Haven, a males’s drop-in centre in Toronto. For extra details about this group, go to https://www.haventoronto.ca.
For extra info on Tiny Tiny Properties, go to https://tinytinyhomes.ca.
- Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and creator based mostly in Napanee, Ontario, Canada, who has been writing about music and musicians for greater than 30 years. Moreover his journalistic endeavours, he works as a communications and advertising specialist and is an avid volunteer in his group. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
