He’s the advocate next door

They get in on the ground level every time a park needs new floodlights or an intersection needs a full stop sign. They show up for Saturday morning cleanups and Wednesday night chili feeds. They make newsletters and run Web sites, testify at city council meetings and rally the troops by raising awareness about new developments where they live.

They are volunteer neighborhood activists, and Jerry Numbers is just one of hundreds here in Spokane.

“I joined the East Central Neighborhood Council, I think it was in ’92, and I’ve been there ever since,” Numbers said over coffee at The Shop on South Perry Street. “I was busy with teaching in the ’80s, but I’ve always paid attention to what’s going on in my neighborhood.”

At the upcoming Neighborhoods USA Conference, Numbers will be hosting a Neighborhood Pride tour that includes one of the oldest and largest community gardens: the one at the East Central Community Center – at the heart of his neighborhood.

“We’ll take people through East Central and point out some of the historic buildings and the changes that’s taken place here,” Numbers said. “At the community center there will be a catered meal by One World restaurant.”

Numbers has been a Spokane representative at a couple of NUSA conferences in other parts of the country and he said he’s looking forward to returning the favor by helping as many as 1,000 neighborhood activists during their visit to Spokane.

“During the conference, I’ll be a floater,” Numbers said. “I haven’t been on one of the day-to-day committees this time.”

But he’s been on plenty of other committees over the years. Numbers serves on the East Central Community Organization board. ECCO is the fiscal sponsor of the community garden.

“We are a 501(c)3, so we can apply for grants and other funding for the neighborhood,” Numbers said.

He’s also on the city’s community development board and he’s been part of numerous neighborhood initiatives and planning efforts over the years, including the South Perry Revitalization project, which he said is finally really beginning to pay off.

“In this neighborhood we have seen so many positive things happen,” Numbers said. “You can’t really say you had a specific part in any of it – it’s more like a lot of little things happened.”

When he joined the East Central Neighborhood Council, prostitution on Sprague Avenue and neighborhood deterioration were high on the list of issues residents brought to the meetings.

“It really was referred to as ghetto – people would say, ‘We don’t want a house in East Central,’ but they don’t say that anymore,” said Numbers, who’s lived in the Rockwood and East Central neighborhoods all his life.

What’s the hardest part about being a neighborhood activist?

“It’s so hard to let go,” Numbers said, smiling. “I was chair of the neighborhood council for six years and it was hard to step back and let someone else take over. But you have got to do that.”

Another Spokane neighborhood that’s getting some attention during the NUSA conference is Hillyard.

“There is a specific conference track on how low-income neighborhoods can develop their full potential, and there will be something on Hillyard there,” said Torie McIntyre, with the city of Spokane and the public relations manager for the NUSA conference.

The Greater Hillyard Neighborhoods – Bemiss, Whitman and Hillyard – are nominated for the prestigious Neighborhood of the Year Award, which is given out at every NUSA conference. Among Greater Hillyard’s accomplishments is the planning and organizing of grass-roots work that led to the $16 million revitalization of Market Street that kicks off this summer, but also smaller neighborhood events such as the Chalk Art Walk.

Registration for the NUSA conference has closed, but individuals can still sign up for a rafting tour on the Spokane River on May 20, a Spokane Winery tour on May 23, a historic Silver Valley tour on May 23 or a 5K Fun Run starting at the Convention Center on May 23. The best way to sign up, pay fees and access the schedule of events is by visiting www.nusaspokane.org.

“One thing this conference is all about is facilitating the meeting between neighborhood activists so they can share idea and experiences,” McIntyre said. “In this slow economy, this is a perfect example of how citizens can ban together and accomplish things the government can’t afford to do right now.”