Wayne Mellinger

The offense was confusion. There was no trial, no hearing, no opportunity to confront my accuser. No human being decided I was guilty — as far as I can tell, nobody at Apple thinks I did anything wrong. Nevertheless, for the second time in roughly two weeks, I have been banished from my Apple account while an invisible clock decides when I may again be trusted with my own electronic life. It began innocently enough, with water. Some found its way into the keyboard of my MacBook Pro.

Walk down Santa Barbara’s State Street and you can encounter a sociological question in less time than it takes to cross an intersection. Who belongs in public space? Who gets heard? Who gets housed? Who gets moved along? Who gets to decide what Santa Barbara should become? Those are not merely political questions. They are sociological questions. And when sociology helps us see serious injustice, I believe we have an obligation to do more than describe it.

About 10 years ago, I met Anna Galindo at the Fellowship Club of Santa Barbara, a day center for people living with mental health challenges. Anna Galindo dancing flamenco. I did not know that she had been a celebrated flamenco dancer, teacher, costume maker and force within Old Spanish Days. I knew only the woman before me: older, poor, sometimes struggling, arriving on an old bicycle she had decorated herself, three bags crossed over her chest, sandals on her feet no matter the weather.