Dear friends,
I’m always trying to get to the bottom of holidays, to mine a true thing from beneath layers of ritual and tradition that I struggle with. It has always seemed problematic to begin the year, as my people do, with judgment.
The question is whether we are good enough. My suspicion is that most of us are. Ultimately, I would like to make meaning of the new year in this way: we are all of us human, and thus, imperfect. Our job is to see the good in ourselves and others, and to renew our efforts to be loving, generous, and just. In this hopeful effort, I suspect, is the sweetness of life.
There’s been a great deal written about the arrival of asylum seekers and other migrants in NYC.
Beto O’Rourke has laid a lot of the blame at Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s feet, pointing out that it is a dehumanizing
effort to incite fear and hatred and connect with people at a very base, emotional level.
There’s no question that Abbott is weaponizing migrants,
DeSantis’s stunt of flying folks to Martha’s Vineyard was a weird and cruel example of one-upmanship. I am not sure why Abbott and DeSantis are so mean.
The city of El Paso, Texas has been sending thousands of migrants on dozens buses. El Paso offers the free trips to people once they have signed a form — that is provided only in English — holding El Paso harmless for any injury or misfortune on their journey.
For weeks, El Paso offered sojourners a choice between Chicago and New York, even if they were trying to get to San Antonio or Tennessee, and even if they had ICE appointments in other states.
El Paso has finally established an official processing center with a paid staff, since almost all of the assistance was provided by volunteers until this month. They are beginning to offer tickets to other destinations.
NYC has also relied heavily on the work of volunteers to meet the folks on this end.
Support Grannies Respond/Abuelas Responden; they are meeting buses and welcoming new arrivals with food, supplies, travel support, and friendly faces.
Last week, Mayor Adams announced a more coordinated effort to support and shelter new arrivals.
The area designated for the shelters is denoted as
a “special flood hazard area” on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s flood map, and is entirely within the city’s “Zone 1” hurricane evacuation designation.
This is hurricane season. What are they thinking?!
Contact Mayor Adams to let him know that we need a better plan for sheltering people.
There are good people, on the ground, taking action to meet the extraordinary moment, and the housing crisis is not just a problem for new arrivals.
In DC, a group has mobilized to purchase an apartment building to create
affordable housing and a community center so that working class Washingtonians can stay in the place they call home.
The landlord wants to sell the building, which is located near Howard University. Doing so would displace its residents — Black, brown, and low-income tenants.
The group is trying to rewrite the predictable end to this story by establishing a housing cooperative and mutual aid hub.
Support Baldwin House to help DC residents keep their homes and build equity and community.
with love,
L