We wanted to feed people today.
Families called and made appointments to pick up food.
Children are part of those families.
Houses with people working hard to overcome addiction
called in their food orders.
We packed boxes. We filled bags.
Because we wanted to feed people today.
Downtown Lansing, Michigan. Our food pantry is open.
We are ready.
With food packed, we waited for our clients.
But instead of clients, we saw and heard something
else.
Cars, trucks, signs, horns, hate, scorn…
We wanted to feed people today.
But a nonstop parade of people, screaming and yelling
from open car windows, blocked our streets and clogged our neighborhoods.
Some got out of their cars and talked and laughed
about their big protest. Social distanced from one another? No. Wearing masks? No.
We wanted to feed people today.
They spilled onto Michigan Avenue and created a
traffic jam outside of Sparrow Hospital. Doctors and nurses are caring for
Covid-19 patients in that hospital.
People are struggling to survive a deadly disease. And
beneath their windows, semi-truck horns blared. Car horns were non-stop. People
screamed and yelled.
While people tried to breathe.
We wanted to feed people today.
All appointments for food pick-up were cancelled, because
our clients couldn’t get to our parking lot.
We locked our doors and waited while helicopters flew
overhead. We couldn’t get out of our parking lot.
We saw and heard the cars, trucks, signs, horns, hate,
scorn…
Doctors and nurses have a hard job. Their job was made
harder today.
Tonight, families will not have the food they thought
they would have.
People struggling with life’s difficulties will not
have dinner. Or breakfast.
Children.
Because the followers of the most ignorant and dangerous
President in our history acted ignorantly and dangerously today.
They were cruel, ugly, mocking, and scornful today.
A day when we just wanted to feed people.
Chris and I join peaceful protest marches with an emphasis on peaceful and respectful. The way those protesters behaved is
ReplyDeletereflective of the hateful, fearful ideology underlying the protest. Sad, so sad.
Your description, the contrast between protesters and food distributors, makes a great juxtaposition.
Thanks.
Thank you for Your thoughtful, quiet protest on behalf of those who are just trying to breath and get food. US Representative Elisa Slotkin did much the same in her email to supporters today. I go by the words of Mr Fred Rogers : “When bad things are happening, look for the helpers.” Keep up the good work! Linda Diepenhorst
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