I am most delighted to hear that, as a whole, the good people of Houston are ...well, good people.
One of the things learned in Miami, in 1980, is that amidst loud calls of hatred, racism, fear and distrust, good people were united to help those in need. I know the same is happening in Houston.
My best to you and those working to make the world a better place.
jen
I'm glad you're glad. At the same time, I don't disagree with Amanduh's post. What she has brought up is indeed part of the reality of the situation, and I don't think she deserves the ration of shit thrown her way.
You're right, of course (about my reaction, not necessarily about what the reality of the situation is). While it surely seemed that I was attacking Amanduh ( I would have read it as such), my reaction was to the situation. Childhood memories of neighbors walking around our neighborhood with guns, aggressively challenging (sometimes with guns drawn) any remotely Latin looking individual in our mixed residential/small businesses neighborhood.
People sharing news of shootouts with police, a woman raped in her home (we weren't sure exactly who it was or whether she was still alive), children beaten and robbed. Reports were on the nightly news. Interviews with eye witnesses confirmed the stories. The worst was the fact that the boat people were stealing babies because refugees with young children got preferential treatment. As events escalated, the conflicts grew in number and intensity. As a reaction, police were on full alert with conspicuous displays of firepower. Same for the National Guard. Innocent people were forced to the ground at gunpoint. I was eight years old and I lived in terror that I would be beaten and robbed by these people.
Problem was, aside from few, isolated incidents born of frustration, anger and poor communication, nothing much actually happened. The unfounded panic of a community turned good, rational people into fearful (and vengeful) beasts. Some resentments, cemented in those days of hatred and fear, remain in some form 25 years later.
Peace and healing,
jen
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"O brave new world that has such people in it".
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You're right, of course (about my reaction, not necessarily about what the reality of the situation is). While it surely seemed that I was attacking Amanduh ( I would have read it as such), my reaction was to the situation. Childhood memories of neighbors walking around our neighborhood with guns, aggressively challenging (sometimes with guns drawn) any remotely Latin looking individual in our mixed residential/small businesses neighborhood.
People sharing news of shootouts with police, a woman raped in her home (we weren't sure exactly who it was or whether she was still alive), children beaten and robbed. Reports were on the nightly news. Interviews with eye witnesses confirmed the stories. The worst was the fact that the boat people were stealing babies because refugees with young children got preferential treatment. As events escalated, the conflicts grew in number and intensity. As a reaction, police were on full alert with conspicuous displays of firepower. Same for the National Guard. Innocent people were forced to the ground at gunpoint. I was eight years old and I lived in terror that I would be beaten and robbed by these people.
Problem was, aside from few, isolated incidents born of frustration, anger and poor communication, nothing much actually happened. The unfounded panic of a community turned good, rational people into fearful (and vengeful) beasts. Some resentments, cemented in those days of hatred and fear, remain in some form 25 years later.
Peace and healing,
jen
"O brave new world that has such people in it".
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