2009 Countdown
#4 Just Hope
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Greetings!
Throughout summer '08, NY Faith & Justice facilitated pilot conversations between South Bronx
community groups and police officers who patrol their communities.
One night in July, "Anna" was carried from her wheel chair, down the
stairs, and into the meeting room of the South Bronx Ecumenical Coalition by two men.
Halfway through the facilitated conversation, Anna raised her hand for
the first time and asked the police officer what she should do when her
building's elevator is down and she can't get to her apartment and she calls
the cops to help her get up the stairs and they come and chide her, make fun of
her, and leave without helping her?
Anna explained that as a partially blind woman, bound to a wheel chair,
she is vulnerable to anyone who wanders in.
She hinted that she had been raped and used for sex in her building before. The officer fell silent, bowed his head, and apologized for the callous
response of his fellow officers. He lifted his head with determination and
promised he would work to press his South Bronx precinct to do better.
I sat and talked with Anna after the discussion. She told me how when she was younger, she
used to sing back up for Shirley Caesar (a famous gospel singer). She had dreams of being an entertainer, but
one dental surgery went wrong and her teeth began to rot out. Then her eyesight faded away, then her nerves
began to cramp her hands. She slowly
lost movement in her legs. Now she is on
disability and depends on social workers for everything.
Still, Anna has hope. Hope enough to wheel herself to that meeting - one she said she wouldn't have missed for the world.
Please consider giving to NY Faith & Justice right now. Help us mount community-wide Conversations for Change in the South Bronx in February and March of 2009.
Give just $50 to become a member and help our vision become reality.. Give $100 (or more) and become a financial partner with this growing movement. Or click here to become an organizational partner.
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If you prefer to mail your gift, please make all checks payable to "FCNY". Write "NY Faith and Justice" in the memo line and send it directly to our fiscal sponsor at:
Fund for the City of New York
c/o NY Faith & Justice Donations
121 Avenue of the Americas
6th Floor
New York, NY 10013
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