UPDATES ARE THE ONLY DATES I HAVE.
I’M BAAACCCKKKK in Hoboken.
- The drive back today is a blur. My head is so clogged and I didn’t want to drink any of my tasty codeine for fear that I would run off the road into a bridge embankment. I shall be sipping dat sizzurp now, however.
- I was terrified to walk into my apartment. I was very pleasantly surprised that my horrifying expectations prepared me for the absolute worst because it wasn’t so bad. The fridge was grotesque beyond your wildest dreams, it was like when Dana opened her fridge in Ghostbusters and saw the other city only the city was made of spoiled vegetables and meat products.
- I spent an hour cleaning my fridge and freezer with white vinegar, hot water and baking soda. Cleanest fridge ever. Zero food.
- My building is…not okay. The entire first floor is fucked. The floors and walls are warped and the washer/dryer are ruined. My landlord is going to have to remove the walls down to the studs, and replace the floor and carpet. The problem with this? Behind these 100 year old walls
could beis a festering menagerie of vermin. I’m actually getting sick to my stomach just thinking about it. I think he’s going to try to pull a fast (cheap) one and not replace all this shit but I will report him so he doesn’t have a choice. - I can’t believe I have been gone for 9 days. I don’t even know. I miss my family already though. The good news is I get to go back in a week and a half for Thanksgiving.
- The sidewalks here are very sad right now. Every single street is lined with furniture and other ruined belongings being thrown away. It’s unbelievable how much stuff there is. It breaks my heart to know some people lost it all and currently have no place to live.
- I will be volunteering at the shelters this weekend. There are still 40k people without power in Hoboken alone. I brought a lot of stuff back with me to donate to local shelters so I’ll be delivering all of that too.
- Drugs. Sleep. Need.
Post-Hurricane Sandy Update from FIERCE ~ Community Love in a Time of Need
Hi FIERCE Members, Supporters and Allies:
We hope this email finds you safe after Hurricane Sandy hit our city and region in such a big way.
As community organizers who intersect a lot of very marginalized communities, we know that our friends, families and communities are particularly vulnerable after natural disasters. We recognize how this storm has impacted our communities- some of us lost power and heat, some of our homes have sustained damage or been destroyed entirely, and many people have been without access to services that we depend on. As a community that deals with homelessness on a daily basis, the impacts of this are particularly devastating. For example, we were notified that the Ali Forney Drop in Center in Chelsea is completely destroyed and will not re-open in the immediate future. We recognize this is a resource for many queer and trans youth in NYC and mourn this loss.
In the face of all this hardship, we also want to lift up the incredible grassroots work that’s been happening to meet the immediate needs of impacted communities. Our allies at CAAAV, GOLES, and ALP have all been opening their doors these past several days to provide supplies and organize supporters and volunteers to reach out to community members. We’re also excited to hear that Project S.O.L., The Hetrick-Martin Institute, and the Door, are reopened as well. Additionally, Queer for Economic Justice, located in our building (147 West 24th St.), is also open!
FIERCE is also happy to let you know that as of today, our doors are also open! We’ve amended our drop-in schedule to accommodate longer hours when possible and have pooled together some resources to support not only our membership, but our constituency of LGBTQ Youth of Color, with warm meals. We have power. Our phones and computer labs are fully functional.
FIERCE is located at 147 West 24th Street, 6th Fl, New York, NY.
F, 1, E, R, C - to 23rd Street.
HERE IS OUR AMENDED SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK:
+Monday, November 5th, 2012
Open to all LGBTQ Youth of Color
Drop-in: 4-8pm
Hot Dinner @ 6pm
+Tuesday, November 6th, 2012
FIERCE MEMBERS ONLY DAY!
Drop in: 2-8pm
Membership Meeting 4-8pm
+Wednesday, November 7th, 2012
Open to all LGBTQ Youth of Color
Drop in: 2-6pm
Hot food @ 3-5pm
** We’re planning to close @ 6pm because of Nor-Eastern front. Will keep people updated as things progress.
+Thursday, November 8th, 2012
Open to all LGBTQ Youth of Color
Drop-in: 2-10pm
Hot Dinner @ 6pm
+Friday, November 9th, 2012
Open to all LGBTQ Youth of Color
Drop-in: 2-10pm
Hot Dinner @ 6pm
Guiltstration.
Guiltstration - guilt.stra.tion (gilt’strāSHən)
Noun: 1. The feeling of guilt combined with simultaneous frustration over the lack of ability to assuage it. Guilt plus frustration.
This is a portmanteau I just created to describe my current state. I feel terrible for not being in Hoboken right now. I want to be volunteering and collecting clothing and blankets and food and batteries. I want to be grilling and serving food to people. I want to give the volunteers who have been working so hard ALL WEEK - a break, respite. And yet my building current remains dark and cold. At my landlord’s last report around noon today, it was 45 degrees in my apartment unit. I know that If I was in Hoboken, I could be using or taking up a resource or piece of food that could go to someone else, somebody who needs it much more than me. If I was back in NJ, I might be inconveniencing a friend or neighbor who does have power by sleeping on their couch when I’m already safe and warm here in Pittsburgh. I want my apartment back. I want to go back to regular life and routine. I’m just really guiltstrated right now and I don’t know how to shake it or make it better.
