[W]hen Abbot announced his plans in April, a core group of about 20 D.C. activists set to work creating an emergency aid operation. For nearly two months now, the small group of volunteers has been stretched to the limit: They meet buses arriving at Union Station at all hours of the morning and night; they provide medical care and organize transportation for people leaving the city; and they feed, clothe, and even shelter people in their own homes.
The organizers are all rooted in D.C.’s mutual aid network, which has existed for years but took on a new reach in 2020 amid a raging pandemic and social justice protests that followed the murder of George Floyd.
“This is a new way of coming together and doing mutual aid,” says Fariha Huriya, a core organizer who works with the DC Incarcerated Workers’ Organizing Committee and is the co-founder of the DC Free Store. “The community, again, responding where the government fails.”
Comments
Dr. Kim Phillips
I saw the story regarding the people who are considered migrants being bused to DC on Christmas Eve & I am a social worker who resides in Texas. I felt the need to apologize on behalf of our governor & leaders. The Word of God says be not deceived, God is not mocked. Whatever we sow, the same we will receive. Pray for those who despitefully use you. Please pray for our governor & leaders that they seek God’s wisdom of how to pursue their goals & ambitions without it being at the expense of others. I am praying for all of you & I’m thankful for this organization who has stood in the gap, sacrificed & served others. The Word also says what we do to or for the least of these, we have done to God. If we remember these biblical principles, we might be more mindful of how we treat other people who might be different from us.