Posts by Winter Trabex
No matter how much compassion is shown by volunteers, no matter how often police officers report to a call, no matter how many shelter beds are open, unless the fundamental problems surrounding poverty and homelessness change, things aren’t going to improve. Fatality prevention just isn’t enough.
Blistering cold winds blew through the homeless camp outside the Hillsborough County Courthouse at 300 Chestnut Street Wednesday morning. The temperature had dropped to 25 degrees overnight and still had not risen above freezing when the sun had risen. The situation was predicted to get worse- according to weather.com, the low on Wednesday night, November 18th, was supposed to be 17 degrees.
Two homeless camps on the property of the Hillsborough County Courthouse have been growing in size over the last year. The first signs of the camp appeared when a handful of people slept in the open air on the corner of Merrimack and Chestnut streets. Now, after COVID-19 has wreaked havoc with the economy, the camp is up to about 25 tents with a multitude of people coming and going.
Regardless of whether the school reopens in November for all or continues with remote learning, Principal Vacarezza will continue to lead Central High with the same compassion and courage he has done for the last seven years.
MANCHESTER, NH – Not far from City Hall on Elm Street, four new wooden tables are set up outside The
On Sunday afternoon, while clouds gathered overhead threatening rain, people gathered in Veteran’s Park for a march against police brutality. As is the case with many public events, the peaceful march was juxtaposed with a very visible presence of police officers who were on stand-by as the group moved through the downtown.
Juneteenth, a mash-up of the words “June” and “Nineteenth,” was celebrated this year in front of the Hopknot on Elm Street. A sizeable crowd, among them Mayor Joyce Craig, gathered in the shade to eat gourmet pretzels, swill drinks and listen to various black activists and community members share their experiences and stories.
No one had the same answer. A multiplicity of options were available. However, one fact began to emerge: In order to get there, participants believed compassion and kindness would be required. It would not be enough for people simply to gain material security for themselves. People would have to help each other.
Protesters gathered in front of the Manchester City Hall on Elm Street Tuesday in advance of the scheduled special budget meeting, calling for the resignation of At-Large Alderman Joe Levasseur and Ward 8 Alderman Michael Porter. A Change.org petition echoing that sentiment has been circulating since last Friday has more than 5,300 signatures.
Providing support during a pandemic has been especially important. Mental health issues have increased while people become stir crazy. Some desire a return to how things used to be; the way things used to be done, if not ideal, was at least predictable. New patterns have caused disruptions which has become difficult to cope with.