I have a new desk space in the media lab now that I am doing more website work than anything else. This office is right next to the free legal clinic. A big board out on the street reads "free legal advice" with an arrow toward this house. Another sign reads "bankruptcy workshop Wednesday 12-3." Sitting next to the legal clinic I hear the stories of people that have arrived for advice. I found myself almost in tears this morning listening to a 69 year old woman share her struggle to get back into her home. I am doing my best to not make this blog become political because I know my readership is diverse, but it is hard when I hear these stories of how the government has let these people down. The Road Home program seems to be a total joke and maybe just a PR campaign as there is story after story of people going through the effort of applying, but then never getting any assistance. Meanwhile insurance companies are paying off mortgages which assists the bank, but then the homeowner is left with a house that they may own but is uninhabitable. And then there is case after case of landlords evicting tenants, or raising rent through the roof so that people can't afford to return home.
I have a lot of respect for the legal team here, mostly legal assistants who have taken time out of their career to come and volunteer. They have sevral pro-bono lawyers working with them. Apart from advising, they will take cases to court with the help of those lawyers. One of them is Bill Quigly who also helps defendants at the annual School of the Americas Watch vigil.
About Me
- Geoffrey
- It is better to love God and serve everyone rather than to try and figure It all out. After working in business management for both for-profit and non-profit businesses, I came to realize there must be something missing because I didn't see peace and happiness at the end of the path I was on. I then was blessed in learning about Peace Pilgrim whose message has gradually become the guiding force in my life. I have spent most of the last 12 years living in community as I feel that sharing resources, both material and personal is the most efficient means of living. During this time I was blessed to come into contact with many alternative ideas. I strive to be a very conscious consumer. If I need to buy something, I try to find out just where it came from and decide upon the source that has lead to the least suffering and the most sustainability. I sometimes find that others are very resistant to learning about this because it is much easier to walk into a store and buy what we thing we need. Since giving my life up to service, I have always had everything I needed provided, and living without a whole lot of possessions has made life much more rewarding and free.