The Challenges we all Face into the Future
It was written in the New Bedford Light that Helena DaSilva Hughes, president of unsheltered migrant families, voiced concern about sending migrants to the Seaport Inn and said that housing migrants may create a division among residents, particularly among homeless individuals.
Helena DaSilva has been actively involved in assisting migrants and said that the state is bringing migrants to an area that is already so stressed out. She said she is worried because we have so many people who are having a hard time finding homes.
The Massachusetts Governor also declared a state of emergency about the increased influx of immigrants coming into Massachusetts.
According to the news, Americans have been informed by live videos at the border, that we have 11,000 plus people per day coming into the country seeking asylum.
My heart goes out to the innocent migrants coming here in such awful circumstances. But I can certainly understand if the people in Fairhaven are also concerned. And residents have every right to speak out about their concerns on any subject that involves the community they live in and raise a family in.
It is also reported that hundreds of individuals are crossing the borders and escaping the legal processes of how they need to enter our country.
Let’s all face it. We do not want to bring into the country what many innocent migrants are running away from. This is truly a difficult situation that America is facing. As Americans we don’t have to be hateful to each other about these challenges we face and we all have the right to speak out about what we feel we need to.
If you go to the airport, in the name of security and protection, we have measures of the highest scrutiny, from x-raying our bodies and personal belongings to frisking us with wands and hands, if you happen to fall into the security patterns, before we can go on a plane.
No one escapes this grueling process, because God forbid a terrorist comes aboard the plane.
For goodness sake, let’s allow each other to speak up about our concerns without condemning one another. That will not find the solutions we need here.
I would like to ask the residents of Fairhaven if you have 5 adults and 5 children come knocking on your door that you do not know, and they said we need a place to sleep and we need food to eat. Would you welcome them in your home? And if you do, would you want to first know who they are?
Last year the police came to my property here in Fairhaven and had to remove homeless people that were camping in my backyard woods.
I had no idea that was happening. It was neighbors who had awakened me to the fact of the homeless who roam the streets at night. True story.
My heart goes out to those who through no fault of their own are homeless, migrants or American.
May we find the best solutions for all involved. Which is all of us.
I am offering an interactive book study at the library, Inhabiting Interdependence: Being in the Next Economy, written by John Bloom. I will post the dates soon. Hope this book interactive can be the start of a new way of looking at our economic challenges with a new outlook, especially for our children, both migrants and Americans, who follow us into the future.
Michelle Costen, Fairhaven, Housing Advocate
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