Digression for what? (PPU hypothermia bus tragedy and what now)

We were expecting the "outsiders" (like the police, social service professionals, and corporate media) to misconstrue what happened out of ignorance and contempt for the poor. It didn't happen.

The thread on Poor People United's statement about JJ's death got ugly.  Obviously anyone can express whatever they want about the emergency warming station.  If someone wants to attack us, even if it's from an uninformed standpoint, we're not going to lose sleep.  And constructive criticism is, well, constructive and should keep coming regardless of varying levels in our grace and ability to take and use it.  But I must say that having a useless, inaccurate attack posted on our expression of grief  was actually shocking. We were expecting the "outsiders" (like the police, social service professionals, and corporate media) to misconstrue what happened out of ignorance and contempt for the poor.  It didn't happen. The police did not impound the bus.  The so called professionals did not try to rescue anyone by threatening the bus's continued operation.  The D and C did a fairly good job portraying JJ's humanity in their profile of him. The only statements that conveyed a myopic, misplaced fear of bus guests and/or an inaccurate judgment about how bus volunteers interact with guests came from our own friends and the president of SUNY Brockport.  (SUNY Brockport students were admonished to stop participating in the hypothermia project, though the students have said they will participate as free individuals...) 

In terms of real work, the bus continues to be full every night and will operate through May.  Many strangers and friends have shown encouragement by sending checks, dropping off sleeping bags, food, and volunteering to help make the project successful.  It was very meaningful in the days  just after the tragedy to have JJ's family designate PPU (along with St. Joe's) for donations in his memory. 

What we need now is to come together so that we can make a warming station bus a vestige of some past nightmarish time and place.  And let's redirect our rage where it belongs -- together, against our enemies who are actually exerting power and spending our resources to hurt people every day.  It shouldn't be that big a deal should it?