Tuesday, March 31, 2009
broken
while reading, one thing that really stood out to me was the story about burnice. only being drug free and out of a shelter for a few years, she was just beginning to pick up her life and put it all together and then this happens to her. neumark describes that as soon as she opened the door, not a single spot of floor space could be seen through all of the disaster. "from the threshold forward, the floor was covered with several feet of debris. to enter, i had to walk over clothing, photos, blankets, bills, books, magazines, food, plates, toys, pots, pillows, knickknacks, towels--everything torn, broken and tossed in chaos." everything that she had worked so hard to achieve was demolished in one destructive hit from the SCU. i admire this woman so much. she is definitely one of the strongest women that i think neumark has introduced us to. burnice has had everything she owns completely destroyed for no reason and then is blamed and put down by her husband, yet still somehow stays strong for herself and her children. she found the strength through God to wake up every morning and thank Him for another day. it's absolutely amazing. i also loved how so many people from the church came to help burnice pick up the damage. "it didn't matter if we spoke the same language, ate the same food, or liked the same hymns. we arrived, a dozen strong, and spread out two or three to a room and began sifting through the ruins." i would only hope that if we were put in the same situation we could react with the same calm, yet powerful strength that burnice did.
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I really liked this story too! I thought the part about everyone volunteering to help clean up the apartment was really moving. Burnice didn't have to ask for help, but she was given it. I think this should be people's response to every situation. If we just give an hour here or there, think of all the houses that could be cleaned and all of the good that could be done.
ReplyDeleteAs I read this story, I couldn't help but be upset. I kept thinking that I would have marched myself down to the offices of the SCU and demanded that they apologize/help clean it up. However, I admire the calm that Burnice had. That she didn't retaliate or get angry, she just began to pick up the pieces. As I continued to read I wondered how my life would be different if I responded to crisis in the same way.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine the trauma that she must have gone through. In just this one event, too. I mean, this horror was brought on by "New York's finest": the police. I think this shows the bias that many in politics have: that once you have been a "criminal," you will always be one. And it's sad.
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