New Clear Vision

Community Leads Its Own Efforts in the Rockaways

by Victoria Law

Months before Sandy devastated the Rockaways, tragedy had already struck Rockaway resident Sharon Plummer. While bicycling home from the corner store, Plummer’s 18-year-old son Shawn was caught in crossfire on Beach 29 Street and Seagirt Avenue. He died before reaching the hospital.

“The community was there for me,” Plummer recalled in a phone interview with Truthout. Two days after Sandy, Plummer was there for her community. In the parking lot of a laundromat on Cedar Boulevard, she set up Rockaway Guardians In Memory of Shawn Plummer, a distribution center, giving out water, canned goods, toiletries and baby supplies to hundreds of people each day.

Other residents joined the effort. Rudolph McBeam lives a block from the laundromat. “I just walked over there,” he told Truthout. “There were two other persons. We set up some tables and began to give out things to the public.” Although he has lived in the area for 15 years and has helped set up music festivals on the beach,  “This is my first time being involved with something like this,” said McBeam. (more…)

Finally, Some Good News from Port-au-Prince

by Sasha Kramer

Dear friends and supporters,

I am ashamed that this letter is so long in coming.  I know that the last time we wrote to you SOIL (Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods) was facing a major crisis, and I am so grateful to those of you who reached out to us during that difficult time.  I know that many of you may have been wondering if we still exist and I am thankful to be able to share good news with you in this letter.

In mid-June, just when we were certain that we would have to close our Port-au-Prince office and cut off our emergency services, a miracle happened. (more…)