Friday, September 02, 2005
Proof of human goodness can be found on Craigslist this week, one of my very favorite Web sites for its amazing ability to bring people together. All over the country, people are offering shelter -- for free -- to those displaced by Katrina. Check out http://neworleans.craigslist.org/hhh/.
The wealthy are offering. The poor are offering. The middle class are offering. A guy in Connecticut wants to share his 2,500-square-foot home. Others are offering cots or sleeper sofas or basements. Practically none of them are asking for rent. Many are offering to pay airfare too.
My informal count shows that 2,400 posts have gone up so far today alone. Dozens are being posted every hour, from Ellijay, Ga. Schoolcroft, Mich. Bath, Me. Parker, Colo. Excelsior, Minn. Shell Knob, Mo. Seattle. Portland. Tampa. Cleveland. Phoenix. Milwaukee. Lansing. San Francisco.
"We are looking to help because the government isn't," says a post offering space in Connecticut.
"Cant provide much but i can give you a clean safe place to sleep while we help get you on your feet. I am a Parent, single Blk male parent raising my daughter and its hard and i know its harder for you. I know how it is to start with just the clothes on your back. Don't Let Katrina tear you down too," says a post from Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn.
"Our hearts go out to the many families and would love to open our home and our hearts to anyone in need. Please let us help you," writes a couple from Willows, Calif.
"We would be honored to share our modest home with someone in need, during this crisis," a family in Virginia posts.
"You can stay as long as needed. Please let us know what we can do," writes a couple in Machias, Maine.
It's awe-inspiring. We are good.
The wealthy are offering. The poor are offering. The middle class are offering. A guy in Connecticut wants to share his 2,500-square-foot home. Others are offering cots or sleeper sofas or basements. Practically none of them are asking for rent. Many are offering to pay airfare too.
My informal count shows that 2,400 posts have gone up so far today alone. Dozens are being posted every hour, from Ellijay, Ga. Schoolcroft, Mich. Bath, Me. Parker, Colo. Excelsior, Minn. Shell Knob, Mo. Seattle. Portland. Tampa. Cleveland. Phoenix. Milwaukee. Lansing. San Francisco.
"We are looking to help because the government isn't," says a post offering space in Connecticut.
"Cant provide much but i can give you a clean safe place to sleep while we help get you on your feet. I am a Parent, single Blk male parent raising my daughter and its hard and i know its harder for you. I know how it is to start with just the clothes on your back. Don't Let Katrina tear you down too," says a post from Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn.
"Our hearts go out to the many families and would love to open our home and our hearts to anyone in need. Please let us help you," writes a couple from Willows, Calif.
"We would be honored to share our modest home with someone in need, during this crisis," a family in Virginia posts.
"You can stay as long as needed. Please let us know what we can do," writes a couple in Machias, Maine.
It's awe-inspiring. We are good.
