Occupy Sandy Relief NYC organizer Lopi Laroe writes:Interviewed an older couple today who are afraid to leave their apt for more than a couple hrs at a time bc their landlord will put all their possessions out on the street & kick them out if they do. He claims he can't afford to restore power & heat but at the same time is fixing up his own house. The couple is trying to find an apartment to mo 
ve to that is affordable. He needs an oxegen tank to breath. It runs on electricity. We gave them a generator but now its hard for them to get gas. Also, the candles they use are a hazard w the oxegen. They lost their grown son two years ago and are still deeply sad about it. I hugged the man while he sobbed in my arms. They did get a check for two months rent from FEMA, but that really doesn't solve much. Meanwhile, bloomberg flew in a helicopter from Manhattan to Rockaways today to visit. He didn't do anything though. He staged a photo op. We are in the middle of a humanitarian crisis. And the mayor is flying around in a fucking helicopter. He and his cronies see this as an opportunity to kick out locals & jack up rents on beachfront property. They want people to suffer. Don't believe me? It's the equivalent of starving people out so they have no choice but to leave their communities which is home to them. Larry, the man who cried in my arms today, has lived there since he was 13. He is 67 now. They just want to live out their retirement years by the sea.Image by Chris Devlin
