Saturday, August 1, 2020

Hit The Streets, Losers

Shit Getting Real Out There

Kyle Swenson / Washington Post:
Ten bucks left, no place to go: How the pandemic and a broken unemployment system are upending people's lives  —  He had five days to move out of the house in Brightwood Park, and now Daniel Vought stood looking at the plastic crates stacked in the living room holding his things. T-shirts. Power cords. Pokémon cards and stuffed animals. His beloved guitar — a Gibson Explorer electric — still hung on the wall. He figured it would be safer staying behind.
[...]
The pandemic crept up on Lakeisha Rollins one text at a time. When the coronavirus hit the District in March, the 30-year-old was working at the Whole Foods Market on P Street NW, pulling items off shelves to fill online orders. Rollins, who is studying to become a nursing assistant, got a message that one of her co-workers had tested positive. The next day, another text alerted her about another positive employee. By April, six workers at the store had contracted the virus. For Rollins — who has a 10-year-old and a baby arriving in August — the health risk was too much. A fan of “The Walking Dead,” she left her job and decided to wall her son and herself off from the outside like survivors barricading against zombies. That meant a tough decision. She had about $500 in the bank and was eligible for pandemic assistance because she left her job over a health concern. Until those benefits kicked in, should she buy food or pay the rent?
How long will it take for these poor sad so-&-sos to get angry enough to start killing? I only spent nine months in shelters & urban camping, but I delibertely kept myself numb, & not w/ medication.

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