It’s been two months now since Hurricane Sandy hit New York, wrecking the coastline and leaving people without jobs or homes. Despite the obvious devastation, the federal government has managed to screw up getting aid to the most severely affected communities so they can begin to rebuild. So what are those in need doing? The same thing they’ve been doing all along: pulling support from the communities around them, this time with “Walk a Mile in Our Shoes,” community walks around the most affected areas of the city.
Just to be clear, this is s a call for a awareness, not a fundraiser. The community has begun and continues to do the groundwork, the point of this is to grab the attention of the federal government — also known as a bunch of rich dudes in a city hundreds of miles away making decisions about what New Yorkers need and don’t need.
According to the Occupy Wall Street NYC General Assembly page, action will not end with the walk. “Walk a Mile in Our Shoes” will act as a segue into a program of “Walk a Mile Ambassadors” who have offered to guide government leaders, volunteer agencies, and businesses through Sandy-affected areas to understand the need for aid and the channels through which it could best be used.
All of the walks are this Saturday, the 12th, with the exception of the Coney Island walk, which will be on Sunday the 13th. Each walk will be followed by a rally. Times and locations are as follows: