Hey Guys...
Below is a email that a close friend of mine sent me just a few days ago. I think it applies here...
Kitty
Good Evening:
Just writing to share what some of you may already be
aware of. The predatory lending scandal is not only
impacting homeowners, but also renters. A friend
shared with me that she's been hearing of incidents
where former homeowners---whose homes have been
foreclosed---are also having problems renting
apartments (interesting when those folks are
disproportionately Black and Brown)? So now these are
folks who lost homes and now cannot rent apartments???
Others have been put out of buildings when their
landlords lose their buildings and fail to notify
them.
Moreover, these families are left to enter homeless
shelters where families are split up---mother to one
shelter, father to another with shelters bursting with
newly homeless family members of divided families.
(Sound familiar; and, call me crazy, but I can't help
to think that this is also another goal of urban
gentrification?)
All I'm saying is that families are spiraling from
homeowners to renters (when possible) to
shelter-dwellers...and their children will continue to
show up in our schools with additional needs, fears,
issues and stresses due to their family instability.
For additional information , PLEASE SEE Bill Moyers
Journal that examines Cleveland as a case study of the
destruction of predatory lending in a county that has
lost almost as many folks as were lost in New Orleans
in the aftermath of Katrina since 2000. It was so
brutal, disturbing and infuriating that it got me here
on these keys this Friday night:
Program entitled: The Mortgage Mess July 18, 2008
www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07182008/watch.htmlSo, just passing this along so that we be mindful of
yet another dynamic that will impact our school
cultures, our church communities, our students, our
clients, our staff members, etc.
Jesus, help us help our people...and father---beyond
our faithful tithe---give us financial discernment and
guidance on how to proceed through this economic
quagmire! Let us be people who humble ourselves,
pray, seek HIS face, TURN JESUS HELP US TO TURN AND
TURN AWAY FROM THESE WICKED WAYS, THE AGENTS OF
WICKEDNESS AND OUR OWN WICKEDNESS WITHIN, so that we
can hear from you, oh Lord and heal this THIS
SIIIIIIIIIICCCCKKKKK land.
On other fronts, I pray you all are well and wish you
strength, safety, health and prosperity. In spite of
it all, have great weekends....cuz the Lord is STILL
worthy and awesome enough to fix it ALL---whew,
remembering that just helps, don't it?!
