A man died during a sweep last week. Some, but far from all, of the displaced people from the sweep were moved into transitional housing. Others had to find somewhere else to go, where they may be swept again in another week or another month. The man who died had been through two sweeps in recent weeks, losing belongings each time, including a van. He was not one of the ones being offered a legal or transitional space. He was only being helped by people with lived experience and advocates to move his belongings yet again, and they didn’t have a truly safe place to offer him. His cause of death was not readily apparent.
Those who were moved into the transitional housing site were not permitted a means of preparing or keeping food in their rooms. They were provided with allotments of food that are less in portion size than I have ever given my children, even as toddlers. One participant took a picture of his meal: a single fish stick, a half a lemon wedge, and a few chips.
This is the same week that a number of people in the US have launched a fast on behalf of people in Gaza, who have, on average, only 250 calories a day to live off of. Participants in the fast are also consuming only 250 calories a day, and are calling for humanitarian aid to Gaza, and an end to weapons shipments to Israel. I wonder, as I try to going for a multi-day stretch on 250 calories per day, in prayer for Gazans, as well as others facing hunger and violence…how many calories did the man with the single fish stick have?