Orphans facing homelessness, community trying to intervene

Luckily, a group of community organizers and activists have gathered around the family, trying to keep them off the streets. As the family's court date approaches, they're rallying community support to get the case dropped.

Saturday was the first official meeting of the Committee to Support the Bledsoe Family. We roamed the streets of Rogers Park, asking people to sign postcards to deliver HUD officials, who could lean on Northpoint to dismiss the case.

Ty'Juan and Ja'Kahla made signs to protest the eviction

Canvassing is a lot of work. You knock on a lot of doors. You try to explain yourself quickly enough so that the few doors that open won't be shut in your face. But you also hope to inspire people enough to get them to sign their name to a cause they've just heard about.

One man we met stood out. His name was Val, and judging by his accent, he is an Eastern European immigrant. When we told him about the Bledsoe case, he was unmoved.

"I believe in work," Val said. "If you live, you should work. If you don't work, you should die."

We went on to explain how they are a working family - how Erica was in school and hoping to finish her degree so she could support the kids - but again, Val was unmoved.

"If you have trouble," he continued, "you help yourself. If they can't help themselves, they don't deserve to stay."

My eyes were probably the size of saucers. If you live, you should work. If you don't work, you should die. Wow. I repeated that to myself all afternoon. 

I find that Val's ideas come up a lot. God helps those who help themselves. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Be a self-made man.

There's this raw idea of American independence. That people don't need each other. That we're allowed to stand by and watch other people sink because if they can't do better, that's what they deserve.

It's admirable in a way. Val said he moved here at age 20, learned the language as best he could, went to trade school and has worked ever since. And so have many of the people who comment on my stories, telling me they never had any help, so why should someone else?

I guess my one question is this: Is that the world we want to live in?

Do you actually want to live in a world where we stand by and watch people starve and get put on the street because we believe in independence and self-reliance?

I don't. I guess I've come to believe in interdependence. That we all have a responsibility to each other - not to save each other, perhaps, but not to stand by and watch either.

So, I'm inviting you to help too. Here's what you can do:

1. Sign the petition - If you haven't already, sign this petition stating you're against this unjust eviction. All the names on the petition and the postcards we collect will be delivered to HUD officials on Monday, October 5th.

2. Canvas - We'll be canvassing again this Saturday, October 3rd at 10 a.m. at Triangle Park in Rogers Park. Just an hour or two of your time can help us collect more signatures and let people in the community know what's happening.

3. Email and call local officials - Northside Action for Justice has an email link on their page to send to a local HUD official. You can also call any of these local officials at the numbers below. Tell them you're against the Bledsoe eviction in Rogers Park, and you want them to do something about it:

Ed Hinsberger - HUD Illinois office
312-353-6236 x2132, Edward.Hinsberger@hud.gov

Mary Kenney - Illinois Housing Development Authority
312-836-5317, mkenney@ihda.org

Alderman Joe Moore, 49th Ward
773-338-5796, ward49@cityofchicago.org

Representative Jan Schakowsky - 9th district
773-506-7100

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan
202-708-0417, Secretary_Donovan@hud.gov

Representative Schakowsky has been active in the case already, writing a letter to HUD back in July, expressing her support for the family being able to stay.  

I've put my own calls and emails into each of these officials, and I will let you know when and if I hear back from them.

4. Come to the rally - We'll hold a rally on October 5th at noon at Federal Plaza (Dearborn and Jackson) to deliver the petitions and postcards to HUD.

5. Come to the hearing - Erica's hearing is on October 8th at 10 a.m. at the Daley Center (Washington and Dearborn) We'd like to pack the courtroom with supporters.

A lot of people tell me that I'm lucky to be writing at this time in history. That the wars we're fighting, the recession, the new administration - that they're all harbingers of a new time coming, and maybe here already, where people are willing to listen to each other and have some sort of hope that we can all do better.

Sometimes, I don't know. There's still as much bickering and fighting as their ever was, not to mention continual preoccupation with fluff and nonsense. And certainly, we're all fighting our own battles daily, sometimes so hard that we don't have the strength to take a moment to help other people.

I guess I'm asking you to prove me wrong. I'm hoping you'll take a second to call or email, or take a few hours to show up to an event.

There's so little I'm sure about these days, but I'm sure about this: I believe in a world where we're free enough to help each other. I hope you do, too.