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Remarks on "Good Trouble" by Rick Uhls of United Methodist Church (March 11) are a powerful reminder of the work we (all) face to call out and end racism. Hate in any form is violence, whether it be the injustice of unaffordable housing, poverty, hunger, or any other of myriad manifestations of societal injustice. These are not just words. They point to real suffering of families, children, and parents who struggle every day to make ends meet ... through no fault of their own.
A survey in this same issue asked those polled if SLO is doing enough for those who are homeless. A shocking 31 percent affirmed "Homelessness will never get solved. We should stop spending money on it." I wish each of these respondents could spend a week on the streets with $10 in their pocket and nothing else to their name. Do they really think poverty is the result of laziness?
This is a very sad statistic about our neighbors. I know that I have been privileged from the gate. I did not grow up in a ghetto with substandard housing, hunger, crime, and a lack of decent health care. Not everyone is born on third base. Some are not even in the game.
People like Pastor Uhls are heroes, models of responsible citizenship. Every one of us can take responsibility to move the ball forward and create some kind of "good trouble" to end the violence of racism and injustice that plagues our community and our nation.
Susan Pyburn
San Luis Obispo
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