I’m here to ask for help for my friend Jill. I do not know where else to turn. If you have doubts about legitimacy, you can look at my diary history; I’ve been a member since November of 2004 and done a lot of fundraising for what I feel are worthy causes here; mostly for Pretty Bird Woman House in 2007-8, various Shelterbox fundraisers, and most recently for personal veterinary bills for my girlfriend’s cat and a stray dog I took in. Each time the Kos community has come through like gangbusters. In the next room Keiko the cat is snoozing peacefully — thanks to you.
This one is bizarre.
My facebook friend, Jill Joiner, is disabled by fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. A better description is: this woman who outwardly appears to be able bodied is not. Pain and exhaustion are constant companions, keeping her from “pulling herself up by her bootstraps.” She lives in a one room RV with her teenage son and pack of six dogs. They are in an trailer park in Roswell, New Mexico. I’ve known her about four years and for the most part she was a friendly, humorous, online pal who was an avid reader, an ordained minister (Unitarian), fellow progressive.
On the evening of February 18th, around midnight, Jill and her 14 year old son were asleep with the six hounds when they were awakened by the sound of gunshots, glass shattering and bullets passing through the RV. Turns out it was nothing personal against them; someone had pissed off a local gang and hidden in the RV park. In a show of maturity and restraint reminiscent of the current occupant of the Oval Office, the gang simply drove through the trailer park randomly shooting into people’s homes. Jill and her son just got lucky.
To make things even uglier, it turns out the gang had an underage kid do the driving. Who knows whether it was guilt or fear, but the underage driver hung himself (EDIT: Jill corrected me — he shot himself).
I want to link to news stories about this but there aren’t any partly because of the investigation, partly because of the fact that some involved are underage and partly because… this actually is not that rare of an occurrence in New Mexico. It looks like there is a battle between various rival Mexican gangs and even some good ‘ol all American entrepreneurs over who will control the meth industry in New Mexico. Here is a recent story from Albuquerque covering the situation (may have to take a short survey to see story).
Jill lives on disability. She has no reserves to fix the RV. Even worse this was not a temporary shelter or something. The dream was for this to be the family’s THOW (Tiny House On Wheels). This was going to allow her, her son and the beasts to see the country. Not any more. And according to the RV guy who visited, it ain’t worth fixing. In fact, she’s better off with a new RV.
$7,500 (there are cheaper options, $3,000k might get you a decent used RV I gather. I won’t begrudge her dreaming for better. Do you?).
In one month she’s raised… $570. That won’t replace the window in the cover photo with labor (window itself is $450).
Meanwhile the city is threatening to cite the residents who have “structurally deficient” homes. Nice.
You can contribute HERE.
Will you help a fellow progressive? A single mom who needs a hand? I have this dream of her getting a trailer with a couple of rooms… because 14 year old boys need privacy. And so do moms.
Okay, people kind of suck. So if you won’t do it for the people how about Bridget, Mina, Lance, Tanis, Panda and Shadow (yes, I am shameless).
You can contribute HERE.
And thank you very much for your consideration. Please feel free to republish and share.