When Town officials first learned that up to 80 people were camping under the bridge at the entrance to Carbondale in early November, we decided to respond in a humanitarian way that is consistent with Carbondale’s values, balanced with pragmatism based on our limited capacity. We determined that the impacts on the community and the […]
refugees
Posted inColumns
Mature Content: Carbondale makes room at the inn
About 21,000 people live on Martha’s Vineyard, and median home prices are almost identical to Carbondale. In September of 2022, when 50 refugees suddenly arrived courtesy of Ron DeSantis, the island’s population increased by 0.002%. Volunteers cared for them at a temporary church shelter for 44 hours, at which point Massachusetts’ governor helped move the […]
Posted inNews
Carbondale requests emergency DOLA funds to address refugee crisis
Carbondale’s town trustees circled up for a special meeting Tuesday, Dec. 5, with a sole action item on the agenda: Venezuelan Refugee Response. That same morning, Carbondale made National Public Radio’s Morning Edition report on the crisis, which was filed by Aspen Public Radio. Town Manager Lauren Gister explained that according to Voces Unidas de […]
Posted inNews, Uncategorized
Better understanding the experience of refugees
Amid global conflicts and crises, the story of refugees is as old as humanity. How a culture treats strangers in the most vulnerable of conditions says much about its moral integrity. Of course, economic and social systems complicate a country’s ease with receiving and integrating those refugees, and benevolent citizens may have to step beyond […]