The NY Times has an article about a neighborhood in Ferguson that was so ravaged by rioting, it may never recover. Even a local psychotherapist's office was destroyed:
Marvin Miller, a therapist in Ferguson for years, said he was searching online for a new location. His small office was among those that was burned Monday night. “It probably won’t be in Ferguson,” Mr. Miller, who lives in St. Louis, said. “With everything that has gone on over there, I really don’t think I want to have an office over there anymore.”
This is far from the only local service that might be permanently lost, but this caught my attention because a friend and I have been working on a plan to provide psychological services in a Chicago neighborhood where badly needed access to psychologists is nonexistent. We want to offer services on a par with what we provide in private practice, as opposed to take-a-number hospital and clinic based social work services. We've got the financial backing and we're pretty sure we can secure a safe, suitable location.
So back to the situation in Ferguson. I understand the wish to help by protesting, but, unfortunately, the protests predictably gave cover to criminals and to those who get swept away by the mood and the anonymity of crowds.
Will civil rights advocates and idealistic out-of-towners who swarmed Ferguson return to rebuild this devastated neighborhood? Are they comfortable leaving innocent locals materially worse off than they were before they showed up to help?
Recent Comments