The
Red Hook StarªRevue
THROUGH NOV. 15, 2012
SOUTH BROOKLYN’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
FREE
RED HOOK
AR RARE MASTERPIECE ed Hook is not the only devastated community. Millions felt the storm, thousands are still feeling it. For us, here, in south Brooklyn we are community. A community of neighbors, friends and survivors. A community of heroes. In lower Manhattan, shadows filled the darkened night streets, as people isolated themselves. In Breezy Point, Queens, people were forced to abandon their homes that were destroyed by fire. In Coney Island, looters created disruption
with their aggression and self-serving purposes. All over Brooklyn, police lie in wait at gas stations to prevent violence and riots. But not in Red Hook.
Red Hook created something else instead; something unique. Something the entire nation has taken notice of: community. Red Hook is being defined as “one of the hardest hit areas of the city,” by Reuters, Democracy Now! and CNN News. But we are also being defined by our efforts to stand together as community and support each other. Red Hook Initiative was first to organize. Fort Defiance, Home/made and Brooklyn Crab have all held barbecues to feed the community, despite their own losses. The circle of support continues to grow, as new headquarters for information pop up along Van Brunt. We became the source of our own needs from within. We have organized, rallied and supported each other. When there has been need, we have found a way to
fill it. And when devastation seemed to have knocked us down, we still found the strength to rebuild.
Up to this point, we have had very little government assistance. But our people have not gone hungry. Our buildings and streets remain dark, but our hearts and hopes are still lit. We may have been hit and damaged by Hurricane Sandy, but minute by minute we are gaining fortitude. Before the National Guard showed up before FEMA, NYCHA Con Edison or the Red Cross got here - we started rebuilding. Not one at a time, but as one. And as this masterpiece of a community gets to its feet and takes those first harrowing steps forward, the eyes of the world are watching in awe. There is much to be said about the human spirit of this community. No one has sat idly by, waiting for rescue. We have taken care of our own. And we will continue to do so. We are neighbors of a community that can be envied in every
corner of the world. We stand united in power, compassion and inspiration. We have found our greatest strength in a moment of great weakness. We will rise above the ashes. We will rebuild. We will survive and grow stronger because we understand that two hands can do little, but multiple hands serving the same purpose will define and refine us. Thank you for illustrating what it means to be a community. Thank you for exemplifying the true model of human spirit. Thank you for giving me hope and setting the example for the kind of world I want to live in. Red Hook, you have stood for your neighbors, and they have stood for you. The healing process will be long and difficult. But every day, healing is happening. Day by day, we mend our homes and businesses. And along the way, we are weaving a beautiful tapestry that generations will remember and look upon as something of magnificence. —Kimberly Gail Price