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LETTER: Don’t paint poverty with one brush

I have rarely felt as disheartened by the tone of a letter to the editor as I did when I read Where did the old Sooke go? in the Dec. 2 issue of the News Mirror.
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I have rarely felt as disheartened by the tone of a letter to the editor as I did when I read Where did the old Sooke go? in the Dec. 2 issue of the News Mirror.

Indeed if we are to nurture a basic level of humanity and survive as a society, such a judgemental, us-versus-them, NIMBY-esque attitude should not be harboured or taught to our children including those who are lucky enough to be growing up in Sooke (such as my own).

I am sorry the letter-writer experienced attempted thievery, but to paint all people experiencing hard times or living on the street with the same brush is inaccurate and shuts down one’s ability to feel empathy.

Security of any kind is fragile, and in my view, this is important to remember.

We need to take a deep look at our privilege if fear of people pulling shopping carts down Sooke’s roads concerns us more than the fact that there are fellow human beings without warm shelter and adequate resources in the first place.

Allie Picketts

Sooke



editor@sookenewsmirror.com

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