I volunteer as a receptionist/greeter at a local food shelf two days per week.

[madamesilverspurs]

22. In 2006 I was volunteering at the food bank in Greeley,

located a couple of blocks west of the meat packing plant, when ICE raided that plant. We stood in our parking lot and watched the flashing lights, the big white busses, and the circling black helicopters. One of our staff went inside and got online to find out what was happening; he'd come out and give us updates, then go back for more news. We were horrified at what we were seeing, some in tears at our helplessness to do anything about it. At one point, one of the helicopters flew toward us and stopped overhead, tilted down to make sure we knew we were being watched. We spent much of the remaining day just shaking our heads at what we had seen.

My job was at the reception desk, and starting that same day I got to greet a steady stream of people from Greeley and the surrounding communities, people wanting to donate specifically for the families of those who had been taken. Food donations, along with money. One woman had driven over from Windsor to donate, she was in tears, and as she finished writing her check she tore it up and wrote another for twice the amount. Some people were especially worried about the children, given that Christmas was just days away; they wanted to donate toys or clothing, and we were pleased to refer them to organizations that had contacted us to receive such donations.

Suffice it to say that Weld County was not/is not a hotbed of liberalism, so getting to meet so many incredibly caring people was a blessing that I will never forget. But, yes, I've been thinking about that day a great deal with all the ICE activity. And I'm not alone in that concern. I'll be very surprised if some hell isn't unleashed around here soon.


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