Imagine

I want you to imagine a town where Neo-Nazis pull guns on community organizers who are trying to provide rides to the polls for elderly and disabled citizens.

Imagine a city ripped apart by jobs going over seas, closed factories and mills, and where "economic crisis" is a not a new catch phrase.

Try to imagine a court house that turns away a 93-year-old World War II veteran from voting who showed up with a Veterans Affairs ID, because they didn't believe a black woman could be a vet, and thought she stole the card.

Think of a street where every other house is abandoned, boarded up, foreclosed, or run down.

Envision a shopping mall where young children sell candy bars outside-not for a sports team, boy scout troop, or youth group- but in order to raise money to help pay their grandma's bills.

Yet despite all of the rampant poverty, broken community, and voter disenfranchisement ongoing in Gary, Indiana there are also some other moments I'd like to leave in your memory.

Imagine an office where community organizers come to work day in and day out despite the racial slurs, violence, and history of oppression that their neighborhoods face.

A town where home care nurses, care givers, and younger family members go out of their way to get registration forms, absentee ballots, and voter information for the elderly and disabled.

Turn on the TV to see early voting sites overflowing with voters because they just can't wait until election day to cast their vote for the first candidate they've ever believed could actually bring beneficial change to their families.

Put together a team of 150+ people who at the sound of "Fired up?!" will automatically and enthusiastically reply "Ready to go!" and set off to do the most important job they've ever had set before them.

The dream team of organizers, union members, SEIU staff, and volunteers are truly defending the rights of voters who have for too long faced disenfranchisement in Gary, Hammond, and East Chicago.

I just thought you should think about it for a moment.