In southeast Brooklyn, local volunteers have mobilized to support immigrant families after the closure of a large tent encampment. The initiative, led by groups like Floyd Bennett Field Neighbors, involves collecting donations of essential items to create a shopping experience that restores dignity and choice to families in need. As families sift through clothing and luggage, they experience a sense of agency, which contrasts sharply with the struggles they face as migrants. The effort highlights the importance of community support and the desire for a better life expressed by the migrants.
"The people who see our struggle and help are the good ones," said one migrant father from Venezuela about volunteers like Nolivos. "They're real neighbors. They understand we just want a better life for our families."
One of the joys of shopping means finding-and picking-just the right thing. The best New York buying spree involves discovery and agency. That's especially true for people scrambling to survive, like migrants not used to having the dignity of choice.
Floyd Bennett Field Neighbors came about to support the parents and children living at a now-closed migrant tent shelter in Floyd Bennett Field, the biggest migrant family tent shelter in NYC.
But Nolivos wasn't a sales clerk at a trendy Williamsburg boutique. The 28-year-old private equity analyst was volunteering for Floyd Bennett Field Neighbors, an impromptu group of folks from the area.
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