A terrible thing has happened to my in-laws.

[Turanga Leela]

Two nights ago, my in-laws house was vandalized-- spraypainted with swastikas and racial slurs.

Why? Probably because a few weeks ago, my father-in-law helped clean up and paint over nasty graffiti on the traffic signs and telephone poles in the neighborhood, directed at their neighbors, the only African-American family on their street, who have been there without incident for almost 30 years.

They are angry, sad and scared. The police don't seem super-energized about getting to the bottom of this.(small rural pd, not many resources.) My mother-in-law has lupus, and a stressful episode like this could well send her into a bad flare-up. They can't sleep, they can't eat.

I'm doing all I can to help them. I called the local newspaper today, fortunately they are interested in doing a story and interviewed my inlaws this afternoon.

I also set up a donation page on Amazon,

http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/my-pay-page/P18PS6YE02G2D0/103-9111434-9051050

to help my in-laws with the $500 deductible on their homeowner's insurance...my mother in law called me up crying today, because they are on a very small fixed income and the only money they have are the few dollars they have scraped together for the grandkids (my daughters) Christmas presents.

(I would give anything I have to my family...but we have no money to give them. My husband and I both work fulltime and are barely able to pay our bills, forget about savings.)

Anybody who could spare a dollar or two for an elderly couple who really needs the help...I would love to be able to show my folks that there are far loving people out there...their faith in human nature is badly shaken.

As proof that this is 100% true, I will send a link to the story when it comes out in the local paper to any and all who help out

[benburch]

1. I'm in for $5...

Okay, now, 99 more of you need to step forward.

[Turanga Leela]

5. Thank you Ben.

A man among men.

[napi21]

2. I will wait for the NP article. Sorry for the doubt, but I've been

approached by way too many scams recently. I've had phone calls from people who claimed to be the local police, older teens come to the door selling stuff to go to something or other...all have been exposed in the local news as being scams.

[Turanga Leela]

4. I really understand, but please believe. it's the truth.

I am only resorting to cyberbegging because I need to do everything I can to help, and it's killing me that I can't help them financially.

I don't know when the stor will run in the paper, but I will post it here as soon as it comes out.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

6. I understand where he's coming from...

I think it would be more assuring if you'd been here longer and had more posts and such. If it were matcom telling us this, there wouldn't be a problem. But we don't really know you(not that we don't want to!) and we don't know if that money is going where you say or to the RNC. Don't be offended, but we have had people scam us before.
Duckie

[Turanga Leela]

10. No, I really do understand..

I've actually been around for a couple of years...I just don't tend to post a lot. I'm very, very shy and I don't tend to speak up or voice my opioion, even in RL.

That's why I picked my screenname...Leela is a strong, outspoken female,and everything I aspire to. And who doesn't love a Futurama shout-out? :-)

It's actually incredibly difficult to be starting this thread. It very much goes against my nature.

Moral support and suggestions are every bit as welcomed and appreciated. The donation page I made to send to friends and former work acquaintances... I just thought I'd throw it out there.

[no name no slogan]

3. Lupus runs in my wife's family

...and I have firsthand experience with how devastating it can be. I hope your mother-in-law comes through this okay and doesn't need to be hospitalized.

I'm short on $$ for the next couple of days, but come payday on Friday I'm definately in.

Your in-laws did the right thing, and I hope this incident hasn't soured them to standing up against injustice. Fear can be a powerful weapon, and for these lowlifes it's often the only one they have.

And if their only weapon they have is fear, then all we need to defeat them is to shine the bright light of truth on them, and watch them scurry away like the cockroaches they really are.

[Turanga Leela]

8. Well, she was given five years to live...in 1974.

And she's still hanging in there. The medical community's understanding of autoimmune disorders has improved tremendously since then...right now, one of her biggest issues is the skyrocketing cost of her many,many medications. Every month, they go a little deeper in debt.

Such is life in Bush's America .:-(

[no name no slogan]

12. That's amazing! Doctors aren't always right

My sister-in-law was supposed to have died after the birth of her third child (16 years ago), but she's still living, and doing better now than ever before.

Thankfully her husband is an LPN at a hospital so they have great medical coverage. But something definately needs to be done about drug costs-- and not just some inefficient, confusing "discount card" program.

[Turanga Leela]

13. Glad your SIL proved her doctor wrong...

And lived to see her babies grow up.

My MIL went through years of hell...in the late sixties, lupus was barely if at all understood, and she was labeled as a "neurotic", "hypochondriac", and "attention-seeker." She was also lost several pregnancies due to the auto-immune response, and a doctor told her it was because subconsciously she didn't really want a baby. Grr.

[flamingyouth]

7. You should check in the area to see if there is a non-profit agency

that can help them remove the paint. Groups like Rebuilding Together send out volunteers to help people do home repairs, etc.

Best of luck to you. :hug:

[sangh0]

9. Contact the ADL, NAACP, and the ACLU

Also call your local D.A.

[Fridays Child]

11. Can you set up a PayPal account for them?

[Turanga Leela]

14. I wasn't able to access PayPal today.

I heard they are having glitches, and I wasn't able to get the home page to load, which is why I turned to Amazon instead.

I am linking the Amazon page directly to their account, same as Paypal.

[donheld]

15. you got me for $10

glad to help :bounce: