A married couple who fled Haiti for Virginia achieved their American dream when they opened a variety market on the Eastern Shore, selling hard-to-find spices, sodas and rice to the region’s growing Haitian community.
When they added a Haitian food truck, people drove from an hour away for freshly cooked oxtail, fried plantains and marinated pork.
But Clemene Bastien and Theslet Benoir are now suing the town of Parksley, alleging that it forced their food truck to close. The couple also say a town council member cut the mobile kitchen’s water line and screamed, “Go back to your own country!”
“When we first opened, there were a lot of people” ordering food, Bastien said, speaking through an interpreter. “And the day after, there were a lot of people. And then … they started harassing us.”
Hey thanks so much! I am doing so much better, mainly because it was sink or swim. I was about to be released until a series of ungodly events, so I just look at it as a detour. I’ll definitely keep the online possibilities in mind, we can’t predict or control the future, despite our best attempts. And I’ve largely stopped trying and just do what I can, today. I still hope and plan, of course, with understanding it may be necessary to scrap all that and rework my ideas, along the way. Tbh, that’s been my biggest liberator, imo.
Well I am proud of you! Keep doing your best, and dont forget we all still have a bad day or 2 and that’s normal and don’t let it cancel your efforts!
Hi thank you! I won’t. Was thinking maybe I could look into online groups just as support from those who recognize what passes for normal isn’t necessarily healthy, and to keep me grounded and not let me kid myself. Thank you for your support and the suggestion, I intend to use them well! I’m proud of you and your irl people, too. It takes a great deal of courage and strength to recognize issues, let alone address them with honesty.
It isn’t easy, but so many of us go through it every day, yet we still feel alone in it very often. I’m not ashamed of getting help, just about my time thinking getting help was wimpy or not necessary, so now I just want to help take the stigma out of it.
I feel that to the core. People stigmatize getting professional help, but it’s the healthiest that actually seek help honesty (eg not to avoid consequences of behavior). We need to spread that message.
What’s really shameful is expecting those around the sick* to get sicker, so the sickest feel better about their illness, rather than allow them to feel sick long enough to seek wellness.
Oh autocorrect *
If you told people you’d be sick for months or years with any other condition besides mental health, people would say why the hell haven’t you seen someone. Mental health and addiction as well seem to get that help discouraged, at least publicly. It’s weird.
Yep and yep. Idk though, even addiction is a bit more acceptable, in some places, than depression, or even ADD. It’s sad and telling.
I suppose a functioning addict can kinda play it off as just part of their personality. Mental health I can’t think of a way to spin it as something “cool.” Mania or brooding, maybe, but not so much a fun characteristic in a friend the more time goes on. But many will just abandon you at that point rather than try to steer you to help.
Maybe. I think where I am, addiction isn’t addiction unless it’s worse than mine, and “what do mean, ‘mental illness?’ THAT’S normal and you’re the weirdo!”
I’m not saying it’s correct, just that people confuse “normative” with “inside healthy parameters” all the time!
Edited for formatting