The informative article, “Bates students tenting in protest” (Nov. 12), accurately captured our intentions, but missed a crucial point. Bates students did not start the Visible Community, the new affordable housing organization.
On the contrary, the vast majority of the Visible Community’s membership comes from people who have been a part of this community much longer than we have. As students, we do not intend to lead a campaign for affordable housing and against the Heritage Initiative. Too many supremely qualified downtown residents are already doing that. We just want to support them.
We sleep in tents for the people who are on the street without tents, the people who might be on the street if the Heritage Initiative is not radically altered. That is the real story. We only wanted to make it visible.
In instances like the tent campaign and the downtown documentary that is being produced, students may lend their support. But it is only support for the real leaders of the Visible Community, the real leaders of a Lewiston that is not divided as town-gown, rich-poor or government-citizen.
We are grateful for the opportunity.
Ben Chin, secretary,
Bates College Hunger and Homelessness Committee,
Lewiston
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