Thank U.

I feel pride and enthusiasm when I write that the Juan Diego apartment building not only got the majority vote at the council meeting last night, but a unanimous vote. Though it filled me with anxiety (ok, and at times some anger) (just ask Chaplin & Jon & my coworkers) in the days leading up to it, I was thrilled to have participated in last night’s hearing. The evening was a tremendous opportunity for us to articulate why this project is so important, and why we need to make sure that people living with AIDS do not experience homelessness as an additional barrier in their lives. When the ever-wonderful Alex Sanchez asked for those in support of Juan Diego to stand, the large and overwhelming crowd who stood up for our clients was absolutely heartwarming. I had chills. And get chills again thinking about how powerful the evening was.

For those of us working in the HIV/AIDS field, it sometimes seems as though our group of allies in the fight for fair treatment is shrinking, that the level of compassion and understanding is dwindling. Last night proved that our supporters are great in numbers, our unity remains strong, and in the end our community’s willingness to take a stand for our clients will be met with victory.

I was humbled by what I learned last night. I learned much about the political process and why sometimes our elected officials don't always see my (ok, I'm selfish) side of an issue. It's because they need to listen to all sides before establishing an opinion. I have always believed that we should be able to look up to our elected officials, to count on them to show us the right way through the tough issues. Our city council exceeded my expectations last night-- they listened, they learned, and they made the best choice for our city. And for that, I say Thank U.