Blogs by Flo Fitzpatrick
Julio
1/14/2026 7:08:26 AM
Before I moved to a very old house in Bessemer, AL a town about 15 miles outside of Birmingham at the end of 2020, I lived in an apartment complex in the Homewood area of Birmingham. Two bedroom, one bath, laundry “closet” with a hook-up for washer/dryer. About 850 sq. feet. My upstairs neighbors were in the same set-up, except they had two kids under the age of eight and one new baby (who, sidenote, was the cutest kid I’ve ever seen who wasn’t related to me!) The dad, Julio, worked at a Mexican restaurant about thirty minutes away from our complex.
Julio’s job seemed to get him home just at the time I was taking my dog, Juniper, for one of her walks so he and I got to be friends and would chat for a few minutes before he went inside his place. He helped me out with things like jumping the car battery when my car died. I gave his older kids a Chrome laptop for his schoolwork. His wife was very shy and still working on English as a second language but we managed to laugh a lot when she’d bring her baby outside and let him play with Juniper. I have no idea what their immigration status was. I didn’t give a damn one way or the other until Trump took over as president and began his first efforts to rid America of anyone who wasn’t white and I began to feel terrified Julio would get swept up at work and not make it home. And this was the FIRST Trump administration when they were far less lethal in their ICE activities.
During COVID, Julio’s job changed at the restaurant. He became, out of necessity, a delivery man, since the place was closed for eat-in customers. I asked him how tips were from folks and he said, “Not as good. Inside, people are happier being around friends, maybe have a margarita and be relaxed and more apt to spend a bit of money for good service.” I.E. he was hurting. He wasn’t complaining. I asked and he gave me the scoop.
And he was hurting more when the greedy realty company who owned the complex upped our rent another hundred dollars… in the middle of the pandemic! I’d lost my own job as a researcher (the firm changed ownership and the new owners fired every contract worker who was American. Yes.) I tried to find something teaching and actually had an interview at a school the week it closed due to Covid! I was lucky. I still have savings from the house I’d sold before moving into the complex. But houses in Birmingham had gone up by outrageous amounts in less than two years, I was looking into houses outside Birmingham and suggested to Julio he do the same, especially since they had another baby on the way. How could they live in an apartment that size…how could he pay the rent?
His response was that he and his wife were cutting any way they could to stay at the complex so their kids could stay in the Homewood school district (apparently considered one of the best in the city) and get a top-notch education. He wanted them to be able to get great jobs. To go to college or a good trade school. Whatever it took. He’d already found a second job, even though it meant more time away from the family he adored.
Why am I telling this very short story? Because THESE are the people ICE is coming after, regardless of immigration status or any kind of criminal background. People who are working hard. People who love their families. People who are truly kind and decent. The kind of people you want as your neighbor.
These are the people this administration wants us all to believe are “horrible.” "Domestic terrorists." "Criminals."
I refuse. And I’m asking every decent person to refuse. If you can donate to something like the ACLU or Common Cause or a charity or a candidate for office who will actually work for change, do it. Many of us are only able to refuse and to protest through our words But please, do whatever you can to stand up against these thugs. Whatever it takes -peacefullly of course! to stop the fear, the imprisonment, the killing, …the hate.
Post a Comment
More Blogs by Flo Fitzpatrick
• Commercials and Diversity - Sunday, September 27, 2026
• A Second Remembrance - Saturday, September 12, 2026
• Legacy - Thursday, August 27, 2026
• The Founding Fathers...Good and Bad - Tuesday, August 25, 2026
• The Saga of the Printer - Saturday, August 1, 2026
• What do you want? - Monday, July 20, 2026
• Playing Detective - Tuesday, July 14, 2026
• Mick, Mick, Speak English! - Monday, July 13, 2026
• Bills and Bins - Thursday, July 9, 2026
• Father Joe - Wednesday, July 1, 2026
• Land of Confusion - Tuesday, June 30, 2026
• Do What You Love - Thursday, June 25, 2026
• Crayons and Flight 800 - Monday, June 22, 2026
• Be Kind - Thursday, June 18, 2026
• Words - Tuesday, June 16, 2026
• Pride and the 10 Commandments - Thursday, June 11, 2026
• French Fries and The Full Monty - Wednesday, June 10, 2026
• More scams - Tuesday, June 9, 2026
• Ferris Wheels and Color - Wednesday, May 20, 2026
• The Journey Continues - Thursday, May 7, 2026
• I'm so Confused ! - Thursday, April 30, 2026
• Tales from the Floor, the Hospital/Rehab and Beyond - Sunday, April 26, 2026
• The Oldest, Established, Permanent, Floating, Work-in-Progress in History - Tuesday, March 31, 2026
• Past Time to Fix Things - Sunday, March 22, 2026
• Holding out for a Hero - Thursday, March 19, 2026
• When Fear Wins - Monday, March 16, 2026
• The De-evolution of Humanity - Wednesday, March 11, 2026
• What Do You Want? - Monday, March 9, 2026
• Do No Harm - Thursday, February 26, 2026
• Hope in a crowd of strangers - Sunday, February 22, 2026
• Sweet Cream Ladies and a Valentine's Card - Sunday, February 15, 2026
• No regrets - Friday, February 13, 2026
• Give Peace a Chance - Thursday, February 12, 2026
• Four for Texas - Tuesday, February 10, 2026
• A nation of sociopaths - Thursday, February 5, 2026
• Moondance...When Characters Take Control - Friday, January 30, 2026
• Clansey's Point of View (Moondance) - Friday, January 30, 2026
• The Why - Monday, January 26, 2026
• Frightened for the Children - Thursday, January 22, 2026
• Beauty - Tuesday, January 20, 2026
• Elements of Hate - Sunday, January 18, 2026
• Julio - Wednesday, January 14, 2026
• Reality - Monday, January 12, 2026
• Dancing to Care - Saturday, January 3, 2026
• Jake, L'il Boy, and Houdini - Wednesday, December 31, 2025
• Hope for 2026 - Tuesday, December 30, 2025
• Propaganda and Disinformation - Monday, December 22, 2025
• All I Want for Christmas - Saturday, December 6, 2025
• Illegal Orders - Tuesday, December 2, 2025
• Pick up the Pieces - Reunions and Stevie Nicks - Saturday, November 29, 2025
• Fake Promoters Upping the Game - Tuesday, November 25, 2025
• Scarecrow's Dream: And the Ghost Fell in Love with the Dead Man - Sunday, November 23, 2025
• Cold Wind to Valhalla - Naked Actors and a Minstrel in the Gallery - Sunday, November 16, 2025
• Another Scam - My Author Friends Beware! - Thursday, November 13, 2025
• Legacy of Silence - Spooky Houses and Hot Air Balloons - Saturday, November 8, 2025
• Chia Seeds - Powerhouse Protein! - Thursday, November 6, 2025
• Another Batch of Kolaches and a Pack of Tonys - Sunday, November 2, 2025
• Kolaches and Mozart - Aria in Ice - Tuesday, October 28, 2025
• Great again...WHEN? - Saturday, October 25, 2025
• Sweet Dreams - How They're Made - Friday, October 24, 2025
• In the year 2050 - Wednesday, October 22, 2025
• Deadly Deja Vu - In Time for Halloween! - Tuesday, October 21, 2025
• What is Your Bridge Too Far? - Sunday, October 19, 2025
• The "Making" of Remake the Song - Friday, October 17, 2025
• Paris Nocturne: Inspiration - Saturday, October 11, 2025
• Haunting Melody: Inspiration - Monday, October 6, 2025
• Silence is Unrelenting - Friday, October 3, 2025
• Inspiration: Hot Stuff - Wednesday, October 1, 2025
• Why the Hate? - Saturday, September 27, 2025
• Ghosts, Wandering Here & There: Inspiration - Wednesday, September 24, 2025
• Shall we Dance? - Sunday, September 21, 2025
• Children Should be the Priority - Wednesday, September 17, 2025
• Moronic - Saturday, September 13, 2025
• Alleged - Friday, September 12, 2025
• Fanaticism and Empathy - Thursday, September 11, 2025
• "Review Packages" - Monday, September 8, 2025
• GO VEGAN - Saturday, September 6, 2025
• Creepy- with a Side of Intent - Monday, September 1, 2025
• P.O.S.S. (Perfect Older Sibling Syndrome) - Saturday, August 23, 2025
• Pushing Back On - Monday, August 18, 2025
• From Compromise to Inspiration - Sunday, August 17, 2025
• Ptiching to Authors...A Nearly Daily Annoyance - Saturday, August 16, 2025
• A Discussion of Literary Agents - Friday, August 15, 2025
• Reach Out and "Touch" An Author - Tuesday, August 12, 2025
• Here, There, and Everywhere - Wednesday, August 6, 2025
• Reviewing the Situation - Monday, August 4, 2025
• Music and Movement (In a beach read!) - Sunday, August 3, 2025
• Remake the Song - coming VERY soon! - Saturday, August 2, 2025
• Writers Who Care - Tuesday, December 20, 2011
• A WRiters Work - Monday, December 5, 2011
• Tell Me a Story! - Tuesday, October 25, 2011
• A Gentle Ghost Story - Sunday, October 9, 2011
• I Got a Name - Part Two - Saturday, April 16, 2011
• Self- E and POD versus Trad - Wednesday, March 23, 2011
• More Dialogue Tips for Writers - Friday, March 18, 2011
• How I Spent Spring Break (A Cautionary Tale) - Wednesday, March 16, 2011
• I got a Name - Friday, March 11, 2011
• Want to help name a book? - Tuesday, March 8, 2011
• Spring Break - Break! - Saturday, March 5, 2011
• Dialogue Tips for Writers - Wednesday, February 23, 2011
• Writing Tip - Singing -Keep it OFF the Page - Tuesday, February 15, 2011
• Respect - A Writing Nudge - Friday, February 11, 2011
• To Stupid to Live? Ouch - Wednesday, February 9, 2011
• Writer's Tip - Know Thyself - Tuesday, February 8, 2011
• "Risky" Business - Sunday, February 6, 2011
|
