A Changing of the Times for Puerto Angel’s Fishing Community
Brooklyn, NY
In what has felt like a year marked by the repeated failure of the federal government to adequately respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic fallout it’s created, particularly among historically marginalized populations, community organizers are stepping up to fill in the gaps. I spent the day with Red de Pueblos Transnacionales and the American Indian Community House (AICH) as they provided food relief to indigenous families in Brooklyn's Kensington neighborhood. The organizations have teamed up every other week for the past six months to distribute food and critical supplies like masks and toilet paper to food-insecure indigenous families across New York City.
Floodlights illuminate boats left onshore overnight. Fishermen leave at various hours of the evening through the early morning depending on what type of fish they’re pursuing.
Each family received one bag of produce filled with bananas, carrots, potatoes, green tomatoes, peppers onions and more.
Yogui packs surgical masks while waiting for the next family to arrive.
Critical dry goods like toilet paper and masks were distributed to each family as well as beans, tortillas, rice, soap and more.
Yogui Ariza, Red de Pueblos Transnacionales coordinator for these bi-weekly distributions, hands dry goods and produce to an indigenous family.
Luis, a volunteer with Red de Pueblos Transnacionales, brings packed bags up to the distribution table on street level.
Remnants from a bag of onions hastily packed for distribution.
Bags sit in the basement, ready to be distributed.
The afternoon brought a near-constant stream of bags from the basement packing area to the street-level distribution area.