baltimore schools to serve free meals for students while schools are shut

Amidst reports that Baltimore city public schools will continue serving free meals to its students even when (as it seems inevitable) they officially shut down for Coronavirus quarantine — and with New York city public schools reportedly on the verge of doing the same — we have to balance our appreciation and respect for administrators who understand that these institutions are literally the only safety net many people living in poverty have, with the disgust for a society choosing not to provide a safety net for them.

The lack of food, shelter, healthcare and education for the poorest members of our communities, inadequacies obvious to every American with half a mind, clear eyes, and anything approaching empathy, are becoming all-too clear. Poor people — an overwhelming amount of them Black and Brown and children of immigrants — are going to suffer (are already suffering!) far worse in the coming months. That is an indictment of the historic power structure of this entire f*cking country, even if we have special hate in our collective heart for the orange buffoon at the center of this crisis.