A Shakespearean Tragedy

Dear friends and readers,

I am presently witnessing, and personally experiencing collateral damage to the pandemic. It's effects have come in multiple ways. Someone (actually more than one someone) has moved out of our building hastily, leaving most of their worldly possessions behind. Both were Asian women, with or without other family members. I spoke to one of them, who asked me if our local Goodwill was open. 

It was not, intake and output slammed shut. She wanted to donate her things, and they were good quality. Goodwill's would have loved to have it. A windfall. 

I regret not taking photos. Instead I do my dearly and hastily departed neighbors the injustice of having to upload a random photo (by Peter Menzel), but perhaps it gives you an idea:

Instead the windfall was a blow-down. 

She, and her husband departed hurriedly a short time later. 
Leaving most of their worldly possessions in the lobby of our building, for us remaining sheltered down residents to pick through at our leisure. What sort of sinister, if not diabolic end is that to this story. And they weren't the first. Another Asian woman with husband and daughter moved out a couple of weeks later. Again leaving everything behind, in the lobby, which was now filled. I confess to looting several treasures for myself (with good reason, as it turned out), including a leather bag, a very nice framed print for which I had the perfect spot (I had to leave half a dozen others, and even urged a friend to come and have a look. But--more collateral damage--his Chinese wife refused to allow it. A Harbin superstition? Chinese superstition? Based on six thousand years of history? 

What I suspected, and feared, was that these people had been harassed. Possibly more than once. For being Chinese (the woman I talked to was Korean). 

This shameful behavior is now happening worldwide:

I went down to the lobby just now to take out my trash and recycling, and the lobby was empty. Where did all of those things go? I pondered, as I walked to the two large dumpsters at the end of the parking lot. The two bins were both stuffed and overflowing.

With two Asian family's life possessions.

I am sick at heart at what I beheld...

E.C.