Give a dam

I so wanted to write a nice, calm and succinct letter in regards to the Durango City Council and their views on the warming center on East Third Ave. But DAMN!

How inhumane are Durango city councilors to deny something so basic to human beings? Animals at the La Plata County Humane Society are treated better than this.

All people experiencing homelessness are asking for is a place to warm up during the coldest months of the year. A place to use the bathroom. A place to get some decent food and drink. A place where someone will give them a smile.

Durango city councilors haven’t been asked to allow someone to use their homes; they haven’t been asked to provide a seat at their own dinner table to anyone; they haven’t been asked to dig into their own pockets for anything.

They’ve merely been asked, as elected officials, to provide for the less fortunate in our community in the most basic way possible.

We can all be better citizens than our city councilors by showing up at the La Plata County Commissioners’ meeting on December 6. Show your support for someone less fortunate than yourself. Can’t attend the meeting? Send a check to Community Compassion Outreach. Drop off some food. Hell, just smile at someone you don’t know and you’re still a better human being than most city councilors.

The current Durango city councilors are an embarrassment to this community, and most assuredly do not represent those of us who give a damn.

– Jane Dunn, Durango