St. Petersburg, FL, after Hurricane Milton.

Photograph by Alexis J. Miranda Pérez

Scavengers

December 11, 2024
As I drove through the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, after Hurricane Milton, a peculiar scene caught my eye. In front of a house was a large amount of furniture, along with bags of what appeared to be clothing, rugs, and other belongings that I suspect were lost to flood damage. The belongings covered the entire front of the house, and in the center was a sign that read: “KEEP OUT! DON’T SCAVENGE OUR LOSS.”

That image stuck in my memory, and I have been reflecting on it ever since (thanks to my husband who captured it in a photo). I sensed an intentionality in the choice of words. The words on that sign evoked a variety of thoughts and I want to share some of them with you.

Scavenge has several meanings, and one of them refers to rescuing items from the trash that can be reused. Scavenging, in this sense, has been one of my dad’s favorite activities. He keeps an eye on the things on the street and picks up all those that he believes he can fix, or that may be useful in the future. Some people have mastered the art of restoring items that have been discarded, and it is beautiful to see their work transform or restore objects so that they may have a second life. There are also people who search through rubble and trash as a means of subsistence. I leave items that I want to discard but that I know are in good condition outside my house, within reach of others, so that other people can use them.

But in this case, it didn’t feel that way. Maybe it was because visiting the streets of Florida awakened in me the pain and trauma I suffered when my country, Puerto Rico, faced deadly hurricanes over the past few years. The fact that the residents of that house selected this verb could imply that what were once their precious belongings were now considered trash by some. But for them, those items were their loss.

It is important that we, as a church, identify whether exploitation of those affected by catastrophes happens in our communities and join in efforts to do justice for the most vulnerable. That is what we are called to do.
The verb “to scavenge” also brings to mind the way in which entrepreneurs and investors come to places where disasters have recently occurred to take advantage of people’s losses by buying their properties at devalued prices. These unscrupulous people take advantage of the vulnerability of people who have lost everything amid the crisis in order to profit from the pain and losses of others. These companies are specifically dedicated to profiting from losses instead of being social investors who seek to build up communities for their residents and not for the sake of gentrification. The effects of that gentrification can be seen 19 years after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. We also see it in Puerto Rico, where 200,000 people were displaced after the impact of Hurricane Maria in 2017. There are also many examples of it in the so-called Tornado Alley which runs from western Texas through central and eastern Oklahoma and Kansas and over much of Nebraska.

As a Christian who believes that the kingdom of God is one of justice, peace, and love, I have no choice but to continue denouncing oppressive actions that violate the dignity of human beings, such as post-catastrophe scavenging. It is important that we, as a church, identify whether these actions occur in our communities and join in efforts to do justice for the most vulnerable. That is what we are called to do.

I leave you with the image and invite you to join me on this journey of reflecting on possible meanings that connect it with your personal experiences and your context.

Rev. Abigail Medina-Betancourt is national coordinator for Intercultural Engagement, American Baptist Home Mission Societies. Read the Spanish language version of this article here

The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of American Baptist Home Mission Societies.

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