I clearly remember my first day at an UNRWA school in a refugee camp in Gaza. I was five years of age. It felt like my life was over. 

 The distance from Block 5 of the Nuseirat Refugee Camp to the New Camp – located within the municipal boundaries of Nuseirat - was long, exhausting and terrifying. 

 I had to walk for several miles, on a very dusty journey that compromised my new, specially tailored red suit and orange sandals. 

 On the arduous journey, passing through citrus orchards and heaps of sand, I was accompanied by hundreds of children, some more experienced and confident, and others, like me, crying all the way to the UNRWA Elementary School for Boys. 

 On the way, I learned about the 'crazy man of the orchard', the disheveled guard who chases after unruly children whenever they try to pluck orange fruits from the Hirthani trees. I also learned about the unleashed dogs that belonged to some Bedouin tribe, whose bites may result in many rabies injections and terrible pain. 

On Sullivant Avenue, the block begins at Columbian and pretty much ends at Hague. If you don’t know what the block is, you might be better off. If you do know the block, you likely have an opinion of it. If you’re reading this article (that is to say, someone with regular internet access, time to read an article with some leisure, and sharp enough to follow the Columbus Free Press), and know the block, odds are that your opinion is strong. The block is a tough place. As someone familiar with tough spaces, I don’t know many like this one.

The police will tell you all kinds of things about Sullivant Avenue but a good deal of it is just to boost their funding. It works, too. They got a million dollar boost to sweep the streets of the Hilltop. I have walked the streets, the alleys, and gotten to know a large number of people there in the last few years, I haven’t had much of an issue with anyone but the cops.

We all want the same thing — to live in safety with our families and contribute to our communities. When government policies harm families, the policies should change. And when children are involved, our government should take the greatest care before doing something that changes their lives so irrevocably.

Saturday, June 22, 11am-3pm, Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS), 4645 Executive Dr.

This will be a family-friendly celebration of the strength, beauty, and cultures of the refugees and immigrants in our community, featuring global arts and crafts activities for families, as well as music, food, and dance from around the world.

Hosted by Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS).

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