ESI Admin

On May 19, one of us (Ann) was walking on a busy street corner in New York City, when she was randomly assaulted by someone who walked up behind her, punched her to the ground, and ran off.  She became the latest random target of a phenomenon dubbed by NYC law enforcement as “the knock-out game.”  Passersby pitched-in to help, called the ambulance and chased the assailant. Ann underwent surgery for a broken hip and hunkered down for a long-term recovery. We want to share conversations we had coming out of these events in the hopes it might help others

Hugh:  It’s a crisis moment for so many struggling with serious depression, anxiety and feelings of loneliness. Our mental health system—particularly community clinics and peer-support organizations—has been overwhelmed by calls for help.Ann:  Yeah. The pandemic has only intensified feelings of loneliness, lack of community and need for social connection. Hugh:  This new wave of emotional distress, seems to me, is a perfectly reasonable human response to living our lives in an increasingly isolated and uncertain world. Good grief, is it any wonder that in year three of this pandemic—the enforced isolation, political paralysis, climate disaster, increased violence, and on and on—that we see