Well-known local human rights activist Esther Flores is this month’s speaker at the Free Press Second Saturday Salon. The Free Press Salon is a gathering place for progressive people to socialize, network and have a good time. At most salons, there is a presentation on a political or social justice issue. Esther is a registered nurse, founder of the non-profit 1DivineLine2Health, and an advocate for the needy in her West Side neighborhood.

At the salon Saturday, March 14, Esther will speak about her work with 1DivineLine2Health and how they “provide care to the sick who have no access to healthcare via a line of compassionate messengers who deliver healing to victims of human and drug trafficking.” The Salon runs from 6:30-11pm and you can hear Esther’s presentation at 7:30pm. The Free Press Second Saturday Salon is at 1021 East Broad Street, is free, with no RSVP required. Join local progressives for food, drink, music, art and good company.

Esther compares her world on the West Side of Columbus to West Side Story’s love story: “In West Side Story, Maria, a Puerto Rican immigrant, had a brother who was a member of the Shark gang. Maria falls in love with Tony, a Polish Catholic who at one point was a member of her brother’s rival gang, the Jets. Cultural and political views, poverty and gender issues, religious and other beliefs all contributed to the deaths of Maria and Tony.”

“The West Side of Columbus has its own West Side Story. The West Side has social justice problems stemming from poverty, cultural biases and gender issues that are virtually ignored or covered up by political and religious leaders, all of which contributes to disunity and the deaths of many in the Columbus community. Why is it that sometimes death must take place for change to happen?”

 “In Columbus, our officials fail to confront human suffering on the West Side, even after repeated tragedies. Columbus leaders often speak about creating equity for health, safety, education and providing basic needs to all the Columbus neighborhoods. But where is the evidence they follow through with these promises?”

“Drive around the West Side alleys and see the toys and children’s beds piled up around trash bins. The West Side is number one in evictions in Franklin County. There are a tremendous number of new apartments and condos waiting for the middle class, but not the working poor. There may be subsidized and affordable housing available, but not for undocumented folks who have been in the U.S. decades, or for people with a felony record.”

Esther wants to know “why public officials continue to be re-elected when public service does not advocate for the public. Why do we have so much poverty? Why are families living in abandoned houses? Why are people self-medicating? Why are there high suicide rates among veterans, LGTBQ+ people and teens? Why is it that women, men, and transwomen must become sexual objects to feed themselves and pay to stay in trap houses?”

“Why is it that grant-funded nonprofit workers do not respect the trench workers who paved the way for them? They live in safe suburban neighborhoods while the people they serve on the West Side are raped, beaten, tortured and die lonely. Civic organizations must resist becoming desensitized to homeless families, sex workers, domestic violence, racial tensions and failing to stand up for the suffering in their neighborhoods. Listening to the social justice workers in the trenches will help in understanding the problems, providing solutions and creating healthy communities.”

Esther’s non-profit organization 1DivineLine2Health practices “harm reduction” in their work with people on the West Side. Esther writes, “Harm reduction is the practice of creating havens for those who suffer and tailoring social programs to serve them with compassion and dignity. I love my harm reduction tribe. We Love Loud and look different, yet we are highly educated on the streets and professionally. Our tactics make us effective with those who suffer.”

“1DivineLine2Health has been trying to establish full-time Drop-In Centers in Franklin County that are much needed for the crowd we serve. We continue to wait for the permits to be released to begin the renovations on a donated house. We need three more Love Bugs – vehicles used to provide food, clothes, first aid, condoms and transportation for people to go to recovery and medical services.”

“The West Side Story can become a true love story as a long as 1DivineLine2Health and supporters continue to love and advocate for those who suffer. Collaborate with us. Support us financially via PayPal or our website 1dl2h.org. Make your voice heard by voting for those who not only are popular but believe all lives matter. May the lyrics of ‘One Hand, One Heart’ that Maria and Tony sang in West Side Story represent love in action: ‘Make of our hands one hand. Make of our hearts one heart.’”