this is just completely ridiculous: If I had a group of children right now who needed a shelter?
"For now, we can have members of this church and their parents," he replied.
If they were disabled?
"I would have to ask at another level," Chrisner said. "There is a committee. Really, it's a committee inside of some other committees. It goes through the bishop, then a committee process ... then, there's no way to know if it's longer or shorter. I can't tell you how long it would take for an answer."
There is no reason EVER for this type of action!! Committees? People are seeking shelter and you have to consult committees?? This is just indefensible.
I'm sure the "deciders" in this church were mostly white Americans, too.
When our home was flood in December of 2007, we made our home at the local LDS Church House for a week. Maybe the Haitian members are more aholes? I am just saying in MY experience, using the LDS shelter as an LDS person, Us and 1 other family were the LDS Folks. The rest of the people using the classrooms as temporary shelter were NON-members.
It was coordinated with the Red Cross, however, I saw no one member or non member turned away during this time. One person did get in trouble for trying to brew coffee in the kitchen, and no smoking inside, but that was the worst of it.
Probably saw it as a big proselytizing thing at the stake level, but still people who needed help got it.