Helpers

You may recall what Fred Rogers said to do in a time of catastrophe. He quoted his mother’s advice: “Always look for the helpers.”

In Sydney, a man identified by family members as Ahmed al Ahmed tackled and disarmed a gunman. He was shot twice in the process (by the man he disarmed or by tge second gunman). From The New York Times:

Chris Minns, the premier of the state of New South Wales, praised the actions of a bystander who was shown in social media footage tackling one of the gunmen from behind and wresting control of his firearm. He said the man likely saved the lives of many people.

In Providence, the owner of a teahouse found shelter for students. Again from the Times:

Michelle Cheng, owner of Ceremony Tea, said she was able to find lodging for several students at a nearby apartment complex as the shelter in place continued. “This is so messed up, “ she said through tears. “I left everything at home to my husband and raced over because we need to be here for our customers.”

Much closer to home, a Salvation Army branch provided shelter for passengers whose bus was one of the many vehicles in accidents on the snow-covered interstate yesterday. A school-bus driver named Scott Young came out to transport the passengers from the site of the accident.