Father Patrice Gaudin: "These silent heroes of our cities"

Father Patrice Gaudin is the parish priest of the Risen Christ parish located in the heart of the city of Bondy Nord.

Cities have become synonymous with violence, trafficking and all kinds of instability ... These little looks put me out of my mind. Yes, delinquency exists. But it must not hide the vast majority of the inhabitants of our neighborhoods whose behavior is remarkable and this period of confinement demonstrates this in a glaring way. And that is passed over in silence.

The confinement was long to implement in the cities, we did not understand. Here, there was no SAMU, no fire siren. Nothing was happening. Today, this confinement is respected and this under very difficult conditions. Imagine, a small apartment, without balcony, without garden, with a sad view on another bar and in which three generations pile up. When it is also necessary to make children work with an outdated computer and without a printer, it is close to heroism. "It took me a week to understand what the teacher wanted, I hung on, I didn't give up," said a mother of five who lived with her parents. And life is difficult, no big supermarket in Bondy north for example, just the supply is a test. The Post Office is closed, the only public service in the city.

So yes, some go out and it is these who are singled out and worried. The traffic continues, less but there is demand. Let us ask ourselves the question of the origin of the customers, they come from the city, from the beautiful districts. And if it was them that we were controlling, how can they take a vehicle, cross the ring road to stock up on drugs of all kinds? Without these buyers, no one would go out.

These traffickers must not hide the silent heroes of our cities, which are the many workers, those in the construction industry who are very largely from the neighborhoods, the housekeepers woke up at 4 am and who use public transport, without any protection. to ensure the hygiene of offices and businesses still open, but also of hospitals and nursing homes, at the risk of returning to contaminate their families. No escape, no teleworking, the economy must not stop. I admire the docility of these shadow workers. What resignation, what sense of duty, they do not revolt. They carry out their mission. For you, for us.

I am also horrified by the inequalities that this confinement generates, many urban dwellers have migrated to their ocean resorts so yesterday's migrants have no choice, they are resigned to living in their flat with no horizon. I am like them, I live confined alone in my church and I know that the many Christians, so close to me, are dying to come and pray here, they join me via Youtube or Facebook to follow the services and so are even for Muslims, deprived of frequenting their mosque, some without Fridays, others without Sundays.

The heroes of the suburbs are very silent, by my voice, I hope they will be heard for a moment, they outnumber the delinquents, so useful and appreciated for their professionalism, so wonderfully human in their solidarity. Let's respect them, love them.