Letter: Hot showers and clean clothes are human rights

Graphic by Lori Deaton

I recently used the showers and facilities run by the American Red Cross at Innsbruck Mall. It was a good experience. The showers were hot; the porta potties were clean. I grabbed some water and tuna on the way out. I imagine the laundry facilities are just as good.

Why can’t we make this a permanent fixture? The dignity of a hot shower and clean clothes was made evident in the wake of Hurricane Helene. They are a human right.

The current operation is large and can accommodate many people. But even a quarter of its current size could help ameliorate longer-term poverty and address emergency needs for those who will inevitably face hardship as we recover. The location is great, and the Innsbruck Mall parking lot is underutilized. Let’s make it a part of our community.

— Paul Choi
Asheville

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3 thoughts on “Letter: Hot showers and clean clothes are human rights

  1. T100

    Soldiers and Marines deployed in remote combat zones and even aid workers in remote 3rd world areas are not guaranteed hot showers or clean clothes.. So I would not characterize it as a “human right”

  2. Bryan McGuire

    Nothing that requires the labor or production of another person is a human right. Go demand a plumber run pipes into your house because its “your right”, or that an appliance store give you a washer and dryer because clean clothes is a “human right”. Do you have a right to grow food? Yes. Do you have right to the food grown by others? No.

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