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My name is DJ, which stands for my first name, Desire; my middle name, James; my last name, Arsene Versailles; from Boston, Massachusetts. I was born, raised and a resident in the heart of the Back Bay of Boston, Massachusetts; South End of Boston, Massachusetts. I am a constituent of the City of Boston and Commonwealth State of Massachusetts 7th Congressional Suffolk District. I am writing to share my COVID story with you and ask for your support. I am one of the millions of people whose life has been dramatically, emotionally, financially, fundamentally, intellectually, mentally and spiritually changed due to coronavirus circumstances, foreseen circumstances and unforeseen circumstances. I lost my father figure and mentor to an unknown cause on Thursday March 26th, 2020. I lost my mother to COVID on Saturday May 30th, 2020. I lost my father figure and mentor to COVID on Saturday January 23rd, 2021. I lost my 19,129 (Nineteen Thousand One Hundred Twenty Nine) and counting neighboring loved ones in the Commonwealth State of Massachusetts to COVID and Marked By COVID; I lost my 762,000 (Seven Hundred Sixty Two Thousand) and counting neighboring loved ones in the United States of America to COVID and Marked By COVID; I lost my 5,100,000 (5.1 Million) and counting neighboring loved ones in the world to COVID and Marked By COVID; since the start of COVID collectively and respectively. I was furloughed and unemployed on Monday March 30th, 2020; a week after Honorable Governor Baker gave the stay at home advisory on Monday March 23rd, 2020; due to COVID. My furlough and unemployment began on ironically or not ironically April Fool's Day on Wednesday April 1st, 2020 and ended on Sunday November 1st, 2020. I am experiencing bewildering, lingering, shivering, simmering, and splintering symptoms.
After losing my mother, I did not know what to do. On Saturday May 30th, 2020, my mother, Florcie Yves Chavannes Versailles, passed away. I posted my thoughts online at 1:15 PM exactly 12 hours after my mother passed away at 1:15 AM, receiving the heart wrenching news from my uncle at 9:30 AM, on Saturday May 30th, 2020.
My mother adopted me and raised me, at birth, on Saturday April 25th, 1987 in Boston Medical Center formerly named Boston City Hospital in the heart of the Back Bay of Boston, Massachusetts; South End of Boston, Massachusetts. The adoption was not official where my last name changed from Arsene to my mother's last name Versailles becoming Desire James Versailles on Thursday March 14th, 1996 in Norfolk Probate and Family Court in Canton, Massachusetts. My last name changed again, becoming Desire James Arsene Versailles on Monday March 22nd, 2021 in Suffolk Probate and Family Court in Boston, Massachusetts. My mother was born on Monday April 6th, 1942 in Cape Haiti, the second largest city in Haiti. She also lived in Canada, Florida, and New York. She visited Boston for a week-long vacation that started on Thursday April 25th, 1968 and ended on Saturday May 30th, 2020. She was 78 years old. She fell in love with Boston, Massachusetts. She was tested for coronavirus twice. The first test came back negative, but the nursing home refused to release the results of that second test to my family. The nursing home would not confirm or deny why my mother was ill or what the ultimate cause of her death was. She was the best mother anyone could find. She wanted me to be perfect and to be the best version of myself. Losing my mother is the worst feeling. I can not even begin to fathom and imagine my mother’s passing. There are so many ranges of emotion. To make matters worse, I was not able to visit her, including her birthday on Monday April 6th, 2020, in the last few months of her life due to coronavirus restrictions, transportation restrictions, work schedule restrictions, foreseen circumstances and unforeseen circumstances. The last time I saw her was on New Year's Day and Haitian Independence Day on Wednesday January 1st, 2020. There was racial injustice, medical malpractice, irreversible damage, negligence, prejudice, stereotype, discrimination, micro-aggression, sexism and criminal justice malfunction to name a few during the course of my mother’s life that led up to my mother’s passing. She had to face this because of the color of her skin as a woman of color and not the content of her phenomenal personality and colorful character. She was a force of nature. She had a huge heart. She loved everyone. She brought a lot of her family to the United States of America from Haiti. She had a lot of complex medical issues throughout her life. As a result of her medical needs and her being a strong woman of color standing up for her rights as an activist, she experienced a lot of adversity. I recall a time back on Saturday November 10th, 2012 when I was at Santander Bank formerly named Sovereign Bank with her. She started acting out of character and I knew right away something was wrong. The bank manager called for an emergency medical response. The police also showed up as a result. When they arrived, they threatened to arrest my mother for trespassing, because she was unable to leave the restroom by herself and the bank was closing. “Get up and walk out like a lady,” said one of the Boston police officers. My mother was clearly sick and did nothing wrong. The paramedics took her to the Emergency Room in the hospital, Boston Medical Center formerly named Boston City Hospital, where it was suspected she had suffered a stroke that was followed by going into two cardiac arrests a couple of days later on Thursday November 15th, 2012, a week before Thanksgiving. She would end up spending the month in the Intensive Care Unit, from Saturday November 10th, 2012 until Friday December 14th, 2012. She would also end up spending a month, in the hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center-Milton formerly named Milton Hospital, in the Intensive Care Unit, from Tuesday November 1st, 2016 until Sunday December 4th, 2016. Following this incident, she spent the next several years in hospitals, rehabilitation centers and nursing homes. She went to Hebrew Rehabilitation Center in Roslindale, Massachusetts on Friday December 14th, 2012 subsequently Charlwell House Health and Rehabilitation Center in Norwood, Massachusetts on Saturday February 23rd, 2013 subsequently Brush Hill Care Center formerly named Milton Health Care Center in Milton, Massachusetts on Tuesday February 26th, 2013 subsequently and finally Royal Health and Rehabilitation Center in Braintree, Massachusetts on Sunday December 4th, 2016. It is hard to wonder and difficult to fathom if my mother still would not be here today, had there not been so many times where she was not taken seriously from medical professionals, government officials and law enforcement; also, the fact that the coronavirus was known and how deadly the coronavirus was going to be and nothing was done to warn us,; disinformation and misinformation. It is also hard to wonder and difficult to fathom what difference it would have made should my family have had appropriate access to her medical information when she was unable to make decisions for herself. My family and I would like to investigate my mother’s death. We want to better understand her cause of death and determine if medical professionals and government officials did in fact provide my mother with adequate medical care. My mother's funeral services was held at the Carroll-Thomas Funeral Home (http://hydepark.thomasfuneralhomes.com) in Hyde Park, Massachusetts at 10:00 AM subsequently laid to rest at St. Michael’s Cemetery (http://stmichaelcemetery.com) in Mattapan, Massachusetts at 11:00 AM on Wednesday June 3rd, 2020. Services were private as a result of coronavirus circumstances.
In addition to looking for financial support to investigate the cause of my mother’s death, recover lost pictures and videos, I also ask for your support to be able to provide my mother with the headstone and memorial she deserves. I would also like to have a memorial service for my mother, who so many knew and loved; when the opportunity presents itself and should come to fruition, when my family and I are ready and coronavirus is no longer a threat to everyone's safety and well-being.
There were protests as a result of the horrific homicide of George Floyd the same week back on Monday May 25th, 2020 due to racial injustice and criminal justice system malfunction. This culminated in what ended up being the worst week. This is a sensational segway. Mel King was born on Saturday October 20th, 1928 in the heart of the Back Bay of Boston, Massachusetts; South End of Boston, Massachusetts. On Thursday April 25th, 1968 Mel King organized a meeting with the Boston Redevelopment Authority (http://www.bostonplans.org/) in protest of the planned parking garage that was being built. On Friday April 26th, 1968, Mel King organized a protest in the lot of the planned parking garage that was being built. The protests lasted until Monday April 29th, 1968. Mel King was a powerful activist, organizer, educator, a former City of Boston and Commonwealth State of Massachusetts State Representative of the Commonwealth State of Massachusetts 9th Congressional Suffolk District and was a runner up in the City of Boston mayoral election on Tuesday November 15th, 1983. My mother was a powerful activist. Alongside Mel King, my mother was instrumental in these protests for the Tent City Apartments Housing Complex, a complex named for the protests that began on the site twenty years before being built. The name for the complex comes from the tent city erected on the site from Friday April 26th, 1968 to Monday April 29th, 1968 protest to dramatize the need for low-cost housing. Below please find the articles, links and video footage of my mother, being interviewed back on Friday April 29th, 1988. Florcie Versailles was quoted as saying, "I would say no. With my job, I don't think I could afford it but like I said the United States helped very poor people and now I can afford to live here". Then as indicated in the report, "is seen pushing a child in the stroller," that being me, Desire James Versailles. Below please find the articles and links of Mel King, being interviewed back on Sunday May 1st, 1988. Mel King was quoted as saying, "When we started, we were trying to accomplish that housing would be the priority of the Boston Redevelopment Authority and that its policies would reflect that. The second thing was convincing people that they had to play a role in the development of those policies and therefore the development of their communities". My mother and I lived in the Church Park Apartments Complex in the Back Bay; South End; of Boston, Massachusetts from Saturday April 25th, 1987 to Friday April 29th, 1988. My mother and I lived in the Tent City Apartments Complex in the Back Bay; South End; of Boston, Massachusetts from Friday April 29th, 1988 to Thursday December 29th, 1994. Subsequently, we were homeless; I was homeless; and in and out of homeless shelters, hotels, schools, living with family and friends, working with family and friends, and traveling with family and friends across Abington, Massachusetts; Allston, Massachusetts; Amherst, Massachusetts; Ashmont, Massachusetts; Attleboro, Massachusetts; Avon, Massachusetts; Ayer, Massachusetts; Bedford, Massachusetts; Belchertown, Massachusetts; Belmont, Massachusetts; Braintree, Massachusetts; Bridgewater, Massachusetts; Brighton, Massachusetts; Brockton, Massachusetts; Brookline, Massachusetts; Cambridge, Massachusetts; Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Charlestown, Massachusetts; Charlton, Massachusetts; Canton, Massachusetts; Chelsea, Massachusetts; Chicopee, Massachusetts; Cohasset, Massachusetts; Concord, Massachusetts; Danvers, Massachusetts; Dedham, Massachusetts; Dorchester, Massachusetts; Dover, Massachusetts; Everett, Massachusetts; Fitchburg, Massachusetts; Florence, Massachusetts; Foxborough, Massachusetts; Framingham, Massachusetts; Georgetown, Massachusetts; Gloucester, Massachusetts; Groton, Massachusetts; Hadley, Massachusetts; Hanover, Massachusetts; Holbrook, Massachusetts; Holyoke, Massachusetts; Hyde Park, Massachusetts; Kingston, Massachusetts; Leominster, Massachusetts; Lexington, Massachusetts; Lynn, Massachusetts; Malden, Massachusetts; Mansfield, Massachusetts; Medford, Massachusetts; Mendon, Massachusetts; Melrose, Massachusetts; Mattapan, Massachusetts; Middleborough, Massachusetts; Milton, Massachusetts; Nantucket, Massachusetts; Natick, Massachusetts; Needham, Massachusetts; Newton, Massachusetts; Northampton, Massachusetts; Palmer, Massachusetts; Plymouth, Massachusetts; Provincetown, Massachusetts; Quincy, Massachusetts; Randolph, Massachusetts; Rockland, Massachusetts; Revere, Massachusetts; Roslindale, Massachusetts; Roxbury, Massachusetts; Salem, Massachusetts; Sharon, Massachusetts; Somerville, Massachusetts; South Boston, Massachusetts; Springfield, Massachusetts; Taunton, Massachusetts; Topsfield, Massachusetts; Waltham, Massachusetts; Wayland, Massachusetts; Weymouth, Massachusetts; West Roxbury, Massachusetts; Weston, Massachusetts; Winthrop, Massachusetts; Worcester, Massachusetts; Wrentham, Massachusetts; Manchester, New Hampshire; Windsor, New Hampshire; Hartford, Connecticut; New Haven, Connecticut; Nobleboro, Maine; Providence, Rhode Island; Albany, New York; Brooklyn, New York; Bronx, New York; Buffalo, New York; New York City, New York; Queens, New York; Washington, DC; Williamsburg, Virginia; Cocoa, Florida; Melbourne, Florida; Miami, Florida; Orlando, Florida; Montreal, Canada; Toronto, Canada; Port-Au-Prince, Haiti; Cape Haiti, Haiti; until my mother was hospitalized on Saturday November 10th, 2012; until our lease ended for our apartment and took a week day stay at the Midtown Hotel Downtown/South End of Boston, Massachusetts on Thursday January 31st, 2013; until I took a weekend stay at the Residence Inn by Marriott Hotel Downtown/South End of Boston, Massachusetts on Friday July 31st, 2020 to Tuesday August 4th, 2020. Subsequently, I stayed with family on Tuesday August 4th, 2020. Subsequently, I stayed with family from Wednesday August 5th, 2020 to Friday November 5th, 2020. Subsequently, I moved back to the city of Boston, Massachusetts in Avalon AVA Back Bay Apartments Complex on Sunday August 16th, 2020 but was helping out family so did not start transitioning and living there until I returned back to work from furlough and unemployment the week of Sunday November 1st, 2020 to Saturday November 6th, 2020; sleeping and staying there starting Friday November 5th, 2020. I am an office occupant; an office tenant; for my employer, Locke Lord LLP, in Prudential Center, Boston, Massachusetts and in Financial Center, in Providence, Rhode Island. I am an apartment occupant; an apartment tenant; for my leaser, AVA Back Bay, in Prudential Center, in Boston, Massachusetts. Below please find the links of Church Park Apartments Complex, Tent City Apartments Complex, Avalon AVA Back Bay Apartments Complex, Prudential Center and Financial Center.
https://www.avaloncommunities.com/massachusetts/boston-apartments/ava-back-bay?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gmblist
My mother volunteered at Rosie's Place and Women's Lunch Place for over 20 years in many capacities helping women who were in dire circumstances. Now her activism lives through me in my work with Marked By COVID as it was a pleasure to have been invited by and want to take this opportunity to thank Kristin Danielle Urquiza, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Marked By COVID, on Thursday March 11th, 2021 for this opportunity to participate in Marked By COVID. Right now, the community is focused on recognition; H4224 House Bill, an act establishing the first and annual observance of COVID-19 Remembrance Day. I want to take this opportunity to thank Jennifer Ritz Sullivan, Massachusetts Marked By COVID Justice Leader, who invited me on Tuesday November 2nd, 2021 for this opportunity to participate and testify in support of House Bill 4224 in the Special Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight Hearing (https://malegislature.gov/Events/Hearings/Detail/4071) on Wednesday November 10th, 2021. I want to take this opportunity to thank Jennifer Ritz Sullivan for bringing the immediate attention for this immediate legislation to our Honorable Representative Natalie Blais and our Honorable Representative Mindy Domb. I also want to take this opportunity to thank our Honorable Representative Natalie Blais and our Honorable Representative Mindy Domb for filing this immediate legislation of House Bill 4224. I also want to take this opportunity to thank our Honorable Senator Ed Markey and our Honorable Senator Elizabeth Warren for introducing House Bill 4224. I also want to take this opportunity to thank our Honorable Senator Ed Markey's Staffers and Congressional Aides Nancy Afonso and Lisa McClure who invited me and Jennifer Ritz Sullivan on Friday April 23rd, 2021 for the opportunity to further share our stories and our Marked By COVID's Five R Plan and for facilitating and organizing and for their time and the space via the Zoom platform on Friday April 30th, 2021. I also want to take this opportunity to thank our Honorable Representative and Honorable Chairman Antonio Cabral and our Honorable Senator and Honorable Chairman Marc Pacheco, and Honorable Distinguished Committee Members for facilitating and organizing and all who are present for their time and the opportunity and the space via the Microsoft Teams platform to testify in support of House Bill 4224 in the Special Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight Hearing (https://malegislature.gov/Events/Hearings/Detail/4071) on Wednesday November 10th, 2021. I also want to take this opportunity to thank our Honorable Representative Ayanna Pressley who invited me on Friday July 9th, 2021 for this opportunity to participate and testify in the Special Joint Committee on Redistricting Hearing (https://malegislature.gov/Events/Hearings/Detail/3747) on Monday July 19th, 2021. I also want to take this opportunity to thank our Honorable Representative Ayanna Pressley's Staffer and CBCF John Lewis Social Justice Fellow Sianay Chase Clifford who invited me, Jennifer Ritz Sullivan and Kristin Danielle Urquiza on Tuesday July 13th, 2021 for the opportunity to further share our stories, our Marked By COVID's Five R Plan; and in support of House Bill 174 (https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-resolution/174?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22h+174%22%2C%22h%22%2C%22174%22%5D%7D&s=3&r=7), an act establishing memorializing those impacted by and lost to the COVID-19 virus; and for facilitating and organizing and for her time and the space via the Zoom platform on Thursday July 15th, 2021. I also want to take this opportunity to thank our Honorable Senator and Chairman Brownsberger, our Honorable Representative and Chairman Moran for facilitating and organizing and all who are present for their time and the opportunity and the space via the Zoom platform to testify in the Special Joint Committee on Redistricting Hearing (https://malegislature.gov/Events/Hearings/Detail/3747) on Monday July 19th, 2021. I also want to take this opportunity to thank Sarah Betancourt, WGBH News Reporter for the opportunity and the space via the Zoom platform to interview me regarding Covid-19 Remembrance Day effort picking up steam on Beacon Hill (https://www.wgbh.org/news/local-news/2021/12/01/covid-19-remembrance-day-effort-picking-up-steam-on-beacon-hill) on December 1st, 2021. I also want to take this opportunity to thank Jana DeCristofaro, The Dougy Center Community Response Program Director for the opportunity and the space via the Zoom platform to interview me regarding Splintering Grief Out Loud Podcast (https://www.dougy.org/news-media/podcasts/splintering-grief-dj-arsene-versailles-marked-by-covid) on March 18th, 2022. To also quote our Honorable Representative Ayanna Pressley, "The people closest to the pain, should be closest to the power, driving, and informing the policymaking". To also quote our Honorable Present President Joseph Robinette Biden Sr., “To heal, we must remember”. It is paramount to honor my mother, Florcie Yves Chavannes Versailles’s legacy and the legacies of every precious life lost to this catastrophic coronavirus. To also quote Jennifer Ritz Sullivan, “We need to collectively recognize all we have endured to heal, take measures to ensure that this does not happen again, and support every person permanently marked by COVID”. To also quote Kristin Danielle Urquiza, "That is a way in which we can ensure that we take the time to honor, acknowledge, and grieve collectively and have the curriculum and the language in order to be teaching and living and breathing that this was a national tragedy and that, you know, people's lives were lost and as a country, we were forever impacted". There will never be a normal again for all those permanently marked by COVID, including me. My family and I were not able to have the appropriate funeral and memorial that my mother deserves to honor her life and legacy. To also quote our Honorable Former President Thomas Jefferson, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”. We need the appropriate memorialization of all the precious lives forever marked by COVID. For we are all created equally in our Creator God’s eyes, must love one another's life and respect one another’s life equally as our own life, and must love one another and respect one another's unalienable Rights equally as our own unalienable Rights, and among these must love and respect our Life, our Liberty, and the Pursuit of our Happiness collectively and respectively (https://www.wgbh.org/news/local-news/2021/12/01/covid-19-remembrance-day-effort-picking-up-steam-on-beacon-hill). Below please find the links of Rosie's Place, Women's Lunch Place and Marked By COVID.
I was lucky to find a community with others severely impacted by COVID through Marked By COVID, which has helped me find purpose. Though we are still living through this nightmare, some clear needs have emerged from our conversations. Marked By COVID is a non-partisan non-profit co-founded by Kristin Danielle Urquiza and run by people who lost loved ones to COVID. We are working to ensure survivors’ and victims’ needs are centered in the federal government’s response. Right now, the community is focused on recognition; we recently organized the first National COVID Memorial Day (https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/01/us/national-day-of-mourning-covid-victims/index.html) with the help of hundreds of mayors, activists, artists, and others.
I am hopeful you can support those marked by COVID in the on-going response and recovery. Specifically: I would like to set up a meeting (via an online platform) with you and others from your district who are impacted by COVID to share our stories. I’d like to discuss:
· The need for a commission to fully investigate the preparedness and response of the federal government to the pandemic.
· Additionally, I’m hoping you take a lead or support the creation of a Senate resolution memorializing those impacted by and lost to the Covid-19 virus.
H 3016 (https://malegislature.gov/Bills/193/H3016/Cosponsor) introduced by Representative Mindy Domb and Representative Natalie Blais, calling for a COVID Remembrance Day on the first Monday of March, is the legislation COVID-bereaved members of Marked By COVID, including me, have been fighting for since 2020 and recognizing as a community across the country since 2021.
The legislation calling for the first Monday in March to be a day of remembrance for the COVID community is supported on a federal level by all nine congressional members in Massachusetts in the house. Our Senators Warren and Markey introduced the legislation in the Senate calling for a COVID Memorial Day and are planning on reintroducing the bill soon.
The language is written primarily by the COVID-bereaved community, with members being essential and frontline workers, others long haulers. Many of us come from disproportionately harmed communities, including people of color, low-income, disabled, and high-risk individuals.
I have to be clear that our community does not support HD3567 (https://malegislature.gov/Bills/193/HD3567) proposed by Representative Ruth Balser and Senator Patricia Jehlen, is the legislation calling for March 10th to be a COVID Remembrance Day; SD878 (https://malegislature.gov/Bills/193/SD878) proposed by Senator Patricia Jehlen, is the legislation calling for COVID Remembrance Day.
Click below to show personal support for Marked By COVID's Five R Plan.
Sign on to Marked By COVID's Five R plan to combat COVID:
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I sincerely appreciate your time and consideration.
Thank you all so much for your time. I wish, hope and pray that God keeps you and your families healthy, safe, sane, sound and strong. May God grant you, your family, loved ones, and friends a long life filled with good health, happiness, unity, successes, answered prayers, and eternal blessings. Please cherish every moment with your family, friends and loved ones because you never know when life will end at any given moment. Life is short. Life is precious. Life is fragile. May God bless and protect the City of Boston (https://www.boston.gov), Commonwealth State of Massachusetts (https://www.mass.gov), United States of America (https://www.usa.gov/), the world (https://www.who.int/#), the planet, the earth, and the continents.
#MyMothersLifeMatters! #BlackLivesMatter! #BlackLivesThrives! #BlackandProud! #Covid19VictimsLivesMatter! #RestInPeaceEternallyMom! #RestInPeaceEternallyMsFlorcieYvesChavannesVersailles! #RestInPeaceEternallyCovid19Victims! #FacesofCOVID @FacesofCOVID #HappyMemorialDay!
I love and adore you mom with my entire heart. #RIP #GodBlessYou #Mom, Ms. Florcie Yves Chavannes Versailles!!!!!!!!!! #HappyAmericanMothersDay! #BlessedAmericanMothersDay! #HappyHaitianMothersDay! #BlessedHaitianMothersDay! #HappyBirthday! #BlessedBirthday! #HappyMemorialDay! #BlessedMemorialDay!