Almost every wholesome local news story can be traced back to a failure of capitalism. If the community is coming together to buy a fast food or construction worker a car to go to work, it’s because the job doesn’t pay enough to provide and the city doesn’t offer adequate transport. So it goes with a 10-year-old from New Mexico, who added a soupçon of pandemic flavor to the typical “heartwarming” roux.
Roswell fourth-grader Jonathan Endecott has to go to virtual school, as coronavirus is still running rampant in his county. Unfortunately, the economic slowdown has made it so that Jonathan’s family can’t afford to pay for an internet connection. So, for the last four weeks, he's walked to school every morning to sit outside and jump on their WiFi.
“I don’t got internet and I’m protesting to go back to school,” Endecott explained to KRQE News 13.
The dueling crises of school shutdowns and the drive to send workers back to their jobs in the midst of the pandemic make sitting outside the school a logical option for Endecott.
“I mean, me working all day, I know he is safe up here cause he’s got the secretary to keep an eye on him, the principal comes out to ask him if he needs any help; I’ve seen quite a few parents,” said Endecott’s mother, Angel.
A teacher snapped a photo of Endecott sitting outside the school, which snowballed on Facebook into a crowdfunding campaign that will provide needy Roswell kids with internet access. So far, the GoFundMe has raised over $2000 and donors have committed to paying for the Endecott’s internet for a full year.
“No, I did not expect, I did not expect this to blow up the way it is, and I had so many people asking to help or how they can help,” said Sabrina Harbour, the teacher who initially shared Endecott’s story.
Endecott said that he will still take a walk in the early morning hours to set up in front of the school, noting that it makes it feel like a normal day.
