Last month, Lena Geller wrote about salvaging $6,000 in clothes, furniture, and more left by departing Duke students—and the complicated feelings that came with her haul. The story has more than 40,000 views online and prompted a New York Times story featuring Lena. Readers had a lot to say:
From Instagram user rainbow.vintage:
Happens in my town, too. In defense of the students, they have finals week, then commencement is that Saturday, and then they (most, anyway) have to be out on Sunday!! By noon in some cases. How are they supposed to organize packing, sorting, and donating all their stuff—especially if they don’t have a car—in that brief, busy time? And I’ve talked to many who just plain don’t know what they COULD do with it (which tells me they come from households that don’t routinely donate to thrift stores or food pantries or give things away to their community.) IMO the schools could, and should, take the lead on this, but I fear they’d have to be forced.
From Instagram user icekrm_:
Ha ha, this is a great alt-weekly kind of story. Something odd and interesting that is also a part of normal local life.
From Bluesky user jbshear:
I can say with confidence that pretty much every nice piece of clothing I own likely belonged at some point to a Duke student/professor. Being a part of the Triangle’s scavenger class ain’t so bad, but it does boggle the mind how frequently people chuck stuff worth more than a week of my labor.
From reader Ali Huber-Disla by email:
I loved your article about the salvaged finds and the very heavy, mixed emotions you felt in getting those items and sorting in the garbage room to find them. I understand your feelings and really appreciate this article. I often feel, even at thrift stores, this immense mix of emotion of these nice items that people are getting rid of and that there is ALWAYS new stuff there. There is this constant movement of people getting and getting rid of stuff. SO MUCH STUFF. Add onto that, that in your case, people weren’t even taking the time to donate it but just literally throwing it away.
I am going to sit with your article for a little bit and let that overwhelming frustration be present for a bit about so much stuff being just tossed away. But in the meantime I want to say, good for you! Good for you for going and getting the stuff. Good for you for sitting with those emotions and sharing them. And especially good for you for being a kick butt local journalist!!
Lena also recently wrote about Chapel Hill High School students staging a walkout to protest the war in Gaza. Students took their protest off school grounds after administrators cautioned them about using the word “genocide.” Readers shared their reactions:
From reader Sunny Osment by email:
I just wanted to write to send a small token of gratitude for your excellent and fair reporting about the Chapel Hill High School walkout for Gaza. I am a Chapel Hill High School alumnus (I actually was on our school paper), and I am grateful that student voices are getting uplifted by the INDY. Your reporting thoughtfully engaged all the perspectives with curiosity and facts.
In a time where most mainstream, well-funded media and journalists in the United States have succumbed to the pressure of both-sidesism regarding the U.S.-funded genocidal annihilation of Palestinians, it’s more imperative than ever that journalists stop manufacturing the public’s consent to war crimes and crimes against humanity. It is so refreshing to have journalists of integrity—especially in our own cities!—who ask follow up questions when critics dismiss protests by invoking tropes that are simply not relevant equivalents rather than regurgitating all perspectives for the sake of covering “all sides.” You modeled that in this piece. Thank you.
From reader Amy Burris by email:
While I was pleased to see the action of CH students to speak about the current situation in Gaza, I found the tone of the piece by Geller to be derailed by the fact that Geller chose to conclude the article with this quote [from counter-protesters]:
“‘… There are going to be consequences for these students.’
“‘It is absurd to support what Hamas is doing,’ the other counter-protester said.”
This action of measured, non-violent free speech is in no way indicative of supporting Hamas. While I realize these are not the author’s words, to leave this as the way to close the piece has the effect of placing unmistakable emphasis on this opinion. My experience as a reader, therefore, was to sense a bias being not so subtly communicated. I object to this.
From reader Elin O’Hara Slavick by email:
I am so proud of the brave and empathetic Chapel Hill high school students who walked into the woods in protest of the ongoing genocide in Gaza, most of which is being carried out with U.S. weaponry and financing. The students are smarter than the school’s administration that attempted to censor them. Having taught at UNC Chapel Hill for 27 years, this relationship between students and an institution is typical and unfortunate. The administration should serve the students, listen to them, and always create spaces for more speech and the possibility for peace.
From Bluesky user joybella:
Saturn has finally ingressed Aries on May 25th. Expect more youth holding feet to fire.
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