by Abelardo de la Peña Jr.
Like its Delaware namesake, Wilmington, CA, is a port city. That’s about where the similarities end.
True, the East Coast city’s economy is reeling from the massive losses of DuPont and financial-services brands headquartered there. But my hometown of Wilmington, CA — a mix of working-class neighborhoods, auto parts franchises, oil refineries and abandoned lots stacked with empty cargo containers — has always had it rough.
The shocking news of the murder/suicide of a West Coast Wilmington family of seven is bringing global attention to the devastating impact that job loss is having on U.S. households. While the circumstances leading to the death of Erwin and Ana Lupoe and their five children are still under investigation, the tragedy brings a human face to the desperation felt by the many who are reeling from layoffs, salary cuts, mounting bills, bankruptcies and foreclosures.
We’re experiencing a crisis whose magnitude is still unknown, the result of economic forces and financial miscalculations. Anxiety about the present and future is being played out every day in American homes, increasingly with tragic results.
Brands that can assure consumers that they not only feel their pain but are also moving toward providing solutions have a better chance of resonating with wary Americans. And if they bring a certain level of comfort to hurting families, on both coasts and in-between, so much the better.
