A Good Man
RIP Rob and Michele Reiner
Hello beautiful people,
I never met Rob Reiner and I never expected to. But in 2018 I ran into him in an unlikely place: the USA-Mexico border crossing between El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. We were both there for the same reason: protesting the inhumane immigration policies of the (first) Trump Administration, which was caging immigrant families and separating children from their parents.
With the help of a bunch of you beautiful Continuous Small Treat subscribers, along with friends on social media, we were able to raise $4K for the amazing Florence Immigration & Refugee Rights Project under the moniker STEB: Stop This Evil Bullshit. I had no plan except to drive from Colorado to El Paso, hoping to find other protesters there.
I was accompanied by my cousin Deb, who I picked up in Las Cruces, and old friend Hayley, an El Paso native who drove us as close to the border crossing as possible. We parked a half mile away and began walking. As we got closer, we began to see them: peaceful protestors of all stripes who’d come from as far away as Alaska to speak out against this, well, evil bullshit.
It was a friendly, spirited crowd, and soon rumors began to spread about who else was there. Legendary co-founder of the United Farm Workers, Dolores Huerta. Alex Padilla, Julian Castro, and other Democratic politicians. Actress Mira Sorvino. Singer-songwriter Sia. And, standing in front of the razor-wired tent city a few hundred feet away where immigrant children were being held in cages, Rob Reiner grabbed a microphone and started to talk.
Of course I knew who Rob Reiner was; how many times have I watched Spinal Tap? The Princess Bride? Stand By Me? Or any of his other beautiful, deeply humane films. But I also heard his name in my home a lot, growing up in California. That’s because my mom spent her career helping children and families. And so did Rob Reiner.
Reiner was an—probably the—instrumental force behind First 5, the state of California’s dedicated program to support parents and their children in the first five years of life. Because of First 5, my amazing mom was able to dedicate the latter part of her career to those families, making a huge difference in their wellbeing and their children’s futures. In my house, we loved Rob Reiner.
That’s why I wasn’t entirely surprised to find Rob Reiner here, on a desolate stretch of pavement next to a towering border wall, shouting above the sound of the hot July wind. He was talking about Donald Trump:
“He is stoking racism… [but] we’re gonna stop this inhumane, disgraceful policy. We need you all to mobilize, we need you all to register and we need that blue wave, we need you to vote. Get out, get out, get out and vote!” [El Paso Times]
Seeing Reiner at the border that day was one of those beautiful moments that restores your faith in humanity, because here he was again, this menschy Superman who’d already done so much for millions of California kids, standing in the summer heat to help immigrant kids. He wasn’t promoting anyone or selling anything, apart from the idea of treating our fellow humans with dignity and compassion. It’s what he always did.
The loss of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele, and the circumstances of that loss, are hard to comprehend. Here was a couple who used their positions of power and privilege to help others. Here was a man who is still changing the lives of children for the better, even today.
As I was writing this I remembered that I used a quotation from Rob Reiner’s father, the legendary Carl Reiner, in my book, The Inspirational Atheist. I looked it up and it took my breath away.
There are far too many commandments and you really only need one: Do not hurt anybody. (Carl Reiner)
xo Buzzy
Thank you for sharing this and talking about Reiner’s humanitarian work. Being a good person matters. Rob and Michele’s goodness is felt throughout the world. This loss is devastating. I can’t make sense of it.
Ask his sohn