Editorial
The painful reality
Slowly but surely, COVID-19 is growing
once again across New York
City. The dreaded second wave has
arrived.
A vast number of cases have broken
out on Staten Island and in other clusters
across the city. The COVID-19 positivity
rate is creeping back up toward the 3%
mark, a threshold which, if the city crosses
it soon, will likely prompt Mayor Bill de
Blasio to order public schools closed and
shifted to remote learning indefi nitely.
The increase in cases prompted Governor
Andrew Cuomo to order all restaurants,
bars and gyms closed by 10 p.m. statewide
to prevent people from being out late and
potentially spreading COVID-19.
The governor also declared, two weeks
shy of Thanksgiving, that all household
gatherings be capped at a 10-person maximum
— though that mandate is about as
unenforceable and impractical as a mandate
could be.
We knew it was going to get worse in
the fall. Elected offi cials and health experts
have all said as much. The efforts the city
and state took to beat back the virus the
fi rst time was extraordinary — but so very
painful — in myriad ways.
For months, people complained about
the measures taken to limit the virus’
spread. We agree that some of them, such
as the ban on indoor dining throughout the
summer, went too far and too long.
People now bristle over the new regulations
and question what the government is
doing to them. But we’ve lost the plot if we
think that government is the sole problem
here.
That mask-wearing has become a matter
of politics, not public safety, has helped spark
new clusters of outbreaks. Next to the virus
itself, the rabid defi ance and carelessness
among some over having to wear a cloth over
a face to protect other people has been the
most nauseating part of this entire pandemic.
State and city government can respond
to this tragedy and provide the physical
needs to answer it. Mandates and executive
orders mean nothing if we choose not
to follow them.
So we all face our moment of decision
here — not as a city, but as a people.
Do we take responsibility for this crisis
and each other by masking up and socially
distancing even during the holidays? Or do
we keep throwing caution to the wind and
put the entire city at risk of further disaster?
Op-ed
Green spaces necessary
for NYC’s recovery from
COVID-19
BY JOSEPH REIVER
Public green space has always been
vital to city infrastructure. From climate
resilience and food security to
offering safe places for public recreation and
wellness. Now, as we adapt to the challenges
of this pandemic, the importance of green
space as a source for mental and physical
health is paramount to our city’s recovery.
Life with an airborne virus has caused
dining, entertainment, and gatherings to
move outside. New Yorkers now rely on
public open space for our day-to-day lives
more than ever before.
All of which begs the question, how
could anyone seek to destroy a community
garden in a time like this?
For years Elizabeth Street Garden has
been essential to our community, but the
pandemic has only made its preservation
more crucial. Even so, the Garden is still
under threat of being destroyed and replaced
with a mixed-use building. The proposed
development includes nonpermanent
affordable housing for seniors, offi ce space,
and retail. The community’s response has
always been the same: Community green
space and affordable housing are both vital,
and neither should come at the expense of
the other. Despite what the current administration
may assert, there are many ways to
achieve more low-income housing without
destroying the only precious community
garden in the neighborhood.
From the early days of the pandemic
shutdown, Elizabeth Street Garden has
been there for neighbors to recover. Since
the pandemic began, we’ve had over 200
new volunteers sign up to tend to the space
and keep it open to the public. The garden
embraced everyone in a time when people
are afraid to embrace one another.
When the Garden fi rst reopened in June,
we were met with a wave of public appreciation
for the opportunity to be amidst nature,
especially those who could not afford to
leave the city. One afternoon, an older
neighbor approached me after spending
some time alone under a lilac tree and said
it was the fi rst time she had safely taken her
mask off outside in nearly 4 months.
In the fall we reintroduced our music
program at the garden and were reminded
of the rejuvenation live performance provides
in raising our spirits and bringing us
together, even while 6 feet apart. For most
Joseph Reiver acting as an emcee for
the Elizabeth St. Garde Pet Parade
10/31/20
of the artists, it was the fi rst time they had
performed in front of others in months.
Our local bookstore, McNally Jackson,
held readings in the garden, and our community
came together at our fi rst Halloween
pet parade for some much-needed joy
in the midst of the country’s elections. A
group of parents continues to bring their
children for outdoor ‘homeschooling,’ and
at the start of November, we began hosting
class visits for local public school students
in an attempt to provide a safe outdoor
space to support their education.
Just as we must be creative with open
spaces to accommodate pandemic life, we
can be innovative in generating low-income
housing. There are more effective opportunities
to achieve low-income housing, such
as existing vacancies, empty offi ce spaces,
and empty city lots… If you pass by 388
Hudson St, you’ll fi nd a 25,000 square foot
gravel lot currently serving as construction
storage. Sadly, if the City would’ve listened
to the community’s alternative proposal to
build up to 5x the amount of housing at
388 Hudson back in 2015, we could’ve had
the housing by now and Elizabeth Street
Garden would be saved.
We still have the opportunity to build at
388 Hudson and to save the garden. As a
Conservation Land Trust, our volunteerbased
nonprofi t would own and continue
to operate the land as a community garden.
The City wouldn’t have to spend a dollar,
and the Parks and Recreation budget
would have that many more resources to
ensure park equality for lower-income communities
who need equitable investment in
green spaces.
Joseph Reiver is the Executive Director
of the Elizabeth Street Garden.
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