Words of kindness campaign in Chinatown
BY DEAN MOSES
The Chinatown Business Improvement District
has launched a words of kindness campaign
in hopes of warming the hearts of struggling
businesses and residents in Lower Manhattan amidst
the COVID-19 pandemic.
The recent nor’easter that battered the East
Coast with heavy snowfall is the latest in the long
line of setbacks that have prevented Chinatown and
Little Italy from regaining their footing since the
onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The historically
rich Lower Manhattan community has harbored
famous historical individuals, landmarks, sprawling
markets, and some of the city’s fi nest cuisine tourists
and fellow New Yorkers have traveled to enjoy for
decades.
However, since the arrival of COVID-19, the
beloved community has suffered greatly.
Those traveling to enjoy the tastes and sights of
the area have been reduced to an almost nonexistent
number, leaving many restaurants no choice but to
close their doors for good. The once lively region is
currently a hub of dreary steal shutters that showcase
the hardships of the world as it is.
If the lack of patronage was not enough, the
neighborhood has also seen a rash of xenophobic
hate related incidents brought on by the pandemic.
Chinatown has suffered fi nancially because of a
series of unprecedented setbacks ever since 9/11.
With so many individuals out of work and
suffering from food insecurity, the Chinatown BID
and Little Italy Merchants Association are taking
a stand to remind Lower Manhattan residents they
are cared for through a competition that seeks New
Yorkers’ help.
Named Warm Hearts NYC, the neighborhood
is asking for readers to submit a sentence of up to
25 words of encouragement that they believe would
lighten the lives of business owners during this dark
Wellington Chen, executive director of the Chinatown Business Improvement District.
period in their lives.
The selected messages will then be placed on the
shuttered businesses, on digital displays and on street
banners inspiring the neighborhoods to keep faith
and remain optimistic for the future.
“It’s horrendous, every store is closed. There is no
foot traffi c, the whole street—not a single soul and I
am walking from Bowery to the Manhattan Bridge.
How could you survive? So, this is calling on our
common humanity, putting a message out will save a
life,” said Wellington Chen, executive director of the
Chinatown BID.
In addition, a Chinese saying, “Have you eaten yet?”
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
intended to show concern for an individual’s wellbeing
will be displayed on banners from lampposts
and showcased on monitors fi xed to the Chinatown
Information Kiosk on Canal Street and Baxter Street
to promote love and support.
You can submit your own words of inspiration by
visiting amny.com/warmheartsnyc. The contest is
open to all ages and the deadline to submit is March
4.
Those who participate are entered into sweepstakes
with a chance to win a $100 dollar gift card. Winning
messages will be announced on March 25.
Pct. councils to get say on incoming commanders
BY ALEJANDRA O'CONNELL-DOMENECH
The city is changing how it selects frontline
leaders of the New York Police Department,
Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Jan. 28.
Now, police precinct councils will interview
candidates for precinct commander roles. Once a
spot for a precinct commander opens, the NYPD will
provide councils between three to fi ve candidates
who are “ready to serve and lead” and “represent the
diversity of the city” to choose from.
After interviewing each candidate, council members
will give feedback to the police commissioner who
has the fi nal say on commander role appointments.
De Blasio added that the precinct council will have
an ongoing role in evaluating the commander leader’s
performance in “making the community safe and
bringing the larger community in.”
“We’re bringing voices of the community forward
to determine who would be the right leader and I
think that is going to help in a myriad of ways,” said
de Blasio. “It’s going to improve dialogue, it’s going to
improve accountability, it’s going to give folks a sense
of real, real buy-in.”
Commission Dermot Shea, who joined the mayor
for the announcement, voiced his support for the
move.
Police Commissioner Dermot Shea
“People want to feel a connection to their NYPD
and especially at the leadership positions. And this,
I think, really goes very far into building that trust
both ways. I think from the PD perspective and
PHOTO BY LLOYD MITCHELL
from the executive perspective, it really lends to an
environment where it’s a team process,” said Shea.
“This is exactly what we’re trying to build here and I
think this is going to be a real, real positive step”
Schneps Media February 4, 2021 17
/warmheartsnyc
