Celebrating Valentine’s Day amid the
COVID-19 pandemic in Union Square
BY DEAN MOSES
Love is in the air, but unfortunately,
so is COVID-19.
On Valentine’s Day New York
usually serves as one gigantic convention
center in which hundreds of people can
be seen holding hands, hugging, kissing,
and brandishing fl owers and balloons.
However, this year the romantic holiday
also marks a grim milestone: the fi rst
Valentine’s Day of the pandemic. Due to
this unfortunate fact, the city streets are
exhibiting a lot less bouquets and drastically
less affection due to social distancing.
Still, some Manhattanites are celebrating,
albeit in a very different way.
Steven hopped out of his car to quickly
purchase an assortment of fl owers from a
curbside vendor for his girlfriend, a mere
pit stop before heading home and preparing
dinner himself. Usually, he takes his
partner out for a romantic, one-on-one
meal at a restaurant.
“It’s a wash out. I am not eating inside
yet—maybe next year. But not yet,” Steven
said.
Although NYC restaurants have offi
cially opened back up for indoor dining
at 25% capacity, the fear of contracting
Oliva Cadwell and Laura Kok hug after gift giving.
the virus is overshadowing the majority
of romantic overtures. Oliva Cadwell
Surprised Laura Kok with a rose and
some chocolate on Union Square. This
expression of affection is enough for the
pair, the risks of spreading COVID-19 is
not worth one night of enjoyment out on
the town.
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
“We are just going to get coffee and that
is going to be the whole day. I live with an
87-year-old roommate, so I am not going
indoors in any dining establishment and I
haven’t been through the whole pandemic.
I am not going to start until we are vaccinated,”
Cadwell said.
Still the inability to spend the day akin
to years prior will not prevent them from
observing the occasion.
“Valentine’s Day is about celebrating
love. Period. It doesn’t have to be any
particular type of love. It’s just about love
and I love Laura,” Cadwell said before Kok
jumped in. “I was feeling needy. I forgot
today was Valentine’s Day and she has been
my person throughout the pandemic. She
is the one person in my bubble who I will
see. It’s lovely,” Kok explained.
While some are showcasing their love
for an individual, others are honoring
institutions that they look to for guidance.
Stivenson Joseph paid for a bouquet of
fl owers from a local vendor but when asked
who they were for he simply replied, “This
is for the church.”
“I am going to leave it for them. I do
that because I feel happy and I am blessed,”
Joseph said.
Although COVID-19 has not affected
him personally, he acknowledges that he
is constantly at risk through work. He says
he feels affected through the pain of others
around him. Still, he attempts to look at the
world through a positive lens, which is why
he is attempting to spread that positivity by
leaving fl owers at Immaculate Concepcion
Church on 1st avenue and 14th street.
Overall crime drops 21 percent, shootings rise
during January in latest NYPD crime stat report
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
The new year got off to a
good start for the NYPD.
Overall crime was
down 21% during January 2021,
which included a slight decrease
in murders and a sharp drop in
grand larcenies, the NYPD reported
Friday. Even so, shootings
— which had more than doubled
during 2020 — remained higher
during the fi rst month of 2021,
though at a lower rate.
In the seven major crime categories
(murder, rape, robbery,
felony assault, burglary, grand larceny
and grand larceny auto auto
theft), the NYPD recorded 6,882
total incidents between Jan. 1-31
of this year; that’s down from the
8,637 major crimes that occurred
during January 2020.
Robberies and rapes were
also down sharply during January
(down 29% and 21.6%, respectively);
the lone major crime that
increased was auto theft, which
was up 12.8% for the month.
Year-over-year, murders had
slightly decreased from 27 in
January 2020 to 25 in January
2021. Shootings during January
2021 were up 16.7%, with 77
incidents reported, an increase
from the 66 that occurred at the
time last year.
The shooting increase comes
even as the NYPD continues to
step up its efforts to combat gun
crimes across New York City.
That effort kicked into higher
gear following a summer of gun
violence last year in which the city
recorded a combined 486 shootings
in July and August.
Shootings have steadily
decreased in the months since,
from 152 in September to 77 in
January. Last month, the NYPD
tallied 486 gun arrests — a 61.5%
SOURCE: NYPD
increase in fi rearms-related collars
from the same time a year
ago.
The NYPD particularly touted
the efforts of precincts in Patrol
Borough Brooklyn North and
Patrol Borough Bronx, which recorded
138 and 104 gun arrests,
respectively.
What really drove the crime
drop in January, law enforcement
sources said, was a sharp
32% decline in grand larcenies.
There were just 2,546 incidents
recorded last month, down from
the 3,788 incidents recorded in
January 2020.
The positive developments on
the crime front have given Police
Commissioner Dermot Shea
further hope that 2021 will turn
out to be a far better year for the
NYPD in their efforts to keep the
city safe.
“As we move into 2021, I remain
very optimistic about the
continuing work of the NYPD
to improve both public safety
and trust across New York City,”
said Shea. “All New Yorkers
have weathered a great deal during
2020, but your NYPD cops
remain undaunted in their vital
work – not only driving down
crime – but also engaging with
our many community partners
in order to build trust in every
borough, in every neighborhood.”
14 February 18, 2021 Schneps Media