Crime stopper
DA halts low-level prosecutions
due to coronavirus concerns
District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.
Photo by Colin Mixson
COURIER L 14 IFE, MARCH 20-26, 2020
MOMS
schools that she had been
working closely with those in
the borough, in hopes of providing
the Brooklyn Moms
Facebook page with access
to teaching modules such as
online tests built for students
who are unable to come into
the classroom for various
reasons.
Coronavirus has been a
main topic of conversation
within the group for the last
month, Wong said, but anxiety
amongst group members
has certainly spiked recently.
“Conversations regarding
the coronavirus went from,
‘I’m going to remain relaxed
and still plan on going to Disney
World over spring break
with my kids’ to ‘Who has
room in their home outside of
the city where my kids and I
can hide’ in a matter of days,”
Wong said.
According to Wong, most
families with the means to
leave the city have already
done so. However, the reality
is much different for parents
who can’t afford babysitters
or daycare and are forced to
quarantine within the city.
Wong also stressed that those
families who often utilize the
help of extended family in
more vulnerable age groups
have been unable to.
With tensions and fears
rising, Wong said she has
been forced to delete some
posts on the group page
spreading panic and false
information. In their place,
Wong said she has tried to reinforce
facts about the coronavirus
and restore a sense
of calm.
“We are a resourceful
group of parents, specifi cally
moms, who may not have a
cure for the coronavirus or
perfect knowledge on how to
avoid it, but we can help each
other get through this,” Wong
said.
Continued from page 1
Angie Wong is helping keep parents connected with the Facebook
group she founded in 2015. Photo by Angie Wong
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
Brooklyn District Attorney
Eric Gonzalez will decline
to prosecute low-level offenders
that don’t pose a risk to
the public in order to reduce
the amount of people exposed
to coronavirus, according to a
March 17 statement.
“In the interests of public
health and safety, and
in appropriate exercise of
prosecutorial discretion, we
will immediately decline to
prosecute low-level offenses
that don’t jeopardize public
safety,” Gonzalez’s statement
read.
The offenses Brooklyn’s
top prosecutor will no longer
take to court include crimes
that do not require an order
of protection, according
to the DA’s spokesman Oren
Yaniv, which judges issue to
a person who is abusing, harassing,
threatening, or intimidating
someone.
These crimes could include
driving without a license or
shoplifting, according to Yaniv,
who noted that the offi ce
will still assess the need for
prosecution on a case-by-case
basis.
The spokesman could not
immediately provide an estimate
of how many cases that
would impact, citing the unprecedented
circumstances
of COVID-19.