Living in cornavirusworld 25: Mandatory masks

4/16

5th on the Park

Mandatory masks.  As Republicans say the economy should have been reopened yesterday, and the death toll in New York City passed 13,000. The Governor has declared that the wearing of masks while in public is now mandatory. Mandatory. 

As my Facebook Timeline becomes more and more a steady stream of obituaries, my anger rises. I spend an hour on the phone with a colleague pastor. As expected  Ralph from Ozone Park has died, too, following his wife Christine.  Their daughter Ingrid has reached out to a former pastor do a very small, all that is allowed, funeral on Saturday. Needs my permission as Moderator of the little  church. She was dearly beloved there. More than once I’ve been told how Pastor Moire did it.  I tell her that and she laughs. Of course she can do the funeral, she has the relationship.  Turns out the daughter’s husband is in the hospital with the virus, too. I think of Jim’s parents.  And I just learned  that Jimmy Glenn, the former boxer, has died.  My friend Marie introduced me to Jimmy’s bar after we saw the Bob Dylan musical, “Girl from the North Country,” at the  Belasco, across the street. I was blown away by this narrow wide bar who its original Madison Square Garden ring bell, photos of Juke box filled with Motown and Staxx.  And $5 shots of Jameson’s and Jim Beam.  And late in the night, Jimmy himself came by.  They proudly display their New York magazine review that gives them a tourist factor  of less than %5. One of those perfect New York City nights. And Jimmy’s dead.

with Marie at Jimmy's

And John Prine for Chirst’s sake. All unnecessary. 

Should have opened yesterday. I could  scream.  You fucking asshole. You could have prevented this number of deaths. Look at Korea and Germany. We’ve got thousands and thousands of unnecessary deaths due to policy driven by ideology, ego and whim and the asshole thinks he’s a hero. He truly believes that . And the bodies keep falling. Should  have opened yesterday.

We haven’t had to use all the  extra beds we got for one simple reason. People don’t need hospital beds when they just die.

Day by day it goes.

My friends in Guatemala tell me 75% of those deported from the US back to Guatemala have the virus. In Nicaragua and Brasil Ortega ,and Bolsonaro act is if everything is normal and stage giant rallies, as if autocrats could control nature as well by intimidation. 

I feel a rage inside.

I walk north this time. Street corer mask vendors have taken the place of the usual incense, cd and dvd and loosie sellers.

Masks for sale

Entrepreneurial capitalism is alive on the street.  I go 120th and 5th.  Right to Marcus Garvey Park.  Which the Real Estate marketers call Mt. Morris Park. 

There was a beautiful idea organized by a choir that formed after 9-11. Have everyone in New York join together  to sing New York, New York at 7PM. There would be a link to join in.  A little before 7 I tried. When I couldn’t get in, I went outside anyways to hear my neighborhood clap. About 30-40% of what I try to get into online doesn’t work. People, please make it clear! I’m expecting problems with my stimulus check as well. Still countless thousands joined in all across the city. That’s who we are….right through the every heart of it, New York, New York…..(https://www.wfmz.com/news/cnn/us-national/ny-covid-new-york-city-sing-along/video_eae7f76a-a7bd-562a-a40a-bc003cb3b61e.html)