Calling on Flatbush, Gravesend & Midwood!! No More “Red Zone” Restrictions

Sign The petition to end the lockdowns

As residents of the Flatbush, Gravesend and Midwood neighborhoods of Brooklyn still struggle with the harsh “Red Zone” restrictions placed on them by Governor Cuomo in lieu of allegedly high infection rates from the coronavirus, it has come to our attention that other such neighborhoods that are predominantly Jewish such as Borough Park and Williamsburg have now been placed in the “Yellow Zone.” This translates into restrictions being eased on attendance in houses of worship, some businesses being able to open for business and schools also seeing a reopening for in-person learning.

There is absolutely no reason whatsoever that the “Red Zone” restrictions cannot be immediately lifted in Flatbush, Gravesend and Midwood. As a matter of fact, it is beyond outrageous and utterly discriminatory that the residents of these areas cannot send their children to school and that people cannot purchase items in stores that the government has designated as “non-essential businesses.”

The infection rates for the virus in the aforementioned areas has dropped precipitously, yet the restrictions remain; hobbling our economic and academic well being, among many other things.

On Saturday, it was announced that Joe Biden was projected to become our nation’s 46^th president. People around the city gathered in large groups to engage in celebratory behavior. They not only gathered in Times Square for dance parties and over the top revelry, but they gathered (without masks and without social distancing) in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and other popular recreational venues throughout the city. People stood should to shoulder, with many embracing and kissing.

Not one word of condemnation was uttered by the media who eagerly covered these events. Let’s remember that when President Trump held rallies across the length and breadth of this country, he was roundly condemned and reviled as someone who did not take the deleterious effects of the dreaded virus seriously and was placing people in harm’s way.

The hypocrisy of the media and their normally tendentious view of Trump made it appear that the president was presenting a major health risk. When it comes to the celebrations surrounding the Biden announcement, then all appears perfectly okay and not one word about these events being possible super spreaders of the Covid virus was mentioned.

Concerning our own neighborhoods, we MUST speak loudly and with one voice to our elected officials. We must tell Governor Cuomo and Mayor DeBlasio and others who have given their tacit approval to these draconian “Red Zone” measures in Flatbush, Gravesend and Borough Park that these restrictions will not be tolerated any longer.

It has also come to our attention that a mother of five who lives in the “Red Zone” in Brooklyn and who owns a pottery shop was handed a violation by police for operating her business. This occurred on Saturday night while people were partying in large crowds in New York and other cities to celebrate Biden’s victory.  It should be noted that this woman’s business is her sole source of income and without the income she brings in, she would be struggling to support her children.

 

As such, the Jewish Voice is calling upon every member of these communities to “push back” against the authorities that mandated these measures. We must immediately open our businesses, our schools, our synagogues, our community centers. We must not wait until the authorities decide to do so, as they can prolong this for as long as they choose. Yes, we must continue to wear masks, to socially distance and we must avoid large gatherings, but we must also return to at the very least a semi-normal way of life. Our children should be in the classrooms with their friends and teachers and they should have in-person learning. Our retail stores, both large and small should be open to serve their clientele and we should be able to gather in our synagogues and in our community centers.

These acts of civil disobedience will be reported on in the media and our elected officials will stand up and take notice. They will be sent a strong and clear message that we will not take these restrictions that have been unfairly imposed upon us lightly. We will fight back!

The success of this kind of civil disobedience depends solely on us working together in unity! We must become one community, one neighborhood working in consonance with one another.

Send a message to City Hall and Albany!! We will not take it anymore!