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By Sean Yoes
AFRO Baltimore Editor
[email protected]
As Donald John Trump continues to encourage a burgeoning Civil War around the decision of individual states to re-open in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, one of the infinite “Rona” Facebook memes caught my eye recently.
It simply reads, “Me watching Y’all go out there First,” attached to an image of Whoopi Goldberg’s iconic character Ms. Celie from “The Color Purple.” Celie sits on her rocking chair, watching intently with a gleeful grin, her face cradled in her hands. I can’t remember what she was actually looking at during that scene in the classic movie, but nevertheless.
In the Age of Corona, I am Ms. Celie.
However, I think a significant chunk of Black Baltimore doesn’t share that sentiment. On a warm Spring night it’s hard to be in the house when you’ve been cooped up in the crib for more than a month.
I was driving down North Ave. Sunday (May 3) night and the anxious energy on the street was not for the faint hearted. I saw one car rolling down North with a dude propped up on the driver’s side door as the vehicle sped through red lights. Generally, people were just hanging out on North Ave. like it was a giant, open air house party in the midst of the pandemic. But, the vibe was far from benevolent; it felt more desperate than usual on the street. So, I decided to cut my trip for supplies short and get back in the house.
Look, I get it. I’m tired of being in the house too. I miss dining outdoors on sultry Baltimore evenings. I miss laughing with friends over drinks. I miss casually strolling through some of the most beautiful neighborhoods in America and just taking it all in.
But, it’s going to be a minute before anybody sees me chopping it up with my people over food and drinks.
This week, the decision was announced that the beaches and boardwalk at Ocean City would be open this weekend. Allegedly, social distancing will still be mandated for anyone visiting the oceanfront. Boardwalk businesses can only provide takeout and delivery food orders and groups of 10 or more will not be permitted.
The weather “Down de Ocean” is predicted to be pretty lousy this weekend. But, if it was sunny and 80, I find it very hard to believe that Ocean City would not be overrun with people, social distancing be damned. And I still believe even with a forecast of rain and temperatures barely making it into the 60’s, law enforcement will struggle to keep people in coronavirus compliance.
I’ve been a beach bum all my life and Assateague Island, which is adjacent to Ocean City is my favorite beach in the state. South Beach in Miami is my favorite beach in the country. Neither Assateague nor Southy will see me this summer.
It’s abundantly clear to me. As we watch dozens of states implement re-opening strategies, we also witness in real time many of those states see spikes in coronavirus cases and deaths. To his great credit, Gov. Larry Hogan has for the most part resisted the perilous policies of his Republican brethren and Maryland remains one of the more populous states least affected by the pandemic.
Trump lies; numbers don’t.
As of May 6, the death toll connected to COVID-19 was more than 72,000 and rising and more than 1.2 million cases. Black people, Brown people, poor people and elderly people continue to die disproportionately.
Stay safe.
Sean Yoes is the AFRO’s Baltimore editor and the author of Baltimore After Freddie Gray: Real Stories From One of America’s Great Imperiled Cities
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