BY JUWAN WYATT
Starrett City, Brooklyn bore the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to The City, residents in the 11239 zip code saw the highest rate of COVID-19 deaths in New York City. Residents there have died of COVID-19 at roughly three times the citywide rate.
This area of East New York is home to various nursing homes and senior centers, as well as the expansive federally funded housing complex known as Spring Creek Towers, which serves low- and middle-income families. The majority of locals are Black, and many are elderly.
The City, a non-profit journalism outlet partnered with the Brooklyn Public Library’s Spring Creek Branch to speak to residents about how COVID-19 affected them and the neighborhood they live in.
Residents like Lisa Sonders attended this event to speak out about how Covid 19 affected her and her community.
“A lot of people died in my area, we couldn’t use the community room or the patio and people were coming into my building from the streets and sleeping in our bathrooms,”Sonders said.
Sonders, who lives in Starrett City, moved in right before the pandemic hit, and says that she is still scared to go outdoors due to Covid.
“It is scary, this is the first time I’ve taken transportation since COVID-19 came. This will be the first time I’ve taken a bus and a train,” Sonders said.
Sonders says that she is heartbroken about how COVID changed her neighborhood, and as she sees businesses close down, she has seen businesses be vandalized and an increase in pricing when she goes food shopping.
“I’ve seen a price increase for eggs, it used to cost 2.99 but now it’s costing 5 dollars for the medium sized ones,” Sonders said.
Michael Harley, a Starrett City resident, works with the elderly in a nursing home in Starrett City. He says he was devastated when he was able to return back to work due to hearing about the deaths that had occurred within his work place.
“So, a lot of people that I knew when I finally got a chance to go back to work, a lot of them had passed away. This virus affected older people heavily,” Harley said.
Harley said he has seen people he loved pass away due to COVID-19and he has heard from close friends and family that have also experienced their relatives and friends pass away. COVID-19 has affected this community’s economy, a lot of people lost their jobs due to Covid, leaving people helpless and in need of funds.
“I feel like we’re last on the list in terms of resources, in terms of money being given and we still need help.”
THE CITY launched MISSING THEM in May 2020. To date, they’ve heard from thousands of New Yorkers over the past two years. More than 2,600 names have been logged, and more than 500 obituaries have been published. Their aim is to interact and listen to New Yorkers in their own communities to learn how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected us all as a city.