Dear Editor:
Here is a email that I have sent to the Mayor of Hoboken regarding the Covid epidemic, and his lack of action with regard to citizenry not wearing face masks and/or socially distancing along the Hoboken waterfront walkways:
“Sir: I am in receipt of your response to my email, in which I expressed dismay about people walking along the waterfront who seemed to have no concern about their responsibilities in protecting other people from the Covid epidemic (90 percent of them were not wearing masks or socially distancing), particularly with regard to elderly people like myself.
“You responded by indicating that the police were too busy with crime to patrol the waterfront walkways and otherwise warn people to wear masks, and you couldn’t really spare other people to do this. Also, that you lacked authority to enforce mandatory restrictions.
“Well, I don’t buy it. You know, when scooters were running over people on the walkways (including myself-I wrote a letter to the Hudson Reporter about this that was published), you failed to take action until a pregnant woman was hit by one of them and it made all the news, whereupon you promptly revoked their licenses. Do we have to wait again until something bad happens again with this epidemic before you use your authority to take action?
“I don’t think that in your position you are so helpless. Having a couple of police officers patrol the waterfront to try and get people – particularly out of towners – to be responsible about face masks and social distancing is not outside your powers or purview. And I don’t believe it will make a serious dent in the ability of the Hoboken police to deal with crime. It might however make a serious dent in stopping further massive spread of Covid to our community.
Mark Orman
