NYC Officials Tap Workers Trained In Deescalating Violence To Help Social Distancing Enforcement
The city has come under intense scrutiny for the racial disparities in its social distancing policing. It's now trying to work with groups known as "violence interrupters" and "credible messengers" to calmly persuade people to follow the rules.
The New York Times:
Police Face Backlash Over Virus Rules. Enter ‘Violence Interrupters.’
When Iesha Sekou began passing out surgical masks and disposable gloves in Harlem early in the pandemic, some people laughed and said she was taking things too far. It was an unfamiliar role for Ms. Sekou, the founder of a nonprofit that usually works to prevent gang violence. But as deaths from the virus mounted in predominantly black neighborhoods like the one where Ms. Sekou’s group operates, people started chasing her and her workers down the street to get supplies, she said. (Southall, 5/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
New York City Police Alter Coronavirus Enforcement
As New York City’s outdoor season begins with Memorial Day, police are shifting the focus of their enforcement of social-distancing rules, limiting an emphasis on punitive measures and concentrating on breaking up large groups. New York Police Department officers have been tasked with enforcing emergency measures to contain the new coronavirus in New York City since Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency on March 13 as the city emerged as the center of the pandemic in the U.S. (Chapman, 5/21)
The Hill:
Over 100 Police Officers Have Died From COVID-19, FOP Says
More than 100 police officers in the U.S. have died from COVID-19 after fighting the virus on the front lines, according to a report from the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) obtained by The Hill via email Thursday. The FOP said in total, 111 police officers have died from the disease since the onset of the pandemic, but noted that the tally was reported deaths, not confirmed deaths. The group described the coronavirus pandemic as both a public health and public safety crisis. (Johnson, 5/21)
