N.Y. Today: Threats Against New York’s Bodegas

December 11, 2020

The Threat Against New York’s Bodegas

By Amanda Rosa

Fellow, Metro

It’s Friday.

Weather: Mostly sunny with a high in the mid-50s, going down to the mid-40s tonight.

Alternate-side parking: In effect until Dec. 25 (Christmas).

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Desiree Rios for The New York Times

Bodegas are known to be community lifelines, and have been especially valuable during the coronavirus pandemic.

It’s the place to grab a loaf of bread — or toilet paper — when the grocery store is sold out, where New Yorkers can get a cup of coffee and a lotto ticket while scratching the bodega cat’s ear.

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But as the pandemic continues and more people lose their jobs or fall on hard times, bodegas have increasingly become the targets of crime.

[A crime wave hits bodegas, threatening a lifeline in the pandemic.]

Here’s what you need to know about the threat against neighborhood stores:

The details

In the first eight months of the pandemic, there was a 63 percent rise in shootings inside or in front of bodegas and corner stores.

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Bodegas also faced a 222 percent increase in burglaries and a 10 percent spike in robberies, according to police department data. Six people have been killed in or outside of stores.

Some criminals have capitalized on the pandemic to target the stores, said Fernando Mateo, one of the founders of the United Bodegas of America, an organization that represents about 20,000 bodegas in New York.

“Some are taking advantage that everyone is wearing masks to commit crimes,” Mr. Mateo said.

The context

Crime and gun violence surged in the city as the pandemic wore on, particularly during the summer. Shootings doubled this year compared with last year, and murders increased by nearly 40 percent.

Police officials have said that gang feuds, economic devastation, program cutbacks in poor neighborhoods and the diversion of police resources to cope with civil unrest have contributed to the violence.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has previously suggested that the pandemic was partly to blame as the city dealt with a “perfect storm.”

The reaction

In late October, Mohmediyan Tarwala, a 26-year-old store employee in Queens, was fatally shot when he tried to escort a chronic shoplifter out.

Some police officers have been warning store clerks and owners about the dangers of confronting shoplifters.

“We tell them it is not worth getting hurt or even killed over a $3 gallon of milk,” Officer Nicole Spinelli told my colleague Edgar Sandoval. “It can quickly escalate. Our advice is to call 911 instead.”

From The Times

Midtown Is Reeling. Should Its Offices Become Apartments?

Manhattan D.A. Intensifies Investigation of Trump

Is Andrew Yang Running for Mayor? All Signs Point to Yes

Housing Fights to Be Heard in the Mayoral Race

Museums Are Still Open in New York. Here’s What’s on View (for Now).

Want more news? Check out our full coverage.

The Mini Crossword: Here is today’s puzzle.

What we’re reading

A caravan of taxicabs traveled to Washington to demand that Congress pass a Covid relief package. [CBS New York]

Jersey City, N.J., marked one year since a terrorist attack on a kosher market. [PIX11]

What we’re watching: J. David Goodman and Matthew Haag, both Metro reporters at The Times, will discuss the state of the city during the pandemic on “The New York Times Close Up With Sam Roberts.” The show airs on Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. [CUNY TV]

And finally: Your virtual social weekend

The Times’s Melissa Guerrero writes:

Although many performance spaces, museums and community centers are closed, people are finding creative ways to connect through virtual events and programs. Here are suggestions for maintaining a New York social life this weekend while keeping a safe distance from other people.

Embodying Shaolin: A Conversation on Resistance and Resilience

On Friday at noon, join a free discussion about the future of the “(sub)urban waterfront,” community narratives and how the arts can be a tool for social change.

Kunqu in America: Memories of Chung-ho Chang Frankel

Learn about Kunqu, a form of traditional Chinese theater, on Saturday at 8 p.m. Trace a part of its history through the memories of Chung-ho Chang Frankel, an opera singer, poet and calligrapher.

R.S.V.P. for the free livestream on the event page.

Film screening: ‘The Lost Spirits’

On Sunday at 2:30 p.m., watch “The Lost Spirits,” a documentary about a Native American family in Queens. There will be a Q. and A. after the screening.

It’s Friday — listen and learn.