Black Lives Matter Protests in Forest Hills the Last Weekend Before NYC Reopens
Journal Days 78 and 79: Life in my little corner of Queens, NYC, during the age of the Coronavirus, weekend of June 6 & 7, 2020
There were Black Lives Matter rallies and marches in the neighborhood both days this weekend. Saturday started with a small rally at the police station, where people were singing:
Later there were marches on Austin Street and Queens Boulevard from Kew Gardens to Forest Hills, which I didn’t see because I was taking a walk elsewhere.
I went to the Gardens, where I saw flowers …
… and got caught in a brief thunderstorm:
It was 88 degrees and humid, the first really hot and humid day of the year, and I was exhausted when I got home. It was worth it, though, because for the first time in months, I walked with another human without insisting they walk across the street. Yes, that’s crazy, but I’ve been skittish and practicing super-extreme social distancing because I’m so nervous about catching the virus; I have a somewhat elevated risk as a senior who used to smoke. Most of all, I’m a big baby when it comes to pain.
But the infection-rate curve in New York City has been dropping like a rock, and I’m trying to start to rewind — slowly — and go back towards normal. It’s hard to say how normal things can be for me, though, without being able to get on the subway, and I don’t think I’m going to be doing that anytime soon. Until then, I can go only as far as my feet can take me.
Today there was another march on Queens Boulevard.
This one was going in the opposite direction of Saturday’s march, heading east from Forest Hills to Kew Gardens:
Later, in a separate event, there was a small rally in Forest Hill’s MacDonald Park:
I watched for a while from a distance but am still avoiding being in crowds.
The CVS drugstore on Queens Blvd. had boarded up its windows …
… but that was not necessary because everything was so peaceful.
A good change is coming. I’m convinced of it.
Today, the last day of the lockdown, ended with another spectacular sunset. I took this picture just a few minutes ago:
Maybe it’s a good omen for the future.
