After watching New York City crumble into pieces due to the increasing pandemic and crime rates, Jason Curtis is speaking out.
If you met me about a year or so ago, you would be absolutely shocked. And that’s because I wasn’t the person who I used to be. At that time, I was enjoying life at its best, a man having the true time of his life. It was all thanks to the glorious city that I called home.
As the marketing director for SUNY schools, I worked hard to make videos and produce presentations.
Work thrilled me so much that I used to get up 10 minutes before my alarm clock actually rang. At night, I slept with a sheer sense of accomplishment. My life in New York City was so wonderfully arranged that I didn’t want to change a thing.
However, that simply wasn’t the case in the year 2020. It was like having front row tickets to watch the city that never sleeps go downhill like no other.
And that is something I wouldn’t want even my worst enemy to see. While some people might claim that things aren’t too bad here, and they have every right to hold their opinion.
Despite being born in Sleepy Hollow and growing up in Westchester, I’d like to proudly admit that I spend the majority of my adulthood here. As a person who was just a few blocks away from the 9/11 aftermath in West Village, I am no stranger when it comes to tragedy. I used to have a car then, and that’s when I made an attempt to escape Manhattan. I saw heroes going the other way, brave enough to rescue others from the massive destruction that struck my city.
But in 2020, I don’t think anyone could ever write an article that talked about how great New York City really is. The year feels different and so does the place. Certainly, there seems to be no valid point in watching dark movies about pandemics because we’re living in it.
With the lockdown in place, everything I loved closed. From my gym to my local coffee shop. Crime rates increased and so did the rates of the homeless. I couldn’t abide by lawlessness, even if I wanted to. I’m surrounded by riots and that means no long walks. Dating is no longer a pleasure for me and it’s a bitter reality that all New Yorkers live with, not only me.
Today, the world is different and so is my city. The worst parts of 2020 are now a major part of the new normal. But I have no choice but to leave NYC, thanks to our feckless leaders.