Page 12 - The Indian EYE 052325

COMMUNITY OP-ED MAY 23, 2025 | The Indian Eye 12

Our Bodegas Were a Lifeline

During COVID-19. Now, We Are

Providing a Lifeline to Them

New York City will be investing $1.6 million to fund “SilentShields” buttons at 500 bodegas that will instantly
call the NYPD during emergencies. These buttons will immediately direct city resources to these small businesses

so that New York City can be a lifeline for them, just like bodegas were a lifeline for us during COVID

odegas are on every corner of swiftly apprehend individuals who
New York City, there for us at are responsible, while making NYPD
Ball hours, and the bodegueros more efficient and involving the local
who service them become our family. community in improving quality of
So, when the COVID-19 pandemic life.
hit our city, our bodegas were a life- Adding to all this, thanks to the city
line to our local communities. We re- expanding eligibility requirements for
lied on them for toilet paper, snacks, new officers and continued city fund-
diapers, and a sense of community at ing, the Adams administration is on
a time of extreme uncertainty. path to reaching 35,000 uniformed
And while New York City has NYPD officers by the fall of 2026.
seen declines in major crimes, it’s im- That means that we will have more
portant that we take additional steps police officers available to respond
to address the crimes our bodegue- ERIC ADAMS RADHAMES RODRIGUEZ to calls coming from bodegas, too.
ros continue to face and give them a To our bodegueros: New York
way contact 911 during an emergen- and stay open for the neighborhood. television cameras as they seek to City has your back.
cy without having to find their phone And that’s not all: last year, we solve crimes. Unidos somos más.
or fear being attacked by a criminal. announced a program that lets lo- By allowing bodegas to integrate
Now, thanks to the partnership of cal businesses voluntarily share sur- their security cameras with their lo- Eric Adams is the Mayor of
the Adams administration and the veillance video in real-time with the cal NYPD precinct, we can gather New York City, NY; Radhames
United Bodegas of America, our bo- NYPD through their closed-circuit real-time intelligence on crimes and Rodriguez is President of UBA
degueros will be able to click a but-
ton during emergencies and NYPD
will be on their way without anyone
knowing.
New York City will be investing
$1.6 million to fund “SilentShields”
buttons at 500 bodegas that will in-
stantly call the NYPD during emer-
gencies. These buttons will immedi-
ately direct city resources to these
small businesses so that New York
City can be a lifeline for them, just
like bodegas were a lifeline for us
during COVID.
We are starting by distributing
these buttons to bodegas in the areas
with the highest levels of crime so
that workers and customers, in com-
munities who need them the most,
will be safe and, more importantly,
feel safe.
Now, workers will have more
peace of mind if an armed criminal
comes into a bodega to ransack their
products or steal their cash and we Now, thanks to the partnership of the Adams administration and the United Bodegas of America, our bodegueros will be able to click a button
will ensure that our small business during emergencies and NYPD will be on their way without anyone knowing (Agency file photo)
owners can continue to make a living

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