Instead of exploring the USA and New York, the radius in which Weidener Stefan Zierock moves in New York extends from his apartment in Bushwick to the East River that separates Brooklyn from Manhattan. In the interview he tells how he perceives the state of emergency in New York.
Photo: private
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Bushwick is a popular trendy neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. Stefan Zierock, who was born in Weiden, currently lives there. But the freelance journalist and screenwriter, who graduated from Kepler-Gymnasium, doesn’t have much of the cultural scene. The corona crisis is particularly raging in New York.
ONETZ: What effects is the corona crisis in the USA having on your life, your everyday life there?
Stefan Zierock: Fortunately, I can still do a lot of things that have to do with research and writing. But otherwise my everyday life has changed abruptly and drastically, as it has for most people. I go running or walking once a day, otherwise I’m home alone. Constant solitude is not without, but on the other hand, in a city like New York, where 28,000 people live in one square mile, it is also a privilege.
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ONETZ: If you read the coverage, New York seems to be in an absolute state of emergency. Field hospital in Central Park, hundreds die every day, refrigerated trucks as temporary mortuaries. Do you see it that way too?
Stefan Zierock: I only see the city on foot, roughly from here to the East River, which separates Brooklyn from Manhattan. Most of all I see almost empty streets, people with face masks and spring … a bizarre atmosphere. Compared to what is usually going on here, an absolute exception, yes.
The many basketball courts everywhere are practically unused and the parks have also become emptier, despite the spring temperatures. And that shows its effect. A few days ago, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced for the first time that the number of new hospital admissions would remain nearly the same. It seems like the city has reached its peak.
My perception is that in Germany the terrible news from New York, the rapid spread of the virus, the many deaths and the terrible conditions in some hospitals are the most popular. Of course, this is all incredibly bad. But a lot has been done for a few weeks now. Temporary hospitals have been built with thousands of additional beds and ventilators have been provided. Fortunately, it now looks like they will be enough.
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ONETZ: Here in Germany there are also beautiful moments of crisis, even if that sounds macabre at first. Signs, gestures that give hope or many helpers. Did you see that in New York too?
Stefan Zierock: Absolutely. For example, around 90,000 people have volunteered to help out in New York hospitals to date, 25,000 of them from other states. Others do the shopping for the elderly so they can stay at home or sew mouth masks that they donate.
Many also seem to feel really good that the constant “higher, faster, further” finally has a break. And the fascinating thing about the situation is that it affects half the planet at the same time. That connects. We are practically all in the same boat.
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ONETZ: Right. Also a form of equality.
Stefan Zierock: On the one hand, yes. On the other hand, this crisis shows again very clearly what inequalities exist. Most of the Covid-19 deaths in New York are Latinos and blacks. This is not a coincidence, but the result of a structural disadvantage. People belonging to minorities often have a harder time getting health insurance. At the same time, many work on the “front lines”, for example as bus drivers or cashiers, live together in a confined space or have previous illnesses such as diabetes.
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ONETZ: What is your plan? Do you feel comfortable in New York and want to stay there or do you want to return to Germany via a return program?
Stefan Zierock: I feel safe and comfortable because I have a lot of space. So I don’t see any compelling reason to travel to Germany so far. But nobody knows how long the state of emergency will last. We will see.
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ONETZ: When Trump won the presidential election in 2016, I think you were also in the United States and you were very much afraid of it back then, while for me that was very absurd. How do you see the chances this time?
Stefan Zierock: That’s right, I was here back then and not quite as surprised as many. At the moment it’s hard to say how it will turn out this time. Before the crisis, many assumed that Trump would be re-elected. In the meantime the world has changed, Joe Biden is almost certain as a democratic challenger and it looks like he has a lot of opportunities. Much will depend on how America comes out of this crisis and how Trump is perceived in the end.
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ONETZ: I know you do a lot of music. Which song fits the time you are currently experiencing?
Stefan Zierock: Haha so my soundtrack these days definitely includes the song “How Long” by Ace.
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