Susan Brooks runs a string of four bars under the Igor’s name as well as Brooks Seahorse Tavern by the Fair Grounds and the legendary Uptown dive The Club Ms. Mae’s, which she bought last summer to preserve a local institution.
She has kept all of them closed since the city’s last rule changes in December, and they will remain closed for now, foregoing even go-cup service.
“It seemed like the responsible thing to do,” said Brooks
However, she said it is demoralizing to watch customers lining up to visit other businesses still continuing under looser restrictions.
“I do wish that it was more of a shared burden, if everybody was doing the same thing we would bend the curve a lot faster and we could all get back to business,” she said.
We could have all agreed at the beginning of this that we'd all get back to business faster by sharing the burden. We could have locked down every lock downable thing and paid everyone to stay home and be safe. We could have preserved just about everyone's job. We could have saved every city and state government from bankruptcy. We could have protected every homeowner and renter from eviction. We chose not to do these things because the bosses and banks and landlords preferred to win the pandemic. And now look where we are.
Anyway, we're not going to change tactics now. It's already clear the new Congress and President aren't going to send us the kind of relief bill that would help us share the burden. This weekend the city is going right back into its chaotic pattern of shifting rules and blame according to whims and political alliances. Because local powerbrokers are in position to win the pandemic too. Or at least they will get to pick who shares the burden and who reaps the benefits.
We could have licked this thing a long time ago. But to do that would have meant truly behaving as though we were all in it together. But no one with the power to make these decisions actually believes that.
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