Does COVID Explain Them?

When I wrote for small local newspapers, some cringeworthy headlines were spliced onto my articles. Those headlines, as often as not, were attempts to introduce three or more short articles, sometimes on entirely unrelated events or subjects, published together. 

Such a headline appeared on the web version of “The Olympian,” a Washington State newspaper:

Bicycle business closing, area hospitals avoid layoffs, Chinese dumpling eatery opens.

Are those three events related? At first glance, they don’t seem to be. But, as I’ll explain later in this post, there may be a common thread uniting them.

I’ll start with Dough Zone, the Chinese dumpling house. It’s actually not a brand new restaurant; rather, it’s a new location of a local chain. I can understand the appeal of those tasty morsels, which I suspect has increased since the pandemic: They are well-suited for takeout and delivery, both of which have skyrocketed in popularity since those dark days when in-person dining was forbidden.

Perhaps the threat of layoffs in Olympia’s St. Peter’s Hospital and Centralia in nearby Lewis County also has something to do with the COVID pandemic: Perhaps not as many health care workers are needed now as were necessary when the “mysterious “ disease was ravaging communities. But, from what I’m reading, I think the prospect of contraction may have been as much a result of another phenomenon: consolidation. Those hospitals, like so many others, are  now part of a larger group:  in this case, Providence. System officials, however, point to other factors, such as medications and other supplies rendered more expensive because of tariffs and the prospect of cuts to Medicare.Then again, those tariffs and reductions in benefits may be a result of the pandemic, which ballooned Medicare budgets and made medications and supplies, most of which are imported, more expensive. Now, I don’t know whether tariffs will result in those things being produced in the US, and thus less expensive. But the pandemic certainly showed how vulnerable our supply chains are.

Photo by Steve Bloom for The Olympian

Finally, the owners of Joy Ride Bikes didn’t mention the bust that followed the pandemic-induced Bike Boom as a factor in their decision to close their shop on 25 July. But it’s hard not to wonder whether it—and other changes in the bike industry and overall economy—might have influenced their decision that “all good things must come to an end,” as co-owner Will Trogen declared . (Didn’t one of the Beatles say that after “Let It Be?”)

Where Are You Most Likely To Lose Your Bike?

 Perhaps no-one would be surprised to learn that, according to the FBI, more bicycles are stolen in California than in any other US state. After all, it is the most populous state and has many active cycling communities.

It probably wouldn’t surprise many people to learn that my home state of New York, with the fourth-largest population, ranks fifth in total bike thefts.

On a per-100,000 people basis, however, neither the Golden nor Empire State is at or near the top. The District of Columbia leads that ignominious list, with 246 thefts per 100,000. The US capital’s rate is nearly double that of the highest state, Oregon, where 128 bikes are pilfered per 100,000 people.

(For reference, the US average is 44 per 100,000.)

Photo by KMGH

Those facts may not be so shocking, given the population density of DC and the bicycle culture in such Beaver State cities as Portland. 

Perhaps the most surprising fact is that Vermont, Montana and Utah—states with lower crime rates than the US average—rank fourth, fifth and eighth*—respectively, in per-100,000 bike thefts.

The Green Mountain and Treasure States’ fourth- and fifth-place rankings might be explained in part by their small populations: a relatively low number of thefts can skew the averages upwards. I have never been to Montana or Utah, but my guess is that they share some other characteristics with Vermont: a significant portion of their populations participate in outdoor activities, including cycling, and, perhaps, a sense of calm that causes people to let their guard down.

Perhaps Kryptonite should re-name their New York bike locks.

*—The District of Columbia (Washington DC) is ranked as a state for this purpose.

He’s Not The Only Culprit

 Eight months ago, Bekim Fiseku struck Amanda Servedio and killed her.

I took that tragedy personally in part because she was cycling near a Queens intersection—37th Street at 34th Avenue—I rode, probably, hundreds of times when I lived in Astoria.

And I was enraged because Fiseku was fleeing the scene of a crime—his—with officers of the 114th Precinct in pursuit. Chases of that sort are forbidden in New York City for the hazards they pose on narrow streets like 37th and 34th Avenue.

Bekim Fesiku

Not to minimize his misdeed, but the cops’ violation of city law is all the more disturbing when one considers Fiseku’s offense:  attempted  burglary from a nearby construction site.

As of yesterday, he faces charges for that—and second-degree murder as well as other crimes related to the death of Ms. Servedio and his fleeing (he blew through a solid red light.

I am glad that he has been arrested and charged and hope that he is punished to the fullest extent possible. On the other hand, I realize that he is not the only guilty party and that the NYPD officers who chased him for a comparatively minor offense may never be held to account.