A short conversational excerpt from a YouTube video (created/uploaded by Hinesh Chauhan on May 22, 2024) in which two speakers recall growing up in the Bronx, neighborhood block parties organized with the Police Benevolence Association, and how community solidarity re-emerged during COVID-19 when residents provided food, supplies, and support to frontline workers. The speakers emphasize the value of genuine, personal connections rather than superficial or transactional ties.
Chapters
Everybody. And I remember living in the Bronx, and Maybe I was 6 years old at the time, and it was midnight.
And we were all out down the street at a block party or at the church, at a fair or.
And then when we moved, my mother was suddenly worried about the time I.
Came home, and I was like, what, are you kidding me? I'm so much older than I was then.
What's going on? So. But it was definitely a community, and I didn't see that for a while. And, I mean, we had pal where the cops came into the communities and did sports with us.
It was the Police Benevolence association, and they blocked off streets for us where we had music and everybody cooked and.
Brought their own food, and we ate.
Together, we broke bread together, and it.
Was a different time. And then Covid. During COVID I was on the front lines, and I saw that community come back.
Unfortunately, it was because of a trauma, you know, a traumatic situation.
But they did all come together.
Everybody was in, out their window.
It was just like they were before, whistling for us. And people actually went into their businesses.
Even though they were closed, to cook for the hospital staff. We were fed every day. There was food lined up, and we had donations, and people donated sneakers.
Keep those nurses walking. We really. We saw so much support.
The mayor came in to bring us food so after work we wouldn't have to go food shopping, toilet paper, all those things you couldn't get online. It was ridiculous to get.
They were bringing them in to us.
To say thank you.
But it was a community, and they knew we had their back and we.
Knew they had ours. And those are the kind of connections that we need to have. Again, real, genuine connections, not the superficial that you connect because of a business interaction or something like that, but you.
Get to know what's important to the.
Other person, what roles they're working on.
How you can really help, because that's what makes the difference. We're all trying to get to a.
Certain place in life, right? So if you can take someone's hand.
And bring them with you, if they're going that way, why not? That's it.
