REMARKS
Inequitable treatment of small businesses vs. large chains during COVID-19 lockdowns
1:28:42
ยท
79 sec
Council Member Vickie Paladino expresses her frustration about the inequitable treatment of small businesses compared to large chain stores during the COVID-19 lockdowns. She argues that this policy severely impacted small businesses.
- Criticizes the decision to keep large chain stores like Target and Home Depot open while forcing small businesses to close
- Provides examples of long-standing small businesses that were forced to close permanently due to the lockdowns
- Emphasizes the need to find solutions to revitalize small businesses, acknowledging the challenge given the time that has passed
Vickie Paladino
1:28:42
Those are the ones who suffered
Dynishal Gross
1:28:44
That's right.
Vickie Paladino
1:28:44
When, when COVID was happening, and I'll never forgive this ever, they left Target open.
1:28:52
They left Home Depot open.
1:28:54
They left all these major chain stores open while we had a corner florist.
1:29:01
30 years in business gone.
1:29:03
We watched they they killed small business by leaving Home Depot open and these big chain stores open.
1:29:11
When the corner hardware store, gone.
1:29:15
Gone.
1:29:16
Because we were not allowed to go to them.
1:29:19
They were not allowed to stay open.
1:29:21
Restaurants were closed or they were they had to sign a book.
1:29:26
I I mean, come on.
1:29:27
Give me a break.
1:29:28
There was but let's stick with forget the restaurant.
1:29:31
They're doing fine.
1:29:32
Let's stay with the small guy, the little guy, and they killed the little guy.
1:29:39
COVID killed small business, and we have to figure out a way to bring it back.
1:29:44
I don't know how we're gonna do that because now we're way into this.
UNKNOWN
1:29:48
Mhmm.
Vickie Paladino
1:29:49
And, I don't know.
1:29:50
Whatever we could do to we gotta work together and figure this out because every problem has a solution.
1:29:56
Agreed.
1:29:57
And we just gotta figure that out.
Dynishal Gross
1:29:59
Thank you, council member.
Oswald Feliz
1:30:01
Thank you.
1:30:01
Thank you so much, council member Paladino for those, questions and comments.