With businesses starting to open up again there is still a strong debate as to which businesses should be opening up and to what extent. For Everett, this conversation is ever so important.
Pre-COVID, Everett’s downtown had begun to flourish again. People tend to forget, but the 2008 recession hit Everett hard. So hard that it took the city nearly 10 years to recover.
I remember driving downtown and it seemed more store fronts were closed and boarded up than actually open for business. I remember the drastic and almost sudden increase in homelessness and illegal drug activity. The structure of Everett, a city built on small businesses and the local community, decayed for nearly 10 years.
Finally, in recent years, Everett became a city that was business friendly.
Businesses started to open, and Everett began to attract people. The economy started to improve and though there hasn’t been a significant decrease in homeless or drug offenders, a vibrant economy is the first major step to combating these issues.
Now, in the days of COVID-19, many of these businesses are temporarily or permanently closing.
If we want to avoid another 10 years of post 2008 recession, it’s time to give us, the citizens of Everett, the choice.
The choice for business owners to re-open their business. The choice for the consumers to go out and support these local businesses. The choice for the individual citizen and their families to sustain their livelihood. The choice for us to respect our neighbors and fellow citizens by keeping socially distant and wearing face masks in public. And the choice for us to determine our own future, the future of this city and this community.
We understand what is at stake here. We understand the risk of another spike in cases if we aren’t conscious about our social behaviors. We also understand the risk of another 10 years of our city’s structure, economy, and livelihood decaying.
From Colby Café to Silver Lake Barber Shop, this pandemic has hurt every small business and every person in our city.
It’s time to give us a choice.
Christopher Olson
Everett
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.