BY SCOT DONOVAN BLAIR
When we think about what is necessary for our lives, the answers are not that complicated. Family, future, livelihood, safety and health are all intrinsically tied to one another. They are on everyone’s “absolute” list.
As a South Park bar owner and disabled veteran, I have invested professionally in my San Diego community since 2006. I worked hard to build my equity and then I turned around and invested in my community, generating millions of dollars in city and state taxes. I have spent over a million dollars in payroll, creating jobs and opportunities for a diverse workforce. I have been proud to be a middle-class San Diego small business owner. I am not so proud of San Diego or California anymore.
Shut down for the second extended time this year, I’m not sure my businesses will ever come back. When we were able to reopen with restrictions, we rigorously went through the requirements. We adapted and operated as safely as possible and this constrained our profitability, generating maybe 25%-30% of prior revenue. Not enough to pay our bills. Still, I was hopeful that we’d survive with the small help we were able to get from the federal government, even though our expenses weren’t cut commensurably. Meaningful city and state aid has been nonexistent for smaller businesses; however, the restrictions levied have been catastrophic.
The mixed messages in recent months from public health officials on what should close have been frustrating. You can go to Ross and Home Depot, but you can’t go and get your hair cut or go to the gym? These are the hypocrisies that sensible people are struggling to comprehend.
I know that COVID-19 is real; I believe the coronavirus that causes it to be highly contagious. I think it can be extremely deadly to a smaller percentage of people in specific age groups or people with subsets of preexisting conditions. Still, my future and livelihood (or anyone else’s) being “eliminated” should not be a solution for San Diego’s or California’s COVID-19 policy. Modern life has its inherent risks.
What the federal government has done for support is equivalent to putting a Band-Aid on a sucking chest wound and the city and the state have done nothing shy of euthanization. Is it possible that Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, whose district includes South Park, pivoted from Republican to Democrat and now conveniently aligns himself with everything Gov. Gavin Newsom says solely for the betterment of his future? Could San Diego Councilman Chris Ward’s political aspirations be far more prominent than the support he gives South Park and other communities in his district? Could San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer be quietly watching it all in fear that Newsom will hold back critical relief funds from the city if he doesn’t comply with his edict? When a politician’s willingness to save large parts of the community that he is empowered to support is nonexistent, you get what we are witnessing.
This wild game of back and forth with discriminatory new rules and draconian measures ravages your mental and physical health. The stress riddles you with mounting fear and hopelessness, making even the boldest borderline suicidal. Unfortunately, the thought of suicide has come into play a few times during the last five months and is a testament to just how impactful the decisions being made are to at least me, and I don’t think I am alone because loss, hopelessness and stress are well-known triggers for suicide.
Should we not have a right to our investments, a right to earn for our families, and a right to operate and provide jobs legally? Where is the visible outrage from those gainfully employed virtue signalers who are quietly watching hypocritical politicians decide who gets on the lifeboat and who does not? Shameful.
What took over a decade to build has been erased in a few short months by a virulent form of human sacrifice not caused by the virus but by poor social and political decisions.
The city has benefited from our commitment to it and should have a duty to cure our loss if it has the right to close us. We want to be safe. Provide meaningful relief; forgive our rent, taxes and utilities; supplement the income you are taking away so we can pay our bills, eat and keep us closed for as long as you need. Help us to be part of the solution and not just collateral damage. Is that not the truest of compromises and in the best interest of public health and safety for everyone?
So what is essential? My family and I are. My co-workers are. Small businesses are.
Blair is the owner of Hamilton’s Tavern and Café and South Park Brewing Co. and lives in North Park.
Crisis resources
If you or a loved one needs help, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for free, confidential crisis counseling 24/7 at 1 (800) 273–TALK (8255) or Lifeline Chat at suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat. You may also visit San Diego County’s “It’s Up 2 Us” site — up2sd.org — or call the local hotline at 1 (888) 724-7240.