Don’t Bury Them in City Parks [PHIL-OSOPHY]

I'm having a very difficult time conceptualizing the fact that New York City leaders are seriously considering burying victims of COVID-19 in mass graves in city parks, if the death toll continues to overflow the morgues and hospitals.

Councilman Mark Levine tweeted out that trenches will be dug to hold 10 caskets in a line. Is this for real? Yes, you are reading correctly. Officials are talking about mass graves that could be dug in New York City parks where kids play and families enjoy what little green there is in the Big Apple.

But why would leaders even think about using recreational parks for burial grounds? The answer is New York City doesn't want to repeat the horrific scenes like those in Italy, where the military had to gather and stack up bodies collected from the streets.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said he hasn't decided whether or not to move forward with this, but did indicate that it remains an option. The burials would be temporary until this crises passes. At that time, the city would work with the families for more appropriate and permanent arrangements.

There are at least two people who are utterly shocked by this: Governor Andrew Cuomo and myself. Why don't the churches, synagogues and mosques step forward? There must be open fields owned by the government that can be used. But don't turn a city park into a graveyard.

The people of New York City still have scars from 9/11. I am so against using a park in the metropolis to be transformed into a park of the necropolis.

Phil Paleologos is the host of The Phil Paleologos Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Contact him at phil@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @PhilPaleologos. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.