Brownsville Police Chief Says Cashiers and Food Service Workers Are The Real First Responders These Days

Encourages Community To Show Appreciation

Darren Doyle, story:
When you hear the term "first responders," you know fire, medical, and law enforcement personnel are the ones being referenced. They are the first ones that respond to the emergencies people face every day. The COVID-19, or coronavirus scare of 2020 has grasped the world like we've never seen in most of our lifetimes and it's causing us to think and act much differently as we live our daily lives.

A phone call I received yesterday resulted in another example of that different type of thinking. On the other end was Brownsville Police Chief Jeff Jewel with a unique request. 

"You know, there's a lot of crazy things going on right now," he said. "I think it's important to recognize and thank some of our hard working people in the community. I'm talking about our unsung heroes," he said. "The people that are our cashiers, our food vendors, food service workers. A lot of times people thank guys like me but these are the real first responders right now."

Chief Jewell said that currently, these are the folks that are putting themselves at a greater risk of sickness than himself and they need to be recognized and thanked. 

"It's the people at the local Cee Bee, The Family Dollar. Those places. I thank you and I think it's important that when we're going in to get the things we need that we thank them for what they're doing," he added.

Jewell said local law enforcement is continuing their precautions to avoid the spread of sickness and that he is certain that state and local officials are working hard to act in the best interest of all citizens. 

"We need to continue concentrating on using our resources where they're most needed. We all need to practice spreading out, keep out of large groups and do our best to keep areas from being concentrated."

He encouraged folks to use the hashtag #BeWellBrownsville when posting to social media to help remind everyone of every day precautions.

"We're still responding to calls but obviously we're working to minimize exposure. We all need to continue to work together, and from what I've seen, most everyone is doing that. Everyone seems to be following the guidelines. Let's try not to hoard groceries and supplies. Let's continue supporting each other."