The New York Police Department told Newsweek that at 1:17 p.m. police officers responded to a 911 call of an assault in progress in front of the food stamp office in the neighborhood of Boerum Hill near downtown Brooklyn.
An unidentified 35-year-old male man told police that he was pepper-sprayed in the face by a female while waiting in line with hundreds of people outside of the office. The fight reportedly began when one of them refused to observe the six-foot social distancing rule.
Police arrested 36-year-old Alison Darveaux, a tattooed woman wearing a black facemask, and led her away in handcuffs. She was later booked in the 84th Precinct house less than a mile away.
Emergency Medical Services responded and transported the man to Brooklyn Hospital in stable condition. Darveaux was charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon.
The hundreds of people in line at the food stamp office shows the worsening hunger epidemic accompanying the city’s coronavirus epidemic.
Two years before the epidemic, an estimated 1.61 million New York City residents received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to help purchase food. Now, amid the epidemic, the number of New Yorkers unable to afford adequate food is projected to double to 2 million, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio.
“That’s a horrifying number,” de Blasio said in an April 14 press briefing. “Half a million New Yorkers have lost their livelihoods in just the last few weeks, and money’s running out. Whatever savings people had is running low. A lot of people already have run out of money. People are literally asking ‘Where is my next meal coming from?’”
The city expects to give out 15 million free meals in May—that’s 5 million more than it distributed in April, the mayor said. On weekdays, workers in school buildings throughout the city have distributed food to children and adults in need.
Last month, de Blasio announced that the city had apportioned $170 million to feed residents as coronavirus-related job losses continue to push low-income residents deeper into food insecurity.
Additionally, the city has reportedly spent $50 million on 18 million nonperishable meals intended as an emergency reserve against disruptions to the food supply.
City Hall also slated an additional $25 million to the city’s largest food pantries and soup kitchens as they struggle with rising operating costs and inadequate staffing to deal with the rise of city residents needing their nutritional assistance.
Update (5/13/2020, 7:37 p.m.): This article has been updated to include further information from the New York Police Department.
