Hip-hop star Big Herk issues plea to Detroiters to stay home during pandemic
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Detroit rapper Big Herk is pleading with Detroiters to stop the mass gatherings and unintentional spread of COVID-19.
"If you've got to go out and get groceries, things that are essential, get it and go back home," he said. "You can party at your house if it's that serious. But be in the public just being around everybody and you're spreading it more and more and you're taking it back to your home and they're taking back what you got to their home.
"Every day I go on my social media, it's just another death after another death."
He first posted his message on Facebook and is now speaking about it with FOX 2.
"You see every day on the news people dropping left and right, so why wouldn't you take that serious," he said.
Reports of people hanging out, partying and playing basketball are making rounds on social media and prompting the city to crack down.
Big Herk, his real name Amery Dennard, is a pillar in Detroit hip hop and a respected figure throughout the city. For him the COVID-19 crisis hits home in more ways than one.
"A close friend of mine, I don't want to say his name and put his business out there, he lost his aunt, uncle his father and yesterday his sister in just a week and half time," he said. "So it's for real, man. I don't even know what to say to him. I've just been saying my condolences. It seems like every day I'm saying my condolences again."
Detroit has been hard hit by the coronavirus outbreak. There are more than 5,000 confirmed cases of the virus here and nearly 200 deaths - more than any other city or county in Michigan.
Big Herk, real name Amery Dennard, is a pillar in Detroit hip hop .
"The Detroit population is unique because of the underlying risk factors and because of social factors, being socially disadvantaged, puts them at risk higher mortality," said Dr. Teena Chopra.
Chopra is medical director of infection prevention and hospital epidemiology at DMC Harper University Hospital and says we may not reach the peak of the outbreak until early May or later. That means things will likely get worse before they get better.
"At this time we’re almost getting to the vertical part of the curve, the exponential part of the curve," she said. "This is going to increase at an alarming rate where there are more deaths unfortunately, and I feel the peak won't happen at least four weeks."
Big Herk is hoping people will do their part long before then by staying home and practicing social distancing.
"I can't say for sure but I guarantee you a lot of those people, they haven't had the deaths like my friend has: four family members in less than two weeks," he said. "When something like that happens and I hope it doesn't, then maybe they will wake up. I hope it doesn't, but sometimes it takes something to slap you in the face to make you realize this is not a game, man."
DPD has been cracking down, breaking up about nine parties, issuing more than 70 tickets with 300 warnings this past weekend.