thenation--2020-05-07--The Coronavirus Means Curtains for Artists

In attempting to understand the impact of the pandemic on artists and the arts , we need to start by recognizing that this new crisis has collided with an arts economy that was already severely weakened by 20 years of digital assault .
The assault has taken the form , specifically , of demonetization .
Any content that can be transmitted over the Internet—music , text , still images , video—has seen its price severely cut , often to zero .
Across a wide range of fields , major revenue sources have crumbled : for musicians , recorded music sales @ @ @ @ @ @ @ book advances ; for publications , advertising revenue ; for the movie business , ticket sales as well as DVD sales and rentals .
As a result , artists and cultural institutions have learned to seek their income from sources that can not be digitized , meaning physical objects and live experiences—especially live experiences .
Musicians tour , tour , tour .
Writers give readings and talks , teach classes , do residencies .
For visual artists like illustrators , animators , and cartoonists , classes and workshops have also been key .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ live events .
Festivals of all kinds ( music , film , comedy , books ) have proliferated , as have art fairs ( a major venue now for the sale of high-end visual art ) and fan conventions like Comic-Con ( which are huge for a range of creative fields ) .
None of that , of course , can happen now .
The crisis has not just hit theaters , though their closure has been devastating for orchestras and ensembles ; opera , dance , and theater companies ; and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It has not just hit museums , galleries , art spaces , and the artists whose work they show .
The major basis of much of the contemporary arts economy—live , in-person , face-to-face events—has been destroyed .
And even the one art that was not weakened before the pandemic , the one creative arena that had been thriving financially in the 21st century , television , has suspended production , throwing tens of thousands out of work .
But the loss of revenue from live events is only the start of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ together their livings from a multiplicity of part-time income sources .
As one writer put it to me , you stack up a bunch of small checks .
Full-time jobs do not generally allow sufficient time to make one ’ s art , nor do they permit the kinds of extended absences ( touring , residencies , performance runs in other towns ) that are necessary for pursuing one ’ s career .
So artists do a lot of one-offs and short-term gigs : commissions , client work , adjunct teaching .
Much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as businesses and institutions , including universities , tighten their belts .
( The fate of art schools and departments during a time of virtual instruction is not likely to be pretty . )
Artists also drive for Uber and Lyft , pull shots , wait tables , tend bar , and engage in many other varieties of low-wage service work .
A lot of that is now shut down or severely curtailed .
And very little of it ( the day jobs or the art-related work ) comes with health insurance .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Reelection Project The Labor Department Is Sacrificing Workers on the Altar of ‘ Reopening ’ More in this series Artistic careers are also such that you can not just put them on hold—for three , six , 12 , 24 months—and expect to pick up where you left off .
Artistic work is project-to-project .
Your album or your play can make a splash , but then it is back to square one .
Attention and momentum quickly fade and must be constantly regenerated .
Many of us are hoping to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kind of normal , but for artists , with few exceptions , there is nothing there , no job or position , to “ go back ” to .
You are the job .
You are the small business .
For actors , writers , and directors who have had their productions shut down , comedians and bands who ’ ve had to cancel tours , visual artists who were looking forward to a gallery show ( all after years of preparation , deprivation , and uncertainty ) , the pandemic may be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back .
In the arts , far more than almost any other field , success requires luck .
Even in the best of times , the extent to which you can simply get randomly screwed is heartbreaking .
The pandemic is a random screwing on an epic scale .
For artists , the disease ’ s effects on the larger economy , both now and whenever the crisis is over , are also likely to be grim .
However much we value the arts , spending on them is discretionary .
As we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people will have precious little left over for things like books or vinyl .
With the rise of free content , spending on the arts has also largely come to be voluntary .
The most hopeful financial development for independent artists over the past decade has undoubtedly been the emergence of crowdfunding platforms , especially Kickstarter and Patreon .
Crowdfunding is the patronage model updated for the digital age , and it has become a lifeline for creators , a crucial part of many a financial picture .
But like all patronage , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who feel they have the economic breathing room to give .
The truth is that digitization has not really demonetized the arts .
Someone has been making money , but that someone isn ’ t artists : For those who are counting the clicks and selling the resulting data , “ free content ” is a gold mine .
Silicon Valley in general , and the tech giants in particular—above all , Google , Facebook , and Amazon—have engineered a vast and ongoing transfer of wealth , on the order of tens of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ creators to distributors , from artists to Big Tech .
They have been able to do so because of their monopoly positions and the unparalleled power and wealth these have brought them .
With the destruction that the current crisis is wreaking on brick-and-mortar retail , along with the way the pandemic is shifting even more of our existence onto screens , signs are strong that this upheaval will only serve to strengthen the hegemony of Big Tech in the post-pandemic world .
Things were already bad for artists .
Even for those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with some semblance of their professional lives intact , they are likely to be worse .

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In attempting to understand the impact of the pandemic on artists and the arts, we need to start by recognizing that this new crisis has collided with an arts economy that was already severely weakened by 20 years of digital assault. The assault has taken the form, specifically, of demonetization. Any content that can be transmitted over the Internet—music, text, still images, video—has seen its price severely cut, often to zero. Across a wide range of fields, major revenue sources have crumbled: for musicians, recorded music sales; for writers, freelance fees and book advances; for publications, advertising revenue; for the movie business, ticket sales as well as DVD sales and rentals.
As a result, artists and cultural institutions have learned to seek their income from sources that cannot be digitized, meaning physical objects and live experiences—especially live experiences. Musicians tour, tour, tour. Writers give readings and talks, teach classes, do residencies. For visual artists like illustrators, animators, and cartoonists, classes and workshops have also been key. Publications monetize their brands with panoplies of live events. Festivals of all kinds (music, film, comedy, books) have proliferated, as have art fairs (a major venue now for the sale of high-end visual art) and fan conventions like Comic-Con (which are huge for a range of creative fields).
None of that, of course, can happen now. The crisis has not just hit theaters, though their closure has been devastating for orchestras and ensembles; opera, dance, and theater companies; and the artists who create and perform for them. It has not just hit museums, galleries, art spaces, and the artists whose work they show. The major basis of much of the contemporary arts economy—live, in-person, face-to-face events—has been destroyed. And even the one art that was not weakened before the pandemic, the one creative arena that had been thriving financially in the 21st century, television, has suspended production, throwing tens of thousands out of work.
But the loss of revenue from live events is only the start of this particular disaster. Artists typically piece together their livings from a multiplicity of part-time income sources. As one writer put it to me, you stack up a bunch of small checks. Full-time jobs do not generally allow sufficient time to make one’s art, nor do they permit the kinds of extended absences (touring, residencies, performance runs in other towns) that are necessary for pursuing one’s career. So artists do a lot of one-offs and short-term gigs: commissions, client work, adjunct teaching. Much of this is likely to dry up as businesses and institutions, including universities, tighten their belts. (The fate of art schools and departments during a time of virtual instruction is not likely to be pretty.) Artists also drive for Uber and Lyft, pull shots, wait tables, tend bar, and engage in many other varieties of low-wage service work. A lot of that is now shut down or severely curtailed. And very little of it (the day jobs or the art-related work) comes with health insurance. Coronavirus Amid Partisan Politicking, Revelations on a Covid Origins Article Jimmy Tobias It’s Not “Unreasonable” to Want to Change Our Rotten Health Care System Gregg Gonsalves Covid Has Left Deep Wounds in America’s Rural Communities Anne N. Sosin
Artistic careers are also such that you cannot just put them on hold—for three, six, 12, 24 months—and expect to pick up where you left off. Artistic work is project-to-project. Your album or your play can make a splash, but then it is back to square one. Attention and momentum quickly fade and must be constantly regenerated. Many of us are hoping to go back, eventually, to some kind of normal, but for artists, with few exceptions, there is nothing there, no job or position, to “go back” to. You are the job. You are the small business. For actors, writers, and directors who have had their productions shut down, comedians and bands who’ve had to cancel tours, visual artists who were looking forward to a gallery show (all after years of preparation, deprivation, and uncertainty), the pandemic may be killing opportunities that won’t come back. In the arts, far more than almost any other field, success requires luck. Even in the best of times, the extent to which you can simply get randomly screwed is heartbreaking. The pandemic is a random screwing on an epic scale.
For artists, the disease’s effects on the larger economy, both now and whenever the crisis is over, are also likely to be grim. However much we value the arts, spending on them is discretionary. As we slide into our new depression, many people will have precious little left over for things like books or vinyl. With the rise of free content, spending on the arts has also largely come to be voluntary. The most hopeful financial development for independent artists over the past decade has undoubtedly been the emergence of crowdfunding platforms, especially Kickstarter and Patreon. Crowdfunding is the patronage model updated for the digital age, and it has become a lifeline for creators, a crucial part of many a financial picture. But like all patronage, crowdfunding depends on the existence of benefactors who feel they have the economic breathing room to give.
The truth is that digitization has not really demonetized the arts. Someone has been making money, but that someone isn’t artists: For those who are counting the clicks and selling the resulting data, “free content” is a gold mine. Silicon Valley in general, and the tech giants in particular—above all, Google, Facebook, and Amazon—have engineered a vast and ongoing transfer of wealth, on the order of tens of billions of dollars a year, from creators to distributors, from artists to Big Tech. They have been able to do so because of their monopoly positions and the unparalleled power and wealth these have brought them. With the destruction that the current crisis is wreaking on brick-and-mortar retail, along with the way the pandemic is shifting even more of our existence onto screens, signs are strong that this upheaval will only serve to strengthen the hegemony of Big Tech in the post-pandemic world.
Things were already bad for artists. Even for those who are lucky enough to survive this with some semblance of their professional lives intact, they are likely to be worse.


‘Normalcy—Never Again!’

Sitting in the same Lincoln Memorial that offered the backdrop for Martin Luther King , Jr. ’ s most famous speech , President Trump staged a Fox News event last Sunday evening to claim that the time has come to reopen America .
Bizarre as the scene seemed to anyone familiar with the legacy of Dr. King , it wasn ’ t an original concept .
For weeks protestors who have defied stay-at-home orders have appealed to the civil disobedience of Rosa Parks as justification for their actions .
They claim a right to be “ free ” from any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staying home to slow the spread of a deadly virus .
But the freedom that King , Parks , and millions of other Americans risked their own lives to pursue is the opposite of the capitulation to corporate greed that reopen extremists advocate .
To keep faith with Parks and King in this moment , we must disobey all calls to go back to a way of life in which the extreme inequality that this pandemic has exposed is considered normal .
As the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state meeting the Trump administration ’ s own recommendations for reopening , 21 states have either lifted restrictions or they failed to impose them at all .
Governors are opting to prioritize getting the economy going again over the health of us all .
And the data is clear : Americans who have suffered from systemic racism for generations are being hit hardest by this disease .
When Dr. King , Rosa Parks , and the civil rights movement appealed to Lincoln ’ s legacy of emancipation , they were clear that Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system that demanded some people suffer so that others could prosper .
Indeed , the March on Washington that led to the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 was explicitly a march for “ jobs and justice.
” If King were with us today , he would no doubt be saying what he said in 1968 as he was working to build the original Poor People ’ s Campaign .
“ Our nettlesome task is to discover how to organize our strength into compelling power so that the government can not elude our demands…it would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ passively until the administration had somehow been infused with such blessings of goodwill that it implored us for our programs.
” A Prayer for Justice and Compassion During the Pandemic Neither King nor any of America ’ s great advocates for freedom could be satisfied with America ’ s response to the coronavirus crisis .
While the Trump administration bungled mitigation and has yet to develop the national testing and tracing system we need , the four relief bills that Congress has passed so far also do not address the real needs of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provisions for permanent wages , paid sick leave for all , or health insurance for the uninsured , poor and low-income people are being pushed back into work that could not kill them and many of their neighbors .
The relief bills we have seen leave out the majority of homeless people , undocumented immigrants , the disabled , and many poor people who are not counted in the unemployment numbers .
The bills place a brief four-month moratorium on eviction filings .
They do not include rent freezes or large-scale debt forgiveness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for our programs , but today ’ s Poor People ’ s Campaign has taken bold action to organize our strength in this moment , as Dr. King suggested half a century ago .
Since the first days of this pandemic , poor and dispossessed people along with moral activists and allies have been taking lifesaving action born out of necessity to demand justice .
In Detroit , the People ’ s Water Board and Michigan Welfare Rights Organization forced the city government to enact a moratorium on water shutoffs and to turn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In Northern California , Moms 4 Housing , the California Homeless Union , and the California Poor People ’ s Campaign have taken over vacant houses and organized to protect tent encampments and spread rent strikes that are poised to grow as unemployment continues to balloon .
In Pennsylvania , Put People First !
PA have fought the closure of rural hospitals across the state and worked to erase the medical debt of thousands of people .
Now , in Philadelphia , they are demanding the reopening of Hahnemann Hospital , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speculator and sits empty .
Poor people know they can not wait passively for goodwill or band-aids .
It takes a moral fusion movement of wounded healers from all races , religions , genders , geographies , and issue areas to stand together and build power for change .
That is the kind of movement that gave meaning to Dr. King ’ s position in front of the Lincoln Memorial when he gave the final speech at the March on Washington .
Though Trump ’ s team and the propagandists at Fox News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that iconic moment , our actual history speaks more powerfully to the present than they could have known .
Though we often remember King ’ s speech by it ’ s concluding lines— “ I Have A Dream , ” his working title in the weeks leading up to the March on Washington was the call we must heed now : “ Normalcy—Never Again.
” No , America can not go back to normal .
We must stay in place , stay alive , organize , and build power to demand that everyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ essential to survive and thrive , both during this pandemic and beyond .
This is why the Poor People ’ s Campaign : A National Call for Moral Revival is organizing the largest virtual gathering of poor people and their allies on June 20 , 2020 , to declare “ Normalcy—Never Again !
”

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis

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Sitting in the same Lincoln Memorial that offered the backdrop for Martin Luther King Jr.’s most famous speech, President Trump staged a Fox News event last Sunday evening to claim that the time has come to reopen America. Bizarre as the scene seemed to anyone familiar with the legacy of Dr. King, it wasn’t an original concept. For weeks, protesters defying stay-at-home orders have appealed to the civil disobedience of Rosa Parks as justification for their actions. They claim a right to be “free” from any obligation to care for their neighbors by staying home to slow the spread of a deadly virus.
But the freedom that King, Parks, and millions of other Americans risked their own lives to pursue is the opposite of the capitulation to corporate greed that “reopen” extremists advocate. To keep faith with Parks and King in this moment, we must disobey all calls to go back to a way of life in which the extreme inequality that this pandemic has exposed is considered normal.
As the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the United States passed the 1 million mark without a single state meeting the Trump administration’s own recommendations for reopening, 21 states have either lifted restrictions or failed to impose them at all. Governors are opting to prioritize getting the economy going again over the health of us all. And the data is clear: Americans who have suffered from systemic racism for generations are being hit hardest by this disease.
When Dr. King, Rosa Parks, and the civil rights movement appealed to Lincoln’s legacy of emancipation, they were clear that Americans needed freedom from the exploitation of a system that demanded some people suffer so that others could prosper. Indeed, the March on Washington that led to the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 was explicitly a march for “jobs and justice.” If King were with us today, he would no doubt be saying what he said in 1968 as he was working to build the original Poor People’s Campaign. “Our nettlesome task is to discover how to organize our strength into compelling power so that the government cannot elude our demands…. it would be the height of naïveté to wait passively until the administration had somehow been infused with such blessings of goodwill that it implored us for our programs.” Coronavirus A Prayer for Justice and Compassion During the Pandemic Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II
Neither King nor any of America’s great advocates for freedom could be satisfied with America’s response to the coronavirus crisis. While the Trump administration bungled mitigation and has yet to develop the national testing and tracing system we need, the four relief bills that Congress has passed so far also do not address the real needs of many Americans. Because these bills have no provisions for permanent wages, paid sick leave for all, or health insurance for the uninsured, poor and low-income people are being pushed back into work that could kill them and many of their neighbors. The relief bills we have seen leave out the majority of homeless people, undocumented immigrants, the disabled, and many poor people who are not counted in the unemployment numbers. The bills place a four-month moratorium on eviction filings. They do not include rent freezes or large-scale debt forgiveness.
The government has not implored us for our programs, but today’s Poor People’s Campaign has taken bold action to organize our strength in this moment, as King suggested half a century ago. Since the first days of this pandemic, poor and dispossessed people along with moral activists and allies have been taking lifesaving action born out of necessity to demand justice. In Detroit, the People’s Water Board and Michigan Welfare Rights Organization forced the city government to enact a moratorium on water shutoffs and to turn water service back on for $25 payments. In Northern California, Moms 4 Housing, the California Homeless Union, and the California Poor People’s Campaign have taken over vacant houses and organized to protect tent encampments and spread rent strikes that are poised to grow as unemployment continues to balloon. In Pennsylvania, Put People First! PA have fought the closure of rural hospitals across the state and worked to erase the medical debt of thousands of people. Now, they are demanding the reopening of Philadelphia’s Hahnemann Hospital, which was recently bought by a real estate speculator and sits empty.
Poor people know they cannot wait passively for goodwill or Band-Aids. It will take a moral fusion movement of wounded healers from all races, religions, genders, geographies, and issue areas to stand together and build power for change. That is the kind of movement that gave meaning to Dr. King’s position in front of the Lincoln Memorial when he gave the final speech at the March on Washington. Though Trump’s team and the propagandists at Fox News thought they could co-opt the optics of that iconic moment, our actual history speaks more powerfully to the present than they could have known. Though we often remember King’s speech by its concluding lines, “I have a dream…,” his working title in the weeks leading up to the March on Washington was the call we must heed now: “Normalcy—Never Again.”
No, America cannot go back to normal. We must stay in place, stay alive, organize, and build power to demand that everyone will have the right to all that is essential to survive and thrive, both during this pandemic and beyond. This is why the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival is organizing the largest virtual gathering of poor people and their allies on June 20, 2020, to declare “Normalcy—Never Again!”


thenation--2020-05-08--Freedom of Speech Is Under the Gun as the Virus Spreads in Russia

Tatiana Voltskaya , poet , Radio Svoboda journalist , and member of the St. Petersburg PEN Club , is facing criminal charges under a new provision of the criminal code addressing “ fakes ” that went into effect last month .
“ Public dissemination of known false information on circumstances that represent a threat to the life and security of the public.
” The charges stem from an interview she conducted in which an emergency room doctor spoke about the lack of medical personnel and respirators in St. Petersburg hospitals .
In a separate incident around the same time , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ press ( including the leading independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta ) that there were inadequate supplies of personal protective equipment , was fired from a hospital in Leningrad Oblast .
News from regions throughout Russia of warnings , reports , and other persecution of journalists , bloggers , medics , and active users of social networks under the new law is flowing into human rights organizations and the Mass Media Defense Center .
“ The impression is that investigative agencies are ready to write up a report on anyone who expresses an opinion or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the official point of view , ” Galina Arapova , director of the MMDC and a board member of Article 19 said .
“ The new law criminalizes so-called fakes .
Moreover , it extends not only to the media but to any groups discussing the pandemic .
Today this provision is the main problem.
” Elena Milashina is one of the journalists being defended by the MMDC .
She had written an article for Novaya Gazeta about the persecution of people infected with the coronavirus in Chechnya .
The next day Ramzan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , responded on Instagram , calling the publication a fake , and threatened retaliation .
This is not the first time Novaya Gazeta journalists have been threatened .
Milashina is a young colleague of the famed reporter Anna Politkovskaya who was working for the newspaper when she was killed in October 2006 .
More than 100 human rights activists and public figures wrote to the head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Republic to start a case about this threat .
PEN-Moscow , the Union of Journalists and Media Workers , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ EU called on Russia to investigate and protect the journalist .
Putin Begins the Transition of His Own Power “ The law and order agencies do not always respond adequately , ” said Galina Arapova , of the MMDC .
“ In February , Milashina was attacked in Chechnya , and the Investigative Committee still has not reacted to her request to open a criminal case .
This position creates a dangerous precedent for impunity.
” Russia is not the only country that has passed legislation and measures temporarily limiting freedom of expression @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
However , Russia ’ s new limitations fell on well-tilled ground : According to the MMDC and other experts , more than 25 laws and regulatory documents limiting freedom of speech and the work of journalists have been passed in recent years—usually quickly and without public discussion .
New initiatives in the coronavirus era show that the attack on freedom of speech and civil rights is entering a new phase .
The new proposals include mandatory registration of mobile telephones with the factory International Mobile Equipment Identity number beginning in 2021 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Officials explain that the measure was enacted out of concern for the public ; it will be easier to deal with stolen phones .
There ’ s also a drafted version of law that would give police almost unlimited powers , including searching cars without a warrant .
Grigory Yavlinsky , leader of the Yabloko Party , has spoken out against the coming “ digital slavery ” with concrete proposals—including creating a Public Commission to control the state ’ s use of digital technology .
He considers this a priority task .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pandemic depend on truth as much as proper medical decisions , according to Syndicate-100 , the new consortium of independent Russian media with such members as Ekho Moskvy radio , Novaya Gazeta , Altapress , and Dozhd .
“ Today the independent press needs public support more than ever .
Humans lives are the price of every stifled independent publication .
This is no metaphor .
It is reality , ” said Syndicate-100 members in their appeal .
The appeal is not directed to the authorities but to their audience , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ isolation have become more critical of the government ’ s handling of the pandemic and are showing solidarity in social networks and everyday activities .
People are volunteering and supporting one another through the difficult times .
And many regional media have removed paywalls .
I recently asked Svetlana Alexievich , winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature , if she saw similarities between the pandemic and the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in April 1986 .
“ Yes , but Chernobyl was a regional disaster and the pandemic is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of many basic things about our life.
” The coronavirus pandemic is a challenge to all nations .
New ideas and practices are needed to adapt to the changing world , and there are available options , including solidarity and mutual aid .
An option for Russians is to stand together to demand civil freedoms , truth , and real dialogue in society .
It ’ s an opportunity to build a better future .

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Tatiana Voltskaya, poet, Radio Svoboda journalist, and member of the St. Petersburg PEN Club, is facing criminal charges under a new provision of the criminal code addressing “fakes” that went into effect last month.
“Public dissemination of known false information on circumstances that represent a threat to the life and security of the public.” The charges stem from an interview she conducted in which an emergency room doctor spoke about the lack of medical personnel and respirators in St. Petersburg hospitals. In a separate incident around the same time, Dr. Natalya Trofimova, who told the press (including the leading independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta) that there were inadequate supplies of personal protective equipment, was fired from a hospital in Leningrad Oblast.
News from regions throughout Russia of warnings, reports, and other persecution of journalists, bloggers, medics, and active users of social networks under the new law is flowing into human rights organizations and the Mass Media Defense Center. “The impression is that investigative agencies are ready to write up a report on anyone who expresses an opinion or distributes information that does not agree with the official point of view,” Galina Arapova, director of the MMDC and a board member of Article 19 said. “The new law criminalizes so-called fakes. Moreover, it extends not only to the media but to any groups discussing the pandemic. Today this provision is the main problem.”
Elena Milashina is one of the journalists being defended by the MMDC. She had written an article for Novaya Gazeta about the persecution of people infected with the coronavirus in Chechnya. The next day Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the republic, responded on Instagram, calling the publication a fake and threatening retaliation. This is not the first time Novaya Gazeta journalists have been threatened. Milashina is a young colleague of the famed reporter Anna Politkovskaya, who was working for the newspaper when she was killed in October 2006. More than 100 human rights activists and public figures wrote to the head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Republic to start a case about this threat. PEN-Moscow, the Union of Journalists and Media Workers, the Council on Human Rights, and the EU called on Russia to investigate and protect the journalist. More From Nadezhda Azhgikhina Notes of a Russian Visitor May 18, 2023 Does Russian Journalism Have a Future? January 11, 2023 A Letter From the Dacha August 3, 2022
“The law-and-order agencies do not always respond adequately,” said Galina Arapova, of the MMDC. “In February, Milashina was attacked in Chechnya, and the Investigative Committee still has not reacted to her request to open a criminal case. This position creates a dangerous precedent for impunity.” Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection Chris Lehmann Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection Chris Lehmann
Russia is not the only country that has passed legislation and measures temporarily limiting freedom of expression in connection with the virus. However, Russia’s new limitations fell on well-tilled ground: According to the MMDC and other experts, more than 25 laws and regulatory documents limiting freedom of speech and the work of journalists have been passed in recent years—usually quickly and without public discussion. New initiatives in the coronavirus era show that the attack on freedom of speech and civil rights is entering a new phase.
The new proposals include mandatory registration of mobile telephones with the factory International Mobile Equipment Identity number beginning in 2021, which would also apply to people who bring smartphones from abroad. Officials explain that the measure was conceived out of concern for the public; it will be easier to deal with stolen phones. There’s also a drafted version of a law that would give police almost unlimited powers, including the right to search cars without a warrant. Current Issue View our current issue
Grigory Yavlinsky, leader of the Yabloko Party, has spoken out against the coming “digital slavery” with concrete proposals—including the creation of a public commission to control the state’s use of digital technology. He considers this a priority task.
Personal safety and even human life in a pandemic depend on truth as much as on proper medical decisions, according to Syndicate-100, the new consortium of independent Russian media with such members as Ekho Moskvy radio, Novaya Gazeta, Altapress, and Dozhd.
“Today the independent press needs public support more than ever. Human lives are the price of every stifled independent publication. This is no metaphor. It is reality,” said Syndicate-100 members in their appeal. The appeal is not directed to the authorities but to their audience, and that is important.
Many people in isolation have become more critical of the government’s handling of the pandemic and are showing solidarity in social networks and everyday activities. People are volunteering and supporting one another through the difficult times. And many regional media outlets have removed paywalls.
I recently asked Svetlana Alexievich, winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature, if she saw similarities between the pandemic and the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in April 1986. “Yes,” she said, “but Chernobyl was a regional disaster and the pandemic is a global problem that requires global rethinking of many basic things about our life.”
The coronavirus pandemic is a challenge to all nations. New ideas and practices are needed to adapt to the changing world, and there are available options, including solidarity and mutual aid. An option for Russians is to stand together to demand civil freedoms, truth, and real dialogue in society. It’s an opportunity to build a better future.
Translated by Antonina W. Bouis.


thenation--2020-05-08--Investigating Tara Reade’s Claims Doesn’t Violate Due Process

If Democrats hope to hold themselves up as principled defenders of survivors ’ rights and fair process in the post-Kavanaugh era , they must establish a formal , unbiased investigation into Tara Reade ’ s allegations against the presumptive Democratic nominee .
So far , they ’ ve fallen far short of this standard .
When asked on April 30 about Reade ’ s allegations against Joe Biden , Nancy Pelosi responded , “ There is also due process and the fact that Joe Biden is Joe Biden.
” In so doing , Speaker Pelosi joins a long line of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ process ” and “ he ’ s a good good guy ” arguments to ensure that their political allies will avoid accountability and scrutiny .
When politicians and other powerful people strategically call for “ due process ” to defend their political allies , what they tend to mean is “ no process.
” This strategy has been wielded by liberals and conservatives alike—in schools , in workplaces , and in the media—to avoid confronting the possibility that someone they know , trust , or believe in may have perpetrated violence .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ themselves , like Harvey Weinstein , to try to avoid public criticism .
Until Pelosi supports a framework through which Reade ’ s allegations can be given a fair hearing , it is hard to read her statements as anything but a disingenuous attempt to boost an ally , particularly as the evidence corroborating Reade ’ s claim mounts .
Pelosi isn ’ t the first to erroneously invoke the legal right to due process .
As Alexandra Brodsky has written , the constitutional guarantee of “ due process ” is a far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no one can be mad at you unless a judge has donned robes.
” The right arises when the state threatens to take away a right to which the accused person is normally entitled .
This includes instances where someone faces jail time for an alleged crime , or the possibility of a court order that limits where they can physically go as the result of an alleged assault .
Further , the extent of the process due depends on the gravity of the right at stake .
The fact that a fair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shame and potential repudiation does not implicate his due process rights .
Cynical invocations of “ due process ” are familiar to survivors .
Take , for example , the modern campus sexual assault movement .
In the 2010s , survivors of sexual violence organized on campuses across the country to demand action from their schools and the Department of Education after their reports of assault and abuse were routinely swept under the rug .
This led to critical but incremental change : In 2011 , the department released a Dear Colleague letter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that clarified for schools that Title IX ’ s prohibition on sex discrimination means institutions must respond fairly and promptly to allegations of sexual misconduct .
But even the mere prospect of accountability activated a backlash from men ’ s rights advocates invoking “ due process ” to stack the procedural deck in favor of students accused of sexual misconduct .
I Believe Tara Reade .
And You Should , Too .
Thanks in part to this backlash , student survivors continue to face a bleak reality .
Survivors have been forced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being raped or speaking out , lost thousands of dollars , died by suicide , and been killed by intimate partners after their schools refused to take action to keep them safe .
But despite these alarming outcomes for survivors , Betsy DeVos and her Department of Education have cynically invoked “ due process ” as a justification to give the once-fringe voices of men ’ s rights groups an unprecedented platform in her proposed Title IX rule , one that Joe Biden himself has publicly denounced .
To campus survivors , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Biden sound all too familiar .
So does her blithe assertion that “ Joe Biden is Joe Biden , ” which echoes the pervasive myth that men who do good—especially for women—can never cause harm .
Other influential Democrats , including Kirsten Gillibrand and Stacey Abrams , have attempted to walk a careful line between supporting calls to “ believe survivors ” and tamping down calls for further scrutiny , claiming that The New York Times ’ report and Biden ’ s legislative history eliminate the need for further investigation .
Indeed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point to his work on the Violence Against Women Act , which was co-authored by Representative Louise Slaughter , though her contribution seems to slip the minds of many .
This distorted thinking has long been used to protect ourselves from the sad reality that we all know , and probably care for , rapists , abusers , and harassers .
Biden ’ s work on violence against women does not erase Reade ’ s allegations , or the multiple allegations by other women of unwanted touching , or his mistreatment of Anita @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirmation hearing .
If you do not believe us , ask any survivor in your life if their attacker has ever done something good .
Indeed , many famous men whose sexual predation has been revealed by the # MeToo movement have made notable contributions to society .
That does not lessen their harm .
Unsurprisingly , the burden of responding to these allegations seems to have fallen squarely on the shoulders of Democratic women , as has repeatedly happened in such cases—notably in the party ’ s response to the allegations against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called for in 2017 ) .
While some congressional Democrats have acknowledged that accusations of this kind are worthy of inquiry , they have failed to call for a formal investigation into Reade ’ s charges .
Both Gillibrand and Abrams have claimed that The New York Times ’ inquiry into Reade ’ s allegations was a sufficiently substantive investigation .
For now , Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez remains the lone Democratic elected official to call out the recent stream of Democratic attempts to muffle Reade ’ s voice as “ a form of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allegations is the “ opposite of integrity.
” Even so , she stopped short of actually calling for an investigation .
The hypocrisy of the Democratic leadership poses a serious threat to the efforts of student survivors and other feminist advocates to create processes that are fair for survivors and accused persons alike .
Despite Pelosi ’ s deflections , Democrats have an important choice ahead of them : They can either replicate the harmful dismissal of allegations of abuse often attributed to Republicans , or they can show that their values do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a meaningful investigation into Reade ’ s accusations .
Just as Brett Kavanaugh was not entitled to a nomination process without critical examination , Joe Biden is not entitled to be the democratic presidential nominee without answering to Tara Reade ’ s allegations of abuse .

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If Democrats hope to hold themselves up as principled defenders of survivors’ rights and fair process in the post-Kavanaugh era, they must establish a formal, unbiased investigation into Tara Reade’s allegations against Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee.
So far, they’ve fallen far short of this standard. When asked on April 30 about Reade’s allegations, Nancy Pelosi responded, “There is also due process and the fact that Joe Biden is Joe Biden.” In so doing, Speaker Pelosi joins a long line of powerful individuals who have invoked “due process” and “he’s a good good guy” arguments to ensure that their political allies will avoid accountability and scrutiny.
When politicians and other powerful people strategically call for “due process” to defend their political allies, what they tend to mean is “no process.” This strategy has been wielded by liberals and conservatives alike—in schools, in workplaces, and in the media—to avoid confronting the possibility that someone they know, trust, or believe in may have perpetrated violence. It has also been used by powerful men themselves, like Harvey Weinstein, to try to avoid public criticism. Until Pelosi supports a framework through which Reade’s allegations can be given a fair hearing, it is hard to read her statements as anything but a disingenuous attempt to boost an ally, particularly as the evidence mounts corroborating Reade’s claim.
Pelosi isn’t the first to erroneously invoke the legal right to due process. As Alexandra Brodsky has written, this constitutional guarantee is a far cry from the baseless notion that “no one can be mad at you unless a judge has donned robes.” The right to due process arises when the state threatens to take away a right to which the accused person is normally entitled. This includes instances where someone faces prison time for an alleged crime or the possibility of a court order that limits where they can physically go as the result of an alleged assault. Further, the extent of the process due depends on the gravity of the right at stake. The fact that a fair investigation may expose Biden to public shame and potential repudiation does not implicate his due process rights. Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection Chris Lehmann Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection Chris Lehmann
Cynical invocations of due process are familiar to survivors. Take, for example, the modern movement against sexual assault on campuses. In the 2010s, survivors of sexual violence organized on campuses across the country to demand action from their schools and the Department of Education after their reports of assault and abuse were routinely swept under the rug. This led to critical but incremental change: In 2011, the department released a Dear Colleague letter, a nonbinding piece of federal guidance that clarified for schools that Title IX’s prohibition on sex discrimination means institutions must respond fairly and promptly to allegations of sexual misconduct. But even the mere prospect of accountability activated a backlash from men’s rights advocates invoking due process to stack the procedural deck in favor of students accused of sexual misconduct. Related Articles I Believe Tara Reade. And You Should, Too. Kate Manne The Troublesome Tara Reade Story Joan Walsh
Thanks in part to this backlash, student survivors continue to face a bleak reality. Survivors have been forced out of school, been punished for being raped or speaking out, lost thousands of dollars, died by suicide, and been killed by intimate partners after their schools refused to take action to keep them safe. But despite these alarming outcomes, Betsy DeVos and her Department of Education have cynically invoked due process as a justification to give the once-fringe voices of men’s rights groups an unprecedented platform in her proposed Title IX rule, one that Biden himself has publicly denounced. To campus survivors, then, Pelosi’s remarks deflecting accountability for Biden sound all too familiar.
So does her blithe assertion that “Joe Biden is Joe Biden,” which echoes the pervasive myth that men who do good—especially for women—can never cause harm. Other influential Democrats, including Kirsten Gillibrand and Stacey Abrams, have attempted to walk a careful line between supporting calls to “believe survivors” and tamping down calls for further scrutiny, claiming that The New York Times’ report and Biden’s legislative history eliminate the need for further investigation. Indeed, many of Biden’s defenders point to his work on the Violence Against Women Act, which was coauthored by Representative Louise Slaughter, though her contribution seems to slip the minds of many. This distorted thinking has long been used to protect ourselves from the sad reality that we all know, and probably care for, rapists, abusers, and harassers. Biden’s work on violence against women does not erase Reade’s allegations, or the multiple allegations by other women of unwanted touching, or his mistreatment of Anita Hill in Clarence Thomas’s 1992 confirmation hearing. If you do not believe us, ask any survivor in your life if their attacker has ever done something good. Indeed, many famous men whose sexual predation has been revealed by the #MeToo movement have made notable contributions to society. That does not lessen their harm.
Unsurprisingly, the burden of responding to these allegations seems to have fallen squarely on the shoulders of Democratic women, as has repeatedly happened in such cases—notably in the party’s response to the allegations against Al Franken (whose resignation Gillibrand promptly called for in 2017). While some congressional Democrats have acknowledged that accusations of this kind are worthy of inquiry, they have failed to call for a formal investigation into Reade’s charges. Both Gillibrand and Abrams have claimed that The New York Times’ inquiry was a sufficiently substantive investigation. For now, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez remains the lone Democratic elected official to call out the recent stream of Democratic attempts to muffle Reade’s voice as “a form of gaslighting,” adding that ignoring these allegations is the “opposite of integrity.” Even so, she stopped short of actually calling for an investigation.
The hypocrisy of the Democratic leadership poses a serious threat to the efforts of student survivors and other feminist advocates to create processes that are fair for survivors and accused persons alike. Despite Pelosi’s deflections, Democrats have an important choice ahead of them: They can either replicate the harmful dismissal of allegations of abuse often attributed to Republicans, or they can show that their values do not bow to partisanship and call for a meaningful investigation into Reade’s accusations. Just as Brett Kavanaugh was not entitled to a nomination process without critical examination, Joe Biden is not entitled to be the Democratic presidential nominee without answering to Tara Reade’s allegations of abuse.


thenation--2020-05-08--Hit Hard by Covid, Nursing-Home Workers Threatened to Strike—and Won

When I spoke to Chris Brown , a certified nursing assistant ( CNA ) who works at a nursing home in Illinois , he was manning the front desk , interrupting our conversation every few minutes to answer calls from concerned loved ones or direct staff to patients who needed care .
His nursing home was frequently short-staffed even before the coronavirus crisis hit .
But now it ’ s chaotic .
“ It ’ s been drastic , ” he said .
“ It ’ s been very hectic.
” At first it felt like no one had a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus , he said .
“ The rules changed every five minutes.
” This led to an atmosphere that “ was very tense all the time , ” with people arguing with each other .
It ’ s a little calmer now , but employees are still scared .
There ’ s an entire floor in his building devoted to residents with Covid-19 ; it ’ s now completely full and they ’ ve had to start putting infected patients on a second floor .
Personal protective equipment was already in short supply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t really have any PPE , ” he said .
He has a hard time finding masks , especially because managers are rationing them .
The ones he can find aren ’ t the N95 masks that are the most protective ; instead , employees are given surgical masks .
The gowns he gets , he says , are cheap and still don ’ t keep his clothes from getting wet .
The gloves are so flimsy that they frequently break while he ’ s working with residents .
They ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Of course I ’ m exposed to it , ” he said of Covid-19 .
“ At this point I believe that everybody in the building has already had it.
” He thinks he too had it , as he lost his sense of taste and smell for 16 days , even though he hasn ’ t been able to get tested .
He ’ s worried he may have brought it home to his mother , who has been staying with him off and on as they try to get her into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll experience long-lasting effects from having had it .
But he can ’ t afford to stay home from work .
He has bills and rent that need to be paid .
He still hasn ’ t gotten his stimulus check , either .
“ If we had the luxury to not be here…I ’ d have done it , ” he said .
“ I feel helpless in a lot of ways.
” But Brown didn ’ t stay helpless .
Along with employees at 64 facilities across Illinois who are members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to go on strike to prod management to act and protect both residents and employees .
They garnered support from residents ’ families , who staged a protest ahead of the strike to underscore their demands .
Will the Pandemic Lead to Better Treatment for Drug Users ?
The Heartbreaking Choices Faced by Child Care Providers on the Front Lines Covid Is About to Become the Newest Excuse for Police Brutality More in this series Their demands included that employees be given more personal protective equipment , that more stringent safety protocols be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be given hazard pay and better base compensation .
They demanded a one-year contract with a wage floor of $ 16 an hour for CNAs and $ 15 for everyone else , plus a 50 percent hazard pay bonus for anyone who works during the coronavirus crisis .
They wanted 80 hours of paid sick leave for anyone who gets Covid-19 , as well as a guarantee from owners that workers who have to take leave to protect their own health or their families ’ health will still get health insurance .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about Covid-19 cases at their facilities and to ensure that staffing levels are adequate to offer quality care .
The solidarity between employees and residents paid off .
On Thursday , the union and the nursing home facilities announced a tentative agreement with concessions that the union called “ significant ” and will avert the strike if approved by a majority of members .
The two-year contract , which will cover over 10,000 union members , includes a $ 15 baseline wage for all workers ; $ 2 per hour hazard pay for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crisis ; more paid sick days for Covid testing , illness , or quarantine ; and provisions that will ensure that workers get adequate PPE that follows regulatory guidelines .
The pay increase is “ the largest wage hike in our history for our employees , ” Bob Monitor , CEO of the Alden Network and member of the Illinois Association of Health Care Facilities , said in a statement .
“ We are grateful a walkout was avoided , and that our heroic staff members will continue caring for our vulnerable seniors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ These gains “ will help safeguard the health and safety of workers and the residents for which they care—at a time when both are vulnerable to the risks associated with COVID-19 , ” an SEIU press release stated .
They “ are a testament to the courage and commitment of workers who were poised to strike.
” But this crisis didn ’ t start with the coronavirus .
Wages have been low and benefits minimal throughout Brown ’ s employment .
He started out earning just $ 9 an hour and got a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nursing home workers nearly went on strike back on 2017 .
He now makes $ 13.90 .
His brother , who works at a grocery store , makes more than he does .
He gets his health insurance through the union .
“ For the most part we don ’ t really have any benefits , ” he said .
Wages at nursing homes have long been low .
Across the country , nursing assistants who work at nursing care facilities can expect to earn less than $ 28,000 a year .
Those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make even less .
Laverne Johnson makes just $ 14.10 an hour in the laundry room after working for her Chicago nursing home for 10 years .
At 65 , she would like to be able to retire soon .
“ I don ’ t want to be working at 70 years old , ” she said .
But “ I can ’ t retire because I ’ m not making enough money.
” She often has to prioritize which bills she ’ ll pay in a given month .
“ You got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pinch here .
That ’ s not fair we got to do that.
” Now she fears she ’ s putting her health at risk .
She has to take city buses to work .
Although her facility originally offered extra hazard pay only to people assigned to work the Covid floor , other staff have to go to the floor as well ; she delivers linens , and the dietary staff delivers meals .
And while the Covid patients ’ laundry isn ’ t supposed to be sent down the general chute @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so she ’ s never sure what she ’ s getting exposed to .
The facility has been waiting two or three days to tell staff when someone tests positive .
“ I don ’ t know if I ’ m working with somebody that has it , ” she said .
Because she ’ s unsure if she ’ s been exposed , she hasn ’ t visited her 91-year-old mother , whom she used to see once or twice a week , in two months .
“ I talk to her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s not the same , ” she said .
When the nurses and nursing assistants are overwhelmed at her facility because of a lack of staff , Johnson often pitches in , serving the residents their lunches and taking them outside for smoke breaks .
Employees are stretched even more thin than usual with the coronavirus .
This past Sunday “ was just chaos , ” she said .
“ They were so short-handed.
” “ We ’ re just overworked and underpaid , ” she said .
For-profit nursing homes often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increase profits , putting a heavier burden on the remaining employees , who have to care for more patients .
Seventy percent of the country ’ s 15,400 facilities are for-profit .
That ’ s been true at the facility where Chris Brown works , where the situation before the pandemic was much the same as during it .
“ We were dealing with these things way before Covid , ” he said .
His facility was frequently short-staffed , leaving CNAs like him to care for 15 to 20 residents per shift @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work—it ’ s also time-intensive .
Brown gets residents out of bed , bathes them , grooms them , dresses them , changes their diapers or helps them go to the bathroom , rotates them so they don ’ t get bed sores , feeds them , and brings them into common areas for meals or activities .
It typically takes him an hour or two to complete everything a resident needs .
His eight-hour shift doesn ’ t leave him enough time to care for everyone .
Residents are “ not receiving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to get , ” he said .
“ We ’ re trying to do the best we can , but we ’ re understaffed and overworked.
” It ’ s hard on him .
He got into his line of work after caring for his grandfather , who was suffering from cancer ; watching his grandfather die in his arms cemented his passion for caregiving .
“ I want to be there for somebody else ’ s family , ” he said .
Supplies already ran low even before having enough equipment became @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brown often couldn ’ t find enough towels or soap for every resident .
He sometimes receives just one bariatric diaper , even though he has multiple residents who need them .
So despite his low pay , he often buys things out of his own pocket .
Nursing home owners run on thin margins in part because Medicaid and other government programs provide low reimbursement rates , which owners say have not kept up with the cost of care .
Many nursing homes are owned by Wall Street firms like private equity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ estate investment trusts , which typically make the facilities rent their properties from the investors .
The contracts usually mandate rent increases every year , creating lucrative profits for investors but saddling facilities with extra costs that are fixed even in the middle of a recession or , now , pandemic .
These underlying economics meant that many residents already lived in low-quality settings before Covid hit .
More than half a million residents lived in facilities that were rated below average , according to The New York Times .
The lowest-rated ones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disinvestment in nursing homes is creating deadly conditions .
Nursing homes across the country have been ravaged by Covid-19 outbreaks .
As of April 28 , more than 2,700 nursing homes , or more than one in six facilities nationwide , had reported cases among residents or staff , according to a Washington Post analysis .
As of April 21 , more than 36,500 residents and staff had contracted Covid-19 .
Some states haven ’ t even released that information yet .
The death count is staggering .
More than 7,000 residents and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where the workers had planned to strike , nursing homes account for 44 percent of the state ’ s total deaths .
But at some of the facilities , employees didn ’ t find out that coworkers had died from Covid-19 until they heard about it on the evening news .
For weeks , nursing home employees sent management dozens of letters and made public appeals asking for better protections and pay .
But when they got no answer , they voted to go on strike and gave management a notice on April @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in hopes of securing the basics : “ Better pay , better PPE , better benefits , ” he explained .
“ I do what I do because I love it .
And I ’ ll continue to do what I do because I love it .
But I just want to be appreciated.
” “ I ’ m putting my life on the line , ” he added .
“ You talk about heroes… Superheroes are appreciated .
But not in health care .
In health care , superheroes just get sick @ @

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The Illinois nursing home where Chris Brown works was frequently short-staffed even before the coronavirus crisis hit. But now it’s chaotic. “It’s been drastic,” he said. “It’s been very hectic.” At first it felt like no one had a real plan for how to handle the virus, he said. “The rules changed every five minutes.” This led to an atmosphere that “was very tense all the time,” with people arguing with each other. It’s a little calmer now, but employees are still scared. There’s an entire floor in his building devoted to residents with Covid-19; it’s now completely full, and they’ve had to start putting infected patients on a second floor.
Personal protective equipment was already in short supply before the pandemic. “Now we don’t really have any PPE,” Brown, a certified nursing assistant (CNA), said. He has a hard time finding masks, especially because managers are rationing them. The ones he can find aren’t the N95 masks that are the most protective; instead, employees are given surgical masks. The gowns he gets, he says, are cheap and still don’t keep his clothes from getting wet. The gloves are so flimsy that they frequently break while he’s working with residents. They’re out of face shields.
“Of course I’m exposed to it,” he said of Covid-19. “At this point I believe that everybody in the building has already had it.” He thinks he’s had it too, since he lost his sense of taste and smell for 16 days, even though he hasn’t been able to get tested. He’s worried he may have brought it home to his mother, who has been staying with him off and on as they try to get her into a home, and that he’ll experience long-lasting effects from having had it. But he can’t afford to stay home from work. He has bills and rent that need to be paid. He still hasn’t gotten his stimulus check, either. “If we had the luxury to not be here…I’d have done it,” he said. “I feel helpless in a lot of ways.”
But Brown didn’t stay helpless. Along with employees at 64 facilities across the state who are members of SEIU Healthcare Illinois, he prepared to go on strike to prod management to act and protect both residents and employees. They garnered support from residents’ families, who staged a protest ahead of the strike to underscore their demands.
Their demands included that employees be given more personal protective equipment, that more stringent safety protocols be put in place, and that employees receive hazard pay and better base compensation. They demanded a one-year contract with a wage floor of $16 an hour for CNAs and $15 for everyone else, plus a 50 percent hazard pay bonus for anyone who works during the coronavirus crisis. They wanted 80 hours of paid sick leave for anyone who gets Covid-19, as well as a guarantee from owners that workers who have to take leave to protect their own or their families’ health will still get health insurance. They also wanted owners to be more transparent about the Covid-19 cases at their facilities and to ensure that staffing levels are adequate to offer quality care. The Coronavirus Crisis Will the Pandemic Lead to Better Treatment for Drug Users? Michelle Chen The Heartbreaking Choices Faced by Child Care Providers on the Front Lines Bryce Covert Covid Is About to Become the Newest Excuse for Police Brutality Elie Mystal
The solidarity between employees and residents paid off. On Thursday, the union and the nursing home facilities announced a tentative agreement with concessions that the union called “significant” and will avert the strike if approved by a majority of members. The two-year contract, which will cover over 10,000 union members, includes a $15 baseline wage for all workers; $2 per hour hazard pay for all employees for the duration of the crisis; more paid sick days for Covid testing, illness, or quarantine; and provisions to ensure that workers get adequate PPE that follows regulatory guidelines. Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection Chris Lehmann Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection Chris Lehmann
The pay increase is “the largest wage hike in our history for our employees,” Bob Monitor, CEO of the Alden Network and member of the Illinois Association of Health Care Facilities, said in a statement. “We are grateful a walkout was avoided, and that our heroic staff members will continue caring for our vulnerable seniors as we fight this battle together.” Current Issue View our current issue
These gains “will help safeguard the health and safety of workers and the residents for which they care—at a time when both are vulnerable to the risks associated with COVID-19,” an SEIU press release stated. They “are a testament to the courage and commitment of workers who were poised to strike.”
But this crisis didn’t start with the coronavirus. Wages have been low and benefits minimal throughout Brown’s employment. He started out earning just $9 an hour and got a raise to $13 only after Illinois nursing home workers nearly went on strike back in 2017. He now makes $13.90. His brother, who works at a grocery store, makes more than he does. He gets his health insurance through the union. “For the most part we don’t really have any benefits,” he said.
Wages at nursing homes have long been low. Across the country, nursing assistants who work at nursing care facilities can expect to earn less than $28,000 a year. Those who keep the buildings and sheets clean make even less.
Laverne Johnson makes just $14.10 an hour in the laundry room after working for her Chicago nursing home for 10 years. At 65, she would like to be able to retire soon. “I don’t want to be working at 70 years old,” she said. But “I can’t retire because I’m not making enough money.” She often has to prioritize which bills she’ll pay in a given month. “You got to pinch here, pinch here, pinch here. That’s not fair we got to do that.”
Now she fears she’s putting her health at risk. She has to take city buses to work. Although her facility originally offered extra hazard pay only to people assigned to work the Covid floor, other staff members have to go to the floor as well; Johnson delivers linens, and the dietary staff delivers meals. And while the Covid patients’ laundry isn’t supposed to be sent down the general chute, it often gets mixed in, so she’s never sure what she’s getting exposed to. The facility has been waiting two or three days to tell staff when someone tests positive. “I don’t know if I’m working with somebody that has it,” she said.
Because she’s unsure if she’s been exposed, she hasn’t visited her 91-year-old mother, whom she used to see once or twice a week, in two months. “I talk to her on the phone everyday, but that’s not the same,” she said.
When the nurses and nursing assistants are overwhelmed at her facility because of a lack of staff, Johnson often pitches in, serving the residents their lunches and taking them outside for smoke breaks. Employees are stretched even more thinly than usual with the coronavirus. This past Sunday “was just chaos,” Johnson said. “They were so short-handed.”
“We’re just overworked and underpaid,” she added.
For-profit nursing homes often keep staffing levels low in order to increase profits, putting a heavier burden on the remaining employees, who have to care for more patients. Seventy percent of the country’s 15,400 facilities are for-profit.
That’s been true at the facility where Brown works, where the situation before the pandemic was much the same as during it. “We were dealing with these things way before Covid,” he said. His facility was frequently short-staffed, leaving CNAs like him to care for 15 to 20 residents per shift. It’s not just backbreaking work—it’s also time-intensive. Brown gets residents out of bed, bathes them, grooms them, dresses them, changes their diapers or helps them go to the bathroom, rotates them so they don’t get bed sores, feeds them, and brings them into common areas for meals or activities. It typically takes him an hour or two to complete everything a resident needs.
His eight-hour shift doesn’t leave him enough time to care for everyone. Residents are “not receiving the care that they’re supposed to get,” he said. “We’re trying to do the best we can, but we’re understaffed and overworked.” It’s hard on him. He got into this line of work after caring for his grandfather, who was suffering from cancer; watching his grandfather die in his arms cemented his passion for caregiving. “I want to be there for somebody else’s family,” he said.
Supplies at the facility already ran low even before having enough equipment became a matter of life and death. Brown often couldn’t find enough towels or soap for every resident. He sometimes receives just one bariatric diaper, even though he has multiple residents who need them. So despite his low pay, he often buys things out of his own pocket.
Nursing home owners run on thin margins in part because Medicaid and other government programs provide low reimbursement rates, which owners say have not kept up with the cost of care. Many nursing homes are owned by Wall Street investment firms, private equity shops, or real estate investment trusts, which typically make the facilities rent their properties from the investors. The contracts usually mandate rent increases every year, creating lucrative profits for investors but saddling facilities with extra costs that are fixed even in the middle of a recession or, now, a pandemic.
These underlying economics meant that many residents already lived in low-quality settings before Covid hit. More than half a million people lived in facilities that were rated below average, according to The New York Times. The lowest-rated ones are disproportionately for-profit.
Now, the disinvestment in nursing homes is creating deadly conditions. Nursing homes across the country have been ravaged by Covid-19 outbreaks. As of April 28, more than 2,700 nursing homes, or more than one in six facilities nationwide, had reported cases among residents or staff, according to a Washington Post analysis. As of April 21, more than 36,500 residents and staff had contracted Covid-19. Some states haven’t even released this information yet. The death count so far is staggering: More than 7,000 residents and staff have died.
In Illinois, where the workers had planned to strike, nursing homes account for 44 percent of the state’s total deaths. But at some of the facilities, employees didn’t find out that coworkers had died from Covid-19 until they heard about it on the evening news.
For weeks, nursing home employees sent management dozens of letters and made public appeals asking for better protections and pay. But when they got no answer, they voted to go on strike and gave management a notice on April 27. Brown was prepared to strike in hopes of securing the basics: “Better pay, better PPE, better benefits,” he explained. “I do what I do because I love it. And I’ll continue to do what I do because I love it. But I just want to be appreciated.”
“I’m putting my life on the line,” he added. “You talk about heroes… Superheroes are appreciated. But not in health care. In health care, superheroes just get sick.”