thenation--2020-12-30--Sniffing Our Way Back

Sniffing Our Way Back

ade ity , la.—The last time I kissed a man was almost a year ago , just before the virus closed the country .
The gentleman caller standing outside my trailer had been giving me that look over the previous few days in the pool that serves as a gathering spot at our winter gay campground .
On the day before I was to leave for the trip back north , this handsome chap mustered the courage to knock at my door .
Since I would be gone before the gossip at the pool would undoubtedly identify me as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advances .
I am no virgin , but when he touched me , I felt like Madonna descending those tiny aluminum steps .
Then he laid into me with one of those enveloping kisses , the kind where your foot magically rises upward to the sun .
I mostly remember his Juicy Fruit taste and musky smell .
There I was back to my roots with that primal move .
It was the calling that began 50 years ago for me when I joined the Gay Liberation Front .
Although hardly anyone in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the desire to have sex without police , state , and church interference had brought us together in the first place , and the GLF was a consciously left group that saw ending this thousands-of-years-old oppression of same-sexers as part of the big radical project for self-determination .
We certainly were not aiming to ape heterosexual marriage or collect a lover ’ s Social Security ( though I wouldn ’ t mind a few reparations thrown my way for my suffering ) .
We wanted to change the world .
Many of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was from that kiss , I managed to climb into my three-quarter-ton truck pulling the trailer back home to Vermont .
On the Interstate , the radio began crackling out the horror .
Shelter at home !
… Stay six feet apart… Wash your hands… Don ’ t eat out… The death toll today is 300… Experts say 100,000 will die by April .
The Most Vital Transition Is Ours What I Learned Moving Cross-Country Twice in 4 Months More in this series How ironic that Covid attacks the ultimate tools we have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also for the human , political connections we need to rebuild the left .
By the time I got to the farm in Vermont , it was clear that 2020 would interrupt a 45-year tradition of hosting gangs of people who ’ ve dreamed freedom dreams .
The tradition began at the farm in the 1970s with my partner Andrew Kopkind , a brilliant journalist—whom I met in Boston ’ s cruising grounds one happy day in 1971 when the Vice Squad chased us out of the Fens—and continued after his death , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whose participants have been contributing to this series .
There are some things that Zoom just can not replace .
How do you Zoom a tasty meal of garden produce being served around a large table of comrades discussing Black Lives Matter tactics ?
Or extended conversations about works-in-progress , a problem of politics , or any subject that can be only scratched in a workshop ?
How do you Zoom the play of imagination that emerges from among people together ?
Or the fecund aroma of Chinese chestnut blooms begging to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talk about ?
Or the sumptuous touch of your new lover slinking into the hot tub as Bruno Mars sings from speakers on the deck : “ If you ’ re freaky , then own it !
” Now , nine months after the beginning of this new plague , there ’ s a baby bust .
As I chugged into our campsite this year , things looked the same , but quickly the changes added up .
Old mates keep their distance , and the bear hugs are gone .
On the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sites , instead of little group trysts one sees the loner , and instead of that look , eyes are filled with caution .
A neighbor who almost died of Covid says that three months after surviving the worst symptoms , he still can ’ t smell or taste ; he fears those senses might never fully return .
The pool has a quota now , and the drag queens at bingo are forced to lip-synch in the outdoor chill .
In a campsite that always celebrated the realm of the senses , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that sends us back into the closet , sexually speaking ?
We ’ ve all seen the attacks on social media about gay folks packed in bars or campsites , with claims that gays are creating spreader events .
Same-sexers have always been high on the list of blame for spreading contagion .
Desire is political—like hunger—and not just because the right has exploited it for strategic gain .
Closeness , sexual or not , is political ; its opposite is alienation .
One of the amazing features of Occupy Wall Street in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to feel , talk , press against another shoulder , hear one ’ s own voice with others echoing , We are… we are… we are… , ” as my dear friend JoAnn Wypijewski wrote here in 2011 .
A young man had told her and Kopkinder Prerna Sampat , “ You know , if you count it up , the average college senior has spent two years of his life playing video games.
” That fellow was 21 .
Like others they spoke with , he was drawn first by curiosity or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so much solitude as a cyberborg , being close to others smelled like freedom .
The Trumpsters brayed that if Biden and Harris won , socialist guerrillas would overrun the government , and Cory Booker would move into your white neighborhood .
To this , I borrow the language of the cyberborgs : LOL .
Sadly , most Democrats are not of the left , certainly not the left of the 1930s , which inspired Social Security and , throughout much of the world , nationalized health care ; or the New Left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change like civil rights for Blacks , women ’ s rights , gay and lesbian rights , and the sexual revolution .
The left started those movements , and its agenda for peace , international solidarity , and liberation from forms of oppression that are interconnected excited millions toward positive change .
Now begins the era of the vaccine .
Eventually , the new-new left , led by many young LGBT Black folks and their allied comrades in hundreds of radical organizations , who have struggled valiantly in this economic and health crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , smell , taste , and love one another to bring history another step forward .
And I can not wait for my next kiss .
Scenes From a Pandemic is a collaboration between The Nation and Kopkind , a living memorial to radical journalist Andrew Kopkind , who from 1982–94 was the magazine ’ s chief political writer and analyst .
This series of dispatches from Kopkind ’ s far-flung network of participants , advisers , guests , and friends is edited by Nation contributor and Kopkind program director JoAnn Wypijewski , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

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D ade C ity, F la.—The last time I kissed a man was almost a year ago, just before the virus closed the country. The gentleman caller standing outside my trailer had been giving me that look over the previous few days in the pool that serves as a gathering spot at our winter gay campground. On the day before I was to leave for the trip back north, this handsome chap mustered the courage to knock at my door. Since I would be gone before the gossip at the pool would undoubtedly identify me as a slut, I gave in to his advances.
I am no virgin, but when he touched me, I felt like Madonna descending those tiny aluminum steps. Then he laid into me with one of those enveloping kisses, the kind where your foot magically rises upward to the sun. I mostly remember his Juicy Fruit taste and musky smell.
There I was back to my roots with that primal move. It was the calling that began 50 years ago for me when I joined the Gay Liberation Front. Although hardly anyone in the LGBT movement mentions it these days, the desire to have sex without police, state, and church interference had brought us together in the first place, and the GLF was a consciously left group that saw ending this thousands-of-years-old oppression of same-sexers as part of the big radical project for self-determination. We certainly were not aiming to ape heterosexual marriage or collect a lover’s Social Security (though I wouldn’t mind a few reparations thrown my way for my suffering). We wanted to change the world. Many of us still do.
Woozy as I was from that kiss, I managed to climb into my three-quarter-ton truck pulling the trailer back home to Vermont. On the Interstate, the radio began crackling out the horror. Shelter at home!… Stay six feet apart… Wash your hands… Don’t eat out… The death toll today is 300… Experts say 100,000 will die by April. Scenes From a Pandemic Untethered, or The Year of Living Virtually Patricia J. Williams The Art of the Meal Mary Lewis Maybe We Shouldn’t Go Back to Normal Bri M.
How ironic that Covid attacks the ultimate tools we have for intimate connection—smell, taste, closeness—and also for the human, political connections we need to rebuild the left.
By the time I got to the farm in Vermont, it was clear that 2020 would interrupt a 45-year tradition of hosting gangs of people who’ve dreamed freedom dreams. The tradition began at the farm in the 1970s with my partner Andrew Kopkind, a brilliant journalist—whom I met in Boston’s cruising grounds one happy day in 1971 when the Vice Squad chased us out of the Fens—and continued after his death, in 1994, with the living memorial whose participants have been contributing to this series.
There are some things that Zoom just cannot replace. How do you Zoom a tasty meal of garden produce being served around a large table of comrades discussing Black Lives Matter tactics? Or extended conversations about works-in-progress, a problem of politics, or any subject that can be only scratched in a workshop? How do you Zoom the play of imagination that emerges from among people together? Or the fecund aroma of Chinese chestnut blooms begging to be compared to something you shouldn’t talk about? Or the sumptuous touch of your new lover slinking into the hot tub as Bruno Mars sings from speakers on the deck: “If you’re freaky, then own it!” 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 My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung 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 My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung Current Issue View our current issue
Now, nine months after the beginning of this new plague, there’s a baby bust. As I chugged into our campsite this year, things looked the same, but quickly the changes added up. Old mates keep their distance, and the bear hugs are gone. On the “trails,” the outdoor cruising sites, instead of little group trysts one sees the loner, and instead of that look, eyes are filled with caution. A neighbor who almost died of Covid says that three months after surviving the worst symptoms, he still can’t smell or taste; he fears those senses might never fully return. The pool has a quota now, and the drag queens at bingo are forced to lip-synch in the outdoor chill. In a campsite that always celebrated the realm of the senses, will this second plague be the one that sends us back into the closet, sexually speaking? We’ve all seen the attacks on social media about gay folks packed in bars or campsites, with claims that gays are creating spreader events. Same-sexers have always been high on the list of blame for spreading contagion.
Desire is political—like hunger—and not just because the right has exploited it for strategic gain. Closeness, sexual or not, is political; its opposite is alienation. One of the amazing features of Occupy Wall Street in Zuccotti Park was this “elation just to feel, talk, press against another shoulder, hear one’s own voice with others echoing, We are… we are… we are…,” as my dear friend JoAnn Wypijewski wrote here in 2011. A young man had told her and Kopkinder Prerna Sampat, “You know, if you count it up, the average college senior has spent two years of his life playing video games.” That fellow was 21. Like others they spoke with, he was drawn first by curiosity or protest, and kept coming because after so much solitude as a cyberborg, being close to others smelled like freedom.
The Trumpsters brayed that if Biden and Harris won, socialist guerrillas would overrun the government, and Cory Booker would move into your white neighborhood. To this, I borrow the language of the cyberborgs: LOL. Sadly, most Democrats are not of the left, certainly not the left of the 1930s, which inspired Social Security and, throughout much of the world, nationalized health care; or the New Left of the 1960s, which drove fundamental change like civil rights for Blacks, women’s rights, gay and lesbian rights, and the sexual revolution. The left started those movements, and its agenda for peace, international solidarity, and liberation from forms of oppression that are interconnected excited millions toward positive change.
Now begins the era of the vaccine. Eventually, the new-new left, led by many young LGBT Black folks and their allied comrades in hundreds of radical organizations, who have struggled valiantly in this economic and health crisis, will gather together, get close, smell, taste, and love one another to bring history another step forward. And I cannot wait for my next kiss.
Scenes From a Pandemic is a collaboration between The Nation and Kopkind, a living memorial to radical journalist Andrew Kopkind, who from 1982–94 was the magazine’s chief political writer and analyst. This series of dispatches from Kopkind’s far-flung network of participants, advisers, guests, and friends is edited by Nation contributor and Kopkind program director JoAnn Wypijewski, and appears weekly on thenation.com and kopkind.org.


thenation--2020-12-31--Give the Students a Round of Applause

Give the Students a Round of Applause

It ’ s been a tumultuous , traumatic year , and students have seen some of the worst of it .
With Covid-19 came abrupt campus closures , transitioning to online-only education , and the dissolution of student life as we ’ ve come to know it .
But through it all , young people continued to organize .
They not only kept their pre-pandemic priorities alive amid the chaos , they fought for fair treatment for their fellow students and educators in the face of a worldwide slow-motion catastrophe : reduced tuition , better access to resources , some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students wrote about it for Student Nation .
We ’ ve selected a few articles from the past year to highlight their extraordinary work .
We ’ re deeply grateful to the Puffin Foundation whose enormous generosity made this work possible .
January 24 : These Students Are Bringing Transformative Justice to Their Campus This article detailed how a group of students brought about Brown ’ s first-ever transformative justice center and the first formal transformative justice practitioner to be employed on a college campus .
It combines deep reporting with the personal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Students Shouldn ’ t Have to Choose Between Groceries and Therapy This reported piece looks into mental health care access at Stanford University to highlight a nationwide issue on college campus : despite skyrocketing debt , uncertain job markets , and higher pressure for achievement than ever , schools are not doing nearly enough to make sure their students have the mental health care they need .
This article describes how HBCUs have become a desert of reproductive health resources .
In the personal stories detailed within , young black women explain how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a system that feels “ like an experience preserved from decades ago.
” Only 12 of the 101 HBCUs across the country have officially recognized their Planned Parenthood campus chapters—and young HBCU students are working to change that .
This story was produced for Student Nation , a section devoted to highlighting campus activism and student movements from students in their own words .
For more Student Nation , check out our archive .
Are you a student with a campus activism story ?
Send questions and pitches to Samantha Schuyler at samantha @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is made possible through generous funding from The Puffin Foundation .
February 10 : We ’ re California Graduate Students , and We ’ re Not Taking Poverty Wages Anymore , ( and a follow-up , April 6 : The University of California Strike Enters Its 4th Month ) We were the first to break the news that UC Santa Cruz was going on strike for better conditions and wages—grad students were sleeping in cars , and the situation had become intolerable .
By the fourth month of the strike , when we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turned into a full-fledged , month-long picket and had spread to several other schools within the UC system .
March 16 : Campuses Across the Country Are Closing—Here Are the Students Impacted As campuses began to close in March , we sent out a question to our previous contributors : How are you being affected by campus shutdowns ?
We received many heartbreaking responses that showed while their universities were doing the right thing to curtail the virus , they were not reckoning with the fallout among their students , who rely not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but for their day-to-day lives .
April 1 : Campuses Are Closed , But Student Journalists Are Still Working Early in the pandemic , Rebecca Duke Weisenberg reported on student newspapers and magazines across the country , and how they were doing extremely important work , despite losing their physical offices and the ability to talk to sources in person .
April 13 : These Students Took Care of Each Other When Their Universities Didn ’ t As a consequence of campuses across the country shutting down during the first wave of Covid-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crucial resources : housing , food , a paycheck from campus jobs .
Schools were so slow to correct this that students and professors rose to the occasion , developing mutual aid networks to support their peers when the institution they relied on did not .
April 16 : Fossil Fuel Companies Are Suffering Under the Coronavirus .
Good .
One of the few positive outcomes of the pandemic : fossil fuel companies suffered .
May 13 : The Coronavirus Is Hitting Tribal Schools Hard Frequent contributor Mary Retta reported from Native schools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closures were uniquely impacting them .
Online-only classes are difficult on reservations with poor Internet connection .
Native students , who are more likely than other students to experience food and housing insecurity , have had to make do without their dorms , food provided by the university , or even campus jobs .
( Mary has also gone on to become a columnist with Teen Vogue ! )
June 15 : What About the International Students ?
A reported essay from Jimin Kang , a student at Harvard from South Korea , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alongside Trump ’ s fluctuating , unpredictable immigration policies while the pandemic unfolded .
August 25 : The Children of Incarcerated People Vote , Too Students have been active in the “ Defund the Police ” movement , in many cases because they have firsthand experience : police are a constant present in public schools across the country .
About 200 Chicago students , in a protest to remove police presence from their campuses , proved their own point by getting beaten and pepper sprayed by police that kettled them in the streets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Student Nation published a series in partnership with American University , called Vision 2020 , that asked student journalists to report on the electoral concerns of their peers .
This Vision 2020 piece reckoned with young climate activists about their demands and efforts to turn climate into a defining electoral issue .
September 25 : The Children of Incarcerated People Vote , Too This Vision 2020 piece looks at a frequently overlooked population : the young children of incarcerated men and women .
Criminal justice , for them , is not only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their lives .
And their demands , both for changes in policy and perception of their loved ones , will have a lasting hold on their votes into the future .
This Vision 2020 piece looks at how the United States ’ history of Islamophobia has influenced an entire generation of young voters .
October 30 : For DeVos , the Pandemic Is Just Another Opportunity for Profit A severe critique of Betsy DeVos ’ s leadership during the pandemic .

Subscribe to The Nation Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month!
Get The Nation’s Weekly Newsletter Fridays. The best of the week. Email By signing up, you confirm that you are over the age of 16 and agree to receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Fridays. The best of the week.
Thank you for signing up for The Nation’s weekly newsletter.
Repro Nation A monthly newsletter on the global fight for reproductive freedom. Email By signing up, you confirm that you are over the age of 16 and agree to receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here.
Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue
Subscribe to The Nation Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month!
Support Progressive Journalism The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter.
Sign up for our Wine Club today. Did you know you can support The Nation by drinking wine?
It’s been a tumultuous, traumatic year, and students have seen some of the worst of it. With Covid-19 came abrupt campus closures, transitioning to online-only education, and the dissolution of student life as we’ve come to know it. But through it all, young people continued to organize. They not only kept their pre-pandemic priorities alive amid the chaos; they fought for fair treatment for their fellow students and educators in the face of a worldwide slow-motion catastrophe: reduced tuition, better access to resources, some assurance of stability. Some of these students wrote about it for Student Nation. We’ve selected a few articles from the past year to highlight their extraordinary work. We’re deeply grateful to the Puffin Foundation, whose enormous generosity made this work possible.
January 24: These Students Are Bringing Transformative Justice to Their Campus
This article detailed how a group of students brought about Brown’s first-ever transformative-justice center, with the first formal transformative-justice practitioner to be employed on a college campus. It combines deep reporting with the personal stories of students.
This reported piece looks into mental health care access at Stanford University to highlight a nationwide issue on college campus: Despite skyrocketing debt, uncertain job markets, and higher pressure for achievement than ever, schools are not doing nearly enough to make sure their students have the mental health care they need.
February 13: The Reproductive Justice Gap at HBCUs
This article describes how HBCUs have become a desert of reproductive health resources. In the personal stories detailed within, young black women explain how they have felt shamed and pressured in a system that feels “like an experience preserved from decades ago.” Only 12 of the 101 HBCUs across the country have officially recognized their Planned Parenthood campus chapters—and young HBCU students are working to change that. This story was produced for Student Nation, a section devoted to highlighting campus activism and student movements from students in their own words. For more Student Nation, check out our archive. Are you a student with a campus activism story? Send questions and pitches to Samantha Schuyler at [email protected]. The Student Nation program is made possible through generous funding from The Puffin Foundation.
We were the first to break the news that the University of California–Santa Cruz was going on strike for better conditions and wages—grad students were sleeping in cars, and the situation had become intolerable. By the fourth month of the strike, when we published an update, the strike had turned into a full-fledged, month-long picket and had spread to several other schools within the UC system.
As campuses began to close in March, we sent out a question to our previous contributors: How are you being affected by campus shutdowns? We received many heartbreaking responses showing that, although universities were doing the right thing to curtail the virus, they were not reckoning with the fallout among their students, who rely on them not only for an education but also in their day-to-day lives. 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 My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung 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 My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung
Early in the pandemic, Rebecca Duke Weisenberg reported on student newspapers and magazines across the country, and how they were doing extremely important work, despite losing their physical offices and the ability to talk to sources in person. Current Issue View our current issue
When campuses across the country were shut down during the first wave of Covid-19, many students were cut off from crucial resources: housing, food, a paycheck from campus jobs. Schools were so slow to correct this that students and professors rose to the occasion, developing mutual aid networks to support their peers when the institution they relied on did not.
One of the few positive outcomes of the pandemic: Fossil fuel companies suffered.
May 13: The Coronavirus Is Hitting Tribal Schools Hard
Frequent contributor Mary Retta reported from Native schools across the country, and how the closures were uniquely impacting them. Online-only classes are difficult on reservations with poor Internet connection. Native students, who are more likely than other students to experience food and housing insecurity, have had to make do without their dorms, food provided by the university, or even campus jobs. (Mary has also gone on to become a columnist with Teen Vogue!)
A reported essay from Jimin Kang, a student at Harvard from South Korea, about the difficulties fellow international students experienced alongside Trump’s fluctuating, unpredictable immigration policies while the pandemic unfolded.
Students have been active in the “Defund the Police” movement, in many cases because they have firsthand experience: Police are a constant present in public schools across the country. About 200 Chicago students, in a protest to remove police presence from their campuses, proved their own point by getting beaten and pepper-sprayed by police who kettled them in the streets.
In the run-up to the election, Student Nation published a series in partnership with American University, called Vision 2020, that asked student journalists to report on the electoral concerns of their peers. This Vision 2020 piece focused on the demands of young climate activists and their efforts to turn climate into a defining electoral issue.
This Vision 2020 piece looks at a frequently overlooked population: the young children of incarcerated men and women. Criminal justice, for them, is not only personal—it’s shaped the course of their lives. And their demands, both for changes in policy and perception of their loved ones, will have a lasting hold on their votes into the future.
This Vision 2020 piece looks at how the United States’ history of Islamophobia has influenced an entire generation of young voters.
A severe critique of Betsy DeVos’s leadership during the pandemic.


thenation--2020-12-31--What an Ex-Cop Learned in Prison About Police Culture

In May 2020 , three words rang out in Minneapolis that would become the mantra of a revolution : “ I can ’ t breathe.
” George Floyd uttered the phrase with the simple hope that the police officer kneeling on his neck would let him live , but the words resonated through communities that understood what it meant to be suffocated by those entrusted to protect them .
Millions took to the streets around the world , and cops responded with the same violence that was being protested .
As Brooks Laughlin watched from a prison cell in Washington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help the protesters and the police understand each other .
He thought he knew from experience exactly what was toxic with police culture and how it could be overcome .
In December , I sat with him on the gymnasium floor of the Monroe Correctional Complex .
He leaned back against a brick wall—his wide , muscular build a testament to his love of powerlifting .
Laughlin always seems tough and collected , and seldom shows any emotion .
In 2006 , he graduated from Washington state ’ s police academy with top @ @ @ @ @ @ @ became the Bellingham Police Department ’ s youngest hire in decades .
For the next 13 years , he worked as a drug detective ; a range master , charged with training and qualifying officers with guns ; a member of the National Tactical Officers ’ Association ; and an undercover operative in federal organized crime investigations .
He literally wrote the test given to all new officers in his department .
He planned and executed drug raids , was involved in shoot-outs , and trained SWAT teams .
He was the type @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But all the while a secret haunted him that would eventually help land him in prison : “ Since I was young , I knew I had Bipolar Disorder Type I .
My mum recognized a lot of it , because growing up her dad was bipolar , and he went to prison and mental institutions for robbing his bank.
” By the time Laughlin was 13 , he said he also knew that he would grow up to become a cop .
At 14 , he joined the Police Explorers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ participate in training simulations with the SWAT team .
For him , he said , “ there was this picture of law enforcement that was a false picture of perfection.
” His assimilation into police culture started early .
“ As an Explorer , I learned there are slangs for everything .
Four-eighty-one was the clearing code for someone who was crazy .
That was my first glimpse into the dehumanization , ” he told me .
“ They didn ’ t call it someone who is having a crisis .
No , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like I can ’ t be a four-eighty-one , so I didn ’ t go get a diagnosis.
” At the Academy , he was indoctrinated into an “ us versus the world ” mentality and learned just how deep such dehumanization ran .
He said he learned the “ colloquial terms for people you encounter , such as ‘ doper , ’ ‘ skell ’ [ short for skeleton ] , ‘ mope , ’ and ‘ thug.
’ ” He said he understands now how they carry “ clear racial undertones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t take long for a recruit to be totally enmeshed into their new cop identity.
” As a young officer , he embraced police culture , which he now describes as cult-like .
He married a girl with whom he had been an Explorer and whose father was on the force .
They bought a home in suburbia , and had their first child when he was 26 .
To onlookers , he was a poster child for the aforementioned picture of police perfection , but at work , very different @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I responded to dead bodies , ranging from suicides , drug overdoses , car accidents , to natural causes .
I was in a shoot-out before my training was even over .
Less than a month off , I was the first on the scene of a drug homicide , where I had to hold someone ’ s brains in with a towel .
He didn ’ t make it .
That was just the tip of the iceberg of the horrors I would see and experience over the next dozen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the carnage and suffering—often the result of the War on Drugs—drove even the most callous of cops into self-imposed isolation : “ It becomes hard to relate to outsiders .
The only people you can relate to are those in your tribe .
Your identity becomes fused to that of a cop .
This extreme tribalism is the root of toxic police culture .
Those that don ’ t face the isolation are ostracized and usually don ’ t make probationary officer status.
” Incarcerated , Infected , and Ignored : Inside an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he explained , also play a role .
The typical recruit is a white male in his mid-20s with at least some college education .
Combine this with a screening for mental illness and a criminal background , and you end up with officers without the experiences of hardship that can help them relate to those they meet in the field .
Before long , the Laughlins brought another child into the world .
During the birth , Brook Laughlin ’ s mother was rushed to a hospital in Seattle for an emergency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her brain .
“ I couldn ’ t be there because my daughter was being born .
It triggered me being manic , because everything was about me or my mum .
That ’ s when I stopped giving a shit , ” he said .
She survived the surgery and got to meet her second granddaughter , but missed the birth of her third by two weeks .
In 2015 , Laughlin received a call on his birthday from his father telling him he needed to go see his mum .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had kept him grounded since he was a child .
Within months , Laughlin ’ s marriage unraveled .
He began drinking heavily and soon eloped with a woman from the force with whom he ’ d been having an affair .
Fully immersed in a macho workplace , he ignored his declining mental health and normalized his own violent behavior .
In 2018 , Laughlin was arrested for second degree assault/domestic violence against his wife and sentenced to 96 months in prison .
He told me , “ What I did to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I hurt the person , other than my kids , I loved the most.
” He said being in prison challenged everything he had been trained to believe about the criminal justice system .
“ During my trial , they said I had attended something like 3,800 hours of training , not including the ones I spent teaching .
The thing that struck me was that in all those hundreds of hours , none of it told me anything about what life in prison and convict culture is really like .
I had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ led to behaviors on the streets.
” Laughlin said that it was the people he met in county jail and prison that led to his realization about the police : “ It was people that led me to see and understand that mass incarceration and aggressive policing is doing no good for this country .
We are systemically setting up generations of disenfranchised people for state-sponsored slavery.
” In an era where the idea of police reform has become popular , Laughlin said he feels a responsibility to use his experience on both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solutions : “ Our nation ’ s drug strategies have done a lot to shape modern policing .
Drug enforcement is mostly done where it ’ s most visible : the urban street level in poor communities , primarily of color .
Drug arrests are easy to self-initiate , which makes them very appealing for cops wishing to generate stats .
I believe shifting the drug strategy away from a law enforcement issue to a public health one would improve police ’ s relationships with the communities they serve .
Mental health also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only does law enforcement need to change how they view mental health in the community , but also among their own ranks.
” Laughlin is set for release in 2023 , and he said he wants to use his expertise to fight for social justice .
He spends his days in prison strumming an acoustic guitar and developing a consulting program that will work with police departments to hold meetings with the formerly incarcerated to further what he believes might be the most important conversation in the country .
Recognizing the transformative power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ once viewed as enemies , he said he believes that it ’ s crucial for officers to experience these encounters as well .
“ I want to use my experience to help bridge gaps with police agencies and those they serve .
I have a plan for classes for law enforcement , where I would bring in convicts to help facilitate learning .
Not to lecture or share trade secrets by either side , but in collaborative groups , to work towards solutions.
” He also pointed out that police performance is typically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and other enforcement means .
“ Reviews and statistics for arrests are used when officers try out for special units and promotions , ” he told me .
“ There ’ s no measure of ‘ What good did you do in people ’ s lives ?
’ Drug crimes , which are predominantly enforced in communities of color , are the easiest target for a stat-hungry officer .
The way we allow agencies to use enforcement statistics as a metric of performance is , in itself a testament to systemic racism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be eliminated.
” Lastly , he said his time as a convict has changed his views about outside oversight .
The Department of Corrections , much like the police force , handles all complaints in-house .
He said that this means they ’ re likely handled by friends of those in power and thrown out , which provides police and prison guards with almost complete impunity .
Laughlin knows the underlying system needs to be changed , but he urged individual officers to not lose themselves in the uniform , and wanted to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this : “ Ignore the stigma our police culture has created about mental health .
The most manly thing you can do is ask for help .
If your anger is getting out of control , your work life is perfect , but marriage is a mess , or you think of harming yourself , deal with it now , so you don ’ t end up as the next cop making headlines .
”

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In May 2020, three words rang out in Minneapolis that would become the mantra of a revolution: “I can’t breathe.”
George Floyd uttered the phrase with the simple hope that the police officer kneeling on his neck would let him live, but the words resonated through communities that understood what it meant to be suffocated by those entrusted to protect them. Millions took to the streets around the world, and cops responded with the same violence that was being protested. As Brooks Laughlin watched from a prison cell in Washington state, he was sure he could help the protesters and the police understand each other. He thought he knew from experience exactly what was toxic with police culture and how it could be overcome.
In December, I sat with him on the gymnasium floor of the Monroe Correctional Complex. He leaned back against a brick wall—his wide, muscular build a testament to his love of powerlifting. Laughlin always seems tough and collected, and seldom shows any emotion.
In 2006, he graduated from Washington state’s police academy with top honors, and then at 21, became the Bellingham Police Department’s youngest hire in decades. For the next 13 years, he worked as a drug detective; a range master, charged with training and qualifying officers with guns; a member of the National Tactical Officers’ Association; and an undercover operative in federal organized crime investigations. He literally wrote the test given to all new officers in his department. He planned and executed drug raids, was involved in shoot-outs, and trained SWAT teams. He was the type of cop about which movies are made.
But all the while a secret haunted him that would eventually help land him in prison: “Since I was young, I knew I had Bipolar Disorder Type I. My mum recognized a lot of it, because growing up her dad was bipolar, and he went to prison and mental institutions for robbing his bank.”
By the time Laughlin was 13, he said he also knew that he would grow up to become a cop. At 14, he joined the Police Explorers, where he got to do ride-alongs and participate in training simulations with the SWAT team. For him, he said, “there was this picture of law enforcement that was a false picture of perfection.”
His assimilation into police culture started early. “As an Explorer, I learned there are slangs for everything. Four-eighty-one was the clearing code for someone who was crazy. That was my first glimpse into the dehumanization,” he told me. “They didn’t call it someone who is having a crisis. No, this is a four-eighty-one. I was like I can’t be a four-eighty-one, so I didn’t go get a diagnosis.” 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 My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung 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 My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung Current Issue View our current issue
At the Academy, he was indoctrinated into an “us versus the world” mentality and learned just how deep such dehumanization ran. He said he learned the “colloquial terms for people you encounter, such as ‘doper,’ ‘skell’ [short for skeleton], ‘mope,’ and ‘thug.’” He said he understands now how they carry “clear racial undertones,” but explained that “it doesn’t take long for a recruit to be totally enmeshed into their new cop identity.”
As a young officer, he embraced police culture, which he now describes as cult-like. He married a girl with whom he had been an Explorer and whose father was on the force. They bought a home in suburbia, and had their first child when he was 26. To onlookers, he was a poster child for the aforementioned picture of police perfection, but at work, very different images were being seared into his memory. “I responded to dead bodies, ranging from suicides, drug overdoses, car accidents, to natural causes. I was in a shoot-out before my training was even over. Less than a month off, I was the first on the scene of a drug homicide, where I had to hold someone’s brains in with a towel. He didn’t make it. That was just the tip of the iceberg of the horrors I would see and experience over the next dozen years.”
He told me that witnessing the carnage and suffering—often the result of the War on Drugs—drove even the most callous of cops into self-imposed isolation: “It becomes hard to relate to outsiders. The only people you can relate to are those in your tribe. Your identity becomes fused to that of a cop. This extreme tribalism is the root of toxic police culture. Those that don’t face the isolation are ostracized and usually don’t make probationary officer status.” Related Article Incarcerated, Infected, and Ignored: Inside an Arkansas Prison Outbreak Molly Minta
The hiring practices, he explained, also play a role. The typical recruit is a white male in his mid-20s with at least some college education. Combine this with a screening for mental illness and a criminal background, and you end up with officers without the experiences of hardship that can help them relate to those they meet in the field.
Before long, the Laughlins brought another child into the world. During the birth, Brook Laughlin’s mother was rushed to a hospital in Seattle for an emergency operation related to a softball-sized tumor in her brain. “I couldn’t be there because my daughter was being born. It triggered me being manic, because everything was about me or my mum. That’s when I stopped giving a shit,” he said.
She survived the surgery and got to meet her second granddaughter, but missed the birth of her third by two weeks. In 2015, Laughlin received a call on his birthday from his father telling him he needed to go see his mum. In February, he lost the person who had kept him grounded since he was a child.
Within months, Laughlin’s marriage unraveled. He began drinking heavily and soon eloped with a woman from the force with whom he’d been having an affair. Fully immersed in a macho workplace, he ignored his declining mental health and normalized his own violent behavior. In 2018, Laughlin was arrested for second degree assault/domestic violence against his wife and sentenced to 96 months in prison. He told me, “What I did to my ex-wife is inexcusable… The fact is I hurt the person, other than my kids, I loved the most.”
He said being in prison challenged everything he had been trained to believe about the criminal justice system. “During my trial, they said I had attended something like 3,800 hours of training, not including the ones I spent teaching. The thing that struck me was that in all those hundreds of hours, none of it told me anything about what life in prison and convict culture is really like. I had no idea what psychosocial factors from prison led to behaviors on the streets.”
Laughlin said that it was the people he met in county jail and prison that led to his realization about the police: “It was people that led me to see and understand that mass incarceration and aggressive policing is doing no good for this country. We are systemically setting up generations of disenfranchised people for state-sponsored slavery.”
In an era where the idea of police reform has become popular, Laughlin said he feels a responsibility to use his experience on both sides of the system to offer practical solutions: “Our nation’s drug strategies have done a lot to shape modern policing. Drug enforcement is mostly done where it’s most visible: the urban street level in poor communities, primarily of color. Drug arrests are easy to self-initiate, which makes them very appealing for cops wishing to generate stats. I believe shifting the drug strategy away from a law enforcement issue to a public health one would improve police’s relationships with the communities they serve. Mental health also needs to be handled differently. Not only does law enforcement need to change how they view mental health in the community, but also among their own ranks.” Related Article The Devastating Emotional Toll of Suspending Prison Visits Karina Piser
Laughlin is set for release in 2023, and he said he wants to use his expertise to fight for social justice. He spends his days in prison strumming an acoustic guitar and developing a consulting program that will work with police departments to hold meetings with the formerly incarcerated to further what he believes might be the most important conversation in the country. Recognizing the transformative power of getting to know the people he once viewed as enemies, he said he believes that it’s crucial for officers to experience these encounters as well. “I want to use my experience to help bridge gaps with police agencies and those they serve. I have a plan for classes for law enforcement, where I would bring in convicts to help facilitate learning. Not to lecture or share trade secrets by either side, but in collaborative groups, to work towards solutions.”
He also pointed out that police performance is typically measured in arrests, tickets, warrants, and other enforcement means. “Reviews and statistics for arrests are used when officers try out for special units and promotions,” he told me. “There’s no measure of ‘What good did you do in people’s lives?’ Drug crimes, which are predominantly enforced in communities of color, are the easiest target for a stat-hungry officer. The way we allow agencies to use enforcement statistics as a metric of performance is, in itself a testament to systemic racism within the force, and needs to be eliminated.”
Lastly, he said his time as a convict has changed his views about outside oversight. The Department of Corrections, much like the police force, handles all complaints in-house. He said that this means they’re likely handled by friends of those in power and thrown out, which provides police and prison guards with almost complete impunity.
Laughlin knows the underlying system needs to be changed, but he urged individual officers to not lose themselves in the uniform, and wanted to make a plea to every cop reading this: “Ignore the stigma our police culture has created about mental health. The most manly thing you can do is ask for help. If your anger is getting out of control, your work life is perfect, but marriage is a mess, or you think of harming yourself, deal with it now, so you don’t end up as the next cop making headlines.”


thenation--2020-04-01--Why GE Workers Walked Out in Lynn

Why GE Workers Walked Out in Lynn

Most of the production at the GE plant in Lynn , Massachusetts , is “ essential ” defense work .
Union members are required to work despite business closings and the “ stay-at-home ” order by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker .
The sprawling factory is hard to clean .
Machinists share equipment and sit at the same workbenches and use the same tools as the previous shift .
Assemblers and benchhands and inspectors typically work next to one another .
Everyone needs to access the same tool cribs and bathrooms .
Even in this crisis , hand sanitizer runs out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demanding more soap .
Members of Local 201 of the International Union of Electronic , Electrical , Salaried , Machine and Furniture Workers/Communications Workers of America ( IUE-CWA ) are proud of their work .
It sometimes seems like every third person has a family member in the 10th Mountain Division .
As work slowed on the commercial side of aviation , union members wanted to put their skills to work building ventilators .
They watched desperate doctors and nurses getting sick and dying , begging for personal protective equipment and ventilators , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need is in their own hands and skills .
As Local 86004 President Jake Aguanaga in Arkansas City , Kansas , put it , “ If GE trusts us to build , maintain , and test engines which go on a variety of aircraft where lives are at stake , why can ’ t they trust us to build ventilators ?
” GE Aviation had already announced the layoff of 10 percent of the division workforce .
GE Healthcare already produces ventilators , but rather than place new work in GE shops , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Ford instead .
GE unions suspect that the corporation , in typical “ disaster capitalism ” fashion , will take advantage of the crisis to switch more production to nonunion locations .
On Friday , a second-shift worker reported to work at GE Lynn , even though two members of his household had tested positive for Covid-19 .
The company sent him home .
But for workers who ’ d been complaining to plant management about unsafe working conditions , and who now had to worry about potential exposure , this was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Justin Richards , had been in direct contact with the affected member .
“ We have to preserve our health and safety , ” he said .
“ The company has to at least put in some kind of protocol to clean and sanitize the building.
” Richards has self-quarantined and has not seen his family since then .
For weeks , IUE-CWA Local 201 leaders had negotiated for additional paid time off for pandemic-related crises , such as a sick family member or a child care problem .
Local management added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for those who tested positive—but ordered only 510 spray bottles for the entire plant .
Management refused to budge on the other issues or to meet all CDC guidelines .
The company insisted it would treat each worker on a “ case-by-case ” basis for paid time off .
Verizon , Stop and Shop , and other employers were much more responsive to their employees ’ needs .
Meanwhile , in the sharp class divide revealed across the country , Local 201 watched many in management work from the safety of their homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billionaires delivering packages from the overwhelmed food banks , wearing secondhand masks in ICUs , or checking out food in grocery stores .
Their jobs don ’ t kill them .
After their colleague was sent home , workers in Building 74 on the second shift gathered in the parking lot and chose not to work in “ abnormally dangerous conditions for work , ” opting to use their sick time .
The union stated that this is protected activity ( not a strike ) under the National Labor Relations Act .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ union , the International Union of Electrical Workers division of the Communications Workers , organized a national protest .
GE unions scrambled to find tactics suited to the crisis .
Local 201 did a “ stand-out ” in front of the main Lynn gate on Western Avenue , where 25 members stood silently , 10 feet part , holding signs produced by the national union : “ GE : Protect Our Lives .
Protect America.
” The union received widespread community support .
Then the union organized a “ social distance picket ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When Local 201 members returned to work after the weekend , major changes had been implemented to improve safety .
Areas were zoned off and floors marked to increase social distancing .
High-traffic areas were marked “ No Stopping No Standing.
” New sanitation stations with cleanser and gloves appeared .
A new cleaning solution that no longer corroded aircraft engine parts was distributed .
Touchless scanners for punching in and out are coming .
Workers with symptoms or underlying conditions can get extra paid time with a doctor ’ s note .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ impact .
Transformative organizing in this period means defending your members and coming out stronger when this is over .
As employers use the crisis to consolidate power and wealth , we need to build activism and organization .
Five hundred and nine members individually signed on to a “ group grievance ” in Lynn to protest management ’ s lax health protections .
The local ’ s text alert network has grown from 200 members to 612 .
The national union has organized a common front among GE local unions .
Nonunion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ union shops when they saw that union workers have an organized voice to protect themselves .
According to Local 201 President Adam “ Kaz ” Kazinski , “ It should never have come to this point .
We feel proud about our members and their willingness to defend themselves .
We are in a good position to keep fighting .
There is more to be done .
”

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Nation believes that helping readers stay informed about the impact of the coronavirus crisis is a form of public service. For that reason, this article, and all of our coronavirus coverage, is now free. Please subscribe to support our writers and staff, and stay healthy.
Subscribe to The Nation Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month!
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Thank you for signing up for The Nation’s weekly newsletter.
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Most of the production at the GE plant in Lynn, Massachusetts, is “essential” defense work. Union members are required to work despite business closings and the “stay-at-home” order by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker. The sprawling factory is hard to clean. Machinists share equipment and sit at the same workbenches and use the same tools as the previous shift. Assemblers and benchhands and inspectors typically work next to one another. Everyone needs to access the same tool cribs and bathrooms. Even in this crisis, hand sanitizer runs out immediately, and union reps are constantly demanding more soap.
Members of Local 201 of the International Union of Electronic, Electrical, Salaried, Machine and Furniture Workers/Communications Workers of America (IUE-CWA) are proud of their work. It sometimes seems like every third person has a family member in the 10th Mountain Division. As work slowed on the commercial side of aviation, union members wanted to put their skills to work building ventilators. They watched desperate doctors and nurses getting sick and dying, begging for personal protective equipment and ventilators, knowing that the capacity to answer that need is in their own hands and skills. As Local 86004 President Jake Aguanaga in Arkansas City, Kansas, put it, “If GE trusts us to build, maintain, and test engines which go on a variety of aircraft where lives are at stake, why can’t they trust us to build ventilators?”
GE Aviation had already announced the layoff of 10 percent of the division workforce. GE Healthcare already produces ventilators, but rather than place new work in GE shops, the corporation struck a deal with GM and Ford instead. GE unions suspect that the corporation, in typical “disaster capitalism” fashion, will take advantage of the crisis to switch more production to nonunion locations.
On Friday, a second-shift worker reported to work at GE Lynn, even though two members of his household had tested positive for Covid-19. The company sent him home. But for workers who’d been complaining to plant management about unsafe working conditions, and who now had to worry about potential exposure, this was the last straw.
The area steward, Justin Richards, had been in direct contact with the affected member. “We have to preserve our health and safety,” he said. “The company has to at least put in some kind of protocol to clean and sanitize the building.” Richards has self-quarantined and has not seen his family since then.
For weeks, IUE-CWA Local 201 leaders had negotiated for additional paid time off for pandemic-related crises, such as a sick family member or a child care problem. Local management added some workstation cleaners and paid time off for those who tested positive—but ordered only 510 spray bottles for the entire plant. Management refused to budge on the other issues or to meet all CDC guidelines. The company insisted it would treat each worker on a “case-by-case” basis for paid time off. Verizon, Stop and Shop, and other employers were much more responsive to their employees’ needs. 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 My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung 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 My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung
Meanwhile, in the sharp class divide revealed across the country, Local 201 watched many in management work from the safety of their homes. They also noticed there are no billionaires delivering packages from the overwhelmed food banks, wearing secondhand masks in ICUs, or checking out food in grocery stores. Their jobs don’t kill them. Current Issue View our current issue
After their colleague was sent home, workers in Building 74 on the second shift gathered in the parking lot and chose not to work in “abnormally dangerous conditions for work,” opting to use their sick time. The union stated that this is protected activity (not a strike) under the National Labor Relations Act. The third shift followed suit. The national union, the International Union of Electrical Workers division of the Communications Workers, organized a national protest.
GE unions scrambled to find tactics suited to the crisis. Local 201 did a “stand-out” in front of the main Lynn gate on Western Avenue, where 25 members stood silently, 10 feet part, holding signs produced by the national union: “GE: Protect Our Lives. Protect America.” The union received widespread community support. Then the union organized a “social distance picket” at GE Corporate Headquarters in Boston.
When Local 201 members returned to work after the weekend, major changes had been implemented to improve safety. Areas were zoned off and floors marked to increase social distancing. High-traffic areas were marked “No Stopping No Standing.” New sanitation stations with cleanser and gloves appeared. A new cleaning solution that no longer corroded aircraft engine parts was distributed. Touchless scanners for punching in and out are coming. Workers with symptoms or underlying conditions can get extra paid time with a doctor’s note. The action and the press had an impact.
Transformative organizing in this period means defending your members and coming out stronger when this is over. As employers use the crisis to consolidate power and wealth, we need to build activism and organization. Five hundred and nine members individually signed on to a “group grievance” in Lynn to protest management’s lax health protections. The local’s text alert network has grown from 200 members to 612. The national union has organized a common front among GE local unions. Nonunion GE workers have reached out to the union shops when they saw that union workers have an organized voice to protect themselves.
According to Local 201 President Adam “Kaz” Kazinski, “It should never have come to this point. We feel proud about our members and their willingness to defend themselves. We are in a good position to keep fighting. There is more to be done.”


thenation--2020-04-01--Exclusive: The Military Knew Years Ago That a Coronavirus Was Coming

Despite President Trump ’ s repeated assertions that the Covid-19 epidemic was “ unforeseen ” and “ came out of nowhere , ” the Pentagon was well aware of not just the threat of a novel influenza , but even anticipated the consequent scarcity of ventilators , face masks , and hospital beds , according to a 2017 Pentagon plan obtained by The Nation .
“ The most likely and significant threat is a novel respiratory disease , particularly a novel influenza disease , ” the military plan states .
Covid-19 is a respiratory disease caused by the novel ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The document specifically references coronavirus on several occasions , in one instant saying , “ Coronavirus infections [ are ] common around the world.
” The plan represents an update to an earlier Department of Defense pandemic influenza response plan , noting that it “ incorporates insights from several recent outbreaks including…2012 Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus.
” Titled “ USNORTHCOM Branch Plan 3560 : Pandemic Influenza and Infectious Disease Response , ” the draft plan is marked for official use only and dated January 6 , 2017 .
The plan was provided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who requested anonymity to avoid professional reprisal .
The Coronavirus Is Trump ’ s Latest Excuse to Militarize the Border Denis Kaufman , who served as head of the Infectious Diseases and Countermeasures Division at the Defense Intelligence Agency from 2014 to 2017 , stressed that US intelligence had been well-aware of the dangers of coronaviruses for years .
( Kaufman retired from his decades-long career in the military in December of 2017 . )
“ The Intelligence Community has warned about the threat from highly pathogenic influenza viruses for two decades at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for at least five years , ” Kaufman explained in an interview .
“ There have been recent pronouncements that the coronavirus pandemic represents an intelligence failure… .
it ’ s letting people who ignored intelligence warnings off the hook.
” In addition to anticipating the coronavirus pandemic , the military plan predicted with uncanny accuracy many of the medical supply shortages that it now appears will soon cause untold deaths .
The plan states : “ Competition for , and scarcity of resources will include…non-pharmaceutical MCM [ Medical Countermeasures ] ( e.g.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ equipment such as face masks and gloves ) , medical equipment , and logistical support .
This will have a significant impact on the availability of the global workforce.
” The 103-page response plan provides an overview of what might cause a pandemic , likely complications , and how the military might respond .
The plan outlines conditions under which an infectious disease can become a pandemic , several of which were at play with Covid-19 : crowded workplaces , proximity to international airports , unsanitary living conditions .
It also contains references @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detail .
( The Nation is not in possession of these annexes . )
Last week , Trump lashed out at General Motors and Ford on Twitter , demanding that they manufacture ventilators , a life-and-death appliance for many people with acute Covid-19 symptoms .
The plan ’ s warning about face masks and ventilators was prescient : The US Strategic National Stockpile of medical equipment including respirators , gloves , face masks , and gowns is reportedly nearly depleted .
The military plan also correctly anticipates “ insufficient hospital beds.
” Indeed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Italy and rapidly filling up across New York .
“ Even the most industrialized countries will have insufficient hospital beds , specialized equipment such as mechanical ventilators , and pharmaceuticals readily available to adequately treat their populations during clinically severe pandemic , ” the report goes on .
Another prediction in the report anticipates worldwide competition for , and scarcity of , Covid-19 vaccines .
Trump has already reportedly offered German scientists large sums of money for exclusive rights to a vaccine , and efforts to develop drugs are underway in several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ respond to a request for comment .
You can read the Pentagon ’ s full draft pandemic plan below .

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Nation believes that helping readers stay informed about the impact of the coronavirus crisis is a form of public service. For that reason, this article, and all of our coronavirus coverage, is now free. Please subscribe to support our writers and staff, and stay healthy.
Despite President Trump’s repeated assertions that the Covid-19 epidemic was “unforeseen” and “came out of nowhere,” the Pentagon was not just well aware of the threat of a novel influenza but even anticipated the consequent scarcity of ventilators, face masks, and hospital beds, according to a 2017 Pentagon plan obtained by The Nation.
“The most likely and significant threat is a novel respiratory disease, particularly a novel influenza disease,” the military plan states. Covid-19 is a respiratory disease caused by the novel (meaning new to humans) coronavirus. The document specifically refers to coronaviruses on several occasions, in one instance saying, “Coronavirus infections [are] common around the world.”
The plan updates an earlier Department of Defense pandemic influenza response plan, noting that it “incorporates insights from several recent outbreaks including…2012 Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus.”
Titled “USNORTHCOM Branch Plan 3560: Pandemic Influenza and Infectious Disease Response,” the draft plan is marked for official use only and dated January 6, 2017. The plan was provided to The Nation by a Pentagon official who requested anonymity to avoid professional reprisal. Related Article The Coronavirus Is Trump’s Latest Excuse to Militarize the Border Ken Klippenstein
Denis Kaufman, who served as head of the Infectious Diseases and Countermeasures Division at the Defense Intelligence Agency from 2014 to 2017, stressed that US intelligence had been well aware of the dangers of coronaviruses for years. (He retired from his decades-long career in the military in December 2017.)
“The intelligence community has warned about the threat from highly pathogenic influenza viruses for two decades, at least. They have warned about coronaviruses for at least five years,” Kaufman said in an interview.
“There have been recent pronouncements that the coronavirus pandemic represents an intelligence failure…. It’s letting people who ignored intelligence warnings off the hook.”
In addition to anticipating the coronavirus pandemic, the military plan predicted with uncanny accuracy many of the medical supply shortages that will now apparently soon cause untold deaths.
The plan states, “Competition for, and scarcity of resources will include…non-pharmaceutical MCM [medical countermeasures] (e.g., ventilators, devices, personal protective equipment such as face masks and gloves), medical equipment, and logistical support. This will have a significant impact on the availability of the global workforce.”
The 103-page response plan provides an overview of what might cause a pandemic, likely complications, and how the military might respond. The plan outlines conditions under which an infectious disease can become a pandemic, several of which were at play with Covid-19: crowded workplaces, proximity to international airports, unsanitary living conditions. It also contains references to classified annexes that go into further detail. (The Nation is not in possession of these annexes.) 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 My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung 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 My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung
Last week, Trump lashed out at General Motors and Ford on Twitter, demanding that they manufacture ventilators, a life-or-death appliance for many people with acute Covid-19 symptoms.
General Motors MUST immediately open their stupidly abandoned Lordstown plant in Ohio, or some other plant, and START MAKING VENTILATORS, NOW!!!!!! FORD, GET GOING ON VENTILATORS, FAST!!!!!! @GeneralMotors @Ford —Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 27, 2020
The plan’s warning about face masks and ventilators was prescient: The US Strategic National Stockpile of medical equipment—including respirators, gloves, face masks, and gowns—is reportedly nearly depleted.
The military plan also correctly anticipates “insufficient hospital beds.” Indeed, hospitals are in critically short supply in Italy and are rapidly filling up across New York.
“Even the most industrialized countries will have insufficient hospital beds, specialized equipment such as mechanical ventilators, and pharmaceuticals readily available to adequately treat their populations during clinically severe pandemic,” the report goes on.
Another prediction in the report anticipates worldwide competition for and scarcity of Covid-19 vaccines. Trump has already reportedly offered German scientists large sums of money for exclusive rights to a vaccine, and efforts to develop drugs are underway in several countries.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
You can read the Pentagon’s full draft pandemic plan below.


thenation--2020-04-01--Scenes From a Pandemic: 1

Scenes From a Pandemic: 1

El Paso—Last Thursday morning an ICE plane flew from Phoenix to El Paso , then El Paso to Guatemala City .
The flight held at least 40 people—far more than the maximum 10 that our new “ social distancing ” rule allows to be together .
The passengers were undoubtedly shackled ; that ’ s how deportees travel on ICE planes .
On Sunday , March 29 , three days after the trip , the Guatemalan government announced that a passenger had just tested positive for the novel coronavirus .
This was the first documented case on an ICE flight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the city council it was no big deal for us locals .
The infected person must have got on in Phoenix , she said .
Something Is Happening Here is a collaboration between The Nation and Kopkind , a living memorial to radical journalist Andrew Kopkind , who from 1982–94 was the magazine ’ s chief political writer and analyst .
Here in El Paso and our Mexican sister city , Juarez , the numbers are still low—57 cases as of March 30 , in a binational community of 2 million people—but the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caused by the area ’ s longtime and lately intensified use as a law-and-order punching bag .
In the guard and punishment economy , social distancing is farcical when it ’ s not terrifying .
Both sides of the border are nests of infection risk created by US laws and their enforcers .
One bughouse is the federal court downtown , where immigration cases are heard .
Judges are still working .
Most defendants are charged with petty smuggling ( of drugs or people ) , trying to cross the border with false @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Grande and getting caught .
In one courtroom last week , three shackled inmates , wearing the orange and blue uniforms of the county jail , waited on benches .
Two sat a foot apart .
They were guarded by two US Marshals .
One wore a mask and gloves .
The other didn ’ t .
Why GE Workers Walked Out in Lynn Exclusive : The Military Knew Years Ago That a Coronavirus Was Coming More in this series At the prosecution table , an assistant US Attorney coughed explosively , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ half doors that separate the administrative side from the rest of the courtroom .
Another prosecutor , with a Van Dyke–ish beard , approached the doors and put his hand on the place his coughing colleague had just touched .
Van Dyke then leaned on one besuited hip and schmoozed for a few minutes with a public defender—all the while caressing the half door .
With the same hand , Van Dyke then stroked his beard .
The hand soon migrated from beard to mouth .
Across the room , a court-appointed defense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jail clothes .
The huddle left a few inches of space between the two .
The woman would plead guilty for driving two undocumented immigrants to a Border Patrol checkpoint .
The lawyer collated the papers , repeatedly licking his index finger .
He picked up a pen with his licked hand and signed the papers .
He gave the pen and papers to the client .
She signed , and the lawyer walked over to Van Dyke ’ s table .
Van Dyke took the papers , then patted his beard and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to jail to await sentencing .
A very young Honduran woman , charged with illegal entry , also pleaded guilty .
The judge told her she could have gotten months in prison , but the public defender had made a deal with Van Dyke to lower the charges from felony to misdemeanor .
The woman , who had been locked in jail for almost eight weeks already , got time served plus one day .
“ Be very grateful , ” the judge said .
“ We hardly ever see this happen.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hundreds of border crossers , housed there because of a lucrative contract with the feds .
Four additional detention centers hold immigrants for ICE .
Every few days there are ICE flights .
For years those have earned airport-use commissions for the city .
Meanwhile , in Juarez , immigrants seeking asylum in the United States languish under the Orwellian-named Migrant Protection Protocols .
Denied due process , they wait , stuffed by the thousands into crumbling apartments and crowded shelters .
In one shelter I know , a family of six lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an 8′ by 10′ room .
In another , people sleep on dirty mats , on and under church pews .
A person who ’ d been working in the court told me the feds are trying to empty the jail .
That ’ s helter-skelter , but business goes on as usual in detention centers .
At one , according to a declaration filed by a local immigration attorney , “ A member of my team asked a guard…on 3/17/2020 about Covid protocols and he [ said ] that they had not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep themselves or detained individuals safe during the pandemic , and then said ‘ if it happens , it happens.
’ ” The Honduran woman was sent from the bughouse courtroom back to jail for a day .
From there , she would be remanded to a crowded ICE detention center , where she would wait for deportation on a crowded ICE plane , or for Covid-19 , whichever comes first .
Something Is Happening Here is a collaboration between The Nation and Kopkind , offering scenes from a pandemic—a series of dispatches @ @ @ @ @ @ @ participants , advisers , guests , and friends .
Edited by Nation contributor and Kopkind program director JoAnn Wypijewski , it will appear weekly on thenation.com and kopkind.org .
Kopkind is a living memorial to radical journalist Andrew Kopkind , who from 1982–94 was the magazine ’ s chief political writer and analyst .
For 20 years , the project , administered by Andy ’ s life partner , John Scagliotti , has held summer seminar/retreats to support and spark the work of political journalists , activists and , with the Center for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ connect , ” Andy liked to say , an idea that Kopkind fosters among groups that are diverse in identity and area of work but for whom dynamics of power and liberation , in their many forms , are always central .

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Nation believes that helping readers stay informed about the impact of the coronavirus crisis is a form of public service. For that reason, this article, and all of our coronavirus coverage, is now free. Please subscribe to support our writers and staff, and stay healthy.
E l P aso—Last Thursday morning an ICE plane flew from Phoenix to El Paso, then El Paso to Guatemala City. The flight held at least 40 people—far more than the maximum 10 that our new “social distancing” rule allows to be together. The passengers were undoubtedly shackled; that’s how deportees travel on ICE planes. On Sunday, March 29, three days after the trip, the Guatemalan government announced that a passenger had just tested positive for the novel coronavirus. This was the first documented case on an ICE flight. The director of our airport told the city council it was no big deal for us locals. The infected person must have got on in Phoenix, she said. Something Is Happening Here is a collaboration between The Nation and Kopkind, a living memorial to radical journalist Andrew Kopkind, who from 1982–94 was the magazine’s chief political writer and analyst.
Here in El Paso and our Mexican sister city, Juarez, the numbers are still low—57 cases as of March 30, in a binational community of 2 million people—but the coronavirus has created a special foreboding, caused by the area’s longtime and lately intensified use as a law-and-order punching bag. In the guard and punishment economy, social distancing is farcical when it’s not terrifying.
Both sides of the border are nests of infection risk created by US laws and their enforcers. One bughouse is the federal court downtown, where immigration cases are heard. Judges are still working. Most defendants are charged with petty smuggling (of drugs or people), trying to cross the border with false documents, or simply traversing the Rio Grande and getting caught.
In one courtroom last week, three shackled inmates, wearing the orange and blue uniforms of the county jail, waited on benches. Two sat a foot apart. They were guarded by two US Marshals. One wore a mask and gloves. The other didn’t. 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
At the prosecution table, an assistant US Attorney coughed explosively, then exited, a hand pushing open the half doors that separate the administrative side from the rest of the courtroom. Another prosecutor, with a Van Dyke–ish beard, approached the doors and put his hand on the place his coughing colleague had just touched. Van Dyke then leaned on one besuited hip and schmoozed for a few minutes with a public defender—all the while caressing the half door. With the same hand, Van Dyke then stroked his beard. The hand soon migrated from beard to mouth.
Across the room, a court-appointed defense lawyer huddled with a middle-aged woman in jail clothes. The huddle left a few inches of space between the two. The woman would plead guilty for driving two undocumented immigrants to a Border Patrol checkpoint. The lawyer collated the papers, repeatedly licking his index finger. He picked up a pen with his licked hand and signed the papers. He gave the pen and papers to the client. She signed, and the lawyer walked over to Van Dyke’s table. Van Dyke took the papers, then patted his beard and mouth. The woman was sent back to jail to await sentencing.
A very young Honduran woman, charged with illegal entry, also pleaded guilty. The judge told her she could have gotten months in prison, but the public defender had made a deal with Van Dyke to lower the charges from felony to misdemeanor. The woman, who had been locked in jail for almost eight weeks already, got time served plus one day. “Be very grateful,” the judge said. “We hardly ever see this happen.” 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 My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung 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 My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung Current Issue View our current issue
El Paso’s county jail holds hundreds of border crossers, housed there because of a lucrative contract with the feds. Four additional detention centers hold immigrants for ICE. Every few days there are ICE flights. For years those have earned airport-use commissions for the city.
Meanwhile, in Juarez, immigrants seeking asylum in the United States languish under the Orwellian-named Migrant Protection Protocols. Denied due process, they wait, stuffed by the thousands into crumbling apartments and crowded shelters. In one shelter I know, a family of six lives on a jungle of bunk beds in an 8′ by 10′ room. In another, people sleep on dirty mats, on and under church pews.
A person who’d been working in the court told me the feds are trying to empty the jail. That’s helter-skelter, but business goes on as usual in detention centers. At one, according to a declaration filed by a local immigration attorney, “A member of my team asked a guard…on 3/17/2020 about Covid protocols and he [said] that they had not received any special training on how to keep themselves or detained individuals safe during the pandemic, and then said ‘if it happens, it happens.’”
The Honduran woman was sent from the bughouse courtroom back to jail for a day. From there, she would be remanded to a crowded ICE detention center, where she would wait for deportation on a crowded ICE plane, or for Covid-19, whichever comes first.
Something Is Happening Here is a collaboration between The Nation and Kopkind, offering scenes from a pandemic—a series of dispatches from Kopkind’s far-flung network of participants, advisers, guests, and friends. Edited by Nation contributor and Kopkind program director JoAnn Wypijewski, it will appear weekly on thenation.com and kopkind.org.
Kopkind is a living memorial to radical journalist Andrew Kopkind, who from 1982–94 was the magazine’s chief political writer and analyst. For 20 years, the project, administered by Andy’s life partner, John Scagliotti, has held summer seminar/retreats to support and spark the work of political journalists, activists and, with the Center for Independent Documentary, filmmakers. “Only connect,” Andy liked to say, an idea that Kopkind fosters among groups that are diverse in identity and area of work but for whom dynamics of power and liberation, in their many forms, are always central.