democracynow--2020-03-17--Inside Prison Amid Coronavirus Pandemic: Incarcerated Journalist Says Millions Behind Bars at Risk

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
I ’ m Amy Goodman .
As confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. pass 4,500 — and I have to emphasize , the devastating lack of tests in this country mean that number is probably exponentially higher .
But at this point , what we know is there are at least 87 deaths .
Residents across six counties in San Francisco Bay Area are under some of the strictest measures in the United States .
They ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as of midnight last night until April 7th .
The Bay Area order affects 7 million people .
But what about the people in the area ’ s jails and prisons ?
San Francisco ’ s new District Attorney Chesa Boudin and the San Francisco public defender are calling on their staffs to keep as many people out of jail as possible .
At 2.3 million people locked up in U.S. prisons and jails , the U.S. has the largest proportional prison population in the world .
Well , on Friday , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at San Quentin State Prison in the Bay Area , just days before two prison blocks there were quarantined .
At this time , no cases of COVID-19 had been reported in the prison .
Juan Moreno Haines is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists .
His recent article for The Appeal is “ In San Quentin Prison , Getting the Flu Can Land You in Solitary Confinement.
” So I began by asking Juan to describe the scene at San Quentin .
JUAN MORENO HAINES : So , here at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our news from the television , some from the radio .
And so , we ’ re well aware of what ’ s happening outside the walls of San Quentin .
So , now when we hear this coronavirus and how deadly that ’ s been worldwide , there ’ s a natural anxiety that exists over here about what ’ s going to happen to us when the public brings this illness to us , because the one thing that we know for sure is that it ’ s going to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the way prisons operate , particularly San Quentin , because of its just unique style , there ’ s more than 3,000 volunteers that come in and out of this prison on an annual basis .
And so , what the prison has done to prepare itself for this right now is that some of the volunteers that come in for the really big programs have collectively decided not to come in , so they don ’ t bring this illness to us .
What the administration has done at this point — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ official documentation to show this ; this is only what I ’ ve been told — is that visitations over the weekend have been canceled .
What the administration has also done is posted just dozens and dozens of signs around on proper hand washing technique and information on how the illness is spread .
But that doesn ’ t lift the anxiety level that the men have .
When I walk the yard , the guys that know me ask me , “ Juan , what ’ s going to happen ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” And my personal opinion is that it ’ s not a matter of if it ’ s going to happen , it ’ s when it ’ s going to happen .
So , right now we ’ re in this state of unknowing , and we ’ re just anticipating how this illness is going to affect our lives .
AMY GOODMAN : So , Juan , let me read you an article from CBS San Francisco .
“ The San Francisco Public Defender ’ s Office is calling for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are at heightened risk of contracting coronavirus .
In a statement , Public Defender Mano Raju said his office would begin filing motions to seek the release of all clients in San Francisco county jails at heightened risk , such as people over 60 , those with heart or lung disease , diabetes , cancer , HIV , or autoimmune diseases.
” And I want to ask , now , that is not San Quentin , of course , but what about especially the older population at San Quentin , people who are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 80 ?
What are you calling for now ?
Is there any discussion of early release because they are threatened in this pandemic ?
JUAN MORENO HAINES : OK .
So , the situation in CDCR is that , by court order , they are allowed to keep the population at 137.5 % of designed capacity .
And so , what that means is that San Quentin is over designed capacity .
I can ’ t tell you the exact numbers specifically for San Quentin .
But then , the other thing about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you look at the median age of the population at San Quentin , it ’ s higher than the median age of CDCR .
So , what does that mean to me ?
That means that we ’ re a particularly vulnerable population .
But the mechanisms for release are complicated and cumbersome .
And I just really can ’ t — in an ideal world , how do you deal with that ?
I really can ’ t call for any suggestions for CDCR , other than to know that San Quentin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : OK .
So , the way supplies are passed out , cleaning supplies are passed out in North Block , is that once a week the porters who clean the unit goes around and passes out two bars of soap per cell .
In addition to that , there ’ s disinfectant that — you could bring like , say , about a six- to eight-ounce bottle , and the porters will pass out different various types of disinfectant .
If we ’ re on lockdown , what happens is that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the soap , but then they ’ ll send the porters around with bleach and cleaning supplies , and they ’ ll be wiping down every area where people ’ s hands are touched .
As far as like showers are concerned , while on lockdown or modified program , the prisoners are allowed to shower once every three days .
JUAN MORENO HAINES : OK , good question .
While we ’ re on lockdown , we don ’ t have the capability of going to the canteen to buy soap .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the unit to supply us with soap .
If they run out of soap or they fall short of soap , typically , we borrow from each other , and , you know , it kind of works like that .
So , right now what people are doing is they ’ re like making sure they go into the canteen , and they ’ re buying supplies , particularly cleaning supplies and food .
The experienced prisoner knows to stock up when there is potential for a lockdown , because once you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t know how long that ’ s going to last , and things like food and cleaning supplies are essential , because if you ’ re relying on the state to give you these supplies , you ’ re going to — it ’ s just not going to be adequate .
JUAN MORENO HAINES : Michael was just — he ’ s been at San Quentin for about as long as I have .
And he got sick and ended up going to what ’ s called the TTA , the triage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And his temperature was up .
And he ended up going to Carson .
So I interviewed him about his whole experience , and the resulting — you know , it was kind of like the backbone of the story of punished for being sick .
And that ’ s one of the things that he said .
He felt like that he was going to a whole new prison just for being sick , when they sent him over to Carson .
For him , it was very debilitating for him to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that type of treatment .
JUAN MORENO HAINES : So , some of the guys that I interviewed that were subjected to that , you know , they ’ re still here at San Quentin .
And I ’ m not saying that — I ’ m saying they remember that .
Those are lasting memories .
Like when I reinterviewed Dewayne Brooks , I interviewed him probably a couple years after he had been sent to Carson for having a temperature , and he remembered that .
And that ’ s when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if they come by to take his temperature again , you know , he ’ s going to like do whatever he can to prevent his temperature to be shown high , put cold water in his mouth or whatever , you know .
To me , it just seems kind of just strange for a person to be sick and not want to be treated for their illness because that treatment is going to involve something that they feel is worse .
AMY GOODMAN : I want to ask you about your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re a member of the Society of Professional Journalists .
You write for The Appeal .
I mean , this is a time that journalism is so important for many reasons , to let people on the outside know what ’ s happening on the inside in this time of the coronavirus pandemic , but also to provide information for people on the inside , critical information about how they can protect themselves , and also what ’ s happening inside , telling people ’ s stories , as you do so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about practicing journalism behind bars and what this means now in the compounded time of the pandemic ?
AMY GOODMAN : That ’ s Juan Moreno Haines , incarcerated journalist , one of the people we interviewed two years ago when the Democracy Now !
team visited San Quentin and the San Quentin News .
This is Democracy Now !
Back in 10 seconds .
AMY GOODMAN : “ Stayin ’ Alive ” by the Bee Gees .
During the break , we were showing video of some social media of healthcare workers @ @ @ @ @

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! I’m Amy Goodman. As confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. pass 4,500 — and I have to emphasize, the devastating lack of tests in this country mean that number is probably exponentially higher. But at this point, what we know is there are at least 87 deaths. Residents across six counties in San Francisco Bay Area are under some of the strictest measures in the United States. They’ve been ordered to shelter in place as of midnight last night until April 7th. The Bay Area order affects 7 million people.
But what about the people in the area’s jails and prisons? San Francisco’s new District Attorney Chesa Boudin and the San Francisco public defender are calling on their staffs to keep as many people out of jail as possible. At 2.3 million people locked up in U.S. prisons and jails, the U.S. has the largest proportional prison population in the world.
Well, on Friday, we reached Juan Moreno Haines on the phone at San Quentin State Prison in the Bay Area, just days before two prison blocks there were quarantined. At this time, no cases of COVID-19 had been reported in the prison. Juan Moreno Haines is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. His recent article for The Appeal is “In San Quentin Prison, Getting the Flu Can Land You in Solitary Confinement.” So I began by asking Juan to describe the scene at San Quentin.
JUAN MORENO HAINES: Right now I’m in North Block. That’s the mainline of San Quentin State Prison. And I’m in a pay phone, which actually looks like a pay phone, phone number 6, where I’m watching people going past back and forth in the units, a kind of regular morning in North Block at San Quentin State Prison.
AMY GOODMAN: So, Juan, we’re talking to you on March 13th. This is very relevant to give a marker for this moment, because we’re in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. And I’m wondering if you can talk about how you’re experiencing that at San Quentin, where you’re imprisoned?
JUAN MORENO HAINES: So, here at San Quentin, we get most of our news from the television, some from the radio. And so, we’re well aware of what’s happening outside the walls of San Quentin. So, now when we hear this coronavirus and how deadly that’s been worldwide, there’s a natural anxiety that exists over here about what’s going to happen to us when the public brings this illness to us, because the one thing that we know for sure is that it’s going to be brought in from the outside. In the way prisons operate, particularly San Quentin, because of its just unique style, there’s more than 3,000 volunteers that come in and out of this prison on an annual basis. And so, what the prison has done to prepare itself for this right now is that some of the volunteers that come in for the really big programs have collectively decided not to come in, so they don’t bring this illness to us.
What the administration has done at this point — and I don’t have any official documentation to show this; this is only what I’ve been told — is that visitations over the weekend have been canceled. What the administration has also done is posted just dozens and dozens of signs around on proper hand washing technique and information on how the illness is spread. But that doesn’t lift the anxiety level that the men have. When I walk the yard, the guys that know me ask me, “Juan, what’s going to happen? What’s going to happen?” And my personal opinion is that it’s not a matter of if it’s going to happen, it’s when it’s going to happen. So, right now we’re in this state of unknowing, and we’re just anticipating how this illness is going to affect our lives.
AMY GOODMAN: So, Juan, let me read you an article from CBS San Francisco. “The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office is calling for the immediate release of pre-trial jail inmates who are at heightened risk of contracting coronavirus. In a statement, Public Defender Mano Raju said his office would begin filing motions to seek the release of all clients in San Francisco county jails at heightened risk, such as people over 60, those with heart or lung disease, diabetes, cancer, HIV, or autoimmune diseases.” And I want to ask, now, that is not San Quentin, of course, but what about especially the older population at San Quentin, people who are over 60, people who are over 80? What are you calling for now? Is there any discussion of early release because they are threatened in this pandemic?
JUAN MORENO HAINES: OK. So, the situation in CDCR is that, by court order, they are allowed to keep the population at 137.5% of designed capacity. And so, what that means is that San Quentin is over designed capacity. I can’t tell you the exact numbers specifically for San Quentin. But then, the other thing about the San Quentin population is, if you look at the median age of the population at San Quentin, it’s higher than the median age of CDCR. So, what does that mean to me? That means that we’re a particularly vulnerable population. But the mechanisms for release are complicated and cumbersome. And I just really can’t — in an ideal world, how do you deal with that? I really can’t call for any suggestions for CDCR, other than to know that San Quentin is particularly vulnerable.
AMY GOODMAN: I’m wondering if you can describe San Quentin on lockdown. Among the issues, for example, how much access do you have to clean water and soap, which is absolutely critical to stopping the spread of the coronavirus?
JUAN MORENO HAINES: OK. So, the way supplies are passed out, cleaning supplies are passed out in North Block, is that once a week the porters who clean the unit goes around and passes out two bars of soap per cell. In addition to that, there’s disinfectant that — you could bring like, say, about a six- to eight-ounce bottle, and the porters will pass out different various types of disinfectant. If we’re on lockdown, what happens is that they’ll still end up passing out the soap, but then they’ll send the porters around with bleach and cleaning supplies, and they’ll be wiping down every area where people’s hands are touched. As far as like showers are concerned, while on lockdown or modified program, the prisoners are allowed to shower once every three days.
AMY GOODMAN: If you run out of soap, because simple hand soap and water are by far the most effective in breaking down, in fighting the coronavirus before you get it, do people have to pay for more soap for the commissary, or will they provide more? And then what happens to those who can’t afford it?
JUAN MORENO HAINES: OK, good question. While we’re on lockdown, we don’t have the capability of going to the canteen to buy soap. So we’re completely dependent on the unit to supply us with soap. If they run out of soap or they fall short of soap, typically, we borrow from each other, and, you know, it kind of works like that. So, right now what people are doing is they’re like making sure they go into the canteen, and they’re buying supplies, particularly cleaning supplies and food. The experienced prisoner knows to stock up when there is potential for a lockdown, because once you are locked down, you don’t know how long that’s going to last, and things like food and cleaning supplies are essential, because if you’re relying on the state to give you these supplies, you’re going to — it’s just not going to be adequate.
AMY GOODMAN: You know, Juan, you wrote a prophetic piece called “In San Quentin Prison, Getting the Flu Can Land You in Solitary Confinement.” When we broadcast this, San Quentin may be on lockdown, maybe not. We maybe won’t be able to reach you. But can you talk about what happens when you get sick at San Quentin?
JUAN MORENO HAINES: So, we live in such close proximity, that in the 13 years that I’ve been in San Quentin, if I see somebody with the flu or sick, I’m going to get it. I already know this. I’m going to get it. There’s no avoiding it. And so, what happens when multiple people — when it gets epidemic, pandemic, when it really starts to spread, what the administration would do was take the people who had those flu-like symptoms and place them in Carson Unit, which is administrative segregation.
AMY GOODMAN: And what is administrative segregation?
JUAN MORENO HAINES: Most people know it as The Hole.
AMY GOODMAN: Solitary confinement.
JUAN MORENO HAINES: Yes. Now, the problem with that is that when these sick people are put in solitary confinement, they don’t feel like they’re getting medical treatment. They feel totally isolated. And I just — in my mind, if I were sick and then put in a situation where I just felt horrible just because of my living conditions, that’s not something that I would want to do. And that’s the prevailing feeling of the people that I’ve interviewed that have gotten sick and were sent to Carson Unit, because the conditions there aren’t equipped to handle medical patients.
AMY GOODMAN: In your piece for The Appeal, you write about a 52-year-old man named Michael Adams. You quoted him saying, “It’s scary to be a man of a certain age after your health is compromised and be in a place that doesn’t seem to care if you’re dying.” Adams goes on, “I was pretty upset about that. It highlighted the warehousing effect of prison and the poor protocols that are in place in the event of a real health care crisis.” Tell us the story of Michael D. Adams, Juan.
JUAN MORENO HAINES: Michael was just — he’s been at San Quentin for about as long as I have. And he got sick and ended up going to what’s called the TTA, the triage section of our medical department here. And his temperature was up. And he ended up going to Carson. So I interviewed him about his whole experience, and the resulting — you know, it was kind of like the backbone of the story of punished for being sick. And that’s one of the things that he said. He felt like that he was going to a whole new prison just for being sick, when they sent him over to Carson. For him, it was very debilitating for him to be sick and then be subjected to that type of treatment.
AMY GOODMAN: Juan Moreno Haines, I want to read from your article, that you wrote there in prison at San Quentin for The Appeal. You write, “According to the American Journal of Psychiatry, several U.S. and European studies on solitary confinement have found that people can suffer lasting psychiatric injuries even after short periods of isolation.” If you can talk further about that? And then you have this combination of both sickness and the psychiatric effects of solitary.
JUAN MORENO HAINES: So, some of the guys that I interviewed that were subjected to that, you know, they’re still here at San Quentin. And I’m not saying that — I’m saying they remember that. Those are lasting memories. Like when I reinterviewed Dewayne Brooks, I interviewed him probably a couple years after he had been sent to Carson for having a temperature, and he remembered that. And that’s when he told me, you know, if they come by to take his temperature again, you know, he’s going to like do whatever he can to prevent his temperature to be shown high, put cold water in his mouth or whatever, you know. To me, it just seems kind of just strange for a person to be sick and not want to be treated for their illness because that treatment is going to involve something that they feel is worse.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to ask you about your award-winning journalism at San Quentin. You’re a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. You write for The Appeal. I mean, this is a time that journalism is so important for many reasons, to let people on the outside know what’s happening on the inside in this time of the coronavirus pandemic, but also to provide information for people on the inside, critical information about how they can protect themselves, and also what’s happening inside, telling people’s stories, as you do so well. If you can tell us about practicing journalism behind bars and what this means now in the compounded time of the pandemic?
JUAN MORENO HAINES: I work with other guys here also and try to tell just the story as accurately as possible, because I don’t have to tell you prison is a bad place to live. I don’t have to tell you that the treatment is inhumane. I don’t have to tell you anything. What I tell the journalists behind bars is just let those who read what you write make their own judgment about what you are reporting. And that’s really all we have to do in order to give the public and readers an accurate portrayal of what’s happening here at San Quentin.
AMY GOODMAN: Juan, very quickly, you’re over 60. That is the risk group, the highest-risk group — I guess people over 80 are, but 60 is there — for people who — to get the coronavirus, to suffer from it. Your thoughts? Are you worried?
JUAN MORENO HAINES: Of course I’m worried. I keep my hands clean. The porter just walked by with a spray bottle of bleach, and he’s cleaning out the phone booths. I live here. And, you know, when coronavirus comes inside of this prison, I just hope I can survive it.
AMY GOODMAN: That’s Juan Moreno Haines, incarcerated journalist, one of the people we interviewed two years ago when the Democracy Now! team visited San Quentin and the San Quentin News. This is Democracy Now! Back in 10 seconds.
[break]
AMY GOODMAN: “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees. During the break, we were showing video of some social media of healthcare workers in protective gear dancing.


democracynow--2020-03-17--Spain Locks Down & Nationalizes Private Healthcare as Coronavirus Deaths Double & Cases Skyrocket

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : We begin today ’ s show in Spain , which is now the second European country to impose a nationwide lockdown , after 2,000 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours and the number of deaths doubled .
Spain now has the second most cases in Europe after Italy , the fourth highest number worldwide , with more than 11,000 infections and nearly 500 deaths .
Spain ’ s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska announced the country was shutting down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AMY GOODMAN : As the European Union prepares to vote on a proposal to shut all external borders and impose a 30-day continent-wide foreign travel ban , Portugal has already suspended all passenger air and rail traffic with neighboring Spain until April 15th .
At the border checkpoints , Spain is now allowing only Spaniards , residents of Spain , cross-border workers and diplomats to enter the country .
AMY GOODMAN : This comes as the Spanish government announced it ’ s nationalizing hospitals and private healthcare companies to better manage the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people came outside to cheer medical workers in the streets as the country prepared to shut down .
And the Spanish government has just announced a moratorium on mortgage payments and guarantee that basic services — that ’ s water , gas , electricity — will not be shut off for nonpayment during the crisis .
For more , we go to Madrid , Spain , where we ’ re joined by María Carrión , freelance journalist , former Democracy Now !
producer , also executive director of FiSahara and co-founder of Nomads @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Western Sahara .
María , it ’ s great to have you with us .
I talked to you just after the shutdown of your country .
Why don ’ t you just take us through it ?
We only have a few minutes .
But what happened this weekend , after you had last weekend , International Women ’ s Day , tens of thousands of women marching in the streets ?
And then , this past Sunday , tell us what the government did .
MARÍA CARRIÓN : Well , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of emergency .
And it ’ s not the ordinary state of emergency for natural disasters .
It goes beyond .
It gives the government , the central government , extraordinary powers .
It has taken control of basically police , health facilities and both public and private initiatives .
It has taken control of all of that in order to manage the crisis .
So , as you said in the lede , that includes a temporary nationalization of the private healthcare sector .
We are now confined to our homes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And it ’ s what ’ s happening basically in every country that ’ s shutting down .
So we ’ re allowed to go get basic things like food , to go take care of dependents , to go — we can go to our jobs if our jobs can not be contained inside homes and we can not work remotely .
You can obviously go to the drugstore , the pharmacy , and you can also go to the doctor if it ’ s very important .
People have actually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a ghost country , in a sense .
You hardly see anyone on the street unless they ’ re going to their jobs .
The weekend was especially illustrative of this , because most people were home anyway .
On Monday , yesterday , you saw a few more people out in the streets and on the trains commuting to work .
But the streets have definitely cleared out .
Four ministries are now in charge of managing the crisis : the Health Ministry , which is basically appropriating private facilities , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to manage the crisis ; the Interior Ministry , which is kind of like homeland security and the FBI in the United States , now controlling all police forces , including autonomous regional police forces in the Basque Country and in Catalonia ; the Defense Ministry , which has put basically the military installations and personnel at the disposal of central government for this ; and the Transportation Ministry , which handles public transportation and decides how much of it shuts down , and also highways and roads , that obviously have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because most of us can not go anywhere .
MARÍA CARRIÓN : So , what does this mean ?
It means that — AMY GOODMAN : Talk about the leadership of the country .
I mean , the partners of the prime minister have — has tested positive , of the — that ’ s Prime Minister Sánchez — of the deputy prime minister .
Go through it .
The partners of both have tested positive , both women .
MARÍA CARRIÓN : Well , yes .
Basically , Pedro Sánchez ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he ’ s in quarantine .
Pablo Iglesias is one of the three vice presidents of the country , and he belongs to the Podemos , Unidas Podemos party .
It ’ s a coalition government , so it ’ s Socialist and Unidas Podemos , which is the party that was born out of the Indignados movement after the financial crisis .
So , Pablo Iglesias ’ partner , who ’ s also a minister , minister of equality , has tested positive .
And also people in — two regional leaders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president of Madrid , Isabel Ayuso , have tested positive and are in quarantine , as well .
A lot of these women actually were at the feminist march of last — of almost two weeks ago , on March 8th .
We don ’ t know , of course , if that was related .
So , yes , there are a lot of people in leadership who are in quarantine .
And in fact , there ’ s right now an ongoing Cabinet meeting , an urgent Cabinet meeting , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that will be taken , the way that financially they ’ re going to be supporting families and businesses and so on , and is taking place remotely to protect all of the Cabinet ministers from getting infected .
And this is — AMY GOODMAN : And the head of the conservative party , the Vox party , María ?
MARÍA CARRIÓN : Yes .
Both the head and his deputy were at this huge gathering , party gathering .
This is Vox , the extreme right-wing party that won about 50 seats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elections .
And they ’ re very anti-immigrant and have been — they ’ re on record saying , “ We have to keep immigrants out because they bring epidemics into the country.
” Now they ’ re both infected .
This is Santiago Abascal and Javier — AMY GOODMAN : And isn ’ t it true that one of them was at CPAC in the United States , the Conservative Political Action — AMY GOODMAN : Oh , was in Washington .
MARÍA CARRIÓN : Yes , yes , and then came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , yes , a lot of people in leadership and even in these parties who claim that it ’ s immigrants bringing in viruses are now having to self-quarantine .
And really , today , the most important thing that ’ s happening , because the first round of measures — this decree happened over the weekend , but today is where everybody is waiting to hear exactly what the government is going to do to help people whose lives have shut down , who have been temporarily laid off or fired from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know how they ’ re going to be paying their mortgages .
They don ’ t know how they ’ re going to be paying their rent .
Basically , what you just announced , the moratorium on mortgages , just is like five minutes ago was announced , but there ’ s a whole round of measures that they need to basically agree upon .
This is a coalition government , and it ’ s their first enormous test of unity , because Podemos , of course , is to the left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a more generous package for working people especially .
We ’ re all remembering the 2008 financial crisis and how banks were bailed out but people were not .
And we were just recovering from that in terms of , you know , especially the most vulnerable people , and especially — AMY GOODMAN : María Carrión , we ’ re going to have to leave it there , and most importantly to talk about the most vulnerable in Spain and throughout the world , which will bring us to our next segment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go into the San Quentin prison .
The U.S. has the largest prison population proportionately in the world .
María Carrión , former Democracy Now !
producer , now living in Madrid , Spain , where she is a freelance journalist and head of FiSahara .
I ’ m Amy Goodman .
We ’ ll be back in a sec .
AMY GOODMAN : Spaniards from their balconies and homes while on lockdown .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: We begin today’s show in Spain, which is now the second European country to impose a nationwide lockdown, after 2,000 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours and the number of deaths doubled. Spain now has the second most cases in Europe after Italy, the fourth highest number worldwide, with more than 11,000 infections and nearly 500 deaths. Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska announced the country was shutting down to slow the spread of coronavirus.
FERNANDO GRANDE-MARLASKA: [translated] From 0100 GMT this evening and until the declaration of the state of emergency is concluded, only Spanish citizens, residents in Spain, cross-border workers and those who prove force majeure or situation of extreme poverty will be allowed to enter national territory by land.
AMY GOODMAN: As the European Union prepares to vote on a proposal to shut all external borders and impose a 30-day continent-wide foreign travel ban, Portugal has already suspended all passenger air and rail traffic with neighboring Spain until April 15th. At the border checkpoints, Spain is now allowing only Spaniards, residents of Spain, cross-border workers and diplomats to enter the country.
JOSE LUIS: [translated] They are only asking for identification, the national card, nothing else. They should test us for fever, because, at the end, it’s a checkpoint, but just for identification.
AMY GOODMAN: This comes as the Spanish government announced it’s nationalizing hospitals and private healthcare companies to better manage the pandemic. Over the weekend, the Spanish people came outside to cheer medical workers in the streets as the country prepared to shut down. And the Spanish government has just announced a moratorium on mortgage payments and guarantee that basic services — that’s water, gas, electricity — will not be shut off for nonpayment during the crisis.
For more, we go to Madrid, Spain, where we’re joined by María Carrión, freelance journalist, former Democracy Now! producer, also executive director of FiSahara and co-founder of Nomads HRC, which focuses on human rights in Western Sahara.
María, it’s great to have you with us. I talked to you just after the shutdown of your country. Why don’t you just take us through it? We only have a few minutes. But what happened this weekend, after you had last weekend, International Women’s Day, tens of thousands of women marching in the streets? And then, this past Sunday, tell us what the government did.
MARÍA CARRIÓN: Well, the government of Spain decreed a state of emergency. And it’s not the ordinary state of emergency for natural disasters. It goes beyond. It gives the government, the central government, extraordinary powers. It has taken control of basically police, health facilities and both public and private initiatives. It has taken control of all of that in order to manage the crisis. So, as you said in the lede, that includes a temporary nationalization of the private healthcare sector.
We are now confined to our homes. There’s just a few exceptions. And it’s what’s happening basically in every country that’s shutting down. So we’re allowed to go get basic things like food, to go take care of dependents, to go — we can go to our jobs if our jobs cannot be contained inside homes and we cannot work remotely. You can obviously go to the drugstore, the pharmacy, and you can also go to the doctor if it’s very important. People have actually cleared the streets. Spain is now a ghost country, in a sense. You hardly see anyone on the street unless they’re going to their jobs. The weekend was especially illustrative of this, because most people were home anyway. On Monday, yesterday, you saw a few more people out in the streets and on the trains commuting to work. But the streets have definitely cleared out.
Four ministries are now in charge of managing the crisis: the Health Ministry, which is basically appropriating private facilities, as well, to manage — and resources, to manage the crisis; the Interior Ministry, which is kind of like homeland security and the FBI in the United States, now controlling all police forces, including autonomous regional police forces in the Basque Country and in Catalonia; the Defense Ministry, which has put basically the military installations and personnel at the disposal of central government for this; and the Transportation Ministry, which handles public transportation and decides how much of it shuts down, and also highways and roads, that obviously have to be managed, as well, because most of us cannot go anywhere.
AMY GOODMAN: So, María, talk about —
MARÍA CARRIÓN: So, what does this mean? It means that —
AMY GOODMAN: Talk about the leadership of the country. I mean, the partners of the prime minister have — has tested positive, of the — that’s Prime Minister Sánchez — of the deputy prime minister. Go through it. The partners of both have tested positive, both women.
MARÍA CARRIÓN: Well, yes. Basically, Pedro Sánchez’s wife has tested positive, and so he’s in quarantine. Pablo Iglesias is one of the three vice presidents of the country, and he belongs to the Podemos, Unidas Podemos party. It’s a coalition government, so it’s Socialist and Unidas Podemos, which is the party that was born out of the Indignados movement after the financial crisis. So, Pablo Iglesias’ partner, who’s also a minister, minister of equality, has tested positive. And also people in — two regional leaders, Quim Torra of Catalonia and the president of Madrid, Isabel Ayuso, have tested positive and are in quarantine, as well. A lot of these women actually were at the feminist march of last — of almost two weeks ago, on March 8th. We don’t know, of course, if that was related. So, yes, there are a lot of people in leadership who are in quarantine.
And in fact, there’s right now an ongoing Cabinet meeting, an urgent Cabinet meeting, to determine the economic, the fiscal measures that will be taken, the way that financially they’re going to be supporting families and businesses and so on, and is taking place remotely to protect all of the Cabinet ministers from getting infected. And this is —
AMY GOODMAN: And the head of the conservative party, the Vox party, María?
MARÍA CARRIÓN: Yes. Both the head and his deputy were at this huge gathering, party gathering. This is Vox, the extreme right-wing party that won about 50 seats in parliament in Spain in the last elections. And they’re very anti-immigrant and have been — they’re on record saying, “We have to keep immigrants out because they bring epidemics into the country.” Now they’re both infected. This is Santiago Abascal and Javier —
AMY GOODMAN: And isn’t it true that one of them was at CPAC in the United States, the Conservative Political Action —
MARÍA CARRIÓN: Santiago Abascal was in Washington.
AMY GOODMAN: Oh, was in Washington.
MARÍA CARRIÓN: Yes, yes, and then came back and was tested positive. So, yes, a lot of people in leadership and even in these parties who claim that it’s immigrants bringing in viruses are now having to self-quarantine.
And really, today, the most important thing that’s happening, because the first round of measures — this decree happened over the weekend, but today is where everybody is waiting to hear exactly what the government is going to do to help people whose lives have shut down, who have been temporarily laid off or fired from their jobs, who don’t know how they’re going to be paying their mortgages. They don’t know how they’re going to be paying their rent. Basically, what you just announced, the moratorium on mortgages, just is like five minutes ago was announced, but there’s a whole round of measures that they need to basically agree upon. This is a coalition government, and it’s their first enormous test of unity, because Podemos, of course, is to the left, and they are really pressing for a more generous package for working people especially. We’re all remembering the 2008 financial crisis and how banks were bailed out but people were not. And we were just recovering from that in terms of, you know, especially the most vulnerable people, and especially —
AMY GOODMAN: María Carrión, we’re going to have to leave it there, and most importantly to talk about the most vulnerable in Spain and throughout the world, which will bring us to our next segment, where we’re going to go into the San Quentin prison. The U.S. has the largest prison population proportionately in the world. María Carrión, former Democracy Now! producer, now living in Madrid, Spain, where she is a freelance journalist and head of FiSahara. I’m Amy Goodman. We’ll be back in a sec.
[break]
AMY GOODMAN: Spaniards from their balconies and homes while on lockdown.


democracynow--2020-03-17--Headlines for March 17, 2020

Headlines for March 17, 2020

Here in the United States , there have been more than 4,500 confirmed cases and 87 deaths , but more accurate numbers are still not known as testing remains extremely limited .
President Trump released national guidelines Monday designed to help control the spread of COVID-19 , including avoiding gatherings of 10 or more people , stopping discretionary travel , and avoiding restaurants , bars , gyms and other public places for the next two weeks .
Trump appeared to acknowledge the severity of the pandemic for the first time , saying , “ This is a bad one .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Trump responded to a reporter asking him to rate his administration ’ s response to the pandemic .
President Donald Trump : “ I ’ d rate it a 10 .
I think we ’ ve done a great job .
And it started with the fact that we kept a very highly infected country , despite all of the — even the professionals saying , 'No , it 's too early to do that , ’ we were very , very early with respect to China .
And we would have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if we didn ’ t do that .
I would rate it at a very , very — I would rate ourselves and the professionals — I think the professionals have done a fantastic job.
” Medical and public health experts say Trump ’ s early dismissal and delayed response to the outbreak contributed to coronavirus spreading undetected for weeks .
Trump again attacked New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Monday , tweeting , “ Just had a very good tele-conference with Nations ’ s Governors .
Went very well .
Cuomo of New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cuomo responded “ I have to do more ?
No — YOU have to do something !
You ’ re supposed to be the President.
” He later added , “ Happy to do your job , too .
Just give me control of the Army Corps of Engineers and I ’ ll take it from there.
” New York recently closed all its schools , restaurants and entertainment venues in an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus .
Residents across six counties in the San Francisco Bay Area have been ordered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ April 7 .
The directive affects around 7 million people .
As of Monday , 37 states and the District of Columbia have moved to close public schools in some way .
Over 37 million students and their families are being affected .
Many districts are implementing alternative plans so that students who need it can still receive free meals .
The Supreme Court is delaying oral arguments .
It ’ s the first time the court has taken such measures since the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic .
The court was scheduled to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s attempts to shield his tax returns and financial documents from lawmakers and a New York prosecutor .
The U.S. airline industry is seeking a $ 50 billion bailout package to cope with the fallout of the outbreak .
Trump tweeted Monday , “ The United States will be powerfully supporting those industries , like Airlines and others , that are particularly affected by the Chinese Virus .
We will be stronger than ever before !
” The Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization have explicitly warned that referring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus is not accurate and further fuels racism against Chinese people and other people of Asian descent .
Trump did not offer similar assistance to homeless people , uninsured or unemployed people , and workers affected by the pandemic .
In election news , Kentucky became the latest state to postpone its primary over the outbreak .
Meanwhile , in Ohio , which was set to vote today , Governor Mike DeWine ordered officials to not open polling places , despite a judge denying a last-minute bid to delay the election .
Election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said their primaries would proceed as scheduled today .
In Ohio , the ACLU welcomed the release of vulnerable prisoners in Cuyahoga County during the pandemic .
The prisoners either had their cases settled or were released on house arrest .
The ACLU and other rights groups are calling on prisons around the country to release high-risk and elderly prisoners .
Meanwhile , in New York , an investigator with the Department of Correction died after contracting COVID-19 .
The investigator had limited contact with prisoners , according to officials , but his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protect prisons during the outbreak .
The New York City Department of Correction said Monday it was suspending in-person visits starting this week .
In New York City and other locations across the country , St. Patrick ’ s Day celebrations have been canceled or postponed .
It ’ s the first time the event has been called off in New York City in over 250 years .
Other major annual events , including the Kentucky Derby , have also been called off .
Major League Baseball became the latest sporting organization to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it would hire an additional 100,000 warehouse and delivery workers to handle a surge in online shopping .
A government official said Monday the first clinical trial of a coronavirus vaccine had begun .
It could take from one year up to 18 months to fully validate any potential vaccine .
The White House said more coronavirus drive-through and walk-through test locations will open this week .
This comes as German biotech firm CureVac has denied reports Trump attempted to get exclusive rights to a coronavirus vaccine it is developing .
Reports emerged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CEO around $ 1 billion for the rights — which would make the vaccine available only in the United States .
CureVac ’ s majority owner , co-founder of German software giant SAP , reportedly confirmed the conversation took place , despite the recent denial .
German officials also confirmed the story and rejected the idea , saying , “ if a vaccine is developed in Germany , then it is for Germany and the world.
” The White House has also denied the reports .

Here in the United States, there have been more than 4,500 confirmed cases and 87 deaths, but more accurate numbers are still not known as testing remains extremely limited. President Trump released national guidelines Monday designed to help control the spread of COVID-19, including avoiding gatherings of 10 or more people, stopping discretionary travel, and avoiding restaurants, bars, gyms and other public places for the next two weeks. Trump appeared to acknowledge the severity of the pandemic for the first time, saying, “This is a bad one. … It’s just so contagious.” Trump responded to a reporter asking him to rate his administration’s response to the pandemic.
President Donald Trump: “I’d rate it a 10. I think we’ve done a great job. And it started with the fact that we kept a very highly infected country, despite all of the — even the professionals saying, 'No, it's too early to do that,’ we were very, very early with respect to China. And we would have a whole different situation in this country if we didn’t do that. I would rate it at a very, very — I would rate ourselves and the professionals — I think the professionals have done a fantastic job.”
Medical and public health experts say Trump’s early dismissal and delayed response to the outbreak contributed to coronavirus spreading undetected for weeks. Trump again attacked New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Monday, tweeting, “Just had a very good tele-conference with Nations’s Governors. Went very well. Cuomo of New York has to 'do more'.” Governor Cuomo responded “I have to do more? No — YOU have to do something! You’re supposed to be the President.” He later added, “Happy to do your job, too. Just give me control of the Army Corps of Engineers and I’ll take it from there.” New York recently closed all its schools, restaurants and entertainment venues in an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Residents across six counties in the San Francisco Bay Area have been ordered to “shelter in place” until April 7. The directive affects around 7 million people.
As of Monday, 37 states and the District of Columbia have moved to close public schools in some way. Over 37 million students and their families are being affected. Many districts are implementing alternative plans so that students who need it can still receive free meals.
The Supreme Court is delaying oral arguments. It’s the first time the court has taken such measures since the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic. The court was scheduled to hear arguments later this month around Trump’s attempts to shield his tax returns and financial documents from lawmakers and a New York prosecutor.
The U.S. airline industry is seeking a $50 billion bailout package to cope with the fallout of the outbreak. Trump tweeted Monday, “The United States will be powerfully supporting those industries, like Airlines and others, that are particularly affected by the Chinese Virus. We will be stronger than ever before!” The Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization have explicitly warned that referring to COVID-19 as a “Chinese” virus is not accurate and further fuels racism against Chinese people and other people of Asian descent. Trump did not offer similar assistance to homeless people, uninsured or unemployed people, and workers affected by the pandemic.
In election news, Kentucky became the latest state to postpone its primary over the outbreak. Meanwhile, in Ohio, which was set to vote today, Governor Mike DeWine ordered officials to not open polling places, despite a judge denying a last-minute bid to delay the election. Election officials in Arizona, Florida and Illinois said their primaries would proceed as scheduled today.
In Ohio, the ACLU welcomed the release of vulnerable prisoners in Cuyahoga County during the pandemic. The prisoners either had their cases settled or were released on house arrest. The ACLU and other rights groups are calling on prisons around the country to release high-risk and elderly prisoners.
Meanwhile, in New York, an investigator with the Department of Correction died after contracting COVID-19. The investigator had limited contact with prisoners, according to officials, but his death further fueled concerns over how to protect prisons during the outbreak. The New York City Department of Correction said Monday it was suspending in-person visits starting this week.
In New York City and other locations across the country, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations have been canceled or postponed. It’s the first time the event has been called off in New York City in over 250 years. Other major annual events, including the Kentucky Derby, have also been called off. Major League Baseball became the latest sporting organization to suspend its season.
Amazon said Monday it would hire an additional 100,000 warehouse and delivery workers to handle a surge in online shopping.
A government official said Monday the first clinical trial of a coronavirus vaccine had begun. It could take from one year up to 18 months to fully validate any potential vaccine.
The White House said more coronavirus drive-through and walk-through test locations will open this week.
This comes as German biotech firm CureVac has denied reports Trump attempted to get exclusive rights to a coronavirus vaccine it is developing. Reports emerged over the weekend Trump offered the CureVac CEO around $1 billion for the rights — which would make the vaccine available only in the United States. CureVac’s majority owner, co-founder of German software giant SAP, reportedly confirmed the conversation took place, despite the recent denial. German officials also confirmed the story and rejected the idea, saying, “if a vaccine is developed in Germany, then it is for Germany and the world.” The White House has also denied the reports.


democracynow--2020-03-18--Facing Mass Layoffs, Restaurant Workers Living "Tip to Mouth" Demand Living Wage & Paid Sick Leave

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
I ’ m Amy Goodman , as we turn to look at how the mass shutdowns and layoffs due to the spread of COVID-19 are affecting millions of restaurant workers across the United States .
With cities across the U.S. going dark , bars and restaurants closed for the foreseeable future , servers , bartenders , kitchen staff and more have been left in the lurch , many without paid sick leave , paid time off or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restaurant workers in the U.S. are at risk of losing their jobs in a matter of weeks .
Many were already living paycheck to paycheck .
This is India John , a server at The Chocolate Bar in Cleveland , Ohio , which has closed due to the coronavirus .
AMY GOODMAN : Nearly one in five households have already experienced a layoff or work reduction due to the pandemic , according to a new PBS/NPR/Marist poll .
As many hope for desperately needed federal assistance , the Senate is set to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the House passed Monday night .
The bill had already exempted employers with more than 500 workers , such as megacorporations like McDonald ’ s and Amazon , only protecting 20 % of workers in the private sector .
Now it ’ s expected to leave out even more workers , including millions who work for small businesses .
The Reverend Dr. William Barber of the Poor People ’ s Campaign tweeted , “ Congress must go back & pass another bill that covers all workers .
They can not leave out millions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sick leave .
These workers will not be exempted from the disease.
” This comes as the Trump administration said Tuesday it will support a plan to inject more than a trillion dollars into the U.S. economy to fight the unprecedented drop in economic activity .
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the stimulus package would rapidly deliver a $ 1,000 check to most American adults , with more direct payments likely to come in the months ahead .
For more , we ’ re joined by two guests .
From California , by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Saru Jayaraman is with us , the co-founder of the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United , president of One Fair Wage and director of the Food Labor Research Center at University of California , Berkeley .
We are also joined in New York by a laid-off worker , by Damani Varnado , restaurant worker in catering , fine dining , cocktailing for the past 20 years .
He was working at Tiny ’ s & The Bar Upstairs when the whole staff was let go during the coronavirus epidemic .
Saru , let @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us the scope of the problem and what ’ s happening now .
I mean , we ’ re talking to you in Berkeley .
San Francisco , 7 million people are just sheltering in site right now .
SARU JAYARAMAN : Yeah , and I think that we are at just the tip of the iceberg .
I think we ’ re going to see this happen nationwide .
You mentioned that as many as 4 or 5 million workers are at risk of being laid off in the restaurant industry .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ than that .
The restaurant industry is nearing 14 million workers nationally .
And I think that you ’ re going to see a very large percentage of those workers at risk of being laid off as more of the country follows the Bay Area with shelter in place .
And that is devastating , because this industry had severe structural inequality problems that existed long before this crisis .
In particular , this industry , unlike almost every other industry , was allowed to pay a subminimum wage to its tipped workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tips .
That ’ s an actual literal legacy of slavery and a source of terrible sexual harassment for a mostly female workforce of servers and bartenders and bussers .
Now , think about that workforce when it ’ s laid off .
First of all , there have been very little tips in the last few weeks leading up to shutdowns .
And so , already people were struggling .
With layoff , people have been living , I call it literally , tip to mouth .
They got tips on Friday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weekend .
They can ’ t feed their kids on Monday .
We started a relief fund for these workers Monday morning at 9:30 .
We ’ ve had almost 15,000 workers apply for relief in just over a 24-hour period .
And that ’ s because most of these workers aren ’ t going to qualify for any kind of unemployment benefits or paid sick leave , as you mentioned .
Paid sick leave wouldn ’ t last long enough anyway .
But even if they do qualify , even if they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wage and a very poor or rough calculation of tips .
I mean , unemployment insurance is already a percentage of your income .
For subminimum-wage restaurant workers , you ’ re talking about a percentage of a percentage of your income .
There was a problem that existed before this crisis , that is now exemplifying why we needed $ 15 , one fair wage , much more sustainable industry , long before the crisis hit .
AMY GOODMAN : So what exactly are you pushing for , Saru Jayaraman ?
SARU @ @ @ @ @ @ @ multiple things in this moment and long term .
Right now we are pushing for that unemployment benefits actually measure — provide some buffer , particularly for tipped workers , that they overcompensate for the fact that really the government has no clear idea of how much these workers actually earned in tips .
So we want to see a better calculation of unemployment benefits , number one .
Absolutely , paid sick leave , covering all industries , all workers , and better paid family leave , as well .
In terms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like to see targeted relief along the lines of what Senator Warren called for , basically , targeted relief for businesses that are willing to move to a sustainable model post-crisis .
Let ’ s encourage businesses post-crisis — let ’ s support businesses to stay with us through the crisis and to move to a better model post-crisis , so that we are not in the same boat afterward .
So that would look like tax and rent abatements for small businesses that are willing to commit to going to $ 15 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We don ’ t want to see this industry stuck through the crisis , only at the end of it with large chains surviving , because they ’ re the ones that are able to weather the crisis .
We don ’ t want to see small businesses go out of business as a result of the crisis .
But we do want to see businesses encouraged through this crisis , supported through this crisis , that are willing to make a commitment to change , because , clearly , the crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the first place .
AMY GOODMAN : So , I want to turn to a comment of Robert Reich , who said — earlier this week , he tweeted , “ McDonald ’ s Burger King Pizza Hut Duncan Donuts Wendy ’ s Taco Bell Subway None give their workers paid sick leave .
They should be required to post this sign on their doors : 'Because we do n't give our workers paid sick leave , they may be sick when they serve you.
’ ” That was Robert Reich , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you retweeted his message .
Talk about this .
For people to understand , as the White House talks out bailing out the economy , who is being bailed out , and who isn ’ t ?
And are there strings being put on these bailouts to ensure that their workers are protected ?
When they say they ’ re bailing out the airline industry to the tune of $ 50 billion , are the airline flight attendants , are the workers on the planes , etc.
, are they being protected ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the restaurant workers and these large corporations .
SARU JAYARAMAN : No , absolutely .
That ’ s exactly my point .
There is talk of very large bailout and , in some cases , funding already going to very large restaurant corporations , that — many of whom have been taken over by hedge funds , so this is Wall Street controlling very large restaurant corporations .
They are seeing potential large subsidies , tax subsidies , incentives .
There is talk also of support even for smaller businesses , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Meanwhile , these same large businesses are not being forced to provide their workers with paid leave , and not being called on , when receiving these bailouts , to move to higher wages , that we know would have staved off the kind of dire situation we ’ re seeing right now among millions of workers , had they been forced to pay livable wages and provide paid sick leave prior .
And so , what we need is not mass bailouts of an industry with absolutely no strings attached or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is relief for an industry that encourages — or requires , actually — moving to livable wages , moving to what we call one fair wage , a full minimum wage with tips on top , as we have here in California , and paid sick leave , and paid sick leave because 90 % of workers across the country don ’ t have the ability to take a day off when they are sick .
Two-thirds reported that they worked when sick before coronavirus .
You know , yes , a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off , and so paid leave is not going to be as relevant for them , but think about all the delivery workers that are continuing to work .
Do we want them to work when they are sick ?
No .
We need to see paid leave apply to everybody .
We need companies to be forced to pay livable wages , if they ’ re going to get any kind of relief from the government .
AMY GOODMAN : I want to bring Damani Varnado into this conversation , longtime New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now is in another studio in New York City , so we can maintain our social distance and keep our workplaces safe .
But it ’ s good to have you with us , Damani .
AMY GOODMAN : Can you talk about what happened to you ?
We only have a few minutes .
You were just laid off from a place in Tribeca ?
DAMANI VARNADO : Yeah , I can tell you the short about it is .
We were down in Tribeca .
Tribeca is a pool of money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ influence down there from Wall Street to families to smaller businesses to basically tourists coming in .
I ’ d say that the pandemic started about a month ago , and we noticed when Europe was starting to close restaurants and businesses , and people were getting scared .
That ’ s when we started noticing a reduction in the customers that were coming in .
We started to slowly reduce shifts right then and there .
And then , I ’ d say , within about 72 hours , we not only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we were going to be closing the business .
The business was nice enough to send us an email to say that they ’ re definitely going to be rehiring us when this is over , but that is an indefinite amount of time that no one can quite speak to .
So , we ’ ve been devastated .
And I say “ devastated ” not just for front of the house .
Back of the house , immigrants that were working without any kind of legal status , they have no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already skewed off by , as Saru said , a percentage of what we would have actually been making as what will be adjusted for unemployment benefits , that many of us that were working part-time may not even be eligible for .
So , I think the crisis — AMY GOODMAN : Do you get unemployment benefits , Damani ?
DAMANI VARNADO : I have applied for them , but I have not — a decision hasn ’ t been made right now , because the system continues to crash , because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right now , not just — you know , the crisis has made everyone stop working , so… AMY GOODMAN : So , can you talk about what you ’ re most worried about right now , with what people will turn to if they can ’ t get financial support ?
DAMANI VARNADO : I think that people are going to turn to resourcing food banks , human resources , social services .
But I feel like when that is full , I think that people are going to start needing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ costs .
I think that people are going to think more about shared kitchens for feeding their families .
I think that restaurants right now should be thinking about , the food that is in their refrigerators right now should be donated to all food pantries , because there ’ s no one in the restaurants eating them , and there ’ s not enough takeout orders that are going to work right now to get — AMY GOODMAN : And if people get really desperate ?
DAMANI VARNADO : I think if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s going to be very similar to the Depression .
People are going to be out in the streets in lines waiting for soup and bread , because there ’ s no money to go around the city .
AMY GOODMAN : So , Saru Jayaraman , what kind of organizing are you doing ?
I mean , we ’ re talking about people — I mean , you shelter in place , the whole San Francisco area , 7 million people .
It looks like it ’ s coming to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do you organize in a crisis like this ?
SARU JAYARAMAN : Well , as I mentioned , we launched this One Fair Wage emergency fund Monday morning .
We ’ ve been raising money and doling out cash assistance to workers .
But for every single worker that signs up , we ’ re doing a one-on-one , a one-hour conversation , talking to them about their needs , their situation , why are we in this to begin with , and why we need to vote .
We ’ re signing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talk to them and to screen them to send out the checks .
So , it is a very strange and crazy and dystopian moment .
The stories that are coming in of these 15,000 workers that have already applied are heartbreaking .
You know , “ I lost my job on Friday .
I can not feed my three children .
I have children with developmental disabilities .
I have children with illness .
I don ’ t know how I ’ m going to feed them or take care of them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how I ’ m going to pay my rent to keep a roof over my head.
” AMY GOODMAN : We ’ re going to have to leave it there , Saru .
I want to thank you so much for being with us .
And be safe .
Saru Jayaraman , with the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United , One Fair Wage .
Also joining us from New York , Damani Varnado , longtime New York restaurant worker who was just laid off .
That does it for our show .
A huge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so much to Julie Crosby , Miriam Barnard , Renée Feltz , Mike Burke , Deena Guzder , Nermeen Shaikh , Carla Wills , Tami Woronoff , Denis Moynihan , Libby Rainey , Sam Alcoff , John Hamilton .
I ’ m Amy Goodman .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! I’m Amy Goodman, as we turn to look at how the mass shutdowns and layoffs due to the spread of COVID-19 are affecting millions of restaurant workers across the United States. With cities across the U.S. going dark, bars and restaurants closed for the foreseeable future, servers, bartenders, kitchen staff and more have been left in the lurch, many without paid sick leave, paid time off or benefits. One study estimates 4 million restaurant workers in the U.S. are at risk of losing their jobs in a matter of weeks. Many were already living paycheck to paycheck. This is India John, a server at The Chocolate Bar in Cleveland, Ohio, which has closed due to the coronavirus.
INDIA JOHN: I’m kind of upset about the closing, because of rent and financials, and I know that we all have families to take care of and things like that. I do want us to all be safe and healthy, but I’m really concerned about how I’m going to pay my bills.
AMY GOODMAN: Nearly one in five households have already experienced a layoff or work reduction due to the pandemic, according to a new PBS/NPR/Marist poll. As many hope for desperately needed federal assistance, the Senate is set to take up a significantly weakened emergency coronavirus bill the House passed Monday night. The bill had already exempted employers with more than 500 workers, such as megacorporations like McDonald’s and Amazon, only protecting 20% of workers in the private sector. Now it’s expected to leave out even more workers, including millions who work for small businesses. The Reverend Dr. William Barber of the Poor People’s Campaign tweeted, “Congress must go back & pass another bill that covers all workers. They cannot leave out millions by exempting some low-wage workers from paid sick leave. These workers will not be exempted from the disease.”
This comes as the Trump administration said Tuesday it will support a plan to inject more than a trillion dollars into the U.S. economy to fight the unprecedented drop in economic activity. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the stimulus package would rapidly deliver a $1,000 check to most American adults, with more direct payments likely to come in the months ahead.
For more, we’re joined by two guests. From California, by Democracy Now! video stream in Berkeley, Saru Jayaraman is with us, the co-founder of the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, president of One Fair Wage and director of the Food Labor Research Center at University of California, Berkeley. We are also joined in New York by a laid-off worker, by Damani Varnado, restaurant worker in catering, fine dining, cocktailing for the past 20 years. He was working at Tiny’s & The Bar Upstairs when the whole staff was let go during the coronavirus epidemic.
Saru, let’s start with you. Give us the scope of the problem and what’s happening now. I mean, we’re talking to you in Berkeley. San Francisco, 7 million people are just sheltering in site right now.
SARU JAYARAMAN: Yeah, and I think that we are at just the tip of the iceberg. I think we’re going to see this happen nationwide. You mentioned that as many as 4 or 5 million workers are at risk of being laid off in the restaurant industry. I think it’s much higher than that. The restaurant industry is nearing 14 million workers nationally. And I think that you’re going to see a very large percentage of those workers at risk of being laid off as more of the country follows the Bay Area with shelter in place.
And that is devastating, because this industry had severe structural inequality problems that existed long before this crisis. In particular, this industry, unlike almost every other industry, was allowed to pay a subminimum wage to its tipped workers, forcing them to live off of tips. That’s an actual literal legacy of slavery and a source of terrible sexual harassment for a mostly female workforce of servers and bartenders and bussers. Now, think about that workforce when it’s laid off. First of all, there have been very little tips in the last few weeks leading up to shutdowns. And so, already people were struggling. With layoff, people have been living, I call it literally, tip to mouth. They got tips on Friday. They were laid off over the weekend. They can’t feed their kids on Monday.
We started a relief fund for these workers Monday morning at 9:30. We’ve had almost 15,000 workers apply for relief in just over a 24-hour period. And that’s because most of these workers aren’t going to qualify for any kind of unemployment benefits or paid sick leave, as you mentioned. Paid sick leave wouldn’t last long enough anyway. But even if they do qualify, even if they are eligible [inaudible] the subminimum wage and a very poor or rough calculation of tips. I mean, unemployment insurance is already a percentage of your income. For subminimum-wage restaurant workers, you’re talking about a percentage of a percentage of your income. There was a problem that existed before this crisis, that is now exemplifying why we needed $15, one fair wage, much more sustainable industry, long before the crisis hit.
AMY GOODMAN: So what exactly are you pushing for, Saru Jayaraman?
SARU JAYARAMAN: We’re pushing for multiple things in this moment and long term. Right now we are pushing for that unemployment benefits actually measure — provide some buffer, particularly for tipped workers, that they overcompensate for the fact that really the government has no clear idea of how much these workers actually earned in tips. So we want to see a better calculation of unemployment benefits, number one. Absolutely, paid sick leave, covering all industries, all workers, and better paid family leave, as well.
In terms of relief for businesses, we would like to see targeted relief along the lines of what Senator Warren called for, basically, targeted relief for businesses that are willing to move to a sustainable model post-crisis. Let’s encourage businesses post-crisis — let’s support businesses to stay with us through the crisis and to move to a better model post-crisis, so that we are not in the same boat afterward. So that would look like tax and rent abatements for small businesses that are willing to commit to going to $15 and one fair wage after the crisis. We don’t want to see this industry stuck through the crisis, only at the end of it with large chains surviving, because they’re the ones that are able to weather the crisis. We don’t want to see small businesses go out of business as a result of the crisis. But we do want to see businesses encouraged through this crisis, supported through this crisis, that are willing to make a commitment to change, because, clearly, the crisis is highlighting why we needed that change in the first place.
AMY GOODMAN: So, I want to turn to a comment of Robert Reich, who said — earlier this week, he tweeted, “McDonald’s Burger King Pizza Hut Duncan Donuts Wendy’s Taco Bell Subway None give their workers paid sick leave. They should be required to post this sign on their doors: 'Because we don't give our workers paid sick leave, they may be sick when they serve you.’” That was Robert Reich, the former labor secretary. Saru, you retweeted his message. Talk about this. For people to understand, as the White House talks out bailing out the economy, who is being bailed out, and who isn’t? And are there strings being put on these bailouts to ensure that their workers are protected? When they say they’re bailing out the airline industry to the tune of $50 billion, are the airline flight attendants, are the workers on the planes, etc., are they being protected? But you stick with what you know, the restaurant workers and these large corporations.
SARU JAYARAMAN: No, absolutely. That’s exactly my point. There is talk of very large bailout and, in some cases, funding already going to very large restaurant corporations, that — many of whom have been taken over by hedge funds, so this is Wall Street controlling very large restaurant corporations. They are seeing potential large subsidies, tax subsidies, incentives. There is talk also of support even for smaller businesses, but we haven’t seen it yet. Meanwhile, these same large businesses are not being forced to provide their workers with paid leave, and not being called on, when receiving these bailouts, to move to higher wages, that we know would have staved off the kind of dire situation we’re seeing right now among millions of workers, had they been forced to pay livable wages and provide paid sick leave prior.
And so, what we need is not mass bailouts of an industry with absolutely no strings attached or requirements for workers. What we need is relief for an industry that encourages — or requires, actually — moving to livable wages, moving to what we call one fair wage, a full minimum wage with tips on top, as we have here in California, and paid sick leave, and paid sick leave because 90% of workers across the country don’t have the ability to take a day off when they are sick. Two-thirds reported that they worked when sick before coronavirus. You know, yes, a lot of workers are going to be laid off, and so paid leave is not going to be as relevant for them, but think about all the delivery workers that are continuing to work. Do we want them to work when they are sick? No. We need to see paid leave apply to everybody. We need companies to be forced to pay livable wages, if they’re going to get any kind of relief from the government.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to bring Damani Varnado into this conversation, longtime New York City restaurant worker. He right now is in another studio in New York City, so we can maintain our social distance and keep our workplaces safe. But it’s good to have you with us, Damani.
DAMANI VARNADO: Thank you.
AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about what happened to you? We only have a few minutes. You were just laid off from a place in Tribeca?
DAMANI VARNADO: Yeah, I can tell you the short about it is. We were down in Tribeca. Tribeca is a pool of money. There’s a lot of influence down there from Wall Street to families to smaller businesses to basically tourists coming in. I’d say that the pandemic started about a month ago, and we noticed when Europe was starting to close restaurants and businesses, and people were getting scared. That’s when we started noticing a reduction in the customers that were coming in. We started to slowly reduce shifts right then and there. And then, I’d say, within about 72 hours, we not only lost our shifts but were told that we were going to be closing the business.
The business was nice enough to send us an email to say that they’re definitely going to be rehiring us when this is over, but that is an indefinite amount of time that no one can quite speak to. So, we’ve been devastated. And I say “devastated” not just for front of the house. Back of the house, immigrants that were working without any kind of legal status, they have no rights to unemployment benefits, which were already skewed off by, as Saru said, a percentage of what we would have actually been making as what will be adjusted for unemployment benefits, that many of us that were working part-time may not even be eligible for. So, I think the crisis —
AMY GOODMAN: Do you get unemployment benefits, Damani?
DAMANI VARNADO: I have applied for them, but I have not — a decision hasn’t been made right now, because the system continues to crash, because everyone in New York City is unemployed right now, not just — you know, the crisis has made everyone stop working, so…
AMY GOODMAN: So, can you talk about what you’re most worried about right now, with what people will turn to if they can’t get financial support?
DAMANI VARNADO: I think that people are going to turn to resourcing food banks, human resources, social services. But I feel like when that is full, I think that people are going to start needing to move in together to reduce their living costs. I think that people are going to think more about shared kitchens for feeding their families. I think that restaurants right now should be thinking about, the food that is in their refrigerators right now should be donated to all food pantries, because there’s no one in the restaurants eating them, and there’s not enough takeout orders that are going to work right now to get —
AMY GOODMAN: And if people get really desperate?
DAMANI VARNADO: I think if people really get desperate, I think it’s going to be very similar to the Depression. People are going to be out in the streets in lines waiting for soup and bread, because there’s no money to go around the city.
AMY GOODMAN: So, Saru Jayaraman, what kind of organizing are you doing? I mean, we’re talking about people — I mean, you shelter in place, the whole San Francisco area, 7 million people. It looks like it’s coming to New York, as well. How do you organize in a crisis like this?
SARU JAYARAMAN: Well, as I mentioned, we launched this One Fair Wage emergency fund Monday morning. We’ve been raising money and doling out cash assistance to workers. But for every single worker that signs up, we’re doing a one-on-one, a one-hour conversation, talking to them about their needs, their situation, why are we in this to begin with, and why we need to vote. We’re signing people up to vote, as we talk to them and to screen them to send out the checks. So, it is a very strange and crazy and dystopian moment. The stories that are coming in of these 15,000 workers that have already applied are heartbreaking. You know, “I lost my job on Friday. I cannot feed my three children. I have children with developmental disabilities. I have children with illness. I don’t know how I’m going to feed them or take care of them. I really don’t know how I’m going to pay my rent to keep a roof over my head.”
AMY GOODMAN: We’re going to have to leave it there, Saru. I want to thank you so much for being with us. And be safe. Saru Jayaraman, with the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, One Fair Wage. Also joining us from New York, Damani Varnado, longtime New York restaurant worker who was just laid off.
That does it for our show. A huge thanks to our staff. Thank you so much to Julie Crosby, Miriam Barnard, Renée Feltz, Mike Burke, Deena Guzder, Nermeen Shaikh, Carla Wills, Tami Woronoff, Denis Moynihan, Libby Rainey, Sam Alcoff, John Hamilton. I’m Amy Goodman.