democracynow--2020-02-25--"It's a Beginning": Rosanna Arquette on Weinstein Rape Conviction & How He Assaulted, Spied on Her

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : The verdict is in .
Disgraced former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been convicted of rape .
On Monday , a Manhattan jury of seven men and five women found Weinstein guilty of raping then-aspiring actress Jessica Mann in a hotel room in 2013 and of sexually assaulting production assistant Mimi Haley at his apartment in 2006 by forcibly performing oral sex on her .
Weinstein was convicted of first-degree commission of a criminal sexual act and third-degree rape , but he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of predatory sexual assault and first-degree rape .
He faces a total sentence of up to 29 years in prison .
After the verdict was announced , Judge James Burke ordered Weinstein to be taken to jail immediately .
Weinstein was handcuffed and led out of the courtroom .
His attorneys say he experienced heart palpitations and high blood pressure when he was being taken to Rikers Island jail .
He was reportedly then transferred to a locked unit at Bellevue Hospital .
This is attorney Debra Katz addressing the media after Weinstein @ @ @ @ @ @ @ designer Dawn Dunning , one of Weinstein ’ s accusers who testified in the trial .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Meanwhile , Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance called Weinstein a , quote , “ vicious , serial sexual predator ” and said the women who testified against Weinstein were heroic .
AMY GOODMAN : Harvey Weinstein ’ s sentencing has been set for March 11 .
The verdict comes after weeks of testimony from a slew of accusers who described alleged rapes , forced oral sex and groping by Weinstein .
Weinstein ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case to arise from allegations against him made by more than 90 women , including actresses Salma Hayek and Ashley Judd , Uma Thurman and Gwyneth Paltrow and Mira Sorvino .
But many of those cases were too old to prosecute .
Weinstein still faces charges in Los Angeles .
Authorities allege he raped one woman and sexually assaulted another on back-to-back nights in 2013 during Oscars week .
Well , for more , we ’ re joined by two guests , in New York and L.A .
In Los Angeles , Rosanna @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and activist , one of the first women to share details of Harvey Weinstein ’ s sexual misconduct .
Arquette has been closely following the New York trial of Weinstein .
And here in New York , Tarana Burke , founder of the # MeToo movement .
She founded the # MeToo hashtag in 2006 to focus on young women of color who have endured sexual abuse , assault or exploitation .
Burke is now the executive director of the newly established organization of the same name , also known as “ Me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both to Democracy Now !
I want to begin with Rosanna Arquette .
You were one of the first to speak out against Harvey Weinstein because of your own experience with him .
Can you respond to yesterday ’ s verdict ?
ROSANNA ARQUETTE : I think , even though it was five counts — it was only three counts , we are happy .
It ’ s a beginning .
It ’ s an opening .
This is very , very important .
It ’ s a seismic cultural shift in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s really important that this man be held accountable for his actions .
And to convict a very powerful white male is a big deal .
And I ’ m happy that he ’ s going to go to jail , one way or another .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And , Tarana Burke , I wanted to ask you : First , your reaction to the verdict ?
But then also , you issued a statement afterwards saying that you thought that this jury worked with an incredibly narrow and unjust set of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m wondering if you could elaborate on that .
TARANA BURKE : Well , my reaction was similar to a lot of people , I think : a sense of relief , knowing that this is not the fullness of what accountability can look like , to have some accountability from a person as powerful as Harvey Weinstein .
Knowing the survivors , knowing some of them personally , knowing that this felt like cathartic to them , I was definitely relieved that there was some conviction .
But , you know , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the statement is because there was a lot of chatter about people not believing folks like Annabella Sciorra and her testimony , and that ’ s why he wasn ’ t convicted on the higher charges .
And really , I think we have to examine what the laws look like around sexual violence .
It ’ s not so much the people who came forward , but what they had to work with .
The charges were 27 years old .
There are statutes of limitations .
There ’ s not enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sexual violence actually is and what it does in people ’ s lives .
So they worked with what they had .
AMY GOODMAN : The jury convicted Weinstein as felony sex crime and rape , but acquitted him of predatory sexual assault , acquitted of the most serious charges but still faces up to 29 years in jail .
The New York Times wrote , “ On the two counts of predatory sexual assault , the not guilty verdicts suggested that the jurors did not believe the testimony of Annabella Sciorra , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in The Sopranos.
” Your response ?
And then I want to get Rosanna ’ s , as well .
TARANA BURKE : Again , I don ’ t know that we can assume that they didn ’ t believe her , as much as they couldn ’ t get to where they needed to get to convict him of that crime .
And I think it ’ s really dangerous to put out this narrative that she wasn ’ t believed .
Right ?
Because she came and she testified about this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that assumption sends a message to survivors that we don ’ t need to send , that if you come forward , that folks won ’ t believe you .
The laws are very narrow around what you can — and the burden of proof is very different than it is for , say , a civil case or a case that was more recent .
So I think we have to be careful about saying they didn ’ t believe her .
ROSANNA ARQUETTE : Well , everything that the Queen Tarana @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hero , and she ’ s right .
We really do have to change the laws .
That ’ s what ’ s next .
Annabella Sciorra ’ s testimony , I believe that had she not done that in the courtroom , we wouldn ’ t be here today .
I think they did listen to her .
But because there were — they couldn ’ t charge , for some reason , something happened with the jury .
And I want to thank the jury for deliberating and taking the time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possibly could , because I actually don ’ t think it was actually their fault in this .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And , Rosanna Arquette , I wanted to ask you , in terms of the strategy of Weinstein ’ s defense attorneys — you watched the proceedings of the court , of the trial closely .
Your reaction to their attempt to discredit the testimony of the women who are charging him with these crimes ?
ROSANNA ARQUETTE : Well , you know , those are the dirty tactics that Harvey Weinstein @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That ’ s how he manipulated people , including — you know , there ’ s a lot of evidence missing in the years of Cy Vance .
I ’ m so happy he ’ s on board now , but many years ago he wasn ’ t .
And so , this is how he plays .
She was — it was horrible to watch and to be called the — you know , I felt so bad for the witnesses .
He ’ s on trial , not the women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
AMY GOODMAN : We ’ re going to break and then come back to this discussion .
ROSANNA ARQUETTE : Sorry , it ’ s 4:30 in the morning here .
AMY GOODMAN : Rosanna Arquette is an award-winning actress and filmmaker , one of the first to speak out about Harvey Weinstein ’ s abuse .
And Tarana Burke is with us , founder of the # MeToo movement , executive director of the newly established “ Me Too ” International .
Stay with us .
AMY GOODMAN : “ Sisters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Aretha Franklin and the Eurythmics .
This is Democracy Now !
, democracynow.org , The War and Peace Report .
I ’ m Amy Goodman , with Juan González .
Yes , the verdict is in .
Harvey Weinstein is a convicted rapist .
On Monday , a Manhattan jury of seven men and five women found Weinstein guilty of raping then-aspiring actress Jessica Mann in a hotel room in 2013 and of sexually assaulting his production assistant Mimi Haley at his apartment in 2006 by forcibly performing oral sex on her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with our two guests .
Rosanna Arquette is with us in Los Angeles , and Tarana Burke is with us here in New York .
Rosanna , you were one of the first to sound the alarm , to speak out around what Harvey Weinstein did to you .
And if you could quickly — and if you don ’ t want to , certainly feel free to say no — recount what happened to you ?
And then I want to talk about the years after what happened to you , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his attempts to discredit you .
ROSANNA ARQUETTE : I was asked to go to meet Harvey Weinstein for dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel for a movie that I was going to do , and he was giving me the new script .
I arrived .
They said , “ Mr .
Weinstein will see you upstairs.
” I went upstairs , you know , and thought , “ What ’ s going on ?
Oh , yeah , you know , he probably has the penthouse suite , ” which is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they came into town , stayed in a big suite .
And he opened the door in his white bathrobe , and he said , “ I can ’ t move my neck , can not move my neck.
” And I said , “ OK , well , I ’ ll get you a massage.
” And he grabbed my hand and pulled it down towards his penis .
I pulled it away .
And he said , “ Rosanna , you ’ re making a very big mistake .
Look what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Elle Macpherson.
” Those were the two names he gave me .
And I said , “ I ’ ll never be that girl.
” And I left .
And , you know , I told people .
They told me to keep my mouth shut .
I told my agent .
One of my agents was that guy Paul Feldsher , that actually testified for Harvey Weinstein .
So , that ’ s strange , in that time .
AMY GOODMAN : So , I wanted then to go to this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cube , the private intelligence agency run largely by former officers of Israeli intelligence , Mossad , and other intelligence agencies .
According to reporting by The New Yorker and others , Black Cube was hired by Weinstein via his law firm .
Agency investigators reportedly adopted false identities in order to obtain information about his accusers , including actress Rose McGowan .
She spoke about being targeted by Black Cube investigators during an interview on CBS 60 Minutes and being tricked into revealing intimate details of her alleged abuse by Weinstein to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : That was actress Rose McGowan , who filed a lawsuit against Weinstein , alleges he conspired to defraud , smear and marginalize her as she was preparing to name him in 2017 .
Now , last year , or the year before , I saw you , Rosanna Arquette , at an event organized by Ava DuVernay to honor Dr. Martin Luther King .
You were very shaken that day .
AMY GOODMAN : It was right before the Sundance Film Festival .
And filmmakers had just come to your house to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Weinstein called Untouchable .
You had been interviewed by them , and you were now seeing the completed film .
You told me that day that you had just seen the film , and you were learning for the first time that you were on that list of Black Cube .
Can you explain what you think they did and what he did to you , after you were telling the story of what happened to you ?
ROSANNA ARQUETTE : Well , we knew that I was — I knew I had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had told me that before .
But what they had was a signed contract and a picture of me as a target — and that ’ s what they show in the film — signed by Harvey Weinstein .
So it was scary , very scary .
And he did this to a lot of people , and that ’ s what he ’ s done for years .
And if anybody hasn ’ t read Catch and Kill , I highly suggest reading Ronan ’ s book or hearing him read it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GOODMAN : Who revealed this first in The New Yorker magazine .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: The verdict is in. Disgraced former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been convicted of rape. On Monday, a Manhattan jury of seven men and five women found Weinstein guilty of raping then-aspiring actress Jessica Mann in a hotel room in 2013 and of sexually assaulting production assistant Mimi Haley at his apartment in 2006 by forcibly performing oral sex on her. Weinstein was convicted of first-degree commission of a criminal sexual act and third-degree rape, but he was acquitted of two more serious charges of predatory sexual assault and first-degree rape. He faces a total sentence of up to 29 years in prison.
After the verdict was announced, Judge James Burke ordered Weinstein to be taken to jail immediately. Weinstein was handcuffed and led out of the courtroom. His attorneys say he experienced heart palpitations and high blood pressure when he was being taken to Rikers Island jail. He was reportedly then transferred to a locked unit at Bellevue Hospital.
This is attorney Debra Katz addressing the media after Weinstein’s conviction. Katz represents costume designer Dawn Dunning, one of Weinstein’s accusers who testified in the trial.
DEBRA KATZ: Doug and I were in court as we saw Harvey Weinstein being remanded into police custody. Harvey Weinstein is exactly where he should be now: behind bars.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Meanwhile, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance called Weinstein a, quote, “vicious, serial sexual predator” and said the women who testified against Weinstein were heroic.
DISTRICT ATTORNEY CYRUS VANCE: To the survivors of Harvey Weinstein, I owe, and we all owe, an immense debt to you, who had the courage, beyond measure, to speak your story to the world, to this courtroom, at great personal risk and in great personal pain. To those of us who were privileged to be in the courtroom when they testified, you know what I mean. These survivors weren’t just brave, they were heroic.
AMY GOODMAN: Harvey Weinstein’s sentencing has been set for March 11. The verdict comes after weeks of testimony from a slew of accusers who described alleged rapes, forced oral sex and groping by Weinstein. Weinstein’s New York trial was the first criminal case to arise from allegations against him made by more than 90 women, including actresses Salma Hayek and Ashley Judd, Uma Thurman and Gwyneth Paltrow and Mira Sorvino. But many of those cases were too old to prosecute. Weinstein still faces charges in Los Angeles. Authorities allege he raped one woman and sexually assaulted another on back-to-back nights in 2013 during Oscars week.
Well, for more, we’re joined by two guests, in New York and L.A. In Los Angeles, Rosanna Arquette is an award-winning actress, filmmaker and activist, one of the first women to share details of Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct. Arquette has been closely following the New York trial of Weinstein. And here in New York, Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo movement. She founded the #MeToo hashtag in 2006 to focus on young women of color who have endured sexual abuse, assault or exploitation. Burke is now the executive director of the newly established organization of the same name, also known as “Me Too” International.
We welcome you both to Democracy Now! I want to begin with Rosanna Arquette. You were one of the first to speak out against Harvey Weinstein because of your own experience with him. Can you respond to yesterday’s verdict?
ROSANNA ARQUETTE: I think, even though it was five counts — it was only three counts, we are happy. It’s a beginning. It’s an opening. This is very, very important. It’s a seismic cultural shift in a lot of ways. And it’s really important that this man be held accountable for his actions. And to convict a very powerful white male is a big deal. And I’m happy that he’s going to go to jail, one way or another.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Tarana Burke, I wanted to ask you: First, your reaction to the verdict? But then also, you issued a statement afterwards saying that you thought that this jury worked with an incredibly narrow and unjust set of laws governing sexual assault. I’m wondering if you could elaborate on that.
TARANA BURKE: Well, my reaction was similar to a lot of people, I think: a sense of relief, knowing that this is not the fullness of what accountability can look like, to have some accountability from a person as powerful as Harvey Weinstein. Knowing the survivors, knowing some of them personally, knowing that this felt like cathartic to them, I was definitely relieved that there was some conviction.
But, you know, the reason why I said that in the statement is because there was a lot of chatter about people not believing folks like Annabella Sciorra and her testimony, and that’s why he wasn’t convicted on the higher charges. And really, I think we have to examine what the laws look like around sexual violence. It’s not so much the people who came forward, but what they had to work with. The charges were 27 years old. There are statutes of limitations. There’s not enough law to cover the breadth of what sexual violence actually is and what it does in people’s lives. So they worked with what they had.
AMY GOODMAN: The jury convicted Weinstein as felony sex crime and rape, but acquitted him of predatory sexual assault, acquitted of the most serious charges but still faces up to 29 years in jail. The New York Times wrote, “On the two counts of predatory sexual assault, the not guilty verdicts suggested that the jurors did not believe the testimony of Annabella Sciorra, an actress best known for her work in The Sopranos.” Your response? And then I want to get Rosanna’s, as well.
TARANA BURKE: Again, I don’t know that we can assume that they didn’t believe her, as much as they couldn’t get to where they needed to get to convict him of that crime. And I think it’s really dangerous to put out this narrative that she wasn’t believed. Right? Because she came and she testified about this really horrendous thing. And to make that assumption sends a message to survivors that we don’t need to send, that if you come forward, that folks won’t believe you. The laws are very narrow around what you can — and the burden of proof is very different than it is for, say, a civil case or a case that was more recent. So I think we have to be careful about saying they didn’t believe her.
AMY GOODMAN: Rosanna Arquette, your response?
ROSANNA ARQUETTE: Well, everything that the Queen Tarana said, because she’s our hero, and she’s right. We really do have to change the laws. That’s what’s next. Annabella Sciorra’s testimony, I believe that had she not done that in the courtroom, we wouldn’t be here today. I think they did listen to her. But because there were — they couldn’t charge, for some reason, something happened with the jury. And I want to thank the jury for deliberating and taking the time and doing this as much as they possibly could, because I actually don’t think it was actually their fault in this.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Rosanna Arquette, I wanted to ask you, in terms of the strategy of Weinstein’s defense attorneys — you watched the proceedings of the court, of the trial closely. Your reaction to their attempt to discredit the testimony of the women who are charging him with these crimes?
ROSANNA ARQUETTE: Well, you know, those are the dirty tactics that Harvey Weinstein always played, for years and years. That’s how he manipulated people, including — you know, there’s a lot of evidence missing in the years of Cy Vance. I’m so happy he’s on board now, but many years ago he wasn’t. And so, this is how he plays. She was — it was horrible to watch and to be called the — you know, I felt so bad for the witnesses. He’s on trial, not the women. That’s what everybody forgets.
AMY GOODMAN: We’re going to break and then come back to this discussion.
ROSANNA ARQUETTE: Sorry, it’s 4:30 in the morning here.
AMY GOODMAN: Rosanna Arquette is an award-winning actress and filmmaker, one of the first to speak out about Harvey Weinstein’s abuse. And Tarana Burke is with us, founder of the #MeToo movement, executive director of the newly established “Me Too” International. Stay with us.
[break]
AMY GOODMAN: “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves” by Aretha Franklin and the Eurythmics. This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González. Yes, the verdict is in. Harvey Weinstein is a convicted rapist. On Monday, a Manhattan jury of seven men and five women found Weinstein guilty of raping then-aspiring actress Jessica Mann in a hotel room in 2013 and of sexually assaulting his production assistant Mimi Haley at his apartment in 2006 by forcibly performing oral sex on her. I wanted to continue our conversation with our two guests. Rosanna Arquette is with us in Los Angeles, and Tarana Burke is with us here in New York.
Rosanna, you were one of the first to sound the alarm, to speak out around what Harvey Weinstein did to you. And if you could quickly — and if you don’t want to, certainly feel free to say no — recount what happened to you? And then I want to talk about the years after what happened to you, in terms of what you felt was somehow his attempts to discredit you.
ROSANNA ARQUETTE: I was asked to go to meet Harvey Weinstein for dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel for a movie that I was going to do, and he was giving me the new script. I arrived. They said, “Mr. Weinstein will see you upstairs.” I went upstairs, you know, and thought, “What’s going on? Oh, yeah, you know, he probably has the penthouse suite,” which is what a lot of directors did when they came into town, stayed in a big suite. And he opened the door in his white bathrobe, and he said, “I can’t move my neck, cannot move my neck.” And I said, “OK, well, I’ll get you a massage.” And he grabbed my hand and pulled it down towards his penis. I pulled it away. And he said, “Rosanna, you’re making a very big mistake. Look what I’ve done for Gwyneth Paltrow and Elle Macpherson.” Those were the two names he gave me. And I said, “I’ll never be that girl.” And I left. And, you know, I told people. They told me to keep my mouth shut. I told my agent. One of my agents was that guy Paul Feldsher, that actually testified for Harvey Weinstein. So, that’s strange, in that time.
AMY GOODMAN: So, I wanted then to go to this whole issue of Harvey Weinstein hiring Black Cube, the private intelligence agency run largely by former officers of Israeli intelligence, Mossad, and other intelligence agencies. According to reporting by The New Yorker and others, Black Cube was hired by Weinstein via his law firm. Agency investigators reportedly adopted false identities in order to obtain information about his accusers, including actress Rose McGowan. She spoke about being targeted by Black Cube investigators during an interview on CBS 60 Minutes and being tricked into revealing intimate details of her alleged abuse by Weinstein to one of their spies.
TOM STEINFORT: Black Cube came after you personally, yeah?
ROSE McGOWAN: Oh, yeah.
TOM STEINFORT: What toll did that take on you?
ROSE McGOWAN: I think it shaved years off my life. I think them coming after me spun my brain — and still does — in a way that’s fractured a part of me that I don’t think will ever fix. But these are people that hurt people. And that’s their job. Their job is to hurt other people. So, you know, I hope they’re proud at night.
AMY GOODMAN: That was actress Rose McGowan, who filed a lawsuit against Weinstein, alleges he conspired to defraud, smear and marginalize her as she was preparing to name him in 2017. Now, last year, or the year before, I saw you, Rosanna Arquette, at an event organized by Ava DuVernay to honor Dr. Martin Luther King. You were very shaken that day.
ROSANNA ARQUETTE: Yeah.
AMY GOODMAN: It was right before the Sundance Film Festival. And filmmakers had just come to your house to show you a completed film about Harvey Weinstein called Untouchable. You had been interviewed by them, and you were now seeing the completed film. You told me that day that you had just seen the film, and you were learning for the first time that you were on that list of Black Cube. Can you explain what you think they did and what he did to you, after you were telling the story of what happened to you?
ROSANNA ARQUETTE: Well, we knew that I was — I knew I had been spied on, because Ronan Farrow had told me that before. But what they had was a signed contract and a picture of me as a target — and that’s what they show in the film — signed by Harvey Weinstein. So it was scary, very scary. And he did this to a lot of people, and that’s what he’s done for years. And if anybody hasn’t read Catch and Kill, I highly suggest reading Ronan’s book or hearing him read it. That’s even —
AMY GOODMAN: Ronan Farrow’s book.
ROSANNA ARQUETTE: Yes.
AMY GOODMAN: Who revealed this first in The New Yorker magazine.
ROSANNA ARQUETTE: Yeah, yeah.


democracynow--2020-02-25--Headlines for February 25, 2020

Headlines for February 25, 2020

Harvey Weinstein is guilty .
The jury delivered the verdict against the former movie mogul on two counts : first-degree commission of a criminal sexual act and third-degree rape .
He was acquitted of two more serious charges of predatory sexual assault and first-degree rape .
He faces a total sentence of up to 29 years in prison .
The charges in Weinstein ’ s New York rape trail involved two women : production assistant Miriam Haley and then-aspiring actor Jessica Mann .
But over 100 women have accused the once-powerful Hollywood producer of sexual assault and misconduct .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ onto the national and global stage .
Weinstein was ordered to be taken to jail immediately after the verdict was announced and was taken to Bellevue Hospital after , his attorneys say , he experienced heart palpitations .
Ambra Gutierrez , one of Weinstein ’ s accusers — who in 2015 reported him to the New York police and later recorded him admitting he groped her — reacted to the verdict .
Ambra Gutierrez : “ I can say that right now I ’ m happy to see that those years that I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Of course , there is a lot of work to do , and I ’ m here to , you know , be there and speak to people so that situations like this will never happen again .
And yeah , this is my mission right now.
” Weinstein ’ s sentencing hearing is set for March 11 .
We ’ ll have more on this story after headlines with Tarana Burke , the founder of the # MeToo movement , and award-winning actor , filmmaker and activist Rosanna Arquette .

Harvey Weinstein is guilty. The jury delivered the verdict against the former movie mogul on two counts: first-degree commission of a criminal sexual act and third-degree rape. He was acquitted of two more serious charges of predatory sexual assault and first-degree rape. He faces a total sentence of up to 29 years in prison.
The charges in Weinstein’s New York rape trail involved two women: production assistant Miriam Haley and then-aspiring actor Jessica Mann. But over 100 women have accused the once-powerful Hollywood producer of sexual assault and misconduct. The Weinstein case propelled the #MeToo movement onto the national and global stage.
Weinstein was ordered to be taken to jail immediately after the verdict was announced and was taken to Bellevue Hospital after, his attorneys say, he experienced heart palpitations.
Ambra Gutierrez, one of Weinstein’s accusers — who in 2015 reported him to the New York police and later recorded him admitting he groped her — reacted to the verdict.
Ambra Gutierrez: “I can say that right now I’m happy to see that those years that I lost of my life are getting back. Of course, there is a lot of work to do, and I’m here to, you know, be there and speak to people so that situations like this will never happen again. And yeah, this is my mission right now.”
Weinstein’s sentencing hearing is set for March 11. We’ll have more on this story after headlines with Tarana Burke, the founder of the #MeToo movement, and award-winning actor, filmmaker and activist Rosanna Arquette.


democracynow--2020-02-28--Elementary School in NJ Latinx Community Fights Displacement by Robert Wood Johnson Cancer Center

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
I ’ m Amy Goodman , with Juan González .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : We end today ’ s show in New Jersey , where hundreds rallied at the New Brunswick Board of Education meeting Tuesday night , protesting plans to demolish a public school to make way for a Robert Wood Johnson Hospital and Rutgers University to build a new cancer center .
Protesters included families and more than 30 children , who held signs reading “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stop Gentrification.
” If approved , 760 third-through-eighth-graders at Lincoln Annex School would be moved to a former warehouse building , converted into a school , on the outskirts of town , as they await construction of a replacement school .
Even worse , the proposed replacement school site is located on a “ brownfield site ” with possible contamination from hazardous chemicals .
This is one of the parents at Tuesday night ’ s school board meeting .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Organizer Sherry Wolf with the local Rutgers professors ’ union blasted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AMY GOODMAN : That ’ s Rutgers organizer Sherry Wolf .
After closing off the public comment at Tuesday ’ s New Brunswick school board meeting , members of the board went into a closed session , after much of the public had left .
They came back into public session and voted to begin the process of closing down the Lincoln Annex School , the New Brunswick elementary school , and moving forward with their plan .
Juan , you ’ ve been deeply involved with this story .
Can you talk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yeah , Amy .
I think what is important to understand is that this is a community battle that really has national implications , because all over America , in lots of urban areas , there are healthcare institutions or universities , whether it ’ s the University of Chicago or Columbia or NYU or Johns Hopkins — all these universities and these health institutions located in downtown areas are always seeking to expand and to grab more land and more territory .
And in this particular case , this is a David-and-Goliath @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s going to get even bigger in the weeks to come .
And it ’ s just erupted in the last few weeks , where you have a poor immigrant community — the city of New Brunswick has 50,000 people .
Half of them are Latino , most of them Mexican immigrants .
And they occupy the downtown area of New Brunswick , right around Rutgers University and the healthcare industry — Robert Wood Johnson Hospital , there ’ s St. Peter ’ s Hospital .
There are all of these hospitals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , of course , New Brunswick is the corporate headquarters of Johnson & Johnson , which is also downtown .
And so , last summer , suddenly , Robert Wood Johnson and Rutgers announced that they ’ re going to build a new $ 750 million expansion , a new standalone cancer center .
But they didn ’ t say where they were going to build it .
They announced it in June .
And the president of the New Jersey Senate was there , the president of the Assembly — all the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grand announcement .
Then , only a couple of weeks ago , after parents kept saying , “ Hey , our school is across the street from the hospital .
Are you going to take our school ?
” And they kept saying , “ No , no .
Those are only rumors .
It ’ s not going to happen.
” Suddenly , the mayor came out with an announcement saying , yes , the hospital wants to buy the Lincoln Annex School , 750 children , 94 % of them Latino @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really a center of the Latino community .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Right , and it ’ s the best-performing school in the city of New Brunswick .
And it ’ s a school that the city just spent $ 22 million to renovate and reopen a few years ago .
So it ’ s only been open for three-and-a-half years now .
And now they want to sell it to Robert Wood Johnson , close it down , send the kids a couple of miles away to a converted warehouse on the outskirts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they wait for a new school to be built .
And , of course , the site for the replacement school , as we mentioned in the lede , is on a contaminated brownfield site .
So the parents started organizing .
And they said , “ What are you doing ?
You know , we love our school .
Find another place to build your hospital expansion.
” And they ’ ve been marching in the streets .
There have been protests in downtown New Brunswick .
They ’ ve been appearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They ’ ve been appearing at the Board of Education .
No one is listening .
So , what ’ s happened increasingly now is that the entire Rutgers University community , which is how I got involved , the faculty are behind the parents .
All of the student organizations — the Muslim students , the Mexican students , the NAACP chapter of Rutgers — all of them are behind the parents .
And they ’ re going to continue this fight to insist that the healthcare industry find another place to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And yet the school board voted to sell the school .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And the school board ’ s not listening .
AMY GOODMAN : So , what happens next ?
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Well , what happens next is that they ’ re going to continue to fight , because it ’ s not done yet .
LatinoJustice , the civil rights group , has gotten involved .
There are going to be lawsuits , and there are going to be even more escalating protests over the next few days .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Professor Juan González , thank you so much for that analysis .
And , of course , Democracy Now !
co-host .
That does it for our show .
Tune in Tuesday night for Democracy Now !
’ s Super Tuesday live special broadcast with The Intercept , from 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time to midnight , right here at democracynow.org and on many stations around the country .
We have a number of positions that we are hiring for in our newsroom , outreach and development teams .
Information , application deadlines @ @ @

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: We end today’s show in New Jersey, where hundreds rallied at the New Brunswick Board of Education meeting Tuesday night, protesting plans to demolish a public school to make way for a Robert Wood Johnson Hospital and Rutgers University to build a new cancer center. Protesters included families and more than 30 children, who held signs reading “Save our School!” and “Stop Gentrification.” If approved, 760 third-through-eighth-graders at Lincoln Annex School would be moved to a former warehouse building, converted into a school, on the outskirts of town, as they await construction of a replacement school. Even worse, the proposed replacement school site is located on a “brownfield site” with possible contamination from hazardous chemicals. This is one of the parents at Tuesday night’s school board meeting.
PARENT: [translated] Since September, we have been in this fight. We don’t want our schools up for sale. It’s our school. It’s our kids. It’s our community. … And if we want to leave New Brunswick or for our kids to go to school far outside the city, we want it to be of our own accord, not because we are being pushed out. … Our dignity, our school is not for sale.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Organizer Sherry Wolf with the local Rutgers professors’ union blasted the plan as “racist gentrification.”
SHERRY WOLF: We understand that the students of New Brunswick are our future students. We have skin in this game. We pay taxes here. We live and work here. And at levels much higher than the rest of the American population, we vote here. …
And I am going to make you a promise: We will do everything in our power as a union — we are well resourced — to help organize politically and on the ground the community, in solidarity, to stop this destruction of a thriving school, to stop the racist displacement of a Latino community, under the pretext of a cancer institute.
We have no beef with the cancer institute. We do have a beef with racism. We do have a beef with gentrification. We do have a beef with lying. We do have a beef with people saying they are doing something in the best interests of children, and then ignoring the children and their families. And the performance earlier of throwing people out, who simply want to speak, is precisely the kind of arrogance that is going to win you even greater opposition.
AMY GOODMAN: That’s Rutgers organizer Sherry Wolf. After closing off the public comment at Tuesday’s New Brunswick school board meeting, members of the board went into a closed session, after much of the public had left. They came back into public session and voted to begin the process of closing down the Lincoln Annex School, the New Brunswick elementary school, and moving forward with their plan. Juan, you’ve been deeply involved with this story. Can you talk more about it?
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Yeah, Amy. I think what is important to understand is that this is a community battle that really has national implications, because all over America, in lots of urban areas, there are healthcare institutions or universities, whether it’s the University of Chicago or Columbia or NYU or Johns Hopkins — all these universities and these health institutions located in downtown areas are always seeking to expand and to grab more land and more territory.
And in this particular case, this is a David-and-Goliath battle that has erupted, and it’s going to get even bigger in the weeks to come. And it’s just erupted in the last few weeks, where you have a poor immigrant community — the city of New Brunswick has 50,000 people. Half of them are Latino, most of them Mexican immigrants. And they occupy the downtown area of New Brunswick, right around Rutgers University and the healthcare industry — Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, there’s St. Peter’s Hospital. There are all of these hospitals and healthcare institutions right around. And, of course, New Brunswick is the corporate headquarters of Johnson & Johnson, which is also downtown.
And so, last summer, suddenly, Robert Wood Johnson and Rutgers announced that they’re going to build a new $750 million expansion, a new standalone cancer center. But they didn’t say where they were going to build it. They announced it in June. And the president of the New Jersey Senate was there, the president of the Assembly — all the political forces of New Jersey made this grand announcement. Then, only a couple of weeks ago, after parents kept saying, “Hey, our school is across the street from the hospital. Are you going to take our school?” And they kept saying, “No, no. Those are only rumors. It’s not going to happen.” Suddenly, the mayor came out with an announcement saying, yes, the hospital wants to buy the Lincoln Annex School, 750 children, 94% of them Latino.
AMY GOODMAN: It’s really a center of the Latino community.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Right, and it’s the best-performing school in the city of New Brunswick. And it’s a school that the city just spent $22 million to renovate and reopen a few years ago. So it’s only been open for three-and-a-half years now. And now they want to sell it to Robert Wood Johnson, close it down, send the kids a couple of miles away to a converted warehouse on the outskirts of town for several years, while they wait for a new school to be built. And, of course, the site for the replacement school, as we mentioned in the lede, is on a contaminated brownfield site.
So the parents started organizing. And they said, “What are you doing? You know, we love our school. Find another place to build your hospital expansion.” And they’ve been marching in the streets. There have been protests in downtown New Brunswick. They’ve been appearing at Rutgers Board of Governors meetings. They’ve been appearing at the Board of Education. No one is listening.
So, what’s happened increasingly now is that the entire Rutgers University community, which is how I got involved, the faculty are behind the parents. All of the student organizations — the Muslim students, the Mexican students, the NAACP chapter of Rutgers — all of them are behind the parents. And they’re going to continue this fight to insist that the healthcare industry find another place to build this hospital.
AMY GOODMAN: And yet the school board voted to sell the school.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And the school board’s not listening.
AMY GOODMAN: So, what happens next?
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Well, what happens next is that they’re going to continue to fight, because it’s not done yet. LatinoJustice, the civil rights group, has gotten involved. There are going to be lawsuits, and there are going to be even more escalating protests over the next few days.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, Rutgers University Professor Juan González, thank you so much for that analysis. And, of course, Democracy Now! co-host.
That does it for our show. Tune in Tuesday night for Democracy Now!’s Super Tuesday live special broadcast with The Intercept, from 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time to midnight, right here at democracynow.org and on many stations around the country.
We have a number of positions that we are hiring for in our newsroom, outreach and development teams. Information, application deadlines at democracynow.org.


democracynow--2020-02-28--"We Want Democracy!" Mass Protests Continue in Dominican Republic After Local Elections Suspended

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
, democracynow.org , The War and Peace Report .
I ’ m Amy Goodman , with Juan González .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Well , we turn now to the Dominican Republic , where thousands of people took to the streets of the capital Santo Domingo Thursday to protest the abrupt suspension of local elections earlier this month and to commemorate the country ’ s Independence Day .
Demonstrators wore black and held signs that read “ democracy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Massive protests have been ongoing since February 16th , after the government suspended the municipal elections four hours after voting began , alleging there were “ technical glitches ” in the electronic ballot machines that were used .
Reuters reports the machines cost the Dominican government $ 19 million .
But many Dominicans believe the alleged technical glitch is just an attempt by the ruling Dominican Liberation Party , the PLD , to hold onto power as they ’ ve lost support .
This is one of the protesters in Santo Domingo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now demanding an independent investigation into what happened in the local elections , as well as for the resignation of the Dominican election board officials .
This is Eduardo Frei , president of the observer commission with the Organization of American States .
AMY GOODMAN : That was Eduardo Frei .
Municipal elections have now been rescheduled for March 15th .
Meanwhile , dozens of solidarity protests have sparked Dominican communities all over the world , from Spain and France to New Jersey and right here in New York City , where thousands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Heights , a predominantly Dominican neighborhood .
Nationwide , there are at least 1.87 million Dominicans living in the United States .
Some 40 % of them live here in New York City alone .
For more , we ’ re joined by Amanda Alcántara .
She is digital media editor at Latino USA and also Futuro Media .
She is a Dominican-American journalist and author of Chula , a bilingual collection of poems and short stories about the life of a Dominican woman before and after moving to the United States .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with us , Amanda .
If you can start off by talking about what all these protests are about ?
What happened with the elections in the Dominican Republic ?
AMANDA ALCÁNTARA : Yeah .
So , these protests are basically people taking to the streets and saying our right to democracy and our right to exercise self-determination has been taken away from us .
We ’ re talking about a country where people have been disenfranchised in many different ways .
We ’ re talking about a country that is predominantly populated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this is the one thing that they have to be able to claim any right to whatever happens to the future of their country .
So , imagine people standing in line for three to four hours , because that ’ s when the elections were canceled , and being told , “ You now have to go home , because the elections are no longer happening.
” So , people were angry .
They were confused .
And starting on that very Sunday afternoon , mostly youth started taking to the streets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Electoral — that ’ s the Central Electoral Board — in Santo Domingo to protest and to demand answers .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And , of course , the ruling party in the Dominican Republic has been in power , more or less , for what ?
About 20 years now ?
AMANDA ALCÁNTARA : So , over 18 years .
So , I like to talk about sort of like my own age , right ?
So , I ’ m 29 years old , and they have been in power almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so , like , ever since I ’ ve had any sort of political understanding , I ’ ve only known the PLD .
And that , to me , is insane .
AMY GOODMAN : So , let ’ s go to thousands of people who were in the streets right here in New York City in the Dominican community in Washington Heights to protest the suspension of the municipal elections in the Dominican Republic .
This is one of the protesters , Yolis Pérez .
AMY GOODMAN : I mean , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as passionate , of Dominicans here , as they are in the Dominican Republic .
Talk about the diaspora of the Dominican Republic .
And also , can people vote here for the Dominican Republic elections ?
AMANDA ALCÁNTARA : So , yes , people can vote here for the Dominican Republic elections .
Sometimes there ’ s this sort of nickname that we have , specifically for the community in New York , and that ’ s Provincia 33 .
Right ?
So it ’ s sort of like the 33rd province @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you know , I think , even for me , being part of the diaspora , we care so much about what ’ s happening in the country , because a lot of the issues that happen in the Dominican Republic and a lot of the conditions of the people there actually lead to there being such a widespread diaspora .
I mean , we ’ re talking about Dominicans being not only in New York City , not only in different parts of the United States , but there ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and there ’ s Dominicans all across the globe .
And I think these protests are actually — have become an opportunity for people to almost come out and say , “ Hey , you know , we ’ re Dominicans , and we ’ re also living in the exterior .
And we would love to live in our country , but it ’ s difficult to live there , because of these very issues that are happening.
” You know ?
And earlier you asked me about the PLD , right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there was attempts at fraud .
You know , so whenever people went to the ballot and they tried to vote for their candidate of preference , some of the candidates were not showing up on the ballot .
And this is very , very questionable .
It ’ s very shady , to say the least .
And people see this as an attempt at sabotage .
You know , this is the first time in 18 years , or the first time at least in a decade , when the PLD @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , you know , when , instead , it ’ s the opposition party — which is also questionable — is ahead in the polls .
Right ?
So , this is the first time when the PLD might not win the elections .
And they found themselves in a situation of fear , and instead of allowing for the democratic process to happen , people see this as an attempt at sabotaging that democratic process .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : I wanted to ask you about the attempt to redo the election .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ paper ballots , because the problem , apparently , they claim , was that this was an electronic voting system that somehow malfunctioned , as if we haven ’ t heard this story before .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Didn ’ t we just hear about Iowa ?
Haven ’ t we heard about all these other problems with electronic voting ?
So now they ’ re going back to the old-fashioned paper ballot .
And then they have a presidential election in May , isn ’ t there ?
AMANDA ALCÁNTARA : Yeah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So , these elections were not only meant for people to choose their local leaders — and we know how important it is to choose the mayor that represents you , to choose the regional leader that represents you — but these ballots were also going to create momentum , or were an opportunity to create momentum , for the opposition come the presidential elections .
Now that momentum has been lost , you know , because there is no credibility in the election process .
And we have no idea what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 15 .
Also , they spent $ 19 million on these voting machines .
And people are angry about that .
A lot of the signs that I have seen in protests , you know , they say , “ These dollars , they went to the trash.
” How can you spend $ 19 million and all of that , and the machines don ’ t work ?
Like , you can ’ t do that .
AMY GOODMAN : There ’ s been no connection between Dominican Republic and Iowa that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
AMANDA ALCÁNTARA : Not that we know of , but I wouldn ’ t be surprised .
AMY GOODMAN : But also , Amanda , you talk about this , and , Juan , you write about this in Harvest of Empire .
Talk about the history of the Dominican Republic and U.S. relations there , with U.S. soldiers moving into the Dominican Republic , invading the Dominican Republic in 1965 , and then how that shapes modern-day Dominican Republic .
AMANDA ALCÁNTARA : Yeah .
So , you know , there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Sunday of the face of Joaquín Balaguer .
And the meme was basically him laughing and saying , “ Wow !
You don ’ t even know how to properly steal an election.
” You know , so , Joaquín Balaguer was the man that the United States helped put in power once there was a U.S.-backed coup in 1965 .
And he was president — you know , I like to talk about this a lot , because I feel that Dominican Republic doesn ’ t get — I feel that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
The Trujillo dictatorship that lasted 30 years , that was like a very , very tough , stronghold regime where a lot of people were killed , a lot of people were disappeared .
And they think , “ OK , after Trujillo happened , we had democracy .
That ’ s it.
” And that wasn ’ t the case .
Balaguer was president starting from the — like the late 1960s up until the early 1990s .
We ’ re talking about like two to three generations of Dominicans who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And his was also a right-wing sort of strong regime and a repressive regime .
And people are already seeing the connection , you know , between his time in presidency and also how long the PLD has been in power and how they have crushed the opposition .
And talking about U.S. interventions , there was an article in The Washington Post that came out where Giuliani — we ’ re talking about President Donald Trump ’ s attorney — was in the Dominican Republic consulting for Luis Abinader , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , so already the other opposition parties are saying , “ Well , this guy is trying to get U.S. backing , ” because , in the end of the day , it is the U.S. that has a stronghold in Dominican Republic , and foreign American investments that have a stronghold in the country .
AMY GOODMAN : Final words , as we move into March 15th — of course , this is something we will cover — and whether you feel the government will hold fair elections ?
AMANDA ALCÁNTARA : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ choice but to hold fair elections .
I think that if they don ’ t , there ’ s — the people will no longer accept , you know , not having fair elections , right ?
So , I ’ ve been thinking about , you know , what does it mean for people to be taking the streets to today , for people to be taking the streets in historic numbers , and whether this can cause change or not .
And I don ’ t think that institutional change is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the next , but I do think that the people now know that these elected officials are accountable to you .
You know , so , if , on March 15 — we don ’ t really know what ’ s going to happen , but if the elections are not fair and if they ’ re not transparent , which is what the people are demanding , I think the protests are just going to continue .
AMY GOODMAN : Well , we ’ ll continue to cover those , as well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Latino USA .
Dominican-American journalist , author of Chula , a bilingual collection of poems and short stories about the life of a Dominican woman before and after moving to the United States .
When we come back , we look at the fight to save a New Jersey elementary school that serves a large Latino community in New Brunswick , New Jersey , from the forces of a healthcare industry and gentrification .
Stay with us .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Well, we turn now to the Dominican Republic, where thousands of people took to the streets of the capital Santo Domingo Thursday to protest the abrupt suspension of local elections earlier this month and to commemorate the country’s Independence Day. Demonstrators wore black and held signs that read “democracy” and “punishment for the corrupt.” Massive protests have been ongoing since February 16th, after the government suspended the municipal elections four hours after voting began, alleging there were “technical glitches” in the electronic ballot machines that were used. Reuters reports the machines cost the Dominican government $19 million. But many Dominicans believe the alleged technical glitch is just an attempt by the ruling Dominican Liberation Party, the PLD, to hold onto power as they’ve lost support. This is one of the protesters in Santo Domingo Thursday.
NICOLLE COASCU: [translated] We want to know what happened with the suspension of the municipal elections. We want answers. Young people are 40% of voters this year, and we deserve justice, as we have demanded in recent days.
AMY GOODMAN: Protesters are now demanding an independent investigation into what happened in the local elections, as well as for the resignation of the Dominican election board officials. This is Eduardo Frei, president of the observer commission with the Organization of American States.
EDUARDO FREI: [translated] The Organization of American States calls on the electoral authorities in the Dominican Republic and the political actors of the country to maintain an honest and constructive dialogue to face the next steps that should be undertaken, faced with this complex reality.
AMY GOODMAN: That was Eduardo Frei. Municipal elections have now been rescheduled for March 15th. Meanwhile, dozens of solidarity protests have sparked Dominican communities all over the world, from Spain and France to New Jersey and right here in New York City, where thousands of people demonstrated last weekend in Washington Heights, a predominantly Dominican neighborhood. Nationwide, there are at least 1.87 million Dominicans living in the United States. Some 40% of them live here in New York City alone.
For more, we’re joined by Amanda Alcántara. She is digital media editor at Latino USA and also Futuro Media. She is a Dominican-American journalist and author of Chula, a bilingual collection of poems and short stories about the life of a Dominican woman before and after moving to the United States.
It’s great to have you with us, Amanda. If you can start off by talking about what all these protests are about? What happened with the elections in the Dominican Republic?
AMANDA ALCÁNTARA: Yeah. So, these protests are basically people taking to the streets and saying our right to democracy and our right to exercise self-determination has been taken away from us. We’re talking about a country where people have been disenfranchised in many different ways. We’re talking about a country that is predominantly populated by people living in poverty. And this is the one thing that they have to be able to claim any right to whatever happens to the future of their country. So, imagine people standing in line for three to four hours, because that’s when the elections were canceled, and being told, “You now have to go home, because the elections are no longer happening.” So, people were angry. They were confused. And starting on that very Sunday afternoon, mostly youth started taking to the streets and going directly to la Junta Central Electoral — that’s the Central Electoral Board — in Santo Domingo to protest and to demand answers.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, of course, the ruling party in the Dominican Republic has been in power, more or less, for what? About 20 years now?
AMANDA ALCÁNTARA: So, over 18 years. So, I like to talk about sort of like my own age, right? So, I’m 29 years old, and they have been in power almost my entire life. You know, so, like, ever since I’ve had any sort of political understanding, I’ve only known the PLD. And that, to me, is insane.
AMY GOODMAN: So, let’s go to thousands of people who were in the streets right here in New York City in the Dominican community in Washington Heights to protest the suspension of the municipal elections in the Dominican Republic. This is one of the protesters, Yolis Pérez.
YOLIS PÉREZ: [translated] I’m a professional who had to migrate from my country in search of a better future for my daughter. My daughter’s generation needs us to truly wake up and that we clean up our country for them.
AMY GOODMAN: I mean, the passion of the people here, as passionate, of Dominicans here, as they are in the Dominican Republic. Talk about the diaspora of the Dominican Republic. And also, can people vote here for the Dominican Republic elections?
AMANDA ALCÁNTARA: So, yes, people can vote here for the Dominican Republic elections. Sometimes there’s this sort of nickname that we have, specifically for the community in New York, and that’s Provincia 33. Right? So it’s sort of like the 33rd province of the Dominican Republic. And, you know, I think, even for me, being part of the diaspora, we care so much about what’s happening in the country, because a lot of the issues that happen in the Dominican Republic and a lot of the conditions of the people there actually lead to there being such a widespread diaspora. I mean, we’re talking about Dominicans being not only in New York City, not only in different parts of the United States, but there’s a large population of Dominicans in Spain, and there’s Dominicans all across the globe. And I think these protests are actually — have become an opportunity for people to almost come out and say, “Hey, you know, we’re Dominicans, and we’re also living in the exterior. And we would love to live in our country, but it’s difficult to live there, because of these very issues that are happening.” You know?
And earlier you asked me about the PLD, right? So, people are saying that there was attempts at fraud. You know, so whenever people went to the ballot and they tried to vote for their candidate of preference, some of the candidates were not showing up on the ballot. And this is very, very questionable. It’s very shady, to say the least. And people see this as an attempt at sabotage. You know, this is the first time in 18 years, or the first time at least in a decade, when the PLD is no longer ahead in the polls, you know, when, instead, it’s the opposition party — which is also questionable — is ahead in the polls. Right? So, this is the first time when the PLD might not win the elections. And they found themselves in a situation of fear, and instead of allowing for the democratic process to happen, people see this as an attempt at sabotaging that democratic process.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: I wanted to ask you about the attempt to redo the election. This time they’re going to paper ballots, because the problem, apparently, they claim, was that this was an electronic voting system that somehow malfunctioned, as if we haven’t heard this story before.
AMANDA ALCÁNTARA: Yeah.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Didn’t we just hear about Iowa? Haven’t we heard about all these other problems with electronic voting? So now they’re going back to the old-fashioned paper ballot. And then they have a presidential election in May, isn’t there?
AMANDA ALCÁNTARA: Yeah. That’s correct, yeah. So, these elections were not only meant for people to choose their local leaders — and we know how important it is to choose the mayor that represents you, to choose the regional leader that represents you — but these ballots were also going to create momentum, or were an opportunity to create momentum, for the opposition come the presidential elections. Now that momentum has been lost, you know, because there is no credibility in the election process. And we have no idea what’s going to happen on March 15. Also, they spent $19 million on these voting machines. And people are angry about that. A lot of the signs that I have seen in protests, you know, they say, “These dollars, they went to the trash.” How can you spend $19 million and all of that, and the machines don’t work? Like, you can’t do that.
AMY GOODMAN: There’s been no connection between Dominican Republic and Iowa that’s been uncovered, has there?
AMANDA ALCÁNTARA: Not that we know of, but I wouldn’t be surprised.
AMY GOODMAN: But also, Amanda, you talk about this, and, Juan, you write about this in Harvest of Empire. Talk about the history of the Dominican Republic and U.S. relations there, with U.S. soldiers moving into the Dominican Republic, invading the Dominican Republic in 1965, and then how that shapes modern-day Dominican Republic.
AMANDA ALCÁNTARA: Yeah. So, you know, there were memes popping up during the — on Sunday of the face of Joaquín Balaguer. And the meme was basically him laughing and saying, “Wow! You don’t even know how to properly steal an election.” You know, so, Joaquín Balaguer was the man that the United States helped put in power once there was a U.S.-backed coup in 1965. And he was president — you know, I like to talk about this a lot, because I feel that Dominican Republic doesn’t get — I feel that people normally look at Trujillo, right? The Trujillo dictatorship that lasted 30 years, that was like a very, very tough, stronghold regime where a lot of people were killed, a lot of people were disappeared. And they think, “OK, after Trujillo happened, we had democracy. That’s it.” And that wasn’t the case.
Balaguer was president starting from the — like the late 1960s up until the early 1990s. We’re talking about like two to three generations of Dominicans who saw Balaguer on and off in power. And his was also a right-wing sort of strong regime and a repressive regime. And people are already seeing the connection, you know, between his time in presidency and also how long the PLD has been in power and how they have crushed the opposition.
And talking about U.S. interventions, there was an article in The Washington Post that came out where Giuliani — we’re talking about President Donald Trump’s attorney — was in the Dominican Republic consulting for Luis Abinader, who is the opposition leader. You know, so already the other opposition parties are saying, “Well, this guy is trying to get U.S. backing,” because, in the end of the day, it is the U.S. that has a stronghold in Dominican Republic, and foreign American investments that have a stronghold in the country.
AMY GOODMAN: Final words, as we move into March 15th — of course, this is something we will cover — and whether you feel the government will hold fair elections?
AMANDA ALCÁNTARA: I think the government has no other choice but to hold fair elections. I think that if they don’t, there’s — the people will no longer accept, you know, not having fair elections, right? So, I’ve been thinking about, you know, what does it mean for people to be taking the streets to today, for people to be taking the streets in historic numbers, and whether this can cause change or not. And I don’t think that institutional change is going to happen from one day to the next, but I do think that the people now know that these elected officials are accountable to you. You know, so, if, on March 15 — we don’t really know what’s going to happen, but if the elections are not fair and if they’re not transparent, which is what the people are demanding, I think the protests are just going to continue.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, we’ll continue to cover those, as well. Amanda Alcántara, digital media editor at Latino USA. Dominican-American journalist, author of Chula, a bilingual collection of poems and short stories about the life of a Dominican woman before and after moving to the United States.
When we come back, we look at the fight to save a New Jersey elementary school that serves a large Latino community in New Brunswick, New Jersey, from the forces of a healthcare industry and gentrification. Stay with us.


democracynow--2020-03-02--Death Toll Rises in Iran, Middle East Epicenter of Coronavirus, Amid U.S. Sanctions & Gov't Negligen

Death Toll Rises in Iran, Middle East Epicenter of Coronavirus, Amid U.S. Sanctions & Gov't Negligence

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : We end today ’ s show with the coronavirus — that ’ s right — and specifically looking at Iran , the epicenter of the virus outbreak in the Middle East .
The official death toll has risen to at least 54 , the highest outside China , where the outbreak began .
And experts say the real number of people in Iran who have died from the disease may be as high as 200 .
At least seven Iranian officials have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health minister , Iraj Harirchi , posted a video on social media last week saying he had contracted coronavirus .
Just a day before , he appeared ill at a news conference while saying mass quarantines were unnecessary .
AMY GOODMAN : Well , on Sunday , Iranian authorities announced new efforts to combat the coronavirus , calling on people not to use public transportation , and closing schools , universities , cultural centers .
The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak an international health emergency .
For more , we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to speak to Dr. Kamiar Alaei , an Iranian global health policy expert , co-founder and co-president of the Institute for International Health and Education , visiting professor at the University of Oxford .
Welcome to Democracy Now !
, Doctor .
Can you start off by talking about why you think Iran has been so hard hit at this point ?
DR. KAMIAR ALAEI : As you know , there are political reason that Iran undermined the reality .
One of them was that Iran is a great ally with China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experts that they recommended to close those direct flights from China to Iran , but Iran , not only they didn ’ t close those direct flights , but also in some occasions they increased the number of flights , because a lot of Chinese , they couldn ’ t make it to their final destinations , so they used Iran as a kind of transferring point .
DR. KAMIAR ALAEI : At the same time , there were two — DR. KAMIAR ALAEI : Go ahead .
And at the same time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
One of them was the anniversary of the revolution .
And after that , we had the parliamentary elections .
So the main concern of the government was that .
If they admit that there ’ s an outbreak of coronavirus , that may discourage Iranian population to come to participate .
AMY GOODMAN : I want to go to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaking Friday before the House Foreign Affairs Committee about Iran ’ s response to the coronavirus .
AMY GOODMAN : So , here is Pompeo expressing his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. sanctions against Iran affect the health infrastructure ?
Because they ’ re not just total U.S. sanctions against Iran ; they sanction any country that does business with Iran .
Has this also deteriorated the health infrastructure inside Iran ?
DR. KAMIAR ALAEI : Definitely sanction has some contributing factors .
Especially right now they are seeking for to have testing devices .
But I think the main cause of outbreak is the mismanagement of the leadership of Iran , because Iran has a pretty good infrastructure , especially for healthcare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the decision-makers , they were not Ministry of Health officials .
And due to political interests , they didn ’ t listen to a lot of experts that they asked them .
For example , the main source of coronavirus is a holy city which is called Qom .
While the minister of health asked to put the city in quarantine , the militia didn ’ t accept that .
So that shows that from one side , the officials — the experts , they can not implement those decisions .
And at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they wanted to undermine the significance of the coronavirus outbreak .
So that was the reason a lot of the healthcare workers , they were not expecting that they may face the outbreak .
And we have a lot of doctors , nurses that got infected by coronavirus .
AMY GOODMAN : If you could talk about now what ’ s happening to the government .
You have the vice president , the head of women ’ s affairs , she has been — she has tested positive for coronavirus .
Seven officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the people who ’ s quarantined himself .
They were in contact with the president .
What does this mean at this point ?
DR. KAMIAR ALAEI : So , this is very surprising , because if you compare this to China , you don ’ t see in China there are a lot of senior officials that got infected .
I think one of the reasons was that they undermined the reality of the coronavirus .
And second one is that : How do you expect , as senior leaders , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are careless about the prevention methods ?
And if you look at the reports , why the official reports today say there ’ s 1,500 detected cases , out of them 54 cases , they died .
But the unofficial reports say there ’ s more than 400 death cases .
And if you use 2 % mortality rate , the prediction is over 20,000 infected cases there are in Iran .
And there are more than 18 countries that they detected some of the new infected cases among Iranians .
AMY @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new news in from Time magazine : “ Expediency Council member Mohammad Mirmohammadi died at a Tehran hospital of the virus , state radio said .
He was 71 , ” a member of a council that advises Iran ’ s supreme leader .
The significance of this ?
And President Trump saying — over the weekend , talking about Iran , he said , “ We would love to be able to help them .
All they have to do is ask.
” What do you think will be Iran ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of what Trump said ?
We have 20 seconds .
DR. KAMIAR ALAEI : So , definitely it ’ s a good opportunity for global health diplomacy .
But the way it was approached was not in the right way , because Iranians are very proud cultures .
I think they would be a more indirect approach through U.N. bodies or international organizations to get involved , so , by this way , make some justification for Iranian officials to accept those international aids .
AMY GOODMAN : Dr. Kamiar Alaei , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us , co-founder and co-president of the Institute for International Health and Education , visiting professor at University of Oxford , an expert on HIV/AIDS , drug policy and international health and human rights , speaking to us from Albany , New York .
And that does it for our show .
We are going to be doing a live five-hour broadcast Super Tuesday night with The Intercept from 7:00 Eastern time to midnight .
Check it out at democracynow.org or on your local station .
Happy Birthday to Libby Rainey !
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much for joining us .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: We end today’s show with the coronavirus — that’s right — and specifically looking at Iran, the epicenter of the virus outbreak in the Middle East. The official death toll has risen to at least 54, the highest outside China, where the outbreak began. And experts say the real number of people in Iran who have died from the disease may be as high as 200. At least seven Iranian officials have tested positive. Iran’s deputy health minister, Iraj Harirchi, posted a video on social media last week saying he had contracted coronavirus. Just a day before, he appeared ill at a news conference while saying mass quarantines were unnecessary.
IRAJ HARIRCHI: [translated] I would like to inform you that I have been infected with coronavirus. I had a fever yesterday. My first test was positive last night. And I have isolated myself. They informed me a few minutes ago that my final test definitely is positive. I’m starting my treatment, and my general condition is not bad. I had a fever, which, God willing, will decrease.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, on Sunday, Iranian authorities announced new efforts to combat the coronavirus, calling on people not to use public transportation, and closing schools, universities, cultural centers. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak an international health emergency.
For more, we’re going to Albany, New York, to speak to Dr. Kamiar Alaei, an Iranian global health policy expert, co-founder and co-president of the Institute for International Health and Education, visiting professor at the University of Oxford.
Welcome to Democracy Now!, Doctor. Can you start off by talking about why you think Iran has been so hard hit at this point?
DR. KAMIAR ALAEI: As you know, there are political reason that Iran undermined the reality. One of them was that Iran is a great ally with China. While there are a lot of experts that they recommended to close those direct flights from China to Iran, but Iran, not only they didn’t close those direct flights, but also in some occasions they increased the number of flights, because a lot of Chinese, they couldn’t make it to their final destinations, so they used Iran as a kind of transferring point.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to —
DR. KAMIAR ALAEI: At the same time, there were two —
AMY GOODMAN: Go ahead.
DR. KAMIAR ALAEI: Go ahead. And at the same time, there were two other important occasions. One of them was the anniversary of the revolution. And after that, we had the parliamentary elections. So the main concern of the government was that. If they admit that there’s an outbreak of coronavirus, that may discourage Iranian population to come to participate.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to go to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaking Friday before the House Foreign Affairs Committee about Iran’s response to the coronavirus.
SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO: Their healthcare infrastructure is not robust. And to date, their willingness to share information about what’s really going on inside of the Islamic of — of Iran has not been robust. And I’m very concerned that it is — it is that Iran that is not sharing information.
AMY GOODMAN: So, here is Pompeo expressing his concern about Iran. How much did the U.S. sanctions against Iran affect the health infrastructure? Because they’re not just total U.S. sanctions against Iran; they sanction any country that does business with Iran. Has this also deteriorated the health infrastructure inside Iran?
DR. KAMIAR ALAEI: Definitely sanction has some contributing factors. Especially right now they are seeking for to have testing devices. But I think the main cause of outbreak is the mismanagement of the leadership of Iran, because Iran has a pretty good infrastructure, especially for healthcare system. But the problem was that the decision-makers, they were not Ministry of Health officials. And due to political interests, they didn’t listen to a lot of experts that they asked them. For example, the main source of coronavirus is a holy city which is called Qom. While the minister of health asked to put the city in quarantine, the militia didn’t accept that. So that shows that from one side, the officials — the experts, they cannot implement those decisions. And at the same time, the government, they wanted to undermine the significance of the coronavirus outbreak. So that was the reason a lot of the healthcare workers, they were not expecting that they may face the outbreak. And we have a lot of doctors, nurses that got infected by coronavirus.
AMY GOODMAN: If you could talk about now what’s happening to the government. You have the vice president, the head of women’s affairs, she has been — she has tested positive for coronavirus. Seven officials now, as we saw one of the people who’s quarantined himself. They were in contact with the president. What does this mean at this point?
DR. KAMIAR ALAEI: So, this is very surprising, because if you compare this to China, you don’t see in China there are a lot of senior officials that got infected. I think one of the reasons was that they undermined the reality of the coronavirus. And second one is that: How do you expect, as senior leaders, they get direct exposure to coronavirus, unless they are careless about the prevention methods? And if you look at the reports, why the official reports today say there’s 1,500 detected cases, out of them 54 cases, they died. But the unofficial reports say there’s more than 400 death cases. And if you use 2% mortality rate, the prediction is over 20,000 infected cases there are in Iran. And there are more than 18 countries that they detected some of the new infected cases among Iranians.
AMY GOODMAN: Doctor, we have this new news in from Time magazine: “Expediency Council member Mohammad Mirmohammadi died at a Tehran hospital of the virus, state radio said. He was 71,” a member of a council that advises Iran’s supreme leader. The significance of this? And President Trump saying — over the weekend, talking about Iran, he said, “We would love to be able to help them. All they have to do is ask.” What do you think will be Iran’s response? And what do you think of what Trump said? We have 20 seconds.
DR. KAMIAR ALAEI: So, definitely it’s a good opportunity for global health diplomacy. But the way it was approached was not in the right way, because Iranians are very proud cultures. I think they would be a more indirect approach through U.N. bodies or international organizations to get involved, so, by this way, make some justification for Iranian officials to accept those international aids.
AMY GOODMAN: Dr. Kamiar Alaei, I want to thank you for being with us, co-founder and co-president of the Institute for International Health and Education, visiting professor at University of Oxford, an expert on HIV/AIDS, drug policy and international health and human rights, speaking to us from Albany, New York.
And that does it for our show. We are going to be doing a live five-hour broadcast Super Tuesday night with The Intercept from 7:00 Eastern time to midnight. Check it out at democracynow.org or on your local station.
Happy Birthday to Libby Rainey! I’m Amy Goodman. Thanks so much for joining us.