democracynow--2020-04-08--"A Systematic Issue of Disparity": Black People in Louisiana Account for 70% of COVID-19 Deaths

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 , broadcasting from the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States , New York City , with Juan González , who is in New Jersey , the second-most afflicted state .
But we ’ re turning now to Louisiana , which is facing one of the worst outbreaks of the coronavirus .
New data shows African Americans account for 70 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , even as they are just 32 % of the Louisiana ’ s population .
Louisiana also has the highest incarceration rate in the United States .
More than 65 % of the people in its jails and prisons are black .
At least 28 people are infected , and 22 corrections staff have tested positive .
State correction officials are sending infected prisoners to Louisiana State Penitentiary , known as Angola , the largest maximum-security prison in the United States , holding them in Camp J , a notorious building that was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ treatment of the men held there .
Officials have confirmed there are no ventilators at Camp J .
The ACLU of Louisiana sued to stop the statewide transfer of COVID-19 patients to Angola prison , but the judge denied the request last Thursday .
This comes as a federal prison in the state , called FCI Oakdale , has already had five coronavirus deaths , more than any other federal prison .
The ACLU of Louisiana has also sued to release people held there who face an elevated risk of COVID-19 infection .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ quote , “ You are likely reading this Petition from self-isolation in your home .
Now imagine if someone sick with COVID-19 came into your home and sealed the doors and windows behind them .
That is what the Oakdale federal detention centers have done to the over 1,800 human beings currently detained there , ” unquote .
For more , we ’ re going to New Orleans , where we ’ re joined by the executive director of the ACLU of Louisiana , Alanah Odoms Hebert .
Also with us and by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the longest time in solitary confinement of any human being , any prisoner in the United States — 44 years .
Known as one of the Angola Three , along with Robert King and Herman Wallace , Albert Woodfox was held in isolation for 44 years in Angola prison , convicted of killing a guard in prison , but has always maintained his innocence , said he was targeted for co-founding the first chapter of the Black Panther Party in Angola .
He was released in 2016 .
He ’ s now 73 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2019 National Book Award finalist , Solitary : Unbroken by Four Decades in Solitary Confinement .
My Story of Transformation and Hope .
We welcome you both to Democracy Now !
Albert Woodfox , let ’ s begin with you .
Your response to the situation right now in Louisiana ’ s prisons , with infected prisoners being sent to this area in Angola that was called the “ dungeon , ” known for its inhumanity , Albert ?
ALBERT WOODFOX : Well , Camp J was a — you know , Louisiana @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consists of what ’ s called outcamps .
Camp J is an outcamp , and it was known for — it ’ s a punishment program , in which prisoners that went there , they were basically denied human rights , constitutional rights .
The camp itself was a horrible place to be .
And I myself did nine months there , you know , and it was one of the most difficult in 44 years of solitary confinement .
It was one of the most difficult times of my life .
AMY @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heard that infected prisoners are going to be sent there with no access to ventilators , your response ?
ALBERT WOODFOX : Well , it didn ’ t surprise me .
You know , I ’ ve stayed in contact with prisoners in Angola , who call and try to keep me abreast of what ’ s going on .
Of course , I ’ m not allowed to visit the prison because of the 44 years of solitary confinement and my activities organizing against the corruption and the brutality that existed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some of the guys I ’ ve talked with , you know , the prisoners are actually scared to death , because , as is the case in most prisons , the medical care in prisons is almost nonexistent .
And realizing the danger of this coronavirus pandemic , they ’ re afraid that this virus may take hold in prison , and the damage that it could do , the death it could cause .
And , you know , I talked with — as a matter of fact , I had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are housing the infected prisoners at Bass Unit .
It was a living quarters at Camp J .
And so , my understanding , from my conversation , is that none of the staff that normally work at Angola is involved in this unit .
And , you know , that ’ s their concern .
A lot feel that the complete picture is not being told .
A lot believe that more security people and civilian workers have been affected than is being reported .
So , it ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 70 % of the deaths are African-American is a national — it ’ s an international disgrace .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : I wanted to ask Alanah Odoms about that issue of the 70 % of the more than 500 residents of Louisiana who have died who are African-American .
Here in the East Coast , we don ’ t have yet precise figures or systematic figures .
We do know in New York City , the epicenter , a borough like the Bronx , for instance , which is the most black and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York — 95 % black and Latino is the Bronx — and there are already over 900 deaths in the Bronx , more than twice the number of Manhattan , the wealthiest borough of the five boroughs of the city .
I ’ m wondering your sense in Louisiana , what is the — what can you gauge is the reason for this ?
ALANAH ODOMS HEBERT : Yeah .
So , I think what we ’ re looking at here is a systematic issue of disparity , that we have known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ centuries .
I think what you ’ re seeing in New York and also in other urban centers around the country is that the folks who are able to get out of the city , to move to places that are much less populated , where they can have access to fresh air , they can do social distancing more effectively , they can protect themselves and their families , they ’ ve done that .
And the people who were not able to leave are stuck in confined situations , oftentimes in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 200 or 300 square feet with multiple family members , and are not able to do that .
We saw the same thing with Hurricane Katrina .
The people who were able to leave the city in advance of the hurricane did exactly that .
They were able to drive .
They were able to fly .
They were able to protect themselves .
And this epidemic , pandemic , has laid bare the issues of disparity that have been so embedded in our country since its founding .
Black and brown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need .
They do not have the resources they need to protect themselves from this crisis .
And moreover , their lack of access to quality healthcare and the fact that they have underlying health conditions that make them more vulnerable to this condition really cause just the perfect storm of situations that really cause dramatic loss of life .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And as far as the prisons in Louisiana or the jail systems , you ’ ve done studies of the situation there .
There are as many as 15,000 people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ awaiting trial .
And has there been any success in trying to get the courts to address the coronavirus situation by releasing some people who are just awaiting trial ?
ALANAH ODOMS HEBERT : Yes .
So , we ’ ve done a landmark study looking at thousands of jail records .
The study took us almost two years to do .
And we determined that there are 15,000 people awaiting charge or trial in Louisiana .
And of those individuals , almost 57 % of those people are charged with a low-level @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reason to believe that the only reason why they are still in jail is because they can not afford to make bond or bail .
The average bail for a case of the survey that we took was $ 24,000 , and the average income of those incarcerated people is $ 27,000 .
And so we know that money is the primary factor holding people incarcerated in Louisiana ’ s jails .
And we also know that African-American people are vastly overrepresented in the incarcerated jail population .
African-American people are serving twice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And we ’ re also seeing that between the age groups of 15 and 24 , that African-American young men are five times as likely to be jailed prior to their trial in Louisiana .
And so , this is an extremely problematic situation .
Louisiana ’ s pretrial incarceration population is higher today than it was in 2015 , 10 % higher .
And we , again , lead the world in pretrial incarceration .
There is no place in the country that holds more people before trial behind bars than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to see this depopulation effort happen immediately .
We ’ ve seen amazing leadership from Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson , directing law enforcement to stop making nonessential arrests , and asking the criminal district court judges around the state to start releasing people safely , as best they can , with release on their own recognizance , and if not , with a very nominal bail amount .
We ’ ve seen some district judges heed that warning and that directive , and we ’ ve seen others that have failed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen places where they ’ re not having bail hearings for up to five days or longer .
That is unacceptable .
It violates our state statutes .
It violates the Constitution .
It violates speedy trial laws .
And we are calling on not just the Supreme Court , which we think has done a fantastic job , but also the governor to start using his executive authority to start releasing people at the jail level , but also at our prison level , which we know the pandemic is really hitting @ @ @

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, broadcasting from the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, New York City, with Juan González, who is in New Jersey, the second-most afflicted state.
But we’re turning now to Louisiana, which is facing one of the worst outbreaks of the coronavirus. New data shows African Americans account for 70% of all Louisiana’s coronavirus deaths, even as they are just 32% of the Louisiana’s population. Louisiana also has the highest incarceration rate in the United States. More than 65% of the people in its jails and prisons are black. At least 28 people are infected, and 22 corrections staff have tested positive.
State correction officials are sending infected prisoners to Louisiana State Penitentiary, known as Angola, the largest maximum-security prison in the United States, holding them in Camp J, a notorious building that was shut down in 2018 because of inhumane treatment of the men held there. Officials have confirmed there are no ventilators at Camp J. The ACLU of Louisiana sued to stop the statewide transfer of COVID-19 patients to Angola prison, but the judge denied the request last Thursday.
This comes as a federal prison in the state, called FCI Oakdale, has already had five coronavirus deaths, more than any other federal prison. The ACLU of Louisiana has also sued to release people held there who face an elevated risk of COVID-19 infection. Their petition to the court begins, quote, “You are likely reading this Petition from self-isolation in your home. Now imagine if someone sick with COVID-19 came into your home and sealed the doors and windows behind them. That is what the Oakdale federal detention centers have done to the over 1,800 human beings currently detained there,” unquote.
For more, we’re going to New Orleans, where we’re joined by the executive director of the ACLU of Louisiana, Alanah Odoms Hebert. Also with us and by phone is Albert Woodfox, who served the longest time in solitary confinement of any human being, any prisoner in the United States — 44 years. Known as one of the Angola Three, along with Robert King and Herman Wallace, Albert Woodfox was held in isolation for 44 years in Angola prison, convicted of killing a guard in prison, but has always maintained his innocence, said he was targeted for co-founding the first chapter of the Black Panther Party in Angola. He was released in 2016. He’s now 73 years old. His memoir is a 2019 National Book Award finalist, Solitary: Unbroken by Four Decades in Solitary Confinement. My Story of Transformation and Hope.
We welcome you both to Democracy Now! Albert Woodfox, let’s begin with you. Your response to the situation right now in Louisiana’s prisons, with infected prisoners being sent to this area in Angola that was called the “dungeon,” known for its inhumanity, Albert?
ALBERT WOODFOX: Well, Camp J was a — you know, Louisiana State Penitentiary, known as Angola, consists of what’s called outcamps. Camp J is an outcamp, and it was known for — it’s a punishment program, in which prisoners that went there, they were basically denied human rights, constitutional rights. The camp itself was a horrible place to be. And I myself did nine months there, you know, and it was one of the most difficult in 44 years of solitary confinement. It was one of the most difficult times of my life.
AMY GOODMAN: And so, when you heard that infected prisoners are going to be sent there with no access to ventilators, your response?
ALBERT WOODFOX: Well, it didn’t surprise me. You know, I’ve stayed in contact with prisoners in Angola, who call and try to keep me abreast of what’s going on. Of course, I’m not allowed to visit the prison because of the 44 years of solitary confinement and my activities organizing against the corruption and the brutality that existed in Angola. So, my conversations with some of the guys I’ve talked with, you know, the prisoners are actually scared to death, because, as is the case in most prisons, the medical care in prisons is almost nonexistent. And realizing the danger of this coronavirus pandemic, they’re afraid that this virus may take hold in prison, and the damage that it could do, the death it could cause.
And, you know, I talked with — as a matter of fact, I had a conversation with somebody yesterday, and they are housing the infected prisoners at Bass Unit. It was a living quarters at Camp J. And so, my understanding, from my conversation, is that none of the staff that normally work at Angola is involved in this unit. And, you know, that’s their concern. A lot feel that the complete picture is not being told. A lot believe that more security people and civilian workers have been affected than is being reported. So, it’s a horrible situation statewide. The fact that 70% of the deaths are African-American is a national — it’s an international disgrace.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: I wanted to ask Alanah Odoms about that issue of the 70% of the more than 500 residents of Louisiana who have died who are African-American. Here in the East Coast, we don’t have yet precise figures or systematic figures. We do know in New York City, the epicenter, a borough like the Bronx, for instance, which is the most black and brown borough of the five boroughs of New York — 95% black and Latino is the Bronx — and there are already over 900 deaths in the Bronx, more than twice the number of Manhattan, the wealthiest borough of the five boroughs of the city. I’m wondering your sense in Louisiana, what is the — what can you gauge is the reason for this?
ALANAH ODOMS HEBERT: Yeah. So, I think what we’re looking at here is a systematic issue of disparity, that we have known has persisted in the African-American community for centuries. I think what you’re seeing in New York and also in other urban centers around the country is that the folks who are able to get out of the city, to move to places that are much less populated, where they can have access to fresh air, they can do social distancing more effectively, they can protect themselves and their families, they’ve done that. And the people who were not able to leave are stuck in confined situations, oftentimes in a room or a home no greater than 200 or 300 square feet with multiple family members, and are not able to do that. We saw the same thing with Hurricane Katrina. The people who were able to leave the city in advance of the hurricane did exactly that. They were able to drive. They were able to fly. They were able to protect themselves.
And this epidemic, pandemic, has laid bare the issues of disparity that have been so embedded in our country since its founding. Black and brown communities do not have the protection they need. They do not have the resources they need to protect themselves from this crisis. And moreover, their lack of access to quality healthcare and the fact that they have underlying health conditions that make them more vulnerable to this condition really cause just the perfect storm of situations that really cause dramatic loss of life.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And as far as the prisons in Louisiana or the jail systems, you’ve done studies of the situation there. There are as many as 15,000 people in Louisiana who are just being jailed awaiting trial. And has there been any success in trying to get the courts to address the coronavirus situation by releasing some people who are just awaiting trial?
ALANAH ODOMS HEBERT: Yes. So, we’ve done a landmark study looking at thousands of jail records. The study took us almost two years to do. And we determined that there are 15,000 people awaiting charge or trial in Louisiana. And of those individuals, almost 57% of those people are charged with a low-level, nonviolent offense.
And we have reason to believe that the only reason why they are still in jail is because they cannot afford to make bond or bail. The average bail for a case of the survey that we took was $24,000, and the average income of those incarcerated people is $27,000. And so we know that money is the primary factor holding people incarcerated in Louisiana’s jails.
And we also know that African-American people are vastly overrepresented in the incarcerated jail population. African-American people are serving twice as long as their white male counterparts. And we’re also seeing that between the age groups of 15 and 24, that African-American young men are five times as likely to be jailed prior to their trial in Louisiana. And so, this is an extremely problematic situation. Louisiana’s pretrial incarceration population is higher today than it was in 2015, 10% higher. And we, again, lead the world in pretrial incarceration. There is no place in the country that holds more people before trial behind bars than Louisiana.
So we know that we need to see this depopulation effort happen immediately. We’ve seen amazing leadership from Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson, directing law enforcement to stop making nonessential arrests, and asking the criminal district court judges around the state to start releasing people safely, as best they can, with release on their own recognizance, and if not, with a very nominal bail amount. We’ve seen some district judges heed that warning and that directive, and we’ve seen others that have failed to do so. We’ve seen places where they’re not having bail hearings for up to five days or longer. That is unacceptable. It violates our state statutes. It violates the Constitution. It violates speedy trial laws. And we are calling on not just the Supreme Court, which we think has done a fantastic job, but also the governor to start using his executive authority to start releasing people at the jail level, but also at our prison level, which we know the pandemic is really hitting the hardest.
AMY GOODMAN: That’s Alanah Odoms of the Louisiana ACLU.


democracynow--2020-04-08--Journalist on Wisconsin Election: Republicans Are Letting People Die in Order to Hang On to Power

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : Lines stretching city blocks , hours-long waits and polling officials in hazmat suits .
That ’ s the scene voters in Wisconsin reported as they headed to the polls Tuesday amidst the coronavirus pandemic .
Despite growing outcry about the risks to public health and safety that in-person voting would pose , on Monday the Wisconsin state Supreme Court blocked Democratic Governor Tony Evers ’ ruling to delay the election 'til June .
This came after the Republican state Legislature refused to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters mail-in ballots .
The U.S. Supreme Court sided with Wisconsin Republicans Monday in a 5-to-4 vote against extending the absentee ballot deadline to next week .
The result is what Wisconsin 's largest newspaper called “ the most undemocratic ” election “ in the state ’ s history.
” This is Wisconsin ’ s Republican state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos at a polling place in Burlington , Wisconsin .
You just have to envision this .
Vos is wearing a surgical mask , gloves and hospital gown — more personal protective equipment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ access to .
AMY GOODMAN : At least 92 people in Wisconsin have died from COVID-19 .
In Milwaukee , the most diverse city in Wisconsin , the number of polling stations went from 180 to five .
Many poll workers are elderly and weren ’ t able to open those other polling places .
Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes said , quote , “ People died fighting for the right to vote , and now people might die if they vote .
Today ’ s election in Wisconsin is far from free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voices of Black and Brown people or putting us in harm ’ s way for their own partisan gain , ” he said .
Barnes and other critics say Republicans forced the election due to a critical state Supreme Court race between conservative incumbent Daniel Kelly and a liberal challenger , Jill Karofsky .
President Trump has endorsed Kelly .
This comes as other states consider whether or not to move upcoming elections to be entirely vote by mail .
President Trump himself requested an absentee ballot to vote in Florida ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting when questioned by a reporter on Tuesday .
AMY GOODMAN : Well , for more on Wisconsin and national efforts to shift towards a vote-by-mail system , we ’ re joined by Jesse Wegman , longtime journalist , member of The New York Times editorial board , where he writes about legal developments in the Supreme Court .
His new book is titled Let the People Pick the President : The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College .
Jesse , welcome to Democracy Now !
— JESSE WEGMAN : Thanks for having @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you join us from your home in Massachusetts , where you are staying safe with your family .
Can you talk about this calamity that took place in Wisconsin ?
JESSE WEGMAN : Sure .
I mean , this is really just the culmination of what we ’ ve seen over the last several years , and really several decades , coming from the Republican Party , which is an effort to win and then to hold onto power by any means necessary .
And I really think — you know , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know , how far would they go to do this .
And I don ’ t think I would have come up with the answer “ letting people die in order to hang onto power , ” but that ’ s literally what we ’ re seeing happen right now in Wisconsin .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : But , Jesse Wegman , in terms of the sheer number of polling places eliminated in Milwaukee , I ’ m thinking just — what about people who don ’ t have cars and have to travel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be able to vote ?
How did this pass legal muster ?
JESSE WEGMAN : I mean , this is purely in the hands of the Legislature .
You know , they had the power to put this on hold .
I think there was a debate a few days ago , when Governor Evers finally tried to stop all in-person voting , and he invoked both Wisconsin law and Wisconsin state constitutional provisions .
Obviously , that was overturned by the state Supreme Court .
And I ’ m not familiar enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the upper hand on that one , but , you know , it is — I think Governor Evers bears some of the responsibility here for not much earlier making the call for a delayed election .
You know , Wisconsin is the only state that had an election scheduled these weeks right now that insisted on holding it on schedule .
All the other states have postponed and/or shifted to all-mail balloting .
That just seems like an obvious and sensible way to proceed .
And the fact that Wisconsin refused to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ excuse for it , right ?
The explanations that the lawmakers gave , the Republicans gave , were , essentially , “ We can do this .
It ’ s not a big deal .
We need to hold the election as planned.
” No other state felt the need to do that .
I think they should be thinking about their rationale .
AMY GOODMAN : I want to go to a voter in Wisconsin standing in one of these incredibly long lines outside a polling place .
You can see her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GOODMAN : I mean , this is just an astounding story , as Juan just was asking you about Milwaukee , when you have this massively disproportionate death toll around the country of African Americans , in one of the blackest and brownest areas of Wisconsin , Milwaukee , five of 180 polling places alone , so you ’ ve got these incredibly long lines .
There ’ s one picture of a person holding a sign in one of these lines , you know , in mask , in gloves , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And yet you have the speaker of the house , Assembly , in full hospital gear , right ?
You ’ ve got that blue long robe .
He ’ s got plastic gloves .
He ’ s got the mask .
And he ’ s telling voters , “ It ’ s perfectly safe to vote here.
” Now , tell us what is the inspiration , Jesse .
What was the motivation , the state Supreme Court justice who was running for reelection , why they wanted this race to go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you know , the reason that that state Supreme Court seat is so important is , you know , the state Supreme Court has acted as a backstop for a lot of the Republican policies that Wisconsin has instituted in the last decade .
It now has a conservative majority , a 5-to-2 conservative majority , so it looks like they ’ re safe .
But , in fact , if this justice were to lose — and he very possibly could lose if you held a fair and free election — it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then , within the next couple of years , that could flip , and Democratic-aligned justices could take control of the court .
Republican lawmakers clearly don ’ t want that to happen at any cost .
And one of the most immediate reasons for that is this upcoming case on a voter purge , which was ordered by a Wisconsin judge last December .
They purged more than 200,000 Wisconsinites from the rolls .
And that is now being challenged in court .
But , you know , Wisconsin is one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the decisive state in this year ’ s presidential election .
So , exactly who comes out to vote is extremely important there , right ?
President Trump won the state by roughly 20,000 votes in 2016 .
Two hundred thousand people being struck from the rolls could very easily alter the outcome in Wisconsin and possibly in the nation .
So , Republicans there are well aware of how important this is , and Donald Trump is , too , which is why he weighed in on this race .
I just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s ridiculous , as the voter said , is very much understating it .
AMY GOODMAN : And the lower the vote count , the more chance he would win ?
JESSE WEGMAN : I think there ’ s no question about that .
We already see that in the results coming in , where the absentee ballots are coming — were both requested by and coming in from parts of the state that are wealthier , whiter , more conservative .
That ’ s standard .
I mean , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
People with more money and more time are going to be more likely to vote , have the opportunities to vote , and vote absentee if they need to .
Many of the last-minute requests that came in for absentee ballots were coming from the less well-off areas of the state , like Milwaukee .
I ’ ll just say — sorry — just one point here .
The legal fight that ’ s going through the Wisconsin courts right now is about this purge , this purge off the rolls , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 200,000 voters .
We ’ re watching right now a purge of Wisconsin voters .
They got their purge yesterday by keeping so many voters home , by forcing other voters to show up who now may end up getting sick and dying , literally .
And , you know , they knew exactly that ’ s what was going to happen .
They ’ re happy for that to happen .
They won ’ t say it out loud , but they come very close .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And , Jesse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the upcoming November elections ?
Because no one expects the coronavirus crisis to be over by then , although , certainly , hopefully , it will be abated to some degree , but certainly people ’ s actions and day-to-day activities will be changed considerably into the future .
What ’ s your sense of the impact on the November elections , as we move into that period ?
JESSE WEGMAN : It all depends on how prepared states are going to be , and how much money they have for those preparations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nothing like what Wisconsin just did yesterday .
And that means basically giving all registered voters the opportunity to vote absentee , to vote by mail .
It ’ s been clear now for weeks that that was going to be necessary .
And it still is going to be necessary .
And the Brennan Center for Justice has estimated that roughly $ 2 billion would be required in funding from the federal government in order to allow all of the states to ramp up their preparations to provide mail ballots to all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a drop in the bucket .
It ’ s essentially nothing .
The last coronavirus stimulus package was what ?
Almost $ 2 trillion .
This is , you know , one-one-thousandth of that .
It ’ s hard to imagine how that wouldn ’ t be spent immediately to safeguard American democracy .
Four hundred million dollars was allocated to election protection and election preparation measures in the last package , so that was one-fifth of what was needed .
If they don ’ t provide the extra money , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see what happened in Wisconsin yesterday play out in many states around the country where lawmakers either don ’ t have the funds or refuse to implement the obvious needed protections in order to let people vote and stay safe and healthy at the same time .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And the impact of having the president already on record saying he ’ s opposed to mail-in ballots ?
JESSE WEGMAN : Look , I mean , he ’ s not going to — turning to Donald Trump for anything related to protecting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us anywhere .
The only thing , you know , that could — the only way he can play a role right now is if Congress will pass a new stimulus measure that includes adequate funding .
He absolutely needs to sign it .
You know , if they both — if both houses pass it and he refuses to sign it , then we can have a conversation , and we know exactly what he ’ s refusing to do .
But beyond that , states are going to have to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the United States .
I hate to say it , but that ’ s really the only thing they could do at this point .
AMY GOODMAN : The most progressive ideas on voting right now to increase voter participation , you have Mitch McConnell calling a proposal to make Election Day a holiday , which is the case in so many different states , or on a weekend , a “ power grab ” by Democrats .
What are the ways that increase voting , that could be put in place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting around the country ?
AMY GOODMAN : And the states that are already doing it with enormous success ?
JESSE WEGMAN : Yep .
Early voting is probably the biggest .
You would need at least a couple weeks everywhere .
The places that do it demonstrate much higher turnout .
People are happy with it .
It gives people more flexibility .
I think , actually , early voting is even better than a holiday , because even if you made Election Day a holiday , a lot of people couldn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A lot of people have to work on holidays .
Early voting gives people a wide range of options to show up at the polls when they are able to and cast a ballot .
Obviously , the absentee ballot .
You know , printing out more mail ballots , mailing them out , making sure that voters get them , making sure that they ’ re returned , making sure that people whose signatures don ’ t match can have a chance to go in and correct that and cast a provisional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those things have to be done .
And obviously , expanding registration , so making registration easier , online registration , same-day registration .
These aren ’ t like pie-in-the-sky ideas .
States are doing these right now .
You know , even let ’ s talk about mail balloting .
Five states do all or virtually all of their voting by mail .
Right ?
The military does all of its voting by mail .
Twenty-five percent of Americans voted by mail in 2016 .
We had no problems with it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a very sensible way of conducting an election , especially in the middle of a pandemic .
AMY GOODMAN : We want to thank you so much , Jesse Wegman , for joining us , longtime journalist , member of The New York Times editorial board .
His new book is titled Let the People Pick the President : The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College .
We ’ ll have to have him back on to talk about abolishing the Electoral College .
But right now , when we come back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is facing one of the worst outbreaks of the coronavirus .
African Americans account for 70 % of the state ’ s COVID-19 deaths , more than 65 % of people in its jails and prisons .
We will be speaking with a man who has spent more time in solitary confinement than anyone in the United States .
Albert Woodfox will be our guest .
He spent more than 44 years in solitary .
Stay with us .
AMY GOODMAN : “ Please Don ’ t Bury Me ” by John Prine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hall of Fame , John Prine , died Tuesday of COVID-19 in a Nashville hospital .
He was 73 years old .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: Lines stretching city blocks, hours-long waits and polling officials in hazmat suits. That’s the scene voters in Wisconsin reported as they headed to the polls Tuesday amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Despite growing outcry about the risks to public health and safety that in-person voting would pose, on Monday the Wisconsin state Supreme Court blocked Democratic Governor Tony Evers’ ruling to delay the election 'til June. This came after the Republican state Legislature refused to consider delaying the election or sending all voters mail-in ballots. The U.S. Supreme Court sided with Wisconsin Republicans Monday in a 5-to-4 vote against extending the absentee ballot deadline to next week. The result is what Wisconsin's largest newspaper called “the most undemocratic” election “in the state’s history.”
This is Wisconsin’s Republican state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos at a polling place in Burlington, Wisconsin. You just have to envision this. Vos is wearing a surgical mask, gloves and hospital gown — more personal protective equipment than many healthcare workers have been given access to.
ASSEMBLY SPEAKER ROBIN VOS: Everybody is here safe. They have very minimal exposure. Actually, there’s less exposure here than you would get if you went to the grocery store or you went to Walmart or you did any of the many things we have to do to live in the state of Wisconsin.
AMY GOODMAN: At least 92 people in Wisconsin have died from COVID-19. In Milwaukee, the most diverse city in Wisconsin, the number of polling stations went from 180 to five. Many poll workers are elderly and weren’t able to open those other polling places.
Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes said, quote, “People died fighting for the right to vote, and now people might die if they vote. Today’s election in Wisconsin is far from free and fair — politicians are silencing the voices of Black and Brown people or putting us in harm’s way for their own partisan gain,” he said.
Barnes and other critics say Republicans forced the election due to a critical state Supreme Court race between conservative incumbent Daniel Kelly and a liberal challenger, Jill Karofsky. President Trump has endorsed Kelly.
This comes as other states consider whether or not to move upcoming elections to be entirely vote by mail. President Trump himself requested an absentee ballot to vote in Florida’s March primary, but he attacked mail-in voting when questioned by a reporter on Tuesday.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Mail ballots are a very dangerous thing for this country, because there are cheaters. They go and collect them. They’re fraudulent in many cases.
REPORTER: You voted by mail —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It’s corrupt.
REPORTER: — in Florida’s election last month, didn’t you?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Sure, I could vote by mail for the —
REPORTER: How do you reconcile that?
AMY GOODMAN: Well, for more on Wisconsin and national efforts to shift towards a vote-by-mail system, we’re joined by Jesse Wegman, longtime journalist, member of The New York Times editorial board, where he writes about legal developments in the Supreme Court. His new book is titled Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College.
Jesse, welcome to Democracy Now! —
JESSE WEGMAN: Thanks for having me.
AMY GOODMAN: — as you join us from your home in Massachusetts, where you are staying safe with your family. Can you talk about this calamity that took place in Wisconsin?
JESSE WEGMAN: Sure. I mean, this is really just the culmination of what we’ve seen over the last several years, and really several decades, coming from the Republican Party, which is an effort to win and then to hold onto power by any means necessary. And I really think — you know, I’ve often asked myself, you know, how far would they go to do this. And I don’t think I would have come up with the answer “letting people die in order to hang onto power,” but that’s literally what we’re seeing happen right now in Wisconsin.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: But, Jesse Wegman, in terms of the sheer number of polling places eliminated in Milwaukee, I’m thinking just — what about people who don’t have cars and have to travel long distances across the city just to be able to vote? How did this pass legal muster?
JESSE WEGMAN: I mean, this is purely in the hands of the Legislature. You know, they had the power to put this on hold. I think there was a debate a few days ago, when Governor Evers finally tried to stop all in-person voting, and he invoked both Wisconsin law and Wisconsin state constitutional provisions. Obviously, that was overturned by the state Supreme Court. And I’m not familiar enough with Wisconsin law to know who had the upper hand on that one, but, you know, it is — I think Governor Evers bears some of the responsibility here for not much earlier making the call for a delayed election. You know, Wisconsin is the only state that had an election scheduled these weeks right now that insisted on holding it on schedule. All the other states have postponed and/or shifted to all-mail balloting. That just seems like an obvious and sensible way to proceed. And the fact that Wisconsin refused to do that — and really gave no excuse for it, right? The explanations that the lawmakers gave, the Republicans gave, were, essentially, “We can do this. It’s not a big deal. We need to hold the election as planned.” No other state felt the need to do that. I think they should be thinking about their rationale.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to go to a voter in Wisconsin standing in one of these incredibly long lines outside a polling place. You can see her wearing a mask and gloves.
WISCONSIN VOTER: This is just so wrong. This election should have been called off. You know, they’re telling us to stay in the house and, you know, stand six feet from each other. But then, one of the most important times, they’re forcing us to come out here, in a group. Stop playing politics with our lives. You know, that’s what I’m feeling.
AMY GOODMAN: I mean, this is just an astounding story, as Juan just was asking you about Milwaukee, when you have this massively disproportionate death toll around the country of African Americans, in one of the blackest and brownest areas of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, five of 180 polling places alone, so you’ve got these incredibly long lines. There’s one picture of a person holding a sign in one of these lines, you know, in mask, in gloves, which says, “This is ridiculous.” And yet you have the speaker of the house, Assembly, in full hospital gear, right? You’ve got that blue long robe. He’s got plastic gloves. He’s got the mask. And he’s telling voters, “It’s perfectly safe to vote here.” Now, tell us what is the inspiration, Jesse. What was the motivation, the state Supreme Court justice who was running for reelection, why they wanted this race to go forward?
JESSE WEGMAN: Well, you know, the reason that that state Supreme Court seat is so important is, you know, the state Supreme Court has acted as a backstop for a lot of the Republican policies that Wisconsin has instituted in the last decade. It now has a conservative majority, a 5-to-2 conservative majority, so it looks like they’re safe. But, in fact, if this justice were to lose — and he very possibly could lose if you held a fair and free election — it would be a 4-to-3 split, and then, within the next couple of years, that could flip, and Democratic-aligned justices could take control of the court. Republican lawmakers clearly don’t want that to happen at any cost.
And one of the most immediate reasons for that is this upcoming case on a voter purge, which was ordered by a Wisconsin judge last December. They purged more than 200,000 Wisconsinites from the rolls. And that is now being challenged in court. But, you know, Wisconsin is one of the battleground states. It may be the decisive state in this year’s presidential election. So, exactly who comes out to vote is extremely important there, right? President Trump won the state by roughly 20,000 votes in 2016. Two hundred thousand people being struck from the rolls could very easily alter the outcome in Wisconsin and possibly in the nation. So, Republicans there are well aware of how important this is, and Donald Trump is, too, which is why he weighed in on this race. I just think it’s — I agree it’s ridiculous, as the voter said, is very much understating it.
AMY GOODMAN: And the lower the vote count, the more chance he would win?
JESSE WEGMAN: I think there’s no question about that. We already see that in the results coming in, where the absentee ballots are coming — were both requested by and coming in from parts of the state that are wealthier, whiter, more conservative. That’s standard. I mean, that’s just common practice, right? People with more money and more time are going to be more likely to vote, have the opportunities to vote, and vote absentee if they need to. Many of the last-minute requests that came in for absentee ballots were coming from the less well-off areas of the state, like Milwaukee.
I’ll just say — sorry — just one point here. The legal fight that’s going through the Wisconsin courts right now is about this purge, this purge off the rolls, a sort of formal election purge of 200,000 voters. We’re watching right now a purge of Wisconsin voters. They got their purge yesterday by keeping so many voters home, by forcing other voters to show up who now may end up getting sick and dying, literally. And, you know, they knew exactly that’s what was going to happen. They’re happy for that to happen. They won’t say it out loud, but they come very close.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Jesse Wegman, the implications of this for the upcoming November elections? Because no one expects the coronavirus crisis to be over by then, although, certainly, hopefully, it will be abated to some degree, but certainly people’s actions and day-to-day activities will be changed considerably into the future. What’s your sense of the impact on the November elections, as we move into that period?
JESSE WEGMAN: It all depends on how prepared states are going to be, and how much money they have for those preparations, to hold an election that looks nothing like what Wisconsin just did yesterday. And that means basically giving all registered voters the opportunity to vote absentee, to vote by mail. It’s been clear now for weeks that that was going to be necessary. And it still is going to be necessary.
And the Brennan Center for Justice has estimated that roughly $2 billion would be required in funding from the federal government in order to allow all of the states to ramp up their preparations to provide mail ballots to all of their registered voters. That’s a drop in the bucket. It’s essentially nothing. The last coronavirus stimulus package was what? Almost $2 trillion. This is, you know, one-one-thousandth of that. It’s hard to imagine how that wouldn’t be spent immediately to safeguard American democracy. Four hundred million dollars was allocated to election protection and election preparation measures in the last package, so that was one-fifth of what was needed.
If they don’t provide the extra money, I think we are much more likely to see what happened in Wisconsin yesterday play out in many states around the country where lawmakers either don’t have the funds or refuse to implement the obvious needed protections in order to let people vote and stay safe and healthy at the same time.
AMY GOODMAN: Jesse Wegman, if —
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And the impact of having the president already on record saying he’s opposed to mail-in ballots?
JESSE WEGMAN: Look, I mean, he’s not going to — turning to Donald Trump for anything related to protecting American democracy is not going to get us anywhere. The only thing, you know, that could — the only way he can play a role right now is if Congress will pass a new stimulus measure that includes adequate funding. He absolutely needs to sign it. You know, if they both — if both houses pass it and he refuses to sign it, then we can have a conversation, and we know exactly what he’s refusing to do. But beyond that, states are going to have to do what they can and ignore the president of the United States. I hate to say it, but that’s really the only thing they could do at this point.
AMY GOODMAN: The most progressive ideas on voting right now to increase voter participation, you have Mitch McConnell calling a proposal to make Election Day a holiday, which is the case in so many different states, or on a weekend, a “power grab” by Democrats. What are the ways that increase voting, that could be put in place by November, in addition to mail-in voting around the country?
JESSE WEGMAN: Right.
AMY GOODMAN: And the states that are already doing it with enormous success?
JESSE WEGMAN: Yep. Early voting is probably the biggest. You would need at least a couple weeks everywhere. The places that do it demonstrate much higher turnout. People are happy with it. It gives people more flexibility. I think, actually, early voting is even better than a holiday, because even if you made Election Day a holiday, a lot of people couldn’t come to the polls. A lot of people have to work on holidays. Early voting gives people a wide range of options to show up at the polls when they are able to and cast a ballot.
Obviously, the absentee ballot. You know, printing out more mail ballots, mailing them out, making sure that voters get them, making sure that they’re returned, making sure that people whose signatures don’t match can have a chance to go in and correct that and cast a provisional ballot, if necessary — all of those things have to be done.
And obviously, expanding registration, so making registration easier, online registration, same-day registration.
These aren’t like pie-in-the-sky ideas. States are doing these right now. You know, even let’s talk about mail balloting. Five states do all or virtually all of their voting by mail. Right? The military does all of its voting by mail. Twenty-five percent of Americans voted by mail in 2016. We had no problems with it. Donald Trump votes by mail. This is a very sensible way of conducting an election, especially in the middle of a pandemic.
AMY GOODMAN: We want to thank you so much, Jesse Wegman, for joining us, longtime journalist, member of The New York Times editorial board. His new book is titled Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College. We’ll have to have him back on to talk about abolishing the Electoral College.
But right now, when we come back, we go to Louisiana, which is facing one of the worst outbreaks of the coronavirus. African Americans account for 70% of the state’s COVID-19 deaths, more than 65% of people in its jails and prisons. We will be speaking with a man who has spent more time in solitary confinement than anyone in the United States. Albert Woodfox will be our guest. He spent more than 44 years in solitary. Stay with us.
[break]
AMY GOODMAN: “Please Don’t Bury Me” by John Prine. The Grammy-winning member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, John Prine, died Tuesday of COVID-19 in a Nashville hospital. He was 73 years old.


democracynow--2020-04-08--Headlines for April  8, 2020

Headlines for April  8, 2020

The worldwide death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has topped 83,000 , with the United States now the most impacted country in the world — with more than 1,900 U.S. fatalities reported in just the last 24 hours .
Here in New York , Governor Andrew Cuomo reported 731 people died of COVID-19 since Monday — New York ’ s highest one-day toll so far .
But the true toll is likely far higher , with New York City ’ s Fire Department reporting about 130 people per day are dying in their homes — most of them of suspected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ official statistics .
This is New York paramedic Anthony Almojera .
Anthony Almojera : “ Yesterday I worked 16 hours , and I had 13 cardiac arrests .
That ’ s a lot of deaths .
Most of us are pretty good about handling death — you know , it ’ s the nature of the job , we kind of roll with it — but nothing like this for anyone.
” About 500 New York City Fire Department workers have tested positive for COVID-19 , and about 20 % of New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @

The worldwide death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has topped 83,000, with the United States now the most impacted country in the world — with more than 1,900 U.S. fatalities reported in just the last 24 hours.
Here in New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo reported 731 people died of COVID-19 since Monday — New York’s highest one-day toll so far. But the true toll is likely far higher, with New York City’s Fire Department reporting about 130 people per day are dying in their homes — most of them of suspected COVID-19. Those deaths remain uncounted in official statistics. This is New York paramedic Anthony Almojera.
Anthony Almojera: “Yesterday I worked 16 hours, and I had 13 cardiac arrests. That’s a lot of deaths. Most of us are pretty good about handling death — you know, it’s the nature of the job, we kind of roll with it — but nothing like this for anyone.”
About 500 New York City Fire Department workers have tested positive for COVID-19, and about 20% of New York police officers are currently out sick.


democracynow--2020-04-07--Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders & Fight for a Progressive Future

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 .
We ’ re spending the rest of the hour with Congressmember Ocasio-Cortez .
This is the congresswoman speaking on the floor of the House about the $ 500 billion corporate bailout part of the massive coronavirus stimulus package .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : That was Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez prior to the vote on the stimulus package .
Congresswoman , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you had within yourself in terms of whether to support this package , given the enormous tax breaks and the direct grants and loans to corporate America ?
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ : Yeah .
Well , you know , I think , ultimately , this debate , it was up to each and every member .
I don ’ t slight any member for how they voted .
I could not bring myself to ultimately support this bill , because I believe that people will soon see the extraordinary asymmetrical assistance that went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just talking about half a trillion dollars that went to Wall Street , as I mentioned in my remarks .
That is being leveraged to $ 4 trillion for Wall Street and corporations .
And what we ’ re seeing in payroll protection for small businesses is just a drop in the bucket compared to that .
But , ultimately , what this administration did was hold every hospital hostage , hold every frontline worker hostage .
And it is not an easy decision whatsoever for any member .
But , ultimately , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the betrayal that was in this bill , that was pushed forward by the administration and by Mitch McConnell .
It is completely — it is completely unethical and inhumane , what has been done .
And we talk about the oversight of this bill .
It is far too little .
It is far too flimsy .
And what we have essentially done was give Steven Mnuchin a blank check to pick and choose who this administration will reward with $ 4 trillion .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And I wanted to ask @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stimulus package that supposedly will go to the American people and the American workers , the particular issue of what happens to — first , there ’ s a $ 1,200-per-person outright grant that is given by the government , and then the added unemployment benefit of $ 600 a month for several months .
The reality is , as you well know , that especially when it comes to the undocumented , they will not get any of that $ 1,200 .
And more importantly , even on unemployment , there are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off the books in America , and obviously they can not qualify for unemployment , so they will get no assistance whatsoever .
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ : Mm-hmm , that ’ s exactly right .
And then , on top of that , you also have a carveout of young people , where if you are claimed as a dependent on someone else ’ s taxes but you are above the age of — if you are 17 or older , you also receive no assistance and no cash assistance , as well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ young , it ’ s hurting the undocumented , it ’ s hurting people who work off the books , and which is to say that it hurts some of our most vulnerable populations .
And the people who need that help the most right now , some of the people who need it the most , are also not getting it , which , again , contributes to a public health crisis in addition to an economic one .
AMY GOODMAN : Congressmember Ocasio-Cortez , before we go , we wanted to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re holding the Wisconsin primary today despite the adamant opposition of the governor and so many in Wisconsin .
I mean , I think in Milwaukee , they ’ ve closed over 100 polling places , because they ’ re often run by elderly poll workers , and they ’ re not coming in .
But I want to ask you about the presidential election .
You are the most high-profile surrogate of Bernie Sanders .
You have been there with him in state after state .
What is happening with his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plans ?
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ : Well , I do know that , like myself , the senator and I have both been focusing very heavily on COVID relief , up into the CARES 2 package .
I think right now one of the key things that we must push for , we must fight for , is the same thing that we have continued to fight for .
We need to make sure that — I believe , that there are very strong concessions and accommodations made for a progressive future in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it comes to that , we need to see very serious movement towards a single-payer healthcare system , towards a living wage , towards justice for incarcerated people and justice for our immigrant populations .
We need to have a strong agenda across the board .
And without any sort of progressive conversation or progressive definition or concession to our party , we have to continue pushing forward .
And so , you know , when it comes to the specific things , ultimately , that is up to the senator .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we must continue pushing to make sure , and particularly on climate change , what kind of agenda is being formed right now , and not only what that agenda is , but who is going to be making those decisions and really administering and executing on that agenda in a potential administration .
AMY GOODMAN : Do you know if he will go to the convention — if he will continue to be a presidential candidate through to the convention , if a convention is even held ?
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ held is an excellent question .
I do not know .
That is ultimately up to the senator .
You know , I think he makes these decisions one phase at a time , looking ahead to the next primary .
I don ’ t think that — I do not believe that he is set one way or another .
AMY GOODMAN : We ’ re going to leave it — AMY GOODMAN : We ’ re going to leave it there now , and I want to thank you so much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ocasio-Cortez , U.S. representative for New York ’ s 14th Congressional District .
That does it for our show .
Democracy Now !
is brought to you by an amazing group of people committed to bringing you the most accurate information .
I ’ m Amy Goodman , with Juan González .

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. We’re spending the rest of the hour with Congressmember Ocasio-Cortez. This is the congresswoman speaking on the floor of the House about the $500 billion corporate bailout part of the massive coronavirus stimulus package.
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: We have to go into this vote eyes wide open. What did the Senate majority fight for? One of the largest corporate bailouts with as few strings as possible in American history. Shameful! The greed of that fight is wrong for crumbs for our families. And the option that we have is to either let them suffer with nothing or to allow this greed and billions of dollars, which will be leveraged into trillions of dollars, to contribute to the largest income inequality gap in our future.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: That was Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez prior to the vote on the stimulus package. Congresswoman, could you talk about the debate that you had within yourself in terms of whether to support this package, given the enormous tax breaks and the direct grants and loans to corporate America?
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Yeah. Well, you know, I think, ultimately, this debate, it was up to each and every member. I don’t slight any member for how they voted. I could not bring myself to ultimately support this bill, because I believe that people will soon see the extraordinary asymmetrical assistance that went to corporations. We’re not just talking about half a trillion dollars that went to Wall Street, as I mentioned in my remarks. That is being leveraged to $4 trillion for Wall Street and corporations. And what we’re seeing in payroll protection for small businesses is just a drop in the bucket compared to that.
But, ultimately, what this administration did was hold every hospital hostage, hold every frontline worker hostage. And it is not an easy decision whatsoever for any member. But, ultimately, I think that people will soon see the betrayal that was in this bill, that was pushed forward by the administration and by Mitch McConnell. It is completely — it is completely unethical and inhumane, what has been done. And we talk about the oversight of this bill. It is far too little. It is far too flimsy. And what we have essentially done was give Steven Mnuchin a blank check to pick and choose who this administration will reward with $4 trillion.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And I wanted to ask you, on the portion of the stimulus package that supposedly will go to the American people and the American workers, the particular issue of what happens to — first, there’s a $1,200-per-person outright grant that is given by the government, and then the added unemployment benefit of $600 a month for several months. The reality is, as you well know, that especially when it comes to the undocumented, they will not get any of that $1,200. And more importantly, even on unemployment, there are so many millions of people that work off the books in America, and obviously they cannot qualify for unemployment, so they will get no assistance whatsoever.
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Mm-hmm, that’s exactly right. And then, on top of that, you also have a carveout of young people, where if you are claimed as a dependent on someone else’s taxes but you are above the age of — if you are 17 or older, you also receive no assistance and no cash assistance, as well. So this is disproportionately hurting the young, it’s hurting the undocumented, it’s hurting people who work off the books, and which is to say that it hurts some of our most vulnerable populations. And the people who need that help the most right now, some of the people who need it the most, are also not getting it, which, again, contributes to a public health crisis in addition to an economic one.
AMY GOODMAN: Congressmember Ocasio-Cortez, before we go, we wanted to ask you about the election. They’re holding the Wisconsin primary today despite the adamant opposition of the governor and so many in Wisconsin. I mean, I think in Milwaukee, they’ve closed over 100 polling places, because they’re often run by elderly poll workers, and they’re not coming in. But I want to ask you about the presidential election. You are the most high-profile surrogate of Bernie Sanders. You have been there with him in state after state. What is happening with his campaign right now? What are the plans?
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Well, I do know that, like myself, the senator and I have both been focusing very heavily on COVID relief, up into the CARES 2 package.
I think right now one of the key things that we must push for, we must fight for, is the same thing that we have continued to fight for. We need to make sure that — I believe, that there are very strong concessions and accommodations made for a progressive future in our country. And I think when it comes to that, we need to see very serious movement towards a single-payer healthcare system, towards a living wage, towards justice for incarcerated people and justice for our immigrant populations. We need to have a strong agenda across the board. And without any sort of progressive conversation or progressive definition or concession to our party, we have to continue pushing forward.
And so, you know, when it comes to the specific things, ultimately, that is up to the senator. But I know, for one, that we must continue pushing to make sure, and particularly on climate change, what kind of agenda is being formed right now, and not only what that agenda is, but who is going to be making those decisions and really administering and executing on that agenda in a potential administration.
AMY GOODMAN: Do you know if he will go to the convention — if he will continue to be a presidential candidate through to the convention, if a convention is even held?
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Yeah, the whether the convention is held is an excellent question. I do not know. That is ultimately up to the senator. You know, I think he makes these decisions one phase at a time, looking ahead to the next primary. I don’t think that — I do not believe that he is set one way or another.
AMY GOODMAN: We’re going to leave it —
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: I think, ultimately —
AMY GOODMAN: We’re going to leave it there now, and I want to thank you so much for being with us, Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, U.S. representative for New York’s 14th Congressional District.
That does it for our show. Democracy Now! is brought to you by an amazing group of people committed to bringing you the most accurate information. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.


democracynow--2020-04-07--Deaths of Inequality: AOC on Black and Latinx Communities at Epicenter of Epicenter of the Pandemic

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 .
I ’ m broadcasting from New York ; he ’ s in New Jersey .
Here in New York , the coronavirus death toll has nearly reached 5,000 .
We ’ re spending the rest of the hour with U.S. Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , who represents the neighborhoods that have been called the “ epicenter of the epicenter ” of the coronavirus pandemic here in New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Almost a third of the city ’ s COVID-19 cases are in Queens , which has been called the most diverse place in the world .
Many of the hardest-hit neighborhoods in those neighborhoods are undocumented , working-class , working-poor .
In Elmhurst , Queens , more than two-thirds of residents were born outside of the United States .
The majority are black and Latinx .
Queens has more COVID-19 cases than any other borough , yet it has fewer hospitals than its neighbors , with only three major medical centers .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has 1.5 hospital beds per 1,000 people , compared to 5.3 in Manhattan.
” Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ’ s district also includes Rikers Island jail , where at least one prisoner has died of complications of COVID-19 .
Hundreds have tested positive .
Rikers currently holds just over 5,000 people , many there for parole violations or serving less than a year for a low-level offense .
Many are there in pretrial detention ; they simply don ’ t have money for bail .
On Friday , Congressmember Ocasio-Cortez tweeted , quote , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black + Brown communities .
Why ?
Because the chronic toll of redlining , environmental racism , wealth gap , etc .
ARE underlying health conditions .
Inequality is a comorbidity .
COVID relief should be drafted with a lens of reparations , ” she wrote .
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joins us now .
Thank you so much for being with us , Congressmember Ocasio-Cortez .
Can you start out by talking about your district ?
We have heard a lot about Elmhurst Hospital , as we should .
The doctors and the nurses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the sanitation workers in these hospitals are not properly protected .
We have not heard as much — and there may be a deep connection here — about the community that it serves .
In just the last week , I ’ ve heard about three men — two Mexican brothers who died in their home , not even in the hospital , their bodies just recently taken out ; a third died in the hospital — but fears of even going to hospitals , knowing what could happen to them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our communities for so many years .
Talk about your community .
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ : Yes .
No , thank you , and thank you for the opportunity to discuss the actual community surrounding Elmhurst Hospital and Elmhurst , Queens .
This is one of the most working-class and , as you mentioned , blackest and brownest communities in New York City .
It is extraordinarily dense .
Even for New York City , it is a very dense and densely populated community .
It ’ s no surprise that , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic , right after the Trump administration announced its public charge rule , which basically said , if you are undocumented and seek public services , public healthcare , SNAP , WIC , etc.
, then you will be essentially put on a fast track to either denial of citizenship or outright deportation — and so , now that we have this pandemic and it is hardest-hitting in communities that are heavily immigrant and also with strong historically black communities , as well , that people are either afraid to go to Elmhurst @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of sheer fear that they will be put in the public charge list .
Now , after we pushed the Trump administration , we were able to secure — we were able to secure confirmation from the administration that they would not refer COVID-related cases and treat them under the public charge rule , but there ’ s so much confusion already that many members are scared to go .
These are the same people who are preparing our food .
They ’ re the same people who stock our grocery shelves .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ deliver our goods .
And the idea that we can deny them care , as though the pandemic will not affect just in greater ways because of that , is naive , and it ’ s unscientific .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And , Congresswoman , I wanted to ask you about this enormous racial and ethnic disparity in the cases and especially in the deaths that are occurring .
As you mentioned and as Amy mentioned earlier , the areas of Elmhurst , Jackson Heights and Corona are the epicenter of the epicenter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of which you also represent — your congressional district stretches out there — has also been hard hit .
According to the — as of 10:59 last night , according to the tracker that the city website produces for New York City every day , there were 679 people , Bronx residents , who had died of coronavirus .
That ’ s more than twice as many as have died in Manhattan — only 302 in Manhattan — even though the Bronx is significantly smaller in population than Manhattan .
And you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is 16 % of the population of the city , but it represents 24 % of all the deaths .
So we have a situation here where , even in Brooklyn , the areas of Brooklyn where most residents are dying are in North Brooklyn in black and brown communities .
How do you assess the city and the state ’ s response to what is clearly a disparate impact of this epidemic ?
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ : Yes .
Well , as I had mentioned earlier , inequality , environmental racism , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you have a pandemic , similar to what we saw with Hurricane Maria , when you have a natural disaster or an event like a pandemic hit communities that have already been ravaged by weakened healthcare systems , weakened infrastructure — the South Bronx has one of the highest childhood asthma rates in the country .
When we talk about environmental racism , we ’ re talking about illegal dumping .
We ’ re talking about concentrating waste sites and concentrating highways and trucking zones through the poorest communities in the country , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communities .
And so , we already have an issue of extreme and acute concentration of respiratory illnesses in the Bronx .
That is largely due to the trucking that comes through here , through the environmental inequalities that come through here .
And so , when you have the Cross Bronx Expressway , which was a notorious project of racism by Robert Moses , the way that he tried to concentrate and push these communities and design these communities through , when you have the toll of health inequities , and , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our frontline workers , where you see our frontline workers living are where you see — are the same places where you are seeing COVID cases spiking .
Black and brown workers are overwhelmingly part of this frontline .
They are the grocery store workers .
They are the delivery workers .
They are hospital workers , including janitorial staff .
And so , when you have this pandemic layer on top of it , when you pair that to the unequal access to care , when you pair that with ratios of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communities , this is what you get .
And so , when it comes to the city ’ s response , you know , I believe that the city is doing absolutely everything that it can , but we also have to acknowledge that there are two entirely different starting lines that these communities are starting with .
And so , we ’ ve been working very hard , but also , when we don ’ t push for things like rent and — full rent and mortgage moratoriums , you push these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feel a pressure to make their rent .
And they may go out and take work .
They may take work under the table in order to make ends meet .
And so , without this economic relief , it also adds to the public health issues that we currently face .
AMY GOODMAN : After break , we ’ re going to talk with you about the stimulus package , about what you ’ ve called the “ corporate slush fund , ” that $ 500 billion , and how it will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ask you about another area of your district , which also goes to you as a congressmember dealing with prisons and jails all over the country , but Rikers Island , the whole jail system there in New York — what , Rikers Island , 4,600 , 5,000 , in the New York City jail system .
Are people still being sent there for pretrial detention simply because they don ’ t have enough money to post to stay out of jail ?
And what ’ s happening ?
We see hundreds of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There ’ s already been a death .
What about the calls for decarceration , for releasing prisoners , not only at Rikers , but then around the country now ?
Tell us where they stand .
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ : Yes .
We ’ ve been approaching and we ’ ve been calling very strongly on the governor and the mayor to take a strong decarceral approach to Rikers .
That first death — you know , not that any death on Rikers is merited , no matter what anyone has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t even for a criminal offense .
It was for a simple parole violation that was noncriminal in nature .
And so , what we ’ re seeing here is that the city is packing Rikers with individuals , and they know it ’ s a tinderbox .
It ’ s a tinderbox for the workers .
It ’ s a tinderbox for incarcerated people .
And we have to demand — not just in Rikers , but across the country , we need to increase our demands for elderly clemency , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible , to make sure that we not arresting people for low-level arrests .
We ’ ve been placing inquiries to see if there are people being moved to Rikers .
We believe that the mayor is trying to take off low-level arrests , but there are still so many individuals that do not belong there .
And that also goes for our immigration detention facilities .
ICE was — knowing that this pandemic was coming , knowing everything that was happening , ICE was still conducting raids in sanctuary cities .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a larger political project by the president to punish those cities that act as sanctuary cities for immigrants .
And so , ICE , as well , is knowingly packing these detention facilities with people who , again , have not committed crimes but are merely there for civil proceeding reasons and who are merely awaiting a court date .
And so , there ’ s no reason that these jails should be filled .
There ’ s no reason that they should be packed .
We must pursue a decarceral agenda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as public servants .
AMY GOODMAN : Can I ask you , just before we go to break , Congressmember — you confronted an ICE agent at LaGuardia Airport — if you could talk about this , what exactly was happening — who was transporting immigrant children ?
Can you explain what happened ?
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ : Yes .
So , this happened several weeks ago .
I got a call in the evening from our local — one of our local immigration community organizations , New Sanctuary Coalition .
And they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ICE was transporting six minors , six children , into New York City from a different — you know , from Texas .
And we were extraordinarily concerned , and so we decided to hop into a car , drove straight to LaGuardia Airport , and I just waited at the gate .
And after some time , an ICE agent came out with six young boys .
And they were being transported into New York City .
This was after the pandemic had erupted .
This was after the Pentagon already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And here we have ICE transporting children into a pandemic zone , into the most concentrated area of the most concentrated city .
They were flying into LaGuardia .
They weren ’ t even flying into JFK or Newark .
They were flying into the shadow of East Elmhurst — or , Elmhurst Hospital .
And so , you know , I confronted the agent .
They were transporting these children into ORR facilities here in New York City where staffers have been confirmed to have COVID-19 cases .
And after inquiring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of noise about this .
ICE , since then , has started to place some restrictions , but not nearly enough , to protect these children and to protect all immigrants in our system .
AMY GOODMAN : Last month , a reporter asked Trump if undocumented immigrants are welcome at testing sites , and can they be tested without fear of being reported to immigration authorities .
This is what President Trump said .
AMY GOODMAN : Wow !
I mean , so there you have President Trump talking about , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them out.
” Overall , your response to President Trump , his antagonism against any kind of criticism , the well-known , documented lack of tests , lack of PPE , protective gear for people who work in hospitals , and now this , saying , “ Sure , test them before we deport them ” ?
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ : Well , overall , you know , not just President Trump , but this entire administration , knew what was coming .
Trump knew this pandemic was coming .
The military knew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knew this pandemic was coming .
HHS , Health and Human Services , knew this pandemic was coming .
And there was a structural , but also universal , refusal to acknowledge and , more importantly , to act .
And this pandemic is — you know , and the casualties that we are seeing are , again , not just due to coronavirus .
There are people dying unnecessarily .
As you mentioned earlier , there are people not just dying in hospitals .
In New York City alone , we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their homes a day — per day in New York City , inside their homes , in addition to the hospitalizations .
These numbers that you ’ re seeing , all in all , many of them are confirmed coronavirus cases .
As you mentioned , many people do not have access to tests , so a lot of these deaths that you are seeing , there are many more that are uncounted , that are being counted as pneumonia or being counted as other causes of death , because those people were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And so , these additional deaths , many of them are unnecessary .
They are deaths of incompetence .
They are deaths of science denial .
They are deaths of inequality .
And so , it ’ s important for us to acknowledge how unnecessary the level of crisis that we are at right now , that is due to the incompetence of this administration , that is due to the lack of responsiveness of this administration .
And when it comes to the particular cruelty to undocumented immigrants , it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact that many of these undocumented people pay taxes , they fund our public schools , and they fund the very public health system that they are being denied access to right now , through the billions of dollars of taxes that they pay .
Billions more , by the way — these undocumented workers pay billions more in taxes than Facebook does , than Amazon does and than many other corporations do .
And so , when it comes to contributions to our public systems , they do far more than these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extraordinarily important that they have safe access to our public health system .
And by the way , it shouldn ’ t just be for COVID-19 cases .
Our public health system should be free at the point of service for every single person in this country .
There are folks that are saying , “ Oh , you ’ ll get paid sick leave if it ’ s COVID-19-related , ” as we ’ re seeing with Amazon .
They ’ ll take your fever .
If you don ’ t have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be paid — you will not receive paid sick leave .
We should have universal systems where every person can see the doctor free of charge when they need to see it , so that they can get the care that they need .
That is what it means to live in an advanced and modern and humane society .
And so long as we don ’ t do that , we have not earned the right to call ourselves one .
AMY GOODMAN : We are speaking to Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 30 seconds .
AMY GOODMAN : That is Dr. Elvis Francois singing John Lennon ’ s “ Imagine.
” He ’ s from the Mayo Clinic .

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. I’m broadcasting from New York; he’s in New Jersey. Here in New York, the coronavirus death toll has nearly reached 5,000. We’re spending the rest of the hour with U.S. Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents the neighborhoods that have been called the “epicenter of the epicenter” of the coronavirus pandemic here in New York City: Queens and the Bronx. Almost a third of the city’s COVID-19 cases are in Queens, which has been called the most diverse place in the world. Many of the hardest-hit neighborhoods in those neighborhoods are undocumented, working-class, working-poor. In Elmhurst, Queens, more than two-thirds of residents were born outside of the United States. The majority are black and Latinx. Queens has more COVID-19 cases than any other borough, yet it has fewer hospitals than its neighbors, with only three major medical centers. The New York Times reports, “Queens has 1.5 hospital beds per 1,000 people, compared to 5.3 in Manhattan.”
Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s district also includes Rikers Island jail, where at least one prisoner has died of complications of COVID-19. Hundreds have tested positive. Rikers currently holds just over 5,000 people, many there for parole violations or serving less than a year for a low-level offense. Many are there in pretrial detention; they simply don’t have money for bail.
On Friday, Congressmember Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, quote, ”COVID deaths are disproportionately spiking in Black + Brown communities. Why? Because the chronic toll of redlining, environmental racism, wealth gap, etc. ARE underlying health conditions. Inequality is a comorbidity. COVID relief should be drafted with a lens of reparations,” she wrote.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joins us now. Thank you so much for being with us, Congressmember Ocasio-Cortez. Can you start out by talking about your district? We have heard a lot about Elmhurst Hospital, as we should. The doctors and the nurses, like so many around the country, and the sanitation workers in these hospitals are not properly protected. We have not heard as much — and there may be a deep connection here — about the community that it serves. In just the last week, I’ve heard about three men — two Mexican brothers who died in their home, not even in the hospital, their bodies just recently taken out; a third died in the hospital — but fears of even going to hospitals, knowing what could happen to them, who have been hard-working members of our communities for so many years. Talk about your community.
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Yes. No, thank you, and thank you for the opportunity to discuss the actual community surrounding Elmhurst Hospital and Elmhurst, Queens. This is one of the most working-class and, as you mentioned, blackest and brownest communities in New York City. It is extraordinarily dense. Even for New York City, it is a very dense and densely populated community.
It’s no surprise that, you know, in the wake of this pandemic, right after the Trump administration announced its public charge rule, which basically said, if you are undocumented and seek public services, public healthcare, SNAP, WIC, etc., then you will be essentially put on a fast track to either denial of citizenship or outright deportation — and so, now that we have this pandemic and it is hardest-hitting in communities that are heavily immigrant and also with strong historically black communities, as well, that people are either afraid to go to Elmhurst Hospital out of the cost or out of sheer fear that they will be put in the public charge list.
Now, after we pushed the Trump administration, we were able to secure — we were able to secure confirmation from the administration that they would not refer COVID-related cases and treat them under the public charge rule, but there’s so much confusion already that many members are scared to go. These are the same people who are preparing our food. They’re the same people who stock our grocery shelves. They’re the same people who deliver our goods. And the idea that we can deny them care, as though the pandemic will not affect just in greater ways because of that, is naive, and it’s unscientific.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Congresswoman, I wanted to ask you about this enormous racial and ethnic disparity in the cases and especially in the deaths that are occurring. As you mentioned and as Amy mentioned earlier, the areas of Elmhurst, Jackson Heights and Corona are the epicenter of the epicenter. But the Bronx, a portion of which you also represent — your congressional district stretches out there — has also been hard hit. According to the — as of 10:59 last night, according to the tracker that the city website produces for New York City every day, there were 679 people, Bronx residents, who had died of coronavirus. That’s more than twice as many as have died in Manhattan — only 302 in Manhattan — even though the Bronx is significantly smaller in population than Manhattan. And you’ve got a situation where the Bronx is 16% of the population of the city, but it represents 24% of all the deaths. So we have a situation here where, even in Brooklyn, the areas of Brooklyn where most residents are dying are in North Brooklyn in black and brown communities. How do you assess the city and the state’s response to what is clearly a disparate impact of this epidemic?
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Yes. Well, as I had mentioned earlier, inequality, environmental racism, these are preexisting conditions. And when you have a pandemic, similar to what we saw with Hurricane Maria, when you have a natural disaster or an event like a pandemic hit communities that have already been ravaged by weakened healthcare systems, weakened infrastructure — the South Bronx has one of the highest childhood asthma rates in the country. When we talk about environmental racism, we’re talking about illegal dumping. We’re talking about concentrating waste sites and concentrating highways and trucking zones through the poorest communities in the country, and the blackest communities and the brownest communities. And so, we already have an issue of extreme and acute concentration of respiratory illnesses in the Bronx. That is largely due to the trucking that comes through here, through the environmental inequalities that come through here.
And so, when you have the Cross Bronx Expressway, which was a notorious project of racism by Robert Moses, the way that he tried to concentrate and push these communities and design these communities through, when you have the toll of health inequities, and, on top of that, these are our frontline workers, where you see our frontline workers living are where you see — are the same places where you are seeing COVID cases spiking. Black and brown workers are overwhelmingly part of this frontline. They are the grocery store workers. They are the delivery workers. They are hospital workers, including janitorial staff. And so, when you have this pandemic layer on top of it, when you pair that to the unequal access to care, when you pair that with ratios of hospital beds far lower than more affluent communities, this is what you get.
And so, when it comes to the city’s response, you know, I believe that the city is doing absolutely everything that it can, but we also have to acknowledge that there are two entirely different starting lines that these communities are starting with. And so, we’ve been working very hard, but also, when we don’t push for things like rent and — full rent and mortgage moratoriums, you push these workers to go outside, because they feel a pressure to make their rent. And they may go out and take work. They may take work under the table in order to make ends meet. And so, without this economic relief, it also adds to the public health issues that we currently face.
AMY GOODMAN: After break, we’re going to talk with you about the stimulus package, about what you’ve called the “corporate slush fund,” that $500 billion, and how it will be monitored. But I want to ask you about another area of your district, which also goes to you as a congressmember dealing with prisons and jails all over the country, but Rikers Island, the whole jail system there in New York — what, Rikers Island, 4,600, 5,000, in the New York City jail system. Are people still being sent there for pretrial detention simply because they don’t have enough money to post to stay out of jail? And what’s happening? We see hundreds of both prisoners and staff have tested positive. There’s already been a death. What about the calls for decarceration, for releasing prisoners, not only at Rikers, but then around the country now? Tell us where they stand.
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Yes. We’ve been approaching and we’ve been calling very strongly on the governor and the mayor to take a strong decarceral approach to Rikers. That first death — you know, not that any death on Rikers is merited, no matter what anyone has done, but that first death wasn’t even for a criminal offense. It was for a simple parole violation that was noncriminal in nature. And so, what we’re seeing here is that the city is packing Rikers with individuals, and they know it’s a tinderbox. It’s a tinderbox for the workers. It’s a tinderbox for incarcerated people.
And we have to demand — not just in Rikers, but across the country, we need to increase our demands for elderly clemency, to end pretrial detention as much as possible, to make sure that we not arresting people for low-level arrests. We’ve been placing inquiries to see if there are people being moved to Rikers. We believe that the mayor is trying to take off low-level arrests, but there are still so many individuals that do not belong there.
And that also goes for our immigration detention facilities. ICE was — knowing that this pandemic was coming, knowing everything that was happening, ICE was still conducting raids in sanctuary cities. And, you know, this is part of a larger political project by the president to punish those cities that act as sanctuary cities for immigrants. And so, ICE, as well, is knowingly packing these detention facilities with people who, again, have not committed crimes but are merely there for civil proceeding reasons and who are merely awaiting a court date.
And so, there’s no reason that these jails should be filled. There’s no reason that they should be packed. We must pursue a decarceral agenda in order to really fulfill our responsibility as public servants.
AMY GOODMAN: Can I ask you, just before we go to break, Congressmember — you confronted an ICE agent at LaGuardia Airport — if you could talk about this, what exactly was happening — who was transporting immigrant children? Can you explain what happened?
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Yes. So, this happened several weeks ago. I got a call in the evening from our local — one of our local immigration community organizations, New Sanctuary Coalition. And they had gotten a tip from a worker that ICE was transporting six minors, six children, into New York City from a different — you know, from Texas. And we were extraordinarily concerned, and so we decided to hop into a car, drove straight to LaGuardia Airport, and I just waited at the gate. And after some time, an ICE agent came out with six young boys.
And they were being transported into New York City. This was after the pandemic had erupted. This was after the Pentagon already started banning much domestic travel for members. And here we have ICE transporting children into a pandemic zone, into the most concentrated area of the most concentrated city. They were flying into LaGuardia. They weren’t even flying into JFK or Newark. They were flying into the shadow of East Elmhurst — or, Elmhurst Hospital.
And so, you know, I confronted the agent. They were transporting these children into ORR facilities here in New York City where staffers have been confirmed to have COVID-19 cases. And after inquiring, we started to make a lot of noise about this. ICE, since then, has started to place some restrictions, but not nearly enough, to protect these children and to protect all immigrants in our system.
AMY GOODMAN: Last month, a reporter asked Trump if undocumented immigrants are welcome at testing sites, and can they be tested without fear of being reported to immigration authorities. This is what President Trump said.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: The answer is, yes, we will do those tests, because I think, in that case, it’s important. I think that if — you could call — you could say “illegal alien.” You could say “illegal immigrant.” You could say whatever you want to use your definition of what you’re talking about. We’re all talking about the same thing. Yes, we will test that person, because I think it’s important that we test that person. And we don’t want to send that person back into wherever we’re going to be sending the person, whether it’s another country or someplace else, because, you know, we’re now bringing them right out of our country. But, yeah, we will test those people.
AMY GOODMAN: Wow! I mean, so there you have President Trump talking about, “Yeah, test them before you send them out.” Overall, your response to President Trump, his antagonism against any kind of criticism, the well-known, documented lack of tests, lack of PPE, protective gear for people who work in hospitals, and now this, saying, “Sure, test them before we deport them”?
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Well, overall, you know, not just President Trump, but this entire administration, knew what was coming. Trump knew this pandemic was coming. The military knew this pandemic was coming. The CDC knew this pandemic was coming. HHS, Health and Human Services, knew this pandemic was coming. And there was a structural, but also universal, refusal to acknowledge and, more importantly, to act.
And this pandemic is — you know, and the casualties that we are seeing are, again, not just due to coronavirus. There are people dying unnecessarily. As you mentioned earlier, there are people not just dying in hospitals. In New York City alone, we are seeing 200 to 300 people dying in their homes a day — per day in New York City, inside their homes, in addition to the hospitalizations. These numbers that you’re seeing, all in all, many of them are confirmed coronavirus cases. As you mentioned, many people do not have access to tests, so a lot of these deaths that you are seeing, there are many more that are uncounted, that are being counted as pneumonia or being counted as other causes of death, because those people were not able to get a COVID-19 test.
And so, these additional deaths, many of them are unnecessary. They are deaths of incompetence. They are deaths of science denial. They are deaths of inequality. And so, it’s important for us to acknowledge how unnecessary the level of crisis that we are at right now, that is due to the incompetence of this administration, that is due to the lack of responsiveness of this administration.
And when it comes to the particular cruelty to undocumented immigrants, it is also a form of denial of the fact that many of these undocumented people pay taxes, they fund our public schools, and they fund the very public health system that they are being denied access to right now, through the billions of dollars of taxes that they pay. Billions more, by the way — these undocumented workers pay billions more in taxes than Facebook does, than Amazon does and than many other corporations do. And so, when it comes to contributions to our public systems, they do far more than these corporations do. And it’s extraordinarily important that they have safe access to our public health system.
And by the way, it shouldn’t just be for COVID-19 cases. Our public health system should be free at the point of service for every single person in this country. There are folks that are saying, “Oh, you’ll get paid sick leave if it’s COVID-19-related,” as we’re seeing with Amazon. They’ll take your fever. If you don’t have a test, then you will not be paid — you will not receive paid sick leave. We should have universal systems where every person can see the doctor free of charge when they need to see it, so that they can get the care that they need. That is what it means to live in an advanced and modern and humane society. And so long as we don’t do that, we have not earned the right to call ourselves one.
AMY GOODMAN: We are speaking to Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. We’ll be back with her in 30 seconds.
[break]
AMY GOODMAN: That is Dr. Elvis Francois singing John Lennon’s “Imagine.” He’s from the Mayo Clinic.