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Race & Prejudice: San Pedro History Project

June 11, 2020

Just about every 27 years since the Watts Rebellion, LA has been burned by racial unrest

For most of my life racism was something people just didn’t talk about. It was treated as something different from religion or politics, which also were not to be discussed in polite conversation. That is the case except if you grew up in a home where all of the above was discussed, which I did. It is also why most white people are ignorant of racism, it’s simply something they have not experienced.

In Los Angeles, it wasn’t really until the Watts Rebellion exploded in August of 1965 that racism came into the civic discourse and could no longer be ignored. We are reminded of this by civil rights lawyer Connie Rice who recently wrote:

“It was only after this that the McCone Commission concluded that preventing future unrest required two things: ending police mistreatment and addressing ‘the spiral of despair’ caused by entrenched poverty.”

Then in the late 1960s, the civil rights and the anti-war movements became intertwined when Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his famous speech at the Riverside Church on April 4, 1967, a year before his assassination.

In this speech, Dr. King said :

“Perhaps a more tragic recognition of reality took place when it became clear to me that the war was doing far more than devastating the hopes of the poor at home. It was sending their sons and their brothers and their husbands to fight and to die in extraordinarily high proportions relative to the rest of the population.

We were taking the black young men who had been crippled by our society and sending them eight thousand miles away to guarantee liberties in Southeast Asia which they had not found in southwest Georgia and East Harlem.

And so we have been repeatedly faced with the cruel irony of watching negro and white boys on TV screens as they kill and die together for a nation that has been unable to seat them together in the same schools.”

The racism that Dr. King and his successors have fought against — institutional racism or systemic racism — is perpetrated by a system that works to ensure white supremacy in all matters of life.

Just about every 27 years since the Watts Rebellion, Los Angeles has been burned by racial unrest, the latest has been less severe than the previous two but still you can almost set your calendars by it happening. Will this time be different? However, the cause is still the same today as before: police abuse and endemic poverty.

The history of racial prejudice here cannot be taken out of context of the greater history of race relations in Southern California nor the nation as a whole. It can, however, be seen as a microcosm of the greater history. Yet, it is specifically relevant to local organizers and the community at large to contextualize the contemporary situation by understanding the Harbor Area’s own special history.

What is often missing from some of this history here in California is the genocide and enslavement of the indigenous peoples first by the Spanish and then the Americanos. Several years ago in an oil refinery in south Carson, workers digging a pipeline uncovered the remains of a mass grave that turned out to be from the pre-Yankee era.

Forensic archeologists noted that many of the skulls had what appeared to be bullet holes and that this was the scene of some violence. This may be the only historic evidence we have to date of the local crimes against people of color here, but there are even more documented cases all across California.

In the historical era of Los Angeles it is known that some of the first settlers of this city were of African ancestry and that as the city grew it became more segregated to the point that up until the late 1960’s there were restrictive covenants in deeds and titles that excluded black, Mexicans and Jews from many parts of Los Angeles, including many parts of San Pedro, all of Palos Verdes, Torrance and many parts of Long Beach.

Early in the 20th century in Southern California like elsewhere in America saw the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan, which enforced racial prejudice, often violently. Here in San Pedro like many towns we had our own chapter of the KKK and the building that was once their meeting hall still sits up on 10th Street.

Recently, when a new developer proposed tearing down the old brick Calvary Chapel and putting up new condos I was the only voice to remind them of the forgotten origins of that edifice. They denied it, saying that they had done a “complete historic survey and never came across that.” I was merely expressing the perspective that if we don’t preserve the historical truth of our past we are doing a disservice to the future. Perhaps there should be a plaque marking the spot?

They later recanted and admitted that they were mistaken.

I became aware of this hidden and forgotten history in San Pedro back when we published the first contemporary article on the union demonstration at Liberty Hill in 1923, which we published 70 years later. It was in that year that the Industrial Workers of the World, IWW or Wobblies as they were commonly known, held a waterfront strike.

And because the IWW were considered “radicals” and allowed people of color to be members they were suppressed by the authorities, not the least of these being the Los Angeles Police Department and then-Mayor George E. Cryer, whose name is still inscribed on the San Pedro City Hall next to where the unity rally was held.

The rally at Liberty Hill was made infamous world wide when the LAPD arrested Upton Sinclair, the noted author of The Jungle, while he was reading the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights — the part about freedom of assembly and free speech. He was incarcerated for many days and moved from jail to jail so his bail could not be posted but the hypocrisy was not lost on the public nor the media at the time. He was arrested and charged with “criminal syndicalism,” or agitating to overthrow the government.

The California Criminal Syndicalism Act was found unconstitutional in 1968.

And yet, one year later in 1924, the San Pedro KKK marched down 12th Street to the Wobbly union hall and ransacked the place, beat up and injured the workers, their families and children. It is reported that members of the LAPD were members of the Klan.

Now this can be dismissed as happening almost 100 years ago and that San Pedro as well as the entire nation has moved on, but the legacy of the IWW and the KKK are like two pieces of the same puzzle that remain like opposing Civil War monuments. The ghosts of systemic racism are still with us today. This is a piece of history rarely taught in schools about class struggle, workers rights and racism, even though this is a solidly working class community.

This town struggles as most of the older Los Angeles areas do with their own identities, attempting to “reinvent” itself at least every 20 years if not daily. It is a kind of attempted amnesia that is constantly believing that the past is dead and that there is only a better future. Perhaps this is driven by our media attention to the silver screen and celebrity inventions. Or maybe we still hold on to some form of manifest destiny, but with no further place west to go, I’m not ever really sure.

What I can tell you is that once about every 27 years we have to go back and relive, re-experience the racism of our past that keeps seeping into our present, exploding onto our streets, on the TV and the news. And people are shocked, shocked that this is happening here in the City of Glass that is so perfectly imperfect. A culture that is more enthralled by the lifestyles of the rich and famous than it is by the value of essential workers. The San Pedro Bay community is just one of the 30 satellite towns in the shadow of this great metropolis. We only get small uprisings here and very little broken glass. Yet, our civic leaders aspire to create the very inequalities that have produced this and previous uprisings, with the kind of gentrification that only exacerbates inequality.

SPNCs Respond to Proposed LAPD Budget Cuts

Cover Stories

Hunter Chase

June 11, 2020

SPNCs Respond to Proposed LAPD Budget Cuts

By Hunter Chase, Reporter

In April, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s proposed budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year included $1.86 billion in discretionary funds for the Los Angeles Police Department, an increase of more than $100 million from the previous year, while most other city departments faced budget cuts.

On June 3, however, Garcetti announced alterations — further cuts to the budget of between $150 million and $250 million, including cutting any increase to LAPD’s budget.

The change in budgeting priorities happened after there were protests in all 50 states against police violence. On June 3, Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez formally proposed cutting $100 million to $150 million from the LAPD’s budget.

Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council President Doug Epperhart said the suggested reduction was not worth getting excited about. He compared it to a drop in a bucket of the LAPD’s overall funding in a normal year.

Epperhart characterized Martinez’s proposal as symbolic in light of the current protests against the police. He was not sure it was the best approach, as the LAPD has had decades of systematic racism and this is just cutting the LAPD’s budget by about 5 percent.

Recently, the LAPD put out a press release that stated that the cuts were significant — big enough that they would force the department to perform a reassessment on everything including its most basic operations. The LAPD has already begun reviewing which services can be reduced.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire city will be in dire straits financially and Epperhart doesn’t see why the police should be any different.

In April 2020, Los Angeles City Controller Ron Galperin projected a loss of city revenue from $194 million to $598 million for the 2020 to 2021 fiscal year.

“Ron Galperin, the city controller, has put forth two or three different scenarios, in terms of revenue, for instance, and how it may or may not ultimately work out,” Epperhart said.

The LAPD taking up a large portion of the city’s budget is not new.

All three San Pedro neighborhood councils recently donated $5,000 each for the purpose of purchasing all terrain vehicles to be used by the LAPD’s Harbor Division. Coastal SPNC board member Noel Gould said that this was akin to a reduction of about 15 percent of his council’s budget.

Coastal SPNC was reluctant to finance the ATV’s, and the organization that was raising the money for the ATV’s came to multiple meetings to request them.

Coastal SPNC Vice President Dean Pentcheff said that $5,000 would be a drop in the bucket compared to the LAPD’s transportation budget.

“In my experience over the last 20 years, the way it works with the City of Los Angeles and its budget, there is the police department and there is everything else,” Epperhart said.

The LAPD and the Los Angeles Fire Department combined make up about three-fourths of the city’s budget.

“The other 30 plus departments get whatever’s left,” Epperhart said. “We are running other departments on shoestrings.”

The reason for the disparity in spending is that decades ago, the city committed to having 10,000 police officers in Los Angeles and has retained that stance since.

“They became wedded to this 10,000 number,” Epperhart said.

Epperhart said the city has a strange culture that has been influenced by Hollywood’s portrayal of the LAPD, including shows like Dragnet and Bosch.

“We somehow have turned LAPD into this … legendary organization,” Epperhart said. “My personal experience is that the police in LA are kind of like the police everywhere.”

The LAPD’s prominence in the budget is helped by having the strongest city employee union in Los Angeles, Epperhart said.

When Epperhart spoke before Garcetti and Martinez proposed the cuts, Epperhart said the proposed budget was preliminary.

“At this point nobody has any clue about what’s going to happen or how things are going to pan out,” Epperhart said. “They’ll be lucky if it’s 70% correct.”

Carrie Scoville, president of the Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council, said it is too soon to comment on the budget, but that there is still time to change it.

Epperhart said he would have done a more conservative budget.

“It’s always good to be a little more drastic about these things and then be able to say, ‘Hey, it’s not as bad as we thought,’” Epperhart said. “But that’s not how the city operates, it’s always a matter of ‘Oh my god, it’s every bit as bad and worse.’”

Both Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council and Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council passed motions recommending a 20% cut in funding for the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, the governing body of the neighborhood councils.

“They want to cut neighborhood council budget[s],” said Lou Caravella, secretary of the Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council. “The thought here was that the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment budget could be cut instead of our own budget, as they have not been serving our city well lately.”

Central SPNC board member Linda Alexander said that she was unsure the motion was necessary, as DONE’s budget is going to be cut anyway.

“This coronavirus has really caused a lot of havoc,” Alexander said. “I don’t know that we need to be real picky about hanging onto our $42,000 [neighborhood council budget]. But in the meantime, I certainly have no love for DONE, and if it were going to be cut 10%, and we can encourage it to be 20, I can support that.”

Gould said that it makes sense that his council had to do its part in regard to losing funding, but that this is money that goes directly to the community.

“It would be great if they could reduce the amount that they’re cutting the budget because we are community organizations that are here specifically to serve the needs and hear the concerns of our community,” Gould said.

Barragán Statement on Police Incidents in Lynwood and Compton

Briefs

Reporters Desk

June 5, 2020

Barragán Statement on Police Incidents in Lynwood and Compton

San Pedro, Calif. – After speaking to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Division Chief for Lynwood and Compton, Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán made the following statement:

The recent videos from Lynwood and Compton involving members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are disturbing. While we do not yet have all of the information or know the full extent of the circumstances around either incident, the videos suggest that there was unnecessary and excessive use of force used in both incidents by law enforcement officers. I am also very concerned that during the course of events captured on video in the Lynwood incident, a law enforcement officer is telling an individual to stop recording the incident. In each instance, I reached out immediately once I was made aware of the videos to demand answers. I spoke to the Division Chief in charge of both Lynwood and Compton last evening. I told the Division Chief I had serious concerns about what I saw on each of these videos and asked for more information and answers regarding each incident. I was assured that both incidents are getting an expedited review and the officers involved are being investigated. I made it clear that I will continue to demand answers and accountability as these investigations continue.

Nanette Diaz Barragán is proud to represent California’s 44th Congressional District, which includes the communities of Carson, Compton, Florence-Firestone, Lynwood, North Long Beach, Rancho Dominguez, San Pedro, South Gate, Walnut Park, Watts, Willowbrook and Wilmington.

Anxiety and Fear Grip Downtown Arts District In Advance of Unity March June 6

James Preston Allen

June 5, 2020

Anxiety and Fear Grip Downtown Arts District In Advance of Unity March June 6

By James Preston Allen, Publisher

Dr. Cheyenne Bryant, the president of the San Pedro/Wilmington Chapter of the NAACP, will lead a Unity March on June 6 with the support of Harbor Division LAPD and Councilman Joe Buscaino. Random Lengths News heard from organizers that Rep. Nanette Barragan will participate.

The march is intended to express solidarity with the reaction to the police-caused death of George Floyd in Minnesota and the resulting charges. But it’s mostly about displaying community solidarity in the face of division elsewhere in the country. The march is to start at Harbor Division LAPD headquarters at 10 a.m. and end at the City Hall Building in San Pedro on 7th and Harbor Blvd.

All invited Car and Motorcycle Clubs will arrive at the LAPD Harbor Division Station and park on the southbound side of John S. Gibson between 8 a.m. – 9 a.m.

March participants will arrive at the station between 9 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. Organizers note that there will be no public parking at the station and recommends that all participants park at the park and ride at West Channel Street on North Gaffey Street, San Pedro or use a ride service to dropped off at the station.

Starting at the Harbor Station, the march will follow the John s. Gibson to Front Street to Harbor Blvd. The march will end at Peppertree Plaza at 6th Street and Harbor Blvd.

Previously, there have been two small demonstrations for justice at LAPD Harbor Division and a couple of smaller ones at Pepper Tree Plaza outside of San Pedro City Hall, the turnout of which contrasted in size to the much larger spontaneous demonstrations of thousands protesting in downtown Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Santa Moncia and Long Beach.

While the media has mostly focused on the looters and property damage in those areas by a small number of people taking advantage of the protests, here in San Pedro, there has been no such vandalism, nor is much vandalism from protests expected. Yet many of the merchants and landlords, stoked by national television coverage and social media have boarded up storefronts with plywood with spray-painted solidarity messages expressing support for Black Lives Matter on them.

There is a palpable air of anxiety and fear amongst business owners and others, resulting in a spontaneous rising of local residents coming together this week to “protect storefronts from outsiders” who never showed up. Most of these unfounded fears have been stoked by social media posts from people or groups wishing to cause disruption and chaos during this time of national outrage.

In response the LAPD Harbor Division has deployed multiple teams of officers to walk foot patrols in the business district which has been something that the community has lobbied for over the past three decades and has only been executed occasionally.

The results on this Unity March may end up having various degrees of success but one thing is almost certain, there will be a lot of used plywood available after this latest crisis passes.

SoLA Contemporary

Reporters Desk

June 4, 2020

Art For The Climb: At the Intersection @ Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen

We are proud to introduce, At the Intersection, the inaugural Art For The Climb exhibition that looks both ways at freedom, blackness, the self, and community through the work of 5 local artists. Coined by UCLA Law Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989, intersectionality explains how many of our identities and social justice problems overlap: race, gender, sexuality, class, and politics can’t be separated. This group of diverse Black artists present layered identities through abstraction and portraiture that exchange the gaze with the South Central, Inglewood, and Eagle Rock communities. At a bustling juncture, At the Intersection, help viewers cross painting and photography that reflect our people, PRIDE, power, and passion.

Across three neighborhoods, D.Channsin Berry, Janaya Holmes, Jamaal Hasef, Marie Rose José, and Yuzly Mathurin craft portraits of the Black community that tap into the sonic, stylistic, interpersonal, and intellectual contributions of the African diaspora. At Hilltop Slauson, Berry’s abstract paintings muse on Miles Davis, the LA Riots, and African Americans’ Great Migration from the South to major cities such as Los Angeles. While Hasef Jamal’s work in oil pastel honors the neighborhood in richly textured compositions that pay close attention to personal style, “2 Black Women in Leimert Park” is among portraits of the artist’s friends. At Hilltop Eagle Rock, Janaya Holmes centers Generation Z in her paintings of musicians SZA and Tanerelle, among others. At the same time, Marie José engages the interpersonal, highlighting self-care and Black mental health in a pair of candy-toned figurative paintings. The above artists join Yuzly Mathurin at Hilltop Inglewood, where this Haitian muralist and portrait painter displays her photography for the first time in a series captured at AfroPunk entitled

About Art For The Climb

Hilltop Coffee+ Kitchen is proud to reintroduce its partnership with SoLA Contemporary as its satellite location hub displaying works by LA artists. Art For The Climb formerly #ArtOnSlauson, was birthed through conversations between Anefertiti Bowman, Director & Curator of SoLA Contemporary and Tara King, Marketing Manager of Hilltop Coffee & Kitchen around their mutual love of the arts, their desire to support artistic expression, and passion to provide a safe space for visibility of cultural sustainability within the industry.

About SoLA Contemporary

South LA (SoLA) Contemporary is a nonprofit, artist-run organization that serves as a cornerstone for cultural and artistic innovation in South Los Angeles. Our goal is to advocate for change by empowering people from diverse backgrounds to take risks in their creative endeavors and to explore the intersection of art, culture, society, and politics. Above all, SoLA Contemporary is a safe and receptive space for anyone seeking to experience the power of contemporary art.

SoLA Contemporary @ Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen

Address: 3 locations

Slauson – 4427 W. Slauson Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90043
Inglewood – 170 N. La Brea Ave. Inglewood, CA 90301
Eagle Rock – 4253 Eagle Rock Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90066

Phone: (323) 903-5737

Email:info@solacontemporary.org

Solidarity Includes Wearing a Mask at Protests

Norman Solomon

June 4, 2020

Solidarity Includes Wearing a Mask at Protests

By Norman Solomon

The nationwide outpouring of protests during the last 10 days has provided a historic moral response to the murder of George Floyd. In one city after another, people braved tear gas, pepper spray, clubs and other weaponry — as well asmass arrests— to nonviolently challenge racist police violence. Those same people were also risking infection with the coronavirus.

Photos from around the country show that a large majority of protesters have been wearing masks, often under very difficult conditions. By doing so, they aren’t only protecting themselves to some extent — they’re also protecting people nearby. As theNew York Timesjustnoted, “most experts now agree that if everyone wears a mask, individuals protect one another.”

In other words, wearing a mask is about solidarity.

Unfortunately, some protesters have not worn masks, perhaps unaware that they were putting others at risk. Meanwhile, some police officers havedisregarded ordersto wear masks.

With latest research indicating that about35 percentof infected people have no symptoms at all, unwillingness to wear a mask jeopardizes the health of others. That jeopardy is far from evenly distributed.Older people and those with underlying health problemsare at higher risk of dying from the coronavirus.African Americans and other people of colorare also dying at much higher rates, due to structural racism.

“UC San Francisco epidemiologist Dr. George Rutherford described the protests as a kind of uncontrolled experiment, one that will test what happens when people are wearing masks in an outdoor setting, but yelling and not maintaining their distance,” theLos Angeles Timesreportedthis week. Said Rutherford: “If you have breakdowns in social distancing and don’t have masks on, then you’re deeply in trouble.”

Addressing the chances of exposure to the virus while protesting, California’s Department of Health isurgingcaution: “Even with adherence to physical distancing, bringing members of different households together to engage in in-person protest carries a higher risk of widespread transmission of COVID-19. . . . In particular, activities like chanting, shouting, singing, and group recitation negate the risk-reduction achieved through six feet of physical distancing. For this reason, people engaging in these activities should wear face coverings at all times.”

Also, if you’re headed to a protest, you might want to consider giving away some masks.

“The virusseems to spreadthe most when people yell (such as to chant a slogan), sneeze (to expel pepper spray), or cough (after inhaling tear gas),”The Atlanticreportedas this week began. “It is transmitted most efficientlyin crowds and large gatherings, and research has found that just a few contagious peoplecan infecthundreds of susceptible people around them. The virus can spread especially easily in small, cramped places, such as police vans and jails.”

In Minnesota, theStar Tribunereported, “state health officials will be encouraging people protesting the death of George Floyd to seek COVID-19 testing — regardless of whether they feel sick — due to the increased risk of the disease spreading at mass gatherings.” The newspaper added that “a key recommendation will be when asymptomatic protesters should seek testing, because the incubation period of the virus following infection is around five days — with a range of two to 14 days.” Testing too early could miss the virus.

Protesting is crucial at a moment like this. But protesting must be done without ignoring the pandemic.

While some hazards probably can’t be avoided at demonstrations, wearing a mask remains vital. The reality that it’s difficult if not impossible to maintain six-foot social distancing at a protest makes wearing a mask all the more important. The life you save may not be your own.

At campaign rallies last fall and winter, Bernie Sanders struck a chord when he asked: “Are you willing to fight for that person who you don’t even know as much as you’re willing to fight for yourself?” It was a powerful statement that resonated deeply and became aviral rallying cry. The ethical core remains. And by speaking out and protesting in the wake of George Floyd’s death, large numbers of people have been answering that question with a resounding Yes.

At the same time, those who wear a mask at protests are making clear that they’re willing to undergo some discomfort to protect people they don’t even know.

There are many things we have no control over as we keep pushing to change the political direction of the United States. Whether we wear a mask isn’t one of them.

_________________________

Norman Solomon is co-founder and national director of RootsAction.org. He was a Bernie Sanders delegate from California to the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Solomon is the author of a dozen books including “War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death.” He is the executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy.

Steps Forward for Racial Justice -Statement from Mayor Eric Garcetti

News

Reporters Desk

June 4, 2020

Steps Forward for Racial Justice -Statement from Mayor Eric Garcetti

This is a time of tremendous sorrow and of righteous anger.

It’s also an inflection point — a moment that we must seize to take action to end the scourge of racism.

We must carry forward the names of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and so many others to ensure their legacy becomes the change our country so desperately needs. And we must take action to redefine public safety so that it recognizes the humanity and dignity of every American.

I vow to continue, and redouble, my work to tackle and correct the inequities born of structural racism. Like everyone who is peacefully demonstrating here in Los Angeles and across the country, I am eager for change — and our city government will change to deliver progress and advance racial justice.

Our next steps

The movement for racial justice is bigger than a budget, but budgets are statements of our values. That’s why we will be working to identify $250 million for further investments in community programs, including cuts to LAPD’s budget.

That’s just one of the many new steps forward we are taking:

We will put a moratorium on putting people in the CalGang database. We will also expand the juvenile diversion program to ensure that as few young Angelenos as possible see the criminal justice system.

We will require officers to intervene when they see inappropriate use of force and always report misconduct. We will have more regular departmental training in implicit bias.

We will expand our Community Safety Partnership sites and program throughout the city to build stronger relationships between officers and the Angelenos they serve.

All LAPD officers will complete de-escalation and crowd control training by the end of the year to better support peaceful protests.

We will also expand LAPD’s mental health intervention training program to train a minimum of 900 additional officers this year.

The Police Commission will review our early warning system to better identify problematic behavior and intervene earlier with officers who have exhibited a pattern of high risk behavior.

We will convene our first meeting of the Civil and Human Rights Commission late next week, and set up the Civil and Human Rights Department and its office of Racial Equity months ahead of schedule.

These new steps build on the reforms we’ve already put in place at our police department in recent years:

Becoming the first big city in America to put body cameras on every officer and release videos to the public.

Hiring the most diverse and representative police department of any major city in the United States.

Mandating training in implicit bias for every officer, because racism and prejudice must never be part of police work.

Instituting training in de-escalation for every officer, because not every encounter or confrontation should result in a use of force.

We have developed long-term relationships between youth and our police department, including Summer Night Lights to keep parks open late in the summer and expanding our Gang Reduction Youth Development programs by 50%.

Free community college, raising the minimum wage, housing the homeless, helping reduce prison populations, keeping up our reentry programs, and expanding job training and placement — we must double down on our work in these areas as well, and we will.

We have work to do to build trust between officers and communities — and to help businesses damaged and looted to recover.

Our officers put themselves on the line each day to answer calls for help whenever and wherever they’re needed and solve crimes. The vast majority do this job selflessly and with the honor and dignity befitting the badge. We can acknowledge this, while still understanding it is not what millions of people in our city and country are feeling or seeing right now.

The protests speak to Angelenos’ determined drive for progress in our policing, policies and laws.

Every step we take forward to protect people’s rights, to enact smart and overdue reforms, to undo structural racism — all of it is meant to build a more fair, equal, and just Los Angeles.

Anti-racist Public Health Response to Demonstrations Against Systemic Injustice

Opinion

Reporters Desk

June 4, 2020

Open letter advocating for an anti-racist public health response to demonstrations against systemic injustice occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic

On April 30, heavily armed and predominantly white protesters entered the State Capitol building in Lansing, Michigan, protesting stay-home orders and calls for widespread public masking to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Infectious disease physicians and public health officials publicly condemned these actions and privately mourned the widening rift between leaders in science and a subset of the communities that they serve. As of May 30, we are witnessing continuing demonstrations in response to ongoing, pervasive, and lethal institutional racism set off by the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, among many other Black lives taken by police. A public health response to these demonstrations is also warranted, but this message must be wholly different from the response to white protesters resisting stay-home orders. Infectious disease and public health narratives adjacent to demonstrations against racism must be consciously anti-racist, and infectious disease experts must be clear and consistent in prioritizing an anti-racist message.

White supremacy is a lethal public health issue that predates and contributes to COVID-19. Black people are twice as likely to be killed by police compared to white people, but the effects of racism are far more pervasive. Black people suffer from dramatic health disparities in life expectancy, maternal and infant mortality, chronic medical conditions, and outcomes from acute illnesses like myocardial infarction and sepsis. Biological determinants are insufficient to explain these disparities. They result from long-standing systems of oppression and bias which have subjected people of color to discrimination in the healthcare setting, decreased access to medical care and healthy food, unsafe working conditions, mass incarceration, exposure to pollution and noise, and the toxic effects of stress. Black people are also more likely to develop COVID-19. Black people with COVID-19 are diagnosed later in the disease course and have a higher rate of hospitalization, mechanical ventilation, and death. COVID-19 among Black patients is yet another lethal manifestation of white supremacy. In addressing demonstrations against white supremacy, our first statement must be one of unwavering support for those who would dismantle, uproot, or reform racist institutions.

Staying at home, social distancing, and public masking are effective at minimizing the spread of COVID-19. To the extent possible, we support the application of these public health best practices during demonstrations that call attention to the pervasive lethal force of white supremacy. However, as public health advocates, we do not condemn these gatherings as risky for COVID-19 transmission. We support them as vital to the national public health and to the threatened health specifically of Black people in the United States. We can show that support by facilitating safest protesting practices without detracting from demonstrators’ ability to gather and demand change. This should not be confused with a permissive stance on all gatherings, particularly protests against stay-home orders. Those actions not only oppose public health interventions, but are also rooted in white nationalism and run contrary to respect for Black lives. Protests against systemic racism, which fosters the disproportionate burden of COVID-19 on Black communities and also perpetuates police violence, must be supported.

Therefore, we propose the following guidance to support public health:

• Support local and state governments in upholding the right to protest and allow protesters to gather.

• Do not disband protests under the guise of maintaining public health for COVID-19 restrictions.

• Advocate that protesters not be arrested or held in confined spaces, including jails or police vans, which are some of the highest-risk areas for COVID-19 transmission.

• Oppose any use of tear gas, smoke, or other respiratory irritants, which could increase risk for COVID- 19 by making the respiratory tract more susceptible to infection, exacerbating existing inflammation, and inducing coughing.

• Demand that law enforcement officials also respect infection prevention recommendations by maintaining distance from protesters and wearing masks.

• Reject messaging that face coverings are motivated by concealment and instead celebrate face coverings as protective of the public’s health in the context of COVID-19.

• Prepare for an increased number of infections in the days following a protest. Provide increased access to testing and care for people in the affected communities, especially when they or their family members put themselves at risk by attending protests.

Support the health of protesters by encouraging the following:

○ Use of face coverings.

○ Distance of at least 6 feet between protesters, where possible.

○ Demonstrating consistently alongside close contacts and moving together as a group, rather than extensively intermingling with multiple groups.

○ Staying at home when sick, and using other platforms to oppose racism for high-risk individuals, and those unable or uncomfortable to attend in person.

○ Encourage allies who may wish to facilitate safe demonstrations through the following:

○ Providing masks, hand-washing stations, or hand sanitizer to demonstrators.

○ Providing eye protection, such as face shields or goggles, for protection against COVID-19 and chemical irritants used to disperse crowds.

○ Bringing wrapped, single-serving food or beverages to sustain people protesting.

○ Providing chalk markings or other designations to encourage appropriate distancing between protesters.

○ Supplying ropes, which can be knotted at 6-foot intervals, to allow people to march together while maintaining spacing.

○ Donating to bail funds for protesters

Listen, and prioritize the needs of Black people as expressed by Black voices.

These are strategies for harm reduction. It is our sincere hope that all participants will be able to follow these suggestions for safer public demonstrations, assisted by allies where possible and necessary, but we recognize that this may not always be the case. Even so, we continue to support demonstrators who are tackling the paramount public health problem of pervasive racism. We express solidarity and gratitude toward demonstrators who have already taken on enormous personal risk to advocate for their own health, the health of their communities, and the public health of the United States. We pledge our services as allies who share this goal.

This letter is signed by 1,288 public health professionals, infectious diseases professionals, and community stakeholders.

Aaron Greiner Aaron Laviana, MD, MBA_Vanderbilt University Medical Center Aaron W Stewart, MS4 UWSOM Abharika Sapru, WSU medical student Abigail Cartus MPH, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health Abigail Lee, MPH, The University of Iowa Abir Hussein, M.D Infectious Disease Fellow, University of Washington Abraham Rice Activist Adam Cohen Adam Tapley, MD, Cambridge Health Alliance, Mass. Adam Whalen, MPH Candidate in Epidemiology at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health Aditya S Khanna, PhD. The University of Chicago Adriana Dail Adriele Fugal Adrienne Jones – African American Adrienne Shapiro, MD, PhD, Depts. of Global Health and Medicine, University of Washington Adrienne Williams Agata Bereznicka, MPH Candidate, Boston University Agnes Graves MD Aileen Navarrete, BUSPH Akash Virupakshaiah, CHOP Alaina DeKerlegand, Infectious Diseases Pharmacist Alan Shu, University of Washington School of Medicine Alena Markmann, University of North Carolina Alex Junker, Columbia University Alexa Pohl MD PhD Alexander Lankowski, MD (University of Washington) Alexander Tsai, Massachusetts General Hospital Alexander Wamboldt, PhD Inside Out Youth Services Manager of Prevention programs Alexandra Blair, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Toronto Alexandra Phelan, Georgetown University Alexandra Regan, Boston University School of Public Health Alexandria Griffin, MPH Candidate UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health Alexandria Kragie, MD Alexia Rodriguez, MPH Alexis Handal, University of Michigan Alexis Kushner Ali Khan, MD, MPP, Oak Street Health Alic Shook, RN, Phd, University of Washington Alice Lee Alice Murnen, BSN, RN Alice Richter Lee Alice Williams Alicia Burns, University of Washington School of Medicine, MS3 Alicia Callejo-Black Alicia RN, MN Alina Kung, MD MS, PGY-1 in Internal Medicine at UCLA Alina Schnake-Mahl ScD MPH, Cityblock health Alisa Jion Kim, University of Washington medical student Alison Roxby MD Alison Simmons, University of Toronto Alistair Brian Russell, Assistant Professor, UCSD Alix Ginsberg, MPH Allison Agwu MD ScM (Infectious Diseases Physician, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA) Allison Cammisa, medical student at the Frank H. Netter School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University Alpha Shrestha, MPH student, UNC Chapel Hill Althea M. Hamilton, MD Alyssa M. Thomas, Colorado School of Public Health Alyssa Patterson, MPH Alyssa R. Letourneau, MD, MPH / Mass General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA Alyssa Valentine, Master of Public Health Colorado School of Public Health, August 2020 (expected) Alysse Wurcel MD Amanda Carnes, Family Medicine Physician Amanda L., MPH Amanda Oropeza, MD Amanda Santander, MPH Amanda Sekijima, University of Washington School of Medicine Amanda Snow, Boston University School if Medicine Amber Akemi Piatt, MPH Amber Gipson, MPH, Albert Einstein College of Medicine Amber Streifel Amelia Gifford, Occupational Epidemiologist Amelia Knopf, Assistant Professor of Nursing, Indiana University Amelia Ziegler Amin Bemanian, MD, PhD Amina Saqib Amisha Parekh de Campos, Middlesex Hospice Homecare Amy Baugher, MPH – Epidemiologist Amy Blom Amy Hamilton Amy Pasternack MD, Cambridge Health Alliance Ana Weil Acting Assistant Professor André Blackman, Founder/CEO Onboard Health Andrea Rose Molino, Epidemiologist, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Andreina Orozco Andrew Bossick Andrew Dey, Public Health Student and Volunteer Andrew Finsness Andrew H Andrew Peace, MD Angela Alonzo Angela Bengtson Angela Budgin University of Colorado Angela Song, MD/MPH candidate, Perelman School of Medicine Angela Ulrich, PhD MPH Epidemiology Research Fellow, University of Minnesota Angela Venegas Angela Zhou, Cornell University Aniruddha Hazra, MD; Assistant Professor; University of Chicago Anjali Sharma MD, MS Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx NY Anjani Kolahi, MD UC Irvine Family Medicine Ann Duerr, MD, PhD, MPH Ann Kim MD San Francisco department of public health, Redeemer community church Ann-Claude Rakotoniaina, epidemiology research assistant Anna Bauer, PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Anna Bianchi – Medical Student Anna Caudill, incoming MPH class of 2022 Anna Chataginer Anna Darby, MD/MPH, emergency medicine physician, LAC + USC Anna Marie Rondon, Dineh Nation, INDIGENOUS Public Health Advocate Anna Stanley Lee Anna Warren Anna Zulema Pollack PhD, MPH, George Mason University Annabel Consilvio Anne Boustead, University of Arizona Anne Marie Darling, PhD Anne Steele Anne Whiteside, MSN Anonymous Anonymous JD Anthony Pho, MSN, MPH, ANP-C Antoinette Sarge, MPH, University of Washington in Seattle Antonia Beacham, Human Anupam Somashekar, MD PGY-3 UMMC Anurag Malani, MD Ann Arbor, MI April Kaur Randhawa PhD, Fred Hutch, Seattle WA April Pettit, MD, MPH, Vanderbilt University Medical Center April Soto MD April Yang – Lawyer; precious Legal Fellow at USC’s Institute on Inequalities in Global Health Arasi Adkins Arbor Quist, UNC-Chapel Hill Epidemiology PhD Candidate Ariana Piacquadio Ariana Thompson-Lastad, Postdoctoral Fellow, UC San Francisco Arianne Morrison, UNC Infectious Diseases Ariel Frey-Vogel, MD, MAT Arjun Sarkar, M3, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Arno Uvin Art Therapist Asa Tapley MD MSc (UW School of Medicine) Ashford Jackson Ashish D. Parikh, MD, Summit Medical Group Ashlee Van Schyndel, MPH – University of Illinois-Chicago Ashley Lara & BUSPH Ashley Lynes, MS4, UWSOM Ashley Sand Ashly Westrick PhD Ashlyn Lipnicky, University of Kansas Ashrit Multani, UCLA Health Asmith Joseph, MPH, MA Assistant Professor (University of South Florida, Tampa) Assistant professor LSUHSC Athena Hsu, University of California – San Diego School of Medicine Aubrey Hays Audrey C Cooper Aumna Iqbal Austeja Subaciute Austin Frost Austin O. Sweat Axie Acosta, UC Davis Health Ayden Scheim, PhD, Drexel Dornsife School of Public Health Ayesha Godil, MPH student, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health Ayesha Maharaj MPH BHSc Başak Çoruh, MD, University of Washington Beatrice Chen MD MPH, University of Pittsburgh Benjamin Barrett, ScM Benjamin S. Avner, MD Benjamin Snyder, MD/PhD Student, Boston University Benjamin Todd Benjamin W Sanders, M.D. M.S.P.H., Pediatrician, Portland, Oregon Bernadette Venkataraman Beth Kassler, teacher Beth Linas, PhD, MHS, Infectious Disease Epidemiologist Beth Sobba MS4 UWSOM Betsy Zucker, FNP, nurse practitioner Betyna Berice Bikere Ikoba, Master of Public Health student at the University of Iowa Billie Henry Bioinformatics Research Fellow, University of Birmingham (UK) Birgit Brander Rasmussen, Binghamton University-SUNY Black female that’s tired, USAF vet Black Public Health Researcher/Epidemiologist Blake Busey Bohan Xing Bomi Framroze, Menlo Park, California Bonnie Snyder, MS1, UWSOM Bradley Dreifuss, MD FACEP, University of Arizona Colleges of Medicine and Public Health; Arizona College of Emergency Physicians Braveen Ragunanthan Bree-Ann Owens Brendan Eappen, medical student, Harvard Medical School Brendan Pulsifer, Bowdoin College Brennah Fallon, MPH Candidate, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health Brett Jesse Brian Boursiquot, NYP/Columbia University Medical Center Brian Cockman Brian P. Foran, Boston Medical Center, Boston University Brian Rahmer, PhD, MS Brian Steely, SLP, CCC, retired educator Brianna J Scott Brigid Cakouros, DrPH Brinn Culver PMHNP Brittany Bergam, UWSOM Student Brittany Bishop – University of Washington Brittany Catucci Brittany Gorden, PharmD, BCPS Brooke Gallagher – Colorado School of Public Health Brooke Spencer, Ragon Institute of Harvard, MGH, and MIT BUSM M3 Students BVS, Resident Byanqa Robinson, RN UCSF Medical Center C. Martin Beck, RN Caitlin Williams, Gillings School of Global Public Health, UNC Chapel Hill Caitlyn Nystedt, MPH Caleb LoSchiavo, MPH – Rutgers School of Public Health Calli Dolloff Cameron Bader Cameron Nutt, MD (Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston MA) Camille Clefton, MD Cara Coogan Cara E Saxon, MD (University of Colorado School of Medicine) Cara Pennel, DrPH, MPH Cardiovascular Researcher Caredwen Foley, MPH Student, BU School of Public Health Caren Solomon, MD, MPH, Brigham and Women’s Hospital Carey Farquhar Carly Nichols, PhD, Global Health Studies, University of Iowa, Carmen Kloer, medical student Carmen Yip Carmi Orenstein, MPH Carole Capper, retired teacher Carolina Downie Caroline M. Flessa, MPH BUSPH ‘20 Caroline McGowan Caroline Todd Casey Reynolds, RN Cassandra Trickett, Aclima Inc. Catherine Bisignano MPH, University of Washington Catherine R Lucey Executive Vice Dean, UCSF School of Medicine Catherine Romberger, MPH Catherine Voluz, Student Catherine Wolff Cecilia Culp – Health Equity Policy and Program Analyst Celia Wright Cerise Brown Cesar Lopez, MD-PhD Student at UNC Chapel Hill Chandana Golla, UTSW MD/MPH Student ’24 Chang, MD Charlene Saulnier FNP-BC Charlie Roscoe, Harvard School of Public Health Charlotte Cathcart Charlotte Marshall, MPH Charmaine Lastimoso Che Richardson Jung, RN, BSN Chelsea Backer, DO Chelsea Jones – Senior Medical Student Chelsea Lennox, MPH Chelsea Marcus Chelsey M. Mackenzie, BSN, RN, Birth Doula Chemaine Leon Cherise Rohr-Allegrini, PhD, MPH, Rohr Consulting. Cheryl Dietrich, MPH Chrissie Marshall, Gallaudet University Chrissy Chard, PhD Christian B. Ramers, MD, MPH Christian Testa, Statistical Analyst, Harvard School of Public Health Christina Casas MD Christina Chung Christina Delnero Christine D Christine Gwillim, University of Texas Christine Johnston, MD, MPH, University of Washington Christine Kerr, MD,AAHIVS Christopher Harding Christopher Lyons, Boston University School of Medicine Class of 2023 Christopher p. Paramedic Chrystal Okonta, MSPH, CHES Cinthia Leon Lazcano, Public Health Student Claire Ogburn Claire Richards, PhD, RN Claire Rothschild, PhD Candidate, University of Washington School of Public Health Clara Martin, MPH Clare Evans, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Oregon Clark Santee, MD Claudia Finkelstein MD Michigan State University Colby Sato, Twitter Colin Bartz-Overman, Medical Student, University of Washington School of Medicine Colleen Buckley Colleen Kelley MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine Corinne Wiesner, PhD Candidate UNC-Chapel Hill Gillings SGPH Courtney De La Mater, MPH Cressida Madigan Cris Craig, retired Manager, Health information Resources, Kitsap Public Health Crisis and Harm Reduction Specialist Crystal Childress Cynthia Gay University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill D’Aviance M. Harris — Birmingham, Al Dan Vekhter, Seton Hall University School of Medicine Dana Nordenstrom, MPH Dana Paycao, MPH, UCLA Daniel Becker, Indiana University Daniel Goldstein, Umass Amherst Daniel Leung, MD, University of Utah Daniel Low Daniel Winetsky, MD, Columbia University Daniela Coronado, James Madison University Daniella Mendoza, Danielle Bloch, MPH Danielle Desrosiers Danielle Lafond, BUSM Danielle McCarty RN Danielle Rome MD, NYP-Columbia Danielle Zerr, MD, MPH UW/Seattle Children’s Danniel Zamora, Infectious Diseases, University of Washington Daphne Schneider MD, Cambridge Health Alliance Darcy Rao, University of Washington Darragh Kerr, MPH, University of Washington Daryl Nault Dashawna Fussell-Ware, MSW, University of Pittsburgh Data analyst, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene David Charles Mallinson, University of Wisconsin-Madison David de Gijsel, MD. Infectious Disease and Addiction Medicine. David Joseph Koesters – unaffiliated David M. Aronoff, MD, FIDSA, FAAM David P. Eisenman, MD MSHS, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Fielding UCLA School of Public Health David Swedler, PhD MPH David van Duin, university of North Carolina Dawn Fishbein, MD, MedStar Health Research Institute DeAnn Rice RN Deborah Sarson Debra Williams Deidre Alessio NP Cambridge Health Alliance Delia Pinto Santini, Afrolatina Scientist Denise McCulloch, MD, MPH, Infectious Diseases Fellow, University of Washington Dental Student Derek Prince, UWSOM Deryn Isaac Devang Amin, Internal Medicine Resident Devin English, PhD – Rutgers School of Public Health Devin Perez Dhruvi Chauhan, MPH Candidate ’21, Columbia University, New York, NY Diana A Diana M. Tordoff, MPH, PhDc, University of Washington, Department of Epidemiology Diana Nguyen Diana Schlotterbeck Diane Kanjilal, RN Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Dimiter zlatkov Divya Prajapati, UCSD Divya Subramanian Doctor Dominic Facciponte Dominika Seblova, postdoctoral research fellow Columbia University Dominique Cantave, Harvard University Dominique Heinke, Epidemiologist Donna J. Curtis, MD, MPH, Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist Dr Lee Pfaff, Dr Miqdad Asaria, Department of Health Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science Dr Nicole Christian Brathwaite, MD Dr Summaya Zulfiqar, EM Dr Swati Chavda, Resident University of Calgary Dr. Alex Moulton – Harbor UCLA Dr. Andrea d’Aquino, Stanford Dr. Ayesha Appa, UCSF Dr. Dodie Arnold, CEO Arnold CR Dr. Hilary Michel MD Dr. Kate Sullenberger — Veterinarian Dr. Katherine Muldoon Dr. Megan L. Srinivas, University of North Carolina Dr. Nahal Nikroo Dr. Natalie Marshall, Clinical Microbiology Fellow, PhD in Microbiology & Immunology Dr. Sarah Sanders, Cambridge Health Alliance Dr. Sheldon Francis, Delaware Veterans Cemetery Duane R. Taylor Dylan Bickers, former USAF Public Health Technician and Community Health NCOIC Earl Adsley Ebony Hilton MD Edberg Deborah Edward Courchaine, PhD Eileen Li, University of Washington School of Medicine Ekene Nwoye Elana Tan MD, Tristar Horizon Medical Center Eleanor Murray, Boston University School of Public Health Elena Diskin – Virginia Department of Health Epidemiologist Elena Hernandez, MPH Candidate at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Elisa Cheng, MD, Clinical Instructor, Cambridge Health Alliance / Elisa Pasqual MD PhD (Spain/Italy) Elise Moore, ASTHO Eliza P Shulman, DO, MPH Eliza Pelrine, MD Elizabeth Adler, MD Elizabeth Ahlers, PsyD Elizabeth Christian, MD, Infectious Disease fellow Elizabeth Epstein-Tracy Elizabeth Gulleen, Research Associate Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Elizabeth Hirsch, University of Minnesota Elizabeth Jacobs Elizabeth Kamai, MSPH; Gillings School of Global Public Health, UNC Chapel Hill Elizabeth Lalasz, RN, National Nurses United Elizabeth Larson, MPH Candidate Elizabeth Morris, Colorado School of Public Health Elizabeth Pinsky, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital Elizabeth Traub, MPH — Infectious Disease Epidemiologist Ellen Kettler, MS4 at UC San Diego School of Medicine Ellen Walker Ellie Gladstone, JD, MPH, Public Health Institute, Oakland, CA Ellie Grossman MD MPH, Harvard Medical School / Cambridge Health Alliance Ellie Joo Elspeth Fullerton, MS1, University of Washington School of Medicine Elspeth Nolen, University of Washington School of Public Health Elvira Aronzon Emilia Hermann, MD MPH – Montefiore Primary Care and Social Internal Medicine Emily A Kendall MD PhD, Johns Hopkins Emily Beaudin Emily Begnel, MPH – University of Washington Emily Boes, MD Emily Ciccone, Infectious Diseases Fellow, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Emily Deichsel, University of Maryland, Baltimore Emily DeVoto, PhD, MSPH, epidemiologist Emily Fleckenstein Emily Gemmell, MPH PhD Student, University of British Columbia Emily Herscher Emily Malavenda, MD (Cambridge Health Alliance) Emily Merchant Emily Muller, MS3 Emily Scott, MD/MPH, University of Colorado Emily Sousa, PNP, MPH Emily Thorn, Medical Student Emily Wong, MD, Africa Health Research Institute and Massachusetts General Hosptial Emma Ciersk, PHE graduate Emma Clark, Public Health Advisor Emma Glennon, University of Cambridge Emma Kersey, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health Emma Mulligan, BUSM Class of 2022 Epidemiologist, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention Epidemiologist, NIH Epidemiologist, Regional Government, Canada Eric Hausmann Eric Rohr Eric Stulberg, University of Utah Erica Bass, MD PGY3 Internal Medicine at UCSF Erica Chavis, Clinical Specialist Pharmacist Erica Lokken, PhD – University of Washington Erin Duncan MD MPH Erin Flattery, Resident Physician, NYP-Columbia Erin Hsu, MD, Infectious Diseases Doctor Erin J Aiello Bowles, MPH, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute Erin James, postdoctoral associate Yale University Erin L. Abner, PhD, MPH; Associate Professor of Epidemiology at University of Kentucky Erin Mordecai, Assistant Professor, Stanford University Erin Philpott, DO Ernie-Paul Barrette, MD, Washington University Esther Ofei-Asamani, Mphil, MPH, School of Governance Gimpa -Ghana Ethel Yang, MBA/MPH Eva Stein, MD; University of Colorado School of Medicine Evan L. Eschliman, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Ezza Khan, MD Hunterdon Medical Center Faisal Tan, BUSM Faith Price, Community Prevention Coordinator and WSU Doctoral Student in Prevention Science Faith Williams Family medicine physician, Cambridge health alliance Family Medicine resident, University of Nebraska Medical Center Fanghua Lou Fanny Gonzalez Farley R Cleghorn MD MPH, Palladium Fatima Al Dhaheri, MD. Infectious disease fellow Fausto Gonzalez torres Felipe Findley Fiorella Guido, MS3, Upstate University Flynne Lewis, pediatrician CCHS Former Probation Officer Frances Oakes Francesca Golightly, Boston University School of Public Health Frederick L. Altice, M.D., Yale University Gabriel Benavidez, PhD student in epidemiology @ The University of South Carolina Gabriela Alcalde Gabriela Velazquez Gabriella Page-Fort Gabriella Vargas, University of Virginia Gabrielle Chamoun, Medical Student Gabrielle Pollack, MS1 Gail R. Hansen, Hansen Consults Gallaudet University Student Genevieve Boland Genna Braverman Genya Shimkin, MPH, University of Washington Department of Family Medicine George A. Alba, MD; Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School George Mekeel RN Gerard Coste, MD Cambridge Health Alliance Geri Medina, MPH candidate at Boston University School of Public Health Ghadeer Hasan RUTGERS RWJMS Gillian Isabella Hollerich Gillian Tarr, Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota Ginger Johnston, Pastor Glenn Stevens Grace Mulholland, MSPH, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graham Mooney, Johns Hopkins University Gregg Gonsalves, Yale School of Public Health Gretchen Snoeyenbos Newman H. Hunter Handsfield, MD, Professor Emeritus, University of Washington Hailey Boudreau Hailey Wyatt Hala Benmoussa Haley Burdge, Upstate College of Medicine student Hamsa Subramaniam, Doctoral candidate – Department of Epidemiology, UNC-Chapel Hill Hannah Breakstone, Alumna Hannah Godlove, NYC Hospital Public Health Advisor Hannah H Leslie, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health Hannah Hall Hannah Lampert, MS4, University of Washington School of Medicine Hannah Nam, Northwestern Memorial Hospital Hannah Newman, MPH, CIC Manager of Epidemiology & Infection Prevention, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City Hannah VanBenschoten, PhD Candidate, Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington Harita Nyalakonda Harry Hudome Haya Jamali, University of Washington Heather Currey, Seattle 500 Women Scientists Heather Limper, PhD, MPH-Epidemiologist Heather Martinez, DVM, MPH Heather Molvik, UWSOM MS4 Hee Joo Ko Heena Patel Helen Cole, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona Hifzah Malik, Columbia Mailman Hilary Godwin, PhD Hilary M Babcock, MD, MPH; Washington University School of Medicine Hillary Miller Holly Scheider, MPH, Public Health Advocate Honor Bixby, McGill University Ida Shum Ilana Schlesinger Ilyssa Moore MD Inaya Mofiz- College of William and Mary student India Ornelas, University of Washington School of Public Health Indira Case Infectious Disease Physician, Atlanta, GA Iris S. Delgado, MPH Isabella Horning, MSN candidate Ishani Patel, Gillings School of Global Public Health, UNC Chapel Hill Iyah Romm J TREES RITTER, DO, FIDSA J.F.Gamez Jace Jacinda C Abdul-Mutakabbir PharmD, AAHIVP Jacob Dexter-Meldrum Jacob McNinch, University if Washington Medical Anthropology and Global Health student Jacopo Leal Pacini Jacqueline Benson Master of Public Health Candidate Jacqueline Hodges, MD MPH, Rising Fellow, UVA Infectious Diseases Jacqueline Johnson Jacquelyn DeVries, medical student Jade Baugh Jade Pagkas-Bather, MD, MPH University of Chicago Jaime M. Jake A Kleinmahon, MD Jamal, PhD. candidate James Huynh, PhD Student, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Center for the Study of Racism, Social Justice, & Health James P. Lyon, Penn State University Jamie Rausch, Ph.D., RN Jan M Risser, retired epidemiologist Janet Soeprono, MD Janice Verley MD Janie Ginocchio, MPA Jared Baeten, University of Washington Jasmine Reyes Jasmine Tomita-Barber Jasnah Kholin, virologist, Hong Kong Jaspal Singh Bassi, MD Candidate, UC Irvine Jay Luthar MD – Cambridge Health Alliance (suggest providing protestors with an N95 and DIY face shields) Jay White Jayati Sharma Jayce Pangilinan, MD Jehan Budak, MD, University of Washington Jen Balkus, PhD, MPH – Assistant Professor at the University of Washington School of Public Health Jen Merk University of Washington School of Medicine MS1 (Spokane) Jenna Holmen, MD, MPH (Infectious Disease) Jenna Oelschlegel, MSW (Clinical Social Worker) Jennifer Chang, MD, Kaiser Permanente at Los Angeles Medical Center Jennifer Doran Jennifer Jones, PharmD Jennifer Schulte, Colorado School of Public Health Jennifer Scott CNM MSN Licensed Midwife NY Jennifer Velloza, PhD, MPH, University of Washington Jennifer Weuve, Boston University School of Public Health Jennifer Zabasajja, Bloomberg News Jerina Carmona, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health Jessica Cataldi MD, Pediatric Infectious Diseases physician, Denver, CO Jessica Ho, MPH, M1 at Columbia University Jessica Long, PhD MPH, University of Washington Jessica McMillin, NYMC SoM Medical Candidate Jessica Mogk MPH Jessica Plante MPH, Boston University Jessica Ruff Jessica Ruglis, PhD, MPH, MAT, Associate Professor, McGill University Jessica Schmitt, LCSW – University of Chicago Jessica Xiao, UCSD School of Medicine MS4 Jill Royle, MPH, PhD Jillian Brelsford, RN CHA Jim Recht, MD Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School Jimish Mehta Joanna Schaenman, UCLA Joanne Park, Student Jodie Katon Joel Blankson MD, PhD Johns Hopkins Medicine John Kim MD, Cambridge Health Alliance John Lynch, MD, MPH University of Washington John Schneider, University of Chicago John Stephen Dumler Jolie LeBlanc, MD Jonathan Colasanti, MD, MSPH, Emory University Jonathan Golob. MD PhD Jonathan Malagon Jonathan Seaman, MD Jonathan Wu, D.O., M.P.H. Jordan Hoese, MD, MPH Jordan Kazakov Jorge Rivera-Gonzalez CSU MPH candidate Joseph C Gathe Jr MD FACP FIDSA Juan Acosta, Medical Student, Upstate Medical University Juan C Judith Feinberg MD West Virginia University Judith Portillo Judith Segall, MPH Judy Lubin, PhD, MPH, President, Center for Urban and Racial Equity Julia Dettinger Julia Durrant, MD, OHSU Julia Finn, Rollins school of public health Julia Marcus, PhD, MPH; Harvard Medical School Julia Morrison Julia Nash, BU Julia P Baker, DVM/PhD student, University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine Julia Raleigh – Medical Student, Upstate Medical University Julia Sung, MD, assistant professor of Infectous Diseases Julia Swanson (WSU Medical Student) Julia Velonjara, MPH; University of Washington Juliana Jacangelo Julie Baer Julie Chiu – JMU Alumna/Public Health Education Major Julie M. Petersen, MPH Julie Nguyen Julie Steinbrink, MD, Duke University Julie Vaishampayan, MD, MPH Justin Feldman, Assistant Professor, NYU School of Medicine Justin O’Hea Our Revolution NJ, HPAE Kacey Ernst, Associate Professor and Program Director Epidemiology- University of Arizona Kadedrah Parson Kaiser Valshon, MS4, UWSOM Kali Neil – Epidemiologist Kara Cicero MD MPH, Internal Medicine Resident, Rising Hematology/Oncology Fellow, NYP/Columbia Karen Bloch, MD MPH Vanderbilt University Medical Center Karen Chung, MS4, University of Washington School of Medicine Karen Daum Karen Fowler DrPH UAB Dept or Pediatrics Karen Gruen, Karen MacDonell, Wayne State University Karim Khan, Boston Medical Center Infectious Diseases and Addiction Medicine Karina Calderon Karla Neugebauer PhD biochemist, Yale University Karolina Maciag MD/PhD, UW Infectious Disease Fellow Kate Gregory Kate Kim Kate Liefer, Public Health Nurse Kate Nolt Katharine Rifken, MS Katherine Claire Donfro Katherine Greenberg, BU School of Public Health Katherine LeMasters – UNC CH Katherine Muldoon Katherine Pavilonis Katherine Walton-Elliott Kathleen Tompkins, MD, Infectious Diseases Fellow, The University of North Carolina Kathryn Kimpel MS4 Kathryn Macapagal, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Kathryn Schoenauer, UPenn MPH student Kathryne Staudinger, ESFCOM Katia Bruxvoort, PhD MPH, Kaiser Permanente Southern California Katie Judson, MPH Population Health Program Manager Katie McCann, MSW, MPH, LCSW Katie Shea Barrett Katie Witkiewitz, University of New Mexico Katrina Ortblad, ScD, MPH, University of Washington Kavya Magham Kayla Spence Kayla Williams, MS, MPH CSPH alumni Keely Dennis, MPH candidate, Mailman school of public health Keilah A. Jacques Kellcey Lesmerises Boston University Kelly Danckert, Boston University School of Public Health Student Kelly O’Shea, MPH University of Illinois at Chicago Kelly Storck, LCSW. Mental Health Therapist Kelsey Eccles RN Kelsey Murphey Ken Rothman Kenan Xiao, MD University of Nebraska Medical Center Kerri A. Thom, MD, MS, Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland Kerry Dierberg, MD; Bellevue & NYU Hospitals, New York, NY Kevin Chung, MS4, University of Washington School of Medicine Kevin Downes, MD, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Kevin Maloney MPH, Epidemiology PhD Student, Emory Rollins School of Public Health Kevin Vu Kiara Yoder Kieran Todd Kim N. June, advocate Kimberlee Rossi Kimberly Baller Kimberly Murray RN Kira Newman, MD, PhD, University of Washington Kiran Salman, MPH Student, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health Kitonga Kiminyo Kobina Amoah. Koen Tieskens, PhD, Researcher Boston University School of Public Health Korinna Straube M.S. Yale University Kris Ronsin, GH emergency consultant Kristel Hallsson, MS3, University of Washington School of Medicine Kristen Pogreba-Brown PhD MPH Kristin Andrejko, UC Berkeley School of Public Health Department of Epidemiology Kristin Sommerhalter, PhD Kristin Vahle, MPH Kristin Wunder, MPH, Bannon Consulting Services Kristine Madsen, UWSOM, MS4 Kyle Horonzy Kyle Levinger Kylie ODonoghue L. Parker, BSN, RN Lai Wong CCRN: CPMC & UCSF Larissa Cruz, MPH LaToya Moseley Laura C Laura Cordova Laura Jacobson, MPH OHSU-PSU School of public health Laura Landrum Laura Marks MD, PhD, Washington University in St Louis Laura Marshall, BUSM ’22 Laura Rasmussen-Torvik, PhD MPH Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Laura Richman Duke University Laura Titkemeyer Laura Vercammen, MPH, Boston University School of Public Health Lauren A Hittner, MD. Harvard Vanguard Medical Assc Lauren Ciszak, MD south end community health center Lauren Greenberg, MPH Lauren Guerra, Columbia Mailman SPH Lauren Lane Lauren Marcell, Medical Student at University of Washington Lauren McCullough Lauren Nguyen, UWSOM MS1 Lauren Schaeffer Lauren Scott, RN Lauren Zalla, Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Laurie Pulver, MD, MPH LaWanda Prestage Leah Harvey, MD, MPH. Boston Medical Center Infectious Disease Leah Hollander, Medical Student, BUSM Leah Yoke, University of Washington Leanne Berge, community health plan of Washington Lee McKoin, University of Washington School of Medicine, MS2 Leigh Senderowicz, ScD MPH, University of Wisconsin- Madison Leila Roumani Lein Soltan, Gillings MPH student Leon I. Bender MD Leslie Frey, LCSW Leslie New, Washington State University Vancouver Leslie V. Farland, University of Arizona Lexie Awiszus Liana Bogran Lianne Dillon, Public Health Institute Lina Rosengren-Hovee, MD, MPH University of North Carolina Infectious Diseases Linda Oseso, MPH Lindsay P. Carter, Pediatric Hospital Medicine, Boston, MA Lindsey J. Butler, Boston University School of Public Health Lindsey Kelly, PA-C, Cambridge Health Alliance Lindsey M. Filiatreau Linh Huynh Lisa Callegari Lisa Glaskin Lisa L. Abuogi, MD,MSc Associate Professor University of Colorado, Denver Lisa M. Bodnar, PhD, University of Pittsburgh Lisa Suennen Lisle Winston MD, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia Liz K, RN Liz Kelly, MSPH, Project Manager, UNC Chapel Hill Liza Henry, MPH/MSW Student, University of Minnesota Liza Lutzker, UC Berkeley School of Public Health Lizzete Alvarado, California Department of Public Health Loraxia Lori M O’Grady, MSN, RN, APN, WHNP-BC Lorky Libaridian, MD (Cambridge Health Alliance, MA, Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Med School) Louis A Vontver MD MEd Louisa Smith, PhD Candidate, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Lucy Brainerd, MPH Lucy Dong Luke Johnson, UWSOM Medical Student Luke Strnad, MD / Assistant professor of Medicine, Oregon Health and Sciences University Lydia Hartzell, MPH Lynette Phillips, Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Kent State College of Public Health M.O. social worker Madeleine Harnois – Legal Aid Attorney Madeleine Kane, medical student, UCSF-UC Berkeley Joint Medical Program Madeleine Witwer-Dukes, MPH Madeline DiLorenzo, MD Madeline Kaufman Madeline Lewis-Epidemiology Madeline Stewart, Medical Student, Boston University School of Medicine Madison Thompson, CSU Magdalena Cerdá, NYU Grossman School of Medicine Maggie Collison, MD Mai Tuyet Pho, MD MPH, Section of Infectious Diseases and Global Health, University of Chicago Maisa Morrar, PA-C Maisha Davis Malkit K. Singh MD MPA Mallika Iyer, MS1, UW School of Medicine Mallory Harris, Stanford University PhD Student Mandavi Kulkarni, M.D. Manu Vikram Venkat MD, Columbia University Mara Abera Mara Hansen Staples, Impact for Health Marc Emerson, UNC-CH Marcia Luke-van Dijk, Avalon Housing Maren Batalden, MD MPH, Chief Quality Officer, Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, MA Maret Maliniak, Emory University Margarita Triguero-Mas, PhD MPh; postdoctoral researcher at Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability (BCNUEJ), Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM); Institute for Environmental Science and Technology – Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) Margot Hedlin, MD Mari Kitahata MD, MPH Professor University of Washington Maria G. Lozano-Diaz RN, CNM MS Maria Gomez Maria Montes Arvizu, Undergrad at University of California, San Diego Maria Pyra, University of Chicago Maria Terra, Nurse Practitioner, Cambridge Health Alliance Marie Finkbeiner, University of Washington MS3 Marie Stoner Marielle Bugayong, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Mariko Cantley Mariko K Wong, MD Cambridge Health Alliance, Harvard Medical School Marilena Caldarusa Marin Mazeres, BUSM class of 2023 Marisol Jimenez, Tepeyac Consultinh Marisol Valenzuela-Lara, MD/MPH PhD in Epidemiology student at Emory University Marissa Miller, PA-C Mark A Swancutt, MD, PhD, DTM&H, Fulton County Board of Health, Atlanta Mark ODonnell Marlee Fischer, MPH Marley Williams, Health Equity Manager, Public Health Alliance Martha Kaufman, retired health professional Martin Kuchar Marwan Haddad MD MPH Mary Burgess UAMS Mary Mathison, MS1, UWSOM Seattle campus Mary Montgomery MD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital Mary Noble MD, Clinical Associate Professor, University of Washington School of Medicine Matthew C Hall Matthew Fox, Boston University Matthew J Kuehnert, MD Matthew Kronman, MD; University of Washington Matthew Stolman, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health Maya Adler, MPH Maya J. 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Nurse Practitioner University of Chicago Medical Center Peter Chin-Hong MD UCSF Peter F. Bornstein, MD, MBA; St. Paul Infectious Disease Associates, Ltd. 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Medical Student Uzma Syed, Infectious Diseases ,South Shore Infectious Diseases & Travel Medicine Consultants V. Morrison APRN Cambridge Health Alliance V. Ram Krishnamoorthi, MD MPH, University of Chicago, Doctors for America Vaish Sridhar Valerie Press, physician Van Park Vanessa Aden Vanessa Estibeiro MD,MPH Vanessa K Ferrel, MD MPH Vanessa Lamers Vanessa Torrice, BUSM Varun Goel – UNC Chapel Hill Vera Schulte, University of Washington Medical Student Veronica Grycan Veronica Salvas, Epidemiologist Healing Communities Study Vicki Alexander, MD, MPH,Healthy Black Families , Inc Victor J. Schoenbach, PhD, emeritus associate professor Victoria Cameron, Dartmouth Board of Health Victoria Gontarz Vidya Atluri, infectious disease fellow, UW Vikas Saini, M.D. President, Lown Institute Viraj Shroff-Mehta, MD Virginia Tan, Medical Student, Netter School of Medicine Visiting Nurse Service of New York Wendy Armstrong MD, Emory University Whitney Wood, MS3, Elson S. 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Harris, Markey, Booker Introduce Senate Resolution to Abolish Qualified Immunity for Law Enforcement

Briefs

Reporters Desk

June 4, 2020

Harris, Markey, Booker Introduce Senate Resolution to Abolish Qualified Immunity for Law Enforcement

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) June 3, announced a new Senate resolution that calls for the elimination of qualified immunity for law enforcement officers. Qualified immunity is a judge-made doctrine that protects law enforcement officers from being sued in their personal capacity and being held personally liable for their excessive use of force or brutality. In its passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1871, Congress expressly allowed for individuals to sue public officials, including police officers, who deprive them of their civil rights. But in the century and a half since, the Supreme Court has gutted this landmark law. It created and then expanded the novel defense of so-called qualified immunity for police officers.

Also co-sponsoring the resolution are Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).

Qualified immunity affects people of color disproportionately because they are disproportionately victims of excessive force at the hands of law enforcement. According to a National Academy of Sciences study black men are two-and-a-half times more likely to be killed by law enforcement over their lifetime than white men. Over the course of their lives, approximately one in every 1,000 black men can expect to be killed by police.

Under qualified immunity, the police are immune from liability unless the person whose rights they violated can show that there is a previous case in the same jurisdiction, involving the exact same facts, in which a court deemed the actions to be a constitutional violation.

A copy of the resolution can be found here, senate-resolution.

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Harris, Markey, Booker Introduce Senate Resolution to Abolish Qualified Immunity for Law Enforcement

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