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Editorial/Column
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COVID-19 Turns Prisons Into Death Traps
B ack in January, when I first became aware of the Coronavirus, that would later be called COVID-19, I said that I wouldn't take it seriously until someone dropped dead in front of me and people started wearing hazmat suits. Ironically, since then, I've witnessed both things occur and find myself in a situation where I'm desperately trying to fend off infection while being housed inside of an environ- ment where the contagion
has spread like wildfire. When COVID-19 came on to the scene, experts pre- dicted that prisons and nurs- ing homes were places where the virus would do tremen- dous damage due to the fact that, in those types of institu- tions, there's no such thing as social distance. And, as it turns out, those experts were
right.
Across the country there
has been numerous cases of multiple deaths occurring within these facilities be- cause the highly contagious nature of the pathogen and the close living quarters cre- ates the perfect scenario for the virus to thrive. And that could actually be an under- statement.
Just two weeks ago, a guy who lived several cells down from me died from Coron- avirus complications just days after passing me a laun- dry loop. He was the third
person to die who had been in my immediate vicinity and since then 6 more individu- als have fallen victim to the virulent menace.
To say that I'm creeped out by what's transpired doesn't come close to de- scribing how it feels to come in such close proximity to death. I can only compare it to the fear one would proba- bly have after he or she found out they had been in- timate with someone who re- cently died of AIDS.
The craziest thing about dealing with this pandemic is that when I call home to check on family, most of them think that I'm losing my grip on reality for being overly concerned and tell me that I'm becoming paranoid.
Of course, that's easy for them to say considering that nearly everyone I talk to is quarantining alone or with a few people. It is an entirely different story when you're trying to duck a fatal illness while locked in a unit with 200 people.
Unfortunately, though, these are the circumstances that those who are incarcer- ated find themselves facing. They are forced to protect themselves as much as they can inside buildings that are ideally situated for them to lose the struggle. And seeing or hearing about people around them being hauled off in body bags only height-
ens that anxiety.
The most frustrating as-
pect of the situation is that, in spite of the crisis and ris- ing death toll, the leadership within the Bureau of Prisons and the Department of Cor- rections are reluctant to ad- dress the issue by allowing inmates early release be- cause of the concern they have of someone dangerous slipping through the cracks.
And, sadly, their cau- tiousness was given valida- tion after a man, who was released from the county jail due to overcrowding and the COVID-19 outbreak, com- mitted a murder the second night he was freed.
Though that was, indeed, an unfortunate occurrence, what I hope the decision- makers over the BOP and DOC realize is that no solu- tion implemented will be perfect.
Some people have a ten- dency to be stupid. But it shouldn't stop them from using the power at their dis- posal to save the lives of thousands of individuals who were not given a death sentence and who should be given the opportunity to avoid life-altering injuries.
Under normal circum- stances it could be argued that the risk may be too great to take. But with lives in the balance and time being of the essence, with the threat of the virus coming back even more prolific in the fall, res- cuing those who are in clear and present danger should be of the upmost impor- tance.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. You can contact Mr. Barr at: cbar- ronice@gmail.com.
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C. Blythe Andrews 1901-1977 (1945)
C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. 1930-2010 (1977)
For The Love Of Money
Huff-Jackson’s 1974 hit song, sung by the O’Jays, “Money, Money, Money, Money!” We were re- minded of this song when we heard President Don- ald Trump and other money grubbers clamoring to, “Open up the American economy. Yet, mourners of Coronavirus victims are steadily burying their loved ones, and the infection and death rates are still climbing in many of our cities.
We consider the relaxation many of you may re- member the first four words of the gamble of the “safer-at-home” and “social distancing” guidelines at this time to be acts of greed, disregard for human life, reckless leadership, and borders on criminal acts of elder abuse, child abuse, and attempted manslaughter.
Moreover, any money transaction that involves dealing with cash money and patrons or sales per- sons who are not wearing masks or gloves and who are not able to maintain social distancing, is the same as an act of suicide or manslaughter.
Furthermore, we don’t believe we should ask our doctors, nurses, other healthcare workers, and our other first responders to risk their lives to take care of patients who refuse to stay safe at home; who don’t or won’t practice social distancing; and who ignorantly believe the Coronavirus is a hoax. . . thereby infecting each other and other members of our population who have chronic diseases, or who are fighting illnesses such as asthma, cancer, kidney or liver disease, COPD, compromised immune sys- tems, and other illnesses.
Indeed, other Americans should not have to risk their lives for money making businesses that the ma- jority of rational thinking Americans will not patron- ize anyway until we have a vaccine.
Even though recorded in 1974, the O’Jays’ song, “For the Love of Money,” seems to be Trump’s na- tional anthem, a song that promises the destruction for our society.
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