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A2 UP FRONT
Monday 23 May 2022

COVID-19, shootings: Is mass death now tolerated in America?

Continued from Front based on who is at risk, says this really brutal way with
Elizabeth Wrigley-Field, a this coincidence of timing."
Certain communities have sociology professor who In Buffalo, the alleged
always borne the brunt of studies mortality at the Uni- shooter was a racist bent
higher death rates. There versity of Minnesota. on killing Black people, ac-
are profound racial and "Some people's deaths cording to authorities. The
class inequalities in the matter a lot more than oth- family of 86-year-old Ruth
United States, and our tol- ers," she laments. "I think Whitfield, one of the 10
erance of death is partly that's what we're seeing in people killed, channeled

Orange County Sheriff's Sgt. Scott Steinle displays a photo of Dr.
John Cheng, a 52-year-old victim who was killed in Sunday's
shooting at Geneva Presbyterian Church, before a news
conference in Santa Ana, Calif., Monday, May 16, 2022.
Associated Press
the grief and frustration of "political vacuum" around
millions as they demanded COVID-19.
action. With COVID-19, American
"You expect us to keep do- society has even come
ing this over and over and to accept the deaths of
over again — over again, children from a prevent-
forgive and forget," her son, able cause. Pediatrician
former Buffalo Fire Com- Dr. Mark W. Kline wrote in a
missioner Garnell Whitfield, guest column for The Advo-
Jr., said. "While people we cate newspaper that more
elect and trust in offices than 1,500 children have
around this country do their died from COVID-19, and
best not to protect us, not recalled a time in pediat-
to consider us equal." rics when "children were
That sense — that politi- not supposed to die."
cians have done little "There was no acceptable
even as the violence re- pediatric body count," he
peats itself – is shared by wrote. "At least, not before
many Americans. It's a the first pandemic of the so-
feeling encapsulated by cial media age, COVID-19,
the "thoughts and prayers" changed everything."
offered to victims of gun Gun violence is such a
violence by politicians part of life in America now
unwilling to change poli- that we organize our lives
cies, according to Martha around its inevitability, says
Lincoln, an anthropology Sonali Rajan, a Columbia
professor at San Francisco University professor who re-
State University. searches school violence.
"I don't think that most Children do lockdown drills
Americans feel good at school. And in about
about it. I think most Ameri- half the states, Rajan says,
cans would like to see real teachers can carry fire-
action from their leaders arms. She notes that an
in the culture about these estimated 100,000 peo-
pervasive issues," says Lin- ple are shot annually and
coln, who sees a similar some 40,000 will die.q