Renewable Revolution

“In early and mid-March, when America began widespread closures, quarantines and social distancing, covid-19 caused many fewer deaths than other common causes — fewer in a week than chronic liver disease or high blood pressure, and far fewer than suicide or the common flu. By the end of March, the toll was closer to the average weekly deaths from diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Into April, weekly covid-19 deaths climbed past those from accidents and chronic lower respiratory disease. And last week, covid-19 killed more people than normally die of cancer in this country in a week. Only heart disease was likely to kill more people that week.”


Brooklyn ER Doctor: Life And Death On The Frontlines Of COVID-19
By Rico Cleffy, Indypendent. org. As the number of those infected with COVID-19 continues to climb in New York — stressing the state’s already underfunded, understaffed and ill-equipped hospital system — we spoke with Maurice Selby, an ER doctor at two hospitals, one in Brooklyn, the other in Long Island. In an average week, Dr. Selby is averaging three, 12-14 hour shifts at the Long Island facility, which is private, and at least one per-diem shift in Brooklyn at a public medical center. On the condition that we not publish the names of his employers, The Indypendent interviewed Dr. Selby at length, first at the end of March and...-more-


COVID-19 And Deadly Health Care For Black People
By Margaret Kimberley, Black Agenda Report. When black people need medical care they are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. The ferocity of anti-black racism is such that even an effort to spare one’s life can still end in death. Medical professionals are no more enlightened than anyone else and often join in meting out the harshest treatment possible for black people.  Black workers are less likely to be able to quarantine during the COVID-19 virus pandemic. Instead, men and women who work in fields such as mass transit, the postal service, retail, and in health care itself are exposing themselves to the COVID-19 virus. -more-


The Failing Four: Prison Officials Attempt To 'Stop The Spread Of Coronavirus'
By Amani Sawari, Sawarimi.org. The Coronavirus pandemic has had a dramatic impact on the lives of people all over the world, especially those in prison. While the CDC has posted their recommendations for all people to follow, prisoners have no freedom to protect themselves from the spread. People in prison are limited in their ability to keep a safe distance from others, receive medical care, keep in contact with their loved ones or even get access to preventative products like hand sanitizers and soaps. The situation in prison is getting worse by the week. Over the past month the number of cases in prison have.. -more-


Amazon Fires Employees Who Spoke Out About COVID-19 And Climate Change
By Zoya Teirstein, Grist.org. Amazon is trying to establish itself as the most essential of essential businesses during the coronavirus outbreak. But the tech giant is struggling to keep a lid on internal turmoil, both at its warehouses, where workers say they’re not being adequately protected from COVID-19, and at its corporate offices, where a showdown between tech employees and management over the company’s climate policies reached a tipping point last week. Last Friday afternoon, Amazon fired two of its tech employees after they publicly criticized its coronavirus policies. Those employees, Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa, both... -more-


Waffle House Puts Profits Over People In The COVID Era
By Liberation Staff Asheville, Liberation News. Waffle House, like many struggling industries across the country, has chosen to place the burden of its lost profits on the shoulders of those who keep it running every day of the year. COVID-19 has brought opportunity again and again for corporate entities and long-standing business empires to ravage the pockets of their workers, those whose labor has lined corporate pockets for generations. The capitalist class has, not unexpectedly, proven itself unwilling to place human lives over profit-hoarding and welfare for the rich. The Party for Socialism and Liberation’s own Jason Carroll reports... -more-


Dozens Of Strikes Say, ‘No Safety, No Work!’
By Martha Grevatt, Workers World. As the death toll climbs, workers deemed “essential” have staged at least 75 separate job actions since the Chipotle walkout. Walkouts, sickouts, sit-ins and, most recently, car and social-distance pickets have involved people from a wide range of occupations. In addition to many fast food workers, those protesting include workers in health care, construction, manufacturing, meat and poultry processing, retail, warehouses, public transit, bars and restaurants, water and sewage, beverage bottling, nursing home care and more. Common demands of the walkouts are for employer-provided... -more-