Organizer Mariame Kaba: We Need a People’s Bailout to Confront Coronavirus

The Intercept Briefing

The Intercept

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.7 • 6.4K Ratings

🗓️ 19 March 2020

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

After weeks of downplaying the seriousness of the virus and at times implying it was a hoax, the Trump administration has announced a series of government responses to the crisis. While some actions, such as expanded testing, emergency aid to states and production of medical supplies, are aimed directly at protecting public health, serious questions abound about the economic survival of millions of people.

Organizer Mariame Kaba discusses the realities facing some of the most vulnerable people in our society, from poor and working families to prisoners and immigration detainees and beyond. While the virus does not discriminate in who it infects, it will have a disproportionately devastating impact on communities that already faced dire crises before coronavirus. Kaba discusses “mutual aid” actions taking place across the country where ordinary people are pooling resources and offering direct responses to those in the most need.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is intercepted.
0:15.0	I'm Jeremy Skayhill coming to you from my basement in New York City and this is episode 122 of intercepted.
0:36.0	The payroll tax holiday would get people money over the next six to eight months.
0:41.0	We're looking at sending checks to Americans immediately.
0:45.0	And what we've heard from hardworking Americans, many companies have now shut down, whether it's bars or restaurants.
0:50.0	Americans need cash now and the president wants to get cash now.
0:54.0	And I mean now in the next two weeks.
0:57.0	I will be previewing that with the Republicans. There's some numbers out there.
1:02.0	They may be a little bit bigger than what's in the press.
1:06.0	As more and more people in this country wake up to the grave reality that we are facing in the United States and across the world,
1:15.0	there is a lot of discussion right now about what the federal government should be doing to address the urgent needs of so many people.
1:23.0	Yes, we need more tests and test sites.
1:26.0	Yes, we need more ICU beds and hospitals and respirators.
1:31.0	Yes, we need to do everything possible to create the conditions to survive this pandemic safely in the face of the coronavirus and its spread.
1:41.0	But the reality is that the coronavirus situation does discriminate, not in who it infects, but in how it impacts the lives of those who are most vulnerable.
1:52.0	We all, I hope, know the grave risks to older people in our society or people with pre-existing respiratory conditions.
2:00.0	But what about people stuck in prisons? What about people in ICE detention centers right now?
2:07.0	What about older people who live alone? Workers who lost their jobs? What about people who live in poverty?
2:14.0	This virus is going to hit them hard.
2:18.0	There are people right now living in this country who are scared and alone and they literally can't go to the grocery store.
2:26.0	It is the responsibility of all of us as human beings to simply not just retreat to defend our nuclear families.
2:35.0	Across this country and the world, there are people who are not waiting for governments to take action or to work out a response that's acceptable to horrible people like Mitch McConnell.
	...

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