What's That Vol 1: Protesting with COVID-19 in Mind
In the last 10 days, we’ve seen protests erupt across the world in response to police brutalizing and killing Black Americans. Protests have reached all 50 states, and this comes with the threat of COVID-19 and its second wave. Many public health experts are fearful(1) of the second wave of COVID-19 being ushered in as a result of demonstrations, but the fight for freedom and equality cannot be ignored either.
While COVID-19 does pose a serious threat to marginalized communities at much more alarming rates than others(2), so does police brutality and the systematic inequities that are very real and just as dangerous. When there is an economic decline or political unrest, our most vulnerable are hit the hardest. COVID-19 highlighted yet again the severe disparities that exist between Black, Brown, and poor communities and white and wealthy ones.
COVID-19 and the current protests have served to further expose the failures of the government in taking care of its people. When we needed to prepare for the initial COVID-19 outbreak and our response, our government waited and didn’t use resources. This resulted in over 100,000 deaths, most of them preventable. Organizational efforts and resources were quickly tapped into when it came to deploying the military across the nation to remove protesters, violating their right to free speech(3), and then provided police with the equipment to do the same.
Hong Kong(4) is an example of an area where the people played an astounding role in safeguarding their communities while protesting amid COVID-19 activity. They did so by organizing their communities before the virus was able to take hold. The White House’s response to COVID-19 was unacceptable and embarrassing. It comes with no surprise then, when those same powers commit the public health violation that is releasing tear gas, a respiratory irritant, into the air on protesters during a global pandemic caused by a respiratory virus. These issues are interconnected and we can no longer afford to wait for a government response. We should not be relying on a system that kills us at disproportionate rates to have any interest in saving us during a second wave. Our approach to how we protest should also include safety measures we can all take to protect ourselves and our communities now and in the coming weeks.
Here is what we can do.
If you are participating in a protest:
Wear proper clothing and gear. Most of your gear serves a dual use purpose in protecting you against COVID-19 and helping you stay safer during a protest. Even though the risk of transmission is lower in open spaces(5), masks and face coverings are necessary for reducing the spread of the virus while in public spaces. The virus can be spread through coughing, chanting, and things that require you to expel droplets of fluid from your mouth and nose. Not only do these items place a barrier between you and the many people around you, but goggles and masks protect your face from photos and video, tear gas and pepper sprays, and smoke and debris. Go here to learn how to make a quick and easy face covering. Long-sleeved shirts and long pants are a barrier between you and skin irritants and other’s respiratory droplets.
Clean your body, clothing, and gear when you get home. Sanitize your clothing and gear before entering your home and then shower and wash up. Tip: This goes for anyone going into public spaces like grocery stores or work!
Spray and wipe down your gear outside and store them in a paper bag next to your shoes.
Spray down clothing and shoes before removing. A solution of one part water to one part 70% isopropyl alcohol can be mixed in a spray bottle and safely used on clothing and equipment.
Once clothing is removed, wash and disinfect it. Go here to see how you can disinfect clothing, based on your laundry set up. If you cannot wash your clothing at home, spray down clothing and keep in cotton or reusable laundry bags until you can.
Wash your hands and shower.
If you have been pepper-sprayed, use cold water to limit irritation and dish soap because it breaks down the oil. Baby soap can be used near the eye area. Do not scrub your skin. Rinse tear gas from eyes and skin with cold water(6).
Remember: Surface tests are still begin conducted, which means we do not know the exact amount of time the virus can live on any type of surface. Do not hesitate to wipe everything down.
Stay vigilant and be careful. If this if your first time protesting, watch those around you. Move as they move. Listen to organizers and get as much information as you can before heading out. Do not treat this as a trend. Wear proper shoes that will allow you to move quickly. We want to reduce the amount of people going to the emergency room and get everyone home safe. Before heading to the protest, check your symptoms. Do not downplay them, and if you feel symptoms, stay home. A group of high school students put together this website to help you track both the protests and COVID-19 in your area. If you would like to track COVID-19 by county, go here.
Care for your wounds appropriately and support your immune system. When you get home, make sure to clean all wounds and bandage them if you can. Support your immune system by not adding on any unnecessary infections, and by decompressing and processing when you are home. Talk about what you see. Your mood affects your immune system as well. They want this fight to break us, but we must do our part in processing what is happening. Care for yourself when you aren’t out there. Protect your energy. This will not break us.
Distance puts holes in your march and can create unsafe gaps between protesters. While we want to keep a 6ft distance between each other, it’s nearly impossible when considering the safety threat it poses to those on the front lines. Instead, we can work within our network to make sure everyone in our group has a mask, or set up mask stations at protests. Close the gaps.
Create or join a network. By creating smaller networks, we can help to get people home safely, limit contact, and keep track of virus patterns within households and communities. Make sure everyone knows who to call in case of emergency and how to contact each other. Communicate this within your network. If you are feeling symptoms, let them know so they can take the necessary precautions for their households. If you are not able to able to march, you can designate yourself as a driver, emergency contact, or supplier instead. Write this information down before arriving to protest and keep it with or on you:
Your name
Your emergency contact name and number
The number(s) of legal representation and bail fund organizations in your area
Allergies and conditions that need to be taken into consideration if you are taken to the hospital, like allergies to drugs or type of daily medication in your system
Eat before you go and take water with you. Try to limit the number of snacks you take. When eating, you have to keep touching near you mouth and removing your mask. The goal is to only remove your face protection when it is absolutely necessary. Bring water with you and stay hydrated. You want to avoid completely exhausting your body, so that you can be available.
If you stay home, do not stay silent.
Ask how you can get involved in the broader network. Along with helping protesters get to and from protests safely, you can get involved by helping to set up water, mask, medical supply and sign and noisemaker stations.
Donate to bail funds, lawyers offering pro-bono work, justice organizations, and others that can help get protesters out of jail. Being locked in a tight space together can increase the transmission of the virus. Work to get people home.
Sign the petitions, send the emails, and make the calls. This is how we apply pressure on all sides. We need everyone to join in. Use your platforms to spread the word about petitions and funds to support the cause. Look here, here, and here to start.
Go here to for ways to donate and support the cause even, if you have no money. Read the description to find links to projects like it.
VOTE. Primary elections are coming up this week in many states. Keep track of your upcoming elections here. Vote from home or vote at the booth with a mask. Vote.
Donate to supply funds. Resources are limited. Donate to funds that keep medical supplies available to protesters and communities fighting COVID-19. These funds are able offer free supplies to those on the front lines of the human rights crisis and healthcare the crisis. Don’t stop donating to the ones created when the pandemic began. They are there to help provide food and other goods. Consider donating to local shelters and make-shift housing insecure facilities as well. Go here to locate these funds and organizations in your state.
Find out how your industry can help. If you are afraid to protest, consider how you can use your skills to help the cause in other ways. If you work in the food industry, consider how you help out by organizing food drives and food drop-offs throughout the community. If you work in child or family services, help us find ways to talk to our children about what is going on. If your industry is law or politics, think about what services you can provide regarding protesters or helping others understand their rights and the law that govern them. If your industry is public health, help spread the word on how we can protect ourselves against COVID-19.
We are experiencing the intersecting of issues caused by systematic oppression and blatant human rights violations. There is no COVID-19 safe way to protest, because there shouldn’t be a need for it. Due to the social determinants of health, Black and Brown communities are disproportionately killed by preventable diseases and outbreaks. The violent over-policing of the Black community is killing us too. This is not just a fight for equality and justice, this is a fight to dismantle the systems that kill us, either by way of state-sanctioned violence or preventable diseases. This is why the fight must march onward. We have to protect each other. Community resilience involves action and growth from it. As we work, we must take into consideration how the community as a whole will recover from the mental, emotional, and physical repercussions of fighting for rights amidst a global pandemic.
Keep going. Keep protecting yourselves and others. We must push on. Wear a mask, the revolution will not be hospitalized.
COVID-19 resources:
Coronavirus Frequently Asked Questions
Sources:
1. Meyer, Robinson. “The Protests Will Spread the Coronavirus.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 1 June 2020, www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/06/protests-pandemic/612460/.
2. Godoy, Maria, and Daniel Wood. “What Do Coronavirus Racial Disparities Look Like State By State?” NPR, NPR, 30 May 2020, www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/05/30/865413079/what-do-coronavirus-racial-disparities-look-like-state-by-state.
3. “Know Your Rights.” Know Your Rights | American Civil Liberties Union, www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/.
4. Tufekci, Zeynep. “How Hong Kong Did It.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 14 May 2020, www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/05/how-hong-kong-beating-coronavirus/611524/.
5. Waters, Leslie. “COVID-19: Common Myths and Misinformation: the Facts.” Doctor Waters' Ramblings, 28 May 2020, doctorwatersramblings.com/covid-19-common-myths-and-misinformation-the-facts/.
6. “CDC.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4 Apr. 2018, emergency.cdc.gov/agent/riotcontrol/factsheet.asp.
About the Writer:
Amanda B. M.S. is a graduate of Georgetown University where she earned her masters of science in Biohazardous Threat Agents and Emerging Infectious Diseases, with an emphasis on Community Resilience, Agricultural Defense, and Disaster Relief and Recovery. She was raised in Detroit, Michigan, and is based in the Bay Area.
Ed: Lois Fair, Sydni White, Janelle Mais, and Michael Wood