So, I guess social distancing and COVID-19 are officially "no big deal" now?

[Moostache]

Before I get completely flamed for being insufficiently sympathetic or understanding of the underlying injustice and hate that drives this behavior...

1) The FOUR (4) officers should be charged and await trial in a cell. That was murder on tape and disregard for human life, period.
2) NOTHING excuses the actions of the officers OR the looters. Not "resisting arrest", not very real oppression. Nothing.
3) Systemic racism is REAL and has been for a very, very long time. This is beyond debate.

BUT...why has everyone suddenly 'moved on' from the pandemic and the risks and dangers of these mass protests and marches?
A month ago, no one could go to the store without fear of COVID-19...now? Its riot and protest season? It makes no consistent sense...the danger is/was real or it was not...pent up frustration and legitimate anger not withstanding.

I am seeing "protest rallies" on CNN from major cities with hundreds of people on top of each other, chanting, breathing the same air (and tear gas and pepper spray from the pigs) without any seeming recognition of the fact that there is STILL an active pandemic, that their actions are serious risk to viral outbreaks and then more death and devastation

So is that it?
Have we just collectively decided to shrug, sacrifice the old and the weak and put everyone on god's good humor if they contract?
The virus is highly contagious and opportunistic at spreading...it also does not make many people whi contract it sick enough to even know they are shedding virus and making the death of an innocent 'other' more likely...

FULL DISCLOSURE - I am a hypertensive diabetic with a history of renal cell carcinoma (remission for 11 years...but lost 1/2 a kidney to the disease)... COVID-19 for me is a 50-50 coin flip to live or die, so its obviously personal to me in ways that many who are angry and oppressed and right to feel aggrieved and desiring to lash out in rage...but the media has not mentioned this ONCE - on three channels over HOURS of coverage last night and today...

At some point there are real world consequences to this disregard of real risk...this is also an issue that conservatives and the GOP will be sure to point out in short order...."see...those damn libtards just hate America, when there was no riot or looting, they wanted masks and distances and fear, but as soon as the riots started, the concern for health was NEVER mentioned..."

If you thought last week that the pandemic was a legitimate concern, then why is everyone suddenly silent about it for the last 6 days?

[mokawanis]

1. It is a big deal, easily transmitted, and incredible harmful

Covid is the only reason I am not joining in the protests. As to why people aren't talking about it - I don't know, but we seem to get caught up in one issue and then ignore a lot of other equally important ones. Media coverage and politics helps drive this but we allow it to happen at our own peril.

[a la izquierda]

2. You made the point in the post.

Many people contract it and don’t get sick enough to know. Should they be wearing masks and protesting? Absolutely. Do I think global protests will make people sick? Probably.
But I’m white and healthy as a horse and not going to tell people not to protest centuries of systemic injustice (I’m not really suggesting that you are). At this point, people are going to do what they feel is right.

[DSandra]

3. I figured a long while ago that Darwinism is practiced in this country

I’m sorry to say, with the power and influence the Right wing has had the past 40 years, along with the failure to make an effective healthcare system, Darwinism is a part of this country. In fact I think a lot of the right wing secretly like it, because they know they have the advantage.

[Maeve]

4. I see a lot of masks here in Columbus

And in many pictures from across the country. Even some attempts at distancing. Plus outside there is a lesser chance of virus spread. And most of the protesters are young so also less worried. But yes, the anger and frustration puts fear of covid to the back.

[uponit7771]

5. They are, by end of June death counts will go back up

[BamaRefugee]

7. True. But they were gonna go up riots or no riots. And this may actually keep a lot of people at

home and not roaming around bars and malls and barber shops maskless.

[uponit7771]

11. +1, right ... Damn, in for some hurt

[BamaRefugee]

6. When your existence becomes so desperate that you might die any day from a virus OR from a cop, you

have no fucks left to give.
I'm a veteran of many protests against Vietnam and the Gulf War, the Rodney King riots, and a personal victim of being beaten up by Birmingham, Alabama cops among many other events in my life.

But at age 68,diabetic but reversed by basically starvation and exercise (A1C is 6) and a lifelong battle with bronchitis, pleurisy and 2 hospitalizations for pneumonia, I'm locked in at home for the duration. Sitting this one out.

[cwydro]

8. Rec.

Funny, isn't it?

[lark]

9. It is a HUGE deal, but we are just mainly caught up in the sadness, grief and rage at the killing

of an unarmed, unresisting, black man by the police. I grieve over the people that will get the virus from going out on the streets, but I think it's inevitable.

[TXN in WA]

10. Thank you

I was wondering whether anybody else was thinking about any/all of this. You totally read my mind!

[BamaRefugee]

12. I don't remember, did any of the 4 killer cops have masks on?

[uppityperson]

13. I don't think many of the protestors have" moved on" but are willing

to risk it to protest. I know those people personally. They are afraid and will isolated themselves, but think it's worth exposure to protest.

Then there are those who think it's not real and want to open up things again.

[KentuckyWoman]

14. What few peaceful protesters manage to make the news have on masks.

I've even seen videos of the police yanking the masks off peaceful protesters.

Most of the videos that seem to be making it to the news are only violence. The daytime protests of people actually protesting rarely seem to hit the news. That alone seems pretty racist to me.

[stopdiggin]

17. I think there's some distinction

as you point out. Lots of peaceful protest .. mostly with masks. Non-peaceful (although, granted, one can evolve into the other) .. appearing to be a lot less.
And, yes .. we will almost certainly see consequences of the unmasked gatherings. No question. Are people taking this into account? Doesn't really look like it.

[madville]

15. I was out today doing my Uber Eats and Instacart gigs

Here in Florida I would say less than 10% were wearing masks, restaurants, bars, and the beaches are packed, almost no masks in any of those places. People are over it for sure around here.

[Blue_true]

21. Florida has seen a statistically significant rise in pneumonia

cases in the last two weeks. The stupidity about not wearing masks and packing indoor places is starting to show fruit, and that fruit is not good.

I was out today, wore a mask the whole time. As I was driving, I passed two churches, the evangelical church was apparently holding services inside, but there were far fewer cars in the parking lot than normal, I thought that was smart on the part of people that stayed home. The Lutheran church was shut as tight as a drum, still doing services online. My guess is one church will likely have more funerals than the other in the coming months.

[meadowlander]

16. It's the same story.

It's all about the systemic racism which has led to black Americans dying of Covid 19 at three times the rate of white Americans because they are "essential" workers who are not treated like they are essential. And because redlining and racism has meant that they live in communities where "social distancing" is a very different experience to what it is in primarily white communities.

And it results in a lot of fear both of living in a society where they are treated like animals by the people paid to protect them and of dying because they can't afford to stop going to work. And fear when it is significant enough and you have lived with it long enough makes you stop giving a fuck about anything.

That is what we are seeing in the streets right now.

[Blue_true]

23. I don't deny systemic racism, because it is simply obvious. But the

dynamics of what is happening are different than what you claim. Before I get accused of White privs, I am AA, raised in the AA part of my city, although I live in another part now.

Black people around where I live tend to be overweight, most often badly so. Although some of that is a function of what we were historically left to eat, we have the option to modify our diet, I did long ago. Also, some of the food that we have historically eaten is NOT cheap now, at Publix yesterday, I saw packets of skinless chicken breasts going for $4-$5, two heads of cauliflower for $5. A food that Blacks have historically eaten? I saw a packet of Oxtail that had far less protein weight that the chicken breasts going for $12. I can make delicious pan seared skinless chicken using a tiny amount of salt, some pepper and extra-virgin olive oil. So, in short, some of our problems with health issues are self induced.

[OneBro]

18. Seriously? For the same reason people voted in person despite Covid-19 risks.

When there is a knee on your neck, Covid-19 becomes the least of your worries. If that makes no sense to you, consider whether you would walk unmasked through an unmasked crowd if that was the only way for you to get emergency, life-saving medical care you need.

For protestors, it doesn't have to be so personal for them to risk their lives. They've given up on a society that shrugs at police brutality. In short, they are empathetic, compassionate human beings who feel that the absofuckingLEAST they can do is protest such killings, even at the risk of Covid-19.

Some people, of course, feel they've done enough when they type some rage and add an emoji holding a candle. Low risk, low energy, low commitment. Eeezy peezy. Others, however, feel that the only way they can help the next generation is to protest, even at the risk of being surrounded by dirty cops, self-interested looters, white-supremacist and, yes, even Covid-19.

[Blue_true]

19. There are, unfortunately, many people on DU that love street protests.

You can't use logic with them, they will simply come up with another half-assed reason why street protest are great when you demolish the one they were pushing with logic.

The best way to make change is by filling out the Census form and VOTING in EVERY political race. When those things are done, we get rid of hostile politicians, prosecutors and judges. When those things are done, we get police chiefs that reform police departments and fire bad police officers. It takes some time, but voting has always delivered infinitely more progress than street protests. When those things are done banks that hold government money are forced to hire and promote Black and other POC.

All street protest do is give cops that have such tendencies a reason to become violent, because the chaos of the protest and actions by anarchists gives cops cover to become violent and get away with it.

[EllieBC]

22. A lot of them also loved the idea of

snitch lines for people violating gathering numbers or social distancing.

Probably not sure what to think now.

[Blue_true]

24. It is our typical mistake of handing the moral high ground back to the Right.

My guess? Maybe 30% of the protesters that are eligible to vote actually bother to vote. Until we change that, we change NOTHING.

[Meowmee]

20. Agree

I don’t think there should be any live protests about anything now. It will cause more deaths. Many are wearing masks, but they are shouting etc., they are too close together and even the best masks do not last for more than 4 hours or so. I have given up on this country, there are too many stupid and uncaring people.

I am still recovering from double covid pneumonia with terrible back pain, 7 weeks in. I am a type 1 D and have several other health conditions including asthma. I am on albuterol 2 x a day, asmanex 4 x a day, pain patches, pain killers and spend much of the day on a heating pad.

[Blasphemer]

25. I have a public health background and I am also African-American

I have not forgotten about COVID-19. Last week, one of my biggest concerns was that everyone else was forgetting about it. The protests are certainly increasing contacts in ways that will facilitate the spread of COVID-19. But even before the protests people were getting reckless. Quite frankly, when I read about the curfews, the part of me wearing my public health hat is relieved because of the impact it might have on controlling the spread.

On the larger question of the dangers of COVID-19 relative to the dangers of being Black in America, I've been processing these two intersecting problems for the past two months. Every time someone has said something along the lines of "why can't we just let the healthy people go out and let the vulnerable ones stay inside?," I think to myself "what you are advocating is basically imprisoning all of Black America." Today, my focus is certainly more on one half of the intersecting problem than the other but, right now, I think that's okay. With the rush to reopen prematurely, the COVID-19 narrative wouldn't have been any better even in the absence of nationwide protests.

[Ms. Toad]

26. Many of us continue to say it is dangerous,

and to acknowledge that these mass gatherings have the potential to be super-spreading events.

And (as you predicted) we're getting pushback for it.

COVID 19 IS dangerous. These protests have the potential to be superspreading events. The fact that they are outdoors is helpful. The fact that many of the protesters are wearing masks helps.

BUT, just as with other simlar events, I think it is highly likely we'll see a new bump in numbers as a result.

Whether the balance (increase in illness due to COVID 19 v. bringing attention to decades old injustice and a broken system) is worth it - hard to tell.

But - as you are aware - in the age of instant gratification the media is unable to hold two similarly important/deadly concepts in its brain at the same time.