Why has the Bronx and other communities of color become COVID-19 hot spots?

City Councilmember Ritchie Torres, Chair of the Oversight & Investigations Committee, joins our partners at MetroFocus to discuss the disparate impacts of COVID-19 on the city’s communities of color. Torres recently led a historic hearing to get at the root of the racial disparity, encompassing everything from the prevalence of pre-existing conditions among these communities, to the effects that pollution, food access, and lack of affordable housing have had on economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. According to Torres, the hearing, which consisted of over 8 hours of expert testimony, was one of the longest in City Council history.

TRANSCRIPT

>>> WELCOME TO "METROFOCUS," I

AM JACK FORD.

AS THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC HAS

CONTINUED ITS RAMPAGE THROUGHOUT

THE COUNTRY, WE'VE BECOME AWARE

OF A VERY TROUBLING FACT, AND

THAT IS THAT ITS IMPACT HAS BEEN

MUCH MORE SEVERE UPON

COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.

IN NEW YORK, WHICH HAS THE

HIGHEST NUMBER OF CONFIRMED

CASES AND THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF

DEATHS, THE CHANCES OF DEATH FOR

BLACKS AND LATINOS IS TWICE AS

HIGH AS IT IS FOR WHITES, AND

THE NUMBERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY

ARE SIMILAR.

SO WHY IS THAT HAPPENING AND

WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT?

WELL, IN ORDER TO TAKE A GOOD

HARD LOOK AT THAT, LAST WEEK THE

NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL HELD A

REMOTE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

HEARING TO EXAMINE THE CAUSES OF

THIS DISPARITY AND TO TALK ABOUT

WHAT CAN BE DONE.

AND TO JOIN US NOW TO TALK ABOUT

ALL OF THAT AS PART OF OUR

CHASING THE DREAM INITIATIVE ON

POVERTY AND OPPORTUNITY IN

AMERICA, WE ARE PLEASED TO JOIN,

AS WE ALWAYS ARE THE CHAIR OF

THE COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND

INVESTIGATIONS, BRONX CITY

COUNCIL MEMBER RITCHIE TORRES.

IT IS ALWAYS NICE TO HAVE YOU

HERE WITH US.

LET ME START ASKING HOW YOU'RE

DOING BECAUSE LAST TIME YOU

JOINED US, YOU HAD JUST BEEN

DIAGNOSED YOURSELF WITH

COVID-19.

HOW ARE YOU FEELING, AND HOW WAS

THAT WHOLE PROCESS FOR YOU?

>> THANKFULLY, I'M DOING WELL.

YOU KNOW, FOR ABOUT A WEEK OR

TWO I HAD A FEVER, COUGH,

MANAGEABLE SYMPTOMS.

I MOSTLY SLEPT THROUGH THEM.

YOU KNOW, SINCE I HAVE A HISTORY

OF ASTHMA, I WAS CAREFULLY

MONITORING MY BREATHING, BUT

THANKFULLY I HAD NO SHORTNESS OF

BREATH, NO TROUBLE BREATHING.

YOU KNOW, I HAVE, BY ALL

APPEARANCES, A SUCCESSFUL

RECOVERY.

>> WE ARE CERTAINLY GLAD TO HEAR

THAT, AND IT'S ALWAYS A GOOD

MESSAGE COMING FROM SOMEBODY

SUCH AS YOURSELF WHO'S IN THE

PUBLIC EYE WHO SAYS HERE'S WHAT

YOU HAVE TO DO, DO THE RIGHT

THINGS, AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL GET

BACK TO WHERE WE NEED TO BE BOTH

INDIVIDUALLY AND AS A GROUP.

TALKING ABOUT WHERE WE NEED TO

BE, HAVE YOU BEEN SURPRISED BY

THE NUMBERS HEAR, BY THIS

ENORMOUS DISPARITY IN TERMS OF

THE LIKELIHOOD OF DEATH FOR

MEMBERS OF THE BLACK AND LATINO

COMMUNITIES AS OPPOSED TO THE

WHITE COMMUNITY?

>> AS YOU POINTED OUT, COVID-19

HAS BEEN DISPROPORTIONATELY

DEADLIER IN COMMUNITIES OF

COLOR.

IT'S HARDLY A SHOCK GIVEN THE

HISTORY OF THE COUNTRY, BUT IT'S

DEEPLY ALARMING.

YOU KNOW, IT'S WORTH POINTING

OUT THAT COVID-19 AFFECTS ALL OF

US, BUT IT AFFECTS US UNEVENLY.

COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, PLACES

LIKE THE BRONX, THE LOWEST

INCOME COMMUNITIES TEND TO BE

THE HARDEST HIT.

YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH MANHATTAN,

FOR EXAMPLE, HAS A SUBSTANTIALLY

LARGER POPULATION THAN THE

BRONX, THE BRONX HAS A

SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER DEATH RATE,

YOU KNOW, WHEN IT COMES TO THE

AGE ADJUSTED DEATH RATES,

AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND LATINOS

HAVE TWICE THE RISK OF DYING

FROM COVID-19 AND HAVE

DISPROPORTIONATELY HIGHER RATES

OF INFECTION AND

HOSPITALIZATION.

>> LET'S TALK ABOUT WHY THAT IS.

>> YEAH.

>> ALL RIGHT?

AND THEN I WANT TO GET TO YOUR

COMMITTEE HEARINGS, WHAT CAME

OUT OF THEM, AND WHAT DO YOU

THINK MIGHT MOVING FORWARD OCCUR

AS A CONSEQUENCE.

BUT I KNOW YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT A

NUMBER OF SITUATIONS THAT

CONTRIBUTE TO THIS, AND ONE OF

THE THINGS YOU TALK ABOUT IS

HEALTH CONDITIONS.

>> YES.

>> AND THE IMPACT THAT HAS.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?

>> SO ALMOST ALL THE COVID-19

FATALITIES HAVE AT LEAST ONE

COMORBIDITY.

THE TWO MOST COMMON COVID-19

COMORBIDITIES ARE HYPERTENSION

AND DIABETES.

THE RATES OF HYPERTENSION ARE

THREE TIMES HIGHER IN THE SOUTH

BRONX THAN IN THE FINANCIAL

DISTRICT IN MANHATTAN.

THE RATES OF DIABETES ARE MORE

THAN FIVE TIMES HIGHER IN THE

SOUTH BRONX THAN IN THE

FINANCIAL DISTRICT OF MANHATTAN.

SO THE COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE THE

GREATEST PREVALENCE OF

PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS LIKE

DIABETES, HYPERTENSION,

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, ARE AT

FAR HIGHER RISK OF DYING OR

BECOMING SERIOUSLY ILL FROM

COVID-19.

>> WHAT -- I KNOW THIS IS A

FAIRLY COMPLICATED QUESTION, BUT

WHY ARE WE FINDING THAT THOSE

COMORBIDITY FACTORS ARE SO MORE

PREVALENT IN A COMMUNITY SUCH AS

YOURS IN THE BRONX?

>> LOOK, THERE'S NO SINGLE

CAUSE, BUT HERE ARE A FEW

FACTORS.

YOU KNOW, IF YOU LIVE IN A

COMMUNITY -- SO HARVARD

UNIVERSITY CONDUCTED A STUDY

SHOWING A CLOSE CORRELATION

BETWEEN POLLUTION AND COVID-19

MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY, SO IF

YOU LIVE IN A COMMUNITY LIKE THE

SOUTH BRONX OF HIGH POLLUTION OR

IF YOU LIVE IN HOUSING

CONDITIONS OF MOLD AND MILDEW,

LEAKS AND LEAD AND RODENT

INFESTATION, THEN YOU'RE

BREATHING IN TOXINS THAT WILL

CAUSE RESPIRATORY DISEASE.

YOU'RE BREATHING IN TOXINS THAT

WILL PLACE YOU AT GREATER RISK

OF COVID-19 MORBIDITY AND

MORTALITY.

FURTHER MORE, IN PLACES LIKE THE

BRONX, THERE'S OFTEN A LACK OF

ACCESS TO FRESH FOOD.

THESE COMMUNITIES ARE FOOD

DESERTS, AND SO FOOD, THE KIND

OF FOOD THAT YOU EAT, IS A

FACTOR IN COVID-19.

>> WE TALKED --

>> UNFORTUNATELY, IN AMERICA,

THE QUALITY OF THE FOOD YOU EAT,

THE QUALITY OF THE WATER YOU

DRINK, THE QUALITY OF THE AIR

YOU BREATHE OFTEN DEPENDS ON

YOUR ZIP CODE.

>> YEAH.

AND THAT'S A VERY DISTURBING

FACT.

WE WERE TALKING ABOUT HEALTH

CONDITIONS.

HOW ABOUT ECONOMIC CONDITIONS

AND HOW THEY CONTRIBUTE TO THIS

DISPARITY?

>> LOOK, I WOULD MAKE THE CASE

THAT THE ROOT CAUSE OF ALL THESE

DISPARITIES, WHETHER IT'S

DISPARITIES IN EDUCATION,

HOUSING, FOOD ACCESS, TRANSIT

ACCESS, WHATEVER THE ISSUE IS IS

POVERTY.

I THINK WHEREVER YOU HAVE

RACIALLY CONCENTRATED POVERTY

YOU TEND TO HAVE WORSE SOCIAL

OUTCOMES IN EVERY ARENA OF LIFE,

AND SO YOU NOTICE THAT THE

COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE THE

HIGHEST RATES OF POVERTY ARE THE

HARDEST HIT, HAVE THE HIGHEST

INCIDENCE OF COVID-19.

THAT'S NOT AN ACCIDENT, THAT'S A

CONSEQUENCE OF RACIALLY

CONCENTRATED POVERTY.

>> WE'VE ALSO SEEN IN TERMS OF

THE WORKPLACE CONDITIONS AND THE

POPULATION THAT IS SO HEAVILY

INVOLVED IN THE CATEGORY OF

ESSENTIAL WORKERS --

>> YES.

>> -- HERE, HOW DOES THAT ALL

REFLECT UPON THESE DISPARITY

FIGURES THAT WE'RE FINDING?

>> SO COMMUNITIES OF COLOR ARE

OVERREPRESENTED IN THE ESSENTIAL

WORK FORCE, WHETHER IT'S LOW

WAGE WORK IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR

OR THE PUBLIC WORK FORCE.

THE COVID -- THE IMPACT OF

COVID-19 HAS ESSENTIALLY SPLIT

THE WORK FORCE INTO TWO, RIGHT?

THERE WERE THOSE WHO HAVE THE

LUXURY OF STAYING AT HOME,

TELEWORKING FROM HOME, AND THEN

THERE ARE ESSENTIAL WORKERS WHO

HAVE TO RISK THEIR LIVES ON THE

FRONT LINES SO THAT THE REST OF

US CAN SAFELY SHELTER AT HOME.

IF YOU'RE AN ESSENTIAL WORKER,

IF YOU'RE A HEALTH CARE WORKER

WHO IS SURROUNDED BY INFECTED

PATIENTS WITHOUT SUFFICIENT

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT,

THEN YOU FACE AN INFINITELY

HIGHER RISK OF COVID-19

INFECTION.

>> LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT

WHAT CAME OUT OF YOUR COMMITTEE

HEARING.

AS I MENTIONED, IT WAS DONE

REMOTELY.

IT'S THE COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT

AND INVESTIGATIONS THAT YOU

CHAIR.

WHAT WERE YOU ABLE TO GLEAN FROM

THE -- FROM THE HEARINGS?

WHAT WAS LEARNED, DO YOU THINK,

THAT CAN BE HELPFUL, ESPECIALLY

IN TERMS OF MOVING FORWARD?

>> SO AS YOU POINTED OUT,

YESTERDAY WE HELD A HEARING

EXAMINING THE RACIALLY

DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT OF

COVID-19.

WE HEARD EIGHT HOURS OF

TESTIMONY MAKING IT ONE OF THE

LONGEST HEARINGS THE CITY

COUNCIL HAS EVER HELD IN THE

HISTORY OF THE LEGISLATURE.

I THINK WHAT WE'VE COME TO

REALIZE IS THE IMPACT OF

COVID-19 AFFECTS EVERY ASPECT OF

OUR LIVES.

IT'S NOT ONLY A PUBLIC HEALTH

CRISIS.

IT'S AN EMPLOYMENT CRISIS, AN

EDUCATIONAL CRISIS, A MENTAL

HEALTH CRISIS.

THERE'S BEEN A SPIKE IN DOMESTIC

VIOLENCE, SO WE HAVE TO ADDRESS

MULTIPLE CRISES AT ONCE IN ORDER

TO FULLY RECOVER FROM COVID-19

AND ADDRESS THE ROOT CAUSES OF

RACIAL DISPARITIES IN AMERICAN

SOCIETY.

YOU KNOW, THERE'S A SENSE IN

WHICH OUR CITY AND OUR COUNTRY

HAS A COMPROMISED SOCIAL IMMUNE

SYSTEM, AND THE COMPROMISED

SOCIAL IMMUNE SYSTEM OF AMERICA

HAS LEFT COMMUNITIES OF COLOR

ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE TO THE

WORST IMPACTS OF COVID-19.

>> AGAIN, WE'RE SPEAKING WITH

NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL MEMBER

RICHARD TORRES WHO IS THE CHAIR

OF THIS COMMITTEE HE JUST

DESCRIBED TO US AS TAKING A LOOK

AT THE ROOT CAUSES OF THESE

DISPARITIES.

>> CAN I MENTION ONE MORE

FACTOR?

>> PLEASE DO BECAUSE I WANTED TO

TALK TO YOU ABOUT THESE FACTORS

AND WHERE WE GO FROM HERE.

>> AFFORDABILITY IS A CRISIS.

AS THE CITY BECOMES LESS AND

LESS AFFORDABLE, THERE ARE MORE

AND MORE PEOPLE DOUBLING UP AND

TRIPLING UP IN OVERCROWDED

APARTMENTS, AND SO THE

AFFORDABILITY IS CREATING

OVERCROWDED HOMES THAT HAVE

BECOME PETRI DISHES FOR THE

SPREAD OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE.

YOU KNOW, WE OFTEN TELL PEOPLE

TO STAY AT HOME AND PRACTICE

SOCIAL DISTANCING, BUT IF YOU'RE

A RESIDENT OF AN OVERCROWDED

APARTMENT, YOU HAVE NO MEANS OF

PRACTICING SOCIAL DISTANCING.

IF YOU'RE A FRONT LINE WORKER

RIDING IN A CROWDED SUBWAY, YOU

HAVE NO MEANS OF PRACTICING

SOCIAL DISTANCING, SO SOME OF

THE PUBLIC HEALTH GUIDANCE THAT

HAS BEEN GIVEN IGNORES THE LIVED

REALITY OF MANY LOW INCOME NEW

YORKERS.

>> SO I GUESS THAT GETS US TO

OUR NEXT QUESTION, WHICH IS, ALL

RIGHT, WHAT DO WE DO?

I MEAN, YOU'VE ARTICULATED SOME

OF THE REASONS HERE, SOME OF THE

CAUSES FOR THESE FRIGHTENING

NUMBERS, THIS FRIGHTENING

DISPARITY.

YOU HAD THE HEARINGS.

WHAT NOW CAN THE CITY DO TO

START DOING IMMEDIATELY AND

CERTAINLY TO GET IN PLACE IN THE

EVENT THAT THIS VIRUS COMES BACK

AT SOME POINT IN TIME SO THAT WE

CAN PROTECT THESE COMMUNITIES OF

COLOR?

>> LOOK, THERE'S NO SINGLE

CAUSE, AND SO THERE'S CERTAINLY

NO SINGLE MAGIC BULLET.

JUST TO SPEAK BROADLY, YOU KNOW,

IN THE INDUSTRIALIZED WORLD, THE

UNITED STATES IS THE ONLY

COUNTRY THAT FAILS TO PROVIDE A

COMPREHENSIVE SOCIAL SAFETY NET,

THAT FAILS TO PROVIDE UNIVERSAL

HEALTH CARE, PAID SICK TIME,

CHILD CARE, SO WHAT WE

DESPERATELY NEED IN THE UNITED

STATES IS THE KIND OF

COMPREHENSIVE SOCIAL SAFETY NET

THAT EXISTS ELSEWHERE IN THE

INDUSTRIALIZED WORLD,

PARTICULARLY IN WESTERN EUROPE.

YOU KNOW, MORE SPECIFICALLY, WE

SHOULD HAVE PROGRAMS IN PLACE

AIMED AT DRIVING DOWN THE RATES

OF POLLUTION IN VEHICLES, IN

BUILDINGS, IN POWER PLANTS, AND

POLICIES IN PLACE THAT EXPAND

ACCESS TO SUPERMARKETS, FRESH

FOOD, THE COMBINATION OF CLEAN

AIR AND FRESH FOOD ACCESS WOULD

HAVE A REAL IMPACT IN DRIVING

DOWN THE PREVALENCE OF

PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS IN

COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.

BUT AGAIN, THAT'S ONLY PART OF

THE SOLUTION.

YOU KNOW, THIS IS A FAR-REACHING

PROBLEM THAT'S GOING TO REQUIRE

FAR-REACHING SOLUTIONS.

THE NEXT QUESTION FOR YOU HERE,

WHAT MESSAGE CAN YOU GIVE TO NOT

JUST YOUR CONSTITUENTS BUT

PEOPLE IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK,

SOMEBODY WHO HAS NOW SUFFERED

THROUGH THIS VIRUS, CONTRACTED

COVID.

MOVING OUT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF

IT AND ALSO IS LOOKING AT ALL OF

THESE ISSUES THAT WE'VE TALKED

ABOUT HERE, WHAT'S A MESSAGE

THEY CAN GIVE TO FOLKS?

>> I AM OPTIMISTIC THAT WE WILL

EMERGE STRONGER AND MORE

RESILIENT FROM THE CRISIS.

YOU KNOW, OUT OF CRISIS COMES

OPPORTUNITY, AND WE HAVE A

HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD A

MORE DECENT SOCIETY THAT

PROTECTS EVERY NEW YORKER, THAT

PROTECTS EVERY AMERICAN, AND I

HOPE WE ARE WISE ENOUGH TO SEIZE

THE MOMENT.

>> COUNCIL MEMBER RITCHIE T

TORRES, WE ARE ALWAYS PLEASED

WHEN WE GET A CHANCE TO CHAT

WITH YOU.

ESPECIALLY PLEASED TO HEAR THAT

YOU ARE DOING WELL.

>> THANK YOU.

>> RECOVERING FROM THIS AND THAT

YOU ARE WORKING, YOUR COMMITTEE

AND CITY COUNCIL WORKING ON ALL

OF THESE ISSUES.

OUR THANKS TO YOU AS ALWAYS FOR

JOINING US, AND WE'LL PLAN ON

TALKING WITH YOU AGAIN SOON, ALL

RIGHT?

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> ALL RIGHT, RITCHIE, TAKE

CARE.

>> TAKE CARE.

>> BE WELL.

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