>>> 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.