Haz click aqui por espanol
I was making phone calls for the Survival and Beyond campaign. Power Up, my group, is joining with about 160 groups to make 10 demands of the governor and legislators of North Carolina, during this time of Covid 19. Some of the demands the Governor was already fulfilling when they made them, like suspending evictions. But many demands were not only to resolve Covid related problems but to change the system in the future. Like, expanding medicaid.
We turned the demands of the campaign into questions for a telephone survey. It is a way to start a conversation about how people are getting along during the shut down. Also to talk about the things people would like to see improve for the future while we are adjusting to this change. For example, if we say that we should let people out of jail who did not commit violent crimes, or who are old or sick - why should they be in jail in the future?
Or another example, if the state pays for Covid tests, or the time people can't work because of quarantine - why doesn't it pay in the future for other health tests, or lost work due to illness?
I was talking to a retired man. One question was, "Do you think the government should let old or sick people out of jail to prevent the spread of Covid 19?"
He said, "No."
But for the next question, "How important is the health of people in prison to you?" He said, "Very important." And he told me that he had worked in detention and the first duty of an officer is to protect inmates, no matter if someone starts a fight, the officer has to protect them.
After completing the survey, I asked him about his career in law enforcement. We talked for an hour, about his work, taking care of his mother when she had cancer, and then later when she became very old, 90 years old, and she could hardly remember anything, he took care of her.
Earlier, during the survey, when I asked if he thinks that the government should stop detaining immigrants in this time of Covid, he said, "Well, they are working, doing the work many do not want to do. I think they should not detain them."
I liked talking to him. When he spoke of his work, he said that he always treated people with respect and that that was almost always what he received in return. He said that some officers wanted to stir up trouble, but he thought it was better to use common sense.
After almost an hour, I thought, uh oh, I don't want to hang up! I have a new friend! But I have to go clean a house (my other job). And my new friend was saying he almost never leaves the house because he feels lazy and told me about his brother who had been drafted into the Vietnam War. We talked about the history of Raleigh and where he went to hangout with his friends when he was in high school. He also mentioned that he wanted to go out with women but he has no money. That his brother says that he should go to the doctor for one or another health test, but he cannot pay the bill.
And I said I won't go to the doctor. I'm not afraid to die, I don't want to spend hours in the office waiting to see a doctor. I said i stopped visiting all my friends because they always said, "Why don't you go to the doctor?" And my new friend said to me, "Maybe it's because you don't have any health problems."
I had to say good bye. I had to go clean a house. He said he is not interested in being involved with Power Up. I said, "Save my number and you can call me when you feel like talking." But it would be a big surprise if he calls me. And I keep thinking about him, like I think about every person I meet in this job, knocking on doors or making phone calls.
After talking to him, when I was cleaning the house for my customer, I thought, "Maybe it's true that I don't want to go to the doctor or have health insurance, because I don't have health problems." I wondered what health problems the new friend may have that I will probably never speak to again. I'm thinking about the pile of bills that man can't pay, and his life stuck in the house, and I remember how he said, "I guess I'm depressed."
I was making phone calls for the Survival and Beyond campaign. Power Up, my group, is joining with about 160 groups to make 10 demands of the governor and legislators of North Carolina, during this time of Covid 19. Some of the demands the Governor was already fulfilling when they made them, like suspending evictions. But many demands were not only to resolve Covid related problems but to change the system in the future. Like, expanding medicaid.
We turned the demands of the campaign into questions for a telephone survey. It is a way to start a conversation about how people are getting along during the shut down. Also to talk about the things people would like to see improve for the future while we are adjusting to this change. For example, if we say that we should let people out of jail who did not commit violent crimes, or who are old or sick - why should they be in jail in the future?
Or another example, if the state pays for Covid tests, or the time people can't work because of quarantine - why doesn't it pay in the future for other health tests, or lost work due to illness?
I was talking to a retired man. One question was, "Do you think the government should let old or sick people out of jail to prevent the spread of Covid 19?"
He said, "No."
But for the next question, "How important is the health of people in prison to you?" He said, "Very important." And he told me that he had worked in detention and the first duty of an officer is to protect inmates, no matter if someone starts a fight, the officer has to protect them.
After completing the survey, I asked him about his career in law enforcement. We talked for an hour, about his work, taking care of his mother when she had cancer, and then later when she became very old, 90 years old, and she could hardly remember anything, he took care of her.
Earlier, during the survey, when I asked if he thinks that the government should stop detaining immigrants in this time of Covid, he said, "Well, they are working, doing the work many do not want to do. I think they should not detain them."
I liked talking to him. When he spoke of his work, he said that he always treated people with respect and that that was almost always what he received in return. He said that some officers wanted to stir up trouble, but he thought it was better to use common sense.
After almost an hour, I thought, uh oh, I don't want to hang up! I have a new friend! But I have to go clean a house (my other job). And my new friend was saying he almost never leaves the house because he feels lazy and told me about his brother who had been drafted into the Vietnam War. We talked about the history of Raleigh and where he went to hangout with his friends when he was in high school. He also mentioned that he wanted to go out with women but he has no money. That his brother says that he should go to the doctor for one or another health test, but he cannot pay the bill.
And I said I won't go to the doctor. I'm not afraid to die, I don't want to spend hours in the office waiting to see a doctor. I said i stopped visiting all my friends because they always said, "Why don't you go to the doctor?" And my new friend said to me, "Maybe it's because you don't have any health problems."
I had to say good bye. I had to go clean a house. He said he is not interested in being involved with Power Up. I said, "Save my number and you can call me when you feel like talking." But it would be a big surprise if he calls me. And I keep thinking about him, like I think about every person I meet in this job, knocking on doors or making phone calls.
After talking to him, when I was cleaning the house for my customer, I thought, "Maybe it's true that I don't want to go to the doctor or have health insurance, because I don't have health problems." I wondered what health problems the new friend may have that I will probably never speak to again. I'm thinking about the pile of bills that man can't pay, and his life stuck in the house, and I remember how he said, "I guess I'm depressed."
No hay comentarios.:
Publicar un comentario
Podemos Platicar? Deja su comentario aqui!